A Rider's Duty and Justice volume 2

…

Chapter 2: Judgement

Jason sat in his chair at the conference table. The other League members had been looking at him warily. It had been this way since Jason had used the Rider's ultimate weapon, the Penance Stare, on Grodd. In all honesty, Jason couldn't blame the Justice League for being wary of him. Such a power frightened him as well. Grodd was now virtually a vegetable, barely alive and his soul burning in Hell and everyone on the team had now looked at Jason in a different light.

Batman looked like he wanted to throw Jason into Belle Reve, or Iron Heights, or even Arkham, but that would just be handing the keys to the larder for the Rider as the Rider would simply destroy every criminal within any of those prisons at its leisure. The term smorgasbord came to mind.

Wonder Woman had a look of deep concern on her beautiful face and she wanted to ask Jason if what he did was his own action or that of the Rider's. Jason would've liked to say that it was the Rider's own actions and that he wasn't directly responsible for what had happened to Grodd. But, Jason wasn't so sure if what he did was the Rider's own actions using the Penance Stare on Grodd or if it was his own free will.

Superman and J'onn had looks of deep concern on their faces; Superman was concerned that the Rider's actions would be reminiscent of the Justice Lords' methods of punishment and J'onn was more worried for Jason. Jason wouldn't argue that what he, the Rider, did was on the level of the Justice Lords' methods for enacting punishment on criminals, but he would argue that he wasn't in full control of the Rider the moment it happened.

Hawkgirl was staring at Jason and he felt a little uncomfortable with the Thanagarian staring at him so intently, but he knew that Shayera had questions about the Rider.

Green Lantern had a look of stern reproach on his face as he looked at Jason. It was clear that he did not approve of the Rider's actions, nor would he have allowed it. Jason knew that Green Lanterns, from what John had told him, were under an oath to not take lives at any cost. Such a line was what Sinestro crossed and was subsequently thrown out of the Green Lantern Corps and what the Rider did to Grodd was tantamount to a death sentence, if not worse than death.

Flash was looking at Jason in worry; whether it was for Jason himself or over what the Rider had done Jason was not sure, but it would warrant a long conversation.

After a moment of silence, Jason heaved a sigh. "So?" he asked.

"We need to address what just happened in the last hour," Batman said sternly.

"Let me say that in my defence, I wasn't fully in control of the Rider," Jason was quick to say.

"It's not about whether you were fully in control or not," Batman rebuked. "It's about what you did," he stated.

"I know that," replied Jason calmly. "I won't argue that what I did could be considered worse than killing someone," he said. "To be honest, I don't blame any of you for wanting to have this conversation with me about it," he added bitterly.

Jason then looked at each of the Justice League individually and said, "If you all feel that I no longer deserve to be on this team? That's fine, I understand completely, there are no hard feelings and I'd probably do the same in your shoes," he said. "So, are we gonna vote whether I stay with the League or are you all going to terminate my membership?" he asked.

"We're not doing anything that drastic," Superman said firmly. Batman simply grunted, obviously not in agreement with him. Superman ignored the Dark Knight's noise of discontent and continued, "We're just concerned about this new power you used and what it can do," he said.

"Well, put simply, the Penance Star burns the souls of the wicked," said Jason. "The Rider can see all the evil a person has ever done and turn it all against them, leaving their bodies intact, but their souls a charred husk," he explained.

"So, what you did to Grodd, you… burned his soul?" Flash asked nervously.

"I did," Jason admitted tiredly. "I saw all the evil Grodd ever did such as manipulating the minds of his fellow gorillas and the people of Central City, every evil thing he had ever done in his life and I turned it all against him," he said.

"This is worse than the Justice Lords!" Batman declared. "They lobotomised criminals leaving them docile," he said. "What Jason did to Grodd is worse than that!" he added.

"But Jason wasn't fully in control of the Rider!" Wonder Woman said coming to Jason's defence and Jason gave her a sad yet grateful smile. "And don't think you're not guilty, Batman," she added sternly. "You inflict grievous bodily harm on those whom you fight, leaving them bedridden in the hospital for months on end," she accused. "How can you say that Jason is worse?" she then asked.

"Because the criminals I fight eventually recover," Batman said unapologetic. "Grodd won't ever recover from what Jason did to him," he added.

"But it wasn't Jason!" Wonder Woman stated. "It was the Rider that did it! Didn't you listen at all?" she asked.

"Jason may have said that it was the Rider that burned Grodd's soul, but how long can we keep taking him at his word? How long can Jason keep saying that it was the Rider that does these kinds of things before we realise that he does it all himself because he wants to?" Batman argued.

"We get nowhere by arguing," J'onn announced from his spot. "As Jason has said; do we vote him that he stay with us? Or do we terminate his membership?" he asked.

"I see you all need some time to discuss this," Jason said as he stood from his chair. "I'll be in my room," he added as he left the room, leaving the Justice League to talk it over.

…

Jason sat on the edge of his bed in his room mulling over the discussion he had with the Justice League. On one hand, Batman was right to be concerned; how long could he keep saying that it was the Rider doing these things and not him doing it because he wanted to? It was a worrying thought, but Jason knew there was some truth to it. Diana had come to his defence by arguing that what Batman did to his own rogue's gallery wasn't that much different from what the Rider did to Grodd, but then again, Batman's rogues eventually recovered from their injuries and Grodd was now a vegetable and would likely never recover.

Jason waited for what felt like hours when his door opened, and Diana stepped inside. "Jason?" she whispered.

"You've come to a decision then," Jason said rather than asked and he had a feeling he knew the answer.

"Everyone has discussed what has happened and what you've said," Diana said cautiously. "And we've decided to put you on a temporary probation," she explained.

Jason blinked in surprise. "Okay, I wasn't expecting that," he muttered to himself and rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "Whose idea was it?" he then asked.

"Kal came up with the idea," Diana replied.

"And Batman wasn't too happy with that, I take it," Jason said.

"He wasn't," Diana confirmed. "He wanted to vote you out of the League, but putting you on temporary probation was the compromise," she said.

"And what did it take to convince him?" Jason asked.

Diana gave a small smile and replied, "I have my ways," she said with a sly smile.

Jason gave a dry chuckle and said, "You've got him wrapped around your little finger, haven't you?" he joked and they both shared a laugh.

"So, who's going to be my parole officer, as it were?" Jason then asked.

"Kal volunteered to be the first to watch over you," Diana said. "He said he'd take you to Kansas for the week and visit his parents," she explained.

"And I believe a certain young Kryptonian will be waiting for you," Diana then added with a smile.

"Kara's going to be there?" Jason asked, his cheeks going red a little and Diana nodded in reply.

"Better start packing your bags, Kal will want to leave for Smallville tomorrow morning," the Amazon warned.

Jason then started packing his bags for the trip. Jason also made a call to Michelle and Mr Larson to let them know he was going to be in Kansas for the week.

"Are you okay, Jason? I saw on the news what you did to that big monkey," Michelle said over the phone.

"I know," said Jason. "I've been put on probation for the next few weeks," he explained. "Batman wanted to throw me in Belle Reve or Iron Heights, but that would be giving the other guy a buffet," he added.

"Yeah, I guess the other guy would have the time of his life if you were put in Belle Reve or Iron Heights, or even that excuse for a funny farm, Arkham Asylum," Michelle agreed. "Well, if you need anything, promise you'll let me know, okay?" she asked in a concerned tone of voice.

"I will," replied Jason before saying goodbye and hung up before dialling Mr Larson's number. Mr Larson had seen the news as well of what the Rider did to Grodd and he asked if Jason was okay. Jason explained that he was put on probation for the time being and was going to be in Kansas for the week and needed some time off. Mr Larson agreed that some time off was best and gave Jason the next couple of weeks off work.

…

The next day, in Smallville, Kansas.

Jason got out of the car and breathed in deeply, the scent of cornfields filling his nose and filling with a feeling of contentment. None of the pollution or smells of industrial cities that he was used. Clark got out of the car as well. Clark was dressed in a plaid shirt with some cargo pants and brown leather boots with his glasses perched on his nose. Jason wore his leather jacket with a white t-shirt, blue denim jeans and sneakers.

The pair had driven all the way from Metropolis to Kansas and with Clark giving Jason directions, they had arrived at the Kent family farm.

"So, this is where you grew up?" Jason remarked as he popped open the trunk and got out his bags. Clark nodded as he got out his own luggage.

"Home sweet home as they say," Clark said as he hefted his bags over one shoulder. "C'mon, Ma should be making lunch right about now," he added as they walked up to the gate and opened it. Walking up to the front door of the farmhouse, Clark knocked on it; answering the door was a woman with grey hair and wearing farmer's clothing.

"Clark!" the woman cried out joyously as she opened the door and enveloped Clark in a welcoming hug. "It's so good to see you!" she added as she pulled away with a huge smile on his face.

"Hi, Ma," Clark smiled back. "Ma, this is Jason," he then said indicating Jason with a nod of his head. "He's part of the Justice League as the… well, I think you know already," he added quietly.

"Ah, yes, that Ghost driver?" Martha Kent asked.

"Ghost Rider," Jason corrected her. "And yeah, I'm… that guy," he said hesitantly.

"Well, you seem like a nice young man to me," Martha replied. "Come inside and I'll get some coffee on," she said ushering Clark and Jason into the house.

Entering the house, Jason looked at the interior of the house; pictures hung on the walls of a young Clark with his parents and a young woman with long red hair. From baby pictures to teenage years to young adult pictures; each showed a young boy to man with dark hair with a smile plastered on his face.

"Where's Pa?" Clark asked Martha who said, "Oh you know your father, he's working on that old battleaxe of a tractor of his. Why he doesn't just get it replaced is beyond me," she said.

"Well, Jason happens to be a mechanic," Clark said. "Maybe he can help out?" he suggested.

"I'd be happy to look it over," Jason then said quickly.

"You won't, you know?" Marth asked.

"I promise I won't turn it into the tractor from hell, cross my heart," Jason replied crossing his heart with a finger.

"Well, Jonathon is in the barn working on his tractor if you want to know where he is," Martha then said. "Tell Jonathon that lunch will be ready soon, will you?" she asked Clark who nodded in reply.

Clark and Jason then headed outside and towards the barn where they found Jonathon Kent in his overalls and shirt, on one knee working on an old beat-up tractor. To Jason's eye, the tractor looked very beat-up and in need of replacing, but it may have been of sentimental value if Jonathon had kept it around for so long.

"Pa?" Clark called out and Jonathon Kent turned his head to look at Clark. "Clark! Good to see you made it out here," the old farmer grinned, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. "And you must be Jason," he remarked looking at Jason.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr Kent," replied Jason.

"Oh, it's just Jonathon to you, Jason," Jonathon said waving off the formality. "Kara's told me and Martha all about you," he added.

"Really? All good I hope?"

"It's all good. Kara's quite taken with you it seems." Jonathon had a wide grin on his face as Jason cast his head down in embarrassment and Clark looked surprised.

"Well, I see you're still working on your tractor," Clark then said quickly changing the topic.

"Yeah, I think I've just about got it working again," Jonathon replied as he took a combination wrench from a nearby tool case and adjusted a screw within the tractor.

"I happen to work in a mechanic shop," Jason then said. "I'd be happy to help out if you need it," he offered.

"Well, I don't see why not," Jonathon hummed. "Care to take a look at the old girl?" he asked.

"Alright, gimme a moment and I'll see if I can get this old thing working again," Jason said as he began to poke around the interior of the tractor's engine. After fifteen minutes, Jason had taken out some rusted wires and cracked components and he found the oil was burnt black and the transmission fluid was basically thick sludge.

After fifteen more minutes, Jason gave Jonathon the diagnosis. "Well, it looks like a lot of the wires are rusted out and some of the components are cracked and worn out and the oil is burnt to a crisp and the transmission fluid will need to be changed as well," Jason said to Jonathon. "You're either gonna have to replace what I just told you, or the better option would be to get something better. But, I can tell this old thing is of sentimental value to you, so you're gonna want to replace the parts," he added.

"Heck of a mechanic, you are," Jonathon muttered. "How much would it cost to get the replacement parts?" he enquired.

"Well, some of the parts like the gears might be hard or near impossible to find considering the age and model of the tractor. The wires should be easy and cheap to buy and so would the oil and transmission fluid," replied Jason. "I can ask around to find the parts for you," he offered.

"And how much would you charge?" Jonathon then asked shrewdly.

"Well consider letting me stay here the week my fee," Jason replied.

"I'll take it," Jonathon said holding out his hand to shake and Jason shook it. Heading back into the house and washing their hands, they entered the dining room where what could be described as a feast laid out for them.

"Ma, you didn't have to cook so much!" Clark said reproachfully as he sat at the table.

"Nonsense!" Marth said. "It's not often my son and visitors come here and you're looking thin as it is! What have you been eating in Metropolis lately?" she asked.

"I've been eating fine, Ma!"

"Well, still, you're looking thin and you've been working hard, so a big lunch is just what we all need."

"Where's Kara?" Clark then asked.

"She'll be home soon, Clark," said Jonathon. "She was just at the store grabbing some supplies. She'll be home any minute now," he added looking out the window and sure enough with a small gust of air, Kara entered the house carrying some bags of groceries.

"Kara! Did you just fly here?" Clark asked sternly to his younger cousin.

"Nice to see you too, Kal," Kara said sarcastically and when Clark narrowed his eyes, she added, "I did, but I kept high to the sky where no-one could see me!" Kara then saw Jason sitting at the table and she blushed.

"Jason! Hi!" the young Kryptonian woman squeaked out, the blush in her cheeks growing brighter.

"Hi," Jason greeted back quietly.

"I saw on the news what you did to Grodd," Kara said meekly.

"I'm not proud of it," Jason said firmly. "It was the other guy's doing, not me," he added.

"Kara, why don't you put the groceries away, get washed up and join us?' Martha suggested.

"R-right!"

With another gust of wind, Kara sped off and was back within seconds. "Now powers in the house, young lady!" Clark reprimanded sternly.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Clark," Marth said. "The food's getting cold! Eat up!" she ordered and everyone began to take the food off the plates and begin to eat.

After lunch, Jason lay on the couch, nursing his stomach. "Oof, I think I ate too much!" he moaned as he rubbed his stomach with one hand.

"It's your own fault for trying to out-eat me!" Kara boasted as she sat daintily on a chair. Jason admired the way Kara sat so daintily on her chair as she did right now and his eyes wandered down Kara's legs. They weren't like the stick thin rails that most models had, instead, they were lithe and shapely with just the right amount of muscle definition to them to give them shape. Jason shook his head minutely; where had that thought come from?

"Ma told me that you looked at Pa's tractor and told him what was wrong with it," Kara mentioned.

"I did," replied Jason. "And considering the age and model of the tractor, some of the replacement parts will be hard or expensive to find, so he'd be better off getting something better and newer," he said.

"Good luck trying convincing Pa to part with that old thing," Kara chuckled mirthfully. "Ma tried to convince Pa to sell it and he wouldn't talk to her for two days," she said.

"Well, I did offer to look around for the replacement parts at no charge," Jason said. "Letting me stay here was payment enough," he added.

The pair then shared a moment of silence before Kara finally broke the silence. "So… about what you did to Grodd-" she began slowly and Jason sighed to himself readying himself for Kara's question, "-was that all you or was it the other guy?" she asked.

"I'd like to say that it wasn't me, but the truth is, I'm not entirely sure it was the other guy doing the work or if it was all me," Jason admitted. "It just… happened," he said.

"What exactly did you do to Grodd?" Kara asked.

"Well, I saw every evil thing Grodd had ever done in his life and I turned it all against him," replied Jason. "It's called the Penance Stare; it sears the souls of the wicked and is the Rider's greatest weapon," he explained.

"So, Grodd's soul was burned?" Kara asked.

"Burning in hell as we speak," replied Jason. "Anyone who is exposed to the Stare will never recover from it," he said.

"What did the Justice League say when you did it?"

"Well, Batman wanted to throw me out of the League and toss me into Belle Reve, Iron Heights or even Arkham, but the Other Guy would probably have the time of his life in any of those places punishing all the criminals in there. But the rest of the League decided to put me on probation and Clark brought me here for the week."

"Well, I'm glad you decided to come to Smallville for the week," Kara said with a bright smile. "Plenty of nice quiet places around here we can visit," she added.

"Looking forward to it," Jason said.

…

Later that evening…

Jason sat out on the front porch of the house. The sky was slowly darkening with the sun setting in the horizon colouring the atmosphere shades of gold and orange and the creeping night sky was shades of purple and violet and the stars were just beginning to show. Jason smiled slightly as he gazed up at the sky; a cool light breeze was gently blowing in from the north bringing with it the scent of wild flowers and cornfields. Kara joined Jason out on the porch.

"Thought I'd find you out here," the young Kryptonian woman remarked as she sat down beside Jason. "Enjoying the sunset?" she enquired.

"Yeah, don't get too many sunsets like this one back in Chicago," replied Jason not taking his eyes off the horizon. "Don't see the stars too often at night either in the Windy City," he said.

"I've been to Metropolis and even Gotham a few times and I didn't get to see the stars there much as well," Kara said casually. "All the street lights and buildings and the smog blocked it all out," she added.

"Still, it's nice to see the stars once in a while out in a place like this," Jason said as he turned his head to look at Kara. Kara nodded in agreement.

"Sunsets like this remind me of Krypton," Kara said nostalgically.

"What was Krypton like when it was still around?" Jason asked.

"It was beautiful for a while, and with all the advancements made, we were still able to preserve a lot of forests and wildlife," Kara replied. "But it wasn't perfect," she said with a quiet bitterness to her voice.

"Clark did tell me some details, but not the whole story. Something about the planets core going haywire and an attempted coup?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, Jor-El, Clark's biological father, discovered that the planet was going to implode and he brought his warnings to the council of Krypton, but they refused to listen. Instead they chose to listen to Brainiac who told that there was nothing to worry about," Kara explained.

"Why did Brainiac lie to the Council?" Jason asked.

"Brainiac had somehow evolved and all that mattered to him, it, was its own survival and it had accumulated all the knowledge of Krypton so Brainiac lied to the Council to save its own skin and the Council believed Brainiac," Kara said.

"And so Jor-El decided to send your cousin to Earth to save him," Jason said putting two and two together. "And what about you?" he asked.

"My father was the only one who believed Jor-El so he too decided to build a ship to send me to Earth. I was going to be Kal's protector on Earth," Kara said. "But my ship was caught in the blast and I was sent adrift until Kal found me floating in space and when he found me, he was already an adult," she explained.

"So, you're what? Ten, fifteen years older than you look?" Jason asked and he winced realising he'd put his foot in his mouth when he said that out loud.

"Well, biologically, I'm still in my teens, but chronologically, I am in my twenties-thirties, but I don't look old, do I?" Kara asked in worry.

"No, no! You look great!" Jason said quickly. "You look just the right age," he added hoping what he said was a compliment.

Kara smiled. "Aw, you're sweet," she giggled girlishly. Then Martha called out from inside the house. "Kara! Jason! Dinner time!"

"Well, c'mon, time for dinner," Kara said to Jason as she stood up from her spot and Jason stood as well. "Hope you're hungry. Ma cooks enough to feed an army!" Kara warned.

"Well, I am pretty hungry," replied Jason as they headed indoors where the smell of Martha's cooking led them into the dining room.

…

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: there! After a long period, I've finally got the second chapter out and although it's just a filler chapter, at least I got something out to show I'm not dead in this and that I haven't abandoned it. Next chapter might be a while off as I'm trying to think of a good OC chapter where Jason maybe exorcises some demons that are haunting Smallville, then the next arc will be where Superman supposedly dies and the fall out of what happens, but Superman is accidentally flung into the future where he meets Old Man Jason who is the only surviving human on Earth.

So, I do apologise to everyone that I had taken so long updating this as I got sidetracked with other stories as well as real life getting in the way, but at least I got something posted.

Not much more to say, so let me know what you thought of this.