Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
The slums of Rio were crowded, loud and chaotic. The perfect place to disappear.
The crowds parted as a young man kicked up the dirt road on his motorcycle, weaving in and out of the midday crowd, frequently looking back to check for the men that had been tailing him. Tapping the handsfree in his ear he called the first number on his speed dial.
"Hello?" "Dick?" "Jason is that you?" "Yeah, look I don't have much time, there's something you need to know." Jason said, he looked back over his shoulder to see that the men were gaining on him.
"What do you mean?" Dick asked, his voice tight. "The suspicious deaths in Rio, they're caused by Vertigo" Jason explained breathlessly, he took a sharp turn down an alley to avoid the jeep of armed men that had nearly rammed into him.
"The drug? But some of those deaths were children" Dick said, he hated feeling clueless. "Damn it, I don't have much time! It's in the water supply! We need to do something!" Jason yelled, now frustrated at how close the bullets were to hitting him.
He swerved again, riding parallel to the damn. Looking around Jason realised that there was no escaping Brazil, no return to Gotham and no seeing his family again. It was over.
"You need to do something Dick, you need to stop this. Tell dad that I'm sorry" Before Dick was able to reply he heard a loud ringing through the phone, gun fire. "Jason! Jason talk to me!" Dick yelled, frustrated at his brothers silence.
Suddenly there was a metallic clanking followed by what Dick managed to identify as an explosion. Jason had been hit multiple times in the shoulder and side, the force of the shots forced him to steer the bike off of the edge of the damn. His bike broke through the barrier and exploded on impact with the cliff. Jason's limp body disappearing beneath the water.
Gotham City, USA
For the first time in a long time, Dick was scared. He was terrified.
After not hearing from his younger adopted brother in over three years, he'd gotten a call for help before having to listen to his final moments play out over the phone.
He took a deep breath and thought about what to do next. After a moment he picked up his cell and called General Kent.
"General Kent" the voice barked down the phone, "General Kent, it's Dick Grayson. I'm the older brother of Jason Todd, I believe he was under your command" Dick said, suddenly nervous.
"Todd? He was one of my men, stationed undercover in Rio" Kent confirmed. "He's dead" Dick said, his voice breaking as he delivered the news. "How?" Kent asked, ever the military man, "I don't know, can you tell me exactly where he was stationed?" Dick asked, he hoped to find a place to start his own investigation.
"The last I heard there was an old warehouse on the edge of the Ipanema slums, south Rio. That's all I can give you I'm afraid...and Dick...I'm sorry for your loss" Kent said before he hung up, leaving Dick to the deafening silence around him.
Dick didn't know what was going on in Rio, the only thing that he was sure of was that what ever it was had gotten his brother killed. With a new found determination Dick decided it was time to call an old friend, but first he needed to hunt. To flick through his data base and find the best of the best.
Palo Alto, USA
Jamie Reyes looked on at the beautiful sight before him. The old Aston Martin DB5, his Aston Martin DB5, a new car. After weeks of restoration it was ready and it was his, a present from his bosses.
What made the sight even more beautiful was the gorgeous blonde that was currently polishing the car.
"You didn't have to do this Artemis" Jamie said, still not able to believe his luck. He'd drifted between jobs and stumbled upon a small garage that was looking for an apprentice. Artemis had hired him instantly.
"We wanted to, call it a graduation present. You're a fully qualified mechanic now" Artemis said, she turned her attention away from the car and ruffled the young man's hair.
Artemis' cell began to ring from her back pocket, it was a tone that she hadn't heard in a while.
"Dick?" "Arty I need you're help." Artemis turned to Jamie and put the phone on speaker. "Get Wally" her voice became tight and nervous.
"What happened?" Artemis asked, Dick called every now and then to check in on how she and Wally were but usually he just turned up at the garage or their apartment. If he was calling them on his 'work phone' then it was urgent.
"It's Jason" Dick said his voice hoarse. Jamie rushed into the room, Wally in tow. "You're on speaker Dick" Artemis said, her eyes locked on Wally's. Wally took in his girlfriends stance, she was tense, rigid. Something was wrong.
"What happened Dick?" Artemis asked again, "Jason's dead." Artemis choked, she'd met Jason on a number of occasions, he was a good kid, a military man and she'd found herself taking a liking to him. "I'm so sorry" Artemis said, the colour drained from her face and her knees felt weak.
Wally moved over to his girlfriend and sat her on the hood of the car. "I'm sorry dude, how did it happen?" Wally asked. "He stumbled onto something in Rio. He called me and said that the deaths that were randomly happening around South Rio were linked to Vertigo, he said that he had evidence that it was in the water supply. That was all he could tell me before they killed him" Dick explained, his voice breaking under the emotional weight of his words.
"The drug Vertigo?" Artemis asked, a curious expression on her face. "You've heard of it?" Dick asked, surprised at his friends knowledge of the underground substance, he'd only heard of it through Jason.
"An old colleague of mine told me about it" Artemis said, Wally looked down at his girlfriend, he noticed her hand had a death grip on the phone. He knew that his girlfriend had had a difficult past but he'd never pressed her on the subject.
He knew that she'd had a record before she met him, a record that had only increased after the two had started dating. Hell, he did too, and Dick. They were street racers, thieves and con artists.
"I know you're both out of the game, but I need you're help."
Wally and Artemis exchanged a glance before Artemis spoke, "When and Where?"
Metropolis, USA
His fists pounded hard against the punching bag, the memories of last nights fight flashed aggressively through his head and brought pain along with them.
He'd lost control. Sure, he'd won the fight, that was his job. But he'd come so close to killing that man, so close to murder. He was supposed to be the best, the champion.
That man was scum, a low-life drug dealer and murderer. He deserved to die, but he know's that that isn't justice.
Connor Kent, Metropolises underground boxing champion. How could he claim to be the best when last night he'd forgotten about the honour of the fight. Forgotten everything that his big shot father had taught him in the military. He was a disgrace.
After witnessing his rage in the ring Wendy had left him, packed up her stuff that night and walked away. There's still a hole in the bedroom wall from Connor's pain. He had no reason to stay in Metropolis. There was no family, no girlfriend and no legitimate income.
Racing was no longer an option either, the boxing circuit had turned their backs on him and the racing scene followed suit, he was dangerous and they knew it.
He needed a change of scenery.
The ringing of his cell phone pulled him harshly from his thoughts.
"What?" Connor grunted, his hand landed heavy against the bag. "Is this Connor Kent?" "That's me" Connor replied, he put the phone on speaker, set it down on the side and continued to release his tension on the punching bag.
"My name is Dick Grayson, I need you're help."
Connor stopped. Dick Grayson, The Dick Grayson had called him. This guy was a celebrity on the underground racing scene. He was an icon.
Why had some one like that called someone like him? What had Connor possibly got to offer?
Making his mind up quickly Connor replied, "what do you need me to do?"
Atlanta, USA
Kaldur, looked over the blue prints on the counter. He circled the exits and reviewed the casino's security staff files, this was going to be easy. His room mates quiet singing provided an innocent sound track to their criminal intentions.
"They're cool now" his female companion exclaimed happily as she set a plate full of cupcakes in front of him. "Thank you M'gann, these smell incredible" the woman smiled at the compliment.
"What's the plan?" M'gann asked, she looked over the blue prints and files that Kaldur had splashed across the counter. "I need you to become this woman" Kaldur said, he handed her a manila envelope. She pulled out the photographs and saw a pretty read headed woman.
"Her name is Marie Logan, she's in her early thirties and was television actress. She was due to make an appearance at the poker tournament tomorrow night but you will take her place."
"Can you do it?" Kaldur asked, he had full faith in his friend and colleagues abilities but asked to be polite. "Of course" M'gann answered, her face lit up, she really did love her 'job.'
Kaldur's phone vibrated furiously against the counter. With his attention still on the blueprints before him, Kaldur answered the phone and placed it on speaker.
"Kaldur Manta?" "I am him, may I ask who is calling?" Kaldur answered politely before he took a bite out of one of M'gann's strawberry cupcakes.
"My name is Dick Grayson, I'm assembling a team and I want you on it, you're room mate too." M'gann's head snapped up at the mention of her. "We are both present, what is this team that you speak off?" Kaldur asked, curious to hear Dick's offer out in full.
"My brother was recently killed by a drug cartel in Rio De Janerio. He had found out that they were leaking drugs into the favelas water supply, this lead to the deaths of many innocent people. I want to take down the cartel. I need chameleons, people who can blend in anywhere and investigate, I hear M'gann Morze is one of the best around." M'gann blushed at the compliment, Kaldur couldn't help but wonder where Dick had found information on the two of them.
Dick continued, "I also need drivers and some one with the ability to come up with effective and efficient plans quickly, I believe that this fits your skill set. I need you both on my team."
M'gann and Kaldur took a moment to think about the offer, they'd pulled off plenty of heists together, they had a Robin Hood complex. They stole from those that were failing their city and gave to those who had nothing.
"We're in."
Las Vegas, USA
The crowd erupted into applause, they threw roses and small teddy bears onto the stage as the magician took her bow.
An audience of two thousand believed that they'd witnessed one hell of a magic show. What they had actually witnessed was the clearing of the hotel's vault.
She was a highly popular magician, a sell out performer who never stayed in one place for long. She was also a criminal, and a con artist.
Quietly she snuck out of the artists entrance, careful to make sure that no one would ever know the truth. The truth that the contents of the hotel vault were now hidden amongst her props.
She climbed into a cab and allowed herself to smile, she relaxed slightly as the hotel faded into the distance. She knew that what she did was wrong but she never kept a penny.
Everything she stole was given anonymously to various charities. She remembered all of the small heists that she had pulled off with her parents before her mother had passed away, taken by a pathetic drug addict. She thought of her father, alone and unwilling to ever take up magic again. She did this for her parents.
Her phone began to vibrate in her hand bag, she dug around and answered it.
"Zatanna Zatara here, who's speaking?" she asked, still pleased at her latest victory.
"I've heard a lot about you're magic shows miss Zatara and I have an offer from you."
"I'm listening" Zatanna said, as the lights of Vegas flew by she hung on this strangers next word. "My name is Dick Grayson. I need a magician, someone who has a talent for misdirection, some one who fights for a cause bigger than her own needs. I also need some one who can cause a scene, someone good with explosives" Dick said, he'd looked over her file, and had to admit that he was impressed with her skill set.
She used a series of well timed controlled explosions on stage, to mask what was happening in the vaults, it was genius really.
"Why should I join you're team?" Zatanna asked having already made her mind up.
"We're taking down the drug cartel responsible for poisoning the favelas of Rio and for killing my brother to keep it quiet" Dick answered, he had picked each member of his team based not only on their skills, but also for their attitudes. Yes each member had a record, they were all known criminals but they all had good intentions and big hearts.
If Zatanna's mind wasn't certain before, it was not. Zatanna lived by a code, it was all about family, you don't mess with someone's family. The cartel had no problem with crossing that line.
"Where do you want me?"
Gotham City, USA
Dick took a moment, he had just recruited six of the best and most loyal criminals that their respective fields had to offer. It was real now.
He would go to Rio, and he would finish what his younger brother had started. His team were going to take down the cartel.
Dick had a lot to sort in a very short period of time, he had a matter of days until the team were due to meet at his given location. That left him just days to arrange their transportation and the transportation of their vehicles and equipment.
"Looks like it's time to call in some favours."