Chpt. II: Hunt
Richard sat at the desk of the hotel room at the Star City Plaza Hotel. Richard typed away at his laptop, working on the portfolio that he needed for the meeting the next day. If the city liked his presentation, Richard would need to offer other merchandise, which he would lay all out in the portfolio.
Richard sighed. He glanced at his phone's clock. It was 12:27. Richard glanced back behind him, observing Tim in the bed across from Richard's. Tim was sound asleep. Richard felt a sudden relief. He could begin.
Richard glanced back to his laptop, but switched to a different desktop that had other information tucked away for him. It was a feature he had Harper Row fix for him, & one that he very much appreciated. He began accessing the traffic cameras around Star City, cross referencing them with individuals with masks. He was looking for a particular masked vigilante, but it was hard in the city where suddenly everyone donned a mask in order to protect the people. Richard felt like he was the first to join the vigilante game...aside from Bruce.
As he scanned, Richard sat back in his seat. He was nervous. He was actually nervous. So much had happened in Gotham, but with the recent trails left across the coast, Richard couldn't deny what he was seeing. He was sure it was him. He needed to find him & be sure. He owed him that much.
The screen flashed with a matched result of the vigilante. The suspect came up in a white hockey mask. "Hmm," Richard mumbled. He would be running around in a mask if he was back. Maybe it was him.
Richard glanced back behind him, noticing Tim's slumber. If he was going to make his move, he had to do it quickly.
Richard stood up from the chair & made his way to his luggage. He knelt down beside the luggage, set aside by the window, & unzipped it. He opened the luggage up & removed his business suit that was hung in a suit bag. He then removed a smaller case from inside the luggage & opened it. Inside was the suit that Harper Row had helped him design when he moved to Blüdhaven. It was a modified version of his stealth suit that she helped him make when he broke into the Cadmus facility years ago. It was black with blue etching on it, & it had a reflective blue band that went across the front of the suit, near the chest. It was pointed downward, resembling a blue bird. Richard felt he had to pay homage to his previous title that he had lived by. The material of the suit was made of same polyfiber material that was used on Richard's first Robin suit, designed by Bruce & Alfred. Richard made sure his suit was the same bulletproof material that was also lightweight, like his previous suit. It made everything that he did more efficient.
Richard slid his pants off of his legs, then stuck his legs through the pant holes of the suit. He then removed his t-shirt, tossed it on the ground, then slid the armored top over his body. He reached inside of the case, where an eye mask was kept. Richard placed it over his eyes, letting the mask take form over the bridge of his nose. It was designed specifically for the mold of Richard's face, & he loved that. It was made for him. It was HIS mask, HIS calling, not one of a follower of another.
Richard reached inside of the case & grasped the two small rods that were inside. They clicked together to make a much larger staff. Richard gripped it tight in his hand, letting the familiarity of the weapon return to his hand's muscle. It had been a while since he used it. It was his first weapon, also designed by Harper. She made it for him to use in the Cadmus raid, & after becoming Robin, he used another model designed by Bruce. It felt good to use the original weapon again. Of course, Harper had it touched up with some slight modifications.
Richard slid the weapon over his back, into the slit where the night staff clicked, & approached the window. Richard opened it & glanced back at Tim once more. The boy was still asleep. He felt horrible for keeping Tim in the dark about this, but, he just wasn't ready. Richard had to do this alone.
Richard stepped out onto the ledge of the opened window & leaped out into the Star City night.
Richard stayed perched over the edge of the rooftop. He was glancing down the alleyway, where his phone had triangulated the estimated location of the masked vigilante. If he was anywhere in the remote area, he would be somewhere near the alley.
Richard sighed. He suddenly began to wonder what he would do when he saw him. Would he attack him? Would he talk to him? What would he say? What COULD he say, after all these years? Richard ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He couldn't get this emotional so soon, & he couldn't risk letting himself be unprepared. He needed to wait.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out through the dark streets. Richard stood upright swiftly & ran towards the sound of the gunshot, turning the opposite direction. He made his way across the rooftop, where he leaped over the large gap between two buildings, & smoothly continued to run across the second building. He made it to the edge & peered down, where he saw a thug struggling with another thug for a gun. Both were engaged in combat, but neither were winning. After a few moments, the two shifted positions, & Richard caught sight of the vigilante in the hockey mask.
Without a second to spare, Richard leaped off of the edge, landing feet first on the ground. He slowly stood upright, watching the two struggle for the weapon. "Hey!" Richard called out in his taunting voice. The two turned, startled at the sudden appearance of another person. "What's all the fuss about, boys?"
Suddenly, the two shoved one another, sprinting down the alleyway. Richard followed suit, feeling his mouth rise to a slight grin. He effortlessly leaped up against the wall with one foot, & reached into his utility belt for a small Winglet, & tossed it. The winglet snapped open, releasing a tight steel string that wrapped itself around the thug's ankles. He tripped, falling face first into the ground.
Richard ran past the suspect, continuing to chase after the vigilante. Richard ran faster & faster, feeling his heart pumping fast & his breathing grow steady. He was so much better at this than he was when he first started.
The vigilante was caught at a dead end, with a large fence blocking his way through. The vigilante grunted, then turned to face Richard. "What do you want, man?" the vigilante cried through his hockey mask. He had a thick accent. Was it...a Brooklyn accent?
Richard shook the accent out of his head, not dwelling on it. "You're not from around here, are you?" Richard called out. "This city already has someone watching over it at night. They don't need Jason Voorhees playing 'superhero'."
The vigilante scoffed. "I could say the same to you, homes."
Richard waved his fingers towards himself, inviting the vigilante to attack. "Show me what you got, brother."
The vigilante threw his fists up, then lunged at Richard, swinging his fists & jabbing hard. Richard dodge each attack with ease, sidestepping & blocking with no struggle. After countering the last move, Richard leaped up, kicking the vigilante in the chest with both feet. The vigilante fell back, & Richard landed in a small split. He stood upright, just in time for the vigilante to regain his footing & lunge once more for an attack. With the use of his momentum, Richard was able to dodge his attack once more, but force the vigilante's body into the air with the slightest toss. The vigilante was knocked into a trashcan. Richard approached the vigilante once more, but the vigilante landed a quick jab in. Richard felt his face sting slightly, but it hardly hurt. The vigilante swung another fist, but Richard easily dodged it by bending his back backwards, feeling the motion of his opponent's arm swing over Richard's chest. Richard stood up & kneed the vigilante in the gut, then tossed his body to the ground.
Richard stood over the hockey masked man, watching him cough & struggle to stand up. Richard removed his staff from his back & pressed the end of it down on the vigilante's chest. The vigilante cried out in pain. Richard scoffed. "Relax. This COULD electrocute you if I wanted it to."
The vigilante began to panic. "What do you want, man? You want info? I got info! You need connections? Names? I know people. I got the names of dealers, if you want 'em! You can buy from 'em, kill 'em, whatever you need, man!"
Richard arched his eyebrow, attempting to place the man's accent. Richard sighed & grabbed the chin of the hockey mask, lifting it up over the man's face. The mask revealed a young, hispanic man with dark eyebrows & a scruffy beard. The man was not who he thought he was.
Richard grunted. "Who the hell are you?"
The vigilante coughed. "I'm just a guy trying to do something for his city."
Richard bit his lip. "I've been there. I can understand that." Richard stood up, removing his staff from the man's chest. "Make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew, man. We're not all cut out for this burden."
The man stood up slowly, clutching his stomach. "And you are?"
Richard gripped his staff tight, activating the electric probe at the ends of the staff for a brief moment. "Yeah, I'd say I'm qualified for this." Richard looked up & down the man. He scoffed at his blue bulldog jersey. "More qualified than you, Mad Dog."
The man glanced down at his shirt & groaned. "Man, hop off," he grunted.
Suddenly, Richard heard footsteps. Richard glanced down the opposite end of the alleyway to find the silhouette of a man standing over the body of the tied up thug. His body was outshined by a streetlamp. The silhouette reached down to grab the man by his collar, then looked down Richard's way. Richard stared back nervously, although he did his best to not show it. He heard the Mad Dog guy run towards the high fence & attempt to climb it. He continued to struggle for a few moments, then managed to make it across to the other side. All while he did this, Richard stared down the silhouette, attempting to figure out who exactly he was eyeing down.
Richard took a step towards the silhouette, but quickly stepped back when he heard police sirens. Richard had to move. He wasn't in Blüdhaven anymore. He couldn't follow his own rules at night, not with the Star City police.
Dammit, he was supposed to see the head of the SCPD tomorrow for the meeting.
Richard gripped his hand tight in a fist, but as he looked back up at the silhouette, it was gone as fast as it had appeared.
