Chapter 15: Rules of Engagement

AN: Finally managed to knock out another chapter! I am looking for a Beta, so let me know if you're interested! I currently beta my stories myself, but I tend to miss things.

I mostly listened to '¿ (feat. Halsey)' by Bring Me The Horizon and Halsey for the fight scene if you're interested in mood music.


"What the hell do you mean you still haven't found anything?!" Jason hisses, towering over one of the teenagers. Stephanie sighs, shoving Jason away from the now cowering teenager.

"Look, we're all upset, but there's no need to take it out on them." Stephanie states, putting her hands on her hips. Jason scowls, crossing his arms.

"It's been almost two weeks with no sign of Dick. The Stalker hasn't even been able to find anything. He could be dead for all we fucking know." Jason growls, clenching a fist. "No one seems to even fucking care now that the Tights Brigade are here! All they care about is their own damn skin!" The blonde glares, taking a step towards the seething teen.

"That's not fair and you know it! Just because you've known him the longest, doesn't mean that the rest of us don't care! You're not the only one he saved, asshole!" Before Jason could retort, another teenager joins them wearing a bright red hoodie.

"You better actually have something this time, Stalker." Jason grumbles, turning to face the newcomer, ignoring the blonde's presence. Tim eyes the two carefully, before slipping his hands into his hoodie pocket.

"Where's the Little Demon. He'll probably want to hear this too."

"Arrow Head had to tie his ass up. He was starting to destroy the camp." Jason mutters, leading the two deeper into the camp. Tim glances up at Stephanie, confused, and mouths to her 'Arrow Head?'.

"He means Green Arrow. This asshole refuses to call any of the heroes by their names." Stephanie answers, shrugging. "I think he's just salty that they had to save his ass."

"Shut up." Jason snaps back at her before reaching the small building that was the core of their camp. The teen shoves another teenager in a yellow body suit with a lightning bolt on their chest out of the way. The teen squawks in annoyance as the three pass him. They make their way through the building before making it to a door with yet another younger hero leaning against it. "Out of the way, Red. We need to talk to the demon." The young hero just glares at them.

"I've told you a million times! It's Red Arrow!"

"And I've told you a million times, I don't give a shit." Jason growls, getting up in the hero's face. "Now move."

"Green Arrow said-" Red Arrow starts, but dodges when Jason throws a punch. "Hey!" Stephanie kicks the door down while the archer was distracted, then smiles up at him apologetically.

"Sorry! We just really need to talk to him." She ducks into the room followed by Tim and Jason. Damian was chained to the floor, glaring up at the intrusion. Tim cocks his head in confusion.

"Why the chains? It seems a little excessive." He mutters. Steph snorts as Jason approaches to unchain the boy.

"You don't know Damian. He escaped the ropes too many times." She explains. Jason swings the keys to the chains around his fingers, smirking down at the young restrained teen.

"Are you going to behave, ya little monster? The Stalker thinks he found something on Dickie Bird's location." Jason elaborates, now dangling the keys in front of Damian's face. Damian scowls, but nods stiffly.

"About damn time." Damian mutters. Jason leans down, unlocking the boy's chains, before stepping back. He didn't have a death wish, thank you very much. Damian hops to his feet, stretching out his sore limbs. "Alright, Drake. Out with it."

"Should we really be discussing this here?" Tim asks, his eyes darting around to make sure they were alone. "What if the heroes overhear?" Jason shrugs.

"With the Boy Scout here, they're going to hear anyway. Here's just a good a place as any." Jason grumbles, crossing his arms. Tim nods, sliding his cellphone out of his pocket.

"There was a recent sighting of a mercenary wearing black and orange armor in downtown Gotham. The post is pretty recent, so there's a chance Deathstroke is still there." Tim announces, turning his phone to face the other teens, allowing them to see the article.

"Where?" Jason snaps, not having the patience to read through the article.

"Tenth Avenue and Broadway." Tim answers quickly, having already anticipated Jason's response.

"Perfect!" Jason exclaims. "Damian, go get Cass. We leave immediately. Steph, you stay here with Stalker and hold down the fort." Stephanie frowns as Damian races out of the room to find Cassandra.

"That's not fair! I want to go too!"

"We can't have all of us leave. The other kids will panic if all of the leaders are gone." Jason states, ignoring Stephanie's indigent huff, and turns back to Tim. "Do you have a spare phone or something so that you can keep us updated?" Tim smirks, pulling another phone out of his pocket.

"Of course. Who do you think I am? I got a burner for you." Tim hands Jason the phone, who nods in thanks before heading out of the room as well. It was about time they brought their little bird home.


Red Hood, Rook, and Black Bat arrive at the intersection of Tenth Avenue and Broadway in Downtown Gotham and pause, seeing common in the alley. The trio head over to the alley, and freeze, seeing Deathstroke at standing at the opposite end. On the ground several feet in front of the mercenary was Two Face, who was badly beaten. Crouched over the mob boss was a figure in a black body suit, black cape, grey gloves, and white skull shaped mask. The mask and body suit both had a red uneven 'X' across the center. The figure was holding a sword to Two Face's throat.

"What the hell?" Red Hood growls, taking a step towards the figure. They had an eerily similar height and build to Dick. The figure's head snaps over to them and cocks their head.

"Ah. It appears that your friends decided to show up. Why don't you take care of them first, then you can finish with Two Face." Death Stroke states, almost seeming bored. The mercenary casually leans against the wall behind him, crossing his arms.

"Robin? Is that you?" Red Hood asks carefully, holding up his hands placatingly. The masked figure raises from their crouch gracefully, sheathing their sword.

"He's not Robin anymore. He's Red X now." Deathstroke states, waving a hand dismissively.

"How original." Rook mutters, taking a fighting stance.

"Robin, you don't need this bastard." Red Hood tries again, taking a cautious step towards Red X. "Just come back with us. Everyone is waiting for you." Hood holds out a hand to the teen, urging him to take it. Red X was suddenly right in front of Red Hood and smacks his hand away before kicking him in the chest. Red Hood grunts, stumbling back from the impact.

"It's too late for that. I'm where I belong now." Red X states, his voice slightly modulated from a device in the mask.

"Tt. That's bullshit." Rook growls, unsheathing his sword. If the acrobat wanted a fight, he was going to get one. He just had to knock the asshole unconscious, then they could drag him back to camp.

Rook runs at Red X and jumps to dodge a low kick at his legs. The younger teen kicks off the closest building mid-air to gain speed and launches himself at the acrobat. Red X ducks under the swing of Rook's sword, and grabs Rook's leg. He tosses Rook into an approaching Red Hood, causing the older teen to catch him and stagger back with the added weight. Without giving them time to recover, Red X was on them again.

The acrobat punches Hood in the face, who blocks, but is unable to block the second blow, since he was still holding Rook with his other arm. The punch lands on Red Hood's right eye, causing him to curse, and drop the younger teen. Rook twists while falling, kicking at Red X before landing on his feet. Red X easily blocks the hit before sweeping Red Hood's feet out from under him. He grabs the older teen by the jacket, flipping him over his shoulder, and slamming him to the ground harshly. Red Hood coughs, gasping, having the wind knocked out of him. He didn't remember Dick ever being this relentless. Usually he gave Jason time to catch his breath when they were sparing.

Rook growls, seeing Red Hood struggling to roll over onto his side to get up. The younger teen rushes Red X again, swinging his sword high, at the acrobat's face. He knew the teen would dodge, which he did, and Rook follows up immediately with a backhanded swing then round-house kick. Red X ducks under the swing, blocks the kick, then grabs Rook by the throat. The younger teen's eyes widen as Red X slams him into the wall roughly, and he cries out as his head smacks against the wall. Red X tosses him into the still crouching Red Hood, sending them both toppling over onto the ground. Red X quickly unsheathes his sword and blocks several incoming shuriken from a very angry looking Black Bat.

"I was wondering when you would step in." Red X mutters, crouching into a fighting stance. "Now I really get to test my progress. I've never been able to beat you sparing." Black Bat unsheathes her katana, shaking her head sadly. Suddenly, she was right in front of him, and he quickly blocks a vicious slash.

The two trade quick blows, each blocking each other's swings. Rook's eyes widen, watching the two trade blows. Dick was never this fast with a sword before. He never even used to like using swords. Black Bat manages to get a few hits in. She nicks his right shoulder, left bicep, and his left thigh. Red X surprisingly gets a single hit on her left cheek. Their swords clash again, and her eyes widen as his left hand suddenly shoots out, hitting her in the solar plexus. She stumbles back, dropping a hand to her chest. Red X uses the opportunity to kick her hard in the stomach, sending her crashing into the wall behind her. He eyes her slumped over form before returning his gaze to the two boys, who were still struggling to pick themselves off the floor. Red X nods to himself, sheathing his sword once again.

"Let's go." Red X states, grabbing the unconscious Two Face by his suit jacket, and starts to drag him towards Deathstroke. The mercenary nods, grabbing the mob boss, and tossing him over his shoulder in a fireman carry.

"Great work. Let's finish with this trash elsewhere." Deathstroke disappears into the shadows of the alley. Red X glances back at the trio briefly before running off after the mercenary.

"Wait!" Red Hood calls out, but the pair were already gone. "God damnit!" Red Hood curses, stumbling to his feet. He leans on the wall briefly to catch his breath before rushing over to Black Bat's slouched form. Rook staggers to his feet as well, making his way over to them as he runs a hand over the back of his head painfully. Well that was over embarrassingly fast. He didn't think Dick would fight that hard against them.

Black Bat looks up at them, tugging her ski mask off, coughing. Red Hood holds out a hand, helping her up. He tears his own mask off angrily. "What the fuck was that?!" He growls, stuffing his mask into his pocket. Rook sighs, taking his mask off as well, and sheathing his sword.

"He seemed serious about not coming back." Damian mumbles, ripping the hood off his head and running a hand through his hair agitatedly. He turns to storm off, but a hand on his hood holds him in place. He glares over his shoulder, and pauses, seeing that it was Cassandra holding him rather than Jason. Damian sighs, turning to face her, and crosses his arms. She holds out the hand that she had previously cradled to her chest. There was a rather large wad of cash sitting in the palm of her hand. Both boy's eyes widen in shock.

"Where the hell did you get that from?" Jason snaps, taking a step closer to her to get a better look.

"Dick." She states simply. Damian's breath catches.

"When he punched you." Damian breathes, putting the pieces together. "He gave you the money, didn't he? Then kicked you away so the bastard wouldn't see." Cassie nods, frowning down at the money in her hands, her eyes crestfallen. It seemed the dumbass was still trying to help them, after all. "We need to head to Wayne manor. I need to speak with Father at once." The young teen demands. Jason scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"Why the hell do we need to do that? What could Richie-Rich possibly do about this situation?"

"I'll explain later. We need to go now." Damian states, spinning on his heel, and stalks out of the alley. Jason groans in annoyance, following him.

"And how, pray tell, do you suppose we get there?" Jason asks, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Taxi." Damian states simply, holding his hand out expectantly. Jason rolls his eyes, handing the boy the cell phone. Better to just go along with it. He was too exhausted to argue. He strips off his jacket, handing it to Cassie, who was now standing next to him. After calling the cab service, Damian strips off his hoodie and overcoat as well, handing it over to Cassandra. "You head back and update Big Tits." Cassandra's eye twitches at the nickname for Stephanie. "We'll contact you later with an update. Just make sure Drake stays there for now." Cassie sighs, nodding before heading off in the opposite direction.


"I can't believe that cabbie let you in his car with a sword." Jason snorts as they arrive at Wayne Manor. He supposed it was Gotham. The taxi driver had probably seen worse. The brunette sighs, rubbing his arms. They should have planned ahead. All they had on were t-shirts since they gave Cassandra their jackets. Not that they could just wander up to the mansion wearing those particular jackets.

"Stop bitching." Damian grumbles, stalking up to the gate, and pressing the buzzer. He yells something at the butler, Jason wasn't paying much attention, when suddenly the gate swings open. The two jog up the winding driveway, trying to warm themselves up. The door opens when they arrive. Alfred seems slightly perturbed, probably from their disheveled appearance, before stepping aside to let them in.

"Where's Bruce?" Damian snaps, his head swiveling around the great hall. Bruce appears from the entrance to the kitchen, raising an eyebrow.

"May I help you boys?" He asks calmly. Suddenly, Damian was in front of him, pulling out his sword, and holds it to the billionaire's chest threateningly. Bruce's eyebrows raise to his hairline, but the man stays surprisingly calm. Jason, however, does not.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Jason screeches, trying to tug Damian's arm away from the billionaire. Damian ignores him locking eyes with Bruce.

"I am Damian Wayne. Heir to the Demon. My mother is Talia al Ghul and my father is Bruce Wayne, the Batman. I demand your assistance on rescuing Dick Grayson." Damian declares confidently. Bruce's eyes widen in shock, but before he could say anything, Jason knocks the sword away from the billionaire's chest.

"Oh my God. I am so sorry about this, Sir." Jason quickly explains, shoving Damian back, and away from Bruce. "The kid hit his head pretty bad a few years again and we're pretty sure he has brain damage. He's convinced that you're his father, and Batman for some insane reason. Kid is always muttering about how he was raised by the League of Assassins or some bullshit." Bruce sighs, running a hand through his hair. This was not how he expected to spend him morning.

"May as well just tell you. You're bound to find out sooner or later." Bruce mutters, heading back towards the kitchen, gesturing for them to follow him.

"Master Bruce. Are you sure this is wise?" Alfred asks, following him. Bruce shrugs.

"I'm out of leads. Maybe they can help find our missing bird." The two teens share a surprised look before rushing after the two adults. They freeze, seeing several Justice League members out of costume eating at the billionaire's kitchen table. Diana Prince, Barry Allen, and Clark Kent were all seated at the table. The three heroes glance up at the teenagers in surprise. Barry even drops the strip of bacon he was about to shove into his mouth. Damian fumbles with his sword in shock and Jason staggers over to the doorframe, needing the support to help him stand.

"The-….The Little Demon was right?!" Jason breathes, his gaze flickering back over to Bruce, who had taken a seat next to Diana.

"Well, he was correct about me being Batman. I'm not sure about the rest." Bruce states, taking a sip of his coffee. Alfred brings two more chairs into the room, setting them at the empty space near the end of the rectangular table.

"Of course I'm right, fool." Damian hisses, leaning his sword against the wall before taking a seat at the table. Jason just shakes his head, running a hand through his hair.

"Whatever." Jason grumbles, slumping down into the seat next to the younger teen.

"I'm assuming you have new intel." Bruce states casually, ignoring the blatant stares from Clark and Barry. Damian nods, thanking the butler quietly when plate of bacon and eggs is placed in front of him. Jason wastes no time digging into his breakfast as Damian begins to explain.

"We ran into Dick this morning. He was with the mercenary, Deathstroke. Dick is now using the guise of 'Red X'. They had already beaten Two Face by the time we arrived." He pauses, taking a vicious bite out of his bacon, causing Barry to flinch back at the aggressiveness. "We tried to bring him back peacefully, however, he attacked us. He defeated us with little effort." Damian growls, stabbing a piece of scrambled eggs with his fork before quickly eating it. "We assumed he had changed sides, but that assumption was incorrect. He snuck Cassandra his earnings in a way that Slade wouldn't notice before leaving with the mercenary." He takes a gulp of orange juice, and nearly stabs Jason's hand with his fork when the teen tries to steal his bacon. "Therefore, I have determined that he is working for Slade to protect us. Slade is likely offering us protection, and clearly paying Dick for his service. Dick is passing us the money in order for us to support ourselves." Damian finishes, taking another bite of bacon.

"That is a reasonable deduction." Bruce muses, taking another sip of his coffee.

"We confirmed that there are members of Slade's organization that have been staking out the camp." Clark states, leaning back in his chair slightly. "They haven't engaged us. They've just been watching from a distance. Probably Slade's way of keeping Dick in check." Clark's eyebrows knit in concern. He hasn't even met the kid, but he was already worried about him.

"So, we've come to the greatest detective to help us devise a plan to get Dick back." Damian states, draining the rest of his glass of orange juice. He hands the glass to Alfred, who goes to refill it, but Damian shakes his head. "For DNA evidence to prove my heritage." The boy states, smirking as he locks eyes with Bruce. The billionaire actually chuckles, causing Barry and Clark to choke on their coffee. Diana just glances at him with a small smile, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Very well." Bruce confirms, nodding at Alfred, who merely sighs, taking the glass out of the room. "I know who he's going after. We just need to make sure Dick finds him on our terms." Damian nods in agreement, resting his elbows on the table, and steepling his fingers.

"I'm listening."


That evening, Slade tosses Two Face onto the roof and takes off his mask. Red X lands onto the roof next to him, slipping off his mask as well.

"Have you figured out what you want to do with him?" Slade asks, raising an eyebrow at his apprentice. Dick nods, smirking as he walks up to the unconscious mob boss.

"Yup! I wanted to send a little message to the Bat." Dick states, dragging the villain over to the giant spotlight with the Batsymbol mounted in the center of the light. Dick leans down and hauls the villain onto the light, grunting slightly under the strain. He takes the rope he had hooked on his belt and ties the man to the light with his arms outstretched. Dick pauses, tapping his finger against his chin in thought. The teen shifts the man's tattered suit jacket so that it was hanging below the bat's wings, making the wings appear longer. He repositions the man's arm slightly, making the bat appear to have a beak. Dick smirks to himself, taking a step back. He turns the light on, cackling at the silhouette. Instead of a bat, the symbol now looked like a bird. Slade eyes his work, smirking, before disappearing over the edge of the roof. The kid really knew how to piss off the Bat.


AN: Ah! That was a beast to write! The fight scene alone was killer! But I was totally cackling to myself during the last two scenes. Please let me know what you think! Your kudos, favorites, and reviews give me life!