Chapter 8: To Jump City
"I must say, my Apprentice, I am very impressed.", the masked man smirked under his mask.
Richard was, in all-seriousness, very astonished. It had been 3 days since his "night out" with Jason, Ivy, and Harley and right now, he was in an encrypted video conference with his somewhat authoritarian mentor. He had genuinely anticipated that Slade would be very vocal about his disappointment as to how Richard had broken into multiple establishments owned by the Federal Government whilst being intoxicated but his reaction right now was telling a different story.
Richard scratched his head, "Shouldn't you, I don't know? Give me a lecture or something? Like how you're very disappointed in me for pulling off something like that?"
Slade cackled, "Should I be disappointed in you, my Apprentice? Granted, you went behind my back and struck the Federal Reserve and a National Guard Armory without consulting me, nor without receiving my permission nor consent yet a job is a job, and no-matter the odds, you pulled it off."
Richard sighed a breath of relief and sat down on his living room sofa, "I swear Slade, I can never get what's going on in your head."
"And you never will.", he replied, "Still, know that your success hasn't gone unnoticed; word spreads rather quickly and from the looks of it, you're very popular amongst the villain community. Yet as much as I wish to compliment your victory any further, I'm afraid we still have business to attend to."
"Yeah yeah I know.", Richard scoffed, "I already did some homework on the ion ray you want us to get. From what I can gather, it's still in its early testing stages but it's been proven to be functional and working. Building security systems are tight as heck but it won't be much of a problem. As for the security personnel? Wayne hired the all the best goons he could get his hands on, they might pose as a small problem but we'll be able to manage."
"Good work, my Apprentice.", Slade remarked, "Still, know that this contract is a very precious one. My, as well as your reputation is on the line here. Our client has high expectations for us and it would be quite unfortunate if we don't please him."
"Dare I ask.", Richard pondered, "Who is this, oh-so very important 'client', we're talking about?"
Slade smirked under his mask, "You are familiar with Lex Luthor? Yes?"
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[X-X-X-X-X]
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Tim simply couldn't get a break. He'd been putting more work-hours into being Robin since Gotham's underbelly was going haywire the past few days. That, and he got word from around the street saying that Renegade was the one behind the whole Federal Reserve robbery and the attack on the National Guard Armory.
He could only sigh as he exited the Zeta Tube.
[Mount Justice – Tuesday, January 23, 2018 | 2:15 PM]
"Recognized; Robin, B-20"
His eyes grew wide as he entered the Cave, the entire Team was there alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter.
'Well crap.', he thought, 'This ain't gunna be good.'
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It was Batman who spoke first, "Team, as many of you know already, the Philadelphia Branch of the Federal Reserve as well as the National Guard Armory in Newark were both raided 3 days ago."
"The League pledged it support into trying to find the culprits behind both attacks.", Wonder Woman spoke up, "Yet sadly, we couldn't find any leads."
"From what we can gather, the culprits have at-least 15 million dollars' worth of stolen currency as well an arsenal of dangerous weapons at their possession.", the Man of Steel added.
The Team could only sigh, they already knew that, what the heck was it that their mentors wanted them to do about this?
"I hope you guys don't mind but.", Jaime questioned, "What do you guys want us to do here exactly? We're kinda drawing a blank."
"The League is officially assigning this matter to the Team.", Martian Manhunter answered, "With everything that's going on around the world, we simply are having a hard time sparing resources to provide aid in this endeavour."
Wondergirl gave her mentor a curious look, "And how the heck do you expect us to pull that off? If the League is having a hard time finding those reprobates, what makes you think we can do it?"
"We're very sorry to have to do this.", Batman sighed, "But know that we wouldn't have done so unless we're left choiceless. I know this'll be a very difficult undertaking but know that the League has high confidence that you'll be able to pull this off."
Impulse sighed, "Man, it's times like these when I wish that Nightwing was still around."
The Team and the Leaguers went somber at that comment.
"I hope ya'll don't mind.", Beast Boy spoke up, "But I think I know a guy that might be able to help us out here."
The Dark Knight gave the changeling a stoic yet curious look, "And who might this person be exactly?"
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[X-X-X-X-X]
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[Gotham City – 3:00 PM]
The big burly individual sighed as he sat on his couch. Like what he said to the Titans when they disbanded; he did, in-fact, tie-up some loose ends back at his home turf. Not in a sinister sense though…
Victor Stone, more famously known as Cyborg, spent his retired days rebuilding the bonds that he left behind. Though his parents we're both long gone, some of his dad's old co-workers who helped him be the person he was today were still kicking around. They were astonished, to say the least, when Victor reached out to them but eitherway, Victor did his best to repair any bad blood that either he or his family might've caused over the years; he also decided to make his presence known to some of his old close friends in highschool.
Needless to say, there were dumbstruck when they found out that Victor was actually the superhero Cyborg but was glad nonetheless that he was finally back.
Now though, Victor spends most of his days staying at his family's old apartment in Gotham City. He would help out at STAR Labs whenever he had the free time, some would even say that he now works there; other times though, he'd hang out with Garfield whenever the green changeling isn't busy. Victor was very happy for him when Gar decided to join Dick's old Team and if he was being honest with himself, Victor was genuinely entertaining the option of joining them too.
He was taken out of his thoughts when his old Titan communicator sprang back to life…
The half-human, half-robot sat up from his sofa and walked over to the kitchen counter.
"Hello? Who is this?", he asked.
"Hey Vic, it's Gar.", the person on the other end answered.
"Oh sweet! Sup man! How you doin'?"
"I'm pretty good dude, how 'bout you?"
"I'm doing great!"
"Awesome! Say, are you busy for the next couple of days?"
A curious look grew on Victor's face, "No, not really, why'd you ask?"
"Well, I got a little proposition here for ya…"
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[X-X-X-X-X]
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[Jump City – Thursday, February 1, 2018 | 6:30 PM]
A red, 2018 Ford Mustang sped through the highway as it left Jump City International Airport and entered the city limits of Jump City proper; driving it was the notorious mercenary in the Red Hood and riding shotgun was the infamous apprentice of Deathstroke the Terminator.
"Say, thanks for picking me up man.", Richard began, "I really appreciate it."
"Not a problem Goldie.", the driver replied.
"So…", the driver spoke up hesitantly, "Are we really doing this?"
Richard chuckled, "Yup, this shit's for real Jay. To be honest though, I didn't think you'd take the offer."
"You kidding me? There's no way in hell I'll pass-up an opportunity to make some dough.", Jason retorted, "Still, why in God's good name do we need to hit up one of Batty's ol' companies? And why do we need to pair up Arrow Junior and Madame Sportsmaster II?"
"Sportsmaster the II? Where the hell did that come from?"
"I'll admit, it ain't my best quippy nickname but I'm genuinely out of options. Eitherway, I still don't get why we need to tag them along? We sure as hell can hit-up that place with just the two of us."
"As much as I agree with you, this whole schtick was Slade's doing. He's insisting on making this hit as a 'training exercise' for Will and Jade."
"Ahh yes, good ol' One-eyed Willy. Say, what did he think about the little 'incursion' we made 2 weeks ago?", Jason smirked.
Richard chuckled, "To be honest, he was actually impressed."
Jason's eyes grew wide and he gave Richard a quick glance, "No shit? He was?"
"Yep. Trust me, I really thought he was gunna open-up a can of butt-whooping and was gunna server my ass up in a silver platter; but I guess he had other plans instead."
"By the way, where is One-eyed Willy anyway?"
"The old coot's still in Japan."
"Still? He sure is taking his time."
"Let him be, so long as he doesn't breathe down my neck every-so-often, it's a plus for me. I still gotta give him a call every once-in-a-while though."
"I still can't believe you used to work with the guy back in the day! And you didn't even tell me!"
Richard sighed as he remembered his days with the Titans and his first apprenticeship with Slade. The young version of him was so hell-bent on being a hero and was very enthusiastic in making his own path in the world yet as time would have it, it wasn't meant to be. Being back in Jump City wasn't also helping since it brought back a string of both good and bad memories. Still, he was very much appreciative with everything that Slade had taught him during his first apprenticeship and he's still very much enjoying his new life as Renegade.
'But you miss them.'
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'No, I don't.'
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'Yes, you do.'
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'No, I don't.'
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'Yes you do. The Titans, the Team, Bruce, Alfred, Tim, and Barbara. You still miss them.'
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'No, I DON'T!'
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'Y'know, Wally would've never approved about the person you've become.'
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'Wally's dead.'
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'Yet you still hope that he's still somewhere out there.'
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'No, I don't. He's gone and he's gone forever.'
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'You don't know that.'
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'Yes, I do.'
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'You're doubting yourself.
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'No, I'm not.'
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'Yes, you are.'
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'No, I'm not!'
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'Yes YOU ARE! IF YOU'RE NOT DOUBTING YOURSELF, THEN WHY DO YOU STILL MISS THEM?'
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'…'
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'Maybe Slade and Jason were right, maybe you aren't cut-out for villain work after all.'
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'I am. I've made myself clear, I'm never going back.'
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'Then you better prove it.'
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'I will.'
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'Very good, Slade will be pleased…'
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"Uhhh, you okay there Goldie?", Jason questioned, "You zoned out for a sec."
Richard was snapped-out of his thoughts, "Huh? Oh yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"Last-minutes gitters?"
"What? No! It's just, I've been thinking about… Stuff… Is all."
Jason gave him a quick glance, "You sure? You looked like you wanted to punch someone in the guts though."
"No, I'm fine. Just stressed-out I guess."
"You know, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here, right?"
Richard gave his adoptive brother a reassuring smile, "I know, thanks by the way man. For sticking up with me throughout all these years."
"Woah, where did this come from?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to show my appreciation is all."
"Yeah well, you were there for me a lot. Especially when Bruce was being a dick and you didn't rat me out as Red Hood when you were still a goody-goody so this is the least I can do for ya."
"Thanks man, I really appreciate it."
"Not a problem, besides, that's what friends are for."
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[X-X-X-X-X]
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[Central City International Airport – Saturday, February 3, 2018 | 10:00 AM]
Artemis pulled-up her car in-front of the doors of Terminal 1 of Central City International Airport. She was told that her sister and Will would be gone for the next week or two but she wasn't told why. Still, Artemis is in no-way an idiot and she's pretty sure that this trip has something to do with her sister and Will's encounter with Renegade a few weeks back.
The 3 adults exited the vehicle and Will walked over to the trunk to take-out their bags, Artemis went on to get a luggage trolley.
Will loaded their suitcases in the trolley as Jade reiterated the instructions she gave her sister.
"And remember, Lian needs to be asleep by 9:30 understood? Any later and her sleep schedule will be out-of-whack.", she ordered.
Artemis giggled, "Relax sis, I got this. You have nothing to worry about, Lian's in good hands."
Jade pouted, "Well, I just wanted to make myself clear. And I swear, if anything bad happens to my sweet little baby, you'll get yourself an ass-whooping of a lifetime."
"I promise, nothing bad's gunna happen to her. Lian's gunna be fine."
Jade was about to speak but was cut-off by the airport intercom.
"The check-in counter for Wayne Airways Flight WA-670 bound for Jump City, California is now open. I repeat, the check-in counter for Wayne Airways Flight WA-670 bound for Jump City, California is now open."
Will walked over to his wife and her sister, "Well, I guess that's our cue."
"Alright, give mommy one last kiss Lian.", Jade spoke to her young baby.
The child smiled as she gave her mother a strong hug as Jade pecked her cheek.
Will laughed, "Don't forget about daddy now."
Lian then went on to give her father a strong squeeze, once that had been done, Jade handed-over her daughter to her younger sister.
"You two take care now, alright?", Artemis quipped as she went on to take her niece and gave her sister a hug.
"We will, you guys take care too, okay?", Jade replied.
Artemis then gave her brother-in-law a death glare, "You better cover for her you hear? I swear I'll give you a beatdown if something bad ever happens to her."
Will chuckled at his sister-in-law's threat, "Trust me, I'll make sure I die before she does."
Eventually, they all parted ways as the couple entered the automatic doors of the airport. Lian and Artemis gave them one last wave goodbye with Jade and Will doing the same.
Once they were gone, Artemis got back into her car, making sure to strap baby Lian up in her kiddie seat.
She started-up her vehicle and adjusted her rear-view mirror.
"So little mudtroll, where'd you want to get lunch?", Artemis asked, not expecting a response from the young child.
"Hmmmm, how about we get a bite over at Wendy's? Sound good to you?", Artemis continued.
The baby girl giggled and clapped her hands at her aunt's words.
Artemis chucked, "Wendy's it is!"
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Jade and Will made their way to the boarding gate after passing through the check-in counter, on the way though, Jade bumped into a woman and the lady's handbag fell on the floor.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there.", Jade gasped as she tried to help the woman with her belongings.
The young woman smiled, "No worries, I was the one who bumped in to you, I should be the one apologizing."
Once the kerfuffle had been settled, the young lady faced Jade and her husband.
"Say, I hope you two don't mind but.", she began, "I was hoping you guys would know where Gate 15 is?"
Jade gave the woman a knowing look, "Are you going to Jump City by any chance?"
The woman gave her a bewildered look, "Yes I am, why'd you ask?"
"Because that's the same gate we were heading for.", Jade answered.
"Perfect! I hope you two don't mind if I tag along with you.", she asked.
Jade smiled, "Not at all."
The lady reached out her hand, "Rachel, Rachel Roth. I'm so sorry about that whole ordeal but I'm very happy to meet you two."
Jade shook her hand, "Likewise, I'm Jade Nguyen, this is my husband Will."
Will gave the woman a light smile and a wave, "Hey there."
"So uhh.", Rachel pondered, "Shall we get going?"
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Rachel was, in all seriousness, stressed out. First, all available flights from New Jersey to Jump City were all booked out so she had to book one from Central City International. Second, she had to wake-up early to catch the bus over here.
'This trip to Cali better be fucking worth it.', she told herself.
It seems as though the Universe finally caught her a break since she wound up meeting this nice married couple, oh if only she knew…
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[X-X-X-X-X]
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[Jump City – 8:15 AM]
"I see you've made it, my Apprentice. How are your preparations going along?", Slade asked.
Richard had now settled down in his apartment in Jump City, once again, he was in another conference call with his mentor.
"Everything is going as planned. We've received word from Cheshire and Arsenal and that they are now boarding their flight."
"Excellent, are their accommodations ready, my Apprentice?"
"Everything has been set-up as you've requested. They have been provided a place to stay at Jump City's Carlton Hotel; their equipment as well as all of their necessities have also been pre-prepared beforehand."
"And what of Red Hood?"
"Red is currently dealing with the day-to-day activities of his syndicate. Eitherway, he is ready for our mission."
Slade smirked, "Excellent work my Apprentice, I have no doubt that you will be successful. Know that this mission cannot fail no matter the circumstances, I hope I've made my point very clear."
"I understand. I can assure you; everything will go as planned."
"Good, now go rest my Apprentice, you have a lot to do ahead of you. And remember, failure of any kind will not and shall not be tolerated."
Richard bowed, "Of course, my Master…"
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[Notes:]
[Some of you might be wondering as to how Richard got the call from Jade and Will at around 8 AM whilst they boarded their flight around 10 AM. To those of you who don't know, the mainland continental United States is divided into 4 time zones whilst the entire United States is divided into 6 (this includes Alaska, Hawaii, the Aleutian Islands, and all the US territories in the Pacific). Central City, Missouri uses Central Daylight Time (CDT) while Jump City, California uses Pacific Standard Time/Pacific Daylight Time (PST/PDT). Since CDT is 2 hours ahead of PST/PDT, when Jade and Will called Richard at around 10 AM CDT, it would've been around 8 AM PST/PDT when Richard answered them. With that cleared-up, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; have a wonderful day, and reviews are always appreciated!]