Summary: Takes place in May of 2013, a few months after the previous chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
"Your mission today is to infiltrate a nightclub in Las Vegas. We have gained reports that John Mallen, a well-known face in the criminal underworld has set up camp here for a few weeks, and we cannot miss the chance to subdue him. Bruce Wayne has already booked a reservation at a nearby hotel, so don't worry about any issues there. You need to locate, subdue, and bring him back as soon as possible. If given the opportunity, try to uncover what he is doing there and foil his plans, but your primary objective is to capture and bring him back for trial." Batman showed the team a picture of the criminal, and Canary took over the explanation for him.
"Stealth is crucial. This man has avoided all forms of police officers as well as vigilantes in Gotham, Blüdhaven, Star City, and Keystone, and he has proven capable in martial arts to the point where he can evade and keep up with myself, Red Arrow, and more. We need to take him off the board as soon as possible." Kaldur nodded to them before signaling the team to depart. They boarded the ship in civvies as Kal explained their plan.
"As Batman and Canary said, stealth is key. We cannot simply launch a full-scale raid on the nightclub, so instead we shall bide our time, attempt to uncover his plans in Las Vegas, and then abduct him once we have sabotaged his goals." The team nodded in unison, and pretty soon, the ship landed in Vegas. Dick led the group to the hotel, using his fame and status as Mr. Wayne's son to gain entry into the hotel. This being Vegas, there were all kinds of graffiti, profanities, and lunatics everywhere. An older man, possibly drunk, even tried to hit on Megan, but Connor got him to back off while doing his best not to shatter every bone in his body. A group of blonde girls overheard Dick introducing himself to the concierge to get entry to the hotel, and they quickly ran up to him once he had procured the room keys. Zatanna tightened her grip on his hand, and Dick couldn't help the smirk as he knew exactly what she was going to say.
"Sorry, he's taken." The girls did not budge until Dick kissed her cheek and they walked after the others, hand in hand with a rather smug look on Zee's face. The group had booked 2 separate rooms, one for girls and one for boys, and they set up their luggage in the rooms as they would be staying there for about a week.
-Doubt we'll be able to get in today. Seems packed down there-
-You're telling me? I can hear the noises from here, and that's without super-hearing-
-Agreed. We must get some rest for now, but tomorrow morning we will prepare to infiltrate the club- Everyone sent a sense of acknowledgement through the mind-link at Kal's plan, and they all slowly dozed off in their respective rooms.
The next day, after breakfast and preparations were made, the group huddled around Dick as he analyzed the schematics and other data about the nightclub. "Alright, club's got three entrances, all positioned for easy access, so we gotta be careful. On top of that, looks like there's gonna be a boat trip tomorrow, and our boy John's on the member's list. I've already got our reservations, thank you Bruce Wayne."
"It appears we are going on a cruise tomorrow. For now, we must infiltrate the club to try and find him. If we are lucky, we can end his plan before it even begins. Everyone gear up, but carry only the essentials. We do not want to draw attention to ourselves." Wally brought his Flash ring, Connor wore his normal shirt under a jacket, and Raquel wore her belt, but covered it with her clothing. The rest did not bring their equipment since they were either able to morph into their suits, like Megan, or relied on Zatanna to magically transform them, like Dick.
The team did look a little off at a club, but most people were too caught up with drinking or gambling to care. Dick and Zatanna were walking around the place, since there was no way in hell Zee would leave him alone after the fangirls at the hotel, and Dick honestly felt the same about leaving his attractive girlfriend alone in a place full of lunatics who would waste no time hitting on her, or worse. They made their way around the premises, looking for Mallen, when Zee bumped into an older woman with blonde hair and the same beautiful blue eyes as her.
"Oh, sorry."
"No worries, it was my-" The woman looked at Zee and her eyes widened. She started staring at her, and Dick got concerned. What's up with her?
"Everything okay?" The woman looked to Dick, noticing he was holding her hand, and she almost glared at him before walking away hurriedly without a word. "What was that about?"
"I...don't know. She seemed sorta familiar, but I have no clue from where."
"Maybe she's just someone you saved."
"I guess. She didn't seem to be a fan of you. Threw you a pretty nasty glare." Dick shrugged.
"Probably knows me by reputation. I'm used to it." Zee shrugged and they walked off, looking for Mallen. Unbeknownst to them, the woman from before was still following the two around, her eyes exclusively focused on Zatanna.
"That's not...no, it can't be...he never said she would show up...but those eyes, that hair...it's her!" The woman hurried out of the building, uttering something that nobody with the exception of herself, Zatanna, and a select few would even be able to comprehend before disappearing into a puff of smoke. She reappeared somewhere else, somewhere dark, and she was met by a familiar face, one all too well-acquainted with the team. "I ran into them. They showed up looking for Mallen, just like you said they would. You didn't mention that Zatanna would be there!"
"Oh, didn't I? Well, must have forgotten about that. And watch your tone, or else I'll put you in your place. And I don't think you need a reminder of what I can do." The shadowy figure giggled as the woman touched the burn mark on her shoulder that was left by him from the last time he...disciplined her. She gritted her teeth.
"You said she would be safe so long as I listen to you."
"Is she hurt? Didn't think so. Unless that Dick Grayson kid's abusing her. Heh heh, he's got quite the reputation in that area." The woman's anger started to pour out at the thought of Dick hurting Zee.
"What is our next step?"
"We wait. The brats will want to find old Johnny boy, and when they do, I'll have a fun surprise in store for them." Klarion smiled wickedly as he held out a familiar mystical artifact, the very same one he had used months prior to put Dick in a coma. "Nabu thought he could destroy this, that buckethead. All it took was some repairs and a bit of, heh, magic, and it's good as new. Old Vandal wants to plunge humanity into the next stage of evolution with anarchy, well, this oughta stir up some chaos for sure. Now leave, I have work to do." The woman reluctantly nodded and left the room, teleporting away.
Back at the nightclub, the team regrouped, disappointed. "It appears our mission is a failure. Mallen is nowhere to be found. Reconvene at the hotel, get some rest. Hopefully, we will have better luck tomorrow on the cruise." Everyone made their way back home, but Zatanna couldn't stop thinking of that strange woman who bumped into her earlier. She seemed so familiar. Why? And she couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching her the whole time, something...chaotic...
From his dark dimension, Klarion smiled evilly as he watched the team, specifically Zatanna, through his scrying spell. Everything's going according to plan...
Sorry it's been a few days since my last upload. I've got a lot of work, and uploads will be less consistent going forward most likely, but I'm definitely posting on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the occasional post here or there during the week. School is not pulling any punches, so I can't post as much as you or I may want. This will be a multi-chapter story, probably 3 to 4. I'm picking up the pace with legitimate plot-driven chapters since I've run out of fluff ideas for this time period (my remaining fluff ideas would fit better during other time periods, so I wanna get there sooner so I can write them). Feel free to leave comments or suggestions for chapters you wanna see. Next chapter up soon.