Summary: Takes place a week after New Year's, the first week of 2016.
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
The team was gathered in the monitor room listening to Batman's briefing. "For the past few weeks, the criminal syndicate operating out of Blüdhaven has started to expand into other cities. It was bad enough that this organization took over all of Blüdhaven, but we cannot allow it to spread." Kaldur stepped up.
"Why hasn't the local police department handled it yet?"
"Simply put, they are almost as bad as the criminals themselves. Majority of the BPD is corrupt, and the few good officers are vastly outnumbered. The city is almost as bad as Gotham, in some ways it's worse. But clearing out this criminal gathering could put Blüdhaven on the path to recovery." Everyone nodded, understanding the goals of their mission. Barbara spoke next.
"What do we need to worry about?" Bruce clicked a button on the holocomputer to pull up a picture of a large, hulking man in a suit. He reminded Dick of Brick, the mob boss stationed in Star City that Green Arrow would often tackle, but his rocky skin was grey instead of orange, and he was even larger than Brick.
"This is Blockbuster. He is the head of the organization."
"Blockbuster? As in the-"
"Yes. His real name is Roland Desmond, brother to Mark Desmond, but from what I can tell, they are estranged to one another. His skin is made of a rocky substance that is nigh-on impenetrable, a metahuman trait, hence the name. Dr. Desmond from Cadmus likely based his formula off of his brother's metahuman gene, though it wasn't as stable because it was genetically recreated. On top of his physical augmentations, he is an expert criminal mastermind and strategist. Approach with extreme caution." Kaldur once again stepped up.
"Team, suit-"
"Actually, if it's all the same with you guys, I'd rather handle this one myself." Everyone turned to Dick, confused as to his sudden desire to go on a mission. He sheepishly shrugged. "Hey, I've been stuck in here for like a month now. I wanna get back out there. Plus, this guy looks like a classic Gotham thug. I've got experience in that area." Bruce raised an eyebrow from under the cowl.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. It's about time I got back out there."
"Alright then. Dick, you'll be our operative for this one. If you need anything, use this." He tossed a secure communicator to Dick. "It's got an instant messaging system linked up to both the Batcave and Mount Justice, plus a map of Blüdhaven, complete with all Zeta tube locations. We'll be over in a flash if you need us." Wally smirked.
"Hey, that's my line."
"Thanks. I'll get going in a few."
"Alright. The rest of you are dismissed. I'll alert you all if anything changes or if you have a new mission." Bruce pulled Dick to the side as the others left.
"What's up?"
"Be careful. This guy is not exactly your run-of-the-mill Gotham mob boss. He's a bit...meaner."
"You gonna try and talk me out of this?"
"No, no, I'm trusting you with this. But if you need help, call. That's an order." Dick nodded.
"I don't exactly have a suit or anything-"
"The communicator has the address to a pseudo-Batcave in Blüdhaven. I haven't used it in a while, the technology's probably pretty outdated, but it'll have what you need. It has a batsuit, but it's probably not in great condition. If you need anything, I'll send it via Batwing airdrop." Dick nodded before walking off to prepare. Bruce watched him go and thought to himself. He was planning on telling Dick about Jason earlier today-Jason had just completed his preliminary training and gone on his first night of patrol with Bruce the other day, complete with a new suit-but he didn't want to do it now. Dick would be distracted if he knew about this, his head wouldn't be in the game, and Bruce couldn't risk that. Barbara also knew about Jason, and Bruce made her promise not to tell Dick until he said so. She felt pretty bad lying to him about it, but she understood where he was coming from. Bruce would need time to figure out how to introduce the two to one another without making Dick see Jason as his replacement, and Babs didn't want to cause a rift between the two.
Dick and Zee were packing his bags in their room when she turned to him. "You sure about this?"
"Yeah, 's like riding a bike. I can't exactly forget all the stuff Bruce taught me." She nodded.
"Yeah, but just in case, here." Zee gave him a charm bracelet, which he put on. "If you need anything, squeeze on the blue bead. I'll be able to hear you with this." She raised her hand to show an identical bracelet with a purple bead instead of blue. Dick nodded before smiling and pecking her on the lips.
"I'll be fine. Be back in a few days, I won't take long."
"I'll be waiting, Boy Wonder."
Dick was used to working outside of his suit at this point. A few days before he quit being Robin, he had secured a position in the GCPD police academy. Being trained by the world's greatest detective, who also happened to be one of the greatest hand-to-hand combatants on the planet, meant that Dick graduated from the academy in record time with flying colors. Gordon was so impressed with him that he wasted no time in making him a detective, he only spent a week in that officer uniform before his promotion, something Zatanna was less than traught about. She had a thing for Dick in a uniform, but she let it go after a day or two. Because of his experience, Detective Grayson would have little trouble venturing the streets of Blüdhaven without heroics. Hell, all he had to do was show his detective's badge and people would tell him exactly what he wanted to know. And another benefit of being a detective was that he had a gun. Bruce may have been opposed to them, but Dick wasn't. No kill shots, obviously, he only used rubber bullets, but it was there if he needed it. Though he would rather use the gun as a birdarang than as an actual gun.
Once Dick got everything set up in the hotel that Bruce had booked for him, he made his way down the street to visit the first stop on his list: Blockbuster's favorite adult entertainment establishment. Classic crime lord trope: own a strip club. Real original. Grayson made his way past the guards rather quickly upon showing them a hundred dollar bill. He ignored the neon lights and the performers on stage as he made a beeline for the management office. Alright, maybe this guy could gimme something to work off. If he's in charge of stonehead's favorite club, he's gotta be close to him. He walked towards the office only to be met by two guards blocking the entrance.
"Restricted access. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." Yeah, I don't think so.
"Hey, I just wanted to let you guys know that there's some dude outside messing with a ton of cars. Broke the taillights of this grey sports car, looked expensive. I think the other guards were on break or something cuz they weren't around." The guards groaned before running outside. Dick smirked before walking into the office to confront the manager.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Let's just say I'm not someone you wanna piss off. I need some information on your boss. Specifically, where he's holed up." He raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me? You can't just come in here and make dema-"
"Except I just did."
"Who the hell do you think you are?! I'm calling the-"
"Guards? Yeah, go right on ahead, but I don't think they'll be too quick to respond. They're kinda busy right now." The man growled before threatening Dick.
"Do you know who I am? I could find out where you live, who you love, everything. You made a big mistake-" Okay, enough is enough. Dick grabbed the man's head, slamming him onto his desk and aiming his gun at his head, safety on, of course. He doesn't need to know that.
"I'm gonna ask one more time. Where. Is. Blockbuster. If I were you, I'd talk. " Dick wasn't accustomed to using his "serious" tone with criminals, he preferred to joke around with them, and he certainly wasn't used to Batman-ing noncooperative crooks, but he was getting fed up, and he would be lying if he said Bruce's methods weren't quicker.
"A-alright, alright! I'll tell!" Dick smiled as the manager gave him the location of a safehouse for one of Blockbuster's top lieutenants. "V-Vazquez should have what you need! Now please, let me go!"
"Course. Thanks for being so cooperative, now you get to take a nap." Dick knocked him out seamlessly with his gun before laying him in his chair and pulling out sufficient evidence for the police before calling them up. He walked out of the office, using Bruce's specialized chemical spray to remove any fingerprints or other traces he left here. He really did not need the cops gunning for him. He had to admit, it felt pretty weird pulling a Batman move on the guy. He wasn't sure he liked it. He preferred to do things without the angry voice.
Dick's next stop was the safehouse. He snuck into the target's quarters, gun ready for combat. "Ah, you. I had a feeling you were on your way." Dick's eyes widened as he darted his eyes and his aim to the source of the voice, only to find that his target was preparing dinner for himself. What the fuck?!
"Hector Vaquez, I presume."
"In the flesh. I assume you're here to question me about Blockbuster?" Wait, what?!
"How the hell do you-"
"My boy, you really are new to Blüdhaven, aren't you? Word to the wise, don't call the cops in this city." Dick's eyes widened even more as he realized his mistake. Dammit, what was I thinking?! I gave up my informant to dirty cops, probably working for Blockbuster! God, why the hell did I not think of that?!
"You're coming with me. We can take this discussion somewhere else." Hector chuckled.
"I think not." Before Dick could respond, armed SWAT officers burst into the complex from all sides, surrounding him. He took them all on at once, doing a fine job at it, but there were just too many. Dick took punch after punch before a hit to the face knocked him out.
Dick woke up in a warehouse, tied to a chair and surrounded by thugs. "Boss, he's awake!" Hector walked up to him, smirking as he played with a gun.
"So, Detective Grayson, what brings you to Blüdhaven?" Dick's eyes widened at the use of his name, but he saw from the corner of his eyes that his badge, wallet, and gun had been taken. He also saw the secure communicator Bruce had given to him smashed to pieces. Dammit. Hector started questioning the Boy Wonder, who played along with a bit of snark. Vazquez was getting annoyed, and so he slapped Dick across the face with the gun. He spit out a bit of blood before scowling back at him, taking a second to analyze the situation. 5 guards, all armed. Plus this meathead. Rope's not tied properly, I can get out in a few seconds. But too many to take on at once. Man, what I wouldn't give for a smoke bomb right about now. Wait, do I still have-He reached down to feel the bracelet on his hands, and he smirked. Perfect. Just gotta find the blue bead. Dick fumbled with the bead while continuing to annoy Hector with his snark, but he may have overstepped his hand. The man punched him once more in the gut, and Dick took the opportunity to slide his hands out of the loosened restraint and elbow him rather forcefully. He left Vazquez gasping for breath as he grabbed the gun from his hands and held him up as a shield, knowing the thugs wouldn't risk his life. Dick shot a rope holding a stack of crates, sending the crates falling down onto a few thugs, who just barely moved out of the way. He flung the gun like a birdarang at another one's head, knocking him clean out while letting Vazquez fall to the floor. He then flipped towards a thug, grabbing the rifle before he could fire on him and twisting around to flip the man over before knocking him out. Before he could process anything, one of the thugs hit the back of his head with a rifle. Agh! Why didn't I see that coming?! I'm rustier than I thought! Dick absorbed the blow before falling to his knees. The thugs grouped up around him, ganging up on him with kicks before a smoke bomb enveloped them all with mist. What the-
A lithe yet toned figure, around Zatanna's height from the looks of it, flipped around in the smoke, delivering heavy blows to the thugs. Who the hell is that?! He made quick work of them with his gadgets and fighting skill, which Dick took note of. Trained, but still inexperienced. Dropped his left shoulder a bit too much during that last kick, clearly hasn't been doing this for long. Punches are raw, he isn't holding anything back. Not exactly the most refined combat skill, seems more like a brawler. The figure walked up to Dick, who was still recovering, and as the smoke cleared, Grayson's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. Wait a sec...is that...
"Wow, Dick Grayson in the flesh. Never thought I'd actually meet ya, man." The boy, clad in a very familiar uniform with red highlights all over his suit, a red domino mask, a familiar 'R' insignia on his shoulder, and raven black hair that was parted straight down the middle, extended a hand to help Dick up to his feet. "Nice to meet you, bro. I'm the new Robin."
Dick didn't respond. He didn't know how to. He just stared at him, a million thoughts running through his head.
Who the fuck are you?!
I'd love it if y'all could comment a bit more. It just helps me see that people still read this book. Don't feel obligated to or anything, but I'm just saying that I'd really appreciate it. Also, I know I haven't really focused on many of Dick's relationships lately, so if you have a specific one you wanna see, just leave a comment and I'll add it to the list. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions for chapters you wanna see. Next chapter up soon.