Little Bird's Vengeance Chapter 39 Define 'Mission Success'
Red Hood watched as the Quinjet was carefully set down on a rooftop two blocks from the target. The back door opened, and the two young vigilantes descended. Without needing to speak to each other, they ran and jumped, making their way over to the warehouse where the deal was due to be made. When they arrived, Red Hood spotted something out of the corner of his eye, and his hand shot out to catch Red Robin's forearm. "We're being followed," he murmured in Romani.
Red Robin twitched slightly, not doubt scanning for the tail. "War Machine," he identified, using the same language. "No fatalities, should be no problems."
Red Hood bit his lip beneath his helmet. He had no idea if he trusted Red Robin. Really, the only reason he had was that Red Robin supposedly went for the family thing, and couldn't face Dickie-Bird and Bruce if he didn't do what he could. Red Hood didn't know if it was enough, but he hadn't noticed any lies. As SHIELD was holding his freedom over his head, though, he had to do something, which seemed to be trusting his little brother.
Besides, Red Robin was letting him continue with the Mission, even if there were limits. That certainly counted for something.
Red Robin was too innocent for any kind of cunning guile. Any offensive would be head on, a straight fight. Red Robin respected the family too much to stick a dagger (well, batarang) in his back. The least Red Hood could do was mirror that respect and not betray these Avengers.
Red Hood twisted and slid through an opening near the roof. He held on by his fingertips and aimed for a tall pile of crates before pushing himself assay from the wall. After several bounds, he landed on the floor and started edging around to get nearer the clear patch between the door and the centre. He caught sight of Red Robin entering through the same opening and slink onto the rafters.
The heavy-lifters were bringing sealed boxes into the warehouse. The gang they were making the deal with hung around watching. A glimmer on the rafter above them was all that could be seen of the directional microphone was using to record the conversation. Red Hood strained his eyesight until he could see Red Robin watching. The younger glanced over at him, and gave a nod to show that he had enough data. Time for the action to begin.
Red Hood drew his guns, and checked the bullets. Then he remembered they'd give away his position, regretfully holstered them, and drew a pair of batarangs. The first he flicked so it sped past the crowd of gangsters and impacted with a crate. It made a dull thud, and the targets jumped. The second skittered across the floor. A third flew just between their heads before lodging in a crate.
The thugs were now getting nervous. Normally, B would swish around and leave his shadow in conspicuous places. But with no pointy-eared cowl or terrifying reputation he'd improvised somewhat. The gangsters started to huddle, and Red Hood flicked a smoke pellet into the midst of the group. Red Robin dropped, sweeping down with a rope behind him and using his wings to control the descent. He swooped around and virtually lassoed the gang. When he hit the floor, he pulled on the rope and tightened it. Nearly a third of the men fell down, and the rest were too closely crowded to move effectively. Red Hood came out from his cover and fired a hail of rubber bullets. Red Robin raised an arm to protect his head from the projectiles. When the targets were completely disorientated, the pair moved in close to put them all to sleep.
"You wanna cuff 'em or open up the boxes?" Red Robin asked, massaging his elbow where he'd caught one of the rubber bullets.
"I've got the crates," Red Hood grunted, crossing to the pile that the drug shippers had brought in. He pulled a knife from his boot, wedged it in the crack and levered the lid open. He could feel the strain the blade was under, but the box popped and opened.
"Oh, shit," he muttered, looking at the contents. "Kid, we got a problem."
"You disrupted a shipment of Coca-Cola?!" Fury spluttered. Once again he had the Avengers and their dimension-traversing guests sat around the Bridge conference table (and they were starting to get a little bored of being called back every hour or so), this time to debrief and chastise the two Reds over their little misadventure. And decide what to do with Red Hood.
"Well, maybe," Red Hood answered sulkily.
"Unless something else is going on here, which is very likely," Red Robin added, not looking up from the soda can he'd been playing with for the past fifteen minutes. "We know this stuff back to front. No way was that a simple soft drink shipment."
"Even if they were illicitly smuggling it – and really, Coca Cola? No profit work speaking of there – then it doesn't fit with the evidence we were acting upon," Red Hood continued.
"Sure you're not just denying you made a mistake?" Rhodes asked.
"Fairly sure. We just don't have all the data yet," Red Robin shrugged. He pulled out a batarang and jammed it into the can, yanking it and slicing open the aluminum. The brown liquid fizzed and flooded out, covering the table. Ignoring the dirty looks virtually everyone was now sending him, he bent the top off and pulled out a packet. Emptying it onto a still-dry area, he revealed a quantity of white powder. "What do you know? Coke in a coke can," Red Robin deadpanned.
"You have definitely been spending too much time around your big brother," Wonder Girl snorted.
"Coca Cola used to have trace amounts of cocaine in it and was thus marketed as medicinal," Red Robin shrugged. "No puns there."
"This powder is a remedy?" Thor asked.
"If by 'remedy' you mean 'substance that might kill you, but you'll feel great while it does so', then yes," Red Hood answered.
"So it was a drugs shipment?" Banner confirmed.
"Looks like it," Red Robin smirked.
"What is it about you Bats always being so delighted when you're right?" Wonder Girl joked, rolling her eyes.
"Well, when we're wrong, we normally end up in a lot of trouble," Red Robin answered.
"If you're done with the self-congratulation?" Fury interrupted.
"Of course, Director." Red Robin dropped the remains of the can and steepled his fingers. "What do you need from us?"
"How did you know where to go?" Fury asked.
"We tracked patterns in drug imports and matched it up with who's paying Kingpin for what," Red Hood supplied.
"I'll write up a full report for you by morning," Red Robin offered.
"Any casualties?"
"No fatalities, no serious injuries, maybe a few more concussions than those morons would want, but I was a good boy, honest," Red Hood reported, getting steadily more sarcastic as he went on.
"Yes, we're all grateful that you reigned in your homicidal impulses," Red Robin snarked.
"Enough," Fury interrupted again. "What are we going to do with you?"
"Let me get on with my life and send me back when you can?" Red Hood suggested.
Fury glared with his single eye. "Red Robin. You'll keep your brother under control?"
"As best I can," Red Robin shrugged. "We have a deal. No treachery, no murder, no wanton destruction."
Fury turned to the Avengers. "Stark."
"I'm not taking him," Stark protested. "I mean, the other kids, fair enough, but him?"
"Barton, Romanov, Rogers, Rhodes. You can keep him out of trouble?"
The agents and army men exchanged glances. "I think so," Rogers said, speaking for all four of them. "If we were in proximity to him."
"Oh, fine," Stark capitulated. "He better not wreck the place."
"Why would I want to?" Red Hood asked. "Unless you turn out to be a villain in disguise."
"Go," Fury ordered. "Try not to do anything to get you dragged back here for a week or two. You four, stay back a moment."
Stark and Banner started discussing something in whispers, and Thor looked a little confused. Red Robin hurried over and whispered something to his teammates in that language of theirs. Wonder Girl replied, and Red Robin gave Red Hood a nod.
After they left, Fury turned to the professionals. "I want that kid under supervision at all times," he ordered. "Use the cameras if you want, but have someone near him. He does something questionable, bring him back here and put him in a cell. He step out of line, terminate him. And keep an eye on Red Robin. If you have to take action against Hood, make sure Red's otherwise occupied. Be prepared to take out both if you have to."
AN: I case you're interested, that thing about coke is true.
So here's the next chapter, still late, but existent. Also this week: Family Ties. Tim and Cass going about their daily lives. Next week, more LBV, more FT. It might even be on the correct day.
Please review. I love hearing from you, and I always get a little paranoid when I don't get feedback.
'Til next week,
Katara