AN: Hey! I finally updated, aha!
Theunknown4299: the reason his name is Shadow instead of Renegade in because renegade literally means traitor. So it wouldn't be that hard for the heroes to figure out who he is, or at least that he used to be a hero himself, and that's something neither I nor he wants. Otherwise, I would go with Renegade, but yeah.
Several days passed before Kaldur met Shadow again. He hadn't gotten the chance to tell Nightwing about him. Between his father officially becoming a member of the Light and planning the next attack on the heroes, he just hadn't the time.
In the time that Kaldur had not seen the newest threat to the League, he'd had the time to create a flash drive containing all the information he knew. It wasn't much, seeming as the Light still needed proof that he was on their side, but it was better than nothing. He'd spent hours trying to figure out just who Shadow was, almost being tempted enough to hack into the League's computers -the first Nightwing had taught him how when he'd told the team his identity- just to find out. A came, a similar face, anything! Nothing had showed, however. It was as if the man didn't exist to the world. That, or he was a dead man walking.
The sound of the door made him turn away from the window showing the brilliant lights of Blüdhaven. Rather than the uniform he had worn the previous week, Shadow was now clad in black sweatpants and a tank top, though the sword was still attached to his back. Kaldur's sharp, stony eyes took in the tense arms and stoic posture. Shadow had the same, somewhat emotionless eyes. It took much of Kaldur's inner strength to not flinch at the lack of emotion in the man's brown orbs.
"Kaldur," he greeted.
"Shadow," came the steady reply. "Excuse me if I am wrong, but is there a reason you are here? No one boards the ship without good reason."
"Can't I just want some company?" Shadow asked. Kaldur simply raised an eyebrow. Shadow's face grew serious again. "Deathstroke and the Light want us to start working together. Any missions you go on, I follow. But before we can do that, we must see how well we can work together. My mentor and your father have set up a training area for us to begin training. No, I don't know what it is or where we are going," he added when Kaldur opened his mouth.
"So you are my bodyguard?" he challenged. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"Not bodyguard," Black Manta's voice sounded from behind Shadow he stepped aside to allow the Light member enter the room. "More like partners. With your combined skills, you two should make a dangerous foe against the Justice League."
"Ra's and Deathstroke agreed with Black Manta when he requested such a thing," Shadow added with a respectful dip of his head towards the older man. "I will relay all the information to you that I know on our way to the spot."
"Very well. Goodbye, Father," Kaldur said, giving his father a smile.
Black Manta walked forward and put his hands on Kaldur's shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze. "I know you will do well. Make me proud, son."
That was how Kaldur now found himself on the backseat of Shadow's motorcycle and on their way to Gotham City. He'd groaned when Shadow told him the where, stating that he hated all of the Bats, particularly Nightwing, claiming they were the main cause of Tula's death. Shadow had reassured him that they shouldn't even come across the three. He even admitted that he'd been stalking the 'Bat family' for quite some time and said that Batman had left along with other members of the League to Rimbor. And that Nightwing was taking up the Batman mantle so that no one suspected a thing.
He had refused to state how he knew all of that.
Shadow stopped the bike about three blocks from the city. He parked it underneath some rocks and dumped a bunch of leaves from a bag in his hands. Shadow dropped the bags, patted his hands to get rid of any excess leaves and turned back to Kaldur.
"The Light is giving us this simple test: Earlier today, Deathstroke went and put our target in the waiting area. We must finish the job and end him. Normally, we leave the other villains alone, but this one in particular has ruined the Light's plans one too many times."
Kaldur raised an eyebrow, his eyes cold and calculating. "Could Deathstroke not have finished the job himself?"
"Yes, but he was told to set traps for us within the building. We must figure them out, evade or destroy them, and finish the mission." Shadow pulled up a holographic map from the computer in his glove. He pointed to one of the tallest apartment buildings in the city, the map zooming into the topmost floor. "He awaits his death here. Should Nightwing and his teammates arrive, you are to go into the east side of the city. Lose whoever follows you and return here. I'll go west. Only fight them if you must. The Light wants us to return to them as soon as possible."
Kaldur nodded. "And who is to take charge? You?"
Shadow shook his head. "We are a team, remember? There will be skills that both of us have individually. Whatever trap lay, the person with the most knowledge will take over."
"I believe we can make it work," Kaldur agreed. He could've sworn he saw a glint of a smirk cross the assassin's face, but it was gone before he was certain.
They were at the building in less than ten minutes, only taking brief pauses when they saw the outlines of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl roaming the rooftops of streets, searching for any crime. Little did the bats know, they were about to give the biggest chase they'd had in months.
"We should split up and find separate ways up," Shadow whispered to the older man.
"Why is that?" Kaldur whispered back.
"No offense, but you'll just slow me down on the way up." His eyes widened at the glare sent his way. Shadow lifted up his hands up in a defensive position, his body posture saying, 'give me a chance to explain.' Kaldur leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "I'm good at the acrobatic stuff. You… not so much. You're a much heavier build than I. It'll be quicker if you find your own way up rather than me turning around to help you." He pointed towards the alleyway across from them, "There should be sets of stairs over there. You go that way, I'll climb, and when you're ready, I'll toss my grappling hook across to you."
Kaldur raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed, though he was beginning to relax. "And why can't I just use it now?" he asked, genuinely curious.
Shadow's brown eyes flickered in amusement. "There are other people inside the building. We cannot afford for them to discover us."
He didn't waste another second, unwilling to sacrifice the mission for a chance to take out the intended target. Permantately. No jail. No Arkam Asylum. Just death.
The climb up was fairly simple. The broken stairs on the side provided the perfect leaping and grabbing areas. It felt good for Dick to stretch his muscles again. It was a much different experience when you were preparing to commit a crime and escape than to give chase. The thrill he got every time was his favorite part. But more than that, this was his chance to soar like he used to nearly a decade ago. It was his reminder that he was sane.
The only noise heard in the night sky were very faint patters of feet leaping to the next leverage point. But even then, a person would have to put intense focus into hearing things to notice it.
"When you get there, there will be a red helmet for you. I expect you to put it on. Should you be caught for any reason, you don't need to be well-known by GCPD."
Deathstroke's words echoed in his head, and sure enough, when he reached the window, there it was, right next to the window. It fit comfortably on his head, the bottom of it covering his previously exposed neck. A small computer covered his right eye, the lenses on the outside narrowing along with Dick's eyes. The computer turned to night vision so he could see
A dark grey jacket had been folded underneath it. He instantly put it on and noted all the small weapons expertly hidden within its confines. Taking out a knife hidden in his left sleeve, Dick carefully observed it. It was jagged along the hilt and curved up to its pointed tip. He experimentally pushed it into the wall, all the while keeping an eye out for Kaldur to approach. He smirked at how little pressure he had to apply to push it through the wall.
A smirk graced his lips. That knife was the one. The one he'd designed to cut through Batman's titanium cords. It'd taken months to perfect. To make the perfect knife. But Ra's and Deathstroke had been patient enough to wait and give him time to make his own tools. Everything he used was made by him. The only exceptions being the smoke bombs he had Deathstroke would use on special assignments. Those were created by the mercenary.
A scowl crossed his face, though no one would be able to tell with the red hood on. Kaldur should be here by now. At the very least, the older man should be on the roof of the building across from the apartments. What was taking him so long?
What came next made him snarl out loud. Three shadowed figures stalked across the rooftop across from Shadow and halted at the edge. Capes billowed out to the side, the wind making everything appear overly dramatic. A flash of lightning lit the entire city and the assassin in black with a red helmet glaring at two people in cowls and one in a regular mask.
The girl spoke up first, her voice sending an unwelcomed thrill running down Shadow's spine (not that he'd ever admit that). "And who might you be? No-wait. Let me guess. You call yourself the Red Hood?"
He tilted his head to the side, his mind racing. He'd heard that name. "... Something like that, yeah. But no." his tone dropped to an intense anger when it clicked. The Joker's first alias.
Robin spoke up. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"I thought you were supposed to be the detective here." White lenses narrowed into what could've been either a glare or holding back a chuckle. It was impossible to tell without being able to see his face. "I'm sure you can figure it out… or have you lost that ability when your mentor died?"
Robin scowled and pointed at the fake Batman. "He's right here."
This time, all three Bats heard a slight laugh. "We both know that's not who I'm talking about."
"Nightwing is in Bl-"
Anything that could have represented a civil conversation disappeared in a heartbeat. "'Nightwing' is standing to your left." He relished the widened masks of the three vigilantes. "Please, I've know since the moment Batman left Earth. And that wasn't the Nightwing I was referring to, either. I was talking about the original."
Something inside Robin snapped, and he shot his grappling hook into the wall just outside the window Shadow stood in. He didn't stick around to see if the other two were following. Instead, he turned, furious with himself for not completing the mission and not knowing where Kaldur disappeared to, and ran straight down the narrow hallway. Three sets of footsteps pounding on the ground confirmed his suspicions. In his haste, he nearly tripped on a wire and water began to cover the ground.
His eyes widened and he ran faster than he'd ever ran before, reaching the other side of the building and landing lightly on the windowsill moments before the water lit up with electricity. He glanced behind him, seeing two of the three heroes holding themselves away from the water by supporting themselves with their hands and feet pushing up against the walls, made eye contact with Batgirl, waved, and burst through the window. Glass shattered all around him, though none cut through his skin.
Robin was ready for him, jumping off the rooftop and tackling Shadow before the taller teen could completely roll to his feet from his landing on the stairs.
The boy's brows were so clearly furrowed under his mask as he pinned Shadow to the ground. "What do you know?" he spat out.
"More than you dare to believe," he responded, his words holding more meaning than Robin understood."
"Tell me what you know about Nightwing!"
Shadow brought his legs up and in one fluid movement, wrapped them around the younger's neck and slammed his back onto the metal. A grunt escaped Robin as the air was expelled from his chest.
A red hood leaned down so their masks were mere millimeters apart. "I know he's dead." It was so bluntly said that Robin couldn't help but flinch.
"You're wrong," he weakly argued.
"And I was once a superhero," he retorted. "I fought him before and-" Shadow broke off at the familiar whoosh of a cape and dove off the platform before Batgirl or 'Batman' could get a good grip on him.
He landed on the roof of the apartment complex next to the one he'd been on minutes ago, sprinting away the moment he rolled to his feet. He was about three quarters of the way across when he heard a batarang whirring towards him.
Shadow took another step forwards before leaping up into the air, twisting his upper body to turn around and grab the weapon before twisting his body the other way to throw it right back at the trio. His feet landed back on the ground and he pulled a grappling hook out of his coat before firing it up at a looming building in front of him.
On his descent upwards, he heard Robin say, "Oh, he is good!" Shadow smirked.
The chase continued for about half an hour until finally, they came to what appeared to be a dead end. They were on the balcony of a very long building and Shadow was running out of space. Single cord hung about twenty feet away where a crane towered over what Shadow knew to be a train station.
He put on a new spurt of speed, ignoring an exclamation of, "We've got him!" and leaped off the edge with all his strength. The sound of a grappling hook shot out behind him. Jason had used it in hopes of it wrapping around the assassin's ankles so they could jerk him back.
Shadow let the knife he'd slid into his sleeve fall into his hand, curling himself into a position only an acrobat possibly could, and cut the titanium before it could tighten around him. He uncurled in time to grab onto the rope and swing himself down to the glass far below.
Up above, two people in bat costumes, one male and the other female, were desperately looking around them, trying to see where their little bird had disappeared to. They looked down to the glass rooftop and saw him stalking along the top, trying to find the assassin hiding inside.
Shadow carefully observed Robin as the fourteen year old landed in a crouch feet away. The bird was glancing around, his eyes trying to find the man in red and black.
"What do you know about Nightwing?" he demanded, repeating his question from earlier. Silence. And then: "What do you know?" this time the question borderlined hysterical.
Shadow chose that moment to step out of the shadows, knives in hand. "Never show the enemy you're upset. It reveals your weakness," he criticized.
Robin pulled out his bo staff and swung it at Shadow. "Don't lecture me!"
Shadow merely performed a quick backspring to avoid the attack. "I'm not lecturing," he corrected, "I'm advising." This time, Shadow let the swing connect. He rolled with the blow, grasping the bo staff and yanking it out of the smaller boy's grip. He let it slide across the dark room.
Feigning an attack with the knife in his left hand, Shadow quickly kicked Robin in the stomach. When Robin doubled over, Shadow brought his knee up and slammed it into Robin's head. Robin fell backwards onto his butt and held a hand to his nose, pulling it away to see blood..
"I can train you," he said.
Robin glared at him and stood up. "I already have a mentor," he snarled with enough fury that would make Batman proud.
"Who? The replacement Nightwing or Batman?" Shadow scoffed. "If you're talking about the replacement, I feel sorry for you."
Robin charged forward again, throwing punch after punch, along with the occasional kick. Shadow remained on the defense, even allowing the boy to land a couple hits. After a short while, he decided enough was enough, and shoved Robin back with all his strength.
"You're good," Shadow acknowledged, "But not good enough." He was running forward before even finishing the sentence.
Robin wasn't fast enough to avoid the blows raining down on him. He froze with anger when a particularly harsh kick to the ribs sent him crashing into the wall. The assassin had been holding back the entire time! But then he was frozen for a different reason. What if he was still holding back?
Shadow stalked towards the downed bird. Robin rose to meet him. They exchanged numerous blows until Shadow delivered a painful roundhouse kick directly to Robin's sternum. The Boy Wonder crashed the the ground, gasping for breath.
Spotting Shadow standing in front of his feet, Robin attempted to back handspring away from the man. The assassin merely stood on the black and yellow cape to take Robin down again. However this time, when Robin landed on his back, Shadow grabbed his right arm and twisted it. Hard. Robin screamed at the feeling on his shoulder being dislocated.
Shadow, however, didn't seem to care. He grabbed Robin's other arm to bring him back to his feet.
"W-what do you want from me?" Robin spluttered.
The assassin calmly assessed the damage he'd done to the boy. At least one cracked rib, the dislocated shoulder, potentially a broken nose, several bruises exposed where the costume has been torn, and a nasty looking bruise beginning to form on Robin's neck from all the attacks aimed there.
"I can make you better, Robin," he murmured. "I've watched you for quite some time. You have so much… potential."
Robin's masked eyes widened. "What?" Shadow was still holding him up from the arm.
The man in the red hood lenses seemed to pierce through him very soul. Robin nearly jumped at the eery laugh the assassin offered. "Believe it or not, not everything is about your mentor… no, no, no. I'm far more interested in you."
"Why not Batman?" he challenged weakly.
"Batman is the means to an end. Just a man growing old," Shadow dismissed. "But you… you are so much more. You have so much to offer and you don't even realize it! Let me train you, Robin, and I promise that I can make you the greatest person you can possibly be. So, what do you say?" Both went dead silent at the sound of Batgirl and 'Batman' landing on the roof above. "You must decide now."
Robin curled his face into a grimace. "I'll never join you."
The assassin's lenses narrowed impossibly thin. "Very well." He drew his free hand back and punched Robin directly in the throat before backing into the shadows. "If you change your mind, find me."
Jason and Barbara arrived moments after Shadow left. Their eyes instantly landed on the gasping bird writhing on the ground below them. "Robin! Are you okay!"
"Yeah… just fine…" he managed between gasps, eyes not leaving where he'd last seen the assassin. He'd never even learned the man's name. "Who… who was he?"
Jason scowled and followed Tim's line of sight. "... I don't know. But he won't get away with this, I promise you."
Shadow and Kaldur currently stood in front of Deathstroke and Black Manta in Deathstroke's main workplace. Shadow had returned to the bike to see Kaldur by it. When he'd demanded to know what happened, Kaldur stated that the Bats had circled back and seen Shadow jump into the apartment. Kaldur then said that he'd run back to the meeting place, not willing to get himself caught. Shadow had held back a snarl of rage and the ride back had been dead silent. The only other words Shadow told Kaldur was to go along with what he told Deathstroke.
That was how they found themselves being frowned upon. They knew the mission was a failure.
"What. Happened," the older assassin growled, his voice promising punishment.
Shadow stepped forward. "It was my fault," he began, his brown eyes staring directly into Deathstroke's single eye. "I miscalculated the patrol the Bats were going to take. The replacement decided to take a different route. They caught me breaking in-"
"Where was Kaldur'ahm during this?" Black Manta interrupted.
"I had him take the stairs on the building across from me. He would have held me back if he followed my path." He paused so the men knew he was done answering that and ready to continue with the debrief. "They only saw me going in through the window. Luckily, I'd already put on the helmet and jacket," he gestured to the items laying on the floor beside him as he spoke. "Kaldur hadn't yet scaled his building so he hid when he heard them talking to me. I led them away, but the damage had already been done. The mission had already failed. It was entirely my fault," he concluded.
Deathstroke's lip curled and without turning to Black Manta, he commanded, "Take the boy and get out of here."
Once they were gone, he glared at Dick with so much loathing that he was already removing his shirt before he was ordered to. "Get. Down."
Dick crouched down on his knees and leaned down to the ground, revealing numerous scars criss-crossing down his back. Far too many to count. Dick removed the necklace, and he turned back into the boy that died and was brought back. His eyes turned completely blank, barely even noticing when the whip slammed into his back, ripping skin open. Blue orbs completely uninterested, only watching the ground as drips of blood turned into a small puddle.
He back suddenly arched when a crowbar slammed right into a spot where the Joker himself had hit him the night he'd died.
Inside the apartment complex Gotham, the Joker, tied to a chair in the middle of the room, laughed monomaniacally, unsure to even himself why he was. The door busted open, Batman and Batgirl quickly taking him back to Arkham, not even bothering with the questions.