Angel with a Shotgun

Chapter 4: Fragmented
mood music: Broken Yet Holding On by Roni Tran/Give Me a Sign by Breaking Benjamin

"He's not dead."

"What?"

Batgirl ripped her cowl off. "Jason's not dead," she said. "He was with Robin tonight. They're working together."

Batman's eyes went wide, a fiery rage burning in his pools of blue. He stormed past Barbara and towards a room he kept in the back. Barbara followed him inside. Bruce yanked his cowl off and reached into a large, rectangular black box. She gasped at the sight of a coffin. Bruce pried it open and Jason's body, fully clothed in a black suit, was inside. He picked the body up by the collar. "It's a fake," Bruce growled. He threw the synthetic body to the ground and stormed back out.

Barbara walked out after him. "What's the plan?" she asked. "How are we gonna get them back?"

"We have to figure out Deathstroke's plan first," Bruce said. He sat down at the Batcomputer and began typing away.
"If we can beat Deathstroke, then maybe Dick and Jason will come back to our side."

"You say that like you're not sure if they will," Barbara said.

Bruce looked over at her. "I have to focus on the fact that right now, they're criminals," he said. "But, I am determined to find Deathstroke."

"So, what's your story?"

Dick looked at him. He sat up a little straighter in the surprisingly comfortable bed. "I made them think I just got tired of being in the Bats' shadow," he said, shrugging. "It's the best I could come up with. How about you?" The two were in their bedroom. It was a small room with bronze metal walls and a single door. It had two beds and one lamp on a small table, no windows.

"They thought I was dead," Jason said, not taking his eyes off the metal wall. "I made Deathstroke have them think I died in the war."

"Dude," Dick looked at him in slight disbelief, "seriously?" When Jason didn't respond, he continued. "W-why? Aw dude, Zatanna must've been heartbroken."

"I didn't want them to think I was betraying them," Jason said. "It would've been better for everyone if I'd died and it was someone else behind the mask. I just didn't count on the mask coming off."

Dick sighed. He lied down and stared up at the ceiling. "So, what now?" he asked.

"I don't know. My plan: do what Deathstroke says. I don't see anything else to do."

"Seriously?" Dick raised an eyebrow. "Come on, we're Bats. We always come up with a plan. We always save the day."

"Not this time," Jason said. "I won't put Zatanna's life in danger."

"He's got her bugged too, huh?" Dick asked. Jason looked at him in surprise. "He told me he's got the lethal probes in Bar—Batgirl, too."

"What?" Jason asked. He growled and slammed his fist into his headboard, cracking the wood slightly. "Damn it!" He sighed and ran a hand through his jet black hair. "He's two steps ahead of us."

Dick stared solemnly at the wall. "So…we just wait?"

"For now," Jason said, sighing, "yeah. We just wait."

The door slowly opened, creaking as though it hadn't been used in years. Barbara peered inside. Dick's room seemed so cold. It was always warm when he was in there.

She sighed. When they were both in there…

Barbara walked forward, glancing up at the posters on the walls. Superman. It always kinda got on Bruce's nerves. She smiled a little and looked down at Dick's bed. She sat down on the edge and smoothed out the wrinkles with her hand. He often told her how grateful he was for Alfred. He never wanted to make his own bed.

Barbara slowly climbed into the bed. She buried her face into the soft pillows. They smelled so much like Dick, it hurt. She curled into a ball and wept, not holding anything back and letting everything out.

A while later, Alfred walked in, noticing the open bedroom door. He was startled to find Barbara asleep. The pillow was wet with tear stains. Alfred grabbed a blanket from the floor and gently laid it on top of Barbara's sleeping form. He'd make sure to call Jim Gordon later.

"And, unfortunately, it's been recently announced that Richard 'Dick' Grayson, ward of billionaire Bruce Wayne, has gone missing. Gotham PD are currently searching for him, but there's no word on the case yet—"

Wally switched the TV off. As hot as Vicki Vale was, he wasn't in the mood to watch a news report on how his best friend was missing. And it absolutely did not help how he knew exactly where Dick was.

Artemis sighed as she walked into the kitchen. She heard the TV turn off and she spotted Wally on the couch. "Are you gonna mope around here all day?" she asked.

Wally looked up at her. "If we're not gonna do anything to get Rob back, then yes," he said, standing. He walked past the kitchen and marched off towards the gym. Robin had upgraded the treadmills, so they were able to withstand his speed.

Artemis' eyes narrowed as she watched him walk out. By the time she checked up on him in two hours, the treadmill was burnt out and Wally was punching dents into the side.

"We're ready."
A voice chuckled. "Good. The Kryptonite has been retrieved?"
"Yes," Deathstroke said. "Red X and Renegade successfully stole it from LexCorp."
"With little struggle, I presume?"
"Even with the pathetic little sidekicks," Deathstroke said, chuckling. "They are…reluctant to attack their former teammates."
"Then, their first test has been passed. The second is in place?"
"Set and ready," Deathstroke assured them. "We engage tonight."

Another mission without Robin. The Team didn't expect it to go as bad as the last one, but they couldn't have been more wrong.

Superboy cried out as Solomon Grundy slugged him across the face. His super hearing picked up a faint noise, a painfully familiar cackle. He turned, expecting to see his young ally, and Grundy kicked him in the stomach. Superboy flew back and slammed into a tree trunk.

"Superboy," Kid Flash yelled, speeding up, "maneuver 7!" Superboy looked up and saw Kid Flash speeding towards him. The cackle rang in his ears again and for a moment, he thought he saw Robin. Kid Flash jumped at Superboy and the clone launched him into the air. "AH!" KF screeched as he flew into the air, His body slammed into a brick wall and he crumpled to the ground.

"Kid!" Aqualad cried. Grundy punched him in the face and knocked him backwards.

Artemis fired an arrow at him that lodged into his neck. His body burst into flames and he crumpled to his knees, wailing in agony. Miss Martian telekinetically popped open a fire hydrant and doused him with water. Grundy fell to the ground, splashing in his poll of water, and knocked out.

Kid Flash struggled to his feet, clutching his side. He glared up at Superboy. "What's wrong with you?" he roared, marching up to him. "You just flattened me on the side of a house!"

"I'm sorry!" Superboy shouted back at him. "I miscalculated your weight."

"How?" Kid Flash demanded. "We've practiced that move a thousand times! How come—"

"I thought you were Robin, okay?"

A tense silence fell over the superhero team. Kid Flash gaped at him. "What?"

Superboy sighed and looked down, his eyes closed. "I thought I heard Robin," he admitted, looking up at him. "I looked up, saw you, and suddenly, I thought I saw Robin."

Kid Flash's stared switched to a glare. "Get your head in the game, Supey," he spat. "Robin's gone."

"Stop it, Wally," Artemis said, looking him in the eye.

"He's not gone," Batgirl argued. "We'll get him back."

"We'll get them both back," Zatanna said, stepping in.

"Don't get your hopes up," Kid Flash said, turning on them. "Jason's been a criminal before. It was only expected that he'd go back!"

Zatanna stepped back, completely shocked. She held back her tears and looked away, eyes clamped shut.

Raquel stepped in front of her. "Don't you dare start with her!" she scolded Kid Flash. "She's had enough trauma and she doesn't need any bull from you!"

"She's in denial!" Kid Flash said. "Jason's gone. He hasn't changed at all!"

"Stop it!" Miss Martian screeched. "Stop fighting!"

"I'll stop when they realize Robin's evil!" Kid Flash said, sneering.

"You're wrong," Batgirl said, tears forming in her eyes. "Robin would never betray us like that!"

"But, he did!" Kid Flash screamed. "He ditched us like we were nothing, kicked our butts with ease, and ran off to join a mercenary! He's gone!"

Several things happened after that. Batgirl raised her arm to strike, Artemis grabbed Kid Flash by the arm, Superboy held Batgirl's arm back, and Aqualad stepped in the middle of it all. "Enough!" he commanded. "This is not the time for arguing. We must focus on bringing Robin in. Then we may interrogate him and find out if he truly betrayed us."

Batgirl ripped her arm from Superboy's vice-like grip and stormed off to the bio ship. Kid Flash watched her go with narrowed eyes. Artemis released his arm and he followed her to the ship. Aqualad watched them go and sighed.

Red X and Renegade entered Deathstroke's room.

"Good," the mercenary said, "you're here."

"What do you want?" Renegade asked sharply.

Deathstroke turned around in his chair and faced them. "I have a job for you two to do."

Red X narrowed his eyes to slits. "What is it?"

Deathstroke pulled up a holographic picture of Deadshot and a gang. "The villain Deadshot has plans to take over the city of Gotham," he explained. "He's formed a gang of gunslingers, personally trained by him, and plans to overthrow the Gotham PD. He wants Gotham."

Renegade raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care about Gotham's safety?" he asked skeptically.

Deathstroke chuckled. "I have no concern for the city," he said. "But, it is still a key part of our plan, so I need it intact. Having Deadshot rule would ruin the plan."

"What plan is this?" Red X asked.

"You need not know yet," Deathstroke said dismissively. "Your mission is to stop Deadshot. Bring him in. He may be of use to us as well."

"Fine," Renegade said, folding his arms. The two made to walk out, but Deathstroke stopped them with a, "Wait." They turned.

"Before you go, I have a gift."

Red X instinctively narrowed his eyes. "What kind of gift?"

The villain pulled out two metal braces. Deathstroke walked forward and latched one brace onto Renegade's forearm and the other onto Red X's forearm. It pierced their skin painfully. They hissed in pain.

"What are these?" Renegade asked, rubbing his arm around the brace.

"You'll see soon enough."

Zatanna took a deep breath. She focused all of her magic into the charm around her neck. She sat in her bedroom at the Mountain. The door was closed and locked. It was dark. Zatanna sat on her bed, legs folded and hands on her necklace.

The key charm glowed a soft blue color, as did her eyes. A high-pitched ring sounded through the air. She could feel Jason's mind, barricaded and blocked off. Her eyebrows knit together as she focused harder. The walls were crumbling, but he wasn't responding. It was like…his mind was broken or changed somehow.

Jason…please, talk to me.

There was a dull, dead silence. The energy radiating from him was numb. She pressed on with all of her might, but there was still no response.

Zatanna sighed as the spell faded. The blue glow died. She wiped a small bead of sweat from her brow. She jumped when she heard knocking on her door. "Yeah?"

"It's Conner. Batman and Red Arrow are here. They said they want the whole Team in the main hall."

"Okay," Zatanna responded. "I'll be out in a second." There was silence and then the sound of footsteps walking away.

… …

"How are they doing?" Batman asked. He and Red Arrow stood in the center of the main hall, watching footage of the Team's last mission.

"Oh, how can I put it simply?" Red Arrow asked sarcastically. "Wally's mad because Robin's gone, Barbara's mad because Wally's in denial, Artemis is mad because Wally's being stupid, Kaldur's mad because the Team is fighting, Conner's mad because Wally's mad, Megan's mad because Wally's mad at Conner, Zatanna's mad because Jason's gone, and Raquel's mad because Wally's making Zatanna mad." He counted each statement off on his fingers, making eight fingers.

Batman glared at him. He looked up at the screens in front of him and sighed.

"Who are you trying to contact?" Red Arrow asked curiously.

Batman answered with one word, "Allies." He shut down the footage and screens and looked up as the Team walked in. They stared expectantly at him. "I have a job for you to do."

Red X stared down at the drug dealers. Deadshot was supposed to arrive in approximately two minutes. The air was cold, dead. Thick black clouds painted the night sky, hiding the crescent moon.

Renegade walked up beside him. "Ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be," Red X said. He fired off a grapple and Renegade followed. They landed on the ground in the middle of a large open courtyard. There was dead silence for a moment.

Bright lights flashed on, blinding Red X and Renegade.

"Give up!" a voice shouted. "We've got you surrounded!"

Renegade covered his eyes. "Deadshot?"

"No!" Kid Flash sped up to him and grabbed him by the collar. "It's your best pal!" He punched Renegade in the face and knocked him down.

Aqualad jumped out from the darkness and slashed at Red X. The clone stumbled backwards, gripping his bleeding arm. He took out his bo staff and whacked Aqualad in the face. Superboy came out of nowhere and slammed Red X into the side of a building.

Renegade rolled to his feet and threw three shuriken at Kid Flash. A blue bubble protected the speedster and Rocket aimed a kick at Renegade. He grabbed her leg and slammed her to the ground. Artemis kicked him in the stomach and sent him hurtling backwards. He hit the ground and Batgirl cuffed his hands, locking his arms behind his back.

… …

"This is not going well." Deathstroke observed from the TV screens. He pulled out a small radio communicator. "Move in, Deadshot."

… …

Red X dodged an arrow from Artemis and blocked a blow from Aqualad with his staff. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Renegade pinned to the ground by Batgirl. He took out a shuriken, prepared to throw it, when a faint click alerted his ears. He looked up at a nearby rooftop and spotted the one and only Deadshot standing with at least two dozen men by his side, a sniper ready and loaded in his hands. "No!" Red X charged forward and crashed into Batgirl, knocking her and Renegade aside. Deadshot's bullet hit the ground where all three had been only one second before.

Red X rolled to his feet and whipped out his own gun.

Renegade got to his feet and the two went back to back. "Deathstroke set us up," he said.

"I think he's testing us," Red X said, holding his gun at the ready.

"Then, how about we put on a show?" Renegade suggested.

Red X nodded. "Works for me!" He flipped to the side and shot at Deadshot. The villain dodged and jumped down with his men. They all had guns at their sides. Red X clipped his gun to his belt and extended his bo staff. He swung and whacked Deadshot in the face.

"Team," Aqualad said telepathically, "fall back!"

"No!" Batgirl protested. "I'm not leaving without Robin!"

"We can't beat him, Red X, and Deadshot!" Kid Flash argued. He ducked behind an old truck to avoid gunfire.

"Maybe if we take down Deadshot with them…" Miss Martian suggested unsurely.

"Team up with the bad guys?" Artemis asked skeptically. She fired an arrow, taking down one of Deadshot's men.

"Team up with our friends," Zatanna corrected.

Renegade cried out in pain as a bullet grazed his ribs. He clutched at the wound. Red X threw a shuriken and knocked the gun from the man's hand. Aqualad slashed at him and knocked him down. He and Renegade locked eyes for a moment. They said nothing but went back to back. Renegade kicked a man and flipped off of Aqualad's back, jumping to his front, and punching down another. Aqualad slashed down another.

Red X kicked Deadshot in the face and punched him in the gut. Deadshot cocked his gun and took aim. Almost in slow motion, Red X swerved out of the way and the bullet sailed a centimeter from the front of his helmet. Deadshot kicked him back and took aim again.

"Teah taht s'nopaew letam!"

The gun in his head burned red and Deadshot dropped it, clutching his wrist in pain.

Red X looked to his right and found Zatanna staring right back at him. He narrowed his eyes. He'd always hated when she put herself in danger, but never more so in that moment. He punched one of Deadshot's men down and narrowly avoided a bullet.

A goon ran up to Zatanna and pulled out a knife. He slashed three times, all of which she dodged. One slash sliced a few pieces of hair. Red X kicked the goon in the back of the knee. He retaliated by punched X in the face. He slashed and the blade caught Zatanna by the forearm. Red X flipped backwards and threw a shuriken and a blue adhesive X. The shuriken exploded in the goon's face. The blue adhesive X slapped over Zatanna's cut. She looked up at him, but he was already deep in combat with Deadshot.

Renegade landed an uppercut on another goon and kicked one who approached him from behind. He turned around to find a 6 foot goon standing right behind.

"Huarrgh!"

Superboy jumped down on the goon and knocked Renegade backwards from the impact. He tumbled and watched as Superboy beat the goon's lights out. It seemed channeling his rage really did help.

Renegade leapt into the air and threw three shuriken. All three landed on the men's guns and they each exploded.

Batgirl punched down another goon and looked to her right. A goon, hidden in the shadows, had his gun pointed directly at Renegade. Her eyes went wide. "Look out!" She ran forward and pushed Renegade out of the way. He gasped. The gunshot rang in the air.

Everyone looked up.

Red X gasped. "No…"

Renegade clenched his fists.

… …

Deathstroke smiled behind his mask. "Time for Plan B," he said, pressing the button on his trigger.

… …

Renegade felt the brace pierce his skin. He cried out in pain. His whole body stiffened when he felt power and anger, a serum, surge through his veins. A rush of adrenalin washed over him like a tidal wave. He snarled and turned his venomous gaze on the goon who shot Batgirl. He charged forward and grabbed the goon by the front of his suit. He butted their head together, kneed him in the gut, punched him back against a brick wall, and kicked him through the solid structure, bringing the whole wall crumbing down on him.

Superboy picked Batgirl up. "Aqualad!" he yelled. "We have to get out of here!"

"Fall back!" Aqualad ordered. "Back to the bio ship!"

Red X watched them go. The serum had entered him as well. But his orders were clear. Stop Deadshot. At the door of the bio ship, Artemis and Zatanna turned around, their eyes meeting his. He knew what they were asking: Are you gonna follow us? Red X lifted his hand and waved it, as though saying, Go. They nodded and ran inside the bio ship. It flew off, back to the Mountain.

Red X looked up at Deadshot. He'd climbed to the top of the rooftop he'd entered on. The remainder of his five men followed him. Red X ran to where Renegade was beating the senseless body of the goon who shot Batgirl. He grabbed his partner's arm and fired off a grapple. It pulled them up to where Deadshot was trying to make his escape.

Red X threw a shuriken and it exploded, knocking two men off of the roof. Renegade, still snarling, ran forward and jumped on another goon. He grabbed him by the collar and shoved him back, flipping into the air and kicking the other two men by the face. Red X threw a shuriken at Deadshot and he expertly shot it down.

Renegade growled and aimed a kick at Deadshot. He swatted his leg away and punched Renegade in the chest. He hit the ground with a painful thud.

Red X jumped over him and smacked Deadshot in the face with his staff. Deadshot stumbled backwards and cocked his gun. Red X knocked it out of his hand with his staff and punched him in the face, shattering his eyepiece. Deadshot snapped forward and grabbed Red X around the neck. He pulled out his pistol from a holster and pointed it at X's head. Red X struggled, but couldn't break free.

Renegade got to his feet. "Let him go, Deadshot," he ordered, taking out his own gun.

Deadshot laughed. "Go ahead," he taunted, "shoot me. It's the only way to save your partner."

Red X grunted as he tried to break free. "Rob!" he said desperately. "Don't!"

Renegade glared at Deadshot. He raised his gun and pointed it directly at the villain's head.

Deadshot laughed. "You don't have the guts!" he gloated. "Do it!"

Renegade clutched the gun in his hand. His body was trembling and his breaths came out in low, shaky pants. He shot one eye and took aim.

"No!" Red X cried.

A black batarang whizzed out of the darkness and struck the gun. It exploded in Renegade's hand. "Ah!" he cried, clutching his bloody hand. He looked up as Batman dropped down on the scene.

Red X took the momentary distraction to flip Deadshot onto his back. He crushed the gun under his foot.

Deadshot got to his feet and ran at Batman. He punched the Dark Knight in the face and chest, barely fazing him. Batman grabbed his fist, cracking it, and punched him back.

Red X ran to Renegade and hit the middle of his belt, sneaking one last glance at Batman before vanishing.

AN: Sorry for the long wait! I had a teeny tinny case of writer's block. But I have the whole story figured out beyond this, so I'll be cranking out chapters faster than this one.
I felt like there wasn't enough danger for Red X and Renegade, so I decided to set them up against Deadshot and the Team at the same time.
I wanted there to be a lot more angst, so I had the Team fighting over stupid stuff because they're upset. I hope that doesn't sound too extreme.
The part where Batman throws the batarang and it makes Renegade's gun explodes is a parody from a scene in 'Batman: Under the Red Hood' in case you spotted that.