I apologise for taking so long to post the next part. It seems that writers block only ever comes during the holidays. So after much thought and work, here is the next chapter. Oh, and Happy New Year to everyone.
Lights twinkled across the inky black of the sleepy city of Taipei. It was a beautiful sight, very different from the smoky lights of Gotham which normally held Robin's attention. The Boy Wonder lent back, his bony shoulders digging into the stone dragon behind him as he once again glanced at the holographic screen in front of him, peering through the lenses of his mask.
In the corner of his eye, a shadow moved. Robin ignored it as Red Hood shifted his centre of gravity, keeping his balance on the thin beam running across the rooftop as he adjusted his grip on his weapon. The older vigilante looked down at the dark courtyard below them, the night guards moving silently across the grounds before disappearing inside the house.
Under his breath, Jason growled. The occupant of the house was a real piece of work, wanted in three different countries for child molestation. The bastard had gotten away with it through diplomatic immunity and a scum bag dad who was in the pocket of several powerful criminal organisations. But what really got to Jason was the fact that those kids were the same age as his own little brother, the little brother who had already hacked into the bastard's home server and pulled up blue prints of the house, passcodes into all the secret rooms and the hired guard's roster. Now the kid was searching again, looking into timetables for the next two weeks, looking for the Outlaws in.
A gust of wind pattered against Jason's jacket.
The Red Hood didn't even bother to lower his weapon as the alien lowered herself to hover next to him. Starfire had been a life saver for Jason and the team, transporting the team's equipment from one end of the earth to the other without all the hassles of dealing with a paranoid American government. And the fact that she was a good fighter with super strength and a broad understanding of morality didn't hurt.
"Anything?" He asked.
The orange skinned girl shook her head.
"It's all quiet Jason." She replied in a low voice.
Jason nodded, glad that his helmet hid his expression from the alien.
"He doesn't know we are on to him. Of course it would be quiet." He replied.
There was a flash of red from the other end of the roof as Roy jumped from shadow to shadow, making his way across to the rest of the team.
"Sun will be up soon." He commented dryly as he reached them, slinging his bow over his back.
Jason lowered his gun, sliding it into the holster in his jacket. He crossed his arms across his chest, feeling the familiar weight of it against his chest.
"Robin." He called. "How are we doing?"
The teen sitting on the roof quickly shut down his computer.
"I've got everything." He replied, standing up. Skipping across the beam like a tightrope walker, the younger hero made his way to the group.
"We can't do anything else tonight." Jason muttered. He turned to his team, not bothering to comment as Kori wrapped an arm around Dick's shoulders, like an older sister cuddling a younger brother. "I'm calling it. We start again at sunset tomorrow."
Both Dick and Roy nodded, understanding Jason. Kori gave him an odd look but allowed Roy to grab her arm, steering her to the ledge. Dick followed but paused, realising his older brother wasn't following.
"Jay?" He asked, turning back to the lone figure.
Jason didn't look at the kid, instead staring out at the city. He imagined throwing himself off those sky scrapers, feeling the wind rush past his falling body, knowing that his line was seconds from pulling tight, from pulling him to safety.
"I'm going for a run kiddo. I'll be back soon."
The bio-ship glided silently, cutting through the air like a knife. Inside, the teens were equally silent, all of them watching as the city drew closer. Megan had put the ship in camouflage mode on Kaldur's orders, the team leader not wanting their cover blown so early into the mission. Captain Marvel could only keep Black Canary away for so long and the city officials would not hesitate to take note of any heroes entering their city, even parading their presence which would certainly gain the wrath of Batman.
But the team wasn't entering the city, instead landing undercover on the outskirts. Wordlessly, they split into two teams, Kaldur and Megan to search the roof tops while Wally, Conner and Artemis searched the streets. Splitting up, began their journey into the heart of the city, ready for anything they might find.
Twenty minutes into his 'run', Jason became aware of the shadows following him. They were quiet, soft footed and any normal person wouldn't have paid it any attention. But Jason wasn't a normal person, and you didn't survive a childhood under the Batman and the All Caste by not noticing your surroundings.
Plus, Jason's route wasn't a normal run, the teenager diving off ledges and throwing himself off rooftops with frightening proficiency, his jump line whipping around him, the only thing earthing him to reality. The shadows kept pace, seemingly guiding him across the city. Internally, Jason sighed. He would have to lose his tail and soon.
Seeing an opportunity, Jason turned suddenly diving into shadows. A raised air vent in the darkest corner was all the Red Hood needed to hide himself as he froze, holding his breath and waiting for his stalker to reveal itself.
Finally, a shadowed figure jumped softly onto the roof.
Under his helmet, Jason's eyes narrowed. The figure was not what he had been expecting. It was taller than the 13 year old who had been Jason's main suspect. It also lacked the female body of Jason's favourite alien. For a moment, the Red Hood wondered if it was a certain archer but he quickly withdrew that theory. The figure was too big even to be Roy and lacked the almost proud movements of the archer.
The figure kept to the shadows, letting the darkness hide most of its body. Slowly, its head moved, scanning the area.
Reaching into his jacket, Jason gripped his favourite gun, slowly pulling it out of its holster.
In front of him, the figure tensed. It turned, pivoting on the spot and leaving its back to the shadows where Jason hid. It arched its head, seeming to listen closely for a few seconds before breaking into a run, diving between shadows. Jason vaguely made out a set of legs wrapped in skin tight black cloth before the figure flung itself head first off the roof top, disappearing into the gloom.
Interested, Jason detangled himself from the shadows of his hiding space, climbing onto the ledge to look down at the streets below. The figure had disappeared, as Jason had expected it to. The 19 year olds mind raced, trying to analyse what he had seen. The figure's body language had been familiar but Jason couldn't think of where he knew it from. Who was following him? How did they manage to keep up with him? What did they know?
Jason looked up at the night sky. It looked like life had just gotten a hell of a lot more dangerous.
There was another sound behind him. This time it wasn't the soft footsteps of someone use to stealth. No, these footsteps were louder as they landed on the rooftop. Jason turned, raising his gun to point at the new comer's chest as the figure stepped into the light.
This time it was recognisable as a teenager, dark skinned but with light hair cut close to the scalp. The teen had cold eyes, silver in the dim light of the streets. A series of tattoos ran down the teens uncovered arms.
Under his helmet, Jason grinned. He knew who this was. You couldn't survive long around Roy without hearing of Kaldur, aka Aqualad, leader of Batman's pet team, the Young Justice. It didn't hurt that Jason had been wondering if something like this would happen.
"Well. This just got interesting. I admit I wasn't expecting a visit from the leader of the junior Justice League so soon."
The silver eyes glared at him.
"You are the Red Hood." The atlantean said. It wasn't a question, but Jason still nodded.
"Correct." He answered.
"Then it is my duty to place you under arrest." The hero stated.
Jason tilted his head, looking at the hero closely, his gun remaining stationary. The atlantean hadn't mentioned Robin and Jason wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Let me guess. The Bat doesn't want to face me, so he sent his little team here instead?" He couldn't stop the venom in his voice as he said this. "That's pathetic Bruce." He continued in a low voice, knowing the other teen couldn't hear the add on.
The atlantean looked a little uncomfortable, shifting his feet.
"Batman is not involved in this mission." The younger teen said, slightly ashamed.
Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise and a little anger. Bruce wasn't here? What? Did he not feel like reclaiming his kid himself? Was he so busy doing his own thing that he decided to send kids in his place? What the hell was going through the Dark Knight's head?
Cocking his gun, Jason stared at the other teen.
"Well, I guess that's a problem for you." He said, his finger sliding towards the safety.
The gun exploded in his hand, tearing into his glove. With a shout, Jason dropped the weapon to the ground. Something grabbed the back of his jacket, sending him into the raised vent he had only minutes before used as a hiding place.
Fighting back his instincts, Jason stayed still, glad his helmet could help him fake unconsciousness. Above him, the air flickered. A girl appeared, floating in the air. She was clearly alien, her green skin too noticeable in the gloom. Her hair was a fiery red, the same colour as Kori's.
The girl slowly began to lower herself to the ground, seemingly trying to study Jason's prone form. Jason waited for his moment as the girl drew closer and closer. Finally, she was close enough, the edge of her cloak only inches from his face. Jason felt the knife hidden in his sleeve slide into place. He lashed out, the knife swinging about to catch the material before the downswing brought it to the ground again, the force of Jason's swing burying the strong blade in the cheap concrete.
The girl screamed and tried to retreat, the cloak catching her around the neck and keeping her in place. Jason rolled, throwing out a small flash bomb to hide his movements from the alien as he used his momentum to climb to his feet. He turned, prepared to fend off the inevitable attack from the atlantean but he was too slow. Hammer like weapons crashed into his jaw, knocking him off his feet yet again.
Jason's head was spinning as the teen advanced, weapons still in his hands as the alien girl finally managed to free herself. She floated quickly to her leaders side, her hand raised in Jason's direction as an invisible force shoved the Red Hood down, holding him in place.
The two shared a look before stepping closer. The pressure on Jason's chest increased as the alien's eyes glowed in the dark.
There was a small metal sound, like a can hitting the ground. Something rolled to Jason's side. Thick smoke suddenly appeared, clouding Jason's vision. Suddenly there was chaos as figures moved in the smoke followed by thuds and flashes of light. The pressure on Jason's chest disappeared.
The smoke started to clear as Jason raised his head to look at the scene before him. Slowly, he grinned. The atlantean was trying to raise himself off the ground, a look of surprise on his face. At his side was Roy, the archer holding his bow in a threatening manner, even as the atlantean failed to notice him. Above the whole group, the alien was hovering in the air, in a tense standoff against Kori. But what drew Jason's attention was Robin. The 13 year old was standing between Kaldur and Jason, his back to his brother, one of the eskrima sticks he favoured held in a defensive stance.
The young teen glanced over his shoulder at Jason before looking at his former leader.
"That's enough." Was all the kid needed to say.
And I am not going to say who the figure was. I will let everyone have their own theories on that one. But as I am sure you can all guess, the Outlaws mission is about to become a lot harder.