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"Team, report to the mission room," Batman said over the intercom the next day. It was the first mission that Robin, or rather, Nightwing, would be the official leader, and it was the first mission that their numbers would be almost cut in half in the field, as Wally and Artemis, although technically still on the team, couldn't make it to the cave, so they would miss their last mission.
The team assembled quickly, and Batman eyed Dicks new suit, though he didn't comment on it. He was waiting unusually long to get started, and finally he said, "where is everyone else?"
"This is everyone," Zatanna said.
Batman looked at the line again. "Oh, so it is. Well, there is a new gang smuggling arms across the border. I'm sending you in to locate the leader and run facial recognition. You will also need to locate the place that the smuggling is happening at. Now, I am aware that your leader is no longer here, so, until or unless you decide differently, I am going to suggest that Robin take the lead."
"It's Nightwing," Dick said firmly.
Batman nodded, and Mallory said, "and we already talked about this, and we decided that Nightwing is the logical choice." They hadn't exactly discussed it, but he had always been the second in command, and now that Kaldur was gone, they would have naturally looked to him anyway, so she didn't see why they had to let Batman think he'd solved their problem for them by ordering his former sidekick to take over.
"All right, then. Move out," he said. The team started for the hangar, but Mallory noticed Batman put a hand on Nightwing's shoulder. "Be careful," he said.
Dick jerked his shoulder away and glared at him. "It's a little late to show concern, don't you think?" he snapped, and he hurried to catch up with the others. They made it to the bioship and Megan started them towards the border.
"So, Nightwing, how does it feel to be leader?" Gar asked.
Dick smiled and turned around to face the boy. "Not bad," he replied.
Gar laughed. "When you quit, I'm taking over," he said.
"Why you?" Megan asked.
"Well, I'll be the oldest new member. Who else would you trust to lead the new recruits into battle?" he asked.
Zatanna laughed. "Hate to break it to you, Gar, but I'm not seeing any new recruits around here."
"Well, there will be, won't there? Eventually? I mean, we can't just let the team disappear when you guys move on."
"Who said we're moving on? I'm happy where I am," Nightwing said.
"Same," Conner replied.
"Yeah, I think we all are," Rocket said.
Gar shrugged. "We'll see who ends up leading the team," he said. The older members shook their heads and smiled, and settled in for the long flight.
"All right, Mallory, Zatanna, and Rocket will find out how the guns are being brought over. The rest of us will go over the border and find the HQ, maybe see if we can find the boss," Nightwing said when they got to the first drop zone.
"Yes, sir," Mallory said, giving a mock salute. Nightwing gave her a sideways look, and she grinned and hopped out of the hole in the floor. The three girls flew down to the United States side of the border and ducked into an alley of the city.
"How do you want to do this?" Zatanna asked.
"We'd probably do better in civies," Mallory suggested. The magician nodded and muttered a spell, and the next thing Mallory knew she had a jacket and jeans on over her suit, and her mask was gone. She looked at the other girls, and they walked out of the alley and started down the street.
After nearly an hour of watching the border discreetly, they saw three men dart towards it and disappear behind a mound of earth. They waited for them to come out the other side and go across the border, but they never did. Zatanna motioned for them to follow her, and they snuck around the hill. No one was there.
"Y'all saw them too, right?" Rocket asked.
"Yeah, they went right here," Mallory murmured.
"Look," Zatanna said, pointing to a metal ring on the side of the mound.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Mallory muttered. She pulled the ring up, revealing a passageway dug into the mound.
"Well, guess we know how they're disappearing so quickly," Rocket said.
"Guys, we found a passageway the smugglers are using to go beneath the border," Zatanna reported to the others.
"Good. We aren't having as much luck on our end," Nightwing replied. "it's like the boss is underground or something."
"Maybe he is," Mallory said thoughtfully.
"What?" Megan asked.
"Well, maybe he stays underground, in the passageway. Anyway, it's worth a look, isn't it?"
Nightwing took a long time to answer. "Well, I guess," he said finally. "just be careful, ok?"
"Always," Mallory replied.
The girls went into the passageway, and Rocket closed the trap door behind them.
"Does this seem like a bad idea to anyone else, or is that just me?" Zatanna asked, looking at Mallory and Raquel.
Mallory shrugged. "Does it matter?" she asked.
"Guess not. Hey, guys, if we don't check in in an hour, come find us, ok? The passageway is just a few hundred feet away from the border check in," the magician said.
"We will, but don't take any unnecessary risks. It's not worth it," Nightwing said.
"Ok," Rocket said.
The girls continued down the passage until it widened into a room, then they paused and looked around. The room looked empty, and there were crates all along the walls, and tables set up with weapons heaped on them for inspection. Zatanna nodded to a pile of crates and they darted across the room and ducked behind them.
"We found their stash," Rocket told the rest of the team.
"How much is it?" Megan asked.
"Well, it can't be the whole thing, but it's enough to get them convicted for sure," Mallory said.
They heard some footsteps coming and froze, looking around to see which direction they were coming from.
"All right, get out of there before anyone sees you, and I'll report the hideout to the border police," Nightwing instructed.
Three men came into the room from the hallway the girls had come from, each heavily armed.
"We might need a minute," Zatanna said. "We've got company."
"We can't risk them moving their location. Hold your position, don't let them know you're there," Nightwing said.
One of the men held up a scanner and the three men looked directly at the crate the girls were behind.
"Yeah, about that," Mallory said. The next thing she knew, she was struck in the back of the head, and she fell to the floor, unconscious.