Dick Grayson had undertaken dozens of these missions by now and led the team through just as many. Yet, he had never had one go as wrong as it had tonight.
It had started simply enough with Batman giving a mission briefing. A new meta-human trafficking ring had popped up in Star City, however despite it being in Green Arrows back yard the league knew relatively little about the operation other than a general location.
That was where the team came in to play, he would split the active and present members into two squads Alpha and Beta. Alpha, consisting of himself, Spoiler, Arrowette, and Orphan, would search the warehouse district. The team was chosen in this order since each member was well versed in stealth and moving through the warehouses would require a delicate touch.
Meanwhile Beta, consisting of Miss Martian, Superboy, Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl, and Red Robin, would search the docks taking advantage conners x-ray vision and M'gann's telepathy to search the larger area more quickly while Tim used the Bioship's scanners.
Their search had started in earnest only about an hour ago and it quickly spiraled from there. Alpha was the first to make contact with the traffickers. They had located A warehouse where they found kids, young teens, and a handful of adults being shoved into pods and submerged in what had been dubbed 'Tar'.
Nightwing was about to order an immediate, but stealthy, intervention when suddenly the traffickers had opened fire on them. He wasn't even sure how they had been found out until he saw something he truly dreaded. Lady Shiva in the flesh was suddenly upon Orphan.
Dick had called for Beta to back them up as he gracefully and with lightning speed moved through the hail of gunfire. He joined the fray only to be immediately on the back foot. As much as he hated to admit it Shiva was someone out of his league and definitely on Batman's level of skill.
He had been thankful that he wasn't working alone this time around as the rest of Alpha took down the traffickers quickly providing the two bats with some much needed breathing room. It was too little to late however as Shiva shifted focus onto him releasing a flurry of unrelenting attacks with her blade finally catching Dick off guard enough that she was able to kick him straight off the platform the had been fighting on.
Orphan had tried to get to him only for Shiva to pivot her blade piercing Orphans lower abdomen. Shiva smirked as she withdrew her blade throwing Orphan right into Dick as he got up once again.
Without a word Shiva had disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared and now presently Nightwing was holding doing his best to keep pressure on the rapidly bleeding wound.
"Dammit stay with us Orphan." He cried as Spoiler handed him a set of gauze she had in her belt.
The rest of Alpha had joined him having already released the captives, all of whom had quickly ran except for one small child that was watching everything unfold with wide eyes.
"We need to get her back to the watchtower of a hospital now." Arrowette stated as she frantically dug through her own supplies for whatever would be useful.
"She's loosing too much blood, she only has about ten minutes at most." Nightwing stated through clenched teeth as he racked his mind trying to recall all that he knew about Star City. The hospital was thirty minutes away, Beta was still three minutes away maybe if they got her-
"Idiot you're pushing out more blood."
Dicks train of thought was interrupted by what appeared to be an eight year old girl with pale skin. She had long messy black hair and icy blue eyes. Her outfit was a gray hoodie, shorts, and black leggings.
Before anyone could speak she had removed her hoodie, revealing a green T-shirt, and was rolling Orphan over just enough to place it under her.
"It went through her dummy, that means blood is coming out of both sides." She then held her ear to Orphans chest and her eyes widened as she quickly scrambled to her feet.
"I can hear her having breathing problems, she probably has a pu-pin-punctured! She has a punctured lung!"
Dick swore as he did the same as the kid, his eyes widened immediately as he noted the kid had been right. That meant Orphans ten minutes were now down to five.
"Dammit! She needs a doctor now!" Spoiler cried.
"I know one! He helps people like me all the time!"
Dick looked to the girl his mind racing. "He can help her?" His tone was stern making it clear he was in absolutely no mood for childish antics.
The girl scowled as she nodded and beckoned for the group to follow. "He's close come on!"
Spoiler didn't wait, she snatched the kid up, "Just tell me where to go and hold on tight."
"4242 Glades Avenue, it's like two streets over. I know a shortcut." The girl explained.
Spoiler looked back at Nightwing who was now carefully carrying Orphan. Receiving a nod spoiler led the group off as they made their way out of the ware house district. Running through the alleyways Dick noticed something in each one, a small purple cross painted at the corner. That wasn't all, he had heard form Roy that the Glades were the worst part of Star city, it's very own crime alley. However through each alleyway that they were lead he didn't see a single person or sign of trouble. It could have been coincidental but something was unnerving all the same.
"Here."
The finality in the girls tone brought him back to reality as he noticed where exactly they were. It was an old rundown school, a literal abandoned building and they were standing in the courtyard beside a small fountain that had long ago dried up.
Dick was about to say something when the girl jumped away from Spoiler and immediately bee lined for the door. Rapping her knuckles as hard as she could the door was opened by a face that not Dick certainly wasn't expecting.
Icicle Jr. stood at the entrance a look of boredom on his face before he went wide eyed at the people in front of him.
"Oh hel-"
He was shoved out of the way by a gurney and the young man pushing it. He couldn't have been older than twenty-one with short brown hair, slightly pale skin and…..purple eyes?
Dick was brought back to reality as the stranger had the gurney in front of him.
"What's her pulse?"
"She's at thirty five and dropping."
The man nodded in acknowledgement as dick sat Orphan on the gurney.
"Blood type?" The man asked as he started wheeling the gurney inside.
"AB negative, where are you taking her?" Spoiler asked as she followed beside her friend.
"She's got a punctured lung and it looks like one of her arteries were nicked. I need to get her into surgery now if she's going to make it." The man stated as they gots inside.
The team noted that it was far cleaner on the inside than the outside, it looked like it actually was a hospital as well with faint smell of sterilization in the air.
Arrowette narrowed her eyes dangerously as she followed along. "Wait, you're the doctor!?"
"Been treating patients for the past three years here, and three before that as a traveling physician. we're low on the appropriate donor blood, I need your types." He stated finally wheeling the gurney into a large room that was definitely sterilized heavily. He pulled the gurney up beside a large metal table that was surrounded by surgical equipment.
"Cam grab the other end of the sheet, you blue boy, hold her steady as we transfer her." Nightwing and Icicle Jr. did as instructed following along as the man moved Orphan to the table.
Nightwing spoke up. "None of us have the right blood types to donate."
"Fuck. Lilith donor fridge, now. Get me all the O-negative and A-negative, it'll have to work. The rest of you get out I need to get to work." The man dashed around the room setting up an IV and Heart monitor with practiced ease. Looking up he saw the hero's were still standing there.
"Out! Now! I cannot have any distractions."
Jr. corralled everyone out of the room until he heard the heavy doors shut behind him with a soft click and locking sound. The light overhead flipped on letting everyone outside know surgery was in progress.
He sighed in relief until he was suddenly thrown into a wall and pinned against it face first. "Hey what the hell!"
Nightwing held Jr. there until he heard a gruff voice clear their throat. "I think you best be letting go."
Everyone turned to see multiple villains standing in various doorways and in various states of dress. Some were wearing patient gowns while others were wrapped in gauze and bandage's.
Dick immediately recognized multiple faces such as Brick, Shade, Cheetah, Bronze tiger and even Deadshot. The latter of whom was sporting a set of stitches on his shoulder.
"Knock it off Kid, don't you know the rules?" Deadshot asked in an annoyed tone.
"Rules?" Arrowette asked as she carefully eyed the sharpshooter her bow drawn and arrow ready.
"Bloody hell, nightwing the fuck you doin' here ya sod?" A new voice cut in as Nightwing immediately noticed John Constantine of all people.
"John, what is going on here?" Dick asked before he got a really good look at Constantine. John had his signature coat draped over his shoulders while his right arm was in a cast leavening only the knuckles exposed. His shirt was unbuttoned revealing a large section of his chest wrapped in bandages.
John walked up and pulled Icicle Jr away, before turning to the gathering crowd of villains. "Alright sod off all of ya!"
"Whatever, they act out again it's on your head." Deadshot said as he ducked back into the room he had come out of. With the parting words of the sharpshooter everyone else had started filing out of the hallway leaving only the hero's and John Constantine.
Nightwing waited a few minutes, making sure the coast was clear before he put away his batons. He was soon followed by Spoiler and Arrowette.
"Lovely, we're all relaxed now yea? So what are ya doin' 'er lad?"
Dick looked at John for a minute before taking a seat in one of the chairs set off to the side. "We we're on a mission and Lady Shiva got the drop on us. She stabbed Orphan and it was…..it was bad John really bad."
"Fuck." John cursed as he used his good hand to rub his eyes before joining Dick in sitting down. "Well yer lucky, right now she's got the best damn doctor I've ever met working on her."
"Speaking of the doctor." Arrowette gestured around them. "What the hell is this place?"
John snorted "It's a hospital las, and that doc in there runs the whole place."
Spoiler looked away from the operating room doors for a moment to regard John. "How does the league not know about a hospital for super villains?"
John shrugged "Beats me, my guess is that none of these blokes want to lose the only safe place they have to get patched up. It ain't just for them either."
"What it's for regular civilians too?" Dick asked furrowing his brow.
"Civi's, villains, heroes, whoever the hell needs it. Look you three, here everyone gets treatment. The doc don't give a shite who you are, if ya need help he's goin give it."
"So what is he then?" Arrowette asked.
"He's the doc, licensed and all believe it or not. From what I heard this whole place started as a safe spot for meta's to get treatment and spiraled from there." Constantine explained. His hand fiddling in his pockets before he cursed. "Bloody bastard nicked me booze, damn rules."
Arrowette crossed her arms "What is this about rules anyway? Deadshot said something similar earlier."
John paled before he stated right into the three around him. "You don't know about the rules?" He whispered lowly.
Dick shook his head "No we were kinda in a life or death emergency."
John nodded but the look of fear that he had unsettled the three, two of whom were used to the bat glare. "Right better send this to your mates you were with an warn 'em. Doc has a few ironclad rules here, one no alcohol or tobacco inside whatsoever. Two, When he sets you up in a room it's yours for the duration of your stay an no one else can go in without your permission."
Spoiler held up her hand. "Woah hold up that second one sounds like common sense."
John shook his head fearfully, "Oh hell no, think about it some blokes here have SID's. Their rooms are completely private so they can unwind and recover in absolute peace while maintaining theirs secret. Break in and…….well the doc gives you a lesson in manners." Constantine said with a shiver.
Dick had to wonder if the guy was screwing with them, he had heard and seen John go toe to claw with some of the most horrific demons and monsters ever imaginable. How did a doctor younger than him and about the same age as his charges scare John that badly.
"Then there's the biggest rule here, absolutely no fighting." John said as he looked towards the opposite wall, a far away look in his eyes.
"John, come on be honest with me, how exactly can a guy like this enforce those rules. I mean doesn't he have to follow the hippocratic oath?" Dick asked with an easy smile hoping to diffuse some of the tension.
Instead John used his one good hand and gripped Dick tightly by his costume. "That Doc is a Meta……I don't know what his powers are or how the work, but I know one thing. He can rip you apart and then put you back together again, over and over until you learn his rules."
The three stared at Constantine until they slowly turned back towards the doorway that separated them from their friend and the supposedly dangerous doctor……the doctor that was operating on said friend.