Red Hood and Company; My Life as An Outlaw –
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Chapter 5: Count Your Blessings
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Gotham; sleaze - town U.S.A.
Damian has one thing to learn while kinda, sorta living here in seclusion with a well-known big bad ex – crime lord, arsonist and anarchist.
You don't fuck with the territorial. Yup. Like animals, we prowl and we stake claim on this city like pieces of a pie hot at Johnny's on Fifth Ave. If I had to guess how Dickie got this place to clean up its act, I'd say he's ninety percent short of an answer as to "how" he and the clan are gonna do it. Talia had her answer to this; erase. I know. I know. I'm supposed to keep out of the spotlight and let the kid know this too. He can't be a prince of a garbage heap, but people need us and we KNOW what it is they crave. Retribution, absolute sane politics that won't drive them to pull more out of their pockets and hand over that freedom to him. To Wayne.
It's a pretty slick plan. Keep a multi – billion conglomerate pumping and you get dudes like Nyma (movie version back story) or even my fave, Freeze. He used to be a scientist way back until his wife died by his careless planning. Or was it the other way around? Bruce axed Nygma's ideas at Wayne Tech and he went loopy. Or even Cobblepot's beef with good ole' Alfred (borrowing the batman 2004 plot) who took something from him. Pennyworth wasn't rich, so I have no idea what he's talking about. I heard he lived in the UK and his dad hated his life choices in the suburbs so much, that he never married because of it (Pennyworth series.) Or Selina going off against a big corporate uncle of Wayne's own to stop animals testing – which he addressed, crazy cat lady….
I can use her though, I could. She isn't loyal as shit to anyone. Like a stray, we'd get along famous Amos.
Well, those hours ended the day I swore fealty to Ra's whole clan. I'm glad we got a breather, but not Deathstroke. He's as nutty as the clown I shall never name….
Speaking, I hope Dami never comes across the same dick who should be hiding his head in the sand –
"TODD?"
Uh – oh. The prince needs tending. Enough monologs for now, anxious onlookers. Stay tight!
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Breakfast for me is a pack of tuna and God knows what they put in it. Dami gets …. well, he's a vegetarian so my question is…. can granola bars work or should I buy him a salad. I find out by lunch and he crinkled his nose at me. "This salad looks to be. In need of support services, I won't get a stomach virus. Take it back."
I do, and to my immediate chagrin, I see some dopey blonde talking to the cashier. "Yeah, so…. if you get the memo. I want those deets, ya dig?"
She talks in a rough, forced slang and it makes my ears bleed. She also looks mighty confident and too young to be making threats.
Until a see a certain face come to drag her out and now know why.
Tim has a duo of his own, and she was asking on Intel out in the open like a novice for the job. How can a hero work out of uniform, you ask?
By blowing a cover that was never theirs.
I get my dirt later that week from a guy on fifteenth street.
"Stephanie Brown; Father, Arthur Brown –
"That, Quiz – man on the air?" He was a wanted man, so why is she with my replacement, out of uniform in her school outfit? Did they shut out the criminal and taker her in??
"Yeah, while you was out of town, she became a real hoot to handle. Made some noses bleed, threatened her daddy. It was all over the papers."
"Tell me more." He's got what I need, and I'm not pinning Timbo to a wall to get my next morning paper hand delivered. Dami is home and restless, so we get to work. I learn that he hates bullshitters so my cookies versus my confidence has, a dual effect on Ra's grand kid.
"You could relax your stance a bit. Not to be so, explosive."
He's right, but if I did that, I'd be a lightweight should my "guns" not come out. "I have burst energy, kid. Comes with having these pecs." I joke, but he can't find it funny. We water break it, and rap. He's ready to talk, so let him.
"Mother wasn't trying to keep us there to save the society, but will I ever get strong enough to stop that mercenary on my own?"
"You won't have to, not all on your own. It's an attacker, not a rival. Slade is twice your size and age." I wince as Dami gives me a sniff.
"He is still a threat to my birth rite. Todd? Would you say that I might stand one chance to overtake the man by surprise even? I am quite flexible for the job of his assassination."
"He's a survivor. Not, a dyer." I take a swig and imagine that man leaving us all alone. He'd go bat shit crazy without the bats, right? "Slade was a war hero turned enemy to his country, long ago. He's had it coming ever since."
"We can open up ideas on how to kill that man; do what no one has sought to do."
"Drugs don't work, sorry."
"Beheading." Dami bit his lip, bottle squeezed tightly in his grip. I know he's mad, he wants his family back. Just like I want mine to pads off and listen for once, we have that in common.
"He can lose it; we can keep him down."
"As long as we burn the body."
"No." Shaking his head, the kid isn't wrong. He can still not regenerate as well as other heroes, heck, as ANY.
"Maybe." Dami sighs to put down his water, dusting off his knees and ready to push off those doldrums. That's my kid, right there.
"I am still not satisfied with your lesson yet, teacher."
"Huh." I'm sure we can amp it up, maybe he needs a few toys to handle to bring out his determination again. "I wanna show you something. It's just a small investment; a gift, and when I told our mob guy what you enjoyed more than anything, he jumped at the chance…"
I move to one crate and pull out a long box with locks all on it meant to keep something secure inside. Dami's eyes crinkle, then widen as a kid with a puppy on Christmas day.
"J…Jason?"
"You needed a reason to keep going. Your mom won't mind that we found a replacement for your last pair." A box, and a sword that glints back while the kid is trying not to act surprised. "Its weight should suit my frame. How did you aquire such a fine blade?" He does not have to know what it took, but my boy here is really psyched. He can't hide what he feels from me as I beam just below the surface. "A job I came across. This was the payment, so we can't eat the salad you said needed a do over this week. Just hang tight on energy bites and carrot sticks."
Dami frowns at the gift, only to oddly…hand it back to me. "I don't want to own this if it only deters from keeping us both fed. I, am sorry –
"No, way. I just meant…. look." I scratch my face and try to iron out the steps as I go. He likes it, I won't take his stick from him like Bruce would. Or Ra's. He's disciplined, not actually…spoiled. "I'll hold onto this, but you can't give back a gift. Especially not from our partner. It's taboo here, understand Damian?"
I say his full name, knowing he gets it. "Yes, sir. But…next time, I want to be told that in advance. If we cannot eat and train to stay awake –
"It's like a four-day intermittent fast, not even." I grin at him. "You'll survive, and I got plenty of jerky. Vegan too. Just in case we run short on time."
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His diet is one thing I've had him alter, processed crap. I decide to look into a new safe house on the outskirts to keep an eye on his routine. No kid of mine has to get sick off of the American diet that fast. So, we pick up one day and I tell him to get into a small truck. Enough for what we need. Where we go, is not much off of my investor's needs to keep me happy. It's a penthouse. Style is a bit postmodern but half of this city is Gothic compared to Wayne's war time castle.
Dami immediate goes to look out at the ritzy spaces that nobody owns. We have a great view of the city. Or, parts of it I don't want blown sky high to sniff out spies from Slade's tractor tank back on the island.
"Is that a pool??"
"Yup." I look for the kitchen and it's like I wanted. The money coming in can keep us, as long as my boy Esposito won't squawk. Then, we have a big clean-up to apprehend.
"Did you see the next room? Gym equipment! You didn't just invest in jerky sticks, Todd. And my own bed!"
I walk to him briskly and pull the kid into my chest out of both fear and worry. For our circumstances, I tell him. I can't be a liar. Not like my family was. Or his.
"We get all of this, as long as I work harder. As long as I support our job. I'll even have a second safe house up so I can have you learn everything I know. Everything the Bat passed on to me. And, your mother. I need you to just know, that if anything happens, I can't turn back on that promise. I swore to uphold her last words for now. We have this, but it's always temporary in our line of work to own a home so, don't get too attached. Know that if they strike back, we have to fight."
"I know that, Todd." Snickered the kid as he pushes me off with a grin. "Can I not bask in our potential risks a bit longer, if you please? I want to try out the pool. It is still warm enough. What time is it exactly?"
"Ten in the morning. Your trunks are on your bed."
I check my watch, only…. Then, the cell in my pocket goes off.
And the music stops, abruptly.
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I rappel in to view, staying hidden of our target. Bane is out of Arkham on a case of "good behavior." I had some comm devices set aside in case Dami didn't get to figure out how a nut- ehem! Microwave, functions. It's just business and drugs. Lots of venom pumping in and out of the muscle head's Poindexter skull. Bane today is wearing out his luck. I can take em and his whole bit of booty.
"Boss, what if the bats show with his familia?"
"Heh, we got plenty of fire to take them out. Exterminators aren't rare here, hombre." Bane makes sure the good are motivated. But yet, still down on his intel. Thank you, Marky, – Marky on getting me back in my line of injury. It's gonna b –
I see someone swing by, red head?
That's not…. babs….
She is holding a weapon no bat yet owns.
A sword, so I go onto the alert and round about to catch up.
The kid is my age, definitely tough looking.
Likely, by her cloak, she's not a local.
Or crazy, when her pretty bad- ass sword soon starts to glow.
"STOP RIGHT THERE."
Oh. Shit.
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(USING ARTEMIS FROM WEB COMIC. THIS IS A FLING THING!!)