Be Just Wrought (Not Over or Under)
Hong Kong had been known as quite a vibrant city after spending one hundred years under British rule before returning under the umbrella of China. As such, its skyline was one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Skyscrapers did as they were named piercing high into the skies and blinding all the city goers with their shining lights. High atop one of those bright skyscrapers was a man crouched over the ledge using a pair of binoculars to look over at the building next door. Big letters adorned the building he was watching. LSI (Lau Security Investments). The figure scanned around the floors until he found his target, LSI CEO Andrew Lau. With his target secured, he put away the binocs in his belt and fastened the rest of his suit. This go-around he opted for a more subtle look. The suit was all black save for light blue outlines along his sides, shoulders, and knees. His face was covered by a full mask and cowl. His eyes looked through specialized blue goggles. From his belt, he pulled out a foldable rifle of sorts. On the dial he set the timer to two minutes and thirty seconds. Aiming, he fired off three shots. On a particular corner of the LSI building, three sticky bombs landed on their marks and started counting down. Two minutes twenty-nine seconds. Twenty-eight seconds. He reached into his ear and turned on his comms.
"Blackout," he ordered.
"Tuc rewop," the voice on the other end chanted (Cut power).
Suddenly, the LSI building went completely dark. Office workers froze midsentence with phones in their ears as all the lines went dead. The security guards looked around and typed furiously on the keyboard trying to figure out what happened. Mr. Lau calmly but frantically looked around.
"这是怎么回事？" Lau asked his secretary.
(What's going on?)
She looked just as baffled as he did.
"报警。某个混蛋以为他能吓到我？我有一半的工资在我的工资单上" he ordered.
(Call the police! Some asshole thinks he can scare me? I've got half the force on my payroll!)
As the secretary grabbed her cellphone and scurried out to make the call, Lau shakily opened his desk drawer and pulled out his gun. Flicking the switch, he checked if there were bullets in the magazine, reloaded, and cocked the gun. Almost immediately, a pair of bodyguards wielding their own pistols appeared.
"扩散;传播开！找到那个疯狂到要在我的堡垒里攻击我的傻瓜。" Lau shouted at his men.
(Spread out! Find the fool crazy enough to attack me in my fortress.)
On the building next door, the dark figure smirked under his mask. Standing upright, he looked down below before diving right off the ledge. He closed his eyes allowing the wind to brush by his face (well through his mask. Same difference). Getting his bearings, he opened his arms and out popped a pair of dark wing gliders. Gracefully he soared through the air towards the LSI building. Closing in on one of the windows, he closed his arms, tucked his head in, and barreled right through the glass.
*CRASH*
He rolled onto the ground once he landed and popped right back up. In front of him stood a group of completely shocked yet dangerously armed bodyguards. The figure cracked his neck and charged at the first guard who was still in shock. He grabbed the guard's arm and pointed the gun off to the side. Applying pressure to the fingers, the figure forced the captive guard to unload the magazine into the open Hong Kong air. With the pistol out, the figure grabbed the guard's neck and threw him into the other guards. Dazed and now angered, the guards charged at the figure. He blocked the first blow and countered with a quick punch to the gut. Tossing the defeated thug aside, he moved to the next. A quick strike to the face rendered the opponent stunned. A kick to the side knocked away another guard trying to flank him. Despite the swarm of men trying to surround and stall the figure, the man in black (and a hint of blue) continued pushing and shoving the guards out of his way. Steadily, he was making progress up to the next floor.
Lau stood frozen in fear within his office. From the glass windows, he could see five men guarding all the floor's entrances at the stairs and the elevators. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, another man was sent flying through the stair doors onto the floor. Up walked a man in black (and blue highlights). All five guards immediately drew swords and pointed them at the intruder.
"Really guys? Swords? How cliché can you get?" the figured joked as he pulled a pair of dark batons from his belt.
He twirled his escrima sticks around and eyed each thug around him.
"So," he smirked, "Who wants to go first?"
All five converged on the cocky figure flailing their blades. He ducked and dodged to the side two of the swords and blocked the other two with his sticks. One got a slice in on his chest, but it was not sharp enough to pierce the armor. Just a little scratch. Pushing the blades off, the figure flipped and spun in the air. When he landed, he swung his sticks right at the head of one guard staggering him back. Another guard tried to stab him, so he turned, trapped the guard's arm between his sticks and twisted it with enough pressure causing the sword to fall. With his opponent disarmed, the figured elbowed the guard in the face and flipped him over his shoulder knocking two other guards out. Unfortunately, as he stood up, swords appeared in front and behind his neck. Both guards held their blades close ready to slit the intruder's throat. Feeling bold, Lau stepped out of his office with his gun pointed right at the figure's forehead.
"Not so tough now, are you?" Lau asked.
The figure remained silent staring at the CEO behind the blue goggles.
"You really think you could walk in here and what? Kill me?" Lau growled pressing the gun right to the figure's forehead.
"Who do you work for?" Lau demanded.
Again silence. Inspecting the now caught and trapped intruder, Lau noticed the little scratch on the armor.
"You've got some fancy tech. I'll give you that. Let's see if your armor can withstand a bullet from close range," Lau threatened.
"Before you do that," the figure finally spoke, "I'd cover your ears."
All three LSI men scrunched their faces in confusion at the statement. Before they could respond, the three bombs behind them in Lau's office exploded. Debris flew everywhere as there was now a giant hole in the side of the building. Seizing his opportunity, the figure punched both guards in the throat and grabbed Lau by the collar. He headbutted the frightened CEO knocking him out cold. Behind him, a swarm of Hong Kong SWAT officers stormed the office floor. Turning around, the figure held Lau in front of him as a sort of hostage. Though all guns were pointed at the figure, no one dared to shoot for fear of hitting the unconscious CEO.
"Pickup," the figure whispered into the comm.
"In a minute," a voice replied back.
"PICK. UP!" he gritted his teeth.
"We aren't there yet so hold your wing-ding!"
Slowly, the figured backed up with his hostage. The SWAT team gradually stepped forward towards the pair. Step by step all parties approached the large hole in the wall. Feeling the breeze behind him, the figure stopped right at the end of the ledge. Blinking, Lau was starting to regain consciousness.
"Now would be really good time to BE IN POSITION!" he aggressively whispered into his comm.
"Well excuse me for trying to quickly navigate through this sprawling urban jungle! Do you have any idea how narrow these gaps are?"
"We are running out of time here! I'm literally stuck on a….Wait a minute," he rolled his eyes finally realizing why his partners weren't 'in position yet', "You suck."
Despite Lau waking up and struggling to free himself from the hold, the figure held onto the CEO tightly and leaned back. Slowly, the two men fell right off the edge. Terrified, the SWAT team rushed towards the ledge and looked down. All these could see were the bustling streets of Hong Kong. What they didn't see was an invisible alien ship catching the falling figures and then zipping off across the ocean.
Once safe on the Bioship, the dark figure inserted a syringe into Lau's neck and administered a strong sedative. After confirming that Lau was indeed asleep, Dick pulled off his mask and walked to the front of the ship.
"M'gann, how many times do I have to apologize? I'm sorry, ok?" Dick gasped.
"Dick, you let a giant radioactive mechazoid fire a laser and tear Bioship in half! You're lucky she even let you step foot onboard," M'gann admonished.
"Yea but did you really have to leave me hanging there with the Hong Kong police?"
"Consider it harsh punishment for hurting my girl."
"Oh M'gann, cut him some slack," Zatanna stood up and grabbed her boyfriend's hand, "In his defense, he was trying to protect Kara from said radioactive beam."
"Still hurt her. Bioship holds grudges y'know," M'gann scoffed.
"Sorry girl," Dick apologized while gently rubbing the console, "Please forgive me."
The lights in the ship flickered a little.
"Sigh. You're starting to wear her down I guess," M'gann rolled her eyes.
Zatanna meanwhile gently tugged on her boyfriend's hand and led him to a single seat. She pushed him onto the chair and then sat in his lap wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Told you my plan would work," she smirked kissing his cheek.
"I still think I shoulda just dove into his office."
"No! You're wrong! I'm right! He was trapped in his office with MY plan. You kicking ass and making your way up the floor made him second guess leaving cuz he'd end up running into you. You cut off his exit! If you went straight for his office window, he woulda just ran down the stairs," she pouted trying to win their little argument.
"Fine fine! I guess you win this one," Dick relented.
"I always win because I'm always right," she smirked.
"Of course you are. Care to claim your prize?"
"Gladly."
With her hand on his cheek, Zatanna leaned closer and closer to Dick ready to kiss him. Sadly, they were both suddenly pulled away by an unknown force. Next thing they knew, Dick and Zatanna were sitting in separate seats with seatbelts fastened tightly around them.
"Huh?" Dick exclaimed.
"What the?" Zatanna looked confused.
"So you really thought the best way of getting back in the good graces of Bioship was to make-out in her cockpit? Seriously?" M'gann facepalmed.
"What? I can't kiss my boyfriend on a job well done?" Zatanna asked incredulously.
"Considering what happens after you two start making out, no no you may not," M'gann answered dryly.
Both Dick and Zee turned tomato red.
"I mean, we were just gonna kiss, M'gann! Honest!" Zatanna tried to plead their case.
M'gann only replied with a single knowing glare.
"Seriously, Dick and I aren't that freaky! We totally knew you were sitting there," Zatanna lied as she and Dick absolutely forgot about M'gann sitting in the pilot seat.
"Well, it is called a COCKpit…" Dick tried to ease the tension.
Both girls were completely baffled at the idiotic comment coming from the Boy Wonder.
"Good news, M'gann. I'm no longer horny," Zatanna announced turning her seat to the front.
"Oh c'mon Zee! That was punny!" Dick pleaded.
"One more word, Grayson, I'm dropping you in the middle of the ocean!" M'gann warned.
Bludhaven-The Next Morning
"I got cream in mah coffee and I'm ready to roll!"
Detective Jake Peralta was having a pretty solid morning on his way to work. Fragrant vanilla coffee in one hand and a steaming hot breakfast burrito in the other. He caught five more felons last night putting him ahead of Amy Santiago in their little bet of who could get more arrests. The deadline was just a few days away and he felt pretty confident about winning. This little plan of his might be a tad convoluted, but it just might work. Creating a competition such as this would stoke the competitive fire in Amy, but she was also morally sound enough to honor any reasonable request as the soon-to-be loser. Thus, as the soon-to-be winner, he was gonna ask her out on a date. As Peralta approached the Nine-Nine's entrance, he spotted what looked like a homeless Chinese man. However, upon closer inspection, Jake noticed the large sign taped to the man's chest.
Please Handle With Care
Peralta rolled his eyes as he realized Andrew Lau sat unconscious against the precinct's wall. Slowly, Lau regained consciousness and woke up to Peralta shaking his head.
"Welcome back to Bludhaven."
Hours later, Lau sat in the precinct's interrogation room with his lawyer by his side. Detective's Amy Santiago and Rosa Diaz were circling him like hawks.
"Look, give us the money, and we'll talk about making a deal," Amy tried to reason.
"The money is the only reason I'm still alive," Lau answered smugly.
"Oh, you mean when they find out that you've helped us, they're gonna kill you?" Rosa growled with her arms crossed.
"Are you threatening my client?" the lawyer asked.
"No," Rosa shrugged, "Way I see it, whether he helps us or not, there will be certain people in this city who would love to….welcome him back. After all, he's a loose end who's shown he can be caught."
"Exactly, we're just assuming Mr. Lau here will be cooperating with this investigation," Amy backed up her 'bad cop' partner, "As will everyone of course."
Lau remained silent staring back at the detectives with indifference. Amy and Rosa looked at each other before shrugging.
"Well, enjoy your time in county, Mr. Lau," Amy rolled her eyes before she and Rosa turned to leave the room.
"Wait!" Lau called out causing the pair to turn back, "I won't give you the money, but I will give you my clients…all of them."
The lawyer looked stunned at Lau perplexed at what his next move was going to be. Rosa and Amy walked back to the table and leaned in.
"You were a glorified accountant. What could you possibly have on all of them that we could charge?" Rosa asked.
"I'm good with calculation," Lau answered slyly, "I handled all their investments. One big pot."
From behind the one-way mirror, Detectives Peralta and Grayson along with Captain Holt stood by watching the interrogation.
"While I am glad we found Mr. Lau right at our front door step, it still feels very coincidental," Captain Holt commented, "It almost seems too perfect."
Peralta bit his inner cheek as he looked at the captain. Dick scratched his head.
"I mean y'know, he's here, right Captain? And we've got a warrant for his arrest. Sooooo it all works out?"
"Yes. Yes it does seem to be that way. But how is it that you were able to get the warrant and then Lau shows up conveniently the very next day?" Holt continued to prod.
"I y'know worked diligently to comb through all those bank records. Finding those shell companies was tough work."
"Yes. You read every single line upon thousands of pages and noticed this discrepancy all in a single night?" Holt looked unconvinced.
"Uhhh you know me! My drive to put bad guys into jail really pushes me forward hehe," Peralta started sweating.
"RICO!" Dick interrupted.
"What?" both Holt and Peralta looked confused.
"RICO. If they pooled their money, we can charge them as one criminal conspiracy," Dick explained.
"Charge them with what?" Holt asked.
"In a RICO case, if you can charge one of them with a felony-"
"-you can charge all of them with it!" Peralta realized.
"…..oh damn," Holt's eyes widened.
Jake turned and left to tell Amy the new idea leaving Holt alone with Dick.
"That's an ingenious idea, Grayson," Holt commended.
"Thank you, sir."
"You said you were at the 48th previously?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmmm. If we are being honest, your record as an officer is quite impeccable."
"Oh uh it's nothing, sir. I'm just an honest cop trying to do my best in this city."
"Yes of course. Although it strikes me as odd how you as one man were able to arrest such a volume of criminals."
"Like I said, sir, I'm just doing my best."
"Indeed. While I admire your tenacity and determination, one has to wonder, how you were able to arrive on the scene so quickly. It was almost as if you already knew where to find these criminals…"
For a moment, Dick and Holt locked eyes and were stuck in an awkward staring contest. Holt's face remained unmoving like a statue. Dick sweated a little bit but matched the gaze in equal fervor. Nervously, he chuckled.
"I mean, the argument could be made, sir, that with great detective work, anyone on the squad would already know where to find criminals," Dick answered with a meek smile.
"Yes, yes indeed."
Back in the interrogation room, after Jake briefed Amy on the new plan, she came back to the table and sat down.
"So, Mr. Lau, what kind of details do you have about this communal fund?" she asked.
"I want immunity, protection, and a chartered plane back to Hong Kong," Lau demanded.
"Yea yea after you testify in court though," Amy added.
"I gotta ask, Lau, with all your clients locked up, what's going to happen to all that money?" Rosa asked.
"Like I said, I'm good with calculation," Lau answered with a smirk.
Satisfied with the results, Peralta went back behind the mirror to join Dick and Holt.
"Good call there, Dick!" Peralta patted him on the shoulder.
"Indeed. Unfortunately given the state of corruption, I don't believe we should hand him over to county," Holt realized.
"How so, Captain?" Jake asked.
"Peralta, we are the last bastion of good honest police work in this city. The mob no doubt has been notified of Lau's capture. If we send him to county, there is no question someone will have been paid off to assassinate him. We need to keep him here in the holding cell."
"Yea I guess that makes sense," Peralta agreed, "I just hope it doesn't come to bite us in the ass."
Days later, Jimmy "the Butcher" Figgis and Mark Spencer sat in Luigi's Pizzeria with all their men watching a game on the television between Juventus F.C. and A.C. Milan. As the men cheered for a goal by Juventus, Mark leaned in towards Jimmy.
"Hey man, you hear what happened to Gambol?" Mark asked.
"Not yet. What happened?"
"Cops found him dead in his office. Get this. He had scars on his cheeks. Looked like they were cut from the edges of his mouth. It looked messed up. Like he had on a permanent bloody smile," Mark recalled in graphic detail.
"….the clown?"
"Maybe. Kinda freaky."
"We have bigger fish to fry anyway. How did Lau get back on U.S. soil?"
"Nightwing clearly. Look, I don't like the clown at all, but he was right. This vigilante is a problem."
Just then, Captain Holt entered the restaurant twirling a pair of handcuffs. All the men turned around and glared at the newcomer. Unphased, Holt simply looked up at the T.V.
"It's quite amazing how a child's game involving simple trigonometry and physics has captivated the world. Men running in the grass and kicking a synthetic ball into a net. And yet, the world can't get enough of it," Holt opened his statement.
"You're the new guy, aren't ya," Jimmy pointed out, "Big hot shot captain from New York."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Figgis. Or would you prefer, Mr. Butcher? Personally, I prefer calling you punk….you punk."
At that last comment, all the henchmen stood up from their tables with hands on their holsters ready to pull out their guns. Well almost all of them. One dude stood up with his pizza.
"You sure you wanna embarrass me in front of my friends, Captain?" Jimmy asked with a smirk.
Unfortunately for Jimmy, Captain Holt smirked with equal or even greater fervor and smugness.
"Oh don't worry. They are coming too."
From behind him, a swarm of SWAT cops and officers in bullet proof vests barged into the restaurant. Terrified, all the henchmen immediately threw their hands up as the officers dragged them out of the restaurant in handcuffs.
Arconia-A few days later
While wearing just a pair of boxers, Dick dug through his closet trying to pick out a decent suit to wear for Roland Desmond's fundraising event later in the evening. Deciding not to overthink it, he opted for a simple black suit with a blue tie. As he placed the selected clothes on the bed, he passed by Zee's vanity mirror.
"Huh? That's new," he commented as he spotted a light scar on his shoulder, "That wasn't there before. Musta gotten nicked at some point."
While still in front of the mirror, Dick flexed his muscles a bit examining his torse. Turning a bit to look at his back, he took note of each and every scar on his body. Most had faded over the years, but the memories still remained. There was a mark on his hip from when Poison Ivy whipped her vines at him. Another on his back courtesy of the Penguin's umbrella blade. And of course, the faded burn mark right over his heart from the Queen of Fables.
"Are you checking yourself out?" his lovely girlfriend joked from the bathroom doorway.
"W-what? N-no! Of course not!" he stuttered in his reply.
In her own bra and panties, Zatanna sauntered over to him. She turned his head to face the mirror again and hugged him from behind.
"That's a shame. Because I certainly was. And I like what I see," she purred in his ear and lightly nipped at his neck.
"Heh funny," he chuckled.
"Baby? You ok?" she asked sensing his somber mood.
"Huh? Yea! I'm fine," he lied.
Hugging him closer, she began tracing the scar over his heart with her left index finger.
"You seem to forget the bond we share. But I don't need a magical oath to know that you don't seem to be happy despite putting away five hundred and forty-nine criminals all in one go," she whispered to him, "Baby, talk to me."
"I-I'm just worried."
"Hmm?"
"D-Did I make too much of a splash?"
"What do you mean?"
Finally turning around in her arms, he hugged her waist and rested his head on her forehead. His breathing slowed as he tried his best to figure out the simplest explanation for his feelings. Patiently, Zatanna held him close trying to match his breathing. With her chest juxtaposed to his, she could feel their heartbeats syncing up.
"What if I prodded the mob a bit too much this time," he began, "It was one thing when Nightwing was going around disrupting drug facilities and bringing in grunts and low-level crime bosses. It's something completely different when Dick Grayson came up with the idea to pretty much put the mob out of business in one day. I-I'm scared of what might come next."
"Why would you say that? You knew the risks when you took this path. I mean, if the bad guys aren't shooting at you, that means you aren't doing your job, right?" she tried to joke.
"It's not the target on my back that I'm worried about. It's yours."
"Hmm?"
"Zee, I'm a public face now. We both are. I'm almost certain someone like Jimmy Figgis or Eugene Choi or hell definitely the Big Man will have found out that I was the one who came up with the RICO charge. And we're very publicly dating. It doesn't take a genius to figure out they'll come after you to mess with me," he explained trembling in her arms, "Zee, I-I don't know what I'd do if they ever hurt you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
Looking up, she caressed his cheek. With a gentle squeeze, she got him to open his eyes and look straight at her.
"Richard John Grayson, you listen to me," she started with a firm tone, "Though we may have met as kids at my father's show, I got to know you as Robin first. I got to know the hero first. I fell in love with a boy who was brave, strong, and kind. You had no powers and yet you were able to hold your own against a Kryptonian. I knew loving you would come with risks because someone like you with a strong desire to do what's right is bound to attract enemies. Some nights when you're out by yourself, I worry that you may not come home. Of course I know that some crazy person will eventually link us together and make me a target. Do you know how I feel about that?"
"I-I don't know."
"I don't give a fuck. Loving you is worth that risk. You said you couldn't live with yourself if I got hurt because of you. Well, I wouldn't be able to bear being even a minute apart from you. Let them come. You know me. I'll fight tooth and nail. I'm a strong girl, Dick. I'm a hero just like you are. We promised that even God himself wouldn't be able to pull us apart. If you have a target on your back, I will be the shield to protect you just like you'll be mine. We'll be fine as long as we face whatever comes at us together."
"But-"
"No. No buts. These are the only butts allowed in this conversation," she interrupted as she guided his hand to her ass and moved hers to cup his own ass, "Besides, we both know I'm the more powerful one between us."
Hearing her little tease lightened his mood a bit. Smirking, he chose to be a bit more playful.
"Just because you have powers, doesn't mean you have power over me," he joked ghosting her lips.
"Oh? I beg to differ," she purred slowly slipping her hand into his boxers.
He tensed up as she stroked him below. Wanting to wipe that smug look off her face, he began tracing her sides.
"Two can play at that game," he flashed a cheeky grin slipping his own hand into her panties rubbing her moist center.
She hitched her breath at his touch giving him a window of opportunity. Quickly, he shoved her forward. Surprised at the sudden movement, she tripped on her feet and fell onto the bed. He hovered over her caging her between his arms. He had a dangerous glint in his eyes that went away almost instantly. Her hand was still in his shorts as she gave him a gentle but firm squeeze.
"You do realize we have a paid fundraising gig to get to, right?" he reminded her.
"Hmm true. So why don't you just give in so we can hurry this along?" she teased back.
In the blink of an eye, he pushed off from the bed and lowered himself between her legs. Before she could even gasp, he slipped off her panties and rested her legs on his shoulders.
"One of Batman's most crucial training points: Always make sure your enemy can't get to your weak point," he smirked before biting her inner thigh and making his way towards her wet sex.
Immediately overcome with pleasure, Zatanna squeezed her thighs around his head and clenched the sheets around her for dear life.
"F-Fuck that's so good. Ahhhhhhh. Y-you fight dirty you know that!" she gasped.
"You'll just have to do better next time."
Bludhaven Courthouse
As the sun set and the evening began settling in, everyone was packing up their things and wrapping up their jobs to head home. Judge Elena Moreno was one of these people. She walked down the steps of the courthouse towards her car. There was a white envelop placed underneath on of her windshield wipers. Curious, she picked it up and sat in her car. Breaking the seal, Moreno pulled out a single joker card. Before she could even react…
*BOOM*
BPD 99
Captain Holt sat at his desk finishing up some last second paperwork. Satisfied with his penmanship, he got up and grabbed his coat. The nightshift captain had arrived and gave Holt a quick acknowledging nod as they passed by each other. Everything seemed ordinary as he exited the police elevator and entered the parking garage. A few spaces away sat one of Raymond Holt's most prized possessions: a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder convertible affectionately named Gertie. Raymond had a lot of serious custom work done on his beautiful car including chrome finishes for the rim, door handles, and bumpers. The paint color, raspberry sherbet, was so unique that it was no longer in production. As he walked towards his car, Raymond noticed a significant scratch alongside the driver door.
"SON OF A BITCH!" he exclaimed, "Oh Gertie. What have they done to you!"
He knelt down to examine the damage and trace the scratch. Furious he got up to look around to see if there was anyone nearby. From the shadows, an officer appeared.
"Oh man, I'm sorry Captain. It was an accident," the officer huffed.
"Ah yes, an accident," he said with air-quotes, "The buffoon's apology."
"Sorry Captain. I was in a rush, and I nicked your car. It's ok though, I'll make things better! Promise."
"You had better, officer. You're gonna pay for what you've done. And it won't be cheap. They'll have to custom mix the color because they no longer make raspberry sherbet," he said not withholding his fury.
As Holt eyed the officer up and down, he realized that he did not recognize the man before him at all. Glancing at the name tag, Holt tried to recall anyone in his precinct named Dawson. In that split second of awkward silence, "Officer Dawson" reached towards his belt and drew his pistol.
*BANG*
Stratton Oakmont Building
"Thank you all so much for coming! I hope you enjoyed the show. Please tip your servers and enjoy the rest of your evening!" Zatanna bowed as the crowd applauded her quick little magic set.
A little ways away, Dick leaned against a column in the hotel ballroom as Jason approached him holding a plate piled high with expensive fancy food.
"Not gonna lie, dude, but you and Zatanna need to wear chastity belts or something," Jason commented as he picked up and bit into a bacon-wrapped shrimp.
"…..Who the hell starts a conversation like that?!" Dick exclaimed.
"I'm just saying, you two cut it pretty close tonight. Desmond looked a little nervous like he wasn't sure you'd show up. Heck I'm pretty sure most of the people here tonight came to see Zatanna anyway."
"Yea, but we still made it to curtain call," Dick tried to point out.
"You woulda had more time to snoop around Desmond's office if you had arrived earlier instead of fucking in your apartment," Jason snarked back.
"Doesn't matter anyway. He's got guards crawling all over this place. I wouldn't be able to sneak out or around if I tried."
"What about a background check from the Batcomputer or League systems?"
"Officially based on news reports and whatnot, he's clean. Unofficially, my gut tells me something is up."
"How so?"
"Why now? If he was so upset by how crime had taken over Bludhaven, why run for DA now? He said he and his brother lived here and he's done business her for years. Why get a sudden taste for politics and law enforcement?"
"Maybe a certain vigilante arrived and inspired him to stand up for his city," Jason suggested as his scarfed down another bacon-wrapped shrimp.
"Dude, has Alfred been starving you? Why are you stuffing your face like that?"
"Dick, please. This is high quality applewood smoked bacon wrapped around fresh from the sea jumbo shrimp. This is my number one favorite food wrapped around my number three favorite food."
"Uhhhh ok."
"I'd go to a banquet in honor of Somali pirates if they served bacon-wrapped shrimp," Jason answered proudly
"….You live with Bruce freakin' Wayne!? You could have bacon-wrapped shrimp every day if you wanted!" Dick sent Jason a confused look.
As Jason shrugged, Zatanna sauntered over and pulled her boyfriend into a soft kiss. Rolling his eyes, Jason left to refill his plate. As he approached the buffet table, Jason spotted the very last bacon-wrapped shrimp on the tray. Before he could get to it, an older gentleman swiped up the seafood and put it on his own plate. Stunned, Jason sent the man a glare who only winked back.
"Gotta respect your elders, kid."
Jason huffed and walked away.
Meanwhile, back with Dick and Zee, they finally pulled apart after their hot kiss smiling and giggling like teenagers.
"Hehe you taste way better than bacon-wrapped shrimp," he whispered.
"Down boy. We're in public right now," she teased back.
"We could go somewhere less private if you like," he answered with a low growl.
Sadly, the couple was interrupted by the host himself, Roland Desmond.
"Ms. Zatanna, I must say, what an exquisite performance. Such a treat," the big business mogul congratulated the magician.
"Oh! Why thank you, Mr. Desmond," Zatanna quickly answered.
"Zatanna, please. We're friends now. Call me, Roland."
"Um ok."
"And you Detective Grayson. You must be flying high right now. I had heard about your ingenious RICO case. What a way to round up nearly every criminal in Bludhaven!"
"Uh thank you, Mr. Desmond. It was nothing really. We just made the most with the evidence we gathered."
"Yes of course. Though I must say, you and the Ninety-Ninth Precinct are particularly efficient with your gathering of evidence."
"We try our best."
"Hmm well when I get elected, be sure to try even harder. The big honchos in that RICO case of yours will most likely make bail. And they'll most certainly improve their tactics to avoid getting caught a second time."
"Yea that'll probably be the case."
"Don't you worry though, Detective. When I'm District Attorney, I'll be able to work very closely with each and every officer in this city. Our partnership will surely be the first step in returning Bludhaven to its former glory."
*BANG*
The sound of a shotgun firing off shocked everyone in the ball room. All the guests turned towards the elevator as 'Joker' and a small army of thugs in clown makeup and masks barged in with guns raised. The whole room stood still as the criminals made their way to the center of the room.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! We are tonight's entertainment!" 'Joker' announced as he grabbed a chicken skewer from the buffet, "Of course Ms. Zatara I assume was fabulous, but she's just the opener. We are the main event!"
Smiling, he looked all around the ballroom savoring every single terrified look he could see from the guests.
"I just have one question: Where is Detective Dick Grayson?" he asked the crowd.
He walked up to some of the guests and one-by-one asked the same question.
"You know where Dickie is?" he asked a lady.
"Tall guy. Dark hair. Huh? C'mon Grayson!" he knocked a man's plate out of his hands.
A piece of bacon-wrapped shrimp flew from the plate. Swiftly, a hand snatched the delicacy out of the air and then disappeared into the crowd.
"Seriously! Does anyone know where pretty boy Grayson is?" 'Joker' exclaimed.
"You dare crash my event?" a loud booming voice emerged forcing 'Joker to turn around.
"Ahhh. You must be Ro-Ro Desmond," 'Joker' recognized, "Oh don't worry. I'm just here for Dick Grayson. Give him to us and we'll be on our way."
"He's not here. And even if he was, I wouldn't give him to the likes of you," Desmond growled.
"Ohhh I see. Look at you puffing out your chest. You may be tall, but you look a little thin there Desmond. But hey, I applaud your efforts in being the bigger man here. Or rather….just a big man," Joker smirked.
"You are seriously towing a line."
"Oh am I? Oh do forgive me dear District Attorney-to-be. Hahahahahaha!" 'Joker' cackled.
"Ay boss!" a henchman called out, "We found Grayson's girl!"
The crowd parted as two clowns were holding each of Zatanna's arms and dragging her to the center face-to-face with 'Joker'.
"Why hello beautiful," he grinned slicking his hair back, "Gotta say, Grayson's got excellent tastes."
'Joker' stepped forward to get a better look at the struggling Zatanna. To the side table, he grabbed a champagne glass and chugged all of it at once.
"Bahhh, damn that's good champagne Ro-Ro! Anywho, back to the madam here. We all know how lovey-dovey you are with Dickie. It's simple logic really. Papers say you both are rather clingy to each other. If you're here, then he must be around here somewhere."
"You'll never get to him," Zatanna spat back.
"Oh honey, don't be like that," he grasped her face with his one hand, "You look a little nervous. I bet it's the scars. I think you'll relax a little more when you learn how I got 'em. Well, you see, I had a wife. She was beautiful just like you. Oh, we loved each other just like you and Dickie! I used to work late. Long hours. Dead-end jobs. Pretty stressful stuff. She told me all the time that I oughta smile more. A smile a day could liven people up you see. Unfortunately, my dumbass gambled and got caught with some sharks. We didn't have enough money to pay them oof. So, they carved up her face. She was distraught thinking she wasn't beautiful enough for me. I wanted her to know that I didn't care about the scars. So, I stick a razor in my mouth and do this as you can see."
With his free hand, 'Joker' pulled out a switchblade and used the tip to trace along the scars on his cheeks.
"You know what's crazy? Now, with my new look, she can't stand the sight of me! She left me. But you know the irony? Now I'm always smiling HAHAHAHHAHA. I'M BEAUTIFUL!"
"Honestly dude, you're like a 3 out of 10 at best," a voice called out from the ceiling.
Everyone looked up to see Robin and Nightwing descend. Quickly with his escrima sticks, Nightwing slammed the heads of the thugs holding Zatanna. Working in tandem, Robin grabbed 'Joker' by the collar and flung him across the room. The crowd backed away forming a circle around the thugs and heroes. Nightwing and Robin stood back-to-back as the thugs surrounded them like Sharks.
"You Bozos are a little too late. All the bacon-wrapped shrimp is gone," Robin joked.
"Again with the shrimp! Seriously man just make them yourself!" Nightwing groaned.
"Dude! It's an art. You can't overcook the bacon. You gotta have that balance of crunch and fatty juiciness that encapsulates the shrimp and-"
"OY! We gonna fight or what?" one of the henchmen called out.
"Hey! We're kinda in the middle of a thing here," Nightwing retorted before charging right at him and kicking the thug in the chest.
Robin followed suit and punched out another thug. Like a dance, Nightwing and Robin flipped and defeated thug after thug. Nightwing punched a guy, grabbed his arm, and swung him around towards Robin who promptly kicked him in the face. A thug tried to pick up a dropped gun, but instead he screamed in pain. All the guns became too hot to handle and burned anyone who touched them. 'Joker' charged into the fray with a pair of knives in each hand slashing away at the heroes. Nightwing blocked his arm and punched him in the face. Angered, 'Joker' stomped his feet causing a little blade to pop out of his shoe. He swung his leg into Nightwing side. However, the blade couldn't pierce the armor, so Nightwing just held onto the leg. Robin from behind jumped up and kicked 'Joker' in the face knocking him down. A thug grabbed Nightwing from behind and dragged him away leaving Robin to face 'Joker'.
"Boy Wonder I see. Thought you'd be older," 'Joker' cackled.
"And I thought you were ugly. Turns out, you're even more hideous in person!" Robin fired back.
Quickly sprinting towards the crazy clown, Robin aggressively through punches. Left and right 'Joker' dodged and blocked each strike. Finding his opening, 'Joker' counter punched Robin and with his blade shoe, kicked upwards cutting the hero's tunic slightly.
"Aw dude! Don't ruin the merchandise!" Jason exclaimed.
Figuring he needed to keep some distance, Robin pulled out a bo staff and spun it around. Before he could really attack 'Joker' though, a henchman dove at Robin and tackled him to the ground. With Robin handled, 'Joker' noticed Nightwing making quick work of the remaining thugs. Surprisingly, all the thugs' jackets were ripped into strips and tied them all up. 'Joker' looked up to see Nightwing spinning his escrima sticks and slowly approaching him. The grotesque clown scanned the crowd and immediately grabbed Zatanna as a hostage. After brandishing his pistol, he held the firearm right up against her jaw. Nightwing froze. Robin kicked a henchman in the balls before turning and also facing 'Joker'.
"Drop the gun," Nightwing ordered.
"Sure," 'Joker' answered, "I'll drop the gun, you boys take off your masks and show the world who's been quote-unquote cleaning Bludhaven's streets hmm?"
He pointed the gun backwards and fired breaking a window. Zatanna tried to bite his fingers hoping he'd let go.
"Ahh you bitch!" he screamed.
Sadly, he held on even tighter and bashed her head with the butt of the pistol knocking her out. Nightwing and Robin tried to charge but 'Joker' pointed the gun right back onto her head.
"Ah ah boys. Back away," he warned.
Quickly rushing to the window, 'Joker' stuck Zatanna's unconscious body out the window holding her only by her arm.
"Let her go," Nightwing viciously growled.
"….dude," Robin commented.
"Very poor choice of words," 'Joker' agreed letting Zatanna fall over twenty stories.
Without hesitation, Nightwing sprinted across the room and dove straight out the window.
"Huh. Interesting," 'Joker' noted.
"Oy! Discount Ronald McDonald! You still got me to deal with," Robin called out.
"Y'know. You're a really annoying kid y'know that?"
"And you're a bad guy who's hit the end of his crime spree."
"Oh I doubt that."
Without warning, 'Joker' fired his gun in a random direction hitting one of the guests at the party right in the abdomen. He keeled over and bled profusely.
"Shit!"
Robin immediately ran over and used his cape to press and stop the bleeding. All the guests were in complete shock, and no one noticed 'Joker' slip out of the party. Meanwhile on the side of the building, Nightwing kept his arms together and he dove down to catch an unconscious Zatanna. Finally, he matched her speed and grabbed her by the waist. With his free arm, he fired a grapple up towards the underside of a balcony. The hook buried itself deep into the concrete and the cord became taught abruptly stopping the heroes' fall. The sudden stop pulled at Nightwing's arm.
"Ahhhh!" he screamed loudly feeling his shoulder dislocate.
He held onto the grapple despite being in immense pain. Looking down, he noted that they were still a few stories above the sidewalk. A fall from that height would still greatly injure them both. Gradually, he tried nudging Zatanna with his good shoulder hoping she'd wake. After a minute, her eyes fluttered open. It took a second, but she realized she was dangling in midair and immediately leaned up and wrapped her arms around Nightwing's neck.
"Baby," he strained, "I love you, but now would be a good time to save us!"
"Tropelet su ylefas ot a potfoor!" she chanted. (Teleport us safely to a rooftop).
In a puff of smoke, they disappeared from midair and fell onto a nearby rooftop. At some point, Nightwing had turned so that he'd fall first onto the roof and Zee would fall on him. Sadly, he fell on the bad shoulder and screamed in agony.
"Ahhhhrgggghh."
"Baby? Are you ok?" she asked worriedly.
"I-I'm fine…..I think? We need to check the guests up top. They're still in danger!"
Down below, multiple sirens could be heard as several cop cars and an ambulance rushed to the building. Cops and EMTs rushed to the elevators and quickly climbed to the ballroom.
"Nightwing? Nightwing do you copy?" Robin's voice came through the comms.
"This is Nightwing. I have Zee. We're ok. Coming up."
"No need. Joker's gone. But he shot a guy. I'm trying to keep him from bleeding out."
"Ok. EMTs just entered the building. I'll come up to ARRHHGGG" Nightwing winced in pain at his shoulder.
"What was that? Are you ok?" Robin asked.
Zatanna reached in and took out the earpiece from Nightwing's ear. She placed it in her ear and tapped it a few times to make sure it worked.
"Robin, this is Z. Nightwing is really hurt. I'm going to take him home and patch him up. You stay there and help the EMTs but leave as soon as you can. I don't think Bludhaven cops like vigilantes that much."
"Roger that! Take care!"
Batcave
After handing off the gunshot victim to the EMTs, Robin retreated back to the Batcave and sheepishly handed Alfred his bloodied uniform.
"All I ask you heroes is that you keep my floors and your apparel clean. I understand the latter may be difficult in the profession of crimefighting, but at least try," Alfred said dryly.
"Sorry Al, but the guy was bleeding out from his stomach. I had to do something!"
"Sigh. I understand. You did well Master Jason. Next time though, please bring the hemostatic spray with you. After all, lemon and seltzer water can only wash out so much blood."
With that, Alfred retreated upstairs to try and scrub out all the bloodstains in the uniform. Jason retreated to the Batcomputer and ran a facial recognition scan looking for 'Joker'. He looked at the clock and saw that Bruce and Diana wouldn't be back from their mission in Bulgaria any time soon. He reached down to the nearby minifridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Kicking his feet up, he was about to drink before the program came up with an immediate match. Surprised, he looked up and saw that the satellite picked up Joker right at the outskirts of Bludhaven. Jason quickly typed on the keyboard and was about to send a message to Dick but stopped. Dick was really hurt right now. He was in no shape to deal with capturing 'Joker'. But given this latest defeat, Jason doubted 'Joker' would stay at this location for long. After a few contemplating minutes, Jason got up from the computer and pulled a spare costume from storage. He got on his motorcycle and drove off into the Zeta tube.
Arconia Apartment 8A
Dick sat on the recliner chair with his feet up. Upon returning home, Zatanna discarded Dick's torso armor and propped him up in the chair. Gently, she tried to feel around his arm to find the troubled spot. When she reached the shoulder joint, he winced. Doing her best to work quickly, Zatanna placed both hands on his shoulder and focused all her healing magic on the spot. And so, the couple had been stuck like that for the past fifteen minutes.
"Urrgggg," Dick groaned.
"Baby, hold still. I think I almost got it."
"N-nnooo. S-stop. Too much m-magic," he strained to tell her.
"Never. It's ok. I would drain the universe of it's magic if it meant I could heal you," she kissed his temple.
Craning his neck, Dick struggled to get up and move away from Zatanna. She was having none of it and stopped her spell to put her hands on his chest and put him down.
"Nuh-uh. No way! Sit down and let me help. You already saved my life! Let me heal you," she scolded.
"M-must get to work. H-have to find Joker!" he groaned.
"Richard John Grayson your shoulder is dislocated. You are in no position to do anything. Sit your perfect ass down and let me piece you back together!" she firmly ordered.
Finally giving in, he relaxed back into the chair and closed his eyes letting his worried girlfriend tend to him. Slowly he can feel little pops in his shoulder as the muscles and tendons repaired themselves with the help of the magic. Eventually, the green glow of the healing magic started to flicker and then disappeared. Exhausted, Zatanna dropped her head onto Dick's forearm.
"I-I don't think I fully healed your shoulder. But at the very least your arm is back in your socket," she panted.
"Thank you, Zee. I'm sorry."
"It's ok. Come. Let's go to bed."
"Right behind ya."
Too tired to change or shower, they both just stripped off whatever clothes they still had on and jumped into bed in their underwear. Unable to put any weight on his left shoulder, Dick laid flat on his back. Zatanna scooted herself towards his good shoulder and rested her head on his chest. Though slowly fading into slumber, Zee noticed that Dick held her waist more tightly than usual giving off an overprotective possessive vibe. He craned his neck and buried his face in her hair taking in its sweaty scent.
"Baby? What's wrong," she asked.
"I was so worried tonight," he answered," I should've done better to protect you. I wasn't enough tonight."
Feeling his regret, she put her hand on his cheek and turned her head to face him.
"Hey, it's ok. I'm ok. I'm here. I'm right here with you. I'm fine," she cooed.
"You almost weren't."
"You did your best, Dick. That's all anyone could ask for."
"My best almost cost me you."
"Your best saved all those guests at the party. Without you and Jason, Joker would have killed everyone in that room. And you did save me. You did protect me. It cost you your shoulder, but you got me."
"I-I felt so angry when he grabbed you. H-how could he do that? I should've been faster."
"Stop that. Stop that right now. It was my fault too. I was busy secretly doing spells. I should've noticed him come at me. Then I panicked. I could have done a spell to make him let me go but instead I opted to bite his fingers. I should have done better too."
"….We both could have done better then," Dick tried to compromise.
"I think that's fair. The important thing is we're ok. We are alive and are able to learn from our mistakes. That's all we can do now."
"Ok. Thank you, Zee. I love you."
"Love you, too, Baby. Get some sleep. It's been a long day."
The next morning, Dick and Zee trudged out of bed and into the kitchen. She poured the beans into the coffee maker and switched it on while Dick turned on the news.
"Welcome back to Channel 4 News. Today we are recapping the horrible events that occurred last night. Three planned assassinations took place in our fair city of Bludhaven. Judge Elena Moreno, Police Captain Raymond Holt, and Detective Richard Grayson were all attacked at various locations. Captain Holt was approached by an unknown gunman posing as a police officer right in the parking garage of the 99th precinct. With his quick thinking and skill, Captain Holt was able to shoot and kill the assailing gunman. Detective Grayson was at the Stratton Oakmont building where his girlfriend, popular stage magician, Zatanna Zatara, was performing at a fundraising event held by District Attorney Candidate and Stratton Oakmont CEO Roland Desmond. The Joker himself crashed the event with his men, but witnesses claim that local vigilante Nightwing and Gotham's own Robin arrived and thwarted the attack. The Joker did shoot and injure one of the guests at the event, but with quick thinking by the Boy Wonder, the man survived until EMTs could take him to the hospital. As for Detective Grayson, he was surprisingly missing during the Joker attack. However, many people noted that he was in the bathroom for an abnormal amount of time and just never came out. We've reached out to Detective Grayson for comment but have not received any response."
Tilting his head in confusion, Dick pulled out his cellphone and saw multiple calls and texts from an unsaved number. Opening one of the texts, he saw it was a request from Channel 4 News for an interview or comment. He rolled his eyes and deleted a few of the texts.
"Unfortunately, one attack did succeed as the body of Judge Elena Moreno was found outside the Bludhaven Courthouse among the wreckage of her car. Someone, presumably the Joker's men, had planted a bomb inside the vehicle. The subsequent explosive immediately killed Judge Moreno and flooded the sidewalk with joker playing cards. And now-…wait. We are now being told that the Joker himself has sent in a video to be played on air. According to our producers, the video is rather graphic. This is a warning to hide small children from the screen now."
The channel put up a grainy cell phone video showing a dark basement. With minimal lighting, the camera panned to a man tied up to a chair. He was bloodied and bruised but wore a small black domino mask. The camera zoomed out revealing the man wearing black hockey pads with a grotesque blue bird painted on the chest.
"Tell them your name," 'Joker' ordered from behind the camera.
"B-Brian Douglas," the officer shakily replied.
"And what do you do, Brian?" Joker creepily asked.
"I-I'm a police officer for the Bludhaven Police Department."
"And why did you become a police officer, Brian?"
"T-to take down scum like you!" Brian spat at 'Joker'.
"Ohhh I see! Is that why you dress up as Nightwing! Are you the real Nightwing?"
"No, I'm not. But he's an inspiration to us all. He's a symbol that we don't have to be afraid of people like you!"
"Oh ho ho ho, Brian. I disagree. You should be terrified of me!" 'Joker' said in a darker growling tone while grabbing the back of Brian's head, "So you think Bludhaven has become a better place with Nightwing hmm?"
Brian looked towards the floor unable to make eye contact with his captor. Angered, 'Joker' slapped his face twice.
"LOOK AT ME BRIAN! LOOK AT ME!" 'Joker' yelled.
Reluctantly, Brian turned his eyeballs to 'Joker'. The clown then turned the camera around to show his own face.
"You see what Nightwing has done to your finest officers, Bludhaven? You need order and stability. As such, I have a proposition for you, Nightwing. Or rather, a challenge of morality. You, sir, must take off your mask and turn yourself in. Every day that you don't, people will die…starting right now."
Flipping the camera again, 'Joker' fired his gun right at Brian's head killing him instantly. At that moment the feed cut, and the channel returned back to studio.
"Holy shit," Dick exclaimed.
"I-I can't believe he did that. And he sent in a video!?" Zee was shocked.
Dick's ringtone broke the terrified air in the apartment.
"Hello?" Dick answered.
"Dick? It's Bruce. Is Jason with you?"
"Huh? What do you mean? He went home after the fundraiser last night. He should be with you…"
"The Batcave log shows that he left again last night at two in the morning. Dick…he never came home."
AN: Hey everyone! Super super packed chapter this time haha. I really wanted to include a rather specific event here (teehee) but as you can see I needed to cover a lot of ground. I've also realized I've been lacking the Chalant lately so I tried to include some scenes in this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed. Please rate and review!