Red Hood and Company – My Life as an Outlaw –
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Chapter 9: Business Partners Inc.
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This is the startup of chaos. Find out!
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Roy and Ollie were estranged for a few months to about two years and counting. He hit the target but that and the drug habit, the background checks and his unhappy miserable mentor looking down on his young ward?
It all seemed familiar. Todd. Jason, to be exactamundo. He had his own little play mates and a kid. A wonder that he'd ever make the title baby sitter of the season. Let alone Roy and…
He remembered losing her. The promise of a child that never saw him or the light of day. (CHANGING IT.)
Jade and he had tagged it on a mission and by some fault, she got hurt. Hurt enough to lose their child. Their future together. Jade was on crutches and pushed more blame onto the fact she'd ever met a man who couldn't carry her weight – or his own. She had it cover my foot. The woman was this close to a sniper that HE saw! Taking out a roll and a baggie of the fresh crap, the table in the other room worked to hold his powder just fine. One snort later, one bong more, he was sleeping off her memory and that proposal.
~ Though, you could hang around us. Ignore the drama? If you got nothing else ta do –
~ Jace. I'm done. My life, ended a long time ago with you cub scouts. Just, let me go. I gotta try to run this off. ~
~ The drugs only work so long as the prescription is valid. ~
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Roy's eyes opened as he stared at the ceiling on his apartment loveseat. Fucking detectives, always. No matter how heavy the hand or the fall.
He rolled over to check the clock.
One in the morning. He had to fall asleep. Just, two more
…..
(He's outta there!)
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In the fortress, Slade was content in keeping Talia as close as he could. She knew her way around the base as well as he did. Yet to put her underground would be a crime. He rubbed his chin and wondered if the assailant in the States was doing its job in pinpointing Todd's new hide out. So far, Gotham came to mind. He'd be with family. The flock was all together.
"My son does not need us, Mammoth of Rage." Talia smiled in her cuffs at his arm. "Let them go. When they do come, you can always fight for dom –
"He's not going to bring the boy up to realize who is gather is. Is he." Slade turned to the house's late affiliate. "Ra's left his legacy all to his little test tube child. You'd never have any other, would you ever consider-
"Drop dead, monster." She was slapped into the floor as a message was received at his doorway. "General, we have word of added news – the investigation. Here." The assassin soldier brought an envelope to the mercenary's hand.
"Huh. Gotham, but no bats you say? When did you receive confirmation, soldier?"
"Yes, sir. The news was delivered upon the previous night. The night club in that city had a witness within your circle, the old leader's. He says he saw the boy with others with powers. And, an Amazon. And the archer's protégé."
"Ex protégé." Slade corrected. "That playboy broke all ties die to an accident. One of my men was responsible. Call in Bronze Tiger. Zahar as well." (Made up.) (Learned it means Poison in Hindi but be free to correct me?)
"The…. TIGER?" (Bronze Tiger we are using.)
The assassin was fine, yet Talia was the one screaming about an old face. "He is locked away. There is no way your men could –
"He'll be under my card. Contact him and see to his apprentice doing the same. Both will track down the new additions and the archers rejected ward."
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"The sleeping sickness of my family, no?"
An upside down, tied and gagged congress official in Calcutta. The Tiger had given this kid his first job and it had to all go well. "Harry Potter couldn't mix a better solution, eh? Well, you stay there and in….oh. time's up already?"
The official started to have his nose dripping blood as the hemorrhage started up, then, a squirming insect in a trap as the corpse remained silent. "Another satisfied client." Smiled the dark-haired assassin. He was no more than nineteen and skills with a blade as he set the captive loose. "Can't let you get away with ruining the people's hearts and minds so easily. Eh? Bhai? (Slang for bro.)
"Enough to pay my rent and take out –
His cell rang on the Job as the young assassin pulled out the device to answer. He was all alone so no one would be coming. "Y'eh? Hallo –
"OH! Mr. Tiger!" The kid in his mind was ready for more action, yet when her heard the warning to not rush off, that didn't sound like an easy job being on their way.
~ We've been hired by an old acquaintance of mine. I hope you got enough on that job for a plane ticket to Gotham. ~
"I…. did, not to be broke or…" The kid clicked his tongue. No eating out at some fancy place? No room service! He hated being a civil servant sometime. Yet BT had saved him years ago. The League even had him a purpose out of Calcutta where the boy was originally raised. To kill.
"Ah, quick question, boss. Are we going to the same exact city as the…dark knight?? Kya tum paagal ho?" He slapped his own forehead and then the air. "I'm not getting within ten feet of that family. They kill on sight! -
~ ZAHAR. ~ The boss shouted at the kid, his hair a mess after the rant. ~ Don't question the contract. We go in, get the data he wants, face the enemy. Whatever it takes. I owe this man my life so, show both him and I some god dammed respect under his line of fucking credit! You got that? You're POISON. You don't take shit and I won't allow you to pull out, or you're on your own. Again. ~
"Boss. You're sooo so right. We may not even be in the city that long!" The kid rubbed his neck, trying not to sound like an idiot. "I'm where you are, so…will this old client being paying for room service? I might be persuaded to stay a bit longer, if we could have…. say, a full hotel suite?"
The assassin's boss sighed over the line. ~ Done. But anything extra is on your card, got it? Just… Just, get your butt ta' the city and I'll send you the briefing files through your network. Don't get caught. And for God sakes…. stop leaving dead bodies where some asshole can dust it for fingerprints. ~
"Aye – aye. Right away, BT." The kid put his cell away and looked at the body before picking up a stray lighter the man had on him. "Don't leave anything to find, right?" He toyed with the lighter as if juggling a ball one handed. Or playing Russian roulette. "Calcutta won't miss this pig for the world. Disgusting animal. Never crossed me, even living." He sniffed. "Say hello to the gods, Bhai. Ask Kali to give you a big, fat kiss like you deserve."
Up in smoke, the evidence was burnt entirely to ash, as a plane in the distance took off to the big city of Gotham, New York.
Leaving it at this for now. So, my crew is….interesting? I threw in the interview portion at our safe house- slash abandoned where house since Bat's echo location failed find my stash of weapons and remaining tech. Call it what he owed me from being X.
"OK, so…I'll ask you a series of questions to see if you qualify-
"You need me. I already work for you. Why am I being interrogated?"
Artemis has a point but not the position yet. Should I tell her that her story makes less sense than Tim going Straight as an arrow? Likely, she's running from her government over some dispute and Dami already has the same brand I do pinned to his back in bold ink. Hers could ruin us or worse, being the guys waiting to kill us to our doorstep.
Dami is my responsibility, but I need a team to keep Batman, wing dingers' crew and the birds out of my way. Dami can't get a real education or even hang with anyone his age. He's what? Nine? Same age Dick and I started on our paths after being adopted. If I could so do anything, it would be to give that kid a better childhood.
First, he needs bodyguards that can cooperate.
"The big guy, Bizzi?"
"I found him hurt outside in an alley and, he didn't remember much about his time in confinement. He believes his mother is in –
"Bizzaro is actually a Superman clone." I tell her with my best posture kept intact. "Supes can't find the guy or he's history. He needs to stay out of sight. Why did you let him work in a bar?"
"The old owner was less skeptical than the new." Artemis thought back on the time they'd first taken their roles as staff in the place. "I was there to dance. He was there to keep a crowd. We took those jobs while on the side I took small contracts to –
"You lived someplace near there, right? If you don't stay with Dami and I, then where would you go?"
"I'm not documented and neither is he. We don't have a place because…"
"You didn't do your homework in time. Or maybe your boss isn't as nice as they claim to be. Or you, being one ta tell the truth. You know em, but you don't live together." I lean in as she leans back to face me. "What's your angle here? You're in it for a lot more if Sionas was in that house of villains. Tell me. Why would you become an Outlaw in this case, Artie?"
He did find out that her race was a division of the Amazon tribes that was warrior based more so built of assassins. She had come to Earth on a distress call when it turned out that her chief had been killed by the last student of the warrior woman's teacher. She was sent off by the wrong coordinates and was totally unable to get back until she could find her world. Yes.
Her world.
Alien.
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Jason gawked. "Not from…of course this is a problem! I thought you were from Wonder –
"Her people were once our family, yet we separated. Divided and left that plane for a number of generations."
"So, family fun times, huh." Jason scratched his cheek. "You're not working there anymore though. How'd that happen?
"I made sure to have myself wear hair dye and contacts as a dancer. As an assassin, know one knows my true identity. Your ways here are primitive and the drink is shallow. Why would I waste my time when Bizzi has it covered?"
"Sone team. Would you bail on them now? On Dami, me and Bizzi if we all ended up firming a real group? You'd have to stop telling lies and Dami would be our top priority at all times."
"Why is that boy so important to your mission?" Artemis asked the Hood. "He has a past like you that is left a mystery. More than my past, and I do not lie. I wait for the best time to tell my stories when it is necessary."
"Roy, then? You know him?"
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Dami was in the pent with Bizzi on the sofa. The big lug was not a genius yet a gentle giant and Dami hated to share the remote while his stories were on.
"I don't want to watch car chases on the TV. Will you not turn the channel off?"
"I'm in charge so you'll have to wait until I'm through critiquing the characters of this dramatized garbage. It us very outlandish that the doctor has so many women on his arm in public like this! That is slanderous and completely-
A knock at the door made the boy wonder if Bizzi didn't here it. "I won't get it."
Dami grabbed the lug's arm and shook his head. "Todd isn't here yet. We are not to allow strangers near this place. And how do they know…"
He stopped.
There was a smell that made his ears burn and head spin. Bizzaro was thick skinned and somehow unaffected by the gas flooding the room. "Am…bush!" Dami coughed as Bizzi scooped up the youth. The door came down and a net launched out to bag the two with an electric shock. Dami was cradled to Bizzi's chest as two sets of boots walked in while the room still only cast a glow of Dr. Arnaldo and Annelise his ex wife in a spat with the doctor's young lover, Jennifer from Miami.
~ How could you do this to your reputation, mi amore!... I should have you tried for extortion and sexual harassment before I left! You can't do this to us –
~ Eh, you have no idea what it took to get this position, Bruja! I have my chikita and your money so don't come crying back after you lost custody. I have everything you want…~
"The program is so unrealistic!" Zahar clicked off the channel as NT gave him a scathing glare. "Fine. I'll get rid of any –
"Don't burn it. Just get out. Bring the remote and we can destroy it later. This, is a heavy job. Zahar!"
" Fine, boss. Coming!" The kid hopped away and let the gas out the window with a flick if his knife at the glass. He pulled it out as the rest of the room looked to be intact. Save for a window and a botched flat-screen that had a knife run through it fir such juvenile garbage it had showed those responsible.
"Here; we're dropping the shipment off to my client's other associate Jira, and nothing else. After, we get out of this place before Vats shows himself. Or any of the crew this kid was with. C'mon, now."
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Jason moved as Artemis sat in the back of his cycle. He was on his way from the pier to the pad he'd left Bizzi to watch out for. "Wait." Artemis called out over the engine's noise. "Something –
Jason stopped his bike, giving her a look that was revved up as much as the motor wished to keep going to their destination.
"What??" He hacked her.
"Look, up there."
The roof had a kid in his early years as a cat burglar. He wanted to be caught. This was a distraction. "Follow that shadow."
"Got it covered." Jason revved up and let the breadcrumbs bring him back to an air field. Someone was going to fly away. Artemis summoned her sword and took off.
"HEY!"
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On the other side of the pier, the docks were not so quiet tonight. Arsenal now searched the area with his binoculars. A big box. Heat signatures said, a person was trapped inside.
The shout came as soon as the box had a whole FIST punched into the side. "LET US OUT! MY MENTOR WILL FLOG YOU FOR STANDING ON HIS TURF, CRIMINALS! SMUGGLING IS THE LOWEST TIER OF PROF –
" SHUDDAP!" A man in a bunch of armor growled out as a beast and slammed the side of the reinforced box in one hit.
The thing inside, was a kid.
The kid.
Jason was not going to know. He had to do something. Shit !
A frequency. To the –
He saw the cell on his person and to his miraculous afterthought, he remembered that Jason had offered.
" Damn it." His number was on that fucking device. He was a back up outlaw member of Dumb – asses incorporated.
"Damn it, kid…." He dug out the thing and started to type.
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So, more shenanigans! Have not finished with the anti-heroes in this so, you be the judge. Find out!
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