Fujikio's Scheme
AU. Robin is still under Slade's thumb and now the man feels he needs a teacher to show him the thrilling life he refuses to lead. He hires Fujiko Mine, the notorious thief, and seductress, but she has her own reasons for being there, very personal reasons.
Chapter One
In the middle of nowhere, a woman pulled her Kawasaki motorcycle to a stop. She climbed off the motorcycle and headed to the door, knocking softly.
"This is why I can't stand children, they have no idea how the world works and all they think about is themselves," her words came back to her, how funny, the child wasn't a child anymore, but a young man, one that she had cared for a long time ago, now it was paying off and she was asking him for a favor, one he'd happily do for her, because of everything she'd done for him.
She opened the door and found Gene sitting at a computer.
"Hello Gene, it's been a very long time," Fujiko Mine greeted the young man.
"What do you want Fujiko, whatever you're looking for, I can't help you," Gene replied.
"You became an info broker, a silent shadow, you don't even have a codename. You just keep tabs on everyone, heroes and villains alike."
Gene glanced at her through his glasses, "And you died on June 27th, 2009 according to your obituary as "Mary Grayson"."
"So you know about that?" Fujiko asked, surprised, "No one could figure out my real identity, not even John Grayson, all the fakes I made were too good. After my stunt at the Hotel de Ville, you'd think someone would have figured me out."
Haly's Circus was the perfect place to hide; she did know acrobatics and had worked with a circus troupe before.
Fujiko had managed to snag a promising magician named Luca from a failing troupe and sold his talent to Naomi's Productions, earning a ton of cash from the job.
After many years of adventures with Lupin from Italy to France to London, she'd decided to sightsee in Paris. It was there at Cirque de Romanes that she met a man who became her boyfriend for a time, Richard. She'd stolen the medicine to cure his leprosy, not necessarily out of goodwill, but her desire to steal something.
She'd moved on from him eventually and joined Haly's Circus under the name "Mary Lloyd", forging excellent documents that fooled everyone.
Her mark had been John Grayson, the circus manager, Fujiko's plan was to steal the money and run, but then she discovered that a majority of Haly Circus' profits just seemed to disappear into thin air, which piqued her curiosity, Pop Haly was paying someone or some organization large sums of money and hiding it from his employees.
But she fell in love with him, real genuine romance, she'd married him, had a kid, her, Fujiko Mine, had a kid. And she didn't hate him, she'd been happy.
She'd been following the money trail but had found very little about where a majority of the Haly's Circus profits went.
Until one night, it crashed down around her literally, or rather; she'd crashed down fifty feet up from a trapeze bar.
"You fell 50 feet from a trapeze wire and somehow survived, but Lupin got to you before the coroner did. They switched out your body with a fake, and bribed him, no one ever found out."
Fujiko sighed, "Someone would say I'm lucky, but I don't feel lucky, lost a lot of my skills, took forever to relearn everything."
"You still got your looks, that's what you're known for, still a bombshell even at forty," Gene smirked. "I was too young and ignorant about your tricks with men. But you still used me anyway, just like you do with so many men. But I've never understood why you were so kind to me was that all just an act?"
"I was hired by your father to take care of you, Gene, and I did my job."
Fujiko inhaled a cigarette. "Can't do the same tricks forever though," Fujiko smiled, "What can you tell me about Deathstroke?"
"He's got a deep web address that he takes jobs from; he's also a genius, a strategist, a mercenary, and assassin."
"We've taken on loads of assassins, what makes him any different?"
"He's a metahuman, a bonafide metahuman," Gene told her. "The dark web's abuzz with the rumor that Robin the Boy Wonder works for him as his apprentice now."
"I see, I guess taking him down will be a test of my skills, sounds interesting, he's just the sort I hate. It took me eight years to recover, and just as long to find out what happened to Dick, got taken in by Bruce Wayne, heard he moved across the States and lives somewhere in California."
"He's still in California, but he went missing a few months ago," Gene told her.
"I see, here," Fujiko handed him $10,000 and ruffled his hair. "You've given me quite a lot of valuable info; don't say I don't show gratitude."
"Fujiko, t-thank you for everything," Gene stammered, she'd helped him and his father keep the stolen money that had been used for his surgery, helping him stay alive long enough to get it.
"Whatever do you mean, Gene?" Fujiko asked turning and walking away. She left him and drove away.
Fujiko Mine found a familiar face lounging on the beach, staring out at the ocean, letting his gaze fall on Titans Tower in Jump City, CA.
"Presidente Philadel Khest," Fujiko greeted him quietly. His security glanced at her. The dictator of Carib gestured for them to fall back.
Philadel Kest smiled, recognizing her, "Fujiko Mine, it has been a long time; you are as beautiful as ever. Are you here to interview me again?" He raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Philadel, I've gotten old now, I'm not the person you met a long time ago," Fujiko said, placing her hand on his cheek.
Her instincts didn't let her down when she felt a chill go up her spine.
Fujiko saw the flash of the blaster as she pushed Philadel to the ground shouting, "Get down!"
The assassin shot and wounded Philadel's guards. She noticed in seconds that none of his shots were kill shots. What an amateur. What idiot would send an amateur to kill the leader of a country?
Fujiko moved to strike him and he blocked it, he executed a series of punches and kicks that showed Fujiko the boy had training, excellent martial arts training.
She managed to keep the gun pointed away from Philadel Khest, but she noticed the assassin wasn't fighting particularly hard to point it at the Carib dictator.
"Go on, Robin, he's the evil dictator of Carib, no one will miss him, and the citizens of Carib will thank you for it, we'll get $10 million for his head, kill him!" Slade screamed in Robin's earpiece. Fujiko heard the man through the earpiece.
Robin was a codename and the least villainous-sounding name for a costumed villain she'd ever heard.
She'd taken on strong assassins before, Lupin III, Jigen, and Goemon had all helped her take down a crime lord wanting to manufacture assassins, they had a special one, a genetically modified man named Bincam.
She moved to stop the assassin, there'd be a big payday if she could protect Philadel and catch an assassin, she'd happily play both sides of the law if it netted her some cold, hard cash.
Fujiko could see the boy's features and felt disturbed, he was little more than a teenager, not even an adult, and she could tell by his actions, the "language of combat" as it was called that this was not something he wanted to do.
Getting involved in crime while you were a teen was common in the States, she'd lived there for a decade and watched a ton of mafia documentaries, they always started young, usually, gang members did initiation killings but assassinations of dignitaries and political figures were usually carried out by adults or professionals or in the case of metahumans, a "supervillain".
A group of four teenagers arrived on the scene. They were led by a black teen that was half robot, covered in cybernetics, the fancy advanced kind.
"Teen Titans, go!" Cyborg shouted, "Stop Robin, stop him!"
Cyborg turned to Starfire and Raven, "Take him to the Tower quick, if he dies it could be a diplomatic nightmare!"
A young teen with red hair flew past Fujiko and tried to stop him, but Robin shot her down, she seemed hesitant to fight him, she must be in love with him, Fujiko noted.
Fujiko had no such hesitation and took off after him, grabbing him by his legs and tackling him to the ground.
If she could capture him, she could interrogate him, get some info, maybe get more of a reward.
Raven grabbed Philadel Khest and Fujiko watched as he disappeared into a portal of black smoke. His security guards soon followed, disappearing into the darkness to somewhere.
The teenager kicked her in the face and somersaulted onto her shoulders, she knew this trick and blocked his fist as he tried to slam them into the sides of her head.
She suddenly dropped straight down, bending her spine back so he fall off her shoulders and she rolled away.
Fujiko removed her Browning M1910 and fired it at the assassin, aiming for his head; he executed astounding acrobatics and took the bullet through his shoulder instead of his skull.
Acrobatics that Fujiko recognized instantly. She didn't have time to think, she would capture this sloppy assassin and get answers from him, she wrapped her legs around his throat and tried to make him pass out, the boy managed to gasp and stabbed her in the leg with his own shuriken.
Fujiko struck the amateur assassin, beating him relentlessly, he was trying to fight her but she wouldn't let him get a good hit on her. The voice was screaming like an idiot to fight harder, but he was begging the voice on the other end to let him retreat, insisting that he'd been shot and needed medical treatment.
The voice ordered him to leave and he fled, he managed to throw her off and spring away, leaping onto a motorcycle.
Fujiko did not pursue him, she wasn't getting any reward out of that.
She made her way to Titans Tower after everything calmed down.
She knelt at the medical bed as Philadel stared at her.
"Thank you Fujiko, for everything, you didn't have to go so far, but here, let me reward you, since money is something you actually love, and not me," Philadel Khest handed her several thousand dollars in U.S. currency.
"I'll be grateful for this reward," Fujiko smiled.
"You're a wanted criminal, why should we let you leave?" Raven asked.
"She has diplomatic immunity as a citizen of Carib," Philadel Khest told them.
"Raven, there's nothing we can do," Cyborg said.
"Slade is making Robin worse, it used to be just robberies," Starfire sighed.
"We're gonna stop them both, but dude, why would Slade want to kill him? They're both bad guys," Beast Boy scowled.
"I'm sure he has his reasons, and I appreciate your honesty, but I have no intentions of causing trouble in this country. I was preparing to return home but I had to see the heroes I had heard so much about."
"You've heard about us?" Cyborg asked, surprised.
"Yes, and now that I've seen you all I may return home with stories of inspiration for my people," Philadel Khest turned and looked.
"How like you, Fujiko Mine, vanishing like you always do."
Philadel Khest was resting safely at Titans Tower; the news mentioned it was a diplomatic gesture from the U.S. to Carib, and all was right in the world, for a little while anyway.
Fujiko Mine took the generous reward Philadel Khest had given her and treated herself to a night on the town at Jump City's local bar. She ordered her favorite drink, a Martini.
She noticed a man dressed in body armor, sitting at the bar, drinking a beer.
She knew him from Gene's description of him. That was her mark.
"Buy the lady a drink on me," Slade said, signaling the bartender.
"What's your name?" Slade asked, interested.
"Fujiko, Fujiko Mine," she replied. She'd done her homework on this one, dishonorably charged U.S. veteran, superpowered mercenary, supervillain, a real bad guy. The type of mark she enjoyed stealing from.
"I've heard of you by your reputation, how would you like to come work for me?" Slade asked.
"Depends on the job, but I've heard rumors you got yourself an apprentice, Mister Slade, is that true?" Fujiko asked, she'd heard lots of rumors about the famous "metas" getting their own sidekicks.
"Yes, but the boy refuses to learn, I have run out of ways to teach him, I thought that maybe a woman's touch would soften him up," Slade told her.
"I'm not going to jail in America due to age of consent in this country," Fujiko said flatly. She'd kissed high school girls in a Catholic school to get what she'd wanted when she'd infiltrated a Catholic girl's school to steal something from one of the students, a girl named Isolde, but she'd been duped by Oscar, the detective obsessed with impressing Inspector Zenigata by catching her. After that incident, she'd drilled it into her head to not seduce teenagers.
"I don't speak about your powers as a seductress, I've heard you played maid for a man named Randy that embezzled $500 million from a crime lord, you were very paternal with Randy's son Gene, you can do that again, the boy needs a mother figure, someone who will teach him how the world really works."
"What happened to his mother?" Fujiko asked.
"She died, murdered by a mobster, fell from 50 feet up in the air."
"What a way to go," Fujiko said, deadpan, acknowledging her near-death with disinterest, so that's what they said about "Mary Grayson's" death.
"I don't work for free, Deathstroke," Fujiko told him.
"Impressive, you know who I am. I'll pay you whatever you want, just don't think you can stab me in the back," Slade warned. "I'll kill you."
"Of course not, I wouldn't dream of it," Fujiko lied easily, with no forced sincerity, she was an excellent liar, she knew how to sound completely honest even as she lied through her teeth. She's been acting for years so it was effortless for her.
"But still, I can't stand kids," Fujiko said in annoyance, she put up with Dick because he was her son, but kids, how obnoxious.
"Robin is a teenager, you can deal with a teenager," Slade smiled a little, "I've grown tired of trying to teach him, but I still need him to work for me."
"Why don't you hire me to do your jobs, I do what I'm paid for," Fujiko laughed.
"No, you betray whoever you work for, you're loyal to no one, this is an easy job, and one that has no real value for you, outside of the money," Slade glanced at her.
"Oh, I'm loyal to my own desires, and your offer is intriguing."
She followed him in her car to his secret lair and followed him inside.
"Who's this, your new partner?" Robin asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"No, a new teacher, Fujiko Mine, she's going to show you just how thrilling this life we lead is, she's—"
"Lupin the 3rd's wife, or is it, ex-wife, according to the internet anyway, I don't care why you're here, what would you have to teach me anyway?"
"How the world works, kid, how the world works," Fujiko's voice betrayed no emotion at the sight of her son in eight years.
Fujiko Mine's face did not betray any expression at the sight of Robin the Boy Wonder.
Her son stood before her, without the uniform of the Flying Graysons, dressed in a uniform similar to Slade's, he was covered in blood and bruises, and not the ones she'd inflicted on him hours ago.
So this was what had become of her son, a boy she'd taught to love freedom and life, to live any way he wished to do whatever he wanted. Her husband hand instilled in him his sense of right and wrong, but this was a path she had not expected him to take.
She had never told him or John who she really was; Dick was not enthralled by her stories of crime and espionage to want to follow in her footsteps.
Robin was nothing more than a bird in a cage, Fujiko remembered feeling that way during the incident with Aisha Kaiser, her chains were not physical, but mental, false memories, haunted by a life that wasn't hers. She'd escaped all that and made Aisha pay for what she'd done to her.
Even as a criminal, she'd been free to do whatever she wanted to further her goals. Robin was not free, whether it was to chase criminals like Inspector Zenigata or be like her or Lupin III; that was always a choice, a choice that Robin wasn't allowed to make.
"Beating the boy half to death is going to win over his allegiance," Fujiko said sarcastically, "He'll be chomping at the bit to go out for his next job."
"Take care of him as you see fit, just remember that any attempt to help him escape will get you shot in the head," Slade said coldly.
"Since when was I kind enough to do that?" Fujiko laughed.
Slade turned and left.
Fujiko Mine bandaged his wounds.
"What are you, a doctor?"
"I've worn all sorts of hats in my criminal career, doctor, teacher, governess, maid, you name it I've probably done it," Fujiko told him.
"Yeah, especially if it was a guy," Robin smirked. "I know who you are."
"I have my reputation, yes, but it was always in service to my goal of getting what I want."
"The only person you love is yourself!" Robin scowled.
"To feel someone's love no matter how far apart you are. To feel your heart burn and shake and melt whenever you think about them, I've felt that before, I'm still human, even if I'm not good."
"So what do you love anyway?" Robin asked.
Fujiko Mine lit a cigarette and inhaled the nicotine.
"Theft, it is an especially sweet vice. More elegant than vandalism and more complex than simple robbery. A beautiful blend of secrets and crime and mischief and fear. Like dear Heathcliff, I am defined by my all-consuming passion. Stealing is my greatest carnal pleasure, a pleasure for which I will risk my life," Fujiko exhaled the cigarette.
Robin scowled, "It never feels like that for me, Slade says I enjoy stealing for him, that's the last thing I feel."
"Yes, because that's not your choice, it's his. I have freedom, freedom to live and do whatever I want. I could choose to live an ordinary life, settle down, find me a husband, have a kid; I tried that a few times."
"How'd that end for you, the infamous seductress and thief, I heard you married Lupin III," Robin glanced at her.
"Oh, him, that was boring, the relationship wasn't fun anymore, so we annulled it. I've been married many times, Brad, Claude, Faron, Lupin III, John," Fujiko smiled, her son wouldn't realize it, John is such a common name her husband's last name could be Doe for all Dick knew.
Robin inhaled the scent of cigarettes and remembered something, something he hadn't thought of in years, but his mother had smoked cigarettes, an ironic thing for an acrobat, but still, his mother had liked to smoke.
"What you're doing is wrong, and you know it, you're the sort of person I put in jail," Robin told her.
"Of course I am, I'm a criminal, but really Robin, you don't understand a lot of things."
Robin stared at her, "There is good...and there is evil. There are those who commit crimes...and those who stop them. The two sides are opposite…as different as day and night. And the line between them is clear. Or at least...it's supposed to be."
Fujiko Mine laughed, "Was this something Batman taught you?"
"It's something that my father taught me," Robin remained purposefully vague.
"This is why I can't stand children, they have no idea how the world works and all they think about is themselves," Fujiko snapped at him.
"Since when did I make this about me? He's trying to destroy the city; I'm trying to save it, and my friends! He'll kill my friends if I don't do what he says!"
"He didn't kill your friends when you failed to kill Philadel Kest today, or did you notice he let you off the hook?" Fujiko gave him a scornful look. "You really are a naïve child to believe the promises of violent people. Sure he might push that button, but he says you've been resisting him for months, so why not push the button, what does he have to lose, he thinks your friends are worthless."
"The only reason I failed is that you beat me half to death, or did you not think I wouldn't recognize you?" Robin snapped.
Fujiko struck him in the gut before he could react.
"Calm down, Robin, your rebellious streak is what got me my job, and believe me; you'd rather deal with me than with anyone else as your "mentor".
Robin sighed, "I'll get away from him, eventually."
"Why haven't you called Batman?"
"I don't need his help!" Robin snapped.
"Not from where I'm standing, but don't expect anyone to come and help you," Fujiko warned him.
"I'm not giving up, I will get out."
"You can only save yourself, and you're doing a lousy job," Fujiko told him.
She leaned in close, "You better be on your best behavior, your boss isn't nearly as forgiving as I am, you're lucky he didn't break your arm."
"I can't steal with a broken arm now, can I?" Robin smiled, his lips sliding over his teeth with a smile that was disturbing.
Fujiko leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Get some sleep, you're going to need rest."
"You do know what happened to Heathcliff, don't you?" Robin asked.
Fujiko looked at him, "Robin, what happened to Heathcliff?"
"He died, and ruined everyone around him," Robin rolled over and looked away.
Robin frowned, Fujiko Mine, who are you really? And what are you really trying to steal? Jump City doesn't have too many high-end targets for a thief of your reputation, you're after something. And why teach me to be a thief, you hate kids.
Before Robin drifted off to sleep, he caught the scent of perfume, Chanel No. 5, his mind started for just a second, his mother had loved that perfume, the stuff was expensive but she had never pushed his father to buy it for her, but he did for her birthday or Christmas and she was always delighted by it.
But Fujiko Mine's perfume is a popular brand that many women used, so it was just triggering a memory, nothing more.
Fujiko watched Robin sleep, even if Slade did him the courtesy of no camera, there was no guarantee of no audio bug, so she said nothing.
She got up and left the room.
Of course, she had read Wuthering Heights and knew what happened to Heathcliff.
Slade tossed her the plans to the Perez Bank, "This is Robin's next job, you'll make sure he gets it done."
Fujiko took the plans and left Slade's lair.
Fujiko Mine left and made her way to Jump City's swanky hotel where Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon were waiting for her.
Fujiko knew the one language that Slade didn't speak was Japanese but he could certainly hire a translator, but she'd be old-fashioned about this, no speaking about their real objective in Jump City.
She met her ex-husband Lupin III as he glanced up at her; he was wearing a green jacket and smoking a cigarette.
"You meet with our mark, Fujicakes?" Lupin asked.
"Yes, he gave me a job, even the plans for the Bank of Perez."
"This whole thing stinks, we keep getting into fights with all these assassins, not what I was expecting today," Jigen frowned, scowling at her like always.
"This man is a formidable enemy, even you aren't resorting to your usual tricks," Goemon glanced at Fujiko.
"But that's what makes this caper so fun, we get to play the "heroes" for once for fun and profit," Lupin III smiled.
"You're gonna kill him aren't you?" Arsene asked.
"Yes, I don't always resort to it, but I can make an exception," Fujiko smiled.
"Let's get this job started, shall we?" Lupin III smiled. "Outwitting a criminal mastermind is what makes me Lupin III."
Their real objective: Break Slade's hold on Jump City, steal all his money, and free Robin from under his thumb.
She wasn't in her twenties and thirties, Slade wasn't going to fall for her "feminine wiles", he was the last person to get distracted by that sort of thing outside of when he wasn't "working" a mercenary job or fighting the Teen Titans.
And of course, the arrogant mastermind would think that was the first thing she'd do, best to think outside the box for this caper.
And after years of adventures with Lupin, someone as smart as Slade would pick up on her pattern of betraying Lupin to ingratiate herself to her mark, so that plan was also a no-go.
This would be the hardest job they'd ever have to pull, fighting a criminal mastermind genius was going to be challenging, but it was going to be so much fun, and Robin would be free, free as a bird.
He would be free to go back to his friends, to being the hero he had chosen to be, the hero of justice straight out of the anime back in her homeland of Japan. He would be free to do as he wished, even if it meant pursuing her to bring her to justice for her crimes. That was the only thing that Fujiko Mine wished for her son: freedom, and she'd do whatever it took to give it to him.
Deep below ground in Gotham City, the Court of Owls met to decide the fate of a powerful and influential figure that had become a threat to them.
Samantha Vanaver, the Grandmaster of the Court of Owls frowned, her predecessor John Wycliffe had been undone by the fall of Glaucus Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company that was also a front for the Court of Owls, that mystery of a woman Fujiko Mine had been the one behind it, the femme fatale had set the Court back for years when it came to their wealth and influence through the financial loss of the drug Fräulein Eule alone.
They blamed both her and Lupin III for their troubles and would often fund assassins to kill them, not wanting to risk exposing the existence of the Court of Owls by sending out their Talons, keeping them in Gotham City kept the Talons as merely something in a nursery rhyme.
Fujiko Mine had been very active for years, going on "adventures" with Lupin III, but she had disappeared for 16 years and only recently was sighted in Jump City, CA.
"So Fujiko Mine is active again, her age should slow her down, but pay the assassins, we can't afford to get sloppy, but if they should fail, send William Cobb, he's our best after all."
Sebastian Clark nodded and went off to send word to the assassins the Court had hired to find and kill Fujiko Mine. The incident with Godfrey Mining had cost them a lot of money and resources, after all, manufactured assassins would bring in a huge profit, but she'd murdered the prototype, Bincam.
Then after several other incidents, the notorious thief just vanished into thin air for 16 years, but now she was back, but no one escaped the Court of Owls. If they wanted you dead, you were dead.
"This Fujiko Mine has caused the Court nothing but problems, first there was Count Almeda, then there was Godfrey Mining and the incident with Bincam, did Lupin III know of our existence, did Fujiko know of the Court, or was this all coincidental? They're all going to die anyway. Not even Lupin III or Fujiko Mine can steal from the Court of Owls."