[12 December 2003]
It's midday and Leonard is sitting on the steps of the orphanage lost in thought, with a blank look on his face. Detective Goodman pulls up to the orphanage for his weekly visits with Leonard. He exits the car with a paper bag of burgers, fries, and milkshakes. He looks surprised to see Leonard already at the front steps when he usually has to go up and get him, and he also looks to be lost in thought and not realized he was there.
Goodman sighs and walks over sitting next to him and taking out his usual order and hands it to Leonard who seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts and takes the burger, fries, and lime milkshake. They sit in a comfortable silence eating, but Goodman can still see that Leonard's mind is elsewhere.
After they are both done eating Goodman decides to ask what's on his mind, "So what's troubling you Kid?". Leonard seems to have again been pulled from his thoughts, he just laughs nervously and scratches his neck, "O-oh it's no-nothing really,". Goodman stares at him for a moment and sighs scratching his peppered beard, "Come on Kid...If it has someone like you, who is always acutely aware of his surroundings spacing out like that it's obviously something,"
Leonard says nothing but just blankly stares at him for a few seconds and then sighs, tugs his knees under his chin and looks off to the side, and says softly "Am I a bad son Jacob?". Goodman looks surprised and confused by the question and asks, "Now why on earth would you thin--,". He is cut off by Leonard looking at him with a remorseful expression, "I haven't visited my parents' grave ever since the funeral..." He pauses taking a long shuddering breath, "My dad used to say I looked too far forward. That I tend to sometimes brush off things I don't want to deal with."
Leonard frowns sadly his lips quivering and says "Is that why it doesn't hurt the same way anymore Jacob? Is that why when I think about them I only think about their lives?" He looks off to the side wipes away his tears and chokes out, "Am I just brushing off what happened to them?".
Goodman sighs sadly at the distressed teen, he gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze and says " Listen, Kid. What you're doing is healing. You're accepting that things change,". He gives him a sympathetic and reassuring smile "But moving on with one's life and forgetting are two separate things...And I think it's better to celebrate the way someone lived...". He shakes his head and gives a rueful smile "...Than to be driven by the way they died."
His expression changes back to his usual calm and bored look he always has "Come on Kid, let's throw away this trash and I'll take you somewhere,". Leonard wipes away his tears, now feeling a bit better, and looks at him curiously, "Where to?". Goodman just smirks and says "It's a secret Kid,"
{It would be months before he realized how right Goodman was,}
--Line Break--
"Tip was solid, thanks, Victor. Robin out," Robin says ending the call as he watches Tony Zucco and some other low-level gang leaders entering an abandoned warehouse for a meet-up. Robin takes a deep breath and calms his raging emotions "Got you now fucker,"
Inside the warehouse, Zucco takes a seat around the table as the meeting starts, "Gentlemen I gathered you all here today to discuss a topic of utmost importance," A bald head man says as he drops various photos of Robin on the table. "This costume-wearing freak has been fucking up business for us for the last couple of months now. You can't even breathe wrong without this asshole being right there to fucks over, He has been a nuisance for long enough and I think we should get together and teach this fucker a lesson." He ends his speech by looking at the others around the table who look just as frustrated and angry as himself.
Zucco looks over all the different pictures and notices they all have things in common, "So Mark...Why is his face completely blurred out in all these pictures?" The other men at the table also nod along with his question. Mark sighs frustrated and shrugs "Don't know what kind of freaky shit he does but all the pictures always come out like that,". Another man speaks up "So how are we going to teach him a lesson if we don't know who he is?".
"That's quite simple actually we let him come to us," Mark says smirking at his plan. Zucco looks at him skeptically and asks "And how are we gonna get him to come to us?". Mark subtly gestures for two of the men at the table sitting on either side of Zucco, "That's easy Tony we already have the bait here, now we are just waiting for him to arrive,".
"So who is th--" Zucco is cut off by the two men at his sides grabbing him and forcing his face down on the table. "Well, you are obviously," Mark smirks sadistically at his shocked and betrayed expression. Zucco fruitlessly struggles against his captors and glares at Mark, "What the fuck is this?...How the fuck am I the bait?"
Mark looks at him as if he's an idiot, "Christ you are dumb. From the very start that fuck has been going around beating the shit out of us and then asking if we knew anything about you, Zucco.". Zucco looks shocked and terrified and stutters out, "N-no, you're fucking lying, there has to be some misunderstanding,"
As Mark opens his mouth to reply, the lights turn off and the warehouse is engulfed in darkness. "There's no misunderstanding Zucco. I have been looking for you," Robin's modulated voice rings out through the warehouse. "Shit, get out here assholes and let's kill this fucker," Mark barks out into the darkness. A flare is shot in the air and a bunch of glow sticks is tossed around illuminating the warehouse. Six fully geared mercenaries with automatic rifles with flashlights attached emerged from behind the crates.
They get in a defensive position around the table observing the surroundings for any sign of Robin. Zucco is still being restrained by the two as he looks around in fear. Mark and the other two men are anxiously looking around as well for Robin. "Mercenaries. Wow, you really went all out Markus, must have cost quite the penny," Robin's voice echoes again through the warehouse, the mercenaries looking around trying to pinpoint the origin of his voice. "Long as they kill you, then it's money well spent," Mark hisses looking around frantically.
"I guess I'm gonna have to disappoint you then..." Robin says and throws a flash bang onto the table from his hiding spot. The flashing blinds every single one of them. He emerges from his hiding spot silently and quickly knocks out the two men holding Zucco. Then drags a struggling Zucco into the shadows and knocks him out as well. He quickly gags and ties him up.
He jumps back out of cover while the rest of the mercenaries, Mark and the two other men are still dazed, he throws Birdarangs knocking the weapons out of their hands. He throws three Capture disks at Mark and the two men incapacitating. He slides under the table and kicks a mercenary in the back of the knee throwing him off balance and hitting him hard across the face with his Staff knocking him out.
He dodges a slash to the neck from another mercenary's knife and viciously kicks his ankle making him fall to the ground in pain. He backflips over another one and hits him in the back of the head with his Staff, as he lands and kicks him into another mercenary both of them falling over. He blocks a burst of pistol bullets with his cape and throws a Shock disk at the attacker electrocuting him unconscious.
He turns back to the two mercenaries trying to get back up and throws a Sticky disk, which releases a strong adhesive on impact gluing the two mercenaries to the ground. He walks over to the downed mercenary who is on the floor holding on to his broken ankle and knocks him out with the Staff. The last mercenary who seems to be the leader claps his hands and praises, "Damn your good, took my men out in less than two minutes,"
"Since it's just us left. How about some hand-to-hand combat to see how good you are? Yeah?" He asks and takes off his pistol holster and knife and tosses it aside. Robin just observes him as the mercenary takes a Krav Maga fighting stance. He nods and puts his Staff back in his utility belt. "Suit yourself," Robin says taking his very own fighting stance which helps to better incorporate all his fighting styles.
The leader advances and throws a series of punches, jabs, and elbow strikes which Robin parries or sidesteps, staying on the defensive for now. The leader gets more aggressive and starts using kicks, and knee strikes to try and break through his defense but every single attack is blocked. Robin notices his frustration and notices him overextend a roundhouse kick and sidesteps the kick countering with a hard spinning hook kick straight to the chin knocking him out. Robin just shakes his head and ties up the leader.
"Holy shit!!," Mark exclaims in astonishment, stopping his struggles against the capture wires and looking wide-eyed at how easily Robin took down the leader. Robin ignores him and contacts Detective Goodman, "Come to this address and bring backup," Robin says and ends the call and sends the address of the warehouse. He ties up the rest of the mercenaries and the two thugs which he first knocked out. He walks over to where he put Zucco and drags him back to the table and puts him in a chair.
He takes out the gag and slaps him hard across the face. Zucco jolts awake looking around confused and disoriented and then looks in wide-eyed fear at Robin's menacing glare. "S-shit m-man wha-," he is cut off by two punches to the face dazing him. "That was for the two circus performers that you killed," Robin says in a low voice. He punches him again, "That was for the kid who you made an orphan,". "L-look man I'm sorry," Zucco says through bloodied teeth.
"I don't care for empty words Zucco. I'm gonna make sure you rot in prison and don't even think about escaping....Cause I will know," Robin says menacingly and hits him hard across the face knocking him out.
Half an hour later the police are hauling away the mercenaries, Mark his men, and Zucco. Detective Goodman stands under the street light he knows Robin is perched on top of "So what know Kid?...You finally caught him" He asks taking a drag from his cigarette. "At first I was just going to disappear once I caught Zucco and brought him to justice..." Robin trails off. Goodman takes one last drag and stomps out the cigarette. "And now?".
"I think I'll stick around for a bit longer...Who knows," Robin says and silently disappears into the night. "I'm not allowed to say this but you're doing good work and we need someone like you that will go places we can't...So in my opinion people need someone like you." Goodman looks up and sees Robin is gone. "Damn Kid, making waste my words..." He sighs and then looks at Zucco sitting in the back of a police cruiser face bloodied and bruised. "At least Leo will be happy to know his parent's killer is gonna be locked up for a long long time."
[Months Later]
{Everything would change again months later. Robin with the help of a genius hacker with the alias 'Glitch', caught wind that a world-class assassin was hired to assassinate a Councilman that was in New York for reasons unknown.}
*I've got a hit on Councilman Wirth's credit card three minutes ago a block north of you, Robin. I'm sending you the data now. That's gotta be a good sign* Glitch says optimistically through Robin's communicator. "If what we found out about 'Lady Rana' is to be believed then three minutes is like an eternity for her. Wirth could very well be dead," Robin says running across buildings and making his way to Wirth.
*You know I've been through every international database twice and there's not so much as a picture of this Rana chick. All I've got is whispers. Works up close, doesn't leave witnesses or...* Glitch is cut off by Robin "Wait--I have Wirth!" Robin exclaims as he jumps down from a building *Is he alive*. Robin watches as Wirth is killed with a shuriken to the head. "--we're too late..shit" Robin curses as he dodges a shuriken.
"The protector of New York" Lady Rana sneers as she throws another barrage of shuriken which Robin dodges, jumping on the dead Councilman's car to close the distance and kicks at her "I prefer Robin," He growls as she easily blocks his kick and countering with a punch to the face making him stumble back "Graceful, Fluid" She kicks which he parries and counters with a haymaker, which she catches and knees him in the stomach "Full of potential,".
Robin pushes her back trying to put space between them. He pulls out his Staff, to which she draws her sword. She goes on the offensive with him trying his best to block any slashes at his vital organs, "But you little bird...are still weak" She disarms him and hook kicks him across that jaw knocking him down. "I see much more for you. Beyond the shadows of this city," She says looking down at the beaten and bleeding form of Robin.
"When you decide you want more, little Robin, find me. Lady Rana will show you how much more you can be," She says sheathing her sword and walking away into the shadows, and disappearing. Robin gets up from the ground groaning in pain and breathing heavily from his wounds, he lightly touches his jaw wincing in pain. *Robin?! You still there?! Hello?!* Glitch shouts worried through the comms. "I'm fine Glitch...Will talk to you when I get back" Robin says ending the call.
He looks down at his bloodied and shredded suit and grimaces from the pain of the cuts, "Those will definitely scar,". He looks in the direction Lady Rana disappeared in and frowns in thought and then shakes his head.
{It didn't take 'looking forward' to recognize it.}
Robin looks at the Wirth's dead body sighs and then picks up his Staff and grapples up a building and drags his beaten and hurt body back to the Bird's Nest. His mind on the words of Lady Rana and his second failure.
{Robin would be anything but permanent. And that was fine. After all...things always change}