part 13 of de aged Bruce part 1
Normally, a day in Gotham would entail about a handful of crime of varying severity. Some street gangters robbing a store there, a bank/jewlery store heist there, maybe the car theft.
There were few days where it was as entirely quiet as it was now. Even the cases Oracle was having her watchful eyes upon in case of escalation were at a standstill. Police radioes were giving all clears, even areas normally patrolled by the mobs were strangely quiet now.
"Somethings off, even penguins men have pulled back from street patrols." Tim's voice came through the comm, followed by more clicking.
Steph landed on the next rooftop, surveying while raising her hand to her ear. "We've noticed it too, Hood hasn't heard any specifics, but his networks with the mobsters are rocky now after being intergrated with the family again." She watched as Jason landed on a fire escape after seeing her stop, the mask gave no indication of his state, but the way Cass was sticking close must mean it wouldn't take much to set him off again. "He said that there hasn't been any obvious chatter, but internal buisness we'll need to give a helping hand to get out of them."
She gave the hand signal they usually gave for 'penguin' and 'surveying'. If penguin wasn't speaking out loud, they would just have to get close enough to hear his whispers. "We'll be heading to penguin, maybe the clown has asked for arms or muscle."
"Better than nothing, it's already been 3 hours."
That, Jason seemed to have heard. He loudly pushed off from the fire escape, and began his hunt through the streets. Closely followed by Cass and Steph.
The door broke along with the the hinges in the wall as Jason didn't even try to sneak in quietly. The normal crews didn't even try to stand in his away, the youngling puffing their chest were also quickly pushing back. Like the red sea, people parted as the powerhouse that was RedHood walked further inside. A surprised yell and a shot was fired into the roof. Not a second after, RedHood had fired a rubber into the shooter's shoulder, making him fall to the floor.
BlackBat carefully stepped around the person's writhing form on the floor, her head turning and following Jason as his stared up at her, she waved her hands playfully before continuing along the walkway. "Didn't know he would be so flighty. Hard to find quality gansters nowadays?" Spoiler's voice followed as she jumped over the man. The two girls mingled between the gangsters, workers and party go'ers as whispered followed them.
Jason neverminded them and advanced further in, never saying a word. Before he had fully crossed, the man of the hour appeared. "The young aren't cut from the same cloth anymore."
The mobster moved with ease, a confidence in his step too secure to give away any anxiety about the vigilantes who had foiled his plan so many times before, now being infront of him again. "You're being awfully quiet tonight Flippers." The mechanical voice emitted from the helmet, made more than a few people shiver. "Why'd you pull all your guarddogs?"
A scowl settle on the man's face, clearly unhappy about both being accosted in his den and being questioned on his actions. The fight leaving him though, when both Spoiler and BlackBat jumped from the walkway and joined Hood's side. "We've ...heard the news." Penguin snapped his fingers, and a cigarette came from a guard by his side. "The clown seems to be making a mess-"
An inch was taken off the cigarette in Copple's mouth, Jason kept his gun raised, even when the goons around him pulled theirs and leveled it at his head.
"Calm ya tits yeah?" The mobster continued, relighting his smoke. "Everyone remembers how you lot reacted when the second Robin ...disappeared." He waved his hand in a mock bow towards Hood, who simply regripped the gun, but now leveled it at Penguin's head.
"You want the same treatment?" Blackbat pressed close to Hood's side, covering his blind spot towards the crowd, Spoiler covering the other. If this turned loud, they would have to take down as many people as possibe, they couldn't waste more time than they already had. They needed whatever information they could get, no matter the cost.
Penguin huffed a crude laugh, ending with a cough. "Stand down." Hesitantly, the guns were lowered but the harsh whispering between the goons continued. "We don't want to get involved with anything like that. The Robins are fair game, we don't kill 'em, but if they're out there taking kneecaps, we can nip their capes." He smiled as he looked over the three, but it turned to a scowl as he met the lenses of the helmet. "But we don't kill innocent kids."
Jason had listened to the underground when he had returned to Gotham. Had heard how the clown had been basically exiled from all that had previously been able to call him a colleague. Violence for violence was their world, but beating a child half to death before blowing him up, no. To kill the batman was maybe on the table, but the Robins were kids. He had gone too far, even for them.
The helmet's mechanical voice bloomed to life once again "So you're not involved?"
"We don't do business with the clown, cost and reward are too unpredictable. I can't gamble with those odds."
"Is there actually something you do know then?" Hood commented, his snark being audible even when distorted like this.
Spoiler continued, leaning against Jason's side, her head still surveying the people loitering about. "A favor for a favor, maybe your next prison stay won't be as uncomfortable."
BlackBat appeared beside Copplepot, startling the man so much he almost swollowed the cigarette. "Creepy fucker." He muttered, staring her down as she went back to her spot, resting her chin on Spoiler's shoulder. "After news of the live stream went off, I pulled most of my men back into the hives. I'll put my ear to the ground, but can't promise anything."
"You'll be doing us a favor just as much as yourself." Jason echoed, shoving Spoiler aside and reaching into a pocket, pulling out a small older phone. "Hear anything interesting, and you'll reach me with this." One of the henchmen caught it as he tossed it, Penguin seered but took it nonetheless.
"Think Flippers knows anything?" Steph said, overlooking the Iceberg Lounge, the movement through the warped windows was becoming more erratic while civilians and night workers were being filtered out the door.
Jason had taken the helmet off, the domino mask underneath sitting more uncomfortablely than ever before. He stubbed his second smoke, in the last 10 minutes, out on the cement. "I think he'll be willing to sell out the people who do know, if it means he'll stay clean."
The sound of a lighter being struck filled the silence. Soon acompanied by the pittering of rain. Cass was sitting beside Jason, following the movement of his hands, when the rain begun to fall even heavier, she simply joined him looking at the dark skies rolling over them.
"Let's just hope they're having more luck at Arkham."
The time read: 9:43:28
Part 14
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