The Killer's Return

Chapter 2

MOUNT JUSTICE
HAPPY HARBOUR
9/25/2010
9:19 AM

The team rapidly went into the mission debriefing room, not wanting to annoy the Batman.
The Dark Knight was waiting them in the room, the usual scowl on his face still there. His penetrent gaze fell upon each of them as they entered. Bruce's expression, however, softened a little bit when his ward went in.
Dick looked up at him, and slightly moved his head towards the direction of the living room, where the TV was, silently asking if the mission was about Zucco. Batman must have understood the silent message, because he nodded his head lightly.
Dick's fists clenched, trying to contain his anger as the feeling came to him. Zucco was out. He had to stop him, they had to stop him.
Batman followed Robin as he went to join his teammates.
The hero of Gotham showed them a holographic image of Anthony Zucco.
Wally sent a worried look towards Dick, but he ignored it.
"This is Tony Zucco," he sarted. "He broke out-"
"Of Arkham yesterday, we know. We saw it on the news," Connor interrupted, earning himself a batglare.
"Yes. Your mission is to go to his hideout in Gotham and collect information about his activities," Batman continued. "I'll send Robin the coordinates. Go and suit up, you'll be leaving in fifteen minutes."
The team started leaving the room in a hurried pace, when Batman called, "Robin, stay behind. We have to talk."
Of course this was coming.
"Robin, will you be able to handle this?," asked Batman as soon as they were alone and suposedely out of the super hearing
"I will, Batman, you know I can handle this," he replied.
Batman nodded, but seemed to still have some doubts, judging by the way he held himself.
"Go and suit up. Be ready," he commanded.
Robin trotted out of the room, leaving Bruce all by himself in the mission debriefing room. He soon went to the zeta tubes and it announced his exit.

● ● ●

The team sat at the bioship, the fifteen minutes passed. Robin had recieved the coordinates and they were already flying, heading towards the place.
"I don't know why the police doesn't handle this," complained Artemis "It's just a murderer. I don't mean to say it isn't grave, but we were trained to do more than this."
"A mission is a mission," stated Kaldur.
"Besides," added Robin, trying to keep his anger in control. "He almost killed Batman the second time they encountered. I arrived just in time to divert the knife heading toward him. A second later and there would be no Batman."
Wally stared at him wide eyed.
"He... He almost killed Br- Batman?" he blurted out, almost giving away his civilian identity.
Robin knew the comment wasn't out of surprise, but out of worry, the only feeling the speedster seemed to be having lately. Zucco killed his parents and managed to almost do so with the man he considered a father. In this, he would give it to him. If he was in his place, he would have been worried too.
But he hated worry, if it was directed to him.
"Yes," he answered, his seemingly calm posture not changing. "He knocked out Batman and tied him up. He was throwing knifes at him when I arrived. He was also ranting about how he accidentally killed his father. Guys, you shouldn't underestimate him."
"The dude's messed up," Artemis stated, frowning.
"He is," mumbled Wally, all the while staring dumbfounded at his best friend.
"We are here!" announced M'gann.
"About time," grumbled Connor.
The bioship slowly descended and when it touched the ground the gates opened.
The team exited the alien ship with Kaldur on the lead, and entered the werehouse they were suposed to go.
The werehouse was the old and abandoned candle factory at Gotham's South. It was a common hideout among criminals, the Dynamic Duo had soon found out. The place had been inhabited for at least fifty years, and it was your usual werehouse. Warn out poster, broken walls, beams all around the place, dust-covered. Although it was the most cliché hideout the Boy Wonder could imagine, but deliquents seemed to prefer it. The boy had been there so many times he almost remembered the place by heart.
"All linked up?" asked Miss Martian through the mind link.
"Yes."
"Sup."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
"I am."
Once they assured everyone was into the mind link, they went down to busnisses.
"Let's go this way, I know a place that's good enough to hide all of us," Robin said to his teammates through the mind link, nodding towards his left, where the already poor lighted werehouse seemed to darken more.
They all looked at Kaldur expectantly, after all he was the leader, and he nodded his head.
"Robin is the one who knows this territory the most," he said. "If he says it's a good idea, it must be."
The last statement was enough for the team to follow him through the abandonded factory. Robin guided them through dark hallways like he knew his way by heart, which he almost did. They searched for Zucco or his thugs, and they weren't successful until Superboy announced, "I hear voices and footsteps, I thinkthey are coming our way."
The teenages stopped their pace and hid behind some boxes -which Robin found incredibly cliché.
The footsteps were soon loud enoght for the rest of the team to hear them, and Dick looked over the large boxes and scowled as a tall, well-built and dressed up man with gray hair and a toothpick between his teeth came into the scene. Zucco.
"Zucco's here guys," he reported.
"Connor, can you tell us what they are talking about?" asked Kaldur as he heard muffled voices.
"I'll go to the girder up there so I can get a better view," said Robin, just before he silently flipped off, not even waiting for his leader's aproval.
He flipped over the boxes and landed on the roof of an old machine. He saw a girder above the large machine, backed away a little, and run towards the edge of the machine, jumping at last moment an grabbing himself to the girder, pulling himself up afterwards. He kept jumping, flipping and turning to each girder until he got the perfect view.
He looked down to see Zucco conversing with a man who seemed to be in steroids. The strong man, his brother. Robin remembered that Batman had found each of his brothers before he found him and one of them was that man.
"Guys," he called through the mind link "The man, the strong man, is Zucco's brother."
"Isn't he Zucco too, then?" inquired Miss Martian curiously.
"Well, yes... But let's just refer to Tony Zucco as Zucco," said Wally.
"I agree with Wally. Let's just call the steroids guy Kevin," agreed Artemis.
"Kevin? Seriously?"
"Yes Baywatch, unless you want to call him Wallace."
Robin couldn't see Kid Flash from where he was, but he could imagine his offended expression.
However, before Wally could come up with a sassy reply, Superboy started talking, "They are talking about a way to transport drugs. Zucco suggested they use a circus, he said 'for ol' times sakes'."
Robin clenched his fist and teeth. He started grumbling some rather colourful words, and made few suggestions of where he could shove up those knifes he had.
Heavy footsteps were heard, making Robin look down, and almost inmediately a thug appeared carrying a gun, running toward the duo. He started gasping for air and telling the brothers something he didn't hear.
"He's saying that a thug saw us," said Connor urgently.
"Robin, come down here and guide us to the nearest exit when necesary. We need more information," Aqualad ordered.
"Will do," assured Robin.
He started to go down to where the team was, and his unlucky self had to step on a bean that creaked slightly.
He grimaced at the chirring sound and his head snapped towards Zucco, to see if he heard.
Today was definetely not his lucky day. Tony Zucco was looking in his direction, an evil grin slowly creeping up his face.
"Uh, guys? Zucco spotted me," he informed.
"Will our missions ever stay covert?" Artemis asked.
"Robin, the Boy Wonder!" he exclaimed, opening his arms. "It's been a long time, don't you think?"
Robin jumped off the girder he was onto, and swiftly landed on the cold stone floor, a few feet away from the man. He straightened up and glared at Zucco, who didn't seem affected by it.
"I am absolutely thrilled to see you again..." he paused for a few seconds, his evil grin turning into a smirk. "Richard."

Hi!
So what do you think?
I am sorry if it's kinda shitty, but I had an... let's just say eventful day.
Thanks for voting and commenting in my last chapter ^-^
Well, I'm off. I should be studying for ny English test... Or does this count like studying? At least the writing part... I mean, I'm kinda practicing English...
I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! :3
Bye!