Luthor's Assassin

Batman

Dick was summoned to Lex's office at about midday. He entered Luthor's office hesitantly and stood in front of the desk where Luthor sat. Mercy was standing at attention nearby.

The young assassin was silent for a while, waiting respectfully, as he had been taught, for Luthor to notice him. Deathstroke had been merciless that morning in training, and when he shifted awkwardly to avoid putting pressure on his bruised leg, the genius finally noticed him.

"Ah, Richard!" Luthor purred, shooting him a dangerously sweet smile. "Good to see you. Please, sit down."

Dick warily did as he was told, sitting in the seat offered.

There was silence for a moment, and then Lex began to speak.

"I have been very, very pleased in your progress recently, Richard."

Dick's eyebrows shot up in surprise. This hadn't been what he was expecting, but who was he to complain?

Luthor continued.

"In fact, I have been so impressed with the array of skills you have collected that I believe I can trust you with an important mission directly from me."

Dick narrowed his eyes, still not speaking, slightly worried now. What was this so-called mission? He really, really didn't want to... you know... end someone again.

"Are you interested, Richard?" Lex questioned, and Dick met the genius' gaze steadily.

"Yes..." he remarked, trailing off at the end in hesitance. Luthor seemed to pick up on his worries.

"Ah, not to worry, my boy. A simple... collection, that's all this is."

Dick nodded, now very much interested. Since the contract with Slade and those two drug dealers, he hadn't really been out of Lexcorp's facilities. He was eager for some action, to put his newly learned skills to the test.

"Excellent. Tell me, boy, what do know about kryptonite?"

Dick thought for a second before speaking.

"From the destroyed planet Krypton, green, glows, and its Superman's only known weakness," he recited. And one of your obsessions, he thought, but of course he didn't say that out loud.

Luthor nodded.

"So, a basic knowledge, then. And that is all you need to know. However, there is a shipment of kryptonite in the Space museum in Gotham. I want you to get it, and bring it back to me."

"Steal it?" Dick burst out, and then quickly pasted an excited look onto his face. "Awesome!"

Lex gave him an odd look before his expression returned to smug-know-it-all-genius like normal.

"A helicopter will be waiting for you on the launch pad."

_Line Break_

The helicopter ride to Gotham was hauntingly similar to his previous mission to take down the drug dealers, and Dick shuddered the entire way there despite himself. He was relieved when he was dropped off on the top of a building and left to his own devices.

As he approached the museum, jumping from building to building with circus skills, he rubbed his ear uncomfortably. It wasn't like he missed Slade's communicator, but he was so use to the mercenary's advice that it was a bit odd to hear the silence.

He arrived on top of the building and smirked at the skylight.

How cliché. Does every building in Gotham have a skylight? Or does the bat put them in specifically for his dramatic entrances?