A Twist of Fate

Chapter 6

When Batman finally came back the Team got their mission they had been waiting for but this one was different. Hostages. They had never had a hostage crisis. They knew any failed step and people would die and not them. Innocent people. They were conveniently on the top of the surrounding buildings in the middle of the night. Kalder gave Magan the signal to link everyone up.

"Everyone on line?" Magan asked.

"You know it." Wally told the martian with little to no flirtation. He had stopped none to subtlety after meeting 'Richard' and had been trying his best not to show it.

Artemis mentally sighed, "Here."

Connor only grunted and Zatanna wasn't there today. Her grades had dropped drastically and Zatara wasn't going to let his daughter get away with it. So it was just the main five on this very delicate mission.

"Alright here is the plan," Kalder told them.

~ ~ ~

Dick crouched on a beam high in the rafters, staring down at the clump of tied and gagged school kids. Only three guards were guarding them. He counted the kids, frowning when he counted three less than the number Slade had told them there would be. Slade was rarely wrong or miss counted. The kids were barely above five and had tariffed looks and some softly sobbed. What the men didn't know was that in the pile of kids there was one very rich aristocrat and a parent that wanted him or her back. Paying quite a price to Slade to get all the children back. Slade had sent Dick as a way of getting his feet wet in the field. It was easy enough but first, Dick jumped across beams until he could slip into the shadows of the warehouse, he needed to find the missing three kids.

It didn't take him long since the men weren't trying to be subtle. They were barking about prices and laughing when the kids flinched from the men looking them over. It was disgusting and Dick knew exactly what the men were going to do with the three kids. Two being cute little girls, and one very shy boy that was tiny compared to the men around them. They were going to action them. It was sickening and most villains stayed far away from the human trafficking market. Dick waited for the right moment counting each man, their weak spots, and what weapon they had on them.

The moment came when the walkie talkie went off saying that there was nothing amiss. A man, Dick presumed in charge, said good and to report back again in an hour. Dick moved swiftly from the shadows, going after the leader first and knocking him out. The men froze in shock but Dick wasn't. In ten seconds thirteen men were on the floor out like a light. The three kids stared wide eyed at their rescuer like Dick was their hero. His winced internally, Dick didn't want to be a hero to anyone.

Silently he tied the perverts up before going to the three kids, putting a finger to his lips to tell them to be silent. They nodded not making a sound when he took the gags out and united them.

"Ok," Dick whispered, "I need you three to stay right here. I need to help your classmates out there and they can't know you're free yet, ok?"

The three nodded.

Dick got up repeating, "Stay right here." He waggled his finger like Will did to him when he was trying to be serious. The kids nodded again.

Turning, he slipped back into the shadows, back to the bigger group. The shadows greeting him like a long lost lover. Caressing and enclosing and safe. Dick greeted it eagerly, slipping back into the main room where the three guards were. They had huddled around a card table playing what looked to be black jack. 'Not even poker,' Dick thought. Slipping out he knocked the three out like it was nothing. They dropped like ants under boots. Taking the men and extra rope he tied them up, before getting the three others.

"Help me untie your friends." He told them in a normal volume. There was no need for silence now. The bad guys were subdued and no stealth was needed anymore. Now he just had to get the kids to a police HQ. That was going to be tricky. He untied the kids un-gagging them and counting them once again. It was harder and had to do it three or four times but they were all there. He heard the sirens then, "O' thank the gods," He muttered, "Reminder, ask Slade how to get thirty kids back to the police."

He waited until the police barged in before disappearing to the shadows and out through the roof. On that roof he watched as the kids were put in as many cop cars as they could driving back and forth from the present. He wanted to make sure they would all be fine.

"Who are you?" Called a voice behind him.

Dick smirked underneath his mask. Slade had told him that Batman might send his teen squad for this mission. Dick wanted to try and also to see if he could do it faster than the young heroes. Getting up out of his crotch he turned to face Young Justice. He recognized all of them even covered in heavy shadow. Aqualad, Kid Flash, Artemis, Miss Martian, and the Superboy clone. Slade never did tell him who was under the masks, saying if he wanted to know he would find out himself. The only one he really wanted to know was Batman and he found out. Slade had only shook his head, muttering about big annoying bats and their egos.

Artemis sucked in a startled breath. She knew the style he was wearing. His suit wasn't that creative. His being nearly exactly replicated Slade's outfit except he had chosen Blue over orange. Silver and Gold had been the elder brothers Grant and Joey's chosen color. Blue was his. He always loved the color blue. It reminded him of the sky that he used to stare at for hours on end with his parents.

"Your one of Deathstroke's students." Artemis hissed.

Dick shrugged, "Name's Renegade, and yes I'm one of Deathstroke's students."

"Why save a bunch of kids?" Kid Flash hissed.

With a grin he said the words Slade had always told Batman, "Because I was paid too." It made the traffic colored hero sneer. It didn't look right on the teens face. Peeking down to see that all the kids had gotten to safely, "Well my work is done." With a wave he jumped off the edge and disappeared into the night.