The Competition Mission Re-Write

Countdown

There was no hesitation as everyone was called to Mt Justice. And there was no hesitation in them arriving.
"This is top level priority," Bruce started once everyone was in the room, "Kid Flash is being held captive in his civilian identity. We don't know where, we don't know who but we do know that if Richard Grayson isn't turned in within the next three and a half hours that they're going to kill him. We also can strongly suspect this is the same person who has been setting Grayson up."
"So we turn Grayson in and then prove his innocence?" Clark suggested.
"This will also play into his hands," I cut in before Bruce could, "The police will announce everything is safe, terrorist threat gone and therefore the attack on the finals will be easy for him. No resistance."
"So whatever way we play this he comes out with an advantage," Kaldur mused.
"Can we find out where Wally is being held?" Diana asked, "Tracking device or anything?"
"There is one in everyone's suits," Bruce explained, "But as he was taken out of costume, he's untraceable that way. The best we've got is if we split up and search. Nightwing, Batgirl and I will start at where he was kidnapped and see what we can follow. The rest of you spread over Gotham, Star City and Happy Harbour. He could be in any city in any building by now. We don't have much time so move."
"And if we don't find him in time?" Artemis asked.
"Grayson is standing by to hand himself in," Bruce tried to sound less defeated then he felt but I could sense it, "If we get to the last 10 minutes he'll walk in. It's likely he has someone there watching but if he doesn't that's enough time for it to hit the news before the time expires."
Everyone nodded and then we were off.
"I feel like my introduction to everyone was a little overshadowed," Babs said as we all jumped in the Batplane and flew to Star City.
"We promise to throw you a big party after this is over," I said, but dread was settling in my stomach.
I had three hours before I had to leave, de-kit and hand myself in if we found nothing. And I wasn't sure I was ready for my life to be over so quickly after I've just begun. The ride was in a tense silence, I could tell the others were thinking the same thing. We'd managed to get a step ahead, and now he'd thrown us under the bus again.
As we touched down just outside Wally's work, the streetlights the only illumination. I quickly switched to night vision and headed inside with Bruce as Babs surveyed outside. It was weird being at his lab, looking for him. Knowing he'd been here with his friends hours before us, and now everything was so different. The permeance you felt with your friends stripped away, vulnerable. Knowing that the next 3 hours might change your entire life.
God, it was like sitting an exam.
"Nothing out here," Babs' voice came through the comms.
"Nothing right," I replied, "They did a good job whoever they are."
"But not a perfect one," Bruce's voice finished off, "First Floor lab 3."
I broke into a run as his voice came through and straight to Bruce.
"What is it?" Babs asked as she joined us.
"He left a clue," Bruce explained as he picked up the Sim card, "Dick, can you hack it?"
"Just give me a couple minutes," I replied as I plugged it into my hologlove and began work.
A few minutes later and I was in, whatever he had left was probably in videos. And boom, there it was.
"It's not the man," I replied, "But it's a video recording of the moment, he must have known it was happening."
The others came over as the video played. It started off normal enough, just him recording himself making stupid faces, but I could see in his eyes that something was wrong. He was watching towards the top corner, and as I noticed it the camera flipped. A woman had come in, dressed in all blacks apart from the red front protector plate. But that wasn't what gave away who she was, I'd recognise Lady Shiva's movements anywhere. No one moved quite like the greatest assassin known to man. And she proved her title as she quickly made her way over to Wally, still making strange noises I assumed meant he was still pretending to film himself and just as she was close enough to the camera it stopped.
"We have new intel," Bruce said as soon as it was finished to the group comms, "Wally was taken by Lady Shiva. We're going to track her last known movements now."
"No one's ever been able to track her," Babs cut in as we followed Bruce back to the Batplane.
"No one's ever had this much motivation," Bruce growled back.

We arrived back at the the cave with 2 and a half hours before I had to go, just under 3 hours before the deadline.
"Her last movements were just over a year ago," Bruce explained as he logged onto the computer, "This is unusual. It's also unlikely she went into that contract not knowing who she was retrieving, she must have known she was being videoed."
"So she was either confident enough that the video wouldn't lead us to them in time, or she wasn't being paid enough to care," I suggested.
"Or she was asked to do that, lead us on a cold trail," Babs suggested.
"Unlikely," Bruce replied as he loaded up her file, "The chances of him videoing it were slim, this man works with what he knows. Everything is planned and the video, it's not guaranteed. It's not a cold trail."
I watched as he dealt out locations for members of the league to check, anywhere she had been and anywhere that might fit her profile. If we could find her she could lead us to him.
"What are we doing then?" Babs asked as he gave out the last location.
"Apart from the signature red, that wasn't her uniform," Bruce explained, "It was the same uniform our other guys were wearing. I'd already checked everything on them, including finding the manufacturer. There was one lead that was promising that I haven't had the time to look into. We're off to Bludhaven."

The warehouse was promising. We had been forced to park a couple rooftops over when we saw the lights were on and now we sat just across, looking in at the workers.
"Do you think they'll know?" Babs asked.
"No" Bruce replied, "I want you two to sneak in through the doors and get into that back office. Download everything off their system. We can trace the purchase of the uniform I took from the first victim and follow the trail. I'll distract the workers."
"Wait," I grabbed his arm just as he was about to leap in, "If any of them do work for him, they know about us being a team. Babs, she's more of a secret. Yes he knows about her, they might not. Let me come with you, she can do this alone."
"Alright, once you've got everything you get straight back out of there and let us know," Bruce said and Babs nodded before disappearing into the street.
Bruce and I waited a few more seconds before breaking in through the window. Instantly all attention became fixed on us as we landed. Let them reveal their first move, decide what they know. And they must not have known a lot as half of them started cowering, another couple running and the rest just staring.
"Far left," Bruce muttered and I turned my attention to the one person who wasn't as scared as the rest.
I knew him.
"That's the guy that was pretending to be me," I replied, "He knows the boss personally."
Bruce nodded as we moved over and the man quickly broke into a run. Towards us. Idiot.
Bruce quickly knocked him down with a simple punch, he obviously wasn't as skilled as combat as he was at theft. I quickly reached down and placed a stick in his mouth whilst he was down whilst Bruce prepared a mouth guard. We didn't want him killing himself, especially not that he was now our best lead. He was just about to get back up as Bruce shoved it in his mouth.
"Talk, before I make you," He growled just as Babs came back out from the office with the memory stick.
"One, I've got all their records on here, and after a quick look through there have been multiple purchases to Jonathon Doe," She said, "Two, who's this?"
"One, fancy way to say John Doe, definitely gonna look into that one," I replied, "Two, this is the guy that's been running around and pretending to be me."
"Talk," Bruce shouted as he began to twist the mans arm, "I can break every bone in your body."
"Maybe we should step outside..." Babs suggested as the man let out an unholy scream and we quickly did.
"Did you get his address?" I asked.
"Yeah, 26 Poppleton House, room 7, Gotham City," She said, "He's been working close to us the entire time."
"Unless it's a fake address," I said, "Even so, they'll be evidence there. We'll go now, take the Zeta's whilst Bruce finishes up here. I'll tell him. Just wait here."
"Why can't I come too?" Babs asked, "I got the information."
"Just find the location of the nearest beam," I countered.
Truth, I don't think she's ready to see how we deal with interrogations under time limits yet. And the way Bruce was looking, this would be the worst to start her on. I was right. All his fingers on his left hand had been broken and Bruce had moved over to his right, the arm already bent at the wrong angle.
"Babs and I are going to check John Doe's address, see if there is any evidence there, I'll send the coordinates, meet us there?" I asked.
"Stay safe," He called back before turning back to the man, "He still has more to tell me."