Post by qpq on Sept 11, 2011 23:05:05 GMT -5
Synopsis: Shortly after Bruce leaves Dick is ready to continue with his plan to visit with Syracusa when Trina comes in worked over. Instead he and Ray take Trina to the hospital talk with the police and Dick returns to his plan to meet Syracusa at the Pelican Club where he gets the name of the person that had his family executed.
----
Dick stood there waiting for the man and his butler to leave unsure what to say or do right at this moment as he had a myriad of other thoughts on his mind. Wayne’s proposition was not at the top of them. Not today. He didn’t know where it would fall. Turning back to head towards the stairs he paused looking over at Ray who seemed to be waiting for something.
He could hear the question before it was asked causing him to shake his head. “I don’t know, Ray.” He couldn’t answer the question, not right now. He wanted a little time so he could figure it all out. It seemed that social services either knew more than they were telling or they were being tipped off. There were so many questions that began to sprout deep within in his mind that if he thought about it he knew that he would head towards a place that he shouldn’t be.
Running his tongue along his lips he moved towards the steps when there was a sound from the front of the garage.
“I don’t …handle it, Ray. I’m out,” he informed him while he started up the stairs.
Ray looked towards Dick then back towards the front of the garage where the shop came from. He began to head towards it when there was another sound more like a commotion. It was a familiar sound, one of oil cans and other containers striking the floor.
Dick paused for a moment before deciding to come back down the stairs.
“Dick!” He didn’t need to hear anything else. He moved towards the front of the garage and found Ray bent over Trina’s bruise and battered body. He could feel his stomach tighten at the sight while he looked her over. She had been hurt bad. An eye had already began to swell shut and the right side of her face had a deep cut that ran up her cheek towards her ear.
“Trina..” He woke from the shock that had begun settle in moving towards her. Pulling her up slightly her stared into her eyes. “Trina, can you hear me?” He didn’t know if he walked her on her own or if she was dumped her. It didn’t matter to him. She was here. Worked over didn’t even begin to describe what happened to her. She cried out when Ray tried to move her. He passed her to Dick who began to search for something to wipe away some of the blood that ran from the scar.
“I got away.” She whispered shaking in his arms. “I got away, Dick.” She looked up at him with her good eye tear trailing out of it while it shut.
“Ray’s calling the EMT’s. Trina just hang on.” He didn’t need to ask who did this. He knew who did it from the scar on her face. It was deep and without surgery it was going to leave a scar a reminder of who she got in the way of. Got in the way, crossed none of it matter it was Syracusa.
He pulled her close because this wasn’t happening not because of someone connected to that man. He could surrender to the anger, but he wouldn’t. Trina needed someone to hold onto and it would be him. He could hear Ray on the phone, but his voice was muffled, it sounded distorted, perhaps it was the sound of Trina coughing and telling Dick that she should have listened to him.
“Shh. None of that matters right now. Just hold on.” He didn’t know how bad it was and he wouldn’t speculate. All he would tell himself was that the ambulance was on the way that any minute the EMTs would come bursting through the door. He could feel himself gathering her up into his arms, because he didn’t want to hear it, but Ray was already headed their way.
“They’re on their way.” But this wasn’t other cities it was Gotham and he knew what could lay between point A and point B.
“Get the car.” The car it wasn’t Dick’s it was Ray’s.
“Dick.”
“GET IT RAY!” He told him moving towards the front as Ray headed in the opposite direction. It took less than two minutes for them to get situated. Dick in the back with Trina and Ray in the front and he was gunning it to Gotham General. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest just like it did while he waited for news on his family. Hoping, wanting there to be told someone survive that he wasn’t alone. He didn’t want to go through losing another person.
He told her to stay away. To stay out of it. He told her at least a dozen times to get the hell out of Gotham. Start over. Start somewhere new.
When the car came to a halt he was moving out of it heading into the ER while Ray called out for a doctor. There was some commotion something about going through a metal detector, but Dick didn’t’ stop.
“SHE NEEDS HELP!” He called out as one of the nurses and an ER doctor came rushing out gurney with them. He slid her to it and the questions came as they uncovered the bruises under her clothing. There was talk of internal bleeding and he remembered someone telling him that there would be questions, that the police would want answers.
Dick’s jaw tightened while he looked towards Ray.
He would stay for the questions, but then he had to go. He had to go, because if he didn’t Syracusa would get away with it. He’d get away with everything and that had to stop. It all had to stop.
“They’re going to want answers, Dick,” Ray started. He pulled off the baseball cap that he had been wearing the entire time. First time he pulled it off this night. Despite as much as he tried there was still sweat along the man’s brow. It began to mix with the smudges of grease along his face. He wasn’t so much nervous as he was concerned. Concerned about Trina, concerned about what Dick might do. Dick’s face had gone unreadable the moment they passed Trina to the doctors. She was in theirs and God’s hands now and Dick couldn’t do anything. He knew that Ray would tell him that he could pray, but prayer would only get you so far.
“We don’t have the answers, Ray.” That was the answer. All they could, all they would and all the should tell the cops was what happened. Trina came into the garage barely able to walk, she fell over and they came out and saw her. They called emergency services, but didn’t want to take chances so they brought her in. What more was there to say?
“If they ask then yes we’ll tell them that she turned tricks. As far as we know it could be a john that did this to her or her pimp.” Ricky was long gone though. Dick had seen to that. That alone was going to get her in trouble, because Ricky was just a step above in the food chain, but going missing that wasn’t a part of the plan. They kept tabs. Someone was always keep tabs and if he didn’t report in then there would be questions and there would be someone new. She gotten herself tied up with someone that was connected, someone that was part of the organized crime that ran rampant through Gotham so when he didn’t send in what the “girls” were making then someone was going to come and check-up. Money is money and you never fuck with someone’s money. It was an unwritten rule that touched everyone no matter who they were.
She was supposed to leave that was the agreement. The only way that all of this could go away is if she leave and she did but only for a few weeks. Trina got in her head that she had someone looking out for her. Dick wasn’t trying to look out for anyone. He wanted to right a wrong and she was only a distraction. She brought problems with her. She had problems on top of problems and it didn’t take that the only way she could free herself from those problems were if she walked away from the life she knew. She had to turn her back on everything she had and start over, and as difficult as that was Dick knew that it was for the best. Unfortunately Trina wasn’t strong enough. She tried to insinuate herself into his life and when that didn’t work she went to extremes to get his attention, anyone’s attention.
He could wait it out, but he wouldn’t because he already had an idea of what happened, but he needed confirmation. This was exactly why he was short with her earlier in the day, because he wanted her to let go, give up and leave. Someone saw her. She put herself out there and she was the only one that hadn’t reported in which meant that there was another reason to work her over. Remind her who she works for and if she let it slip about Ricky then they had cause to suspect that she was involved with his disappearance.
He did the right thing that’s all he told himself, but that wasn’t going to make any of it go away. It wasn’t going to change the fact that she was probably going into surgery right this moment. It wasn’t going to change the fact that this was going to bring him more trouble than he bargained for. All of this ran through his mind while he stood there facing Ray.
He was calmer than Ray. If he didn’t go now then he might lose his chance.
“I’ll talk to them. Afterwards I’m going.” He didn’t know what Ray knew and at the moment he didn’t care. Ray knew enough not to answer questions. He knew enough to just stay out of it. It kept him alive for now, but there would be a time when that wouldn’t be enough. Dick was pretty certain that that time was here. If he left the hospital and tried to put an end to it then Ray was going to be safe.
Unless you worked for one of the families in Gotham actions had consequences. If you did work for them stupid actions had consequences. His actions would have consequences. Shifting his eyes to look past Ray he could see the police walking in their direction. “Ray. I’m going to get you out of this. I’m going to get you out of everything, but you’re going to have to trust me. You’re going to have to do everything I say and you’re going to have to leave.” If it had been yesterday or even a few hours earlier he might have told him to take Trina with him, but she was tangled up in it now. That was going to take work she was going to have to figure out a deal. She was going to have to work with the police.
“What about you, Dick,” Ray got out as the cops got closer.
“I have options. I just have one little thing to take care of, before I cash one of them in.”
True to his word Dick told the police what he knew, not to say that he let a lot of information out. Not that he wouldn’t mind implicating someone in what happened with Trina. He had a good idea of who he was, but no proof so Dick could only share what he knew. He shared exactly what he told Ray that he would be sharing. He could infer suspicions, but that’s all he could do at this point. He knew what Trina was up to, but how would he explain of all of that. That would simply shift the focus from the people that it should be on to him exactly where he didn’t want it. After he spoke with the officers he told Ray that he was headed home. The police stated that they might want to contact him and thanked him for his assistance.
Upon returning to the garage Dick went right up to his room and continued with what he was doing before. This time he had a little more incentive to get this done. He knew that Trina shouldn’t have been caught in the crossfire, but she placed herself there, but there was no excuse for what happened.
Walking over towards the closet he pulled out the coveralls he needed followed by the steel toed boots. He continued grabbing the things that he needed until he was set and began to change. He made sure that he layered a few things until he felt that it was just right. He also made sure that he had gloves that he could work with. If Ray was here he would probably tell him to think about what he was about to do, but Dick was certain of what he was about to do. He wasn’t going to rethink his decision.
When he was done he looked himself over in the mirror grabbed the last thing that was on the mental list and made his way back down stairs. Stepping out the back of the shop he knew that this was going to be it. He wouldn’t be coming back after this. He had things stashed at another location. Ray would get a call and that would be the end of that he wouldn’t have to worry about Dick again. Social Services could come around all they wanted, but he wasn’t going back. He was told old for the BS they would put him through and he knew that they were only doing their jobs, but he was beyond that he believed that it was time for him to move on.
In the back of his mind he was still mulling Wayne’s offer, but he didn’t know how this was all going to pan out. He didn’t know who was going to come out on top, because if he pulled it off he knew it would only lead to more questions. Questions that would lead him to another person. It wouldn’t be done not by a long shot. He wanted it to stop, but in order to make it stop it meant that he had to keep going until everyone that was involved from Trina to his parents were brought to justice.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs he reached for his helmet and slipped it on while starting the bike. Reving it a few times he had wished he had enough time to go over everything again like he planned, but between Wayne’s visit, Trina’s ordeal and the cops he didn’t have the time he wanted. Sometimes you had to play the hand that you were dealt. Dick knew if he put it off it would be one thing after the other. He would continue to get held back until he found himself months down the line instead of setting it off. Can’t hold back. Can’t turn away. Backing down isn’t an option, not today, not tomorrow, not any day. It wasn’t allowed.
Shutting his eyes for a moment he thought about what mattered most. He thought about why he was doing this and why it mattered to him. Gotham had become his home. Unintended, but you can’t change what was. You can only change what shall be and what is. He couldn’t change the fact that his parents were dead. He couldn’t change the fact that Trina had gotten involved or that she had gotten attacked.
Those were things that he could not change. He could do something about it and it could be more than going to the police or to the DA or trying to rally people together to make a chance. People were to scared and to lost in despair to believe that change could happen. There were rumors of the bat, everyone said he was real. Dick had yet to see him, but he believed him. There were pictures, blurry ones, but the Bat was anything but an urban legend. There were more and more sightings over the years and even though he kept out of the public eye for the most part unlike the great hope of Metropolis, Gotham had its very own sentinel a knight, but one knight couldn’t do it alone.
He wasn’t looking for anyone to fix his problems or save him. In Richard Grayson’s mind he wasn’t the one that needed the saving and as the bike revved once more he let go of the brake and raced into the darkness of the night heading towards his date with destiny.
“Read and weep fellas. Three kings, two queens. I told you that things were looking up tonight.” The man chuckled rubbing the index finger of his right hand just above his upper lip. Every and now and then it itched and any other person would believe it was nothing more than a mild irritation, but Tony Syracusa, it usually meant that it was good time for him to step on. He didn’t linger to long after that. Perhaps if he felt he was lucky. If it happened once then he might play the odds, but twice he was usually on his way out. It had only been once this night and that had been enough for him.
“Time to collect my winnings.” His arms slipped around the pile of cash intending on drawing them to him when Mickey snorted.
“You think you’re going to cut and run like that Syracusa?” The corners of his mouths twitched. “Gotta give us a chance to win some of our dough back. I go home to Maude…” He started.
“And she will straight flip you,” another man chuckled out.
“Shut your yap Johnny.”
Tony continued to draw his winnings towards him listening as the others continued to bicker back and forth. He smirked a little, but there was that itch again. He rubbed the top of his upper lip pausing. Twice already. He needed to hit the road before he got held up. He ran in to Trina and that alone gave him cause for concern. He roughed her up and it was better to be on the road out of Gotham let it blow over and then come back into town a few months down the line. Right now things were…they were a tad hot.
He got his cash together and Mickey was the first to reach out to him. “Man what’s with you. You acting like your’e running from the Bat.” Tony could only chuckle at that a small time hood like him we’ll that’s not true. There was nothing small time about him. He wasn’t exactly big leagues either. He worked for the families, but he wouldn’t say that he was in the upper echelons. He wanted to get there, but he knew enough to keep his nose clean. He needed to talk to Danny about his girl. She crossed the line and he wanted to know who she was talking to or working for or both. She was saying things that was making him wonder about the information that she was getting.
“No, I need to go. I have business I need to take care of. I have no bat problems. That’s you and your fools.” He told him with a smirk. “Besides if you’re betting the rent money you deserve what’s waiting for you at home. Give Maude my regards.” He told him and shoved the cash into his pocket grabbing his bag afterwards.
“Lates fellas. Don’t stay out to late you know how your ladies can get.” He chuckled and began making his way out of the back room of the Pelican Club. He rubbed the top of his lip again. It didn’t itch, but he did have a bad feeling. He hated it. Making his way pass the bar he gave mock salute to the bartender, Louie, continued along the way and headed out the door moving towards the parking lot. Sniffing a bit he looked around and headed towards his car. Be backed in like he normally did. Hitting the alarm he reached for the door and before he could open the door he was covered in glass.
“What the…” He fell back and began scrambling back. He looked up and saw a hole in the window of driver side door. Moving to his feet the sound of glass falling down to the ground could be heard as he looked into the car and he swore he saw a tire in the passenger side seat.
Turning he looked up and only saw someone coming down towards him a figure he couldn’t make out. It landed on the roof of the car, but not before clipping the top of his head with his boot. The loud thud on the roof of the car was followed by a movement as Tony turned catching a boot in the face. Sending him back against the car beside his. He fell down to the ground and began to reach for his piece on cry out as the back his hand was pierced by a throwing knife.
The figure clad in a motorcycle helmet leapt down crouching as he slammed Syracusa against the other car twisting the knife a bit.
“Who the fuck..” He started and found himself crying out as the man’s fist cracked his jaw shattering it with the brass knuckles.
“I ask the questions.” He told him in a gruff tone. “And you answer.”
It was dark and the man made sure not to look in to let the Syrcusa get a good look.
“I want to know.” He told him.
“Who did you work for before you started working the families.” Someone got him in and he wanted to know who he was. Dick drew the man up and slammed him against the car while he produced an asp flicking it out. “Who!” He growled out at him before he drew the item up.
“Why does it matter to you?” He mumbled out.
“It matters because it does. Who did you work for before you got involved with the Gognittis?” He brought the asp down shattering bones in Syracusa’s free hand causing him to cry out.
“Zucco!” He cried out and just then as he was about to bring the asp down again there was voices from behind. A shot was fired.
“Tony is that you.” Dick moved and reached for another knife several actual and threw them with deadly accuracy. Hands were cut and there was shouts of pain. Mickey was already to close and just as he thought he had the upper hand on the masked individual Dick round housed him and brought his fist to his throat. He reached for the wrist and broke his arm with a blow to the right spot. The others were moving, but they were to slow. He was up and over the fence and already traveling up the fire escape of the building beside them.
“There were shots fired and though he continued moving one grazed him just as he reached the roof and he continued moving.” He didn’t look back he made his way down into the alley and the roar of an engine could be heard. He was three blocks away and already racing down the alley out onto the open road knowing that he was bleeding. He needed to check other spots, but there was only one thing on his mind at the moment. A name. A person. Another piece of the puzzle.
Zucco.
----
Dick stood there waiting for the man and his butler to leave unsure what to say or do right at this moment as he had a myriad of other thoughts on his mind. Wayne’s proposition was not at the top of them. Not today. He didn’t know where it would fall. Turning back to head towards the stairs he paused looking over at Ray who seemed to be waiting for something.
He could hear the question before it was asked causing him to shake his head. “I don’t know, Ray.” He couldn’t answer the question, not right now. He wanted a little time so he could figure it all out. It seemed that social services either knew more than they were telling or they were being tipped off. There were so many questions that began to sprout deep within in his mind that if he thought about it he knew that he would head towards a place that he shouldn’t be.
Running his tongue along his lips he moved towards the steps when there was a sound from the front of the garage.
“I don’t …handle it, Ray. I’m out,” he informed him while he started up the stairs.
Ray looked towards Dick then back towards the front of the garage where the shop came from. He began to head towards it when there was another sound more like a commotion. It was a familiar sound, one of oil cans and other containers striking the floor.
Dick paused for a moment before deciding to come back down the stairs.
“Dick!” He didn’t need to hear anything else. He moved towards the front of the garage and found Ray bent over Trina’s bruise and battered body. He could feel his stomach tighten at the sight while he looked her over. She had been hurt bad. An eye had already began to swell shut and the right side of her face had a deep cut that ran up her cheek towards her ear.
“Trina..” He woke from the shock that had begun settle in moving towards her. Pulling her up slightly her stared into her eyes. “Trina, can you hear me?” He didn’t know if he walked her on her own or if she was dumped her. It didn’t matter to him. She was here. Worked over didn’t even begin to describe what happened to her. She cried out when Ray tried to move her. He passed her to Dick who began to search for something to wipe away some of the blood that ran from the scar.
“I got away.” She whispered shaking in his arms. “I got away, Dick.” She looked up at him with her good eye tear trailing out of it while it shut.
“Ray’s calling the EMT’s. Trina just hang on.” He didn’t need to ask who did this. He knew who did it from the scar on her face. It was deep and without surgery it was going to leave a scar a reminder of who she got in the way of. Got in the way, crossed none of it matter it was Syracusa.
He pulled her close because this wasn’t happening not because of someone connected to that man. He could surrender to the anger, but he wouldn’t. Trina needed someone to hold onto and it would be him. He could hear Ray on the phone, but his voice was muffled, it sounded distorted, perhaps it was the sound of Trina coughing and telling Dick that she should have listened to him.
“Shh. None of that matters right now. Just hold on.” He didn’t know how bad it was and he wouldn’t speculate. All he would tell himself was that the ambulance was on the way that any minute the EMTs would come bursting through the door. He could feel himself gathering her up into his arms, because he didn’t want to hear it, but Ray was already headed their way.
“They’re on their way.” But this wasn’t other cities it was Gotham and he knew what could lay between point A and point B.
“Get the car.” The car it wasn’t Dick’s it was Ray’s.
“Dick.”
“GET IT RAY!” He told him moving towards the front as Ray headed in the opposite direction. It took less than two minutes for them to get situated. Dick in the back with Trina and Ray in the front and he was gunning it to Gotham General. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest just like it did while he waited for news on his family. Hoping, wanting there to be told someone survive that he wasn’t alone. He didn’t want to go through losing another person.
He told her to stay away. To stay out of it. He told her at least a dozen times to get the hell out of Gotham. Start over. Start somewhere new.
When the car came to a halt he was moving out of it heading into the ER while Ray called out for a doctor. There was some commotion something about going through a metal detector, but Dick didn’t’ stop.
“SHE NEEDS HELP!” He called out as one of the nurses and an ER doctor came rushing out gurney with them. He slid her to it and the questions came as they uncovered the bruises under her clothing. There was talk of internal bleeding and he remembered someone telling him that there would be questions, that the police would want answers.
Dick’s jaw tightened while he looked towards Ray.
He would stay for the questions, but then he had to go. He had to go, because if he didn’t Syracusa would get away with it. He’d get away with everything and that had to stop. It all had to stop.
“They’re going to want answers, Dick,” Ray started. He pulled off the baseball cap that he had been wearing the entire time. First time he pulled it off this night. Despite as much as he tried there was still sweat along the man’s brow. It began to mix with the smudges of grease along his face. He wasn’t so much nervous as he was concerned. Concerned about Trina, concerned about what Dick might do. Dick’s face had gone unreadable the moment they passed Trina to the doctors. She was in theirs and God’s hands now and Dick couldn’t do anything. He knew that Ray would tell him that he could pray, but prayer would only get you so far.
“We don’t have the answers, Ray.” That was the answer. All they could, all they would and all the should tell the cops was what happened. Trina came into the garage barely able to walk, she fell over and they came out and saw her. They called emergency services, but didn’t want to take chances so they brought her in. What more was there to say?
“If they ask then yes we’ll tell them that she turned tricks. As far as we know it could be a john that did this to her or her pimp.” Ricky was long gone though. Dick had seen to that. That alone was going to get her in trouble, because Ricky was just a step above in the food chain, but going missing that wasn’t a part of the plan. They kept tabs. Someone was always keep tabs and if he didn’t report in then there would be questions and there would be someone new. She gotten herself tied up with someone that was connected, someone that was part of the organized crime that ran rampant through Gotham so when he didn’t send in what the “girls” were making then someone was going to come and check-up. Money is money and you never fuck with someone’s money. It was an unwritten rule that touched everyone no matter who they were.
She was supposed to leave that was the agreement. The only way that all of this could go away is if she leave and she did but only for a few weeks. Trina got in her head that she had someone looking out for her. Dick wasn’t trying to look out for anyone. He wanted to right a wrong and she was only a distraction. She brought problems with her. She had problems on top of problems and it didn’t take that the only way she could free herself from those problems were if she walked away from the life she knew. She had to turn her back on everything she had and start over, and as difficult as that was Dick knew that it was for the best. Unfortunately Trina wasn’t strong enough. She tried to insinuate herself into his life and when that didn’t work she went to extremes to get his attention, anyone’s attention.
He could wait it out, but he wouldn’t because he already had an idea of what happened, but he needed confirmation. This was exactly why he was short with her earlier in the day, because he wanted her to let go, give up and leave. Someone saw her. She put herself out there and she was the only one that hadn’t reported in which meant that there was another reason to work her over. Remind her who she works for and if she let it slip about Ricky then they had cause to suspect that she was involved with his disappearance.
He did the right thing that’s all he told himself, but that wasn’t going to make any of it go away. It wasn’t going to change the fact that she was probably going into surgery right this moment. It wasn’t going to change the fact that this was going to bring him more trouble than he bargained for. All of this ran through his mind while he stood there facing Ray.
He was calmer than Ray. If he didn’t go now then he might lose his chance.
“I’ll talk to them. Afterwards I’m going.” He didn’t know what Ray knew and at the moment he didn’t care. Ray knew enough not to answer questions. He knew enough to just stay out of it. It kept him alive for now, but there would be a time when that wouldn’t be enough. Dick was pretty certain that that time was here. If he left the hospital and tried to put an end to it then Ray was going to be safe.
Unless you worked for one of the families in Gotham actions had consequences. If you did work for them stupid actions had consequences. His actions would have consequences. Shifting his eyes to look past Ray he could see the police walking in their direction. “Ray. I’m going to get you out of this. I’m going to get you out of everything, but you’re going to have to trust me. You’re going to have to do everything I say and you’re going to have to leave.” If it had been yesterday or even a few hours earlier he might have told him to take Trina with him, but she was tangled up in it now. That was going to take work she was going to have to figure out a deal. She was going to have to work with the police.
“What about you, Dick,” Ray got out as the cops got closer.
“I have options. I just have one little thing to take care of, before I cash one of them in.”
True to his word Dick told the police what he knew, not to say that he let a lot of information out. Not that he wouldn’t mind implicating someone in what happened with Trina. He had a good idea of who he was, but no proof so Dick could only share what he knew. He shared exactly what he told Ray that he would be sharing. He could infer suspicions, but that’s all he could do at this point. He knew what Trina was up to, but how would he explain of all of that. That would simply shift the focus from the people that it should be on to him exactly where he didn’t want it. After he spoke with the officers he told Ray that he was headed home. The police stated that they might want to contact him and thanked him for his assistance.
Upon returning to the garage Dick went right up to his room and continued with what he was doing before. This time he had a little more incentive to get this done. He knew that Trina shouldn’t have been caught in the crossfire, but she placed herself there, but there was no excuse for what happened.
Walking over towards the closet he pulled out the coveralls he needed followed by the steel toed boots. He continued grabbing the things that he needed until he was set and began to change. He made sure that he layered a few things until he felt that it was just right. He also made sure that he had gloves that he could work with. If Ray was here he would probably tell him to think about what he was about to do, but Dick was certain of what he was about to do. He wasn’t going to rethink his decision.
When he was done he looked himself over in the mirror grabbed the last thing that was on the mental list and made his way back down stairs. Stepping out the back of the shop he knew that this was going to be it. He wouldn’t be coming back after this. He had things stashed at another location. Ray would get a call and that would be the end of that he wouldn’t have to worry about Dick again. Social Services could come around all they wanted, but he wasn’t going back. He was told old for the BS they would put him through and he knew that they were only doing their jobs, but he was beyond that he believed that it was time for him to move on.
In the back of his mind he was still mulling Wayne’s offer, but he didn’t know how this was all going to pan out. He didn’t know who was going to come out on top, because if he pulled it off he knew it would only lead to more questions. Questions that would lead him to another person. It wouldn’t be done not by a long shot. He wanted it to stop, but in order to make it stop it meant that he had to keep going until everyone that was involved from Trina to his parents were brought to justice.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs he reached for his helmet and slipped it on while starting the bike. Reving it a few times he had wished he had enough time to go over everything again like he planned, but between Wayne’s visit, Trina’s ordeal and the cops he didn’t have the time he wanted. Sometimes you had to play the hand that you were dealt. Dick knew if he put it off it would be one thing after the other. He would continue to get held back until he found himself months down the line instead of setting it off. Can’t hold back. Can’t turn away. Backing down isn’t an option, not today, not tomorrow, not any day. It wasn’t allowed.
Shutting his eyes for a moment he thought about what mattered most. He thought about why he was doing this and why it mattered to him. Gotham had become his home. Unintended, but you can’t change what was. You can only change what shall be and what is. He couldn’t change the fact that his parents were dead. He couldn’t change the fact that Trina had gotten involved or that she had gotten attacked.
Those were things that he could not change. He could do something about it and it could be more than going to the police or to the DA or trying to rally people together to make a chance. People were to scared and to lost in despair to believe that change could happen. There were rumors of the bat, everyone said he was real. Dick had yet to see him, but he believed him. There were pictures, blurry ones, but the Bat was anything but an urban legend. There were more and more sightings over the years and even though he kept out of the public eye for the most part unlike the great hope of Metropolis, Gotham had its very own sentinel a knight, but one knight couldn’t do it alone.
He wasn’t looking for anyone to fix his problems or save him. In Richard Grayson’s mind he wasn’t the one that needed the saving and as the bike revved once more he let go of the brake and raced into the darkness of the night heading towards his date with destiny.
“Read and weep fellas. Three kings, two queens. I told you that things were looking up tonight.” The man chuckled rubbing the index finger of his right hand just above his upper lip. Every and now and then it itched and any other person would believe it was nothing more than a mild irritation, but Tony Syracusa, it usually meant that it was good time for him to step on. He didn’t linger to long after that. Perhaps if he felt he was lucky. If it happened once then he might play the odds, but twice he was usually on his way out. It had only been once this night and that had been enough for him.
“Time to collect my winnings.” His arms slipped around the pile of cash intending on drawing them to him when Mickey snorted.
“You think you’re going to cut and run like that Syracusa?” The corners of his mouths twitched. “Gotta give us a chance to win some of our dough back. I go home to Maude…” He started.
“And she will straight flip you,” another man chuckled out.
“Shut your yap Johnny.”
Tony continued to draw his winnings towards him listening as the others continued to bicker back and forth. He smirked a little, but there was that itch again. He rubbed the top of his upper lip pausing. Twice already. He needed to hit the road before he got held up. He ran in to Trina and that alone gave him cause for concern. He roughed her up and it was better to be on the road out of Gotham let it blow over and then come back into town a few months down the line. Right now things were…they were a tad hot.
He got his cash together and Mickey was the first to reach out to him. “Man what’s with you. You acting like your’e running from the Bat.” Tony could only chuckle at that a small time hood like him we’ll that’s not true. There was nothing small time about him. He wasn’t exactly big leagues either. He worked for the families, but he wouldn’t say that he was in the upper echelons. He wanted to get there, but he knew enough to keep his nose clean. He needed to talk to Danny about his girl. She crossed the line and he wanted to know who she was talking to or working for or both. She was saying things that was making him wonder about the information that she was getting.
“No, I need to go. I have business I need to take care of. I have no bat problems. That’s you and your fools.” He told him with a smirk. “Besides if you’re betting the rent money you deserve what’s waiting for you at home. Give Maude my regards.” He told him and shoved the cash into his pocket grabbing his bag afterwards.
“Lates fellas. Don’t stay out to late you know how your ladies can get.” He chuckled and began making his way out of the back room of the Pelican Club. He rubbed the top of his lip again. It didn’t itch, but he did have a bad feeling. He hated it. Making his way pass the bar he gave mock salute to the bartender, Louie, continued along the way and headed out the door moving towards the parking lot. Sniffing a bit he looked around and headed towards his car. Be backed in like he normally did. Hitting the alarm he reached for the door and before he could open the door he was covered in glass.
“What the…” He fell back and began scrambling back. He looked up and saw a hole in the window of driver side door. Moving to his feet the sound of glass falling down to the ground could be heard as he looked into the car and he swore he saw a tire in the passenger side seat.
Turning he looked up and only saw someone coming down towards him a figure he couldn’t make out. It landed on the roof of the car, but not before clipping the top of his head with his boot. The loud thud on the roof of the car was followed by a movement as Tony turned catching a boot in the face. Sending him back against the car beside his. He fell down to the ground and began to reach for his piece on cry out as the back his hand was pierced by a throwing knife.
The figure clad in a motorcycle helmet leapt down crouching as he slammed Syracusa against the other car twisting the knife a bit.
“Who the fuck..” He started and found himself crying out as the man’s fist cracked his jaw shattering it with the brass knuckles.
“I ask the questions.” He told him in a gruff tone. “And you answer.”
It was dark and the man made sure not to look in to let the Syrcusa get a good look.
“I want to know.” He told him.
“Who did you work for before you started working the families.” Someone got him in and he wanted to know who he was. Dick drew the man up and slammed him against the car while he produced an asp flicking it out. “Who!” He growled out at him before he drew the item up.
“Why does it matter to you?” He mumbled out.
“It matters because it does. Who did you work for before you got involved with the Gognittis?” He brought the asp down shattering bones in Syracusa’s free hand causing him to cry out.
“Zucco!” He cried out and just then as he was about to bring the asp down again there was voices from behind. A shot was fired.
“Tony is that you.” Dick moved and reached for another knife several actual and threw them with deadly accuracy. Hands were cut and there was shouts of pain. Mickey was already to close and just as he thought he had the upper hand on the masked individual Dick round housed him and brought his fist to his throat. He reached for the wrist and broke his arm with a blow to the right spot. The others were moving, but they were to slow. He was up and over the fence and already traveling up the fire escape of the building beside them.
“There were shots fired and though he continued moving one grazed him just as he reached the roof and he continued moving.” He didn’t look back he made his way down into the alley and the roar of an engine could be heard. He was three blocks away and already racing down the alley out onto the open road knowing that he was bleeding. He needed to check other spots, but there was only one thing on his mind at the moment. A name. A person. Another piece of the puzzle.
Zucco.