Blackbird (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 22

3rd POV

Wally was watching the Gotham News with the Team... Kinda. He was eating popcorn and playing on his phone with the news playing in the background honestly.

"...And in other news, the murderer Tony Zucco escaped Gotham jail last night..." The news announced.

Wally choked on his popcorn and quickly shut off the news.

"Why'd you turn it off Baywatch?" Artemis asked.

"T-the news wasn't anything interesting." Wally lied.

"What did Wally do this time?" Starling asked, coming into the main room.

"No no no no no no no no! Not now!" Wally thought frantically.

"Baywatch is claiming the news isn't interesting after they started talking about some psycho killer who escaped in Gotham." Artemis explained.

"Great, someone else to round up. Turn it on, I need to see who we're dealing with." Robin rolled his eyes as he took the remote.

"NO!" Wally shouted as Robin turned on the television once again.

"...Zucco is charged with the murder of the Flying Graysons, which occured four years ago. If you see him, do not engage. Zucco is armed and dangerous." The news lady informed. Wally looked over to Robin and Starling. Anger was radiating off of them in waves.

Zeta Tubes Offline

The team looked puzzled as Starling shut down the zeta tubes.

"Why did you turn off the zeta tubes my fri-" Kaldur began to ask, but Starling grabbed Robin and they teleported away. Wally sighed.

"That's why I turned off the news." Wally explained as he sped out of a window. Wally was smart enough to know all the doors and possible exits were locked in hopes of keeping the team stuck here.

Meanwhile in the Batcave

"Sir, have you seen the news?" Alfred asked Bruce hastily. Bruce looked puzzled, and shook his head.

"Master Bruce, Zucco escaped." Alfred informed. Bruce's eyes widened as he ran to the zeta tubes.

He was almost inside when-

Zeta Tubes offline

Crap!

Bruce ran to get into the Batmobile when he realized the automatic locking system had activated, most likely hacked by Starling. Bruce growled, and got onto his slower, but still fast in the grand scheme of things, Batbike. The cave doors had also been hacked, so Bruce quickly got to work and although it took him about 7 minutes, he got through and opened the doors, speeding out into Gotham, hoping to god he got to Zucco before Slade did. Or even worse, Rache and Renegade.

Time Skip

Slade smirked as he saw an elder man with graying hair attempting to hide in an alleyway. Slade jumped down in front of the murderer.

"W-who are you?" Zucco stuttered.

"You are coming with me." Slade glared.

"And what makes you think I'll do that?" Zucco stated defiantly.

"If you do not come quietly, I will simply take you by force. If you defy me further, your brothers will pay the price." Slade threatened. Zucco may be a killer, but his brothers were his only family, and something told Zucco this man had the means to pull off this threat. Zucco really didn't care though.

He turned and ran.

Slade sighed at the pitiful man attempting to run from him.

Slade jumped up onto the roof and jumped down Infront of Zucco, who tried to turn around, but was knocked out by Slade's staff.

He'd have his apprentices back now!

Time Skip

"We've been looking for hours! Where is he!" Robin yelled.

"We'll find him, and we'll make him pay Robin, don't doubt that." Starling assured, grimly.

"Who are you looking for Daughter?" Slade asked maliciously.

"The killer's my parents." Starling glared, emphasizing the word 'parents.'

"Who would that be? As I recall, you already took Joker to Belle Reve and I am still alive." Slade smirked.

"The Graysons Wilson. As I recall, you are not my father. Family isn't blood, it's love." Starling rebutted before she and Robin took out their grappling hooks, deciding they had better things to do than fight Slade.

"If you come with me, I can take you to him." Slade offered deviously. Robin and Starling froze, did Slade have Zucco?

Robin didn't trust Slade. He didn't care if he had Zucco, they weren't going with him. Starling had been the villain twice now, and once even of her own choice. He just got her back, and he wasn't risking losing her... permanently.

Robin grabbed Starling by her waist and grappled away. Her father was getting to her, and Robin wasn't risking it.

When the siblings were on a different roof, Starling seemed to snap out of her trance and she smiled grimly at Robin before turning him around and unzipping the back of his uniform under his cape.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked. Starling didn't answer, she just took out a bird-a-rang and cut his bandages off before taking off his cape and cutting two holes in the fabric of his costume for his wings to happily extend outward, away from the confining uniform. She then turned herself around and silently asked Robin to do the same for her, which he did, allowing her own black feathered wings to pop out.

Starling gave her wings a tentative flap before trying to lift herself into the air, which didn't really work. She tried again, only to fall on her butt... a second time. Starling glared at the fluffy growths on her back before running to the edge of the building the two were on and jumping off.

"NO!" Robin shouted as he ran to his sister, just to watch her wings spring out and hold the heroine in the air. Starling stared laughing with glee as she flew to her brother. Robin started laughing as well.

"I did it!" Starling exclaimed, almost forgetting for a minute that the killer of her parents was on the loose.

"C-can you..." Robin asked sheepishly.

"Teach you to fly? Well Robin, the first step to learning how to fly... is learning how to fall!" Starling beamed as she pushed her brother off, and as expected, his wings sprung out like hers had, suspending him off the ground.

"Aha! WE'RE FLYING~!" Starling laughed happily as the two flew out into the night.

Back to the mission they go.