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Forty-five minutes.
That's how long they lasted before Kid Flash tripped the alarm, and everything went downhill from there. They were supposed to be watching a weapons exchange and follow the buyers to their hideout, but the speedster had propped his elbow on one of the wooden boxes lining the ship yard, and said elbow slipped and caused Wally to yelp in surprise. But he would berate the speedster later. Right now, he had to focus on not getting shot.
Robin flipped out the bullets' trajectory and flung a series of bat-a-rangs at the men aiming for him. The weapons flew out of their hands as the projectiles made contact, leaving them open. The boy wonder smirked and threw another set, this time pinning them to the heavy wooden boxes behind them.
A mischievous cackle escape his lips as he leaped in and out of the shadows, helping his teammates with their opponents. But he supposed someone must have called for backup, because three black vans screeched into the fray, and several fully-armed Gotham gangsters flew out and into the fight.
The team redoubled their efforts to control the situation, but it was becoming obvious that they were overwhelmed. But then, something caught his attention. The familiar sound of a bullet being stopped by a bat-a-rang. The only problem was that it wasn't one of his.
Robin looked just in time to watch a shadow descend upon the unsuspecting men like an avenging phantom. But as the team and crooks tried to back away as far as possible from the newcomer, Robin ran towards the fight and joined in seamlessly.
The team of metas gaped at how quickly Robin's alliances and battle tactics switched, and they briefly looked over at the stunned weapon dealers before jumping back into the brawl. With the help of the new arrival, the odds were back in their favor, and the battle was over within minutes.
The fight ended with the criminals unconscious on the ground, the team in a staggered half-circle with Robin and the newcomer's backs facing them. To all of their surprise, Robin leaped into the arms of the stranger with a joy-filled laugh.
"Shadow!" the teen exclaimed. The other simply grunted in a very Batman-like way.
"Robin, stop embarrassing yourself," the man ordered.
"It's not embarrassing if you don't care. Besides, you know I give the best post-battle hugs," he retorted casually, apparently content to stay in Shadow's hold. Shadow turned around, and for the first time, everyone was able to get a good like at him.
He was a young man who appeared just a few years older than they were. His uniform consisted of a dark gray, almost black, Kevlar suit with black boots, gloves, and utility belt. A domino mask similar to Robin's adorned his eyes, though his tan skin hinted at an Arabian heritage. Instead of a cape and cowl, he wore a long trench coat that brushed the ground and whose collar was turned up to where it reached just below his cheekbones. Several knives glinted beneath the folds of his coat, but the most impressive weapon clearly seen was the katana strapped to his back.
His entire aura was frighteningly similar to that of the Dark Knight's, particularly the glare he was sending their way.
The team glanced at Robin, each of the silently fearing for the safety of their youngest. Whoever this man was, it was clear he was dangerous. Most them debated about calling the thirteen year old back to them, but they couldn't quite muster the courage to do so when it was clear the man was comfortable with the small hero next to him.
Oblivious to the threatening persona, Robin swatted Shadow in the chest, "Stop scaring them, Shad."
Kaldur hesitantly stepped forward, and the young man's gaze locked on to him. The Atlantean had to suck in a quick breath to keep his calm, "Begging your pardon, but who might you be?"
Shadow stood to his full height and broadened his shoulders with an air of superiority as he declared, "I am Shadow, the blood son of Batman and Robin's eldest brother. You would be wise not to forget that, Atlantean," he finished with the whites of his mask narrowed into thin slits.
Kaldur nodded in acknowledgment, "I will not forget."
Shadow turned away dismissively and glanced down at the teen beside him, "Your new friends are less than adequate, Robin. You could have been seriously injured had I not intervened, and it was clear none of them were competent enough to see the gunman aiming for you."
"Well, they were kind of busy fighting their own bad guys," Robin replied and crossed his arms, craning his neck so he could meet his brother's eyes, "And we're all still getting used to working as a team rather than with a single partner."
Shadow scoffed, "Irrelevant. When we return to the Cave, I will show you some techniques that will be beneficial in combat. They will ensure that you would not need to rely on the faulty assistance of your new playmates."
Superboy glared at the man. How could he just insult the team so easily?! He knew that any of them would gladly protect Robin if and when they had the chance. Who did this guy think he is?!
"Hey, Supes, chill. Shad is always like this," Robin piped up, surprising the Kryptonian. The teen wonder shrugged bashfully, "Body language. You have yet to meet my sister."
"Just how many of you are there?!" Wally exclaimed. Shadow and Robin shared a glance and matching smirks but said nothing.
The whites of Robin's mask widened and he gasped, "Maybe Bats could let you be den mother sometime, Shadow! That would be so cool! And then you could help us develop some awesome team formations!"
Shadow grimaced, and the team winced awkwardly. It was clear neither of them shared Robin's enthusiasm about letting the blood son of Batman take charge of Mt. Justice as a glorified babysitter.
"Robin," Shadow began, a rebuke on the tip of his tongue, but he made the mistake looking directly into the face of his baby brother, who was using his "kicked puppy" eyes to maximum effect. It was like a reverse batglare. Instead making someone want to hide from what they're sure is impending doom, it guilt-trips them into doing whatever the cunning little bird desired.
"Superboy has a giant wolf," the younger bat added. Shadow averted his gaze.
"I shall...discuss it with Father. It would give me the chance to properly evaluate your new colleagues and determine whether they are worth your time," he replied, and Robin pumped a fist into the air.
"Awesome! You're gonna love it, Shad. It will be so much fun."
The rest of the team shivered under the idea of being critiqued by Shadow, who looked like he genuinely detested all of them for breathing.
"Tt, I'm certain only you would have such an optimistic outlook."
Robin rolled his eyes but didn't deny it. He inwardly smirked at all of the "fun" his teammates will have when Damian visits Mt. Justice in the near future.
Shadow lifted a hand to his ear and listened to a call through his comm before turning his back on the metas.
"Robin, with me. Father requires our assistance downtown. Gordon has been notified of the situation here and has sent men to pick up our catch."
"That's my cue," he chirped and waved back at his friends as he fell in step with Shadow, "Bye, guys! See you tomorrow!"
As the two bats grappled away from the scene, Wally turned to his friends, "Does anyone else think Robin's family is really scary?"
"I wonder how many siblings Robin truly has," M'gann added, "and why he never told us about them before."
Artemis stared back up at the rooftop where the two vigilantes had vanished, "I don't know. All I can say is bats are just plain freaky."