225 CHAPTER 222

"The hospital huh, that works out perfectly. Good thing I made that bullet size hole in my skin by using the cells in my blood, then placing the hot bullet inside it. The doctors won't be able to tell if it was an actual bullet wound or not." Tom thought to himself when the police vehicle made a sudden stop after a while of driving.

"That was quick, I don't think there's an hospital this close to the police station that I'm aware of." He thought to himself again, while still pretending to be unconscious.

"Hey kid, open your eyes. I know a bullet isn't enough to screw you over to the other side." Upon hearing the unbelievably familiar voice, Tom considered opening his eyes but kept up the act just to be sure.

"I can't believe you actually shot him, you ass hole." The voice said.

"I swear I didn't, I shot the bullet to graze his shoulder a little but he somehow dropped to the ground and the bullet ended up in his chest." The other voice replied, also sounding awfully familiar.

Tom was so surprised that he had to stop pretending to be unconscious and opened his eyes only to see Leonard Snart dressed in police uniform and holding him down in the back seat of the vehicle.

"Leo?" He asked.

"Rise and shine, kid." Leo replied.

"He's alive!" The other chipped in, looking behind from the driver seat. Tom turned to confirm his identity, only to see Floyd Lawton dressed in a police uniform as well.

"What the fuck are you two doing here?" He asked as he sat up. Wondering why Captain Cold and Deadshot were in police uniforms, although he thought of the possibility of them infiltrating the police to rescue him but he knew Jason must have informed Leo not to interfere with his arrest.

"Well, I got a call from him and couldn't take my chances." Leo replied. "Did this bastard actually shoot you?" He asked.

"I swear, I only mean to graze him. Am as surprised as you are because I never miss." Floyd defended, gloating about his precision in the process.

"Give me answers, we don't have much time. What has you two in uniforms and why the fuck did you try shooting me?" Tom questioned, switching gazes between both men.

"I got a call from him saying he got a job to assassinate the kid under the boss's protecting, today while you're being released from custody." Leo summarized, but Floyd just had a confused look on him.

"Wait, did you just say try?" He asked.

"Yes I did, now take me to the hospital and let it all roll off from there." Tom instructed.

"Drive." Leo said to Floyd who just shrugged off the questions in his head, then hit on the gas.

"I thought you couldn't get hurt, but why's there so much blood?" Leo asked Tom with a whispering voice while the vehicle drove down to the hospital.

"This is nothing, I made a little blood look this much so it appears to seem like a serious injury and I was likely to bleed out anytime soon."

"Damn, that's one twisted way to make the injury seem like a life threatening one." Leo praised, sounding almost impressed.

They arrived at the hospital and Leo hopped out, calling for a doctor, saying it was an emergency. A couple of paramedics came with a stretcher and some nurses rolled Tom into the emergency room, most saw the live news and knew exactly what had happened to him without even asking for details or cause of bullet wound as police officers dropped him off themselves.

...

As the jet landed smoothly in their headquarters' landing bay, the young heroes let out a collective sigh of relief. They were finally back home after a draining Off-world mission that left them physically and mentally exhausted. Stepping out of the jet, their costumes still showing signs of battle and travel, they seemed eager for some downtime.

"Ah, finally home. Time for some good night's rest," Kori exclaimed, stretching her arms above her head with a tired yet content expression.

"Yeah, Off-world missions really takes it's toll on us," Dick remarked, peeling off a part of his Night Wing costume.

Gar made a beeline for the fridge with a grin. "I missed the food more than anything," he joked, pulling out a slice of pizza and a bottle of fruity juice drink.

Acqualad nodded in agreement as he caught a bottle of drink tossed his way by Gar. "Off-world missions always leave us drained," he noted, taking a refreshing sip.

Meanwhile, Megan floated her Martian ass over to the couch and grabbed the remote with her telekinesis, turning on the TV. "We would have to catch up on what's been happening. Hopefully, we didn't miss much," she said, flipping through the news channels.

Gar, who had been eyeing the idea of watching a movie, protested playfully, "Hey, I had plans for a movie night."

But Rachel interrupted with a hint of urgency in her voice, "Hold on. Switch it back to the previous channel," her expression turning serious as she saw the breaking news about Tom Hendricks being shot right after his release from custody.

"That kid got arrested? I knew there was something shady about him." Dick said judgingly as he grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

"Shhh, he's Rachel's boyfriend. How can you be so insensitive?" Kori reprimanded.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. It just came out." Dick apologized but Kori kept giving him the side eye to show she was pissed, but her fierce look instantly morphed into a soft one when she looked towards Rachel who just had her eyes locked on the screen.

"It seems he was actually innocent, it says here that he was released from custody as all accusations against him was declared null after intense investigation was carried out." Megan said out loud, reading the headlines which moved along the bottom part of the screen.

"Damn, I can't believe Tom got shot." Gar remarked, taking a bite from his pizza as he watched the news. "I know he could be quite rude sometimes but I can't believe they suspect such a cool guy for terrorism." He added.

Rachel seemed a bit mortified, which wouldn't seem out of context for her since it was her boyfriend who was the victim, but she was so shocked by the news because she knew it was near impossible to hurt Tom, especially not by a mere bullet.

"Don't worry, he'll be okay." Kori said as she walked over to Rachel, rubbing on her shoulder as she continued. "It says he was taken to one of the best hospitals in Gotham by police officers." She added while bracing her in for a comforting hug.

'Wait, that guy is her boyfriend. Talk about opposites attracting each other.' Acqualad thought to himself, taking note of their completely opposite hair colours, and their only similarities being their pale looking skin. He also noticed Tom's eyes looked too neutral and was unable to read the kind of person he might be. From his experience, such guys could be dangerous as they could always have undetected hidden intentions.

"There's been no update regarding his condition, I have to go see him myself. Maybe there's something I could do to help." Rachel said, calmly pushing Kori aside as created a black portal next to her.

"Rae, wait!" Kori and Gar called out but she levitated into the portal of dark energy she had created.

...

[Jim Gordon's POV]

The night draped over Gotham like a velvet curtain, the city's sounds a distant hum as Commissioner Jim Gordon stood on the edge of a weathered rooftop. Neon lights flickered in the distance, casting an eerie glow that painted the scene in shades of red and blue. With a cigarette between his fingers, Gordon watched the city's heartbeat below, waiting for his clandestine meeting with the Dark Knight.

"You took longer than usual," Gordon remarked without turning as Batman descended from the shadows, his cape billowing in the wind.

"I needed to take care of a couple of things first," Batman replied, his voice low and gravelly, characteristic of his brooding demeanor.

Gordon took a final drag from his cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke before stubbing it out under his boot. "You saw the news, right? Someone wanted the innocent kid dead."

Batman nodded, his eyes hidden behind the cowl. "I found it absurd when I saw the news of his arrest. But an assassination attempt on him sends a vivid message."

"And what message is that?" Gordon's voice carried a mix of concern and frustration.

"That someone wants him dead," Batman stated matter-of-factly, his tone reflecting years of experience in deciphering Gotham's dark underbelly.

"You know this kid?" Gordon's curiosity piqued as he turned to face the Caped Crusader.

"You could say so, and I found it odd that he was accused of terrorism," Batman admitted, his voice tinged with a hint of empathy masked by his usual vigilance.

"He just happened to find himself in the wrong circumstances," Gordon defended, his belief in justice unwavering despite the city's corruption.

"Did he reveal any sort of information while in custody that would make someone want him dead so bad that they try assassinating him the moment he stepped out of the station?" Batman's asked.

"No, he didn't. Do you think it's somehow related to the terrorism attack?" Gordon's mind raced with possibilities, seeking the elusive truth in Gotham's tangled web of crime.

"It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume it might be," Batman replied, his mind already piecing together fragments of a larger puzzle.

"Any update on his condition?" Batman asked, showing a bit of concern for the victim.

"He's out of danger for now and has two officers whom I handpicked myself, guarding his hospital room. The doctors said the bullet barely missed his heart, almost grazing it," Gordon relayed with a sigh, a weight lifted from his shoulders knowing the young man had survived the attempt on his life.

"I'll keep you updated if I find anything," Batman assured, his cape swirling as he activated his grapple hook, disappearing into the night, leaving Commissioner Gordon alone with his thoughts and the ever-present darkness of Gotham City.

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