He waited at an abandoned mechanics shop he had bought. He watched as they pulled up and he opened the door for them. It slid open with a rattle as it opened. Then they pulled inside with the three cars and he closed it behind them. They stepped out of their vehicles and he flicked a light switch. A weak light lit up.
"Gearbox and Edgelady, get your gear set up here. You two will be running operations from here. Did you do what I told you to do with the old mansion you were living in?" Ricardo asked as he moved to join them. He was wearing his full gear at the moment.
"Yeah, why were we doing that?" Gearbox asked in exasperation as he moved to remove a bunch of equipment from the trunks of the cars.
"Because Red Hood's plan starts tonight and chances are that someone will try to track us and we need a place in a camera dead zone of the city. Not to mention the police know better than to try and go door to door in this place." Ricardo answered as he moved to help Edgelady with some of her equipment.
"Why are we going to be tracked?" T-Dog asked as they all helped set up the equipment.
"Because we are going to be setting up several explosives around the city." He answered as he kicked aside some trash and pointed at a plug in a wall. Edgelady understood and started moving her equipment to set up.
"Please tell me this is not terrorism." T-Dog groaned in annoyance.
"It is Gotham and no. We are blowing up several abandoned buildings that have been identified as Joker's hangouts. After this job your last payment will arrive and you will no longer have to stick around this dogshit city." Rico explained as he closed the trunk of a car.
"So we are in the final lap?" Coin asked. "Are you sure you do not want more of us to stay here and protect Edgelady?"
Rico shook his head, "no I do not. Now we are only taking two cars. Make sure the first explosives are in and we can go. Keep in mind that we should double up or even triple up on the triggering devices."
"Because the bat family might attempt to disable them like they did last time?" Window asked with a chuckle, "why do we not set up a trap in that case?"
"And have Batman on our ass? Pass." Rico answered.
"Then let's get going. By the way, is your gear getting more complex? Because now it looks like a piece of armor now." Vine asked as he climbed into the passenger seat as Rico climbed into the driver seat.
Rico just sighed and shook his head, "Gearbox, get the door for us."
Gearbox began opening up the garage door and then Rico pulled out of the mechanic shop and pulled away. Leading the way to their first destination.
"So why are we picking a fight with the Joker if we just spent so much time pissing off every other group in the area?" Vine asked, glancing over at Rico.
Rico could almost feel the man's eyes drilling into the side of his gas mask and hood. "Probably because Joker was always his target. But up until now he had been safely tucked away in Arkham asylum. But with the shit we did to piss off Black Mask, there is a good chance he would go running to get someone else's help. Someone who is as willing to blow crap up as Red Hood is."
"Fight fire with fire, but Red Hood intentionally aimed to draw out Black Mask." Vine nodded, "clever." He then seemed to think of something, "but if these are Joker's hideouts do we have to worry about company or traps?"
"Both," Rico answered. "He will have some goons or maybe even Hyenas-" Rico then thought of something. "Scratch that, he won't have the Hyenas. He will have goons and traps. Which is why we need to be cautious and to take out the goons before they can alert others."
Rico then slowed down as they pulled up to the entrance of the abandoned amusement park. "Is this… one of his hideouts?" Coin asked from the back.
"Yes it is." Rico answered and looked aback to see their confusion. "He is still a clown at heart." Rico then turned off the car and climbed out. "There are four locations we have to set up bombs for this place. We will move in teams of four. He then texted them the locations. I will take the locations on the far side."
"Are these underground?" Vine asked in surprise.
"They are indeed. Once the bombs explode it will cause the entire structure to collapse in on itself into the ground. Vine, Coin, and Sweetie. You three are with me." Rico told them and began moving into the abandoned amusement park with a bag of explosives on his shoulder.
He had spent part of his day investigating a few of the more remote locations and figuring out the best places to put the bombs. He slipped his earbud into his ear and called up Edgelady. She answered after a moment.
"Just in time. I had just finished setting up. I saw that you sent me the list of locations. What am I doing with these?" Edgelady asked as Rico walked through the park. He was watching for goons and anything suspicious.
"Look for the schematics and public records. I want to find a way to destroy the buildings with the limited amount of explosives we have." Rico informed her as they walked by a shooting stand and stopped.
He moved around cautiously to the side and then crouched down and pocked an almost imperceptible string. He moved back and looked around for something heavy while the others moved back as well. He grabbed a wooden block and tossed it.
As soon as it hit the string a harpoon came out from the side and slammed into the side of the shooting stand. He waited a moment longer before nodding and continuing to lead them. Vine mumbled something and pulled out his phone.
"That will not be too difficult. Do you want the maximum amount of damage to the surrounding areas as well?" Edgelady asked.
"No, only damage to the target buildings." Rico answered and continued on his way.
"Okay, give me a few minutes. Do you need one for… the amusement park?"
"No, I have that covered." Rico answered with a chuckle. Then after a few minutes they arrived at one of the locations. A metal hatch that led into the ground. He opened it and looked down. "Stay up here." He then set down the bag full of explosives and pulled some of them out.
He climbed down but as he landed at the bottom of the ladder he felt the pressure plate give out and then there was noise as a secondary hatch closed and the room began filling with a green gas.
"Rico! Are you okay?" Sweetie yelled in surprise.
"Fine, it is just gas." Rico answered and moved to the location. But as he moved he noticed a few partially decayed corpses nearby. They had the stupid grins on their faces that came with Joker's laughing gas.
[Laughing Gas neutralized… obtained Talent Wisdom.]
[Laughing Gas neutralized… obtained Talent Wisdom.]
[Laughing Gas neutralized… obtained Talent Wisdom.]
Rico placed the explosive and looked around for an exit. He found it near the bodies. A door that was almost hidden from view. He put some force into it and it opened up. Then he walked out of the room. A moment later he was climbing up a hidden staircase into a house of mirrors. He walked out to see them still crowding around the closed hatch.
"Come on you three we have another explosive to set up. Vine, warn them that there are definitely dead traps." Rico told them as he began walking to the other location. The neutralization only activated three times before stopping. Does that mean he gets limited by the amount he can gain from toxins before he just becomes immune?
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