Chapter 1: Mission

Rating: T

Date: Sunday, February 24, 2019

A/N: The moment we've all been waiting for... Or maybe it's just me.

Mission

"Is she ready?"

"Been in training for months now, ready to be dispatched."

"I must say, Logan, I'm impressed. A K9 officer at twenty-six isn't common, much less one with expertise on animal behavior."

"Well, double majors do have their perks," he let out a hearty chuckle.

"Double major? Impressive. I wouldn't be surprised if you end up in the major ranks before you hit your mid-thirties."

Garfield grinned but didn't say anything. The vehicle came to a halt outside the target premise. A couple of police cars were already parked at the sight, along with another K9 unit. He spotted Dick already directing a few of his apprentices. Even from the distance, he emitted the sort of authoritative and leadership aura he had since high school, and the newbies appeared to be terrified of the guy. Then again, if Garfield hadn't known Dick since high school, he would've also been intimidated by a guy who rose up the law enforcement ranks faster than his own mentor had.

After spotting Garfield, Dick quickly wrapped up his conversation and strolled towards him. Garfield greeted him with the usual goofy smile he had donned throughout his high school career. Besides his higher education, muscular frame, taller height, and his newfound respect from many of the rookies as well as some of the higher up's of the law enforcement track like Mr. Queen, Garfield hadn't changed much. He held the same mischevious spark that made him one of a kind, except it now served as his charisma and the ladies adored it.

"Ready?"

"Yep," Garfield nodded as he unlatched the back door. "Blue, come here girl," he called the burly, long-haired, dark German Shepard down from the vehicle.

She hopped down with her usual effortless and lavish demeanor (she was quite the diva after all) flaunting off her new K9 unit vest. Garfield had been assigned to the dog almost a year prior. Though he hadn't originally planned on pursuing a Criminal Justice degree during high school, he found himself with an odd desire to do so after graduating. By the time Dick had suggested he pair it with his Animal Behavior degree and train for a K9 officer position, there hadn't been a doubt in his mind. It had been the best decision Garfield had taken considering he adored the job, and he especially loved having Blue as his partner in crime (well, technically partner in law).

Today was Blue's first official and serious assignment as a fresh graduate from the K9 academy, and she looked to be as thrilled as Garfield was.

"Ready, girl?" he caressed the thick coat on her neck. He took the torn blouse Dick held out to him and raised it to Blue's nose. Then, he took a deep breath before announcing the long over-due phrase. "Search!" he commanded, and Blue rushed forwards, her nose buried on the ground in search of the missing girl's scent.

Blue led them past the abandoned warehouse and towards the woods behind it. They struggled through the thick branches and bushes, Blue's face practically hidden below the greenery. After walking almost a mile away from their arrival destination, Blue came to a halt and sniffed around a particular spot on the ground.

"Find something, girl?" Garfield asked.

Blue sat down and looked up at him. Dick and Garfield exchanged glances.

Dick kneeled down and traced a hand across the dirt, soon discovering that it was obscuring a wooden trapdoor beneath. Once he was able to find a handle, he opened the trapdoor. It revealed a sort of sewer system below, and once the command was given, Blue didn't hesitate on hopping down, landing gracefully on her paws as she did. They continued to follow the trace with their flashlights until they finally ran into a hidden door amidst the darkness.

Dick hurriedly opened it up and silently signaled for the officers behind him to follow. The room was lit up by a few candles, and upon turning the corner, they found them: five girls, ages ten to nineteen, all crammed in a corner with tape over their mouths and limbs tied together with thick rope. Their expressions were that of utter fear.

They wasted no time in untying them and providing medical help to the ones who required it.

"It's alright. You're okay now," Garfield consoled a smaller girl whose eyes were wide with terror as she watched another trail of policemen burst through the doors.

Upon helping all of the girls out of the sewer, Dick began to question one of the girls on who had held them captive. Garfield stood to the side on his knees and running his hands through Blue's fur to reward her.

"There were two men who came in often… They brought in food, and they escorted us to the restrooms. We were originally kept in this big house but they moved us here after a while. I'm not sure why… They didn't come to feed us or watch us, they just disappeared… We thought we were going to die," the oldest girl explained, her eyes shut tightly and tears forming at the brims. She took a moment to inhale a calming breath before continuing. "They had a leader, a tall man with white hair and light skin." Garfield looked up, the description igniting a familiar resentment within his gut. "They never mentioned anyone's names… They went by code names. Dragon, Bull, Gorilla… those are the few I remember. Then there's the one they mentioned most often. I think it was… T-trigon. That's… That's everything I know."

Garfield clenched his fists, the fire abruptly dispersing across his whole body and sending waves of outrage throughout. He hadn't heard the name in a long time, since his unfortunate last meeting with Raven. The day he hadn't been able to wipe out from his memory.

"Thank you, Melany. Your information is really helpful. We'll do everything we can to avenge your captors. We're going to send you off to your family and place you under surveillance. You're safe now. I promise," Dick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and the girl slowly nodded. He sent her off with Mr. Queen who led the girls to the vehicle they'd be sent home on.

"Trigon," Dick repeated while scribbling something on his notebook.

"Why do you think they left them here?" Garfield questioned as he righted himself.

"My guess? Trigon wanted them gone for whatever reason, and he ordered his pawns to leave them stranded somewhere they wouldn't be found or couldn't escape," he theorized. "They didn't count on us having this place under surveillance after they reported it for suspicious activity. Unless it was a set-up, that they wanted us to find them," he clenched his fists and shook his head, "All we have left is to catch that son of a bitch, but he's practically a ghost in the system. If only we could have one clue. It'd be all it could take to finally bust him."

Garfield breathed in, knowing full-well what he was about to disclose could change everything. He looked around, making sure there wasn't anyone else close enough to hear. "Dick, I think I might have some valuable information, but it's going to need a lot of further investigation."

"About?" Dick raised an intrigued eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"About Trigon's identity," he stated. Dick stared at Garfield with an unreadable expression, a sign that he was waiting for him to elaborate. Garfield sighed, "I have a suspicion that Trigon could be Trenton Roth."

"How do I look?" Garfield strolled into Dick's office following an extensive makeover from Kory whose passion for fashion and make-up had finally paid off.

"... Like a completely different person," Dick gawked at him. "Wow… Kory… Just, wow! How did you manage this?" he asked in awe as he circled around Garfield regarding his new look.

His previously sandy-blonde hair was now dyed to a deep jet-black that contrasted his sparkling azure contacts. Using special equipment and some handy skills she'd picked up from cosmetology school, Kory had managed to define his cheekbones in addition to a square jaw. There was also what Dick assumed to be a layer of make-up caked on his skin to lightened his tan complexion. As opposed to looking like a California surfer dude like he used to, he now gave the appearance of a sophisticated man working at an important business (especially with the dark blue button-up and matching blazer-trouser combo he modeled). However, the detail that most stood out, as it appeared completely uncharacteristic of Garfield, were the black glasses he donned that presented him as an intelligent library-goer interested in discussing Shakespeare during a lavish dinner party.

It was the perfect disguise.

"Oh, it was not difficult at all! I took the idea from a television series that I believed is called… The minds of criminals?" Kory placed a finger under her chin and looked up.

"Well wherever you go it from, I'm proud of you babe," Dick gave her a peck on the cheek, and Kory giggled like a love-struck schoolgirl. His eyes turned wide when she placed her arms around his neck and embraced him abruptly.

"Oh God, not again…" Garfield muttered under his breath whilst doing a facepalm. Dick and Kory's relationship could only be described by one word: complicated. Since high school, they'd had an on-and-off fling that everybody found irritating. For once, they had broken up at the end of senior year to go off on their separate ways during college. Dick had gotten some other girlfriend (Barbara Gordon he believed to be her name) during his sophomore year while Kory had started dating a rich boy who followed her around like a lost puppy. Following college, they'd both broken up with their respective partners and they'd started dating again. This time, however, it lasted much shorter as their vastly different mindsets would have it. Instead of breaking up completely, they started what they referred to as an "open relationship" which Garfield just translated to fuck-buddies. Now, considering their lovey-dovey act (they didn't act that way during fuck-buddy season), it seemed as if they'd started a "normal" relationship yet again. Wonder how long this one will last, he wondered to himself.

"Alright Gar, it seems like you're all ready. You got the plan down, right?" Dick posed after managing to get Kory to stop strangling him.

Garfield nodded and grinned cockily, "Yep! You know I got this."

"Hope you do cause this is going against every rule in the book. You're risking your whole career over it. Are you sure about this? You can still back out, and we can find another way."

Garfield pondered it for a moment, but upon hearing an echo of the girl's description of the man inside his head, he clenched his fists. "A hundred percent," he asserted.

"... Okay. I'll let the department know that you're going on leave for a few weeks. And Gar, whatever you do, don't reveal your identity to anyone. You can go on to Vic. He's in the lab," he explained.

"You're not coming?" Garfield raised an eyebrow, his eyes tracing the oh-so-happy couple (for now at least).

"I've got some… business… with Kory," Dick cleared his throat. Kory smiled innocently and sent Garfield a little wave.

He wiggled his eyebrows, "Well I'll leave you to your business," he alleged suggestively before walking out.

Garfield headed towards the department lab where Victor was working on some prototype equipment for their future assignments. He stood beside him, only a few inches away, inspecting the instrument Victor was struggling with while muttering something to himself. He was so focused on the task at hand that he didn't notice Garfield.

"Hey Vic!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"Ah!" Victor jerked in his seat and barely caught the object. He turned to his best friend with a glare but seemed promptly confused by his new persona. "Who the hell are… Wait… Gar!? Damn, Kory did an amazing job with you!"

"I know right?"

"Yeah! You actually have some looks going for you now!"

"Hey!" Garfield feigned offense.

Victor let out a chuckle before getting up from his seat and strolling to his locker. He put in the combination and removed a suitcase from inside. "I suppose you're ready for your mission, then. Everything you need is right here in this box," he handed it to him. "Don't open it until you get to the hotel. Dick's driver's in the back parking lot waiting to pick you up. He's going to take you straight there. The cameras are "under repair" for now so as long as no one sees you walk out of the building, you're in the clear. Whatever you do Gar, don't answer to your real name, don't give any actual information away, don't reveal anything to anyone, everything you say should come from what you rehearsed. Everything. There's a flip phone in your luggage. No signal can come through unless you activate it. Only use it for reports. Hide it somewhere safe and don't let anyone get their hands on it. It can take pictures, granted they're somewhat bad quality, but it could serve as your evidence journal. Be safe Gar, and don't forget to check in. I hope you're mission goes well."

"Got you, dude. God, I'm going to miss this place," he glanced around the lab.

"It'll only be two months, probably not even that long. You'll be fine," Victor waved a hand to reassure him.

Garfield nodded, "Well, I'll see you in two months." He gave a two-finger salute before strolling out of the lab. He made his way through the isolated hallways to the exit before hurrying into the car waiting outside. He sighed once inside, slightly nervous about his next moves. He didn't have the option to mess up. He didn't even want to think about the consequences if he did.

"Good afternoon Mr. Steven. Would you like me to take you straight to your hotel?"

"That would be perfect," Garfield smiled while adjusting his glasses and peering out the window. Oh boy was this going to be fun.

"Robin to Beast Boy, do you read?"

"BB checking in. All is well in Wonderland. Trip went smoothly. No suspicious activity it seems. Getting through airport security proved to be much easier than I thought."

"Pulled a lot of strings for you, man. Your theory better be right."

"I can assure you, I'm going to catch that son of a bitch no matter what it takes."

"Alright, just be careful and don't do anything stupid. I'm serious about that."

"Dealio, see ya Robin."

The gala was nothing short of extravagant—women walking around in expensive gowns and men all donning elegant suits. The walls were adorned with silk curtains, there was an orchestra playing Beethoven music in the background, the marble floor was so clear you could practically see your reflection, and the tables all held gold and silver platters (which he presumed were real) with food on them. Garfield felt out of place. Though David Steven (his new persona) fit right in, Garfield himself could barely stand to speak to all of those entitled people.

However, he had a mission, and he was going to go through with it. The first step of the plan was simple. Get invited to Malchior Nol's famous gala in London through any means possible, his being charming a young woman into an invitation over the course of a week. Her name was Jillian Jackson, and she was the daughter of an affluent man in England, one Garfield knew was very good friends with Malchior.

"Mr. Steven, my daughter has spoken very highly of you," Mr. Jackson mentioned as he shook Garfield's hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You as well, sir. Thank you for the invitation to the gala. It has been splendid so far," he responded politely.

"Oh, Jillian insisted I should meet you, and what better way than through this?" He extended his hands to refer to the humongous ballroom. "You see, Mr. Nol is a close friend, and his galas are the absolute best here in London. You won't go to any others like it."

"I realize that now. It really has been amazing so far."

"David!" Jillian pushed through the crowd and latched onto his arm, making sure to flaunt her sparkly salmon floor-length dress as she did. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

Garfield chuckled lightly and grinned at her, the oh-so-charming smile that made girls like her swoon over him (admittedly, it'd been his best improvement since high school), "I'm glad you invited me, love."

Jillian giggled and fluttered her eyelashes. She opened her mouth to speak, but a voice coming from the stage interrupted her. The orchestra stopped playing, and everyone turned their attention to the man speaking on the microphone. Garfield barely managed to contain a snarl and instead settled on gritting his teeth.

He hadn't changed much, besides the fact that he looked older, more powerful, and like a major asshole. His lightly combed hair was the same pale hue, and his expression was as maliciously cunning as it had been before. Garfield could only fantasize about punching him until his pretty-boy face wore off.

"Good evening everyone, I'm glad you could make it to our Spring Gala. This year, we dedicated the gala to the Children's Reed Hospital Foundation who we've made a generous donation of five thousand dollars to for resources," everyone clapped and cheered after the announcement, and Malchior waited until they quieted down to continue. "As usual, there are refreshments and appetizers available on the tables. Please don't hesitate on grabbing some. This gala is for us to celebrate the success of Nol Corporation as well as our great relationship with our many partners, one being Skath Entertainment. Unfortunately, Mr. Roth could not be here with us today as he is handling some urgent matters. However, he expressed his appreciation for my invitation, and he hoped that you all would have a wonderful night. Please enjoy yourselves. I'll be walking around greeting everyone." The audience clapped once again as Malchior headed off the stage.

"Jillian, if you don't mind, I would like to share my gratitude to Mr. Nol."

Jillian let go of his arm and planted a kiss on his cheek, "I think that's a great idea. Just come back when you can," she smiled sweetly at him. Despite being somewhat of a daddy's little girl, Jillian was an overly sweet and peppy girl, and Garfield felt a bit guilty about using her for his plan.

He smiled one last time before strolling towards Malchior who was having a conversation with an older gentleman.

"Good evening Mr. Nol," Garfield took the opportunity to speak to him when the old man said his goodbye. "David Steven," he shook his hand and forced a polite smile. He couldn't help but squeeze a little bit too hard, not too much to feel threatening but enough to release some of his contained animosity towards him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Steven," he nodded his head. "What brings you here?"

"Ms. Jackson invited me, and I graciously accepted as I knew I'd get the opportunity to meet you. Your generous donations never cease to impress me, Mr. Nol. I just wanted to express my gratitude in person."

"Oh, no need to thank me. I pride myself on being a philanthropist, after all," Malchior boasted, his arrogant expression causing Garfield's blood to practically boil.

"I'm also rather impressed by your ongoing plans for an international circus. I find the idea splendid, and I would love to know more about your plan. I've heard you've been hiring wonderful performers."

Malchior raised both eyebrows, "I find it intriguing that you know about my plans for an international circus. If you don't mind me asking, how did you find out?"

"Through the means of a good friend who's the manager of a club under the ownership of Skath Entertainment back in San Francisco. We were having a casual discussion about our prospective business when he brought up your partnership."

"Ah, I see. Well, I've actually been searching for sponsors for this new project, and I wouldn't mind including you. I'm afraid we will have to speak about this further at a later date as it's quite a bit of information," he took out a business card from his pocket and scribbled something on it. "This is my personal number. You may call me tomorrow to arrange a meeting date."

Bingo. "Splendid," Garfield grinned as he slipped the card into his pocket. "Now if you don't mind letting me know, where is your bathroom?"

"Down the hallway and to the right. I will speak to you later, Mr. Steven. And again, a pleasure to meet you," Malchior shook his hand one more time before disappearing into the crowd.

Garfield inconspicuously headed down the hallway and locked himself in the bathroom. He removed his hidden flip phone from his shirt pocket and snapped a picture of the phone number that he quickly sent to Victor with the caption, Malchior's personal number. He hid the phone once more and made sure he looked presentable before opening the door to go back to Jillian.

His heart dropped when he did, and he couldn't help but feel his knees weaken.

Her eyes were the first thing he recognized—the rich indigo color that could hypnotize him for hours on end. Then, he noted her pale doll-like complexion, and Garfield's fingers urged to reach out and caress her soft skin. Her dark hair was pulled into a loose yet elegant bun adorned by a gold pin atop. She wore a precious purple gown with a slit reaching up to her mid-thigh that hugged her curves perfectly, revealing just enough to almost send him over the edge. In spite of how much she'd developed, she was still petite, and Garfield wished he could reach out to embrace her, her frame fitting into his arms like a missing puzzle piece.

But he couldn't.

He caught himself before he uttered her name. And per usual, she glared at him like she'd done all those times during high school. And this time, he was ecstatic to see that expression from her.

Garfield managed to compose himself and muttered, "Sorry, I was a little surprised that someone was outside the door."

"Don't worry about it," she croaked, her heavenly voice echoing inside his ears. "... Do I know you?"

"Uh, no, not at all," Garfield stammered, breaking character for an ephemeral moment. He cleared his throat and offered a hand. "David. David Steven at your service."

She took his hand, but instead of shaking it, Garfield gently raised it and planted a kiss atop of it. She didn't emote and instead stared at him with a cold gaze.

"Rachel," she replied after he let her hand go, and his heart dropped when he realized she'd changed her name, probably because of him. Before he could ponder on it, her question brought him back. "What brings you here?"

"I was invited by someone. And who would be crazy enough to not show up to Mr. Nol's gala?" he snickered, excluding the information about Jillian being his date.

Raven nodded, "My husband's galas are quite popular."

"Husband?" he asked, his voice raising an octave. He bit the inside of his cheek nervously.

"Yes," she asserted. "Malchior is my husband."

"Oh, I had no idea…"

She arched an eyebrow, "Well we have just met. How would you expect to know?"

"Oh, I guess just seeing you on TV? Mr. Nol is sort of a big figure," he chuckled awkwardly, burying his hands in his pockets and trying to keep his voice cool. He hadn't been prepared to run into Raven at all, and he could hear all kinds of alarms blaring inside his head. Don't reveal anything to anyone, he repeated Victor's phrase over and over.

"I'm not fond of appearing on television. Besides, Malchior is a big figure in Britain. You don't sound British at all," she pointed out in a somewhat accusatory tone.

"I do love to travel, however. I go on a lot of business trips," he replied without a falter.

"Where do you work?"

"I work under the international department of Wayne Industries if you recognize him," he told her. "If you don't mind me asking, you don't sound British either, are you perhaps from America?"

Raven nodded, "Yes, but I moved here a few years ago after I married Malchior. Now if you don't mind me, I do have to use the restroom."

"Oh yes, I'm sorry," Garfield jumped out of the way. "I hope to meet you again soon."

"Likewise," she nodded before closing the door.

Garfield walked back to the party, his hands in his pockets and his pace rather slow. He felt the knot in his throat forming, but he managed to sink it down, at least for now. Get a grip on yourself, he told himself. He couldn't compromise the mission. There was too much on the line.

But at the same time, there was that little voice in the back of his head wondering, hadn't he technically done this for her?

"Report?"

"I'm going to set up a meeting with Malchior. He doesn't seem suspicious at all, and I'm guessing he's going to do a background check with whatever means possible. It should run clean, so I should be able to develop his trust. Also… I… I ran into Raven."

There was a pause and some shuffling behind the phone, "... How did that go?"

"She got married to Malchior after all… I had no idea. She never came up when I tried to find her on the internet, no matter how many times I searched her up. I guess it's because she changed her name to Rachel. I don't know why."

"... Do you think she…"

"No, not at all. Even if her father is Trenton and her husband is Malchior, she's not that kind of person. Raven would never sink down to that level."

"BB, no offense, but you only knew Raven for a short period of time. Are you sure you really knew her? She did manage to fool you twice."

He felt a wave of offense indulge him, but he managed to keep his temper. "Yes. I knew at least that from her. I'll contact you with another report as soon as I can and also to find out if Cyborg was able to break into the signal."

"Copy that, Robin out," Dick transferred before the signal broke.

Garfield stuffed his phone inside his drawer and sighed. He stared at the bathroom mirror of his hotel room for a while, scrutinizing the features of the strange man standing before him. His thoughts kept going back to Raven, her beautiful eyes. He sighed and peeled off the enhancements one by one before storing them in a special container Victor had prepared for them. Then, he washed his face, but he avoided his own reflection and instead headed straight to bed.

It didn't take long for him to drift asleep, his mind shutting off as a defense mechanism to avoid certain thoughts about a certain raven-haired woman. But even then he dreamed about her and her enchanting gaze.

And his mind couldn't help but entertain the thought that maybe, just maybe, she would come back to him one day.

A/N: Again, my schedule is a mess. College applications are stressful. I'm freaking out about everything. Please review, it really encourages me, and I love suggestions!

PS. I have a community for BBRae AU's that I love. Check out my profile if you want to see it!