"Like I said, you've had success thus far, but to really make a dent around here, you're going to need a lot more to work with." Red Robin says.

"I could help you, if you wanted. Show you some things, like how to make yourself invisible, rather than just hide. You could learn to hit them where it hurts, rather than just taking down the two-bit guys night after night." he tells her.

"The dealers get shut down first, followed by their suppliers. It goes up the chain until we cut the head off of the organizations. Prison time all around. We bring down the dirty cops that are protecting them, too, and we get your mother's message heard."

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"You're gonna stick around that long? No offense," heavy on the sarcasm, "but our experience is that you people don't stay long enough to see it through and then we're right back where we started. What kind of guarantee you got for it?"

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She wanted a guarantee of his intentions to help, did she? He thought offering to help her mother might work, but it seemed that that wouldn't be enough.

He considers this as he looks at her. Even Marissa wasn't this demanding.

"We'll patrol together. A few nights here, a few nights out in Star City, so you can understand how the Triangle and the rest of the town interact with each other." Red Robin says.

"I'm not quite sure what you're asking for, so it might help if you come out with it." he says.

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"If you looked up my mom, then you'll know what happened here fifteen years ago. Deadshot cleaned it up. It was safe for kids to play in the park. Old people could get their groceries without worrying some gang would ambush them. Then he left and Green Arrow was supposed to help out. Couple years later, we were back to being scared behind our doors and hoping the cops would get off their asses and do their jobs."

She knew she sounded like a demanding bitch and he was probably two seconds from leaving them to their fate, but she nothing left to lose. The Triangle had nothing left to lose. Some fatalistic part of her believed she and the Triangle were inextricably linked. "I want a guarantee that no matter what happens, the Triangle won't be forgotten this time."

"In return, I'll patrol with you or anybody else, as long as part of the time is here."

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He could tell she wasn't used to trusting people in general, not just masks. Both Red Robin and Tim Drake were going to have to work overtime to win her over, as well as Michelle Torres.

"The Triangle won't be forgotten this time, Zoe. I can promise you that. I'm here to help all of Star City, not just the parts they show people on the news." Red Robin says.

"However, I do have one more compromise. I can show you how to stop an enemy without killing them. I won't work with someone who uses lethal force. I'm gonna ask that you either use mercy bullets or you don't use guns at all. I've even got throwing weapons you can use, but no killing. That's my one rule. You can't follow it, I can't work with you, but my offer to help out around here stands." he says.

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She shrugged. "I don't need to kill, just make them leave. I can hit anything I aim at, and if I wanted somebody dead, they'd be dead. It brings trouble here, so I don't do it."

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"You don't kill and we can work together." Red Robin says.

"We start tonight. I'd rather much see how you handle yourself in a fight, but I suppose a live-fire exercise would be best, no pun intended." Red Robin says.

"First, though, you need to learn to use swinglines." he says.

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"Like you were doing last night?" She spent a lot of time on roofs because it was the best view, but she didn't fly. "Where do I get this equipment?"

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"Yeah, just like that. I've got the equipment if you've got the will to learn. Won't be easy, and it will make you sore for a bit. We're also gonna do some fitness training, since I need to know where you're at physically." he says.

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The mention of 'won't be easy' only made her jaw tighten. If sheer determination counted, she could do anything he threw at her.

"Let's do it. Show me."

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"All right." he says, drawing another gas-powered grapnel gun from inside his utility belt. He'll pass it over and start explaining how it works.

Once she's got it, he'll pick a destination and show her to how to fire it, then swing over. When he's landed, he'll signal her to give it a try.

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Zoe didn't spare a second of thought for the aim. She felt the rightness of it. That was how it was, how she knew it was good.

Her shot with the grapnel gun landed precisely twelve inches from Red Robin's. She readied herself and swung over in her best imitation of his swing. By the time she clumsily landed, she was cursing vividly under her breath.

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Okay, she did better than he thought she would.

"That was good for a first try. You just need to keep your body a little less stiff so that you can compensate for changes in speed. You'll get better." he assures her.

Then he attempts to sweep her legs out from under her and knock her down.

"Combat test, unarmed, go."

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She wasn't expecting the move and fell for it, right on her ass. Jaw clenched again, she was on her feet and swinging a fist. She was getting the point that this wasn't going to be like avoiding the pimps trying to add her to their stable, though her determination wasn't any different. Zoe wouldn't be cowed or beaten.

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Red Robin easily ducks the punch by slipping backward out of reach. He keeps his eyes on Zoey, watching her body language, posture and expression.

"You're quick on your feet and you've got the will to fight. That's a good start. Now stop trying to hit me and hit me!" Red Robin says, going for a kick to the chest.

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She knew most people didn't fight well when they were angry; she'd taken advantage of that often enough in the past. She was recognizing that she was one of them and hated not having the upper hand.

"Stop dancing out of the way and I will!" She went to duck and come under his leg to upset his balance.

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She slips inside his defense and chides himself mentally for getting cocky.

However, as she does so, he flips backward again to give himself some distance between them and draws his pulls out his bo staff, snapping it to full-length in one motion.

He then lunges in thrusting the staff at Zoey's midsection.

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Zoe flinched back. Her reflexes are good, but he's....not being fair!

She retreated to put space between them, resisting the urge to go for the guns. Instead, she shifted into reverse to grab the staff and keep it engaged in something other than poking at her.

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When she grabs the staff, he doesn't bother pulling back. He simply lets her take it, then tries to kick her in the chest again.

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Surprised by her possession of the staff, she clumsily tried to block his kick with it. It felt unnatural and she didn't like it. His foot connected and she went down.

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The impromptu lesson ends.

"All right, get up. We've got work to do, though not nearly as much as I thought. You're good, Zoe, but you need to be better before you can really effect the change you want around here.

And you're going to need to do it from two directions. You'll need a mask." he says.

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She glared up at him, not that it had much effect in the dark. "I can get better. Who are you under yours?"

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"A concerned citizen who wants to do the right thing." he says, reaching out to help her up.

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Zoe almost didn't let him. She didn't trust anybody in a mask who wouldn't show their face and own up to their own actions, and he wanted her to wear one! Next thing he'd say was that she needed a codename.

She let him help her up. "When does target practice start? I'm good at that."

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Red Robin reaches into the bandoleers at his chest and withdraws several bird shaped discs.

"Now." he says, handing them over to her.

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