Robin # 162 - Paid in Full

Overview

They've been trying to kill him, but now Robin must battle to save the Lords of the Avenues, a metahuman street gang, if he wants to catch the drug company that's poisoned them. It's all-out combat and a race against the clock for the Boy Wonder — a race he may not be able to win.

Robin finds out the story on the Lords of the Avenues. They were a bunch of friends looking out for each other. Shaun and Catalina were the surrogate parents of the group. Since they weren't affiliated with any of the nearby gangs, they quickly became targets for them. They had no choice but to become a gang themselves. Not being able to handle all the attacks, they quickly accepted when a dealer came offering a drug that gave them metahuman powers. One member didn't want to do drugs and refused to participate. The Lords killed him to stop him from talking to others. They had never killed before. It was a result of the drugs they were now taking. Little by little, the drug was also deteriorating their bodies, turning them into liquid.

Robin now finds himself faced with a team of mercenaries hired by Strader Pharmaceuticals. They want to make sure word doesn't get out that they've been supplying the drugs. Shaun is distressed when Catalina finally dies. His anger explodes as he turns towards the mercenaries. They shoot at him with little affect. Robin tries to distract the men away from Shaun. He needs him alive to testify against Strader.

In Killa Nilla's crib, Alex the reporter hears a news report about gunfire. She's grown tired of waiting and figures that must be where Robin is. Killa Nilla goes to the door to stop her but she simply knees him, leaving him in the fetal position. She arrives at the scene of the fight. She is about to get shot by one of the mercs when Shaun pops up in front of her and takes the shots. He takes care of the man while yelling, "No more!" The others focus their gunfire on him and Robin tries to put an end to all the firing. He tells Alex that they have nothing now. There's no witness and the evidence they stole will be inadmissible.

Robin later goes to the Strader building to talk to Mr. Waite. He tells him the mercenaries failed to stop him. Waite pushes a button that shorts out any recording devices within five hundred meters. He basically tells Robin there's nothing he can do to get him to talk. He says their drugs may have failed but at least they took a gang off the streets. Suddenly Waite is taken out by a sniper bullet. Robin looks at the bullet and determines that there's no way to trace who shot Waite. No one he can thank. The sniper is seen standing on another building and is revealed to be Cassandra Cain, Batgirl. She says, "You're welcome, Tim."

Robin gets a call from Alex. The drug dealer came out of his coma and is telling the police his story. He's also giving names of high level executives at Strader.