Fiction title: Nightwing
Chapter: Downfall
Summary: you read it already
Disclaimer: me no own. Capiche? If I did, it probably wouldn't be a kids show…
AN: NO SLASH! There is absolutely no romance or else I'd show the pairings. NONE! Got that? Good…
Onward Ho!
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"…And it appears Batman was lynched on the highest building in Gotham last night." The reporter pressed his finger to his ear, receiving new information. "It appears he has whip marks all over his partially nude body and his jugular was cut and…his mask is off! The world finally gets the answer to its most gripping question: Who is this masked defender of the night!" the reporter stood triumphantly as he was fed the information. "It appears to be the famous millionaire-"
Dick Grayson turned off the television set. He was disgusted. Alfred walked into the exquisite great room. "We must hide, if Joker can do that, he must surely know where we are."
"No…" Dick searched the room for nothing, distracted. "I can't go yet, send for me later." He brushed past the stiff butler and went into the Bat Cave. He paced in front of the assorted costumes. Ace whined and nuzzled Dick's hand, wondering what was wrong.
"It can't be…this is just wrong!" Dick shouted the last word and slammed his fist against the rock wall. He strode over to the high-tech computer and did an archive search on all the weapons Batman had in stock.
"No way!" Dick stood up fast, knocking the chair over. He quickly scanned the corridors and found the one he was looking for. Rushing into it, he scanned the wall and found a bump on the mostly smooth, polished stone. He pulled on the rock and the wall revealed a sleep vault with no security system whatsoever. In the center resided what he was looking for. Dick slowly walked over, having to calm himself down. A vengeful smile crept onto his face as he thought of the possibilities. Dick ran a clammy finger down one slick, navy blue side. he turned to the open door as if meaning to guard the weapon, and slid to the floor against the weapon's podium and fell into a heavy sleep.
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"Coo! Coo!"
"woof! arooof!"
The gentle cooing sound of Alfred, his secret call, and the gruff barking of Ace awoke Dick. He took a second to orient himself. He stood up stiffly and glanced at the pocket-sized weapon. Dick walked into the main part of the Bat cave casually.
"I found something we can use," He explained calmly.
"Joker has full control of the city. We must hide in the outskirts," Alfred explained, a touch of panic lined his voice. His hands were shaking slightly.
"Then we must destroy everything. Take out an irreplaceable piece of each weapon and blow this place to bits," Dick said darkly, a shadow crossing his eyes. "But we must keep this weapon, I can keep it with me."
"We have no time to do this!" Alfred yelled, bordering on hysterical. "All our enemies are on his side! Anywhere we go, they're there! If we leave now, we have a chance."
Dick nodded, showing he understood. He ran back to get the weapon; he slipped the sleek square in his pocket.
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The next week was hard. Dick made the weapon into a necklace so it could be with him at all times. Dick and Alfred moved to the worst section of town where the villains were practically worshipped. Dick had to change his name, call Alfred 'grandpa', bring Ace everywhere he went, go to the worst school in the world, and condition himself for the fight to come. He set himself a year limit for the conditioning.
During the day, Dick was obviously forced to go to school. He quickly gained the reputation of silent. On the third school day, a bully finally decided to talk to him. Dick was traversing the alleyways to find a way to get back to the bat cave to destroy the weapons and make a new costume.
"Hey boss, there's th' new kid."
Dick turned around to see the group of bullies in his school blocking the way he came in from. A sluttish dressed girl was hanging all over the guy who shouted.
Dick had a plan. he was going to condition his body so when he was in more serious fights, physical pain would be less painful and he could concentrate on other aspects of the fight. For now, he would let himself get beat to a certain point, and then he would retaliate or run and be on his way to make the new costume.
"Yup," Dick answered, standing his full height and staring blankly at the alleged leader.
"Dick Grayson, we are offering you a position," The leader explained their appearance. his voice had no emotion and he stood stone still.
"What!" The right hand man exclaimed. "Who're you bootin' out?"
"You, of course." Nothing changed in his voice or posture, not even a smile or smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "I'm called Eagle in these parts.
Dick was wary of Eagle. Eagle was cold, he would do anything if needed. "Why?" Dick asked guardedly.
"I see potential in you."
"What's the catch?"
"There is none. So long as you meet my expectations and stay at that level, unlike my henchman here, you're fine. You get respect and a body guard, if need be."
"Do you know every nook and cranny of this city?"
"Yes, if you accept the invitation, I can help, no questions asked."
Dick assessed the situation for another moment. "Sure, I'll join you. Call me…Nightwing."
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"Here's the plan," Eagle laid out a huge roll of graph paper with many intricate lines. "The sewers are less heavily guarded than the rest of the city. We can help you to this point," Eagle paused and pointed his finger a mile north of Bruce's abandoned mansion. "Apparently there are bat caves in the area that you'll want to be wary of."
Nightwing nodded. He knew exactly how he was getting in and out. Alfred and Ace stood behind him disapprovingly.
"My escape route is different than getting there. The entrance is a curve, but I want to get out as fast as possible. Have 90 of your goons on this route," Nightwing traced an almost straight path from the mansion back to their hideout.
Eagle remained silent. His eyes scanned over the path, counting each square for the total mileage. Nightwing's round trip path was about three miles, one of which was the return path. "I'll put one lackey about every 200 yards, so ten will be on that path, and three lackeys will be placed on your way down."
Nightwing nodded. "If they do anything wrong, I will personally rip their balls off." Nightwing threatened gravely. His gaze bore into Eagle, who nodded in understanding.
"I will personally see to it that this threat is made clear. They are afraid of you, so most will take this mission seriously." Eagle rolled the map and exited quietly.
After a minute of silence, Alfred spoke up. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do?"
"Yes, if Joker gets those weapons, this city is screwed. Not only that, I need a new costume; I can't go on as Robin any longer." Nightwing stood up and stretched. It was late and the plan was being implemented tomorrow, so he would need a good nights rest.
"If you bring back the materials, I will make the costume," Alfred offered stiffly.
"All right, start planning it, I should be back by 5 p.m. tomorrow." With that, Nightwing took off his over shirt and crawled into bed. Ace snuggled up next to him and Alfred got ready for bed. He turned out the lights so the apartment was pitch black and they all drifted into uneasy sleep.