Buildings of crossing and conflicting architectural design soared into the sky, propelling the shimmering skyline into the heavens as far as the eye could see; creating a presence that loomed hauntingly and intensely over the city below. "It's an advantage that we're lucky to have," Bruce would say.
Dick tried not to smile as he threw himself from rooftop to rooftop, and swung across colossal towers with little more than a glorified line of rope, but it was no use. He was a performer at heart and the city was the grandest of stages. At times he wondered how Bruce would remain so calm, so reserved, in the face of such activities. Most of the time, however, he remained present and enjoyed the moment, taking the city in and grinning from ear to ear.
Below the magnificence of the skyline crime and deception bred a kind of madness that was unique to the city. Sirens wailed unrelentingly in response to the madness, as they always did. It was a night just like any other, as far as nights went in Gotham City. As usual, Dick had been bouncing around from one end of the city to the other, assisting the GCPD with a handful of murder investigations and some "special" surveillance that the authorities didn't have…well, the authority to conduct themselves. No super-powered thugs, ego-driven terrorists. All in all it seemed to be a relatively quiet night in Gotham City - the calm before the storm.
About mid-way back to Wayne Tower (the general rendezvous spot of the whacky little family that Dick found himself a part of) a buzz of chatter exploded in his earpiece. The police scanner reported a robbery in progress at one of the branches of the First National Bank of Gotham, the branch that he happened to be closest to. He landed and turned, gathering his bearing before plunging off of the rooftop and firing a grappling line, propelling him in the direction of the bank.
The scene was one you might expect of a bank robbery; police swarming in from all directions, lights cut off inside, hostages, the works. Dick landed on a rooftop adjacent to the bank only moments ahead of GCPD's backup and hostage negotiator, Deborah C. Galloway. She was a tall, redheaded woman with a very serious demeanor and Dick couldn't help but watch her as she exited the SWAT unit's van. GCPD was assembling a makeshift basecamp around the van and it was only a very brief period of time before Police Commissioner Gordon arrived on the scene. Dick was happy to see him, if anyone could resolve this situation quickly and effectively, it was Gordon.
He worked his way across the street, gaining access to the rooftop of a building directly to the right of the bank. His mask displayed fields of vision that gave him a similar kind of advantage as Superman, he could imagine how such an ability could be taken for granted. There appeared to be five robbers; four men, one woman, who lingered in front of the vault, which of course was open. All of the hostages appeared to be bound and restricted to the lobby, providing a barrier between the police and the criminals in the event the GCPD decided to raid the place. There appeared to be five robbers; four men, one woman
Dick spotted a maintenance entrance that led in through the lobby and there didn't seem to be any more opportune of a moment for action on the horizon. He leapt from the rooftop down into the alleyway and quietly broke the lock on the door. He crouched and remained low as he prowled through the lobby, the hostages were fussing and making muffled sounds of panic and terror, but there was no time for that. The best way he could help these people was to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.
Approaching the vault wasn't a very difficult task; the team of thieves seemed pretty lax in their behaviors. That ought to tell you something's fishy, a voice in the back of Dick's mind blared as he peered at the group from behind a large, marble pillar. It was possible that they were just amateurs making amateur mistakes, but he doubted that. The way they had been operating up until this point suggested that this wasn't the first time they had planned and executed something like this.
Dick took a brief moment to observe the group and their actions, which weren't many. They remained still, for the most part, the men occasionally rocking on their heels or staring up at the ceiling. The woman was far more interesting to watch. She had her back to him and her actions were obscured. If he had to take a guess, which he didn't like doing, he'd say that she was on a cellphone or some other kind of device based on the light that was radiating in front of her. They were all wearing suits, oddly enough. Jet-black and tailored to perfection. The men all wore hats but the woman did not. Her black hair hung freely and was jaw-length all the way around. None, except the woman who had a handgun holstered at her side, appeared to have any firearms.
It's now or never, Dick thought as he gently slid several silver, marble sized balls across the smooth floor towards the group. The woman, who still had her back to him, became aware of the gas sphere's presence just a split second before they released their contents, something that an amateur would be very unlikely to do.
"He's here, boys!" She shouted as she spun on her heels and pulled a handgun from the holster at her side.
So, they were expecting me, or at least, one of us, Dick thought as he ducked back behind the pillar. To his surprise it didn't sound like the pillar was being chewed up by ammunition, in fact, he hadn't heard a single shot fired. Instead, he heard footsteps running towards him on the other side of pillar. He pulled two batarangs out and began to move out from behind the pillar, but it was too late. In the flash of a instant the pillar exploded in front of him, knocking him backwards a good several feet. He was dazed but forced control, the world around him quickly came back into focus from nothingness and he could see the shattered pillar, but more importantly, the man charging at him from the pillar's direction.
Metas. They must be metas, that's why they aren't armed. So then, is she a meta? Why is she armed? Their leader, perhaps? No time, have to move, Dick thought as he flipped back onto his feet and dove out of the man's path. He thought it reasonable to assume that this thug's ability was strength, given the fractured pillar.
Well he's definitely no genius, Dick thought as the man tore past him and smashed into a desk. He retrieved another batarang and sent it whirling towards the remainder of the goons. It flew passed them and made contact with the vault door, releasing a small explosion.
"He's a feisty 'lil bit of poultry, ain't he, boys?" The woman yelled over the ringing in her ears.
Dick's attention momentarily shifted to the goon who had smashed the pillar and charged him, he had crashed through several desks and was out cold. He turned back to the others and saw the three remaining men bolting towards him.
"You guys wanna dance? Hope you're better than my last partner!" He shouted as he pulled out another batarang and began closing the distance between them. By the way the men charged and carried themselves, it wasn't hard to deduce that they also had enhanced strength, but again, weren't the most intelligent of men. He tossed the batarang at one of the men, whipping across the man's cheekbone and knocking him flat on his back. The other two men engaged him, but they had no idea what they were doing. He quickly dodged their blows, planting his heel in the back of one of the remaining thug's knees before striking him on the back of the head, rendering him unconscious. That's when things got messy.
Before Dick had a chance to deal with the fourth thug, the woman had fired several shots from her gun, which as it turned out, to be more of a tranquilizer. He tried ducking out of the way, but two of the rounds she had fired planted themselves in the lower half of his left leg. The armoring of his suit had absorbed much of their impact, but they had indeed broken his skin. Immediately he began to feel woozy, things began to blur, and the world seemed off kilter.
Then everything went black.