Title: Shadows and Dust

Author: Arldetta

Disclaimers: Nightwing and the entire Bat family are owned by DC. I'm merely borrowing them for a moment. ;)

Summary: After the events of 89. Preparation for the coming battle.

Author's Note: Um, hi. This is my first time in this fandom, please be kind. I have always loved Dick Grayson/Nightwing/Robin, but got out of the comic scene just after they issued Nightwing #1. I recently got interested in it again and have been trying to play catch up. So if the characterizations and such are a little off, that's probably why. I've been toying with this vignette for a while but never got around to sitting down and writing it until this past weekend. I wanted to post it before I got #90 tomorrow because I felt I should. Eventhough they don't really know me, I would like to thank Syl Francis and John Wescott for writing such incredible stories. They've helped me get a better understanding of the Nightwing world and for that I thank them. :D Anyway, please read and review. Thank you.

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It was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was a moment that could be described simply as blind rage and panic. But now the emotions were not so clear. Muddled and fused in to a tirade of feelings that swept through a weary soul. He knew he had to face some of them in order to prepare for the coming storm, however doing so was not so easy.

Despairingly, he looked around him from where he collapsed. The warehouse he used as his secret lair was in shambles, an echo of the rest of his life. At this moment, former Officer Richard Grayson sat with his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around securing them, with his head peeking over his arms. He slumped against the pole once his rage had worked out of him and slid into his current position. Clad in the attire of his nighttime profession, probably one of the few possessions he still had left, he pondered his life.

Emotionally, he was numbed, his heart felt as if it could not break any more. And he prayed that nothing could prove that he was wrong. Another blow would be beyond detrimental. His thoughts wandered, memories and images flittering across the barren wasteland of his mind. He was a hollow shell housing all the pain and torment that has plagued him since his youth. Pain he has been trying to overcome since the horrific day his parents were murdered. Pain that his mentor has channeled into the person he has become. Pain that has now been shadowed by the agony that consumed him.

All that he has ever loved, ever cared for, has been stripped away. His parents. The innocence of youth. Virtually all the women he has cared for, most especially Barbara Gordon. His home. His friends and neighbors. His life. Not his life as the vigilante Nightwing, although it was the means of it's destruction, but that of Dick Grayson. No longer was either of his personas safe, although he never felt that Nightwing was ever safe, but it was his protection, a vain attempt to lead a normal life. But now that was no longer possible.

Sighing, he got up and moved over to his little work area. His back up system that allowed him to communicate with the vast network of Superheroes, foremost his Bat Family(as they were often called.) He was under no illusion that they would have head about the disaster at his Apartment building. And he knew very well their capabilities to put two and two together. It was only a matter of time before the calls came or the personal visits to offer assistance or even just a sympathetic ear. And above all else, this is what he feared most. It was obvious that Blockbuster was out for blood, his blood, and the Bastard was not beneath hurting others just to get at him. He had already lost so much. Too many innocent lives destroyed just to send him a message. The mere thought of others getting in the line of fire was simply unacceptable.

This was his fight - his battle - his war. And if it resulted in his demise, he accepted it as long as Blockbuster was no longer capable of harming those left behind. But that was the only price he was willing to pay for this vendetta. No more - no more innocents, friends, or family would be involved from this point forward. He would handle this without involving anyone else. He would insure that by any means necessary. He knew what must be done and he was preparing for it. He recorded a brief message, cleaned out the warehouse leaving no trace as to where he could be found and left to end the chaos.

**

Barbara Gordon had settled herself in her living room, the television was on but muted, allowing her thoughts to wander. But no matter how many things she had tried to focus on - current cases, whereabouts of her fellow crimefighters, developing new programs to access and disrupt the information highway - she somehow always managed to stop on one person: Dick Grayson. She had known of the former Boy Wonder even before her debut on the night scene. He had become a constant in her life, one she could always rely on. But he had also become a conundrum within the past few days. She loved him but she couldn't be with him.

And now the pieces were scattered further apart. The recent attack by Tarantula. Their break-up. The disaster at Haly's Circus. All these things and more shattered any hope of piecing the puzzle together the way it was originally meant to fit. Unfortunately, the picture it was starting to form was frightening.

Someone knew Dick's secret and was now wreaking havoc upon his life. She was virtually positive who was behind these attacks and that knowledge brought no comfort. Blockbuster was meticulous, stopping at nothing to achieve his ultimate goal. She knew from personal experience, having once been the target of his malice. Now his focus was on Dick Grayson, or more appropriately Nightwing. She knew that since his arrival in Blüdhaven, Nightwing has disrupted and dismantled many of Blockbuster's operations. And by now he was beyond livid at the interference. However, Barbara never realized to the extent the Crimelord would go to in order to extract revenge. Deep inside, her heart feared the result.

For a moment, she assumed her befuddled mind manifested the sleek masked form onto the TV screen, but soon realized that he was actually there. Quickly, she grabbed for the remote and turned up the sound. Listening, she caught the reporter cycling through their mantra, ".the scene only moments ago. An Apartment building in Blüdhaven has just been, what appears to be blown up. Some of the occupants were still inside at the time of detonation. We are unsure at this time how many casualties are involved. The police and rescue services were quick to arrive on the scene, but it appears to be very likely that any survived. The only one we are certain of at this point is a former convict, Amygdala, who has just been subdued by the resident vigilante Nightwing. This is indeed a rare sight as it is not very often that masked heroes are caught on Video. As soon as more information is provided, we will relay it to you."

Barbara recognized that the initial report was over. Without any further contemplation, she immediately went to her computer. She needed to contact a few people. The only relief she felt in that instant was that Dick had not been in the blast. On the image of the demolished building, the press conveniently posted the address and Barbara knew it was Dick's home. Her heart constricted as the reality of what just happened occurred to her. People, not just people but Dick's neighbors and friends, were still in the building at the time of the explosion. And with Nightwing on the scene so quickly, he was either just arriving or just left when it happened. The possibilities were endless, if things had transpired differently within a matter of minutes.

A shuddering breath swept through her as she clicked on a link to the Batcave. Instantaneously, the regal visage of Alfred came into view. The haunted look in his eyes conveyed what she suspected. "Thank you for the call, Miss Barbara, but Master Timothy happened upon the news at its initial broadcast. We can only pray that Master Richard will be able to recover enough from this catastrophe to live on."

"Alfred, there must be something we can do to help."

"I would like to think that Master Richard is wise enough to ask for aide should he need it. However, I know his mentor too well, and fear he is already making strides to handle this on his own. We can only wait to see. Now if you'll excuse me Miss Barbara, but I must contact Master Bruce." Nodding her acquiesce the transmission ended.

*

It has been approximately 5 hours since the explosion and there has been no contact with Nightwing or Dick Grayson. Those closest to him were beginning to worry. They had seen the newscast and his outburst. Numerous attempts were made to contact him or locate him to no avail. Nightwing knew how to hide when he wanted to. All the locating devices that were stowed in his gear were removed or dismantled. The last option they had was to physically search for him in Blüdhaven.

If the situation was somewhat different, they probably would have already been out there. But the conversation Barbara had with Dick's adoptive father, Bruce Wayne, about an hour earlier has forestalled that. She knew that it wasn't because Bruce didn't care or worry about his son, but because he understood him too well. "Give him time." She remembered him saying. "If he wants our help he'll contact us."

"And what if he doesn't contact us? You know how he is. He won't take this well." She argued. It would only take a few clicks of the mouse to get most of the available heroes together to start hunting.

The low gruff voice responded, "Would you?" Silence answered his question. "He's a capable man. He knows he has friends. And as his friends and family we should respect his need to privacy." Shortly after, their conversation ended. Although Barbara was still not convinced that they should stay out of it.

Anxiously, she tried moving about the clocktower to keep busy. Her nervous rounds were occasionally interrupted when her phone would ring as people began hearing the news. A number were some of Dick's closest friends, but with so little information to provide, they never talked long. Wally West had actually stopped by her home but left when there was nothing more he could do for the moment. She swore up and down that she would call him the instant she learned anything.

Once again her attention was drawn to the Television as a woman began reporting, "The recovery effort is still underway here at 1013 Parkthorne Ave. As some of you know, Maxine Michaels from Vanity Fete has recently begun highlighting the efforts of Blüdhaven's Finest, including one Richard Grayson, who was recently wounded when a mercenary infiltrated the Justice Center. Since his induction to the force, he has aided in solving many cases and helped bring about the reform that is taking place. It was her intention of spotlighting this upstanding officer, especially after his unexpected release from the BHPD.

"But now, there is the possibility that this young man's story will remain untold. The apartment building that has been reduced to rubble behind me was Richard Grayson's home. Only days ago, Ms. Michaels was fortunate enough to speak with many of his neighbors, some of which were still inside when the explosion occurred, to learn about him. All they could tell her was that he was a wonderful person, caring and helping out whenever any of them needed it.

"It is unknown at this time if Officer Grayson was still inside. Nor can we confirm that he wasn't. But at the sight of this malicious act, one has to wonder if there was a purpose behind this attack. Is it possible that someone wanted to remove Grayson permanently? For his efforts in making our city a better place, did he make enemies that would rather see him gone? Shortly after the explosion, resident vigilante Nightwing was found amidst the debris. Was this masked man there because he was trying to protect Grayson? Or could it be something darker? Unfortunately, we just don't know.

"If by some miracle, Richard Grayson has escaped the fate of his neighbors, that he will contact the proper authorities soon. We can only imagine that he would want the criminals behind this disaster to justice. The deaths of those involved will most assuredly be felt by their survivors. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all those who have perished in this horrific bombing."

The report coming to an end, Barbara just couldn't watch any more. Shutting it off, she sat in silence, mulling over what she just heard. They were so close, so close to discovery, it frightened her. All they had to do was put the pieces together in the right order and they would realize that Dick Grayson and Nightwing were one in the same. Another thought came to her, as they worked through the rubble, would they find items that would be recognizable as Nightwing's? Her mind reeled with the possibilities.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there when a comm alert on her computer sounded. At first she thought is was Bruce or Tim calling, but was surprised to learn who it was. Relief flooded her as she saw the familiar name come up. It took another moment for her to calm down enough to open it. The instant she did, her heart leapt up into her throat. Even through the mask, she recognized the haunted look in Dick's eyes. Still clad in his kevlar attire, smudged with ash, he sat looking at her. Unable to find her voice, he began talking. It was then that she realized that this was only a recording.

"I'm sure most of you have heard about what's happened. And if you haven't, you will soon enough. To the public, to the rest of the world, these horrible events have been random acts of violence. But I know better. We know that they were not coincidence. These attacks have been planned, aimed at one goal. To send me a message. And when I say me, it's not Nightwing only that I speak. My enemy knows my true identity, not just a masked rival who seemed invincible but also a human being made of flesh and blood. Someone who can be hurt and killed. And his methods are not below involving innocent lives. They are merely pawns to him - but not to me.

"I came to Blüdhaven because I was told to. But I stayed in Blüdhaven because I needed to. The corruption ran deep. But there were many people here that were good too. I guess in some way I saw myself in them. Struggling to survive, to forge a new path, start with a clean slate. To step out of the shadows and discover who they were. Who I am. I may not have learned all the answers but I have enough to build a foundation with.

"I'm sure you've gathered what I'm about to do, and if you know me well enough you know it's already too late to stop me. I'm going after Blockbuster. I'm not going to sit around and wait to see what else he can destroy in my life. So, I'm taking the fight to him. One way or another, this is going to end. And if it costs me my life, well that is my decision to make. Now, I've come to the real reason I'm sending this message. Under no circumstances should any of you set foot in Blüdhaven. And you should also take care where you are. Blockbuster knows many of my ties to Superheroes around the world and he knows my real life family and friends. I can't protect both sides while trying to take him down. I need to be focused if I'm going to live to fight another day. I don't need distractions. This is my fight. No one else's. Stay out of Blüdhaven. Stay safe." The image held a moment longer and then shut off. She noted that he never said good-bye. However, she wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't giving up yet or that he didn't want them to worry about him. Not that that would matter, after watching his speech everyone would be worrying.

She knew she didn't have to contact anyone about the message, it had been sent to virtually everyone that knew Nightwing. Staring blankly at her screen, Barbara remained in quiet solitude. It was only a matter of time to find out how this chapter of life would end. Closing her eyes, she offered up a brief prayer that somehow there would be some happiness. Deep inside, a growing sense of foreboding answered her.

~~~~

The soft whir of a tape recorder breaks the silence. A heavily accented voice of an elderly gentleman can be heard speaking in choppy English, "Do not be fooled by angel face, though. Ryeka is gypsy at heart. Back him into corner, hurt those he is loving, and you will see he is truly wild. Like force of nature,"

fin.

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