Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. If I did, then the show would have definitely featured Nightwing!
A/N: I saw Return of the Joker tons of times but haven't seen any other BB stuff because I was not at all thrilled with the way it was set up and was quite irked that Nightwing didn't appear AT ALL in the series. With that in mind, I decided to make this fic a kind of 'what if?' told from Terry's point of view. R&R Please!
He looked a lot like me, except his presence. While I had my Batsuit and high tech equipment, he still flew using a grapple. Actually, I was a bit surprised. I had met the old Robin, Tim Drake, and had not been disappointed by his appearance. This guy, though, looked like he had found the Fountain of Youth; his black hair had not a hint of grey, and his face—what I could see around the domino mask he wore—was unchanged. A scream pierced the air and off he went. I followed close behind and what I saw amazed me to no end.
The blue-and-black clad vigilante was sitting idly by and watching while an elderly woman screamed her head off like she was being tortured. I wondered why the guy was just standing there, when out of nowhere a small form swooped in, picked up the banshee lady and carried her safely down to the sidewalk. Then the lady disappeared and the vigilante on the rooftop grappled down to meet the smaller form in blue on the ground.
"Good work, Jay. Remember, though, next time be a tad bit faster. The civilian could have been in serious danger. One false move or delay and it's goodbye to the old lady."
The small, flame-red head of hair nodded, and then pointed right at me! The older vigilante nodded and shrugged, as if getting spied on by Batman was a regular thing for him. The air was suddenly filled with laser fire and both masked figures went into action.
It was amazing watching him move. I can do lots of cool flips and tricks while wearing the Batsuit but that's kids stuff compared to what he could do with no enhancements or any form of aid. The guy was a gypsy—that much the files said—and he came from a circus. However, the files left out how good an acrobat he actually was, and apparently still is. Even giving an offending baddy a kick in the jaw looked graceful-especially when said kick had been performed upside-down on one hand. His blue-and-black form seemed to be everywhere at once, lashing out in every direction. I saw traces of Bruce's fighting style woven in with his movements and knew how this was going to end. Those losers didn't have a chance.
After the battle was over I decided to tail my quarry. This proved to be impossible and I was quickly found out. I found myself pinned to a wall by my throat by a gauntleted fist.
"What are you doing here and why are you following me?!" The voice was deep, like mine when I'm wearing the Suit, which I was. Short and sweet, Terry! Remember, answer like the Bat!
"An old associate of yours needs help. My contact said you'd be willing."
The grip on my throat tightened as Nightwing pondered my words. Apparently he was as trusting as his mentor. In other words, he was a bit suspicious.
"I had my doubts, now they're confirmed. Batman is his own contact; whatever info he gets, he gets on his own."
"Things change."
"Facts don't. Fact is, you aren't him."
"Maybe not the one you know. I'm not trying to be him. I'm my own man."
Nightwing chuckled and dropped his guard and his fist. The growl I know he learned from Bruce dropped out of his voice as he turned his back on me and raised a gauntlet, unsheathing a grapple gun.
"Follow me. We'll talk at my place."
He freefell almost thirty feet, before launching the grapple. I watched as his young protégé followed suit, and then I ignited my boosters and rocketed after them.
