Wow this chapter was longer than I thought it would be. Really. I expected it to be around the 2.5 thousand mark, maybe a little more, but then i ended up with almost twice that.
Chapter 2: A New Old Face
Nightwing always thought himself to be…mostly fair to an interrogatee when they're cooperative. Jim Andrew Curtis Lee, on the other hand, fell in as one to be too cooperative. Nightwing didn't have to know his life story, but with a bit of...persuasion he got the lowlife to skip ahead to the bits the vigilante was after.
Penguin and his mini-me seemed to be hold up in one of the larger three-section warehouses down by the wharf.
Nightwing curtly thanked Mr. Curtis...
… with a sharp blow to the neck.
(Richard felt an uneasy feeling gnawing at him as he traversed the rooftops, realizing after a while it was because of the silence. He didn't have Lucius in his ear to banter with or the constant GCPD chatter either. He pushed the feeling down, not wanting the distraction.)
When he arrived that the warehouse he perched himself on top of an inactive crane. After surveying the area for a time, the first thought that came to mind was 'inconspicuous'. He watched seemingly innocent dock workers go about their business moving the caches of cargo in and out of the building that your average beat-cop wouldn't spare a second glance to. If there was anything that he'd give ol Ozwald credit for, it was making his operations look practically invisible to the glancing eye, but not to an experienced crime fighter. Oh no, to Nightwing he could clearly see the signs of the seedy Gotham underworld and its foothold on the area.
The tells where pretty easy to distinguish to his eyes. On closer inspection, the marks of graffiti that were painted on and around around the building and its surroundings told of Penguin's presence in the. The workers themselves wore distinguishable insignias and markings on their clothing.
(Whether certain placements of the insignias signified experience or ranking in the gang, well, Nightwing didn't have enough information on how this Penguin operated to be sure.)
Then there was the mannerisms of the workers themselves, not just the clothing. All the dock workers all moved with a hurry, a bit of more hustle than necessary, giving conscious glances to the roads while others to the skies, as if expecting the Bat to swoop in at any moment. Not to far off in this case.
'The obvious reason these guys got the jitters,' Nightwing concluded, 'would probably have something to do with how they got mini-me right in there personal space.'
The intelligent plan of action would be to enter into the warehouse undetected before making any noise, which at the moment, seemed impossible. Going in through the ground was a laughably stupid plan. It was to well lit and with the sheer amount of workers running around that were so paranoid that they'd jump at the sight of their own shadow, the risk of detection was too high before he could find a point where he could grapnel onto the roof.
He made a clicking sound as he put his hand on his chin.
'Well at least I like a challenge,' he chided to himself before activating his detective vision in search for a clue for a way in.
"Come on, give me something," he muttered to no one in particular. He looked towards the wharf, where it was completely deserted of any cargo ships. "maybe there's a drainage pipe that runs underneath the yard.." he pursed his lip, "Nah, I didn't see any on my way over." The vigilante put his arms on his knees and sighed. "Man, it's at times like these that I wish I'd ask Lucius to install something like a wingsuit into my suit. At least then it would've made sense to be using the old man's souped up grapnel launcher. Probably could've just used that to launch off the...crane…"
His eyes widened as he looked down to the solution that was he was literally sitting on and proceeded to slowly run one of his hands down his face at his, embarrassed by own obliviousness.
The crane.
(The plan the that formed in his head was, for lack of any better term, insane. But is was just so Batman, it just might actually work.)
It was so obvious. The thing was tall enough for sure, and just long enough for him to use the grapnel boost to slingshot himself onto the top of the building in style. Sure, the crane would be pretty loud as it moved, but at most the hired help would probably think somebody was dicking around in here, not a vigilante a work.
"God, if only Bruce could see the quick thinking crime-fighter you are now…" He immediately cringed at the resurfacing memories of his Batman pointing out the obvious solutions that Nightwing, at that point Robin, would glance over without a second thought during a case, much his embarrassment.
'Well if your little moment of stupid/reminiscing is over with,' he told himself, 'maybe we could see how'd this would actually work before we get too excited?'
Shaking his head, he blinked off his detective vision and worked his way down from his perch to the control room. Confident he had a good feel for how it operated, he sparked the ignition, causing the crane to groan as it came to life. As soon as Nightwing got the greenlight it was fully operational, he had the the crane turn towards the warehouse and moved the neck downward enough that he'd get the right amount of grapnel time before he'd get launched.
The acrobat jumped down from the control room and onto a stack of cargo containers a ways below. He'd have to hurry, though they won't suspect a vigilante moved the crane, some of the workers were bound to come and investigate why the crane moved.
"Alright Grayson," he said to himself, determined to follow through with this plan, "best case scenario, you live up to your high flying roots and land on top of the building with style. Get a great conversation starter at it too. Worst case," he made a *tsk* sound with his cheek," you end up a black and blue pancake on the side of the wall. And most probably dead."
He carefully aimed the grapnel hook for the neck of the crane, orange lights coming to life on the device, signifying the boost function of it was operational. He was not about to back out.
"Well," he swallowed, "fortune does favor the bold."
He fired the hook.
It connected to the crane.
And then it pulled Nightwing into the air.
Fast.
Now don't get Nightwing wrong. Using high speed grapnel hooks since he was a kid, he was bound to get used to the strain it had on the arms as well as the immediate rush of air that pounded on his face on. The first time he used one, he wasn't even officially Robin, just in training. Ignoring all the warnings given to him by his mentor and Alfred, he swiped one of his spares from the armory and aimed for one of the the higher platforms of the cave above him. When he reached the top, his arm felt like it close to ripping off, hurting more than any single session of training ever did, while tears poured out of his eyes since the sudden rush of air stung his eyes to no end. Alfred had found him like that, sitting on the floor, cradling his tortured arm and rubbing eyes furiously. When the younger Richard Grayson noticed the butler, by all outward appearances, Alfred allowed himself a small chuckle and grandfatherly smile, one you'd see when a grandfather catches his grandson with his hand in the cookie jar. But his eyes. They told a different story. On the inside the elderly man was dying of laughter and his eyes conveying a message that was caught between either a 'You should have listened to our warnings' and an 'I told ya so'. Young Dick Grayson never forgot the lesson he learned that day.
While it didn't hurt as much as it did, nor did it sting his face as much since it was covered by his mask, hot damn, did this experience bring back some memories.
'How much horsepower did Lucius pack into this thing?! And Bruce asked for this?!'
Having no more time to think, the human cannonball released the hook at the apex point of the launch, and let himself soar over rows of containers and all the workers below who had no idea this was even happening.
(For a second, he felt like he had beaten gravity. For a second, he felt like was back in the circus, in the air with his family. Flying without a care in the world.)
Then reality fell back into place and the warning bells of what would happen if he didn't prepare himself for the landing.
He was going to make the jump. The roof imminently closer, he tucked into a ball and rolled as he landed, spreading out the inertia of the impact as he landed, finally coming a halt as he sprawled himself on top of the roof.
When the world stopped spinning, he sat up and calmed his breathing, adrenaline still pumping and his arm throbbing.
"Note to self… never do that again… at least on max settings."
After giving himself a moment to recollect himself, he blinked on detective vision and highlighted a vent that would lead him down into the warehouse. With a purpose, Nightwing descended into the Penguin's stronghold.
'Well that's convenient.'
He came to the bottom of the shaft, it opened up a perfect vantage point, high above the gun toting thugs below.
Nightwing immediately registered the familiar scenario. Detective vision turned on, he took in the area.
'Fairly big room,' he observed. 'A three level layout without to many wall separating the square room. Packaging machinery. Six suitable vantage points. A wall grate a ways up the wall.' He followed the outline of the vent and memorized the ventilation system that went down and under the floor. 'Plenty of floor grates too.'
He counted nine arm thugs highlighted in orange and armed with an assortment of shotguns and automatic rifles. Most of them were making rounds around the room while other were talking to each other idly.
Then he saw a tenth, smaller figure, highlighted in blue, sitting crossed legged in a low hanging, excoticly sized bird cage.
Nightwing blinked. 'Was I really that small when I was 13?' was the most immediate thought that came to his mind seeing his alternate-younger-self for the first time. Then he grimaced. 'Yeah, I probably was.'
Turning off his detective vision, he swung to one of the lower hanging vantage points to get a better view of his doppleganger.
The aforementioned doppleganger was currently sitting down, arms and legs crossed, a scowl firmly in place. No doubt the kid was not happy about the situation. His face in the direction of a thug, who's eyes bore into the whites of Robin's mask.
Another thug doing around found this as curious Nightwing did and walked up to him.
"Er, Tommy? What are do-" He was shushed by the other, eyes never leaving the captive.
"Don't distract me. The kid and I are having a stare-down."
The other's face went slack, his mouth opening slightly. He turned slightly let out a muffled groan into his palm before looking back at him.
"I can't believe you're this big of an idiot. Forgetting for a moment that the boss told us not to even look at brat, You. Can't. See. His. Eyes! How do you even know when he blinks?"
"Hey, this is a game of honor. I'm sure this kid respects it enough to tell me if he blinks."
Nightwing turned on his detective vision and looked behind his younger's domino mask.
His eyes were closed.
The other thug's eye twitched before slapped 'Tommy's' back hard enough for him to stumble forward, breaking his concentration.
Robin's face morphed to hold a very familiar smirk on his face at the sound of the commotion.
"What the hell was that for?" Tommy call back angrily.
"For being an idiot. Now get back to making rounds and be happy that i don't tell the boss about this. Ya know, before he whips out the umbrella and shoots your stupid ass."
Tommy scowled at the other looking like he might just lunge at the other before reason seemed to win his mind over. He turned around and walked off grumbling.
The other though walked the opposite direction, no doubt pleased at winning the conversation.
Nightwing, seizing the opportunity, used his line launcher to create a tether line so he can talk to Robin. He prepared himself for what might be the most surreal conversation he'd ever have.
Robin was definitely not feeling the aster.
The one night, he repeats, the one night Batman leaves Gotham in his (very capable, he'd like to add) hands, he walks right into an ambush when he was investigating this very warehouse that the police suspected as being bought out by the Penguin.
'Well they weren't wrong,' the Boy Wonder angrily thought to himself.
He'd been knocked out by gas and when he came too, he woke in a stupid bird cage (original, really.), striped of his holo gloves and utility belt. While he did have activate the emergency beacon that was built directly into his costume, sending a distress beacon directly to Batman, he doubted it reached as he thinks Penguin installed a jammer of some kind.
He was in the middle of creating an escape plan when he was rudely interrupted by a voice behind him.
"Hey. Hey kid. You alright?"
The voice didn't sound at all like Penguin's usual thugs, if anything it sounded eerily familiar and concerned, but he pushed that thought away since that sounded ridiculous. Why would he recognize a thug from here?
He sighed, speaking but not turning around, "You Penguin guys aren't going to get me to talk. You have a better chance of getting Batman to crack a smile."
Without missing a beat, the voice started again, this time exchanging concern for a dry tone
"I doubt that any of Cobblepot's thugs would wear a black and blue kevlar costume, much less be able to balance on a tether line, circus boy."
At the mention of circus boy, Robin's whipped his head back and turned to looked at the source of the voice. His eyes met the an older guy in a black suit, with a "V" on his chest that traveled up his and around his elbows, down his arms and ending at the tip of his fingers. His hair was long, black and seemed to lazily swirl to the right. His face was covered by a stylized domino mask, covering his eyes as well as seemingly popping out a but. From his crouched position, he could make out two black and blue sticks poking out from his back. Going back to his face, it was in a frown but also concerned. It was also familiar. Really familiar. Like he's seen his face dozens of times but never could give a name to it.
'Definitely a vigilante. But…'
Robin didn't really think that he was staring for too long until he was forced out whatever thoughts wondering what circus boy ment until the new guy spoke up again, concern back in his voice.
"Hello? Kid? Your giving me an odd look." A little dangerous entered his tone this time that reminded him of Batman. "They didn't give you a concussion did they?"
Shaking out of his thoughts, he replied, "What? Oh uh, yeah I'm alright. Who are you anyways?" he asked getting up from his position and walking over to the new guy who actually was balancing perfectly on a tether. He could have sworn that wasn't there a minute ago.
The new vigilante let out a breath of relief, his face changing from barely veiled concern to a stoic one. His eyes shifted to the side, as if coming to a decision.
Decision made, he looked back at Robin.
"Well, if you say you're alright, I'm not about to argue. Names Nightwing by the way."
With that said, he began to walk back down the tether line.
Robin blinked. "Wait where are you going? Aren't you going to get me out of here?"
Robin cringed as soon as the words left his mouth since he said it a tad louder than he intended them to be. Thankful though the words only reached the intended target and no one else.
'Nightwing' looked back at him. "I only came to make sure you were alright, I need to clear the room before I can get you free."
Robin raised an eyebrow. This did not sound like and asterous plan. "What do you mean by 'clear the room'? These guys are armed to the teeth! You can just fight them head on! You'll get slaughtered!"
Nightwing looked back at him with a smirk this time. "Oh ye' of little faith. Don't worry kid, just sit back and enjoy the show."
Looking down to the towards the ground, The mysterious vigilante dropped down to the ground level, away from Robin's view.
Robin felt helpless to do anything to stop him from taking on the armed thugs but he with a shaky sigh, decided to give this guy the benefit of the doubt.
'I mean, he managed to find his way in here undetected right? He might (and this was a serious might) know his stuff enough not to get himself killed.'
Before Robin could calm his thoughts to listen in on what Nightwing might end up doing, two thoughts he'd have to save for later crossed his mind.
'Why do I feel like I've seen that smirk every time I look in the mirror?' and 'What the heck is a Nightwing?'
Turning on his detective vision he observed the placements of the thugs around the room. Five on the ground level and four on the second.
Peace of cake.
He slide into a corner when a thug was walking buy, used the batclaw to pull him towards him, the thug's face going from calm to confusion to terror all in the fraction of a second as Nightwing put an iron like grip around his neck cutting off his oxygen supply. As he felt the low life go limp, he released him before repelling back up onto one of the vantage points. He looked towards to the cage his younger self who had his bare hands on the bars of the cage, keeping track of his movements with a wary eye.
He chuckled. 'Good luck with that.'
"What the hell... oh god! HEY GUYS! WE GOT A MAN DOWN OVER HERE!"
All the thugs immediately tensed while some made their way over to their fallen comrade. three of them were over the slumped form of their comrade
"Jeez what the hell happened to him? Is he dead?"
Robin's eyes widened and looked to him fearfully. Nightwing just shook his head and motioned for him to keep on listening.
"No he's just unconscious."
"Think it's the Bat?"
"No doubt about that." The thug who was examining his fallen ally cleared his throat before addressing everyone who was still conscious. "Alright everyone, stay calm and hunt down whoever did this! Remember! There's more of us there are of him! Cut him down and maybe the boss will give us a bonus!" He motioned to one the two thugs before him. "Someone stick by the brat's cage, make sure he doesn't try anything."
And thus it all began.
Nightwing swung onto a vantage point that lone thug was on the verge of walking under it. He attached his grapnel to the point before swinging underneath it, Feet of the bottom of the point, while his head was facing the ground. When the criminal walked underneath him, Nightwing quickly repelled down, one hand on the grapnel while the other snagged the crook's collar before ascending back up, criminal in tow shouting and shooting wildly.
On top of the industrial light, he held the guy one handed by his neck, who was in a melt down of fear.
Would ya look at that. It was Tommy.
"Y-you're not Batman," he choked out.
The Blue Knight simply chuckled and let him he'd put around his legs stopped him before he face planted on the floor below.
He snuck a glance at Robin, who was in sheer awe before he swung to a different vantage point.
Tommy's allies rounded on him, looking up at him as he was flailing around like a pinata.
"How did you get up there?!"
"Just cut me down!"
Tommy, knowing he going to pass out from the blood rushing to his head, did the smart thing.
"Arg! Listen! This guy isn't the Bat! H-he's...someone new…" He went limp as darkness overtook him.
The remaining seven were terrified at the prospect of another costumed vigilante who seemed just as bad as the Bat moving into town.
"Aww man, I knew signin up with Penguin was a bad deal," one thug said before throwing down his weapon and making a break for the door.
"Hey! Where the hell do you think your going?!" one called after him.
"Away from here!"
'Oh no you don't, can't have you warn Cobblepot or anyone else.'
He climbed up a ladder, trying to get out through the offices only for his face to be smashed in with a soaring wing-ding, propelling him back over the ledge with a shriek and knocking him out on impact.
'Three down, six to go.' He bit his lip and grimaced. 'Damn, I think I was a bit too quick to the trigger, that was way too visible.'
And just like he thought, one of the thugs saw what happened, tracking where the wing-ding was thrown above.
"HE'S UP THERE! SHOOT HIM!"
He cursed as a hail of gunfire was sent his way, jumping from his perch, trying to avoid as much as could.
The vigilante remember the wall grate he'd seen earlier and made a go for it.
Throwing a smoke bomb at the wall that exploded with a sharp *Fwoosh!* he slide down to the vents underneath the floor, making his way to a thug that he'd recognised as giving the initial orders.
"He disappeared into the wall! Damn. Alright! we know what he's doing! Stick together and keep'em pointed up high!"
"Down low."
"Wha-hmph!" was all he could get out before Nightwing sprung out of the vent, looping his arm around his neck, flipped him onto the floor and slamming his head into it with a loud *Thwang* as his skull connected with metal.
"To slow."
'5 to go. gotta finish this now.'
"What the hell was that?"
He repelled to the top level as the remaining 5 went to the unconscious form of the guy who gave all the orders.
"Oh come on, how many is this now?"
"This is the fifth guy he's gotten. Yah know what? I say we all stick here. There ain't now way he can get all of us."
A chorus of agreements.
They thought they finally had a winning plan. How wrong they were.
Nightwings plan was simple. He used his first generation disrupter (Bruce had to just the only prototype before he disappeared) and jammed two of their weapons. Then, from his perch above them, he unsheathed his escrima sticks, picked a target, primed his legs and pounced. He knocked out the thug he landed on instantly while the other 2 lowlifes, whose guns were still functioning, were thrown to the side from the electric blast.
"What the fu-shot him!"
click-click
click-click
"Wha-" The thug couldn't get a word in as his face was hit but the electrified end of Nightwing's signature weapon.
'five down, 3 left.'
While the two low-lifes that were knocked down by the electric blast were getting up, the one still standing got bold and attempted to charge the vigilante. Unfortunately for him, Nightwing simply flipped over him as he charged straight into a wall.
When the other two regained their senses, they attempted to get back to their weapons. Seeing this, The vigilante shot a wrist dart into one's head before lunging to the other, using his escrima sticks to create an arc of electricity stunning him.
And then he proceeded to beat. Him. Down. With style. To finish him off, he kicked in the chest and into the wall, took a step back, and ran his knee into his face.
Needless to say, he was down for the count.
He took a deep breath, satisfied with his work.
'Rooms clear, time to get mini me.'
Who the heck was this guy. Seriously.
He cleared the room in no time flat.
Robin was currently pacing back and for, reviewing what he watched from his cage and was awed by just how efficient and quick thinking the guy was. He could go on and on about what Nightwing did right, but there was one that just stood out. Just how efficient he was at intimidation. He didn't think anyone other than his mentor could so thoroughly scare thugs into a quivering mess.
He ceased all his current thoughts when he saw Nightwing approach the door to his cage.
"Sorry I took so long kid," he tried to joke. Robin didn't laugh.
He approached the door, took out a device from...somewhere out behind him that looked like a high tech glue gun and sprayed it in the henges of the door. "you uh.. might want to take a step back," he said somewhat awkwardly. Putting two and two together to what the spray actually was, he went to a corner of the cage and shielded himself with his cape. Robin heard a click then felt as the cage shook from the explosion.
Taking the cape away from his eyes, he saw Nightwing's outstretched hand to help him up. He looked up at his face, and the older vigilante had a.. genuine smile of his face. After looking back at his hand for a moment, he decided to take the risk and accept it.
"Hope that didn't shake that up to bad," he chuckled, "but we really do need to move on. We need to recover your gear," he motioned to Robin's bare hands and missing utility belt, "and stop Cobblepot's operation."
Nightwing started to walk back out the cage.
Robin didn't follow him.
He noticed this and looked back at him raising an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?"
Robin looked him directly in the eye. "Who are you?"
Suggestions anyone? I'd rather avoid cheese where I can.
Also If anyone would like to possibly beta for me, send me a PM, por favor.
