Notes: I had to cut this chapter here because it became too long. I also didn't realize people might assume from the summary that Batman was dead. Nope, he's just away for the galactic trial to clear the founder's name. I didn't specify a timeline but it occurs before Artemis' "death."
The Weight of the World
Chapter 2: The Weight of the Cowl II
Machines were ripped out of places, slashed wires were sparking with electricity and the air was thick with the stench of smoke. There were signs that a struggle with the Cave's defences occurred, but were flatly defeated in a short time.
Nightwing gasped. "Beast Boy!"
Think straight, think clear. Batman had always told him to put the mind over the heart in the battlefield. He scattered to Beast Boy's side, performing the rudimentary routine in attending the injured. This was going to be more difficult. Beast Boy was in animal form. He'd prepared for a situation like this just for Garfield. He took reprieved in the fact he'd chosen a mammal. Nightwing wouldn't have known what to do if he had been a bird or a fish.
"But is there anything that can be…" He didn't finish the thought. He tore his gaze away from Beast Boy's bulging eyeballs. No, not yet. "Don't lose to your heart, don't lose to despair…"
Blood was profusely coming out of Beast Boy's neck. By the amount of blood on the floor, it had been a whole minute of bleeding. Nightwing desperately felt for a pulse on Beast Boy's femoral artery. He could feel his head starting to get light. The small glitter of hope, no matter how improbable, wasn't beating the slightest. He felt almost confounded. There were no options. There was nothing - nothing for him to do and nothing he could do.
He heard a scream that made his insides cold. Nightwing willed himself to stand up, frantically searching for the source. No, no...no one else was going to die.
He caught Miss Martian's livid face, eyes burning emerald and leaking with streams of tears, swooping in as Blue Beetle, Batgirl and Lagoon Boy filed in with shock. A hooded boy in white, the red stain of blood on his clothes shining brilliantly, stood a few feet from Mal who was curled down on his knees, gripping his thigh where a sword had impaled it.
Miss Martian struck the boy with a psychic attack with a roar but the boy didn't even move an inch. They were in a starring contest that Dick had never seen Miss Martian do.
Nightwing saw a black blur rush forward from behind him and jump, knocking Miss Martian out of the air.
"NO!" was Superboy's cry.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" shouted Lagoon Boy, throwing the Kryptonian off Miss Martin in his inflated form. Superboy flew across the room and slammed onto damaged machines. Lagoon Boy – for reasons Nightwing knew was very personal – leaped to the other side and brought down a fist at Superboy, hitting him squarely at the chest.
"Lagoon Boy, stand down!" Nightwing roared. He pulled the hooded boy's arms behind his back and pushed him down the floor with some reservation. Killer or not, it didn't change the fact that this boy was just a kid. Nightwing was thankful he wasn't resisting. He didn't want to hurt him nor did he believe he deserve it, contrary to what his teammates may think.
Nightwing glared darkly at Blue Beetle.
"Blue, put the plasma cannon down."
"Step away from him, Nightwing."
"You don't give the orders around, Jaime. Put. It. Down." The Team was in a danger – in danger from themselves. "Jaime, listen to me. You don't want to do this."
"I'm starting to think I do," whispered Jaime, keeping his aim still. "He killed Gar, Nightwing. How could you defend him? The murderer of your – our friend?"
"He's not dead," said Nightwing. "We have to stop fighting among ourselves and save—"
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Jaime yelled, his voice shaking. The cave trembled as Lagoon Boy and Superboy continued hammering each other with their brute strength. "The Scarab – I know he's dead. I can't detect any life impulses from him."
"Death can be temporary," Nightwing countered quickly, his heart hammering crazily. How easier it was to take down a man twice his size than convincing his teammate to put down an alien, vaporizing technology. "Please, Jaime, I need you. The Team's destroying itself while we're wasting precious time to save Gar. I don't want to lose anyone else as much as you do." Nightwing swallowed, delivering as much emotion as he could with a mask. "You know this. At least you heard about it…"
The plasma cannon slowly lowered down by an inch. Nightwing took his chance. He knew trying to be commanding wasn't going to work. That would have been Batman's tactic. Nightwing knew he had better chances by trying to be compassionate.
"Give Beast Boy first-aid," he encouraged softly. "It's a deep neck wound. Bandage it to stop it from bleeding."
The canon retracted. Jaime stared at Nightwing in a trance.
"GO!"
Seeing Jaime bolt away, Nightwing turned around looking for the next teammate he could have on his side. "Batgirl – "
He spotted Batgirl pulling the sword out of Mal's thigh. For a non-meta with no advanced physical training, Nightwing had to salute Mal for his pain endurance. He didn't let out a single noise when Batgirl took the sword that had cut right through his tendons. He was breathing heavily as Batgirl wrapped the wound using her cape.
Barbara turned to Dick grimly. "Nightwing, sword's poisoned. We have to get Mal treated immediately."
"And Garfield."
Batgirl stared at Nightwing pityingly.
"We can't give up on him," said Nightwing hoarsely. He then indicated the hooded boy with a glance. "Tie him up. His wrists are too small for my cuffs."
Two down, two more to go. He supposed Miss Martian would make it three but he would have preferred her conscious. She would have an easier time breaking up two superpowered heroes who happened to be her ex and current boyfriends.
Letting Batgirl take over their mysterious assassin, Nightwing pulled out his eskrima sticks and drew a large inhale of air. "All right, you two, break it up! That's an order!"
Appealing to the emotions wasn't going to work this time but Nightwing was hoping Conner would be more helpful. It didn't look like Conner was interested in his little feud with La'gaan. Nightwing could tell he was holding punches while La'gaan's movements were sloppier with his rage fuelling his hits.
"You heard Nightwing," said Superboy, grabbing Lagoon Boy by the wrist in its way for a punch. "Stop it before I get serious."
"Serious?" repeated Lagoon Boy furiously, drawing a fist back with his other arm. "Stop underestimating me!"
Nightwing banged his eskrima stick at Lagoon Boy's temple. The hit knocked Lagoon Boy's sense of balance and he fell over from his sheer size. Before he could stand up, Nightwing pressed a stick on his neck with his left foot elevated on Lagoon Boy's round front. Lagoon Boy was glaring at Nightwing murderously.
"Of course, old pals sticking together," Lagoon Boy sneered. "Discrimination underwater, on land; IN missions and in the Team. I'm getting sick and tired of this."
"So am I with your attitude," said Nightwing. "Superboy, take Miss M and Beast Boy to Doctor Mid-Nite in the Watchtower with Batgirl."
"What?" An outraged La'gaan demanded.
Nightwing regarded La'gaan coldly. "YOU can take them both if you stop whining. Today had not been the right time for you to take things personally, La'gaan. We've wasted time to save two of our teammates thanks to you two."
"Your friend attacked M'gann!"
"That's why I said two."
Superboy wiped blood from a cut lip he managed to get, probably from an attack that was sorcery in origin as magic was one thing Kryptonians weren't immune from beside Kryptonite.
"Nightwing, I already know. Don't lecture – "
"No, you don't get it at all!" Nightwing shouted, jabbing his finger on the red Superman insignia. "Now would you two move your useless butts and follow orders? Take Miss Martian and Beast Boy to the Watchtower with Batgirl!"
"RECOGNIZED: ROBIN – B-TWO-ZERO."
"Beast Boy!" Robin shouted even as the computer was still announcing his arrival. His discarded helmet rolled on the floor as Tim fell to his knees before Beast Boy.
Nightwing frowned. Robin knew what was going on? Even with the mask, Nightwing could could see fury boil in Tim's eyes at the sight of the tied-up kid.
"Robin, you'll be taking Mal to the infirmary with Blue Beetle." Nightwing ordered. "Superboy and I will take care of the kid."
To Nightwing's utmost relief, the Team was starting to move as he pleased. Robin appeared mutinous for a moment but Tim knew Dick was trying to keep him from the prisoner. With a deep, frustrated sigh, Robin joined the bustling activity in the damaged room.
Batgirl lifted Miss Martian on one arm while Lagoon Boy carefully carried Beast Boy's cougar form. Batgirl was giving Lagoon Boy instructions to tilt Beast Boy's head downward so blood would flow toward his brain. As Nightwing typed in commands on the computer to stabilize security and contact the rest of the Team, he overheard Lagoon Boy leave a haunting message.
"Am I just cold-blooded or is Gar here just…cold?"
The zeta tube flashed, leaving Nightwing and the others in the room. Dick inspected the Cave's camera footage intently. He tried to ignore how Conner looked away and Tim froze. There was silence for a while until Jaime blasted rubble with his plasma canon. He yelled something in Spanish and proceeded to punch the wall. No one else said a word and the silence continued dauntingly.
Nightwing clenched his fists.
"Don't let it be another one." He studied the footage he got in the hanger where the kid arrived. "Not when the war hasn't even begun."
to be continued...