Almost a year earlier…
Nightwing was back in full swing in Gotham.
"I'm only here to drop Zsasz off at Arkham, then I'm going back to Chicago." He said with a slightly annoyed tone as he landed in front of Arkham Asylum.
The bat-family has been shattered. The last time most of them were together was the night Damian was killed. Even then they were on thin ice with Bruce lying yet again to them about what the Joker knew… what he might be capable of. But when Raya, Dick's red-head childhood friend turned 'complicated', was killed by the Joker he decided he had to take a break from Bruce, from Gotham. Gotham is a big city but so was the rest of the country. So he moved to Chicago, hoping to start a new with another red-head childhood friend, but ultimately he knew it was best she remained. After a few weeks in Chicago, things were not great. It's not easy being a vigilante in town that targets them. The setbacks began to pile up and he didn't just have doubts in his relationships but with his purpose as a costumed hero in a mask.
Barbara Gordon was back home in her garage calibrating her bat cycle "let's meet without masks. It's always better that way. Less pressure to live up to Bruce than Batman," she said through the com-link.
"For me you mean?"
"For everyone-" **SKREEETCH!**
"Agh!" Nightwing grabbed for his com to turn down the strange feedback.
**BOOM!** Large cloud of smoke appeared right at the entrance of Arkham. A caped woman appeared and immediately ripped the doors off the entrance to Arkham.
"Batgirl, if you hear me we have major situation at Arkham. Tell Batman to alert the league." He said as he dropped Zsasz to the ground. His heart began to race, adrenalin pumping in his veins. He's been Batman he's trained with the Justice League but taking down a someone with the powers of Superman was never an easy task.
*Static silence*
"Batgirl?" Come on Babs tell me you can hear me and are calling the cavalry.
*static silence* Nothing, he finished hopping the wall to Arkham and made his way to the entrance.
"Behind you" someone whispered. Dick turned towards the noise.
"Batman?" *BAM* lights out.
Over the course for what seemed like forever Dick was de-masked in front the world, tortured, beaten, and strapped to a bomb. Batman, Catwoman, and Lex Luthor of all people finally came. But it was too late, it seemed the only way to stop a bomb from destroying the League and the surrounding area, was to stop Dick's heart.
He was effectively dead to everyone. The majority of the league knew he was strapped to a bomb, but what they didn't know and what no-one besides Catwoman, Luthor, and Batman knew was that Luthor was able to revive Grayson.
Batman, always being 10 steps ahead, had to hide Dick's resurrection, saving it for what would be bigger than some injustice league. He knew that there was an agency, Spyral, out there hunting the league and others already. Luckily, Batman had been able to keep most identities secure but for how long?
Sitting in the cave after the most grueling, bloody, destructive training sessions they would ever have, Dick had to get something off his chest.
"It can't be the same between us anymore."
"I know, Dick."
"Do you? You know I would follow you anywhere. But after this… It's over… I'm not following your crusade anymore."
With that Dick set out into the world, searching for a group called 'The Fist of Cain' a terrorist group Spyral were known to be after. It wasn't long after taking down 'fist' cell after cell that Dick gained the attention of Spyral, specifically Helena Bertinelli.
He was recruited. Several months of helping Spyral track down organs that could give them the powers of the justice league while reporting to Batman seemingly helped patch up their rocky relationship.
Almost now…
It finally happened, the Joker was still alive. Worse, Joker's new gas has turned half of Gotham into crazed Joker zombies.
Batman, Killer Croc, Red Hood, Penguin, Red Robin, Poison Ivy, Bluebird, Bane, Batgirl have luckily only been incapacitated by the Joker gas, Bruce put a vapor in the masks they all were wearing. But Batman, Dick Grayson Batman, is still unconscious on top of a dinosaur in the heart of Gotham without a mask. The same Dick Grayson that is supposed to be dead to the world let alone the 3 close family members lying within eyeshot.
Right before passing out in the hands of the Joker he remembered something, Don't be seen. Don't be seen. He still has his mission. Don't be seen. Wake up. WAKE UP! Immediately Grayson, dressed in full Batman armor minus the cowl itself, jumped up. Taking in his surroundings the Joker gas seemed to dissipate. But the rest of the members of the Batfamily laid surrounded by what remained of Ivy's vine wall and the bodies of the crazed victims the Joker left in his wake. Dick stood over them looking for any signs of life.
I know Batman said the vapor should keep us safe but…
He jumped down towards the group. Walking over to the nearest joker victim he reached down putting his fingers on their carotid artery.
No pulse… Damn it. He took the gauntlet off to be sure. Still no pulse.
Jason was the nearest family member. He reached down to check his pulse…
Faint but he'll be okay. Thank you Batman!
Batgirl was the next closest. Crouching down towards her finally gave him a chance to actually look at her since he came back. His heart started beating just a little bit faster. For a moment he stopped and soaked in the way she looked for a moment. He reached down and placed his fingers on her carotid.
She's fine. But damn, she looks just as beautiful as ever. He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest, now. He was amazed that despite being almost a year, those feelings are still there. The kind like when his heart skips a beat when he looks at her. God, how I miss seeing that long read hair blowing in the wind leading up into her cowl, those big bright eyes, her soft—snap out of Grayson! This isn't Sleeping Beauty!
Suddenly Batman's voice crept into his head, "You're hypnos isn't going to work on someone who knows you as well as the family does. Just in case you forgot your body, your movements, even your scent could blow your cover. You know how important your mission is so DON'T. BE. SEEN." Especially around a girl with a mind like Barbara's, Dick thought to himself.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me? Batman? Batgirl? Anyone?" A young woman with an English accent said over the communicator. "Come on. I have the antidote I'm in route to your location. Can anyone hear me!?"
Time to go. Dick made his way out of the circle east towards his jet he 'borrowed' from Spyral. Stepping over Bluebird he looked down. Later lady Nightwing.
"Ughhhhh." What the -
A groggy penguin reached up grabbing Dick by his boot.
"Ughh B-Batman is that you?"
**WHAP** Dick lands a sweeping kick to Penguin's face knocking him out cold.
Sorry Penguin I am not about to let you blow my cover after I flew 2000 miles to be Bruce's decoy. Dick pulled out his grapple hook this time fired it to the nearest building before anyone else could wake up.
Before reaching the outskits of town Dick had to ditch the Batman gear before getting in range of the Spyral jet's cameras. By now Helena knew Dick was A.W.O.L. and went back to Gotham. Dick boarded the jet in his normal Spyral attire. He walked up the rear ramp and sat down in the pilot's chair. Flipping several switches the panel began lighting up bit by bit upon hitting the switch to start the engine that's when he heard it.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
"I am surprised you weren't waiting in the back up the ship Matron."
"37, this is Agent 8, you're already wearing my patience thin. You WILL maintain radio protocol, or I will find an assignment here that is far worse than what you're doing now. Now, why are you in Gotham. Over."
"Fine, Agent 8, this is 37 there was a gas attack in Gotham. I can't discuss more over comms. Over and out."
Both sides hang up Dick, punches in the coordinates back to St. Hadrians while Helena, in her new office as the head of Spyral, leans back in her chair and sighs rubbing her temples.
"Dick Grayson, you are an idiot." Agent 1, a middle eastern man mutters. Helena turns her chair to face towards him.
"We know someone was sending encrypted radio transmissions outside of this school before Minos. Grayson returning to Gotham makes it easy to believe he's still working for the Batman."
"His connections?" Agent 1 asked.
"Before he was killed he worked alongside Batman for a short time. He was the leader of a group of young heroes called the Titans, which were believed to work underneath the Justice League."
"Batman being a leader of the Justice League."
"Correct Agent 1, your mission is to investigate 37. I want to know more about his connections to Gotham. Every hero has a story, it's time we found out more about his."