AN: I just wanted to give my thanks to Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows, and all of the other people who helped to make the second Nightwing book. I have been using some of the dialogue from the book, but I am only using it for the first three chapters. So I've giving credit where it's due, because the last thing I wanna do is be accused of plagiarism. So, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters, or much of the dialogue in the first three chapters.

Gotham City Hall
8:22 P.M.
The Night of Owls

'Dammit. Cobb should be back in the cave, strapped to a table, with his system pumped full of a cooling agent to keep his regenerative abilities in check.' A feeling of fear flitted into Dick's chest. 'If he's here now, it means Batman has lost the Batcave. Or-' Dick shook his head, dispersing the thoughts. Deep down, he knew that Bruce wouldn't go down easily. He knew that Bruce could hold his own. Right now, he had to worry about the people he had sworn to protect.

"Mayor Hardy... Deputy Mayor Kavanaugh..does City Hall have a panic room?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Cobb.

"I don't...I'm not..." Hardy stammered.

"The fourth floor-there's a vault!" Kavanaugh replied, sweat running down his face.

Dick breathed in relief. Shakily, he got to his feet and looked Cobb in the eyes. "Go lock yourselves inside-" he growled. "And don't open it for anyone!" he yelled as he tackled Cobb, the sound of breaking glass filling their ears. As the owl and bird fell from the window, Dick could hear his great-grandfather speaking to him. "Richard Grayson-the Great Betrayer of Gotham's heritage. My blood. My heir." His voice was full of contempt.

During the fall, he had managed to wrap a hand around the young ebony's throat. "Such a waste."

"Guess...we'll have to agree...to disagree there," Dick replied, struggling to breathe. He slowly raised his hand, ready to engage his rope launcher. Cobb was oblivious, too focused on the man below him.

"Then show me, Richard-show me what you've become. Impress me."

'Oh, I'll impress you, alright,' Dick thought as he fired his line. Hearing the telltale thunk as the launcher found its mark, Dick began to prep his body for a rough landing. Spreading his legs, he used his momentum to swing himself and Cobb towards the ground. As they neared the street, Dick used his strength to dislodge Cobb from his throat, and let Cobb fall onto the roof of a car. There was a loud CRASH and an alarm began to blare.

Once he had lost the extra weight, Dick straightened his legs, readying himself. The second he felt his feet touch snowy pavement, he bent his legs, trying to slow his momentum. Unfortunately, his aching body, paired with the slippery ground, resulted in Nightwing losing his balance, and tumbling painfully across the road. He finally stopped when he hit a wall, expelling the air from his chest.

'Ow...' Dick thought as he slowly began to pick himself up.

A loud cracking sound filled his ears. He turned towards the source, his insides turning into ice. The broken body of Cobb had risen, his limbs at awkward angles, grotesquely walking towards him. "Broken bones...for someone...who regenerates?" Cobb's cruel voice called, reverberating through the street. With each step, Cobb's bones were reset with a sickening crunch. "I said...impress me," Cobb taunted, standing at his full height once again.

As Dick began to stand, he reached back, and grabbed one of his escrima sticks. "There is a reason the Court woke me first, you know," Cobb rasped, sliding a large dagger out of its sheath. "A reason they trust me."

'Does this guy ever shut up?' Dick asked himself. 'Maybe that's where I got my blabbermouth from.'

"I am the best, Richard-the greatest Talon of them all," he bragged. Taking his chance, Dick sprung forward, escrima stick in hand. "And last I checked, Batman beat you and put you on ice, so what's that say-" He was unable to finish his quip, for Cobb blocked Dick's blow with his dagger, slicing Dick's wrist open. As he cried out in pain, his escrima stick fell to the ground, sticking in the snow.

Nightwing cradled his wrist, feeling the pain throb in tandem with the blood gushing from the wound. "Yes-I rather enjoyed my time in his little "cave." Tell me-did it hurt when he hit you? When he rejected you?"

"You could see us...?" Dick whispered, his mind whirling with thoughts and emotions.

"Of course I could," Cobb stated, matter-of-factly. "Just as I could see all the little toys you both think allow you to make a difference in Gotham."

Dick glanced over to his right, and saw the stairs to the subway. 'That's it, he thought to himself, turning his attention back to Cobb. The assassin was slowly advancing, like a predator that had cornered its prey. "All the gadgets and costumes you delude yourselves with," he spat, venom lacing his voice. "But most of all, I could see what you've become, Richard-a second rate imitation of a naïve man. It's pathetic for a Grayson."

'He's not going to stop until he kills me,' Dick realized, mind racing to come up with a plan. He aimed his arm at the nearest building and fired his line once again. "Tell you what," he began, waiting as Cobb charged. "Why don't you tell me what you see from up there?" At the last second, he wrapped the line around Cobb's throat, and disengaged the rope from his wrist. The makeshift noose hoisted Cobb into the air, the assassin hanging like bait on a hook.

'I can't beat him like this. I've lost too much blood...need to regroup...before I...' Dick thought as he stumbled towards the stairs. As he placed his foot on the first step, his vision swirled, distorting the world around him. 'Before...' As that thought crossed his mind, he lost his hold on reality, tumbling down the stairs, unconscious.

The blood from his many wounds began to pool beneath the ebony, his suit torn, and a throwing knife still embedded in his shoulder. Suddenly, Cobb reappeared, looking down on his descendant. "It that it then, Richard? Is that truly all you are?" (AN: From here on out, this is all my work, not Higgins' or Barrows'). He reached down towards the hero, but stopped as he heard footsteps approaching. He whirled around, and saw a man clothed in an orange and black outfit. He had a menagerie of weapons, such as two pistols strapped to his legs, and a pair of swords strapped to his back. Covering his face was a mask, split into orange and black. The black side had no eye hole, which made the man even more menacing.

"Who are you?" Cobb questioned, reaching for his dagger.

"No one of your concern. Now, excuse me. I have business with the hero at your feet," the man replied, never moving. His deep voice echoed in the stairway, making it more intimidating.

"Richard is my mission. You have no right-" Cobb began, but was cut short when he felt the pain of a sword pierce his chest. He looked up at the strange man, who had somehow reached him at an impossible speed. As Cobb was getting over his surprise, the strange man spoke in a dangerously low voice. "Shame. I thought a Talon would have been more of a challenge."

Before Cobb could reply, the man palmed one of the daggers at his side, and plunged it into Cobb's temple. Without another word, he withdrew the sword from Cobb's chest, and watched as the Talon fell to the snowy ground. Cobb lay motionless, the dagger protruding from his head, blood slowly oozing from the wound.

"Tt," the man grumbled, and wiped the blood from the blade onto his sleeve. Sheathing his sword, he walked over to the unconscious hero. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew two pairs of zip ties. Working quickly and efficiently, he removed the hero's gauntlets, boots, and earpiece.

He then tied Nightwing's hands behind his back, and tied his ankles together. The man picked up the young ebony, and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Ignoring the groan Nightwing made, he glanced at the earpiece on the ground. With a small smirk, he slammed his heel down, shattering the plastic, grinding it into the snow. Without another word, the large man began to walk down the stairs into the subway, disappearing from the street. No sound was made, the man leaving nothing but a pair of footprints, that would soon be all but gone as the snow continued to fall.

AN: And the plot thickens...wonder what's gonna happen? :P
Thanks so much for the reviews. I love seeing that you all are enjoying the story! Until next time!