DECEMBER 08, 00:02
BLUDHAVEN
"Take it back! Take it back! I don't want any-"
Two perfectly aligned escrima sticks took him down. Nightwing spun on a dime and sprinted after the one that got away.
The burglar was terrified. He stumbled over obstacles that weren't there and tripped over his own feet.
But it wasn't enough.
Nightwing caught up to him.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Nightwing was relentless. It was but half a moment's work to beat the would-be burglar into a bloody pulp before hanging him from the side of the bridge. The would-be burglar whimpered, unable to cry for help with his shattered jaw.
For a moment, Nightwing paused as he looked at his handiwork. Then he let out a slow breath. "I'm sorry," he said after a moment.
He wasn't talking to the burglar.
DECEMBER 08, 00:16
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, 01:23
The cops were already present.
Sneaking past them would be child's play. Examining the crime scene would not. There were at least four officers present and the crime scene would be contaminated.
He checked the cameras before going in and felt a surge of pride when he saw they had been expertly disabled, looped, and booby-trapped.
Nicely done, Robin.
Out of habit, he collected the disc planted on the camera, a device Tim had invented. It would loop his chosen footage at the security desk while storing the real footage collected by the security camera.
Now, to get the cops out of the way. Climbing in one of the windows, he slipped along the balcony and down the hall to the Jewel of Tarsus.
Although roiling with impatience, he forced himself to take his time as he set up a tripwire and planted an explosive shuriken on the glass case. Dashing back out to the balcony, he fired his grapnel gun and hung on top of one of the gargoyles.
The shuriken detonated.
Most of the cops immediately dashed to the elevators. As soon as the doors closed, Batman took down the remaining patrol man.
He had about ten minutes.
Reaching into his utility belt, he retrieved a scanner configured to search for any sign of organic matter.
Six results.
One of Beast Boy's feathers.
Oak pollen.
A couple hairs from Wonder Girl's head.
A scale from Lagoon Boy.
Some decayed leaf.
And blood from Klarion's familiar Teekl.
His eyes narrowed.
Lack of DNA from Superboy, Klarion, and Beetle was unsurprising.
But why was there nothing from Robin?
He configured the scan to search only for Timothy's DNA and tried again.
Still nothing.
Dark blue eyes narrowed behind the cowl.
Something wasn't right. A small voice, whispering nonstop in the back of Bruce's head:
"Where's the evidence?"
This didn't make any sense. If there was a death, there was always evidence.
Jason- he'd left a body.
Speedy- he'd left an arm.
Tula- a few organs and a left foot
Ted Kord- ashes
Timothy- nothing.
Where was the evidence?
Where was the evidence?
Where was the evidence?
He heard sirens. More cops. Taking a deep breath, Batman collected his thoughts.
The scene needed further examining. But he was out of options, out of time, and out of patience.
Thinking fast, he pulled out a batarang and pried up the floor tile that Robin had been standing on when he vanished. It may be contaminated with Klarion's magical energy and it was his only lead.
Firing his grapnel gun, Batman disappeared into the night.
DECEMBER 08 2015
SANDSMARK RESIDENCE, 05:48
"How is she?"
Helena Sandsmark looked into the rim of her cup. "Devastated. She's convinced that it's her fault."
Diana stood. "Let me see her."
"I don't know if she'll want to, Diana. She feels like she failed you."
"Never. She has much to learn, but she performs admirably. I am proud of her. Please. Let me talk to her."
Professor Sandsmark sighed. "Her room is down that hall on the right. You'll know which one."
The door was adorned with posters of the Justice League and fictional heroes Wonder Woman didn't recognize.
She knocked softly on the door. "Cassie? May I come in?"
"No. Go away."
"I'm going to wait here until you let me in."
There was a long pause.
"Come in."
Diana opened the door. The room was messy, which was nothing unusual for Cassie. At first glance, everything looked normal. Diana knew better. Items had been haphazardly thrown about and smashed, dresser drawers has been upended on the ground and many of the contents rent in two.
In the middle of the carnage, her protégée lay facing away from the door on a popped bean bag.
She sat up when Diana came in. No tears adorned her cheeks, but the agony in her eyes said enough. Cassie expected judgment, condemnation, or anger. None of which Diana had come to provide.
"If you need to talk, I will listen," Diana said after a moment, sitting next to Cassie.
Three seconds passed.
Cassie looked at Wonder Woman, as if asking is this ok before she began to speak. She was slow at first, glancing over at Wonder Woman in an attempt to gauge her responses. "I felt so- so helpless. He was three feet away from me, and yet I- I couldn't - It all happened so fast- I mean, it's like, I have these powers, but what good are they if I can't use them? If I can't help anyone?"
Her face twisted. "I couldn't help him. I couldn't save him."
She smashed her fist down, creating a small crater in the floor. "I was weak. I hesitated. I couldn't do anything but watch as he just- just-"
Cassie gasped, forcing her emotions back. Diana hovered. For one moment, she was unsure what to do. Then, following Barry's advice, she pulled Cassie into a hug and rocked her slowly.
"It wasn't your fault Cassandra. You couldn't have saved him."
"But I should have."
"Then how?"
"I- I could have grabbed him- tackled Klarion-" she trailed off, biting her lip uncertainly.
"Cassandra. Don't blame yourself. Robin's death was not your fault."
"You're- you're not mad?"
"No, Cassandra. You performed admirably."
Cassie didn't look convinced. "But- then what happened to Troia? When the other Robin died…" she trailed off and looked to the other side of the room.
"When the other Robin died, Troia was devastated. Cassie, you need to realize that Donna and Robin were close. They had joined the Team around the same time and they were the first "freshmen."
"I hate it when Nightwing calls us Freshmen," Cassie muttered, "I'd rather be called a sidekick. I am a sidekick." Diana chuckled. Cassie smiled sheepishly. "But I don't understand why Donna left," she added quickly. "So her Robin died- but why would she want to stop being a hero? He was her best friend. Wouldn't she want to honor his name?"
"It is a lot more complicated than that." Diana paused, trying to sort her personal opinions from the facts.
Cassie seemed to catch on. Her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, my gosh. Are you saying they were- you know- together?"
"I don't pretend to know what Robin felt for her. All I know is that when he died, something in her changed. I had my suspicions, of course-"
"That's so sad! What do you mean, 'changed?'?"
"You must understand, Cassie. We Amazons are warriors, but we follow a strict code that dictates how and when to use our skills in battle. This Code was laid down by the jointed powers of Ares, Athena and Aphrodite. It mandates that our powers are to be used only for love."
"Love?" Cassie asked, somewhat disgusted. "So you became a superhero because you were in love with Steve Trevor?"
Diana's glare was hard. "No. Love is not just romantic warm fuzzy feelings. Those are desires, and they aren't always pure. Love is pure, because it is a choice, a covenant- a promise. It is a promise to serve and protect someone or something to the best of your ability. It is about putting their needs before your own, whether it be the other Amazons, our home, the world, your family- or one special person. Love is the most powerful force in the universe because it is the only emotion based directly on choice. And it is that power to choose which fuels our abilities.
"I chose to become a hero because people were dying, and I knew I could help. I chose to protect the innocent. When I say I fight for love, I fight for the humanity. Despite their flaws, despite their prides and prejudice, humans are worth protecting.
"Cassie, when an Amazon loves a mortal, they put themselves at risk. Love has great potential, to heal and to harm. She chose to love him. When he died, she was hurt so badly she was afraid to love again."
Wonder Girl was quiet, digesting all the new information. Diana put her hand on Cassie's shoulder. "If there is one thing you learn from me, let it be this: Love is dangerous. It is powerful, so powerful that it can heal all wounds and devastate all hope. Remember that, Cassie. Remember that someday when you must make your own Choice."
DECEMBER 08, 2015
WAYNE MANOR, 02:40
"Can't sleep?"
"No. Been laying here all night," Nightwing lied, adjusting his headset. Bab's face was mildly distorted, ut he couldn't tell if it was from his exhaustion or her webcam. "I just- I don't know, Babs."
"How's Bruce taking it?"
"Not sure. He hasn't broken anything yet- as far as I can tell, at least- and he's been down in the Batcave all night. Alfred's probably going to have a fit when he finds out."
"I'm sorry, Dick. I wish I could be there."
He smiled into his headset. "Love you too, Babs."
A pause. "Dick- how do you feel?"
"Fine. I'm fine."
"You're not."
"I'm ok, I promise."
She wanted to say something. He could tell.
"Babs- please. Don't. Not now. I'm fine. I just need to focus on The Team. They need help more than I do. The mission was a success, but we need to find the rest of the Asbsorbacron and steal it back. Even if it's not complete, it's too much tech to allow in enemy hands. And there's the fallout from Tim's… scene. La'gaan, Beast Boy, Wonder Girl, Beetle- they're all practically rookies and they watched him die. They're going to need therapy and Canary's off on some girl thing with Huntress and- the Drakes. Ugh. We need to call them soon. Batman said he'd deal with it, but I don't know what he's thinking and I- I can't-"
"Nightwing. Calm down."
He took a deep breath. "Ok. Yeah. I'm sorry. I just- I'm fine, Babs. I promise."
"Dick, maybe you need a break. Leading the Team-"
"I told you, I'm fine."
"You haven't been fine since Jason! Ever since he died, you became all about the mission."
"Because the mission is all that matters!"
There was a moment of silence.
"I'm sorry you feel that way."
"Babs, that came out wrong."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I-" He closed his mouth and looked away from the screen.
"You don't want to talk about it."
No. No he didn't. Maybe it was something in his face or his body language, maybe she knew him better than he thought. Either way, she seemed to understand
"You need to see Canary. Have a nice night," she said.
"Babs-"
Click.
Dick swore and tore off the headset. It hit the wall and snapped into three pieces. He sat for a moment, trying to collect himself.
He was fine. He didn't need therapy. Why couldn't Babs see that? He was fine.
It was just the situation that wasn't.
But he, Nightwing, Dick Grayson, was fine.
Really.
AUTHOR'S NOTE-
I feel the need to explain my portrayal of Nightwing at the beginning of this chapter. As You Know, Nightwing does his best to be an emotionally detached leader. We also know that he fails miserably in at least the "emotionally detached" part. If you trace the decisions that he makes in Invasion, nearly all of them have roots in his emotional reactions to events. I know I have at least one reader who hasn't seen the show, so I won't go into the canon evidence- *Arsenal and the airlock, Mt Justice's 'scene', KF's 'scene' to name most significant*
Furthermore, we all know that usually Dick and Bruce have a huge falling out, Dick storms off like a Drama Queen, gets all rebellious, and Tada! Nightwing is born. Obviously, it didn't happen in Young Justice. But Dick has a temper- admittedly, compared to Jason's it's pretty pathetic, but a temper is a temper no matter what universe.
In the comics, there is a case where Nightwing kills the Joker. This wasn't an AU or a dream or another wacky mind control thing. Nightwing. Killed. The. Joker. Because he thought the Joker killed Tim.
In YJ, Dick is far more in control than he usually is. But everyone has a breaking point. Tim's death has always been Nightwing's. *Again, I point to the incident with Arsenal and the Airlock. And the Gamma Squad incident. And the "Just don't die OK" remark.
So, the beginning of the chapter tries to show his stress and pent up emotions. The apology he gave was to Tim, not the burglar. Because the way Nightwing is acting now is how Bruce acted when Jason died- only much worse. And Nightwing knows it. That's the only reason he's not as bad as Bruce was when Jason died. Because he's trying to hold back for Tim.
