There's a lot more action in this chapter than my previous ones. Mainly due to the fact that, yes, there will be superheroes in this one, as well as super villains, and not just Slade.
I do have a bit of bad news. For those of you who don't really like OCs (and I know Wren, even though she's actually Mar'i and she's owned by DC comics, she is an OC because I've really changed her whole look and personality) and now we have Faye who is just one big OC no matter how I put it. Unfortunately there will be one more OC that comes along, eventually, and he's kinda important. But I promise that is the only one… well for a while. I'm really trying to use as many DC characters as I can squeeze in, and I wouldn't talk about them if they weren't important.
The new OC won't be appearing in this chapter, or even the next one, but soon.
Okay, so let's get down to business.
Chapter 6
My Hero?
Mesa City. Not a bad place to spend a few days. True, in Faye's personal opinion it was too big for her taste, but still. There were at least some good stores she could find what they needed, at the least.
Faye walked into town with the list in her hand. She had left Wren asleep at their camp, (which was really just the park in one of the playground tubes) while she went to pick up some groceries. They needed some traveling food, as well as a few toiletries they'd run out of and had forgotten to get the day before.
Most of what they needed was easily found at the dollar store. Maybe it wasn't as nice as the stuff found at Walgreens but it was just as affective.
"Alrighty," Faye announced once she had gathered everything on the list. There was still one thing she needed. Film for her polaroid. Out of everything she had purchased, that was going to be the most expensive. It took a while but she eventually found a film store where she bought a full roll that was on sale for ten bucks.
"Great! Now I got my pics and I can document this traveling experience properly." She took a picture of herself to test the quality and was pleased with the almost crystal clear results.
Her attention was drawn suddenly to a couple of men on the corner. "Did you hear about the fight tonight, Between Cinderblock and Livewire?"
"Yeah. Heard Cheetah been training for the rematch for a whole year straight."
"Think she has a shot at the championship?"
"Not a chance. I mean Cheetah's tough and all, but it'll take more than just that pussy-cat to take down the champ for three years running."
"Yeah. I guess so."
Faye turned to the two of them, excitement in her voice. "Cinderblock and Cheetah are having a faceoff tonight?" The two looked embarrassed to see that she had been listening in on what was supposed to be a private conversation, but Faye continued, "Where is it? I gotta see that!"
"It's a thousand bucks admission, kid." The man announced crossing his arms over his chest.
Faye's mouth dropped. "A THOUSAND BUCKS?"
"That's what I said. You wanna see the fight, you gotta pay for the seat."
"Are you kidding me? I don't have a thousand bucks."
"Well then I guess you ain't seeing the show."
And without another word, the men turned their backs on her and left. Faye pouted angrily. No way was she going to miss a fight like this. She followed the two at a safe distance until they eventually led her to an old warehouse near the shadier part of town.
She suspected that was where the fight would be taking place. She needed to get Wren over here on the double if they didn't want to miss the show.
"Chickadee!"
Wren looked up and spotted Faye running towards her excitedly.
When she had woken up that afternoon and found herself alone, she had partially feared that Faye may have left her. Her fears had been eased when she spotted her friend entering through the park's entrance. "Is there a problem?"
"Not at all." She laughed excitedly. "Wanna see a wicked fight tonight?"
"A fight? Against who and what kind of fight?"
"A serious battle to the death between two of my favorite villains; Cheetah and Cinderblock."
Wren looked questionably at her. "Where is this fight taking place?"
Faye grinned and took her hand to lead her to the warehouse in question.
Slade was alerted by the ring of his phone. One of his robot doppelgangers had just reached a street corner in El Paso from where the Bottle Rocket video had been filmed.
It was the precise area.
He looked around on the ground, searching for a trail Wren or her traveling companion might have left behind.
Wren seemed to have been a lot more careful about hiding her trail compared to her friend whether consciously or not. He definitely recognized the imprints of cowgirl boots he had seen her wearing on the video. The robot followed the footprints until they led him to the tracks nearby when they disappeared completely. He suspected they had boarded a train at around six at night the day before. He brought up the train schedule and found that only one train had rode on these specific tracks that day and had been headed to Barstow.
Well then his next destination would be Barstow.
The real Slade monitored his double's progress from his home base in California. He had built his robots to act and respond just as he himself would do. If the double found anything worth reporting Slade could easily access it on his supercomputer or smartphone.
There was no point for Slade himself to follow the wanderings of his on-the-run apprentice. He had more pressing matters to attend to. Only when he was certain of her position would he embark himself to fetch her.
"Are you certain of this?" Wren asked nervously. She had trained in the art of breaking and entering since infancy. She knew the basic structure and programming of a normal security system, but had never actually performed one in real life. The thought now seemed somewhat… unnerving.
Faye tried to reassure her as she unhooked a screen to the ventilation system. "It's okay, Chickadee. It's just like what they do in the movies. No problem, really. We'll just do a little Mission Impossible here. Sneak in through the ventilation, watch a quick match of Villain Verses and then be on our merry way. Sound a'ight t' ya?"
"I suppose, though I fail to see how this is in relation to our initial goal."
"It's not. It's just somethin' t' pass the time." Faye turned to the opening, but before she could crawl in first, Wren stopped her.
"How about you allow me to take the lead? I have been trained in this area of breaking and entering after all."
Faye shrugged and followed Wren into the air vent. About five minutes into it, Wren stopped abruptly. Faye ran into her rear and scrambled back hastily.
"What's up?"
"We must be careful." Wren said, drawing her attention to a set of motion detectors. "I suspect these were installed for intruders such as us. Do you have a mirror?"
Faye handed her a compact she kept in her pocket. Wren took it and diverted the laser back towards its source and they both crawled through again. They came across three more motion detectors and Wren diverted them as necessary. At last they heard the cries and cheers of a crowd echoing off the metal tube.
"Over here." Wren said, peering down through a grate at the crowd below. "I cannot see the fight but the crowd certainly seems enthusiastic.
"This is stupid!" Faye muttered angrily. "We busted in here to see a fight and all we get are a show of people's heads! Ooh look that's guy's toupee fell off. Talk about a shiny scalp. Do ya polish that thing, Chrome Dome? Wow! Beehive much lady?" Wren wondered if this meant she had found a new interest as she went on noting everyone's odd hairdos.
Wren looked around. "I will return. Perhaps I may find a better place to observe the fight."
"Probably be better if we both split up. I'll go this way and you go that way."
"But we do not have sufficient communication devices to split up."
"No worries. We'll just meet back here in fifteen minutes. Kay?"
"I suppose it will be fine if we have a rendezvous point. I will try to hurry."
"Same here."
And there they parted ways.
Nightwing wasn't much into performed fighting, but when he heard that an old friend would be featured there, he decided to see what the fuss was all about and break up the happy little show. Dozens of wanted criminals were sure to be found there, in any case. The night wouldn't be a total loss if he still didn't manage to get the information he was seeking.
Even after nine years, he was still in search of his long lost daughter. Some people might have even said he was obsessed over it. The knowledge that his own flesh and blood was being raised by his worst enemy was consuming. After her abduction, he spent day and night searching for some trace of her. His desperation to find her eventually led to the end of his marriage.
Starfire at last had had enough.
He could recall the fight as clearly as Bruce could recall the deaths of his parents.
Nine years ago
Dick glared at the screen, typing away like a mad man. It had already been eleven months since his daughter had been stolen and in his frantic search, Nightwing had been led across three continents, twelve countries, two oceans, fifty cities, thirteen rivers, and a partridge in a pear tree (and that last one wasn't even a joke).
He didn't want to believe it, but it seemed that his efforts were for nothing. Slade and Mar'i seemed to have dropped right off of the face of the earth. His daughter was nowhere.
But that isn't possible, he told himself. Dick hadn't been trained by the greatest detective in the world for nothing. How could he spend so much time on this and still come up with nothing?
"Dick?"
He hardly acknowledged the tender and concerned voice of his wife, only continued his work.
"Dick?" Kory said again. "It has been five days since you last slept. You've barely eaten anything. You need to rest."
"I'll rest when Mar'i is home safe." He answered simply.
She sighed, thinking back to the most recent mission. She and Dick had both been led to Bialya, where a tipoff had instructed them that a man fitting Slade's description owned a country house near the border of Queen Bea's land and Qurac. Starfire and Nightwing had wasted no time in pursuing the possibility that their daughter was just a world away from them.
Upon arrival they came across the expected Sladebots and security measures as well as what they assumed was the kidnapper himself, yet instead turned out to be yet another one of his doppelganger robot drones. He wasn't there, but it hardly mattered, because as soon as he had the two parents within the vicinity, a bomb went off, leaving the entire property reduced to shambles. Thanks to Starfire, the two had thankfully survived, yet the Slade duplicate had spoken to Dick just before it had gone off.
"You efforts are for nothing, Dick." He'd said. "I've taken every precaution to make sure you never see Mar'i again. I control everything that's linked to me. You only received that tipoff because I planted it in the first place. And you delve in without looking just like I knew you would."
"Why? Why are you doing this, Slade? You're a father, yourself. A horrible father maybe, but a father nonetheless. You should know that I'll never stop till I find my daughter."
"That's what I'm counting on."
And before Dick could answer back, a beeping ensued and Starfire was only just able to get the two of them to safety before it exploded completely.
After that one encounter Dick had submerged himself with searching, and ultimately turning his back on his friends and his family.
"Richard, please. I know how you feel but I do not wish for you to become… obsessed."
"Of course I'm obsessed!" he all but shouted. "What I'm more concerned with is, why aren't you?"
She glared making her voice heavy and firm. "I am concerned and worried and frightened. I have never been so much in my life, which is why I don't want anything additional to happen to the rest of my family."
"Don't you get it? Finding Mar'i is the only thing that matters. Slade has her, he might hurt her."
"I KNOW THAT!" She screamed. "You do not think I know that? I worry about such a thing every single moment of every single day! But Mar'i isn't the one he is hurting." She put a hand on his arm, trying to make him see what she was trying to show him. "Richard! It is you! He is doing this to hurt you."
"Of course he's doing this to hurt me. He's doing this to hurt us! Why else would he do this?!"
"You do not see…"
"NO! You don't see!" Dick shouted, gripping her by the shoulders. "What we need to do is do everything possible to get her back. That's the only thing that matters right now."
"I know you want to find Mar'i, Dick, but there are other people in this equation apart from her. And I do not think shutting yourself out from the world is the answer."
"I'm not shutting myself out."
"Yes you are! And I love Mar'i too but I cannot turn my back on everything just for her."
"Then you didn't love her like I did!"
Silence doused them both. The room seemed to have gotten five degrees colder after his declaration. Dick knew he had crossed the line with those words, but he couldn't seemed to make his mouth move in the shape needed to say an apology. Instead he took his hands off her and walked slowly back to the computer.
Kory, still trapped in her shock that he would ever say something so… terrible, stood there, stunned beyond belief.
Where she empathized with his—their loss—she could no longer stand in the background of his grief. And that fight was, at last, the final straw.
Late one night, Nightwing came home to their apartment only to find the house emptied of her things and his alien wife gone for good.
What was left was a simple letter explaining the state of her feelings, an apology, and a goodbye. He hadn't seen her since.
Her departure was just what he needed to wake up.
After that, he began to change. While trapped within his state of grief the world had changed. His team had changed.
Raven had all but vanished into thin air, Cyborg and Bumblebee had split up, and their good friend Beast Man was gone. Killed in cold blood on a mission, and Dick had been so engrossed in his own self-pity, he hadn't even stopped to look up.
He felt disgusted with himself for letting things get so out of hand. He realized that his daughter was gone, but shutting the world out wasn't the answer.
And so he returned to his normal work of saving lives and vanquishing evil, but he continued the search for her in whatever way he could.
Anything that cropped up, he went after. Several occasions he was lead to a dead end. Once, he came so close, but upon the arrival at the estate he assumed Mar'i was being kept in, he found nothing; nothing but a message taunting him and his efforts.
Not close enough, Robin.
He didn't need a signature to know who had left it. Despite all he's done, Dick swore he would never reduce himself to taking a life. He would keep to the code of his adopted father. But if he ever found Slade, no code in the world would keep him safe from Nightwing. Not for the first time in his life, had Dick wanted to kill someone, but he could never remember wanting to kill someone so badly than he wanted to kill Slade.
Now he was going after a lead that meant infinitely nothing. It was more than likely that Cinderblock hadn't heard a word or seen a trace of his old employer for years. But either way, it probably wouldn't hurt to ask. And… it was all in the face of duty.
"Hey, Nightwing. You alright?"
He looked up when he felt Bumble Bee's hand on his shoulder. She, Huntress, Black Canary, and Red Tornado had all decided to accompany him. He couldn't deny they would be useful. It was a big bust and he would need all the help he could get.
"I'm fine." He told her while they sailed through the sky on a Javelin. "Just a little eager is all."
"Think it's really Cinderblock?" She asked him.
"That's what the source told us. He and Cheetah are having a face off tonight. Several other reports of known villains and wanted criminals are suspected to be there, Roulette included." He glanced back at Black Canary and Huntress. "I believe you might have met on one or more occasions."
Huntress and Canary both shared a scowl. The hostess of so many illegal fights was back on the move and back to her old ways as well. The two heroines were almost as eager as Nightwing to put a stop to this.
"Judging from the schematics there are three entrances into the building. The front door, the back into the loading bay, and the ventilation system. For that, we'll have three groups each taking a separate entrance. Huntress and Canary you'll take the back. Bee and Red, the front. Which leaves me with the vents. Canary and Huntress you take point, flushing the crowd out through the entrance where Bee and Red can apprehend them. I'll work on subduing the bigger fellas till Huntress and Canary catch up."
"You sure you can take them on your own?" Canary asked.
"I only have to distract them till you guys get the crowd running. Besides, we've met on a few occasions. Cinderblock is an old friend, right Bee?"
"Sure thing."
They left the Javelin in camouflage mode and autopilot while they descended onto the building, each taking the area instructed to them.
Before leaving, Bumble Bee grabbed Nightwing's arm. She was one of the last two original Titans who still spoke to him. She knew him almost as well as Cyborg did. The two didn't talk much these days, but every once in a while they crossed paths.
"Hey, we're not just here for Cinderblock are we? I mean I know you're still looking, but I don't think…"
"It's okay. We're here to do a job. It's like the report said. There are a number of known villains and criminals down there. Cinderblock is just a bonus. I don't expect I'll get anything from him, but it never hurts to check."
Bumblebee nodded, satisfied with his answer.
"I suppose I can understand that." She said with empathy for a similar situation.
They all disembarked and went their separate ways.
Wren was tired. She wasn't quite sure where she was or if she was even still in the arena part of the building. She counted to herself as she turned corners, keeping track of the different directions she turned.
Left, right, right, left, right, right, right, left, left, right.
It was difficult keeping track of so many turns, but Slade had instructed her as necessary and she knew enough about it to direct herself back to Faye. Perhaps it was time she headed back. She made her move forward but just as she was maneuvering herself around, the grate under her gave way and she fell with it.
"UGH!" Someone shouted under her.
Wren jumped up, immediately leaping into a defensive stance. She seemed to have stumbled upon a large kitchen area. Several cooks surrounded her.
"What the? It's a kid!"
"Stinkin' trespasser probably thought she would be able to see the fights."
"Well just kick her out then."
One moved towards her and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on kid."
"Hey, the new fighter is on." One of the cooks said pointing towards a screen. It was set up so they could watch the fights from here. "That's not Cheetah… is it?"
"Maybe she has a new look."
A girl with long cornrows and dark skin was standing in the center of the arena dressed in Cheetah's costume and a mask. She waved and smiled at the crowd enthusiastically. Wren looked up, clearly stunned as to how precisely her friend could have gotten there.
"Faye, that was not part of the plan." She looked around the kitchen and up at the man who still had a grip on her arm. "Excuse me, but I am afraid I cannot allow you to throw me out just yet. It appears a friend of mine requires my assistance."
Faye hadn't meant to get caught by security, and she hadn't meant to run into Cheetah's dressing room, and she certainly hadn't meant to knock the villainess unconscious. The woman had just come at her, clawing at Faye with her talons. What could she do but dodge as needed? And then, out of shear dumb luck, she had pushed her hard enough with her legs to slam the woman into the wall where a heavy mirror fell and landed on the back of her skull, sending the woman into the void of unconsciousness, by accident.
A silent moment passed where neither moved. Finally, Faye got shakily to her feet, awed by what she had just accomplished.
"Okay, okay… I just beat Cheetah? I just beat Cheetah." Her face widened into a proud smile and the reality of that sentence. "I JUST BEAT CHEETAH!"
A knocking interrupted her train of thought.
"Cheetah! Five minutes till go time. You almost ready?"
"Um?" Faye wondered what she ought to do. Hastily she answered for the woman. "Yeah. I'll be right out. Just give me a minute."
It might have been out of shear insanity when she decided to take the woman's place. Without really thinking about it, she grabbed the woman's extra outfit and pulled it on herself. The outfit was super tight for a woman that size, so it was perfect for Faye. She also grabbed a mask left over from the last occupant of the room and pulled it over her face. She had really no idea what she was doing, but hey, who in the world would miss an opportunity like this?
Now she was in the arena waving and drinking in the applause of the crowd. That was at least until she felt the heavy footsteps marching towards her.
Oh yeah… she was supposed to be fighting Cinderblock right now. How did she manage to forget that?
"SQUASH CHEETAH!" The great cement monstrosity rumbled, punching a fist into his palm.
"Awe thanks, but I prefer zucchini." She said with humor. Cinderblock roared, shaking the earth as he did so. "Not a fan of jokes. At's a'ight." Her eyes grew wide as she watched him stomp towards her, intending to crush her into the ground. She felt like a matador at a bull fight.
Now all she was concerned with at the moment was staying alive. She dodged to the side right as his foot came out to kick her across the field. She saw the look in his eye and knew then that he was after blood, whether or not she was Cheetah. She decided then that she had had enough of the fight and chose to run for it instead.
Some help would have been very much appreciated at that moment. She glanced behind her to see Cinderblock punch the ground with all his strength, sending an explosion of rocks and dirt speeding towards the girl. Earth rose up from under her and she was catapulted into the crowd. Despite her harsh landing on a gangly looking flying leprechaun sort of man, she was glad to be safe and away from the rock man, at least.
Well... she was happy at first. That was at least until the thing under her started swearing up a storm.
"You dunderheaded little crud-eating snot!" He yelled absurdly. "Get you fat keester off of me before I wipe the floor with it!"
Slade's phone buzzed angrily, alerting him that another lead had been detected for his apprentice. He pushed a button and the images appeared on the screen of his computer.
It was of the illegal fights that woman Roulette was found of hosting. What in the world was his apprentice doing there? And was that Cinderblock she was facing?
Wren looked around nervously, clinging tightly to the ladle. Her eyes caught on the camera and they widened in shock. Slade stared back at the screen, stunned to see his ward at those illegal fights of all places. From her expression, he could see that she hadn't meant to record this on film.
Indeed she hadn't, but there was nothing she could do about that now. She had to save her friend.
Now where exactly did she go?
"What are you two up to?" Slade asked to the screen.
The announcer rambled excitedly at the new development. "What's this now? A girl! Another young girl has now entered the ring and appears to be holding what looks to be a… a LADLE! My god! What on earth was she thinking to come armed with only a ladle?"
Slade eyed her weapon and shook his head, clearly disappointed with her choice. Of all the selections she could have made…
"A ladle? Oh Wren I know I taught you better than that."
In the arena Wren disliked the roars and boos from the crowd and she most certainly disliked being the center of attention. She turned when she heard large footsteps marching towards her. The Cinderblock creature thing was after her now.
Yikes!
She looked at her weapon and looked at the cement creature. Without many options left to her, she turned and ran away with the monster chasing after.
The crowd laughed as she sprinted away, practically with her tail between her legs.
Wren ran at her fastest speed, climbing onto the stone structure Cinderblock had created. He almost had her when she suddenly turned, kicking her leg against a horizontal pillar and twisting her body towards her attacker. The world slowed down for her at that moment. She saw Cinderblock raise his head to find his prey was now sailing above him; Or more specifically, towards him. The ladle was raised highly in her hands, with the handle pointing down. She gripped it tightly and at the right moment, dug it deep into Cinderblock's eye. She pushed and a big red ball popped out, attached by a thin thread of optic nerve.
Wren back flipped over his hard head and landed in a crouch on the other side. She looked back to observe her handiwork.
"Oh my!" The announcer cried, just as surprised as the crowd was. "What in the world? Ladies and gentlemen, it seemed the girl has managed to dig out one of the monster's eyes. I definitely did not see that one coming and apparently neither did Rocky!"
Slade shared the surprise of everyone watching. His brow rose with amusement. That had been quite unexpected, but impressive, too. He felt somewhat proud of her choice of attack. He hadn't been expecting that from Wren, but on the other hand, he had taught her to always aim for the eyes, if all else should fail, and doing the best to deceive and trick one's opponent. He smirked. "I knew I taught you better than that."
Cinderblock roared in furry, holding the empty socket in pain and outrage. He bent back and roared louder, enraged that Wren had tricked him so viciously.
She looked back at her weapon, wondering if it would still be of some use. Unfortunately, she now only had the bowl left, the handle having broken off as she was robbing her opponent of his left eye. It had done its job well. Not the kind of weapon that would have been first choice to many combaters, but it served its purpose for deception. She turned back to the ground and saw the perfect red orb a few feet from her. Instead of blood or flesh, there were no liquids or the type of bodily fluids one would expect from it; just a smooth stone sphere.
She had never felt the need for trophies before, but this seemed like a worthy souvenir to keep. She grabbed it up and stuffed it in her hoody.
The earth rumbled as Cinderblock roared again, spotting her just as she pocketed his eye. He stomped after, prepared to tear her limb from limb to get his eye back.
Wren realized she was no match for him without a proper weapon and sprinted away again. But there was no way she was going to outrun the giant. She stumbled when she heard something whoosh towards her from behind. She hit the ground hard, just as a boulder missed her head by inches. Heavy trembles of Cinderblock's footsteps shook the earth and the girl turned in time to see him standing over her. His fist was raised and he brought it down on her. There was no time for her to move out of the way, or to even retaliate. All she could do was close her eyes and brace herself.
Suddenly the fist that was coming down on her… missed her body completely, choosing to instead pummel empty air.
She stared in surprise.
Who…
Then she saw her rescuer, a man in a black leotard with a bright blue bird over his chest and a domino mask covering his face.
Instantly, she recognized him from case files Slade had made her read for homework. He had voiced insistently that if there was one hero she did not want to meet, it was Nightwing. Slade's reasoning's for this were vague, saying only that her master and this man had deep history that she could not understand. What he made absolutely clear, was that this man was dangerous to her should he ever find out that she was Slade's new apprentice. Because of this, she was to stay clear of him if their paths ever crossed.
Now this man, who was the sworn enemy of her master, was in combat with the monster right in front her.
"I don't believe it folks. Now it looks like a vigilante has entered the ring. If I got this right I'd say our Cinderblock is face to face with an old enemy. The first Robin Boy Wonder, now known as the grown vigilante Nightwing, is now fighting against the champ, and I don't think he's in it for the glory. Folks now are evacuating their seats, probably in regards to the possibility that at any minute more capes will be barreling in here soon to shut down the arena. If I were smart, I'd probably be going too."
Slade saw it all on the television and gritted his teeth with fury. His grip on the remote tightened till it shattered in his palm. He never expected that Wren would meet her biological father so soon, and where he couldn't do anything about it. Still, there was no way Nightwing knew this was his daughter. Almost ten years had passed since the infant girl had been kidnapped and he was more certain than anything that Nightwing wouldn't be able to distinguish her. And yet, he continued to watch the screen with growing anticipation.
Wren watched the man fight the monster in her defense. She remembered what her master had told her and got up, searching for an escape route.
"WREN! Wren over here!"
Her name seemed to have caught the man's attention. "Wren?" He was distracted and Cinderblock took the opportunity to slug him. His blow sent the man into a wall, where he crumbled to the ground.
Wren looked to where her name had come from and found Faye waving to her from a booth. "Don't worry! I'll getcha!" She grabbed an enormous violet curtain and gripped it tightly, using it for a swing. Wren changed her direction and ran towards her, reaching her arm forward to grab when her friend came by. But their hands were too far apart and they missed.
"CRAP! Go back!"
"Impossible!" She cried. Wren stumbled as she felt Cinderblock behind her again. Changing direction seemed hopeless, but she stumbled and rolled to the side, allowing the rock man to run past her smoothly. She got up quickly and ran towards her friend, her hand outstretched desperately.
"Here I come!" Faye cried, swinging herself to aim for Wren when she came back around.
Wren kept running, raising her hand as high as she could, but even that wouldn't be enough. Faye must have seen they weren't going to make it this time either, so she held the curtain tightly by her legs and bent backwards, facing Wren and dangling upside down with her arms stretched towards her. The extra distance was just enough.
Wren felt both their hands connect and her legs left the ground as they sailed through the air and out of harm's way. Her stomach flew up, growing in it, a delightful tickling sensation. It was the same sense she got when she tried to fly. She hoped it wasn't quick to end, but it was, as were all good things in this life.
She felt the stone of the booth's ledge under her and braced herself. Faye released her hold on the curtain and her weight dropped significantly. Even as Wren was braced for it, she was still surprised by Faye's weight.
"Yikes!" Faye cried when she spotted Cinderblock rushing at them again. "Pull me up, Chickadee!"
"I am trying. You are quite heavy."
"Come on girl! I'm gunna die!"
Wren found her strength and lifted Faye away from danger.
They both fell back in the booth, panting and hearts hammering in their chests. Once Faye was over the shock, she shot up and grinned excitedly. "Hell girl, were we trapezein' or what!?"
"Yes… I suppose we were."
Wren looked over the ledge and saw three more vigilantes entering the arena, attempting to bring the rock man down as well as several other meta villains that had decided to stay behind to watch the fight anyways. That provided a chance for Nightwing to look up into the booth and move towards them.
Wren saw him jump into the stands and sprint in their direction, without pause to help his comrads.
"Oh no!" She grabbed Faye's hand and rushed to the exit. "I believe we must depart."
"But… two of my very favorites are here! We hafta stay and watch the show!"
"Please." She uttered, dragging her friend forward. "We must leave! I… need to use the bathroom immediately!"
"Must be one hell've a bathroom emergency!" Faye yelled as they ran away. "I swear, girl, if you don't hafta pee up a new Niagara Falls, yo dead!"
"WAIT!" Wren's sharp ears could hear Nightwing calling after them, but Wren wouldn't stop, not for a moment. Her primal instinct to obey her master was still fresh within her.
"Quickly." Wren said turning sharply. "This way, please."
"But that's Nightwing." Faye said, turning to glance back at him. "Why, in the hell, are we running from Nightwing? He's like… twenty-second to the best."
Wren turned sharply into a door to hide. "Please, this way! I will explain. Let us just get away as fast as possible."
It was mild to say Slade felt very uneasy about this whole situation. The appearance of Wren and then Nightwing together in the same place had troubled him significantly. And when Nightwing had heard what her name was he hadn't hesitated, but ran after immediately.
Nightwing's gut was spot on and Slade hated it. If he pursued this, then it could mean trouble for Slade's plans. He was thankful that Wren had the sense to run when she did. Aparently he had been quite successful in pounding that message into her well enough.
He walked over to a keyboard and punched in a few buttons, alerting several of his Sladebots and programming them to search for his illusive apprentice. "I think it's time your little road trip came to a close, Wren. You're risking too much on this, and I won't have you stirring up anymore trouble."
The night air was brisk for a southern city like this. Nightwing stood with the rest of the vigilantes as police took the many wanted criminals they had apprehended from the arena. Roulette scowled as she was escorted into a sleek police car and Black Cannary couldn't resist the urge to wave as she was driven away. It was the third time she had been busted for these illegal fights, now the punishment was expected to be quite severe.
"Hey," Bumble Bee said, nudging Nightwing's arm. "You okay, boss?"
He looked at her for a moment. His thoughts were still with that girl Wren. She had run from him. Why would she do that? Especially after he had just saved her? Maybe she was just scared she would get in trouble for being at one of these fights.
He shrugged at last. "I'm not really sure."
"Well I just wanted to tell you to stop thinking so loud. You're making me nervous."
"Sorry. But if it bothers you so much you don't have to watch me."
"I wasn't. I had my back to you the whole time. You're kinda sending off those vibes again." Her face became serious now as they spotted Cinderblock being hauled onto a large semi-truck. "Did you get anything out of the big guy?"
"Nothing." Nightwing sighed. "He hasn't heard from Slade for years. I don't know what to do. I'm starting to…" he trailed off, unable to admit that part of himself or to her.
"Hey…" Bumble Bee put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's gunna be okay. You'll see her again, I know you will. After all, I haven't lost hope yet either. I'm still keeping an eye out for my little one, too. So don't cha worry about it, boss."
Nightwing nodded, following her and the others onto the Javelin.
Bumblebee, aka Karen Beecher, of all people knew what this felt like. Three years ago, her sister's entire family had been murdered in a brutal explosion, leaving only Karen's young twelve year-old niece as the sole survivor. But the incident had reduced Deslyn in a state worse than death. Her mangled body had been recovered from the scene, and Karen, with the help of Victor, did what they could to restore the young girl, pulling out all the stops to restore her body to normal. In the end, it hardly mattered though.
Deslyn had been kidnapped right out of a hospital bed without a trace or a clue as to where she'd gone or who had taken her.
Least he knew who had his child. She passed day by day wondering and fearing where her niece was and if she was being treated well or not by whomever had her.
His thoughts went back to that Wren girl. It was probably a million to one chance that that could have ever been who he hoped it was. If she was still alive the last place she would ever be was unaccompanied at some fight. The little he saw of her, it looked like the girl was a runaway, probably snuck in to see the faceoff between Cheetah and Cinderblock.
It would be unwise to get his hopes up for some random stranger. So for the moment, he would put it out of his mind and try to forget to the best of his abilities.
"And that is why I cannot come into conflict with any heroes." Wren told Faye back on the train.
"So 'at's why ya ran. You figured that Nightwing might do somethin t' hurt cha?"
"Or try to extract information from me about his enemies. And I know many of his enemies."
"But Nightwing and otha heroes wouldn't do that." Faye insisted. "They're good, they wouldn't intentionally hurt a kid."
"It is a war, Faye. Sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures. If they were ever successful in taking anything from me about my master or his business partners, it could mean trouble for me on both ends. No one suffers worse than that of a traitor."
"But ya can't be held responsible."
"I can and I will. It only takes a moment to destroy everything. I might say the wrong thing, or react strangely, or think the wrong thing. Martian Man Hunter could read my mind if that happened…"
"Man… this bites!" Faye grumbled. "But I understand what yo sayin'… I guess. Heroes bad, villains bad, normal people… good, even though normal people suck and aren't very interestin'."
"On the contrary, I find "normal people" very interesting." Wren announced with a soft smile. "It is enjoyable to mingle freely with citizens that do not have plots that involve robbery or destruction."
"I guess ya would enjoy that, being raised by villains and stuff."
"Villain. Singular please. My master dealt with business partners of the same ilk, but none of them helped raise me. Only him. And please do not refer to him as such." Wren said as an afterthought. "Though his activities were nothing short of criminal, he is still the man who raised me, and it feels disrespectful to lump him in with casual thugs."
"Wow, you really looked up to him didn't you?" Faye said. She frowned, suddenly having second thoughts for convincing Wren into coming with her on this trip if Slade had really been so influential to her.
Wren nodded as several memories filled her. "I did, but more so you now."
Faye didn't say anything for a moment, feeling as if she was close to blushing. "Wow… um… Okay, okay. I get it. But then," Faye frowned as a new thought occurred to her. "How do you know you can trust me?"
Wren paused. She hadn't given thought to that at all. Could Faye be a spy?
No. Not likely.
"I have decided to trust you." Wren said at last. "I do not suspect your intentions are to betray or harm me. Besides, I like you."
Faye smiled. "Thanks. The feeling's mutual if ya were wondering."
"You already made me aware of that. Thank you very much, Faye."
They both sat quietly as the train knocked against the rails.
"You know, I was thinkin'." Faye said suddenly. "That flyin' thing ya did earlier. Well it just occurred to me that having an ability like that could be somewhat useful. I mean at least with runnin' away from otha bad guys that is."
"I am uncertain if I will be able to do it again. It is quite difficult to control."
"Would ya be willing t' try?"
"I suppose. Though I cannot promise results. I get the notion that may have been a onetime occasion."
And so the sixth chapter is concluded.
I'm sorry for those of you who wanted Wren to be reunited with Nightwing, but I just couldn't do it. So many things need to happen and having him catch her before we got down to the good stuff can not be tollerated!
So wadja think? Review if you liked and if you didn't... review anyways. I 3 mail!
