Chapter 7: The Injustice League Strikes Again

Batman searched every night, but to no avail. School holidays arrived before the damn clown even gave a hint as to his location. Dick avoided the manor as often as possible; he and Bruce were butting heads with even more frequency than usual.

Then, one day, they caught a break.

Dick had come out of therapy with Black Canary to find Roy in conversation with Batman and Kaldur.

Roy looked up. "Dick!"

"Is that my name or an insult?"

"Get over here." Roy dragged him into a rather violent hug that cut off his air supply. Luckily, it was only brief. Roy held him out at arm's length, looking him up and down with a frown. Roy didn't look well. His hair was greasy and unkempt, and he looked like he hadn't shaved for a few days. Dark circles shadowed his eyes.

"Are you still looking for Speedy?" Dick asked him.

"Yes." Roy glared over his shoulder at Batman and Kaldur. "Not that anybody is helping me anymore."

"We have had this discussion," Kaldur said calmly. "Were we to find leads, we would pursue them, but—"

"You haven't found any, blah blah blah. I get it." Roy headed back to the holocomputer, sorting through some text. "That's not why I'm here. I turned up some intel I thought you guys might want to see."

"Oh?" Dick joined him at the computer.

"The Injustice League is back," Roy said. The words on the screen seemed to be a transcription of a conversation overheard by one of Roy's sources. "I'm not sure who is involved, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same crew as last time."

"They're operating well outside Gotham," Dick observed as he skimmed the transcript. "If the Joker's involved, that'd explain why you haven't been able to track him down, Batman."

"The League can handle this," Batman said.

"If you believe that is best," Kaldur said diplomatically before Dick could ask whether that decision was his fault.

Before any further discussion could be made, Batman pressed his communicator. "Yes? Spit it out, Clark." He sighed. "I'll be there."

"What is it?" asked Dick.

"Something's come up," said Batman. "The League is needed elsewhere."

"We can take care of this," Dick assured him.

"You should—"

"I'm not staying behind. I'm the only experienced hacker the team has."

Batman's lenses narrowed. "Red Arrow, accompany the Team. Keep in contact. The League will back you up as soon as possible." He headed for the zeta tube, about as close to stomping as his dignity would allow.

Kaldur sent a message to the whole team's communicators. "This is Aqualad. We have a mission. Suit up and report to the main chamber ASAP." He turned to Dick. "You too."

"Yes, sir." Dick gave him a silly salute and headed off in the direction of his quarters. He overheard a snippet of conversation before he was out of earshot.

"How's he been?" Roy asked Kaldur.

"I believe Wally would be a better person to ask," Kaldur replied.

"Wally, huh?" Roy's voice brought to mind a vision of waggling eyebrows. Dick rolled his eyes and kept walking, trusting Kaldur to either chastise him for being suggestive or just ignore it completely. Either would be fine.

Dick changed into his costume quickly so he could take his time doing an inventory on his various gadgets and weapons, taking extra special care to take stock of anything that would help him escape should be end up captured again. Most of his equipment to that end was held in his utility belt, since there wasn't really anywhere better, but he had a few lockpicks and other small bits and pieces sewn into the lining of his uniform. A knife was hidden in a secret compartment of each boot, in the event that a captivity situation arose where he was allowed to keep them.

Feeling for the little bumps in his uniform helped soothe his nerves. Dick restocked his smoke bombs, tested his wrist computer and packed up his equipment to head back out to the main chamber, his mask hanging in his hand. The rest of the team was already present.

"Finished powdering your nose?" Artemis teased.

"Perfection takes time."

Wally gave Dick a wink when the team's attention was diverted to Aqualad and Red Arrow, who had begun briefing everybody. Dick put on his mask and entered mission mode.

"Red Arrow has provided us with intelligence that suggests the Injustice League is back," Aqualad said. "He has also found a likely base of operations. As the Justice League is otherwise occupied, we are to survey this area to discover their plans and, if absolutely necessary, stop them. Any questions?"

"Do we know who we're up against?" Kid Flash asked.

"No," Red Arrow replied, "but it's a good bet the Joker will be there, since Batman hasn't been able to find him in Gotham."

"And Batman's letting you come?" Kid Flash said to Nightwing.

"I pointed out my hacking expertise might come in handy," Nightwing replied. "He didn't have time to argue."

"We leave in the bioship in fifteen minutes," Aqualad said. "Complete any final preparations and meet there."

Kid Flash grabbed Nightwing's arm. "We need to talk. Like, now."

"My room," Nightwing said. "I should stock some extra antidotes for, well, everything." He dragged Kid Flash there. The instant the door closed, they morphed back into Dick and Wally, boyfriends rather than teammates.

Dick pulled out a box of pills sorted into labelled compartments. Joker toxin would be particularly important to have an antidote for, as well as Poison Ivy's various concoctions… and maybe some fear gas antidote just to be safe.

"Are you sure about this?" Wally asked.

"Voice down, dude. Kryptonian in the house, remember?"

Wally lowered his voice. "Look, the fallout was bad enough when the Joker escaped. What if we run into him? Will you be able to handle that?"

"I've always been able to handle the fighting, Wally. I don't start freaking out until the danger has passed." Dick dropped a few Joker toxin antidote pills into a sachet, which he then labelled and placed in his utility belt. "Besides, I've kicked his ass before. I can do it again."

"Can you?"

Two simple words, but they wriggled under Dick's skin. "Are you suggesting I'll freeze up in the middle of a fight? Because that's never happened. There's no reason to start now." A fear toxin antidote sachet went into his belt. "Besides, I know you guys have my back. I'll be lucky if I even get a hit in between the lot of you."

"Maybe you should tell the team about your, uh…" Wally lowered his voice again. "…diagnosis. Just so everyone knows what's up."

"I guess you've got a point." Dick finished stocking his belt. "But only that. I'm not getting into any other crap. I need them to trust me."

"It's bound to come up eventually."

"But not today. Come on." Dick picked up his mask, but Wally sped to his side and planted a kiss on his cheek before he could put it on. Dick tugged him closer by the shoulders and captured his lips in a proper kiss. Wally's hands snaked around his waist and drew him close enough that their bodies pressed together.

Dick pulled away with a loud smacking of lips that made them both laugh. Dick rested his head on Wally's shoulder. Okay, maybe he was a bit more anxious about this mission than he was letting on. Maybe letting Wally hold him made him feel better. Maybe he didn't care if Wally saw right through him. Wally always had.

"I love you," Wally whispered. He didn't say it often, since he knew Dick wasn't ready to reciprocate. Dick's head wasn't in the right place, and he honestly couldn't foresee a time when it would be. Dick hated that. It made him feel selfish that Wally could be so open with his affection, but he couldn't squeeze out a handful of one-syllable words.

"I—" The rest of the words caught in his throat. Damn it.

Wally ran his fingers through Dick's hair. "It's okay." Dick tried not to hear the disappointment in his voice.


After everybody was settled in the bioship, the team lapsed into a silence so heavy that it seemed to press in on Dick's eardrums and swallow his words before they even left his mouth. He had to get this out. He had to.

"I need to tell you guys something," he finally choked out. The silence pressed harder until the air itself felt like treacle in his lungs.

"What is it?" Kaldur asked once it became apparent he wasn't going to continue without prompting.

"I have a condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," Dick replied. It was somehow easier to get the words out when somebody was asking for them. "Basically, all the crap I went through messed with my head, so now I'm a little… uh… unstable. Just thought you should know. It won't affect my performance on the mission."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Conner.

"I've been dealing with this for a while," Dick explained. "I've always been solid under fire. As much as I've become more prone to nightmares and flashbacks and panic attacks and all that fun stuff, they've only ever happened in relatively safe environments. Like, if I'm confronted with something that my brain has decided should set me off while I'm on the job, I won't be any fun to deal with but I'm also not going to completely blue-screen then and there."

"Blue-screen," Wally groaned. Dick kicked his seat.

"Anyway, yeah. Black Canary and Batman cleared me for field work, so there really isn't anything to worry about."

"I will trust their judgement for now," said Kaldur. "Perhaps it would be prudent to discuss your condition at a later date so we can learn how best to help you."

"I've got that covered right now, but thank you."

"I can monitor Nightwing's condition through the neural link if that makes anybody feel better," M'gann offered.

"It couldn't hurt," Dick replied. "That won't divide your attention too much, will it?"

"I can handle it," she assured him. "I've been doing it on and off since you let me pick through your memories, actually. I know I should've asked first but—"

"It's okay, M'gann."

"Really?"

"Really." Dick mightn't have been as forgiving if he'd found this out a few days ago, when he was still freaking out over the Joker's escape from Arkham. He'd mellowed a little since then; getting away from the anger feedback loop he and Bruce had accidentally created had done wonders for his mood. Wally deserved some credit as well.

"You… are surprisingly calm right now," Wally commented. "About everything."

"I just want this over with," Dick replied. "Worrying about what the Joker's doing all the time is getting old." He figured the best way to put the team at ease was to be open with how he was feeling for the moment. He knew he sometimes had a habit of clamming up around the team when he wasn't feeling great. There was no way that would go unnoticed now that they were going to be scrutinising his behaviour more closely.

"Hopefully we won't have to after this mission," said Zatanna.

"Should we encounter the Joker, it would be prudent to have a plan," Kaldur said to the team in general.

"Keep Nightwing and Robin the hell away from him?" Wally suggested.

"That would be pointless," Dick replied. "The Joker's an illogical madman, but if Jay and I are there, it won't be too hard to predict where he's going to focus his energy. Without getting into details, I'm the one that put him in Arkham's hospital in the first place, and he has killed me before. I think it's safe to assume he'll come after me based on those factors alone. Failing that, he'll go for Jay because he's a Robin like I was. We're also both connected to Batman. I don't think I need to elaborate on that point."

"That's what I was getting at."

"And it's exactly why trying to keep us away from him won't work," Dick argued. "Unless you're planning to leave us in the bioship, and God help you if you need something hacked or a lock picked without alerting every hostile within a five-mile radius."

Wally threw his hands up. "Fine!"

"Somebody's touchy." So he dug the knife in a bit. Sue him.

"Any other ideas?" Kaldur prompted.

"It's worth establishing that nobody should go anywhere near the Joker alone," said Dick. "You wouldn't think it needs to be said, but I was that dumbass a few years back and got a little bit dead for my trouble." Artemis and Jason snorted while the rest of the team looked a little bit torn about how to react. "You're allowed to laugh when I joke about dying, just FYI."

"Noted," Zatanna commented. "Got any other clever tips?"

"Baby animals make the world a better place."

"Richard, Zatanna, please," said Kaldur. "We must focus on the task at hand."


Miss Martian landed the bioship in a clearing surrounded by forest a mile away from the facility they were investigating.

Aqualad tapped his communicator. "Aqualad to Batman. We have arrived at the drop zone and are about to proceed on foot. We will provide updates when possible. Aqualad out." He turned to the team. "Remember, we are here for reconnaissance first. Do not engage unless necessary." He gave everyone a hard look that wouldn't have been out of place on Batman's face. "Is that clear?"

There were general murmurs of assent among the team. Aqualad could be a pretty imposing guy when he wanted to be, especially now that he'd put on some extra height and muscle over the two years leading up to Nightwing's return. Luckily for the team, Aqualad usually directed it toward his enemies.

After establishing the psychic link, the team approached the site in small squads. Nightwing ended up with Miss Martian and Artemis. He could see Robin's group to his left; he was accompanied by Aqualad and Red Arrow. Superboy, Zatanna, Rocket and Kid Flash made up the group to his right, but the foliage was too thick to see them.

Nightwing climbed a tree near the forest's edge and dug out his binoculars. The facility was a dark block of a building, surrounded by chain link fence topped with barbed wire. He couldn't be sure if it was electrified from this distance.

"I hear buzzing," said Superboy. "I think that's an electric fence."

Once mystery solved. Nightwing lifted the binoculars to his mask lenses. Batman was working on updating the lenses to allow magnification, but he hadn't managed to make the tech small enough to fit into a domino mask yet, so the Robins still had to rely on binoculars. With Batman busy going after the Joker, Nightwing had taken up the task but hadn't been any more successful. Yet. He refused to admit defeat.

Nightwing surveyed the situation. He spotted a power station of sorts on the other side of the fence. If he found a well-concealed spot, he could cut through the fence to make a hole big enough to crawl through. It would probably be quicker to deactivate the fence from there, rather than forcing everybody to crawl through a small hole in single file and risk getting electrocuted.

Finding a concealed part of the fence wasn't the only problem. There were at least a hundred yards of empty space between him and the fence. Anybody on this side of the building would see him if they just looked out the window while he was crossing the gap. Quite frankly, it'd be quicker and safer to just send M'gann over to deactivate the fence while the rest of the team looked for an inconspicuous entry point.

"I think I found where we can turn off the electricity," he said. "It'd be safer to send M'gann over to deal with that while we try to find an entry point that won't alert anybody who looks out a window."

"Agreed," said Aqualad. "Miss Martian, deactivate the fence for us."

Nightwing pointed her in the right direction, and off she went.

"Kid Flash, join beta squad,"Aqualad ordered. That was Nightwing's group. Aqualad's was alpha, and the one Kid Flash was leaving was omega.

Kid Flash slipped through the foliage that had kept his group hidden from beta. "Done."

Aqualad continued handing out orders. "Omega squad, head northeast from your position and try to find us an entry point. My team will circle around to the other side of the compound and do the same there. Beta, head northwest."

The team split to follow their orders.

"Say we do run into the Joker," Kid Flash whispered, matching Nightwing's pace. "How should we handle that?"

"I don't know what you want me to say," Nightwing replied. "If you're looking for tactical advice, put him down hard before he gets his hands on anything, then knock him out and tie him up to be safe. Maybe break a few bones to keep him off the streets for a while. He's probably still healing from the last time he crossed me."

"Last time?" repeated Artemis.

"Long story." Nightwing peered past a tree to survey the situation. It was no better than before. They kept walking, but there was no change in the environment.

"You know that wasn't what I asked," said Kid Flash.

"Then spit it out and stop expecting me to read your mind," Nightwing snapped.

"Should I leave you lovebirds alone?" Artemis cut in.

"Team, rendezvous at my location," said Aqualad. "I believe we have found our entrance."

The squad picked up their pace, retreating into the forest a little to better avoid detection.

"Look, I know you think it's a dumb idea to keep you away from the guy," Kid Flash said, "but I don't like going into it without having some idea of what to do if he comes at you."

Nightwing shrugged. "That depends."

"On?"

"On whether you should be doing something else. Don't just drop everything to come to my rescue unless I obviously need immediate assistance. Trust me to hold my own."

"I do trust you," Kid Flash replied. "Him? Not so much."

"I'd be very concerned if you did trust him, KF."

"Don't be a dick, Dick."

"Don't use my real name in the field or so help me, Wally, I will shove my escrima right up your—"

"Oh, just kiss already!" Artemis interrupted.

"We can hear you arguing," Aqualad said over the mind link. "Omega squad is already here. Please turn your attention to the task at hand."

They arrived at the rendezvous point shortly thereafter. Nightwing peered out through the trees. The clearing was still as exposed as ever, but alpha squad had managed to find a part of the compound that didn't have windows. There was a single door—Nightwing grabbed his binoculars again—which was accompanied by a keypad. Passcode-protected, then. Piece of cake.

"The electric fence is off," said Miss Martian, decloaking beside Superboy.

"Good work. Zatanna, can you quietly make us a hole once we reach the fence?"

"No problem, Aqualad."

"Nightwing, I take it that keypad will give you no trouble?"

"Do they ever?"

Aqualad broke from his serious demeanour for a moment to give him a smile. "No, they do not. Let's go. Squad formation. Omega first, then beta, then alpha."

The team dashed across the clearing a squad at the time. Beta squad was about halfway across the clearing when Zatanna worked her spell, which parted a section of the fence enough to allow a few people through at a time.

"Miss Martian," said Aqualad, skidding to a stop beside Zatanna, "cloak and provide surveillance while Nightwing hacks. Alert us if anybody approaches. Superboy, listen for the same."

Nightwing dragged Robin over to the keypad. He had to hold in a snort as he examined it. It was WayneTech. Fairly secure, but there was an administrative code only known to Bruce (and, by extension, his kids) for easy entry into suspect facilities. He punched in the code. The thin strip of screen flashed green.

"We're in."

"Already?" said Kid Flash.

"It's WayneTech."

"Well, that's handy."

"Remember: we are here primarily for reconnaissance," Aqualad said, reaching for the door handle. "Avoid confrontation if possible. Superboy, any infrared signatures?"

"Yeah, two. They're in another room."

"All right. No contact outside of the psychic link. I already updated Batman while waiting for beta squad to arrive." He slowly opened the door, wincing as the hinges creaked. Nightwing used a small tube of lubricant to remedy the situation. They continued inside.

The room looked… odd. Metal sheets covered the walls, though the floor was wood. Superboy, as the last inside, shut the door. As soon as it clicked into place, another sheet of metal rolled up from beneath the floor to cover it. Superboy tried to grab it and stop its progress, but it rose too quickly for him to catch.

"Well, I guess we're not getting out that way without a lot of time and noise," Nightwing commented.

The nearest inside door swung open. "Ooh, guests!" That familiar voice smacked Nightwing in the stomach. "It's about time!" His blood was ice. "Well, come in already. Kids these days have no manners."

What choice did they have? The team crowded around Nightwing and Robin as if they could shield them with their bodies, and proceeded through the door. Nightwing took in several deep breaths. He was not going to faint and humiliate himself in front of everybody. Wally squeezed his forearm briefly.

The Joker had seated himself in a threadbare armchair at the head of the room. Dramatic bastard. Poison Ivy was standing near him.

"Great recon mission, guys," Red Arrow said sarcastically.

"Hey, it was your intel that got us in this situation," Robin shot back. Fortunately, the Joker started to talk before Red Arrow could fire back a response.

"Remind me to give my good ol' wizard pals a hug for keeping the League busy," he said. "Oh, wait. You won't be able to, because you'll all be dead!" And then he started laughing. Of course.

Nightwing so wasn't in the mood for this bullshit. "I see your sense of humour hasn't improved since the last time you tried keeping kids as a captive audience."

"Oh, hush. Ivy?"

Vines and roots burst from the floor, wrapping around every member of the team. Nightwing managed to dodge the first few roots that whipped his way and Superboy tore a few to shreds before they, like everybody else, were overwhelmed. Ivy had taken special care to use one of her vines to gag Zatanna so she couldn't get them out.

The Joker stepped up to Nightwing, grinning madly as the teen gave up on struggling. "You're much less fun now that you've hung up the Red Hood, kid."

"What?" Artemis choked; one of ivy's vines was slowly tightening around her throat.

"Ooh, didn't your friends know that?"

Nightwing rolled his eyes, taking care to move his head so that the Joker knew what he was doing. "Thanks. Really appreciate that."

"Oh, don't thank me yet. What if some of your little friends don't know who the Red Hood is? Would you like to explain, or should I?"

"Haven't you got better things to do?" Kid Flash snapped.

"Well, somebody's eager for death, aren't you?" The Joker giggled. "But if you insist, I'll give you the short version. This little birdie got all offended that I put him in a wooden box, so he came back, stole my old identity and tried to kill me! Of course, Batman stopped him, but not before this adorable little psychopath cut a bloody path through Gotham City to get to me. I must admit, it was a little flattering. Rude, but flattering."

"Does this really matter, Joker?" said Ivy. "We're going to kill them all anyway."

"Oh, psh. Are you always this boring?"

"Is what he's saying true?" asked Superboy.

"If we get out of this alive, I'll explain everything," Nightwing replied. "Right now, however, maybe we should concentrate on not dying. That okay with you?" So he got a little testy. It wasn't like he didn't have an excuse.

"If you'd like to explain now, that's okay with me," said the Joker. "You won't have a chance later."

"Oh, go to hell."

"I won't, but they will." The Joker turned to Poison Ivy. "Drop them. Leave Nightwing. We have a little… catching up to do."

"My pleasure." The vines dragged the rest of the team down back through the floor. A metal door slid into place, cutting off their screams. Ivy dropped Nightwing on the floor. He landed on his feet.

"Now, the fun begins." The Joker cracked his knuckles. "Come on, kid. Have at me."

"I've beaten you before," said Nightwing. "I can do it again."

"Ooh, so confident. Show me."

Nightwing lowered himself into a fighting stance. He didn't bother with his escrima; Ivy would surely take them off him in seconds anyway.

The Joker cackled when Nightwing didn't immediately come at him. "Aw, don't be shy."

"As you wish," Nightwing ground out through his teeth, secretively using a finger to activate an emergency beacon that sat in the palm of his glove. At least Batman would know something was up, even if he was still too busy or far away to be of immediate assistance.

He edged forward, ducking when the Joker got sick of waiting and threw a punch. He hit back, connecting with the Joker's nose. Blood trickled down his face, a little stream rolling into his mouth. The Joker licked his lips.

"That one was for free, kid. You've got a lot of pent-up rage in there, huh?"

"Oh, shut up." Nightwing caught the Joker's fist and twisted, feeling a savage rush of pleasure when he heard a crack. Between him and Ivy, it wasn't really a good idea to stick around. They'd wear him down eventually, or trip him up, and that'd be it. He needed to escape and find a way to either contact the League or free the team himself. Or both.

The Joker's next punch caught Nightwing in the gut, forcing him to stagger back a few paces and suck in a breath. He dodged a volley of acid from the flower on the Joker's lapel. So far, Ivy was just watching, but he couldn't rely on her staying on the sidelines. She would likely get sick of watching the Joker play with his food, so to speak, and end it herself.

Nightwing's boot landed in the Joker's gut, and he took the moment the clown needed to gather himself to quickly survey the room. The only door on floor level led back to the room with the metal-covered door. No dice. There was a platform that held another door. If he could get a big enough break in the fight, he could use his grapple gun to get up there.

An enormous root broke through the floor and would have tossed Nightwing aside, had he not cartwheeled out of the way in time.

"Get it over with, Joker," said Ivy. "Or I'll finish this myself."

"Where's Harley when you need her," the Joker grumbled. "She wouldn't complain."

"Then you should've taken her with you when you escaped," Ivy snapped. "Asshole."

"That's not very nice!" The Joker turned away to continue arguing with Ivy, and Nightwing saw his chance. He whipped out the grapple and shot a line to the platform. Unfortunately, that earned Ivy's attention. He swung away from the first vine that came his way, but the second grabbed his right leg and pulled hard. Nightwing had to let go of his line, crashing back to the floor, landing on that leg. A sharp pain tore through his ankle, and his leg crumpled. He landed on his side, crying out as his shoulder took the brunt of the landing.

Nightwing let out a stream of curses, in several different languages, as he slowly sat upright. The Joker made a look of mock concern as he strolled over; he had a crowbar now. Shit.

"That looked painful," he said. "You okay, birdie?"

Nightwing let out a noise that could most accurately be described as a growl, trying to scramble to his feet. The Joker smacked the crowbar at his chest, forcing him onto his back. The concern melted off the Joker's face and his grin stretched wider than ever.

"All right, now you get some rest. We've got a lot of fun ahead of us."

He swung the crowbar again. Nightwing was vaguely aware of a pain in the side of his head, before he lost consciousness.