Archive footage. Reel #301. 12/28/11 21:16:45s.

Archive label: "Flock of Birds."


Dick Grayson was on the rooftops, running and diving across, when he got the call from Oracle. The Bat Family was staging an all-point assault on Arkham City and Hugo Strange, and now he was travelling to the pick-up point in the centre of Bludhaven. He ran hard and fast, using his grapnel to soar between buildings as he often had under the Robin title. He skidded to a halt and saw the Batwing hovering over the next block.
Once he reached it he climbed inside and saw Robin in the pilot's seat. "I thought this had a remote pilot?" He asked the Boy Wonder.
Robin frowned, "It does." He muttered and climbed into the passenger seat behind Nightwing, who climbed into the pilot's seat and flicked off the auto-pilot before turning the joysticks and grinning.
"I remember the old one, flew that a few times too," Dick teased Tim, who just rolled his eyes.
"Let's go," Tim said with a hint of anxiety in his voice.
Dick cleared his throat and slammed down the throttle and the Batwing's new airlifting technology activated and pushed the Batwing along through the air. Robin looked down at the ground and frowned.

"You work here alone?" He asked Dick.
"I had a friend, once." Nightwing said, but remained otherwise silent as he piloted the Batwing across the state.
Soon they saw the lights of Gotham appear in the distance and straightened in their seats. Robin turned on the connection to the Bat-Computer and saw that Oracle still hadn't broken through the security system.
Nightwing had a short rant over the comms and Oracle promised them that they'd have a clear path into Arkham City one way, or another.
Robin looked up and saw them rapidly approaching the City wall.
"Thirty seconds." Oracle said.
"We don't have thirty seconds, I can see the anti-air turrets activating from here!" Dick practically yelled.
Robin peered over Dick's shoulder and he could actually see the huge missile launchers twirling and powering up.
"Goddamnit!" Oracle cursed as she was locked out of the system.

Dick let out a yell and activated the flares as two missiles were launched at them, twirling the Batwing up into the air.
The missiles, however, ignored the flares, letting them burn out as the missiles arched upwards to follow the Batwing.
"We may have to bail out," Dick announced and Robin blinked.
"Computer, activate auto-pilot and counter measures!" He said and flicked some switches. "Might not be allowed to fly it, doesn't stop me knowing some tricks."
A computerised female voice announced that the auto-pilot had been engaged and the controls locked up. Dick gritted his teeth as he tried to continue piloting the Batwing, his eyes kept glancing to the screens which showed how close the missiles were to reaching them.
"Activate countermeasures!" Robin barked and flicked a few switches on the panel in front of him. There was a burst of energy and the Batwing's afterburners ignited and pushed the aircraft further into the air, unleashing a wide stream of flame onto the rockets, igniting them.
"WARNING: ENGINE STALL IMMINENT." The computer said, flashing red warning signs across the screens.

"Tim!" Dick yelled.
Tim hammered the auto-pilot release but at that same moment the engines locked up and shut down.
They were almost into the cold silence of space, and Tim could feel it even through the glass and his gloves.
Outside of the aircraft there was nothing but silence for a few seconds, and then a small cry from Dick was heard cursing Tim before a sharp swishing sound was heard and the Batwing fell back to Earth.
He may have cried out, but after the initial shock of it passing Dick was all business, attempting to fire up the engines as Tim almost tried to restore the connection to the Bat Computer.
He gave a triumphant cry as the screens jumped back to life.
"WARNING: IMPACT IN T-MINUS TEN...NINE..." The computer said.
"Tim I hate you," Dick muttered and gave the floor a kick as he punched the ignition button with his thumb, and the Batwing's air turbines began to spin. The computers' countdown slowed, but not fast enough.

With the huge wings at the front of the craft, the nose dropped forward.
"Has this rust-bucket got anything offensive?" Dick asked as he gripped the joysticks and tried to pull them back to level the Batwing.
Tim's jaw flapped. "E.M.P., radio scramblers, lance machine guns...torpedoes! We can use them to attack the missile turrets!"
Without waiting for Dick's response he began flicking switches around himself. Either side of the cockpit panels slid back to reveal spouts for the machine guns and torpedoes. Tim gripped his own joysticks and steadied them. "I can't get a clear shot." He said, staring daggers at the screens in front of him.
Dick swallowed and as soon as they were back within contact range he spoke aloud. "Oracle...you better give me some good news."
"I wish I could, Nightwing, but they've got a city's worth of firewalls and I'm though only most of them."
"So we're on our own?" Tim asked rhetorically. "Who the...?" He started when he saw something on the screen in front of him; a girl.

He didn't have time to continue the question before the turrets unleashed two more missiles towards them.
"...IMPACT IN T-MINUS THREE..."
Nightwing managed to turn the craft a little and Robin fired the machine guns until the first missile exploded.
Below them the bullets ripped into the concrete and metal around Cassandra as she ran for cover.
Nightwing pulled the joysticks up sharply and the engines kicked into overdrive; pulling the nose of the craft up and narrowly missing the lip of the wall, the second missile doubled-back and hit the wall, tearing down the missile turrets.
At this point Oracle cleared her throat and told them she had full access to the Arkham City network and had shut down all automated systems.
Nightwing regained control of the Batwing and set it down on the rooftop nearby.
"You were reckless." He scolded Robin as they climbed from the craft.
Robin nodded, "I know, I'm sorry." He said.
"Nonetheless, you saved our lives. Now let's find Bruce." Nightwing said, patting Robin's shoulder.
Robin nodded and unsheathed his extendable cane before following his friend across the Arkham City rooftops, closely followed by the mysterious newcomer.