Fill chapter, yay! Hit some major writer's block, so the last bit of the chapter's probably too quick and too sloppy. But you know.
Please review, and thanks for reading!
Dick was already having a bad day. That was before the nutcase in a copycat suit showed up.
It was the typical kind of day: Breakfast around the table served up by Alfred. Training and exercising with Bruce and Babs until his muscles ached, then in turn running the Team through those same exercises. Then a mission with Robin. Then debriefing Batgirl and the others. And on top of it all, Kaldur had gone missing. Something about a manta ray…it was all starting to run together. All in all, he was already in a mood.
To cap it all off, he'd had a shoutout with Bruce. Now, he was sentenced to patrol with Robin that night while Batman took care of…well, in Dick's defense, how was he supposed to know which chemicals not to toss in the refuse canister? Batman didn't exactly label them…
Batgirl, meanwhile, was helping their mentor scrub out the cave. As he and Robin had started to head out, she'd given Dick a dirty look whilst pulling on a hazmat suit. Definitely no goodbye kiss.
Now, he was digging into his grapple with a small cleaning hook. One of the wires had come loose and needed tightening. Nightwing had found this out after almost plummeting seventy stories to his death. Another little gift.
Robin tapped his forehead against the roof access's wall. The skyscraper was completely bare otherwise, and Nightwing knew that Jason was anxious to get moving.
"Can you please hurry up, man?" he groaned.
Dick tsked and waved a finger at the boy wonder.
"There's no rushing, Little Wing. Unless you'd like me to go splat tonight."
Jason flipped himself into a handstand. His cape fell down over his head.
"Keep calling me that, and I just might," came the muffled reply. Dick chuckled and snapped the grapple shut. He shot out a line and called out,
"Coming?"
Robin sprang upright and dashed to the edge of the scraper. Without shooting his line, he jumped headfirst off the side, but Dick wasn't worried. He was a trapeze artist, and preferred a line to start his swing. Jason, on the other hand, was an adrenaline junkie, pure and simple. Nothing bad had happened yet, and Jason knew, after all, that Nightwing or Batman or Batgirl would always be there to catch him in time if he screwed up.
Dick stepped off the side, and the ground screamed up towards him. He let out a whoop, and the line curved him forward. When it went taut, Dick flipped through the air as it retracted back into his grapple. He shot out another line, and let Robin follow him around the corner.
They landed in the drive thru of a Jerry's Drive In. Robin shot Nightwing a questioning glance, but the older boy only chuckled and walked towards the window.
"What the heck, N-wing?" Robin demanded. "We're going to get hit by a car or something."
Dick almost had to stand on his tiptoes, but he was tall enough. He rapped on the glass with his knuckle.
"They won't let us order from out here anyways."
Dick grinned. "Sure they will. We're Nightwing and Robin."
Sure enough, the window slid open. A bored looking girl about Dick's age tapped at a little keyboard. Her nametag read FRANKIE. Without glancing up, she said,
"Good evening my name's Frankie how may I help you?"
The words ran together quickly like she'd said them a million times. Dick inspected the brightly colored menu skeptically. This place had over fifty different kinds of shakes, and about half as many different burgers. If the most challenging thing about patrol tonight was making a decision like this, then Nightwing supposed he couldn't complain.
"Let's see…I'll have a double bacon cheeseburger with a side of onion rings. Oh. Large root beer with that as well."
Tip tippity tap.
Dick turned to Jason. "What about you, man?"
Robin crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. A slow grin crept up his face.
"We're going all out, huh? The big man doesn't hafta know?"
Nightwing smiled. "See? Now you're getting it."
Jason consulted the menu. Then, if possible, his grin widened.
"I'll have the extra loaded chili cheese dog with a side of extra large fries and a strawberry bonanza milkshake. Make that a large, too."
Nightwing nodded as Frankie typed in the order.
"Respect, man," he said.
Robin tapped his stomach. "There will be much artery clogging this night."
Both boys laughed.
Frankie looked up. "Is there anything else-"
Her mouth twisted into an O, her eyes widened.
"That's it for us," Nightwing said. Her hand shook as she pointed to the next window. The boys waved and walked to the other side.
"Admit it," Robin said, smirking, "This's your way of poking back at Bats. For the chemical fiasco."
"Hey. He should try labelling those things. Not my fault HQ's covered in neon green goo."
"Yeah it is."
Dick sighed. "Okay. Fine. Maybe I was a little curious…"
The window slid open and a boy leaned out with two greasy white sacks in hand. Dick recognized him instantly as Marvin Harris, an old acquaintance from Gotham Academy.
"Dude!" he said, "It's such an honor, man!"
Nightwing smiled as Jason gave the guy a two-fingered salute. They took the sacks and shot their lines up to the Morrison building's roof. They streaked upwards, and landed on the edge. Nightwing and Robin both settled themselves on the edge, their feet dangling over the side, and broke open the bags with a dry crinkling sound.
Then, they dug in.
It was pure heaven. Nirvana.
The bat kids hardly ever got fast food. 'Clogs your arteries' Bruce told them. 'Slows you down'.
The fries and onion rings were gone in a flash. Both boys started in on their entrees. The burger's juice exploded in Dick's mouth as he took a bite. A little bit of chili dripped down Jason's chin. They were ravenous wolves as they devoured their prey. Then, when the food disappeared, they subsided, moving more slowly to the drinks.
"So, Li'l Wing. How are you liking the Team?"
Jason scoffed at the nickname, but didn't answer. Dick prodded him, then threatened to chuck his milkshake over the side, and he finally replied.
"They all think I'm some sort of freak."
"Why's that?"
Jason took a grating sip of his milkshake. "I'm the very not funny version of you. So your old teammate buddies hate me, and the new guys think I'm some sort of vampire."
"Not true."
They watched traffic streak by below. Dick's stomach bubbled. He'd almost forgotten what carbonation felt like. A few minutes later, Jason had finally hit bottom on his milkshake.
"D-Nightwing. I've got a question."
"Yeah?"
"Totally hypothetical."
"I'm listening."
Jason shifted his weight a little, and almost fell off the building. "Um…so there's this guy. Friend of mine. He likes this girl…"
Dick tried really hard not to grin.
"And, um. He doesn't really know how to get up the nerve to talk to her. Like, what to say, etc. What should I tell him?"
"Hypothetically?"
"Hypothetically."
Dick stroked his chin and looked out on the cityscape. Somewhere, police sirens were wailing, and the cacophony of car horns spread through the night. When you were quiet, you could always be reminded that Gotham never would be.
"Hypothetically, would this girl happen to be a miss Mia Dearden?"
Jason made a sound at the back of his throat, which Dick took to mean yes.
"Well, then, hypothetically-"
"Stop saying hypothetically," Jason grumbled.
"If I were your friend, I'd ask this girl to go and see the Thunder Games this weekend. Archer girls go crazy for that kind of stuff."
"…Thunder Games, huh?" Jason nodded. "Good idea, N-wing."
"Why, thank you, Boy Wonder."
They stood and gathered up their garbage and threw it in one of the trashcans next to the roof access. This rooftop was a lot nicer, with neat little topiaries and a few benches to sit on. People probably came up here to gossip, or sit and watch the city. Tonight, though, it was completely deserted.
"Welp," Nightwing said, stretching, "Let's head out. I think Penguin might try to rob a bank or something."
Jason jumped, and Nightwing watched him soar downwards. He chuckled. Jason had a crush. On Artemis's little sister no less. He couldn't wait to tell Wally.
Below, Robin shot out a line and swung, but almost immediately, something went wrong. There was a flash, like the reflection of light off a small metal projectile. Robin's line snapped.
He shouted, and so did Nightwing as he kept off the building without a line.
He pressed his arms to his sides as he dove downward, cutting through the air. Jason flailed, trying desperately to activate his second line.
Nightwing shot his up towards the building across from where they'd eaten, and his arm shot out. Jason slammed into his chest, but Dick caught him quickly.
Together, they swung upwards. Robin clung to Nightwing, shaking like a leaf.
When they finally collapsed on the rooftop, Nightwing's arms were shaking from the added effort of carrying Jason. Jason was just shaking.
"Don't move," a voice snapped.
Nightwing's head shot up, and he saw two people standing over them. One was dressed in burnt orange and black Kevlar, with a cowl reminiscent of Batman's, along with a cape. The other wore black and silver, with a half cowl that let sandy blond hair tumble out, blowing in the breeze. The silver boy's costume reminded Nightwing of his own. The former sported a gleaming W. The latter a silver S.
"Well," Silver said, "Look who it is. Bird boy and Wingnut."
Dick recovered quickly. "Hey. Robin. Check it out. Washout and Stooge."
The man in orange lunged towards them, his partner following suit. Robin leapt up to engage the latter while Nightwing took big W.
"That would be Wrath and Scorn!" W man shouted.
Nightwing scoffed as he dodged a punch. He aimed a hook at Wrath's jaw. The older man dodged with scary accuracy.
"Seriously, dude?" Dick laughed. "Wrath and Scorn? That's the best you could come up with?"
Wrath made contact with Dick's solar plexus, and Nightwing flew backwards. He hit the concrete roof. Robin hit the ground next to him. Scorn placed a boot on Jason's chest. With one punch, Robin was out. Dick looked up as Wrath stood over him. Scorn whipped out a switchblade.
"I say we send the bat a message," he cackled, tracing the edge of the blade with his thumb. "Send 'em back in pieces."
He bent down and traced Dick's jaw with the knife. Nightwing felt a shock of white hot pain as a wet trickle streamed down his throat. He was scrambling, trying to think of a way to disarm this creep, when W guy stepped forward and wrenched the knife away from Dick's neck.
"No," Wrath said. "Unconscious will be fine."
W stood over Nightwing, looking down his nose. A disgusted sneer twisted what little of the man's face Dick could see.
"Tell your boss that Gotham has new protectors," he said, "And if we catch him messing with us-"
"-Then we get to have our fun," Scorn said, grinning.
"There will be consequences," Wrath clarified. Then, he stomped hard on Dick's face.
#######
"And then he knocked you out?" Barbara demanded. "Just like that?"
Alfred was tending to Jason nearby, who, luckily, only had a few minor bumps and bruises. He kept jumping suddenly, though. Dick supposed that was only natural. The kid had just fallen off a skyscraper, after all.
Barbara, meanwhile, was helping Dick clean off all the blood. His throat wound was pretty minor, all things considered. So their main concern was his busted nose.
"You're lucky he didn't jam it back up into your brain," she muttered, wiping a spot on his chin. The antiseptic cloth she used was getting more stained with every swipe. With a sigh, she placed it aside and tore a new one out of its wrapper. When his face was finally bloodless, Dick smiled and pursed his lips, but Barbara scoffed.
"No way, Grayson. Your breath smells like rotten onions."
He pretended to be disappointed, but he couldn't blame her. Morning breath plus old onion rings equaled death breath.
Batman was watching surveillance footage of the two strangers on the computer screen.
"It seems we have two new players," he muttered. Dick spoke up, relaying Wrath's and Scorn's message. Bruce's eyes narrowed.
"They're protectors alright. They protect Gotham city mobs and syndicates. Just a few hours ago, they helped Falcone's men escape the police with thousands of dollars' worth of guns and ammunition."
"How did we miss that?" Dick demanded.
Bruce turned to stare directly at the bat boys. The slight squeak of his chair set Nightwing's hair standing on end. Even Robin flinched.
"I would imagine it had something to do with a snack break."
Jason and Dick shared a guilty glance.
Barbara crossed her arms and huffed a little.
"Great. So I got to scrape toxic goo from the stalactites while these two yahoos went for French fries?" She sent Batman a pointed glare. "You so owe me, B-man."
Batman pinched the bridge of his nose. "These people…Wrath and Scorn. They told you to stay away?"
Dick nodded. "Or else there would be consequences. Yeah. What do you suggest?"
Batman smiled and stood up.
"I think we all have a talent for breaking the rules."
#######
Barbara pulled on her cowl. The familiar weight was comforting. She was very glad to be out of a hazmat suit, too.
It had been a day and a night since Dick and Jason's run-in with Wrath and Scorn, and she was itching to get back out on the streets. Tonight for patrol, they had split up into two groups. Jason was going with Bruce (no need to break up the dynamic duo) and she was patrolling with Dick. As soon as her uniform was on, she started her safety checks on her batcycle. Nightwing was still getting dressed.
The wheels and engine checked out, but one of the brakes was a little bit sketchy. She'd have to get it repaired. For tonight, however, it would do.
"Surprise." Dick's hands wrapped around her waist. He rested his chin in the spot where her shoulder met her neck. He smelled better tonight, less like trashy fast food, and more like himself. Barbara worked hard to hold back a smile.
"About time," she said, turning her head to peck him on the cheek. "Glad to see you brushed your teeth, Wingnut. Ready to head out?"
"You know it."
The Batmobile rolled past slowly; their other partners were ready long before them. Robin was standing upright, resting his elbows on the edge of the roof hole.
"Batgirl and Nightwing, sittin' in a tree…"
Dick and Barbara both stuck their tongues out.
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
As they rolled out, Barbara swore she could see Bruce smirking.
She mounted her cycle and sighed. Nightwing followed suit.
"Don't worry, BG," he told her, "I have it on good authority that Jaybird has himself a little crush, too."
She revved her engine. "Oh, really? Do tell."
They were off.
#######
"So, these two guys. What do they look like?" Batgirl asked over a pair of binoculars. "Bats didn't ever show me the videos."
Nightwing hesitantly described them to her, noting aloud that they seemed to be a copycat Batman and Nightwing.
"No girl, then? Was I not worth copying?"
She pretended to pout. Dick grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You dodged a bullet, BG. Her name would have been, like, um…"
"Angst?" she suggested. Dick barked out a laugh.
"Malice?"
"Nope. That one's too good. Grumpy Girl?"
Dick smirked. "Frustration Chick?"
Batgirl almost fell off the scraper laughing. "Frustration Chick!" she snorted.
Nightwing shook his fist at the sky. "The Strongly Contentious trio!" Batgirl mimicked his low tone, and struck a pose. "Battling for evil and emos everywhere!"
They dissolved into giggles, leaning on each other for support.
Uh…guys? Jason's voice rang out in their ears. You left your comms on…
Batman's voice: Both of you need to take this mission just a bit more seriously.
The older bat kids sobered quickly.
"Yes, B-man," they said.
But as soon as they were sure the comms were off, they looked at each other and snorted.
Before they could say anything else, there was an explosion beneath them. Both bat kids looked down. Smoke billowed out of the doors to the skyscraper, a loud laugh filling the air. It wasn't Joker's laugh, Batgirl was pleased to note. The sound was more nasal, and sounded more like a normal man's.
"Riddler," Dick said.
It was sad, she realized, that they had every evil laugh in Gotham down to a science.
"Ladies first," Batgirl snipped, grinning as she waved a permissive hand.
Nightwing fastened his line to a spot on the roof at his feet. "Ha, ha."
He tested the line, then jumped. Batgirl wasn't far behind.
They hit the ground gently, relying on their lines to handle their weight, just as Batman had taught them. Both looked up into the surprised face of the Riddler. He carried a sack of gold bars, his minions trailing behind him with their own loads.
Batgirl smiled. "Riddle me this," she said. Nightwing picked up her quip.
"What goes down when we show up?" He gave his escrima sticks a twirl.
The Riddler took a nervous step back, and Batgirl felt a surge of pride. A few years ago, one of Gotham's Rogues would have laughed in their faces, and attacked.
But Batgirl and Nightwing had earned a little respect since their younger patrolling years.
"Aw, stuck?" she asked. "Here's a hint. It's you."
They surged forwards, and the thugs leapt forward to attack.
Nightwing said, "I got these guys."
Batgirl nodded and leapt towards the Riddler.
The villain was shocked by her boldness at first, but recovered quickly. He swung a fist at her jaw, but she dodged, throwing a series of hooks and kicks. Flips and lunges. Punches and jabs. Riddler caught her side with his scepter-a stupid weapon really-but it was only a glancing blow.
She jabbed him hard in the chest, and he fell backwards.
"I guess that's it," she said, shrugging. She turned to Nightwing, who was dusting his hands off on his pants. All three thugs lay listless at his feet. "Too easy."
"Let's cuff these guys for the GCPD and head out," he said, smiling. Batgirl grinned and opened her mouth to reply.
SHIK.
A small black projectile lodged itself in her chestplate. She had the presence of mind to tap her comm and say,
"Batgirl to Batman. They're here. Please hurry."
Then, she reached down and pulled the object out. It hadn't done too much damage, thank goodness. A little blood trickled off the sharp edge, black in the darkness, but the wound didn't hurt at all.
The projectile was long and made up of four segments held together by three little turning…turny little wheel things. It was black, but it was an off-black that looked almost purple. And it was distinctly the shape of a W.
She staggered a little bit. So light-headed all of a sudden…
She was vaguely aware of a hand on her shoulder, but her attention was grabbed by the two dark figures that hit the ground near them. So many silhouettes danced around in her periphery that it made her dizzy. She turned her head to the one with its hand on her shoulder.
"Nightwing?" she asked, her voice slurring a little.
"No."
A fist slammed into her jaw, and she hit the ground hard.
'One punch?' She thought. 'Oh no. I'm not going down after one punch.'
She leapt back up to her feet, head spinning, and threw her fist out. She made contact somewhere, though she didn't see where. She only heard an unfamiliar grunt of pain.
Her eyes started to clear, and she saw Batman, Robin and Nightwing fighting the two men. Wrath and Scorn. Barbara's eyes fixed themselves on the boy, the one in silver and black. There was something familiar about him…
Oh…her head…
#######
Dick aimed a punch at Scorn. The other boy dodged, and spun, turning his own momentum into a new strike. A fist connected with Nightwing's jaw, but he recovered quickly.
"Gee, I never knew Batgirl was this…fine." He wolf whistled in her direction, and Dick struck at him with more fury. But the annoying silver clad vigilante continued.
"Too bad, though. I would have loved to spar with that."
"What are you talking about?" Dick snarled. He landed a jab in Scorn's ribs.
"Oh," he panted from the impact, but bounced back easily. "That little dart we stuck her with. Laced with a nasty little sedative. She'll be taking a nap any second now."
Nearby, Wrath and Batman were fighting with unusual fervor. Nightwing searched the street for Batgirl, and saw her over on the sidewalk. She was swaying on her feet, hands pressed to her temples. Robin was doing his best to fight off the two men and keep her standing upright.
"You guys are good!" Scorn laughed, "but we did warn you to stay out."
"Scorn!" Wrath called. "Let's blow this joint!"
Both stepped back and pressed fingers to their own belts. Bats and Nightwing flinched at the sound of roaring motors, bracing themselves for another attack.
But instead, two cycles zoomed up. Scorn mounted his quickly, knocking Nightwing down with a well placed kick. Wrath stunned Batman with a swift uppercut, and turned, running. With one punch, Robin grunted and flew backward, nose spurting blood. No one to support her, Batgirl collapsed-
Right into Wrath's waiting arms.
"No!" Nightwing shouted. He leapt up to intercept their opponent, but Scorn surged forward on his cycle. Dick was forced to lurch backwards.
Nearby, Batman was slowly lifting himself up. Wrath had an unconscious Batgirl balanced on his lap. He and Scorn sped off, but not before Wrath shouted.
"Consequences, Bats! Maybe you'll learn next time!"
Nightwing's knees wobbled, then hit the pavement with a crack.
#######
"So, now what, bro?"
Barbara's eyelids felt weighted, but she managed to open her eyes a slit. The voices nearby were lowered, and she had to strain to hear them through the pounding in her head.
"I'm not sure. I was planning on grabbing Robin. Kids are easier."
"Eh. It's not all bad…"
"No. I know what you're thinking, Ands, and it's a no."
"You're no fun."
Through her slit eyes, Barbara made out two men, both in costume. But their masks were gone. She couldn't stop the gasp that lurched out of her throat when she saw their faces.
Andrew Mallory turned, surprised. Then, a snake like smile spread across his face.
"Aw, look who finally woke up."
He marched over to her and grabbed her shoulder. She stared up at his soulless brown eyes, mouth slightly agape.
"Yeah, I know," Andy sneered, "I am pretty good looking, doll. I can tell by your face that you weren't expecting such a-"
"Scorn," William Mallory snapped. Andy rolled his eyes, then, before Barbara could react, jammed his lips up against hers. She struggled, but realized for the first time that she was bound tightly to a chair. The boy's breath was hot on her face. Andy forced his tongue through her teeth, and she let him, waiting. He jammed his tongue into the back of her throat, and she bit down hard.
"Aaugh!" he screeched, lurching back. He practically left half his tongue in her mouth.
Will shook his head. "That's what you get."
Andy paused to spit out a mouthful of blood, then rounded back on her, hand raised.
"You little-!" Barbara didn't hear the rest. Her head was too busy spinning from the blow.
Andy raised his hand to hit her again, but she spat out her own blood and leveled a bat-glare worthy of her mentor himself at him. Then, for the first time, she spoke.
"Go on, Andy. I dare you."
Both brothers gaped, as if struck by lightning. Barbara took their surprise as an opportunity to start fiddling with her ropes. Carefully. If she could just keep their eyes away from her wrists…
"How-?" William's face went slack with shock.
She didn't answer. Andy spit out another glob of blood, and stepped towards her again.
"Don't hurt her," Will said quickly, "We need her to tell us what she knows…how much she knows."
"Oh, don't worry," he snarled. His hand closed around her arm, while his other lifted up to the side of her head.
He was going for her cowl clasps.
"I want to see exactly who this girl is," Andy snarled. "Even the playing field a bit." Batgirl struggled, trying to make it as difficult as possible to turn the clasps. It was a simple combination, just two clicks. Batman had a more complicated code, but they hadn't gone to near as much trouble with her cowl for two reasons. They figured no one would want to know who she was. And since she didn't legally exist, they figured that no one would recognize her anyway.
But these were the Mallory brothers. They knew her face.
"No!" she cried, cringing when she heard the panic in her own voice. "Stop!"
But it didn't take them long at all to figure out the sequence. Andy slipped the cowl over her head, and her red hair fell over her face like a veil.
Will stepped forwards and smoothed her mane back away from her face. She shivered as the fingers of his cold Kevlar gloves touched her forehead.
Andy dropped her cowl. Will stepped back.
"Isn't that-"
"It's Wayne's maid." Will's eyes widened. "And…and that must mean…"
There was a silence that hung over the room. All except for the tiny gasping breaths from Batgirl. Then, Andy let out a cackle.
"I knew it! Didn't I try to tell you years ago? Your best buddy is…he's the Batman!"
"N-no!" Barbara gasped. "You're wrong! He isn't -"
Andy struck her again.
Will's face was stormy as he pulled up a tripod with a camera perched on top.
"We weren't sure what to do with you before, Batgirl. But I think I've got some idea." He pulled on his cowl and barked an order at his brother to do the same. As Andy put on his half mask, Will said,
"We're going to send your boss a message. Then, we're going to take a little trip to his house." He turned to Andy. "We'll kill Bruce, Robin, whoever he is, and your old buddy Dick."
He glanced at Barbara's wide eyed expression. "I'm right, aren't I? Nightwing's real name is Richard Grayson?"
She struggled. "No. It's-"
Andy struck her again. She gasped from the impact.
"She's lying, bro," he said.
"I know. Andy?"
"Yeah?"
Will's face was hard as stone. "Put her mask back on. Once the other bats are dead, she's all yours. When you're done with her, slit her throat, shoot her in the head. I don't really care."
Andy grinned, and Batgirl caught Will's eyes.
"Please, Will. He's your friend. You can't do this."
William Mallory scowled at her. "Pathetic."
He flipped the camera on.
#######
"I'm sorry," Jason said again. He was huddled on a bench while Alfred taped his nose. Batman sighed from the computer chair.
"Jason. It wasn't your fault. If you apologize one more time…"
Nightwing was pacing frantically.
"Master Dick," Alfred said, "You're about to wear a trench in the floor. Are you aware of the cost to replace secret flooring?"
"I'm sorry! I'm just -"
The bat computer beeped, and Bruce pressed a key on the keyboard. The screen flickered to life, and all eyes fastened on the display monitor.
Batgirl's face filled the screen. Her eyes were wide, and she looked terrible. A bruise bloomed underneath her left eye. Nightwing could see it creeping out from the edge of her cowl, and his fists clenched. A rag was tied across her mouth, and blood trickled out from her lips.
But she was alive.
Dick cried out her name, but there was no response. Bruce shook his head. "It's not a live feed."
The video zoomed out, and they all saw Scorn smirking, his hand clasping Barbara's shoulder. Wrath walked into the shot, which told Dick that he was the one who had been operating the camera.
"As you can see, Batman," he said, "You're female protégé is still alive. For now."
Dick noticed blood on Scorn's chin. He hoped that Batgirl had done that.
"We are willing to negotiate for her release. All that you have to do is-"
Batgirl shook her head emphatically, eyes wide. Scorn slapped her upside the head, and Dick took a step forward.
"-stay out of our way. In one week, we will drop the girl at an undisclosed location. Then, we will send you the coordinates. If you continue to interfere with our endeavors, then she dies."
Barbara's eyes were wide. Dick understood what she was trying to say.
"Bruce," he said, "Barbara's telling us that they're lying. They won't let her go."
"I know. I'm doing my best to track the signal."
Barbara's mouth began moving, slipping the gag out slowly. Wrath continued to speak.
"Attempt a rescue, and she dies. We are not monsters, Batman. We only want justice. For those only trying to make a living the only way they can."
The gag slipped down under Batgirl's chin.
"Bruce!" she shouted, "They know! You have to-"
Wrath threw a W shaped projectile at the camera and the feed went black.
Batman exploded out of his chair, while Nightwing and Robin could only gape.
"Why would they let that feed stream?" Dick demanded. "She said too much, they-" His eyes widened.
"The video was a distraction," Jason muttered. Bruce turned his face up to the ceiling, and spoke clearly.
"Security code Sigma. Secure entrance, mansion and perimeter-"
"Oh," a voice said, "It's too late for that."
All eyes turned up to the balcony, the second story of grated floors and railing above the central part of the cave. It ringed the center, so that someone standing on the ground could look up to the second story. And vice versa.
Wrath and Scorn stood behind the railing. Nightwing took a step back.
"Where's Batgirl, you-"
"Ah, ah. Language, Dickie," Scorn said. Nightwing's eyes narrowed.
"That's right. We know all about you," Wrath said. He shoved something forward. It was Batgirl. Her wrists were tied in front of her, and she looked even more beat up than before. Worst of all, her cowl was missing completely. Scorn held it in his fist and waved it around like a trophy.
They shoved Barbara forward, and she toppled over the railing. Nightwing leapt forward and caught her just before she could hit the ground. She shuddered in his arms.
"Are you okay?" he muttered.
She cleared her throat and sat up quickly. "Fine." Then, raising her voice. "Please. Crazy Quilt hits harder than these wannabes." Then, once more to Dick, "It's Andy and William."
Dick's eyes widened. "Mallory?"
"The one and only!" Scorn shouted, leaping down from the balcony. He landed on Dick. Jason, Bruce and William surged forwards together, fists flying. Barbara held out her fists, and Dick, dodging Andy's blows, hurried to oblige. He whipped out a birdarang and sliced through the duct tape around her wrists. She grinned and shook them out. Scorn landed a punch to Nightwing's gut, and he let out a gasp, falling back.
Andy leered over him, and pulled a pistol from a holster at his waist. Dick's head spun, and he wondered if Scorn had had that gun before.
"Bye, bye, Circus Brat." He cocked the weapon, and pointed it squarely at Dick's forehead. He was already thinking of a thousand different offenses and defenses; kick out the guy's feet, or roll away? But before he had the chance, Andy froze. There was a gleaming batarang jammed up against his throat, it's razor sharp edge glinting in the cave's fluorescent lights.
Batgirl leaned in and snarled into Scorn's ear. "Aw, I'm hurt, Andy. I thought you wanted me."
Wrath froze on the other end of the cave. Bruce and Jason got in a few shots, but William's only focus was on the blade to his little brother's throat.
"You leave him alone," he growled, marching closer. Batgirl tightened her hold on Scorn, and the boy took a staggered breath as he stiffened. Will stopped.
"Batgirl—" Bruce's voice was low, full of warning.
"Oh, bite me," she snapped. Whether she was talking to Bruce or Will, she wasn't sure.
Nightwing pulled himself to his feet and stood cautiously next to her. He was silent, but Barbara felt the comfort of his presence nonetheless. It made her seem less like a scared little girl holding a knife to someone's throat, and more of an actual threat.
"You and your brother are going to leave this cave, take off those costumes—"
Andy made a suggestive sound and leaned back into her. She stomped hard on his foot and dug the blade in a little deeper.
"Just test me one more time, Mallory," she whispered, nearly hissing.
"—and leave Gotham. If you don't, then I will cut your brother's throat."
William's posture was stiff as a ramrod, but she watched him paste on an expression of nonchalance, even smugness. "You wouldn't. You bats don't have the stomach for killing."
Bruce was glaring at her now, and it almost broke her resolve to see the disappointment and anger in his eyes. She pressed on anyway.
"After the night I've had..." she heaved a deep breath. "Well, we'll see."
Nightwing spoke up, then. "She'll do it, Will. She's crazy!"
Barbara shot him a dirty look, and he grinned, before turning back to Wrath. "But seriously. We're being generous here. Take your brother and leave. To sweeten the deal, how about this? If you don't, Bruce and I will expose you both. We'll take you down with us."
Bruce's eyes widened slightly. "Exactly. Will, what do you think the chances are of your parents getting out of prison if this news comes to light?"
That struck a chord. Batgirl spotted real fear in Wrath's eyes. After a tense moment of silence, he held up his hands and said, "Fine. We'll go."
"Dude!" Andy cried.
"We know when we're beaten," Will said, glaring at each of them in turn. "But this isn't over, Bruce. We'll get you for this."
Bruce and Jason moved to stand with Batgirl and Nightwing. Batgirl shoved Andy forward, and let him scramble over to his brother. Both glaring, they stepped into the elevator. When the doors had dinged shut, Batman turned to Jason and Dick.
"Make sure they find their way out."
The boys nodded, and shot Barbara a sympathetic glance before disappearing upstairs.
Bruce turned to her, and Barbara prepared herself for the lecture of a lifetime. Her mentor's face was stern and hard as granite. He opened his mouth, and she actually flinched.
"I'm glad you're okay," he said slowly. "Go get changed. Alfred will see to your wounds."
He whirled around, and started to stride deeper into the cave.
"What?" she demanded.
"You heard me," he snapped over his shoulder. "Tomorrow, we'll talk. Until then, rest up."
He left her standing alone in the cave, listening to the sound of the bats shifting and twittering overhead, and the deep hum of the generator. Somewhere, water dripped, making a hollow sound against the damp cave walls. She shivered.
"Right. See you tomorrow, then."