"Wakey, wakey, kiddies! You don't want to sleep through the big finale!" Dick wasn't sure which was more painful: his injuries from yesterday's beating, or waking up to the revolting laughter of the Joker.
Dick opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of Artemis's face through his swollen eyes. Her cheeks were red and puffy, it was obvious she'd been crying again. Artemis was a strong soul, it was rare for her to let her emotions out like this. Not that he could blame her. Today was the day she would watch her best friend die before her eyes. He wanted to offer some kind of comfort, but what was there to say? Everything will be ok. It'll all be over soon. I'll be in a better place. You're going to be fine… They both knew that wasn't true. Neither Dick nor Artemis had recovered from Wally's death, so how could he expect her to cope with his?
"Remember what I told you. You need to get out and look after the others. Artemis, I…"
"Don't." Tigress cut him off, not wanting to hear any final goodbyes.
"Just… don't make it easy for them." She told him.
On the Joker's orders, several of his goons poured into the cell and ripped Dick and Artemis apart. Dick was too weak to fight back and Artemis was limited in what she could do with broken ribs and a bullet in her shoulder. It wasn't long before the two injured heroes were being dragged out of the cell block and into the courtroom. Dick was pulled back up on stage while Artemis was lead to the witness stand, in perfect view of the upcoming execution. The crowd of awaiting criminals were cheering and applauding the damage they had each caused the day before. Artemis' eyes met her father's and she glared at him with unforgiving eyes, which caused Sportsmaster to let out an amused laugh.
"Lighten up Babygirl, this Bird is finally going to get what he deserves."
"Right you are Sporty! Birdbrain has been giving us all trouble for years! He 's been following Batsy around since he was in diapers!" Joker taughted, prancing around on the makeshift stage as if this was some kind of performance.
"I was nine." Nightwing corrected, only to be answered with a bought of insane laughter.
"You were still in diapers at nine?! Not a very clever Bird, are you? And here I thought you were supposed to be one of the smart ones!" Joker teased.
Great. Nightwing thought. It's not enough that he tortures me and kills me, he has to humiliate me first.
"Where's the Bat? I thought you said you wanted the big man to watch as we buried the bird." Poison Ivy cooed from her seat in the Jury's box. Some of the other criminals looked disappointed at the lost opportunity to punish their greatest foe, while others seemed unsurprised.
"If it was that easy to lure Batman into a trap, we would have done away with him years ago. He won't show. Not even with his precious little sidekick on the line." Black Mask snapped back. The frustrated rants that sparked after that were silenced a few moments later by the giddy laughter emanating from their host.
"There's been a change of plans. Batsy won't be joining us, but that doesn't mean he has to miss the fun! We're going to record the whole show so he won't miss a single detail!" Joker announced, bringing out a small camcorder and holding it up to his own face.
"Hi there Batsy! So sorry you couldn't join the party, but don't worry! We took good care of your little Birdie for you!" The clown giggled as he danced around, scanning the camera over the crowd of villains before finally settling on Nightwing's broken form.
"Acest lucru nu este vina ta…" This is not your fault. Dick said, reverting to his Romani tongue so that Bruce would understand, but his final words were cut short as Joker slammed the camcorder against his head, knocking Nighting to the floor.
"How rude! Sending secret messages? Talking to the Bat behind our backs? After we spent all that time yesterday trying to teach you some manners… well, I guess you're just a lost cause. There's only one thing left to do!" Joker pouted as he tossed the camcorder to one of his goons so they could record the whole scene. The crowd erupted in excited whispers of anticipation and Dick glanced back at Artemis, seeing the tears welling up in her eyes. Nightwing shook his head, silently warning her not to try to fight. This was her one chance to escape, she had to run while they were distracted by his execution. One of the tears finally spilled down Artemis' cheek as she nodded back, showing she understood. She prepared herself to make a break for the exit and Dick turned his eyes back to the Joker.
Despite his broken body, Nightwing used what little strength he had left, to pull himself up onto his knees. If he was going to die, he was going to meet his death with dignity and strength. If his friends and family were going to see this video, he wanted them to know he was strong and brave right until the end. Nightwing looked straight ahead as Joker pulled out his handgun and pressed the barrel to the center of Dick's forehead.
"Now for the grand finale! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… The death of Nightwing!" And with one last crazed laugh, Joker pulled the trigger.