August 28, 2017 03:31 — Infinity Island
It wasn't real. It couldn't be real. He had seen his brother dead three years ago. Three long years. Standing there now, the image replayed in his mind over and over. The sights, sounds, and smells of the night hit him in waves. It was as if a thousand-pound weight had settled itself over Nightwing's chest. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think.
"Jason…" he managed, if only to try and get the vision to go away.
Except, Batman saw it too. More than Batman—Bruce. They say no one should ever bury their child, and now Bruce had to see his dead son in front of him, tainted at the hands of the enemy, lined up for battle and robbed of a peaceful sleep. The yell that ripped from his throat was that of a father who lost a child, not a general who lost a soldier. The speed and force that propelled their mentor forward was from the pain of reliving the murder of a loved one, not the loss of a protégé.
Talia stepped backward, pulling Damian with her and away from the savage display, but there was no need. Batman's sights were on her father, and no amount of trained assassins, regenerated or not, would keep him from his target.
"What have you done?!" he boomed. He grabbed for Ra's, his gloved hands curling around his cloak. "What have you done to him?!"
"I brought him back," said Ra's, the look in his eyes the only outward sign of mild fear.
"Into what?!" he raged.
Nightwing peeled his eyes away from the scene, turning them back toward those of his younger brother. He searched briefly for a sign that this was just a lookalike or some Cadmus clone. The others, both the family and the team, were doing the same. Tigress looked like she was between panicking and punching someone. Superboy and Aqualad were working their way out of their inhibitor collars between staving off the rest of the regenerated soldiers. Miss Martian just kept her stare on Jason. At least, until something in his mind repelled her, freeing him from her telepathic grip.
Behind him, Dick could feel the others ready for a fight as the now-free Jason gave a quick scan over the bats, pausing for an extra moment over Tim before returning his attention to his big brother.
Then, without a word, an unholy yell burst from the younger man and he launched himself at Nightwing.
The chamber filled with the sounds of a hundred battles at once. Dog-like snarling joined fist to flesh in a cacophony of pain and anger. None were louder than Bruce and Jason, each attacking as if their lives depended on it.
Even if he weren't completely thrown for a loop, Dick wasn't sure he would be able to keep up with the sheer rage his brother was fighting with. Every hit he would dodge, another came his way, connecting into his jaw, cheek, stomach. As soon as one landed, another one was sent forward to replace it.
The abuse continued, but Dick doubted he could lift his fists against his dead little brother. He knew he had to defend himself, but a few blocks were all he could mentally prepare. If Batman weren't so busy raising hell, Nightwing knew he would be disappointed at his lack of focus.
A vicious yell punctured the chaos above, Batman sending Ra's flying with a single strike. Perhaps focus wasn't only Dick's problem.
"Stop," Talia instructed.
No raised voice or expended effort, just a short command laced with guarded emotion. Her body was turned toward the battle between her father and former lover, her left arm guarding Damian while her right pointed a gun at the air between Jason and Dick, gaze locked on the pair of them. Immediately, Jason obeyed. Dick watched as Talia approached the younger man, her son in tow.
"You don't want to do this," she said.
Jason's gloved hands clenched in silent protest, but he remained still. Realizing neither boy was a danger to the other, Talia lowered her weapon. The small movements and the look in their eyes returned some sense to the eldest bird.
"What have you done to him?" he asked through clenched teeth.
If looks could kill, Talia would have downed Dick in a heartbeat. Well, he figured at least they were near the Lazarus Pit.
"Do you really believe I am who you should be directing that question toward?" she asked.
"You tell me."
Talia stepped slowly, deliberately closer to him. "I was not aware his dying had anything to do with me. I would wager you should direct your anger to a more deserving target. You do remember who that is, don't you?"
Nightwing squared his jaw, a rush of hatred sending a cold chill through his veins.
"Yes. I remember."
August 27, 2014 12:26 – Happy Harbor
"Remember, keep your com piece in. I mean it."
It was rare, almost never, that Batman pulled an individual team member aside prior to a mission, but these were special circumstances. Jason had pleaded—literally begged—that they turn the Sheila Haywood case into a team operation. After weeks of researched, first by Bruce and then by the pair of them, Jason was convinced her good intentions were being used against her. Though he would never say them out loud, Batman held his own concerns. Even now, behind the cowl and cold stare, Dick could see them in the expression his mentor practiced hiding.
"Yeah, yeah, I will. Com is in, teams are set, mission planned, parameters strictly enforced, threats of seriously clipped wings if I go against protocol. We're good to go, okay? The only thing we're missing is the 'go' part," Robin said.
Batman gave him a look so serious the younger bird coughed uncomfortably. "Sorry, just… eager."
"You need to get your head in the right place."
"It is in the right place. You know, with the mission. To help Sheila. Everything will be fine. I'll do as I'm told and it's not like this is the worst we've been on. No one's been all that hurt before, even against The Light and the whole Injustice League. Nothing is going to happen this time, either. So… let's go?"
The bat gave his protégé one last warning stare before heading to the middle of the room, turning on the large computer with a wave of his hand. "We have two drop zones. Aqualad will be heading up Alpha Squad including Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Artemis, and Superboy. You will monitor the incoming and outgoing trucks from the clinic. See if you can find what is being delivered, and what is being exchanged."
"Beta Squad will be led by Nightwing and include Batgirl, Troia, and Robin," he continued, though Nightwing saw his mentor's stony glare waver for just a moment. Robin was emotionally invested in this case. Dick knew it could prove an asset or, more frighteningly, a serious liability. He'd have to keep a closer watch than usual on him.
Robin, meanwhile, had never looked so ready for a mission before in his entire time on the team. If he had any more focus, Dick figured he could develop x-ray vision.
Batman looked at the younger boy for a long moment before adding, "Beta will observe the clinic and see if they can find who the investor is, and why Sheila Haywood is being blackmailed."
"Delta Squad led by Rocket, including Zatanna, Tempest, Aquagirl, and Sergeant and Lieutenant Marvel, are on a separate mission, but are on standby and will rendezvous with you if needed. Remember, this mission is covert. Stay out of sight."
Jason shook his head, the gesture sending a wave of doubt through Nightwing. If whoever was involved with Haywood's clinic was a serious heavy-hitter like Batman guessed, having Jason less-than-cooperative was the last thing they needed. Maybe he should sit this one out… though, Dick knew how that conversation would end. If they benched Jason, he'd only run off. No, the close eye really was the best option at this point.
And, for the first hour or so, the close eye option had been working. They took Sphere as M'gann flew the others in a camouflaged Bioship. The scheduled deliveries were right on time, the anticipated number of guards, doctors, and civilians were all where they expected them to be. Everything was going according to plan. In fact, the occasional static from his com link and slight interference with his gauntlet computer were the only known issues, and even those were practically non-existent.
It was enough to give Nightwing hope.
"Alpha Squad to Beta," M'gann said psychically, "a new shipment has just arrived. It is docking now. Guards along the southwest corridor have been called in to assist. That seems to be your best opening."
"Confirmed," Nightwing replied. "Going around to the southwest corridor. Scanning the area for possible obstacles now. Any sign of anyone out of the ordinary?"
"Negative."
Nightwing sighed, looking toward Robin. Though the boy was careful to keep his thoughts to himself, it didn't take a psychic link to know he was on the lookout for his mother. Not that Dick could blame him. He almost hoped the woman would pop out of nowhere and ruin the whole covert thing just so Jason could talk to her. Almost.
No, there would be plenty of time for that once they verified that Sheila Haywood was a legitimate doctor with a legitimate refugee clinic and her mystery investor was some billionaire who was just sending along his cure for cancer, malaria, and every other horrible disease. Then Jason could meet her, find out she had wanted him all along, and he'd have a complete set of parents that he had been robbed of most of his childhood.
It had to go like that, because there was no way Jason wouldn't leave this whole mission completely crushed if anything went wrong.
"How you feeling?" he heard Troia whisper to Robin.
"Fine…"
Nightwing almost felt her sarcastic, "Yeah, right," over the link, unable to keep from smirking.
Jason sighed, curling a little into himself, his cape like protective wings over the rest of him. Though the last few years had been good to Jason, filling him out with lean muscle thanks to regular meals and training, not to mention a few growth spurts, he still could look so small when he got so uneasy.
"Okay… Nervous. Not like I'll get to speak to her or anything. Not yet. How would you feel?"
"The same. Don't be nervous, though."
"That's easy for an Amazonian princess to say," he said, breaking into a small grin.
"Says the Prince of Gotham," she returned.
Batgirl shared a knowing glance with Nightwing. Puppy love could be so… adorable. Not that the other two would ever admit to it, but it had been clear ever since Jason had revealed his name to Donna over a year earlier.
"Were we that obvious?" she asked through lowered lashes, careful to keep her mind clear.
"You kidding? We were worse."
He cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of his preoccupied teammates. "Alright, I hate to break this up, but we have a mission to do. We'll go into the southwest corridor. If you see anyone or anything, say something. Keep your coms in just in case something happens to the psychic link."
With a glance toward Robin, he made it clear the last two lines were directed entirely on him. Still, Jason was apparently in too jittery of a mood to take offense, his eyes focused on a jeep driving off in the distance.
Even Troia looked at the boy uneasily. "You going to stay with us, nerve boy?"
"Hey, remember what I always say?" he started, jitters momentarily replaced by teenage arrogance. "Whisper my name and I'll follow you anywhere."
"You think that line is still cute, don't you?" she asked.
"And so do you. Even if you never admit it."
August 27, 2014 19:17 – Bekoji
Nightwing had to remind himself to stay focused. There was no way they could have anticipated this. He hadn't experienced this type of interference to his systems since the night he met his brother. Still, he should have remembered before now. Even in the middle of rural Ethiopia, he should have second-guessed the slight trip-ups before now.
The building had been largely empty of normal clinic personnel, that much was true. However, they weren't alone. An ominous cloud rolled over Nightwing the moment his eyes landed on Joker's henchmen dressed in white jackets, the smugly smirking bastards practically giddy at them waltzing right toward them.
"Beta Squad! Get out!" Miss Martian had just enough time to yell through the psychic link before it was broken. Immediately after, the com link went dead, followed by a surge of static and waves over Nightwing's gauntlet computer. Interference akin to what he had experienced the night he met Jason.
This wasn't just Joker. Whatever Sheila Haywood had gotten herself into, she was in deep. Nightwing turned to see Robin's face contort in fear and rage as the same realization came over him. Dick could see one thought play over and over in his brother's features.
"Mom…"
For years Dick would strain to remember when it happened. How it happened. How he had let it happen. He would struggle with questions about how he could tear his eyes off of Jason for even just one moment. How, even in the chaos, he should have seen more. Noticed more. Done more.
The fight that ensued between the heroes and the henchmen grabbed his attention for just a moment too long. Nightwing turned to survey the area, to assess the best route and to find a way to contact the Justice League, when he realized Robin was missing.
"Where is he?!" he yelled.
Batgirl and Troia didn't need to ask who he meant. As they threw more punches toward their opponents, they scanned the clinic to see it for themselves. Panic rose over the three of them in a violent surge, and Dick knew in that horrible instant that he had allowed Jason to do exactly what he was supposed to keep him from. It was his fault his little brother was able to run off on his own. Anything that happened to the younger bird was on his shoulders.
"We need to disable the device blocking our signals, call Batman, and find Robin. Once the coms are back up, we need the others to regroup with us," he said as they disposed of the last henchmen. Batgirl and Troia sent him short nods and raced through the clinic to find the Light tech that had been partially responsible for his meeting Jason in the first place.
Twenty minutes. It took twenty minutes to find the damn thing. Images of Gloria and Garzonas suddenly flipped through Nightwing's mind. A lot could happen in twenty minutes, and it was only just now that they were working to reestablish communication.
How much longer before they found Jason?
He pushed the thought away and pulled a gadget out of his utility belt. Attaching it to the otherwise-unimpressive little computer screeching obnoxious noises and blinking with bits of code, he activated it the instant he pulled away. A current of electricity flared, silencing the computer. It took another second, but soon their coms were back up with a painful high-pitched wail.
Not even waiting for the spots in his vision or pain in his ear to die down, Nightwing pulled up his gauntlet and signaled for help. He just hoped Delta Squad and Batman were quick.
If he knew then what he would continue to have nightmares about for years, he would have almost wished it had taken only twenty minutes. While his prayers were answered with a swift gathering of every team member and Batman, the search itself was far from fast.
They had been able to track his utility belt, left abandoned by a set of packed Jeeps. Several of the cars were missing, and Batman assessed two of them were taken within a few minutes of each other.
"Dude, just tell me where to go and I'll start running," Wally insisted, a bad bruise forming on his temple, his leg bent at an odd angle.
"You're in no shape to run," Batman managed, jaw squared as he looked over the group. "Zatanna."
No order was necessary. The magician pulled up a map and attempted to locate Jason. With some complicated incantations, she narrowed it down to a warehouse several miles out of the small town.
Batman didn't wait. For once, he left the team without instruction, without a word of guidance. The bat who was always so mission-focused was losing in this moment to the man beneath him, to Bruce on the hunt for his missing son.
Nightwing wasn't about to let him go alone.
Sphere was fast. The Batwing was faster. Still, every minute that ticked by reminded Dick how long it had been since Robin had disappeared. He had never felt so much worry in his life until now. Not with Zucco hunting for him, not with Batman mind-controlled, not with the series of missions they had faced up to this one.
The warehouse came into view. Shoddy metal walls in front of two dusty Jeeps. Jason was just behind them, he knew it. A coat of purple emerged from one of the doors and looked up at the two vehicles approaching.
He could swear, even from that distance, he could see Joker waving at them, smiling
You had better be okay, Jason. Please be okay. If I…
Dick stopped himself before he allowed his thoughts to run much further. He had to be alright. There was no alternative. Maybe bruised up and with a wounded pride, but he would be fine. At least, until he and Batman got a hold of him.
When I get my hands on him, I'm going to kill him.
He watched as one of the Jeeps drove at full-speed away from them. They could catch up if they wanted to. If they were focused more on the mission at hand.
To hell with the mission.
It had been almost two hours since Robin had gone missing, but now they were so close. Sphere prepared to touch down, and the only thought running through Nightwing's mind was just how many curses he was going to scream at his little brother once he made sure the boy was okay.
Noise followed by hellfire burst from the warehouse. Everything went white for a moment, the heat making the teen yell in surprise and panic. The force of it shook them, and Dick was certain it made the world stand still. If only for a minute, the whole of the universe stopped.
Yep, I left it there. I'm a horrible person. This chapter became longer than I expected, so it needed to be broken up a bit, and here seemed like a good (or, evil) place to end it. Hopefully you all still enjoyed the read, though!
- Defective