The Knights of Gotham
Nightwing was back in Gotham once again, called by Bruce and by reports of the return of the Arkham Knights and a spike in gang violence. Nightwing was perched on top of a building just outside the Bowery; everything looked peaceful (as peaceful as The Bowery could be), but were one to look closer, they could find the Arkham Knights patrolling the area.
But Nightwing was here at the Bowery for a more specific reason.
"Nightwing. I'm glad you're here," came Arsenal's voice from behind him. Nightwing turned in time to see the red-and-black clad vigilante landing on the roof behind him.
"Arsenal. I came as soon as you called. What's up?" Nightwing asked casually. Arsenal huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He was silent for a few moments, pulling a few faces, before he peeled off his mask. He never did that on patrol, which meant two things; it was personal, and it was serious.
"Jason hasn't been home in days. He hasn't contacted me, and I can't get a a hold of him, but I know he's pissed. I know he's here in The Bowery somewhere though," Roy said to him. Nightwing peeled off his own mask, and gave a nod.
"You're his best friend. If he hasn't been talking to you..." Dick murmured, scratching his chin. He pressed his mask back on and Roy did the same, the red head moving to stand beside him, both of them looking down at the city below. The Red Hood hadn't been heard from either, but the Arkham Knights were much too organized to be leaderless. Someone was giving orders and they knew who it was. They just didn't know where he was.
Nightwing had considered Jason's childhood home, but he knew Jason would not be foolish enough to return there. There were plenty of places to hide in the Bowery, and he and Jason were trained by the same man. If any of them wanted to hide, it would be nearly impossible to find them. Hell, they hadn't even been able to find Black Mask yet.
"Any idea what happened? What made Jason do...all this?" Nightwing asked without taking his eyes off the city. Arsenal snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah. I had a run in with him before he disappeared. Poor Chloe has been missing her daddy," Arsenal answered with a grin. He exchanged glances with Nightwing then cleared his throat and continued "Jaybird was all set to move on. To stop killing except under certain circumstances. But he needed to kill Steven Drake. Batman not only stopped him...but he let Drake get away."
"And knowing Bruce, he was probably completely and utterly insensitive and tactless about the whole ordeal. Ugh," Nightwing muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Arsenal snickered in amusement. Nightwing didn't agree with Jason killing Drake, but Bruce wasn't exactly...understanding.
Their thoughts were interrupted, however, by the sounds of gunfire ringing out in the distance. The two vigilantes exchanged looks before quickly jumping into action. Nightwing called for his wing glider and dived off the roof, grabbing a hold of it.
"Arsenal!" he called, before the man joined him. They flew over head, looking down at the city below to find the source of the commotion. They spotted it from above, Steven Drake's gang engaging the Arkham Knights in a failed attempt to try and sneak Drake out of the city.
"There!" Nightwing called, dropping from the glider and shooting a line to a nearby building, Arsenal following his lead. They landed on the ground below and that's when they saw a car, with Drake in it, trying to make an escape, tearing down the street. Nightwing looked up and did a double take, because he saw on a building across the way, The Red Hood, armed with a rocket launcher.
He fired it at Drake's car, and a hook struck the car, killing the engine. Hood jumped down from the building and approached the car while Drake scrambled out of it to make an escape. The driver jumped out of the car, armed with an automatic rifle, but Hood fired a single hand gun round into his head.
"You're mine, Drake!" Hood called, chasing after him. Nightwing turned to Arsenal and the two men nodded, following after them both. From the other side of the Bowery, they also saw the batmobile, skidding to a stop, Batman jumping out from the car.
"Batman!" Nightwing called. Batman looked in their direction before he began to pursue The Red Hood. None of them got far, however, before they found themselves surrounded by Arkham Knights.
"Halt! You're not getting passed," one of them shouted, guns trained on the three vigilantes. One of them, dark paramilitary gear, strode forward, assault rifle in hand. He looked over his shoulder at the rest of the Knights, then turned his attention back on Batman, Arsenal, and Nightwing.
"I am the The Red Hood's second-in-command. He's a hero, and he has a score to settle with Drake. You're not going to get in the way," the man said in a matter-of-fact tone. He turned to his men, then back to Batman.
"He personally saved each and every one of us from our own personal darkness. We owe him much, and we are prepared to die for him. Tell me, Batman, do you command such loyalty?" the man asked haughtily, earning chuckles of amusement from his fellow knights.
"He does," Nightwing said evenly, stepping forward. The men seemed intrigued by this, but their leader seemed disinterested. Nightwing was not deterred however and continued "please, we don't have to fight. We want to help him."
"Your help is not wanted. The Bowery belongs to the Arkham Knights and you're trespassing on our territory. Get out," the man growled. He touched the communicator at his ear, then turned and nodded at his men.
"Pull back. The mission is accomplished," he said evenly. He tuned back to Batman, Arsenal and Nightwing and glared, adding "we were given orders not to harm you. You're free to leave, just don't come back." And with that, the Arkham Knights disappeared into the shadows.
Arsenal and Nightwing looked to Batman, who stood statuesque, staring in the spot where the Arkham Knight's second-in-command was standing just moments before. Jason had threatened to kill him, had he gotten in the way again, and yet...he had ordered his men not to harm him...?
"Bats-" Arsenal called, trying to get his attention. Batman glanced over at Arsenal, but said not a word, instead hopping in the batmobile and racing off down the street. Arsenal and Nightwing exchanged confused glances.
Dick and Roy arrived at the batcave, still garbed in their gear, sans the masks and found Tim training against some dummies and Bruce sitting at the bat computer.
"Hey Timmy, what's up?" Roy called, giving the teen a wave. Tim glanced up at Roy and Dick, flashing a smile.
"Just training. Bruce won't let me go out on patrol with him," he said with a frown.
"Jason is dangerous," Bruce said without looking from the screen. Dick frowned, tempted to make a smart ass comment, but he resisted the urge. He heard Roy snickering beside him and looked over at the man.
"What's so funny?" he asked. Roy snorted.
"You are. So in love with little Jaybird," he teased, making him blush. Did Roy really pick up on his irritation with Bruce's comment? And he thought he was good at concealing his reactions...
"What's going on Bruce? Why did you just bail like that?" Dick asked, stopping behind the man. Bruce didn't answer, which annoyed him, so he leaned against the back of the chair.
"Hey!"
"Jason threatened to kill me if I got in his way again. His orders to his Knights contradict that," Bruce said evenly.
"Yeah, and? I think we all know by now, that despite how pissed off at you he is, he doesn't want to actually kill you." Roy pointed out.
"They were ordered not to harm us, me included, at all though," Bruce added. Roy and Dick exchanged glances, because yeah, that was a little odd.
"So...?" Dick asked, confused. Bruce turned in the chair to look at the three of them.
"I don't think Jason is actually going to kill Drake. I think-"
"You're right," came Jason's voice from the computer. They spun around to see Jason on the screen, in his Red Hood gear. He pulled off his helmet and frowned.
"What? I can hack computers too, y'know. Just because I prefer the more hands on approach, doesn't mean I'm an idiot." Roy just grinned and Dick chuckled in amusement, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No one ever said that, Jaybird. It's good to see you."
"Jason-" Bruce began, but he interrupted.
"Shut the fuck up and listen," Jason snapped. Bruce gave a glare, but Jason didn't react to it.
"I've had a little time with Drake," Jason said evenly, moving the camera to the beaten and bloody Steven Drake on the floor, unconscious.
"Is he-" Dick began, swallowing hard.
"He's alive. And he'll stay that way under one condition," Jason said slowly, looking directly at Bruce.
"You have to promise me, Bruce," Jason began, attracting Bruce's attention. Bruce looked up at his son, their eyes meeting as he continued "you have to promise me he'll go to prison, and stay in prison. Because so help me god, if he gets out, then I promise, I'll kill him."
The three of them exchanged surprised glances, then turned their attention back on Jason.
"I'll do everything I can-"
"Not good enough. I want a promise."
"I promise," Bruce said with a slight nod. Jason gave a sigh, hand raking through his hair. A groan sounded from behind him. Jason turned to see Drake coming to. He snorted and grabbed a baseball bat.
"Go back to sleep," he said evenly, striking Drake and knocking him back out. Both Roy and Dick snorted with pressed laughter. Jason turned back to the camera, a grin on his face.
"Anyway, got to talking with Drake. He's one of Black Mask's top men, solely because he controlled the largest swath of the Bowery. So instead of waging a long, drawn out war, Black Mask brought him under his control," Jason began explaining. Dick, Bruce and Roy's eyes all lit up, knowing immediately what he was getting at.
"The reason we haven't been able to find Black Mask at all is because he isn't in Gotham at all," Jason said with a grin. They seemed confused again, save for Dick. Jason grinned wider, looking directly at him, seeing the glint in his eyes.
"Care to enlighten them Dickie-bird?" Jason asked with a cocky grin on his face.
"Black Mask is in Bludhaven," Dick said evenly. Bruce and Roy both turned to him and Dick cleared his throat to explain "while I was gone, there was an increase in gang violence. Some f the small gangs in Bludhaven have been assimilated into a larger one. I think Black Mask is operating out of Bludhaven."
"Exactly."
"But if you're going, you're going to operate on my terms. Bludhaven is my city. Do you understand me, Jason?" Dick asked sternly. Jason raised his hands defensively.
"Fine, fine. I just have one, tiny request." There was a pause as everyone waited for it, then Jason looked at Bruce and said "I don't want him involved."
"Jaybird, aren't you being a bit childish?" Roy said with a slight laugh. Jason snorted.
"I don't fuckin' care. He's an asshole." Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and Dick shook his head. Roy laughed and Jason grinned and said "besides, someone needs to stay in Gotham in case shit goes down. May as well be the bat."
A silence descended upon the cave, Bruce's answer coming in but a simple nod. Dick looked back and forth between Roy and Jason.
"Meet me at my apartment in Bludhaven. We'll figure out what to do from there," Dick said evenly, taking his leave from the cave. Roy and Jason watched him go, then Roy turned to the screen and gave Jason a look.
"Shut up Roy," Jason said flatly, earning a grin from the man.