Back in the saddle.
Nightwing has been called to join Batman and Robin on a call from Commissioner Gordon. Something's come up that he thinks they should look into, but Nightwing and Robin aren't so sure. Can Batman handle it?
With the sudden appearance of two Bonnie and Clyde Robin Hooders, stealing from the rich but keeping it all in the past two days, Gordon's men were at a standstill. He hopes that Batman can shed some light on the mysterious couple.
Commissioner Gordon stood and watched the skies, scanned the buildings around him, the streets below him; he was worried that the signal wouldn't be clear enough. The clouds had thickened and every now and then lightning flashed through them, highlighting the purples and blues and grays of the thunderheads. His long beige overcoat snapped out behind him, and Gordon's hands burrowed deep into the pockets. Five minutes passed, and then ten. The storm approaching over the bay blew cold winds with it, and the Commissioner shivered.
"Coffee, sir?" A figure asked, suddenly standing beside him. Commissioner Gordon gasped in shock, terrified at his sudden appearance, and then he exhaled slowly.
"Nightwing. Don't scare me like that, boy. What did you say?" Gordon asked, rubbing his temples and trying to calm his racing heart.
"Would you like some coffee? I stopped by a twenty-four hour drive-thru thing…" he didn't wait for an answer before pressing the paper cup into the Commissioner's hand. He greedily took a drink, sighing as the bitter liquid warmed through his chest. "I figured the big man wouldn't be here yet. Also, standing on a rooftop with a storm coming isn't the greatest idea. Contrary to popular belief, lightning strikes won't give you superpowers."
"I don't think that's popular belief," Commissioner Gordon smirked a bit as they both stared up at the Batsignal in silence. The wind whistled through the empty Gotham streets below them, creating a hollow singing to haunt even the most hardened of souls.
"Incoming," Nightwing whispered, and Gordon was about to ask him when they heard Batman's voice behind them.
"Commissioner Gordon. What's the situation?"
"Told you," Nightwing smirked as they both turned around. Batman and Robin stood silhouetted against the Batsignal.
"You're late," Gordon said casually, sipping his coffee. Nightwing crossed his arms.
"Don't patronize us," Robin's eyes narrowed behind his mask, and Gordon raised his eyebrows. Batman silently waited for an answer to his question.
"I have this for you," Commissioner Gordon said, taking a file from the inside of his jacket. Batman took it and flipped it open, the paperclipped pages flapping in the wind. "It seemed right up your alley of 'weird'. All completely unrelated crimes, ranging from blackmail to forgery to murder- but the connection between them all has the department baffled."
"And the connection is…?" Nightwing asked, glancing over Batman's shoulder at the file.
"Every witness to the crimes claims to have seen a ghost. They all say that a woman in pearls and an overcoat came and vanished without a trace, right before their eyes. We have photographs, and… well, you're not going to believe it, Batman. They're in the back of the folder."
Batman glanced at the Commissioner and carefully opened the rather thick file to the back, and he had to hide his shock. A young dark haired woman in fashionable evening dress, half invisible with pearls around her neck and an overcoat over her shoulders, appeared in every photo. At first glance, Nightwing was alarmed as well.
"This ghost is the spitting image of the late Martha Wayne," Gordon said matter-of-factly. "You told me to call you if I was stumped on anything odd." Batman's hand clenched around the pictures.
"This definitely is odd," he agreed evenly. Robin and Nightwing exchanged nervous glances, watching Batman carefully.
"I hope you can sort it out. The boys and I at the station… we can't make heads nor tails of it. The thing leaves no prints no evidence…" Gordon rubbed the back of his neck. "I trust you'll handle it as you always do."
"We'll take care of it," Batman growled.
"Good." Gordon stared at him for a moment. "I'm sorry, do you need me to turn around so you can disappear mysteriously in the middle of my sentence?" Batman narrowed his eyes. Gordon turned around to face the city and Batman and Robin dove off of the roof, Nightwing on their heels; when Commissioner Gordon turned around, he smiled a little. "Where did he go?" he said halfheartedly, walking toward the Batsignal.
"Batman," Nightwing leaned forward between the seats in the Batmobile. "Robin, Batgirl and I can handle this if you want."
"No," Batman barked. "I'm fine."
"Jeez, Bruce, no need to snap," Nightwing mumbled, squeezing his broad shoulders between the seats. "We're here to help, okay?" Batman was silent on a long stretch of road.
"We need to get to the Batcave to figure this out," he finally said.
"Say it, say 'okay'. I want you to actually acknowledge the fact that there are people here for you to help you. In the event that your deceased parents are robbing and murdering rich people." Nightwing pressed, leaning further into the front seat. Robin simply watched, wondering how far he'd go before getting his ass kicked.
"I would throw you from the car if I didn't think you were useful," Batman said instead. Nightwing cocked his head, pondering this for a moment.
"I'll take it." He leaned back in the small seat, looking out the window. "You know, Dick, you've kinda always been there to help. Thanks for dropping everything and coming when I needed backup. Thanks for leaving your pregnant girlfriend alone in your teeny tiny apartment and making your guests leave dinner early...' we didn't even get to play a board game…" Dick muttered, crossing his arms.
"Then I did something good by not forcing that train game on people," Batman said.
"The train game is awesome!" Dick snapped, starting to kick Batman's seat.
"Yes, and so is pulling out my fingernails with pliers," Batman deadpanned. Nightwing continued to kick his seat. "Do not make me pull this car over," he warned.
"So how are we gonna catch this specter, anyway?" Nightwing asked, planting his boot against the back of Robin's seat.
"I need to get a closer look at those pictures." Batman turned down the road toward the Batcave. Nightwing groaned loudly and rolled his head back.
"What did you need me for then?! Batgirl is out on patrol why can't I go with her?"
"Once I'm sure what we're up against, you'll know where to look." He braked, skidding the Batmobile to a stop.
"Fine," Nightwing said shortly, sitting up. Batman hopped out of the Batmobile, striding over to the computer banks. By the time Nightwing and Robin got over there, he had most of the pictures scanned in and was glancing through the file.
"Is it really my grandmother?" Robin asked, looking at the enlarged pictures on the screen.
"Obviously not," Batman said, not glancing up from the file.
"I'm sorry, but it is not obvious," Dick objected, tossing his mask on the table. "She looks like every picture of Martha I've seen." Batman looked up at the screen.
"Her wrist." He zoomed in on one of the pictures. Peeking out from under her left sleeve was a pink, rubber wristband. "Those didn't exist when my mother was alive."
"So not Martha Wayne, but a scary look alike," Dik muttered. "How is she ghosting out?"
"Wayne Tech enhancements," Batman admitted. He logged into the Wayne Enterprises database and pulled up the file.
"This can't turn someone into a ghost," Robin huffed, examining the schematics of a small device called 'the Phaser'.
"No," Batman agreed. "This is a prototype based off of the Flash's ability to vibrate his molecules fast enough to phase through walls. It was stolen from the Wayne lab here in Gotham a month ago."
"Okay, so we know how she walks through walls, but how can I see the wall behind her?" Dick asked, pointing to the picture still on the screen.
"The Phaser was still highly experimental, touchy at best. Whoever this girl is, not only stabilized the reaction of the molecules, but somehow found a way to also keep them suspended in a half state that leaves her body permanently half-phased, similar to that of Martian Manhunter."
"This is years ahead of what our scientists are capable with this." Robin was impressed.
"This all sounds dangerous," Nightwing admitted.
"Having her body maintained in the suspended half state could be disastrous," Batman agreed. "Something could… be left behind."
"Definitely dangerous," Nightwing nodded. Robin glanced at him.
"What we could do with technology like that, though, right Grayson?" he smirked. Nightwing rolled his eyes and leaned against the desk to get a closer look at the woman in the pictures.
"So she's stealing anything she can fence, and forging documents for sale, all for cash. And it looks like her only murder was a…" Dick trailed off as he flipped through the file. "...One rich dude in East Gotham. She took everything from him that they could sell, even his shoes."
"This kill looked personal," Robin added, looking at the file over Dick's shoulder.
"She started small," Batman muttered, not paying the two of them any attention. "And has worked her way up. Where is she going to hit next?" he mused.
"Let's see, where could she hit the top of her game? Who's the richest asshole we know?" Dick planted his hands on his hips, looking at Batman. He turned to face Dick, the objection rising in his throat, but stopped. He glanced at the cave ceiling.
"Come on," he muttered, already out of his chair.
"Aren't you glad you didn't go with Batgirl now?" Robin taunted Dick, hurrying after his father.
"Not really," Dick muttered before slipping his mask on and running after the other two. When they reached the top of the elevator, the house was unusually quiet. It was never noisy, but tonight it seemed downright… haunted.
"Scout everywhere," Batman whispered. "If she's here, find her. Report back to the cave once it's clear." He disappeared into the dark.
"Who ya gonna call?" Nightwing whispered, slipping in the opposite direction. Alfred had turned all of the lights off and gone to bed long ago, and the Manor was dark and empty. "Now where would be the first place a robber would go in a place like this?" he breathed, talking out his nervousness. He felt like something- someone- was going to pop out at him like a bad horror movie. He assumed that Bruce would head straight for Selina in the bedroom, so he crept down the hallway to the study. When he opened the door, his heart nearly stopped.
The spitting image of Thomas Wayne- and Bruce for that matter- stood by the desk with an open duffle bag. He looked up when Nightwing opened the door. They stared at each other for a moment.
"...shall I have Alfred pull the car around, Mr. Wayne?" Nightwing blurted, and the man recoiled, taken aback, before pulling a gun on Nightwing and blindly firing it. Nightwing barrel rolled out the door and around the side, crouching by the wall as gunshots bit into the mahogany door frame. The Thomas Wayne knockoff continued to fire as he advanced toward the door, and Nightwing braced himself for a fight. A scream echoed through the dark of the grand staircase, and his head snapped to the left, just as the man shot from the study and bolted for the door. Nightwing quickly fired a tangling cable at his feet, and he dropped to the marble floor, skidding along its surface like a downed fighter plane.
"Batman!" Nightwing shouted up the stairs, his hand gripping the banister as he waited like a racehorse at the starting gate. Robin was suddenly thrown down the hall, and he tumbled halfway down the stairs before Nightwing caught him, propping him up before racing to the top of the stairs.
Batman was in the master bedroom, his cape sweeping from his shoulders in the wind from the broken window. Selina stood silhouetted in the lightning across the room, and the Martha Wayne impostor lay at Batman's feet, a look of terror on her eerily familiar features. Batman reached down and took a small object from her jacket pocket. He pressed a button, and it made a whirring sound before it clicked silent to a stop.
"I'm sure Mr. Wayne appreciates you returning his property," Batman told her, deathly quiet. The girl took a deep breath, her hands trembling. Nightwing glanced at Batman and then his eyes fell on Selina.
"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, cautious of Batman's unwavering gaze on the woman. Selina nodded, and Nightwing stepped forward, putting a hand on Batman's shoulder. "We should call the Commissioner, Sir," he urged.
"First, I want my own answers," Batman said, still glaring at the girl.
"Batman," Nightwing said quietly. "She has an accomplice downstairs, let's get them together for questioning," he pressed. He wasn't going to admit the real reason he wanted to get Batman away from them; he wasn't sure how well he was taking this. Batman glanced at him.
"Fine. Get them both together in the study. And call the Commissioner, I should be finished by the time he gets here."
Nightwing looked at Selina helplessly, hoping that she could talk to Batman, and he grabbed the woman by her arm, guiding her quickly from the room. Once they were both side by side, handcuffed in the study, Nightwing called Commissioner Gordon to come retrieve them. Seeing them up close he had to admit that the resemblance was good, but not as flawless as they'd originally thought. Nightwing and Robin waited in the dark study for Batman to join them.
"This should be fun," Robin muttered, jumping up to sit on the desk; they could hear Batman's footsteps.
"What I don't understand," Baman said, walking into the room, "is why a scientist with everything to gain, steals from her company and becomes a robber and murderer. Maybe you can explain this to me, Marie Monroe."
"Go to hell," Marie told him stubbornly.
"And this must be your brother. Robert was it?" Batman stood directly in front of them.
"Get out of my face," the guy snapped. Nightwing and Robin exchanged looks behind Batman's back.
"You can be as mad at me as you want. I don't really care," Batman growled. "I just can't understand why. You two had a great system going: Robin Hooding from the wealthy, but then you killed that man. From then on you had to know you were going to prison. So why kill him?"
"He wasn't supposed to die! We were just going to rob him but-"
"-Shut up, Bobby!" Marie hissed at her brother.
"So it was an accident," Batman muttered. "Well I'm sure that will be a great comfort to your sister," he said sarcastically. "That was what this was all about right?"
"How did you know about-"
"-Bobby!" Marie cut him off again.
"Breast cancer was it?" Batman asked. "I looked up hospital records on a hunch from the bracelet you wear." Marie shifted her wrists around in the handcuffs. "So you two were robbing the rich to pay for your little sister's treatment. You should have had about enough. Was this your last hit?"
"Yes you asshole," Marie cried. "And now she's going to die because of you! Stop gloating and fuck off!"
"Hey, there's no gloating going on," Nightwing said gently, walking toward Batman. He glanced down at the siblings. "You just made the wrong decisions for the right reasons." He turned so that they wouldn't hear his lowered voice. "Commissioner Gordon will want to see Mr. Wayne," he said quietly, with a pointed look at Batman. He didn't say anything; he left, leaving Robin and Nightwing alone with the two thieves. Nightwing knelt in front of them where they sat on the floor. "We have friends in the department. We'll try to get you good lawyers… if it was up to me, I'd let you go. You were just trying to save your sister because no one else would. I respect that." Bobby glanced at his sister, but she only glared at Nightwing.
"You respect that? Well respect my sister dying alone in a hospital," she hissed. Nightwing looked down.
"I'm sorry I can't help you," he sighed sadly. Commissioner Gordon came into the room with two officers. He looked at Nightwing and Robin. "I'm impressed. I'd hoped you'd just find me some information to go on, not actually catch them for me in one night. You exceeded my expectations. Is Bruce alright? Did they hurt anyone?"
"I don't even know why I bothered coming," Robin muttered, jumping off the desk and leaving. Nightwing rolled his eyes.
"No, everything is fine. They're amateurs, easy to catch. I'll explain more," Nightwing glanced over Gordon's shoulder at Will, one of the officers with him; "when I get the chance, but for now, I think Mr. Wayne just wants them out of his house. They gave him quite a start."
Gordon waved for a couple officers to get the two thieves. "Where is Mr. Wayne?"
"I'm here." Gordon turned to see Bruce standing on the staircase in the foyer.
"Good," the Commissioner looked relieved. "I'm sorry for the disturbance, Mr. Wayne, Nightwing called us with a lead on these criminals."
"As long as the guilty party was apprehended, and no one was hurt," Bruce said simply.
"My thoughts exactly," The Commissioner agreed. "I don't know if you'd care to thank the boys, but Robin and Nightwing-" Gordon turned around- "were here… just a moment ago. Damn it, the disappearing without a word thing was something I was hoping they wouldn't inherit from their mentor." He shook his head. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Wayne, I'm sure you were busy." He glanced at Selina. "We'll be leaving now."
"Have a good evening Commissioner. If you need anything, be sure to let me know." Bruce smiled cordially at him.
"You too, Mr. Wayne," he replied, heading for the door. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he sent a message to Batman telling him that his boys had captured the thief.
Bruce glanced at his cell phone and smiled as he walked back toward the library.