Synopsis: Someone has stolen all the money from the Wayne Foundation Youth Charity Fund. Batman and Red Hood go after the man who did it. While doing research on the thief, Tim is hit by a mysterious beam from an odd weapon sitting on a shelf and is de-aged. Oh boy, what are they going to do with a four-year-old Tim?

Part 18: Nightwing Rages

Nightwing made my way over to Metropolis in the jet. It didn't take long, barely fifteen minutes since Metropolis was located across the bay from Gotham and a couple hours north. locating the two scum bags who kidnapped Tim and Christina was even easier. They were located in the Sunnyside Condos, an upscale residential building not far from the Daily Planet. The building's roof was wide enough that Nightwing could land the jet like a helicopter. He got out and found the door the maintenance workers would use that led to the roof. He had to go to the 29th floor. That's three levels below. He raced down the stairwell and walked down the hallway. Looks like they were in condo number 2904. Nightwing checked the tracker on his gauntlet. The tracker indicated that the suitcase was inside, but that didn't mean the two kidnappers were. Nightwing checked his secret pockets to find a listening device. Once he did, he placed it against the door, and he got an earful.

"We really cleaned house,' Boozer stated.

"We certainy did," Sylvester replied. "We should have asked for more. This condo's going to use up the cash faster than I expected. Twelve Thousand a month to rent this place?"

"It was either that or buy it for 12 mil." Boozer stated. "And then there were the maintenance fees."

'Com on, give me something I can use,' Nightwing said to himself.

"You're right, you should have asked for more. Wayne was a pushover. That was a drop in the bucket for him. Too bad about the kid. You really beat him to a pulp."

"That kid was nothing," Sylvester said. "I would have given him a dead kid if he held out on us. As it is, he didn't, and we got paid. I wouldn't mind doing it, again."

Rage filled Nightwing as he listened to the pair's conversation. He wanted to beat that man down for hurting Tim, and he could sense that Talon D wanted the same. Tim's body was that of a four-year-old. Tim could have died. Those men have no souls. Nightwing didn't even want to wait. He had enough evidence to convict them with their conversation. Nightwing pulled out his escrima sticks and turned on the electricity. He braced himself and kicked the door down.

"Surprise, surprise," Nightwing growled out. "The rent's come due."

"Fuck! It's that Nightwing, what's he doing here?" Boozer questioned.

"Doesn't matter," Sylvester replied. "Let's kick his ass and relocate with the money."

Nightwing recognized the voice. 'He's the one I want.' Nightwing ran over and took care of the other guy. Slamming him into the wall and then knocking him across the head with one of his escrima sticks. He wasn't much of a fighter. He let out a painful noise, but went limp. Nightwing turned around to the other guy. "You! You beat that poor defenseless little boy."

"He wasn't defenseless, he was trying to escape," Sylvester sneered. "If he'd stayed still, he would have been just fine. Kid got what he deserved."

"Let me put you in his shoes," Nightwing glared. The man's back hit the wall and Nighwing jumped, attacking him. He slammed his escrima stick down a few times across his ribs then dropped them. He could sense Talon D urging him on, telling him in the back of his mind to end the guy. Nightwing placed his escrima sticks on his back, balled up his fists, and started to pound on Sylvester.

'Hey, Man! Stop!"

"Let's see how you can take it!"

Boozer slowly shook his head as he came to. 'That cape's beating on my partner and cousin.' Boozer was going to take a metal chair and hit him in the back of the head when it suddenly heated up in my hands. "YEEEOOWWW!"

"Let's make this a fair fight, now," Superman said.

Nightwing continue to punch the guy until he was bloody and unconscious. Superman grabbed his arm and held it, suddenly stopping the action. Nightwing tried to get out of Superman's grip.

"Let go."

"I think he's had enough," Supreman said. He used his X-ray vision on the fallen thug. "Half his rib cage is broken. He's got one punctured lung, and any more punching and his spleen will rupture. What's got you so tied in knots? I've never seen you this brutal before."

"He beat a innocent boy," Nightwing sounded cold. They were Nightwing's words, but Talon's lack of emotion.

"Oh don't worry, their both unconscious. The other one passed out from the pain from his hands being burned."

Superman used his X-ray vision to register Nightwing's blood pressure and heart rate. Oddly enough, Nightwing's heart rate was normal. It should be skyrocketing at this point. "And this boy, you mentioned . . ."

"It was Tim . . ."

"Last time I checked Tim was't that innocent boy any more."

"Something happened, and he was turned into a four-year-old." Nightwing was tempted to hit the guy again.

"That . . . Doesn't seem possible . . . How?" Superman questioned. He moved to put himself in between the criminals and Nightwing.

"This stupid gun Batman had in the cave," Nightwing explained.

"If you're done here, I can help you take these men back to Gotham."

"Yeah, I think it's best if you take them." Nightwing handed Superman the recording he made. "You can take this, too, and that suitcase. It's filled with the ransom money I paid to get Tim and a girl back in one piece, only that one broke his promise on not harming Tim." Nightwing pointed to the guy he just beat up.

"I'll drop them off with your police commissioner along with the money. There was someone else they kidnapped?"

"Apparently, their original plan to take a girl named Christina Finster. Tim tried to stop them and they ended up grabbing him as well."

"Since you gave them the ransom, you'll have to claim it as your other identity," Superman said. "Do you have any other evidence you can give them?"

Nightwing nodded. "Tim's shirt and the shoe, and the ransom note they gave me."

"You fly back to Gotham and I'll take these two," Suprman said. "I don't know how you're going to explain it to Commissioner Gordon. You certainly can't tell them that Tim had been changed into a four-year-old."

"I'll figure it out."

Nightwing went back up to the roof and climbed in the jet. He sat in the pilot's seat and pulled off his gauntlets. 'I think I broke my knuckles punching the crap out of those guys.'

Nightwing set the coordinates for the cave and started the jet. Once he took off, Nightwing ended up putting jet on auto pilot so he could tend to his hands.

Continues with Part 18: Heart to Heart