Dick pressed his foot to the floor, speeding the vehicle up at an increased rate.
"Turn on the lights!" Preator ordered with alarm.
"If I do that, they will be able to see us easier." Dick argued back.
"If you don't, we're going to crash before they get to us." She said iritably.
"No we wont, because I can see in the dark with nightvision." He tapped his mask.
She paused then said, "Oh."
"Dodge left, dodge left!" one of the kids screamed in the back.
"What?!" Dick questioned, but he swerved the vehicle to the left just in time to avoid an explosion that rocked their vehicle. "Theyve got RPGs?!" he said with alarm.
"Dodge right!" the kid screamed again.
Dick didn't hesistate this time. He immediately swerved to the right. Another explosion nearly blinded Dick with his nightvision on.
"Faster!" Preator ordered.
"I've got it to the floor!" He yelled back.
"They're getting closer." the kid said with fear in his voice.
"What is it?" Preator asked bluntly.
"What do you mean what is it?! What is going on?!" Dick could feel the panic rising again.
"This is not the time for questions." Preator snapped.
"Would you answer me if it was?" Dick looked at her to guage her reaction.
She didnt answer. She mearly gave him a calculating look, like she was determining whether he was worthy of such information. "Swerve left!" the kid yelled again.
Dick swerved and barely avoided the explosion. "Laistrygonians!" The husky kid announced. "Two of them, on the back of trucks."
Preator uttered something under her breath that sounded like it was a different language. "We're not out running them, so I am going to have to face them." She looked scared, but determined.
"But you're injured." Dick argued.
Preator leveled her eyes at him. "If anything happens to me, get the kids to the clearing." Dick opened his mouth to argue, but she interupted him. "Promise me." Her voice was low, but demanding.
"I promise." Dick found himself saying.
She nodded once and opened the sunroof. She climbed out and onto the roof.
"Dodge right!" the kid screamed.
Dick did and shielded his eyes from the explosion. He glanced in the rear view mirror to see Preator flying through the air and land on a towering structure in the back of one of the trucks. Her sword was drawn and she was visiously hacking at the structure.
"That is why she's Preator." the wounded kid said in awe as they watched. The structure, if possible, swipped at her. Everyone could hear her scream out in pain. Dick couldn't help it. He slammed on the brakes and swerved the car around to face the oncoming trucks, which also slammed on their brakes. Their lights were on, blinding them. Dick turned off the nightvision on his mask and turned on the lights to the vehicle. He stared and stared at the structures in the back of the trucks. The closest thing he could describe it as was a giant robot. Men got out of the trucks with guns pointed right at them.
Dick could feel his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. "Stay here." He ordered the kids, who looked on with incredible fear.
"You'll need help." The stocky kid said as one hand gripped the door handle and the other gripped Preator's golden knife.
"No! Stay here!" Dick ordered as he crouched on his seat, then launched himself into the air and flipped toward the men. He grabbed his smoke bombs and threw them at the men in mid air. Smoke engulfed them and Nightwing was able to quickly knock them out, without them firing a shot.
Then suddenly there was a loud roar and the sound of a kid roaring back. Dick looked up at the structures and saw that large husky kid ferouciously stabbing the structure. No, not a structure, but flesh. It was flesh, but it was huge. Dick could only step back and stare at what was looking more and more like a giant. The husky kid was beginning to glow red as he attacked, as if he were in berserker mode. Dick forced himself to look at the other truck and saw Preator being squeezed painfully in the giants hand. Dick instantly reacted and threw a batarang at the monster's face. It managed to hit him in the eye. it roared out in pain and turned its attention to Dick. Dicks heart leaped painfully in his chest as the giant dug into the earth with his free hand and raised up a large ball of earth that he positioned to throw back at Dick. Dick backed up. Suddenly, the ball of dirt lit on fire. Dick wasn's sure he could dodge a ball that big while so close, but he got ready to leap one way or another. Preator freed her sword arm and stabbed the giant in the neck. It roared in pain and threw Preator to the side. Dick ran after her. And found her laying on her side. Her hair was matted with blood and her armor looked bent.
"Whoo!" What a fight!" The husky kid whooped as he approached Dick. He looked completely unharmed. Dick looked behind him to see what could have happened with the giants, but they were no where to be seen.
He turned his attention back to Preator. He gently laid her on her back. She was unconscious. She had a pulse, but it wasn't the strongest. She seemed to be having a hard time breathing. He managed to get her armor off, which helped. "Get her armor." he ordered the kid. He picked her up and carried her back to the car, where he placed her in the front seat.
"She okay?" a mousy haired kid asked.
"I think she'll be okay. It will be a few months before she can fight again." Dick tried to comfort the kid.
"Less than that." the injured kid spoke up. "Open that up and give her one square." he pointed to a pouch on the side of her belt. Dick looked at him questioningly. He nodded encouragingly. Dick opened the pouch and found a ziplock bag with lwhat looked like a giant lemon starburst. he held it up in the light to get a better look. "Don't touch it." the kid warned. "Give her about half, to be safe."
"I can't give this to her. She could choke." Dick argued.
"She'll be fine. Trust me." The kid said encouragingly.
Dick did as the kid instructed and broke the square in half and with his hand on the plastic he gently lifted her head so her mouth was open and placed the bar in it. He placed her head back down, and to his surprise she began chewing it.
"Put the rest back." The injured kid instructed as he watched Nightwing carefully.
"Great. Now that that is done, can we get out of here?" another kid looked worriedly around.
Dick seatbelted her and laid back her seat as far back as it would go. Then once he got in, turned off the lights, put it in gear and peeled out. Everyone was quiet, but nervous. The mousy haired kid stared out the back window. Dick wondered if it was because he was looking for more trouble or because of something else. Dick was looking out the rear view mirror himself. His heart wasn't trying to get out of his chest anymore, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had just stepped into something that he wasn't supposed to. Everything played through his mind in flashes. It felt disjointed, like one minute, it was business as usual, then the next it was straight out of a horror movie. He kept glancing at the woman lying next to him. He had always heard the expression, curiosity killed the cat, or as the Joker once coined, curiosity killed the bat. But he had never felt closer to that than tonight. Ever since he met her, he found less answers and only more questions, and even more danger. He hated feeling off balance, but he could not catch his balance with her.
Thus his thoughts chased each other, as one by one the kids began to feel safe and dropped off to sleep. It was almost sunrise when there was a loud bang and Dick struggled to keep the car on the road. He managed to pull them off of the road amd stop the vehicle. He looked behind him to see six alert kids looking warily around.
"It's alright." he assured them. "We blew a tire." He got out of the vehicle to inspect the damage. He walked around the car and found the blown tire completely warped and in shreds. The other tires looked like they were barely keeping it together as well. The kids watched him as he touched a tire. "Melted." he determined.
"What do we do now?" a kid voiced his concern as he glanced at Preator, who was still asleep in the front seat.
Dick looked around the area.
"Maybe we can walk?" one kid suggested. Dick saw a sign up ahead.
"We've got two wounded, idiot. What about them?" The husky kid growled. He magnified his vision and zoomed in on the sign to try and make out what it said.
"Well we can't stay here! We could be attacked by . . ."
"Shh, you want to drive him mad." The wounded kid hissed.
Dick snapped his attention toward them. He wanted them to say more, but they seemed to have become aware of his presence and stopped talking all together.
He took a deep breath and turned to face them. "There's a town up ahead. I'm going to see about transportation."
"I can help steal a car!" the mousy haired kid said enthusiastically.
Dick stared at him disbelievingly. "No! I'm not stealing a car!" he shook his head and said. "Stay here. I'll be back. I promise." He added when all their eyes turned to him with such fear and trust.
"Don't worry. If anyone comes by, I'll take care of them." Husky flipped Preator's knife in the air and caught it.
Dick looked at him worriedly.
"I won't hurt any mortals." he assured.
Dick gave him a questioning look, but decided that that was the best he was going to get. As he turned, he glanced in the car and saw Preators face relaxed in a peaceful sleep. She was increadibly beautiful. A different beautiful than when he had first met her at the charity event. Then, she had been just a game to persue, but now she was a powerful warrior. That seemed to make ner even more attractive, in a way.
The town was over a mile away, and the road was desolate. Not that he wanted anyone to see him walking down the road in his Nightwing disguse. In fact, that would have to be his first order of business. Two hours later, the sun was just peaking over head, and he had finally reached the town. It was a small town with no shops, that he could see. But as luck would have it, he spotted a house with clothes hanging out on a clothes line. he snatched off a shirt and a pair of pants. He put them over his Nightwing disguise, as uncomfortable as he felt, he took off his mask. The good thing about it being a small town, was that people were friendly. He was relieved when an old pickup truck came by. He held out his thumb and the truck actually stopped. The driver was an older man.
"Hop on in." he smiled.
"Thanks for the ride. Do you know where i can find a bank?" He asked.
"There's a small branch in town, but it won't open for another couple of hours." He replied.
"Does it have an ATM?"
"Sure does."
"You wouldn't happen to know if there's a car for sale around here, would you?"
"Jerry's selling his car. Nice honda."
"How many does it seat?" Dick asked.
"Oh, its a small car. Fits two, maybe four."
"Know of amything bigger?"
"Sure, but, I don't think uou want it."
"How's that?"
"Well, how about, I show you. It's by the bank." When the old man pulled into the bank, he nodded across the street, at what looked like an apartment complex. Parked in front of it, with a for sale sign on it, was a bright orange ecoline van that looked straight out of the seventies.
"You've got to be kidding me." Dick stared at the offending van.
"Told you." The old man gave him a toothless grin.
Dick crossed the street and began looking the van over. Being raised in a mansion, he had always been in the fanciest of cars. This was something that just screamed, No. He was almost tempted to call Bruce. Almost. He knocked on the appartment door. No answer. He knocked again. He heard some yelling and then the sound of something falling, when the door flew open, a man appeared in a pair of boxer shorts and boots.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" He looked angry.
"Around seven." Dick replied coolly.
"Then you would know that that is too early to be knocking on decent folks homes."
"How much for the van?" Dick almost cringed as he said it.
"You're here for the van?" He asked, surprised.
"How much?" Dick repeated. It was painfull enough to ask once.
"Oh, it's a good van. Had a lot a good memories in it, if you know what I mean." He elbowed Dick conspiritorially.
Dick wanted to hurl.
"I don't need it anymore on account I'm married now, and all. But it's a good van. She wants three thousand for it. She's kind of firm on that amount."
"Three thousand? It's not worth five hundred." Dick argued back.
"Sold!" yelled a voice from above them. He looked up and saw a woman in a nightgown leaning out a window.
"Nadean, that's not your desision to make!" the guy began yelling up at her. "Let the men talk."
"You said you would get rid of that thing over a year ago." She yelled down.
"And I've been trying." he yelled back.
"And this is the first offer you've ever gotten for it. You're taking it."
"I was going to talk him up."
"Lou, it's either that thing or me." she disappeared into the appartment and slammed the window shut.
Lou looked sheepishly between Dick and the bright orange van. Dick took mercy on him and even though it pained him, said, "I'll give you fifteen hundred."
Lou's face lit up and he extended his hand, yelling, "Sold."
Dick regretably went over to the bank, withdrew the money from his account and paid for the van in cash. When he got in, he saw a pair of aviator glasses hanging from the visor. He snatched them off and put them on, not even feeling sorry for stealing the guy's shades for the price he paid. When he pulled next to the black SUV, the looks on the kids faces, said it all.
"Don't ask." he glared, as he opened the van door for them to get in. Everyone filed in as he went to get Preator. She was still fast asleep. He did notice that her sword was missing. He picked her up, as gently as he could, and moved her into the front seat of the van. He glanced at the husky kid who gripped the golden knife tight. Then Dick noticed that he was glaring at the wounded kid, who didn't look so wounded now. He was sitting up and alert and was holding Reyna's sword. "What happened?"
"We had some visitors, but luckily it wasn't anything we couldn't handle." he quipped.
"How are your bullet wounds?" Dick ask suspiciously.
"Much better, thank you." he smiled.
He knew he wouldn't get much more out of him, so he got in the driver seat. He looked over at Reyna as he started the car. Then he noticed her arm. There was dried blood all over it, but the actual wound was halfway healed. "How in the . . . ?" Dick reached out to touch it.
"Are we going?" A voice from behind him startled him.
He looked back and saw everyone looking at him. He had that weird feeling again that he had become involved in something that he wasn't supposed to be. He put the van into gear and began driving.