"Never play poker with Wayne Manor Boys"
I get out of bed for some water from the bathroom believing it all to be the craziest dream. When I come out I see glowing green eyes in the darkness. What's Kori doing here I wonder absentmindedly. Until I realize they on a different face.
"I see that you're up." She said somehow looking dangerous in flannel pajamas and slippers.
I'm keenly aware now that I'm shirtless in pajama bottoms. I blush thinking how I could've got this way.
"I'm sorry." I say finally. "I didn't mean to…"
"Come at me like some savage animal." She said.
"Yeah, I…"
"Get dressed then meet me down stairs for breakfast." She commands walking back into the shadows.
I get back into my room and there are clothes laid out; khaki pants, white button up shirt and white Nikes. Oh and the bed is made. When could she have done that? That's a mystery for another time. The smell of bacon and eggs is in the air reminds me I'm hungry. When I turn the corner to the kitchen I'm treated to sight of a counter full of breakfast delights; pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, milk, orange juice the whole nine. She's at the counter filling her plate dressed in a Gotham Prep uniform; crimson tartan skirt, white shirt and crimson blazer on the back of the chair. There is now way she did this, unless she can tap into the speed force. I fill my plate as well sitting at the table across from her. Her hair is in a bushy ponytail and her eyes are a common brown now.
"You spoke the name Richard." She said. "How do you know him?"
"On my world he's my brother." I reply off hand.
"You understand this is another world." She replied with a hint of amusement. "The you are not as stupid as I assumed."
"Hey…"
"Who is this Kori you spoke off."
"Short for Korriand'r, Starfire." I reply reminding myself we would destroy half the mansion if we fought.
"My turn. Who are you?" I sked.
"I am Ma'ri Grayson." She answered. "Nightwing and Starfire are my parents."
I was beginning to suspect but now that she confirmed it all I can do is smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked breaking eye contact refocusing on her food.
"I see him in your face." I replied.
"You do?" She said surprised looking back at me. "People typically only see my mother."
"Sure you have Kori's eyes and figure but there's plenty Richard in there besides the hair color."
"My figure?" she asked.
"Um…" I stammer looking at my food.
"How did you survive the fall on your world?"
"The fall?"
"You are my father's brother." She said annoyed all of a sudden. "A Flying Grayson."
"Oh, I see. You're referring do the event that left Richard an orphan." I said. "Bruce adopted me after my aunt and uncle were killed in Gotham."
"Then you are not truly his brother, simply one the strays that Bruce brought home." She says.
What is with this girl?
"I see you attend Gotham Prep." I ask trying to stay cool.
"This is my senior year." She replied. "I assume you attend as well?"
"Sophomore."
"That explains your immaturity."
"Excuse me?"
"You attacked my friends." She said. "If I wasn't there somebody could've been killed."
"They attacked me but I would never kill." I said.
"I can tell by your moves and stances you were trained by Batman."
"That's right. Batman doesn't kill." I point out; verbal chess game, checkmate.
"Tell that to the Joker." She said.
"What?"
"I'm going to school do not leave the manor. I will return promptly at four o'clock." She said grabbing her jacket off the chair. "I suggest you take the time to get to know your new home."
"This isn't my home." I reply spitefully.
"It is until we return you." She replied. "If we can at all."
The door locks behind her. After I've had my fill I head down to the cave. Interestingly enough its clean now. Like Alfred level clean. I find my Spider-Man uniform on the table in the lab. Looks like somebody was curious. One of the access panels on the chest is open. I slip on my work clothes. Everything boots up fine so I jump over to the computer.
From what I see, half of the world I know is missing. Not in terms of land or water mass but in terms of people. The population is the same as my world but there is the JLA but no Avengers, Superman but no Captain America. Hammer industries, Stark Solutions, Daily Bugle, all missing. There was no civil war here that sank Atlantis resulting two Atlantian cities; neither of which reside under the Atlantic Ocean by the way, this Atlantis does however. So there is an Aqua-man but no Submariner. There's a bunch of heroes we don't have on my world. The Wonder Twins, Pantha and Red Devil, who is the sidekick of a hero named Blue Devil, for instance. I guess I'll look forward to meeting a lot of new people.
I pull up all the info on the Joker's murder. The essence is basically this, the Joker killed Robin number two Jason Todd and Batman killed the Joker out of revenge or a perverse sense of justice. There were no official charges brought against Batman because a little thing called World War Three broke out. Darksied brainwashed Superman and brought the army of Apokolips to conquer earth. Apparently, this is what happens when there is no Thanos keeping him locked in continuous conflict in deep space.
The World War Three lasted a little over a year. Every superhero team on the globe suffered casualties. With Batman and Nightwing counted among them, the investigation was abandoned. Nobody wanted to tarnish Batman's good name but most of the community still believed he did it. My brain tells me that this isn't my father my heart however…
It takes me all day but I figured it out…I think. I check the clock and it shows three-thirty pm. I set the Batwing to preform preflight check. Those will take about forty minutes. I take the time to check out this caves armory. It's just a bunch of tables and cabinets in one corner, nowhere as sophisticated as my cave. This was either earlier in Batman's career or I've underestimated the effect that people like Stark and Richards have had on him. There's not much here I'm interested in.
"Why is the jet powering up?" she asked walking over to me. She really does remind me of Starfire; I can't take my eyes off her.
"Batman didn't kill the Joker." I reply as a matter of fact. "But I need to speak with Ras Al Ghul to prove it."
"The Demon's Head!" She replied taken a back. "You're going to do what exactly storm his lair and in the event you make it to him alive hope he will tell you the truth?"
"Minus the storming part, yes." I reply. "But he will tell the truth."
"You know this how?"
"I just do." I said. "You coming with me or are you content with letting people believe the Joker beat Batman."
"Beat him?"
"The Joker wanted Batman to abandon his principles." I answered. "To show that when it came down to it he and Batman were the same. Bruce endured nightmares at the hand of the Clown. I can't accept that there is any world where the Joker breaks him."
"This will be a colossal waste of time." She said as she began unbuttoning her shirt. I kept watching. When she undid the fourth button she spoke again. "Are there no gentlemen on your world?"
"I'm sorry." I said turning around; stupid hormones. My suit registers an exotic energy spike.
"Let's go." She said. When I turn around I get my first real look at her alter ego. What I thought was black yesterday is actually a dark purple, the only black is her cowl, gloves and boots. Oddly there is no symbol though.
"So what do they call you?" I asked following her. "I bet it's a combined name like Night Fire."
"Um…how about you call me your liege." She replied. "And I will call you faithful servant."
"It is isn't it."
This Batwing is jet black flying wing that looks like a smaller B2 bomber except the twin engines are more pronounced. I climb up a ladder just behind the nose into the cockpit. Its big enough for four people; pilot, copilot, with weapons and surveillance/countermeasure positions. There is also a door at the back that I assume leads to the "bomb bay". I sit in the co-pilot seat and strap in watching her flip switches and punch buttons getting us ready for takeoff. The pad rotates us ninety degrees to vertical. There are flashing lights on the walls leading to the daylight at the top of the tunnel.
"Hold on." Is all she says before I'm slammed into my seat.
We fly strait up and keep going. I keep expecting her to level out but we don't. Minutes pass and I get to see all the layers of the atmosphere they teach in science class. The sky outside has gone black and I can see stars. Then she points the nose down and the earth is rotating in front of me. We're clearly in the exosphere, in case you're wondering.
"Sub orbital hop." She says as she pulls her phone from her utility belt. She's already dismissed me; engrossed in her social media. Well teenage girls are the same here too, I guess.
Silly me I didn't bring anything to entertain myself as we wait for our destination to appear under us. Well I should be able to link in to the internet via my suit. Dog videos are the rage here not cat videos. Who would've thought. Everything else is pretty much the same though like Rule 35 for instance; hey I'm a teenage boy I see things… by accident of course.
"Get ready for drop." She said pulling me from my YouTube hole. I check the time just under three hours have passed.
The windows black out as an armored covering slides in place. The re-entry ride is rough at first but eventually it settles down and eventually plane slows to a hover.
"We should be out of their sensor range." Nightfire said looking at me. "So what now?"
The Readout on the screen between us reads that we're over Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas.
"From what I got from the computers in the cave, we should be able to land here and walk the mile to the front gate."
"This plane can't land here." She replied tap the spot I indicated.
"I know." I replied. "You can fly right?"
"Of course I can but…
"Good." I said. I got up and walked through the door in the back of the cabin to the bomb bay. I immediately find what I'm looking for hanging on the wall. She came in behind me spouting her doubts.
"Peter…Spider-man I don't usually carry anybody…" She continues.
"You'll be fine." I said strapping on the gear I found. I listen to her while I search for the bay door controls.
"Your mass and the speed of descent…"
"Don't worry about it." I replied pressing the button to open the door. The wind whips in cold and snow.
"This weather is horrible I don't think I could land safely…"
"Hey Nightfire."
"Yes."
"I'm counting on you." I said. Then I jump.
The Stark HUD kicks in showing topographical outline of the terrain below as well as wind speeds and optimal flight path. I don't have any way of following that though my only source of propulsion is still in the plane. Finally, I see a red dot on thermal vision leave the plane. She overtakes me in seconds.
"Let's go." She said grabbing my hand.
"Here's the flight path." I said sending her the information from my HUD.
"You hacked my suit." She complains.
"I was bored."
"This is going to be hard."
"I know."
I feel her accelerate into the storm. Things are going well until a piece of nasty turbulence knocks me away.
It's my fault. She was holding my hand not the other way around and I was monitoring the landing path. Before I can react, she's gone; vanished into a sea of white. I'm falling. I'm searching for her. I'm falling. She's not coming. Is she lost? I'm falling Idiot. She's still tied to my visuals. She's trying to find me from my point of view. I cut the link. An alarm sounds. I just hit terminal velocity.
"Thank you." She replied over the communicator. "I'm almost there."
Black and purple clad arms reach through the wall of white embracing me a bear hug. We tumble for a while before she gets us back on track. Soon the blizzard gives way to the shelter of the cave I pointed out on the plane. Calling it a cave isn't quite accurate. It's a cleft in the mountain with sixty foot walls, forty feet wide and half a mile long. It's a bit of a shelter from the elements but that's it; I've been in warmer freezers.
"Take a break." I said as my feet touch ground. I slough the pack of my back and begin unpacking.
"That wasn't a parachute?"
"Nah it would've been pretty useless in this storm." I respond.
"You…idiot." She shouts; the implication hitting her. "What if I…"
"Nightfire…Ma'ri." I said fixing her with my gaze. "I'm used to placing my life in the hands of a Grayson. I trust you."
"But we just met."
"Doesn't change anything." I said.
OK…this winter gear was made for Batman and Robin. The overcoats even have the "bat" and "R" symbols on the shoulders. I give her Robin's stuff; they're closer to her size. She takes them gladly. I don't blame her. It's cold and I have built in heaters in my costume. We pull up our hoods and head toward the lair of League of Assassins and the home of Ras Al Ghul. We're walking for a while when we come across snowmen shaped like ninjas. Then my spider sense goes off. Apparently they are real ninjas dressed like snowmen. More of them melt out of the air as they surround us.
Nightfire shifted to a fighting stance but didn't make any aggressive moves. I stayed relaxed a calm. I was waiting on somebody. The circle of killer ninjas parted and a seven-foot-tall, bearded, dark skinned man dressed in cargo pants black boots and tee shirt joined us. Yes, you heard me, a freaking tee shirt. But what was most notable was the scimitar in his right hand.
"Step aside Ubu." I command trying out my version of the voice; which has some electronic enhancement. It must have worked because some of them step back. "I'm here for the Demon's Head not the errand boy."
"The Bat is dead." He replied almost joyful. "So is his son who are you?"
"That need not concern you." I replied. "Unless you desire six months in traction."
"We shall see." He said smiling. Then he tilted his head to the side like he was listening to something. "It appears you have been given a reprieve little bat. The Demon's Head will see you."
He walked away and the snow ninjas vanish with him.
"That was a credible bluff." She said almost as a compliment.
"Never play poker with Wayne Manor Boys"