Dick gets hurt

It was the next day, and Dick had put Roy to bed for the day under much protest from the marksman. He wanted to find who made him sick, but Dick promised him that he and Sarah would go out tomorrow.

Dick returned to the living room and took the chair opposite from where his sister was sitting. "All tucked in. He's worse than his daughter sometimes. But I really think getting as sick as he did has him spooked." Dick said, concerned. "He once told me that his greatest fear was dying. Not because he feared death itself, but he was afraid of leaving Lian an orphan and susceptible to the neglected childhood he had."

Sarah nodded thoughtfully. From previous conversations with her brother, Sarah knew that for all his childish antics, Roy really was a responsible and caring father. "But if he died, wouldn't the Titans take her in? Surely she would still have a loving childhood."

"Of course. Donna and I are even Lian's godparents. But that doesn't help to alleviate his fears as a parent." Sarah nodded again. She knew Roy had had a pretty awful childhood, and she could certainly understand his fears.

"How old is Lian these days? One, two?"

"Try a precocious three."

"Three?!? God, now I feel old."

"Sorry," Dick grinned. "You're are my older, wiser sister after all." He teased. Truth was she was only 3 months older, which had caused some confusion for people who didn't realize they weren't actually blood related. "So how's life treating you, anyway?"

"Not bad. Married life is treating me pretty well, and besides the usually hecticness at the end of the semester, work's going ok too. I actually managed to finish those finals before I came down. I don't have much time to be Shadowhawke anymore. I still don't know how you have time for all you do."

Dick shrugged. "Neither do I, to tell you the truth. It all seems to straighten itself out though. The academy training is going well. Well before I broke my arm anyway. Sometime's it's tough trying to remember I'm a rookie."

"I can imagine. I imagine that will be a problem throughout your career." Sarah commented matter-of-factly.

"Yeah probably. Hopefully I can build a bit of a reputation so I can use my skills without standing out too much. Bruce has expressed concern that I'll be carrying a gun, and while that is a concern for me, truth is I'm more concerned about losing myself. I'm afraid I'll have to 'pull' my abilities so that Dick Grayson becomes a mask just as Bruce Wayne is."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, that's true. I think though if you go slow at first—build a reputation like you said—you could be taken simply as a natural at the detective work. Remember their *are* talented people who don't dress up in tights." Sarah grinned.

Dick laughed. "Yeah. And Roy could give me some marksman lessons too. Maybe that will help him to realize that I'm not flawless. I know he resents me in a lot of ways, but he's part of my family, and I love him like a brother."

Sarah paused. "You know I've always envied your involvement with the Titans," Sarah admitted. "You've always seemed so close to them, especially the other original members. I can't imagine what it's like to have four friends that are so close that they're like siblings."

"Well you've got me. And you know the other original members too. You know they consider you family too."

Sarah smiled. "Yeah I know. But I was a member for only a year, and even then I was mostly 'Dick's sister Sarah.' But that's ok, I'm just glad to know them as well as I do. They're a special group of people. And I feel very lucky to have you. I don't know what I ever would have done if you hadn't been there."

"You would have made it." Dick said objectively.

Dick and Sarah talked for another hour, topic-hopping as they tended to do when they haven't spoken for a while, and then got some sleep of their own. Dick, claiming that his broken arm would make sleeping on the couch impossible, sprawled on the floor in some blankets, and Sarah curled up on the coach. Later that evening, they awoke and awoke Roy, and after a quick inspection, Dick declared Roy fit for duty.

* * *

"You sure you're ok?" Shadowhawke looked worriedly at her temporary partner as they kept lookout over Blood Square on the second night since leaving the church. She was cold in her long sleeves, so she could only imagine how cold Roy must be in the short sleeves of his costume. "You were pretty sick two days ago."

"Yeah, I know. I saw my dad." Roy answered matter-of-factly. "But after sleeping all day today, I feel much better." Truth was he didn't feel quite up to speed, and he was scared. While seeing his father's image is comforting as it's happening, afterwards he is always aware that his life had been in danger. He noticed Shadowhawke's puzzled expression and realized that she didn't know what he meant. He explained, "Whenever I get very sick or hurt, which has happened more often then I care to admit, I 'see' him. Like in a vision. The first time was when I was 16 and almost died from a gunshot wound. It was only a few weeks after I came clean, and I really think it saved my life."

Shadowhawke nodded thoughtfully. She had no idea that Roy had such a serious, spiritual side. Feeling that he was becoming too serious and wanting to chase away his fear, Arsenal lightened his tone and changed the subject, "So how's it been going for you, 'Hawke? Hear you got hitched."

"Yep, last summer. No ball and chain jokes, please."

"Me?" Arsenal managed to look innocent.

How does he do that, Shadowhawke thought. "Yeah, you. You forget we were teammates for a year."

"Na, never forget." Arsenal winked. "So, expecting any playmates for Lian?"

"Hah, no, not yet. Maybe in a few years. How about you? Dick tells me you and Donna might have something going."

"Na, you know Dick makes up stories." Arsenal grinned. Shadowhawke rolled her eyes.

Suddenly something caught Shadowhawke's eye. "Looks like we've got something here." A young couple carrying small suitcases had entered the square, and from the other direction a large gang of teens approached threateningly. All it needs is a 6-year-old boy, Sarah thought grimly of her father. "I'll go down. You stay here. No matter what you say, you're not up to strength yet. Stay here and cover me."

"Ok as long as you don't catch any of my arrows," Arsenal grinned. He was referring to a confrontation he had had with Batman in which he shot a trick arrow in jest at the Dark Knight which the target caught—with his hand.

"I'm not *always* my father's daughter." Shadowhawke answered as she phased—a toxin in her bloodstream allowed that—and airwalked off the side of the building.

"I hate it when she does that," Arsenal muttered.

Shadowhawke became solid in midair right in time to push off the wall and dive towards the street. A tuck and roll in the air put her feet first, and she kicked the leader of the gang in the face. Another roll on the ground put her on her feet, and she did a quick jump wheel kick to drive off the teens that had reached her. Seven left, she thought, time for a workout. The seven had started to surround her, and she saw that the young couple had started to cower in the corner. "Run!" she yelled at them, and they obeyed.

She went into a fighting stance. Ok, boys, she thought, here we go. Time slowed and she went on autopilot. One facing her, jump front kick. From the side, with a knife, side hook kick to get that knife out, then side kick to the chest. Front again, jump in the air, axe kick, then back kick to get the one coming up behind. She saw the leader get up—her fighting had moved her a considerable distance from where she started--and pull a gun. She knew she couldn't reach him in time, and she heard a whizz and an arrow was sticking into the kid's hand. Good, Arsenal's still with me she thought. Ridge hand catches the new kid up front, back fist for the kid behind. She saw the leader get up again and start towards her. She went back into fighting stance, ready to defend and counter, when another arrow whizzed into the kid's shoulder and he crumpled. Shadowhawke looked at her partner and saluted. She saw Arsenal wave and disappear. On his way down, she thought.

The leader was still conscious, although in great pain from the arrows in his shoulder and hand. Shadowhawke hated to question suspects. She never did have the knack, nor the desire to scare the life out of her subjects. She was just reaching the leader after a deep sigh and a quick contemplation of what had to come next, when Arsenal reappeared. Well, he *was* called Speedy, Shadowhawke thought. Before Shadowhawke reached the leader, Arsenal had him by the collar and was hauling him to his feet.

"What the hell are you up to?" Arsenal demanded. The boy grimaced in pain, and looked like he was going to black out.

"Arsenal, relax. You don't even know if he's who we're looking for. He's no help if he's unconscious."

"Oh, *I* know, and he *will* tell us," he glared at the boy. "Someone tried to take me away from my little girl, and I want to know why."

"Oh, God, I'm sorry. Don't kill me," the boy blubbered. Then he spoke almost quickly enough for the Flash, "I dunno who—we were offered a lot of money to kill all the Gothamites coming into Blüdhaven. I think they're trying to wipe Gotham off the map."

"God," Shadowhawke whispered, "I've heard rumors of the government ditching Gotham, but I never believed it."

"But I'm not from Gotham. Why.. ?" Arsenal started, "Of course. I had just gotten into town. I guess they assume all new people were from Gotham." Tightening his grip, he turned his attention back to his prisoner. "Who hired you?"

"I dunno," he babbled. "We meet some geeky guy every 2 weeks at 34th and Bath. He give us our money and more stuff. We're supposed to meet tomorrow."

"You will *stop* what you're doing. Do you understand me?" The boy nodded feverantly. "Good." He released the boy, and the boy crumpled to the ground--partly from his wounds, but mostly from terror.

"Wait, Arsenal," Shadowhawke stopped her partner as he turned away. He turned back to look at her, a question on his face plain even through his residual anger. She crouched next to the boy. She took a commanding tone, "I want you to go though with the transaction tomorrow. We're going to be watching. Don't tip off your contact, or you'll be sorry, understood?" The boy nodded feverantly.

* * *

Arsenal and Shadowhawke returned to Dick's apartment. "Ahh good, you survived," Dick said to Roy, earning a nasty face. "Well I've been talking to Oracle. She said the first shipment of 'groceries' arrived at the church. Her contact says things are going well. The antivirus is working."

"Good," Sarah said. "I'll have an addition to the next shipment. Got a beaker?" Sarah asked Dick as she sat and got out the stimulant sample Jim had given her. She started to roll up her sleeve. She noticed Roy started to look a little uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything. She knew it made Roy uneasy when she employed her power by injecting herself, but it couldn't be helped now.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." Dick got up to get the beaker from the lab, glancing at Roy on the way. Sarah knew her brother was thinking the same thing about Roy's discomfiture.

Sarah shot the stimulant into her bloodstream, and waited a moment with no visible reaction. She saw Roy shudder.

"Sorry," Sarah said regretfully. "I wish there were another way, but this way works the fastest."

"It's ok," Roy conceded. "It just brings bad memories. I'll handle it." He gave Sarah a broad smile just as Dick returned to the room. He handed his sister a beaker.

Rolling down her sleeve, Sarah popped her hawk's claws, and pushed the first two claws against the side of the beaker. A moment later, a clear liquid trickled then poured into the beaker. When the beaker was almost full, Sarah retracted her claws and held the liquid up for her brother's inspection. "Instant antidote."

Roy shook his head. "Man I wish I had known you when I was 16. I think my life would have gone a lot easier."

"Then I wish I had known you too," Sarah smiled, and, taking off her mask, winked. "I'm going to go change real quick. Wouldn't want Dick to get any guests with me dressed like this. Be right back." Sarah went into the guest bedroom.

"Sounds good to me. I think I'll do the same, but with a shower," Roy said.

Dick looked at his friend. "You ok? You look a little flush."

Roy waved it off, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sure it's all the excitement working with your sister." Roy grinned.

Dick grinned and shook his head in resignation, knowing his friend was probably never going to grow up. But most of the time, he wouldn't have it any other way. "Ok, but don't mind me if I play mother hen. You know how good I am at it." Roy laughed and Dick continued, "Towels are in the closet in the bathroom. Have at it, bowboy."

Roy went into the bathroom just as Sarah emerged from the bedroom changed back into the blue sweats she was wearing earlier. She took the same seat she had occupied before she left and said, "Roy and I will observe the transaction tonight. In the meantime, got any ideas? I'm pretty sure it's a government operation."

"Well Roy has government contacts from when he worked with the CBI and Checkmate. Maybe he has some idea who's behind this. And I asked Babs to look into it."

Sarah nodded, thinking for a moment. Her business train of thought was lost, and a mischievous smile spread across her face. "So how is Babs? And more importantly, when *are* you two going to realize you're meant for each other?"

"I don't know what you mean. We're just friends," Dick said through a blush.

"Yeah right. Babs says the same thing with just the same amount of color. I don't have to be sighted to see it."

"Well maybe there is something, but right now it's just too complicated. Especially with Gotham in the state that it's in." Dick said.

"Oh you know that's an excuse. If I had used my blindness as an excuse like Babs uses her cha.."

"Wait," Dick interrupted, "You've talked to Babs about me and her?"

"Of course, little brother." Sarah teased. "What else am I going to talk about if not my brother's love life?"

"Whoa, love life?" Roy piped up as he emerged from the bathroom in jeans, a red t-shirt, and wet hair. "Sounds like I missed something. Who's love life?" He looked to Sarah and Dick, grinning mischievously at his friend.

"Never mind." Grateful for the opportunity to change the subject, Dick said, "So what do we know?"

Roy took a seat as he said, "We know that whoever's responsible is gonna pay big time."

"Yeah, Roy, but we've got to find them first," Dick reminded his friend. "Sarah, what else do you know about that virus you id'd?"

Sarah shrugged, "I know it's of government make, but I don't know who exactly did it. It's only one of a long list of biotechnical viruses the government has in its arsenal."

"Hey," Roy protested. He would have just glared at Sarah if the look wouldn't have been lost.

"Sorry. It's not my fault you named yourself a common word," Sarah grinned at her friend. "Anyway, this is the first time I've ever actually seen a tech virus in the field, but I have antidotes to a lot of the viruses on the list, including this one. A lot of the viruses I've been able to track to one of about 5 different groups. But I don't know which group is responsible for this one, and by the time we hit all of them, Blüdhaven could be destroyed."

Dick sighed. He didn't really need to be reminded that his city was in trouble. "Ok, how about you Roy? Any government groups pop out at you as being responsible for this?"

"Not really. Any of the groups I know could have done this, and wouldn't have thought twice if they were given orders."

Dick sighed again. "Well we obviously need more info. Hopefully the transaction tonight will give it. In the meantime, let's go get something to eat. I know this great little hole-in-the-wall pub. You'll love it," Dick grinned at Roy.

**

That evening Roy and Sarah had reassumed their alternate identities and were perched on a rooftop overlooking the corner of 34th and Bath Avenues. The corner was deserted, and had obviously been chosen for its lack of traffic. Each of the heroes had a 3-way comlink that went between each other and to Dick who was stationed in his apartment. Shadowhawke studied her partner as he crouched on the edge of the rooftop, focused on the street level. He was absolutely determined to get to the root of who was responsible for his illness, and Shadowhawke was concerned that he didn't seem as well as she expected him to be. Although he didn't say anything, she knew that he had to be freezing.

Shadowhawke broke the silence. "If you had to put money on it, which group would you say is doing this?"

Not taking his eyes off his focal point, Roy answered, "It could be anyone. You know the government is capable of all kinds of horrors." Sarah nodded. She certainly did know, and she hated and distrusted the government for it.

"Here we go," Roy said as the boy he terrorized the night before came onto the scene. He looked self-conscious and nervous; he obviously knew he was being watched. As the boy approached the corner, a man wearing black dress pants, a dress shirt, and a tie, and looking as nervous as the boy, came into view. Shadowhawke noticed a throwing star slip into Arsenal's hand as she moved behind the marksman to observe the scene below. The man produced a case and Roy raised his arm getting ready to throw the weapon. Roy was halfway through the throw, and, stopping just short of releasing the weapon, exclaimed, "Damn! I know him!"

"You know him?" Shadowhawke said, surprised. "Friend or foe?"

Roy threw the weapon which found its mark embedded in the man's hand forcing him to release the case, and stood. "I hate his guts." Before Shadowhawke could react, Roy was on the move, going full-speed down the fire escape.

"oo-kay," Shadowhawke said to herself and relayed what just happened to Dick. She stepped off the rooftop, becoming partially intagible and raising her arms so that her cloak billowed out like a parachute. About 10 feet from the ground, she became solid, allowing herself to freefall and landed next to the pair. The boy ran, but Shadowhawke let him run.

The man that Roy knew had taken the star out of his hand which he had held against himself. He had picked up the case with his other hand, and was trying to get himself together enough to run as Shadowhawke kicked the case back out of his hand. She was about to attack again when Arsenal stepped into her path intent on attacking the man himself. She was forced to thwart a roundhouse kick in midair to keep from hitting her partner, and she shouted, "Arsenal!" when it became clear that he was going in with lethal force. She blocked Roy's kick and threw her own, knocking the man to the ground, but keeping him conscious.

She looked concerned at Roy who had staggered back from her block. Her block had been just enough to stop his kick, and should have had him off-balance for no more than a second if at all, yet he was still fighting for balance. He looked dazed at her for a moment, and then looked to the man he knew with pure hatred burning in his eyes. "Rick Koelsch. I should have known. You would be responsible for something so vile."

Koelsch stood, returning Roy's look of hate, and spat, "Harper, still playing hero? I thought for sure someone would have killed you by now." Shadowhawke knew the men had forgotten her.

"You almost did, you bastard. You should think of another.." Roy suddenly staggered back again, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head as if to clear it. Reaching a hand for his partner, he said uneasily, "Shadowhawke.." He felt himself lose consciousness and said, "Damn," just as he collapsed to the pavement.

Both Koelsch and Shadowhawke were taken by surprise, but Shadowhawke recovered first and delivered a wheel kick, knocking Roy's enemy unconscious as well. She would deal with him later. She knelt beside Roy, checking for a pulse and breathing, and finding both. But something was still wrong. "Damn," she opened her comlink, "Dick, we've got a problem. Roy's down."

"What happened?" Dick asked.

"I don't know. He just collapsed. But he's got a strong pulse and he's breathing fine." Kneeling with both knees and rolling Roy onto his back, Sarah examined him more closely. He was a little pale, but when she checked his eyes, Sarah found normal response to light. Sarah brushed Roy's red hair from his forehead and felt a fever. She reported, "It might be another tech virus, but I'm not sure. I need to see his blood."

"Ok. Can you get him back here?" Sarah heard the concern in her brother's voice.

"No, I don't think so. He's too heavy. Can you meet me here with your car?"

"Yeah, I 'll be right there. " Sarah heard the link close. Detaching her cloak and lifting Roy by his shoulders, Shadowhawke wrapped the fallen marksman in it. She moved her legs so that Roy's upper body was in her lap and held the archer in an attempt to keep him warmas she waited for her brother's arrival.

She hadn't been waiting long when Dick arrived in a sporty car that a police cadet shouldn't be able to own. On the outside it looked like a Porsche, yet it had the sound of a DeLoren engine and enough room inside to seat four comfortably. "How is he?" he asked.

"Same," Shadowhawke responded as she carefully lifted Roy into the backseat of the car, sitting him upright behind the driver's seat. As soon as she was sure Roy was as comfortable as possible and she had lain her cloak over the marksman, Sarah went back for Koelsch, dumping him uncerimoniously next to Roy. She retrieved the case, and, thinking of Dick's broken arm, asked, "You want me to drive? If anyone sees us, it would be easier to explain you as my passenger rathar than the other way around."

"You just want to drive my car," Dick teased and then agreed, "but it makes sense. Ok." He went around to the passenger's seat, taking the case from his sister. He glanced back at Roy as Sarah took the wheel. "How are we going to get into your apartment?" Sarah asked. "It sure wouldn't do to have you seen with two heroes." She started the car, and after Dick motioned the way, started the journey back to Dick's apartment. She had to admit that the car had the greatest feel of any car she'd ever driven. Yet another skill at which her brother excelled.

"I've got rooftop access to my apartment. I was hoping you could airwalk him to the roof and in and I'd meet you there, but now we've got to figure out what to do with this guy," Dick jerked his thumb behind him. "I'll drop you and Roy off at my apartment, and you take him up, ok? I'll deal with Mr. Covert Ops."

Sarah nodded as she turned an indicated corner. "Ok. What are you going to do with him? He sure doesn't look like he's been in the secret agent business for long, if at all."

Dick paused, "Dunno yet. Can't take him to the police; they'll just send him back to where he came from. If Roy were awake, he could just scare the life out of him. That alone would probably be enough to make him stop." He looked back again at his unconscious friend and, concerned, asked, "Do you think it's serious? Maybe we didn't really stop the virus?"

"Hard to say. I don't think it's the same thing. I'm pretty confident that the antivirus we used is completely effective. It could even be something more 'mundane,' like a cold or something. I think he was pretty cold when we were up on the roof. He needs long sleeves."

"I've been telling him that for years, but he always brings up that short sleeves are better than short pants." Sarah laughed. That sounded just like Roy.

"Ok, how about this," Shadowhawke started, "You do take what's-his-name to the police as yourself. You tell them that you happened to be on the scene just as I knocked him out, and I asked you to take him. That frees up why you're involved. Tell them that I asked them to hold him for a few days, and if you have any weight yet on the force, use it to make sure they keep him. With any luck, Roy will wake up and we can find out exactly who this guy is. If needed, Roy and I can go in as Arsenal and Shadowhawke to clean up the mess, and it would give Roy an opportunity to face this guy in a controlled environment. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan. As if I don't get into enough situations on my own. The guys on the force are just gonna love me." Dick said sarcastically.

**

Dick dropped off Sarah and Roy, and after a tedious journey airwalking to the roof of Dick's apartment, Sarah got Roy into the apartment as planned. By the time she had lain Roy into bed, checked his vitals, took a sample of blood, and changed, Dick had returned. "They weren't happy about it, but they agreed," Dick reported. "And I know I'm going to get razed over it later."

"Good. I was just going into the lab to check out this sample. Care to join me?" The pair went into the lab where Sarah prepared a slide and called her brother over. Careful of his casted arm, Dick looked into the microscope and reported, "I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Not even the little claw-things from before."

"Well the 'little claw-things' shouldn't be there anymore. That's good news. But there are a few things it could be that are hard to see. I think I have to take a look myself to be sure. Would you get my mask, please?"

"Sure," Dick left to retrieve the mask. He returned, handing the mask to Sarah who replaced it and looked in the microscope.

"Hmm.." Sarah studied the sample for a few seconds and suddenly exclamined, "Yes! There it is!" She straightened. "I don't think it's even on the visible wavelength, but I see it. It's another tech virus, but in Roy's condition it's not serious. He'll wake up in an hour or two feeling like he has the flu. If we hadn't caught the first one though, this second one would have killed him." Dick sat in the desk chair weighing his sister's words. Taking off her mask, Sarah continued, "They work in a couple. The first one doing initial damage, and the second one literally going in for the kill. Because we stopped the first one and the body had time to repair the damage, the second one couldn't do its job. But now it's absolutely imperative that we catch the first virus. We'll have to tell Dr. Sørseth.

"The good news is that I know exactly who is responsible for this second virus. Taking this killer program of theirs shouldn't be terribly hard, especially since we've already disabled it. But you'll have to watch for signs of another virus. They have a whole list of them." Dick nodded thoughtfully.

Sarah and Dick returned to Dick's living room to wait for signs of life from Roy. As predicted, it was only about an hour until Roy emerged from Dick's bedroom groaning and looking like he had a hangover. He complained, "Man, I can't catch a break." He took a seat on the couch next to Sarah and asked, "Well, doc? What's wrong with me this time?"

"Nothing more serious than the flu. You'll be fine." Considering Dick's words yesterday, Sarah didn't feel the need to relay what would have happened if they hadn't caught the first virus.

"Great." He looked at Dick who was sitting in a chair across from Sarah and sat back. "Well I know now what group we need to stop. That bastard Koelsch is a research scientist for.."

"The CDC," Sarah interrupted, grinning.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Roy faced Sarah, but his eyes went to Dick as he looked puzzled. Dick grinned and raised his good hand, palm up towards his sister as if to present her.

Unaware of her brother's gesture, Sarah said, "The 'flu' you have is a second tech virus. Only the CDC is responsible for it." Sarah explained. "Kind of ironic that a government group that's supposed to keep diseases from spreading is responsible for this."

"Not really, if you think about it. Government groups are quite good at 'expanding' their 'expertise.'" Roy said, disgusted. "Just ask the Navajo."

Dick nodded. He knew from Roy how badly the Navajo nation, of which Roy considered himself a citizen of sorts, had been treated by the government. He said to Roy, "Well we have a present for you. 'That bastard Koelsch' is in police custody. I asked them to hold him until we get there. Well until you and Shadowhawke get there." Dick corrected himself. He wasn't used to not having Nightwing as an option.

"And they listened to you? I thought you were just a rookie." Roy asked seriously.

"Yeah," Dick answered, "But I told them that you'd be by in a day or two and you'd be looking for someone's head, and that they'd better still have his because otherwise you'd take one of theirs." Dick was matter-of-fact.

Roy gave a short laugh. "Well that's certainly true," he said.

Sarah spoke up, "Roy, you said Koelsch is a scientist? What's he doing in the field then?"

"I don't know, actually. I guess he's taking this pretty seriously and doing the transfer himself. He was always a little off-balance if you ask me. I uncovered something he was working on illegally and without the government's knowledge. Of course the government kept it quiet, but he got demoted several notches and lost top level clearance. Maybe the CDC decided to put those sneaky skills to good use. I'm sure the fact that I uncovered him is why he hates me. I hate him on principle."

"Then he would know the technical aspects of the virus?" Roy nodded, and Sarah continued, "Then it might actually be better if I go in as myself. I don't know if we can make it work, but it would be better if I could ask highly technical questions of the kind Shadowhawke shouldn't know."

Dick shrugged, "It's easy enough. You're already involved because of Dr. Sørseth's clinic. And you're my sister, so it's easy enough for me to say that I mentioned it to you and you asked to come along. And because of Roy's public id, we can all go in together now. Yet another thing I've been razed about–being the friend of an unscrupulous hero-type," Dick teased his friend.

Roy responded by sticking out his tongue and saying with a grin, "I learned that technique from Lian."

Laughing in response although she could only imagine what Roy had done, Sarah said, "Then it's set."

**

"Hey, Grayson," Dick heard his name as the threesome entered the station with Sarah on Roy's arm, "Find any more hot vigilante babes?"

Dick grinned and looked at his sister who looked on the verge of laughter. Roy wore a full grin, but it could have been taken as amusement at hearing his friend get picked on rathar than an indication of a secret. Dick called, "Not yet, Haugen, I'll let you know first thing when I do." Laughter was heard in Haugen's direction as Dick's answer was accepted jovially.

"Grayson, get in here." That short-tempered command came from the Captain's office. Dick obeyed, throwing Roy a 'here-goes-nothing' expression, and leading Roy and Sarah into the office.

"Yes, sir," Dick went to full attention. Roy looked at his friend with part amusement and part admiration; he had never seen Dick actually play the part of a police cadet.

"At ease, cadet," Dick responded by visibly relaxing. "Care to introduce your friends?" The captain eyed the pair. He had never met one of these costumed heroes, let alone one with a blind woman on his arm.

"Yes, sir. This is Arsenal. He's a marksman, and one of the.."

"I know who Arsenal is, cadet," the captain sounded annoyed and impatient.

Roy grinned at Dick and then to no one in particular, pleased that someone actually admitted to knowing who he was. "Yes, sir," Dick managed to sound properly chastised. "This is my sister, Sarah Wayne-Wagner." He was tempted to ask the captain if he knew who Sarah was, but he held his tongue, "She holds a Ph.D. in biotechnical engineering, and I felt she might be able to help with the questioning." Normally Dick wouldn't have listed Sarah's Ph.D. in her introduction, but he thought the captain needed to hear it.

The captain eyed Sarah as if to surmise if she was capable of holding any kind of advanced degree. Finally he said, "Very well, cadet. The prisoner is in room one. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Dick turned and left the office, with Roy and Sarah following behind.

"Wow, 'Cadet Grayson,' I'm impressed," Roy said half-seriously and half-amused.

"Thanks a lot," Dick growled, "Come on."

**

"So why was a nerdly little slimeball like you out on the street peddling this stuff like some common dealer?" Arsenal was standing with weight on his hands as he leaned over the table towards Koelsch who was seated. Koelsch sat back in his chair, arms folded, giving Roy a defiant sneer. "I guess it wouldn't matter to a lab rat like you that you were killing kids. And those kids' parents!" Roy's anger peaked as he mentioned the parents.

Standing behind Arsenal with his back against the wall, Dick watched his friend and Roy's prisoner with interest. He knew that his friend was on edge now, and he hoped Roy could keep cool enough to get the information they needed. Sarah was standing next to her brother with an impassive expression, arms folded, and head slightly bent as if concentrating on what she was hearing.

"Look, Koelsch," Roy continued, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I have news for you. This guy," He jabbed his thumb back at Dick, "is a good friend of mine. I'm sure he'll look the other way if I roughed you up." Roy knew that wasn't true, and he was sure he was receiving a glare from Dick, but he hoped that Dick managed to keep the expression hidden as Roy knew his friend could do so well.

To make his point, Roy slipped a throwing star into his hand and displayed it threateningly, "Remember this?" It took all of Dick's self-control not to leap forward and snatch the weapon out of Roy's hand. As Nightwing, he knew that sometimes rough was required, but now he was Cadet Grayson, and the last thing he needed was to be on the captain's blacklist.

Subconsciously cradling his bandaged hand, Koelsch was starting to lose his composure, and Roy could see it. Roy finally lost his temper and leaped across the table. His momentum pushed Koelsch back and he stood in front of his prisoner, holding him by the collar, and holding the throwing star over his head before anyone else in the room knew what happened. "TALK!" he demanded.

Koelsch finally broke down and cried, "ok, ok. ok! I'll talk!" He glared at Roy until the marksman let him go and returned to his position across the table. Roy stole a glance at Dick and saw one of the nastiest looks he had ever received from his friend. But he had gotten the job done.

Continuing to glare at Arsenal, Koelsch stated matter-of-factly, "I wanted to kill Nightwing." Dick felt his breath knocked out of him, and his knees weakened. He had not expected that at all. He heard Sarah gasp, and fortunately she grabbed her brother's elbow, enough to keep him steady.

Roy was caught between outrage and laughter. "You have *got* to be kidding me!! There's no way in hell you could even get close to Nightwing, let alone kill him! He's the best there is!" Roy had let that last part out before he knew what he was saying. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

Koelsch looked at the floor. He knew of course that Roy was Nightwing's teammate, and that Nightwing was a friend of the man before him. And he never did get much respect, so Koelsch expected the reaction he got. "I was thinking that he's got to have a secret id."

If he only knew, Roy thought, amused.

Koelsch continued, "Word has it, he's human, so the technical virus would kill him if I'd hit him."

Roy shook his head and let out a laugh, "Koelsch, you are in sooo much trouble. You have no idea. So why do you want to kill my best friend, anyway? And if you say because he's my friend, I'm going to make you swallow this star."

"He didn't save my little girl." Koelsch started to cry, "She was in school when that killer took hostages, and Nightwing saved everyone else's kid, but he didn't save my little girl." Roy wasn't sure it wasn't an act until he glanced back at Dick. He gave a can-you-believe-this-guy expression to cover his real reason for looking at his friend, but he could see in Dick's eyes that it was true.

Dick remembered that event. He had been visiting Gotham when a school had been taken hostage and he had gone in to diffuse the situation. He had taken the killer prisoner and the schoolchildren were leaving the school when the prisoner got away from Nightwing and killed a little girl. Dick had had nightmares for months afterward, and had been so despondent that Bruce, who was more likely to let emotional things slide, even asked what was wrong. Now his heart was being wretched from his chest, and it took all his will not to beg forgiveness on the spot. He noticed Sarah had surreptitiously put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly. She hadn't known about the event, but she knew how badly a lost life, especially a child's, would effect her brother.

Roy knew too. He took a moment, affected by Koelsch's words; he knew he would be devestated if anything like that ever happened to Lian. Bowing his head, he responded quietly, "I think I can speak for Nightwing when I say he would have done anything for your little girl. He would have given his own life if he could." Roy didn't care to say the words of comfort to this man he hated so badly, but his compassion for the loss outweighed his hatred, and he knew he had to say them for Dick. He got a touch of arrogance back when he said, "Let me get this straight though. You spread this tech virus all over Blüdhaven in hopes of catching Nightwing? You killed all those people to get one man?"

Koelsch's attitude came back as he said, "Like you said, I had no chance of getting him face-to-face. It was my only option."

Roy told him, "Well I can tell you that you missed. I've seen Nightwing fairly recently," Roy grinned ferally. "And he's not going to be happy when I tell him, so you'd better watch your back. However, I think you have a date with a jail cell for quite some time, and you'll probably be the man of the hour just for trying. Are you telling me that you worked alone on this? How did you get access?"

Koelsch glared at Roy harder than ever and he sneered, "There's always a way to get access, Harper. And if I was working on orders, you know the CDC would never admit it. Looks like you have a puzzle."

"Not really," Sarah spoke up, her voice cool and professional. "Both viruses have been counteracted, and we know how to keep watch for another." She added, "Like you said, there's always a way to get access, and I'm willing to bet that if Nightwing, Arsenal, and Shadowhawke can't find out themselves if the CDC is involved, that they know someone who can." She was thinking of Oracle, of course. "By going after one, you've brought down a whole group on yourself. You'd better not ever set foot in Gotham." Roy grinned as Koelsch paled at Sarah's words. He apparently hadn't thought about the connection between Batman and Nightwing.

**

"Hi, guys," Oracle greeted over the vidiphone. It was the next day, and Dick was at his console with Roy standing behind him so he could be seen. Sarah sitting at the next console over, out of Barbara's view.

"Hi, Babs," Dick started. "What've you got?" He had asked her to check up on the viruses and the CDC the day before.

"Looks like we're ok. Dr. Sørseth says the virus has all but disappeared, and I hacked into the CDC. No mention of any kind of assault on Blüdhaven or Gotham. Looks like Dick's would-be-killer was really alone on this."

"Great, Babs. Thanks." Dick said, keeping the line open.

"So I guess telling the gang kids to kill all the Gothamites was a cover?" Sarah asked, "Surely he knew that Nightwing had been here for a while."

"I'm not sure," Dick said without turning toward his sister. "I've heard cops say that I've been spotted in Gotham too. That there's two of me, or I have some ability to teleport. That school incident happened in Gotham, so if he assumed that there's two Nightwings, he would be after the Gotham me, and maybe he thinks I had to emigrate here just like everyone else."

Roy asked, "How about the hospitals? I can tell you I would have felt much safer waking up in a hospital rathar than on an old church floor."

Dick shrugged, "I don't know. The only thing I can think of is that he gave the hospitals some phony story or blackmailed them somehow." Roy nodded.

"Well I'm certianly glad he missed his mark," Roy said. "Although I wouldn't have minded if he missed me too."

"I think it's pretty safe to say that we're glad he failed on both counts," Barbara answered, "Although I wouldn't mind a Gotham Nightwing." She grinned at Dick.

Sarah heard the suggestive quality of her friend's voice and, clearing her throat to get Dick's attention, grinned in her brother's direction. She worded without speaking out loud, "Made for each other."