Nightwing: The Darkness
Chapter 8
DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2004 by DC Comics Inc. and are used without permission for fan-related entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2004 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced without permission.
The red light flashing on the panel indicated to Wonder Woman that it was a priority call on the Founder's Channel. The link was established after most of the founding members of the current League left the team to allow them to access the leadership of the team in times of trouble. Since Superman was now an active member, she assumed it was most likely Aquaman.
The King of the Seas regularly checked in with Wonder Woman, their friendship growing stronger every year. Though he once had romantic intentions for the Princess of the Amazons, those days were long behind them. They were both unique in the super-hero community in that they both were royalty and had expectations placed upon them that went beyond the code of conduct that most heroes voluntarily adhered to.
Without even bothering to look at the screen, she reached over and opened the channel while continuing to perform her research into all of the cases involving Obsidian. "Hello, Diana," the deep baritone voice of Bruce Wayne said in greeting. Despite herself, a small smile crept upon her face but she did not turn immediately to let him see it. "Good afternoon, Bruce," she responded.
He waited patiently for her to face the monitor and noted she seemed surprised to see his nose taped up and blackened eyes. "Did your cellmate try to kiss you afterwards?" she asked.
"Dick came by for a talk," he told her. "You look the same; lovely as ever."
"Your compliments are a crime too late, Bruce," she said and the statement triggered a flood of memories. Though they had served together in the League for many years, neither Diana nor Bruce had been very cordial to each other. He saw her as a hypocrite, someone who preached peace while swinging a sword. She saw him as an aristocrat always out to prove to others just how smart he was.
When they did finally fall for each other, they fell hard. Their passion was the stuff of romance novels and television movies and for nearly a year she had known what could only be described as bliss. They fit well with each other and the Amazon was even beginning to seriously consider the prospect of marrying him.
Then he murdered the Joker and while the warrior side of her could understand his reasons and even forgive him for it, the fact that he had broken his own code of ethics made her realize that he could lie to her. The legend was that nobody could do that, but he had managed. Because of that she felt she could not trust him and that brought into question whether or not she could trust Nightwing. She always felt that he knew more about the Joker's death than he let on, but she refused to pry.
But still, she noted, even after all of the years, seven of them, the sound of his voice did something to her. He did not look bad considering his age, but that was never a concern for her. She was immortal but he could be too with the proper conditions, such as certain areas of her homeland. There were other options as well, but now was not the time to contemplate such things.
"I just wanted to start the conversation off on the right foot," he said. She did not bother to reply; sarcasm would be wasted on him. She did wonder how he got access to a secure vid-phone with a tie in through the United Nations, but then she remembered to whom she was speaking. Even in Arkham Asylum, Bruce Wayne maintained control.
"Why did Richard beat you up, or is that the effect you have on people now?" she asked, realizing that despite her efforts, the sarcasm was dripping through.
"Something is wrong with him, Diana," Bruce told her, not wasting time. "I think he's suicidal."
She straightened and ran through her mind a checklist of things that she should look for in depressed persons. The problem with Nightwing, like the Batman before him, was that he was too adept at hiding his feelings. Nobody was quite sure what was normal behavior for him. Certainly the last few weeks had been stressful with the Copy Cat incident and Obsidian murdering Roy Harper, but she could not see that he was any more upset than he should have been.
"I think it's something that has been building in him for a long time, something that may go back as far as when Donna Troy was killed," Bruce said, bringing up Wonder Woman's twin sister. She had been called Troia and had been one of Nightwing's best friends. "He started to change, started to internalize his anger too much. I always tried to teach him to find positive ways to let the anger go…"
"Like putting on a cape and beating people up?"
Bruce narrowed his eyes. "I did the best I could given the circumstances; I gave him the same choices I had. There was nobody to show me what to do with my fury and I had to figure it out on my own." He shook his head. "I do not have to justify how I raised my son to you or anyone else," he said.
She nodded; he was correct, of course. He had done the best he could given his limited parental ability and training. And he was right that at least putting on the cape and tights was better than sticking a needle in your arm. Richard Grayson could have ended up living a life of a thousand horrors but had instead grown to be a hero. Was that so awful?
"Why would he be suicidal?" she asked.
"I think he…" Bruce started, unable to bring the words out. Did he tell her the truth? If she did she would immediately call a meeting of the team to hold a court-martial to have him removed. Worse yet, Bruce was well aware of how Superman had put all of his faith into Nightwing and was holding him up as the single light from the episode of darkness that surrounded the events of the Joker's death. "He is becoming overwhelmed with guilt; especially over me," he said, telling her enough of the truth to satisfy his sense of morality.
"But suicidal, Bruce? I'll admit he's been reckless lately, but we have all been under a lot of strain," she explained. "Green Arrow suddenly quit and left the team and her husband…"
"She's at the Manor," Bruce admitted. "Dick is…helping her deal with some issues."
"See? He's doing his best to help out a teammate. Does Bart know?"
Bruce shook his head. "No and let's keep it that way; we wouldn't want to start a scandal over nothing," he warned. "I just wanted you to know I think something is really wrong."
"What am I supposed to do, Bruce? Accuse him? He'll deny it and if I try to read his mind he'll go nuts, maybe even bring me up on charges. I have no evidence that he's doing anything that isn't ordinary for heroes from Gotham City," she said. "If we could predict when you Gothamites were going to go over the edge then maybe Clark or I could have stopped you."
"Sure," Bruce snickered. The his face changed, losing it's animation and draining of color. "I'm sorry that things did not work out."
"Ouch, that must have hurt," she said. Then she sighed and shook her head. "I am a warrior as well as a peacemaker. For many years I debated the merits of your actions, Bruce, and found them completely out of character, but I do not know if I would have acted differently if the Joker had murdered so many of my closest friends. You had to be insane at the time, there is no other logical explanation, and because of that, there is room for forgiveness on my part. I just need to hear your side; I need to know why you have not spoken to me for seven years. Amazons are long-lived but do not confuse that with being hard to anger. You hurt me and I believed then that you loved me and that made it hurt worse." She leaned in close to the monitor and almost reached out to caress his image. The old feelings were still there, just like it was yesterday. To an immortal Amazon, seven years was just a moment. "You seem much better."
"I am better. My mission is over, but my responsibilities still remain. I have another eight years in here before I can even be considered for release and if I escape then they will send you guys after me, deflecting resources from the Obsidian problem," he told her, his face regaining some color. "I love my son and I'm worried about him. Just talk to him, that's all I ask. I trust your judgment."
That got an eyebrow raised. "Really. Perhaps then we could talk a little more often?"
"If you will take my word that something is wrong with Dick, I'll be at your service," he promised.
The reply made her laugh and it was something that needed to come out. She had not felt this content in years. "I never thought I would see the day I would have to bargain with a man to get his attention! Very well, I will speak with Richard, hut I will not accuse. If I feel there is something to your fears, I will get back to you and we will bring Clark in as well."
The twitch in Bruce's eye told her that she had hit a nerve. Bruce respected Superman but did not think he had the experience necessary to deal with a subject like this. Still he was a powerful political force in the super-hero world and if Nightwing was having problems. Chances were a few words from the Man of Steel could have a positive effect. "Fine," he agreed.
They talked for a few minutes more until an orderly stepped into view and politely reminded Bruce that his time on the vid-phone was limited by state law, and that he had to get off. The former Batman thanked the orderly and then said his good-byes. "It was good to speak to you again," he said.
"I wish you well, Bruce Wayne," she replied honestly. Then the screen went black and she sat back, tapping a stylus to her chin. She then slowly moved her eyes up to the membership status board and it showed that neither Nightwing nor Superman was in the headquarters, but Impulse was on monitor duty. She wanted to let him know that Cissie was fine, but she also agreed with Bruce's assessment of the situation. Better to let her figure out what she needed to without bringing in innuendo to the mess.
She finished her research quickly and when she left the room, her mood was slightly more upbeat than it had been in seven years.
"The key to defeating Obsidian, according to the Batman," Nightwing said as he stood before the holographic projection of the villain, "is to get at him through his mind. For whatever reason, Obsidian always sees himself as the victim and he lashes out to try and get control. He used to turn to his sister for support, but over the years Jade began to distance herself from him."
"Do we know exactly why she did that?" the young Green Lantern asked. He appeared particularly interested in this subject because it dealt so much with the legacy of the wielders of the power ring. Obsidian was the son of the original Green Lantern Alan Scott and his sister, Jennie (a.k.a. Jade) had been a Green Lantern for a short time. "Did they have a big falling out or something?"
Wonder Woman answered. "Jennie and I spoke a few times on the subject and as near as I can tell, she began to suspect that her brother's interest in her was very unhealthy, almost obsessive."
"Aw, sick," Impulse added. "I mean, that is really not right."
"I couldn't agree more," Black Canary replied. She and Power Girl were part of the meeting, representing the Justice Society. It had been Superman who had influenced Nightwing to allow them to participate. The fact that both of them had belonged to the Justice League at one time (the Black Canary was an original founding member of the first and third incarnations of the team) was also another reason. "Todd was never playing with a full deck. One minute he was a hero, the next he becomes a villain. Then he loves his father, he hates his father, and he loves his father. Whatever he inherited from the magic that permeated Alan Scott really left him warped."
"Which brings up a second point: Obsidian's powers are magically based so there is no known way to counter them," Nightwing explained. "There is no normal prison on Earth that can hold him and according to Zatanna and Mr. Miracle, there is nothing in the magical worlds that will work either."
"So, how do we defeat someone who can travel anywhere and can't be held back?" Green Lantern asked.
Nightwing shrugged. "In all of the times that both the JSA and the JLA have faced him, they have been unable to just beat him. They always have to trick him, just like the Batman did."
"I still don't see how that worked," Power Girl, the pessimist, said. She was Nightwing's age but looked as young as Green Lantern and he found it hard to sometimes take her seriously. She had two decades of experience under her cape and he knew she was as professional as the rest of them.
He took a quick second to take a look at Black Canary as well and he did not like what he saw. She was nineteen when she started being a super-hero and had gone non-stop ever since. In the two years since her lover, Cissie's father Oliver Queen, had died, she had seemed to age a decade. Leadership of the JSA seemed to be taking a heavy toll on her and Nightwing was amazed she was still going.
Especially given her medical condition he reminded himself. Five years earlier she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have both of them removed. The prosthetics she wore were made of advanced Thanagarian technology and looked and felt like the real thing, or so he had been told. Given the ample cleavage her costume allowed her to sport, it would seem she was comfortable with them but when he thought about all of the treatments she had gone through for so long, he was just shocked to see her up and around.
She had also been Barbara's best friend and seeing her stirred up the voices in his head. He tried blotting them out by concentrating on the subject at hand, but too many things were going on in his life for him to put up a defense. Then again he considered that maybe he shouldn't be putting up a defense; maybe he should just do what they say. After all, he had been ignoring them for years and he was miserable as hell.
"I think it has to do with turning his powers on himself," Superman said. "He can't seem to face his own immorality…he sees Obsidian as simply another person, not him. When Todd has to face what Obsidian has done, his mind shuts down and his powers overwhelm him."
"Leave it to the Batman to come up with that theory," Black Canary joked. "You have to admit, when he was good, he was good." She grabbed her herbal tea and blew on it a little. Taking a sip to wet her whistle, she continued. "I mean, I think what he did was fine and all…"
"Dinah," Nightwing interrupted. "We don't discuss things like that, okay? It's old business. The Batman is paying for the crime." Wonder Woman immediately noted that Nightwing had not said paying for his crime; a slight difference in semantics but a major difference psychologically. It indicated something was hidden, but it could have been nothing more than poor grammar.
"Richard is correct, the Batman committed a grievous sin and now justice is being served," Wonder Woman said, waiting for Nightwing's reaction.
"Enough, okay? That is my father we're talking about," he said defensively. "Can we get back to discussing how we handle Obsidian?"
"I suggest we split into pairs and try to be everywhere that is a tempting target," Superman suggested. Nightwing nodded for him to continue. "Nightwing and Black Canary will stake out the grave of Alan Scott because there have been reports of dark shadows moving around it at night. Power Girl and I will head for Cairo where Jade is doing her humanitarian work in case Todd makes a play for her."
"Red Tornado and I will man the monitors with Impulse and Green Lantern on standby in the event Obsidian makes a move against one of the other teams," Wonder Woman told them. Green Lantern asked again how they were supposed to fight him.
"Talk to him," Nightwing said. "Try to reach the real person in there, not the fiend that has poisoned his soul."
Wonder Woman wondered if that were a cry for help; many suicidal persons often made such comments, trying to get someone to reach out and tell them not to do it, but she wasn't sure. She found herself at odds with her desire to respect Nightwing's privacy and her promise to check on him. The thought of using her limited telepathic abilities to just get a read on him was tempting, but again she understood the price that she would have to pay for doing so. The Martian Manhunter, a powerful alien telepath, lived for years isolated from the rest of his teammates because he had used his abilities to just try and get to know them. Not being from Earth, he was unsure of customs and social protocols and he had only wanted to try to fit in.
When it was learned he was probing minds, many heroes felt violated; some even compared it to the brutal crime of rape. Certainly it did not make him popular and it took many patient years on his part before he was finally accepted into the hero community whole-heartedly.
She knew that despite her popularity, if it were learned that she had used her powers on a comrade without permission, regardless of the reason, she would find herself receiving the cold shoulder from many of her friends. Was it worth it, especially if she were wrong?
"Diana, you disagree?" Nightwing asked. Wonder Woman realized she had been shaking her head.
"No, I'm sorry, I was a little distracted," she said.
Nightwing sighed. "We all have been for awhile now," he confessed. "Our membership has seen better days and a lot of our comrades are dying out there. I know I could use a break but now is not the time." Many of the members silently wondered if there would ever be a time that they could actually relax and enjoy life again.
The murder of so many heroes had emboldened the villains of the world and crimes perpetuated by metahumans were sharply on the rise. Many of the elder heroes, Superman chief among them, found themselves reluctantly being called back into active service for humanity.
Contrary to the most romantic notions of writers, super-heroes usually did not keep battling evil until they were cold in the grave. Many did, but many more would eventually distance themselves from the lifestyle as other things like family took precedence in their lives. Heroes like the Blue Beetle or Booster Gold had already faded into the background as each struggled with the hazards of domestic bliss.
But some heroes were married to their duties, people like Nightwing and Wonder Woman slowly began to consider the possibilities for that. Though he was in good shape for his age and far from being ready to retire, Nightwing had essentially destroyed any chances of his settling down when he broke off his relationship with the Huntress three years before. At the time they had both been members of the League and Wonder Woman remembered being a little jealous of them. But then they had suddenly broken up and the Huntress had left the team heartbroken and the Amazon found herself sympathizing with her former teammate.
After Batman had been arrested, Wonder Woman had locked herself away for many months, not associating with anyone from the world of metahumans. Only after Superman had found her and convinced her that her friends wanted to support her did she finally swallow her pride and come back to the fold. Still, Batman's sudden betrayal of his ideals and principles had eaten away at her conscience until she had almost convinced herself that he had not committed the crime, but was covering something up.
The possibility that the Joker's death had been an accident, that Batman had simply made a mistake had seemed plausible until she remembered whom it was she had been thinking of. The Batman never made a mistake.
Or maybe she had not known him at all? Maybe he was as fallible as everyone else and he was simply better at hiding it?
Speaking with him as she had earlier, she realized that something simply was not right. Something did not make sense and it had more to deal with Nightwing than it did Batman. As vice-chair of the League, it was her responsibility to check into any concerns regarding the chairman.
As she watched Nightwing continue the meeting, outlining the plans, she could not help but shake an uncomfortable feeling. Was their leader lying to them? Was everything they thought was the truth for the last seven years nothing but lies? Everyone thought that the only person that knew what had actually happened that night had been the Batman, but now she wasn't sure. Nightwing was keeping a secret, but what it could it have been?
She knew that of she talked with Clark about it, he would reason that Nightwing had witnessed Batman murdering the Joker and that it had caused some sort of trauma. That seemed somehow too convenient, too neat.
Even after the meeting had broken up and most of the members had left, Wonder Woman found herself alone in the gymnasium, practicing several martial arts moves that Batman had shown her when they had been together. His knowledge of hand-to-hand combat rivaled the battle masters of her homeland, but that was nothing compared to the quickness of his mind. He was somebody who was not obsessed with being perfect; he was perfect. He was simply obsessed with maintaining the status quo.
She delivered a roundhouse kick to a bag and stopped as her foot hit the ground. An old creeping feeling was making its way up her spine, telling her that she was on the verge of some truth. Once she had been the goddess of truth and ever since her transformation back into a "mere" mortal, she had a certain affinity for all manner of truth. When she overlooked it, it nagged her.
For seven years she had put it off as nothing more than regret for not seeing the man she had fallen in love with for who he really was, but she now knew differently. He was older, yes, but he was the same man. Calmer maybe, but nowhere near crazy enough to kill somebody.
"Hera help me, I can't tell the truth from the lies. It's all so gray," she said. "My heart is confusing my mind, I need clarity."
Her eyes searched the room, seeking some sort of answer to materialize before her and they fell upon her golden lasso. Wrapped in it and commanded by Wonder Woman, those ensnared had no choice but to speak the truth. She walked over and picked it up, examining it. It originally had been her mothers, who had also been a Wonder Woman, and had passed to her not so very long before.
She wrapped a coil around her wrist. "What is it that I believe?" she asked herself, wondering if it were possible to get to the heart of the matter. "That Bruce did not kill the Joker," she replied and she nodded, knowing that it was a true statement.
"Do I believe Nightwing wants to hurt himself?"
The answer did not surprise her. "No."
"Do I believe Bruce?"
"Yes."
Now she was even more confused and she slipped the lasso off and plopped down onto the mat. Running a slender hand through her long dark hair, she decided that before she questioned Nightwing on Bruce's behalf, she would have to do a little more research. It would be good for her and maybe fro everyone else. She truly did not believe that Bruce killed the Joker, despite the fact that she acknowledged that it was possible that he had been temporarily insane at the time.
She blew out and fell back to stare at the ceiling. "Bruce, damn you; seven years later and you are still making me shake my head in wonder."