Nightwing swung a leg over the gargoyle head he had been sitting on looking out over the city and stood up. This was the tallest point in Bludhaven, the east building of Bradley Towers and gave the greatest vantage point of the entire city. He usually ended his nightly patrols here, following Bludhavens elevated MAX train tracks back to his apartment.
Batman and I used to stay out on patrol until we'd experienced an hour-long lull in activity.
With a truncheon in his hand he reached down and hooked the end of it into a hollowed out clasp of his right boot rig. With a pop-click it synced up with his powered jump line and grapple. Lifting up the truncheon he aimed it north and fired expending a jet-black line in a gaseous haze far off into the night sky.
Sometimes we'd be out from sun down to four or five in the morning.
Without so much as a single step back Nightwing leapt into the air, possibly before the jump line's grapple had even found its perch yet. Angling his body into a lengthily turn the jump line snapped taunt and Nightwing sailed through the air heading north above the green park block that separated the north and south lanes of the 61 freeway.
The thing is, neither of us could ever come up with a logical reason as to why there'd be a lull in activity at all.
Off to his left, in one of the River House Hotel's pent house suites, a light went on as a lady dressed in a silk gown stumbled out onto the balcony. A raging brute of a man followed her out. Nightwing couldn't see from his vantage point but he could hear the woman and she was screaming.
I've yet to have that problem in the 'Haven
Nightwing brought his feet down parallel with the street straightening his toes to provide drag and allowing him to shift his weight as he changed position for the River House.
Can't land on the roof, I'll loose my visual over the situation and the entire thing could be over by the time I get it back. No other choice but to land right in the middle of their squabble and hope I can keep it from getting bloody.
Bringing up his knees Nightwing used his momentum to perform a summersault right off of the jump line. As he swung past the balcony he flipped his legs back up over his head and then dropped dead center onto the balcony. His presence was noticed instantly. The woman stifled her own scream by covering her mouth and the hulking man within the suite roared, lunging out after Nightwing with the jagged edge of a broken champagne bottle.
Nightwing's defensive maneuver was to simply close the sliding glass door. The hulking man inside the suite smacked into the glass, forcing him to drop the make shift weapon into the plush carpet and cover his face upon impact. Outside on the balcony the woman took a step forward clutching the acrobatic hero by the arm. The man behind the glass, on his knees behind the door in the carpet, produces a nickel-plated piston jammed into his waistband.
Here I have entirely different types of problems.
The man inside the suite cocks back the pistols hammer and draws down steady on Nightwing's mid section. The masked hero knows that at this close of a range tempered glass isn't going to do much to stop a bullet. From his glove Nightwing sends a black gas pellet at the sliding glass door, it explodes in a plume of smoke that would darken even the darkest of nights. Spinning around one and a half turns he grabs the woman with both hands, his chest to her back and his arms around her only to fall off the back of the balcony like a deep sea diver going over the edge of a boat.
I hear the gunshots crashing through the glass door even before we clear the railing. The crazy bastard won't be happy until he kills someone.
Nightwing knows that a fifteen-story drop doesn't give them much time to reach their destination. He and his acquaintance can't stay bundled together for the inevitable touch down at the bottom or they're liable to hurt each other.
No time to give instructions on how to use the jump line. I'm going to have to drop her safely down to the grass in the park block.
Nightwing brings his right knee up into the crutch of the woman's right knee and pushes up from behind. As if trained in aerial acrobatics the woman seems to understand and within moments both of her knees are up to her chest. That is all of the momentum Nightwing needs to spin them around. Facing front they both see the park block, a strip of green grass and tall trees dividing the traffic beneath them. As their path cuts between two lines of trees and the concrete pilings holding up the MAX train tracks Nightwing lets go of the woman he's saved from fifteen stories up and she lands softly on her knees only to roll on contact like a pro.
Nightwing positions him self in the upper branches of the next tree down the line. Choking up on the truncheon he spins completely around a thick branch, using his motion to scrub off the speed of descent allowing him to drop safely to the grass just beyond the woman.
"Are you ok?"
"A little shaken, that was incredible." The woman stands up to meet her rescuer adjusting the long silk gown she's wearing.
"We'll stop traffic soon if we stay here, we need to keep moving."
"Oh my god, thank you." She steps into him, throwing her arms around him like a lost child finally found.
"Did you see what that crazy son of a…" She stopped suddenly and started crying, sobbing uncontrollably into his chest while she thanked the masked hero over and over.
She's been seriously traumatized. I'm going to need to secure some real transportation. I can't take her to get any real help on jump lines.
"Ma'am I can help you but…"
Just then Nightwing is slammed with 200 lbs of solid pain from above. On the ground, arching his back in the grass from the pain Nightwing notices a second set of boots in the grass now. Someone whose struck him from behind and hard. Looking up he can see that it's the man from the penthouse. The one with the gun, firing at them as they fell toward the street.
The hulking man dropped an oblong black steel frame with two pulleys on either end into the grass. The device served a second purpose that night, first to slide down the jump line and then as a hammer, slammed down into the hero's back. The man kicked out and delivered a thunderous blow to Nightwing's ribs.
Dick Grayson couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this kind of pain. He blinked twice to clear the water from his eyes only to witness the source of his pain in the hands of the woman he'd saved only moments before.
Slipping out of her silk gown and leaving it in the damp grass the woman held the light blue "V" shaped armor that is usually attached to the front of Nightwing's costume. It strengthened the entire torso section acting as padding, armor and providing bullet resistance, without it he's just as susceptible to damage from steel toed boots as the next guy.
I've been played for a fool. They're not a crazy couple in a lovers spat; they were gunning for me all along. The sobbing was a nice touch. She had been working on my chest rig the entire time her head was buried in my chest.
"Come on, I've got it so lets go!" The woman shouted, now dressed to match the man in a black operations suit.
"He's got more gear around his arms and legs." The man explained as he moved closer to Nightwing who was still down in the grass.
"The job is only for this blue v." Her claim had no effect on her partner and the man lunged at Nightwing with another kick.
Playing possum and over dramatizing his injuries Nightwing had removed a hand full of custom razor-wings from both shin rigs around the tops of his boots and let them fly. Three at the man and three at the woman. Two razor-blades connected into the man, one square in his shin and another grazing his knee causing the man to stumble and trip into the grass.
The woman rolled forward cradling the "V" rig to her chest as she came up in the grass. While in mid tumble her left leg was grazed across the calf muscle by a single blade. Nightwing could see where her left hand had landed after recovering the summersault roll and instantly he knew that his female assailant knew exactly what she was doing.
A split second later he was blasted with the stun taser built into his suit as she brought the "V" rig down and tossed it onto his back. It's designed for close quarters combat, to stun an opponent who's gotten a hold of you amidst a fight. Nightwing is usually protected from it, due to the chest rigs armor. This time he experienced it like an assailant, the pain crept over him like a million electronic ants and he dropped to the grass seeing only black.
It's the train thundering toward the park block above me that brings me back around.
Nightwing is up on his feet thinking three steps ahead of what he's all ready doing. The MAX commuter train is coming in toward the park block, it's tracks suspended in the air on thick concrete pilings, and they offer the quickest and easiest way for a vigilante with his wings clipped to see the city from a progressive vantage point. The nearest track piling is about six blocks away, Nightwing sprints to it angling to make his move.
"Oracle, Nightwing. I've been compromised, give me a current sit-rep on current operations of team."
The train rounds 21st and bears down on the straightaway as it enters the park block. It begins to pick up speed as it powers up the big hill leading to Blud bay at the edge of town. Nightwing knows he'll only get one chance to hitch a ride while its going slow enough to control his ascent, after that he'll be on foot or "borrowed" motorized transportation. He's 12 feet from the track piling and gaining ground as the last of the train's cars turn into the strait away.
"Nightwing, Oracle. All of the evenings operations have ended successfully and all team members retiring for R&R, accept for you. What is your situation?"
The MAX tracks where wide and traveled up the park block (as well as the rest of the city) two by two every mile. Up 12 feet off the ground and suspended between the two pilings, locked away in a metal cage, where utility stair cases that could be used to walk up into the tracks. The MAX workers needed crane trucks to get up to them.
Nightwing didn't, he ran up to the eastern piling and continued running six more feet up it's side before performing a backward summersault back over to the western piling. Once he made contact he leapt off of the rough surface grabbing the metal cage that housed the stairs and flipped in over the railing.
"Oracle, Nightwing. A fake domestic dispute ended in a mugging with me as the target. They made off with a good portion of my suit and gear approximately eight minutes ago."
"Nightwing, Oracle has your identity been compromised?"
"Oracle, Nightwing. No. There was no time for an unmasking but god only knows what they'll do with the gear they've stolen."
The stairs in the cage where iron and in three tightly stacked banks of five steps. Traveling up them was slow and taxing as they were obviously not designed for six-foot body builders. Once he reaches the top three of the MAX cars have traveled past him and Nightwings time is running short.
"Nightwing, Oracle. There are quite a few electronic options I have here regarding the gear in your suit. I can…"
"Oracle, Nightwing. Thanks but no thanks."
I'm instantly taken back to my costumed child hood. Batman used to throw me out of the Batmobile and force me to get back in while it was still in motion. All part of my training he'd say.
Removing razor-wings from his arm gauntlets Nightwing simply reached out, with an edged weapon in both hands, and plunged the weapons into the black rubber that contained the mechanized portions of the MAX between the cars allowing it to turn on the tracks so smoothly. Nightwing is instantly lifted up and pulled along with the MAX as it flies down the tracks headed for Blud Bay.
Of course the Batmobile was designed to be grappled to, just throw a line out and slink it around a steel ring on the hood or the trunk of the car. Id like to se HIM try this.
With speed and inertia Nightwing has no problem traveling to the top of the MAX where he puts away the edge weapons and moves to the west side of the train overlooking the north bound street. He knows that his clever muggers where very well prepared for this venture and is positive that they had a car waiting for them. With any luck he'll be able to spot it, or his "V" rig in it.
"Nightwing, Oracle. Thought you'd like to know I'm briefing HIM on your current situation."
"Oracle, Nightwing. Have him concentrate on preventive measures regarding the rest of the team. I plan to have things under control before he can even get here."
After powering up the hill the traffic begins to slow and then stop as the lights go red for a fire engine and an ambulance heading across traffic into the business district downtown. The MAX, on elevated tracks, stays the course and Nightwing is able to view the stopped traffic car by car as he blasts by.
Six blocks and a forest green convertible Jeep Wrangler, with it's top down, catches Nightwing's eye. With a tap to his temple he activates the binoc lenses in his mask and identifies the two occupants in the vehicle as Mr. and Mrs. Mugger. The blue "V" rig sat on the floor of the back seat.
The light goes green and the traffic starts to move. The Jeep, in the left hand turning lane, makes it through and turns under the MAX tracks. Nightwing moves to the other side of the train car he's riding.
"Oracle, Nightwing. Can you run a green Jeep Wrangler with custom license plates 'Rent Me5' ?"
"Nightwing, Oracle. Give me two minutes."
Nightwing knows that any info from the rental office will be fake, but every lead must be followed, just in case it pays off. The masked figure isn't sure if he just wants his belongings back, or if he wants to bring the culprits responsible to justice, but either way his quarry is traveling away from him.
Landing inside or on top of the Jeep will be nearly impossible. Even if I could, there's no room to maneuver in there. The thing to do is get them to stop and climb out.
Nightwing leaps from the MAX train car. With grace and precision he sails through the night air to a light post, shining up over the street. Connecting around the arched top he swings around once to position him self so that he's hunched up on the top of it. When the Jeep rolls up the hill he simply drops right in the middle of the street.
"Nightwing, Oracle. Your Jeep is a cyber rental probably left for the client at the airport. You can rent them on line, "with no key entry" all the renter needs is the code to the key pad to get in and start the engine."
With cars parked on both sides of the street Nightwing has the advantage. As planned, the Jeep can't get by him without running him down and the man behind the wheel decides the young hero isn't even worth slowing down for. The Jeep lurches forward speeding up.
Nightwing runs straight toward the oncoming Jeep only to dive beneath the vehicle to the pavement. Making him self as flat as possible keeps him from making any contact with the vehicle roaring over him down the street. Rolling over and sitting up Nightwing notices both occupants looking back at the hero stunned.
"Oracle, Nightwing. Earlier you mentioned some things about electronic options regarding my missing belongings."
"Nightwing, Oracle. They didn't get any tracer disks but I can activate the stun pulse, explosives and even some listening gear all by remote from here."
"Oracle, Nightwing. Do it."
"Which?" Oracle asked, ignoring protocol as the evening carried on.
"All of them, the gear is all a lost cause."
Nightwing didn't even look back as he heard the small explosive disks start firing one by one in the ribbed "V" armor in his chest rig. The Jeep swerved, it's tires skidding over to the side of the street where is side swiped a silver sedan and kept speeding down the street. Next the stun-pulse, fully charged after it had been used on Nightwing him self, fired causing the Jeep to crash into something loud. More importantly all of the high tech gear in the V rig was rendered useless to those that had worked so hard at acquiring it.
End.