Thanks to Patty and Syl for their great beta work. I hope you all like this section. Char :-)
Court Martial: Part 6
Nightwing shrugged and started to speak. He never did, however. The computers in the watchtower came to life like sentient beings, and the hologram generators allowed the pixilated presence of the all-seeing Oracle to enter the proceedings. The extra-large holographic images of the funerary mask of the Trojan oracle Cassandra appeared to float throughout the Hall of Justice. Nightwing looked up into the large, glowing green face floating in the center of the room. The face was that of the long-dead Trojan prophetess of doom. Behind the face, was the woman he loved. The woman who no longer wanted a relationship with him. Did she know ... what else ... had happened on that roof? Nightwing had no way of knowing. He only knew, deep in his soul, that this was a harbinger of his doom.
"Oracle, welcome to the meeting. I assume you have something to add," Superman acknowledged Oracle's digital presence in the Hall of Justice.
"I will be acting as Nightwing's defense counsel," Oracle's mechanically generated voice filled the Hall.
Nightwing shook his head. "No. No, no, no, no! No, she won't!" Nightwing's voice started off low and increased in volume with each word.
Oracle continued to speak, ignoring Nightwing's protestations. "I will be acting as his attorney in this instance. J'onn, please note my appearance in the record."
"I said no! It doesn't make a damn bit of difference what I want, does it? I HAVE NO SAY IN ANY OF THIS!" Nightwing shouted as his hands gripped the table in front of him and angrily turned the table over. The loud thud from the table hitting the floor silenced the room. Batman quickly grabbed Nightwing by the arms, trying to prevent him from doing further damage to the furniture and, quite possibly, his case. "I. DON'T. WANT. ANY. DEFENSE."
"Enough! Calm down! Now!" Batman ordered.
Stewart shook his head, "Wait a minute! He has a right to refuse counsel. If he wants to save us time and go ahead and plead guilty, then who are we to stand in his way?"
Batman growled, "Lantern."
Dick began to speak again and Batman tightened his grip.
Ignoring Green Lantern's interjection and threatening approach of Batman, Flash had zipped to the room's center and stood by his best friend. "Batman's right. Listen to him. Please." Turning toward Superman, he stated, "I'd like to help with Nightwing's defense if I can."
Superman assented with a nod. J'onn, sensing the growing discomfort in the room, spoke again. "Nightwing, your objection to counsel will be noted and addressed at the proper time during the hearing. Oracle, I will note you and Flash as the defense. Your physical presence may be required for the hearing. Barring any crisis, we'll schedule the hearing for two weeks. Until then, Nightwing will remain in the custody of the League."
Nightwing was seething with anger. He jerked away from Batman and brushed past Flash. Plastic Man and Mr. Miracle moved toward him blocking his path. "Get outta my way." They met his demand with silence. "Didn't you hear? I'm done here! I'm going back to my cell. Now, get outta my way, or I will go through you and anyone else who gets in my way."
Stepping aside, Mr. Miracle let Nightwing pass. He followed him, motioning Plastic Man to let him walk with Nightwing alone. Plastic Man's normally flippant demeanor gave way to the graveness of this particular situation. For once, he didn't have anything to say, and he just stood back watching as Mr. Miracle followed Nightwing from the Hall.
J'onn broke the uncomfortable silence in the room. "Seeing as how all the preliminary matters have been concluded -- "
"Well, they haven't all been concluded," Blue Beetle said raising his hand again. He continued when Superman pointed to him. "As I stated earlier, I don't think anyone who has served with Nightwing should be on the panel." He turned an unsteady gaze in the direction of Batman before finishing. "Green Arrow served under Nightwing when Nightwing led the JLA. I think he should be disqualified from the panel."
"You think I can't be impartial, Bug Boy?" Green Arrow replied loudly as he marched toward the Hall's center. "I don't like that implication! I'll have you to know sonny," Green Arrow started punching his finger in Beetle's chest, "that I am an original member of this little country club and I'm gonna make damn sure that you and Stewart and whoever else might want to doesn't turn us into a bunch of fascist boot soldiers. I'm going to be on that panel, and I'm going to make sure this is a fair, just proceeding and that kid's rights are protected!"
"When were you appointed the guardian of civil rights?" Hawkman questioned, moving forward as he did. "Sounds to me like you've already decided he's innocent. You don't sound impartial."
"It's not being partial or already having made up my mind not to want this to turn into an inquisition! Just having worked with the kid doesn't mean I'm in his corner, but I'm not starting this thing against him either!"
Wonder Woman walked up between the two men who always seemed at cross purposes. "I've never served with Nightwing ... but my sister did. As did Arthur's son Garth. We are both very fond of Nightwing, but no one is questioning our impartiality. At least, I think no one is." The Amazon Ambassador looked around the room, as all eyes fell upon her, and she continued. "Green Arrow is in the same position that we are. Further, I don't believe you will find any member of our community who hasn't either met or heard about Nightwing and had some admiration for him and all he's accomplished. I have no question of Oliver's ability to be fair to all sides in this unpleasantness. No one wants Nightwing to be guilty, but no one here will shirk their duty if that is what the evidence proves." At her words the majority of the room nodded in assent.
Superman breathed a sigh of relief. "With that being said, unless there's any objection, this meeting is adjourned." Hearing no objections, Superman headed out the nearest door in the back of the Hall.
Batman still stood in the center of the room, his cape tightly wrapped around him. His jaw flexed as his eyes looked forward, not really focusing on anything. After a moment, he breathed. It surprised him that it hurt to breathe. His mind was analyzing the physical reasons for the self-induced pain. He knew he hadn't been able to breathe since Nightwing had been taken back to his cell, but it hadn't occurred to him that the sensation of breathing again would cause the uncomfortable ache. He should have known that, but his mind was too preoccupied. He heard the assembled crowd start to talk amongst themselves as Superman exited the room. He heard footsteps closing in on him. He wasn't ... couldn't ... talk to anyone at the moment. He didn't want their counsel, and he damn well didn't want or need their sympathy. Purposefully, turning on his heel Batman left the Hall of Justice.
Entering the corridor, Batman caught sight of the trophy room door closing and he headed in that direction. Batman looked around the room and found Superman near the case containing sample batarangs. Moving over, Batman looked down into the case as well. Neither said a word; they just stood in the comfortable silence of the other's presence. Finally, Superman broke the silence. "It's hard."
"Yes."
"I just ... I keep seeing that boy who was so full of energy he couldn't keep still. Remember when he pulled my cape to make sure I was real?"
"Yes," Batman replied closing his eyes.
"Do you think we'll get it back ... that sparkle in his eyes?" Superman asked.
Batman's throat constricted. He wanted to answer 'yes' but the word wouldn't come. Perhaps because, deep down, he was afraid it was not the correct answer.
Nightwing leaned against the wall. The angry shouts from the Hall of Justice were starting to dissipate, yet the sound still rang through his head. His one moment of failure was reverberating throughout the superhero community. He hadn't just let Batman down, he had let everyone down. Everyone that mattered. "I just wanted it to stop."
"The arguing?" Mr. Miracle asked as he watched the desolate young man.
Looking up toward the titanium steel domed roof, Nightwing sighed. "No. Blockbuster. The killing. I just ... I just wanted it ... him ... to stop."
"And there was something wrong with that desire?"
"No," Nightwing shook his head. His tired blue eyes looked at the new god who stood in front of him. "No. Not in wanting it to stop. Yes, in how I made it stop."
"You didn't make it stop from what I have heard. Someone else was the shooter. A woman. Your woman?"
"She's NOT my woman!" Nightwing's voice exploded.
Mr. Miracle nodded. "I see. Why haven't you told anyone who she is?"
Hard blue eyes narrowed. "It's not her fault. It's my fault. I failed her. I failed everyone."
Mr. Miracle removed his mask and headgear, revealing the face of Scott Free. "Is this the first time you've killed ... or rather ... caused a death? The first time is always difficult --"
Nightwing snorted. "It's not the first time. The first time I was responsible for someone's death I was ... nine." Dick closed his eyes as his mind brought forth the ugly images of that gallows and Two Face's laughter ringing in his ears. "One of our ... Batman's ... adversaries had captured Batman and a federal judge. I hadn't been Robin long and ... and I had to choose and ... and --" his voice cracked as his mind replayed the awful scene -- the judge's body dropping through the trap, the sudden, sickening snap of his neck and the smell of his body defecating in death mixed with Dick's own vomit. "No ... nine year old ... should be responsible for another person's death."
"So it is Batman's fault," Scott stated.
Anger flashed in Dick's eyes. "Hell, no! That wasn't Batman's fault! NOTHING is Batman's fault!" Dick marched toward his cell. His chest heaved in anger. "How in the hell could you think that was Batman's fault? He didn't choose wrong, I did!" Nightwing yelled as he turned back around.
"Batman put you in that position. Had he not made a child his partner, you wouldn't have had to make that choice."
Nightwing's mouth opened and shut a few times but no sound came from his lips. He couldn't even comprehend someone implying that Batman was responsible for the mistakes Dick had made in his life. "You ... you just don't understand."
"Obviously, I don't. I don't see why you or anyone else is so disturbed by this Blockbuster's death. Barda, Orion and I were discussing this earlier today, and we couldn't understand why we are here."
"Because I murdered a man," Nightwing replied with a low growl.
"But you did not. This woman you are protecting murdered him."
"I allowed it."
"Because you wanted his evil to stop. I fail to see the wrongness in your actions."
"Murder is unacceptable. Always! There are no exceptions."
"What about during war?" Scott Free asked. He knew about war. His life, his childhood, had been sacrificed to stop a war. Highfather, his true father, had traded him to the evil overlord of Apokolips, Darkseid, as the price of peace. Yet, Apokolips was too much for even a new god to bear eternally. He had escaped along with the beautiful, former fury who became his wife and fellow Justice League member, Big Barda. For over three hundred years he had fought battles on the side of right, and he knew that blood and life's breath was shed in war.
"That's different. When I was in the Vegan system, the Titans were caught in the war between the Tamarrans and Gordians. I killed Gordians then, but that was war. This is ... wasn't ... a war."
"Why?"
"Because ... " Nightwing looked down. He did not know why, not in a way he could explain. It just ... was. "Because." He turned and continued down the corridor into the cellblock area.
"Look, I understand the feeling of thinking you failed someone. I understand that all to well. I understand wanting absolution from someone you have failed. I know what it is to fail, but it is important not to forget everything else you are, and not let one small mistake become all that you are."
Nightwing ran his hand through his hair and propped against the door to his cell. "It's not ... a small mistake."
"It's not the end of the world either," Scott said placing his hand on Nightwing's shoulder.
His voice cracking ever so slightly, Nightwing replied, "It was the end of Blockbuster's world."
Scott's hand gently squeezed Nightwing's shoulder. "There is no one who is as good as I am ... escaping places that is. It is not boasting, but rather who I am and a fact. However, both Batman and you are among the very few who approach my skills. I know that you are here not because the League is holding you, for they couldn't unless you wanted them to. You're here because you feel you need to be punished. When you've punished yourself sufficiently and are ready to leave, call me if you need me."
"Regardless of the outcome of my trial?" Nightwing asked softly.
"Regardless. However, just because you have convinced yourself that you're guilty, don't be so sure that you can convince the rest of us of that."
Tears stung at Nightwing's eyes. "I don't deserve ... I ... thanks." Nightwing's posture radiated defeat and pain as he walked stiffly into the cell. His hand reached up, yanking the mask from his face and tossing it across the small closed space. He closed his eyes as his anger grew and looked up at the intruders in his cell. "I want to be fucking alone!"
TO BE CONTINUED ...
