The Markings of a Hero

by AuDC Productions

Malcolm Jackson, a father and a US Army veteran, wanted to be the hero his city of New Camford desperately needed. He would ultimately fail. His son, Elias, is now left wondering why anyone would want to become a vigilante in the first place. During Eli's search for answers, he slowly grows into the man that his father intended to be- a real hero.

9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: Just a FYI, there will be a time skip in this chapter. Don't worry about it as there will be a flashback chapter that explains what happens between said time skip- which is nothing but two or three days. Please read the author's note at the end of this chapter for updating. Thanks.

Chapter Warnings: The following chapter is rated T for Teen for swearing, racial colloquial term (George is in this chapter...), and small bits of violence.

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The Markings of a Hero

Chapter Nine: A Knight in New Camford

Eli took in a deep breath. For once, Gotham City's dreary skies did not deflate his mood. Even if he was currently working and not there for any familial visit, it was good to see the old Gothic style buildings and gargoyles that lined the downtown area of Gotham City. It also helped that it was a clear night here in Gotham. The city had grown quite the reputation for its dreary skies and rainy nights. Tonight seemed to be different.

The teen was currently within the recreational center that the Stagg Youth Program was hoisting their fundraiser. His brown eyes seemed to see everything and everyone, making sure that the kids were alright and that the adults were not harming said kids. The room he was currently in was the recreational room which housed a bounce house, a station for face-painting, a ball pit, some guy doing card tricks, and an area where the kids could build with some LEGOs.

Eli was, roughly five minutes ago, watching the card tricks himself, shaking his head at the amateur moves that were bedazzling the kids. Surely, he was no stage magician, but he was clearly good enough to see the subtle movements the man made.

Toying with the ID badge on the lanyard around his neck, Eli thought about stepping outside for a break. Sam, who had come down with their mom for the fundraiser, was currently not at any station, but instead was "sword fighting" with foam swords with a kid Eli did not recognize. There were other workers and kids from Ivy Town, Metropolis, New York City, Gotham City, and Happy Harbor currently running about. Eli knew that he could just walk out but he was avoiding Leila at all costs.

Inhaling quietly again, he thought about how Leila was growing increasingly annoying with her questions about Jade. Jade had recently returned from wherever she ran off to and, on that particular day, Leila had stopped by Eli's apartment and saw the girl there with Eli. Once more, the pair was just talking, but Leila had a stubbornness that would not be denied and, after she "felt" that something was going on between Eli and Jade, she was determined to learn more about the Vietnamese girl.

It was more irritating than anything and Eli was not in the mood to hear anymore of it.

"Hi!" Eli blinked and looked to his left, Britney grinning at him in her pink dress. Her blonde hair was in a messy ponytail which came from her ripping and running around the place.

Grinning, Eli acknowledged her. "What're you doing Britney?"

"I was playing in the bounce house! I almost did a front-flip!" she told him excitedly. "I'm going to get a butterfly painted on my face."

"Alright, just make sure you eat dinner with the rest of us." Eli said. He watched her smile slowly disappear, her brown eyes going to the floor. "How about you eat with me and my brother? We'll have our own table and I heard that there will be cake and ice cream."

"Really? Thanks Eli!"

Eli was no stranger to bullying. He was neither a bully himself nor was he ever bullied but he did witness it quite a bit around his neighborhood. The Saints Row Children believed that they owned Cheshire Square and any outsiders- especially those who were not African-American- were always targeted by the gang. Britney was singled out at the home due to her mutation and despite Eli's and Cedric's requests, none of the workers that stayed with the children overnight did anything to stop it.

"You see that boy over there," Eli said to the girl, pointing to Sam. He glanced to see Britney squinting to see who Eli was pointing to before nodding her head. "That's Sam. Stay with him and when it's time to eat, we'll get a table together, okay?"

"'kay! I'm going to go get my face painted now." Britney said. "See ya!"

Eli did not even remind Britney not to run as she dashed off towards the face painting table. It was somehow easy for him to keep track of her in the crowd. Eli looked back at Sam, seeing him still sword fighting with other kids, before leaving the room altogether.

Chatter and childish squeals were hardly muffled by the room's walls and doors and Eli could still hear the chaos that went on inside. The teen ignored it though as he walked down the small hallways, heading towards the double-doors that opened to the dining area. There were several adults seated at the circular tables, all talking about everything but the actual fundraiser.

"Elias," Eli cursed his luck as his mother approached him with another woman in tow. "I want you to meet my former roommate, Maria."

Eli looked at the woman. She had nearly flawless porcelain skin, her dark hair was cut chin-length, and her dark blue eyes actually shined with some lingering thrills from her teenage years. Eli noted that Maria took great care of herself and her looks, easily being able to go toe-to-toe with any of these teen models in the states. With the two women standing side-by-side, Eli could easily see how his mother was the more studious one and how Maria was the partygoer.

"I knew you'd have a baby with Miles," Maria said with a pearly white smile. "My God Lee, he's a handsome little man, isn't he? How do you keep the girls away from him?"

Leila rolled her eyes upwards. "You haven't changed a bit Maria."

"And you have?" Maria argued before smiling at Eli. "I bet your mom here pretends to be all business but deep down there is a little girl that just wants to see the lights."

"Uh-huh…" Eli was unsure how to respond. Sure, he had always seen his mother as a buzz-kill but he had never outright said it in front of her and he was sure his dad has never done it as well.

"Oh don't worry, sweetie! Your mom totally knows she can be a killjoy. Right Lee?" Eli was actually interested in his mother's response. The Bialyan woman merely smiled at her former roommate.

"Elias isn't interested in our college days, Maria. That and I doubt that he would want to hear stories about his mother and father, as well as whatever stories you have about Carla as well." Leila stated before giving Eli a warm smile. "I wanted you to meet a friend of mine from Gotham. Again, she and your dad butted heads quite often…"

Maria waved Leila off. "Miles was always hovering over you. He wouldn't let you have a little fun." Maria then gave Leila a wicked smile. "And then came senior year…"

The laugh shared between the two women made Eli think that something happened that his father, who was most likely in Qurac at the time, probably did not know about. Eli tried to image Leila at a party or club- as it seemed to be much easier envisioning Maria- in the past. He admits that his mother was not bad-looking and could see how guys her age, now and in the past, would be attracted to her. But clubs? Wild college parties? Did Leila Rassan actually go to places like that?

"Um," Eli finally said. "I'm going to go step out for a while. I was starting to get a headache with all the screaming."

"Go ahead. I will be here catching up with Maria." Leila told her son. "Please be back for the banquet."

"I will."

Eli left the chattering women, his head beginning to hurt with each passing thought. No, it was not the kids, but the thoughts of his mother partying as a teenager. It was hard. His mother, Leila Nolan, did not party. She did not think of parties. She did not want to dream that Eli was thinking about parties.

And yet she did. Sometime in the past, possibly a long time ago, Leila Rassan actually went to parties with her roommate Maria and, most likely, Eli's future aunt, Carla, as well. That was something to think about during a quieter day/night.

After making it outdoors, Eli took in the night's air. Gotham City would probably never win for the best air quality but there was an addictive taste to it that was both harmful and yet somehow soothing at the same time. Eli realized that that familiar smell could have come from the man smoking in the parking lot but he digresses.

Standing alone in front of the building, the teen became lost in his thoughts. He had not been able to rest as of lately due to his need to gain answers. He had studied longer, trained harder, and grew hungrier for these answers for the past week. Even now, as he stood completely still and stared at the cleared night sky above, his mind was racing through every possible scenario about whatever Tobias Whale was up to with the Mozgov Family.

So caught up in his thoughts, Eli was unprepared for when a smaller body collided into his from behind. Instinctively, he twisted, his right hand already balled into a fist to strike what could be an attacker, only to see a redhead covering her face in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry!" she said quickly as Eli slowly dropped his hand. "I wasn't paying attention."

"It's alright." Eli said, more to himself than to the girl. "I shouldn't be standing right in front of the door anyway."

"No, I was busy looking at my phone." she stated before sighing. "Just wanted to get out of here honestly."

"I know what you mean."

There was a moment of silence where Eli was able to take in the redhead's appearance. She was obviously dressed for the event, wearing a black dress that did very well to compliment her growing athletic curves. Her blue eyes were behind a pair of black-framed rectangular glasses that, in a word, looked rather geek-chic on her. With her heels on, they stood at eye level.

"I'm Barbara," she introduced before reading his name tag. "Nice to meet you, Elias."

"Eli." he corrected. "You don't have a badge so you don't work for the Stagg Youth Program. Do you work for Stagg at all?"

Barbara shook her head. "No. My dad was inviting to this and dragged me and my brother to it." Barbara paused and sighed. "Of course, James is having too much fun now."

"My little brother is doing the same thing." Eli commented.

"How is it?" Eli raised his brows at her. "Working with them? I work at the library and know that sometimes, kids can get out of hand."

Eli shrugged. "It's alright. Miss Stagg told me that all I had to do was talk to the kids from time to time, but I asked to watch after the younger kids instead."

Barbara exhaled. "Must be tough. More excitement than the library though."

Eli gave the girl a second glance. On appearance, he assumed she was smart but did not want to voice it and seem presumptuous. He continued his observation, through her words, that she was either a thrill-seeker or someone who had adventurous hobbies. Either that, or she was one of those girls who read books about the lives that she wanted.

"So… Do you live in Gotham?" Barbara attempted to break the awkwardness between them, seeing the other teen give her a scrutinizing stare that, while she has grown accustomed to with her work with the Dark Knight, she still hated.

"No, New Camford," Eli said before adding, "It's in Connecticut."

"I know. My mom took us to the beach there two years ago. Drayton Pier." Eli nodded at her words, still studying the girl. "It was fun."

"Better than the Amusement Mile, in my opinion," said the male.

Barbara grinned. "Everything is better than the Amusement Mile. It hasn't been fully operational in years now." The redhead then frowned. "How'd you know about that?"

"I have family here in Gotham. My dad's from here as well." Eli told her. "When I was a kid, I remember their last day. My cousin and I were pissed that we were too small to ride all the roller coasters." Eli took a moment to let the memory resurface completely, a smile on his face. "Mallory and I spent the entire day on the bumper cars instead."

Barbara smiled as well. There was a strange vibe about the boy she had followed outside out of pure boredom. She could not put her finger on it but there was something eye-catching about the boy and it was not looks.

She deterred in her thoughts. Not to say that Eli was not attractive, it was just that this something was a lot more attractive than what he physically had to offer.

"By the way," Eli suddenly said. "Where can I get an invisible phone?"

Barbara blinked. The average run-of-the-mill guy would not have even caught onto her lie, a theory she had been experimenting with for months now. So long as she kept at least one hand behind her back, as she had been during this entire conversation, the guy never asked about her phone, just her number. Now, the redhead was not promiscuous in the least. This experiment was just to get her friends and stepmother off of her back about dating. If she talked to and shot down one guy every two weeks, then they would just presume that Barbara had set her standards too high.

But this Eli kid from New Camford seemed to be someone in her ballpark…

"Um, well-"

"Don't worry about it," Eli waved her lame excuse attempt off. "So I hear that there's a giant bat in Gotham City. Have you ever seen him?"

By now, Eli had figured that there was no harm in talking to Barbara. It heavily contrasted his time with Jade where his mind would list at least ten reasons why he should just leave Jade alone. Instead, he felt comfortable around the redhead, almost as if he was talking to Hannah for the first time all over again.

At least, Eli figured, his headache was slowly leaving.

The pair would continue to converse, moving farther away from the door but never leaving the entry walkway in front of the building. Eli mentally noted how vivid Barbara's memory actually was. He debated if she was actually able to recall things in detail like she was or if she was just making things up as she went along. Then she told him about the colors at one of her past birthday parties with the sincerest smiles that made him believe that her recalling was just that good, almost photographic.

At the same time, Barbara realized what that "something" was that Eli apparently had; intelligence. Sure, he was no genius, but he was easily able to piece things together or spot that something was out of order before figuring out why that something was where it was. She put this deduction together when she saw Eli catch every single person that entered and exit the event, his eyes always narrowing when he was thinking why said person was coming or leaving and then relaxing whenever he apparently figured his answer. He so quietly as well, as to not interrupt her whenever she spoke, and then went back on with the conversation as if he was not inspecting everyone that came by.

It was roughly twenty minutes into their time when Eli caught the sight of an exiting man who he assumed was searching for someone or something. The man turned his head right and then left where the two stood, before calling out.

"There you are Barbara," Eli inhaled quietly as he the graying man approached them. "James said that he saw you leaving."

"Oh, no! I was just, um, talking to Eli." Barbara said, her discomfort clearly heard. "Eli, this is my dad, Commissioner Jim Gordon. Dad, this is one of the Stagg Youth workers, Eli."

Eli once more inspected the man. The GCPD commissioner was surprisingly Eli's height, possibly an inch or two taller. Seeing his father and Nick, Eli safely predicted that the man held some sort of military background just by how Jim carried himself.

"Please to meet you," Commissioner Gordon said with an outstretched hand. Eli accepted the gesture, shaking hands with the man. "So you work for the Stagg Youth, eh? It must be tough wrestling with those little ones in there. Lord knows I don't have the energy."

Barbara's face scrunched up. "Have you been smoking again?"

"Don't tell Sarah. Please Barb?" Eli watched the girl's body show signs of her relenting but her face stated that the conversation was far from being dropped. When Eli retracted his hand, Commissioner Gordon shoved his hands into his pants pockets "They are getting ready for the banquet. I came out here to get you."

Seeing his chance, Eli finally spoke up.

"I need to help get the kids prepared. Plus I promised my brother and one of the kid's at the house in New Camford that I'd eat with them." Eli said as he casually walked by the daughter and father duo. "Nice to meet you, Commissioner Gordon. You too Barbara."

"Yeah, um, maybe I'll see you before you leave?" Barbara questioned.

Eli grinned. "Maybe."

Eli ignored whatever words were exchanged by the pair as he reentered the building. As he approached the banquet hall in the rather fancy building, he could hear the cluster chatter. He paused before entering, making a quick trip to the bathroom to wash his hands. Once that was finished, he entered the hall and searched for his brother and Britney.

"Eli!" But of course, Britney would find him first, the little girl waving her hands wildly over her head to get his attention. "Over here!"

Eli was not even annoyed at her antics and walked towards the circular table with a smile on his face. He sat at the table, making sure to look at the large rectangular tables where the other kids sat to see if all those from the New Ivy Metro house were accounted for.

The boy then turned his attention to the bouncing Britney and the highly curious Sam. Neither child paid attention to the other, Sam too busy looking at everything going on around them while Britney was busy smiling at Eli. It was only after Leila sat down that the two kids found a common focal point on the woman.

"Hi!" Britney introduced herself. "I'm Britney!"

"It's good to meet you Britney," Leila responded with the kindest smile Eli has ever seen. For a moment, he was almost jealous of the gesture as it was clearly something he hasn't received in years. "I'm Eli's mother, Mrs. Nolan."

Britney's eyes widened. "You're his mommy? That's cool! Eli's the nicest grown-up I know!"

"Well he really isn't a grown-up yet, but I can understand why you think he's cool. Sam thinks the same thing." Leila replied before looking at her oldest son. "By the way, Miss Reynolds was not too happy about Britney not sitting with the other children. You might have quite the talk next Saturday."

Eli shrugged. "Don't care really. I've told Miss Reynolds about how the other workers treat Britney. She should do something about it." Eli's thought slowed to a pause as his eyes caught Barbara a few tables to his right. "But… She hasn't…"

Perplexed by whatever had her son's attention, Leila skillfully followed his line of sight to the redhead. The woman took a mental picture of the girl before looking back to see Eli giving her a warning glare of his own. Leila yielded in her questioning for now, letting tonight be more about the kids than Eli's obvious interest in the mysterious redhead.

"Hey Eli," Sam gained both Eli's and Leila's attention. "Can we work on my shot the next time your off?"

Eli's face scrunched up. "No," Leila was not surprised by her older son's remark. She was going to console her youngest child before Eli spoke again. "You need to work on your ball handling and we can do that in the driveway. And if you do good there, then we'll work on your shot."

"It's 'do well' and thank you Elias." Leila was quick to correct Eli before giving him his proper praise.

Eli's eyes connected with Barbara's once more, the girl smiling in his direction.

"Don't mention it…"

For once, the city of crime fights and lime lights that was Gotham City did not seem so dreary. It actually had a shade of red to it, a color Eli was rather fond of.

"Who's she?"

But of course, Sam would find someway to ruin the night.

---

Three nights ago, Sapphire Stagg held a fundraiser for her Stagg Youth Program in Gotham City. The event, not only attracted some deep-pocketed supporters, but gained quite the amount of air-time on Gotham Tonight with Mike Engel. The publicity would do the program- and Stagg Enterprise as whole- some justice with the incoming of potential clients.

But of course, none of that mattered.

Tonight was about the city of New Camford and the serene injustice that occurred during the city's nightlife. On a national level, New Camford flew under the crime radar. Its hotels and clubs were rather unknown to those in the other parts of the states, but here in Connecticut- and even as far down south as D.C- people were well aware of the contained chaos that the night life brought to New Camford.

One lesson that he had learned in school was the city's unofficial motto is "Where great minds come together," a nod towards the rumor that the word "Camford" was a portmanteau of the universities Oxford and Cambridge. This was a lie of course, but children born in the late eighties till today hardly distinguished the actual history of the town and the rumors that float around it. Though, just from being in the city, one could understand why it would be considered an Oxbridge town. With the inclusion of Ivy University (or Conn-4 to the locals), the city was quite rich in history and modern technology. Not overly so as Metropolis was, thanks to one Lex Luthor, but enough so that the history was preserved with great care and the new technology did not interfere with it. It really was Connecticut's prodigal son for both old and new.

The teen released a small breath as he stared down at the streets beneath him. Another key difference between New Camford and Gotham City was the alleyways in the cities. Gotham's alleys were nearly void of any positivity at nights, one being named specifically for the crime that happens there. New Camford, however, had a blend of dark, destitute paths of doom and then well-lit, welcoming alleys that sheltered late-night cafés and still-functioning art theaters.

"Barbara would love it here," the teen muttered to himself, the warm air being a bit too comforting and causing him to relax a lot more than he should be. "Now where is this meeting going down?"

Blowing out another puff of exasperated air, the boy squatted as he leaned over the edge of the roof. Wearing his black high-tech suit allowed him to blend in perfectly with the night sky, the lighting in this particular area also working to aid his furtive presence. The black domino mask styled in his favor miraculously kept his identity hidden from the world. Well, that and his knack for avoiding any and every type of reporter there is.

A van pulled up at the end of the dim-lit alleyway, three men getting out as soon as it was turned off. Nightwing watched carefully as two of the men went to the back of the van and opened the doors. Seconds later, they pulled out a wooden crate, the third man closing the door behind them, before the trio walked further into the alley.

"Boy, I didn't think he'd come through, you know?" one of the men carrying the crate spoke.

"Yeah, never thought I could trust a guy that calls himself Killer Moth," the other man carrying the crate said. "Gotham really has some characters, don't they?"

The third guy, who was noticeably the thinnest and shortest of the trio, moved past his two companions carrying the crate and walked towards a backdoor in the alley. Nightwing watched as the third man revealed a key from his pocket and stuck it in the lock.

At least they wouldn't add Breaking and Entering to the list of crimes tonight, mused the hidden vigilante.

"This will help us a lot against those Russians on the coast." the first man said as they entered the place and out of Nightwing's sight. "I'd like to see their faces when we show up with these!"

Nightwing weighed his options. His ultimate goal was to find an escaped criminal known as Killer Moth, the guy who had apparently given these guys their new "toys". This being his first major mission outside of Gotham City- and more importantly not as a sidekick- meant that he called the shots. He could destroy the guns and have tail the three until they eventually met up with Killer Moth… Or he could simply just go in there, beat the crap out of two of them, and interrogate the third one into giving him the information he needed.

Nightwing paused. This was a lot harder than he thought. Again, this was his first mission outside of the Gotham-Bludhaven area (mostly referred to the Gotham City Metro) and his first job without the aid of Batman, Batgirl, and/or Alfred.

A crash caught the teen's attention before the door was flung open.

"Holy shit! Let's get out of here!"

Nightwing watched one of the thugs running for his life towards the main street. Nightwing identified the running man as one of the two carriers of the case. The young hero quietly questioned what was going on until he saw the thinnest man running after his partner.

"Wait for-ow! Fuck!" The man hit the ground hard, holding his right leg. "He fucking shot me!"

He? Nightwing stood up and prepped his entrance before he saw a shadow beneath him. The Gothamite questioned if he should actually help the criminals he was originally tailgating with the mysterious gunman or not.

"Don't move or the next one goes through your head," The unseen gunman's voice was deep and distorted, evidence of a voice changer being used. The person soon came into view as the injured man attempted to crawl away. "I won't tell you again…"

The threat was enough to force Nightwing to reach for his belt, getting two custom-made batarangs. He had yet to come up with a name for them just yet, but he did ask Lucius to design them differently from Batman's. His eyes narrowed in on the gunman to take in the appearance of him or her. After what he had dealt with in Gotham City, there really was no way of telling just who was under the yellow hood.

Speaking of which, Nightwing made a mental note on the person's description. Black cargo pants that, by appearance, looked quite basic with pockets filled with items Nightwing assumed aided the masked gunman. The gunman's boots, however, looked as if they were lightly armored- enough for protection and yet, not overly so to hinder mobility. There were large yellow gauntlets on the gunman's arms that looked as if they could be used for melee weapon, though Nightwing was sure that they had another use.

The one key description to the mysterious person was the yellow jacket that he wore. At glance, it looked like a black-striped hooded yellow sports jacket with the black strip running up along sleeves. On the back of the jacket was a black wasp or hornet insignia which, Nightwing admitted, was pretty great considering that the former Robin was still in the feeling-out process about what symbol he would use now.

Bats were clearly ruled out.

"I want information on Bookworm and Killer Moth," The yellow-wearing gunman said to the downed thug. "I already know that Moth gave you those guns and that you and your little clique have problems with the SRC." The hooded figure then stepped on the downed man's left ankle, pressing hard into it. "So I'm going to ask nicely: Where is Killer Moth?"

"Ah! I don't know!" the injured thug pleaded. "He calls us to meet him at weird places! He sells this stuff for cheap! Said he doesn't need the money and that business was booming in New Camford!"

There was a moment of silence with Nightwing just watching and waited from his position. Was this mysterious gunman in yellow going to kill this guy? Was he working for some other criminal out for Killer Moth?

The mysterious vigilante pocketed his gun in a holster on his lower back, beneath the yellow jacket he wore. Nightwing watched as the gunman stepped off of his prey's ankle before squatting next to him. Silent words were exchanged, words that Nightwing could not hear, and then the person in yellow moved his right hand in a striking moment. The downed man let out a grunt of pain before his body went limp.

Now Nightwing made his move. Quietly scaling down the building with the aid of a line, he quietly walked up behind the hooded figure.

"Turn around slowly," Nightwing voiced his command in a calm, yet firm, voice. "I think we'd better talk."

The hooded figure did as Nightwing requested and removed his hood in the process. Now Nightwing saw the yellow mask of the guy, noting the vertical black line that went down the center of it, his eyes covered by a pair of dark goggles. The mask covered the guy's entire face, a balaclava Dick mentally noted.

"Who are you?" the deep computerized voice asked Nightwing.

"Me? I'm Nightwing." The vigilante in yellow gave a small tilt of his head. "Yeah, I thought so…" Nightwing sighed before pointing to the other guy. "So, you are one of those New Camford heroes, huh? I heard that there's supposed to be like ten of you."

"They're busy." Nightwing gave a nod at the statement. Obviously there was someone with worse people skills than Batman. "Why are you here, Nightwing?"

"Me? I was following those guys to find where Killer Moth has escaped. I-"

"You're from Gotham." It wasn't a question. It was a statement filled with assertion. "I heard that Killer Moth escaped with others. How?"

"Well it wasn't-"

"Batman had better things to do?" The guy in yellow questioned.

"Well… Actually, yeah, he did." Nightwing answered. "But that's not important. What's important is that you find that last guy and-"

"He's going home, a few blocks from here. I didn't let him go without a reason." Nightwing was getting a bit annoyed by the guy already, being interrupted twice in an unimpressed know-it-all voice. "You want Killer Moth. I want his friend, Bookworm."

"Bookworm and Killer Moth aren't necessarily friends. And how do you know so much about them?" responded Nightwing.

"I do my homework. Especially about people in my city." There was a pregnant pause. "I haven't heard of any Nightwing from Gotham City- or that area. What are you really doing here?"

Nightwing stood silent for a while as he eyed the yellow gunman. When he had heard about the increasing numbers of dying vigilantes in New Camford from Lucius, he thought about the remainder of those that hid in the shadows and watched over the streets of their beloved city. Lucius said that they were not all too friendly and that, in rare cases, attempted to "defend their town" against outsiders both good and bad.

Was this guy one of those cases?

"I'm here to take them back, Killer Moth and Bookworm." Nightwing finally answered. "I got word that they ran up here after escaping from Blackgate, three of them. Bookworm was just one of them and Killer Moth and Ratcatcher came up here afterwards. I was hoping that I could find someone from New Camford to show me around. Not saying I get lost easily, but-"

"You talk too much." With that, the guy in yellow held his left arm upwards. Dick was surprised when a grappling line fired upwards before the masked gunman reeled himself upwards.

"Hey! Wait!" Nightwing said as he grabbed his grappling hook and followed him.

Nightwing was quick to realize that he was following someone who was not as acrobatic as he was, nor was this mysterious guy as smooth as a veteran. Small little stumbles were easily spotted by someone with the training Richard had and he was sure that whoever this New Camford resident was, he was at least athletic. Not quite Olympic level athlete, but athletic nonetheless.

"So," Nightwing said as the two dashed across a flat roof. "What do they call you?"

"…"

The guy in yellow was silent as the two leapt in unison, crossing the small gap onto another building. Nightwing grunted quietly, unsure just how to approach this guy now.

The silence was deafening, even with the wind blowing through their ears. Nightwing chose to ignore the silent guy for a moment and focus on his surroundings. They were in a rather quaint neighborhood, with well-kept townhomes that lined the street. As the yellow jacket-wearing vigilante not-so-quietly went down a fire escape, Nightwing noted that the streets were well-lit by the street lamps and void of life.

The pair hid in the shadows beside one of the townhomes, Nightwing cautiously looking out for any type of surveillance.

"Who's the third wheel?" Nightwing actually jumped as the female voice came from behind him. Nightwing turned around to see a girl standing with her arms crossed. Her dark hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, green eyes glaring at the teen from Gotham like a cat prepping a pounce. The lower half of her face was covered by a dark green mask.

"He calls himself Nightwing," The guy in the yellow jacket said. "He's not important. Did he arrive yet?"

"A few seconds ago," the girl responded as she stepped by Nightwing in her long-sleeve dark green kimono and black leggings. A blade strapped across her back. "So did you get my information?"

"Room 313 at the Hilton. Has the room until next Sunday. We'll have to go before then." The gunman said. "You don't have to stay. I can handle it from here."

"Good. I can probably get back before he realizes that we did more than go for our normal run." The girl said. "Just make sure you keep your friend out of Cheshire Square. I doubt he could handle the SRC."

"…" Again, the yellow-hooded vigilante was silent as the girl left, not at all shy about sashaying her hips for the two males.

"I take it that you know each other?" Nightwing asked his quiet unofficial partner. "…Right. So this is where the other guy went?"

"His name is Randall Anderson, a former employee at a Dick's Sporting Goods in Ivy Town." The other guy began quietly. "His girlfriend owns the townhome here, a recent graduate from Cam State whose parents bought her this. She works as a nurse at the Zane Memorial Hospital."

Nightwing frowned, absorbing the information. "And why did we chase him home?"

"I wanted to see if I was right." The statement nearly floored Richard. "I guessed that he would return home if things went to shit. Looks like I was right."

"And how long have you been doing this?"

Again, Nightwing's question was unanswered as guy reached for his goggles with his left hand. Nightwing watched in fascination as his partner appeared to be adjusting the vision of the goggles, his fingers pinching around the left lens and turning. A click was heard and Nightwing soon realized that those black goggles must have several different visual aids that was allowing this still unnamed guy to see whatever.

"Can you fight?" the question seemingly came from nowhere and, even though he was not looking at Nightwing, Nightwing knew the question was for him.

"Uh, yeah, but…" Nightwing was unsure just what was going on and was even more cautious when the masked guy pulled out, what looked like, a grenade. "What are you…?"

The masked gunman chose not to answer, again, simply stepping out into the front yard. Richard was beside himself at the bold gesture. This guy, whoever he was, clearly did not do things like, well, like Batman did. There was no chance in hell Batman would be caught just standing in someone's front yard unless he had some ingenious plan to do something so foolish.

Nightwing actually watched the scene unfold as the gunman knocked on the door twice and then rang the doorbell. There was a conversation in the home, one that Nightwing could barely make out. There was a woman questioning who was behind the door and a man, clearly frantic, telling her to not open the door. Seconds later, the hooded teen in front of Nightwing tossed the grenade through the large bay window. A shout, a scream, and a shriek followed as the supposed hero in yellow dove through said window and entered the house.

"Well, it's official," Nightwing spoke quietly. "I am officially impressed."

Nightwing could hear the sounds of fighting, glass shattering, and a crash. Two minutes later, the door opened and the yellow-wearing gunman walked out, rubbing his left arm.

"His friends will be here soon. Until then, he's all yours." he said to Nightwing while walking away. "Hornet."

"What?" Nightwing asked but the gunman had fired his grappling line to the top of the housing complex, reeling himself up into the darkness.

It was then that Nightwing went to inspect the damage. Stepping into the home he saw the man and woman unconscious on the floor, the man sporting a noticeable split lip from Nightwing's vantage point. The coffee table in the living room had been shattered, a lamp destroyed as well. Nightwing then spotted a vibrating cell phone that had been on the phone, its lit screen catching his eye.

Walking towards it, he knelt down and picked it up, reading the name on the screen.

"Walker…"

---

The following morning seemed quite surreal. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. The sky was a nice light blue with a few white clouds floating by. Even without a full-course breakfast being made by one of the greatest chefs that he knew, Richard Grayson made it a point to always remember New Camford mornings if they were all like this.

The fifteen-year-old "runaway" was currently in residing in a hotel in the downtown area of the city as the ones on the coast were a bit high price and mostly booked for summer tourists. He was sure that his adopted father knew where he was, whether by some unknown tracker on his person or Lucius Fox telling the Dark Knight, so he was not necessarily in hiding. He was just taking some time to let things cool between them.

And Barbara…

Richard sighed and got out of bed, moving to stand at the large floor-to-ceiling windows. Dressed in t-shirt and shorts, the boy had not planned on doing much today. It had been a month since he left Gotham City, spending most of the time in Metropolis with Clark Kent, who was unknown to the world as Superman. The teen had a falling out with Bruce after refusing to be a sidekick anymore, telling the man that they were partners or nothing at all. And while he thought that Batman would reconsider his choice of words, the Dark Knight simply ordered the at-the-time Robin to return to the Cave and wait there for the rest of patrol.

Needless to say what happened next and now Richard was here in the city of New Camford. His blue eyes seemed to absorb the rich culture of the New England city, pairing it with the small town of Bludhaven. They were practically polar opposites, like twins that did everything in their power to distinguish themselves apart. Where Bludhaven showed its scars, New Camford continuously covered its bruises. Bludhaven converted most of its shorelines into docks while New Camford had a nice beach to bring in a good sum of tourists. Bludhaven buried its children; New Camford just buried those who died trying to protect their children.

Yet, like twins, there was a deep-rooted common denominator that each city had. The organize crime that filled the police stations in Bludhaven were no different that the corruption that filled the political and business offices here in New Camford. The citizens of both cities had pack-like mentality as well. The wolf, dog-eat-dog mentality of those born and raised in Bludhaven made outsiders very easy to spot out. The city of New Camford, however, was a lion-like group. While they were dangerous by themselves, when they joined together to actually do something, they protected their home with their pride.

The buzzing of Richard's cell phone caught the teenager's attention. Walking to the nightstand where it rested, he saw the name on the screen and answered almost without thought.

"Yeah Babs?" Richard answered.

"Hey… Um, you got a second?" Barbara asked.

Richard sat on the bed. "Yeah, what's up? Did you runaway too?"

"No. And I don't think I ever will." returned redhead before releasing a sigh. "It's been kind of quiet without you, you know? Where are you?"

"He hasn't told you?" Barbara gave a negative response and Richard hummed in thought. "Maybe he doesn't know then…" He figured that Bruce would keep Barbara in the loop, if Bruce actually knew himself where Richard had run off to. "I'm in New Camford. Got a tip of where some of those stowaways are hiding."

"Dick, look, can you let that one night go? It was an honest mistake and-"

"It wasn't a mistake Barbara. He chose to go after Joker while Blackgate needed him. They needed us." interrupted the boy. "And we followed him for what? Just to put the Joker into another cell that he's going to escape while criminals escaped Blackgate?"

Barbara exhaled in minor vexation. "I didn't call to argue Dick. I called to talk to you about something we promised each other. Oddly, it has to do with New Camford…"

"What is it?" he asked while trying to think of all the possible things that he could have promised his friend.

"If we ever started dating again, we'd tell the other. Remember that one?" Richard's silence answered his question. "It was last year Dick. We were at my place. Ring any bells?"

"Um… Maybe?"

"Typical!" He had no choice but to release a nervous chuckle. "Anyway, I met a guy at the fundraiser a few days ago."

Richard lied back in the bed. "Uh huh? What's his name?"

"His name is Eli and he lives in New Camford. He said he would visit down here soon so we could talk. His cousin lives here." Barbara explained. "And before you think about it, I've already done a background check on the guy. He's completely normal."

Richard chuckled. "Says the redhead with picture-perfect memory who secretly dresses up as a bat."

"Must I remind you of your first costume Robin?" teased Barbara. Richard's laugh returned as he remembered the outfit that consisted of, what Barbara referred to as, a green speedo. "Seriously though, I can actually talk to him without him going 'huh' all the time."

"You mean he's as boring and nerdy as you are? Good luck then." Richard lightheartedly taunted.

"Screw you!"

"No, seriously, good luck Babs. Hopefully it will be something normal instead of whatever the hell we had." Richard said. "Sometimes it felt like dating two people; Barbara Gordon and Batgirl."

"I… I know what you mean." was the quiet response. "Um, so, how was Metropolis? Did Lucius send you your new costume? Did you decide on a name?"

"Whoa, one question at a time." joked Richard. "Metropolis was… Okay, I guess. Lucius did send me a costume that didn't make me look like someone from the sixties. Less yellow, more black and blue. And Clark gave me the perfect codename; Nightwing."

"Nightwing? Not bad." Barbara said. "Maybe he can give me a better codename than Batgirl."

"How about the 'Amazing Red?'" Barbara scoffed at the suggestion. "No? Okay, okay, how about Flamebird? Or Phoenix? Or-"

"Why does it have to be a bird? Or red?" questioned Barbara.

"Because honestly Barbara, you don't really have a personality out of the normal nerd cliché." pointed out the boy. "You study nonstop whenever you're not on patrol- for no reason, I might want to add. You work at a library willingly. And to top it off, the last time you've been out of the house for some fun, Bruce didn't know we were dating."

There was a silence that followed, one that Richard was no stranger to. His female companion was merely thinking of what he was saying and trying to compare it to either facts she knew or her own personal opinion.

Realizing that she must have a legitimate point to his statement and was struggling to find a counter, Richard thought about moving on with the conversation.

"So he's here in New Camford?" Richard voiced.

"Uh huh. But don't go looking for him. That'll be weird." Barbara said. "He'll probably think that I'm some weirdo who stalks him by sending my ex to talk to him."

Richard smirked. "But you did do a background check on him."

"That he'll never know." Barbara was quick to mention. "Seriously, Eli seems… Different. Like I can talk to him."

"And those other guys were just…?" Richard did not finish his statement in hopes that Barbara would fill in the blank.

"Horny, deprived, unpardonable boys." Richard grinned again at her words.

"Is 'unpardonable' even a word?" A scoff came from the other end. "Seriously Babs, if this guy can somehow get you out of the house, he could be from Krypton for all I care. Just go have some fun. You need to get out from under Batman's cape." The boy froze at the statement, realizing the sexual implications to that declaration. "I should've thought that one through…"

Barbara giggled. "Yeah, you should've!"

Richard laughed quietly at his mistake, glad that it had at least brought laughter to his ex. There was not much to say about his mistakes with Barbara other than that they ranged from really minor to gigantically catastrophic. It amazed him that they were even still friends, let alone that he had the pleasure of dating her. He had no idea who this Eli character was but Richard honestly wished the best for Barbara.

Between them, she was the only one that thought that both Bruce Wayne and Batman were men to look up to.

"I have to get to work soon," Barbara voiced. "I hate Mondays."

Richard gave a quiet sigh. "Sure. Call whenever. I'm going to go out for a while myself. See if I can't enjoy the day and find those guys at the same time."

"Or you could just enjoy the day. Drayton Pier is great and there're probably a handful of half-naked girls at the beach. Go meet them." Barbara suggested. "Just don't get too caught up in tracking these guys down or you'll end up going from Batman's junior partner to Batman's copy and one is enough."

Richard smiled softly at her choice of words. She purposely avoided calling him a sidekick as that was the start of his entire problem with the man he calls an adopted father. The boy had grown tired of hearing that word on and off the television, especially when it was directed towards him. And no one knew that better than Barbara.

"Fine, I'll try to enjoy the day." Richard said.

"Thanks Dick." Barbara responded before quickly adding, "And don't go find Eli either!"

Richard chuckled. "I won't Babs. Bye."

Barbara returned the sentiment before the call was ended. Richard now sat on the bed in silence, trying to think of a way to waste the day. He could renege his offer and actually go find this Eli character but realized that somehow, someway, Barbara would find out. He could also search the city to find the Hornet of New Camford but did not know exactly where to begin his search.

The teen sat for nearly five minutes before he eventually turned the television on. The popular Ice T at a Lemonade Stand GEICO commercial was playing before resuming the local news program.

"Thanks for coming back, now with news on the strange breaking-and-entering at a townhome in Rhodes. Taylor Summers- a recent Cam State graduate- says that a 'grenade flew' into her window before releasing flashes and a thick smoke." The unfamiliar local newsman reported. "She says that a man in a yellow jacket came in and beat her boyfriend, twenty-seven year old Randall Anderson before knocking them both out with 'a weird dart.' Authorities also found twenty-four year old Joshua Nash in an alley not too far away from Summers' home, also beaten, with directions to a nearby crate of assault rifles. Police say that they believe that Nash- and possibly Anderson- were involve with an illegal arms deal and was stopped by this Yellow Jacket. We'll have more information about that later, but for now, the weather in New Camford."

"Sure," Richard said as he got out of bed, now walking for the bathroom for a shower. "Talk about the kid in freaking yellow and not the guy was with him. It's not like I didn't go through two outfits just so I don't look stupid on national TV…"

---

Eli took in a deep breath as he relaxed on the sofa in the living room at his dad's apartment. Nick was not pleased that he had stolen the suit that he had found within the hideout and took it out for a test run; Nick was angrier that Eli did it two nights back-to-back.

It was Nick's current anger that had Eli presently resting at his apartment. That, and an early workout with Ben had Eli doing absolutely nothing but being bothered by Jade at the moment. The girl was currently sitting on the floor, her back against the armchair, a canned soda to her left with a small bag of chips to her right.

"They're calling you the 'Yellow Jacket'. Kind of fitting, don't you think?" Eli knew she was taunting him and his dislike for the color yellow. "Oh come on Elias. Don't be like that."

His brown eyes met green ones and he practically sneered at her smug look.

"Is there a reason that you're here?" he asked the teen in, yet again, nothing but a sports bra and yoga pants. Her hair was, in a rare moment, lying loosely on her back with a few sweaty strands sticking to her face.

Jade gave him a pout. "What? You're telling me that those days away didn't make you miss me?"

The boy said nothing. During his time in Metropolis and in Gotham City, the boy actually did miss Jade. Sadly, not in the way that he missed normal people either. Those moments when he did miss Jade were moments he wished he had someone around to beat the living hell out of whoever it was that was annoying Eli at the time; i.e. Robert's nieces and nephews. There was no one that Eli knew that would have enjoyed beating those kids as much as Jade probably would, outside of Eli himself.

Those annoying brats actually deserved it…

"I know," Jade continued. "That Ben talked to you about my dad. He didn't tell you who he was, did he?" Eli shook his head. "Good. It'll make it more fun."

Eli raised his brows. "Why is that?"

"I told you that if you continued to chase after your dad, you'd become a hero yourself, didn't I?" Her remark was devoid of any anger or mockery. However, there was a suggestive tone to each word she said. "I'm not a 'play music in my front yard' kind of girl. It takes more than looks and a dinner to get me excited as well."

Eli only scoffed jokingly as he looked upwards at the ceiling. Once more, he got the idea that Jade was some for of a masochist and that she got aroused during physical fights a lot more than the average person should- if any did. He made a mental note to look into it later but for now he had time to rest and he was going to enjoy it.

"Just the thought that you could figure out who he is gets me… Excited." Jade finished with a smile.

Eli snorted a laugh. "Why in the hell are you here?"

"Because you could use the company," Jade stated. "Plus, I have time to kill. Entertain me."

"…" Eli's response was killed by someone banging their fist on his door.

"Yo Eli! Open up!" Eli saw Jade roll her eyes at George's request.

"You know," Jade voiced as Eli got up to see what George wanted. "If I did want to have sex with you, I'm sure he'd kill the mood. I do not do threesomes."

"If I ever wanted to sleep with you," Eli commented. "This would be the moment I do us both a favor and put a bullet through his head." Eli did not have to see the smile on Jade's face and opened the door, only for George to push his way inside. "What the hell is your problem?"

"What the fuck is she doing here?" George asked as he eyed the highly amused Jade.

"We were studying for the SAT. Why does it matter?" was Eli's sarcastic response. "What the hell has you barging into my place?"

George turned to Eli. "Man, look, I think Eric fucked up. Big time. Some nigga from Dakota came through here looking for some blow. Eric sold him some, dude didn't have much, you know? Nigga liked it and called some of his boys back in Ohio. Ten minutes later, we got niggas from the cut trying to make deals with the SRC."

Eli crossed his arms. "I don't understand how this has anything to do with me. I don't roll with the SRC and I haven't been cool with Eric since middle school."

"The nigga is one of those Bang Babies. Calls himself Holocaust. He's bad news Eli." lamented George.

"Again, not my problem," Eli said. "So just leave before-"

"Bitch you owe me!" George snapped. "So now you're gonna help! I need to get this shit to Madison without cops and you and your little Asian bitch are going to help!"

Eli gave Jade a small glance, seeing her disapproval of the label being put on her. He then looked at his irate friend and took in a deep breath. Nick and Ben both warned Eli that eventually he would cross paths with the Saints Row Children and that it would put him at odds with his childhood friend.

He honestly did not believe that it would happen so soon.

"I'm not going to help you George. And I really don't think it's a good idea to piss Jade off too. I honestly couldn't stop her if she tried to kill you." Eli said as calmly as possible. "So I'm going to ask-"

"Nigga, think! If it was as easy as just moving some coke from one guy to another, do you think I'd be here?" said George. "I think Holocaust is coming down here and I don't want to be the guy that fucking pisses him off."

"Why would he be pissed? Just give him the drugs and move on." Jade quipped.

"Because Eric's not giving him the drugs. Not all of it, is he?" Eli deduced. George shook his head and Eli sighed heavily. "Fuck George. Why in the hell are you even doing this again?"

"Because I took a bullet for your ass!" George said pointing directly in Eli's face. "So either man the fuck up or…"

Eli would never allow George to finish his statement, stepping directly in front of his friend. Maybe it was the warriors' philosophies that were clouding his mind from Nick's and Ben's teachings or the fact that George had interrupted two peaceful days with Jade, but Eli was actually considering beating George at the moment. He wanted nothing to do with the Saints Row Children, a fact he has been reiterating since the sixth grade, and he was starting to lose his patience with one of the few friends he had within the gang.

"I'm going to be honest with you George, I'm not going to help you." Eli said. "So take this shit somewhere else."

George scoffed. "I see. Friendship ain't shit for the rich nigga from Mancastle."

"George, I am really trying to let you walk out of here without getting punched in the face," Eli said. "Don't make me change my mind."

"Remember who stood up for you when your brother put you in shit. I-"

Eli roughly grabbed George by the other boy's collar, spinning around and pinning George against the door.

"It's your fault that Sam was in that shit to begin with!" Eli hissed. "So you're going to leave here and pretend that I don't have a legit reason to beat the shit out of your black ass from here to New York."

Jade now lifted her brows with amusement, watching the scene. She had suspected Eli's tolerance towards George was running at an all-time low; and that's just from a month of knowing the guy. There were times that she, and Ben, had noticed Eli's rising aggression during training but she had never figured out a reason behind it. Now, Jade was willing to bet hard-earned, well stolen, money that George and the SRC plays a significant role in the rise of Eli's anger and aggression.

Oh, and possibly his mom. Eli has voiced his annoyance about the woman as well.

Eli soon released George's collar. "Go."

"Whatever," George huffed as he reached for the doorknob. "Remember this Eli. You're going to need my help someday and-"

"I already needed your help." Eli interrupted. "You stuck with your brother and I stuck by mine."

Another tense silence came after that before George left, practically throwing the door in Eli's face before slamming it behind him. Eli fought urges to shoot his friend and simply made his way back to the couch to lie back down.

"You know," And like he thought, Jade would somehow say something to make this worse. "I never heard it before, but you do have a small Arabic accent whenever you're mad."

Eli glanced at Jade. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" she feigned innocence, giving him a positively evil smile.

"Compare me to my mom. We're nothing alike." Eli answered.

"Really? Because you kind of look like her." Jade continued her empty taunts. "Like right around the eye area, you look like her. You also have that high-and-mighty voice all the time like you're the last king of Khandaq."

"Khan-what?" Eli responded, sitting up.

"Khandaq. Great kingdom before it got split into Bialya, Qurac, Syria, and Turkey? Ever heard of it?" Jade asked.

Eli shook his head. "No. Where do they teach you that?"

"…" Jade sat quietly before waving him off. "I'm sure your mom knows. Ask her." Jade saw that Eli was not accepting the answer by a long shot and chose to change the subject. "Since we know that you are miles away from having sex with me, how about we go to Drayton Pier? Or we could find this Holocaust guy. Or both."

She avoided the question. Eli was sure that his face pointed that statement out but he would never say it aloud. Instead, he chose to focus on the two options she offered him. He was not so sure that Nick would be okay with him stealing the suit for a third time and asking was clearly out of the question. Eli admitted, stealing the suit was much more fun than actually gaining permission to use it. Yet, on a day like this, there was no need to be behind a mask, stalking the rooftops in search for a fight. He could enjoy it as he would have if his dad was alive and an attractive Vietnamese girl was asking him to the beach.

"Beach," Eli finally said. "If I suited up, I might just shoot George for the hell of it."

"Wrong choice." Jade said standing up, grabbing her drink and chips. "Come on, we're going to go find this Holocaust guy."

Eli refused to put up an argument due to fatigue but promised himself that this would be a reconnaissance mission if anything. He would simply just observe and then leave; nothing more, nothing less. The only way he would move to do anything was if George, Jade, or anyone who was actually innocent was in harm's way. And even then, he felt as if his help would be minimal at best.

"Fine," Eli said as Jade disappeared down the hall, moving towards the door. "Is there a reason behind this or are you just bored?"

"I got to hear about how the big bad Yellow Jacket beat the hell out of some guy and it got me kind of aroused." Eli blinked. He was unsure if she was telling the truth, teasing him, or both. "You go to wherever it is you keep it. Meet up in Madison in fifteen?"

"Where?" Eli questioned as he reluctantly got off of the couch.

"Your job?" Jade suggested which Eli responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "Good. Let's go watch George get killed for his brother's stupidity."

Eli smirked. "Are you really doing this just to see George suffer?"

"I'd watch them both suffer if I…" Jade's words died when she opened the door and saw Hannah about to knock. "Hi Anna."

"Hannah," The other girl in a white polka-dotted blue sundress corrected. "And it's good to see you too, Jade."

Jade gave Eli a smile over her shoulder. "See you in a few Eli. Don't keep me waiting…"

If Eli had one of those new tranquilizer darts on him, he would have flung one at Jade at this very moment. Hell, he would have thrown one at Hannah too to avoid the awkwardness that was about to come with Jade departing. However, as Jade stepped by Hannah with the fakest of smiles, Eli realized that his opportunity to knock them both out was now gone.

"I don't like her," Hannah said as she stepped inside. "Why do you keep hanging out with her?"

"What is it Hannah?" Eli asked. By now he had run out of liable reasons to hang around Jade, reasons that were acceptable to Hannah, that is.

Hannah gave Eli a look that told him that she was not amused by his change of conversation but quickly brushed it off.

"I came to hang out for a while but I see that that's not going to happen, is it?" Hannah said. It was clear as day that she was unhappy about Eli's friendship with Jade. "So where is she taking you? Some party on Saints Row?"

"No. They're not her biggest fans." said Eli. "But I guess that you actually agree with them about that, huh?"

"You're always with her, beating on yourself or letting her do it to you." Hannah commented. "I can see some of those bruises, you know? If she's doing this Eli, you need to leave her alone. She isn't worth it. No one is."

Eli stared at his ex in silence. He heard several voices of clear conscious in his mind telling him that Hannah was right. Jade was danger on two legs with an attractive face and a giggle she hates. Yet there was something more than the hell that the girl brought with her, a hell Eli had not actually witnessed personally. That "something more" was whatever it was buried beneath the girl's faux sweet smile and her attitude. Ben thought that Eli could, not only find a way to stop, but somehow befriend her along the way.

"If you're sleeping with her," Hannah said. "At least have the courtesy to tell me to my face."

Eli chuckled. "I'm in no hurry to do anything like that with Jade, Hannah. Not only do I think she'd kill me if I tried, but I'm actually talking to another girl. A redhead at that."

Amused, Hannah crossed her arms with a smile.

"Oh really? What's her name?" Hannah interrogated.

"Barbara Gordon, daughter of the GCPD commissioner." Eli answered. "We met at the fundraiser for Stagg Youth in Gotham City." Eli paused. "She's smart, a librarian even. Mallory thinks I need someone who could keep me grounded. She might be that person. Other than you, of course."

"Right, right," Hannah said. "Are you going to go down to Gotham and meet her? Is she visiting up here? Is she pretty?" Eli scoffed at the last question. "Of course she's pretty. You have a type, don't you? Shorter than you. Lean, neither too muscular nor too thin. Am I missing anything?"

"Fi…" Hannah was a little worried when Eli's word seemed to die in his throat before the boy began laughing. "Warriors. I have a type for warriors."

Hannah smiled. "Yeah, that might be it." Her smile slowly fades. "I guess I should let you get to Jade, huh? You can't really get into trouble here with boring little me, can you?"

"I could." His suggestion only gained him a pair of playfully rolling eyes. "But no, I need to meet up with Jade. Just in case."

"In case what?" Hannah asked.

"I…" Eli sighed heavily. "Jade and I went to Cam Beach a few weeks ago and when we returned, Eric sent George here to set me straight. Jade did some kung fu death grip move on George and now the SRC has it in for her. And I can't let that happen. Not after the whole shit with Sam. So I have to go."

"…"

Eli could see that his tale was working as Hannah was rocking on her toes as if she was really trying to dispute his words. However, Hannah was a lover, not a fighter. He knew that much about her. She would eventually allow him to go after Jade so long as she believed him. And judging by how she was struggling to find reason to argue, she was falling for the lie more and more as the seconds go by.

"Is that why I saw him pissed off earlier? Because you wouldn't let him have Jade?" Hannah asked.

Eli shook his head. "No. George came with a job for the SRC and I told him I wasn't interested. He saw Jade and thought about doing something and I kindly reminded him that I could kick his ass. So he left."

"Oh," said Hannah. "Fine, fine, go make sure she doesn't end up dead by those thugs. Seriously, do you have to be a hero now? You're normally such a selfish prick."

"You know I'm no hero Hannah. They don't last long in New Camford anyways."

Hannah smiled. "Not in body. But in spirit, they're here always. Just like your dad."

Eli nodded. "Yeah." The two stood silent for a minute before Eli shrugged his shoulders. "If you're free later, we could go to that café in Rhodes. The one with the poetry."

"I'd like that. And you can tell me more about this Barbara girl." Hannah said, turning to leave. "Eli, promise me that you won't let Jade turn you into someone you're not."

Eli wanted to just outright promise his ex but could not. He was changing daily though it was not just Jade's doings. Nick, Ben, even his father, they all had a hand in his metamorphosis. If anything, Jade was a physical representation of who he was. Whatever bullshit she told him to keep him away from the source of her anger was only equal to what he told her. Yet, whenever they were alone, Eli could hear cracks in her mask and spot whenever she revealed too much about herself unintentionally. In return, he either changed the subject or gave her a piece of useless information about himself.

He trained with Jade and knew she could kill him if she felt like it. Trust was a key survival tool during those moments with her.

"I promise Hannah. I'll call you later." Eli said to the exiting girl.

"I'll be waiting Eli."

Eli waited for Hannah to leave before heading for his bedroom. He thought about his childhood and what he would have done on a day like this. He would be headed to the park with George meeting him at the door. Hannah and her friends would watch the guys play on the blacktops while giggling amongst themselves.

Eli smiled. George would always tell Eli whenever a girl looked their way, always ready to play the wingman if needed. Rare occasions would Malcolm or some other father come to the court to challenge the younger guys, quoting how the older generation of players was better than all safe for a few like LeBron James or Steph Curry.

They would stay there until well after the street lights came on. From there, Eric and the SRC took over the area while anyone who wanted to keep their hands cleaned moved inside. Eli's smile died at the thoughts of how Leila would stare at the windows some nights and shake her head at the voices coming from outside. She would never let him look out the window at whatever was occurring in the streets outside of their apartment, but he eventually found out. They all found out. It was a part of growing up in Cheshire Square and, no matter how hard parents tried to keep their kids away from it, the knowledge hidden in the shadows were always told or shown.

Always.

---

Nightwing was not accustomed to just running around in broad daylight in suit. He was much more comfortable at night, in the shadows, away from any prying eyes. But there was something- more like someone- that drew his attention.

While walking along the shores of Cam Beach, Richard had overheard the conversation between two apparent off-duty cops who were speaking about lowering patrol around the Madison neighborhood as a deal was in place. Said deal had the prominent player known as Leonard Smalls, a.k.a. Holocaust. Nightwing had heard about Holocaust before and knew the destruction the guy could bring. And, without a solid lead on where Killer Moth had run off to, he had plenty of time to find out what Smalls could be doing in New Camford.

The deal was currently being done in the back parking lot of a church, away from the quiet streets. It was one of few spots where children were not present at though Richard didn't dwell more on that matter. HIs attention was solely on the large African-American with dreadlocks wearing what appeared to be a custom tailored blue suit.

"He cleans up good." Nightwing muttered, safely hidden on the church's roof.

"Well," A voice behind the teen nearly had him leaping off of the building. He turned to see the rumored Yellow Jacket along with the girl in green from last night. "He cleans up well."

Nightwing snorted. "What are you, the grammar police?" The pair neared the edge. "What are you two doing here? I thought you were after Bookworm?"

"Leonard Smalls Jr." Hornet spoke. "Also known as Holocaust. Chief member of Paris Island Bloods. He was one of those caught in the Big Bang." Nightwing saw the girl's green eyes narrow at that fact. "He's here doing business with a local black gang called the Saints Row Children."

"You brought them up last night. Are they dangerous?" asked Nightwing.

"Any idiot with a gun is dangerous," Yellow Jacket growled lowly. "They're a small problem. Holocaust, however, is a big one."

"You're not ready for a full out fight against him," The girl in green said to Yellow Jacket. "We'll have to play this smart."

Hornet looked at her. "This is strictly reconnaissance. If he's doing deals with the SRC, we'll hit them later."

Nightwing looked between the two newcomers. The sword-wielding girl was glaring at the scene in front of them though it was obvious she did not favor the sit-and-watch call that the self-proclaimed Hornet said. Even with the lower half of her face covered by the dark green mask she wore Richard could tell that her lips were probably in some sort of twist of disapproval.

"What should I call you?" Nightwing asked.

Hornet looked at his female companion, the two sharing a look that only they could read. Their silence, however, only lasted for all of thirty seconds before they turned their attention back to the deal being made below, an accord already struck between them. Nightwing glanced between the two to see if he could get a read but failed to. Of course, this was partly due to the girl having great concentration on the deal being made below them and the Yellow Jacket having a full mask that disguised his face entirely.

Meanwhile, on the hallowed ground of the church, one Leonard Smalls Jr. was not having a good day. The sun and weather were nothing to cheer him up. His business was, in a term, in the shits. Since the Big Bang in his hometown of Paradise Island, his gang, the Paris Island Bloods, have been struggling to get more drugs imported into their city. Their former suppliers were now unsure about doing business with a group of "freaks" while everyone else raised the charge just because of the mutated men, women, and children of Dakota City. So he went to New Camford.

He hated the place already. Dakota City was real. It showed real people suffering real life and taking things necessary to live, or die refusing to do so. But here in New Camford, the sun seemed to shine just a bit brighter. He hated that.

"They're running late," Next to the young man was a bigger and taller meta-human known as Tarmack. Leonard looked at his longtime friend and continued. "I hate that."

"Maybe they got lost?" Leonard ignored his dimwitted friend now. Apparently, being transformed into a six-foot eight-inch body of tarmac did very little for Charles but Leonard did not need him for his brains.

It was his ability to take punches that Holocaust needed Tarmack for.

Thankfully, before Leonard could lose his metaphorical cool and Tarmack said anything dumber, an orange Chevrolet Impala pulled into the parking lot. When the vehicle stopped, four teens got of the vehicle, one carrying a black duffle bag.

"I guess it is true," Holocaust said to his friend. "There's always one Latino with a group of niggas." George approached the physically larger pair, looking over his shoulders. "You don't look like Eric Lincoln."

"I'm his brother, George. You got the dough?"

Holocaust snickered. "You hear this Mack? This guy thinks he's some tough shit because he's got some blow." The meta's smile disappeared, his eyes turning into a fiery orange as smoke streamed from his snarling lips. "But you see, George, I'm not in any mood to do business with a gopher. So go find your brother and tell him that when I say be there, he gets his ass down here or else I'll blow that shithole you call Cheshire Square off the fucking map!"

From his position, Eli could see George flinch and for good reason. Holocaust did not strike any of them as someone to be made a fool of. From what Nick pulled up prior to Eli leaving earlier, the Yellow Jacket knew that he was under-gunned for an all out fight. From Nick's description, only a well-timed bullet from a high caliber gun could do the trick- if that. And that was not enough to even attempt a blitz on Holocaust, let alone Holocaust and a meta-human Eli knew nothing about.

"Eric has business uptown, so he sent me." George said. "He said that it was just an easy job so-"

"He thinks I'm an easy job? Does this nigga know who I am?" Leonard asked.

"Yeah, he does," answered George. "It's just with shit coming around with all these damned vigilantes and those goddamned Russians, he had a more, uh, pressing matter at hand." It was at that moment that another black SUV pulled into the parking lot. "What the hell is going on?"

Jade and Eli exchanged glances, knowing that this entire ordeal was seconds away from going from bad to hell. The pair and Nightwing waited patiently as the passenger door opened, a short Caucasian man with slicked back blond hair, eyes behind a pair of dark shades.

"Who the hell are you?" George asked the man in the white suit.

"My name ain't important," The guy's Jersey accent was thick, clearly heard by everyone who heard. "I kinda work for a little guy you may or may not know. Mr. Whale?"

Nightwing heard a growl come from the Yellow Jacket, something the girl in green picked up as well.

Holocaust crossed his arms. "Why does Whale want to talk to me? Or is he still collecting small shitty gangs like this saints children shit?"

"Saints Row Children, dumbass." One of the guys with George said. "You niggas from Dakota think that since Cleveland finally won something, you're all top shit. You ain't-"

Before the teen could finish, he was knocked off his feet by a bright fireball. George flinched as he saw one of his brother's "employees" rolling on the ground, being burned alive in front of him. He slowly turned his attention to see that the newcomer in white was actually grinning.

On the roof, Nightwing found Hornet's strong grip on his left wrist, keeping him from going down there. Nightwing looked at the hooded gunman who merely just shook his head.

"Now," The man in white said. "Here's the small problem. Mr. Whale believes that he owns New Camford- or most of it anyway. The Irish, the Aryans, the Greek, even these bozos. So if you want to start a trade between that hellhole town back in Ohio and the New Ivy Metro, you kinda gotta talk to the big guy first, got it?"

"Bullshit! We were here first. So get the fuck…" George's words slowly came to an end when Holocaust raised a hand.

"Why is Mr. Whale here in New Camford?" Holocaust asked.

"Mr. Whale is leaving Metropolis. That ain't a secret, is it?" The man in the white suit said. "New Camford has, what did he call it? Potential! Yeah, see, potential is all over this hero-less shithole. You can move things quietly and, with Senator Pullman's cooperation, you could push an underage Asian prostitute strapped with three bombs and a kilo through the streets during broad daylight without any cop or caper to stop ya. So what's it gonna be? We in business or what?"

Nightwing watched the intense silence. New Camford was definitely similar to Bludhaven with constant battling for the top of the food chain. But this was something big. This was one of the top dogs from Metropolis meeting one of the crime lords from Dakota City with New Camford in both of their crosshairs. On one hand was the leader of the Paris Island Bloods, Holocaust, and on the other, the leader of the 100, Tobias Whale.

"This is going to be hell," Jade said to Eli quietly. "That 'small problem' called the SRC just got bigger."

Nightwing caught the publicly acclaimed Yellow Jacket pull the hood up over his mask, shadowing his masked face from view.

"I figured you'd be scared by that." Nightwing heard the male say.

He glanced to see that the female was currently watching below.

"Alright then."

Nightwing realized that the pair had their own secret language, one that would take him weeks to decipher. He chose to ignore it and focus on the deal going on below, trying to piece everything together. Tobias Whale was attempting to own New Camford's underground. Holocaust was looking to extend his reach out of Dakota City.

"So we gotta deal or not? Mr. Whale ain't gonna wait all day for an answer." The man in white said. "Apparently he's got another buyer from Dakota that might want to partner up. Some scrub named Tech-9."

"No!" Holocaust roared, flames forming around his fists and burning parts of his suit. The large African-American took in a deep breath and calmed down. "No, we're do this. But I get to meet Tobias Whale tomorrow before I leave." Holocaust then looked at George. "And Eric better be there too."

"We'll be there."

Nightwing wanted to move again, but another hard grip on his wrist stopped him, again. This time he ripped his hand away from Hornet as the trio backed away from the edge of the building.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nightwing whispered harshly. "We can stop this!"

"No, we can't," The computerized voice replied just as quietly. "We stop them now, Whale gets away. Tomorrow, Whale has to show up for their meeting. My guess is that he'll be in Venice Terrace."

"So you're saying…" Nightwing began.

"Whale. Holocaust. Both of them will be at one place at the same time tomorrow. You can stop them." Hornet said. "We have other things to take care of."

"You expect me to deal with all of them at once? By myself?" Nightwing returned.

"I asked if you could fight. You said yes." Hornet's response was just as dry as the voice changer he was using. It made Richard believe that he was speaking with a younger, more annoying Batman.

"Right. And I'm assuming that you two could take them out?" Nightwing sardonically spoke.

The girl scoffed. "Of course we could."

With that, the two left, leaving Nightwing on the roof. Despite himself, Richard grinned. He knew that there was something about the pair that was really familiar. They reminded him of himself and Batgirl; with swords and guns of course. The humor that he had was lost and he doubts that either was as smart as Barbara, but they were a team like he and his redhead friend in Gotham.

After all, even without challenging them he could tell that they were an arduous team to defeat.

"Alright," Nightwing said as he eyed the Impala. "Let's catch the little fish first."

---

Eric Lincoln was not a big man in the least. The twenty-three year old stood at five feet, six inches and weighed in approximately one hundred and thirty pounds. Unlike his younger brother, the dark-skinned African-American kept his hair head completely bald with a thick wooly beard. He had a terribly drawn tattoo of a dragon on his left shoulder as well as a cross on his right shoulder, both given to him by a friend.

Like any other summer day, the man could be found shirtless walking down the street, four of his "friends" walking behind him.

"George fucked up our deal with Smalls." Eric stated to his group, one of which was lighting a marijuana cigarette. "Now we got these niggas running in and out our turf, acting as if they run this shit. I should kick his ass for this shit man!"

It had been ten minutes since Eric had last spoken to his younger brother. Needless to say, Eric was enraged when George revealed to him Tobias Whale's plans of buying the SRC and taking over their deal with Holocaust in Dakota City. It pissed Eric off to no limits as he thought of his family being bought by some outsider from Metropolis.

Glancing up ahead, he saw a familiar face in one Hannah Souza. The girl was talking to some friends on the sidewalk, wearing a blue sundress that revealed her practically flawless legs to anyone who had working eyes. George was always claiming how prudish the Latina could be but Eric knew differently. They girl slept with Eli, a boy Eric had known for most of his life. She could not be that stuck-up.

"Well, well, well," Eric said as he approached the three girls. "If it isn't Hannah…"

Hannah scoffed. "What do you want Eric?"

"Nothin' much. Just trying to see what you feel like getting into tonight." Eric said.

"Nothing with you." Hannah shot back.

"You don't know that yet." stated Eric as he took a step closer to the thin girl. "See, I'm not my brother. I don't scare easily. And I-"

"Oh shit!"

Eric turned in time to see his group fighting with a yellow-wearing hooded vigilante. He was actually stunned at the fact that any vigilante would show up in Cheshire Square, let alone in broad daylight. Worse, he was doing so with relative ease and that was something Eric was not okay with.

Hornet was able to sidestep one thug before flicking his wrist, a dart of some sort hitting another one in his shoulder. Eric watched as the hit man grabbed his arm before falling to the ground; though paralyzed or unconscious, Eric could not tell.

A third thug was able to hit this wannabe hero which caused Eric to smirk. His smirk lasted for all of two seconds with the masked being returned the punch with enough force to knock the rather large man flat on his back.

Now the vigilante in yellow was between the first thug who had missed his original punch and the last remaining fourth one. Eric practically gritting his teeth with impatience, wanting his men to take out whoever was foolish enough to attack him in the middle of the day. However, when the hooded guy quickly pulled out two pistols, pointing them at each of the remaining men, Eric knew that they would most likely fail him.

"Run," was the cold command from vigilante. "Or else."

Unsurprisingly, the two ran off at high speed, one going right by Eric. Eric grunted, reaching for his gun, only for a cold blade to appear beneath his chin. On first notice, Eric thought it was just a large knife. However, when he glanced downwards, he saw a sword being carefully held beneath his chin. His brown eyes then looked ahead to see that the vigilante was moving to him, removing the hood off of his head.

"Do you know who I am?" Eric growled. "I'll have your punk ass killed for this!"

"Eric Lincoln. New leader of the Saints Row Children," The voice was deep and somewhat distorted, but Eric assumed that a male was beneath the mask. "Here's my only warning: Stay away from Leonard Smalls and Tobias Whale or I'll finish this."

"Finish what?" Eric asked before a fist knocked him onto the ground. While he was highly dizzy from said punch, he could recognize the familiar cold metal of a pair of brass knuckles when he was hit.

"That."

Eric looked up in time to see that the yellow masked gunman and some ninja in green drop a flash bomb that forced a startled scream from the girls still outside. When Eric's vision returned, the two were gone.

Spitting a glob of blood on the sidewalk, Eric stood up on wobbling legs.

"Fucking bitch," Eric said to no one in particular. "You hear me?! When I find your ass, you're mine!"

Hannah also regained her vision and began to look around for the two that appeared out of nowhere, pulled one over the SRC, and then vanished. She scanned the rooftops and the streets equally, trying to find them. She had not seen a vigilante- hero or villain- in Cheshire Square, only hearing about their deaths on the news. It was invigorating and terrifying at the same time.

Her mind then chimed in on one key detail that Eric could not have noticed. The person with the sword, based on its figure, was female. Hannah knew a few girls with long black hair but only a few of them fit the build of the ninja in green. One that did, however, was Eli's new friend Jade.

One boy. One girl. Both with some crazy form of fighting.

Hannah got off of the porch and quickly began to jog towards Eli's apartment. Admittedly, she was not in the best shape, preferring to stay indoors on a computer than outside and actually exercising. But she knew that there was no way that Eli, if this was Eli, could get back and change before she got to his apartment door. She also notes that in this weather, he should be sweating wearing a mask and a sports jacket while doing what he did. He could hide the suit. But the sweat and exhaustion?

"Excuse me!" Hannah said as she runs by two girls playing hopscotch on the sidewalk.

She continued her stride until she finally reached the building. Heading inside, Hannah made a beeline up the steps. Her stamina was slowly being drained but her curiosity kept her moving forward. Malcolm Jackson was a vigilante. He protected the streets with his last breath. And now Eli had somehow taken up the reigns and continued his father's legacy. Now, Hannah's best friend and ex-boyfriend was the new hero of Cheshire Square.

"Eli!" Hannah called out as she banged on the door. "Eli! I know… Oh…" Eli opened the door, now in white t-shirt and jean shorts, staring at her with a worried look. "You… Changed…"

Eli frowned. "From this morning? Yes."

"I…"
"Hannah, what's wrong?" asked Eli.

"I saw him." Eli's brows creased further. "The Yellow Jacket! You know, the guy from the news?"

"The new weirdo out there beating people? Yeah, I heard about him. He's the only thing my mom and I agree on," Eli said. "He's no good, just like every hero in New Camford." Eli then narrowed his eyes. "And I thought that he was in Rhodes?"

"No! He was here!" exclaimed Hannah as she pushed her way inside, seeing the living room as clean as it was earlier. "He beat Eric and everything!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. He beat Eric?" interrogated Eli.

"Yes!" Hannah threw her hands up with a breath, falling backwards on the couch with a smile. "You should have seen it! He was… I don't know. It was more exhilarating than anything that I've ever seen!"

Hannah saw Eli, cool and dry, stare at her as if she had two heads. He slowly closed the door as if her excitement startled him- which it did- before he approached the couch and sat next to her. She gave him a thorough look over and realized that he appeared to be well rested. There was no way that he could have been the Yellow Jacket, she deducted.

"So… Is he tall?" Eli asked.

"No. He's probably your height. Maybe taller?" Hannah recounted. "And he took out two guys easily before getting two more to run away. Then he knocked Eric out with one punch!"

Hannah read Eli's skeptical look and sighed heavily. Not only was he not this new Yellow Jacket, but he was also either unimpressed or did not believe her altogether. Honestly she hoped for the former and not the latter. Hannah was not big on lying, especially not to Eli.

"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked.

"I do. I just-"

"No you don't. I can tell you're lying Eli." Hannah shot his attempt down with a short burst of exasperation. "I just wish you were there, if you would have seen it. It was… I don't know." Hannah shifted in her seat uncomfortably, avoiding Eli's gaze. "It kind of made me wish it was you."

"Why?" Even without seeing his distorted face, there was a certain amount of disgust that was heard in his voice and she knew that the mere idea of him becoming a vigilante was repulsive to him.

"Because…!" Hannah began. "I don't know. Your dad did it, right? He had his reasons. I just thought that you'd find reasons as well and, you know. Be like him."

Hannah turned her eyes to see Eli giving her a harden glare, one she had seen before. It normally signaled that he was not budging on whatever they were arguing about but on occasion, such as this one, it meant that he had heard something that was probably best not said in his presence. She knew that he despised hooded vigilantes, his father being the only exception to that rule. It made Hannah feel foolish that she even thought that Eli could have been the Yellow Jacket now.

"If I ever feel the need to do something about this hellhole," Eli spoke. "I won't hide behind a mask, Hannah. I'll defend my family, honor, or town to my dying breath without a mask because that's what my dad taught me. To be a soldier, not a goddamn vigilante." Eli snorted angrily. "The hell was he thinking anyway…?"

"I'm sorry for bringing that up." Hannah whispered apologetically.

The male calmed down progressively. "Don't worry about it." He then leaned back against the couch. "Jade is at home. We can actually talk if you want. I don't want you out there with some hooded asshole with guns."

Hannah frowned. "I never said he had guns…"

"But the news reporter last night did." Eli pointed out. Hannah huffed, knowing he was right. "What is it Hannah?"

"Are you sure you're not him? I mean, I thought… And with that new fighting you're learning…" Hannah responded.

"I'm not even that good at whatever the hell Ben is teaching me. That's why I keep Jade around because she is." Eli joked. "Besides, you know me Hannah. I don't have the care to go out there and fight for justice or whatever shit those guys tell themselves. I just care about what happens in my life."

Of course, Hannah thought. Eli had not always been selfish though it was a trait that grew on him over the years. It got worst when Malcolm died. He was now reclusive and selfish, distant from those who he once called good friends such as Hannah and George.

Still, Hannah smiled. If there was a lesson that she gained after moving to New Camford from New York was that there was a positive side to everything and she chose to focus on that. Reclusive or not, Eli still found time to talk to her just like now.

"So," Hannah said with a smile. "Spill. Who is Barbara Gordon?"

Eli jokingly rolled his eyes. "Always the reporter with you, huh? Is this going on your blog?"

"Nope. I have another man for my blog." Eli's brows rose towards his hairline in question. "I think that New Camford has a new bachelor… And he's yellow…"

Eli laughed. "Oh really?"

"Yep!"

While Hannah pushed thoughts of Eli being the Yellow Jacket to the far depths of her mind, Eli let the relief flow through his body as he had successful avoided the questioning from the highly perceptive Hannah Souza. He assumed Jade went back to torture- or even kill- Eric and Ben had given him the night off, giving Eli sufficient time to return the suit back to Nick's and get to his mother's at a decent time.

For once, the city of New Camford was not painted with an overcompensation of happiness to hide the true scourge and scum that was the criminals of this city. It was painted in a new shade of yellow and black. A few shades of blue and a silent hue of green as well. But most definitely black and yellow.

Oh, and a smidge of Gotham red as well.

---

Author's Notes: Thank you for reading the latest chapter of Eli's tale. As mentioned earlier, there will be a shift in my writing schedule. Arkham Rising will be on hiatus until the end of September/early October. This story and Sora's Gaiden will be monthly updated.

But onto the chapter and story, there will be a flashback retelling Eli's first night and how he obtained the Hornet suit from Nick. More Barbara and Eli in the upcoming chapter(s). A trip to Dakota City as well as Nightwing's tour of Gotham are all coming up soon. Also, Jade's father revelation, a few fights with the SRC, battling with Killer Moth and Bookworm, and a few battles with the NCPD all coming soon in the Markings of a Hero. But as always, if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments then leave a review or PM and I'll respond as soon as next time.