Chapter Warnings: The following chapter is rated T for Teen for violence and swearing.
The Markings of a Hero
Chapter Ten: Humble Thyself
Leila was not comfortable with Eli running in and out of her home at odd hours. She had expressed it many times before and the teen knew that his mom would do it many times more. However, Eli could not help but smirk at her irritation behind closed doors, feeling pleased to know that he got under her skin as this entire ordeal did his.
Entering the kitchen at eight o'clock in the morning, the already fully dressed Eli acknowledged his mother at the stove with a simple "Morning" beneath his breath as he made a reach for the cereal box atop of the refrigerator.
"I'm making breakfast." Leila said as she watched Eli prepare a bowl of cereal.
Eli paused and then sat the box aside with a sigh. He walked to the table and sat down, his brown eyes never leaving his mother's figure.
"Is there a reason for this?" he asked.
"There was once a time when you'd try to help me." Leila replied, ignoring his question altogether. "I thought you'd at least set the table."
"Mama, I-"
"You're having breakfast with us, Elias. So set the table." It was not a suggestion or a recalling of the past. It was a demand. With an aggravated sigh, the boy stood up. "Robert says that you were up late on the phone. Does a certain redhead have anything to do with that?"
Eli snorted. "This entire breakfast is just a way to interrogate me? For what? Some sort of deposition or something?"
"No, nothing like that," Leila was actually giggling at his response, something Eli did not miss. "You just seem more upbeat. Not to mention that Carla says that you were visiting Gotham soon. I just put two and two together."
"Mama," Eli said as he grabbed four plates. "I don't want you following me to Gotham to meet Barbara. Her dad's the freaking commissioner. Not to mention that Mal is all over this. So I would actually appreciate it if you didn't add to that."
Leila gave Eli an entertained glance. "You would appreciate it? Normally you just tell me to butt out of it."
"Nick told me to be more respectful or he'd sell the Jeep." Eli covered up as he walked back towards the table.
"You know, I would like it if you didn't tell me lies this early in the morning Elias." Eli turned to see Leila giving him a familiar stare. Instantly, every cover story that he had been working on for the last few weeks was thrown away in the mental trashcan in his head. "So which would you like to be honest about? Your date with the redhead or whatever leverage Nick has on you?"
Eli remained quiet. Obviously, he was going to have to tell the truth about Barbara. There was no way he was really going to tell her about his deal with Nick, or at least not until he finished his search. He would find out what his dad saw in the hero business and finish Bookworm's freedom.
"Mama," Eli began. "Barbara and I are meeting up to go to wherever she wants. I'll be spending time at Aunt Carla's. I'm sure that half of the freaking GCPD will be tailgating us and Mal. Is there anything else that you want to know?"
Leila gave Eli a glance. "Yes. You've had ten, fifteen minutes with this girl. Are you trying to take advantage of the fact that Jade can't find her?"
"Jade is just a friend. Nothing more." Eli stated. "Besides, you're making it seem like I'm planning on marrying Barbara- and I'm not."
"I don't know why," Leila said with a shrug. "I met your father at seventeen. It is a good age to start thinking about the future, Elias."
"You obviously didn't think about divorce…"
"Because no one does," By now, Leila's casual tone had become much more serious, a tone that Eli was more than familiar with. "Is it so hard for you to sit down and talk to your own mother about your future instead of running off to tell Nick?"
"No. It's just easier to talk to someone who isn't trying to make up for past mistakes." Eli countered.
Leila took in a deep breath. "Elias, I am not apologizing for things you cannot understand. I tried to spend as much time with you as possible and all you can sit and think about is that I remarried another man. Your father was ill and I knew that if I took you away from him, whatever remained of his humanity would leave as well. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"He was crazy. Nick says it all the time." droned the teen. "Doesn't mean that either of you were right."
"And what do you know, huh?" By now, Leila had turned her entire body to face Eli. "You were too busy running out to party with George to even realize that the man living with you was a secret vigilante being shot at so that you can walk the streets without being approached by the SRC. You tend to blame everyone else for the simple fact that you were ignoring your father while he was alive." Leila gave Eli a firm point. "You don't get to treat him differently because of his death, Elias. I've had more conversations with Miles than you have in the past year, so don't act like I didn't care. Between the two of us, I knew who he was then, and I know who he is now. Get your head out of your ass Elias. Now."
Today had to be a bad day for Leila, Eli thought. Not only did she use profanity at him where Sam could hear, but her accent had become undeniably thicker and certain words came out quite hard to decipher. Her "th" sounded like a solid "d" making her "than" sound like "Dan" but Eli managed. Not because he had to, he assumed now would be a good time to just walk away. No, he managed because he could clearly tell that something was not right with his mother today.
"Are you alright?" Eli questioned.
"No, I am not alright. I…" Eli blinked when a slur of Arabic words, which he assumed was her native Bialyan tongue, followed. He had never seen his mother this distressed before, not even when his father had died.
"Mama," Eli stopped the woman's rant. "I can't understand that."
Leila sighed heavily. "I know." Eli grunted at her simplified answer, as if he was too uneducated to know or learn what she had said. "Tomorrow will be our anniversary, your father and mine. He calls on that day every year. And now…"
She wouldn't cry, Eli told himself. Leila Rassan shed tears for very few moments and none of those moments happened outside the comfort of her bedroom. But Eli also knew that no one, his mother or any other strong being, could handle the world on their own.
Leila was shock when Eli approached her and hugged her. This hug was not as awkward as the one on the Fourth of July, but one that the younger Eli gave all the time. Without much thought, she returned the sentiment.
"I'll call Mama." Eli promised.
"You are not your father Elias. You don't have to replace him." Leila returned quietly.
"I know," Eli told her. "But I want to. For you."
It was not designed by plan, but Eli realized that he had somehow gotten Leila off his back about his promise with Nick and Barbara. Unfortunately, he realized that this was not a ploy on either side. He wanted to call Leila tomorrow and he wanted her to answer. For the most part, he faulted his mother for most of the crap that happened in his life. Yet, that did not mean that he absolutely hated her. She had lost someone she loved, just like he did, and now all that they had of the guy were each other and a few miscellaneous trinkets.
"Oh," The voice of Robert caused the two to slowly separate. "Was I interrupting something?"
"No, not at all," Leila responded softly. "We were just making breakfast."
Robert grinned. "Breakfast does sound good." The man then turned his attention to the quiet Eli who resumed setting the table. "I hear that the new guy made an appearance in Cheshire Square yesterday. What do they call him? The Yellow Jacket?"
"Hannah said she saw him," Eli answered without looking at Robert. "I was on the phone with Barbara at the time."
"Oh really?" said Robert with amusement. "What did Hannah say?"
Eli shrugged. "Wasn't really paying attention. Something about blogging about him. Nothing really important."
"Well," Robert said. "A patient was administered to Zane Memorial yesterday, Randall Andersen. He was in rough shape, beaten pretty badly. A friend of mine said that this Yellow Jacket is a lot more aggressive than the other heroes of this city."
"My dad was once one of those so-called 'heroes' and he died," Eli sharply replied, glaring at Robert. "So if you don't mind, drop the topic. I don't want to hear about another person who'll die in costume. I'm sick of listening to it."
The kitchen grew quiet, Robert looking at his wife for any help. Leila remained silent though as Eli finished his duty.
"Eli," Robert calmly said. "I'm sorry. I should've known and-"
"Don't worry about it." Eli cut off. "Just stop trying to make me feel better about what my dad did. You of all don't need to get involved in that."
It was left at that with neither Leila nor Robert responding to the statement. Eli tried his best not to make any sound of his relief of that fact. Once more, he found that lying his way out of a situation, even if that meant making a scene like this, was a useful tactic to use. Robert was backing off and Leila had resumed their meal. Neither was pushing or nagging about Eli's private life outside of the house, which was good.
But it was also bad. He did not want Leila to think that this was all an act, if she caught on that is. He truly meant that he would call tomorrow and that he wanted her to answer. There was not a lot of thought about what he would say or how she would respond but as long as he called and she answered, everything would be alright.
He was not Malcolm Jackson. He was not the Army Ant. He was Elias Jackson. He was the Hornet. And he was determined to make sure that Leila and everyone else knew the difference.
Nick was not surprised when he found Eli at the hideout beneath his shed an hour earlier than planned. The man watched as Eli sat at the table, skillfully toying with a quarter with his left hand while reading a file lying on the table in front of him. Nick shook his head and he approached the teen.
"You're relentless kid, I'll give you that." Nick told him. "Who're you reading up on?"
"Robert Pullman." Eli answered.
Nick sighed. "Kid, I don't know what your obsession with the guy is, but he's as clean as any politician in America. That ain't saying much, but he shouldn't hold your attention like this."
Eli looked up at the man with a leveled stare.
"I think he's going to die soon." Nick's brows rose, the man taking a seat at the table. "I think he's Jade's real dad and she's out to get him. With this thing going down between Holocaust and Whale, I don't have time to truly investigate the guy. But I found out that he was in Vietnam around the time of Jade's conception. I just need to find out if the guy ever met her mom."
"Kid, let me tell you something," Nick began. "I can't tell you the names of the women who I was with in Qurac. Do you know why?"
"Because you felt guilty for cheating on your wife?" was the sardonic response of the teenager.
"There's an envelope somewhere in my bedroom with my son's paternity test in it left unopened. How's that for guilty?" Eli knew what Nick was implying about his late wife and chose not to even divulge into the topic. "Plus, are you really one to talk about fidelity? You're stringing your ex around, you have a thing for your so-called training partner, and you searched up the commissioner's daughter the second you got back from Gotham."
"Three problems with that Hickman," Eli commented, now resuming his reading. "I'm not stringing Hannah along, I don't have a 'thing' for Jade, and I searched up Barbara out of curiosity."
Nick said nothing. There was quite a change in Eli's personality in a rather short matter of time. The boy was a lot more punctual about certain things such as studying up on criminals and training. Eli also seemed to have gained the ability to instinctively throw out some jab about Nick's personal life without stopping what he was doing.
Eli glanced up to see Nick with a small grin.
"Something funny?" Eli asked.
"Nothing kid, just trying to figure out if you're more like your old man or Trent." Nick responded. "No offense to your dad, but the sidekick was obviously the brains to Miles's brawns. Book smarts that is. Your dad may have skipped a few science classes but he was a tactical son of a bitch."
Eli gave a solid nod and went back to reading the paper. Nick looked to see that the quarter Eli had in his hand was currently missing. The man snorted at the fact that, even while studying, the boy was still committed to learning and improving his skills of stage magic.
"This guy is a fucking ghost." Eli released with anger, sliding back in his chair. "It's like he landed in Vietnam, vanished, and then showed up to go home. There're no pictures of him out or around any town or anything."
"Calm down kid. You're thinking like your dad would. Obvious spots." Nick shot back. "You're not the Arm Ant. You're a detective with no badge. Now do what you're meant to before I remember that you weren't supposed to take that suit anyway. It's only a prototype."
Eli smirked as he read over the papers again. The Hornet suit, or the Yellow Jacket costume as it is referred to by the media, was supposed to be Trent's before the teen died. Of course, the final suit was supposed to be red and black, not yellow and black, and it was supposed to have some sort of dragon like emblem on it, not a freaking bug. Eli did not want to mess with his father's suit or Trent's original costume so he "borrowed" the only remaining thing there.
It was just sheer dumb luck that the gauntlets Nick had ordered also came in yellow.
"Why not just ask your 'partner' who her dad is? Wouldn't that be easier?" questioned Nick.
"Because this is her version of foreplay." Nick coughed lightly over the thought, Eli looking at the man with a fixed stare. "I know what you're thinking and I'm not having sex with her. Especially when everyone thinks I'm going to magically screw something up with Barbara before I even get the chance."
"Did she put it in those words?" A single nod from Eli had Nick chuckling. "Kid, what in the hell have you gotten yourself into?" Eli went to answer, only for Nick to stop him with a raised hand. "The less I know, the better. I thought I told you to give me the need-to-know basis? This Jade chick isn't going to blow up downtown, is she?"
Eli snorted. "She can do a lot more with a sword and a bottle of Pepsi than a bomb can."
"What woman couldn't?" Nick joked. "Still, your side mission with her is your own problem."
Eli had heard something similar to that before, just from Ben. Ben also wanted little to do with Eli discovering who Jade's father is and the inevitable battle between the two. It made Eli question if this was all worth it or not but he chose to continue. Not because he wanted to, but because Ben had made Eli promise that he would.
A quiet beeping pattern came from the large computer, one that Eli has learned was an S.O.S through Morse coding. Nick stood up and checked to see what the emergency was as Eli resumed with making the quarter disappear and reappear in the palm of his left hand.
"Shit," Nick curse reached Eli's ears. "You said you ran into that Nightwing character, right?"
Eli was not appealed by Nick's words in the least. The teenager stood up from his seat and walked over to see whatever it was on the computer screen that held Nick's attention.
Upon seeing the news bulletin, Eli's face soured. While he knew that the Whale and Holocaust meeting would take place at sometime during the day, he was not at all too concerned about it. His true intentions lied with Jade's for the moment; Robert Pullman. Sure, if he could stop Tobias Whale or Holocaust then he would, but he was not going out of his way to do so.
Now he was staring at a report that Nightwing had engaged several "alleged associates" of the Mozgov Family at a local restaurant. If the news reporters present were not filming this then maybe, Eli figured, this would be a bit better. Instead, the Mozgov Family was now publicly startled, and with them, the rest of New Camford.
"Damn him," muttered Eli.
"Problem?" Nick asked as Eli headed for his suit.
"You have people watching over the city right? Other so-called vigilantes?" Eli returned. "I need to know where an SUV is. Black. Chevy. Ohio license plates."
Nick was quick to type the information in. "Any particular reasons?"
"Last night, I figured out that if Whale and Smalls were going to do a meeting in broad daylight with Eric, it would have to be somewhere that they could." Eli began his explanation while packing his suit and weapons into a duffle bag. "Eric can't be seen many places. Not as the leader of the SRC. Other gangs would find him and blow his head off if they knew he was on their turf."
"Uh-huh…" responded Nick.
"Pullman wouldn't have it in Venice Terrace. That's Mozgov turf." Eli continued. "So that leaves Downtown NC for their meeting. I guessed that they would meet in Rhodes, maybe even Cheshire Square." Eli then pointed to the screen. "But that dumbass is fighting in Venice Terrace and probably pissing Smalls off."
"And we can't have that, can we?" questioned an amused Nick.
Eli zipped the bag up. "Jade wants Pullman. I want Whale and the Mozgovs. This Nightwing guy is ruining both plans." Eli turned his attention to the Army Ant suit behind the glass. "My dad did things like a hero, Nick. He found the bad guys and he put them away, those he could. I'm not him." Eli then glanced at Nick. "For the most, I'm going to put these bastards in the ground."
"You're not a murderer, kid." Nick told him. "Not yet anyways…"
"Why? Because the guys I killed were rapists?" Nick fell quiet as Eli hoisted the bag over a shoulder. "You told me to be what my father was- some mask wearing protector of this city. But we both know that that's not going to be enough. Not for New Camford."
"So what? You're just going to go out there and shoot them?" questioned Nick.
"I'm not going to do anything." Eli said walking to the ladder. "That Bialyan guy with the guns however… He's going to go make sure that some Gothamite doesn't fuck his city up. Might even find Bookworm."
Nick snorted. "Cocky son of a bitch, aren't you?"
"Have you met Leila Nolan?" Nick laughed as the boy left the hideout. The aged veteran turned to the computer screen with a sigh.
"Go get 'em kid."
Nightwing was not a stupid person. He was rash at times, but he was not stupid. So when he raided into a high-end Greek-themed restaurant to defeat a few Russian mobsters, he had already prepared himself for the guns and size of goons that were protecting whoever was in charge.
But what he failed to think about, or even consider, was the fact that the Italian Sullivan Family from Gotham would be present as well. The numbers went from five goons to fifteen in a matter of seconds and now Richard was thinking that maybe Alfred was right.
Birds normally did not look before they leaped because they could fly.
Richard shook his head at the thought. In all honesty, Alfred was filled with analogies; both good and bad. The fact that the old Englishman had compared Richard to a bird was both unoriginal and overused. However, the fact that the boy still had a knack for just jumping into danger- both literally and figuratively- made the analogy worth remembering.
"Come on out. We know you're there!"
Nightwing groaned at the voice. Like a bird unafraid to leap because it knew it could fly, Nightwing had failed to think up a landing strategy, or as it is most commonly referred to, a solid plan C for when plans A and B failed. That was because this was supposed to be easy: Go in, catch the Mozgov's by surprise, and get out. Simple. But the Sullivan's added an element that the recent solo vigilante had not accounted for.
So now, here he was, hiding behind an overturned table with several plans running through his mind. A smoke bomb was both ideal and idiotic. It worked well on those ninja movies that he saw, but in truth, a gunman did not have to see you to shoot you. That was real life 101. Any moron with a firearm could do the Call of Duty "spray and pray" strategy into smoke and eventually hit something or someone. With seven gunmen trained on his location, he was certain that one of them could hit him.
And Nightwing was not trying to be shot today.
His next plan of action was to find a way to disarm the seven guys that were waiting for him to poke his head out. This plan had its pros because the gunmen would no longer be holding the guns. The con came with the fact that Nightwing doubted that he was fast enough to throw his unnamed shuriken- he refused to call them Batarangs- at all of them to disarm them before one of these trigger happy goons blasted him.
He paused in his thoughts. Why haven't they just shot through the turned round table that he was using as a shield? Surely they could but they haven't. Not yet anyways.
"I'm going to count to three."
Of course, Richard thought with a lazy eye-roll. The old "count to three" bit. He did not know how many guys attempted this back in Gotham on Batman and ended up wishing that they had just shot at two. No one got to three on Batman. No one.
But he was not Batman; he was Nightwing. And that meant that this guy could reach to three and then what? Richard had to have an escape plan without picking up the discarded rifle next to him.
"One…"
Nightwing grabbed a handful of smoke pellets. It was going to be a long day, he assumed.
"Two…"
The young teen prepared himself. He was confident that he would live this albeit how he does it. He was only worried about the long lecture he would receive from Alfred if this went bad. God knows that old man knew how to pour salt in wounds with a few bitter words.
"Thr…" The unseen assailant's words were drowned by a loud bang coming from the kitchen. "Rex. Chuck. Ronnie. Go see who's in there."
"You got it." A second, deeper, voice answered.
Nightwing did not wait another second, reaching around the table and tossing the smoke pellets. A second later, he moved from his spot, going for another table. The gunmen, predictably, choked on the smoke and decided to open fire on Nightwing's last known location. The teen hero grabbed a handful of bird-shaped shuriken and quickly took aim. One by one, he tossed the weapons towards them and, one by one, he met his marks and knocked their weapons out of their hands.
Nightwing followed through with his attack, now headed straight for the coughing four men. The first man saw him and wildly swung while trying to suppress his fit of coughs. The teen ducked the blow, a subsequent punch landed in the man's abdomen caused the larger guy to sink to his knees.
Blue eyes darted right seconds before Nightwing skillfully dodged the second attacker. With quick reflexes, Nightwing was able to grasp and unsheathe his two metal batons. His hands moved swiftly, beating the second attacker with heavy strikes. Nightwing noticed a third man had recovered from smoke and flung one of his sticks at the man.
A solid thwack sound resonated when metal met forehead and the Russian man soon fell backwards, unconscious. This allowed Nightwing to sweep the man he was currently battling off of his feet before grabbing the man's left arm.
A click reached Nightwing's ears.
"You missed me bird boy!" the last man said, holding his recently recovered pistol in hand. "Now it's time to- Ugh!"
Nightwing watched as his last opponent fell to the ground, his grip tightened around the wrist he was holding as he saw two bullet holes in the back of the downed man. His eyes traveled to the standing Hornet as the newcomer approached him in the up-class restaurant.
"You… You killed him!" Nightwing exclaimed. He was met by silence, again, as the vigilante called the Yellow Jacket stepped in front of him. "What in the hell is your problem? He didn't have to die!"
Hornet removed his hood, revealing his masked face and dark goggles, and squatted in front of the hero in black and blue.
"I need answers on two things and you're going to give it to me. What you go through between now and then is up to you, understood?" Hornet said to the floored man that Nightwing held.
"Yes! Yes, please don't kill me!" the rather bulky man sobbed.
Nightwing was now more impressed, if not amazed. When he was Robin, it took a few punches to break down henchmen, and even then, they would lie or stall until Batman came. Then they would talk. As Nightwing, and more importantly without Batman altogether, Richard had to be a little more forceful in his interrogations and hit harder to get the information he needed. Nightwing did not have that fear factor that his mentor had. Now here was Hornet who had merely asked and the guy was ready to spill his life story to the gunman in yellow.
Maybe it was the guns?
"What are the Sullivan and Mozgov families doing here?" Hornet asked.
"Vladimir Mozgov and Donny Sullivan have been friends since childhood! They grew up together!" the thug announced. "They were meeting to talk about joining Whale!"
Nightwing saw Hornet look up at him before the Yellow Jacket resumed his interrogation.
"Army Ant," Nightwing's brows creased at the name. "He was murdered by the Mozgov Family. Who did it?"
"I don't know!" A growl was heard from Hornet before he brought one of his pistols to the man's face. "I'm serious! I don't know! I've been in Gotham for five months, stationed with Vlad! I don't know what Dmitri has been doing here in New Camford! I swear!"
Nightwing got the impression that this Army Ant character was someone important to Hornet. He would have asked at the moment, but he doubted that Hornet was in a talking mood. While he did not know much about the hooded insect vigilante, Nightwing had come to know that Hornet was not the most talkative person in the world. Even if the Yellow Jacket was in a talkative mood, he probably would not have said much.
Finally, Hornet stood up. "Donovan Sullivan and Vladimir Mozgov aren't here. I assumed that they either left when you entered or went to the meeting with Whale." Hornet looked down at the sobbing man. "Are you going to shut him up now?"
Nightwing grunted before using the escrima stick in hand to knock the crying man out. He looked up to see Hornet heading for the kitchen.
"Wait a minute," The less-than-talkative gunman paused in his steps. "You killed a man, an innocent man."
"…" Hornet's silence irritated Richard more than it did the previous day and the teen from Gotham City was seconds from snapping on the guy that strongly reminded him of the man Richard was trying to escape.
"Look at me! You killed him!" Richard ordered.
Slowly, Hornet turned towards Nightwing. "Go back to Gotham. This is my city and I'll do whatever the hell I have to so that it survives."
"How? By killing all of the people living here?" Nightwing questioned as he inched for his thrown baton.
"Bookworm has killed over a hundred people. You let him escape. Now he's here in New Camford." said Hornet with growing conviction. "I'm not killing everyone. People like him are doing that. My job is to stop him from killing another hundred innocent people and escaping like you let him do!"
Nightwing swallowed quietly as he picked up his down escrima stick. He watched Hornet holster his guns, his nerves calming down slightly. The fact that the mysterious Yellow Jacket pocketed his guns did not necessarily make him any less dangerous.
Nightwing huffed. "You have a small point. But the fact is if you go out there shooting people for no reason then you're no better than the guys we're trying to stop."
"Those guys killed my dad. They did so because people like you give them concussions to their head and further more fuck their thinking process up." argued Hornet. "I've killed four people up to date, and he," Hornet pointed to the downed man. "Isn't one of them. Not yet at least. So back the fuck off before I blow your goddamn brains out."
Nightwing stared at the taller vigilante, partially angered and partly understanding of his plight. Richard was no stranger to vengeance. Hell, the reason that he- and Bruce for that matter- did what they did was out of vengeance. But neither had killed a man. That was the line that this Yellow Jacket has seemingly crossed four times before.
"I'm not doing this for vengeance," Hornet said as if he was reading Nightwing's mind. "My dad was a gambler and apparently owed the Mozgov Family some money. I understand why they killed him." Hornet then turned around. "But unlike you, I actually give a damn about those who are truly innocent and can't fight back. People like Earl Clifford."
"Who is he?" Nightwing asked.
"Follow me."
Nightwing once more grunted as the Hornet just walked out without anything else being said. The teen pocketed his escrima sticks before stepping towards the kitchen. Nightwing looked around the high class restaurant. The ambience did not necessarily scream "Russian crime family here!" as much as it said, "peaceful and authentic Greek food here." Yet, this high-end restaurant was used as the meeting place between Vladimir Mozgov and Donald Sullivan. The staff had been paid to cater to the two men and their respective entourages. And now, this. He eyed a table of untouched food and sighed.
Richard shook his head. "Waste of a good rack of lamb…"
With that, Nightwing walked towards the kitchen. He only hesitated when he heard a groan coming from one of the downed men. Nightwing looked to see that it was actually the shot man that was making noise. Nightwing struggled with going to help the wounded man or following the guy that shot him.
His body decided for him and Nightwing found himself going after Hornet, stepping by the men that he and Hornet had rendered unconscious. He took a mental note that the men that he did not recognize had dark bruises on their face, obviously from brute force. Nightwing's blue eyes moved away from them. It was part of the job to see scenes such as this and, on more than one occasion, this had been what a bad night for Batman looked like. But there was a major difference between Batman and the Yellow Jacket of New Camford.
Hornet did not seem bothered in the least.
Nightwing noticed that the other male was apparently relaxed. No heavy breathing. No shaking. Just relaxed. It was odd as Batman at least expressed aggravation or annoyance. But Hornet… There was nothing there in his voice or body language.
Nightwing exited the back of the building and quickly shot his grappling hook for the roof before he was seen by the crowd in front of the restaurant. Seconds later, he was ascending onto the restaurant roof where Hornet was presently staring at the street below.
"He could have died." Nightwing voiced.
Hornet turned his head towards Nightwing as if he was only acutely aware of Nightwing's presence before looking back at the street. This made the Gothamite grind his teeth for a second or two. He had dealt with rudeness before and had all the training in the world to deal with this rationally. But was there any rationality to a masked man with guns?
"If they were here to strike a deal," Hornet finally stated, obviously annoyed with Nightwing still pressing the matter of the shot man. "Then that means that the Whale and Smalls deal happened somewhere else. You just spooked them."
"How do you know that?" interrogated Nightwing as he stepped towards the hooded hero.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Nightwing stopped and thought before giving a shrug of his shoulders. It was obvious that Whale had orchestrated the meeting somewhere else and, if one of the Sullivan members escaped, then Whale would be informed of his and Hornet's interference.
Nightwing crossed his arms. "So what do we do?"
"Trust each other, for starters," The statement caused blue eyes to cut at the hooded vigilante. "I haven't been doing this long so I don't know how that works- the team thing that is. But you don't need to keep questioning my methods. I got the information, didn't I?"
"Yes," Nightwing began. "But, at what cost? That man could bleed out before the cops arrive and then what? You've made them more afraid of you than the bad guys."
Hornet gave a quiet snort. "Everyone is afraid of a masked guy with guns, regardless of what suit he wears." Nightwing, once more begrudgingly, agreed with the statement. "You're not going to last long if you keep debating what's right and wrong. Not in this city at least."
"I've been doing this for years." Nightwing pointed out. "I know how this goes. I know what I'm doing."
"No. You don't." Nightwing noticed that the Yellow Jacket's words were now quick and to the point. "This isn't Gotham City. Up here, the bad guy walks away and the hero ends as a footnote in the obituary. It's why they call this the City without Heroes."
"I heard about that. But you're here and I've seen others. So what's the deal?" questioned Nightwing.
"Those guys aren't stopping much. They're worse than the cops." Hornet answered. "And I'm not trying to stop some guy robbing a corner store. I'm here to finish a few missions for Army Ant… And my dad."
"Your dad? You mentioned him earlier. Was he-"
"An idiot who owed the Mozgov and Sullivan money? Yes." Hornet sharply interrupted. "They killed him for six hundred dollars because to the bad guys- the real bad guys- that's all we're worth. A few hundred dollars." Hornet paused and turned his head to face the slightly shorter hero. "Like I said, I understand why they killed him. But there are people out there who don't understand why their dads, their moms, their brothers and sisters, their children are killed by these guys and that's what I'm after. To give them answers and bring the guys who did it to justice, one way or another."
Richard stood silently. The guy beside him oddly gave him a trustworthy vibe- to a painfully blunt extent. It was as if Hornet honestly had nothing to lose, revealing sensitive information to strangers such as Nightwing with the underlying snitch-and-die aura around him. He would be perfect in Bludhaven, Richard thought.
"I lost my parents as well," Nightwing eventually revealed. "I've been doing this practically since then. I did everything in my power to find the guy who had them killed. And even after I found him… I couldn't…"
"I would've done it."
Nightwing did not argue. He believed that if Hornet, whoever the guy truly was beneath the mask, had been given the opportunity to kill the bastard behind his family's murder, that Hornet would pull the trigger. Maybe there was some sort of closure one got when they pulled the trigger, but that was not what Nightwing stood for.
It was then that Hornet brought his right hand up to the side of his head. Nightwing watched with interest now as Hornet was in a very familiar pose. Hand held to the side of the head, head slightly bent in concentration, and feet firmly planted on the ground. Yeah, Richard knew the look of someone getting a message on a comm-link better than most.
"We'll be there," Hornet said to whoever was on the other end of his link. "Come on. I know where Holocaust and Whale are."
Nightwing's brows rose. "Really? Where?"
"Not here," The answer caused Nightwing to mutter "No duh" beneath his breath, the other vigilante pulling his hood over his mask. "I heard that by the way. Let's go."
Nightwing released a chuckle. "Fine. Lead the way."
Jade said that it was impossible to gain someone's trust in less than forty-eight hours. In her opinion, people normally kept their guards up for a minimal of forty-eight hours after meeting a stranger, which is why the second date was always more important than the first.
Eli had gotten Nightwing to drop guard in a matter of hours. And all he had to do was to reveal a small part of himself, his true self that is, and let Nightwing hear the sincerity of it. Now Eli had Nightwing following him to the real meet-up between Tobias Whale and Leonard Smalls. Unfortunately for Eli, it was being withheld in the busiest (second during the summer) area of New Camford; Town Square.
Nightwing whistled from atop of the four-story department store that he and Eli were currently preoccupied.
"A lot of people. How are we going to do this?" Nightwing asked.
Eli kept quiet as he thought about the situation. This was the area where most of the wannabe heroes could be seen trying to make a statement and failing miserably. If he were to die in costume this would most likely be the place. Furthermore, it would be ironic to die around the corner from where his mom went to work.
"So they're at the construction site across the street, huh?" Nightwing said. "I don't see how we're getting around those guards in front or the ones in the back. Not without some fire power." Eli raised the back of his coat slightly to reveal his two holstered guns. "Oh, right."
"My guess is that they're somewhere on the top floors." responded Eli. "Meaning we can go up floor by floor or down from the roof."
Nightwing crossed his arms across his chest, nodding his head as well. "Yeah, but that's not going to be easy. This is Tobias Whale we're talking about. And if we missed one of those weapon caches then these guys are armed with whatever Killer Moth was selling."
"You think?" Hornet asked.
"Killer Moth normally sells to the higher bidder. I can't think of someone paying more than Whale." explained Nightwing. "Good thing you 'talked' to that guy before you put him in the hospital."
"He didn't give me much that would help you." Eli said. "But I do know where some of their hideouts are. Scare them hard enough, they'll run back to get more guns. That'll bring out-"
"Killer Moth," Nightwing finished. "But what about them?"
"Bonjour, mes amis!" Hornet drew his guns while Nightwing quickly grabbed his escima sticks, both teens doing a one-eighty to view the newcomer on the roof with them. "It is I! Captain Red!"
Eli released an annoyed groan as he stared at the masked man in front of him. The guy was dressed in, what looked like, a large Canadian flag. His suit was white with a red leaf chest emblem, red sleeves that covered his arms to the wrist. His pants were the same vibrant red that showed on his top. A white mask covered much of the man's face, everything sans his eyes and mouth, with a red maple leaf on the center of his forehead.
"Captain Red, huh?" Nightwing said as he looked at Hornet. "Friend of yours?"
Hornet lowered his guns. "Captain Red, originally from Canada. He's been running around here for the past nine months or so. Maybe a year. His pay grade is corner-store goons and purse snatchers, not this."
The physically taller and muscular man put his hands on his hips in a cliché good-guy pose.
"So you've heard of me, eh?" Behind his goggles, Eli rolled his eyes upward.
"So… You're another one of the heroes of this town, huh?" Nightwing said as he also holstered his weapons. "At least you're more talkative than this guy."
Captain Red noticeably frowned. "You're the Yellow Jacket right?" Eli only turned his attention back to the construction site where Whale and Holocaust were at. "Aren't you supposed to be in Cheshire Square?"
Eli chose to ignore the gallant hero behind him. Captain Red was one of the more known vigilantes of the city that had yet to die. From Malcolm's notes, Eli knew that his father had teamed with the so-called Northern Soldier from Niagara Falls at least three times before. Malcolm had suspected that Captain Red was a meta, having superior strength and speed than the average man, but had never confirmed it.
Though, what Eli did confirmed, was that the guy was quite the bigmouth.
"Caught a few street racers the other night. They won't be destroying our roads anymore." Red boasted to Nightwing. "Everyone runs from the Man in Red!"
Eli fixed his goggles to zoom in on the site, scanning the structure carefully. He could confirm two vehicles parked outside, one being owned by Leonard Smalls. The teen continued his search upwards. He thought about turning the lens on his goggles to track heat signatures but chose against it.
And when he came to the eighth floor of the structure, he was glad he did.
"Move!" Eli ordered as he began to run for the back of the building.
Nightwing followed with Captain Red slowly coming afterwards. The missile that Eli had seen being launched hissed throughout the air before colliding with the front of the department store. The force of the impact sent Eli sprawling for glass that made skylight of the store.
"Shit!" Eli cursed before his body crashed through the glass, heading for the floors below.
Out of desperation, he fired a grappling hook upwards- not necessarily aiming for anything but an answered prayer that would allow him to live this. He did not hear the hook grasp onto anything, but he did feel his body jerk. Before he knew it, he was tumbling onto the fourth floor of the building.
"Oh my God!"
"Is he dead?"
"Is that the Yellow Jacket?"
Eli clutched his fingers first and then his toes. He was still alive, painfully alive, and appeared to have working limbs. His ears were ringing and he did not know if that was the result of explosion or the crash or some head trauma. Either way, Eli knew he had to get up and he had to catch, if no one else, Tobias Whale. That was his target.
"E… Lias… Kid! Hey kid!" Eli groaned at the voice. "Elias…! Hey kid, do hear me?!" The frantic voice of Nick clearly came through his earpiece now. "Damn it! I knew not to let you go after him!"
Eli then looked around him. There had been a small crowd around him. The rest of the people in panic after a rocket took out much of the front wall on the top floor. The building was still standing, but Eli was sure that that was a fact that Holocaust knew and willing to do something about it.
"Move," Eli grumbled to the people as he reeled his grappling hook back. "Get out of here."
"Kid, you need to retreat. Come back so I can check on-"
"I'm going after him." Eli growled with stubbornness while pushing himself up onto his knees. The teen eventually stood up and looked around, pushing people who were trying to aid him away. "Where are they? Nightwing? Captain Red? Where…?"
"Hornet!" Eli had never been so happy to hear a voice he found slightly annoying before in his life. "Hornet!"
Eli shoved his way through the crowds, finding Nightwing leaning against the larger Captain Red. While Nightwing looked visibly injured with blood leaking from his lip, Red appeared to be fine.
"They saw us," Eli announced. "We have to move before they escape. Or worse, they meet up with Killer Moth."
"You are one spunky guy!" Eli's eyes twitched involuntarily at Captain Red's optimistic voice and word choice. "But if we are not careful, mes amis, we will most likely harm the civvies, no?"
Eli looked to see Nightwing giving an affirmative nod. Eli was not worried about the people scattering out of the store in a frantic manner. It was not his job to care. His job was to stop the people causing the chaos. Yet, he knew that he was going to need help to stop Whale which meant that he would have to help them before they helped him.
"Come on," Nightwing said moving away from Captain Red. "We need to make sure no one is under the rubble."
"Oui." Captain Red answered before running towards the wreckage.
Nightwing looked at Eli. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Fall just hurt like hell." Hornet answered. "We need to…" His words were interrupted by gunfire from the floor below, screams following the assault. "Damn it. They're here."
"Then we take them down," Nightwing paused as he saw Hornet make a move for the escalators. "Don't kill if you can subdue. We don't need more-" A spray of bullets were heard, accompanied with more screams. "We're not them."
Eli gave his temporary ally a nod before the two split up. Eli found himself peering over a railing to view the bottom floors. He could see roughly ten slain bodies below which did nothing to calm his nerves.
"Kid, what the hell is going on?" Nick questioned.
"Whale sent some men into Kacey One. I'm on the top floor. They're down by the food court." Eli answered. "I don't know how many there are but we still have civilians in the area." The boy stopped momentarily. "I don't know the play here Hickman. I can't shoot in here with people running about."
"Remember those kids, Eli? Think about them. You have to do this." Nick answered. "Find a secure place with less traffic. Be smart. Don't get into an all out gun fight. Be smart."
Eli took those words into heart and looked around. Rows of appliances caught his attention. Refrigerators, stoves, cabinets on display, and just about everything else one would need to design one's home. Beneath him was the floor for electronics, and beneath that, two floors of clothing. If he was going to make a stand, it would be here.
"Oi!" Hornet looked left to see Captain Red walking towards him with a body slung over each shoulder. "Mort…"
Using the context of the grave tone that Red used as he lied the motionless bodies down in front of Eli, the Yellow Jacket could assume that they were dead. He stepped towards the two, both elderly women, and put his index and middle fingers on one neck and then the other.
"Damn," Eli said after finding no pulses. "Are there more?"
"Bien sûr," Captain Red answered. "But there is a lot of rubble to dig through. It'll take me at least an hour." The man paused and looked around. "Where is…? Nightwing, was it?"
"Dealing with the guys below. They came in with guns and-"
"This is unacceptable!" Captain Red bellowed. "I will go help him!"
Patience was clearly something that Eli lacked; Eli knew that all too well. So it was no surprised to the boy that the urge to shoot the man supposedly helping rose tremendously during Captain Red's rant. But he chose not to and the Canadian-born hopped over the railing and dove for the floors below.
Eli did not stand still either. He ran as fast as his pained body would allow and eventually reached the area with the refrigerators. Coming around a corner, he found three workers- two men and a woman- crouched on the ground. The three stared at Eli and he at them. There was silence before he brought his finger to his masked lips, motioning them to remain silent.
"Up here! Boss said to find the two that shot up Mylos!" Eli heard as he crouched down. "You two go check the rubble. Marco, you and I will check this way!"
Four, Eli figured. There were four of them here. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He could handle four. He would have to. Opening his eyes, he saw the workers of the place staring at him as if he was their potential savior and he inwardly groaned.
He was not doing this for some heroic recognition like Captain Red.
"Move," Eli whispered.
The three headed further down the aisle with Eli following behind them. Eli was unsure how he was going to get three whimpering workers out of the store but he knew that he had to. Not necessarily for the applause or any public recognition. Yet he had to do it because, to his knowledge, these two men and one woman were innocent. Maybe they smoked some illegal drug. Maybe one of them was cheating on their spouse. But they were not working with murderers like Tobias Whale and Leonard Smalls.
Eli could now see one of the emptied counters, the cash register long abandoned. He quickly and quietly walked to the man in front of the group.
"Go behind the counter and wait until I get there." Eli whispered to the man. "They're after me so stall them if you can. Don't risk your life for me. Tell them where I am. I'm going to put an end to this."
"Wait!" the man whispered loudly. "Aren't you, you know, going to save us?"
Eli refused to answer. Never promise something out of your control, those were Nick's words. Eli should never tell someone he could save them unless he was absolutely sure that he could. And in this instance, Eli was confident that he could survive. But he did not know if he could save them as well.
Rolling his shoulder, Eli crept back around with his a handgun in his right hand. He listened carefully as he walked down an aisle of assorted bed sheets and pillows. He could constantly hear Jade in his head telling him to step lighter, be faster, and to stop breathing so heavily. He could hear Ben telling him to be perfect- make no mistakes whatsoever. He could hear Nick telling him to be smart and not engage unless he had a clear shot or necessarily had to. And then there was his dad…
Eli paused in his thoughts. What would Army Ant say at a moment like this? It was clear what Malcolm would say to his son: Go home. It would be an order in that voice that Eli never argued against. As George once called it, the G.I Miles voice. But Army Ant? Eli had never met the guy in costume and did not know his tactics. So what would the Army Ant say?
Eli stopped at the end of the aisle as he heard footsteps approaching. He reached and turned the night vision of his goggles on before using his left hand to grab a smoke grenade. His gloved fingers felt for the Braille on the side. His flash grenades were smooth while the smoke grenades had Braille so Eli could easily just reach, feel, and know which was which. The last thing he wanted was to grab a flash grenade and blind himself due to ill-preparation.
It happened in a matter of seconds. Eli threw the sphere to the ground, creating smoke around the area just as the approaching thug came into view. The man undoubtedly sprayed, while Eli had dropped to the floor and shot the man in his knees. As the man fell with a shout, Eli placed one of his brass knuckles on his left hand and knocked the man out with three solid shots.
The smoke cleared to reveal a knocked out, curly haired man and nothing else. The commotion had garnered the attention of the other three but their target was not present. Just their downed teammate.
"Over here!"
By now, Eli had quietly jogged around the area, allowing the guys to run towards their beaten friend. His right hand now held three darts. While he was not as proficient as Nick was, he could still hit a target with enough time to aim and throw. All he had to do was hit them.
"Is he dead?" the shortest guy asked as the bald member of the quartet bent over to check on Eli's victim.
Eli took in a quiet deep breath as he took aim and inched closer. He just had to get the dart to stick. From there, they would be put out.
One dart… Two dart… Three dart. Each dart was flung forward with precision. The first one hit its mark. The second met its mark. The third missed as the short guy moved after seeing his friends' fates and turned towards Eli's position.
With quickness, Eli ducked down an aisle before the last standing goon unleashed a barrage of bullets his way. The teen kept as calm as possible as he heard the bullets rip throughout the area. Various cabinets and boxes were being hit and shredded by the lead being sprayed.
Eli listened carefully for an audible click that told him it was alright to attack. Hearing that particularly click, Eli grabbed one of his flash grenades and chucked it at the area where the last grunt stood. As the sphere soared through the air, he returned the vision on his goggles to normal and listened.
"Shit!"
Hearing that, the boy ran down the aisle at full speed. He spotted the blinded man staggering around before leaping into the air. One superman punch later, he had dispatched of the foursome. Taking his brass knuckles off, he flexed the fingers of his left hand while staring down at the two men that were hit by his darts; one in his arm while the other was hit in the back of the leg.
"See? You can beat people without killing." Eli growled at the undoubtedly annoying voice of Nightwing. He turned to see the vigilante approaching him. "I was waiting for you just incase you needed help. Red is downstairs helping the survivors out of the building."
Eli looked down at the smallest man and pointed.
"We need answers." Hornet voiced through small labored breaths. "Those two will be out for thirty minutes, give or take. Do you have anything to restrain them?"
"Word of advice," Nightwing answered while approaching him. "Always carry these." Eli was surprised when Nightwing revealed a few heavy duty zip ties. "Comes in handy."
Eli only nodded as he watched the hero from Gotham City cuff the four unconscious men on the floor. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jacket knelt down and picked up one of the dropped rifles. His eyes narrowed as he studied the gun.
"Same from the weapons cache." Eli stated. "You were right. Killer Moth is selling to them. Probably trying to extend his business to Dakota as well."
Nightwing hummed thoughtfully. "That seems like a smart play. Problem is why would a gang filled with meta-humans need rifles?"
Eli thought the same thing quietly. He was not well-versed in meta-humans and their life styles. He assumed that, for the most part, they were just normal people with supernormal abilities. They still bled just like the average person. But, he had seen Holocaust incinerate a guy without second thoughts. Holocaust did not need guns- he was a walking flamethrower. Did this mean that every meta-human was that dangerous or had dangerous abilities? No. But it did mean that Holocaust was preparing his men for something big that would make any meta-human arm himself/herself. The question was: What was Holocaust preparing for?
"So," Nightwing said after tying the wrists of the men behind their respective backs. "What to do with this guy, huh?"
"Back room." Eli answered.
Nightwing did not argue. Interrogation was part of the game- he knew that more than most. But there was a question to just how far Hornet would push his interrogations. Nightwing was unsure if Hornet could successfully question anyone or just scare people so that they told him what he wanted to.
Nightwing took the smallest guy with Yellow Jacket to the backroom. They found a desk to sit the man at before Nightwing went through his utility belt. Soon, he revealed some smelling salts and held it under the knocked out man's nose for a few seconds. The man came to with heavy coughs, Nightwing giving Hornet a pat on his shoulder.
"He's all yours." Eli just grunted, not in annoyance this time, but pain. His body was still sore from the fall and Nightwing was not helping. "Don't kill him."
Eli ignored the departing teen as he stared at his prisoner. The man was smaller than Eli was with small wrinkles on his face that led Eli to believe the man was somewhere near his mid-forties. That, and the few white streaks in the man's nearly all-dark hair had Eli thinking that maybe this guy was too old for this sort of thing.
Eli reached to the pocket on his pants where his dad's trench knife resided and pulled it out. The man noticeably flinched at the sight of the blade and began to speak quietly in Spanish.
"English." Eli growled. The man closed his eyes, his head dropping, still praying. "I want answers. Give them to me and you live. Don't and I'll end you, got it?"
The man nodded furiously. "I saw what you did to those other guys at Mylos. Please, I have kids!"
"Those guns," Hornet began. "Who did you get them from?"
"From some guy from Gotham! Killer Moth!" the man said. "Pleased don't tell them that I told you this! They'd kill me!"
Eli held the blade in front of the man's face. "I'll kill you. Just tell me what I want to know and I promise you that you will be able to walk out of here alive." Again the man nodded. "Who was at the meeting?"
"I don't know. I was stationed outside in front. The guys that came went around the back way." he answered. "I do know that the boss met some freak from Dakota. Some fire guy."
"Holocaust?"
"Yeah! Yeah, that guy!" Eli sighed heavily, showing his anger for being told something he already knew. "Look, I'm not one of those guys that they let into the meeting! I just stand guard!"
"Then there's really no need for you, is there?" questioned an obviously irritated Hornet.
"Wait!" The man pleaded. "I know that there is something going down in Gotham in a few days! Guys down there have been flashing the signal and the bug guy sees it!"
Eli frowned. "What in the hell are you talking about?"
"The light! Whale gave his people the light so if they are in trouble, the Moth comes and takes out the problem." Eli was confused by the statement. "You… You don't believe me do you?"
"…"
The man's nerves skyrocketed when he saw the Hornet reveal another dart. He began to flail in his seat wildly.
"Wait! Wait! I told you what I know! You promi- Ugh!" The stab in the man's shoulder with the dart sent the captured man into a world of unconsciousness.
Eli stared at the slumped over man before sighing and walking out of the room. He began to put things together. Killer Moth sold weapons to local gangs, gangs that Tobias Whale eventually absorbed into his organization. They ranged from smaller local gangs like the SRC all the way up to the top crime families such as the Sullivan and Mozgov families. And he (Whale) was most likely going to use Kord Industries as a front for his drug enterprise.
But it got worse.
If, and Eli was being presumptuous here, if Whale was in allegiance with Robert Pullman, then this went into the legal offices of Connecticut- or at least New Camford. It made the teen think that maybe he should let Jade kill Pullman if he is her true target. He could simply say that he tried but Jade got the better of him, which was a likable excuse. And with Pullman out of the way, he could send Nightwing to Holocaust or Killer Moth. That would leave Eli with a clear path at Tobias Whale and closing one of his father's remaining cases.
Eli casually took the escalator to the floors below with these thoughts in his head. Whale was obviously setting his establishment in New Camford. Whether or not Miles knew that before his death was irrelevant to the fact that the Army Ant's suspicions about Whale have been confirmed.
"Did you kill him?" On the second floor is where Hornet reunited with Nightwing and Captain Red.
"No." was the simple answer from Eli. "I'm leaving. I have what I need."
"What about the people here?" Nightwing questioned.
"That's his job." Hornet told Nightwing, pointing at Captain Red.
Nightwing growled. "You don't have to be an asshole all the time."
"I'm not." droned out the Yellow Jacket. "Captain Red saves the people and talks to the press. That's his job. My job is different. I stop the bad guys so they don't escape from prison and bring hell to another city." The not-so-subtle jab met its mark and Nightwing visibly winced. "So why don't you let me do my job. I'll find you when I have something."
"Mon ami, you are willing to let these people suffer while you go and get into a gunfight with those monsters?" Captain Red chimed in.
Hornet turned around. "I need to find Whale. You don't need me here."
Red went to say more, though Nightwing stopped him with a raised hand and a small shake of his head. The two allowed Hornet to ascend the escalators again and exit via the shattered glass ceiling.
"He is tough to talk to." Captain Red noted.
"Yeah," Nightwing answered. "But I've been around worse, trust me."
The next morning, Eli found himself just staring up at the ceiling. He never found Tobias Whale. He never found Holocaust. And he never found Robert Pullman. In fact, he never looked.
No, Eli went home and took a long shower before going to sleep. His body was aching from the fall and he was not in any mood to deal with Nightwing or Captain Red or any other masked vigilante in New Camford. HIs mind and body was near its breaking point and Ben's training did not help whatsoever.
Yet Eli could not sleep past seven the next morning. He was wide awake in his bed with his eyes staring directly at the ceiling. Ben had told him be prepared by nine (which meant by eight thirty) and Eli still had to return the suit back to Nick's.
Eli sat up in his black tank top and blue shorts. His left arm had a few scratches and scars from the fall the previous day, not to mention the small bump on his forehead above his left eyebrow. Avoiding his home in Mancastle was a necessity at the moment. If Leila saw him like this then she would more than likely attack Ben for the scars. So he had to stay at the apartment for as long as he could.
Eli found himself reaching for his cell phone before he could even think about it. And before he knew it, he was waiting for Leila to answer his call.
"…" The line was silent for a while before he heard his mother sigh. "You called."
"I said I would." Eli answered, his voice revealing just how tired he was. "I would've come home last night, I just got caught up with training and preparing for work today. I'm sorry."
"Elias," Leila said calmly. "It's fine. You're okay, aren't you?"
Eli sat quietly. No. He was not okay. He had Tobias Whale and Bookworm to find. He had Killer Moth delivering military grade guns to random civilians. His childhood friend just got in business with some fire-breathing meta-human from Dakota City. He was supposed to call Barbara but had past out from exhaustion. And Jade was last seen in his apartment and he had no idea where she was.
So all in all, Eli felt more than shitty at the moment. And for once, lying was only going to make it worse.
"I'm alive." Eli finally answered quietly. "I guess… I guess that means I'm alright."
Leila released a sound as if she disapproved of Eli's statement.
"I know that this isn't easy for you Elias. But I want you to know something." His mother said. "You aren't alone, Elias. You never have been and your not now. No matter how it appears that I felt for you and your dad back then, I will always love you two."
"…I know Mama." Eli stated before leaning back. "Before I get ready for work, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" Leila returned.
"Your first date with Dad," Eli began. "I never heard it… I guess because I never asked and now…" Eli swallowed quietly. "I just wanted to know about it."
"Are you trying to compare notes for your date with Barbara?" his mom lightly teased. Eli heard a shift on her end of the call and figured she must have gotten out of bed. "I will tell you how our first date went, but you must promise that you will never repeat what I'm about to say again. And this conversation goes nowhere near your aunt, deal?"
Due to the fact that her voice was considerably quieter, Eli got the feeling that he was in for a rather long detailed tale.
"I promise Mama." Eli responded.
Leila sighed. "The first date I had with your dad, he took your granddad's car and we went to New York for a concert. Your aunt had talked me into it and Maria had bought this slutty skirt for me to wear." A pause. "It was the first time that I seen New York City…"
Eli just lied back and listened to the story. He may not have caught Tobias Whale or stopped Holocaust, but he did do one thing that he had promised to do. Oddly enough, this one promise seemed to be worth it.
Author's Notes: So the dynamics of Nightwing and Hornet are furthered a bit more. Of course, their personalities will cause more conflict between the two later on. Meantime, other heroes in New Camford, Gotham City, and Dakota City will be seen in later chapters. Next time, Eli will be in Gotham finally going on that date with Barbara... And also beginning his long line of vengeance on the Mozgov and Sullivan families. See you then.