Nightwing #17 "Time To Kill" Voices Part 2

By Mick Edwards

Nightwing leaped from the awning of a nearby deli, and landed on top of a squad car. The two officers started to get out, but he had already fired his jump line, and proceeded to swing away. The police chopper was closing in, and he could hear the voices in his head telling him to give in. But, one thing he would never do is surrender. Despite the police presence, which focused on capturing him. He maintained a good lead, but he knew his luck wouldn't last forever. He needed a place to crash.

After dropping down on an abandoned building, he secluded himself inside, and made contact with Oracle.

Oracle online.

"Oracle," said Nightwing.

Nightwing, what's wrong? You sound out of breath.

"I need you to tap into the dispatch computers," he said, "I need to know how many officers they have after me."

I can do that, but I have to know; are you hurt.

"Just my pride."

Very funny man wonder. This is serious.

"You don't have to tell me twice..."

Nightwing leaned against a wall while he waited for Oracle's response. He saw a rat scurry by, and drew a wing ding from his glove. He was all out of nightarangs, and given his current relationship with Batman. He wasn't going to bother asking for any more.

Nightwing, are you there?

"Yes," he said, "Go ahead."

They have half the police force after you, and that's not even the bad news. I was looking around the local networks over there, and I found a bounty on your head. Someone wants you dead.

Nightwing wiped back his sweat ridden bangs, and looked around.

"I certainly earned my stay in hell, eh?"

There must be something I can do. Let me call some friends. Perhaps Dinah, Roy, and a few others.

"No!" he said, "I don't want to bring them in here when I can handle it myself."

At least let me contact Batman, and appraise him of your situation.

"Are you starting to lose confidence in me, Oracle?" he asked, "you know I can handle this."

....No, I just worry about you. It seems like Bludhaven is only getting superficially better.

"I expected that from Soames," he said, "I have to go Oracle. Too much time on this line, and they could trace my position."

Let me know if you need anything, Nightwing.

"I will."

He walked towards the end of the hallway where a wino lie on the floor smelling of alcohol, urine, and feces. Nightwing held his nose, as he walked by, and found himself a spot to completely recuperate.

---

Bridget fidgeted about Dick's apartment because she saw him at the window last night, but he fled to protect her from housing a wanted fugitive. She bit her lip, wondering what she should do, when the computer behind her came online.

She walked over to it, and saw the computer upload several city blocks worth of diagrams, and then an address appeared followed by a print out of instructions. She grabbed the print out, and stared into the camera.

"Who've you are," she said, "thanks."

---

Tod and Tad laid Soames on a couch while Agent Blane planted a small vial in his desk. When the twins were done, they and Blane left allowing Soames to sleep off his high.

---

Kasumi stood naked in the only changing room in the compound. Like the other girls, she was forced to share the limited space with the men. One of the men around Kasumi's age walked in, his eyes wandering over her lithe body.

"Does my presence please you," she said.

"Uh-hunh," he said. "It does."

"I bet you would like to touch my breasts, or my fine curves."

"I-I would."

His lips trembled, as she grabbed his hands, and placed them on her exposed body. Allowing them to roam over like serpent that caught its prey. But, when he started to get excited, she bit his cheek and tore a big chunk of skin from his face. He pushed her off, and tended to his face. Anger swelled up within him.

"Bitch."

She licked the blood off her lips, and turned back to the mirror.

"Too rough for you," she said.

Kasumi could hear the man's foot falls becoming louder, and she shot a foot into his midsection. She then grasped onto the sink for leverage, and kicked him in the face.

He fell onto his back, and the sound of their scuffle drew the attention of several students. Kasumi simply walked by them with only her panties on.

---

Captain Rohrbach could hear the constant chatter over the CB about the fugitive Nightwing; so she switched her CB over to channel two.

"This is Charlie seven to Michael David."

This is Michael David. Go ahead Charlie seven.

"We have a go on item four," she said, "I repeat a go on item four."

Understood, Charlie seven. Michael David out.

---

Nightwing raised his head upon hearing a noise from the right. He drew the wing ding that he had placed back in his glove, and peeked to see what caused the noise. A bright light flashed down the hall way, and he quickly ducked his head back before being spotted. Two officers came down the hall with their hands resting on their fire arms. He exchanged the wing ding for a small, silver marble from his glove, and tossed it into the hallway. Allowing a moment for the smoke to thicken, he charged down the hall, and knocked over the two officers. By the time they could draw a bead on him, he had leaped out the window at the far end, and landed on a nearby roof.

He continued his brisk run until he came to the end of the roof where he slid down the fire escape to the street. A car pulled up, and the passenger side door swung open. He looked inside, and saw Bridget.

"Going somewhere?"

"You shouldn't be out here, Bridget."

"Say's you, Rickie," she said, "Now, get in, and we'll vamoose."

He got in, and crouched low in the seat as she peeled out.

"You okay?" she said.

"I'll be fine."

"I've been thinking about us, and the costume, and that other woman..."

"There is no other woman, Bridget," he said, "I tried to tell you that."

"Then who was the broad in purple?"

"An ex...no make that a mistake."

"Some mistake."

Nightwing looked at the smile on Bridget's face, and he placed his hand over hers.

"So, where does this leave us?"

"I-I don't know, honestly."

"Well, we will have time to figure that out later," he said, "for now we need to get back to my apartment."

"Won't that be dangerous?"

"I can't let the gear I have in there fall into the wrong hands," he said, "I don't really have much choice."

"Fine, but we'll do it my way."

---

Soames stirred in the couch that he had been laid in, and looked over his office. He felt diminished in some capacity, and he couldn't figure out how. He searched the drawers of his desk for his shot glass, and the whiskey he kept inside. Though, he rarely drank, this moment seemed like a good occasion to do so. He paced the room, but when he saw his reflection in the mirror above the fire place, he dropped his shot glass.

His complexion was pale, and his eyes were sunk in. He pulled the mirror off the wall in a fit of rage, and threw it at the wall.

"What's BEEN DONE TO ME!"

Soames assistant Deloris came in after she heard the commotion, and saw her boss standing over broken glass. His face was twisted up with rage, and he eyed her with murderous intent.

"Mr. M-mayor?"

He didn't say a thing as he walked toward her. But, when he grabbed her wrist she could sense that he wasn't in his right mind.

"What happened to me?"

"I-I don't know," she said, "I thought you went home."

"HOW could I gohome looking like this?"

The fear was evident in Deloris' eyes, and Soames let her go, and shoved her out of his office.

"I don't want to be disturbed!" he said, slamming the door behind him.

She stood there for a moment, wondering what the hell came over him; but, given his mood. She didn't want to bother asking.

---

Kasumi put her costume on, its form fitting design hugging every curve. One of the students handed her a katana that bore the calligraphic symbol of death. Sensei watched from above, and called her attention to him.

"Honorable death."

Kasumi acknowledged his comment with smile before she put on her mask.

---

Bridget parked the car in a back alley behind the apartment complex, and waited as Nightwing went upstairs to take care of his belongings. He packed everything he needed, and disposed of anything incriminating. Once all of that was done, he took one last look at his apartment before bidding it a silent good bye.

---

Captain Rorhbach and the S.C.U. gathered at the last known location of Nightwing, and split into teams of two to fan the alleys. While she believed it unlikely that he was still in the vicinity, she wasn't about to overlook anything.

A half an hour passed, and Sergeant Eric Dardan called out to her. She turned and saw he had one of the vigilante's grapnels in his hand.

"Let me have a look at that," she said.

She looked it over, quickly noticing no distinguishable marks, or even a serial number, which to trace it with. She handed the grapnel back to him.

"Come on, I don't think he's here."

"Do you think he's still in the city?" he asked.

"If he's smart," she said, "no."

---

Soames sat at his desk running his hands through his hair. He opened the drawer where he had his whiskey, and he saw a vial lying beside it. He picked it up, and a glimmer of memory made him toss the vial into the fire place where it ignited the nearly extinguished timbers.

He leaned back in his chair to let his mind wander with the hope that he could remember what happened last night; but, he could picture nothing from his shaky recollection.

"Damn it!" he said, "whoever did this will pay."

---

Nightwing had Bridget stop the nightbird at the Gibson bridge, and he came around to the driver's side.

"From here on in, I go alone."

"You're goin' to leave me here, Rickie?"

"You're safer here, Bridget."

"What makes you so sure," she said.

"Simple," he said, "they don't know who I am, and they aren't aware of any allies I have in the city."

"So, that's it eh?"

"Sorry, but if I stayed in Bludhaven. I would place you and the other tenants in danger."

"And you think running like coward is going t' protect us?"

"Who says I'm running?"

"I-Isn't that what you are doing, Rickie?"

"No, I'm going to check something out."

"When will you be back?"

"I'll contact you," he said.

He closed the door, and drove off leaving her to walk back to the city limits.

NEXT ISSUE: HARDBOILED

NEVERMORE:

If I try to be like him, who will be like me?

-Yiddish Proverb