AUTHOR NOTE:

Hey! Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, fav and followed! Means a lot!

To answer a few questions; Sorry, can't reveal who died, but it might not be who you think it is.

Also, sorry I took a bit longer than I thought I would to update, had internet problems for a few days and got distracted by Arrow. Just bought the season and it's pretty awesome! I hope you enjoy this chapter; I'll try to make the next one a bit longer.

Reviews welcome!

CHAPTER TWO: DISCOVERIES

Gotham City
January 22, 01:16 AM

The line stretched taut in his grasp as he swung off from his perch atop the apartment block. The crisp, winter air sliced into his face as he passed, the icy crystals of snow forming little cuts on his cheeks and forehead. His fingers grew numb in the freezing cold, threatening to break his grip on the grapnel, but he landed with a soft thud on the opposite building's window ledge and retracted the line. Unfortunately, he had overestimated the distance he had to travel and his knees rang with the pain of having to absorb the impact.

"Nightwing, come in." A voice rang in his ear, and for a moment he thought of cutting the connection. This was a solo mission; he wanted and needed no help. For months he's been tracking a lead no one else believed in, and now was his chance to prove them wrong. Of course, for Dick, it wasn't about proving them wrong; it was about getting information that could aid the Justice League in their trial. The universe saw them as criminals now, and if he could help them clear their name then he would go to hell and back. And he knew if he asked for help now, they'll only try to convince him he's chasing after nothing.

"Not now." The cold air of Gotham may have stiffened his muscles a bit, but he wasn't about to let it affect his voice.

"At least tell me where you are and what you're up to?" He frowned, and instead of replying he made his way along the snow encrusted stone ledge, being unconsciously careful not to lose his step.

"Dick, answer me." It was clear that this was a command and not a request, and to say he was annoyed by it would be an understatement. The voice -a feminine, compulsive yet striking and commanding voice- belonged to Barbara Gordon, also known as Batgirl. It was hard to ignore his friend, his teammate and at times his voice of reason, but this was his to finish.

"I'm sorry, but I'm fine, don't worry. I'll see you later." And with that the connection was gone. As he reached the ledge's sharp corner, he let loose with another line, this time latching onto a lamp post overlooking Gotham harbor.

Dick knew this could be a goose chase, possibly a trap, and for a moment he doubted his decision to cut Batgirl short. Ever since they were young, before Barbara even became Batgirl, she always had his back somehow. He trusted her, but there was no going back.

His eyes narrowed as he watched a small, white speedboat pull up to the dock. The three men inside stepped out, dressed in white fur coats. Dick allowed a shiver to run down his spine, finally accepting that he was freezing, but still he wouldn't allow that to stop him.

He swung off into the night air again, this time landing with a silent grace atop the harbour warehouse. He crept silently to the edge of the roof, the three men in white entering its shelter. This was it, his chance to discover why the trial has been postponed, why Batman and the others were allowed back to Earth. They all thought there was nothing more to it, that the court had doubts and was starting to hear their case. Dick, however, felt that there was something they're overlooking.

He leapt down onto the roof of a old truck before landing silently onto the ground in front of the warehouse entrance. It was dark, and despite their coats being white as the snow, he couldn't see either of the three men. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stepped forward with caution, prepared for any attack.

"You came," a deep, husky voice rang out from the center. "I'm surprised."

"Do you have the information?" Straight to the point, Nightwing didn't want to be there for a second longer than necessary.

"Of course, and your end of the deal?" Nightwing's eyes flashed to his belt which was cloaked in darkness. Everything comes with a price, and if he wanted information he had to give some in return, valuable as it was.

"I have it," he replied, surprised at the doubt that rang out in his voice "Shall we?" As soon as the words left his lips the lights flicked to life, causing Nightwing's eyes to sting as they adjusted.

"Sit," the man with a golden ring around each finger gestured to a chair, the two behind him stepping back, locking their hands in front of their stomach. It was obvious to Nightwing who was in charge and who was the guards. He stepped closer, crossing his arms over his chest with a stare that clearly sated 'no' and 'get to the point'.

The man frowned at Nightwing's refusal and took the seat himself, the two guards remaining not more than two feet away. He raised an eyebrow, his thoughts racing back to the day Batman and the others returned. It all happened so suddenly, none of them were informed, not even the remaining League members. Superman explained that the trial was postponed unexpectedly and that they were allowed back to Earth for the time being. Of course they weren't allowed to leave Earth, not even Green Lantern, for if they do it'll be seen as an attempt of fleeing and they'll be charged guilty. None of them knew why the trial was postponed, and none of them seemed to worry as much as Nightwing did.

"You wish to know why the Justice League returned?" The man spoke, his voice muffled by a sore throat. Dick could smell the tobacco even from where he stood. "Yes, exactly why."

The man exchanged a look with each guard, Dick eyed them suspiciously. He had already observed the men and gathered as much as possible by just their appearance. He was sure he could take them both, their boss included if need be.

"You suspect that the League was sent back to Earth for a different purpose than what they believe? You suspect right." Dick tensed up "The Light has many friends, many who owe them favours. Some of these friends are part of the small group of people that will decide your friends' fate. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this?"

"You're saying that The Light called in a favour to postpone the trial? What could they possibly gain from that, they want the Justice League gone... If this is a trick, I-"

"You're wrong, boy." The man interrupted impatiently "The Light doesn't want the League gone, they want the League dead. The court won't give them that." The man's tone sounded frustrated, the seriousness highlighted in his words "They made peace with another enemy of yours and together they plan to kill the League and then destroy the Earth."

"Who's The Light working with?" Dick calmly demanded.

"I don't know, that part I cannot help you with." The man pushed himself to his feet, gesturing with a finger towards the guard while coughing. Dick fought the urge to frown, irritated by the rough cough that sounded like it came from a lung cancer patient. One of the men removed a small case from his fur coat and walked over to where Nightwing stood, pushing it against his chest.

"What's this?" His fingers wrapped around the small wooden case, the thought of a bomb crossing his mind. Nightwing stepped closer to the man and his guards for insurance. If it was a bomb, he wasn't planning on allowing it to detonate.

"Something that might help you. I might not care about other's lives, but I do care about my own. I don't want the Earth to be destroyed or to be ruled by The Light." The disgust in the man's voice echoed in Nightwing's thoughts "Now, for your end of the bargain?"

"Here," Nightwing threw a small device to the same guard who handed him the case. "All the security codes and access information you need is on there. Remember, we might come after you."

"But you'll handle it."

"I'll try," he frowned, reached into his belt and threw a marble like device -a gas pellet- which caused a cloud of black smoke to fill the room. Once it cleared, he was gone.

Mount Justice
January 22, 15:09

"Stop eating, you're going to explode!" The sweet sound of laughter reached Conner's ears as he neared M'gann's room.

"Can't explode because I can't get fat. Benefits of being a shapeshifter, sis." Beast Boy's munching soon replaced the sense of joy the laughter brought with annoyance, putting an end to his super hearing.

Sometimes Conner couldn't help himself, he saw his hearing abilities as both a gift and a curse. Of course he could turn it off and on, so to speak, but every now and then his subconscious mind would kick in and he would catch a few words here and there, if not the whole conversation.

He stood in front of the door for what felt like an hour, but as soon as he lifted his fist to knock, the sound of footsteps heading his way interfered and he stepped away. Although Conner didn't believe in fate, claiming that it's corny, he wasn't sure if he should knock and perhaps this was the universe's way of telling him he shouldn't.

"Superboy," Barbara greeted with a nod as she passed, her entire body tensed and her voice angered. Conner could see she wasn't in a good mood and he figured she must have returned from a mission that didn't quite go as planned.

In truth, Barbara was furious. The more she tried to hide it the more it showed. It's been a cold, long night and she couldn't close an eye. She found it difficult to sleep lately, every time she closed her eyes and drifted away, she would drift into a nightmare. It started to get to her, so boxing in the gym started to replace sleep in the cold nights at Mount Justice. She found it relaxing, soothing, at least until she spotted Dick sneaking out more than once.

Barbs knew he could take care of himself, but the way he treated everyone the last few days worried her, she knew he was up to something, and following him at nights proved to be useless since he always caught her. Nightwing's been missing in action for two days, Batgirl knew he would have informed someone of his disappearance, but no one seemed to know anything.

"Hey, wait up," Conner called and jogged until he was walking next to her. He wondered whether he would regret not knocking on Mgann's door, and he had a feeling he would, but he would rather hear what was up with Barbara than have Garfield laugh at his shoes. "What's up? You look... troubled."

"I'm fine," clearly she wasn't, her tone of voice gave it away and he didn't know whether he should poke the bear further on tiptoe away.

"Yeah, right."

She sighed "I'm fine, it's Dick I'm worried about. He's been gone for two days and I've been trying to contact him since last night."

"So he didn't answer and now you think he's kidnapped or something?" Conner raised a brow. Girls and their paranoia, he thought.

"Well no, he answered this morning, but briefly, I still don't know where he is and why." Barbs frowned, annoyed, frustrated, angry and worried all together.

Conner shrugged "He probably needs alone time or something, don't stress it," they entered the hall where Superman was waiting "This is my stop, see you later." He walked on, waving back to Barbara with little interest, his eyes remaining front. Conner was different from a lot of them; he knew Nightwing could handle himself so he hardly gave a second thought to Barabara's worries. Perhaps others would have, but all he could focus on now was the Kent's and how much he wanted this to work out. Of course he wouldn't admit that to anyone, not even Clark, but he wanted to feel part of something... normal.

Barabara narrowed her eyes in frustration as she watched Superboy leave without a care, and then she realized he was wearing different clothes which brought a smile to her lips for the first time in hours. She thought he looked oddly good, but extremely ridiculous. However, her thoughts didn't remain on the subject for long before it bounced back to Nightwing. Honestly, she had no idea why she was so concerned over him and whatever he was up to.

"Maybe Conner was right. Maybe he just wants some time to himself." She sighed, shrugging to herself before crossing her arms over her chest "I just hope you're okay," she whispered as if she was whispering it to Dick. It was difficult for Batgirl to pinpoint the feeling she felt when she thought of him, but in a way she felt she already has, she just didn't want to admit it to herself.

She turned around and slowly made her way back the way she and Conner came, her eyes glued to the floor.

Gotham City
23 January, 11:13 PM

"He's waking up," a blurred man with a thin voice spoke over the pounding inside Nightwing's skull.

"Good, time to find out where he hid it."

"And if he won't tell us, boss?"

"Then we make him beg for death."