Cypher wants revenge against Batman and his former third Robin. What better way to get revenge than to use the Wayne Family to lure everyone to their doom.

Subliminal Death

By

AJ

Part 10: False Facers Retaliate

"You're okay," Red Robin stated. Tears started to form behind his eyes, tears of relief. He struggled to sit up with the heavy chains wrapped around him.

"I wasn't for a while there. I was in a fog until Talon D realized what was going on. He must have taken over at some point." Nightwing went to help Red Robin out of the chains. He was becoming chatty. "Why are we here? There's an awkward burning sensation in my head. Is that normal?"

Cypher slammed his fist on the console. 'Somehow he broke my hold,' Cypher again concentrated on Nightwing's brainwaves. 'We shall see. You want to kill him. He took your place. He's just a poor substitute.'

Nightwing glared at the voice in his head, pressing his hands to his temples. 'What is going on?' Nightwing felt like doing what the voice was telling him to do, but he held back his actions.

'Do it. You know you want to. You have always been the best. And Daddy would be so proud.'

Nightwing's hands started to reach forward, but he stopped himself. "No! Get out of my head!"

"Nightwing, it's Cypher," Red Robin stated. "He's trying to control you." Red Robin didn't know if he could put a block on Nightwing's mind. He didn't know if he had that power. He might be able to shield Nightwing with his aura. Red Robin wrapped his arms and wings around Nightwing and spread his aura to surround his. While he tried to help Nightwing, the False Facers started to wonder if things had gone wrong. Black Mask should have come out of his office by now.

"I tell you I heard shots," the False Facer with the bear mask stated. "Something's happened to the boss."

"You could be right. Let's go," the first one stated and headed to the boss' office.

Nightwing was getting angrier. The voice in his head wouldn't let up. He wanted to punch someone.

"Maybe them capes did something."

The second False Facer pulled out his pistol. "I'll kill them if they did. Hey, you's three go check the windows. Make sure there ain't no more capes out there."

Red Robin could see that Nightwing was struggling. His aura wasn't helping him much. It was designed to fight demons, not block voices. Not only that, he could hear the False Face gang getting closer to the door that Nightwing had locked earlier. "I think we're about to be surrounded. We need to get out of here, fast."

"I hope they give us a reason to kill 'em," a man in a beaver masked stated. "No one harms da boss." One of the three went over to the window and noticed that there were two more capes coming towards the building. "Bad news guys, we're going to have more unwanted company."

The first in the fox mask grabbed the doorknob. "The door's locked,"

"I'll take care of it." The second used his pistol to shoot out the lock then opened the door to see both capes huddled on the ground and Black Mask knocked out. "I knew something went wrong. You two lying mutha fuckahs."

Nightwing watched as the door was knocked down and four men in total came into the room. Nightwing was shaking with anger, the Talon rising in him. ^Let me go Tim.^

Red Robin let go of Nightwing.

"GET THEM CAPES. THEY KILLED THE BOSS!"

"RAAAAAAHHHHH!" Nightwing jumped at the shooters and started to take them out with Talon D's help. He let his anger get the best of him. For some reason that was keeping the voice at bay. With every hit he landed Nightwing was starting to let the anger go. He knew it was wrong, but at that moment, Nightwing didn't care.

Red Robin covered up with his wings as one of the False Facers fired a gun at him. His wings were bullet proof. He didn't have the room to use my wings effectively. "Nightwing, don't kill them!"

Nightwing took the guy he had in his hands and tossed him at the guy shooting at Red Robin. Seeing how Red Robin and Nightwing were fighting back, one guy tried to escape. "Oh no you don't!" Nightwing grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him into the room slamming the office door shut.

Two more came crashing through the office window that looked out into the main space. There were six in all, trying to take Nightwing and Red Robin down. One of them went after Red while the others went after Nightwing.

"Take the one with the wings he ain't fighting!"

Nightwing knocked the one idiot in his hands out. He saw someone reaching for Red Robin. "NO!" He ran over and kicked that person down. "Don't you dare touch him! He placed himself in front of Red Robin. He ready to die if he had to

"Thanks," Red Robin stated. 'Give me a little room. I'm going to show these guys how close a shave you can get with these feathers." They were razor sharp and Red Robin was going to demonstrate just how sharp they were. Nightwing stepped aside and Red Robin used his wings to cut down the two remaining False Face members at their knees. He didn't quite hamstring them, but they would have some serious wounds to have to contend with.

Robin and Red Hood arrived on the scene to see Nightwing and Red Robin coming out of Black Mask's head. Black Mask was flung over Nightwing's shoulders. "Hey, looks like you've got things well in hand."

Nightwing approached the pair while Red Robin stood back aways. "Black Mask fell for it, hook, line, and sinker."

"What are we going to do with all of his gang member?"

"Tie them up, call the police. The usual."

"You guys got all the fun," Robin commented.

Red Robin was patting himself down. "Oh man, I left my emergency beacon in Black Mask's office.' Red Robin went back to the office and found the tiny beacon on the floor near Black Mask's desk. He picked up the tiny beacon and replaced it in one of his utility belts across his chest. Red Robin then pulled out some zip ties to secure Black Mask's men, but he didn't notice that one of them had come to. With Red Robin's back turned, the False Facer grabbed Red Robin from behind covering his mouth and put a knife to his throat.

"We're going to walk right out of here nice and quiet. If you try anything, I'll stick you with this pig poker." The man shifted his arms so it was around Red Robin's throat.

"There's only one way out of here False Facer."

"No skin off my nose, but if your fellow capes try anything, you'll have an extra smile. Move!"

Both exited the office and approached Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin.

"GIVE ME BLACK MASK OR I START SLICING UP MYSELF SOME RED ROBIN AND HE WON'T BE YUMMY ANYMORE!"

"Did he just say that?" Red Hood questioned.

"I SAID GIVE ME BLACK MASK OR I'LL CUT HIM UP!"

"You're not going to get very far," Red Robin said.

'SHUT UP!"

"Take it easy," Nightwing said. "I'll hand you Black Mask, but you've got to promise not to harm Red Robin."

Nightwing and Red Hood closed ranks so the man wouldn't notice that Robin was behind them. Robin was partially in shadow, which gave him an opportunity to climb high into the rafters.

"Put Black Mask Down! Then back away!"

Nightwing slowly lowered Black Mask to the floor, his hands rising to show he was complying with the demands of the False Facer. The False Facer with the fox mask grinning wickedly. He had no intention of letter Red Robin go. This was his opportunity to get rid of one the capes. "Sucker."

The False Facer with the fox mask was about to slash Red Robin's throat when Robin dropped down behind the False Facer and kicked him behind his knees. They buckled and the man's knife arm came up, which gave Red Robin the opportunity to punch the man in the face. The False Facer let go and Red Robin dropped to the floor clearing the way for Robin to followed up with another punch that knocked the False Facer out.

Nightwing smiled at Robin. "Well, I didn't expect that. Nice teamwork."

Robin helped Red Robin up off the floor when Nightwing heard that voice again. It was pressuring him to kill them off. Nightwing gripped his head. The burning sensation became more than he could bear. "urgh . . . no . . . must not . . . get out . . . not going, to . . ."

"Nightwing, he's resisting Cypher's attempts," Red Robin commented. "We've got to get him back to the cave. Caleb can block Cypher's voice.

"Let's go. Hood, grab Nightwing. I don't think he'll be able to walk right now."

Red Hood walked over to Nightwing. He observed that Nightwing looked as if he was in pain. "I'll carry you," Red Hood said. "I brought Red Robin's Red Bird. Just hang on until we get you back to the cave."

"I've got to get my bike," Red Robin stated. "It's clear across town. I'm blocked. He can't touch me. I have my old pocket computer in the seat compartment. I can access the bat computer. I could look up Cypher's history and figure out his last known whereabouts."

"We should go together," Robin stated.

"I've been thinking about this since I went after Nigtwing. Cypher uses electronic and digital devices. Robin, keep looking for any device that Cypher might have placed in the Manor. Check everything electronic and digital including . . ." Red Robin pulled off Nightwing's glove and found Dick's watch. Red Robin pulled it off of him. "Our watches. Somehow, Cypher is using a frequency through any and all digital devices targeting our brainwaves. Caleb was able to block that part of my mind."

"Will do."

Hood placed Nightwing into the car once the arrived back to where it had been parked. "Sure, you don't need a lift to your cycle?"

"Would be nice, but I need the exercise," Red Robin stated. 'Sammie had given me an extra burst of energy and I was going to take advantage of that and burn some of it off.' Red Robin looked around. "Someone has to wrap things up here with the police.

"Just leave them," Robin said. "They can't do much. We already tied them up."

"Just want to make sure no one escapes."

"Be careful."

"I will," Red Robin replied. "I always try to be. See you later. Careful not to scratch the paint."

Red Robin waited until Red Hood left with Nightwing and Robin in my Red Bird.

Continues with Part 11: Saving Nightwing's Mind