AN: hi guys! thanks for continuing to read this! I'm welcoming idea's for future chapters as I'm still writing chapter four. this one goes out to Charade14,who's having a bad day... HANG IN THERE JAYBIRD! [inside thing] here ya go guys!
"Nightwing!" screamed Miss Martian suddenly, startling her teammates. She ran outside, her team followed her not far behind, puzzled. What they saw outside was not what they were expecting.
About ten of Joker's goons were lying on the floor unconscious, another - who the team recognised as the one that had taken Nightwing out the station- had his wrist broken and was cradling it while screaming in pain. Joker was frantically dodging a bloodied Nightwing's fists and kicks while Robin was behind the clown in the arms of a red headed, green skinned woman that the team knew as Poison Ivy.
Suddenly, Deathstroke appeared behind Nightwing and pulled out a Taser. The villain shot it at the rod still sticking out Nightwing's side, making him fall to the floor and his back arch. He screamed in pain before falling unconscious.
"You didn't tie him up!" shouted Joker at the mercenary. Deathstroke shrugged. "I told one of your goons to do it. I was busy. Maybe you should train your subordinates better."
Joker scoffed. "Train? Don't be silly! Why would I train them? They're just people looking for money, and who want this hero out the way." Saying this, Joker walked up to Nightwing and kicked him in the stomach, causing the rod to go deeper into the hero's side.
"Nightwing!" the team yelled. The ebony didn't even flinch. He just lay there, motionless. Joker sighed. "You guys know he's old cold right?" he told the team of heroes.
"Anyway… We'll just be taking these two and be on our way! Don't interfere okay? We still have baby bird over there!" Joker pointed towards Robin and Poison Ivy. Ivy waved and walked over to the van. She gently put Robin down in the back, tying him up before getting into the passenger seat.
The team could only watch as Joker then proceeded to lift Nightwing and throw him in the back of the van, his unconscious body making a loud thud as it hit said vans floor. Joker cackled and tied Nightwing, but unlike Robin, the ebony haired hero was restrained with chains.
The clown prince of Gotham then turned and looked at the YJ team. "Just a precaution. We all know he's an escape artist!" Joker smiled at the team before seeing the younger and newer members give him slightly puzzled looks. He clapped his hands together. "Or… not." He chuckled and sat in the driver's seat after slamming the back door to the van shut.
The Joker stuck his head out the window and smiled proudly. "Bye-bye! Don't forget about the bat still in the station when you leave! I would love to see her face when she wakes up and finds out who's missing, but as you can probably tell, Nightwing and I have to catch up! Maybe even baby bird can join in! Who knows?!" and with that, he drove off.
When Robin came back to his senses, all he could hear was muffled screaming. It sounded familiar but the young hero's mind was foggy. Robin tried to move his hands over his ears but found they were tied behind his back with rope.
"Answers now. I have better things to do then be in here asking questions." Who was that? They sound familiar, not the nice kind of familiar, but the kind of familiar that sends chills down your spine. Whomever the voice asked remained silent besides their breaths being shallow and ragged. "Now, Nightwing. I don't have all day." Robin opened his eyes at the mention of his adopted brother.
He wished he hadn't.
Robin himself was lying on his side in leaky old warehouse along with Joker, Deathstroke, Poison Ivy, Count Vertigo and Nightwing. The villains were all standing around the older hero, who was hanging upside down with chains wrapped around his legs and a large tank of water below him. He was covered in more blood than he was when Robin had saw him last, his hair was dripping wet with blood, sweat and water and his arms were tied and connected to his leg chains. He was panting and gasping for air. The metal rod still stuck through his side causing blood to drip into the tank below, making the water slowly turn crimson red.
"I want a turn!" whined Joker who was pouting. Poison Ivy sighed while Count Vertigo snorted. "This isn't a game clown." Deathstroke answered smoothly. Joker cackled before answering "Are you kidding? EVERYTHING's a game to me."
Poison Ivy smiled and gestured over her shoulder, to where Robin was lying. "We could ask him…" the red head suggested. Nightwing growled dangerously, causing even Robin to shudder. Joker sighed before hitting the villainess over her head.
"HE doesn't have info on both the goodie-goodie Leaguers as well as their brats. Duh!" he laughed when he saw the surprised look on Ivy's face. Vertigo growled "Not now. But Joker is right. The little one doesn't know as much as the one hanging in front of us. So, Nightwing. Give us answers now."
Nightwing glared at the count. "Go… to Hell." He growled, his voice tired and weak. Joker tutted and grabbed the rod in the hero's side. Robin's eyes widened in horror as the clown prince of Gotham started to spin the piece of metal, Nightwing tried gritting his teeth until finally he screamed again.
"Nope. Wrong! Try again." The villain chirped, a large grin on his face. The ebony haired hero spat blood in Joker's face when he stopped screaming. Deathstroke snarled as he walked over to where the chains that restrained the villain's captive connected to a lever. He pulled the lever.
The chains holding Nightwing groaned as they lowered the hero's head into the water. The hero struggled on his restraints, bubbles escaping his mouth. After four minutes, Deathstroke pulled the chains again, Nightwing slowly rising from the now crimson water. The hero was still aside from taking in small uneven breaths while his captors smiled, nodded or in Joker's case, laughed while rolling on the floor. As joker stood, he wiped a tear out his eye. "Get him down. He isn't going to answer while he's unconscious." Joker ordered. Deathstroke nodded and walked over to tank, pushing it out the way before facing the unmoving hero.
The mercenary aimed one of his gun's the chains supporting the hero and fired. Nightwing fell to the floor with a loud thud. Deathstroke kicked the hero's chest, causing Nightwing to hack up the water he unintentionally swallowed. The hero then went limp again, his chest rising and falling unsteadily.
Deathstroke turned to Robin, who was still wide eyed and shocked, before he bent down and untied his ropes. "Help him." The mercenary growled. Robin didn't need to be told. He scrambled over to his older brother, shaking. Deathstroke left the two as he walked out the warehouse, following the other villains.
"N…Nightwing?" Robin whispered, trying to keep his voice even.
The boy wonder dropped to his knees beside the older hero before putting pressure on his bleeding side. Nightwing groaned but remained otherwise unresponsive. "Nightwing. I…I…I'm scared. Please wake up." Robin had tears flowing from his masked eyes as he pleaded for his brother to wake. "D-Nightwing please! I don't know what to do! Wake up!" he shouted at the hero. Robin closed his eyes to try and stop the tears.
Nightwing groaned as he groggily opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings on instinct, being trained by batman, he did more than he would like.
He was in a large warehouse filled with crates, boxes and nets. It smelt strongly like sea water and the roof was leaking. Nightwing turned his head and saw Robin silently sobbing as he keep pressure on his side. "Gnnn… Tim?" Nightwing's voice was hoarse and quiet. The younger hero jumped at the mention of his name and quickly whipped his head around, looking for the source. His eyes then fell onto his older brother.
"You're awake!" Robin said surprised. Nightwing nodded and slowly lifted himself into a sitting position, leaning on some nearby crates. "How…. Long was I out?" asked the older hero. Robin thought for a moment before answering "Hour and a half, give or take. We have to leave…" Robin was cut off by the sound of a door slamming open.
"Well! How are our captives doing? Just kidding. I don't actually care. I just came in to ask if Blue Bird over there was feeling talkative yet." Joker's voice was cheery. He was holding a crowbar in one hand and a trigger in the other.
"Get… Lost clown." Nightwing growled out. The hero moved Robin's hand away from his bleeding side and stood up, his body shaking under the strain. Joker sighed.
"Maybe I'm going at this the wrong way. See this? It's a trigger for some tiny little probes that are in your bloodstream. Tell me what I want to know or I push the button and you start screaming on the floor while you roll around in agony." Replied Joker in a calm voice.
"I told you… already, get… lost." Robin cringed at how much Nightwing sounded like Batman. A vein popped out of Jokers head as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Fine. If that's how you want to play it. Let me just say, these were specifically designed for you. Really, you should feel honoured." Saying this, Joker pushed the trigger.
Nightwing let out a cry of pain as he grabbed his head and dropped to the floor. He curled in on himself as his body started shaking uncontrollably. "Told you so. It'll stop in hours so I'll come back then." Joker waved as he left the warehouse, leaving Robin and Nightwing alone.
AN: okay i know what you're thinking... "What is this? two author's notes in one chapter? Izzy, what are you thinking? what is this madness?" well don't worry, this is just a kinda update thingy i guess... I just though I'd let you guys know I don't actually know when the chapter will be up, oh and I'm wondering... should Batman and/or the team save Nightwing or should he use his awesomeness to escape or other? Write in the reviews or PM me what ya think!