Author's Note: 7/8/2013: It's been 10 years, but I've finally managed to finish this story—there's only one chapter left after this. It's funny, the story I started writing at 19 years old is very different from the one I want to finish at 29. Thus, I've restructured Building Bridges quite a bit. Re-reading from the beginning will be extremely helpful.

Also, I've lost touch with my beta reader, Lael Adair—if you're still out there any want to give me a hand with the last chapter, it would be much appreciated!

Chapter 5

"I can't believe you guys didn't wake me up before! This is totally unfair."

"Next time." Dick smirked at the bleary-eyed, sulking Robin on the monitor in the Batmobile. He'd grown rather fond of his successor in the past few years, but always forgot how much of a kid he still was.

"Robin," cut in Batman's not so amused voice. "Have you accessed the satellite's data stream yet?"

"Yeah, yeah," the boy said as he typed. "Almost. Sounds like this was a pretty sloppy exit even for Puke Face." Tim's final, exaggerated key stroke caused the Batcave computer to beep approvingly. "Alright, I'm in. It would help if I had more info. Any idea if he's still on foot?"

"Sorry, Kid, looks like you'll have to piece it together for us."

"I figured, but it's not gonna' be easy. I'll need time."

"You have five minutes," Batman said. "Contact us when you're done." He clicked off the screen and leaned back in the driver's seat, explaining that "he works better under pressure."

"Yeah," Nightwing said leaning back as well. "I'll bet."

Batman focused on the road in front of them as Nightwing shifted, settling himself so that he stared out the window. They drove in silence, the tension from earlier leaking back in.

Dick, as he always did, broke the silence. "Do you think there's more to this than just the explosives in the warehouse?"

"There's always more."

"And do you care to share what you think that might be?" he asked when Batman didn't elaborate.

Batman said nothing. Nightwing sighed loudly at his lack of response. "Of course you don't." He regretted leaving Diana to wait for emergency services with Two Face's injured men outside the burning warehouse. She could probably have helped defuse the mood a little, though to be fair, she'd been radiating fury the last time they'd seen her, covered in the blood of those Two Face had sacrificed. Batman had been able to calm her down slightly before they'd left in the Batmobile, promising that Two Face would see justice for those who had died in the burning warehouse.

And after this problem was put to rest… Nightwing didn't quite know. His offer still hung in the air between them. He didn't know if he was seriously planning to leave, or if Batman was planning to let him. But for the first time in months Dick felt something akin to clarity about the situation. If he wasn't needed here he would respect that—Batman had earned that much. The anger and frustration that had constantly accompanied their tumultuous relationship would always be eclipsed by everything Bruce had done to give him a better life. Nightwing had learned at least that much in those 3 minutes he'd thought Batman was dead. Bruce had been his family for most of his life, and though the sentiment may not have been reciprocated, it didn't change anything.

Nightwing was pulled out of his thoughts as the monitor light began blinking. Sparing a quick glance at Batman, Dick reached forward and turned it on. Tim's smug face greeted him. "Ya miss me?"

"You have no idea. Don't tell me you found him already."

Tim's toothy grin filled the screen. "What can I say, I'm kind of a genius. He had a car waiting for him. Black Suburban, license plate JXY3394 and they high-tailed it outta there fast. He even beat you guys. One-hundred-seven miles an hour, can you belie—"

"Robin," Batman said gruffly. "Where is he?"

"I'm sending GPS information to the Batmobile's computer now. He's headed north on Mortimer Avenue. Unless he's planning on swimming across the river, he's probably going to—"

"—detour underground into the old sector," Nightwing finished for him. "We can head him off if we cut through the Diamond District. Thanks Kid, we owe you."

"No problem. I'll suit up and meet you there."

"You're going back to bed," he was instructed firmly by Batman.

"Aw ma—" The monitor clicked off before he could finish.

Nightwing braced himself against the dashboard, still keeping watch out of the windshield as the Batmobile pulled hard to the left. The area opened up slightly, as the abandoned buildings of Gotham's underbelly came into view. A black Suburban about fifty feet in front of them sped down the decrepit streets of the poorest sector of the city.

"I see him. How're we going to slow him down?"

Batman gunned the accelerator to catch up, but the other car maintained its lead. "I'm open to suggestions," he said, changing gears.

Dick paused, surveying their surroundings. The underground was mainly a network of narrow, one-way streets. The buildings that lined these streets weren't too tall, but there were plenty of protruding fixtures that could be used as grapple holds. This wouldn't do them much good while they were behind Two Face—keeping up in the air would be too difficult. But…

He turned to Batman. "Can you cut him off?"

"Yes." Batman swerved hard to the left at the first cross street they encountered, and swerved right again at the next, putting them on a parallel road to the one on which Two Face was travelling. He gunned the accelerator, keeping track of Harvey's car through the brief cross-street windows, and when he was sure they had passed him, he swerved back onto the original road, now a good block ahead.

Nightwing had used the time to open the roof hatch of the batmobile, readying his grapple. "Wish me luck," he said before shooting his grapple to the gargoyle perched on the building they were passing. The line went taut as the Batmobile continued forward, and Dick leaped up, swinging his body towards the other car, and through their windshield.

Batman could barely make out what was happening through the broken glass and sparks of gunfire, but had to assume the driver had been taken out when the black car spiraled out of control and into the wooden beams blocking off the entrance of a rundown building on their right. He spun the Batmobile quickly, stopping at the wrecked entrance.

The building they had crashed into was old, probably built over a century ago, and protested with the groaning of its wood—the forced entry into the structure had stressed it beyond capacity.

Batman quickly jumped out and entered past the broken beams of the entrance into what had once been a lobby. He raised his cape to his face, protecting his nose against the moldy stench of the slow settling dust cloud the crash had kicked up. With hindered vision, he approached the dark outline of the car they'd been pursuing, though the loud hissing from the engine would have been enough to indicate its location. It seemed to be contributing to the fog in the room with a trail of smoke emanating from the hood. From the wreckage, a figure emerged, and he recognized the blue bird emblazoned on the chest immediately. Nightwing limped slightly as he walked away from the car, and he was wheezing audibly. He still managed to give him a lopsided grin, and Bruce was instantaneously taken back to the first day Dick put on his Robin costume. "Not bad, huh?"

He was glad his cape was hiding the small smile that had involuntarily appeared on his mouth. He dropped both, preparing to reprimand Nightwing for his recklessness. Before he could however, a loud guttural growl emanated from above them. He looked up to see a figure dropping towards Nightwing. With no time to dodge, the boy absorbed the impact of the man's foot in his stomach as he leaned back toward the ground. Once in full contact with it, he tumbled, throwing the weight off of him. His attacker flew backwards, but righted himself, skidding to a halt using his feet and hands. The floorboards creaked against the motion.

"I'll handle this," Nightwing said as he moved away from the vehicle and readied himself against his opponent. He winced slightly on his feet, but then hid all pain.

Batman nodded, approaching the car. The smoke was still thick, laced with something a little sharper. He ignored the odors and his screaming skin as he pulled open the driver's door, finding only the driver slumped unconscious against the steering wheel. The passenger door hung open, and a bloodied silver coin lay forgotten in the seat. Sloppy, just as Robin had said. Dent, clearly injured, had left a rather easy to follow trail of blood and wreckage as he'd flown from the car and through an exit in the back corner of the lobby. Batman quickly moved to pursue.

Running forward, Nightwing launched himself into the air, leg extended to swipe down on his opponent. The man leaned backwards, cleanly avoiding the attack, and then zig-zagged to the left, then right to avoid the spin-kicks now being thrown at him.

"You're trained," Nightwing said when his last side push didn't work. He didn't get an answer, but instead blocked three jabs and a cross to his face. "That's fine. So am I."

He grabbed the arm that was still extended towards his face, spun, and then shoved his elbow into the other's abdomen. As his winded opponent leaned forward, he pulled on his arm and flung the man over his shoulder and to the ground. The action sent a ripple of pain into his already injured body, causing him to relinquish his grip on his opponent.

With his newly free arm, the assailant spun on his back, kicking Nightwing's feet out with his own, pressing one hand to the vigilante's neck, and the other into his gut. Nightwing grunted in pain.

The exit led Batman through the graffiti covered walls of the underground sector, which stretched parallel to the untended rocky banks of the Finger River. The color of the markings was just barely visible as the dim light of the rising sun fell on the crumbling stone. The right side was clear, but to his left, his carefully trained ear heard the uneven scuffling of shoes against pavement. A limping man—he easily guessed who it was, and fired his grapple to head off Two Face. It took him only two swings to reach the injured felon, and wasted no time in descending upon him. Two Face tripped and fell onto his face, while Batman pinned him down with a knee in his back. The gun he'd been holding flew across the cement and away from the pair.

Batman yanked Two Face around so that he could face him. He brought his forearm down on Harvey's neck, pinning him. With his other hand, he produced the silver coin he'd reclaimed from the car. "I think you dropped something."

Harvey looked around as much has the choking grip would let him. "Apparently, so did you."

Push through the pain, Dick instructed himself as sweat began to form on his brow. With his uninjured arm, he firmly clasped the hand at his throat. He was able to pull it up enough to allow himself a breath. With more oxygen in his system, he brought his legs up, and wrapped them around his attackers waist. Focusing all his energy into his muscles, he pulled hard with his knees, causing both men to roll until they'd switched positions on the ground.

"Sorry, but not good enough," Dick said as he brought his fist down to meet his opponents face until the man was knocked unconscious. Standing unsteadily on his feet, Dick pulled sturdy twine from his glove, binding the unconscious man's hands so that he would be unable to move should he wake. He wiped his forehead to prevent the sweat from dripping more into the stinging cuts on his face. He'd touched his throat gingerly; the death grip his neck had been in moments ago was going to leave some bruises. He was still trying to regulate his breathing, inhaling air, the bitter scent of gasoline, and smoke simultaneously.

Batman brought his nose down close to Two Face's. "Are you importing, or exporting, Harvey? Tell me now and we won't do this the hard way."

Two Face considered then asked, "Where's the boy?"

"The hard way then," Batman said, slamming his fist into Two Face's mouth at half power.

Blood dribbled down Two Face's lip. "Left him with the car, did you?"

"The explosives, Harvey." He raised him off the sidewalk by the lapels, and slammed him down again. "Talk."

"That felt familiar." Bloody spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke. "You know, the kid tried this too. You taught him well, minus his Achilles Heel. Cares too much, which keeps him from being great. Keeps him from making the difficult choices, like you do."

Batman smashed his fist into Harvey's face again, trying to slam this game out of him.

"You didn't even think twice before you left him in there, did you?"

Batman ignored him, spinning him roughly to restrain his hand behind his back with handcuffs. Nightwing was a good fighter. He could take care of himself.

"I bet you didn't even smell the gasoline in your rush to come find me. It's probably pretty heavy in the air right now. All it would take is one spark to set everything on fire."

Batman threw him against the graffiti covered wall and pressed his hand into his throat. "Games don't suit you, Harvey. He's well trained."

"He's also injured. And Hiroyoshi isn't fighting to win. He's fighting to stall. Once I've had enough time to clear the blast radius, he'll be lighting that place up. So maybe the kid will have time to get out when he realizes what's happening. Or maybe the only thing you'll be able to identify him by is his dental records. I'm going to give you the same choice: make sure I'm detained, or make sure he doesn't die. I'll be honest, I'm not sure which you'll choose."

Releasing a low growl, Batman swung his fist hard; it made contact with Two Face's chin with a pop. Two Face slumped to the ground with a dislocated jaw, more blood dripping from his mouth as he lay on the ground. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was the sound of boots against the pavement fading away from him.

The smell of gas was stronger now even from outside the cracking building. The man that Two Face had identified as Hiroyoshi lay bound by side of the structure, but Nightwing wasn't with him. Bursting through the door he'd come through earlier, Batman activated his eyelets to see through the now thick dust cloud falling debris had generated. He easily spotted Nightwing who appeared to have collapsed just shy of the door while dragging Harvey's unconscious driver from the wreckage of the car.

Rushing to Dick's side, he scanned for a pulse, and found a weak one. He scanned the driver next, but found no vital signs; he had likely asphyxiated in the acrid air despite Nightwing's efforts to save him. He pulled Nightwing's arm around his own neck, bracing most of the boy's weight. Dick groaned and mumbled, "Just give me five..more…minutes."

"I need you to stay awake," Batman barked at him, and he reflexively opened his eyes, slightly more alert.

"Yesssir," Dick slurred, but he seemed to be pulling himself together. "Diju get…Twoface?"

Batman didn't answer, but kept them moving forwards, yanking the door open once they'd reached it with so much force that it came off its hinges. The air outside was still tinged with gasoline, but the burning in his lungs decreased. They made it to the edge of the pavement and the river bank. Dick collapsed to the ground taking deep and uneven breaths. Batman allowed himself a moment to rest as well; the burns under his Kevlar were raw and his vision was beginning to swim again.

"Two Face?" Nightwing asked again.

"Incapacitated about half a mile down the bank."

"Did you secure him?"

Batman shook his head, "There wasn't time."

Dick sat up, surprised, "Why no—" He suddenly whipped his head to look back at the building. Batman turned to follow his line of sight and saw Hiroyoshi, no longer unconscious, holding something metallic between his teeth. A lighter.

The man flicked it open with the whip of his head and threw it towards the now open doorway of the gas filled building when the flame emerged from its lip.

The building blew outwards, dismembering and burning Hiroyoshi in the process. Batman stood, yanking Nightwing to his feet as well and they both ran backward diving into the freezing river to escape the blast.

Diana flew fast along the river bank. She'd heard the scanners on the emergency vehicles she was assisting report an explosion in this area; the abandoned pair of Batman's handcuffs she'd passed confirmed her suspicion that it was connected to their pursuit of Two Face. She slowed as she approached burning debris less than a mile away from the cuffs. The rubble was dense and her stomach sank as she saw the Batmobile parked on the other side of the collapsed structure. She dove for the pile of burning wood, steel, and cement, planning on digging through each piece individually to make sure neither Batman nor Nightwing were trapped within it.

As she lifted a giant piece of metal, she caught sight of a massive figure emerging from the water before her. The sun came up directly behind the form, and she dropped the metal to shield her eyes from the light. When she could see again, gasped and flew toward it.

Batman, burned, cut and most likely with a few broken bones, was being supported by an equally battered Nightwing as they stumbled from the river. Bruce made eye contact with her before dropping to his knees and then falling face forward, unconscious.

To Be Continued