AUTHOR'S NOTE:
So guys this is Issue 8 and for any of you wondering, I do write a few Issues after the other and then post them one after the other. So far we have seen Ryan fight Bruce Wayne, and nearly win, and him work as a Police Officer for GCPD and let me tell you, the best is yet to come.
ISSUE 8:
After that fight, training had been hard and brutal. Bruce was clearly aware that Ryan had some latent potential so he decided to push him past any boundaries humanly possible. Ryan realised that day by day he getting closer to being 'vigilante' material, his what seemed stupid idea to one day become the Bat seemed to be coming more and more of a reality.
Sweat dripped down his body as Ryan finished his run on the treadmill while throwing the bat-shaped ninja stars which he thought could be called batarangs, he decided he was going to create names for most of the stuff down here; instead of just calling it sharp object or cave.
Ryan grabbed the small white towel he'd left on the side and wiped the beads of sweat off his face and chest. He'd just done at least a ten mile run, though he hadn't counted, and this was the best he'd felt after a run in a long time.
He turned away from the fitness equipment and slowly made his way towards the large computer which he'd personally dubbed 'the Bat Computer' seeing as it's only real use was to the Bat.
Bruce sat, dress in a turtle neck jumper, blazer and suit trousers, at the Bat Computer with a strained look in his eyes.
"What are you doing?" Ryan asked, hanging the towel around his neck.
"Make a deduction," Bruce replied.
"You're following up the leads on the Merry men," Ryan said tentatively.
"Good," Bruce replied, moving the cursor across the screen to bring up a map with a large red dot in the centre. "Tonight we'll be hitting their main warehouse with full force."
"Cool," Ryan smiled, wishing that he now had put his shirt back on. "So when are we hitting them?"
"In two hours so be ready," Bruce replied, closing down the map. "All the data will be on the inbuilt computer which resides in your suit. And make sure your shoulder won't be a problem."
"It's healed up nicely," Ryan replied, looking at the small scar on his shoulder. "That was some nice surgery by the way. You'll have to teach me that."
"You know basic first aid," Bruce replied. "And for now you have me on the scene, you're my back up so I'll teach you it when we get closer to the time when I am no longer required."
"For a great thinker and strategist you're not very smart are you?" Ryan smirked. "Bruce you're just a man and you can't be everywhere at once, I think you should teach me how to perform surgery."
"That's the point," Bruce replied. "I'm not just a man, a man can be killed, I am a symbol which strikes fear into the scum of Gotham. And a symbol is what drives me and defines me and if I can't be everywhere at once, then I don't deserve to where the costume."
Ryan could sense how tense Bruce was about this so he just left the subject. "Okay, I'll go through the files now."
"One last thing," Bruce interjected, spinning the expensive chair round. "Bring a spare bag to leave in a bin nearby with your suit, Detective Connolly will need to appear, if not things could look suspicious."
"Sure thing," Ryan said, making a mental note. He turned and walked off towards the glass cases.
Detective Tom Jones sat at his desk, closing the final paper folder on his desk with a smile. He'd finally finished the paper work, alone he wanted to add. He put the folder on the pile and leaned back in his chair, clicking his neck which didn't sound healthy.
"Tom?" a voice said behind him.
Tom spun around to see Lieutenant Jim Gordon staring at him. "Yes sir."
"Where's Ryan?" he asked, his iconic moustache moving on his upper lip.
"He left sir, about two hours ago," Tom replied. "He's done it for the past couple of months, as soon as his shift is over; he'd clock off and go running for some reason."
"Oh, okay," Gordon sighed. "I have a meeting which I'd like him to attend with me but if he's not here that's fine."
"What's the meeting sir?"
"Nothing important," Gordon replied with a sigh. "Just a talk with a source I have, we have some exchange of information scheduled for tonight."
"Can I come?" Tom asked quickly. "I'm just as good as Ryan."
"It's not really something I could inform you about now," Gordon replied. "It's a kind of sensitive subject."
"Oh, okay," Tom sighed, spinning back round to the computer on his desk.
"Maybe another time," Gordon told him, feeling a bit guilty as Tom looked disappointed.
"Whatever," Tom grunted with clear resentment of being passed over.
Gordon turned around, his gun glinting in the light as he made his way back to his office. He flung open the door, grabbed his iconic brown trench coat and slid it on over his white shirt and black tie. He closed the door with a bang and made his way to the roof of the Station. This meeting wasn't just a meeting, he was meeting The Bat.
Luckily it wasn't raining as he stood on the roof waiting for the vigilante who would be arrested on sight of the Commissioner. Reflecting on it, meeting on the Station was a risk but according to the Bat it was the safest place and Gordon decided to let the Bat's wisdom guide him.
Sometimes he did wonder why he put so much trust in the strange hybrid of man and monster. He was an outlaw to the GCPD but he seemed to keep them from looking like fools who couldn't stop a man from dropping litter on the street. He was their guiding light, he may have hidden his identity from them, if he was human, but he was their biggest weapon they had against the scum that filled their city.
"Gordon," the deep dark voice of the Bat said behind him.
Gordon spun around, where ever he stood the Bat always seemed to come from behind him.
"What have you got for me?" Gordon asked.
"I'm hitting a warehouse tonight," the Bat said gruffly. "I'll send you the coordinates when I'm finished."
"Okay, anything else?"
"Tonight I'll have a new partner," the Bat replied.
"What?" Gordon said, clearly shocked.
"I have a partner and tonight he'll be hitting the warehouse with me."
"Okay," Gordon said, processing the information that the cold monster worked with another person than the Police, it seemed to strange.
Smoke began to build up and when it cleared, the Bat was gone. Gordon was alone on the breezy rooftop of the station.
"The Bat has a partner," he thought aloud. "What is the world coming too?"
And on the other rooftop sat Nightwing, dressed in full garb, using the listening device which the Bat had set up on the rooftop; a big grin on his masked face.