AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Okay so this one is possibly the shortest Chapters I could write but I felt that what is coming next needed a whole chapter to itself, it's a real plot changer in the series and is going to define the rest of the series, trust me. So anyway, hope you enjoy, a review would be great and just keep reading guys.

ISSUE 9:

Nightwing extended the wings from the armour plating covering his shoulder blades and descended to a large rubbish receptacle and slipped off his black duffle bag. He slipped it behind the bin and pressed the temple on his mask which had a button hidden inside.

"My clothes are in place," he said into the microphone inside the suit. He released the button and gestured with his gloves, the mask picked it up and set the wrist band to grapple hook.

He aimed at the rooftop above and was suddenly yanked into the air.

"Good, now get into position round the back and wait for my signal," the Bat told him through the communicator in the mask.

"Okay," Nightwing replied, touching down onto the building and extending the wings on the suit, he was in the perfect place to glide to his position. "But I want in, don't leave me out on this."

The Bat ended the line and he could tell that the mysterious vigilante wasn't going to be told what to do by his new protégé. Nightwing flew through the air and safety rolled along the top of the building which he was posted on. Here he had a perfect view of the warehouse, the docks and the roads just in case the Police rolled in too early.

He set the lenses on the mask to night vision and magnification and crouched in a comfortable position, just like Bruce had taught him, he could be here for a long time.

He sat perfectly still, his eyes constantly scanning the area with his eyes, ready to instantly update the Bat if the need arose.

Bang! A gun shot went off from the warehouse and Nightwing instantly came to life. Either one of two things happened. The Bat had been seen and he'd dodged the bullet or taken it to the armour; which would protect him at anything but close range. Or he'd been shot and couldn't call him in because he was being beaten to death.

He had to treat this as a worst case scenario and that meant he had to get into that warehouse. He saw the window high up on the warehouse and underneath that was the power box which energised the whole complex.

He produced the sharp object he had named a batarang from the gauntlet and unfolded the wings from the suit. He jumped off the building and felt the rush of the wind as he soared through the sky. He aimed up the batarang hoped that his aim was good tonight.

As he neared the thin glass pane, he threw the metal object and watched as it hit the power box and killed the power in the warehouse. He tried to suppress a grin as the lights went out and flew through straight through the window.

He flipped onto one of the boxes and watched down below with night vision as the thugs and goons inside the warehouse were blinded by the enveloping darkness.

"Who killed the lights!" screamed a high pitched voice from the centre of a circle of armed men which was forming.

"Me!" Nightwing shouted, he couldn't help himself.

"What the hell?" shouted the small voice. "Who are you?"

Nightwing could spy the Bat moving in the shadows. What's going on? he thought. That's when it hit him. Oh fuck!

Nightwing watched as the Bat moved through the men, striking them on pressure point and nerve clusters, silently taking out the men who could hear men falling and breath escaping their unconscious lungs.

He hadn't gone in yet, he thought; wanting to smack himself in the face.

One by one the men in the circle fell, leaving the owner of the squeaky in the centre was left. Nightwing could see that the man was small, pudgy and dressed in an ill fitting suit. He could tell that it Little Jon, the boss of the gang which had been nick named the Merry Man.

The Bat grabbed the man by the lapels of his jacket and brought him up close, the blind man looked absolutely terrified.

"Stop the deal!" the Bat barked in a gruff tone. "Or I'll beat you until you do."

"Please, leave me alone!" whimpered Lil' Jon. "I'll stop!"

"Good," the Bat barked. Suddenly he smacked the man in the neck and dropped him on the ground. He then turned and stared at Nightwing on top of the boxes. "We'll talk later, get changed."

The Bat turned and disappeared into the boxes.

Fuck! Was all he could think.