I fought the urge to gulp as Jason Todd stood over me, the gaze of his red mask piercing right through my being. This couldn't be how this ends! Bested by the enemy when Gotham needed me most?

"I've got Robin," the Arkham Knight announced to his men over his radio. "The rest of you keep an eye on the Commissioner."

"Jason, listen to me," I hissed urgently, slowly pulling myself to my feet. "Things don't have to be this way. You're better than this. You were a hero! You and Bruce-"

"Don't you dare mention his name!" Jason growled, stepping ever closer. "He never understood me, just because I wanted to do things differently! If he had just gotten rid of people like the Joker, we wouldn't be in this God damned conflict right now!"

I honestly wasn't sure how to counter that argument. What the Knight claimed wasn't exactly false. Still, I pressed on, trying to make him see my point of view.

"Jason, I'm not gonna pretend to understand what you went through," I began shakily due to the pain in my body and limbs. "But was it worth terrorizing Gotham? All this killing and kidnapping?" My worry for Barbara gnawed at the back of my mind. Her whereabouts after her run-in with the Arkham Knight were still unknown to me.

"You're never gonna succeed, if that's what you think. But, there's always another way. We can stop Scarecrow, make Gotham safer than it ever was," I said, extending my hand to him. "I...we can help you."

The Arkham Knight's mask tilted down to my hand, and he holstered one of his handguns. I took a deep breath. Was this really working? Could I keep this up and escape this situation?

My meager hopes were effectively dashed when he grabbed my arm in a bone-crushing grip. He yanked me towards him as his red mask pulled away from his face once more.

"There's no helping me," Jason hissed lowly, pushing my chin up with his gun and forcing me to look into those tortured eyes again. "Does this look like the face of someone who wants to be your BFF? The only reason you're even breathing right now is so that you can tell me where the Bat is hiding. Am I clear?"

I glared up at the former Robin. Sure, Batman may have lied to me, kept me cooped up in the movie studios when I could have been saving Barbara, but he was my mentor and family first. I couldn't let Jason find him in the weakened state he was currently in.

"That's not gonna happen," I replied cooly. "And have you ever heard of breath mints, man? I hear they're great."

Jason blinked and pulled back slightly. He probably wasn't expecting me to be a smartass, and he played right into my hands. I flicked my staff upward, shoving his gun away from my face. A small dispenser in my staff sprayed the Arkham Knight with a sensory-blocking solution. He snarled angrily, firing blindly with one hand and wiping his face with the other.

Bullets flew inches past me and my ears rang from the sharp blasts. Wasting no time, I kicked Jason away and took off toward the main concourse. I grappled up high and caught sight of the remaining enemy soldiers surrounding Commissioner Gordon. I pitied the man, having to sit there and listen to our drama without being able to act.

"Damn it! He got away," Jason growled through the frequency, "But he's weak. Two of you, go apprehend him! Keep your eyes on the shadows!"

I watched as two of the militiamen separated themselves from the group and headed down the escalators. I activated my mask's scanning mode, but caught no sign of Jason. His armor must have been deflecting my optics somehow. I grimaced. Not only that, the pains of my acquired injuries were making it hard to concentrate. I knew I had to end this soon.

I was snapped out of my stupor by the sound of combat boots stepping my way. Looking down, I noticed the two militiamen pacing around near my perch.

"Sounds like the boss is losing his cool," one of the soldiers huffed, checking his machine gun.

"I'm not surprised," the other replied, "There's rumors going around that he's got some type of history with these people."

"Really? I didn't...is that blood?" the soldier wondered out loud, crouching down below my perch. Sure enough, a small trail of crimson stretched across the concourse, ending in a small pool below my position. I chanced a glance at my injured arm. The gash was still bleeding, blood dripping down my sleeve. I didn't have time to tend to it now, but those two soldiers could look up any second and spot me. It looked like another distraction was in order.

I fished a shuriken out of my utility belt, scanning for any target I could use to get their attention. My eyes landed on the military drone patrolling from above. If I could knock it down, it may occupy those two long enough for me to restrategize. As I was raising my arm to launch the shuriken, my mask highlighted someone sneaking around in the vents I'd used to enter this bunker. I froze. Was this a friend, or another foe?

All of a sudden, a blur of blue and black shot up from underneath the unaware militiamen's feet. Twin electric escrima sticks twirled and jabbed with force, making short work of the men guarding Commissioner Gordon.

Relief washed through my system. Nightwing!

"Hey! Who's that?" One of the men below me shouted, both of them aiming their firearms at the vigilante. With a sharp flick of my arm, my shuriken sailed right into the drone's propellers, sending it spinning to the ground. The two soldiers dove to avoid the crashing aircraft, and I took that opportunity to pounce.

I landed on both unsuspecting soldiers' backs, knocking the wind out of them both and sending them straight into the ground. With a few more well-aimed stomps, they were both sleeping sounder than babies.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Checking my surroundings one last time, I caught no sight of Jason nearby. I quickly made my way to the balcony to help free the Commissioner. I was glad to finally meet an ally in this tough fight.