We watched warily as more of Scarecrow's men disembarked from the helicopter, lead by two gargantuan mercs. Their entire bodies hidden by thick armor, the two were each armed with retractable blades and shields. Jason's elite brutes certainly were intimidating bulwarks, and taking them down was likely to prove a challenge.

"We're the best, Batbrats," the one on our left boasted, flexing his weaponry as his armor sparked with electricity. "You won't keep up with us!"

I tried not to gulp as I pulled out my bo staff, standing my ground next to Nightwing. Red Hood remained in front of us, looking surprisingly relaxed in the face of our hardy foes.

"Leave these two to me," he called back to us. Some of the militiamen flanking the brutes glanced and murmured at each other uneasily. Had the appearance of this new vigilante unsettled them? Or had Slade and Crane revealed the identity of the Red Hood to them so quickly?

"Are you sure?" Dick inquired intently, blue eyes scanning our opponents as he twirled his escrima sticks.

"Don't doubt me," Jason retorted with an air of confidence, "I taught them everything they know."

By now, the soldiers looked tense and ready to charge. Suddenly, Red Hood's hands moved to the holsters on his thighs and, before I could blink, two throwing knives found their way into weak points on the two brute's legs. They howled furiously, launching themselves at Jason despite their disabling wounds.

Meanwhile, Nightwing and I jumped back as I threw several shurikens at the rest of the militiamen to taunt them. They took the bait, storming angrily past our occupied comrade with their fists raised.

"Oracle!" I cried as one of the men stepped over a grating highlighted by my mask. A blast of unforgivably freezing air engulfed the unfortunate merc, rendering him an armored icicle. His companions gawked at the sight, leaving an opening that Dick and I took to our full advantage. We rushed in, easily countering their strikes and putting them down, one by one.

As I took care of an especially frustrating medic, I chanced a glance back at Red Hood. He moved between his opponents with blinding speed, dodging their deadly blades and attacking the weak points only he was privy to. The brutes' attacks grew wider and sloppier as their vexation and wounds took their toll. As their fight moved further from the helipad, Jason missed a step and stumbled. This small loss of balance was enough for one of the brutes to bumrush the vigilante and slam him onto the hard roof. His meaty, gloved hands immediately wrapped themselves around the Red Hood's neck in a crushing grip. Jason grabbed at his former elite's arms, legs kicking uselessly as he gasped for breath. The other brute closed in, fists sparking and ready for a beatdown.

"Oh no, you don't!" growled Nightwing, shoving an irate merc away from him and into the wall. He sped over to his brother's side, barrelling right into the man holding Jason down. An electrified escrima stick was slammed into the brute's helmet, knocking him aside as if he weren't a towering wall of muscle. Dick wheeled around, leaping over Jason's prone form and attacking the second brute with a barrage of strikes. Even with his shield and blades, the soldier could not keep up with Nightwing's acrobatic movements. Finally, he landed a powerful kick to his opponent's gut, pushing him into the electrified fence near the elevator. Needless to say, Barbara made short work of the poor merc.

After dispatching the last of our opposition, I ran over to where Dick was helping Jason to his feet. Both looked a little worse for wear, but were mostly unharmed.

"Damn, Nightwing," grumbled the Red Hood as he massaged his neck. "You're pretty scary when you get all riled up."

I could only nod in agreement. I could count the number of times I'd seen Dick fight so ferociously on my fingers.

"I'm just glad you're alright, Little Wing," he replied with a warm smile. "Remember to call for backup next time, OK?"

Jason blinked silently, taken aback by the affectionate nickname he probably hadn't heard in years. He bit his lip, shifting his gaze down to his combat boots. Despite everything Jason had been through, it was obvious that the name still held some sentimental value.

The uneasy silence between us was broken by the beeping of our comm links. My hand immediately flew up to my ear. "Oracle?" I asked, eager to hear that she and the rest of GCPD were safe and sound.

"Don't worry, we're safe," she replied, a smile in her voice. "Great work, team!"

"There's a lot of people looking to thank all of you," Cash joined in, relief in his voice. "And I'm one of them. It looked bad for a minute there."

"No problem," Dick chuckled, "We're just doing our job."

"'Our' job?" Jason questioned indignantly, earning two glares too tired to hold much heat.

"Thanks, Aaron, but you don't need to...Oh, God," Barbara gasped suddenly.

"What is it?" I asked, the three of us tensing up in preparation for yet another conflict.

"I think Scarecrow's at the movie studios," she replied in alarm. "Dad's voice was just used to gain access!"

"No," I murmured in horror. My eyes would've popped out of my skull if they grew any wider. I wheeled around, catching sight of the dilapidated building our mentor was trapped in.

"They found him."