Chapter Nineteen

Ellie was awed at the sight of the tiger. That was a lie. She was completely bored out of her mind. The tigers were just lying on the ground taking a nap. Jamie had found a bug and was poking it for entertainment. Ellie was just waiting for Dad and Momma to come and get them.

Then she was shoved to the ground. Her head hit the concrete wall and she felt as blood sprang to the air. She heard a scream, but she didn't realize that it was her. Jamie didn't react. He wasn't looking at her; he was still focused on the bug.

Ellie looked up and there he stood.

"Damn," she muttered. "Can't you just stay locked up?"

The assassin probably smirked under his mask. He rested a gun on his shoulder. More guns were strapped to his hip and on his back. Bullets strung over his shoulder like a sash. Ellie wouldn't admit it, but he scared her. He terrified her.

"Why even bother with me? All we are is bait."

"True," his deep voice sent shivers down her back.

"Stay away from them you goddamn bastard!"

Ellie sharply turned to see Nightwing standing there with the angriest expression on his face that she'd ever seen. And that includes the time when she first started to patrol when she was eleven.

Blood was dripping into her eye. She blinked, trying to keep it out of her contacts. She was failing.

The assassin grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and pulled her close to him. She could smell his sweat and feel his heart pounding through his shirt. She was sure that her heart was pounding just as hard as his was. She had one thing on her mind. Where was Batgirl? Dick wouldn't let her go into the thick of things, that she knew. But her mother wasn't one who would just sit back and let other people do her work. She would be around here somewhere, and that could get bad quickly.

She rammed her elbow into the villain's side before Batgirl could do anything stupid. But he had been expecting it and gripped her neck tighter before tossing her into the glass separating the tigers from the people. The glass shattered but maintained together. The tigers were aroused from their naps.

Glass cut into the back of Ellie's skull. She was going to need stitches for this. More blood seeped into her eyes.

Nightwing sprang into action when Ellie slammed her elbow into the assassin. He slammed one of his eskrima sticks upon the assassin's shoulder. The other one connected with the abdomen. The blows caused the assassin to stumble backwards. Quickly, Nightwing delivered a roundhouse kick to the jaw. The assassin caught his leg with ease.

Nightwing was on the ground quickly after that with a blow to the head.

"Did you come by yourself Dick?" He snarled. "That would be a poor choice on your part. I mean once your gone, what's to stop me from going out and killing the only thing you have left?"

"Screw you," he spat back.

"Watch your language."

"It's not like I said f-"

"Dude! I don't want to hear it!" Snapped a young male voice.

Robin dropped out of the rafters. Followed by Cassie, M'gann, Garfield, and Connor. Each one had a grim face as they surveyed the scene in from of them. Robin's was by far the grimmest. He held up two fingers and pointed. Everyone dispersed. Connor and Cassie went to aid Nightwing, M'gann flew to Ellie who was lying in semi-consciousness on the floor, and Garfield transformed into a bug and flew into Jamie's face. Jamie's attention was caught and he began to follow the insect out of the building.

Ellie was delirious. That was what M'gann concluded. She kept mumbling something about her father.

"Shh, Ellie. It's alright. There's no need to, no relax. Ellie, if you don't relax I'll have to-"

Ellie was writhing in pain. Not only was her head wounded when she landed against the glass, but she cracked a couple ribs.

Nightwing managed to climb back into a standing position. With the team as his back-up this should end quickly. He charged in towards the fight. He was about to enter it when a hand grabbed his arm. It was applying a gentle pressure. He turned looking for his mentor. He saw Barbara.

"Dick, no. Don't strain yourself. You can't do everything. Look at Ellie. Look at her."

He looked over and wanted to throw up. Her head was lolling to the left. Blood was covering half of her face and drenched her hair. It dripped into her eyes.

Nightwing didn't notice that Cassie had been thrown at him. The young, eager blonde caught him in the chest and together they flew through the already shattered protection window.

"Dick!" Barbara shouted.

"DADDY!" Ellie screamed simultaneously.

There was a pause in the fighting before it picked up again. Barbara ran into the tiger cage to the fallen boyfriend. The tigers backed away from the intruders, unsure what to make of the new development.

The combination of being shoved through the glass and Cassie landing on top of him had effectually incapacitated him.

"Dick, c'mon, don't go to sleep. You need to stay awake. You've gotten a concussion," Barbara said gently shaking him.

He grumbled something. Barbara let out the breath she'd been holding.

The team was fighting a losing battle, and they knew it. This villain had done his homework before coming to the past. Cassie and Nightwing were out for the count. M'gann was tending to Ellie and Batgirl was attending to Cassie and Nightwing. Garfield had yet to return from taking Jamie outside. That left Tim and Connor. Even the boy of steel was beginning to slip.

"Maneuver twelve?" Robin asked the clone.

Connor simply nodded.

They began a two-frontal assault. Tim attacked from the left with his bo staff and Connor used his fists on the right. The assassin was unfamiliar with this tactic. In all of the studying of the moves they employed in the future, this was not one of them. But he was holding his own, after all he was-

He never saw the giant green rhino charging him. Garfield hit the man head on and he flew through the glass like Nightwing and Cassie had done previously. He flew through the air and landed in the rocky canyon area of the enclosure. He landed and didn't move.

They approached him warily. They were about to check for a pulse, when a frantic shout changed their course.

"Ellie! Don't do it!"

A/N: Don't hate me! Next chapter is going to be the last chapter and there will be an epilogue after that.

Always, Review! ;D