[Ticking Bomb - Aloe Black]
Nightwing stood from his perch above Crime Alley, looking down at the chaotic scene before him. The GCPD were struggling to contain the urban war between Black Mask and Carmine Falcone's men. Firefly zoomed around overhead, setting fire to anything and anyone he passed. Civilians ran for dear life as mercenaries from both sides spilled blood indiscriminately; anybody caught in the crossfire was dismissed as collateral damage as the hired killers fought for control of Gotham's underworld. If Nightwing didn't put an end to this soon, the results could be catastrophic.
"Nightwing to BatBabs," he said into his comlink. "I'm gonna need backup. Send everyone. It's getting really nasty down here." Grayson gripped his eskrimas as the reply promptly came. "Okay. I'm establishing an open line now. Robin, Red Robin, Red Hood, Black Bat, Batwing, Question and Batgirl, Nightwing needs immediate backup in Crime Alley. Alpha level priority. Protocol Seventeen." After a few seconds, the other young heroes of Gotham began sending in their confirmations. "Help is on the way, Dick," Barbara told him. "Try to get the police and civilians to safety in the meantime."
Nightwing launched himself from the gargoyle on which he stood and flipped through the air toward the street below. He landed with a light thud on the hood of a GCPD squad car, startling a few officers who had ducked behind the vehicle for cover. "Don't worry," the former sidekick told the cops, one of whom had drawn his pistol in surprise. "I'm here to help. See the bird on my chest? So can anyone get me up to speed?" The officer who'd unholstered his gun lowered the weapon and spoke. "You're Batman's kid, right? Well, they've got military-grade guns, that maniac with the torches, and some kinda...snake person." Nightwing raised an eyebrow. "Killer Croc is here? I thought he was out for the count." The cop shook his head. "Nah, this one's smaller, and quick as all hell."
Nightwing raised his left hand and gently pressed his comlink. "Batfam be advised. They have advanced weaponry, and Firefly and Copperhead are in the fray making everything worse. Rendezvous at my current location before taking action." A few short minutes later, the eight young heroes and heroines stood crouched behind the squad cruiser with the three police officers. Nightwing addressed the members of the Batfamily first. "Our first priority is the safety of the civvies. Question, Batwing, Batgirl and Red Hood, your job is to take out the mercenaries and clear a path for the firetrucks. Robin and Black Bat, I'll leave Copperhead to you. Red Robin, you're with me, buddy. Firefly and I have a little unfinished business."
One of the policemen raised his hand timidly. "Uh, I know this is kinda what you guys do, but isn't there anything we can do to help? I mean, it is our job to protect and serve the city." The former
Boy Wonder nodded. "You're absolutely right, sorry about that. Gather as many of your men as possible and secure the citizens. Get them as far away from Crime Alley as you can. Okay, we all have our missions, let's go out there and save our city!"
[Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People]
All at once, the costumed "vigilantes" and the police officers sprang into action. The uniformed cops ran to the left, toward the huddled masses of civilians, yelling into their radios for the other officers to join them. Batwing spread his titanium wings and flew right at one of Black Mask's hired men, who immediately opened fire upon the hero. Batgirl quickly engaged the man and knocked his gun from his grasp with a flying windmill kick, leaving him wide open for a hard elbow to the sternum by Batwing.
Red Hood and the Question drew their own pistols and raced down the sidewalk, aiming at the arms and legs of any mercenary unlucky enough to find himself in their sights. Black Bat and Robin vanished silently, stealthily weaving throughout the bedlam in search of Copperhead. Nightwing pulled a grapple gun from his belt and aimed it at a nearby rooftop so he could get to higher ground, and Red Robin propelled himself from the ground and flew to the roof alongside his older brother.
Before long, the two warring factions has resolved to an unspoken truce and concentrated their fire on the heroes. Firefly swooped down at Nightwing, both flamethrower gauntlets spewing out fire. Dick sprinted across the rooftop and jumped from its edge, tumbling into the window of a nearby warehouse as Red Robin flew toward the fire-loving villain. Firefly was caught off guard by a swift kick to the ribs that spun him in the air, and he and Red Robin began tearing at each other, both men attacking fiercely.
Further down the street, Black Bat and Robin finally caught up with Copperhead. The young Robin drew his sword and advanced on the serpentine assassin, moving slowly and deliberately as the silent Black Bat crept around the villain to prevent his escape. Damian gave a slight nod and Cass lunged forward, aiming a rapid flurry of punches at Copperhead's back. At the last second, Copperhead contorted his body, narrowly avoiding the attack, and swung his fist into Black Bat's leather mask, sending the young woman stumbling backwards. Robin rushed Copperhead, attempting to smash the hilt of his sword into the man's face, but the criminal managed to bring his foot up just in time to parry the blow.
Back in the warehouse, Nightwing stood up, dusted himself off, and looked out the shattered window to see Tim gain the upper hand on Firefly; the arsonist took a nasty hit from Red Robin's bo staff that sent him spiraling into a parked car. Without warning, Barbara's voice crackled into Dick's earpiece. "Dick, what's the situation like down there?" He craned his head out of the window and peered down the street. "Uh, I think we're winning. I see a chopper coming to put the blaze out." "Good," Babs said hurriedly, "because things just got worse. Way worse."
[The End of All Things - Panic! At The Disco]
While the heroes were occupied in Crime Alley, Scarecrow decided that the time was finally right to set his dastardly plan into action. He hacked into every broadcast signal in Gotham and began to speak. His voice was heard on every radio, his face on every television screen. "Good evening, Gotham. I'm sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming, but don't worry. What is about to take place will be an...exciting alternative." He let out a fearsome, gravelly laugh then resumed his speech. "You see, tonight, while your "heroes" are all trying to save half of the city from being reduced to ashes, I am going to teach you all a lesson in fear. As I speak, shipments of my Fear Toxin are being shipped to the sewage treatment plant and the reservoir, and a third shipment will be released into the air at midnight. Prepare to have your worst nightmares become a reality." The radio and television broadcasts faded away to static.
Nightwing sped away from Crime Alley on his modified motorcycle, listening to a recording of Scarecrow's broadcast in his earpiece. "Babs, can you track the signal he was broadcasting from and triangulate his location?" "Already on it, babe. It's gonna take a few minutes. In the meantime, I'm gonna send the others out to look for those shipments." Nightwing tightened his grip on the handlebars and pushed his bike as fast as it could go. A short while later, Barbara's voice chirped into his comm once more. "Sending the location to your bike's GPS." Dick glanced down at the holographic display on his motorcycle's dashboard. "Old Gotham?"
The acrobatic Grayson arrived at the dilapidated house in record time and killed his bike's engine. He hopped from the seat and slowly made his way up to the porch, careful not to trip any alarms or booby traps. Once Nightwing was on the porch, he reached out and gently eased the front door open. There was a soft click. "Oh shi-" he said as the house erupted in a violent explosion, a blast of fire and hot air hitting Nightwing square in the chest. He was sent flying to the ground, then skipped across the dirt like a rock across the surface of a lake. The last things he was aware of before he blacked out were the smell of singed flesh and a shadowy figure approaching him from the house across the street.
[Far Too Young to Die - Panic! At The Disco]
When Dick regained consciousness, he was tied to a chair in what appeared to be a dusty attic, and Scarecrow sat in a chair directly across from him. Nightwing struggled against the ropes, but he was bound too tightly. Scarecrow reached into his jacket and withdrew a long syringe filled with a pale green fluid. "Oh, you're awake. Just in time to test out the toxin before I release it on the city." Dick was unable to do anything but watch as Crane stabbed the needle into his side, injecting the powerful serum into his bloodstream. "I made this batch especially potent, since it seems like you Bats are immune to the other batches."
Dick yelled out in pain as the serum ran through his body; it felt as if all his injuries from that night were being amplified. And then it kicked in. The room seemed to melt and contort into a hellish nightmare. Dick struggled even more as he began to panic. Scarecrow stood up and laughed; to Nightwing, he had become a towering incarnation of the boogeyman, terrifying and devious. "Oh, so I'm gonna assume the wide eyes and tears mean you like it, then? Good." He walked over to
a small table and glanced at a digital timer. "In less than an hour, all of Gotham will join you. Too bad the Batman isn't here to take part in the festivities."
Dick tried desperately to calm himself enough to think straight in his fearful delirium. I gotta get outta here. I'm too young to die. I don't wanna... The fear triggered an influx of adrenaline within Dick, and he sprang up from the chair, tearing himself out of the ropes. But he didn't know where to go. The room was so dark, and all he could see from the flickering light of the sole candle was this horrifying...monster. He backed away, scared to go anywhere near Scarecrow, but Scarecrow kept walking closer, laughing menacingly. "What's wrong, Bird-boy? Are you...afraid?"
Dick kept backing away, reaching behind him for a door out of the attic. His fingers brushed against a cool brass knob. Yes! He'd found a way to escape this hell! Dick spun around and twisted the doorknob. Only, it wouldn't turn. It was locked. He dropped to the floor in despair, staring up at Scarecrow, who terrified him into paralysis. Crane reached out and grabbed the hero by his tattered costume and lifted him to his feet. Suddenly, something clicked inside Nightwing's head. Fight or flight. I've got to get outta here. If running isn't an option...
[Berzerk - Eminem]
Dick swung a hard left hook at Scarecrow's face, catching the man off guard and dropping him to the floor. He pounced at the Master of Fear, screaming frantically. "I'm not gonna let you control me, you monster!" Nightwing dropped a hammer fist toward Crane's forehead, but missed and instead hit the hard wooden floor. "Ah!"
Scarecrow used this momentary slip up to kick Grayson off of him and crawl back to his feet. He searched around for another syringe, his head on a swivel as he looked frantically for his briefcase. Before he could locate the case, Nightwing charged him with a powerful tackle. Both men fell over the table, rolling over the lit candle and knocking the flame out. Crane, not being a fighter, clawed desperately at Nightwing's face as the younger man easily overpowered and pummeled him in a fearful frenzy.
The adrenaline pumping through Nightwing's body began to release him from the iron grip of Fear Toxin and he felt himself returning to normal. He stood up in the darkness and grabbed Scarecrow by the collar and hoisted him into the air. "It's over, Crane. You're lucky I didn't completely lose control. When are you gonna learn? I don't respond well to terror." He dragged the barely conscious Scarecrow over to the locked door and kicked the door off its hinges, then walked downstairs and exited the house.
Once they got outside, Nightwing tossed Crane onto the ground and fell to one knee. The beatings he'd taken that night were finally catching up to him. He hadn't even been aware of the steady flow of blood that was gushing from his side. He was going to need serious medical attention, and soon. He fell forward and was out cold before his face even touched the gravel. He didn't even hear the approaching sirens.
[The Scientist - Coldplay]
Dick awoke on a stretcher, in the back of a moving ambulance. He nearly ripped the IV from his arm when his hands shot up to his face to make sure he still had his mask on. He did. As his vision came into focus, Grayson looked around the ambulance; other than him, there was a mildly annoyed paramedic, and...Detective Alyss Tudor? That couldn't be right, he must have gotten a concussion.
Alyss tilted her head and squinted at the injured hero. "Oh, don't look so surprised. You blew up a house fifteen minutes away from Precinct 5. I'm just glad Marc and I found you when we did. You're pretty banged up, kid." Nightwing grunted. "I've had worse, I'll live. But thanks for helping me. Where's the Captain?"
Alyss frowned a bit. "He's taking that creep Scarecrow back to Arkham. And if you've had worse than this, maybe you should switch jobs." Dick chuckled, then winced in pain as he closed his eyes. "No can do. I've gotta protect and serve my city. But I'm definitely considering a vacation..."
He was back asleep just as soon as the words left his lips. "Sleep well, kid," Detective Tudor said. "You've earned it."