XV
Richard

Richard Grayson had almost memorized "Operation Corsair" as he sat in his military apartment at Fort Hood. The plan was extremely simple…. Army Intel had provided the location of the rogue nuke. Fly in unnoticed, steal the core, and rendezvous with the aircraft carrier stationed in the Gulf of Oman. He'd steal the entire nuke if it was small enough, but he had to bring back the core.

Dick felt he could dismantle a bomb in his sleep at this point. He had frequency jamming devices, liquid nitro spray, and more tools built into the suit. If worse came to worse, he carried enough HMX1 to level a entire compound if it were locked away. He was confident in the mission, whatever the outcome.

What bothered him was Bruce. The man who had fostered him, nurtured his sense of patriotism, and guided him to a life in the service had taken a wife even younger than Dick. It wasn't the age though. Billionaires marrying younger women was hardly noteworthy. No… it was the woman herself that concerned him.

What did they know of Raven? She was extremely powerful, of that he was certain. It was her motives, and sometimes her sanity, that Richard Grayson questioned. She was as far removed from a gold digger as possible. From all appearances, Mrs. Wayne led a very meager existence. Then there was the story of her demon father who would destroy the Earth…

But what could Bruce Wayne do about it, even if she were telling the truth? Certainly the man was rich and powerful. But against the forces of darkness? If things such as demons existed, what good would money be against them? Not much.

Perhaps his oldest friend simply humoring a mad-girl-mystic that wore strange clothing. No… Dick was sure Bruce believed her implicitly. Bruce was always trying to protect the world after he had lost his parents. Few people knew the depths to which Bruce Wayne had fallen emotionally after that loss. Like himself, there were times when Bruce had to hold back a tsunami of hate and anger single-handedly or go mad. For the past year, Raven had eased that burden for Bruce. He seemed… calm. So different than the Bruce Wayne Dick had known.

But at what price? Raven was able to manipulate Bruce's emotions, Dick knew that much. Even Dick could feel projected emotions when he got close to her. It was… creepy. Wives were always good at manipulating husbands, but this was something more. Could she control the man himself? Was Bruce Wayne simply a plaything for her? To what end?

Dick knew he could spin his wheels of conspiracy forever. Perhaps…just perhaps, two polar opposites had met and fallen in love under the strangest of circumstances.

It was a knock at the door which interrupted his reverie. When Dick opened his door, he was expecting to see one of his fellow officers. Instead, General Johnson stood in his doorway.

"Sir! Apologies, Sir! I did not know you were on your way." Richard went to an immediate salute.

"At ease, soldier. May I come in?"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

"Close the door, Captain. I wanted to give you this update in person."

Richard felt his heart drop six inches. A personal visit from a commanding officer usually meant very bad news. Had Bruce?...

"Nobody's dead, son…" reassured the General. "Are you alone? Can we talk frankly? This is a matter of international security."

"Yes, sir."

"Captain, you're confident in this new suit of Wayne's?"

"Yes, sir. The prototype was designed for me. I've had the opportunity to use it several times. Works like a charm."

"Excellent. I'm afraid we're going to have to bump up the mission, Captain Grayson."

"Sir, I know Wayne Industries will have the next two suits as soon as humanly…"

"My superiors have ordered that this mission is now a solo flight, for the sake of expediency. You depart at o' seven hundred. You will be briefed en route. I suggest you get some sleep, Captain."

"…Sir, yes sir!"

With that, Richard Grayson was alone.

1 HMX - Cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine, a military explosive.