Marti and Tim were just returning from yet another uneventful patrol. It was close to three in the morning, and they were more exhausted from boredom. As they scaled the long stairway up to the suit lockers, the thick double doors for the batmobile entry slid open, and the batmobile tore down the main stretch at breakneck speed.

"What is…?" Marti marvelled, not recognizing this as her father's style of driving.

The car screeched to a stop, and the platform locked the wheels in place, and spun the car around. The top hatch slid open, and out popped a man in a black suit, with a blue bird insignia on the chest. He quickly spun around to the other side of the car, and hoisted up a unconscious, and very limp Batman.

Both Marti and Tim darted over to this, man.

"A little help here please!" The man said, ignoring formalities.

Marti and Tim skipped the interrogation, and did as he said. They took Batman over to the medical station.

"What happened?" Marti questioned, as she gently lowered her father's head down onto the counter.

"Ran into that hooded character in Bludhaven… Seems he has set up shop there."

Marti looked her father over. He had a nasty cuts along his arms, as well as a gunshot wound in his side. It was hard to get his pulse. But she wasn't about to take off her father's cowl.

"Where's Alfred?" The man questioned.

Marti cocked her head at this. There was something familiar about this man's voice.

"So you're Nightwing… Okay. That make sense." Tim casually commented from off the side.

"And you must be the new robin. And you are?" He questioned as looked over to Marti.

"Finch… Sorry.. But I'd like to attend to Batman now, and well… I kind of need to remove his cowl." She gave him a shifty expression, giving him the idea she wanted him away.

"Oh… You don't have to worry about me. Here." He pulled off his mask. "Dick Grayson. The first Robin."

"Damn! Honor to finally meet you!" Tim said from behind, offering his hand to shake.

Marti was too concerned about her father, so went to work on him, as the two Robins had their small convention off to the side. She began by hooking in an IV, then administering some local anesthetic. She pulled on some gloves, and got ready to extract the bullet. All the while she was doing this, the two boys continued to talk. This irritated her, but probably was a blessing in disguise. She needed her full attention on the matter at hand. Pulling the last piece of shrapnel, she quickly sewed up the wound.

"How is he?" Dick questioned, coming up from behind her.

"He lost a lot of blood."

"Do you have some donor bags on hand?"

"No need." She said pulling up her sleeve. She sat down, and tapped her own vein, and connected it into the line feeding into her father. She took in a deep breath, sat on her stool, and took off her cowl. "Its nice to see you again Dick."

"Holy shit! Marti?!"

She smiled at this.

"No way! I thought you would have been sent off by now. Wait… He's got you on the team?... He let's you fight?!"

She only nodded at this, and kept smiling.

Dick leaned against the table, crossed his arms, and looked hard at Bruce. "So your telling me, your dad, Batman, let's his little baby girl crime fight by his side."

"Yes." She confirmed

"Wow… Just… Wow." He stood up, and walked off toward the top steps leading to the library. "Well… I'm going to be staying here for the night. We will talk later. For now I think I will say hi to Alfred."

"I'll go with you." Tim eagerly added, as he followed Dick up the stairs.

As soon as they closed the door behind them she rested her head down on her crossed arms. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor, and her father's deep breaths made her keenly aware of how tired she was. If it weren't for the constant pinching at her arm, she could relax, and maybe sleep. Eventually the low grumble of her father rousing cancelled out the white noise.

"Marti?" He grumbled, as he tried to pull himself up.

She quickly held down his shoulder, preventing this. "Oh no you don't." She then quickly stood, and looked over his dressings. "I don't need you popping your stitches."

He lifted his arm and looked over the its patched up cuts.

"So what happened to 'keeping me close?'"

He didn't look at her with this.

"Dad! Dick brought you back tonight."

"I know. Don't remind me."

She shook her head at this. "Well if he weren't there, you may not be alive now." She sat up, and set the timer for the transfusion dial.

All the while he remained still, not saying a word.

Getting frustrated with him she took in a deep breath. "You could say 'I'm sorry Marti,' or maybe not lie to me about what's going on. But that wouldn't be your way. No… You just keep me in the dark."

He remained still, and continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"This is pointless…" She slumped down, and buried her head in her arms on the edge of the counter. "Wake me when the timer goes off."

A couple hours pass, and all the while Bruce could not sleep. His mind's eye was racing over every move of the hooded assailant. All his attacks were perfectly negated. This person either had profiled him for some time, or perhaps could read his mind. The latter wasn't unheard of. With all the all illegal genetic experiments, as well as the superhuman people popping up left and right, it wouldn't be too out of the question. In addition he couldn't find any connections. This person worked rogue, and had no ties or past.

Looking over to his side, he could only see Marti's wavy locks flowing over her still crossed arms. She was asleep. The timer and pump had long gone off, but he didn't want to disturb her. Frankly he didn't want to deal with talking with her yet. There was nothing he could say at this time. He wasn't sorry for not bringing her with him. If he did, he was certain she would have been in his present condition, or worse.

"You finally awake?" Dick questioned as he walked down the main steps.

Bruce carefully sat up, and slid his legs over the edge of the counter.

Dick pulled up a chair, and sat down. He looked over to the still sleeping Marti. "I can't believe you got her involved in this."

"She chose this, I didn't make her."

Dick briefly had a very knowing smile on his face, but shook it off. "She's a good kid Bruce. Just don't do what you did with me. Blood related or not, it will push her away."

Bruce looked down with this. Though they had run into each other several times since Dick left, they had never broached this subject.

"Well… I'm going to borrow one of the bikes to get home." Dick stood up, and began to head over to the side garage.

"Thank you Dick."

Dick, nearly tripped when he heard this, and turned round, to confirm it really happened.

Bruce was busy untangling the line of tubing around Marti's arms, ignoring Dicks reaction.

"You need some help with that?" Dick questioned, thinking that perhaps Bruce was more injured than he let on.

"No, I got this. You best go before first light."

"Tell Marti I'll visit soon."

Bruce nodded, and went back to work with her arm.

If it wasn't the distant sound of a motorcycle starting up, it was definitely the pinching sensation of her father pulling the needle from her arm. "Ehh… What's going on?"

"Dick just took off."

She glanced over to the closing cave hatch with disappointment. "Typical Dick…"

Bruce taped some gauze over her vein, and discarded the tubing. He was trying his best to not show how uneasy he was on his feet.

Marti could see right through this. "Alright, I'm taking you up to your room. Enough of this act old man." She pulled his arm over her shoulder, and lead him up the stairs.

She shook a little from the weight of her father bearing down on her. She took after her mother in stature, yes she could do this, but her 5'6" to his 6'2" was a little troublesome when it came to stairs.

"Okay… Phew!" She said as she lowered him down onto his bed. "Alright, you sleep. And if I catch you taking off before you tell me, I will personally hunt you down."

They both shared a classic Wayne glare with this. But Marti was always able to win this battle by kissing him on the forehead, and saying "love you dad!" She smiled at his usual disarmed reaction to this, and turned on her heel. "We got that stupid opera thing tomorrow night with Veronica… Do we have to go?"

"You mean tonight." He said squinting at the dim light of dawn coming over the horizon.

"Whatever."

"Its a Veronica Vreeland event… Attendance to her events is never optional."

"Thought it was worth a try… Seeing as you were shot, and probably have a sprained ankle."

"You'll just have to carry most of the conversations for me."

She rolled her eyes with this as she left his room.