It all ends- or begins- here.
The Joker has fled with his new Harley Quinn in tow- to Arkham. Robin's been gravely injured- and Batman and Robin are out for the count. Everything falls on Nightwing's shoulders, now. Harley sees in him more of his father than she'd like.
If they make it to Arkham in time, they may be able to stop the prison-break that the Joker has begun. If they don't- countless deadly and unstable inmates could be released into the Gotham streets- and oh what a distraction it could be.
Nightwing called the Batmobile, and the vehicle drove itself to their location. They rushed into the car and the roof slid shut above them as Nightwing flipped the switches and gripped the steering wheel, putting the car in gear. Harley's back hit the chair as the car flew into motion, speeding silently down the dark Gotham streets. She looked at Nightwing.
"Batgirl, tell me everything you know. Every detail."
"It's hard to follow," she said. "He had someone at Arkham who freed the prisoners while he distracted you guys. If things go according to this. We'll be too late."
"We'll need to get to Arkham. Everyone who's still available. Keep me posted on your position." Nightwing snapped, his hands tight on the steering wheel. His dark brow was knit behind his mask, his blue eyes cold and serious. She saw in his handsome features the same face of the man whom she'd fought so many times before. She'd seen him laugh, seen him cry, seen him curse her name, and seen him cry out in pain from wounds that she'd inflicted.
"We're going to Arkham now. What is the plan?" Batgirl asked.
"Joker would have made a beeline for there after he left. Stop him and Harley Quinn, at all costs short of murder," Nightwing ordered. Harley realized that with Batman out of commission, Nightwing was the next step down; he took his place as leader when the time arose. He took up the cape effortlessly and in full stride, and Harley was intimidated by it. She could easily see him as Batman in the future. He didn't look at her, his hand dropping to his side and after he shifted gears again, she grabbed his hand. Nightwing glanced at her. He thought about pulling his hand away, but he instead laced his fingers in hers, driving expertly with one hand. She examined his middle and ring finger, the glove striped blue down them.
"Dick-" she started, and he shook his head.
"Harley, I'm sorry, but we really need to focus. Tell me afterward, okay?" he glanced at her earnestly. She smiled worriedly and nodded as they stopped outside of Arkham's gates. Dick opened the top and they got out, meeting up with Catwoman, Batgirl, and Red Robin as they ran toward the hospital.
"What happened to Robin?" Batgirl asked, falling into step alongside Nightwing on his right. Harley's hand was still laced in his left as they ran.
"Joker shot him," he snapped, and Batgirl's eyes widened. "He'll be fine."
"Shit," Red Robin breathed. Nightwing glanced at him.
"Batman took him to the Batcave."
"Dick are you alright?" Batgirl asked, reaching for his hand as they all stopped at the base of the hospital wall. Nightwing pulled his hand away from her, his eyes narrowed coldly.
"I'm fine. It's just one more thing that I'm going to take out of the Joker's ass tonight." He said angrily, pulling an escrima stick out and firing the grappling hook to the roof. He wrapped an arm around Harley's waist, and she had to admit that she was a bit satisfied by the flash of jealousy on Batgirl's face before they rocketed up toward the roof. He'd chosen Harley over her. They all converged on the roof.
"What's the plan, Nightwing?" Red Robin asked.
"Yeah what is the plan Nightwing?" Red Hood asked, walking up to join their group.
"Nice of you to show up," Nightwing muttered, glaring at him. Red Hood shrugged his shoulders.
"Nice to see you again, Harley," he said, ignoring Nightwing.
"Focus!" Nightwing snapped. "There are no alarms going off, so we can either assume it hasn't happened yet, or they hacked security. Red Robin, check security for compromise," he ordered.
As Red Robin knelt and pulled out his handheld computer, Poison Ivy rushed towards them. Nightwing and Batgirl readied for a fight, but Ivy held up her hands.
"Relax, I'll surrender. I'm on your team. Not a single prisoner out of their little cells. Minus the one you brought."
"Um… what?" Batgirl looked at her. "You're his confidant?"
"Yeah. Now get me the hell out of here-"
She was interrupted when the Joker burst onto the roof, his cackling ripping through the dark. His eyes seemed to skip right over Nightwing and zeroed in on Ivy glaring at him over Red Hood's shoulder. A fiendish grin split across his face and he charged forward, dragging Harley Quinn by her wrist. Only then did he seem to notice the heroes, and he looked at each one until his gaze fell on Catwoman. He snorted and burst into laughter. Harley Quinn cried out, trying to pry his grip off of her wrist. She looked terrified.
"Ohhhh… the cat and the bat, how priceless," Joker howled, slapping his knee. "You really do deserve each other, I just hope you're not pouring out all the pages of the playbook to him."
Nightwing glanced at Catwoman, her nose wrinkled in disgust. She didn't say a word to him, and the Joker shook his head. "Well the gang's all here! Except for Bats and the Bird, of course. Did he bleed out?" he asked casually. Nightwing stiffened angrily. "Well it looks like you're here and you've won," Joker sneered, looking directly at Ivy as he spoke to Nightwing. "I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" He shrieked with laughter. He'd really lost it. Harley Quinn whimpered in terror, still trying to free herself from him as he leveled menacing green eyes on them. "Now hand over Ivy, and we can part as friends for tonight."
"No," Nightwing and Red Hood said in unison, and Nightwing glanced at Red Hood confusedly. He held his ground, and they looked at the Joker.
"Come on funny man," Ivy said. "You shouldn't be surprised I sided with the jester over you."
He laughed madly again. "This isn't about sides anymore! I just want to see if you bleed green," he hissed, grinning. "And maybe I'll kill you both together, since you work together so well!" He giggled, trembling as he looked at Harley where she stood beside Nightwing. He took a step in front of her, shielding her with his shoulder. "Oh, bird boy you're so blind." Joker grinned darkly, staring at him. He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "You can't save everyone. And she belongs to me."
"Harley can be anyone she wants to be. She has more willpower than you think." Nightwing snapped. Joker smiled a little, tilting his nose up. He cocked his head and looked directly at Harley, addressing only her.
"Tell me that you don't think about that night," he purred, his deep voice soft as velvet. His dark green eyes focused on her, and no one else. Nightwing froze in front of her, tilting his head a bit to look over his shoulder at her. She stared down at her feet and refused to make eye contact with anyone.
"Of course I do," she whispered, closing her eyes. She heard Nightwing exhale sharply, and a deep, menacing laugh arose from the Joker's lips. He grinned, utterly satisfied at her answer. Harley Quinn suddenly cried out behind him.
"Please, Nightwing, Batgirl, help-" she begged, and the Joker's eyes flared angrily. He turned around and, dropping a dagger from his coat sleeve, stabbed her. She screamed and Nightwing took a step forward as he shoved her to the ground.
"-had about enough of your whining-" Joker muttered and as he turned around, he was tackled by Red Robin. He laughed as Red Robin launched a kick at his head, and Nightwing rushed to Harley Quinn's aid.
"Catwoman, watch out for Harley!" he shouted, skidding to his knees beside the costumed Harley Quinn. She choked, blood spilling from her lips. Nightwing held up her head and started to put pressure on the wound, but she grabbed his hand, her other hand tugging weakly at her hood. Blood spilled over his hand from the deep gash in the woman's chest. When he pulled her hood off for her, silky brown hair tumbled over his hand. Nightwing gasped, wiping some of the blood from Joan's lips.
"GCPD-" she choked weakly. "Undercover- I was- undercover…" she gasped. Nightwing put pressure on the wound, knowing it was no use, but he had to try. He could hear Red Robin fighting the Joker behind him, his laughter echoing in the night.
"Don't try to talk." Nightwing urged, looking down at her sadly. She closed her eyes, her whole body shuddering with the pain. He held her up a bit. "Joan."
Her eyes opened, the lids fluttering a bit. Nightwing took his mask off as she stared at him, the light already leaving her eyes. By the time he'd put it back on, she was gone.
Another officer, another friend; the Joker had murdered someone else that Nightwing had just begun to know. He laid her gently on the rooftop and stood, controlling his rage; the Joker caught Red Robin by the back of his cape and slammed his head against a chimney. Catwoman stepped toward Red Robin to help, but the Joker had left him on the ground where he'd dropped him and charged Nightwing. He was ready. As he stared down at Joan, as he thought about Damian and Harley; Nightwing turned quickly and caught the Joker's fist, pulling an escrima stick out of its holster and swinging it as hard as he could at the Joker's head. It caught him across the face and sent him sprawling on the rooftop. Nightwing quickly followed and dragged the Joker to his feet by his collar.
"You seem to have a fondness for my Harleys, Bird Boy," Joker laughed, spitting blood.
"I'm not going to let you get away with one more murder."
"Oh please, she was incompetent. It was a mercy killing," he hissed, and Nightwing threw him across the roof; the Joker slammed into a peak. Some of the shingles crumbled from the force.
"He doesn't know when to shut up," Ivy commented drily. Red Hood left her side to lean over the Joker; Batgirl stood a little ways off, ready to help in case the Joker tried anything.
"You have no friends up here," Red Hood told him harshly. A brisk laugh burst forth, not from the Joker.
"Not true," Harley taunted, depressing the button on the detonator in her hand hanging by her side. She braced her legs as the explosions started. Catwoman cried out, picking up Red Robin as best she could. Red Hood and Batgirl turned in horror, and Nightwing froze. Glass in windows exploded outward as entire walls crumbled from the tiny pill sized bombs.
"Harley, what-?" Joker cried, his eyes wide as he stared at her, a grin spreading across his lips.
"Surprise!" Harley called. "I thought I'd add some fun to our plan," she told him, one corner of her mouth turning up in a wicked smile. Joker cackled in excitement as Nightwing turned to Harley in horror.
"No," he said in disbelief. The Joker shot to his feet and his dagger flashed, sinking into Nightwing's side as he grabbed the escrima stick off of his back. Joker sprinted toward Harley, laughing madly as he grabbed her hand and dove off the side of the building, firing the grappling hook from the end.
"Harley, no!" Ivy screamed. Red Hood grabbed onto her to hold her back. Harley tried to spin around to look at Nightwing, but they fell too fast for her to see. Nightwing screamed as he hit the roof, the dagger sinking deeper into his side. Explosions rattled the roof, threatening to collapse with them on top of it. Batgirl raced to Nightwing and hauled him to his feet, running to the edge of the building. She made sure Catwoman and Red Robin, and Ivy and Red Hood were all off of the roof before diving down herself, clinging to Nightwing with all her strength. The grappling hook jerked to break their fall; and suddenly pulled free from the crumbling rooftop. She barely had time to gasp before she and Nightwing hit the grass, hard, and tumbled away from the building. Batgirl groaned and rushed to Nightwing, dragging him to his feet again.
"What now!?" Catwoman shouted as they raced away from the hospital, inmates sprinting across the lawn toward freedom. Batgirl knew that Batman would have wanted them to stop the escapees, but she had more pressing matters. Nightwing was growing heavier in her arms as she dragged him along.
"We get back to the Batcave!" Batgirl cried, seeing the Batmobile up ahead. "Please, God, Dick don't give up on me now…" she whispered, glancing at his pale face. His eyes were closed.
Catwoman loaded Red Robin and Nightwing into the Batmobile, and then stepped back. "Go. I'll meet you there, just go. There isn't room for me."
Batgirl stared at her for a moment, and then slid into the driver's seat, tearing away.
"Oh God..." Nightwing choked, the pain in his side making his head spin. The dagger still blocked the blood flow. He closed his eyes, gasping, panic rising in his chest as he gripped the hilt.
"For God's sake, Dick, don't touch it!" Batgirl cried, pulling his hand away from his side. She gripped his hand tight, his fingers trembling.
Nightwing tried to twist around to see the chaos behind them, his side burning.
She was gone.