My name is Dick Grayson. Ever since I was young, I made a vow to uphold justice, and lived under the shadow of a dark knight. But the dark knight has his city, and I needed my own. It was time I moved out of the dark knight's shadow, and step up. This is my city. My story. And now, it's time for me to rise.

-Unknown-

The grunt fell forward into the room, writhing in pain. Embedded in his back was a red arrow.

The man that the grunt was trying to warn bemoaned, "Oh great, another one."

Stepping into the room was a man clad in red leather, with laces lacing their way down his suit. Underneath the red hood was a mask of similar color, where eyes of focused fury surveyed the surroundings before arresting their attention on the man behind a metallic panel. This second man was garbed in the lab coat of a scientist, but had the unusual quirk of wearing a tattered top hat.

With a menacing voice, the man in red raised a bow, aiming it directly at the scientist and announcing, "Jervis Tetch! You have failed this city!"

"Please, boy!" Dr. Tetch scoffed. "Go back to Starling, where you belong!" With surprising speed, Dr. Tetch pulled out a revolver and let loose a volley of shots, forcing the man in red to dodge to the side. Though a mere side distraction, it was enough to allow for the mad scientist to escape.

"Damn," the red clad man swore to himself. He would normally have begun pursuit, but he had other matters to deal with. Turning around, he saw, against a far wall, a pod emitting a greenish glow. Within this pod was a man wearing a suit, with a face that looked flushed with pain. "What a mess you've gotten yourself into, Dick," the man chuckled. He thought at first of simply firing arrows into the pod, but then thought better of it when he realized he didn't know what that would do to the man inside. Thus, the man moved to behind the panel, examining the buttons for a way to disengage the pod.

Of course, it could never be as simple as an off button- why would complicated machines ever just have an off button? The man groaned and was about to mess with some levers and knobs when the sound of rushing footsteps grabbed the man's attention. Out of instinct, he drew his bow, and a wise call was made when a platoon of guards rushed through the door, screaming, "Get the twerp!"

The man was able to let loose an arrow, knocking out one of the guards before being ganged up on by the onslaught of bodies. Using the martial arts he was taught, the man engaged in close combat, using his bow when he could, but relying on unnecessary flips and acrobatic parkour to maneuver his way around the area. He danced amongst the thugs, dealing blows and knocking heads. However, though he was clearly a more adept fighter than the guards, there was seemingly no end to them, and the man was quickly running out of energy.

The man began thinking that he might have to make a quick escape and come back for his compatriot later, when a sudden force slammed everyone to a wall. The man was taken by surprise- indeed, he couldn't even see the force, though he sure as hell could feel it. As everyone grunted and groaned, the man looked for the source of the force. And sure enough, the source came rushing in.

The first thing the man could see was that the slender, outreached hand of the force. Next came the red hair, then the navy blue dress, and then finally the fiery expression of determination. Clearly, this woman was not someone whom one would want to mess with. And yet, the man was perplexed at how exactly she was keeping everyone pressed up against the wall.

Looking around, the woman first noticed the man in the pod, then the man in red, who was different from the uniformed thugs around him. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"It'd be nice if you could answer that question first," the man responded.

"Who's got who pressed up against a wall?" she sassily retaliated.

"Fair enough. I'm Arsenal," he answered. "And you?"

"Cheyenne."

"Ok, Cheyenne. Could you please let me down? I'm not sure how you're doing what you're doing, but could you please let me down?"

"After you tell me what you're doing down here, weirdo."

"Says the Jedi?"

"Careful, before I turn Sith and choke you."

Arsenal knew he had no choice- he was completely at Cheyenne's mercy. If he really wanted to get out of his current predicament, he'd have to play along. "Alright, alright. Well, I'm one of the vigilantes patrolling Starling City at night. I was out on patrol when I saw something suspicious happening in this warehouse. I decided to investigate, and found this place. Happy?"

"That's funny- we're in Gotham," Cheyenne responded.

"Gotham? No, this is definitely Starling City. I think I'd know my own city."

"But that's… that's not possible. I was out on a date with this jerk-" here she pointed at the man in the pod, "when I was knocked out. Back then, it was Valentine's Day, and we were in Gli Amanti in Gotham."

"Well, that's all good for you, but you're not in Gotham anymore. And today isn't Valentine's Day- it's been weeks since then," he explained.

Cheyenne was silent for a few moments, letting it all sink in. Then, seemingly accepting the situation, she nodded her head. As she did so, Arsenal felt the force that was propelling him against the wall vanish, and he slid to the floor with a thud.

"Thanks," Arsenal said, getting up.

"Yeah," Cheyenne said, giving feedback. "Anyway, know how we can get him out of there?"

"Leave that to me," a new voice announced. Cheyenne and Arsenal turned their heads to the entrance, where another woman with red hair, albeit this time in royal purple dress, appeared. Casually striding in, she got to work on the console, pressing this button and pulling that lever.

"And who are you?" Arsenal questioned.

"Barbara," she answered. "I'm the brains behind the masks- 'Oracle.'"

"Oracle? I've never heard of you," Arsenal admitted.

"Huh? Didn't Nightwing tell you…?" Barbara asked, confused.

"No, Dick didn't really tell me much the last time we met."

"Yeah, Dick has a way of keeping secrets," Barbara smiled.

"Yeah, that dick sure does have a way of keeping secrets," Cheyenne pouted.

Looking at the two beautiful women in front of him- Cheyenne, somehow keeping the other thugs at bay; Barbara, working brilliance that would impress Felicity- Arsenal could only smile and say, "Geez, how did Dick get the two of you to go on a date with him?"

The two women ignored his question, instead electing to continue their current tasks. Eventually, the pod began to disengage, and from within, the man that was kept unconscious slumped forward. Barbara quickly rushed to catch the man, and held him upright with an arm over her shoulder as she waited for him to regain consciousness.

It only took a few moment, but soon the man groggily began shaking his head. "Wha… where am… I…?" he asked.

"You're in my town this time," Arsenal greeted. "Welcome back, Dick."

Dick began to open his eyes. First, he noticed the woman that was holding him upright, and he smiled at seeing Barbara. Giving her a signal, she let go of him, and he began to stand on his own. Then, he noticed Arsenal, and finally Cheyenne, smirking at him as she held an outstretched hand. It was then that Dick noticed the thugs flung against the walls.

"So, a psionic meta…" Dick murmured.

"Seems like it," Barbara confirmed.

"Wait, what? What are you two talking about?" Arsenal asked. "Are you two discussing how exactly she has literal superpowers?"

"Careful with your mouth, hoodie," Cheyenne teased. "I could still fling you to a wall, you know. Maybe this time I'll do it balls first."

"Relax, Cheyenne," Dick began. "Arsenal doesn't know about the bigger meta community. He only knows of the Flash so far."

"Whatever. We still have unfinished business, you know," Cheyenne reminded him.

"Yeah, we'll deal with that when we get to it," Dick assured her. "Though thank you for reaching out to me in my subconscious- it was a big clue."

"Big clue? To what?"

"To the fact that you were a meta, and that I was in a dream… though that was really more of a nightmare," Dick commented, more to himself than to anyone else. Turning his attention to Arsenal, Dick began to explain, "Anyway, Roy, you know that, thanks to S.T.A.R. Labs' Particle Accelerator explosion, the world now has who are termed 'meta-humans', or 'metas' for short? People with seemingly impossible abilities?"

"Like the Flash's super speed?"

"Precisely. Well… the particle accelerator DID create new metas… but there were metas before the explosion. I suspect that Cheyenne here is one of those, a meta from before the explosion, gifted with psionic powers. Basically, the force."

"And why would you make that guess, Mr. Grayson? What if my powers were a result of the particle accelerator accident?" Cheyenne challenged.

"Let's just say we have our sources," Dick cryptically responded, winking at Barbara. "Regardless the more important thing right now is that we get out of here."

"I've already canvassed the rest of this warehouse- everything's clear, though we don't seem to have our equipment," Barbara began.

"That's the former Batgirl for you," Dick smiled at Barbara.

"Expecting anything less, former Boy Wonder?" Barbara smiled back at Dick.

"Urgh, get a room you two," Arsenal bemoaned. "Anyway, I have just the arrows to keep these thugs at bay…" Grabbing his bow and reaching for a few arrows in the quiver behind his back, Arsenal fired several arrows, launching nets that kept the thugs imprisoned. With the thugs now materially stopped, Cheyenne ceased to exert her psionic powers on the thugs, lowering her hands and turning her gaze to Dick.

"You made a real dick move, Dick," Cheyenne suddenly said.

"Yeah, I know," Dick admitted.

"Uh, guys? Is this really the time for this?" Arsenal questioned.

"You know, Dick, if you really already had plans, you could've just said so. I would've understood," Barbara admonished him.

"It's not that, Barb. I did want to go to dinner with you."

"Then why did you say you wanted to go to dinner with me?" Cheyenne asked.

"Seriously, this really isn't the time for this kind of drama," Arsenal pointed out, walking towards the thugs who were still struggling to get free, but were now absorbed in the conversation unfolding in front of them.

"That's not it either, Cheyenne. I think you're an awesome woman- and there's clearly no debating that. I just completely forgot that the date of our date was the same as the date of my date with Barbara…"

"Then, again, why didn't you just talk to me or her, and try to sort things out?" Barbara posed.

"Cuz I thought I could sort things out. I figured, if I played all my cards right, I could get through both dates without hurting either one of you."

"Geez, you've gotta be kidding me. What is this, teen drama?" Arsenal commented.

"I don't know. Don't you think it's kind of sweet, Mr. Red Hood?" the thug next to Arsenal answered, trying to hold back tears. "He was willing to endure being hated by both of them just so that he could treat these two women to a good time and not hurt them!"

"Hey, would you shut up?" Arsenal asked, bonking the thug in the head with his bow, clearly annoyed. He waited for the other three to finish their business, before piping in, "Now that you've got that settled, we need to talk about something."

"What's that, Roy?" Dick asked.

"Count Vertigo. He's back, just like you predicted."

"Damn."

"Y'know, as a thank you, I could use your help in capturing him here, in Starling."

"Can't you and Oliver deal with it yourselves? It's your city, after all."

"Maybe… if Oliver weren't at Nanda Parbat."

"What's he doing…? Whatever. Alright, I'll help out."

"I'll help out too. Would you rather I used my laptop, or my fists?" Barbara offered to Arsenal.

"Barb, you sure you wanna jump in?" Dick asked.

"Dick, don't even think of keeping me back. I'm pissed at this whole chain of events, and I'm ready to go," she answered with a defiant smile.

"Alright, alright… guess that answers that," Dick chuckled.

"I'll be going as soon as we get out of here," Cheyenne said. "I'm sorry, but I'm no superhero. Leave me be to my boring old job."

"Are you sure? We could really use you with your force powers," Arsenal argued.

"Nah… I'd really rather be left alone to my boring old life and my boring old job," Cheyenne smiled.

"Still, Arsenal's right- we could use your help," Dick interjected. He took a step towards her, whispered something into her ear, and then stepped back, before saying, "If you ever change your mind."

Smiling cheekily, Cheyenne responded, "I'll think about it, Dick."

Thus agreed, the four of them ran out of the room, navigating their way through the rest of the warehouse and out of it to emerge onto the Glades.

-The Glades-

After getting their bearings, Arsenal led the other three back to his house, as per Barbara's request. The streets were mainly deserted, and so the group encountered very few people on their run back. Once they had arrived, Barbara made a quick dash for where Arsenal kept his laptop, while Arsenal gave directions to Cheyenne on how to get out of the city from his house. After she had finished receiving the directions, Cheyenne thanked him and left the house. Meanwhile, Dick was sitting on the couch, hands folded in front of his face, eyes shut in concentration.

Noticing this, Arsenal took a seat on a nearby armchair. "Y'know, you're reminding me a lot of Oliver like that," Arsenal commented.

"Funny- I'd thought I'd resemble my mentor more," Dick responded.

There was a silence for a time, the only sound coming from the Barbara typing on Arsenal's laptop in his bedroom. Then, Arsenal whispered to Dick in a confidential tone, "So, uh, Dick…"

"Yeah?"

"How did you get those two to go out with you?"

"Hey, hey," Dick joked back, nudging him on the arm. "Another time and place, after we catch your Count."

"Fair enough. Although… what were you thinking about?" Arsenal asked. "Oliver never does that unless he's deep in thought about something."

"There's something that's bothering me- something from back when I was held captive," he explained. Dick closed his eyes and once more recalled the calm, calculated voice that had asked that simple question: Why do you fight, Mr. Grayson? It was a voice that he had never heard of before in his life, and yet… and yet he couldn't fight the feeling that it didn't bode well for him.

Dick would've ruminated on it more, however, if not for the timely intervention of Barbara, striding in from Arsenal's bedroom. "Alright, I've found him. How should we tackle this?"

Arsenal stared at her with a dumbfounded look while Dick only smiled. "You've already found him? How? The amount of Vertigo cases have only begun to come back, and even then they're not at notable levels yet. Plus, neither I nor Dick got a good look at him last time."

"Just leave it to the Oracle," Barbara winked. "I've got a positive ID on him. Frustratingly enough, his warehouse was pretty close to where we made our escape. Based on the satellite scans of the area, I don't think he was aware of our little jailbreak, so his entire operations should still be there. However, who knows what will tip him off, so we'll need to be careful.

"By the way, I took the liberty of beginning to run a search for Dr. Jervis Tetch. I got a good look at him as he made his escape- unfortunately, I wasn't able to stop him, as I was breaking out of my own pod at the time. Nonetheless, whenever he pops up again, I'll know."

Turning her attention to Dick then, she said, "Since we don't have any of our gear with us, I'm having a Batdrone deliver our gear here. It should arrive in a few minutes, so…" turning her attention now to Arsenal, she warned, "Unless you want a metal case to leave a hole in your roof, we should probably go and anticipate it."

Nodding, Arsenal rushed out to get to his roof, followed swiftly by the other two vigilantes. The three of them waited a few minutes, passing the time by planning out their assault on the Count's Vertigo-creating operations. Barbara had done diligent work with her reconnaissance of the area, and Dick and Arsenal could almost visualize the entire plan in action. Confident with how they were going to tackle the challenge, they smiled as, appearing as if right on time, a drone dropped a metal case, taking the three of them to catch and preventing minimal damage to Arsenal's roof. They brought it down and into the house, where they opened it up to reveal two suits and plenty of gadgets.

Arsenal, at first wide-eyed, then wolf whistled at the sheer number of gadgets within the metal case. "Jeez, looks like you've got something for everything in there," he commented. "I wouldn't be surprised if you even had a shark repellant or something."

"Don't be stupid- who'd carry that around on a belt or something?" Dick countered. He and Barbara then finished suiting up, with Dick donning his Nightwing domino mask and Barbara pulling the Batgirl mask over her face. Arsenal smiled as he got his bow ready and the three of them, fully suited up and re-stocked in gear, prepared themselves for the job ahead.

Looking at the other two before staring forward with determination, Nightwing proclaimed, "Ready? Let's go."

A/N: Hey everyone! BKA37 here. I hope you enjoyed this story- please feel free to leave me some feedback. If you haven't checked it out yet, I'm also releasing a non-canon special titled "Shadows and Silhouettes: Flashing Arrows in the Night." I wonder which heroes are a part of that? Please check that out as well! I hope you'll like it, especially if you love phantom thieves. ;)
Now, as for my question for this week: with all the team ups that I have, for some reason, been doing, tell me: who would you like to see appear next? Anyway, until the next episode, have an awesome day!

UPDATE: I'm going to take this week off as a mini-hiatus. While scripting for this episode, I realized I would need an update on where Arsenal is in Arrow before I continue using him in Nightwing. After all, I wouldn't want to make any contradictions with actual canon... Anyway, I'm sorry about this mini-hiatus. I'll be back with the next episode soon. Until then, here's a second question in addition to the one I asked above: What do you think of Melissa Benoist in her new Supergirl outfit? I rather like it, though I think her boots might be a tad bit too high on her (really? Past the knees?) Just my opinion, of course.