Notes: This chapter uses dialogue from Nightwing #114. Also, for the purposes of this fic, let's just ignore the existence of the Outsiders who are mentioned in the original comic (sorry, Outsiders fans). In this universe, Arsenal has been working on his own for a while.

Part 4 – Arsenal

Dick held up a suit. Jason groaned in response. He didn't like suits at all.

"It's a party," Dick reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, Dickwing, I know," Jason grumbled taking the suit from his brother. He moved behind a partition and started a quick-change.

"Don't call me that."

"It's not like you're giving me any options."

He heard Dick huff. He was actually glad to hear some frustration from Dick. Made him seem more animated and like the Dick he remembered. Jason had been checking old surveillance and hacked into a few of the less protected computers of the hero community.

Nightwing was a hero and, if Jason hadn't known who was under the mask, he would assume that Dick was someone else. The Nightwing Jason had discovered was the Dick he sort of remembered. He made quips as he encountered criminals, had a network of heroes who had worked with him and would again and fought with purpose.

It was different to now. Dick's whole being was screaming 'don't touch me, stay away'. He fought without the quips and jokes and moved without the generally friendly manner. Dick seemed to fight because he didn't know any other thing to do, deferring to Jason. Jason didn't want to admit that was the thing which he found the strangest. He never thought Dick would look to him for direction.

"Renegade. Is that okay?" Dick's tone was hard.

"What?" Jason checked his bowtie by feel and then pulled his collar down over it.

"You can call me Renegade."

"You actually have a bad guy name picked out?" Jason questioned with a smirk. Dick glared.

"Shut up, Jay."

"Make me," Jason shot back automatically.

Dick relaxed a little at the banter and an idea hit Jason.

"Hey, I bet you can't get to the information before I do."

Dick's grin faltered. Jason ignored the pang of dismay. "Seriously? This isn't a game."

Maybe it should be, Jason thought. Dick had been someone who liked to make training fun. Or utterly horrifying. Challenge was fun to Dick. For a moment, Jason wondered if he had taken the replacement out for blind-folded train surfing yet. Jason kind of wanted to see the kid jumping blindfolded over train carriages. It'd be good for a laugh.

"What's the matter, Renegade? Afraid you'll lose?"

Dick huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Got him, Jason thought.

"Fine."

Jason sipped at his glass and looked around. It was a small gathering. He spotted Lex Luthor and his entourage at some of the tables around the edge of the room.

"Did you want to go say 'hi'?" Dick asked him when he noticed where Jason was looking.

Jason huffed and took another sip.

"You're my bodyguard, not my adviser," he reminded the older man. "Just stand there and look pretty."

Dick's face went blank as he turned away. He didn't move away, keeping his cover as Jason's bodyguard but he didn't say another word.

"Let's get this race underway," Jason said quietly to him when Dick's attitude was beginning to frustrate him. Jason found an exit by the back way and pretended he was going outside to answer a phone call. The guards didn't really seem to care, after all he was leaving the party.

Security was at the front, inside and around the perimeter. No one bothered putting security out the back where any intruders would have been stopped at the perimeter or the exit. It made people lax. No one noticed as Jason free-climbed his way up the building by using the window ledges and the brickwork, just in time to see Dick open a window on the second floor.

He cursed as he climbed in, annoyed that he lost although he was oddly relieved to see a smile grace Dick's face for just a moment.

"Time?" Jason asked, getting to work. They needed to finish before anyone came.

"There's a little under four minutes left." Dick started tapping at the computer with Jason looking over his shoulder. "I'm looking for the location of a large shipment of nandrolone decanoate."

"Make sure it's local. I'm not springing for travel fees," Jason quipped. He knew that with Luthor in town, there was guarantee of at least one local shipment of venom serum components. Nandrolone decanoate was the easiest one to trace.

Although, what were the odds that a certain red-haired someone would ping on this trace? This probably counted as Dick contacting Oracle and Jason wondered if he should dump the older ex-Robin or let him think he had Jason fooled.

Here was the moment. Dick was going to betray him to the 'good guys'. Jason was not surprised to see an arrow come flying at the henchman who had thought he was sneaking up on the Red Hood. The man went down with a cry.

"Nightwing?"

Jason rammed a head into the concrete floor, surprise tickling in his chest. Arsenal sounded like he hadn't expected Dick to be here.

"Nightwing? That you man? Good to see you fighting the good fight, bro!"

Under his red hood, Jason rolled his eyes. Just leave him with all the angry henchmen. There were only four of them; four brutes who must be on the venom-like experiments resulting from this shipment because they didn't stay down.

He ducked a punch, only to be knocked to the ground. He rolled out of the way of another punch, returning it with one of his own the moment the henchman's fist hit the concrete and his face was in Jason's.

Jason's punch actually hit.

Arsenal was still talking. "I've been hearing all these crazy rumours that you've gone over to the dark side."

"Arsenal. Get out of here. Now," Dick ordered.

Huh. Jason had not expected that. Seems like Dick hadn't been trying to inform anyone and this was just a bad coincidence. Or one big act.

"What are you doing with the Red Hood? Is he guarding this? Or are we sort of teaming up? Tell me it's the first one, I fancy a fight against him."

"What'd you just say?" Dick sounded offended.

Yeah, what? Jason was doing all the work. The balding bulk went down with an arrow to his upper arm and Jason used his back as a spring board to flip over the other three henchmen.

Finally, Arsenal jumped into the fray, taking out the arm of a blond bulk and moving in to punch him out.

Jason took down another and turned just in time to see Dick leap in with a kick to the third's chin and a leaping knee to the fourth. Arsenal tossed throwing knives at the balding bulk as Jason kicked another into a concrete beam. Dick punched the fourth to get him to stay down and Arsenal hit the third with an arrow to the knee.

Jason turned to Dick, expecting him to be cheery with his friend being here.

No such luck. If anything, Dick seemed frustrated. His body was tense, still ready to fight even though their enemies were down.

Or maybe not. Jason's hand went to his holstered gun as he noticed Arsenal point his crossbow at him.

"Hey, so how about we take down the Red Hood, get a serum sample and check the building cafeteria for a beer?" Arsenal said to Dick.

Jason smirked under his hood. As if some red-haired archer was enough to take him down. Even with a crossbow pointing at his chest.

"Do me a personal favour, Roy?" Dick said.

Jason paused. He was willing to admit, Dick was a wild card right now. It was unnerving that he couldn't predict his moves.

"Sure, man. Anything."

"Don't get up."

Roy stared. "What?"

"Don't. Get. Up." Dick kicked Roy in the gut and then gave him a one-two punch.

Jason was glad for the hood because it meant that Dick couldn't see his jaw drop.

"Let's get the serum," Dick said to him, storming towards the exit. He picked up Roy's crossbow and snapped it in two as he went, discarding the pieces.

Jason was impressed and a little in awe. Also a little confused but he dismissed that in favour of getting away.

Jason was still confused when they made it back to the safe house. He pulled off the hood and looked over at Dick, who was still wearing his mask.

When was the last time he saw Dick out of uniform? Even Jason switched to shirts and jeans after they were done for the night.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"What?" Dick asked in a baffled tone.

"That!" Jason repeated, motioning to the air as he spoke. "You beat up Arsenal. I thought you were friends; he was talking to you like a friend."

"Shut up," Dick said shortly, "you don't know what you're talking about."

"So you're not friends? Or do you plan to never contact anyone who knows Nightwing while you're Renegade? Because I can tell you, that's going to be impossible." They were already dealing with Deathstroke.

"Shut up, Jason!" Dick bellowed. "What was I supposed to do? Stand there and let him shoot you-" Dick choked on his words. "Think whatever you like," he snapped before storming out of the safe house.

Jason considered following him. However, there was another plan brewing in his mind.