04: How To Deal With Criminals

19:07 September 23rd

Dick decided not to find any work at the moment - there seemed to be an issue with Mistressia and the police department. She seemed to slip out without them noticing or caring every damn time he brought her in. He spoke to the head of the department, but he didn't know what was happening. He studied Mistressia's past and present. By doing this, he came to know she was from Reading, England and had a little trouble there as well with stealing.

The same thing happened there - she seemed to slip away over and over again without anyone caring. Was this more of a meta-human situation? That wasn't something the Justice League had dealt with a lot, but he knew a bit about them. These meta-humans seemed to have some form of superpowers, although not like Superman.

After a few days of gathering all the information he could, he ended up calling for a meeting in an alley a few blocks from an apartment registered to Jasmine Clarke. He was there a few minutes early, but she was right on time to the second. She was wearing a long white dress, like a goddess, with gold bracelets and earrings. She smiled at him, as if she knew was was going to happen.

He bet it wasn't on his mind - not with her anyway.

"I have to admit, I am very surprised you called me." Nightwing stood tall and kept his face blank. "You have some sort of power, Mistressia. What is it?"

She stared at him for a moment, thinking. With a shrug, she stepped forward, but didn't touch him.

"Yes, and it doesn't work on you. Maybe that's why I am so…. enamored with you." This time, she reached out and touched his cheek with a finger. Nightwing took her hand and pushed it away. She seemed irritated, but didn't say anything about it. Nightwing thought about what she said.

"Something to do with becoming… enamored with you," he muttered. It made sense. The police officers would let her off... but why wouldn't they remember? He narrowed his eyes at her as she watched him figure it out. She seemed amused, and her finger came back to his cheek. Nightwing grabbed it harder than before and flung it away.

"Knock it off. You also clear their mind of a few memories, don't you?"

She narrowed her eyes as he threw her hand away.

"Yes. But why doesn't it work on you?"

"No idea, don't care, but it seems we have to make other arrangements for you." He reached for her, but she pulled back. Mistressia was now looking at him with anger, the flirtatious smile gone.

"Other arrangements? I don't think so, Nightwing. I offered myself to you and you threw me away." She growled and pushed him. He stepped back to appease her, but it didn't work. "Don't you dare pretend you don't find me attractive."

He reached up and pressed a tiny button near his ear, connecting him with Batman. This is the first time he had used the connection since he moved to Chicago. During this, Misstressia let out another growl and tried a few roundhouse kicks and punches. He blocked them all, which only made her angrier.

"All men are the same. I am never good enough on my own! They only want me with power!"

"Batman, meta human. Extra help?" He reached out and grabbed Mistressia as he talked, allowing Batman to hear him. Nightwing held her tightly, holding his arms around her own arms to keep her from throwing any more punches. She scratched and growled.

"Be there in an hour," Batman replied.

Great, an hour? What am I going to do with her?" Suddenly a crazy idea popped into his mind. It wasn't going to help him get the girl, he was sure.

The tap on her window, where a fire escape was connected, made her jump. She looked up and saw a shadow through her curtains. Skye looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand, saw it was almost eight o'clock. Who was tapping at her window - TAP TAP TAP.

Standing, she peeked through the slit between the curtains, and raised her eyebrows at Nightwing carrying the woman formerly known as Jasmine over his shoulder. Her ankles and wrists were ziptied. Nightwing stared at her through the window. With a confused and angry look, she opened the window, the cool breeze coming inside. Thankfully she was wearing leggings and a tshirt instead of her silk pajamas.

"What are you doing here? With her?" The woman growled, but was muffled. Skye moved and saw her mouth was covered in duct tape. "Is this how you deal with criminals?" She had to admit, she was very amused. The woman was a piece of work, it seemed, and apparently the only way Nightwing could deal with her was tying her up. "How many zipties do you keep on hand?" She grinned and stepped back. "Not all of them are for the bad guys, are they?"

She was teasing him, and he saw the smirk as he crawled in smoothly, with Mistressia on his shoulder, then stood in her bedroom.

"It's a bit more complicated than I thought," he replied, "May I?" He gestured to her bed with the woman.

"You may?" Skye said, cautiously. Misteressia glared at both of them as she was put on the bed on her back. "Should I call the police?"

"I have everything under control," he answered. Skye wasn't a fan of the way Nightwing kept brushing her questions away, but she could it. He was a superhero, and she wasn't. Maybe there was a code? she mused.

Skye watched as he touched his ear and started murmuring. He asked her address, she told him, and then he repeated it to whoever he was speaking to through his earpiece.

"What are you going to do with her?"

"Take her to a facility that deals with people like her. We need to be on the roof of this apartment building in 23 minutes."

"Precise," she quipped without thinking. Mistressia started to yelled and pull at her binds. She wasn't going anywhere, of course, but Skye could see the woman starting to take on an appearance of a wild woman, with the messy hair and wild eyes.

Skye wasn't sure what to do now, but as Nightwing pulled out a syringe from a pocket she couldn't see, she sucked in a breath.

"What is that?" she asked, stepping between him and Mistressia. Nightwing looked surprised.

"A sedative. It's safe, I promise. It'll calm her down."

"She may be a bit crazy, but…. are you qualified for that?" She pointed to the syringe.

"Actually, I am," he grinned. "It's a long story."

"Fine, but not a lot. I don't want something happening to her in my apartment." He watched her administer the sedative to Mistressia, who fought for a few moments, then calmed as soon as it was finished. She seemed to doze, but nothing else happened. Skye kept an eye on her, though.

"We have around 10 minutes before we need to be upstairs."

"Yes. How do you plan on getting her up there without the neighbors seeing?" Skye sat down on the edge of the bed. Nightwing took a seat at her desk chair a few feet away.

"I made it up here," he replied smugly. She didn't reply to that, but smiled.

"Who are you?" she asked after a long few moments of silence. Dick looked at the clock - eight minutes left, she saw. He was also trying to move on from the question. "I wasn't asking your true name, just who you are."

"You do know the rules of the mask, right?" Skye liked his sense of humor.

"Yeah, I get it. Hidden identity. Still, you can tell me something that isn't identifiable."

"Hm. I'm from Gotham City."

"I found that on the internet. Try again." She realized what she had said.

"You looked me up on the internet?" He grinned widely. She narrowed her eyes as her face heated.

"Of course I did! Why wouldn't I? Why did you move to Chicago?"

"My own place," he replied. Skye saw him look out the window and wondered if he meant place in life or residence or…

"Did you live with Batman in his cave?" He glanced over his shoulder as he stood.

"A bit crowded," he replied. "It's time." He picked up Mistressia and headed out the window.

"Wait!" Skye couldn't help herself. He turned and looked at her. "You're coming back, right? I mean, not leaving with her, not that you'll come here to my room …"

"I like it here," he answered, amused. He disappeared, and she could barely hear him climbing the stairs a few stories.

She wasn't sure if Nightwing meant the city or her room.