Warning: the dream sequence is a short rape scene. If this is too disturbing, you can skip it. While it is not essential to the plot, this starts to explain a few things that will happen later.
"All right, you dogs, hoist her up!" I jolted awake only to sink into the chains, wondering what they would subject me to today. or tonight. Whatever time it was. "Hey, boss, I was wondering... could we have some, you know, fun with her?" I snorted, "And what would you call what you've done to me so far?" They just looked at me strangely and cackled, "Oh, that kind of fun. Go right ahead." I shifted in my chains, trying to see what was going on. I heard the shlink of a belt, and a thump. Why would they be taking off their bottoms? They had forced me into a half-human form before I slept, was that- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Something prodded at my back entrance. What the- I screamed bloody murder as a pain like no other set my insides on fire. The man kept pushing in and out, in and out, for several long minutes before releasing something inside me. Shaking violently , I relaxed, thinking it was over. Not by a long shot. Every guard and keeper had his way with me, and whatever they had injected me with was pouring out of my raw, still bleeding entrance. Exhausted, I realized the men had finally stopped coming. For hours after they left I could still hear their laughter echoing through the halls, and some were talking about their first virgin and what I would be like as a dragon.
I slowly opened my eyes, running my hands across my face before slowly lifting myself off the wood floor. Looking at the clock, I saw I had slept for a mere thirty minutes this time, If this keeps up, I won't get more than a minute's sleep! Body more sore than usual - it had been my first time, after all - I simply cast concealer illusions and slipped through my bedroom window, taking a night fury form for stealth.
A light breeze fluttered my wings as I lazily glided between commercial and military jet streams. I sighed, thoughts drifting once more to Berk. I wondered how long it would be before more dragons arrived. And where were the dragons who were already here? You'd think the news or someone would have seen massive sky- and land-based dragons by now! The few Sea Dragonus Maximus I had visited with Valstram on a few occasions were fairly young, but the drain on resources should have resulted in massive food shortages world-wide.
"Kylrm!" Bruce's voice barked through an earpiece.
"What is it?" there was an edge to his voice.
"Where are you? The Red Hood was just spotted- "
"Got him!" I quickly zeroed in on an oil storage warehouse on 5th and 54th. Descending through civilian airspace, I camouflaged before transforming into the Phoenix a few feet above the rooftops. Alighting on a rooftop across the street, I searched the windows for any sign of the strange man. A grappling hook locked onto a ledge beside me, giving way to a silent figure clad in a tight black jumpsuit with a blue bat across the chest. He hesitated, surprised to see another person up here. "Nightwing?"
"Yeees, Phoenix?"
"Yep. Nice to finally meet you," legs still sore, I stood up to shake his hand.
"Rough night?" Dick motioned awkwardly to my legs.
"You could say that," I smiled slightly, knowing we were talking about two very different things. Although, how did he guess?
Dick cleared his throat, "So, Bats coming soon?"
"Already here," Bruce emerged from the shadows on the street below. Extending my false wings, I glided to meet him while Nightwing grappled down.
"Oh, so she gets wings but I didn't?" Nightwing visibly relaxed and lightly jabbed Bruce in the arm.
Raising an eyebrow, Bruce almost smiled, "You designed the persona, remember?"
"Fair enough," Dick's eyes lit up as the thrill of the chase stirred our blood. "Together, two, or three?"
"Two." We split up, Nightwing flanking while Bruce and I slid through the front door. Like the mob base, the warehouse appeared empty. Hundred-gallon vats of orange gasoline lined the floor, and a beat-up car fountained more oil into the room. several bridges like at the other warehouse made it possible to scope the oddly quiet building.
"Bats, why would he come here? There's nothing that valuable to steal; no one to kill," I stole fleeting glances at him, trying to figure out what was going on here.
Bruce stopped dead in his tracks. "He wanted us to come."
"Man, this guy is narcissistic," I muttered.
"No, there's something else..." Bruce bolted up the stairs to the next level of bridges. He practically jogged to the center, looking over the railing as if he had seen a ghost.
I ran up beside him, "Bats? Tell me what's wrong."
"This was my first failure," haunted, Bruce turned to me. I blinked, confused. "I followed one of the first people to take on the Red Hood persona, Dwane Harrison. I confronted him here, on this very bridge. Harrison claimed he was being set up and was about to tell me everything when..."
Bruce distantly glared at a weaker section of the railing, and the memory practically screamed at me from the forefront of his mind. The man had tripped on his cape and fallen into one of the vats. "It wasn't your fault," I tenderly placed a hand on his arm.
"Hard to forget that night, huh?" the Red Hood appeared on the next bridge up.
"Why do they need this many bridges!?" I huffed, taking a fighting stance.
Red Hood chuckled with a slight rasp, "This is the sight of your first great failure. Some would even say your greatest failure... but certainly not your last, right?"
Bruce's knuckles whitened as he balled his fists, "And what would you know of that?"
He just smirked under the mask, "Ah, memories..." and shot the gas coming from the car!
"Is he nuts?" I started to follow Red Hood, but Bruce yanked me back as a series of explosions sent the car rocketing through the bridge where I was about to step. Our grappling hooks shot up, pulling us through the now shattered glass ceiling. I caught a glimpse of Nightwing pursuing the man, but they were quickly obscured by the smoke. We shot out of the killzone just as the warehouse exploded in a massive cloud of orange-yellow fire and thick, slate grey smoke. Shaking my head, I ran back into the flames now that I didn't have to worry about the initial blast and shrapnel.
"WAIT!" I barely heard Bruce through the roar of flames, my reinforced skin was now flame-resistant. Watching for the Red Hood, I weaved through fallen beams and support columns. Something felt off, familiar even, about the explosion. Muscles rippling and sweat pouring, I lifted a particularly heavy steel beam out of my way, only to find a small digital timer and an identification plate covered in soot.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!" Nightwing shouted from above.
"Finding evidence!" I called back before half-changing to fly up to him. He took a step back in shock at my wings. "Yes, I have real wings. Now let's go!" I grabbed him by his armpits and flew us out a window to avoid more smoke inhalation. "You okay?" I asked once we were clear and I had changed back.
Dick coughed roughly, "Yeah, just breathed in too much smoke. Slippery bastard got away."
"Well, come on. I'm sure we have something to help with your lungs back at the cave," the first half of the drive back was silent but for the roar of the batmobile's engine.
"You shouldn't have gone back in. It was reckless and beyond dangerous," Bruce whispered coldly. Not a good tone of voice.
"I got enough of the bomb, didn't I?" I glared at him. Of course he would be angry, but this felt different. "Something was familiar about it. If we can figure out the MO, we should start to see the patterns more clearly."
"You could have gotten yourself killed!"
"I'm not Jason!" Bruce recoiled sharply, and Dick's eyes slid between us cautiously. "I know you're still upset over him. and I get it! It's hard to lose someone you care about, but you can't expect me to play everything safe. I've survived far worse than what he is capable of, and I'm half dragon, for Thor's sake! I can handle a few flames. I sometimes even like it!"
"We're here," Dick announced quietly. Bruce and I realized at the same time that the batmobile had stopped. Everyone got out and moved to our own corners of the batcave to change and cool down a bit.