Nightwing; A Series of Doubts - Give and Take
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Chapter 22: Boundless as the Sea and Air
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~ ACCORDING TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES, THE NOTORIOUS CLOWN PRINCE OF CRIME WAS SCENE FLEEING ARKHAM AT TEN PM LAST NIGHT EASTERN TIME. THE GOTHAM CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT CHIEF JAMES GORDON HAD THOS TO SAY –
~ THAT LOON IS BACK OUT THERE, BUT WE DIDN'T SEE HEAD OR TAIL OF THE BAT WHEN IT HAPPENED. REST ASSURED, GOOD PEOPLE OF GOTHAM CITY; THE GOTHAM CITY POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TEAMS ARE NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL THIS DANGEROUS CRIMINAL IS BACK WHERE HE BELONGS. ~
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Jason swallowed down his grief as Alfred handed the teen a steaming mug of tea.
He took it gratefully, yet the bags under his eyes were proof that tonight had gone poorly for both parties.
"Thank you for allowing us to stay here until further notice Dr. Leslie."
A much older woman stood beside a rather thankful ally, Bruce had known Ms. Leslie Thompkins inside the hero community for decades and due to his father's association with this good doctor. The Batman's mind and body was also strong because of her sage advice. She intended to keep it that way, seeing as she knew the real man behind the mask since day one.
"I'm only too relieved that you made it away from the explosion in time." The elder woman smiled and went to start supper in the kitchen as Alfred hurried to stop Bruce from "helping her cook a decent meal."
"If you'll excuse me, Master Jason."
"None taken, Alf. Go for it."
Like a cleaning bullet, Alfred swept over and justly had Bruce Wayne step away from the stove his hands had attempted to navigate.
"Eggs for tonight will not do." He rutted his charge. "I will make something instead to calm our nerves. Ms. Thompkins, I'll manage the meal. It is the least we might have offer for staying until a small dwelling is prepared in this city, presumably to keep my master out of your hair."
"If you wish, yet I'd like to have a session with both of these men if that would be alright." The doctor smiled with a charming glance at Bruce, who was pulling out his cell to contact Babs.
"For your payment. It's been a long while since Bruce came into my office." She told the billionaire's butler. "I won't have it any other way, otherwise."
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The mess hall was a bit different than in the movies.
Dick was forced to report to every event, being the mockery of the academy for having the right to get in that door while he was still too young to join. It was a pre division that Slade had hunted down in his spare time, convening with the Marshall and the superintendent to see that Dick didn't flop on his own.
He was in a way, being groomed to excel here too.
"Anyone catch the news in Gotham last night?"
And by a mess "hall," rumors were bound to spread in a matter of hours.
Dick listened intently from his spot at the table to the other teens and men, who were speaking his language.
As a fellow, former Gothamite, he had a sworn right to these sorts of discussions. Batman, for starters, as the news spread.
Wildfire in the California Rockies could not compete.
"Batman never found?? And Bruce Wayne too?? They said that it was all charred up, but no bodies. Did the assassin who blew up Wayne's manor take him hostage?"
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That night, Dick got a phone number from one of the staff by plating the charmer, and took a risk in contacting the Gotham precinct after hours.
He knew one person would still be there, narrowing down suspects, pulling out an inflatable mattress if he needed to stay the night to catch a criminal.
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"Gotham –
~ Jim?? I need to get in touch with Bruce Wayne. This is urgent. Please, you have to know where he is. ~
Jim swapped over and pulled out his cell.
"Where are you, kid?"
~ New Jersey, I think. But you can't come here. I know who started the explosion. Talk to –
"Kid?? ROBIN!"
Jim ran a hand over his face and down, his phone still waiting for Wayne to pick up and hear this swing of news into his court.
"Telling Barbara might put her mind at ease too…no, no Batman first. I'll call my kid, later." He switched lines and to his surprise, the number was still the damn same.
"Hope she's in for having a new walk - in, tonight."
He urged himself to press call, and soon it had started to ring. Bringing back memories of a different sort of Gotham city, Jim left a message to then get back to his late night detective work.
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The line was cut, yet Dick's brow was sweating by who had intercepted it.
~ You're not permitted to use this line, little blue bird. Should I have them come and get you? ~
"S- Slade…" Dick seethed. "I won't go down this way –
~ It's already begun, dear boy…and soon, Nightwing will have a chance to prove us both wrong. Future "officer" of Bludhaven…~
The line went dead and Dick's head fell with him still clutching the damned phone.
His eyes were wet, yet he couldn't let Slade beat him. He'd get his word across. Be sure that call was traced. Talk to…
Dick waited for his breathing to temper out. It tried, it really did, but…
He wore his heart someplace else.
Where greedy thieves could snatch it away.
Dick went off to bed that night and a plan attempted to form, had a text not shot up from his phone after hours.
~ SEND ME A PICTURE OF YOUR REPORT. GOOD NIGHT LITTLE BIRD. BE WELL RESTED FOR TOMORROW. ~
Dick saw this and broke down sobbing. He'd be here for three months! Slade was putting him in a jail, a cage that wasn't supposed to be this stifling hot – scalding, even!
He put an arm over his eyes and bit his lip to still the crying. Slade was trying to tug his chain, hardly having to do much…Bruce would find him, he had to be noticed- someone had to have noticed Nightwing was –
Dick recalled Slade definitely telling him about the future robots. How they could change to look like anyone…
Any, vigilante.
Him.
He felt his lip wobbled and attempted to sleep, but his only thought was on what Slade would do to his family and his city if he somehow succeeded in getting a few yards away from those iron gates.
This was safety? No, it was a damned joke of what his dream was SUPPOSED to feel like!
No bringing up his grades for a greater purpose, and every bit was not out of pocket – he OWED Slade! Because as far as he was even the slightest bit concerned?
Slade ran this school from the shadows.
The teachers.
The course instructors.
The guards.
The superintendent and his group of benefactors…
Dick ran a hand through his hair and choked back a sob.
The phone pinged again, while Dick failed to pay attention until it did it again.
And again.
He turned his head to the side to see –
~ GO TO BED, LITTLE BIRD. YOUR HEART RATE IS POOR. NO MORE TEARS. ~
Dick bit back a gasp, hands over his lips, choking back more tears as he forced himself to swallow his fears as a bitter liquid to the esophagus.
Burning him.
Hurting, as tears weren't supposed to be this painful.
Fear ruled his crying bouts, and if he didn't do as he was told…someone else would be put to rest for the boy ever letting one drop, plop onto his camo tee shirt.
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Those tiny cameras were not easy to install, but Slade didn't care. What if his precious pet were bullied? He had every right, especially seeing how miserable the brat was being all on his own.
"Dick…" Slade purred and saw their future blossom right in front of that magnetic one eye.
"You'll do it. You'll do this and you won't think twice about what it is you want more than anything. I promised to make it all happen…" His hands traced over the image on his screen before bed.
"I keep my promises, little blue bird. So now this time, keep yours for me."
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Right now, Jason sat before Dr. Leslie in an adjoined sitting room down the hall. Alfred was fixing up desert for the bunch and that night's coq au vin was indeed the talk all round their table top set up.
Tonight's last meal would be no different for the diligent gent as all that Leslie had required was payment in the form of thoughts and words.
"Last time you took me to therapy, didn't I try to high tail it to the second floor with a curtain and a –
"That, was a long time ago." Bruce sat with his fingers laced in his lap, staring at Leslie from across the antique desk she'd kept from her former years.
This room was for those who could not afford a therapy session, so it was all of her charity not the insurance that helped whomever in need.
Including a rather sullen looked Jason Todd, who was getting taller than Mr. Wayne by the looks of those shoulder muscles.
"Get settled and we can discuss just one topic tonight. One that I am sure you are willing to detest mee for unearthing of your subconscious as well, Bruce."
"If it is about Dick." He sighed. "I could use a place to gather myself. For him, and my family…"
"Good." Leslie turned to Jason, the stubborn one of the bunch, and yet the most loyal.
"What about you? I've seen you fall and fly from this city many a time, though your face tells me another story."
"Save your "how does its" for the actual session, doc."
"Jason." Bruce shot the teen a look, a rather concerned one for how he was treating their closest frend of the Wayne family.
"He's alright, Bruce. I know Jason is hardly doing nothing at all. In fact, what do you know about the attacks on Arkham?"
"You're not Gordon!" The antihero stood up and spat. "B! She's –
"Leslie." Bruce stood as well. "What is this session really about?"
Leslie sat at her desk and looked more an enigma to all of them, even to herself as she carefully brought along the reason from her weathered lips.
"Just as I said I'd do, and I could tell. Jason isn't brooding as usual, Mr. Wayne. He's been aware this whole time and knows more that you should have, especially about who attacked your family last night."
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"I…" Jason was cornered.
"Are…are you interrogating me? Quack, not a cha –
"I would prefer an intervention to hold here, as you seem to have bottled up your angst. If you want to save Richard's life, you have to be –
"Jason, look!" Bruce pointed as a smirking face left the world and a new one came out of smoke. Leslie was lain onto her desk, head over it and eyes shut to rest.
The next words she spoke, would not be until desert, as magic took place here in this sanctuary of open thought.
"Raven…" Bruce clenched his fists, recognizing the robes and scowl from years ago.
"Since when can you do that??"
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Constantine laid his head down to rest back at Zee's, since she had a place to stay at in Gotham.
~Damage to Wayne Manor leaves city distraught. ~
The headline was clear, this Slade was not a fan of the bat – times eleven as Johnny shut his eyes….
~Are you there?? Hey! ~
Snorting awake, John jolted from the sofa in Zee's pent and gasped.
"That was it! Him! Bloody hell…." He shook his head and rushed to find her, to let Zee know that they had to try again.
That voice, belonged to the man they were looking for.
And this time, he'd almost found their dimension…
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John sent some sort of code, a way to use the relic that she twisted her neck to understand, while Timmy had a bigger grin on his face than in his youth as a prominent hacker.
"This is it!" Tim clapped his palms together, rubbing them eagerly as he got down to it. "Send it…aha! Yes. No way magic can trump science, Barbie! Take a look at this."
She rolled over in her wheelchair to see what the answer was, but a strange set of numbers and images.
"The Hexicon." Grinned the teenager. "It can get us the right location dimensionally of that thing after John. I think he did it, Babs."
She nodded.
"We finally got the real Slade's full attention. So, do we leave a trail?" She wondered aloud. "So he can find his way to our dimension?"
"Not that simple. You know how in one universe if two of the same indivual were to exist in the same timeline, it could create –
"I know that Timmy, but what about what happens to the fake? Will he go back to his time?"
"He's bypassed it, though!" Tim groaned and recalled out of habit the enemy's plans.
"No, we have to get him out of our time –
"But…" Tim stopped typing and slowly turned to Babs. A sympathetic look in his green eyes.
"It's not time yet, because something else wanted this outcome and now we have to ride it out –
"While "fate:" decides when Dick can go free…even if he ends up…" She bit her lip, tugging at the sleeve of her shirt pitifully.
"He'll be brainwashed if WE don't stop the crook from….-
"Barbie?"
She wasn't able to forget how close they all were, but she and Dick…they never would have let this change who they were as partners. As family and as ex lovers…
"I'm scared for him, and for all of you…I didn't know he was fighting him…that Dick was hiding the s-sexual…assault after…"
"We all want our brother back, Babs." Tim swallowed and brought a hand out for her to grasp.
"It's going to be ok. We'll work together. We'll find Dick."
Her green eyes may his, analyzing those words.
"How can you promise something you can't keep? What are we going to do if it's too late…? He won't be one of us anymore."
"He's family, Barbie." Tim shook his head and chuckled nervously. "Mind control or whatever this is, we want to do the right thing, then we will."
Send so, she cried on his shoulder, missing when Dick was more level headed and compassionate. When he'd been less afraid to face his inhibitions as she still was.
Yet time never stopped. How would they catch up to his big moment, if not tomorrow when John summoned an old foe to save them all?
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Bit of an intermission chapter. And was Gordon talking about Bruce and Co being the walk ins? Was she really helping him instead OF Mr. Wayne? Find out! Read on and stay curious for chapter 23.