Nightwing; A Series of Doubts – Give and Take –
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Chapter 24: Out on a Limb for You
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Summer was over, the madness of the Joker went quietly in the night.
The workings of a Nightwing in Blud, however?
Revitalized as a top news topic for months after the beat down; after Jason had taken a step back to work with Tim, Bruce, John C and Babs with Zee on how this Slade of their time was…out there, somewhere and trying to call out.
It could have been a dreamer's state of awareness, yet everyone including Tim and Alfred felt the presence of a specter as it lurked beyond the walls of their reality.
Until, Halloween came round, and the cops in Blud were put in a rather tough position.
Dick held his baton at his hip, new suit, his info as botched as this contract for Slade to watch his back.
To wait on his cracking, violently.
The scare that October was of a feistier nature.
A one; Catalina Flores had taken to Dick like a brother. She was an outlaw of her own making, and her target was Blockbuster Numero DOS.
~I told you. ~
Slade would again, still have his two cents before bed. That low purr and a whisper, while Dick knew that Catalina liked him.
Yet, Slade wanted her to "vamos."
~She'll be trouble. Keep your guard up. She could be an asset as well as a potential threat to our sense of Nightwing's right and wrong. I don't want to mar your conscience with more unnecessary bloodshed. ~
It was those words of "Nightwing does this" and "My blue bird isn't" that – those things Dick knew to be an issue if he tried to reject them. He, was Nightwing now. He needed to finish this story and find a happy…ending.
His eyes were red, and the tears seemed to be in the past as Officer Grayson walked to his vehicle to do some more evening, patrol rounds.
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Starfire and Hood with Roy had heard news of a new Anarchist coming to Gotham and then fleeing via the sewers….
To Haven.
Starfire could not go, and Roy had to keep the Bat informed for later, so Todd took the helm to go and seek out this criminal as soon as possible.
"If you think that Gotham is bad on All Hallow's, think about the crap that goes down outside of Jersey. Night – whatever is going to need a team like the Bat to take down any crooked creepers with more than to sticks and acrobatic flips."
Bullock snorted to Gordon at the station, while only a month before, Leslie Kyle and he had discussed the events to follow.
"He told me that he was afraid for all of them; his brother, especially. He was put through so much…an abduction? Then beaten within an inch of his life…" She sighed and leaned into her hands.
"But, what about how Blud's improved a bit? My guys and fellow offers talk big, but we know that he didn't just rise from the dead like Red Hood's alter."
Leslie nodded to the comment. "Dick Grayson is fighting a battle that I'm told he is not in control of the outcome. As odd as this sounds, Bruce said to let…it all play out. Until we know enough."
"Don't have time." Gordon looked at his phone to show Leslie the image of a new threat to Haven.
"He's already there, and I think I'd better radio that precinct before we lose another bird to that same sky."
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Dick held his breath. Catalina was there too. On the roof as he popped his head out of the closet of the men's restroom at the precinct.
She was there in a tiger mini skirt and a crop hooded jacket, heels up – posing as a sex worker while he went out the back window of the restroom.
"You're free to go, Miss."
She thanked the officer that had detained her, while seeking her partner out before pulling off the coat and swapping for a mask and speedo style suit under her skirt. The boots were combat thigh high. Her blades and guns were as well tucked in a can by the office next door as they took off.
"What's the hombre pushing for? Anarchy and madness? A cult following on Halloween night?"
Dick rode the roofs and she joined him. Having a pretty good idea…
"An uproar, and a message. So, pretty much." Dick gave her that grin that could cause a villain to lose their footing – just as Catalina had learned to become immune to a man's charm.
She was called "Tarantula" for a reason…
Her bite made more sense than a peck on the cheek from some unlucky senor.
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The sewers were no place, for a cult to form, let alone a message to be received.
Paragon, a paradox of information, and he was about to have his first hit out on this city's idiot detective.
"Nightwing is formidable." He mused and did not bother to put on any airs about his decision. "I'll have to teach that crow how to fly south; my city, my rules now…"
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Slade could see the pattern and didn't like this incredibly dangerous development.
Slade, was aware of this outcome only just, since his perfect hero was about to receive a new scar over the heart….
And Slade, would be there.
As time had foretold, this was the night…
Or was, of Nightwing's first assault on lady justice before he had to pull away from the spotlight.
Well, Slade could tweak the conditions just a bit, he didn't want Tarantula to live. She was a problem he could snuff out with some help from a few, enemies made allies through his network.
"Desmond?"
The man who stepped out of the shadows had another enemy at his arm.
"KG beast an' I wanna do the favor of ridding this pair from existence." Desmond's brother grinned at the killer of his own kind.
"Tell me, Slade…does your crystal ball tell you we'll succeed in ripping off the lil' bird's wings?"
"It may." Slade stalked over and took to KG beast, who was just one more bane to the man.
"But, that's not why. I have another anti - hero joining our party tonight."
Slade turned his eye to a masked male in the colors of the night.
" Sweet! Where's the fire? I get to loosen up a bit? DS, you didn't say much about it on the invite."
"I wanted to surprise you. Gentlemen? Meet, Midnighter."
The two others nodded and tried to just consider the younger's disposition.
"Paragon is nothing more than a second-rate baddy with a hero complex of his own." Desmond scratched his chin to add. "IF you want Nightwing to get his dues, we can't all be in on this scheme."
"You're correct, Blockbuster." Slade responded coolly. "My time - device told me that one more player by the thirty - first of December will change that boy into a threat against the Bat. No spoilers, so until then… these are my terms…"
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Tonight, was Paragon and Catalina getting in close.
However, to again fake Blockbuster's death, or to perpetuate a new one, the two had to be out of sync. Catalina was going to do something, something to send Dick crying into the arms of another blood sucking leech. After that, Slade would drop by her place, make it so she'd never existed.
Dick would question the logic (and the throbbing) then, he'd run to Slade and their trust would fluctuate. After that, the next baddie would lead Dick to a coma where Slade would be there.
He'd re – write tomorrow, and by December?
Well, as he'd said to his crew.
No Spoilers.
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Cassandra Cain had become the first Black Bat of the bat Family, and Kate Kane as Batwoman had followed with Stephanie Brown as Spoiler, no soon after.
A daughter of a villain known as a riddler of a sort, Stephanie become Robin then lost it with her desire to stop criminals by using too much force- then took on a new ruse of colors before sticking with Spoiler and the current Birds of Prey.
She was better, now. Even dated the third Robin for a bit before…well….
The birds of prey had Oracle pretty busy, especially since they'd be watching over Gotham this Halloween.
"Red Robin."
Tim Drake turned around to see her there.
" Spoil alert! You and I are gonna team up, toniiight!" She threw up a rock out sign with her gloved fingers as he smiled back.
"How's it with your new squeeze?" She sat beside her ex and best friend. He was super moody tonight.
She could just tell.
They'd been close too for a bit, until they had to break it off. Now, Tim was officially Bi – sexual and had a sweetheart named Bernard. A son of a researcher at Wayne Tech, and quite a suave debonair fella.
Or a geek, for short, of those rich boy attitudes.
(Changing it to suit!)
"Fine." Tm chewed his lip. "We aren't trying to rush the process."
"Still not used to liking "everyone?" She smirked as he batted her jokes off of his caped shoulder.
"Sorry…not cool. And…the Red Robin thing…?"
"It works for me."
"The Ra's incident?"
He raised his eyes from the binoculars he'd been peering through.
"Where have you been? The Antarctic?"
"In my own livable space." Stephanie Brown puffed out her chest. "We birds don't fly solo all the time, so I never get the same info on the rest of the boys back home at the same time. Just getting my facts straight." She fibbed. "We…. keep to our job a lot. Babs is too hard on –
"She's a lot more composed, more than B likes to admit." Tim was a teen too. He knew Steph had a lazy side and yet she could be a ray of sunshine. It's why they were ok dating for a short time, before she'd ruined the name Robin for them both.
"You should be fortunate to have her hands on those keys."
"I wish you'd thought the same about me…"
"Huh?"
"No, I was thinking…" She started to whistle, hoping he'd never heard her thoughts. "Out loud! Dude…Really, go back to your bad boy hunt!"
Tim gave Spoiler a look. "You know I don't have the same feelings, so keep this team up professional for tonight. I, beg you…"
She rolled her eyes, passing along a sideways smirk. "That's a… ten four – good buddy! Affirmative!"
"At ease soldier." Frowned Red Robin.
"Sorry, my bad…"
He'd definitely make a good Batman clone someday, she realized.
Time would only tell…
Despite Ra's always having a hard - on when Tim visited.
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I have a fraternal twin who's dismissive like that, and don't worry! The span is that Slade is forcing an outcome so none of this should not correlate with the comics, despite most of it doing so anyway. Who I showing up on New Years??
Find out! Remember; if Dick doesn't crack by his birthday regardless, Slade still wins, yet he has a chance to fix the outcome. Maybe build up an army to fight the real kingpin of Nightwing's city.
Find out! No Damian yet, that's not until way later.
Until next chapter; Chapter 25: Snapping My Bones in Half; Crushing My Spirit. Time – leap, so get ready!