Nightwing - Alternate Rebirth; These New Years Lost Chapter - INFINITY/RED
/
This is the gallivanting Knights snippet continuation and the end of later, these new years are part one. If you know the Chosen and Roku's curse, if not? Read up on the past a bit. Or, read the Snippets and then go backwards from there. Here we go!
/
PROLOGUE
/
~ Mayor; what is the Bludhaven police department doing to stop the juggernaut super villain and crime lord known as Blockbuster?? ~
~ Chief commissioner Sawyer!! Is it true that you've promised to have your officers train in the event of a backlash from Haven's own criminals? What are your thoughts in this new tyrant of the underground crime syndicate? ~
~ Right now, Blockbuster works on his own accord, not through any group but alongside those such as Gotham's Roman Sionas, known as Black Mask. Kingpin, and a dozen loons who the Blud city police are eager to put away for life. This session is done; no further questions. ~
Cameras flashed on and in the scuffle outside the hot spot by the latest crime scene, a hooded ally stayed feet from his newest venture.
Only months ago, he'd been asked to leave his home city in Cali and get down and dirty here in Blud since Gotham was on some of the places he'd headed in the last run in with Black Mask's crew.
~ You're gonna do fine, we have this one organization helping on the side, calls itself Spyral and they know Blud better than you or me. ~
He could have pulled out, been twice the hero for doing it, for the fact that remained as that if he defected, his family would suffer for his early incompetence.
He'd asked not to go until after his twins had been born that month. The decision was tough, but after tears and Raven scowling right beside the new mother at her to – be ex, there was some of a faulty reason between them to agree to disagree.
~You are leaving Koriander with three children, for your job. ~ She crossed her arms to her chest, agrier in theory than in practice to her opponents.
And boy, could the empath rage out when she had to.
~ She'll be safe but, the raise if things go well, the money I can send so we can get a new home together. ~ Dick Grayson rubbed his neck and seethed through clenched teeth, knowing full well what he wanted, but Raven wasn't satisfied with that answer.
~ You have a home, at least wait until Kori is ready. ~ Her expression was worried, needier, and to think the bubbly Starfire was this close to doom and gloom Raven.
~ Dick, the dragon. ~ She brought up something that made his eyes narrow at her. ~ If he senses weakness in your heart or mind, you'll be less a hero to them and us, and more a deserter of any fam –
~ I'm doing this for them, Raven. ~ Turning, Dick didn't need to plead his case. In two days, he'd be off to Blud, undercover as the guy from San Diego with no history of ever fighting in Kevlar.
~ I'll be back. I promise. ~
Then. ~ Raven turned away and raised her hood, arms hugged to her chest, fear in her eyes as he'd only seen a handful of times. ~Do us all a favor; don't get hurt, not even if the dragon says it will get you that promotion. ~
/
A red, fire breathing dragon – ah, yes! The red lord they had fought in their teens to escape; Roku, the soul stealer and a half jinni or demi god of manifestation who could pass on his powers on to another, along with his tainted will. And he'd chosen Dick to have Kori carry the Child of the Golden dawn to oppose him, to end him. They did not know, but Kori would soon be with one other concern.
If her kids could fly and shoot star bolts right out of the womb.
However, Roku's tainted curse did not touch the cop's children.
Instead, it had taken him and was lying dormant under all of that armor.
/
Dick had made friends at the new precinct. By day, he was officer and pretty boy – heartthrob, Dick Grayson. But by night?
He was still, forever to be Nightwing, as the city cried out.
He'd finally be meeting a Spyral agent tonight, a private location with zero reason to pin this as some form of criminal activity.
Spyral was a group that recruited people to get into the fray and blow it to bits from the inside out.
Spies, but deadlier.
His boss had not said why he'd be meeting and greeting at ten o clock at night by the docks. He'd also not told Dick to speak a word of this to anyone, mostly because that would put them all in jeopardy if he did.
"Y'ello?" Dick had the info from his Cali base on the real enemies they were after, and this group possibly had his address and contact info in their super computer back at Spyral headquarters.
He didn't doubt it for a second.
"You came alone?"
A trenched fellow in a detective's outfit, tall, from the forties seemed to slink out of the shadows with his face still concealed beneath the collar of his outfit.
Richard nodded. Dick was in his police uniform; the coat over top to simply not seem a threat to them if, he had anything to hide.
"Sawyer remains unaware, correct?"
"Yes." Dick answered the cloaked agent. "I made sure not to enter any important details. They see me as an officer from California trying to get a promotion." He cleared his throat. "That's all."
"You can only stay in the shadows with that attitude for so long, Officer Grayson."
Dick shrugged the kink out of his arm, the figure pointing a long gloved finger at the case in his ally's grip.
"Is that what you came here to trade us."
"Yes." Dick had to get back to the precinct without drawing attention to his own –
"But, that's not all, is it?"
Dick's dark brows knitted together.
"What do you mean? I'm just a messenger; that's all I came to deliver, boss's order –
"He didn't tell you?"
The icy feeling crept up his arm, not even due to the temperatures by the water in this cold, cold city.
"That, what…. was the chief not…"
Dick looked up to see the figure was before him, a Spiral of red and black AS its actual face.
He gasped and fell back, scrambling for his gun as his arm was grabbed tightly by this looming creeper.
"Stop! This wasn't what we agreed on! Let…go of my –
"You'll be heard by my people. Please refrain from a further struggle…. agent…"
(NOT HOW IT HAPPENED, BUT THIS IS DARKER SO ROLLING WITH IT!)
As if the gun wasn't there, but the bluntness of a hit, the officer went down.
The warehouse too, went deathly still as none remained to see to a new deal.
Dick was the collateral, and he was about to fall down a rabbit hole of epic proportions while his eyes remained screwed shut the rest of the way back to Spyral's hide away in Blud.
This, was the very start of his new life as a secret agent, and a vigilante for a city that had nearly lost its heroes.
/