Jason's flashlight illuminated the hall in front of him. Another misty glow showed him where the hall opened into the center courtyard of the building. He had one of his guns in the other hand resting on the hand holding the flashlight.

He paused in the shadows of the hall scoping the courtyard. Nothing moved or made a sound.

Looking upward, to check the floors above for any snipers or patrolling guards, he stepped out.

The skylight let in enough light from the city to illuminate the balconies running around the courtyard on each floor. Again, no hostile forces showed themselves.

"Ground floor's clear. What's your status?"

"Top two are clear," Nightwing's voice came clearly over the comm.

Movement caught his eye and he could see Nightwing silhouetted against the skylight several floors from the top.

"I think I've got something up here."

Jason's reply was cut off by a boom somewhere in the building above him. The ground under him shook and the balcony above him began to crumble. He dived for the relative safety of the hallway and blackness closed in around him.

Jason opened his eyes but couldn't see anything. His breath caught in his throat. He sensed he was in a small space. He remembered a second explosion as he dove for the hallway. Moving carefully, so as to not dislodge any debris, he switched on the night vision on his helmet. He took in the pile of rubble enclosing him and winced at the metal pole that had missed him and several vital organs by inches. He was safe and physically unhurt for now, but he didn't know what shifting any of this would do.

He tested by shifting onto his knees. It didn't take much effort. Dirt and dust rained down on his helmet.

It took a greater effort to convince himself the space wasn't closing in on him. Every small sound was a warning before the whole thing came down and buried him, again.

He tested the comms.

"Nightwing?"

…

Was the silence because the comm was broken, was something in the pile of debris blocking it, or was his brother injured?

"Nightwing? Can you hear me?"

…

He switched to the broader band they'd used when on patrol.

"Oracle? …Can anyone hear me? This is Red Hood."

The static on the comms made his heart race even more. Taking a deep breath, he switched back to the one-to-one comm.

"Nightwing?"

"I'm here." The voice was quiet. Whether it was a problem with the comms or Nightwing, he couldn't tell. The knowledge that he wasn't alone in the building temporarily held back the panic welling up inside him.

"Where are you?"

"On the floor." The non-specific specificity brought concern to the forefront of Jason's emotions. That wasn't really an answer given that Jason couldn't remember which floor Nightwing had been on when the explosion happened. We're in a ten story building. Can you be more specific? Jason reigned in his frustration.

"Which floor?"

…

"The bottom one." The knowledge Nightwing had fallen several stories coupled with his less-than-with-it answers sent another pang of fear through Jason. He wasn't sure if he should ask his next question.

"Can you move at all?" A long silence.

"I, I don't think so."

"Can you get on the main comm line?" Another long silence. "Nightwing?" No answer.

Dick opened his eyes. The skylight above him showed a gray sky punctuated with lights from the city. His right hip was on fire. He tried to sit up but every muscle protested.

He had a vague memory of an explosion and… falling?

"Red Hood?"

"Did you get through to anyone?" His brother's voice came over the comm.

"What?"

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"I fell," Dick's voice caught in his throat as he said it.

"I figured," Jason was sounding just as anxious as he felt. "Can you get through to anyone on your comm? All I got was static."

Nightwing, grunting and limbs heavy, reached for the comm. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't in his ear.

"My comm's gone."

"I guess we're on our own. What does it look like where you are? I've got a pocket here, but I can't tell how deep it is."

With a cry of pain, Nightwing forced his body to roll over.

"Where are you?"

"North hallway." It took more than a few minutes, through the dust and debris, to orientate himself correctly. The explosion had been on an upper floor and the ground floor was surprisingly unscathed. Through the pounding his head and the dust that clouded his vision and his lungs he made out where the north hallway was supposed to be. The opening was obscured by the remains of the balcony above it.

Dick dragged himself to the pile of debris. From his position on the ground it was difficult to assess the situation.

He pulled himself up against a piller. His right leg was limp and burning with pain.

He tried to adjust his weight, accidentally shifted to his right leg, and collapsed once again. His head hit the concrete floor and his saw spots. Through the ringing in his ears he heard Jason's voice in the distance.

"Nightwing? You still with me?"

"Yeah," Dick gasped.

Being extra careful of his right leg, Dick pulled himself back to an upright position. He saw a long steel support beam sticking up at an angle from the mass of concrete and drywall.

"Tell me if this shifts anything."

Using his entire weight, he shifted the beam an inch or two.

Jason felt the concrete dust sprinkle down. He saw the beam over his head shift.

"Yeah, I saw that move."

"Okay, I don't know how much I can move it or for how long, so be ready to move.

Taking a preparatory breath, Jason turned off the night vision on his helmet. His heart still began to race as the darkness, and in his mind the pile of debris, closed in around him.

"Okay, ready."

More dust and debris fell around him. Then, finally, a tiny speck of light appeared. Jason lunged for it.

His shoulders barely fit. The weight of the beam and his own desperation worked together to squeeze his lungs close.

With a gasp and a final push, he rolled free as the rest of the floor above crashed down around them.

Jason winced as chunks of concrete and drywall rained down on him.

Finally it stopped and he sat up. Dick lay under him, unconscious. His mask was gone and blood trickled from a gash on his forehead.

Jason also took in the shattered hip and dislocated shoulder. He quickly checked for more injuries and was both surprised and relieved to find only a couple minor fractures to his brother's ribs.

He lifted his brother as gently as he could, feeling the sharp intake of breath rather than hearing it. Dick's eyes fluttered open.

"Jay…"

"You're okay…we're okay."

Jason carried Dick back to where they had parked their motorcycles. Setting his brother down, he reached for the spare comm set in the pack on his motorcycle.

"Oracle, this Red Hood. I need a Medevac at my location." He waited until he had confirmation then returned to where Nightwing lay. "Let's get you home."