The old Bridgeport microbrewery building is the residence of Dick Grayson. The renovated building is now a five-story loft owned by Grayson in Melville Section. Using part of his inheritance money, Grayson decided to make the building more livable for the five residents and reopened the pub on the first level as a front to gather street intel for his consulting Detective job and his vigilante status as Nightwing.
Dick's loft front door swung open and a grizzled man with a weathered appearance, entered carrying a drink tray and a bag of bagels. This is property caretaker, John Law, Grayson's close friend, moral voice, and confidante in his crusade as Nightwing.
He walks past the property's soaring views and carries the items through the wide-open loft. The loft interior is vast and grand, with various carved materials mixed with maple, hand-carved wood, and painted frescos. He approaches Dick's sitting area, stops, and looks at an oversized Haley circus poster in a glass frame hanging on the wall.
"Richie boy?" Law called out, and his voice echoed through the loft without reply.
. Law sighs and turns heads to the southwest corner of the loft. He approaches Dick's aquarium dips his hand into the water, and flips a hidden switch built inside a circus tent ornament. A secret panel unlocked the glass-enclosed wine cellar, and the secret door swung open. Law stepped through an elevator. He looks into the eye recital scanner that activates the elevator and descends into the caverns beneath the loft. The elevator reaches its destination, and the door opens, revealing stairs leading to an old wine cellar.
The wide-open cellar was transformed into Nightwing headquarters, or as Law calls it: the Nest. The basement is unique. Notably, its low arches, arches, use of brick, and four-centered arches create the appearance of a grid. Some arch fronts are faced in cream-colored ceramic edged with green and cream tiles in a repeating pattern making distillations. Items from the 1950s were left behind, and thanks to the help from Alfred, those items have been repurposed to meet current needs. It gives the cellar a sense of its active time; even the light fixtures were old school.
The cellar is quite equipped as it includes a training area with punching bags, weight benches and a small armory area. The armory is where numerous types of Nightwing's weaponry are stored. The weapons themselves are behind chicken wire glass window cage that can be accessed via a keycode. In addition to that the armory is also where the Nightwing suit was left to display on a mannequin in a glass panel. The unforgotten wine cellar centerpiece is a aforementioned metal desk, with a triple touchscreen monitors to a surface studio all-in-one computer set-up connected to a highly advanced computer network system. Not as advanced as the Bat computer, but it's up to tier with it.
Law ambles down the flight of stairs and see's Dick sitting at the bank of monitors studying the CCTV footage of the kidnapping from earlier.
"Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tail this morning, Grayson?"
"A habit I picked up from an old mentor."
"Then you should build a bedroom down here."
"Hmmm," he says, sighing with a smile. "I like my morning views. Besides, not all birds are nocturnal."
Law eyed the CCTV footage indicated the screens and addressed it. "Surveillance from the kidnapping?"
Dick nodded, taps a button on the keyboard, and the surveillance footage plays; the hijackers pull up fast. Van Campbell retaliates and fires multiple rounds at the men he was fatally injured.
"Good Lord," said Law. "The bodyguard fought like hell to keep her safe."
"That he did.".
"Did he survive?"
"Yes. He was in critical care, but he'll live."
Grayson backs up the video and watches intently as the kidnappers move in on Campbell.
"See how they move," -Grayson pointed out-. "It's a three-second rush one is always covering the others. It's military."
"That it is, but wait," -Law points at shooter number three- "His movement was suddenly sporadically as if he had a second thought about his actions."
Grayson backs up the video, zooms in on the shooter, and slows the video down. Dick catches the split hesitation in the man's face before Campbell shoots him.
"There was slight hesitation from the gunman," Grayson pointed out. "Good eye, John. the expression in his eyes was as if he was fighting something within."
"Whatever happened to good ole ski masks."
"I'm from Gotham; everything is theatrical… Due to their mask, I couldn't get facial recognition on the perps."
Grayson continues to study the surveillance footage examining every detail, movement, anything, and everything, small or big details. Due to his critical study of military history and tactics, he identifies the gunman's weapons from Bruce Wayne.
"That John is a G36 assault rifle. German-made is highly lethal. The CIA is tracking a shipment of these stolen from a plant in Berlin last week."
Law's eyes light up, and his previous weaponry knowledge comes into play. "Oh yeah, I know this gun. The firing rate on this impressive machinery is incredible, and there's hardly any recoil. It's material of fiberglass-reinforced plastic. It's light, strong, and extremely deadly. Oh yeah, she's a growler."
Law's time as a former vigilante comes in handy at times. His run-in with gun smuggles during his career was proven by this. Sometimes Grayson must remind himself Law was once a badass vigilante.
"I did some digging," said Grayson. "There's intel that the shipment was sold on the black market in our backyard."
"Word is The Penguin has been spending much time here in the city. Since he's opened his new club Celsius."
"I've been keeping up with him. No arms trafficking deal goes down without him knowing about it. If anyone knows about the shipment, it's him. He's been keeping a low profile as of late. I'll ask Oracle to recon a Wayne Satellite and search city-wide to triangulate his location."
Grayson taps his ear, activating his earbud.
"Grayson," Barbara answered.
"Babs, so how's it going? How's bird collecting?"
"Please," she rebuked him lightly. "Pretending to care about my side hobby to hide the fact that you're asking a favor just aggravates me."
"Point taken. I need you to access the Wayne Satellite to search for Cobblepot in Bludhaven."
"Couldn't Tim or Alfred help you with this?"
"Well, they could, but you're better at it."
"Or is it because you missed me and were looking for excuses to call me?"
Grayson plays coy. "Nah, I'm just trying to find Cobblepot quickly as possible. A girl was kidnapped, and he may know the assailants."
Oracle fingers fly over the keyboard, accessing a code and activating the sophisticated software. The program goes to work triangulating Cobblepot's locations through his cellphone's data, and the software interface appears on the supercomputer's wall-sized monitor.
"This should be a good start," said Grayson. Thanks, Babs, I owe you one."
"More like three," she smiles and ends communication.
Grayson gets up from his chair, and just as he's putting his hands on his head, Law remembers, "Oh Dick, don't forget, "Law sets two Haley Circus tickets in front of him. "A reminder that you have tickets to attend Haley Circus later this evening, and you have a plus one?"
"I remembered Dick."
"I know this must be hard for you and all."
Grayson glanced at the tickets, and a memorial picture of the late Flying Graysons, John and Mary Grayson, and a younger version of himself was printed on them.
Silence lingered. He was in concert with his thoughts. Remembering the deaths of his parents and Bruce Wayne opening his home to him. The first sandwich Alfred made for him and, most notably, his last talk with his dad before his death. Dick had come a long way from being a circus act and becoming Bruce Wayne's ward and, through his intense training, becoming Robin, leaving the role of the boy wonder to become his own as Nightwing.
Law expressed his sympathy to his new, bereaved friend. Who revealed his identity to him after Law saved his life as Nightwing, becoming Dick's friend and confidante in his crusade.
The computer enabled a chime, indicating the drones have triangulated Cobblepot's location. A holographic city-wide map filled the monitor, and Grayson pointed at three red dots flashing on the monitor. One location that catches his attention is the Upstate area, The Palisades. He moves the analog stick on the keyboard, moving a drone over location three, surrounded by trees and wilderness.
"There," Grayson pointed out.
"-Mmm-hmm!" exclaimed Law. "I take it there's an establishment in that part of the countryside?"
"Beneath all of that is the old Botanical Gardens of Palisades," informed Grayson. "Unknown to public records, it once belonged to the Cobblepots. Batman discovered it sometime back. It's Cobblepot's place of refuge to escape the city."
"Going to speak with him. Dick?"
"Cobblepot is the broker of criminal information if anyone knows it's him. Plus, we go way back. He'll talk."
The elevator door opened, and Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Kane momentarily. Grayson's young allies/ technical support joins them by the console. Lizzie is sixteen years old, 5'4 in height, has a curvy build, a pretty face, blue eyes, and short blonde hair. She's dressed in a black leather jacket, red shirt, gray jeans, and a pair of black, red, and white Air Force ones.
Lizzie was once her late father's protégé, who Nightwing saved from a sadistic group of mercenaries to kill her due to her unraveling secrets. She's a skilled hacker, computer expert, and street savvy. Over some time and after gaining her trust, Dick revealed his secret identity to her, bringing her into the fold on his crusade to protect Bludhaven. Lizzie is from a single-parent home, she and her mother live on the third floor of Grayson's loft.
"How was school?" Greeted Law.
"Ughh. I still can't stand it. Sometimes I want to run away."
"I symphonize," interjected Grayson. "There were times I wanted to run away and rejoin the Circus. Or have Alfred homeschool me, but Bruce wasn't having it. Hang in there, kid. It'll get better. But remember, no school, no helping me down here. That's the deal."
Lizzie sighs as she knows convincing Grayson otherwise would be pointless.
"Speaking of the circus," said Law. "It's tonight. If you need more time-"
"No, it's fine-" said Grayson, taking a moment to reflect. "Besides, it'll be good to see the old gang and my mother… she would want me to be there."
"Very well," said Law. "Then it is settled. We're headed to the Circus tonight."
Grayson turns, walks to the suit glass cases, presses in a code, and a green light flashes opening the case. The suit stares back like a black phantom and is ready to be placed on for his crusade against crime.
"Do you need me on comms," asked Lizzie.
"Long as you can stay off Tik Tok," Grayson said firmly but jokingly. "It's just one-on-one with Cobblepot. I'll meet up with you later at the Circus." He handed her the plus one and stared at Lizzie for a beat. He remembers the hardship he first experienced and still does to this day, losing his parents. Grayson turned from her, and reached for the Nightwing suit.