Alpha , Beta But Never an Omega
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Chapter 19: Sundown
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Slade sharpened his eyes in the dimming day. It was three. Half way in and out of Grayson abd his new occupation. The binoculars he wore had the boy's goofy grin up to here, yet that blonde…
And –
Slade moved and stood up.
"How'd it go? Losing the bat brat? Was on lookout duty if that place you wanted me to set up. Is –
"Midnighter." Slade put down his binoculars and ignored how he coukd practically see that blonde working her eyes up to the roof where he was stationed.
"Another location. I'll change. For today."
"Lunch? Civil, much?" MN raised a brow with a scoff below his helmeted cowl. "I dunno. Maybe the kid is making y –
Slade's glare ate right through his armor, crawling over abs and aches that never healed despite having a healing factor. That ego was swallowed down rather quickly as MN complied with a cheeky grin.
"Heh…did I say that? Sorry, must be the fact I'm peckish for some lunch. Skipped mine. You wanna café or –
"Anything goes, just no fast food. I'm in the best of my time with this, and I can't stop here. Not covered in grease by tonight."
Was…was he making a joke? It was hard to say. Slade spoke too eloquently at times to tell if he were passing along so deep wisdom in that timbre of his.
"Lead the way it is then. No pizza for you." Tutted the anti hero with a wag of his finger jokingly.
Slade put down his guard, right as Valentine averted her eyes to help out a weeping pity - addicted woman carrying a lump of cloth into her office. It was empty but worn. She looked upset, scared. An abduction. Dick's fur would have bristle to this plight easily.
~ Someone took my baby! I want justice, now!~
Slade heard it, as he pinged a small poke at a cell while he was fishing out some civilian clothing from a handy duffle on the roof.
"Your turn, Hero."
He slipped away as Dick got the call, his eyes nearly shut until he spied the text. The woman, and excused himself to go and swap gears in the restroom. Valentine saw a fast wannabe who was drinking way too much coffee.
That's what he hoped as Dick made sure that his uniform was snug and his other cloths were stashed – but wait….not where the vents were. Something airy, oh! He made sure to slip out and not say a thing. The cameras thanks to Slade, were scrambled long enough for him to roll onto the street and back up the fore escape next door.
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They were in hot pursuit. And to the front, was Rodriguez. The teacher of Ryan made sure she was in the scuttle of an aftermath of gun violence. It was much more than that as people were displaced. Cop cars and tape across the housing complex and the adjoining park…
They were looking in the wrong place. The park. They had scouts in some areas, but not far enough. Nightwing took off by grapple and lines, the city was going to lead to a train station soon up the street. The metro. She wouldn't be a happy mom without whoever was doing this. Why, being the question that wasn't his to answer.
~ Grayson. They're down below you. In the station. I'll make sure to upset the line. Cut them off any way that I can. ~
"Super cool that you've been spying on me at work. My boss is going to find out. She's practically the descendent of Holmes!"
~ It's not up for discussion. Do this, and you won't have me for a awhile. Show me how well you work going solo, hero.~
Slade clicked off in his mask as Nifhtwing ran, being cautious of the cameras and phones blasting light at each angle. Each curve and swerve as they let him go to the internet to deem worthy if saving their city.
He would…
The red bar came down, Dick leaped over as he saw a man dragging a child before scooping the little curly haired three-year-old up. Screaming, he put a hand over her mouth.
A mother's worst nightmare. Dick didn't let the man run. He kept running and tackled.
The child was caught as sge scrambled over to a security guard while they called the resy. Dick took out some cuffs and patted the evil jerk on the head. "You don't go swiping what's not yours. No need to panic! He's subdued!" Dick took up a wave before blowing the scene. No one followed as cops blocked one way in, while Dick took to the restroom. And swapped out. He'd decided his everything else, he'd where three suits.
One for work, Nightwing underneath, and gym clothing with a pair of foldable sandals like some dumb hippie addict – well, but harsh but it worked. He was passed by abd they found nothing. Dick made sure to take his things and forced them into a wad of paper towels. It looked like he'd been to the pool.
Easy. He went back to the street and a car was there. Sleek, black.
Dick mosied over and opened the door to see that Slade and MN were inside. "Well done in getting your feet wet, rookie. Back to work?"
"As soon as I can. Need a distraction." Dick rubbed his neck and nodded. Slade didn't have to be prideful. He knew. This was one good deed with hundreds more to go. Nightwing, was now a friend to the people.
He should be proud, even when that face…
Slade leaned over from his seat as MN looked in the mirror to see Slade turning Dick's face with a latch onto his jaw.
"SWWL?"
"You need concealer."
A bruise where he had hit the floor to get that kid away from the napper. Dick flinched as Slade pushed into the spot.
"One moment." Slade rifled through his duffle by his feet and took out some ointment. "Nothing can be done. Cover for yourself. Make it look like you're just a klutz."
"Thanks….and what? You know th-
"NO buts." Slade waited for car to come to a stop in front of the precinct as Ryan took out his phone. Clothing changed over as before with Nightwing below his uniform. Slade had even told that he wouldn't peek.
"Remember to fake it." Slade reminded with dead seriousness in his tone. Dick pulled the phone to his face as Liu was there taking a drag once he was by the step on it, slipping back over as she walked quickly over to him. "You weren't skipping lunch, were you? Valentine-
"I'll tell her. It's fine. I had a call. My mom is still in recovery…"
"Oh, let me go with."
"Ah, no can do." Ryan sighed, walking in through the doors to see Valentine on the phones non stop.
"I want anyone who –
She saw Ryan and paused. The quiet was a bit worrisome, his neck stiff as it was from the pummel.
"Take care of it, Dylan. Yeah, you too."
She dropped it, all fir him as he steps were hard. Too hard. "Walking out –
"I had a call from the hospital." Ryan said, standing his ground. Slade, Bruce they were scary yet somewhat predictable. He needed to get to know her as well. Liu was supportive, she had no options in this city but to stay close. So did the others. They were all, big time to keep law and order in Blud.
"Personal matters, you come to me for those. Got it? Don't pull another stupid stunt like that ot I'm serious –
"I know, and I'm not doing that to you again. They stabilized her. She relapsed." He aid, the guilt as dripping with his resolve as he'd ever shown in any espionage job before.
"Back to your desk. I'm revoking your lunch so eat it there. No more coffee."
George rolled his eyes from the other side of the room and typed away. This old place, she needed a break.
The doors opened again to she Rodriguez with her posse. "Chief. Turn on the live feed. We had an incident in the subway."
"Working on it, and get me the mayor on the line, now." She turned to a person on the office where those file cabinets were. She blinked then, turning to Ryan's face. "Where did you get that bruise?"
"Ah, damn. Sorry, truth is before I went to go back outside when the call cane, I was getting some files and the damn cabinet lashed out at me."
Valentine hummed, arms crossed as she agreed. "That old thing has been here when my father was still wearing this badge. I admit. Fir an acrobatics professional and a martial arts black belt…you are, a ditz."
"But he wouldn't harm a fly, Chief!" Liu pointed out with a chuckle. Well, he was now given a new title. Ditzy Ryan.
Laughing at the joke weakly, her thumb pointed to his files, piled up again as Ryan went to stop an avalanche of paper from getting him booted to the records department in the basement.
As long as he had the right concealer in his pocket, he was fine with being labeled the town idiot.
If only to make a name for himself as Nightwing.
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