The Angel of Death

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

It was fairly easy for Tim to find out the address for this 'Dyson' guy. Bruce had made them wait until it was dark, which wasn't long, considering it had already been just before dinner when Nico had first left, so they only had to wait a few hours. Even so, they were all anxious- they knew probably better than most that it didn't take much longer than a few minutes for something world-ending to happen. Nico could be dead, or dying, or worse.

When it was finally time for them to go, Bruce made them all pile into the Batcar, since it could get them all there the fastest, which was just a little awkward since it didn't really comfortably fit the five of them. Tim had automatic shotgun rights, since he had the address, so Dick, Jason and Damian all had to pile into the very small backseat, and the whole drive was full of grumbles about whose elbow was in whose ribs, and who was sitting on whose lap. Bruce might have also pushed his Batman-is-allowed-to-speed rule a little bit.

Just the fact that this guy's house was on the edge of Gotham was a red flag, but when they arrived, it was even worse. The house was small, the windows boarded up and the lawn dead. There were no lights on inside. The only thing to suggest anyone actually lived there was the blue pick-up truck in the gravel driveway. It was completely silent, so Bruce signed to the rest of them instead of talking. Dick and Tim were to cover the ground floor, while Bruce and Damian went in through the basement windows. Jason would check the grounds and join Bruce.

The ground floor was clear, entirely dusty, and stocked with things you might see in any normal house- kitchenware, a bedroom and bathroom, small sitting area with a tv and couch. There were no personal items or decor anywhere, and that was just as suspicious as the dust. Still, Tim and Dick meticulously checked over everything, anything that could potentially hide a secret entrance to somewhere, or where someone might keep their personal items they didn't want anyone seeing. They turned up nothing.

Meanwhile, the basement had yielded results. Jason had joined Bruce and Damian after only a few minutes with nothing to report. The basement was empty, and looked like it had never had been finished. The floors were cement, the walls packed dirt. The flooring had marks on it, star-burst shaped scorches, like what might be found from lightning. They were still fresh. Cracks disrupted the smooth(ish) surface, concentrated in two areas, barely two feet apart. And a long scar, about four feet in length, cut through the stone, dragging towards the far wall. A black sword was still stuck in the end, only a few inches of the blade showing.

"That's Nico's" Jason muttered, recognising it from what Nico had told him of it back in his safehouse. "He was here."

"But where is he now?" Bruce asked, skipping over the fact that apparently his newest son had had a whole sword hidden on him somewhere.

"There was a fight," Damian said, kneeling down to study the scuff marks in the dirt. "Two people, one presumably Nico. I'm guessing the other is Dyson." He stood and moved, eyes still fixed on the ground. "Both appear to be adequately trained." He looked up, eyes shifting between Bruce and Jason. "I don't understand where the burns or cracks came from. There's no other evidence of a weapon, aside from the sword."

Bruce huffed, a frustrated/worried sound, and opened his mouth to give a new set of instructions when Nico suddenly stepped out from behind Jason, who jumped about half a foot in the air. He looked worse for the wear- his clothes were burned black in places, and a huge pair of black, feathery wings were once again fixed to his shoulders. He looked paler than death (Nico would find that very ironic if anyone had said it aloud) and stumbled a little.

"Nico?" Bruce asked, realising this must be what Jason meant when he'd said the boy had ways of getting around unseen. Nico responded by collapsing, hitting the ground on his knees and staying there. Bruce rushed forwards, kneeling in front of him. Nico's eyes were unfocused, and he seemed so pale he was translucent. Jason knelt at Bruce's side, calling to his brother softly. Nico looked up, and his eyes drifted around before focusing on Bruce.