Shadow of the Bat (ONE)

Nightwing

Bruce Anthony Wayne, The Batman

"Alright, Alfred! I'm here! Who's this-" I froze in my tracks as I walked a few steps from The Batmobile. Next to The Batcomputer stood Alfred, a terrified look on his face. He was directly next to another man, dressed in a Kevlar suit.

Dick Grayson.

But this wasn't his Robin suit. He wore his Robin mask, and an all black metallic suit. On the chest was a bright blue bird symbol, spanning shoulder to shoulder. His hair was considerably longer, bangs reaching his eyes now. Strapped to his back was two batons, blue electric starters inside the tips.

"D-Dick?" I stuttered as I spoke. "Robin? What happened" I asked. Dick half smiled at me. "My names not Robin,"

"Call me Nightwing." he said. "Nightwing." I tried to smile back. I was glad Dick was okay and doing well . . . but I was also intrigued at this news he needed to deliver.

I stepped up between them. "I heard there was some news you needed to ask me?" I said.

"Listen, Bruce. I've been following you around recently, y'know to see if you've got any leads. I know you were working with Barbara. Well, me and Babs . . . we were . . . together." he said.

"In a relationship?" I asked. He nodded. "She told me about how she figured out your identity and I spilled all of it. About how I was Robin but now I'm solo. And she took the need to become Batgirl." Dick said. I nodded. "I know this,"

"It's just . . . something's happened." Dick said, a tear streaming down his face. "What?" I asked.

No ... No ... if something's happened to her ... it was my fault.

"It was The Joker. She got back from her friends party and ... he showed up. Shot her in her own apartment. Joker knew that you were working with her Dad." Tears started pouring down Dicks face.

"No . . . no!" I yelled. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have involved her. I shouldn't have involved Gordon." I shook my head.

"Listen, Bruce. She'll live. The Doctors just don't know what kind of condition she'll be in when she wakes up." Dick said. He wiped tears from his eyes.

"That's it. This is his fault. We're going after the clown. Tonight. Now." I said, anger in my voice. This was Joker's fault. That son of a bitch shot Barbara. I was going to get him in Maximum Security, no escape this time.

"He's in hiding right now. I think he's working on something big. But, I do have a lead. The Penguin. I found his location. He's checking on one of his weapon caches. The Penguin knows what The Joker is up too. We get information out of Penguin, we get to Joker." Nightwing said.

"Alright. Let's do it." I said, nodding. This wasn't about Gotham anymore. No, this was personal. He attacked Barbara. This was about revenge. Vengeance.

Abandoned Building in Drescher, Gotham

I stood behind a layer of glass in the catwalk looking down at a crowd of thugs. Nightwing stood directly next to me, examining the area. "I'll go through the left, you the right." He said. I nodded and we walked away from each other. 

I crouched down next to the right wall and removed the cover of the air conditioning vent. I put my whole body in the vent and started walking down to the vent exit nearest Cobblepot. Once I had reached the exit, I waited for the signal.

"3 . . . 2 . . ." Nightwing said in my ear piece. I smashed through the exit, pouncing on a nearby guard. The Penguin fell back in shock, as Nightwing started smashing skulls with his electrical batons. One man swung a punch at me, but I ducked under it and grabbed his hand. I twisted his wrist to the right all the way, smashing the bone.

I jumped to the next two men, using my cape to stun and attack them. Nightwing jumped over one man, and took out the one who was going to hit me from behind. Cobblepot tried to open the door to escape, but the packages of guns were in his way. Nightwing punched the last man in the gut, and threw him aside.

"L-L-Listen guys . . . I'll give you whatever you want!" he put his hands up. I grabbed him by the throat and lifted his whole body. "The Joker! Tell me everything you know!" I yelled. The Penguin started shaking. "I-I-I don't know much!" he said. "He's planning a mass attack on the city, and he asked me to join in." Penguin said.

"How's he going to attack the city?" Nightwing asked him. "He's making this . . . gas . . . toxin. He demonstrated it on one of his guards . . . it was like nothing you'd ever seen." The Penguin said. "What does it do?"

"The guy he demonstrated it on . . . went crazy. Within seconds of the gas hitting him, he started freaking out. Going hysterical. He couldn't stop laughing and smiling, he had no sense of reality. He grabbed a broom, starting swinging it at everything he saw and laughing as he did it. He was in complete hysteria, and madness. It's like he turned it into Joker. He called it . . . laughing gas." Penguin said. Nightwing looked at me. "Is that all you know?" I asked, calm now. Penguin nodded, and I threw his body to the ground. 

"Alfred, tell Detective Jim Gordon that The Penguin is my location." I looked at The Penguin in disgust. Nightwing looked back at me. "Laughing Gas." Nightwing said. "He robbed Gotham Technical University last night. He grabbed a bunch of research and formulas on a depression cure." I told him. "So the laughing and smiling . . . he's using the depression cure to crossbreed a new toxin. The depression cure must be vamped up to thousands of times what it's supposed to be. My god, this guy is crazy." Nightwing put his batons on his back again.

"Alright, Nightwing. I need you to check up on Barbara, and please . . . stay in the city. God knows what is going to happen, and I know that I'll need your help." he nodded, and pulled out a piece of paper. It was an address and a name written down on the paper. "What is this?" I asked him.

"A kid, he's about sixteen. I met him months ago when I spent time in the boy's home, before adoption. His dad is dead and his mom has disappeared. He escaped the orphanage, and he's staying in that abandoned apartment. The kid's a crazy good fighter. With some fine-tuning, I think I found you your next Robin." Dick winked and walked away towards the door.

It would be nice to get a new Robin, especially now that Batgirl was in a most-likely terrible condition. But, I doubt that I could train this kid in time for Joker's attack. But I could try. I looked back at the paper.

Jason Todd
22333 34th Street
Apt. 23