When Worlds Collide

103) When Sh*t Hits the Fan

Nico panted as he sat against a doorway. As soon as he saw Piper and the kids get to safety, he went to the first building he saw for cover. The shooter hadn't hit anything vital, but he had more than a few grazes across his body. Adrenaline was keeping the pain at bay, but he had to stay aware of his injuries.

Will had once told him that a lot of deaths on the battlefield that came from blood loss could have been prevented. A big part of it was that demigod adrenalin was no joke, so people often didn't know how badly they were injured until it was too late.

"Ghost Ki—" Piper's voice said through the static of the comms. "Surgeon— here. He's safe."

Nico felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He allowed himself a moment to relax amidst the chaos.

He needed a plan. They couldn't maintain this type of battle forever. They had already been at it for nearly 2 hours, and all they had managed to do was stay alive and keep the enemies somewhat at bay. He was exhausted and he doubted that he was the only one. They had no idea who they were fighting, where each other were, or if any backup was coming. He searched his mind for anything. Something to point to who they were up against or what they should do next.

Leo's comm system had gotten damaged somehow, so they couldn't access any channel other than the one they were on, and even then it was hard to get a message across other than quick requests for aid or warnings. There was no way to call in for help or even make a plan. 

And then he realized something.

Instantly his hands were digging through the compartments of his utility belt until they landed on a cylindrical object. He pulled it out and couldn't help the smile of relief that took over his face.

Tim's old communicator that they had reprogramed for him when he first became a vigilante. He had hardly used it when he first joined them, and then completely forgotten it after Leo invented his comm system.

He flipped it open and felt a wave of relief that it still worked before sending up a silent prayer to every god he knew and clicking the emergency communications button.

"Ghost King," Dick's voice said, sounding a mix of hopeful and terrified. "Can you hear me?"

Nico let out a sigh of relief. "I've never been so glad to hear your voice."

Dick let out a chuckle of relief. "Right back at you."

Nico pushed himself off the ground, peering out the door slightly only to quickly whip it back in as bullets flew at him. "Please tell me you know what's going on."

There were sounds of shuffling on the other end of the communicator before Tim's voice sounded.

"I got into Leo's secure channel and have been using that and a live stream from a civilian to piece together what's happening, but it's still hazy," Tim said, the sounds of rapid typing in the background. "Do you know who you're up against?"

"No clue. Best guess is League of Assassins, but it doesn't feel right. They don't seem to have an end goal. They just keep coming. Plus, the bombs are disorienting, but it doesn't look like they have an actual target."

"Where are they coming from?" Bruce asked.

"I wish I knew," Nico muttered, moving across the first floor of the building he was in and beginning to climb the stairs. "I didn't see a plane or anything in the sky, but I think they're coming from above. I would usually guess that someone on the roofs are shooting something down, but they started while we were still taking down the first snipper and we would have seen them."