Gotham Knight (TWO)

The Man

Richard "Dick" Grayson, Nightwing

"Now's our chance, kid. You already fled once. Not again." Catwoman stands in front of me, wrapping up her whip and putting it on her belt. 

"Alright, this is it then. But, when we get in there . . . no killing, alright?" I gave her a stern look but she brushed it off. "I go in stealth." she gave me a disgusted look. "And you can just charge in."

She leaped off, leaving me alone by the door. Here it was. The final confrontation with The Riddler. But that's not what I cared about. All of my thoughts shifted to Bruce. All of the memories of my training. How to use a bo staff, escrima sticks. Basic martial arts. It seemed so long ago.

"Now." Catwoman boomed through my mic. I cracked my neck one last time, limbering up. I smirked at sprinted towards the iron door. My right shoulder smashed into it, breaking the door down and breaching the room. A large, green, square room. The Riddler was in the middle, sitting in his high throne. The fourth challenge that me and Catwoman had done together, we had agreed that this would be our last. 

The first time was when the officers had lit on fire. After Bruce disappeared and Azrael gave me the prophecy, I was left with my thoughts, a crazy cat lady and a mass cop killer on the loose. Selina. Her name is Selina. Selina Kyle. The Catwoman. Not hard to face-match when you don't wear a mask.

The Riddler had his head bent over, an oxygen mask covering his mouth. "Not so great, huh?" I pulled out one of my escrima sticks and pointed it at his oxygen tank.

"Well, when two vigilantes are kicking your ass every night, it's hard not to puncture a lung." He stood up, flicking a light on. The green strobe lights flicked on, just the same as before. "So robots are going to spring out of the ground and you're going to run, no?" I smiled as he leaned over, walking slow and grasping his breast. He wheezed as he stepped.

"Not this time." he raised his head to look above us. "Where is she?" he asked, continuing to move forward. I walked forward, ready to punch his face. "It's okay, Miss Kyle! You can come down now!" he called out above him as he grabbed a duffel-bag from the ground. I spun around to find Selina standing behind me, an item in your hand.

"What happened to the pla-" she stepped forward, striking my face. She kicked my crotch and I fell to the ground, moaning. She jumped on me, placing handcuffs around my wrists. "You double crossing bitch!" I turned on my back to look at the two. "Where is it, Nigma?"

He brought the duffel-bag forward and placed it in her arms. He moved past her, dragging the oxygen tank to the door. Without looking back, he called "Sianara!" the door slammed and she looked down at me. She looked down at me like I was a wounded dog. "I'm sorry." she turned her head and walked out of the door.

A simple handcuff lock, not that bad. Bruce taught me these fairly early on. I moved my wrist in a circular motion and placed a fingernail inside the hole. Click. I stretched my arms out and looked around the room. All green. No robot holes, no Riddler. The door was locked. I walked over to The Riddler's chair. I pushed it to the ground, looking under it. Blood.

"Bad mistake." 

My cuffs started beeping. "EDWARD NIGMA" read the screen. It's over.

____________________________________________________________________________________

His head smashed into the ground, his breath turned to a wisp in the air. He hyperventilated, pleading for mercy.

Too many cops dead.

It's over.

He looked up at me. "A storm's coming, Mister Grayson." he smirked as his breaths wheezed out.

"How do you know who I-"

"I don't have long. Him. He's here. I can feel his presence. In the shadows. He's been running this city for a week now. But now Batman is back."

"The Court of the Owls?" I asked.

"Oh, no. Much more revengeful than those guys."

"Who are you talking about?" I barked.

"Simple physics." he laughed his last laugh.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!" I screamed.

"Tell me, Mister Grayson . . ."

"What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?"