Nightwing & Batgirl: A New Start

Chapter 4

Gotham City
01:53am

He knew it would eventually come to this. No matter how much they wanted to have, there was no escaping the reality of their lives. Nightwing sighed, his gloved hand running through his dripping hair. The rain was beating down on Gotham, each droplet striking the buildings and roads like arrows. The masked vigilante tensed up as his sharp hearing picked up a sound coming from the entrance of the old, condemned building he was perched on.

He slipped off the ledge, only his eyes poking out and surveying the streets below for anyone. He tapped his in-ear comm.

"Batman, you sure this is the building?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"Positive. All our leads have pointed us to this direction. Proceed with infiltration, and please," Bruce said, "don't play around too much."

Nightwing grinned, shaking his head.

"You know me too well. Nightwing out," the younger Bat replied before shutting off the communication channel.

Firmly gripping the ledge of the roof, Nightwing swung himself over the edge. The familiar rush of adrenaline filled his veins once again, a brief memory of the circus he once belonged to flashing. For a moment he was gripping his father's hands tightly as they swung from a platform to the next. They were happy. He had a smile on his face. And so did his father. And so did his mother. Nightwing twisted his body and kicked his legs ahead of him.

The crowd cheered as they witnessed a young boy soaring through the air while executing captivating flips with ease. Glass shattered. Ropes snapped. He broke through the building window, but his parents didn't make it. Lightning cracked, tongues of electricity flashing in the sky as the split second image of his parents' mangled bodies flashed before him. Nightwing quickly shook his head to cast the memory away.

"Get your act together, Grayson. Your parents are gone, and if you don't do that Barbara's father will be too," he whispered harshly to himself.

Glass fragments cracked and shattered even further under his feet as he made his way out of the room. Nightwing silently pushed the half broken door open, the object creaking on its hinges. It wasn't a pretty building. There were broken wooden planks, brought up from the floor and leaving holes in them. If he wasn't careful, he could step into one and cause a ruckus. Nightwing found himself stalking hallway after hallway, and finally, just when he was about to pass another room, he heard voices.

The vigilante froze up and pressed himself against the wall. They were coming from the inside of that room. He strained a little to try to make out what the voices were saying.

"Wonder what the boss is planning, teaming up with Penguin. Guy's weird," one of them said. He had a rough, southern accent.

"Which one are we callin' weird now?" Another one asked. This one had a smoother voice, yet managing to sound like a typical goon.

"Does it matter? Both of 'em are weird. Penguin and the Joker," he let out a sarcastic chuckle, "can't believe this. What do you think they're planning?" The other replied.

Time to step in. This could very well be an opportunity to find out more about this plan of the Joker's. Nightwing brought a clenched fist up to the door and knocked three times. He could hear heavy footsteps coming closer. His opponent was large. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

The door opened. The thug was greeted with an elbow to his nose, the cartilage and bones shattering upon impact and knocking the bulky man out instantly. The other thug had no time to react - not even enough to raise his gun. Nightwing had already leaped over the first thug before he had even hit the ground and smashing the hilts of his escrima sticks into the second thug's forehead.
Just like that, both thugs hit the ground at the same time, both knocked out. Nightwing tied them both up on a chair each before grabbing one for himself and taking a seat. Time for some answers. Electricity sparked a blue hue at the end of Nightwing's sticks. The vigilante then pressed the ignited weapon onto the smaller thug's leg, the current acting like a defibrillator. The man shook uncontrollably in his chair as he was brought back to consciousness. Saliva dripped from his lips as he stared weakly at the masked vigilante known as Nightwing.