Ode to Nightwing

Chapter 18: Out of Commision

        I crouched on the top of the GCPD building, waiting for the commissioner, who was a few minutes late. I sighed and sat down on the ledge's railing. The Bat Signal was behind me, and I remember all of the times that I had looked up to it for inspiration and hope when I was younger. My feelings had changed about it when I grew up a little, but now I knew exactly what it stood for. It was a signal for hope, but not to everyone. Not everyone could be saved. Bruce taught me that when he told me the story about his friend Harvey Dent, or Two-Face now. Bruce had saved him, and Dent's girlfriend had died instead, because Bruce couldn't be in both places at once. That was why Dent hated Bruce.

        "Who are you?" The commissioner had gotten behind me, but I wasn't surprised. I had been lost in my thoughts. 

        "The name is Nightglider. I'm new to the Bat Family. I had been working undercover in Bludhaven before coming to Gotham." I lied to him, spilling the backstory Bruce and Dick had drilled into me.

        "In all honesty, I have never heard of you." Gordon states and I shrug.

        "Not many have. I like to keep it that way."

        "Then why are you showing your face now?"

        "This isn't my face." I whisper, turning to look at him, him glancing at my mask, which could hide all of my features. It was just hiding my eyes up at the moment. 

        "Why are you in Gotham?"

        "Batman asked for me. I'm a friend."

        "From Bludhaven."

        "Yep. I move around a lot. I go where they need me."

        "And yet, there are still no records of you."

        "Nope. I'm a ghost." 

        "Why is the Joker after you?"

        I just shake my head. "Full of questions, aren't you?" I bit my lip, looking out across the city. "I'm a new toy to him. He wants to break me. That and he got Batman to come and get me, resulting in their injuries."

        Gordon looks down at the streets below. "How are they?"

        "Nightwing is in critical right now. Robin is bruised and battered, but alive. Batman is... Well, Batman is stubborn. I had to knock him out so that I could get the bullet out. and stitch him up." 

        "Gotham needs its heroes at their best." Gordon murmurs and I just shake my head.

        "We are never at our best. No matter how much sleep we get or how much we eat or train. We are never at our best, because we are all scarred. That's why we're all here, because something happened to us that we want to prevent from happening to anyone else."

        "How old are you?"

        "It doesn't matter. " I whisper before giving him a smile. "No one is old enough for this life."

        "Then why are you here?"

        "Like I said, Batman called me here. And I wanna make sure nothing happens to anybody like it did to me."

        We lapse into silence then, before Gordon glances over, eyeing my outfit. "If you ever need help out there, just call. You're too young to be out there alone."

        "A lot of people say that." I stop as I hear a quick buzz of static, before Alfred's voice in my ear. 

        "Miss Callie, Master Dick has waken up and is requesting to see you." Alfred says and I smile a little. "What do you want me to say?"

        "Just give me the phone!" I laughed silently as I heard Dick's voice in the background. 

        "I'm on my way." I murmur and Gordon raises an eyebrow. 

        "Places to go?"

        "Sights to see. Nightwing has woken up. I have to go and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Like always." I smile and Gordon just laughs. "I know you've probably heard this a lot, but Gotham needs you more than it needs heroes."

        "People need hope. Go, get going you philosophical child."

        "I'm not a child." I pout before standing on the railing, looking over the police cars below and spotting my motorcycle. I clicked the button on my wrist and it roared to live, driving itself right below me as I jumped off, turning to wave at Gordon as I did.

        The zipline on my belt was attached to the railing I had been on, so it stopped my plummeting descent to the point where I gracefully landed on my bike and not on the pavement. I detached the cord before driving off, wondering if the police would stop me from speeding. If they could catch me. This motorcycle went fast. As fast as Bruce's Batmobile, maybe even more since it didn't have as much bulk as the Batmobile. But then again, the Batmobile did have the awesome function of turning into a highly maneuverable tank.

        I got there in only a few minutes, going through the cave entrance under the mansion. I drifted to a sudden stop before hopping off my bike, it sinking into its platform to be stored along with the other vehicles. "How is he?" I question Alfred as he comes over, looking very refined in his tux. He was so rarely ever seen without it, but there were times were Alfred knew how work on mechanics and get messy. Dick had once showed me Alfred while he was working on some welding, and we had just stood there, in awe of him wearing pedestrian clothing.

        "He is recovering well, but he will be out of commission for a week or two." Alfred answers, leading me to the medical bay, where Bruce no longer was. "Master Bruce got a call." Alfred explains and I nod. I pat Tim on the shoulder, making sure not to hit any bruises that he had, since he had bandages wrapped around his bare torso. 

        Dick was almost in the same state, with his chest bare, but he only had his abdomen wrapped up, Alfred and I having gotten the bullet out. He tried to sit up, but I pushed him back down gently, not wanting him to ruin any of the stitching and open up the wound again. "Lay down, I'm right here." 

        "This sucks." Dick grumbles. "I can't be out of commission for that long."

        "I'm not letting you out on the field. I would tell Bruce to stay and rest, but he's Bruce, he's not going to listen. Besides, Tim and I can watch over the city while you rest. And I'll spend most of my time down here so that we can still keep an eye on you. Tim can teach me some new training methods, like the ones Bruce has been doing recently."

        "That's because he's worried about something with Clark." Dick mumbles, sitting up with a groan of pain. 

        "Didn't I just tell you-"

        Dick raises his hand to interrupt me, grabbing mine with his. "Shhhhhhhh." He hushes and I pout at him. 

        "Callie!" Bruce's voice echoed through the Batcave. "Callie!"

        "Bruce!" I call back, stepping away from Dick, who made a grumble of protest and complaint under his breath, Tim chuckling slightly until Dick reached over to smack him. 

        "There you are." Bruce says. "We're leaving. For Metropolis. Tomorrow morning."

        "All of us?"

        "No. I'm taking just you. I have some business to attend too there."