Ode to Nightwing

Chapter 33: No Worries

        "Come on guys, it's Halloween, why aren't you dressed up?" I laughed as I landed on the sidewalk, the thugs backing up slightly, them only dressed in their boss's color or symbols. "Could be anything you wanted to be for one night and you choose to be dressed as idiots?" I stood up from my crouch, my hands behind my back as I smirked at them. "Oh, wait. No, that's just your everyday look." I ducked as a thug dashed at me, trying to catch his hands around my body to slam me against the brick wall, but he just rammed face first into it instead, yelling out a grunt of pain. 

        "And who are you supposed to be dressed as?" A thug scoffed at me, cracking his knuckles. "A Nightwing knock-off?" He threw a punch and I grabbed his wrist, yanking him forward and past me, sending him sprawling into the thug that was recovering from the face plant into the wall. 

        "Nah, I like to think I'm better than him. At some things at least." I giggled to myself as I watched the thugs surround me in a circle, the motorcycle completely forgotten by the thugs. 

        One glances around, picking up a beer bottle with a cocky smirk as he smashed the bottom of it against the wall, sending the glass flying before dashing at me, wielding it as if it was the mightiest weapon in the world. I whispered my three numbers, my helmet activating right before he slashed the bottle at me. He never marked me, since my foot in his gut sent him flying back, the bottle shattering against the sidewalk. 

        "Cal, do you copy?" I gulped when I heard Dick's voice in my helmet, me forgetting about the voice networks between us. I still had to set up Bruce's and Tim's to me again. 

        "Uh, yeah." I whisper quickly, elbowing a thug in his upper neck, his body falling to the ground with a grunt of pain. 

        There was a pause. "What was that?" Dick questioned and my eyes widened. 

        "That was me. Ran into something." As I was talking, a thug got behind me, pinning my arms behind me in a tight grip as another thug cracked his neck in front of me, smirking. "Crap." I grumble to myself, even though Dick heard. I glance around, ignoring Dick asking me what was going on as I throw my body forward, me rolling as I throw the thug that had been holding me forward into the other thug, knocking the smirk off of his face before they both got up and dashed away, scared. 

        "Callie!" Dick's shout scared me, and I swear I could almost hear his actual voice echo through Gotham from wherever he was. 

        "Aaaaaah shhhhh. I'm okay." I grumble, wincing at the ringing in my ears, my helmet reverting back into my mask as I hopped upon the motorcycle. 

        "Where are you?" Dick almost growled into my earpiece, which sent shivers down my spine. What? It was sexy. 

        "I'm at the studios." It wasn't a lie. I was right by the building. Just not inside like he wanted. 

        "No, you're not." 

        "Yeah I am."

        "I am standing right by Tim." Dick states and I frown as I glance down the street. 

        "I never said I was by Tim." I sigh. "I am at the studios. Right outside. In an alley. Surrounded by thugs. On a motorcycle." 

        "Cal, you need to stay here until-"

        I cut him off with another sigh. "Let me take care of some of the lowlife's and tracking Penguin while you try and find Bruce, which shouldn't be hard since you're by Tim. Why didn't you ask him in the first place?" I ask, starting up the engine.