August 18, 0203h

	Tim paced the shadows anxiously, never once taking his eyes from the 
building across from the tower that was his refuge.  He was far enough way that 
he wasn't an immediate target for the machete-wielding bounty hunter, but close 
enough to charge in if needed.  He flexed his hands in the heavy gloves, 
reminding himself how to set the one-time-use taser in the suit.  He might need 
it.
 	Cass was nowhere to be seen.  After her all-too-fleeting embrace on the 
roof of the Port Authority, he'd found himself a better position and stayed 
under cover.  He had no doubt she was in the area, even close by, watching and 
waiting.
 	He occasionally turned on the magnifying feature in the mask-Nightwing's 
mask-to more closely study the drama that had been playing itself out on the 
roof for over an hour.  The speed and precision with which their moves were 
executed was breathtaking, in more ways than one.  One good hit and not even 
Batgirl would be fast enough to save Bruce.
 	Tim's eyes tracked back to the blades still embedded in the roof and shook 
his head as Batman and the assassin danced closer to them.
 	"Draw him away," he muttered under his breath.  "Don't let him get his 
hands on those things again."  He remembered the hiss of air as those blades 
barely missed his own body, the clash of polymer bow against the shining metal.  
There wasn't a damn thing about those blades that let him relax.
 	Tim did a quick survey of his own rooftop, listening for a footstep, a 
shift in the wind that wasn't right, anything to indicate he wasn't alone. He 
heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing, so he reactivated the magnifying 
lenses to see if he could figure out exactly what the assassin was up to.  The 
scene before him enlarged and he could see the assassin backing towards the 
blades.  Batman parried back a step, then attacked, just out of range, to force 
the man to move towards him.
 	But the assassin didn't play.  Instead, he spun on his heel, snatching the 
blades from the rooftop and then he was leaving the scene, making a jump-
 	Right at Tim.
 	Tim frantically dialed the magnification down, restoring his vision to 
normal before the assassin hit the roof.  His bo was in his hands fast enough to 
block the first sweep of the swords and then the swords were gone, clattering to 
the ground as Batman tackled the assassin, slamming between the man's shoulder 
blades.  Tim backpedaled as the assassin tried to throw Batman and got his hand 
on one of the swords.
 	Batman grabbed the man's wrist at the pressure point, trying to force a 
release on the weapon.  The assassin clearly recognized the technique and 
countered it, rolling over Batman to gain the advantage.  They grappled 
fiercely, twisting and striking, with Batman forcing the sword arm up to keep 
the blade at bay.
 	Batman jackknifed under the assassin, flipping him off, but he was too 
close to the edge.  The man grabbed onto his opponent as he went flying, pulling 
them both off the roof.
 	Tim raced to the lip of the rooftop, preparing to cast a line to snag 
Batman, but he realized they'd only fallen as far as the next rooftop over and 
were grappling again.  The sword lay abandoned.  Tim vaulted over the safety 
wall, landing heavily on the next roof.  He looked up quickly to see the 
assassin, machete in hand, run for the far end of the roof, Batman in quick 
pursuit.
 	Tim gritted his teeth and straightened on aching knees to follow.  He ran 
full tilt for the far end, being careful to watch where Batman and the assassin 
ended up.
 	As he approached, Tim gauged the jump and quickly put on the brakes.  
Loose gravel slipped under his unfamiliar boots as he scrambled to a halt.  He 
gazed malevolently across to the other roof.  It was a jump he could have made-
easily-when he was at the top of his game but tonight it just looked like a 
deadly drop.
 	He pulled a grapple from his gauntlet-Nightwing's gauntlet, he reminded 
himself-to swing over an alternate way.  He found a suitable ledge and it only 
took him one transfer to alight on the elusive rooftop.
 	But it was empty.
 	Tim cursed as he scanned the nearby buildings, looking for a flash of 
movement, for any sign of Batman and the nameless assassin.  He blew an angry 
breath of air out through his teeth and lifted his wrist to speak into his 
communicator.
 	"Nightwing to Batgirl," he said flatly.  "I lost them."