Immortal Thoughts - Round Robin #1

Chapter One by PwrRing@aol.com

The man in his early twenties once known as Robin, the boy wonder, stood
on top of a warehouse on the Bludhaven water front. Dick Grayson had 
abandoned the Robin identity. He was now a man, but he was still a hero, he 
is known as Nightwing. 

Nightwing was here in the hour just past midnight looking for criminal
activity. He had heard through the Bludhaven Police grapevine that Tony
Roma's people would be bringing illegal weapons in through a warehouse
on pier 17. From this warehouse the Roma crime family was supplying much
of the east coast with arms.

The dark clad hero had been here for hours, but had seen no movement.
He didn't think that this tip would pan out, but he had to check and make
sure. The weather was windy, chilly, raw. Even with his insulated suit
Nightwing was freezing. It looked like he would be here for a few more
hours. It was a good thing that he had brought a few thermoses of coffee
and a parka. The parka was a new idea of Nightwing's. He decided for cold
weather stakeouts that a parka would make it more bearable. The parka was
easily discarded when he sprung into action, plus it helped to keep his
muscles warm. He would share this idea with Robin, but he would never share
this *weakness* with the Batman.

Despite the hours spent here with no results Dick was in a good mood.
In a few days he would be starting in the new class at the Bludhaven Police
Academy. He would then be able to strike at the corruption of all levels
of the Bludhaven government from the inside.

Plus things were going well, very well with Clancy. Recently he and
Bridget Clancy had a few *disater* dates. Dick had to run out on her time
and again when he was needed as Nightwing. But the past week he and Clancy
had a few very nice evenings. Dick didn't know how far this relationship
would go, he didn't know how far he wanted it to go. But she was the first
real friend that he had made since coming to Bludhaven from Gotham. He
was lonely and it was nice to be able to have fun with Clancy. 

A few days ago, Connor Hawke, the hero known as Green Arrow, was walking
down Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, along the water. Across the bay,
in the distance, Alcatraz could be seen. Connor was lost in thought when
he bumped into a big, brutish figure.

“Excuse me,” Connor apologies, still not paying attention.

The large man looks down at Connor and growls, “You know who I
am, listen to me and follow my instructions.”

Connor looks up and is frightened as he recognizes the figure. He pays
close attention to the instructions and the threat that follows. After
the brute is finished Connor hurries home and packs a bag and hurries to
the airport for a flight to the east coast.

A few hours after Connor meets the brute, a woman sits at a beach side
restaurant on the west coast of Florida. At the table overlooking the beach
and the *snowbirds* that have flooded the Sunshine State sits Dinah Lance,
also know as the Black Canary.

The same brutish man surprises her as he seats himself at her table.
He has long hair and a long beard, both black with large amounts of gray.
His black clothing is freshly pressed. A man this large in the Florida
heat should be soaking wet, but this man is not.

Dinah instantly recognizees him. She is not easily scared, but this
man scares her. “You know me,” the man in black says in a quiet,
commanding voice. He speaks many languages, his English is excellent. “I
know who you are, I know what you are capable of, what do you want with
me?” the Black Canary glares at him.

He gives her instructions along with a threat, she quickly gets up,
goes to her hotel room, packs and is on a fight north. Later that evening
in New York City, Roy Harper, the redheaded hero know as Arsenal, walks
down Broadway. He is a single father, his friend and fellow hero Trioa
is watching Lian so Arsenal can have an evening to himself. He just took
in a show and is on his way to a nightclub. As Roy walks to where he has
parked his motorcycle and hand comes down hard on his shoulder. He should
have been paying more attention to his surroundings. He should have *felt*
this coming.

Quickly he turns and assumes a fighting stance. When he sees the tall,
broad man in black he can't believe his eyes! Vandal Savage! Vandal Savage,
the immortal man! He has lived since the dawn of time, he is pure evil.
Even though he is immortal he *needs help* to keep himself alive. From
time to time he needs transplants for his organs. These transplants can
only come from his descendants. The man that has lived for centuries had
fathered many descendants. Roy and his daughter, Lian, are descendants
of Vandal Savage.

“What do you want, Savage? You'll have to kill me to get to my
daughter!”

“I have a mission for you, Harper, a mission to save my future!”

They sat on a park bench in Central Park as the man known as Vandal
Savage spells out what he wants Arsenal to do. Roy doesn't like it, but
he has to agree to it. He will figure a way to prevent the mission. He
will think of a way to thwart Savage.

It is late when Arsenal arrives at the Titan headquarters on the island
outside of the city. Everyone is asleep, they don't hear him gather all
of his gear and begin his trip to Bludhaven.

On the warehouse across from Roma's on pier 17 Nightwing is getting
tired. He has been here for hours and nothing has taken place. Around 4
he is startled by his cell phone. Few people have this number, Batman,
Alfred, Robin and Oracle. He can't remember if he gave the number to the
Huntress when he worked with her months ago in Gotham.

“Hello,” Nightwing answers as he activates the phone.

“Don't ask any questions,” Savage barks, “you are Nightwing,
the delivery tonight was canceled.”

“Who is this?”

“I said no questions, the delivery was canceled tonight, but it
will happen tomorrow night.” The phone goes dead. 

Savage is standing on the deck of a ship with the phone in his hand.
Around him the ship is strewn with the bodies of the crew that Savage's
female army had overtaken. The ship was scheduled to be in Bludhaven tonight,
Roma's crew had picked up the cargo of illegal arms in international waters.
The men and the cargo would never arrive at pier 17. The men would be dumped
at sea, the cargo would be sold for profit by Savage. Roma wouldn't know
it until morning when he and his inner circle would arrive at pier 17 to
check the shipment. 

Nightwing had no idea who the caller was. He had no idea how the caller
had gotten the number or how the caller knew the number belonged to 
Bludhaven's
vigilante. But Nightwing would show up tomorrow night to try to get to
the bottom of this mystery!

On the other end of the aborted call Vandal Savage laughs. The rogue
laughs long and hard, the final piece of his plan was now in place. Roy
had never been in Bludhaven before, so he spent his first few hours learning
the layout of the city. Everything that he needed he had brought with him.
He had every kind of weapon imaginable, he wasn't called Arsenal for nothing.
What would be the bigger challenge? Killing Nightwing as Vandal Savage
directed him, or defeating Savage? His plan was to find someway to back
out at the last minute. Find someway to let Nightwing in on what was going
on, find someway to have Nightwing join him in defeating Savage.

Roy had wanted to call Dick, but he was sure Savage would have Dick's
phone monitored. Roy didn't know where Dick lived, he didn't know his 
routine, he didn't even know if he held a job as Dick Grayson. He had no idea 
what his *friend's* life in Bludhaven was like.

Arsenal's every move was monitored by Savage's female furies. He had
tangled with them in the past and he knew that they were a worthy 
adversaries. Dinah arrives in Bludhaven, she had never been here before, she 
knew no one here. She had traveled the country and the world, but the 'Haven 
had never been a stop of her travels. 

As the Black Canary she worked closely with Oracle. She was an operative
of Oracle's in constant contact with her by way of radio equipment that
she always wore. Dinah didn't tell Oracle where she was going and wasn't
wearing the radio equipment. No one knew of her connection with Oracle,
but Savage knew about it. Savage had threatened to rape and kill both her
and Oracle if she didn't take part in his plan. Black Canary knew that
she could take care of herself, but had no idea if Oracle could protect
herself. She had no way to get to Oracle to help her with Savage. 

Like the Black Canary, Connor Hawke had never been in Bludhaven. Savage
showed Green Arrow pictures of his mother. If Connor didn't agree to take
part in Savage's plan he would put Connor's mother out on the street to
work in his army of prostitutes.

The morning after Black Canary and Green Arrow arrive in Bludhaven their
assignments are delivered to them at their hotels. The instructions are
simple, they both have the same assignment. All they have to do is to show
up at a warehouse and observe.

Vandal Savage sat in his stateroom of his yacht in the Bludhaven Yacht
Club. The yacht is an ocean going vessel, large and luxurious. Even in
the winter is provides a comfortable way to travel. The all female crew
also makes travel very pleasant.

Savage sat looking out the window looking at traffic on the bay thinking
about his plan. It would kill two birds with one stone. Arsenal would kill
Nightwing, that would rid the world of the leader of the next generation
of heroes. When the current crop of heroes was long gone and forgotten
Nightwing would be the hero that the next generation of heroes would look
to, he had proved that as the leader of the Titans. By getting rid of him,
Savage would have a much easier time dealing with these *spandex* heroes
in the next millennium.

When Arsenal carried out the kill, Green Arrow and Black Canary would
be watching. Vandal Savage was sure that they would pursue him and turn
him in. That would put Arsenal behind bars and make access to his daughter
much easier.

If Green Arrow and Black Canary didn't capture Arsenal and turn him
in Savage would turn in all three. Everything would be recorded! 

Dick spent most of the day sleeping, he was concerned about the Roma
situation with the arms and the call that he received on his cell phone.
Tonight should prove interesting, maybe he would get some answers. He knew
that he could take care of himself, he just wished he knew who he was dealing
with. Maybe he'd call Oracle for some help.

In Gotham City Oracle sat in front of her computers. She hadn't heard
from Dinah in a few days. This wasn't like the Canary, her fellow *Bird
of Prey*. She tried to contact Dinah and she couldn't get a hold of her.
Something very *big* must be going on to keep Dinah silent. Dick knew what
was going on in the super-hero community, she would remember to ask him
if he heard anything about the Black Canary the next time they spoke.

Tony Roma and his henchmen arrived at the warehouse at 7:00am expecting
to see it full of cargo and protected by guards. Since it was empty and
that no guards were present the gangsters left in a hurry. They wanted
to start a search but they also wanted to keep their distance form the
warehouse. Not long after the mobsters left the area Savage's army showed
up to secure the area. While there they placed cameras and microphones
around the entire pier. Any movement on the pier would be monitored by
their electronic equipment.

Just before midnight Nightwing arrives at pier 17. Once again he sets
up his surveillance on the roof of the warehouse across from Roma's. Tonight
might be colder than last night, he is glad that he brought the parka!
As he began his stakeout everything seemed too quiet to Nightwing. There
was no movement anywhere. No foreign sailors in port, no homeless people
digging through the garbage, no one was on the pier. Something was up!

Just before 1:00am the Black Canary arrives at the street that connects
the city to the pier. The entire area is dark and quiet, only a few overhead
lights are lit. She begins to explore, to see just what is taking place
on the pier, just what brought her to Bludhaven. It is colder than she
expected, even with her winter gear she is freezing.

At almost the same time that Canary steps foot on the pier Green Arrow
arrives. He lifts a manhole cover and emerges from the sewer system at
the entrance to pier 17. He replaces the cover and quickly scurries to
the cover of shadows. The moon is behind a thick cloud cover, Green Arrow
decides to stick to the shadows until he has some idea what is going on.

Green Arrow hears movement and he notches an arrow in his bow. This
isn't one of the *trick* arrows that his father, the first Green Arrow,
used in the past. This arrow head is deadly, it will kill whatever it 
strikes.

A woman dressed in black leather steps from the shadows, Black Canary!
The site of someone he knows startles Arrow. “Connor!” Canary
exclaims in a whisper, “What are you doing here?” Green Arrow
and Black Canary relate their similar stories about Vandal Savage. They
are both surprised by being approached by Savage since neither of them
have a history with him. “Connor, let's stick together and explore
the pier.”

Green Arrow agrees.

On a cargo ship down the pier from the warehouse that Nightwing has
settled Arsenal sets a *perch* on the top of the stack. From here he can
look down on Nightwing, providing him a shot that he can't miss. Not that
he wants to take the shot. He figures that he can just *wing* Nightwing,
causing him to fall off of the roof. Arsenal knows that incorporated in
Nightwing's costume is kevlar body armor. Nightwing also knows how to take
a fall, he should land unharmed.

After taking the shot Arsenal will go after Savage. He is sure that
it won't take Nightwing long to regroup and join him in the hunt for Vandal
Savage. Savage is in Bludhaven so the two of them should be able to quickly
capture him before he goes after Lian.

Green Arrow and Black Canary are scouting the pier on the ground. Nightwing
stands with night- site binoculars to survey the pier. Arsenal sees this
and brings the high-powered rifle to firing position. He doesn't need a
scope, he is a marksman with perfect eyesight and perfect aim.

Canary notices Nightwing rising with the binoculars in hand and points
him out to Green Arrow. Arsenal lines up the sights on the rifle and pulls
the trigger. Nightwing hears the rifle, the bullet strikes him in the chest
and he falls from the roof.

Canary and Arrow hear the shot and see Nightwing fall. Green Arrow quickly
locates the marksman and brings his bow up to fire at the figure above
them, down the pier. Before Arsenal can gather his equipment Green Arrow
sights his target and lets loose the arrow.

The arrow finds it's mark, strikes Arsenal and he fails from his perch!
Black Canary begins racing towards Nightwing as Green Arrow makes his shot.
On his yacht Vandal Savage watches the entire scene on the video monitors
and laughs! It has turned out better than he could have ever hope!


Chapter 2 by Amy (shoikana@epix.net)

Black Canary made it to Nightwing’s side. He was out cold from the blow,
but after a quick inspection, she saw that his costume had stopped the
bullet. “Nightwing? Nightwing, can you hear me?” She knelt down and held
his head and shoulders gently shaking him. He had fallen off the rooftop
into an alleyway, but miraculously didn’t seem to be hurt from the fall.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, but was actually only a minute
or two, Nightwing started to stir and opened his eyes. “Black Canary? What
happened? What are you doing here?”

“What happened is that you got shot. What I’m doing here is a long story,
but Green Arrow is here too. He shot your assaliant, and I’m hoping he
went after him.” She looked in the direction of the shot.

Connor rushed after his arrow, reaching Arsenal in record time. “My
God, Arsenal, what are you doing?” Connor demanded of the stunned marksman.
Connor’s arrow had deeply grazed Arsenal’s bow arm. “You’re lucky I 
recognized
you right before I let that arrow fly, or you’d be dead. You might still
be unless you can come up with a good answer.”

Arsenal winced, not entirely from the pain in his arm. He noticed that
Connor still had an arrow nocked. “Connor, what are you doing here? What
I’m doing is a long story, and this isn’t the time or place for it. I’ve
got to get down to Nightwing.”

“Black Canary’s down there.”

“Oh great, a regular family reunion. Why do I feel like I’ve been set
up?” Arsenal looked at the young Green Arrow and sighed. “Come on.”

Arsenal and Connor met up with Nightwing and Black Canary just as Nightwing
was getting to his feet. When Black Canary saw Arsenal, an uncharacteristic
expression of pure shock crossed her face. Nightwing was still trying to
get oriented; his apparent brush with death still having him in a state
of confusion. Nightwing spoke first. “Arsenal? What are you doing here?
With Green Arrow and Black Canary?” Nightwing shook his head as if to clear
it.

“I’ll explain myself, but not here. Nightwing, are you ok? Do you know
a place that’s safe?”

“Umm, yeah,” Nightwing rubbed the spot where the bullet hit and looked
at his friend quizzically, “I’ll live. And I’ve got a place. Let’s go.
I can’t wait to hear this story.” 

Nightwing led the group to an apparently abandoned warehouse that Nightwing
actually kept as a secure site. “Ok, Arsenal, start talking. This place
is secure.” Nightwing sat down rubbing that same spot and looked expectantly
at Arsenal with a half-glare.

“I was blackmailed by a guy named Vandal Savage. He told me to kill
you or he would go after Lian.”

“So you listened?!?”

“Of course not. I knew your costume would protect you. I figured you’d
be knocked off the roof and be none the worse for wear. And I’d meet up
with you later..like now..to explain. I can’t explain these two though.”
Arsenal jabbed a thumb at Black Canary and Green Arrow, and winced as he
forgot his minor wound.

Black Canary spoke first. “Savage threatened me with violence against
myself and Oracle unless I went to the site and watched. I’m not worried
about myself, but I don’t know if Oracle can protect herself or not. I
have no way of contacting Oracle to warn her--I don’t have my radio equipment
with me. I didn’t know what I’d be seeing when I followed the instructions,
but I guessing that I didn’t miss the show. “ She looked at Connor.

Connor sighed and said with downcast eyes, “He has my mom. He’s going
to make her a prostitute if I don’t do what he says.”

Nightwing sighed. “Ok. I’m guessing a mysterious phone call I got on
my cell phone has something to do with this. I was told that the people
I was looking for would be there tonight. The idea of a setup hadn’t escaped
me,and it was way too quiet. Would this guy Savage have survaillance?”

Arsenal nodded. “Ok. Well he saw me fall, but hopefully he didn’t see
me get up, so maybe he thinks I’m dead. Sounds like he was hoping to get
me out of the way. Now what does he want? Why choose Arsenal for the hit?”

“Probably to get to Lian,” Arsenal spoke up. “He’s probably hoping that
Canary and GA will turn me in, and he knows if he gets me out of the way,
Lian’ll be an easy grab. He’s been after her for a while now.”

Nightwing sighed. “Ok, let’s assume that he thinks I’m dead and that
he wants Black Canary and Green Arrow to turn you in for my murder, and
oblige.” 

“Excuse me?” Arsenal sounded concerned. “I told you I had no inten..”

“Don’t worry about it, Arsenal. It will help make sure Savage believes
I’m dead, and the Bl&uuml;dhaven police department and justice system is
as corrupt as they come. We can use that to our advantage. Meanwhile, I
can contact Oracle to warn her. I have a first aid kit here--let’s get
that arm bandaged.”

Nightwing handed the kit to Black Canary and retrieved a radio set to
contact Oracle. The one he had been wearing had been destroyed when he
fell from the rooftop. “Oracle? You there?”

“Nightwing?!? Oh thank God! I’m receiving reports from all over that
you’ve been killed! What’s going on?” Oracle sounded in a state of panic.


“It’s ok, Oracle--I’m ok. Black Canary’s with me too, by the way. She
mentioned she hadn’t been able to contact you. Savage must have started
those reports.” He said the last more to himself and the others in the
room. “Here’s the scoop,” Nightwing brought Oracle up to date.

Afterwards, he told her their plan, “Confirm the reports of my death.
We’re going to let Savage think he succeeded. I’ll go civilian and you
and Arsenal will be my contact to Black Canary and Green Arrow. We’ll just
have to hope that my cell phone number is all he got from me. Sound good?”

“Yep. Will do. I’ll send a few of my guys out to get Arsenal and start
the ball rolling. Oracle out”

“Ok,” Nightwing started, “Black Canary, why don’t you and Green Arrow
go to the police station and fill a report. I’m going to change, and I
suggest you do too, Arsenal, you don’t want to be too obvious.”

“Sounds good,” Black Canary answered, and, taking a radio set offered
by Nightwing, she and Connor left the warehouse. 

Nightwing started the transformation into Dick Grayson, “You’re ok with
this?” he asked his friend who started changing into civvies as well.

Roy let out a short laugh, “I should be asking you that. After all you’re
the one that’s dead. God, what happens when this reaches the Titans Tower.
Talk about chaos.”

“It will be ok. Things always turn out. You have to expect that they
will. You ready?” Dick asked as he tied his last shoe.

“Yep. Time to become Roy Harper, accused assasin.”

“Funny. You can leave your things here so they won’t be confiscated.
Go out that way,” Dick pointed to the door in the back of the room. “Head
north. You should run into Oracle’s people pretty quickly. I don’t want
to take the chance that Savage knows where I live, so I think I’ll go to
Oracle. She sounded pretty shaken anyway--It will give her a chance to
see for herself that I’m still breathing. Take this.” Dick handed Roy a
smaller radio set that could be easily hidden. “Good luck”

“Thanks, I think I need it” Roy sighed.

Roy left the warehouse and tried to look nonchalant as he went north.
“God what a mess,” he thought, “wait till Lian hears this story when I’m
old and gray. If I ever get to be old and gray,” he added grimly. Suddenly,
he was grabbed from behind in an armlock and shoved to the ground. “Ow!”
The sound escaped him before he could stop it. His arm was throbbing from
the rough treatment.

“Roy Harper, aka Arsenal, you’re under arrest for the murder of Nightwing.”


Chapter 3 by SpdrClone@aol.com

*Things are going spectacularly,* Roy Harper (also known as Arsenal)
thought, with considerable sarcasm. Roy was currently being held for the
alleged murder of his friend and ally, Nightwing. The charges were, of
course, false, but it would be impossible to clear Roy's name without making
it known that Roy had betrayed Savage, who would then hunt down Roy's 
daughter, Lian. Besides Roy himself, only a few people knew that he was 
innocent, and Roy fervently prayed that they would be able to find Savage 
before he found out the truth.

As Roy was lost in thought, a young looking officer came to the door
of his jail cell. "Mr. Harper, you have a visitor. Come with me, please." 
Surprised because he hadn't expected Dick back so soon from his trip to see 
Oracle, Roy followed the officer to the visiting room. The man standing in 
that room, though, was most definitely NOT Dick Grayson. 

"Ah, Mr. Harper, so good to finally meet you." Roy's visitor,
a huge man in a pretty expensive looking suit, offered his right hand for
Roy to shake. "I understand you are responsible for the untimely death
of the local 'superhero.'"

"That's what they tell me, too, Mr. ... Desmond, isn't it?"
Roy hesitated only for a second before taking Blockbuster's hand. 

"You know who I am. I must admit that I'm a bit surprised, but
not quite as surprised as I was when I heard what you'd done. I had been
led to believe that you were Nightwing's ally, not his enemy."

"Times change. PEOPLE change." Roy thought he knew why Desmond
had come to see him, and he had already decided to play along for at least
a little while.

"...Yes, I suppose they do. Anyway, I am here to assist you in
this matter... The police know that Nightwing was killed, but they still
haven't managed to find his body, so they can't prove a murder was committed.
My lawyers are already working on getting you out on bail."

"In exchange for what? My coming to work for you?"

"Absolutely not, Mr. Harper. I am merely returning a favor. Last
night, you, whether intentionally or not, helped me with a persistant 
problem, and in gratitude, I am now helping you. No strings attached. Of 
course, if you WANT a job, I can probably find a position for you."

Wondering how Blockbuster could arrange his release this easily after
he had allegedly killed a Titan, Roy said exactly what he figured he was
expected to say. "I don't see how I could refuse such a generous offer,
as far as my release goes, and I'll definitely be getting in touch with
you about this job offer."

***

As Roy was 'negotiating' his release, Black Canary and Green Arrow were
busy doing some talking of their own. After they'd gone down to offer their
account of what had happened to the Bludhaven police, the two had decided
they should go to Titans Tower to let the Titans in on the real story,
so that they'd play along and not accidentally uncover and reveal the truth.

Before they'd even gotten outside of the city, though, the two speedsters
on the Titans had shown up. 

"WhatsgoingonWeheardDi-NightwingwaskilledbyARSENAL!?" In his
worry and confusion, Wally West, aka the Flash, never realized that he'd
spoken too fast for the two others to understand. Almost immediately, Jesse
Quick repeated what he'd said, at a more normal speed.

"Not here, this place isn't secure. We'll explain everything, but
you two are going to have to be sure to make sure that the Titans don't
accidentally jeopardize everything; basically, keep them out of the way
but make it look like they're doing what they can," Green Arrow said,
knowing that the Titans were far too public a group to allow for the more
quiet searching that would be required to find Savage.

Before Wally or Jesse could argue, they were being led out of Bludhaven,
toward a safer location where everything could be explained. 

***

Sitting the remains of her computer station, Barbara Gordon was busy
sorting through the notes that she'd just been given by one of her agents,
information about the goings-on in Gotham. She heard a soft 'thump' behind
her, so quiet that anyone else would never have even noticed.

Without turning around, she said, "What're you doing here? You
haven't been up here since Gotham was cut off." Batman's recent actions,
including his all-too-quick acceptance of person currently using Barbara's
old name, "Batgirl," had confused her more than she liked to
let on.

"True, but that's hardly my fault."

"What?" Finally, she turned. "Dick! What're you doing
here? How'd you get into Gotham?" 

"It's pretty easy, when you're a ghost." Dick smiled. "What,
you think Bruce is the only one who could possibly get in or out?"

"No, of course not. It's just... well, from the sounds of things,
you've been busy."

"Yeah, I guess I have. Anyway, much as I'd like to pretend it is,
this isn't entirely a personal visit. I need some information on Vandal
Savage. We have to find him before he realizes I'm alive."

"Dick, my resources aren't what they used to be. I've got minimal
contact with the outside world, ever since we got cut off. I'll see what
I can do, though. Meanwhile, I want to know exactly what's going on."

***

After being brought up to speed on recent events, Wally and Jesse had
sped back to Titan's Tower to tell the others what was going on, while
Green Arrow and Black Canary contacted Roy on the small radio he'd been
given. "Yeah, I'm out of prison, but I'm starting to think I might
be in an even worse situation. The local crime lord seems to've taken a
personal interest in my continuing 'corruption,' and he seems to expect
me to take a job with him."

"Just take him down and get it over with," Connor suggested.

"I don't think so, Arrow. D...Nightwing's been trying to get this
guy for awhile now, but the local authorities are so corrupt that any 
evidence that's gathered mysteriously disappears. I think I'm better off to 
play along for now."

"Well, you do what you think is best, Roy. We'll keep you informed
of our progress with Sav-." As Black Canary suddenly cut off in mid-word,
Roy could hear someone, presumably Green Arrow, in the background talking
to her.

"Roy, I've just gotten some news, and you're not going to like
it. Jesse Quick just got back from Titan's Tower... and Lian's missing."


Chapter 4 by Robin (tamarra@radiks.net)

"On final approach."

"Affirmative . . . Remember, we want the child alive . . . the
woman's dangerous; take her down by any means necessary."

"Roger . . . Shadow Leader, out!" The figure in military battle
dress gave a thumbs-up to the pilot. The pilot nodded curtly and promptly
banked the stealth helicopter. He flew nap of the earth, barely clearing
the thick treetops of the forests located upstate. The Shadow Leader headed
aft towards the helicopters cargo hold. 

"Tactical!" the pilot said. Immediately his co-pilot/navigator
activated the on-board tactical radar. A military-style grid map appeared
on the pilot's heads up device (HUD). The navigator made a few adjustments
to the forward tracking devices and instantly a light started blinking
towards the northwest corner of the map.

"Grid!" The navigator immediately read out the ten-digit grid
of the target. "Pilot to Shadow Leader! E. T. A. to target . . . ten
minutes! That's one-zero minutes! Read-back."

"Shadow Leader to pilot . . . E.T.A. to target--ten minutes, roger!"

Shadow Leader signaled the men waiting by the cargo doors. They immediately
opened and locked the doors back. The rest of the team stood as one and
hooked onto a rappelling line. Like him they were in military-style battle-
dress. They each carried M16A2 rifles, the latest in the American military's 
inventory. The four-man forward assault team each carried an M203 grenade 
launcher. They all carried the knives and handguns of their choice, night 
vision goggles, and gas masks. Their load bearing equipment was supplemented 
with a rappelling seat.

They were about to jump into danger. The woman . . . no one on the team
underestimated the woman . . . 

***

"Please, 'nother story?" Lian pleaded.

"Absolutely not, young lady," Donna protested. "I've
already told you two Nightwing stories, three Daddy stories, and one--"

"--One Gill Head story!" Lian finished. Donna laughed musically.
Roy was such a terrible influence on his little girl. Poor Garth . . .
he adored Lian, but she was always spouting the silly trash that Roy did.
When Donna saw him next time.

She paused suddenly. Roy had been arrested for the murder of Nightwing;
Donna couldn't believe it. There had to be some kind of mistake! That's
why she'd taken Lian. She couldn't stand the thought of the poor child
being exposed to a relentless media circus.

"Wally? Please, Auntie Donna? I wanna Wally story!" Donna
looked sadly at the child; what would she do *if* Roy had killed Dick?
How could she live with that knowledge? Lian tugged impatiently at Donna's
sleeve. 

"Pleeeeease? I wanna Wally story!" Lian pleaded. Donna smiled
down at the child's innocent green eyes. So like her father's. She smiled
sadly. "A Wally story, huh?" Smiling impishly, she started, "Once
upon a time, there was this *really* clumsy and ordinary boy who worshipped
the Flash . . . "

***

"Target sighted!"

"Roger. Proceed as planned. Rendezvous at the designated point."

"Shadow Leader out!" He turned to the men waiting by the door.
They were each standing at the lip of the cargo doors, their backs to the
outside, facing in. Shadow Leader held his left hand palm out like a traffic
cop. With his right hand he counted down. When he reached three, he made
a sudden fist with his left hand. The two men jumped and disappeared into
the night.

Quickly, the rest of the assault team followed, until finally he was
the only one left. He buzzed the pilot to let him know that he was exiting,
and he too was claimed by the darkness.

***

The young man in black moved like the wind. A ghost in the mist, flitting
through the shadows. The dark was his friend; it embraced him in its 
protective bosom, sheltering him from prying eyes. The guard was bored, 
tired, and cold. Nightwing easily took him out. He was the third guard 
tonight. 

Nightwing's inner radar started giving off a red alert. Something wasn't
right. It shouldn't have been this easy. Not Vandal Savage's personal yacht.
At the last moment, he decided to fall back and recon the situation. 
Nightwing faded into night. If someone had been looking directly at where 
he'd been a second ago, he or she would have sworn that the vigilante had 
just disappeared . . . Three hours earlier, Nightwing, Black Canary, and 
Green Arrow met at Bludhaven's Yacht Club. They all agreed that boarding 
Savage's yacht was their only option. If Savage *had* taken Lian, then it was 
time to throw caution and subtlety to the wind. Rescuing Lian had taken first 
priority.

"We can't afford to have him spot us before we board," Nightwing
said grimly.

"Check," Black Canary agreed succinctly. "I think I'd
like to try an underwater assault." She smiled ruefully. "I got
a lot of practice during my last vacation." Nightwing nodded. 

"I'm strictly a landlubber," Green Arrow said, shaking his
head. "Have feet will travel." Nightwing gave him a half grin.

"I'll meet you there," he said enigmatically, turning to go.
Black Canary smiled at his boldness. On impulse, she stopped him in his
tracks.

"So, Nightwing . . . what are you doing for dinner later tonight?"

Nightwing's reaction was priceless! She grinned broadly at his astonishment.
She was just gonna have to tweak little ol' Oracle's nose with this one!
She wondered again just what was going on between the two of them . . .
. . . Now, Nightwing quickly made his way to the top of the warehouse roof
slightly to starboard of Savage's yacht. His mask was enhanced with NVG
technology turning night into day for him. He touched a hidden pressure
point, and the mask's telescopic sights suddenly kicked in. 

He touched a hidden compartment on his left gauntlet and a miniature
LCD screen popped up. Moving his fingers deftly across impossibly small
keys and satellite hook-ups, Nightwing accessed the powerful supercomputers
in the Batcave, and immediately hacked into the yacht's onboard computers.
What he saw almost stopped his heart!

Nightwing snatched out his micro-radio unit and pushed the emergency
abort button. Desperately, he called in, "BC! Arrow! Abort! Abort!"
At that moment, Savage's yacht suddenly blew up on its moorings. Nightwing
was suddenly lifted and knocked over from the force of the powerful shock-
wave!

***

"That's right! He wants me to ice Oracle!" Arsenal said impatiently.
"Well, how should *I* know? Oracle is Dick's ally. I don't know anything
about him, or her. Hell, I wouldn't even know where to *find* him!"
He paused to listen.

"For crying out loud, Wally! I don't know! But Dick is tied up
with Dinah and Conner. I promised them I'd follow through with the plan,
but *this*?" Roy gestured uselessly since Wally couldn't see him.
"The only way to warn this Oracle guy that his life's in danger is
through Batman. I don't have the time to run interference for Oracle. Whoever
he is, he's a big boy anyway! He's worked countless cases with the JLA
after all."

He listened to Wally. "That's right, Wally, that's why I called
you. Oracle is JLA . . .you're JLA . . . Batman's JLA."

Roy struck the heel of his palm to his head. "Oh, duh! Ya think
that just maybe you JLAers could sorta get together and save one of your
own?" 

He held the receiver away from him at arm's length, and yelled into
it in sudden anger. "I've got a *daughter* in *danger*! I don't have
*time* to be rescuing Oracle. Besides . . . and listen to this carefully,
Wally . . . I . . .me . . . I'm the one who's supposed to *kill* him! You
got it? Me! It's just possible that this Blockbuster guy would be just
a little perturbed if I wound up . . . RESCUING . . . THE . . . TARGET!"

He took a deep breath. "GET IT?!"

"Got it." 

Arsenal whirled, instantly throwing himself across and over the living
room sofa in a single move. As he arced over the sofa, he released his
wrist crossbow, automatically cocked an arrow, acquired his target and
fired. He did all this within the space of a single heartbeat.

"Missed me." Arsenal's head came up cautiously over the sofa's
back. He released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. The Fastest
Man Alive was leaning against the door. He was casually twirling Arsenal's
arrow between his thumb and forefinger.

"So, you want me to find Batman, and tell him that in addition
to accepting a contract on Nightwing, you've also agreed to kill Oracle?"

Arsenal dropped his head in his arms, which were on the sofa's backrest.
"Why me?" he asked no one in particular.

***

As Donna settled into bed, she heard a soft "whoomf," which
was followed by a piercing whistle. The sudden crash of the downstairs
windows being broken roused her into action! She jumped out of bed and
ran across the hallway towards Lian's room. 

The sounds of small explosions could be heard downstairs. The front
and back doors were simultaneously broken down! Donna grabbed Lian out
of bed. She'd have go through the windows. At least she still had the power
of flight! As she headed towards the windows, she heard another set of
"whoomfs," which were immediately followed by that piercing whistle!

GRENADE! Her mind screamed! Donna put all of her power into pushing
herself and Lian away from the windows. As she went flying across the room,
she hugged Lian tightly to her breast, and as the windows crashed inwardly,
she landed in ball as far from the windows as possible, shielding Lian
with her own body.

There was no explosion! What happened? A dud? At a hissing sound behind
her, Donna turned her head. Her eyes widened. 

Gas!

Too late, she tried getting up and carrying Lian to the door. However,
before she'd taken two steps, she succumbed to the powerful sleeping agent
. . .


Chapter 5 by Syl Francis (efrancis@earthlink.net)


"On final approach."

"Affirmative . . . Remember, we want the child alive . . . the
woman's dangerous; take her down by any means necessary."

"Roger . . . Shadow Leader, out!" The figure in military battle
dress gave a thumbs-up to the pilot. The pilot nodded curtly and promptly
banked the stealth helicopter. He flew nap of the earth, barely clearing
the thick treetops of the forests located upstate. The Shadow Leader headed
aft towards the helicopters cargo hold. 

"Tactical!" the pilot said. Immediately his co-pilot/navigator
activated the on-board tactical radar. A military-style grid map appeared
on the pilot's heads up device (HUD). The navigator made a few adjustments
to the forward tracking devices and instantly a light started blinking
towards the northwest corner of the map.

"Grid!" The navigator immediately read out the ten-digit grid
of the target. "Pilot to Shadow Leader! E. T. A. to target . . . ten
minutes! That's one-zero minutes! Read-back."

"Shadow Leader to pilot . . . E.T.A. to target--ten minutes, roger!"

Shadow Leader signaled the men waiting by the cargo doors. They immediately
opened and locked the doors back. The rest of the team stood as one and
hooked onto a rappelling line. Like him they were in military-style battle-
dress. They each carried M16A2 rifles, the latest in the American military's 
inventory. The four-man forward assault team each carried an M203 grenade 
launcher. They all carried the knives and handguns of their choice, night 
vision goggles, and gas masks. Their load bearing equipment was supplemented 
with a rappelling seat.

They were about to jump into danger. The woman . . . no one on the team
underestimated the woman . . . 

***

"Please, 'nother story?" Lian pleaded.

"Absolutely not, young lady," Donna protested. "I've
already told you two Nightwing stories, three Daddy stories, and one--"

"--One Gill Head story!" Lian finished. Donna laughed musically.
Roy was such a terrible influence on his little girl. Poor Garth . . .
he adored Lian, but she was always spouting the silly trash that Roy did.
When Donna saw him next time.

She paused suddenly. Roy had been arrested for the murder of Nightwing;
Donna couldn't believe it. There had to be some kind of mistake! That's
why she'd taken Lian. She couldn't stand the thought of the poor child
being exposed to a relentless media circus.

"Wally? Please, Auntie Donna? I wanna Wally story!" Donna
looked sadly at the child; what would she do *if* Roy had killed Dick?
How could she live with that knowledge? Lian tugged impatiently at Donna's
sleeve. 

"Pleeeeease? I wanna Wally story!" Lian pleaded. Donna smiled
down at the child's innocent green eyes. So like her father's. She smiled
sadly. "A Wally story, huh?" Smiling impishly, she started, "Once
upon a time, there was this *really* clumsy and ordinary boy who worshipped
the Flash . . . "

***

"Target sighted!"

"Roger. Proceed as planned. Rendezvous at the designated point."

"Shadow Leader out!" He turned to the men waiting by the door.
They were each standing at the lip of the cargo doors, their backs to the
outside, facing in. Shadow Leader held his left hand palm out like a traffic
cop. With his right hand he counted down. When he reached three, he made
a sudden fist with his left hand. The two men jumped and disappeared into
the night.

Quickly, the rest of the assault team followed, until finally he was
the only one left. He buzzed the pilot to let him know that he was exiting,
and he too was claimed by the darkness.

***

The young man in black moved like the wind. A ghost in the mist, flitting
through the shadows. The dark was his friend; it embraced him in its 
protective bosom, sheltering him from prying eyes. The guard was bored, 
tired, and cold. Nightwing easily took him out. He was the third guard 
tonight. 

Nightwing's inner radar started giving off a red alert. Something wasn't
right. It shouldn't have been this easy. Not Vandal Savage's personal yacht.
At the last moment, he decided to fall back and recon the situation. 
Nightwing faded into night. If someone had been looking directly at where 
he'd been a second ago, he or she would have sworn that the vigilante had 
just disappeared . . . Three hours earlier, Nightwing, Black Canary, and 
Green Arrow met at Bludhaven's Yacht Club. They all agreed that boarding 
Savage's yacht was their only option. If Savage *had* taken Lian, then it was 
time to throw caution and subtlety to the wind. Rescuing Lian had taken first 
priority.

"We can't afford to have him spot us before we board," Nightwing
said grimly.

"Check," Black Canary agreed succinctly. "I think I'd
like to try an underwater assault." She smiled ruefully. "I got
a lot of practice during my last vacation." Nightwing nodded. 

"I'm strictly a landlubber," Green Arrow said, shaking his
head. "Have feet will travel." Nightwing gave him a half grin.

"I'll meet you there," he said enigmatically, turning to go.
Black Canary smiled at his boldness. On impulse, she stopped him in his
tracks.

"So, Nightwing . . . what are you doing for dinner later tonight?"

Nightwing's reaction was priceless! She grinned broadly at his astonishment.
She was just gonna have to tweak little ol' Oracle's nose with this one!
She wondered again just what was going on between the two of them . . .
. . . Now, Nightwing quickly made his way to the top of the warehouse roof
slightly to starboard of Savage's yacht. His mask was enhanced with NVG
technology turning night into day for him. He touched a hidden pressure
point, and the mask's telescopic sights suddenly kicked in. 

He touched a hidden compartment on his left gauntlet and a miniature
LCD screen popped up. Moving his fingers deftly across impossibly small
keys and satellite hook-ups, Nightwing accessed the powerful supercomputers
in the Batcave, and immediately hacked into the yacht's onboard computers.
What he saw almost stopped his heart!

Nightwing snatched out his micro-radio unit and pushed the emergency
abort button. Desperately, he called in, "BC! Arrow! Abort! Abort!"
At that moment, Savage's yacht suddenly blew up on its moorings. Nightwing
was suddenly lifted and knocked over from the force of the powerful shock-
wave!

***

"That's right! He wants me to ice Oracle!" Arsenal said impatiently.
"Well, how should *I* know? Oracle is Dick's ally. I don't know anything
about him, or her. Hell, I wouldn't even know where to *find* him!"
He paused to listen.

"For crying out loud, Wally! I don't know! But Dick is tied up
with Dinah and Conner. I promised them I'd follow through with the plan,
but *this*?" Roy gestured uselessly since Wally couldn't see him.
"The only way to warn this Oracle guy that his life's in danger is
through Batman. I don't have the time to run interference for Oracle. Whoever
he is, he's a big boy anyway! He's worked countless cases with the JLA
after all."

He listened to Wally. "That's right, Wally, that's why I called
you. Oracle is JLA . . .you're JLA . . . Batman's JLA."

Roy struck the heel of his palm to his head. "Oh, duh! Ya think
that just maybe you JLAers could sorta get together and save one of your
own?" 

He held the receiver away from him at arm's length, and yelled into
it in sudden anger. "I've got a *daughter* in *danger*! I don't have
*time* to be rescuing Oracle. Besides . . . and listen to this carefully,
Wally . . . I . . .me . . . I'm the one who's supposed to *kill* him! You
got it? Me! It's just possible that this Blockbuster guy would be just
a little perturbed if I wound up . . . RESCUING . . . THE . . . TARGET!"

He took a deep breath. "GET IT?!"

"Got it." 

Arsenal whirled, instantly throwing himself across and over the living
room sofa in a single move. As he arced over the sofa, he released his
wrist crossbow, automatically cocked an arrow, acquired his target and
fired. He did all this within the space of a single heartbeat.

"Missed me." Arsenal's head came up cautiously over the sofa's
back. He released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. The Fastest
Man Alive was leaning against the door. He was casually twirling Arsenal's
arrow between his thumb and forefinger.

"So, you want me to find Batman, and tell him that in addition
to accepting a contract on Nightwing, you've also agreed to kill Oracle?"

Arsenal dropped his head in his arms, which were on the sofa's backrest.
"Why me?" he asked no one in particular.

***

As Donna settled into bed, she heard a soft "whoomf," which
was followed by a piercing whistle. The sudden crash of the downstairs
windows being broken roused her into action! She jumped out of bed and
ran across the hallway towards Lian's room. 

The sounds of small explosions could be heard downstairs. The front
and back doors were simultaneously broken down! Donna grabbed Lian out
of bed. She'd have go through the windows. At least she still had the power
of flight! As she headed towards the windows, she heard another set of
"whoomfs," which were immediately followed by that piercing whistle!

GRENADE! Her mind screamed! Donna put all of her power into pushing
herself and Lian away from the windows. As she went flying across the room,
she hugged Lian tightly to her breast, and as the windows crashed inwardly,
she landed in ball as far from the windows as possible, shielding Lian
with her own body.

There was no explosion! What happened? A dud? At a hissing sound behind
her, Donna turned her head. Her eyes widened. 

Gas!

Too late, she tried getting up and carrying Lian to the door. However,
before she'd taken two steps, she succumbed to the powerful sleeping agent
. . .


Chapter 6 by Jim Greeno (jgreeno@ix.netcom.com)

"What do you mean I'm leaving?  Who do you think you are?"  Barbara Gordon 
yelled as she wheeled herself back to her computer. Her beautiful features 
betrayed her feelings of fury.  She quickly brushed her red locks of hair 
from her eyes and turned to face her visitor.  "I told you this when Gotham 
was closed off, and I'll tell you again.  Gotham is as much my home as it is 
yours.  My father is here, and I'll be damned if I'll be forced out by your 
presumptuous arrogance!"

The Batman took a step toward her and removed his cowl, revealing the 
countenance of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.  Barbara was a bit taken 
aback by his appearance.  Small bruises encircled a partially swollen eye.  A 
deep cut ran across his jaw line, which was covered in unshaven whiskers.  
His impatience showed as much on his face as it did in his words.

"This isn't about Gotham, Barbara.  I understand your desire to stay. You 
know I do.  But I was contacted today by The Flash.  A contract has been 
placed on your head by Roland Desmond, and I cannot leave Gotham to eliminate 
the threat." 

Barbara was somewhat surprised by this news.  She realized that she'd 
irritated Blockbuster recently by using his satellite communications relay to 
hide her work as Oracle.  As she understood it, the government had traced 
some of her latest hacking to him, placing his entire organization under 
federal scrutiny.

"Who has he contracted?"

Wayne allowed himself a slight roll of his eyes as he answered. "Roy Harper."

"Arsenal?  I'm sure you're aware of the case he's working with Dick. I'd 
hardly consider him a threat," she said as she helplessly released a small 
laugh.

Bruce Wayne, as always, was not amused.  "I'm aware of the case.  I'm also 
aware of Roland Desmond's relentlessness when it comes to his goals.  I don't 
have to remind you that his rabid pursuit of Nightwing has almost yielded his 
desired results on a few occasions.  I'd also point out that Vandal Savage 
plays a part in this mess."

"Bruce, I appreciate your concern, but I've gone to great lengths to protect 
my identity.  You're familiar with the routine.  Fewer people know I'm Oracle 
than know that you're The Batman."

"I won't play games with your safety, Barbara.  I'm just asking if you would 
consider leaving Gotham until Dick sorts this out.  I'll see to your return 
when he does."

Barbara started to reply in further defiance, but thought better of it. If 
she refused him, there was no doubt that he would add her apartment to his 
daily patrols.  Looking again at his haggard appearance, she knew that that 
could not be allowed.  He'd been working non-stop since he returned to 
Gotham.  The last thing he needed was to have to patrol one of the few 
already secured zones of the city because of her stubbornness.

"I have your word that you'll give me no trouble coming back when this is 
over?"

"You have my word."

Barbara narrowed her eyes in mock disbelief and then nodded her head. "I'll 
go.  What's the plan?"

"If you'll connect me to Nightwing, we'll work that out right now."

Barbara rotated her chair again to face her terminal.  A few fast keystrokes 
later, she was placing her headset onto her ears.

"Oracle to Nightwing."  She paused a few seconds and then repeated herself.  
No answer.  This wasn't exactly out of the ordinary, though she did hear 
Batman take a couple of quick steps closer to her as they waited.

"I'll trace his location.  This happens a lot with him, as it does with you.  
Finding out where he is usually tells me why he's not responding."

Batman nodded his understanding.  Given his current situation, Dick was 
probably in pursuit of Savage.  They had obviously caught him at an 
inopportune moment.

He took another step toward Oracle as he noticed her calm features take on a 
look of concern.  "What is it?"

She paused for a moment, then repeated the keystroke sequence she'd just 
tried.  "Something's wrong.  I can't get a location on his equipment. It's 
like he just vanished."

Instinctively replacing his cowl, he moved next to Barbara and took a knee to 
get a better view of her progress.  He noticed that she was attempting to 
ascertain his last known location.  He knew that she'd set her terminals to 
send out a broadcast message every 30 minutes to keep tabs on their 
whereabouts.  He knew Dick was for some reason uncomfortable with this fact, 
but at the moment, both Bruce and Barbara were thankful for it.

"The last received broadcast had him not far off the shores of Blüdhaven a 
few hours ago.  They were going to take a run at Savage's yacht.  Hold on a 
second," Barbara said as her hands flew effortlessly across her keyboard.  
With a final keystroke, she began tapping her fingernails onher desktop 
impatiently, waiting for a response.  A small windows appeared, and Barbara's 
face took on a look of pure terror.  "Oh my god..."

"What?  Where is he?"

She turned slowly to look at her former mentor, as tears welled up in her 
eyes.

"Reports indicate that the ship exploded...it's completely destroyed. 
Dick...," she managed as a small sob escaped from her.

Batman rose slowly, pulled a small transceiver from his belt, and spoke into 
it, "Batman to Flash."

The device chirped, "Flash here, Bats.  You got Oracle?"

"A yacht exploded off the shore of the Bludhaven yacht club approximately 5 
hours ago.  Nightwing was on board with Green Arrow and Black Canary.  Find 
him.  Get the Titans and the JLA if you have to, but find him."

A pause followed Batman's statement, which was uncharacteristic of The Flash.  
His response came after a moment.  "I'll find them.  I'm on it."  The 
connection closed.

"Bruce, we have to do something.  We have to find him," Barbara pleaded.

Batman's back was to her, and he had to visibly shake himself from his shock 
before he turned to meet her gaze.  He'd been faced with this before...the 
thought that the man he'd come to think of as a son had been taken from him 
as his parents were years before.  It had always proven false, of course.

Nightwing was resilient, far and away the most dependable person he'd even 
encountered when it came to perilous situations.  He'd been trained almost 
from birth to think quickly in such instances.  He had even managed to teach 
his mentor a thing or two in that regard.

Intellectually, Wayne was almost certain his protege was still alive. 
Emotionally, an unfettered panic seemed to grab at his very soul, though he'd 
long ago developed the ability to keep his feelings in check.

Batman took a long look into Barbara's eyes and could see the devastation 
they betrayed.  She'd come to care very much for Dick, it seemed.  They had 
resumed their friendship when he returned to Gotham after quitting the 
Titans, but he hadn't been aware that they'd become this close.

"They'll find him, Barbara," he said in his best reassuring tone.  "I have 
some things to tend to, but I'll be back when I can to arrange your 
transportation out of Gotham."

Barbara opened her mouth to protest, but was cut short by Batman's sudden 
leap through the open window in front of him.  As it was a Gordon tradition, 
she cursed him inwardly for his sudden, unexpected departure.

Turning back to her computer, she wiped the tears from her eyes and began her 
confirmation that Dinah and Connor were indeed with Dick when he was...when 
he disappeared.

***

Donna Troy, still groggy, stirred from her momentary lapse in consciousness 
and quickly rolled to her feet.  She looked down at her empty hands, 
realizing that the gesture was fruitless.  They had taken Lian.

Gravity seemingly ceased to exist as she left her feet and flew at top speed 
out of the open doorway and into the night sky.  She knew she'd only been 
down for a few minutes at best, and prayed that she could still catch up to 
her unknown assailants.

"Thank Gaea," she shouted as she caught sight of three men fleeing on foot, 
one of which was holding a terrified Lian.

Troia descended quickly, colliding squarely with the other two perpetrators.  
Grabbing them both by their collars, she hurled them back toward the house, 
and they skidded and tumbled to a final halt not far from the front porch.

Donna was unsure they either of them was conscious before she threw them, but 
was certain they were both out cold now.  It made little difference, as her 
trouncing of them was merely a display of anger and strength for the third 
man, who had stopped in his tracks.  He had Lian cradled in one arm and an 
energy rifle trained on her with the other.

"Don't move, lady.  We're not here for you.  Leave now and no one will get 
hurt," the man said without a hint of nervousness.

Donna's eyes narrowed in rage.  "Hand over the child and I'll make every 
effort to leave your spine intact."

The man raised his weapon and prepared to fire.  Summoning all over her 
strength, Troia propelled herself directly toward him as he took his shot.  
He underestimated her speed and his shot missed wide.

Troia hit the man squarely in the chin with her left hand and grabbed Lian 
with her right.  Still in midair, Donna tucked and rolled twice, sliding to a 
stop on her rear end as she looked down at the toddler. Lian's eyes were wide 
open, and hot tears ran down her cheeks, but she wasn't making a sound.

"Lian, are you all right," Donna asked with a concerned smile.

"I'm okay, Aunt Donna.  I want my Daddy," she squeaked back.

Donna touched her lightly on the nose with her free hand.  "You're very 
brave, little one.  You hold on tight, okay?"

Lian nodded as Donna got to her feet.  She could hear the rushing footfalls 
coming from every direction.  The affects of the gas were still clouding her 
head, and she didn't want to risk flight with Lian in tow.  She hit the 
Titans emergency button on her wristband as she started to run for the trees.

With any luck, Wally would be at her side in a moment.  The emergency 
signaling device also served as a pinpoint location tool.  The Titans would 
find her; she just had to hold out until they did.

The nearby forest was still in excess of two hundred yards away and was the 
only cover at her disposal.  A quick look over her shoulder revealed about 
thirty men in hot pursuit, only about a hundred feet behind her. She had to 
risk it.

Troia took off into the air and sped toward the trees, being careful not to 
rise too high.  Her head was still spinning from the gas and she was having 
trouble maintaining her focus.  She climbed just above the trees and 
proceeded about a hundred yards into the interior of the forest before 
lowering herself and her sobbing passenger to the ground.

Panic had begun to set in.  She scanned her surroundings quickly, trying to 
determine when her foes would overtake them.  She rose into the air again 
slowly, stopping at the top of a tall tree.  She carefully placed Lian 
astride a branch near the trunk.

"Honey, you have to stay here for a little bit so Aunt Donna can get rid of 
the bad men, okay?  I'll be right back," she said as she gently stroked the 
toddler's wet cheek.

"You promise?"  Lian looked at her with worried eyes, trying desperately to 
be brave.

Donna smiled.  "I promise.  Stay quiet.  I'll be back before you know it."

She lowered herself to the ground and quickly broke into a run toward their 
assailants.  Within a few seconds, she was on top of two of them. Holding 
back was not an option.  Donna wasn't sure if anyone had seen her descend 
from the treetop and knew her best course of action was to proceed as though 
they had.

She drove the two mens' heads hard into the ground and regained her feet.  
Even as she did, an energy blast caught her from the side, sending her hard 
back onto the ground.  She rolled quickly behind the cover of a tree as she 
plotted her next move.  She turned as she heard a sound behind her and found 
herself sustaining another shot to the midsection.

She had to lead them away from Lian.  Pulling herself to her feet while 
dodging another blast, she again broke into a run toward the clearing, 
weaving in and out of the trees to help cover her.  A shot glanced off her 
right shoulder, driving her into the wide trunk of a pine.  She pushed off of 
it and pivoted around to continue her mad dash.

A trickle of blood seeped into her left eye, partially blurring her vision.  
She caught sight of five men as she reached the clearing.  They were waiting 
for her.

Troia left her feet, hoping she could fly enough to send at least two of them 
reeling.  Another energy shot struck her from the side, causing her to lose 
control of her dive.  She managed to still take two of the five men to the 
ground with her, unable to take stock of how many were approaching her from 
her left, where the latest shot had emerged.

She swung hard as she came up, connecting solidly with another attacker.  She 
pivoted right into the butt of a rifle, and she again found herself in the 
dirt, struggling to stay conscious.

Donna winced at the blow she knew was coming...but it never came.  She wiped 
the blood from her eye and looked up to see a yellow streak surround the two 
goons closest to her.  She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Jesse Quick 
had arrived.

And apparently, Jesse hadn't come alone.  Donna looked to her left to see 
Argent subduing five thugs of her own with a few quick energy daggers.

The waves of attackers seemed almost endless.  They came over a nearby hill 
in squads of five, totaling about forty additional foes.  Jesse and Toni 
didn't seem bothered, though, as they took the troops out quite easily.

Things were under control, it seemed.  Donna struggled to her feet and headed 
back into the forest to retrieve Lian.  Jesse and Argent were more than 
occupied, and Donna urged herself to hold on until she knew Lian was safe.

It took her a few minutes to find the tree, but she breathed a heavy sigh of 
relief as she saw Lian still clinging to its mast.

"Thank you for leading us to the child, Miss Troy."

Donna whirled around to find the voice behind her.  A group of seven of the 
unknown attackers stood before her, all of their weapons trained on her 
midsection.  They opened fire.

Troia was able to deflect the first four shots with her wristbands, but 
quickly fell prey to the next two.  She collided hard with a tree and fell 
forward onto the hard ground in front of her.  The men began to laugh as 
Donna started to search the ground in front of her for anything she could use 
to her advantage.

Her strength was gone.  Pain rang out from all over, and she was fairly 
certain that she'd dislocated her left shoulder when she hit the tree. She 
lay in a bed of sticks, leaves, and pine cones...none of which made a 
threatening weapon, she mused.

It took her a moment to get to her feet to face her opponents.  They had her 
covered, lined up like a makeshift firing squad.  Donna had said to herself 
many times that any harm to befall Lian would have to come over her dead 
body, and it appeared as though it had come to just that.

She again looked down to the ground as she felt something touch her foot.  A 
small garter snake had decided to climb onto her boot.

"Looks like Satan's serpents are here to take you home, witch," one of the 
men chided, taking notice of Donna's new acquaintance.

"You first," Donna shouted in defiance at she kicked up, sending the small 
snake flying toward the man.

Much to her astonishment, in midair, the snake transformed itself into 
familiar green polar bear.  The bear took out three of the soldiers as it 
landed.

"Gar!" Donna shouted as she dove at two of the remaining attackers, tackling 
them to the ground.

Garfield Logan, known to his onetime Titans teammates as The Changeling, 
again transformed, this time into a panther, and pounced on the last two 
baffled foes.

"Hiya, Wondy!  Sorry I'm late," he shouted gleefully.

It only took them a few seconds to finish off the last of their opponents.  
Donna dropped to her knees and collapsed on her side.  Lian was safe, and 
Donna's resolve had finally given way.  It was all she could do to stay 
conscious.  Gar returned to human form and ran to her side.

"Donna!  I know I'm gorgeous and ya haven't seen me in a while, but doncha 
think passing out is a little much?"

Donna looked up at him and managed a slight grin.  "Thank Gaea you came.  How 
did you find me?"

"Hey, even us reservists have emergency comms.  Kory called me in when you 
and Lian disappeared," Gar answered with his signature smile.

"Lian!" Donna shouted.  She pointed to the nearby treetop.  "She's up there, 
Gar!"

"No sweat, beautiful."  Gar changed into a pigeon and flew up to perch beside 
the scared and exhausted child.

"Howya doin', kiddo?"

"Gar!  Can I come down now," Lian asked excitedly.

"Sure ya can, squirt."  He changed into an orangutan, scooped the small child 
up, and climbed down to the ground below.

Returning again to human form, Gar touched a button on his wrist 
communicator.  "Changeling to Jesse Quick.  I've got Donna and Lian."

"We're just finishing up here, Gar.  Are you guys okay?" Jesse asked.

"Donna's hurt, but she'll pull through.  Get Argent over here to carry her 
out...I don't wanna jostle her too much."

"We'll be right there."  The commlink closed, and Gar knelt beside his fallen 
friend and brushed the hair away from her face.

"Thanks, Gar.  I don't know what I would have done if you guys hadn't come."

"Hey, that's what dashing, green friends are for, gorgeous.  Y'know, if you'd 
run away and married me like you shoulda...."

Gar's voice trailed off as Donna finally gave into her injuries.  She knew 
she'd narrowly avoided losing Lian, but everything had worked out...so far.  
She didn't know who was after the adorable little girl, but she swore to find 
out as soon as she was able.

***

"It takes a bold man to summon me here in this manner, Mr. Harper." Roland 
Desmond, also known as Blockbuster, moved behind his desk and took a seat in 
his impossibly large chair.

"Well, 'Bold' is my middle name, BB."  Roy paused for a moment, seemingly 
perplexed.  "Well, I don't really know what my middle name is...but that's 
not the point."

Desmond appeared nonplused.  "What IS the point, Mr. Harper?"

"Look, Mr. Desmond.  I'm no detective.  Sometimes I like to play detective 
because, quite frankly, I think the little hat and the pipe are kinda cool.  
But I'm having a lot of trouble finding out who this Oracle guy is.  No one 
seems to know who he is, where he stays, or even whether he is actually a 
'he'.  Ya following me so far?"

Desmond steepled his fingers.  Roy noted that each finger was about the size 
of one of his daughter's arms.  "Are you refusing to continue with 
our...agreement?"

Roy put on a wide smile.  "No, sir.  Don't misunderstand me.  I'm just 
getting a feel for how daunting a task this is.  I just wanted to discuss the 
payment."

"Eliminating Oracle would be a great feat, and one that would earn you a 
substantial reward.  Let us negotiate a fair price."

"What if I wasn't interested in your money?" Roy asked quickly.

"And what ARE you interested in, Mr. Harper?"

"The way I see it, we're both in positions to do each other a favor.  I do 
something for you, and you do something for me."  Roy looked Blockbuster 
directly in the eye.  He knew he was taking a risk here, but it was a 
necessary evil.

"And what would that be?"

Roy leaned back in his chair across from Desmond, but did not avert his gaze.  
His face took on a mixture of determination and concern.

"Vandal Savage has my daughter, Lian.  I've got the entire superhero 
population looking to put my head on a stick.  Taking care of Oracle is a 
covert operation.  I can take him out without compromising my location.  
Taking on Savage is a bigger deal.  I can't make a move on him without 
causing a big stir.  And, to be honest, I don't stand a chance against him 
alone.  I've alienated every ally I've ever had by taking Nightwing out.  
What do you say?"

"I'm assuming that you would like me to retrieve your child for you. Why 
would I want to make an enemy of Vandal Savage?  I fear no one, but my 
organization can ill afford to gain an enemy as formidable as he."

Roy paused a moment before responding.  "You're no fool, BB.  You know that 
Savage has been in town for a week or two.  You know that he's responsible 
for that axe that fell on Tony Roma's weapons shipment.  *I* know that Tony 
Roma works for you.  It seems to me that Savage is making a play in this 
town.  The connections he's going to make by selling those weapons is going 
to lead to connections for all kinds of organized crime.  And he's doing this 
all on your turf.  Helping me out would be killing two birds with one stone.  
You lose a major competitor and pay my fee for icing Oracle and Nightwing."

"How do I know you'll do your part, Harper?"

"I've been thinking about that, too.  How do I confirm that I've made the 
kill if no one knows who Oracle is?"

"Precisely," Desmond said.

"I'll bring him to you alive.  I know a guy that knows a guy that can get me 
to Oracle.  I'll make the capture and deliver him to you in exchange for my 
daughter.  You'll have an opportunity to question him until you're satisfied 
that he's your guy.  Once you're convinced, you get me my daughter, unharmed, 
and you can have Oracle to play with as you please."

"This is acceptable.  When can I expect you to produce Oracle for 
questioning?"

"Tomorrow night.  Ten o'clock.  I'll bring him here, guaranteed.  And don't 
think about crossing me, Desmond.  You don't want *me* for an enemy, either."  
Roy narrowed his eyes to assure his sincerity.

"Is that a threat, Mr. Harper?"

"Word on the street is you took six hollow-points to the chest at close range 
without batting an eye.  But that was a dirty cop with the cajones to take 
you on face to face.  Take a look at my government file sometime, BB.  I'm 
*not* an honorable guy.  I won't have any qualms about putting a bullet from 
a high-powered rifle through your brain from a half mile away.  That's a shot 
that won't be so easy to shrug off, capice?"

Blockbuster released a sound that Roy could only guess was a laugh.  "I am a 
man of my word, Mr. Harper.  I will see you tomorrow evening.  If you'll 
excuse me..."

Desmond rose from his chair and moved out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Roy Harper stood in a dark alley a mile away from his 
encounter with Blockbuster.  He held his cellular phone to his ear.

"Vic?  It's Roy.  I need someone brave and convincing to be Oracle for an 
evening.  Someone that can talk computers like a pro and isn't scared to do 
so in front of a guy that has a penchant for pulling people's lungs out 
through their noses.  Interested?"

***

Dinah Lance, Connor Hawke, Garth, and Wally West stood on a pier just outside 
of the Bludhaven yacht club.  Wally was having an animated conversation with 
his Titans communicator.

"Sorry, Oracle.  There's no sign of Nightwing anywhere.  I've recovered some 
pieces of his costume and Tempest has searched the water, but there's no 
body."

"Please keep looking, Flash.  Anything you turn up can be helpful."

Dinah stepped up and took the communicator from Wally.  "What about us, 
Oracle?  Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm afraid not, Dinah.  The two of you should probably go get some rest."

The communication was cut off from Oracle's end.  Dinah sighed with 
frustration and handed Wally the communicator.

"Hang in there, Canary.  At least Lian's safe, and it looks like Donna is 
going to be okay.  Oracle's right.  You guys were almost killed in that 
explosion...you should really get some rest.  We'll call you when we hear 
from Roy," Garth said with a soft smile.  His eyes shone with concern.

Connor put his arm around Dinah.  "We'll get a couple hotel rooms in town 
just in case, guys.  You *will* call us...?"

Wally responded, "It's a promise.  There's nothing more you guys can do here 
tonight.  As soon as we hear anything, you guys'll be the first to know."

Connor led Dinah away.  She couldn't help but feel a certain amount of 
helplessness.  It was great that the Titans had kept Lian out of harm's way, 
but where was Roy?

She was also worried about Oracle.  She had joked about it with her in the 
past, but she knew that Oracle really cared for Nightwing, and it looked as 
though he'd been killed in the explosion.

He'd been more toward the interior of the ship when he warned them.  It would 
take almost a miracle for him to have made it out alive.  She had heard Roy 
tell stories, mostly out of exasperation, of Nightwing (and Robin) and his 
tremendous ability to escape the most harrowingsituations with his life.  To 
hear Roy tell it, the guy was very much the heir to Batman's amazing 
throne...and it drove Roy absolutely nuts.

But this was different.  Dinah and Connor had barely escaped in one piece, 
and they were in positions to jump overboard as soon as Nightwing's warning 
was heard.

If he was dead, he died a hero.  He'd saved her and Connor's lives at the 
last moment.  It was easy for Dinah to see why Oracle felt the way she did 
for Nightwing.  She just wished there was something she could do to help her 
friend through this...

***

He watched as Garth dove back into the water and Wally sped away.  He waited 
for a minute until Connor and Dinah climbed into a cab on the street far 
below him.

Once they were gone, Nightwing stood and started down the fire escape. The 
gaping wound in his side was numb now and the scratches on his face had 
finally stopped bleeding.

He'd just made it topside when the explosion hit, and he'd used its momentum 
to propel himself toward one of the wooden emergency rafts. Bouncing off of 
it, he was able to adjust his fall into a makeshift dive.  He'd almost 
drowned, and a piece of shrapnel from the blast had imbedded itself just 
beneath his ribcage on his left side.  Removing it when he was finally able 
to surface caused him more pain than he'd felt in a long time.  The saltwater 
didn't help.

He made an extra effort to swim ashore about a half mile from where he 
figured Connor and Dinah would do the same.  The first thing he did when he 
got on dry land was destroy his gauntlets.  Nightwing managed to stay hidden 
from Wally's search while he dressed his wound.

For some reason, Vandal Savage wanted him dead.  It no longer mattered why.  
Dick Grayson would be damned if he put anymore of his friends into the line 
of fire.

No, he'd have to handle Savage on his own.  And if he had to be dead to do 
it, then dead he would be...


Chapter 7 by HeroScribe@aol.com

Troia arrived at the pier just as Tempest was dragging himself out of the 
water for the final time, head bowed, clutching a tattered scrap of black 
cloth in his hand. Wally noticed her landing was a bit wobbly and her left 
arm was bandaged to keep her dislocated shoulder in place, but otherwise she 
seemed okay. She was coherent at least -- which was all Wally West, otherwise 
known as the Flash, needed for the time being.

"What is it Garth?", Donna asked as she rushed forward.

"It's...it's...Poseidon give me strength...Wally, I can't...",

Wally stepped forward and gently laid his hand on Donna's shoulder. He 
couldn't help but feel hurt when he noticed she flinched. Was she ever going 
to forgive him? Come to think of it, Wally thought, he wasn't even sure what 
he'd done to tick her off in the first place. Time for that later though. 
Right then, she needed to know the score.

"It's Dick's mask.", Wally said.

"No.", Donna whispered. Her throat felt too tight for words. It couldn't be. 
She just wouldn't believe it. There's no way Dick could really be...

"Dead.", Wally said in a strangled whisper "Garth's searched the wreckage a 
dozen times. For the time being, we can only presume he didn't make it."

"Like Hell."

The three Titans whipped around, wincing as they saw Robin standing there 
with his fists clenched, trembling as the icy wind off the water whipped 
through his thin costume, making his cape flap in the breeze. Wally couldn't 
help but notice that Robin's expression was nearly blank as he spoke. He was 
every bit as hard and unyielding in his prouncement as the Batman would have 
been. He was too stoic for someone who should be laughing with his friends, 
or mooning over some perky blonde cheerleader. The kid was aging like the 
Titans had ...too damn fast, Wally thought. Only the slightest tremor in his 
voice betrayed the frightened child hiding behind the mask.

"If there's no body, then he must still be alive. End of story."

"How did you get here from Keystone?", Wally blurted.

Before Robin could answer, a digitized, toneless voice squawked through a 
hiss of static coming from under his glove. "Come in Robin! Oracle here. Are 
you receiving? C'mon little bird...what's going on down there?"

Even mechanically altered, Wally could hear a rush of emotion behind the 
speaker's words. Pure concern. He'd been wrong when he talked to Roy. Oracle 
obviously wasn't a man. Whoever Oracle was, she might be able to disguise the 
sound of her voice, but she couldn't hide the terror lurking behind her 
frantic questions.

Robin rolled up his glove so they could all see him slowly lower his head and 
speak into the metal band around his arm. "Robin here. Thanks for the 
transport Oracle. Everything's a-okay."

"You found him?", the voice squawked hopefully.

"Negative.", Robin said. Wally could see the kids hands trembling as he 
spoke, fighting to keep his own fears from surfacing in his voice. "But, we 
didn't find a body either."

"Oh.", the voice said and Wally heard a strange electronic gurgle that he bet 
was Oracle's weary sigh being scrambled by the voice modulator. 

"Not good Boy Wonder. If he was standing at ground zero when the ship 
exploded there...oh dear God...there might not be anything left to find."

"Don't you believe it. Keep the homefires burning Oracle, we WILL find him. 
Robin out."

"Please tell us you have a plan.", Donna said as Robin pulled his glove back 
down.

"Actually...no.", Robin sighed. "Look guys, I'm sorry for coming off like a 
Drill Sergeant when I first showed up, but I...well..."

"You can't let yourself believe that he's gone.", Tempest said.

"No, I can't."

Wally stepped forward. "Neither can we. Let's keep this under wraps for now. 
If Starfire or Batman get wind of this all hell's going to break loose."

"Are you crazy?", Donna screamed. "Right now we need every hero we can get 
searching for him. And, if that fails, I want everyone hunting for Savage 
until he pays."

Wally backed away, stunned by the rage in her voice. Donna was dangerously 
close to coming unglued. He would have expected it from Starfire, maybe even 
from Argent....but he'd never expected Donna to snap. After all she'd already 
been through, and the near-miss she'd had saving Lian earlier, Wally was 
starting to think he'd made a big mistake calling her in.

Despite feeling a bit out of his league with the Titans, Tim stepped in when 
Flash and Tempest fell silent. "We'll call them if we need to, but right now 
we need to keep this low-key. If we get too many heads involved, Savage -- or 
whoever's behind this -- is likely get desperate. That could put innocents in 
danger."

"Like Lian.", Tempest added.

Tim decide he wasn't even going to ask who Lian was at this point.

"Alright.", Donna said as she exhaled. "Anyone have a clue what we're 
supposed to do next?"  

"Tempest hand me the mask.", Tim said. As he reached out for the mask, his 
gloved fingers brushed over a small, tear by the right eyehole. Like Dick had 
ripped his mask off in a hurry. Maybe there was hope after all.

Or maybe, Tim thought with a shiver, Nightwing had used his final seconds to 
try and remove his uniform so that it would be Dick Grayson's corpse found 
floating in Blüdhaven's river instead of Nightwing's. 

***

Nightwing knew he needed medical attention. The hole in his side from where 
he'd yanked out the shrapnel was still throbbing. Even beneath the swath of 
wet rags around his waist, Dick could see the wound was still seething. 
Slivers of his skin were pressed between the folds like raw meat and the 
blood was starting to seep through his makeshift bandages. He wondered how 
much longer he had before he finally passed out. How far out of Blüdhaven 
could he make it?

No, he couldn't lean on his friends for shelter anymore. 

He "died" to protect them and he wasn't going to see a single one of them put 
in jeopardy on his account. Gotham wasn't far, and he was pretty sure it 
would have been save to have Alfred tend his wounds in the Batcave, but there 
wasn't a real Bat Cave to go to anymore. Gotham was shut down and there was 
no way he could tackle the border patrol in his condition. 

Clancy was close, but too vulnerable. Trying to reach the JLA or any other 
superheros would be like broadcasting a signal right into Vandal Savage's 
living room he was still alive and kicking. 

So who was left?

If I can't go to my friends, Nightwing thought, then maybe I can try the 
other route. A dangerous, but extremely useful option that had only recently 
become open to him.

Maybe, he could get help from one of his enemies. 

***

Cyborg arrived at their planned meeting spot just after nine-thirty. Roy 
leapt down from the streetlight he'd been perched on, landing on the pavement 
in front of Cyborg with a wide, wolfish grin on his face."I knew you'd make 
it."

"Yeah, yeah. I must have a deathwish to follow YOU anywhere Harper."

"Aw, Viiiiic. Don't be such a baby. I promise that if one single bullet 
scratches your shiny new hide, I'll buff and polish you myself."

"Funny Bowboy. You're lucky I promised Donna, or I WOULDN'T tell you that 
your kid's back at the Tower."

"Thank God.", Roy said, letting the smart-aleck routine drop as relief 
flooded through him. Then, came the rage. "I'm getting real tired of my kid 
being used as a target Vic. Real tired."

"Her mother's an assasin and her father is an ex-government stoodge and a 
Titan too boot. You're lucky the the kid's made it this far."

"Not funny Vic.", Arsenal snapped.

"I wasn't joking.", Cyborg said calmly.

"What do I do? Lock her up and throw away the key? I can't keep the kid a 
prisoner."

"I've been thinking about that. I've got some plans for Tower security I want 
to discuss with you, Batboy, and the rest of the team when this is all over." 

"Gee, I'm honored.", Arsenal snickered.

"Don't be. I just wanna make sure Lian lives long enough to see what a creep 
her old man is.", Cyborg said, then laughed. "That is, of course, provided WE 
make it back from this little caper. What the heck is an Oracle anyway?"

"She's a computer genius. A hacker and information broker for the JLA and 
other super-types. And, the word from Dinah is that she's also REAL good 
friends with our own Mr. Grayson."

"Wally said Oracle was a guy."

"So...", Roy smiled, knowing he'd misled his friend on purpose. "Wally's 
dumb. Now..."

"Harper, if you think I'm going to..."

"Relax. Blockbuster thinks Oracle's a guy too."

"Good."

"Although, if you could raise your voice a few octaves..."

"HARPER!"

"Alright...just kidding. Here's the set-up. I cuff you and take you in. We 
plug you into the computers, Blockbuster asks you a few questions and all you 
have to do is come up with the right answers. Oh yeah, and you have to scan 
Blockbuster's system at the same time to see if you can figure out how he's 
involved in this fiasco in the first place. I don't buy his whole gratitude 
explanation for busting me out of jail. I bet he's working with Savage."

"Nope.", Vic said shaking his head. "I've known you too long to believe it's 
THAT easy."

"Uh...well.", Arsenal lowered his head. "I forgot to mention that I have to 
hold you prisoner until Blockbuster rescues Lian from Savage."

"WHAT? I just told you she's back at the Tower."

"I'm still working on that. Any questions?"

"Yeah. What happens AFTER you sic Blockbuster on Savage?"

"Dunno.", Arsenal said. "I'm supposed to turn you over into his custody."

Cyborg groaned. "Just great."   

"I'll understand if you want to turn back now."

Cyborg rubbed his chin thoughtfully and smiled. "Nah. If nothing else, I'll 
get a few laughs trying to see you wriggle your way out of this one. Ready to 
go?"

"Sure thing.", Roy said as he put Cyborg's hands behind his back and slapped 
a pair of unbreakable molybdenum handcuffs around his teammate's wrists. As 
they made their way into the building, Roy had a sudden, fearful thought 
concerning Vic's last joke. It wasn't just Roy's butt on the line this time, 
but Vic's too. He was really pressing the odds on this one. Both their skins 
depended on Roy being able to get out of the grave he'd dug himself into with 
Blockbuster.

But, what if he COULDN'T wriggle his way out of trouble this time?

***

Jade was finding her sojourn in Blüdhaven's Chinatown district quite 
profitable. Her new associates, the Ravens, were useful in their own 
incompetent way, but after their last run-in with the blonde American who 
called herself Black Canary, she felt it was time to cut loose for a bit of 
solo action to help rebuild the team's coffers. 

Sadly, most of the money she'd earned during her visit would have to go 
towards bailing those other twits out of jail though. For that, she would 
make each one of them repay her with triple interest. Lucky for them she'd 
been able to find so many clients in Blüdhaven willing to pay for her 
services or the interest would have been quadruple the previous amount. Yes, 
there were a lot of people that simply wanted their enemies dead lately. 

Gangland reprisals were messy and the bosses were growing sick of their 
little powerplays against each other. They tore after a good assassin who 
could get the job done quickly like a pack of hungry dogs chasing raw meat. 

And, Cheshire was one of the best. 

Jade dropped a dollop of honey into her herbal tea, cradling it in her hands 
as she walked to the center of the room and crouched down to the floor. She 
assumed the lotus position, eager for comfortable meditation on the plush, 
oriental rug that dominated most of the floor space in her rented studio 
apartment. After a day's work, Jade wanted to clear the filth that was 
Cheshire's life out of her mind. In times past, moments like these had been 
spent with her daughter. But, the father of her Graceful Willow had long ago 
spirited the child far away from the evil of Cheshire's work. 

PART of her didn't blame him. That was true enough.

But mostly, and especially the times when her thoughts were her only company, 
she wanted nothing more than to see the grinning fool gutted like a fish and 
strung up by his own entrails. 

Yet, that was Cheshire's way. 

Right then, she wanted the peace and simple comforts of being Jade. Just as 
she slowed the rhythm of her heart to match her steady breaths, a loud rap at 
her door shattered her peace. No, whoever it was would have to go away. It 
was Jade's time. It was a quiet moment and she didn't want to have to spoil 
it by getting up to kill somebody. Because, if she broke her meditation to 
answer the door, that was almost certainly what she was going to do to the 
idiot who'd 
disturbed her. 

Again the rapping came, louder and more insistent. The fool was practically 
breaking her door down. Jade scowled, but maintained her position, hoping the 
noise would drift away and her inner peace would return again.

No such luck.

Another blow struck the door so hard, she could see the hinges starting to 
pop loose. Damn them, she thought. Whoever it was would die slowly while she 
laughed. She spread her hands out across the carpet like talons, the dull 
lights of her candles reflected off her poison-coated nails as she pushed 
herself up from the floor. Very slowly, she thought. Then decided that if she 
wanted to get back to her mediation, it might be better to kill the intruder 
swiftly and be done with it.

So many decisions.

Cheshire sat poised on the balls of her feet like a tiger ready to pounce as 
the door burst open. She almost lunged, but stopped herself to assess the 
strange man who'd just broken into her home. He was tall and handsome, though 
badly injured. A young westerner with black hair wearing shredded 
clothes...no, not clothes...some sort of uniform...and he had a cloth tied 
like a bandanna over his eyes with two ragged holes for his eyes. 

She almost fell over in laughter. Jade knew the intruder well.  

"I haven't come to fight you.", he gasped. "Someone is after me. He framed 
Arsenal...Roy...for murder and he may be going after your daughter Lian 
next."

His voice confirmed it. 

"Nightwing.", she hissed. It was the man who'd helped Arsenal take their 
daughter away. Jade had been looking for him for a long time. And now -- she 
practically giggled at the irony -- now the fool had been stupid enough to 
come to HER for aid. 

Without having heard a single word he'd said, Cheshire lunged for Nightwing's 
throat...


Chapter 8 by PwrRing@aol.com

Robin couldn't believe what was happening.  He was on a pier in Bludhaven 
with three of the original Titans, Troia, Tempest and the Flash.  The search 
for the body of Nightwing was over.  They found no signs of Dick, dead or 
alive.
  
"I can't believe what is happening," Tim Drake is thinking, "these are the   
Titans, Nightwing could be dead and they have no idea what do.  They are   
looking to me, I'm a KID!"
  
Donna still has a confused look on her face.  When Dick wasn't present to   
lead the Titans in the past she had been the one that took control.  But she   
is unsure of herself.  She has a dislocated shoulder and since recently being   
recreated she is hesitant.
  
The Flash and tempest are shocked by Troia's behavior.  They were expecting   
her to take charge.  They are expecting her to come up with a plan.  They are 
expecting her to lead.
  
"Let's get out of here, let's get to one of Nightwing's safe houses and plan 
our next step," Robin orders.
  
***
  
The injured Nightwing bursts through the door, Cheshire is poised and 
waiting.  She lunges at him and using all of his strength Nightwing avoids 
the attack.  Cheshire assumes an offensive stance as Nightwing weakly assumes 
a defensive one.

"You will pay for having a hand in stealing my daughter from me, Nightwing,"   
Cheshire spits.
  
Cheshire advances towards Nightwing and attacks.  It is a vicious attack.    
Cheshire uses her feet, first right than left to land kicks to Nightwing's   
head, followed by kicks to Nightwing's body. In his weakened condition 
Nightwing can provide no defense and he hits the floor with a thud.

Cheshire moved in for the kill.
  
***
  
On the shore across from the Titan's Tower the silent figure watches and   
waits.  He has been here for quite sometime.  He has been observing.
  
His radio squawks, "Is she there?"
  
"Yes, Savage, the girl is here.  Since her return, the brat hasn't left."
  
"I have a new assignment for you.  You have an hour to get to Bludhaven."
  
"My helicopter is close by, I can make it there in under an hour."
  
"Good, Arsenal and another Titan are entering Blockbuster's office building. 
  
I want you to storm the office and take out Arsenal and Blockbuster."
  
"Fine.  I'll have to hurry, but I'll make it."  With that Deathstroke the   
Terminator gathers his gear and makes his way to his helicopter.
  
***
  
Robin and the Titans enter the abandoned warehouse that Nightwing used 
earlier to plan the assault on Vandal Savage.  The last time that Robin was 
in Bludhaven Dick had brought him to this warehouse, his latest property.  

It still wasn't set up the way that Nightwing would like, but it is equipped   
with a meeting area, sleeping quarters, computer and radio equipment and a 
few vehicles as well as an arsenal of Nightwing gear.
  
It can be seen that recently there was someone here.  The Boy Wonder can't 
believe that Dick would of left it a mess like this, they must of left in a 
hurry.  Green Arrow even left some broken arrows behind.
  
  "Look, I'm going to Dick's apartment to look for clue to his location, we 
all can't go.  You guys stay here and plan the search for Dick.  And maybe 
you should give some thought about what to do about this Savage guy," Tim 
barks as he strips out of his costume and into street clothes.
  
"That sounds like a place to start", agreed Troia. "We'll come up with a game 
plan, decide who to utilize.  I'll keep in contact with you by radio, Robin."
  
"Roger that, Titans," responds Tim as he rolls a motorcycle outside.  It 
starts on the first try and Robin takes off.
  
***
  
His gear loaded, Deathstroke starts the copter and heads it towards Bludhaven 
and his next assignment.  It has been a few years since his return.  He was 
killed and his healing factor brought him back from the dead.  Except he 
returned a young man in his twenties instead of the middle-aged man he was 
when he died.  In addition to his younger age he returned without memories of 
his life before his death.  In the time since his return he has had some 
glimpses of 
his past, but most of his memory is still a blank.
  
Deathstroke somehow knows that in his past he had a connection with these 
Titans.  Living without your memories is hell. It wouldn't wish it on Vandal 
Savage and Slade Wilson has come to hate Vandal Savage.

***
  
Dick lies on the floor in a ball.  Cheshire leaps towards him to deliver the   
deathblow.  As she poises to deliver the blow she stops.  He came to her 
injured, he can't defend himself.  Nightwing is a proud, a worthy adversary, 
she cannot kill him in this condition.  He came to her for help. Even though 
he helped the accursed Arsenal, the father of her daughter, take Lian from 
her, she 
will give him aid.  Then she will kill him.
    
***
  
As Robin heads towards Dick's apartment he thinks, "These Titans are in 
trouble.  Just the thought of Dick, their leader, being gone has them so 
shaken I can't count on them for help.  Who can I call?  Certainly not the 
Spoiler.  And Batman is too busy.  Maybe the Huntress?  No, I know, I know 
who to get help from!"
  
Tim changes the direction of the motorcycle.
  
***
  
At the warehouse Donna is on the radio with Jesse Quick.  Jesse is running 
things back at Titan's Tower.
  
"Yeah, sure, Donna, I understand, You want me to use my business resources to 
try to locate Savage's holdings in or near Bludhaven.  Anything else?"
  
"Yes," says Troia, "you have to make sure Lian is safe.  You have to make 
sure that Savage doesn't grab her.  That is your most important job!  The 
three of use here in Bludhaven will search for Dick and mount an assault on 
Savage.  That is why I need that information pronto!  You keep everyone else 
there are guard Lian."
  
"Yes, Sir, I got it," Jesse snaps back with a smile.
  
"Troia, out."  As the screen fades to black Jesse flops in her chair knowing  
that Dick is gone for 
good!
  
***

Cheshire picks Dick up and carries him to her bedroll.  The studio apartment 
that Cheshire is renting is spartan.  There isn't any furniture, only a 
bedroll and pillows for reclining. 
  
She lays the unconscious Nightwing on the bedding and strips his tattered 
costume off of him.  The gapping wound on his side looks bad.  Besides that 
he has cuts and scrapes all over his body.  The beating that she inflicted on 
him didn't help him.
  
Cheshire retreats to the bathroom for soap, water and medical supplies.  When 
she returns she gazes at his nude body and admires it.  It is the body of an 
athlete, the body of a warrior.  She will see that he returns to health.  He 
deserves that much, before she kills him.
  
***
    
Bang, bang, bang someone pounds on the door.  The noise wakes Dinah.  She was 
in a deep sleep and doesn't welcome this interruption.  She rises form the 
bed and throws on the plush terry robe provided by the hotel.
  
She walks to the double locked door and looks out the peephole.  There is a 
teenager in jeans, work boots and an army field jacket.  Could it be Robin,   
the boy wonder?  Slowly Dinah opens the door.

"Robin?"
  
Yes, Black Canary, I need your help.  I don't know where to turn. You work 
with Oracle, so I came to you."
  
"What do you need, Robin?"
  
"Canary, Nightwing can't be dead, he can't be!  I have to look for him.  Then   
I'll go after this Savage guy with Batman.  I don't know the titans too well,   
but they seem pretty shaken up.  I can't wait for them to regain their 
composure."
  
"I understand, Robin, they seem shaken up that something could have happened 
to Nightwing.  There also seems to be something going on between Trioa and   
Flash.  Give me a second to get dressed."
  
Dinah picked up some items and headed to the bathroom.  She returned in a few 
minutes in jeans and boots topped off with a leather jacket.  Her working 
clothes were in a pack on her back.
  
As they walk towards the elevator she says, "You, Nightwing and Oracle are 
close, aren't you?"
  
"Yeah, the closest.  Nightwing is like my big brother and I'd do anything for 
Oracle."
  
The Black Canary feels a little jealous of their close relationship.  Since 
her mother died Ollie is the closest thing she has had to family and he is 
dead.  Not that he was all that loyal when he was alive.  She still misses 
him.  Robin doesn't know how lucky he is.
  
Once on the street Robin gets on the motorcycle and Dinah takes a seat behind 
him.  It doesn't take them long to travel to Dick's apartment.  
  
Even at this late hour Tim doesn't want to be seen entering from the front 
door.  They move to the back of the building, Tim takes a jumpline from his 
pack and fires.  They use the jumpline to scale the rear of the building.  
They climb to the window that Dick uses to leave and enter his apartment as 
Nightwing.
  
Once inside the duo looks around.  Nothing seems to be out of place.  Tim 
calls Oracle on his wrist radio.
  
"Oracle, Robin here."
  
"Go ahead, Robin," responds the electronic voice, "do you have anything new?"
  
"I'm in Nightwing's apartment with Black Canary.  Nothing new here."
  
"Tell the Canary that she should check in with me more often."
  
Canary knows she should have brought here Birds of Prey radio link with 
Oracle.  Even through the mechanical voice BC can feel the concern that 
Oracle has towards Nightwing.  She is right, there has to be something 
between them!
  
"Canary, I'm glad that you are helping Robin, thank you!"
  
There has to be something between them!
  
"Anything for that stud-muffin," Canary answers.  As soon as the comment 
leaves her moth she knows that it was the wrong thing to say.

In Gotham the remark brings a sour look to Oracle's face.
  
"Robin, listen to me, the Big Bad Bat has me changing locations.  It seems 
that there is a contract out on me.  But don't hesitate to call me with any 
new information.  I'll be keeping my ear open."
  
"10-4, Oracle," the boy wonder answers, "don't worry I'll find him, 
everything will be fine."
  
"Thanks, Oracle out."
  
"Robin out."
  
"This is BIG, Canary!  Nightwing missing, this Savage guy and now a contract 
out on Oracle!  WOW!"

"Let's go, Robin, lets get started.  We have a lot of work to do tonight."
  
As they leave the apartment Tim sees a post-it note sticking out form under 
Dick's keyboard.  He puts it in his pocket.
  
In Gotham Oracle removes her glasses and puts her head in her hands and 
begins to sob.
  
***
  
Roy and the handcuffed Cyborg exit the elevator outside of Blockbuster's 
office and enter.  There is a group of hoods in the reception area.
  
"Youse guys take a seat, Mr. Desmond isn't ready to see ya yet."
  
Roy grabs Vic and roughly shoves him into a chair and takes a seat beside 
him.  He looks at the wall clock, 9:49.
  
Deathstroke in on the roof of the building, getting his gear ready.  He has 
just arrived from New York; he made much better time than he anticipated.  He 
secures a line and begins his decent to the ledge outside of Blockbuster's 
office.  He moves to the side of the window so he has a good view of the 
entire office.  He checks the knife on his calf, the sword on his back, the 
handgun on his hip.  They are all in place and ready.  He removes the assault 
rifle for the strap, checks it and loads a cartridge.
  
He is ready.  He looks in the office and Blockbuster is alone, on the phone.
  
***

Robin and Black Canary arrive at the pier.  The entire area is covered by the 
wreckage form the explosion.  The police have the entire area blocked off by 
crimetape and guards.
  
"Canary, we have to fan out and search the entire area, he could of come 
ashore anywhere.  Here is a radio to keep in contact."
  
"Okay, Robin, you go north, I'll go south.  Let's get started,"
  
The search is slow going, it is dark and there is all kind of trash that has 
washed ashore.  It seems like they have been searching for hours when the 
Black Canary's radio comes to life, "Canary, come here!  I found something!  
I'm just to the north of the pier."
  
As Canary approaches the boy wonder, "Look at this BC, these are Nightwing's 
gauntlets and the storage compartments from his boots.  They have been 
destroyed, but not by the explosion.  It looks like he has destroyed them 
along with Oracle's tracking devices and gone to ground. 
  
"And look at this, Robin.'
  
"Yeah, you can see his tracks as he pulled himself out of the water and 
walked away."
  
"I wonder where he went."
  
"I found this post-it with an address under his keyboard, let's check it 
out!"
  
Turning their backs on each other they change form their street clothes to 
the work clothes, their costumes.
  
"I'm driving this time, Robin, get on the back."
  
Canary starts the bike and the take off.  Canary is a more aggressive driver 
than Robin and they speed away and screech around the corner.

***
  
"Donna, Vandal Savage owns a small airport just outside of Bludhaven.  It has 
been deserted for years and the past week there has been all kinds of 
activity and flights coming in and out.  In fact within the past half hour a 
helicopter landed."
  
"Thanks, Jesse.  I'll be in touch."  The screen goes black.
  
"Well, guys, it looks like we have a place to begin the search for Vandal 
Savage."
  
"But what about Robin, Donna?"
  
"He can take care of himself until we return, Garth.  Let's saddle up."
  
***
  
"Mr. Desmond will see you now," the thug says as he shows Arsenal pulling the 
handcuffed Cyborg into Blockbuster's office.  As they enter Vic takes notice 
of the set up, eyeing the computer.
  
"Mr. Desmond, may I present the world famous Oracle!"
  
Blockbuster's eyes go from Arsenal to the gleaming man that he leads in.  The 
metal man's hands are bound behind him.  Is he a robot?  Is he wearing some   
kind of body armor?
  
Perched on the ledge outside the office Deathstoke sees Arsenal enter.  As 
Arsenal takes his place in front of the desk Deathstroke hits the window.
  
In the office the window explodes in a fury of flying glass.  A man in body 
armor flies in through the window.  His entire body is armored; his entire 
face is covered.  He has an assault rifle in his hands.
  
Blockbuster is shocked, what is going on?  Is Arsenal behind this?
  
  Arsenal doesn't know what is going on.  Is Blockbuster behind this?  Is 
Vandal Savage behind 
this?
  
Cyborg wonders what is happening.  Has Roy planned this?  Who is this guy?  
Is it Deathstroke?
  
He begins to search his stored data, this IS Deathstoke's new costume.
  
***

Black Canary brings the bike to a stop at the address that Robin gave her.  
Neither of them is familiar with the city so the address in Chinatown took 
them a little time to find.  They get off the bike and scout the building.
  
Up in her apartment, Cheshire has finished cleaning Nightwing's wounds.  She 
has him covered and has him cradled on her lap feeding him broth.
  
The area is deserted, Robin fires off a jumpline and the duo climbs the rear   
of the building.  They look in each window as they climb.  They reach 
Cheshire's window and Robin can't believe his eyes!

Black Canary has to hold back the boy wonder; she can feel the tension in his 
body as they see Nightwing in the arms of an international terrorist!

"Kid, that's Cheshire, the international terrorist and killer and the mother 
of Arsenal's daughter.  What connection does Nightwing have with her?"  
Canary asks as her hand fingers the round metal ball.  This metal ball is her 
Canary Cry, when thrown it emits a high pitched sound that immobilizes 
enemies.
  
"I don't know if they have a connection," Robin answers, "but he really looks 
hurt."


Chapter 9 by Amy (shoikana@epix.net)

"Be careful, Robin," Black Canary said as she poised to throw her cry.

"Perpetually," was his reply.

Canary threw the cry at the window, which broke the glass and landed in the 
center of the room.  Cheshire threw her hands to her ears, taken by surprise, 
and it didn't take long for Black Canary and Robin to render her unconscious. 

"God," Canary said as they both reached Dick's bedside.  He looked pretty 
beat up, and there was a nasty wound in his side.

"He is *not* having  good life," Robin pointed out.

"Yes, but at least he's having one."

"Good point.  Well do you think we can move him?  Cheshire won't be out that 
long."

"Not a matter of if we can.  We have to."  They found a robe of Cheshire's to 
wrap Nightwing in, during which Canary couldn't help to blush.  Robin noticed 
her color, but didn't say anything in the interest of time.  He was trying 
not to worry, but Dick looked pretty messed up.

With extreme caution, Robin lifted Nightwing into a fireman's carry, and 
shifted Dick's weight until it settled well.  "I think I have him for now, 
but I certainly can't go far."

"No problem.  We'll get a cab."  Robin glared, thinking she was kidding, 
until she actually hailed a cab.  She gave the driver some story about 
Nightwing being drunk, and gave him Dick's address.  "We'll have to come back 
for the cycle," Canary whispered.  Then noticing Robin's look of disbelief 
added,  "One thing you learn is that cab drivers, no matter where they are, 
don't ask questions." 

They arrived at Dick's building, and somehow managed to get Dick into his 
apartment through the window.  They laid him in his own bed, and Canary 
looked over his wounds.  "He'll live, but it might be a while before he's 
awake."

She redressed his wounds with bandages Robin had just handed her, and started 
to blush again.  <I've really got to get Oracle to set me up with him,> Dinah 
thought.

"So now what?" Robin asked

"Well, for some reason Nightwing obviously wanted us to believe he had been 
killed.  I say we keep low--don't tell anyone that we found him until we find 
out what he had in mind."

Robin nodded looking at Dick and brushing back a lock of his hair.  "Well I 
can tell you that I'm glad I'm one of those that know.  But the Titans aren't 
going to be able to function.  They seem pretty much messed up right now."

"I know.  We'll just have to deal with it until he wakes up."

***

Wally, Garth, and Donna arrived at Savage's airport hanger, and saw the 
helicopter.
  
"Dammit, Deathstroke's involved," Wally said.  

Donna glared at him, "Well let's see if we can find out where he went."

They searched the hanger and the helicopter, a strong breeze going through 
the place courtesy of Wally's searching method. "Nothing," Wally finally 
said, stopping by his friends.  "He was thorough."  Donna nodded reluctantly. 
"Well let's see if we can find out anything with the Tower.  We tend to try 
to keep tabs on Deathstroke."  Donna turned her comlink on.  "Jesse?"

"Yeah, I'm here"

"See if you can find out something about where Deathstroke might be.  We know 
he's in Blüdhaven, and I have a gut feeling we'll find Roy if we find him."

"Ok.  Hold on this shouldn't take long.  Hmm...," Donna heard keyboard 
tapping in the background.  "Yeah we intercepted a transmission from him.  
Looks like he was just across the bay when he received it.  He's at 
Blockbuster's"

"Great.  How's Lian?" 

"Oh she's fine.  Playing happily.  Clueless about the things going on-she 
hasn't asked when her dad or Uncle Dick is coming back-I think I'd start 
crying if she did."

Donna sighed.  "Yeah I hear you.  Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this. 
Troia out."

<Whew, that was too close,> Donna thought.  Too close to that area of her 
mind that she was trying to ignore. "Ok, guys. To Blockbuster's we go."  
After a short trip, the three of them arrived to find Deathstroke looking 
into the window of an office.  Then they saw him break the window, and they 
rushed to the scene.

***
 
Oracle was trying to get some work done, but her mind kept going back to 
Nightwing.  She couldn't believe he was actually dead.  She finally gave up 
and, putting her elbows on the table, covered her face with her hands. "I 
found a place."  Barbara quickly turned around, tensed and adrenaline 
rushing.  She turned around, and fell back in her chair exhaling.

"I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Sorry.  Any more sign of Nightwing?"

"No," Babs sighed.  "It's not looking good.  So where's this place?" She 
noticed the pack Batman was carrying.

"Dick's apartment."

"No!  You've got to be kidding me!  I'm trying to get him *out* of my mind! 
I'm not going there!!"

"It's the only place, Barbara.  And he has the equipment you need to be 
Oracle."  

Barbara sighed and looked long at her mentor.  Even with his cowl on, she 
could see the signs of exhaustion.  "Ok, I'll go.  But you had better get me 
out of there as soon as you can."

"I promise.  Ready to go?"

"Yeah, I packed as soon as you told me I was going somewhere." Bruce changed 
into the civilian clothes he was carrying in the pack.  He had decided that 
it was easier to go in the front door-- easier to hide in plain sight.  They 
arrived at Dick's apartment, and only saw a few people from whom Bruce hid 
his face.  He wasn't sure he wouldn't be recognized, and he didn't want to 
take 
the chance.  He knew Dick didn't tell anyone of his connection with him, and 
Bruce wanted to respect that, even if the point was moot.  

On the other side of the door, Robin was making dinner-salads since Dick had 
lots of greens-and Canary was sitting by Dick's bed.  He was still 
unconscious.  Canary heard the key in the lock first, and was to the door 
quickly, and Tim was a split second behind.  The door opened, and Tim stopped 
himself in mid-attack.  "Bruce! Babs! What are you doing here?"

"Tim? I could ask you the same thing.  This was the best place for Barbara to 
hide.  Dick has equipment she can use.  And don't give me that look-no one  
saw us."  Bruce pushed Babs past Tim, and they both let out involuntary 
gasps-Barbara's louder than Bruce's, but Tim heard Bruce's too.

Barbara spoke first, "Is he.. ?"

Tim answered.  "He's alive.  We found him at Cheshire's, which made it pretty 
obvious that he wanted us to think he died.  Canary and I thought it best to 
keep that going until we can figure things out."

Barbara started to cry from relief, and, although he though that the others 
probably didn't notice, Tim saw the pure relief on Bruce's face too.  

Barbara looked through her tears at Black Canary, grateful that she didn't 
ask any more about her identity, and then pushed her chair away from Bruce 
and to Dick's bedside.  She studied his cut-up and bruised face.  "No one 
else knows? The Titans should know."

"No," Black Canary spoke up, "I know it's tough, but we should take this 
slowly."

"I agree," Bruce spoke up, ending any argument.  He went to the other side of 
the bed from Barbara, looked at his son, and seemed to forget everyone else 
in the room, tucking the covers around Dick's shoulders.

Barbara watched Bruce for a moment before saying, "Where is this equipment of 
his?"  She looked around.

"Over here." Tim walked over to a bookcase and pulled a book.  The case swung 
open, allowing entrance into the next apartment.  With one last look at Dick, 
Barbara followed Tim into the next room and looked around.

"hmm, Suns.  Not as powerful as Crays, but they'll get the job done.  I can 
connect to my Crays from here."

Bruce and Dinah had followed into the room, and Bruce looked around, nodding 
his approval.  "Well I'd better get back to Gotham." He looked seriously at 
Tim, "Take care of him."  And Tim nodded silently.

***

Roy heard a crash, and was faced with this new armor-covered figure.  By his 
stance, Roy guessed that he was *not* on his side.  A second, a red streak, 
and a strong breeze later, Roy found his weapons in his hands, and saw Vic 
rubbing his newly freed wrists.  Roy's instinct for cover took over and he 
jumped over and ducked behind the desk.  He saw Troia and Tempest come in 
from behind, and although he was consciously chiding them for coming at such 
an inoppurtune time, he was secretly glad to see them. There seemed to be 
something wrong with Troia and Tempest though that he couldn't quite put his 
finger on.  He couldn't see the Flash yet- he hadn't stopped moving.  By the 
time he had, the Flash had all the goons either tied up or unconscious, and 
all that were left were Blockbuster and this new guy.  

"Hey guys, impeccable timing," Arsenal called.  "I just brought *Oracle* here 
to talk to the nice man." He indicated Vic, hoping that his friends would 
catch on.

"Save it for later, Arsenal, we're leaving, and we're taking you with us." 
Donna didn't sound like she was in the mood for argument.  

Even with his new armor, Deathstroke was at a disadvantage, facing 5 Titans 
who knew his style well.  Blockbuster didn't concern the Titans too much, 
since he wasn't in the path they wished to take, which was the newly created 
exit.  A few shots from Tempest to distract him, and a well-placed shot from 
Arsenal got the job done, and they were gone from the scene.

"Thanks a lot, guys" Arsenal said sarcastically when they arrived back at 
Dick's warehouse.  "I had it all under control"

"Yeah sure you did," Garth spoke up.

"Quiet, Gillface," Roy shot back.

Suddenly Roy caught an expression from Donna, and looked at her 
questioningly, giving her a "what's wrong" expression.  To his surprise, she 
started to cry, and Garth spoke for her.  "We have some bad news, guys," he 
said to Vic and Roy, "We think Dick is dead.  He was on the Savage's yacht 
when it exploded, and I searched the waters all over and only found part of 
his costume.  On the plus side, we haven't found a body, but it's been a 
while, so we're thinking it
doesn't look good."

Both Roy and Vic looked shocked at Garth, and then to Wally and back to 
Donna, and knew it was no joke.  Roy sat down before he fell down, trying to 
absorb the information.  Vic just sat where he had been standing, not even 
bothering to find a chair.  "God, now what?" Vic asked.

Roy spoke slowly, still trying to absorb the news, "Well, I think my 'deal' 
with Blockbuster is shot, and  Lian is safe back at the Tower, so I think I 
just have to stay out of his way for a while.  Shouldn't  be too hard-after 
all I'm no assasin, and I should be able to stay out of his goons' way for a 
while.  And if necessary, I'll pay him back the bail money he gave me.  We 
need to find Savage and get this over with.  We need to get him to leave Lian 
alone."

"Agreed," Donna nodded, having regained her composure.

"I need ammunition.  I'll be back in about half an hour.  Come up with a 
great plan while I'm gone, ok?"

"Roy, no.  We have to stay together," Donna protested.

"I'll be back soon, Donna.  I have to do this."  

***

Oracle was checking her regular contacts with Tim looking over her shoulder, 
while Black Canary was in the other apartment watching Dick.   "I've always 
wanted to watch you at work.  How fast is your processor?  How many megs?" 

"More than you can imagine," Barbara answered.

Not wanting to let the opening pass, Tim shot back with, "I don't know, I can 
imagine quite a bit."

"Smart ass," Barbara grinned, recognizing the quote from Star Wars.  Then 
turning back to her work said, "Oh my."

"What is it?"

"Seems  Cheshire is not letting Dick's little visit pass her by.  She knows 
Arsenal is in town, and she's after him.  We should warn Roy."

"Ok, but remember, no mention of Dick."

"My lips are sealed."

***

Roy was on his way to a local gun shop he knew Dick used to keep an eye on. 
Used to.  He's already thinking of Dick in the past tense.  He was about a 
block away from his destination when a green streak passed in his periperal 
vision.  He had a feeling he was being followed, and he had only one more 
round of ammo.  Suddenly, the mother of his child was standing before him.

"Long time, Roy Harper.  I'm going to kill you for taking my daughter from 
me."


Chapter 10 by Robin (tamarra@radiks.net)

With a few deft keystrokes, Oracle quickly establishes the necessary 
connection. "Arsenal?"

"Oracle," comes the sharp acknowledgment, "This is not a good time." 

"I'll be brief then.  I need to warn you..."

"If this is about Jade, you're a little late.  She just found me!"

"Ah.  In that case I'll just send the cavalry.  Oracle out."

Cutting the connection, Barbara quickly establishes another, this time to the 
young Green Arrow, still in his hotel room across town. "Connor? Oracle here.  
Time for you to get back into the action."

"What's up?" Connor asks, "Have the Titans found Nightwing yet?"

"Um...no, they're still looking," she sighs, noting to herself that this 
isn't technically a lie. "But it seems we have a new player.  The assassin 
known as Cheshire is in Bludhaven, and right now she's got Arsenal cornered.  
I think he could use a little assistance."   

"Right, just give me their location, and I'm on my way."  Oracle sends him 
the necessary directions and Connor heads out of the hotel, stopping in a 
nearby alley to change into uniform and unpack his bow.  He knows Cheshire's 
reputation, and hopes Roy can hold her off until help arrives.  

***

As Oracle signs off, Roy Harper turns to the mother of his daughter, hoping 
to reason with her before she tries to kill him.  "Jade listen, I know you're 
angry with me, but right now we have a bigger concern - Lian's safety."

"I'm listening Harper, but this had better be good," Cheshire says, not 
relaxing her stance. "Okay, you've heard of Vandal Savage, right?"

She nods sharply, "Go on."

"It seems Lian is a distant relative of his, and he wants to get control over 
her as a possible organ donor.  He needs the occasional transplant to keep 
him going."

"What!?  How is this possible?"  

"Through me - my family.  Turns out Savage is a member of my family tree." 
Roy shrugs helplessly.  "I only found out about this a short time ago 
myself."
 
"I see,"Cheshire says slowly, "So this too is your fault.  Just another 
reason for me to kill you!" 

Flexing her poison coated nails, she leaps towards her former lover, intent 
on taking her revenge.

***

"Well current Boy Wonder, that's about all I can do for the moment," Oracle 
says.  "The system will warn us of any incoming calls, so let's see how 
things are going next door."
  
As they head back into Dick's living room, Barbara pauses in the doorway 
between the two apartments to survey her new surroundings for the first time.  
She's never actually been in Dick's apartment before, and is curious to see 
how he lives beyond the range of her monitors. The rooms before her are 
simply and comfortably furnished, with a very 'lived in' look. *Actually, 
this is 
what I imagine Alfred's worst nightmares must be like.* she thinks.  Boxes 
and unhung pictures line a couple of walls, while most surfaces are covered 
with an amazing array of books, papers, clothes, dirty dishes, and what have 
you.  

Shaking her head in amusement Barbara moves into her old friend's home, 
absently gathering up a stack of dishes as she moves towards the bedroom.  
Handing these to Robin, she comments, "I see you weren't exaggerating when 
you told me he was a lousy housekeeper."  

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing, isn't it?"  Taking the stack of plates, he adds, 
"You know he'll never be able to find these again if we put 'em in the 
kitchen."

Laughing quietly, they move into the bedroom.  The sight of Dick's 
unnaturally pale face, framed by the dark, tousled hair, sobers Barbara's 
mood quickly.  As she takes in the scene, she notices Dinah sitting by the 
bedside, holding his hand.  Suppressing a sudden feeling of irritation, Babs 
continues briskly forward.  

"Black Canary?"  she says in a rush.  "Thank you for keeping an eye on 
Nightwing, but I can take over here.  I'm sure you and Robin will want to get 
on with planning your next move."

Dinah stands and pulls the chair she was sitting in back towards the wall, 
making room for Barbara. "Always glad to help a gentleman in distress," she 
says lightly.  "Besides, now that I've rescued him, I won't need Oracle to 
help set me up."  

With a look of disgust, Barbara turns her attention towards Dick, ignoring 
the other two as they leave the room.  

Grinning, Dinah whispers to Tim, "Strictly professional you know."

"Yeah, I know.  That's what he says too....."

***

At Dick's warehouse hideaway, the four remaining Titans stand or sit in 
silence for a few moments after Arsenal's departure.  

"Well, you heard the man," Vic says softly, "We've gotta come up with a plan 
to take out Savage once and for all.  We owe it to Lian...and Dick."

"Trouble is," Garth remarks with a sad smile, "Dick was always the one with 
the plan."

"Come on guys, you know Dick.  He's like the proverbial bad penny, he'll turn 
up.  Right?"  To himself, Wally West thinks *God, let me be right. This team 
can't take another loss, especially not this one.*

Donna whirls on him, anger and grief evident in her eyes, "What if he 
doesn't?  What then?"

"Then we pull ourselves together, take out Savage, and go on," Vic says as he 
stands and moves towards the computer terminal at the other end of the 
warehouse.  "It's what Dick would want."

"Now, let me see what I can find out about this guy.  It's time we took a 
page out of Batboy's book and did some detective work, rather than just 
reacting to the situations that are thrown at us."


Chapter 11 by Syl Francis (efrancis@earthlink.net)

Roy dove backwards and over the small dinette table. He was growing tired. 
"Jade! Come on! Be reasonable!" he said desperately. "It's not my fault that-
-"

Roy ducked suddenly as a deadly star-shaped disc whizzed over his head! "--
It's not my fault that I'm distantly related to Victor Savage!" 

As he said this, Roy ran across the room while simultaneously letting fly a 
mini-arrow from his wrist crossbow. There were almost no furnishings in the 
Spartan room to provide cover, so he jumped behind a straight-backed chair.

Cheshire leaped out of the way, Roy's arrow barely missing her. Her eyes 
narrowed. Arsenal was shooting center mass. If that arrow had indeed hit, it 
would've struck her mid-torso--a killing shot! She smiled in approval. 

Cheshire realized that this was why Savage approached her several weeks ago 
with a proposal to kill Nightwing, and to take out the rest of the Titans--a 
feat she'd accomplished once before. 

"That jackal wanted *me* to kill Nightwing," Cheshire spat out in fury, 
"because he considered the young vigilante as the sole threat to his plans!" 

She threw a razor-sharp disc. Roy held up the chair as a shield. The disc 
imbedded itself into the chair's seat. 

"Savage planned to kidnap *my* daughter, after *I'd* neutralized the threat! 
I'll *kill* him!" she raged. She turned her full attention to Roy, her 
contempt and fury burning in her green eyes. "I might have known that *you* 
were the reason that imbecile Savage wanted me to take out Nightwing!" she 
hissed. "Savage saw your Titans' leader as the one true threat against his 
plans. 
Without Nightwing, Savage believes that you Titans are less than useless."

"Aw, come on, honey!" Roy wheedled, inching his way towards her, still 
holding the chair as a shield. "Don't hold back . . . tell me how you 
*really* feel!"

The two were circling each other. Roy knew that the struggle was reaching its 
end. He kept looking for an opening; unfortunately, the assassin with whom he 
shared a beautiful baby girl, didn't offer many openings to her enemies. And 
she counted Roy among her enemies. "I almost took Savage up on his offer. 
Your friend Nightwing has been a thorn on my side for too long. Because of 
him, you stole my child from me!"
 
Cheshire suddenly turned and kicked out, connecting with Roy's chin.  
Stunned, he fell back, but managed to roll out of the way as she threw a 
poison-tipped stiletto.

"So, why didn't you take him up on the offer, sweetheart?" Roy gasped. 

"Because I was busy with another contract at the time," Cheshire replied 
easily. "Unfortunately, I had a little run-in with your stepmother and a 
giant prehistoric lizard."

Cheshire remembered her ill-fated mission with the Ravens a few weeks ago. 
She sighed as she recalled being trapped in a time warp flux with her two 
dim-witted partners. Eternity would've seemed even longer if she'd tried to 
hold an intelligent conversation with those two.  She smiled suddenly. With a 
little luck and a lot of common sense, Cheshire managed to successfully get 
them all back from that prehistoric lake. Her face darkened into a snarl. 

Cheshire still had a score to settle with that blonde bimbo, Black Canary. 
Cheshire knew that her former lover harbored deep-seated feelings for the 
blonde hussy; he looked upon the female vigilante as a stepmother. This would 
make killing her all the sweeter.

"So, Jade . . . sweetheart," Roy said, trying to keep her talking, "you 
didn't tell me why you're in town. I mean, since you turned down the 
contract, what's a classy assassin like you, doing in a dump like Bludhaven?"

Cheshire smiled indulgently.  "Still spouting the useless quips, I see. After 
I kill you, I'll have to remind myself to self-flagellate as punishment for 
ever letting you touch me!"

"Aw, gee, Jade, you say the most romantic things," Roy said brightly.  "I 
don't see why I can't tell you," Cheshire conceded shrugging. "You'll be dead 
anyway." She smiled mockingly.

"I admit to having experienced a certain sense of intrigue at the idea of 
killing Nightwing," Cheshire explained, giving Roy an almost impish smile. He 
felt a sudden cold chill down his spine. 

"After I cleared my contractual commitments, I came here. Savage instructed 
me to meet him at a special complex located along the wooded hills twenty 
miles west of the city. It is one of many hidden subterranean complexes that 
Savage's organization has around the world."

As Cheshire spoke, she watched Roy carefully, never taking her eyes off him. 
Seeing an opening, she feinted and he bit. Triumphantly, Cheshire leaped and 
managed to scratch his unprotected upper arm.

Roy felt the poison take effect immediately. He lost muscular control 
instantly. He felt himself falling in slow motion. He reached up to grab 
Cheshire, but he couldn't reach her. She appeared to be standing at the end 
of a long tunnel. 

First his knees hit the floor, then his torso. He tried to bring himself up 
to a kneeling position, but it was an enormous effort. Instead, he rolled 
over on his side and brought his knees up to his chest. He lay there 
helplessly on the floor in a fetal position.

Cheshire brought her booted heel to his shoulder and rolled him over on his 
back. He looked up her; she and the room were floating around him. There was 
a roaring inside his head. Roy brought his hands up to cover his ears. He 
squeezed his eyes shut. Suddenly, the world stopped spinning. Cheshire was 
speaking.  "Don't worry, lover. Today isn't your day to die. I used a 
powerful sleeping agent. It debilitates, causing something equivalent to 
seasickness: nausea, 
dizziness. But it doesn't kill." 

Cheshire crossed her arms and looked down threateningly. "Take care of our 
daughter, or I'll come back and correct this oversight."

Cheshire paused at the door for a last look. If she didn't come back, she 
didn't want Lian to be orphaned.

***

Babs sat quietly by Dick's bedside. Dick's breathing had stabilized; his 
fever was down. He should recover fully from his injuries. She closed her 
eyes in relief and took his hand in hers. "You're damned lucky, Boy Wonder," 
she whispered. "If you ever dare die on me, I'll kill you!" She laughed 
softly at the incongruity of her words.
 
A quiet knock at the door brought her back to the problem at hand. Tim opened 
the door and looked in a bit tentatively. 

"How is he?" he asked. 

"Better," Babs replied, smiling. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Babs," Tim apologized. "Bruce is on the line for 
you."

Babs nodded wearily, but immediately followed Tim out of the room.  As soon 
as Babs closed the door behind her, Dick's eyes opened and he threw his 
covers off. He sat up in bed, pausing to let a momentary dizzy spell wash 
over him. He'd suffered from a large loss of blood and a high fever. But he 
was feeling better, or so he told himself. Dick steeled himself, then stood 
up. He put his hand out to the wall nearest him. He took several deep 
breaths, and again took his time, 
allowing another spell of vertigo to pass. When he felt sure that the world 
wasn't really spinning around him, Dick carefully made his to his closet.

He reached up and lightly ran his fingers along the lintel; he felt, then 
pressed a hidden button. 

A secret panel clicked open. Dick opened it all the way, revealing several of 
his spare Nightwing costumes. On the wall hung a various assortment of Bat 
defensive and offensive weapons. He dressed hurriedly, and selected his 
weapons carefully, storing them in their appropriate compartments on his 
gauntlets and boots.

The final touch, the mask, dramatically transformed him into Nightwing. Dick 
paused at the open window and looked back at his closed bedroom door. He 
again felt Babs' hand in his. He vaguely remembered the feather-soft touch of 
her kiss through a feverish haze. He smiled a half-smile reminiscent of his 
mentor.

"Don't worry, Babs. I don't intend to die on you just yet. I have too much to 
live for."

Dick climbed out onto his fire escape, fired off a jump-line and easily took 
to the rooftops. As he flew across the Bludhaven skyline, Dick leaped and 
rolled in mid-air, his exuberance at just being alive filling him with 
energy.
 
"Yah-hoo!" he yelled, exulted by the adrenaline rush. Just what the doctor 
ordered!

At one point, Dick free fell from the fifty-story Prudential Tower, letting 
the cold, rushing air embrace him as he plummeted to earth. At the absolutely 
last possible moment, he shot out a jump-line and swung on to his ultimate 
destination. 

Dick landed lithely on the roof of one of his secret lairs, a boarded-up 
abandoned building, located in a seedy neighborhood. He waited, crouched, 
listening for possible intruders. Satisfied that he was alone, he stood and 
walked gracefully towards the building's rooftop access, a mere whisper 
moving amongst the shadows.
 
Dick casually pressed a button on his left gauntlet and a door silently slid 
open. Only after the door actually opened could an observer note that it was 
made of heavy-gauge steel. Dick stepped inside; he was in an elevator. As the 
door closed automatically behind him, the interior illumination came on. It 
was a subdued red lighting that seemed to conceal more than it revealed.
  
"Control room," Dick uttered. The elevator moved quickly down to the 
subbasement and stopped. The door opened into a dark room dimly lit by the 
eerie glow of computer monitors. It wasn't a large set-up; it certainly 
wouldn't rival the Batcave or Oracle's monitor room, but it worked for him.

"Home, sweet home," Dick said. 

This was Dick's "jump" location, that is, the place where he'd move his 
headquarters should his Nightwing Lair ever become compromised.

He sat down at the control console and immediately began working. He keyed in 
several commands, which perhaps only two other people outside of US 
government intelligence agencies would know, and instaneously accessed a Top 
Secret CIA satellite in geo-synchronous orbit over North America.
 
"Gotcha!" Dick said triumphantly. After several minutes of searching, he'd 
found what he was looking for: The location of Savage's underground complex.

Dick quickly downloaded the information. "I'm coming after you, you bastard. 
And when I get my hands on you, you'll wish you died several thousand years 
ago!" 

***

Connor arrived at Cheshire's apartment and found Roy lying very still on the 
floor. Believing his friend and almost stepbrother to be dead, Connor rushed 
over to him to take his pulse. As soon as Conner reached him, Roy began to 
stir.

"Uhh-hh," Roy muttered as he regained consciousness.

"Roy!" Connor said, gently slapping Roy's cheek. "Come on, buddy, wake up!"

Roy grabbed Connor's wrist in annoyance. "Don't do that!" Roy growled, eyes 
still closed. Connor blinked in surprise, but immediately stopped.

Roy slowly opened his eyes, then attempted to sit up. Connor helped him to a 
sitting position.

"Roy, what happened? Where's Cheshire?"

Roy leaned heavily on Connor. Cheshire might not have killed him, but 
whatever she'd drugged him with, guaranteed that he wouldn't enjoy being 
alive for the next few hours anyway.

"Drugged me . . . She's going after Savage . . . secret underground complex . 
. . by herself. Got to . . . stop her!" Roy tried standing at this point. 
Still leaning heavily on Connor, he managed to get up to his knees, but fell 
back limply.

Connor shook his head. 

"Looks like I'm stuck having to carry you back to Nightwing's Lair," he said 
ruefully. "You just can't keep us Arrow-guys down." He took out a palm-sized 
cell phone, activated the security code, then opened the preset emergency 
channel.

"Canary here," Dinah's quiet, businesslike voice answered.

***

"Hello! What's this?" Vic muttered.

"What's what, Vic?" Wally asked.

"Some heavy satellite activity on one of Dick's uplinks. Hold on while I try 
to hack in. Holy--?! CIA? Someone's hacked into a CIA satellite and is 
currently downloading some heavy stuff."

"Who?" asked Wally. "Who's downloading CIA data?"

"Not sure, Fleetfeet. But the guy's good. He's managed to cover his back 
doors with quadruple locks on quadruple locks!"

"Can you trace it?" Donna broke in. "The location of the hacker, I mean?"

"Easy as Mom's apple pie," Vic answered. "Got it!" 

Vic quickly displayed a grid map of Bludhaven on the screen and zeroed-in on 
the hacker's location. Vic's words were still echoing in the warehouse, but 
he realized that the Fastest Man Alive was already gone.

***

"I might be called the Fastest Man Alive," Wally said ruefully. "But--" 

"--But Dick's faster!" Donna said. She stood at the elevator door, her whole 
body exuding attitude. "I can't *believe* you let him get away!"

Donna was angry. 

No, Wally amended. She was livid. 

And a livid Amazon was not someone that Wally wanted to play with at the 
moment.

"How could you let him slip by you?" Donna said, lashing out almost brutally, 
her anger mounting with each passing moment.  Donna could hear herself 
practically ranting at Wally. She could hear her voice growing shriller with 
each passing moment; however, she couldn't seem to make herself stop. 

"We should be with him!" she screeched. "He could be hurt or sick!" Ever 
since this whole ugly business of Savage's attempting to kidnap Lian to 
harvest her organs, Donna had been on the brink of losing control. She hadn't 
wanted to admit it to herself, but she needed to do so now.

Donna admitted that she was afraid. Deathly afraid.  She was afraid that she 
wouldn't be able to protect Lian, and that Savage might successfully steal 
her goddaughter.  She had been terribly afraid that Dick was dead.  Now, she 
was afraid that she would be powerless to help him. Donna wanted to blame 
someone, and Wally was her choice for whipping boy. Wally had brought her to 
this! This was entirely *his* fault! Wally took away her self-confidence, her 
edge.
  
Donna didn't know who she was anymore. Just some Barbie Doll version of the 
Donna Troy that Wally remembered. Or thought he remembered. Or probably just 
imagined. 

Donna felt no inner fire. No soul. There was nothing inside her! Only 
emptiness.

"Dick could die!" she cried. "And it'll be ALL YOUR FAULT!" 

Wally finally had enough! "ALL RIGHT!" he yelled. "GET OFF MY BACK!" 

Wally stalked up to Donna, grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a good 
shake. 

"You've been riding me for weeks now, Donna! And it's time to stop! I don't 
know what I did or said to make you so angry with me. But whatever it was, 
I'm sorry!" 

Wally looked pleadingly into her eyes, his own were pain-filled, begging 
forgiveness. When he saw that no absolution was forthcoming, Wally released 
her and turned his back, unable to bear Donna's accusing look of hurt 
betrayal.

"Whatever I did to make you hate me so much . . . it'll have to wait. Dick 
needs us. He needs us to work together. This whole *faking his own death* 
episode was nothing more than a ploy to keep us out of harm's way. I think 
you know that."

Wally turned suddenly and looked directly into Donna's anguished eyes. 

"He's gone after Vandal Savage alone!"

***

"Boy Wonder, when I get my hands on you," Babs muttered, exasperated with 
Dick for going after Savage alone in his weakened condition. Her fingers were 
flying across her keyboard, accessing Top Secret files from every foreign 
government known to condone a Savage satrap on their soil. 

"What'll you *do* if you get your hands on me?" Tim asked eagerly, waggling 
his eyebrows at Babs. "I'm completely at your mercy!" 

"Stick to your Bat-toys, kid," Babs countered, winking at Dinah. "You're 
playing with the big girls now!"

Deflated, Tim shrugged his shoulders.  "Story of my life," he sighed. "I'm 
alone with two gorgeous women and they can both beat me up." He grinned 
suddenly. "Hey, I'm way into bondage . . . wanna tie me up?"

"Don't tempt me, Boy Wonder," Dinah warned. Tim's laugh died in his throat. 
He moved surreptitiously behind Babs for protection. Dinah turned back to the 
monitor, hiding her grin.

"Bingo!" Babs looked up at the other two. "I got the location. Savage's 
complex is located underground in the hillside about twenty nautical miles 
west of Bludhaven. Apparently, like Gotham City, that area is situated over a 
series of caverns, though not quite so extensively."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Tim asked impatiently. "If that's where's 
Nightwing's gone, then we need to help him!" 

"Not so fast, Boy Wonder," Babs said. "Don't you want to know how to get in?"

***

Cheshire moved stealthily through the thick underbrush. Night vision goggles 
helped her navigate through the deep gloom of the heavily wooded hills as if 
at high noon. Stopping to get her bearings, she took out her Global 
Positioning Satellite receiver and checked her location.

"Twenty-five meters due west," she said.

"Thanks for the information," a voice said from above. "Just happened to 
leave my own GPS in my other pants."

Cheshire whirled at the first words uttered, and in a single, fluid motion 
threw three deadly poison-tipped stilettos at the direction she'd heard them 
coming from.

She looked up trying to find her target.

Gone! But where?

She heard it, a soft whirring whisper. Before she could react, a bolo-tipped 
heavy nylon rope quickly encased her in a tight cocoon. This was soon 
followed by a net made of mesh-wire. She lost her balance as a result, and 
fell unceremoniously on her backside on the soft ground. A pair of black 
heavy boots walked up to her, keeping a careful distance.

"Sorry, Cheshire," Dick said. "I always hate it when I have to hit a lady." 
He paused for a beat. "But then, we both know that you're no lady!"

"I will kill you for this, Nightwing," Cheshire hissed. "This I swear!"

"Aww. And here I thought you and I were getting along so well and all."  Dick 
crouched down close to Cheshire, but not too close. He respected the infamous 
assassin too much.

"Okay, Cheshire, you hate my guts, and I'm not exactly enamoured of you. 
However, we both happen to love a certain little girl and neither one of us 
wants Victor Savage to get his evil hands on her."

Dick glared intently into Cheshire's eyes.

"Now, tell me everything you know about this complex, and maybe I won't use 
Phenobarbital on you to get what I want."

"Truth serum? Don't make me laugh, Nightwing!" Cheshire laughed derisively. 
"You would never stoop to using drugs. It goes against your foolish code of 
ethics!"

"I wouldn't take bets on that, Cheshire. Lian's my goddaughter, and no one, 
not even her mother, is safe from me right now. I'm mad, Cheshire. *Really* 
mad. You don't want to see me mad." 

Dick took her GPS receiver in his hand and crushed it for emphasis. 
Cheshire's eyes widened in shock. She started talking immediately, and 
continued without break for almost ten minutes. By the time she'd imparted 
all of the information she had, Dick knew the location of each entrance and 
exit, the main control room, and more importantly, the complex's central 
power plant.

He'd downloaded most of this information from the CIA Top Secret files, but 
as usual, the intelligence agency got most of its information wrong.  Dick 
didn't entirely trust Cheshire either; however, she needed Dick to win. He 
was Lian's best chance.

"Thank you, Cheshire. You know, you're not at all the way Arsenal described 
you," Dick said smiling. "You're much deadlier. I'm afraid that I can't trust 
you to stay trussed up here while I'm inside, so--"

Dick took out a hypodermic.

"No! You son of a mongrel dog--" Cheshire protested, struggling against her 
bonds.

"Sorry, Cheshire, but it's lights out for you." Dick quickly injected her 
with the fast-acting sleep agent. As the drug took effect, Dick made her as 
comfortable as possible, and covered her against the cold night.  

"There, snug as a bug on a rug," Dick quipped. "Don't worry, Cheshire. I 
promise you that Victor Savage won't get his slimy hands on your little 
girl."

With that, Nightwing turned to the business at hand.


Chapter 12 by Jim Greeno (jgreeno@ix.netcom.com)

"What are you *talking* about, Roy? We don't have time for this!" 
Troia's voice was raised in anger. 

"'Savage instructed me to meet him at a special complex located along 
the wooded hills twenty miles west of the city.' Those were her exact 
words, Donna," Roy said, mildly annoyed. 

Roy and Connor had met up with Troia, Cyborg, Tempest, Flash, Robin, and 
Black Canary at the location the Titans had received from Dick's 
computer...and that Oracle had obtained from her direct link to the 
CIA's databases. Roy had quickly surmised that their current location 
didn't jibe at all with what Cheshire had given him. 

"Sorry, archer, but Cheshire isn't anywhere near the top of my People to 
Trust list," Wally replied. 

Oracle's voice chirped in from Robin's wrist, "Arsenal, this location 
came from a very reliable source, confirmed by Nightwing, Cyborg, and 
myself. I can't imagine what Cheshire could have been talking about. 
The information I have access to doesn't show Savage as having any 
holdings in the area you mentioned." 

"Dammit, guys! How can you be missing what's right in front of your 
faces," Roy exploded. "We've been getting led around by our noses since 
this mess began! And Vandal Savage isn't behind it, neither is 
Blockbuster!" 

"Just what are you getting at, Roy," Donna spat back, staring daggers at 
Arsenal for his outburst. 

Roy stopped himself, took a couple of deep breaths, and lowered his 
tone. "You guys find anything here?" 

Garth looked at his friend, perplexed. "Not yet, Roy. But we've only 
just begun..." 

"You won't find anything, Garth," Roy interrupted. "Don't you see? 
Dick knew you were looking for him. He knew you'd trace his search. He 
knew that we'd all come running. And if anything is plain as day 
lately, it's that he doesn't want us involved." 

"So you're saying that Dick changed the CIA's files so that we wouldn't 
be able to find him," Robin asked. 

"Since when am *I* the detective around here," Roy replied, finally 
letting his signature mischievous smirk embrace his otherwise haggard 
features. 

Oracle's digitally masked voice spoke up again, "When I get my hands on 
that boy..." 

The assembled heroes all shared knowing smiles. Was *everyone* in on 
the budding relationship between Nightwing and Oracle except for the two 
would-be lovebirds themselves? 

"Keep your fantasies to yourself, Oracle," Roy stated. "Okay, folks, 
we've got to get moving. 'Twenty miles west of the city' is the only 
clue we have. Flasher, get out there and find the place. The rest of 
us will head out that way and wait for your call." 

Flash nodded and disappeared in a whirl of wind. 

"Robin, you and Canary take the cycle and stay in touch with Oracle. 
Oracle, see if you can uncover Robbie's tracks on the CIA computers. 
I'm betting he left the actual location in there somewhere. Connor, 
we've still got Wing's wheels, so you're playing cabbie for Cyborg and 
Tempest. Donna, you're with me, but I want you to hang back when 
trouble hits. You're still banged up from before." 

Roy paused, visibly making sure he had everyone moving. "Let's do it." 

The heroes split up without question. Donna Troy stayed behind with 
Roy, staring at him blankly. 

"What's the matter, beautiful? You're not too banged up to give your 
favorite marksman a lift, are you?" 

She relented a confused smile, placed her good arm around her friend, 
and took to the air. 

"Cat got your tongue?" 

"If that's a Cheshire joke, Roy, I'm not amused," Donna responded. 

"So what's bothering you? You've been on edge since I got here. Did I 
say something..." 

Donna sighed. "It's not you, Roy. I'm sorry. It's just...almost 
losing Lian like I did, and thinking we'd lost Dick...it's been a rough 
couple of days." 

"Lian is fine, thanks to you and the others. And I'm starting to think 
nothing can kill Dick." 

"Then why are we all rushing off to help him, Roy? Why is he trying so 
hard to keep us out of this?" 

"Set us down, Donna," Roy suddenly demanded. 

Troia's descent was quick. When both heroes were safely on the ground, 
she quickly took stock of her surroundings. "What is it?" 

"You, Donna! What is going on with you?" 

"Roy, now isn't the time..." 

"Don't give me that! I love you to death, Donna. You know that. But 
you've been acting screwy for weeks now. Uncertain in action, giving 
Wally the cold shoulder, and now asking WHY we're going to help Dick? 
What's gotten into you?" 

"We don't have time for this...," Donna started. 

"We have until Wally gives us the signal, so let's wade into it." Roy's 
demanding gaze was unwavering. 

Donna was stunned by his demeanor, and by the ease he'd displayed in 
taking charge of the situation minutes earlier. But why did this 
surprise her? The Titans files said that he'd been the leader of the 
team after Dick quit. And what's more, she was a part of that team. 
Didn't she remember...? 

Her mind was suddenly filled with a rush of memories. Dick and Kory's 
wedding, Raven's interference, and the aftermath. Kory hurt, Dick 
reeling...she suddenly felt so badly for him. Roy took charge on 
government orders, Dick quit, Kory left Earth. So many memories...the 
team changed so much, Vic...Cyberion...Darkstars. Tamaran...Kory 
married...so happy for her...but what about Dick? He'd be devasta... 

"Donna?" 

She shook herself, noticing for the first time the tears that stained 
her cheeks. 

Roy stepped closer to her, his voice softening, "I'm sorry I snapped at 
you, Donna. I didn't mean..." 

"You don't understand, Roy. No one understands." She turned away from 
him. 

"So help me understand, Donna. Forget about what I said. Forget about 
the past few days. Let's just start with why you're crying." 

His smile was genuine; his voice reassuring. After a few seconds of 
hesitation came her short reply, "I don't remember..." 

The tears flowed freely again, and Roy Harper's heart broke. "What 
don't you remember?" 

"ANYTHING," she shouted. "Can you understand that, Roy? Can you make 
ME understand it? Do you know what it's like? Garth held Dick's torn 
mask in his hand, almost a sure sign that he'd been killed, and I didn't 
know WHY I felt so bad! I know that we've been friends forever, but 
only because that's what people tell me. Do you know what it's like to 
be surrounded by great friends that aren't familiar to you? Do you?!?" 

Roy winced at the volume of her last two words, her unleashed emotions 
punctuating each syllable. He choked on his reply, unsure of what he 
could possibly say to soothe the pain she was feeling. 

"Donna, this isn't how it was supposed to be. Wally told us that your 
memories would come in time. How could this have happened?" 

She reeled in her anger and tried desperately to calm herself. "I don't 
know...it's so strange. Someone will say something, or I'll see 
something familiar...and the memories just come in a rush. There's no 
order to it, Roy. Joy, sadness, envy, love...they all come at once. I 
try to stop it, but..." 

Roy closed the distance between them and gently took her face in his 
hands. "You've got to stop fighting it, Donna. It may not seem like 
that's what you're doing, but it is. You're keeping us all at a 
distance because you're scared. But we want to help you. ALL of us." 

He paused to give her a wink. "And now that I know your earlier 
questions were confusingly genuine, we're going to help Dick because he 
found out who your parents are, gave you away at your wedding, and is 
probably your best friend in the world...no accounting for taste. And 
he's trying to keep us out of it because he's a bullheaded idiot when it 
comes to our safety. Play with THOSE memories for a while." 

She looked up at him, another wave of memories washing over her. 
Laughter, annoyance, fear...and love. She pulled away from him and 
wiped her tears away. "Thanks, Roy," she said with a weak smile. 

"Whatever for, gorgeous?" 

"For the talk...and for keeping things in order before. You're good at 
it." 

He put a finger to his lips, "Shhhhhhh...don't say that too loud. 
You'll ruin my devil-may-care rep." 

Donna grabbed his hand and pulled him into the air. 

"Come on, Harper. We've got a friend to save." 

As they soared into the air, he gave her a wide smile. "And don't let 
me forget to tell you how incredibly dashing I looked in my Speedy 
uniform..." 

***

"Man, I'm probably the only person in the world that gets deja vous 
inside ventilation shafts," Nightwing thought to himself as he made his 
way through the narrow duct. 

Reaching the end of the shaft, Nightwing was able to get a filtered view 
of the room below him. The room itself was huge, he noted. Large, 
pallette-pieced shelving units lined three of the stone walls. The wall 
opposite him was occupied by what appeared to be cloning chambers 
containing humanoids at various stages of growth. Nightwing assumed 
that these had to do with Savage's need for organ transplants. 

At the room's center was a computerized control center, manned by a very 
perturbed Vandal Savage. Scattered about the room were thirteen guards, 
and there was no telling how many more were positioned underneath him, 
where he couldn't see. 

Nightwing reached down and patted his side, trying to get a feel for the 
tenderness of his wound. Lying on his stomach in the small air duct, he 
reached both arms over his shoulders and released his escrima sticks 
from their harness. 

"This could suck," he whispered silently to himself as he prepared his 
attack. 

***

Hours earlier... 

Deathstroke gathered his senses as the Titans made their escape. His 
contract with Savage would have to go unfulfilled for the moment. Right 
now, there were bigger, much bigger, problems to deal with. 

Blockbuster rose to his full height as he brushed the chalky debris of 
what used to be his office wall from his monstrous shoulders. 

The two villains met each others' gaze with fury, prepared for battle. 

"Your intrusion has just cost you your life," Blockbuster said in a low 
voice. His flexing biceps began to audibly tear at the seams of his 
impossible large suit coat. 

"Just trying to pay the bills, Desmond. I'm sure you understand. The 
end of my contract lies elsewhere." 

Roland Desmond cocked an eyebrow, seemingly amused by his newfound foe's 
demeanor. "You know my name...I'm afraid you have me at a 
disadvantage. And your contract...your contract is of no importance to 
me. Consider it void." 

Deathstroke's visible eye narrowed. "My name is Deathstroke the 
Terminator, and with me NO contract is void. My word is my bond." 

Blockbuster laughed, "Deathstroke? Ha! I thought you were dead." 

"I get that a lot," Deathstroke said as he brought his power staff to 
bear and rocked the office floor with a small explosion. 

Just as Blockbuster suspected, he was alone is his office when the smoke 
cleared. 

***

"You are REFUSING to honor our contract?" Vandal Savage was roaring 
into the microphone of his communications console, the visage of the 
Terminator staring back at him. 

"You brought me in to keep the Titans off your back, Savage. I went 
where you told me to go in keeping with that agreement. I even supplied 
you with the location of the little girl because it was a coincidental 
part of my surveillance. But I am NOT a kidnapper. If you want the 
Harper kid, you'll have to take her yourself." 

"Your ethics sicken me. Transport, murder, assassinations...all a part 
of your daily mundane existence. But the abduction of a child is 
beneath you...," the disgust in Savage's tone was palpable. 

Deathstroke took a long pause. "Berate me all you want. I won't kidnap 
a child. I have my reasons. Keep your money, Savage." The 
communication was...terminated. 

Vandal Savage's fists came down hard on the console's surface. 
"Snyder! Get your men together. You are to begin your preparations for 
a full assault on Titans Tower. Lian Harper will be mine by dawn, is 
that understood?" 

"Like Hell, Savage!" 

The voice came from above him, and was followed immediately by a 
blinding flash of light and a room full of smoke. 

***

The question had finally come. 

"Where's my daddy?" 

Jesse Quick had faced countless menaces in her short time in the "hero" 
business, yet here she found herself rendered powerless by a simple 
question from a four-year-old girl. 

"Jesse? Why is everyone sad about Uncle Nightwing?" 

Okay, make that rendered powerless, speechless, and awestruck by two 
simple questions from a four-year-old girl. Not only had she picked up 
on everything she'd overheard about the whereabouts of her father and 
the apparent death of Nightwing, but she also knew all about hiding her 
"uncle's" secret identity. 'Uncle Nightwing'...was that even healthy 
for a child her age? 

"Lian, honey...Victor called a little while ago about your daddy. He's 
just fine, sweetie. And he's out looking for your 'Uncle Nightwing' 
right now." 

Lian's face lit up at the news. Jesse always melted at how proud she 
was of her father and his heroics. "Is Donna and Garf and Wally 
helping?" 

"Yes, honey. Donna, GarTH, and Wally are helping your daddy find 
Nightwing." 

Lian smile brightly and clapped her hands together. "It's good that 
they're helping, cuz sometimes daddy can't find his KEYS." 

Jesse couldn't help but laugh. Her Titans communicator chimed from her 
belt, letting her know there was an incoming transmission to the Tower. 
After signaling to Gar to keep an eye on Lian, she sped to the nearest 
commlink and answered, "Titans Tower." 

"Listen very carefully, Ms. Quick." 

"Who is this," Jesse asked. 

"Who I am isn't important. Just listen. Vandal Savage is planning an 
assault on your headquarters tonight. He wants the Harper child," said 
the ominous voice. 

Jesse waived hurriedly to Gar to join her at the commlink. "The Titans 
are very aware of Savage's intentions, Mr. Mysterious. You mind telling 
me what's so special about tonight?" 

"No questions. The child is in danger *tonight*. You'll just have to 
trust me." 

Jesse laughed mockingly. "And why should we trust you?" 

"Because, Ms. Quick, my word is my bond." The link was cut off, and 
Jesse glanced over at Changeling. 

His face took on a look of grim determination. "Slade," he said simply. 

"Gar? What's going on? Who the hell is Slade?" 

Gar waved her away, "Nevermind that, Jesse. The call is on the 
level...we can trust him. Take Lian downstairs." He switched on the 
Tower's intercom, "Grant, run a security check on ALL systems, pronto. 
And Toni, I need you to get in touch with Kory and let her know that we 
need her here NOW. I'm heading out to do a little recon on both sides 
of the river. Word has it that Savage is coming for Lian, and he's 
coming tonight." 

Changeling shut off the intercom, transformed into a condor, and headed 
for the riverbank. 

***

The smoke was thick, Vandal Savage noticed as his eyes recovered from 
the sudden burst of light that enveloped the room. Pulling one side of 
his jacket over his mouth and nose, his attention was drawn to sounds of 
fighting that seemed to come from all around him. First in front of 
him, then behind. He turned around, trying to see through the 
suffocating fog, only to hear the same noises from his right, then left. 

He moved to his control panel to find the switch for the emergency 
ventilators. He was suddenly struck from behind by a powerful kick to 
his kidney. He swung wildly as he turned around, managing only to 
connect with empty space. Another blow struck him in the temple, again 
seemingly from nowhere. 

Realizing how fruitless it was to try to fight an opponent he couldn't 
see, Savage turned his attention back to the console, found the 
ventilator switch and activated it. Within seconds, his "blindness" was 
cured, and he found himself staring at Nightwing, his command console 
between them. A total of seventeen guards lay crumpled around the room. 

"My, now THIS is a surprise," he said, smiling. 

"Let me guess, Savage. You thought I was dead." 

"Quite, lad. But forgive me if I'm not shocked speechless. I'm hardly 
unfamiliar with the idea of someone living longer than they should." 
His smile was now pure evil. "You'll have to excuse me, Nightwing. I 
have a schedule to keep. I assume that since you've ceased your rather 
ill advised attack, that you are prepared to die now." 

"I'm always ready to die, Savage. Part of the job, I guess. Are you?" 
Nightwing looked his foe directly in the eye, then nodded downward, 
indicating Savage's console. 

Vandal Savage looked down to see a small device planted on his console's 
surface with Nightwing's symbol on its face. His smile never wavered. 

"I suppose this is an explosive device," he said inquiringly. 

"Enough liquid nitrogen to level this room and make a nice subterranean 
grave for both of us." 

"And it activates...?" 

Nightwing raised his left hand, showing Savage the bomb's trigger. 

"You are a smart young man, Nightwing. Prepared for all eventualities, 
no doubt something gleaned from your mentor. But isn't this rather 
defeatist, my friend? You've yet to even try to incapacitate me," 
Savage chided. 

"I'm no fool, Savage. Taking you down one on one...let's just say the 
odds wouldn't be in my favor. So maybe coming here alone wasn't such a 
hot idea. Maybe my solution here IS defeatist. OR...maybe I'm tilting 
the odds in my favor. Think about it. I could drop another flash blast 
and a concussion grenade and make it topside long before you can." 

Nightwing smiled and arched an eyebrow, inviting Savage to consider the 
possibility. Savage's smile turned to a scowl momentarily, then 
returned brighter than before. 

Nightwing spoke again, "Aha. You've just realized that I'm not a 
killer. No one trained by The Batman would take a life so willingly. 
Not even the life of a hated villain. I mean, if they haven't killed a 
psycho like the Joker..." 

Savage nodded and gave an amused laugh. 

"Then again, Nightwing isn't Batman, is he? Working in Bludhaven for so 
long, the life of a dear friend's child at stake, and tired of repeated 
attempts on his life...? Maybe he's capable of killing after all," 
Nightwing shrugged as he spoke. "But the risk there is minimal, isn't 
it, Savage?" 

Savage's smile deepened, and he gave a single nod. 

"So I guess that leaves only two certainties, Vandal." 

"And what would those certainties be, lad?" 

Nightwing smiled, "One, that Nightwing ISN'T Batman in that he doesn't 
always work alone. And two...that after hundreds of years alive, your 
senses aren't nearly as good as mine." 

Savage's smile faded. "What do you mean by that?" 

"Your senses, Vandal. About forty seconds ago there was a slight gust 
of wind in this room that you didn't notice. The kind of wind generated 
by a speedster making his entrance. And that burning smell in the air 
and the slight increase in temperature coming from your left are 
telltale signs of an irritated Tempest. That clicking sound of Arsenal 
nocking an arrow, and the 'whoosh' of Troia catching an air current to 
hover just behind you? Did you catch those? Oh, and that rumbling 
noise coming from above and behind me just HAS to be Robin, Green Arrow, 
and Black Canary proving that they're not as acclimated to negotiating 
ventilation shafts as I am. Heck, the only one that didn't practically 
announce his arrival was Cyborg, but I'm willing to bet he's around here 
somewhere." 

Savage nonchalantly turned to confirm Nightwing's statements, and did 
indeed find himself surrounded and outnumbered. 

"Very impressive, Nightwing. You have truly lived up to your 
reputation." 

"I'm flattered. Really. Now maybe you won't mind answering some 
questions that have been on my mind since this mess began..." 

"Certainly. I've nothing to hide." 

"Why me," Nightwing asked bluntly. 

Savage looked amused. "It sometimes amazes me how shortsighted people 
are. My life has spanned centuries, Nightwing. While I am often 
concerned with the immediate demands of life, one who lives as I do must 
always plan for the future." 

"And?" 

"Superman, Wonder Woman...Arguably Earth's greatest defenders. They 
gravitate from one menace to the next, defying all odds against survival 
in their heroics. Sooner or later, those odds will catch up with them, 
and they will meet their doom. I can only hope that I'm able to play a 
role when the time comes." 

Nightwing's agitation was growing. "What's your point, Savage? You 
still haven't answered my question." 

Savage laughed. "You young people...always in a rush. The point, as 
you so eloquently put it, is that every generation of heroes eventually 
goes the way of the warrior. They retire, they die. Some are even 
gloriously maimed." He seemed to direct his last comment directly at 
Nightwing. 

Could he know? 

"Inevitably, the next generation of heroes picks up where they left 
off. Isn't that right, Flash?" 

Wally's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. 

"This era has truly been the Golden Age of heroes. So many outstanding 
leaders. Fortunately, some of them are already dead, like Green Arrow, 
The Flash, and Green Lantern." 

Wally ended his silence, "Shut your damned mouth, Savage!" 

"Oh. I'm sorry. Have I hit a nerve?" 

"Get on with it," Nightwing said. 

"The leaders are the key to the downfall of each generation of heroes, 
Nightwing. Superman, Wonder Woman, even your nocturnal mentor...will 
all die. But I am the constant, lad. I will always be here. And you, 
Nightwing? You are the key to the next generation. The problem with 
young people today is that there are so few leaders. This room is now 
filled with heroes, yet only one true leader. Isn't that a shame?" 

The room was silent. All Nightwing could do was shake his head. 

"It's amazing how utterly wrong you are, Vandal. If all you wanted was 
me, why make a play for Lian at the same time? Why risk it," Nightwing 
asked. 

"One has nothing to do with the other. One is a matter of tactics, the 
other a matter of survival. Now a question for you, if you don't mind. 
Simple curiosity, you understand." 

Nightwing nodded. 

"Arsenal's assassination, obviously a ruse. But what about the yacht?" 

"I can swim," was Nightwing's only reply. 

Savage laughed, "How utterly succinct." 

"GA, Canary, Robin?" 

"Yeah, Nightwing" Robin replied. 

"Head back to the Tower. It's possible that Savage's assault order got 
out. Lian could be in danger. Contact Jesse and make sure she's 
informed. Titans?" 

Flash, Tempest, Arsenal, Troia, and Cyborg gave Nightwing their 
attention. 

"Shut this bastard down." 

The Titans moved in unison, a fluid display of pure teamwork. 

The archer, maintaining the battle perimeter by keeping their opponent 
centralized and contained. 

The Atlantean, using his increased density and mystical powers to serve 
as the team's anchor, providing relief and support simultaneously. 

The Amazon, combining her strength and warrior training for close 
combat, making herself the constant target, creating openings for her 
teammates. 

The speedster, taking advantage of those openings in short order with 
varying attacks at speeds that can't be countered. 

The living machine, able to provide combat assistance and act as a 
shield, while also interfacing with their enemy's computer systems to 
disable defenses and shut down possible escape routes. 

And their leader, coordinating the action effortlessly; turning six 
individuals into a seamless force while adding his own brand of 
acrobatic distraction simply for the joy of it. 

The battle lasts only minutes. Vandal Savage lies defeated. It's not 
the first time, and it most certainly won't be the last... 

***

"Everything is safe here on the homefront, Nightwing," Jesse Quick was 
proud to report. "You'd really be proud of Gar, he did a great job here 
tonight." 

Nightwing smiled at the good news, happy to be finally able to 
reactivate his communications equipment in his gauntlets. "I've always 
been proud of Gar, Jesse. Good work, all of you. Give Lian a kiss 
goodnight from us. We'll be back soon." He broke the communication. 

The Atom and Steel had arrived at Savage's headquarters an hour before 
to work with Cyborg on the data analysis from Savage's computers. Flash 
and Tempest coordinated with civilian authorities on Savage's transfer 
to a prison that could hold him. 

In short, everything was taken care of, leaving Nightwing to turn his 
attention inward. 

The reality was that he hadn't slept in quite a while. The wound he'd 
suffered in the explosion could use redressing, and he still had to 
arrange the transport of all of his borrowed vehicles and the details of 
Barbara's return to Gotham. Where to start? 

"Dick?" Roy Harper was walking toward him, a look of concern on his 
face. 

"What's up, Roy?" 

"We need to talk," Roy replied worriedly. "It's about Donna..." 

***

The view of New York City at night from Donna Troy's apartment is simply 
breathtaking. The stationary lights from the skyscrapers as far as the 
eye can see are contrasted by the activity of the endless traffic lights 
far below. The sight, however, is lost on Donna at the moment, as she 
is instead mesmerized by her own transparent reflection on the window 
before her. 

Her own features often seem like the only familiar things in her life, 
she thinks. 

She studies her face intently, searching for something she may have 
missed seconds before. The way her hair almost covers her eyes, a laugh 
line, the subtle difference between a smile and a frown...something, 
anything. 

Donna is shaken from her reverie by a light tapping on the window. Her 
startled expression quickly turned to a smirk. Nightwing. Her friend. 
Hanging upside down. Smiling. 

She opened the window and stepped back, allowing him to enter. 

As graceful as ever, he pushed off from his jumpline, righted himself, 
and swung effortlessly into her living room, setting down a bag he'd had 
over his shoulder. 

"Got something against the front door, Dick," she asked, amused. 

He laughed and flashed her a smile. "I tried, but the doorman said all 
visitors had to be announced, and I didn't want to give you a chance to 
refuse," he nodded in his bag's direction. "So I changed and decided to 
go with the dramatic entrance." 

She seemed surprised by the notion, "Why would I refuse? It's not every 
day that I get dashing, young millionaires dropping by at night. Why, 
if I had a red carpet..." 

They shared a laugh. 

"So what brings you here? Shouldn't you be out pouncing on unsuspecting 
muggers." 

Nightwing removed his mask and sat down on the couch. "That's a 
Nightwing thing. I wanted to spend a night as Dick Grayson with my best 
friend, who I don't see nearly enough when we're NOT up against Vandal 
Savage and the like." 

"Well, maybe if you weren't so BUSY all the time..." 

He smiled, then met her eyes with a look of guilt. "Maybe if I wasn't 
so busy all the time, I would have noticed that my best friend was 
hurting." 

She looked away from him. "You talked to Roy." 

"That's the thing, Donna. I shouldn't have had to talk to Roy. I 
should have seen what was going on. I should have been there for you." 
He paused. "Like I am now." 

"Dick, I'm not sure this can be fixed." 

"Sure it can. I talked to Diana this morning, trying to understand what 
happened to you. The way she explained it, there's no reason that you 
CAN'T remember things, but you have to want it, Donna. You have to open 
yourself to it." 

Donna looked at him, tears in her eyes. "This is MY problem, Dick." 

"See, that's where you're wrong. If you don't face this, you'll lose a 
part of yourself, Donna...and *I* lose my best friend in a very real 
way. The young girl that changed my life in so many ways, that taught 
me things about myself that I may never have learned. The woman that 
has always been there for me, through the best and worst times of my 
life. That person is in trouble, Donna, and I'd give my life for her." 

There was a long silence between them, but he held his gaze steady. A 
look filled with hope and compassion. 

"How? How do we do it," she finally asked. 

He smiled a smile that made her feel loved in a million different ways. 
And she instantly knew she'd seen that smile a hundred times before. 

"In situations like these, your best friend is Kodak, my dear." He 
grabbed his bag and pulled out a scrapbook. 

"Pictures? You think they'll help?" 

"I know they will. I have pictures of us spanning over twelve years of 
friendship and four teams of Titans. And ya know what's even better?" 

"What?" 

Again with the smile. "YOU took a lot of these pictures, Ms. 
Professional Photographer. So a good portion of these are, in a sense, 
memories. Frozen moments in time from your perspective. And this is 
only the beginning, Donna. Kory has tons of pictures that you guys took 
together, and so does Roy and a lot of the others. And all of us have 
memories, Donna. Let us in and we'll do everything we can." 

They shared a hug, and she held him close. 

"I'll do it," she said. "I'm just scared." 

"Don't be," he whispered back. "You may not remember now, but we found 
you once, Donna. You and me, together. We can do it again." 

She pulled away from him slowly. "I remember." 

And so it began...