#3

"Fireflies and Smarts Too High" (Hey, it made sense to me...)

By Tony Thornley

Dick Grayson cursed his mentor for the fifth time in as many minutes. Nothing was getting through to Batman, which was a bad thing. Oracle had been taken hostage by one of their deadliest enemies, and he had a super-smart accomplice. If he couldn't get to Babs, there was no telling what Firefly would do.

He leaned low as his bike rounded a corner into view of the Gotham Clocktower. Oracle had already booby-trapped the building for uninvited guests. There was no telling what Firefly and IQ had done. Nightwing pulled up in front of the building and killed the engine on his bike.

It was time to find out.

"What's a Zone 1 alarm, smart girl?"

Firefly sat in a chair in front of Oracle's monitors. IQ was nearby, tinkering with some of Barbara's equipment. Oracle was leaned up against a wall, her arms bound behind her back. She scowled at the pyrotechnician. Firefly aimed a flamethrower at her and ignited it.

"Zone 1 is the street out front. Someone's walking around."

"Good girl," Firefly said. "How do you turn on your cameras?"

"Ask your buddy there," Barbara said. "He's a genius and all." Firefly shot Oracle a withering glare. IQ shrugged, reached over to the keyboard and input a series of keystrokes. Nightwing appeared on the screen, covered head-to-toe. He walked cautiously towards the doorway.

"Looks like Bat-boy came prepared," Firefly said. "We got a door prize for the sucker?"

"Sure do," IQ said. "Flamethrower mounted between the double doors. He opens one, the gun turns toward him, he opens them both, it fires straight down the middle."

"Nice. I knew I broke out with the right guy."

Nightwing made sure the Nomex mask he wore covered his entire face and neck and walked up the steps to the double doors that were the main entrance to the Clocktower. He'd come equiped with all the flame retardants he had, but he still had a gut feeling it wouldn't be enough. All he had to do was get to the back-up control center and shut down the building and he'd be fine.

I just hope Babs is okay. I swear, a single scratch, this two will be paying for it. First up, the doors. My guess is they did something to try to scorch me before I even get in the door. This is where my years in the cirus come in.

Dick wedged himself in the entryway as best he could, then climbed up the walls, first feet up one side then hands up the other, until he was stretched horizontal above the door. He then shifted the weight on his hands to just one, reached down and threw open the door. A gust of flame burst out towards where he would have been standing. Dick grabbed the door frame with both hands and flipped over the flamethrower. He landed behind it, reached over and clicked it off.

One down, who knows how many to go.

Dick continued down the hall and was greeted by the sound of hissing gas. He took a deep breath, recognising the scent of reguritant, and pulled a gas mask from his boot. He slipped it over his face and continued on.

Don't see why they even bothered with that one.

The gas wafting into the next room clued Dick into the next booby trap. A laser web was set up to trigger something. What that something was, Dick didn't know.

Pretty elaborate web Babs. I don't thing I can dodge all the lasers. It might be a good idea to figure out what it sets off before I dare go straight through.

Nightwing pried a cover off a light switch and held it like a Frisbee.

Here goes nothing.

He tossed the thin plastic cover into the laser grid and was instantly greeted by a barrage of tranq darts at the point that the cover cross the lasers. Nightwing nodded. He'd have to go over somehow. No telling if they were being fired hard enough to pierce the kelvar under the thin Nomex fabric. He looked up and saw the ceiling consisted of individual tiles. There was probably a steel skeleton criss-crossing the tiles. Dick made up his mind and made a gamble. He threw one of his grappling lines through a tile and tugged. He felt it wrap around something solid. With a silent prayer, Dick lept and swung over the laser web. He landed in a crouch and stood.

I so love you right now Babs.

He looked up and grinned at a camera.

Firefly could make out a smile beneath the ski mask Nightwing wore. He'd just easily gotten past three booby traps.

"Hey, could you guys make it a little harder for me? I'm not even breaking a sweat!"

"You're welcome Guy Wonder," Barbara whispered.

"Dammit!" Firefly screamed.

He could hear the electrical current humming before he even reached Oracle's next trap. Electrified floor. Nothing. His suit was completely insulated. He could stride across it without raising a hair on his head. Nightwing took a step onto the electrified floor and was greeted by a blast of flame. The heat was enough to start his mask on fire. He quickly peeled it off and cast it aside.

"Nice job, ladies," Nightwing taunted. "I like the improvement." Dick crouched into a runners stance and mentally counted backwards from ten. At one he sprinted across the floor, narrowly avoiding the flames. The last blast caught his boot, and melted the Nomex to the Kelvar. Dick sat down and pounded out the flames.

Have to be more careful. I'm close to Babs' back-up room, so the traps will be a little more elaborate. Ooooooh... I like this one. Series of gratings... If I remember right, step on them wrong, put too much pressure on them, and they dump you into the sewer system. Just a matter of jumping over them...

Nightwing took several steps back ran forward and jumped. He could hear the water rushing below the grating as he passed over it. He landed in a roll. Just as he was about to come out of it, he felt a grating beneath him and cursed.

Too far!

Nightwing stood and jumped just as the grating gave out. He sighed with relief as he landed. Too close. Way too close.

"Let's see what's behind door #1!" Nightwing said, kicking open a door. He'd remembered his schematics right. What had looked like a harmless maintenance room had a hidden doorway straight into...

Oracle's back-up room. Thanks you for letting me see the blue prints Babs. Now let's see what we can do about your visitors...

"Where'd he go?!" Firefly exclaimed. "Where'd he go?!"

"Did you honestly think everything could be seen from this room?" Oracle said. Firefly glared at her then turned back to the screen.

"Any guesses IQ?"

"Not a one, my pyrotechnical accomplice. I believe we have just-" The power dimmed and the screens blinked off. "-become the prey."

Perfect. The main control room is shut down. Which means I control the building. Time to give my buddy Firefly a little lesson in hunting.

"Can you guys come out an' play?" a mock-childish voice called from down the hallway.

"It's that little dick!" Firefly exclaimed. "IQ, keep an eye on her. I'll take the Bat-boy." Firefly grabbed his flamethrower and rushed out of the control room. IQ turned back to Oracle.

"Guess it's just me and you, isn't it?" IQ said, leaning against a desk.

"Nope," Oracle said. "Hemmingway. Ryan. Cinnamon." A taser dart struck IQ in the chest and gave him an electrical shock which left him twitching on the floor. "Just me." Oracle tugged at the tape around her wrists and pulled them free. She pushed her body over to her capsized wheelchair, turned it upright and pulled herself into it. She wheeled herself over to a keyboard and input a command bringing power back to the main control room. She turned her screen to a view of the hall Firefly just went down and picked up the phone.

"Gordon," she said. The computer dialed the phone, and a voice answered the other end. "Dad, this is Barb. I've got two intruders, but they're both taken care of. Could you send someone to pick them up? Thanks Dad."

Firefly crept down the hall. Nightwing was probably waiting for him. The little bugger probably was going to find a way to burn off the rest of his skin. Firefly saw the corner in front of him, pressed his back against the wall and slunk to the corner. Firefly jumped out and fired a burst of napalm into an empty hallway.

"Where are you Bat-boy?" Firefly called. "You wanted me to come out and play. What game are we playing?"

"Tag." Firefly spun too late. Nightwing was already on top of him. Firefly tried to cover him in napalm, but only succeeded in starting the wall on fire. Nightwing punched him in the gut, then hit him with a right hook that left him seeing stars. Firefly closed his eyes and shook his head- a costly mistake. Nightwing kicked him square in the face, knocking him out instantly.

"You're it."

An officer shut the door on the paddy wagon and clamped it shut with a padlock. He saluted the woman in the wheelchair then shook his head, wondering how she took two metas out the way she had. Barbara wheeled herself back into the building and to the elevator where Nightwing waited for her.

"Too nice of a night to waste on those goons," Dick said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah too bad. I know of one guy I would have rather spent it with."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. His name's Grayson. You probably wouldn't know him."

"No?" Nightwing pulled off his mask and grinned at Barbara. "Heya Babs. How was your night?"

"Oh not bad. Saved by a darkly hansone stranger."

"Oh, that Nightwing guy again? He's a pushover."

Oracle laughed. "He sure is."

"I'm hurt."

"Why would you be, Grayson?"

Dick stuck his tongue out at Barbara.

"Don't point that thing at me unless you intend to use it."

"Yes ma'am!" Dick said with a mock salute. Oracle grinned and took his hand. The elevator stopped and they left it.

"Thanks Wonder Boy," Oracle said.

"Anytime. Anything for the girl that- uhm..."

"Dick?"

"What is the deal between us Babs?" Dick asked, suddenly somber. "I mean, our relatioship has been nothing but near-misses. Especially since... you know..."

"The Joker? Yeah. True. I... I miss you Dick. I miss what we had."

"Had? Past tense?"

"Yeah. Past tense."

Dick crouched down and laid his hands on her lap. He smiled at her, and she managed a smile back. "Present tense Babs." Dick lifted Barbara out of her chair and carried her to her room. He looked into her eyes and kissed her softly on the lips. He sat her down of her bed, then retrieved her chair.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?" Barb asked.

"Probably head back to the 'Haven I guess," Dick said with a shrug. "See if I could help with the clean up after Croc's attack."

"Could you stick around a while? Keep a lonely girl company?" Dick smiled and sat down next to Barbara. He stripped off his Nightwing tunic and pants, revealing a tank-top and shorts underneath.

"Anytime. Anything, for the girl I love." Dick kissed her again then laid his head on her shoulder.

The two fell asleep quickly.

Roland Desmond looked at the man he had just hired. According to several contacts, he was the best of the best. Desmond slid a folder across his desk to the killer.

"Simple job. One million up front, another two after the job is done." The killer picked up the folder and leafed through the photos of new Police Chief Jared Morillo.

"Easy enough," the killer said. "How about expenses?"

"All paid," Desmond said. "Just make sure he's dead."

"No problem," the killer said, placing the folder back on Desmond's desk. "Just a cop."

"Very good," Desmodn said. "I knew you'd be perfect for the job, Shrike."

In Nightwing #4: It's a race against time to save Chief Morillo's life! Can Nightwing wade through Blockbuster's super-thugs to save the life of Turpin from a figure from his past?