#4

"Shadows of the Past"

By Tony Thornley

Barbara Gordon awoke to the sound of voices down the hall. She threw off the quilt that had been placed over her. She smiled. Dick was a sweetheart. She grabbed her wheelchair and lifted herself into it. Grabbing the quilt and placing it over her legs, she wheeled herself into the kitchen, where she found Dick Grayson cooking and Dinah Lance cradling a cup of coffee at the table.

"So you just kicked hi- hey Babs!" Dick grinned at the sight of Barbara. He crossed the room and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then wheeled her up to the table.

"He's handsome and he cooks," Dinah laughed. "This one's a keeper."

"As if I didn't know that," Barbara said with a grin. "I didn't hear you come in last night Dinah."

"I didn't. Came in this morning. Just grabbing some clothes before I head back out to talk to Ollie. Maybe this time I'll actually talk to him instead of beating the crap out of him."

"How do you like your eggs Babs?" Dick asked. "Scrambled with a little garlic and swiss cheese mixed in."

"Where's the cheese?"

"Middle shelf of the fridge, near the back right side."

"Got it."

"So how's things going with Ollie?"

Dinah sighed. "I dunno. That's what I'm going back out there to sort out. Wish me luck." Dinah finished her coffee, then stood up.

"Good luck Dinah," Oracle said. She grinned and left Dick and Barbara sitting at the table.

"You singed from last night?" Barbara asked.

"I could ask the same of you," Dick said, dishing the eggs onto a plate and setting them on the table. "Sausage or bacon?"

"What kinda of sausage?"

"Links."

"I'll take the bacon." Dick nodded and placed several strips of bacon on her plate. Barbara took a bite. "Not bad Wonder. They didn't touch a hair on my head. You beat Firefly pretty good."

"You did the same to IQ."

"Thanks. So... thanks."

"You're welcome. For what?"

"Staying when you didn't have to. It meant a lot. Felt good to have someone to hold last night."

"I enjoyed it," Dick said, dishing up his own breakfast and sitting across from Oracle. "It was a lovely lady I was sleeping next to." Dick took a bite of eggs and nodded. "I like the eggs like this. Might try it more often. You know what?"

"What?"

"When I woke up this morning, I looked over at you and thought that you were the most beautiful thing in the world. And I kinda thought... that I wanted to wake up every morning like that."

Barbara laughed. "You always were a charmer Grayson."

"Babs, I'm serious."

"I know you are," Barbara said. She took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. "It's just..."

"The chair?"

"Yeah."

"I don't see it," Dick said. "All I see is the most beautiful person I've ever known."

"Thank you Dick."

"You're welcome." Dick stood up, crossed the table and kissed Barbara.

A few evenings later Dick swung over Bludhaven. Patrol the past few nights had been uneventful. Just your average street thugs, muggers, and burglars. Hadn't even broken a sweat in dealing with most of them. Dick flipped onto a rooftop and looked over the city.

It's amazing how from up here everything seems to melt away. The 'Haven isn't some crime ridden hell-hole. It's a flawed city, with tons of promise, and mostly good people. If it wasn't for people like Blockbuster and Redhorn, this city wouldn't need me. Both a depressing and a comforting thought. But it'll take years to uproot the corruption in this city. Guess I'm lucky I have all the time in the world.

A man sat in a room, alone with his thoughts. He had two names but he seldom used one. The other...

The other was a nom de plume of sorts. It was the name he worked by. He was one of the world's dealiest assasins. He was number among the best, yet few had ever seen him, and most of those few were dead. He stood and took a blade from a sheath and began sharpening it.

He was Shrike. And he always finished a job.

Shrike picked up the phone and dialed his employer's number.

Giz hung up the phone in Blockbuster's office. He nodded to Desmond.

"That was Shrike. He begins tomorrow, moves in for the kill Saturday night. Wants someone to hold off Nightwing until he's done."

"Very good," Blockbuster said. "Arrange for the Stallion, Brutale and Electrocutioner to confront Nightwing on Saturday night. Until then, we wait."

Saturday night

Jared Morillo jumped slightly at the tapping at his window. He turned and shook his head. He'd never get used to masked viglantes at his office window. He opened the window and let Nightwing inside.

"Chief, I've got a present for you." Nightwing tossed a small disk to the police chief. "It's like a pager, only not. Press it, and I'll get your signal and come running. A lot less conspicuous than the Bat-Signal too."

"Thanks," Morillo said, sticking the disk into his desk drawer.

"So what brings you into the office on a Saturday night?"

"Extra credit," Morillo said, motioning to several file folders on his desk. "Reading up on our friend Roland Desmond. I had no idea he was behind so much."

"Not many do. Few outside the JLA know of his life as Blockbuster and the only people in the 'Haven that know of his other dealings that aren't paid off are standing in this room. He's a tough nut to crack Chief."

"Thanks..." Morillo sighed heavily. "I guess the two of us...?"

"I've scratched the surface. Working together, we might make a dent."

"An encouraging thought," Morillo muttered.

"I need to get back on patrol," Nightwing said, climbing back on the window sill. "Good luck."

"Same to you."

Dick pulled the swing line to his chest, shortening the arc he swung in over the Bludhaven street below. There was something very conspicuous about the lack of activity below him. It was if that the criminals of the 'Haven had taken the night off. There wasn't even the usual hookers on particular street corners-

Wait.

Nightwing lowered himself down to a street lamp, directly above a young woman that was usually dressed to show as much flesh as she could. Tonight she was dressed conservatively, although her usual cigarette still dangled from her lip.

"How many times have I told you that this is not a good time for a girl to be alone on a street like this Quinn?"

"Still not buying Nightwing?"

Dick shook his head. "Why the fashion change?"

"Word trickled down from somewhere that anything illegal tonight isn't a good idea," Quinn replied with a shrug. "But a working girl like me can't afford a night off."

"I suggest you take i- GAH!" A thrown knife had buried itself in his shoulder directly at his left shoulder blade. Nightwing was thrown off the street lamp and onto the asphalt below. Nightwing grabbed a vial from his utility compartment. Clotting agent. He pulled the knife from his shoulder and poured the clotting agent over it. He took a look at the knife.

Three problems. One: This is one of Brutale's knives and he's never alone. Two: my arm's going to me useless in the fight, in which I already know I'm going to be outnumbered. Three: Desmond is Brutale's employer, and he's probably the "somewhere" Quinn mentioned, which means something big's going down.

Nightwing winced then stood up. Stallion stood next to Quinn, handing her a wad of bills, and Brutale and Electrocutioner faced Dick, prepared to take on Nightwing. Quinn waved at Nightwing and ran off.

"It's always the same," Nightwing grunted. "Offer a girl a couple thousand dollars, and she betrays the neighborhood vigilante."

"Last time it'll happen too," Electrocutioner said. "Prepare to die."

"Haven't I heard that before?" Nightwing said. He started to move his left arm and winced.

Let's see if I can remember all of Bruce's single-armed fighting lessons.

"Hey hon," Jared Morillo said into the phone. "Yeah, I'm almost done. It'll only be a few more minutes. Hello?" The line had gone dead.

Morillo's attention was grabbed by an ominous click, which was immediately followed by the lights going out completely. Morillo stood and took his police issue revolver from the desk. He checked the magazine, loaded, then slowly walked to the door. He stood to the side of it, closed his hand around the knob and threw it open. He jumped out from his cover, holding his gun in both hands, finger over the trigger. Nothing was there. Morillo raised the pistol then slowly walked down the hall.

Last he'd checked, this floor of the police station was abandoned. It was odd for a police station, naturally, but Bludhaven was different than most other places. The corruption here ran deep and if officers could dodge work, they would.

"There anyone out here?" Morillo shook his head. If what he'd guessed was happening really was, then he wouldn't get an answer to that. Surprisingly enough, he did.

"Most men aren't stupid enough to work alone on a weekend." Morillo spun towards the voice, his gun arm extended and prepared to fire. He couldn't see anyone.

"You're here to kill me, aren't you?" Morillo said to the voice.

"Those years in Keystone musta made you pretty bright," the voice said again, this time from behind him. Morillo turned again, his index finger rubbing the trigger. A shuriken flew through the air and buried itself just below the wrist of his gun arm. Morillo cried out and snapped off a wild shot, shattering a window.

"Let's get rid of that shall we?" A yellow-booted foot swung from the darkness and kicked Morillo's gun away from him. Jared cried out and looked at the man coming from the shadows.

"Someone wants you dead Jared Morillo. He called the right man for the job."

Stallion was a lightweight. Dick performed a single handed handspring and kicked the cowboy across the face, knocking him unconscious. He turned towards Electrocutioner and ducked, dodging a bolt of electricity.

"You afraid of me Nightwing?" Electrocutioner taunted. "Didn't the Bat prepare you for someone like me?"

"He sure did," Dick said. "Part of that training included take in your surroundings before a fight." Dick sprinted towards Electrocutioner and jumped into the air. "Like that fire hydrant right behind you." Dick's foot snapped forward and he kicked Electrocutioner into the hydrant, which burst and short circuited Electrocutioner's suit instantly.

Dick heard the whistling of Brutale's blade before it hit him. He ducked and the blade harmlessly struck the brick building behind him. Brutale moved fast, throwing three more blades in succession. Dick rolled to dodge them, and struck his injured shoulder on the sidewalk. Stars filled his eyes, but he shook them away and grabbed one of his batons with his good arm.

Move faster than Brutale. Stop him before he gets me with another set of knifes. I'm not so sure he'll miss this time.

He threw the baton at Brutale's chest, knocking him onto his rear. Dick jumped from the ground and rushed his oppponent, and kicked him to the ground before he could stand. The kick knocked the wind out of him. Dick grinned with satisfaction.

"What does Rolly want this time?" Dick asked. "He after something?"

"H-he wants you distracted," Brutale gasped. "He's sent an assasin after the BPD chief. The best. He's probably already dead."

Dick cursed and broke into a sprint towards the precinct house that held the chief's office. Dick had trouble on most nights with Desmond's regulars. Morillo wouldn't stand a chance against someone new.

Shrike swung his katana at Morillo's head. The chief narrowly dodged the swing, which sliced a desk chair in two. Morillo fought off the assasin as best he could, throwing office furniture, mugs, stationary, and anything else he could get his hands on at the yellow and crimson clad assasin.

"You're just delaying your death," Shrike said, getting ever closer. "I'm merely making this sporting. If I were like others, your corpse would be cooling right now." Morillo rolled a chair towards Shrike's legs, but the assasin stopped it with his foot and kicked it back towards Morillo. It hit him hard and he stumbled back against the wall. Shrike jumped into the air, swinging his katana at Morillo. He landed and the blade stopped just before it pierced the skin of his neck.

"It's been fun. See ya in hell."

"How about you go first?" Shrike turned and was met by Nightwing's right fist. Nightwing drove his elbow into Shrike's forearm, forcing him to drop the katana. Nightwing then headbutted him and drove him against a desk.

"I thought you were dead," Nightwing growled. "I saw you die, I saw the body. You're not the first Shrike, are you?"

"You're a freaking genius, you know that?" Shrike ripped off his mask and glared at Nightwing. "You recognise me, because I recognise you Boy Wonder? You ruined my life. I never thought I'd see you again, never be able to take my revenge."

Nightwing knelt and picked up the katana. He winced as he gripped it with his left arm, but raised it into a defensive stance. He recognised Shrike as the young man named Boone who he had encountered years ago in the Vengeance Academy. The encounter was a painful memory to the former Robin.

"Save it for another day. Run away."

Shrike glared but ran from the office and out an open window. Nightwing closed his eyes and dropped the katana.

"Thank you 'Wing," Morillo said.

"You're welcome," Nightwing muttered. With that he stumbled away, hoping he could make it home.

"You know Wonder, you'll have to stop making a habit out of getting hurt." Barbara handed Alfred a needle with which he began suturing the knife wound. Dick gritted his teeth for an instant then relaxed.

"When was the last time something like this happened to me?" he asked breathlessly.

"Uhm, dunno."

Alfred paused and pushed gently at Dick's shoulder. "Master Dick, this would involve less pain if you stopped squirming."

"When was the last time I did that too?"

"Point," Oracle said. She wheeled away from Alfred and pushed herself to the other side of Dick's bed. She took his hand and kissed it gently. "Would this be better?"

Dick grinned. "Much."

Blockbuster looked at Shrike.

"You have a personal vendetta against Nightwing?"

"Indeed. He... took away something that was important to me."

"That," Blockbuster grunted. "That could be to out ad-van-ta..." Blockbuster's eyes rolled up and he collapsed onto his desk. Shrike jumped towards Blockbuster.

"Soemone get in here!" Shrike yelled. He felt for a pulse and couldn't find one. He pushed the large crimeboss to the ground and began chest compressions. Giz and Mouse both burst into Desmond's office.

"Get a doctor!" Shrike yelled at the duo. "He's flatlined!"

Next: A night off can never be simple as Dick and Barbara go out in Bludhaven but their night out is interrupted when Catwoman attmempts to steal from the Yazuka and thier super-powered enforcers! And why has Blockbuster flatlined?