Chapter Seventeen

Starfire was tired.

She had flown down and searched the flaming building, hoping to find survivors in need of the rescue. Especially since the fire was so large, she had thought it was certain. Instead, there was nothing more than a vast and empty puzzle within, clearly showing signs of having already been solved, and with none of the indications to dictate purpose or people.

So, she had left. The experience was frustrating, and now she was both tired from hours of flight, fruitless searching, and covered in the soot and ash. Never had she wanted to enjoy a shower more. The only positive her seemingly endless optimism found was that she would not need to address breaking the Batman's ruling regarding metas, as she had provided no aid whatsoever. Which, unfortunately, only provided her more of the frustration, for she had wanted to help. At least it was late- early enough to know Richard would have returned to him home.

Kori sighed to herself, and tried to push it aside as she hiked her way up the crumbling concrete stairs of Richard’s apartment building. She still did not entirely understand why he had taken a damaged location, considering the Batman’s ability to provide, and his own not-inconsiderable resources. Another of Richard’s mysteries that she had not questioned, and he had not shared.

She came to the door, and summoned a smile at the thought of seeing her friend once more. They may have grown distant, and her heart may still feel the pain at the reasons for their parting, but it remained the truth that Richard was her first friend of this world.

She knocked lightly on the door.

Seconds passed. She knocked again, louder.

Still nobody answered.

She kno- The door yanked open and the Tamarean reared back in surprise. “Wonder Girl? What-”

Her eyes slid past the woman to the sliver of the scene behind her. Richard’s new Nightwing costume on a figure lying on a low coffee table, a flash of blood visible, his limbs dangling limply.

Supernatural green burned away her pupils. “Allow me entry and explain. Now.”

—

Dick never regained consciousness slowly, not anymore. Used to be he would fade in and out for hours, back when he was Robin. That had long since been lost to conditioned responses that he couldn’t prevent even if he wanted to.

Instead, he was sleeping one moment, vaguely conscious the next, and immediately his body stilled in the naturally relaxed position he held whilst his mind slammed through the necessary procedures to regain full control of his mental faculties. Physical might not be possible, that would be ascertained after situational awareness returned and he could analyse.

Cool, comfortable temperature, slightly chilled as he preferred. Tight material clinging to him, likely the Nightwing suit. No machines beeping a heartbeat, so not a hospital or the Cave. Voices talking.

“I told ya already, he brought me ‘ere himself!” That was Harley. He had fought her most of his life, he knew the accent. It was feasible. She would have been running the rooftops for nightwork and found him.

“I have known Nightwing for nearly a decade, and never have I heard so ludicrously false a claim of his actions, harlequin.” He knew that was Donna. He wasn’t entirely sure why the Wonder Twin would be present though. There was no call or reason for her to be in Bludhaven, if he was still there.

“Yes, Robin is very private. He does not do the sharing easily.” That voice was as familiar as breathing to him. At one point, more familiar. But there was absolutely no way that Kori could be wherever here was.

A theory presented itself, and after a moment of hesitation, despite wishing it was otherwise, Dick accepted it. This had to be another test. Donna, he could have reasoned, somehow. Harley, maybe, with his recent memory. But for both Donna and Kori to be present, and civilly speaking with Harley? Not a chance.

Agent 37 was being tested once again.

He would not fail.

Threat analysis took over. The Amazon was closest, either knelt or seated less than a foot to his left. The Tamarean’s voice suggested she was several paces away from his head. Quinn was distant enough to be a secondary concern.

Prioritisation of threat came next. Quinn was least important, considering her distance, and in light of her non-meta state and primarily close-ranged skillset and equipment. Wonder Girl and Starfire hold roughly equal in terms of meta-granted capabilities, both holding supernatural strength and endurance. Judging from the acoustics when hearing them speak, flight would likely not factor into the scenario unless the ceiling or walls are broken. Unlikely, due to simulation restraints, but not impossible. The order settled- Wonder Girl, Starfire, Quinn. Whilst Starfire has the advantage of range, her abilities relied on emotion, an easy weakness to exploit for a short advantage. Wonder Girl, on the other hand, lacked such an easy weakness, and would not hesitate to take action against an ally if the situation called for it. Her lasso could temporarily prevent some of her abilities, however, and preventing its use against him was priority one.

A plan formed last, and waited to be enacted.

All in all, it had taken no more than five seconds, the space of a natural pause in their conversation. The moment a voice began to speak again, he acted.

Eyes shot open to take in everything possible as he moved. Wonder Girl sat on the couch, already in motion to react to him, not quick enough. Quinn was in the kitchen, scrubbing a patch of countertop, unaware of him still. A flicker of colour in the corner of his eye told him where Starfire was.

His body twisted and propelled him forwards, slamming into her collarbone and pushing them both over the back of the furniture. His hands slipped the lasso from it’s holdings as he landed. The momentum led him into a roll to his knees, where he spun and lashed the lasso around Wonder Girl’s shoulders first as she tried to rise.

“Nightwing, stop!” Her voice rang in the room.

“I am not Nightwing.” He held on. An elbow landed in his side with a crack. Pain didn’t matter. Endure it. Another loop and the golden cord wrapped around the Amazon’s neck as he stood, his knee against her spine to stop her from standing with him.

“Robin! Please consider! I do not wish to combat you!” Hands held the cord tight around Wonder Girl’s neck as eyes flicked to the Tamarean with a glowing hand extended to target his chest. He would survive if it struck, the Nightwing suit’s armour was graded for Kryptonian strength or higher. The Nightwing suit? But surely- Not important. He would survive. It was only pain. Still, this could be averted.

“I am not Robin.” His voice lacked any inflection, a monotone he’d learnt from the best during those wonderful years with the Titan- That wasn’t important. Focus. His mind rolled through the knowledge and through the secrets that he kept, in search of one that would sufficiently distract her without revealing too much. Even the best training and conditioning couldn’t get him to share some things.

Taking too long- there. Insufficient alone, but with deceptive embellishment, it would perform adequately. “Komand’r paid extra to ensure you were despoiled.”

The green glow stuttered violently then vanished from her hands and eyes, showing her pupils once more. She stumbled back a step, as if the words had physically struck her. A better effect than anticipated.

Press the advantage.

The cord tightened and his boot stuck the base of the Amazon’s spine. He would not hurt her with it, and his human strength was insufficient against her biology to even cut her air supply usually, but the drop in stability caused her own body to provide the necessary weight to begin **** her.

Her fingers scrabbled at the lasso, and at his hands. Her eyes sought his through the lenses of his mask, desperation mixing with intent to try and speak everything her throat refused to allow. Words scraped their way out despite the odds, wheezed and nearly inaudible. “Wonder…twin…please…”

Hesitation crept in. It was Donna, after all. Maybe- No. It was a test. It had to be.

“37 will pass the test.”

A note of something between pity and dismay entered Wonder Girl’s eyes as Agent 37 looked away. Starfire was recovering from her shock. Footsteps were approaching from the kitchen. Quinn. His hesitation had cost him.

Recover.

Unconsciousness would take too long to ensure. Likelihood of successful defeat of these opponents was decreasing. Unlikely to begin with, upon reflection. Meaning this test was designed to fail, or sought his innovation in alternate ways.

His hands took a tighter grip on the lasso, and his weight dropped back as the muscles of his arms and chest strained and screamed. From the loop around her neck and shoulders, Agent 37 turned and dragged Wonder Girl into the air. The loops slackened as he released moments before her body struck the approaching Quinn.

The blonde was barely a cardboard blockade to the meta-powered woman’s dead weight in the air. She fell with a thud and a yelp, and the Amazon flew through the air to crash into the alien woman that had been preparing to attack. 37 reached to his hip and drew his- No gun. Agent 37 didn’t carry escrima sticks.

Not even his skills would hold in a fistfight against two metas and a skilled human combatant in an enclosed environment. Retreat and escape was the objective. He stepped backwards, turned towards the windows, his knees bent slightly and bunched his leg muscles to jump-

“Nightie- Dick, snap the fuck outta it!” A brooklyn accent pierced the haze slightly.

His head snapped to where Quinn was now standing. His skull suddenly shot with blinding pain that had him screwing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth. He barely even noted the cord that wrapped around his torso and immobilised him. Reality was at odds with itself.

Everything he knew said that this was a test, that if he failed there would be pain and punishment and control. Everything he felt said this was real, it was happening, he just needed to snap out of it.

“I am not Dick Grayson. I am Agent-”

“Fuck that noise! Dontcha’ remember? I’m fuckin’ glad you’re here, Dick! You, not Agent Asshole!” Her voice was abrasive, aggressive, angry. The words were nearly snarled in his direction.

“Ah’m so fuckin’ glad ya didn’t die, Nightie”

His hands shook as he raised them to press his palms into his eyes. The pain seemed to increase. Images played. Moments together, secrets shared, fighting alongside one another. None of it happened before Spyral. He could feel the truth of that. He knew it was the truth.

The pain dropped away. He slowly opened his eyes, afraid of what he’d find. A golden cord was holding him still, but it wasn’t needed when Harley was looking at him with those big blue eyes, as if searching for his soul. He hoped she never found it.

He swallowed roughly. “I- uh, ‘m sorry?”

She blinked. Then she giggled, and started laughing. Dick didn’t entirely know why, but then he was laughing as well. The both of them only stopped when they were struggling to breathe.

Harley wiped the laughter tears from her eyes, giggles breaking in her voice even as she said, “Ya- Ya go fuckin’ ballistic tryin’ to fight us, almost win, and then ya say sorry?”

He shrugged with a sheepish grin. Or, tried to. The movement reminded him that he was still tied up. He looked over to Donna, finding Kori stood next to her, and the two metas watching he and Harley giggle like idiots with expressions of next-level confusion.

Dick wiggled his torso from side to side, shaking the lasso that stretched between him and Donna. “Could you untie me? Pretty please?” He ignored the resurgence of Harley’s giggles behind him.

Donna raised an eyebrow. He nodded hopefully. She levelled a cool, disbelieving look of judgement and question at him. He grinned.

“...It is him again.” She sighed, and tugged the cord. Somehow, that just dropped the loops from his torso to a pile on the ground around him, which slowly returned to her as she coiled it up.

Once she had done so, she casually lifted the couch upright with one hand, placed it back, and then spoke as she sat down again. “You are both going to sit down and explain some things now, or I swear to Hera, I will drop you in the ocean.”