Nightwing - Heir to the Demon #8

Nightwing: I never thought I’d miss the horrible skyline of Gotham.

 

Batgirl: Dear god, it’s happening?

 

Nightwing: What is?

 

Batgirl: You said you missed something about Gotham and framed it in an almost positive light. That’s one of the seven signs of the apocalypse.

 

Nightwing: Do I want to know the other six?

 

Batgirl: How brave are you feeling?

 

I pause for a brief moment to try and figure out just what the other six signs could be. Since Barbra viewed my remarks about Gotham as one of them, the signs are clearly more intended as jokes than anything.

 

Nightwing: Very.

 

Batgirl: Is that so?

 

Nightwing: With in reason.

 

Batgirl: How about we do one right now?

 

Suddenly, I don’t think I like where this is going…

 

Nightwing: ….Sure…..

 

Batgirl: Losing your confidence, Grayson?

 

Nightwing: That’s not one of the seven signs is it?

 

Batgirl: A sign is something that almost never happens.

 

Nightwing: Oi! What are you saying?

 

Batgirl: Here, repeat after me. Barbra..

 

Nightwing: Barbra…

 

Batgirl: I would like to take you to dinner…

 

Nightwing: How is that a sign of the apocalypse!?

 

Batgirl: I’m not finished. Barbra, I would like to take you to dinner. My treat.

 

Nightwing: I paid for dinner last time!

 

Batgirl: And when was last time?

 

It rather quickly dawns on me that it’s been at least two years since Barbra and I went out to dinner together. No capes, no masks. Just Dick Grayson and Barbra Gordon, out on the town. No wonder she turned down my proposal.

 

Nightwing: Barbra Gordon, when this is all over, would you do me the honour of letting me take you to dinner?

 

Batgirl: Dear god, it really is the end of days.

 

Nightwing: Is that a no?

 

Batgirl: How can that be a no?

 

Nightwing: It’s not a yes.

 

Batgirl: Fine. Yes Dick, I would love to go to dinner with you when this all over.

 

Nightwing: Shall we compare diaries to find a suitable date?

 

Batgirl: Why yes absolutely.

 

Nightwing: Positively spiffing.

 

Batgirl: You ruined it, good job.

 

Nightwing: What? How?

 

Batgirl: The over the top accent was one thing, but ‘spiffing’ was just a bridge too far.

 

Nightwing: You’re welcome.

 

Batgirl: Anything from Alfred yet?

 

Nightwing: No, we’re probably waiting on Bruce to get into position if I had to guess.

 

Batgirl: I’d have put my money on Jason and his so called ‘Outlaws’ being the ones holding us up.

 

Nightwing: Nah, trust me, we wouldn’t be waiting if it was anyone else. Bruce would have made his move regardless. Not to mention his tower is the furthest out of Gotham.

 

Batgirl: Great.

 

Barbra turns away from me to look towards the tower. The never ending stream of gas that keeps being pumped out of the tower has already claimed a significant number of victims in the vicinity of the tower. Five GCPD officers no doubt sent by Barbra’s father to invest the reactivation of the guardian towers. What a horrible realisation they must have had when they inhaled the toxin.

 

Then as I take a moment to survey the main to the tower, I can’t help but notice a figure in the distance. It’s laid down on the ground and though it’s hard to tell from a distance, I can’t see any movement. Looks like the GCPD weren’t able to convince everyone to evacuate Gotham even after ‘Ra’s’ publicly threatened the city.

 

Part of me feels angry. Don’t these people understand that all we want is to keep them safe? To keep them out of harm? We don’t seek to control them, to manipulate them. If we did, we’d be no better than the monsters we claim to oppose. In many ways, I suppose it’s our equal belief in giving people the right to decide their own path which is what causes situations like this. After all, freedom to choose also includes freedom to choose not to.

 

Alfred: Pen-7 to all strike teams. Mission is a go!

 

Nightwing: Roger Pen-7.

 

Batgirl: Do you think he’s making it obvious to the new recruits that he’s ex-military?

 

Nightwing: No, it’s just Alfred being Alfred. He’s always like that.

 

Batgirl: I don’t recall him acting so serious though.

 

Nightwing: These are serious times. Plus, you never had an ear piece connected to his communication channel.

 

Batgirl: You’re telling me that earpiece you gave me back then only connected to you? Why if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were ashamed of me.

 

I’m not sure if it’s possible to be anymore sarcastic than she just was, but it’s true. Somewhat. Whilst I wasn’t embarrassed by Barbra, I was worried about her. Then again, this was back when Bruce had been reluctant to train me, never mind the idea of someone else.

 

Nightwing: No more than usual.

 

Barbra: Is this how you treat all the girls you invite out to dinner?

 

Nightwing: Just the lucky ones.

 

Batgirl: Lucky me.

 

As we both get ready to make our move towards the tower, I step aside and wave my hands so that they’re pointing in the direction of the tower.

 

Nightwing: After you.

 

Batgirl: You’re really starting to worry me now.

 

Nightwing: How come?

 

Batgirl: That’s the third sign of the apocalypse in ten minutes.

 

Nightwing: Are all your signs of the apocalypse me being nice to you?

 

Batgirl: No, just most of them.

 

Nightwing: Most!?

 

Batgirl: Well maybe if you were more of a gentleman, that wouldn’t be the case, and maybe I would have said yes.

 

Nightwing: Really?

 

Batgirl: Who knows?

 

Before I can follow up with another question, Barbra runs forward and glides off the roof towards the tower’s entrance. Though I’m uncertain about whether I really heard her say the reason she turned me down, I don’t know. All I know right now, is that we have a tower to disable.

Done