[CENTER][color=ed1c24][H2][U]A Knight In Blüdhaven[/U][/H2]
[B][PART 2: Featuring [@Blue Demon] as Oracle][/B][/color]

[I]My name is Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick. After training under the Batman for four years, I have left my mentor's shadow to become my own man. No longer a sidekick, I have struck out on my own and traveled to the city of Blüdhaven in pursuit of my parents' killer. To bring him to justice I must become something else, someone else...

I am Nightwing.[/I][/CENTER]

Rain seemed to perpetually fall on Blüdhaven, the smell of sewage and burning coal mingling in the wind as it washed over the dark city. Sirens echoed in the darkness as the streak of black made its way from roof top to roof top. Heading North East across the city, Nightwing found himself assaulted by the cold damp wind as even the insulated suit did little to stop the chill from reaching his bones. Landing on a roof top, Nightwing came to a stop as he peered down over the commercial harbor. A few overnight workers wandered the docks while the sound of a fork lift moving crates could be heard in the distance but no ships were currently being unloaded. Cursing underneath his breathe, Nightwing realized he was too late, he had missed Zucco's activities again. Sighing as he swung his legs over the edge of the roof, Nightwing took a seat before checking the time. It was late, or rather early being nearly six in the morning. That said, he knew there was no where he was going to get any sleep without making some progress. Looking North towards Gotham, Dick's eyes isolated Babs' clocktower from the city's skyline, perhaps a visit to his favourite girl may reveal some sort of lead. 

Flipping back onto his feet, Nightwing ran to the edge before firing a line and swinging across the gap. Using the momentum, he ran alongside the face of another building before leaping into the abyss again. It was at these times he remembered performing without a wire, the thrill of the circus, the only thing that could have made it better was if he had an audience. Tucking his legs into a roll, Nightwing fired another line using his body like a pendulum as he fired himself above the city's skyline before landing on a roof top and running across it. Below the steady sound of wheels against a track caught his attention and he made his way towards the edge of the building and dove onto the train below. 

The train took Nightwing most of the remainder of the way as he quickly completed the rest of the trip on foot climbing up the clock tower as he gave a gentle rap on the window which no doubt would startle Babs as she sipped away at what was no doubt the first of many coffees for the day.

"Heya Beautiful." He called with a smirk. 

"There is a door." Barbara called back from the kitchen. If she hadn't been in a wheelchair she might have jumped. But then again, she was used to Dick. Anyways, not many people could get past her security system. Which left the count at two. And Bruce wasn't the type to bother. He used the door. Well, he used it most of the time.

Oracle slipped her coffee into the cup holder and pushed her chair backwards out of the kitchen. 

"Doors are over rated." Dick said as he climbed through the window, closing it behind him as he removed his mask. 

"They might be that, but they're also convenient."  The redhead pointed out.

"Door didn't seem very convenient from the roof top." Dick retorted with a smile.

Babs rolled her eyes as she corrected her chair, wheeling it further into the room. "You never could keep your feet on the ground could you?" The smile she had on her face was fond as she looked at her friend. He looked tired, but good. 

"Wouldn't have gotten anywhere in life if I did." Moving into the kitchen while calling back to Babs, Dick inhaled deeply as the strong scent of coffee wafted towards him. "Don't suppose you have another cup ready?" He asked with a smile leaning back against the counter. "I have to admit, I wish this was a friendly visit unfortunately I'm still working." Deciding not to wait for Babs' answer about the coffee, Dick helped himself to a cup from the pot before continuing. "Tracked down Zucco's thugs earlier tonight, they threw me a damn red herring. Zucco has friends on the 'Haven city council, friends who help him smuggle his arms into the city. Anyway you can help me figure out who his friends are?"

"Arms Smuggling, Council Sitting, Friends of Zucco?" Babs turned towards her computers with a thoughful expression. "You've come to the right place." She reached out and turned the computer screens on with a key stroke. 

Barbara's green eyes glossed over her running programs. Luthor's snoop was beginning to poke back at her. That was interesting. She mentally added another level of intelligence to the hacker. They were even better than expected to notice her. But Dick was priority so she minimized the program.

She pulled up the BPD's data base and keyed in a false ID. Within a few moments the system was open to her. She opened everything they had on Zucco, any arms smuggling operations and the council. 

Oracle paused and looked up to find Dick still there. "Are you just going to watch, or do you want to help?"

"What can I do?" Dick asked in reply as he leaned over Babs, his cheek just hovering above hers. This close to her, he could smell the familiar perfume, the same one she used to wear when they were out patrolling Gotham together. It took him a moment to snap back to the matter at hand as he found himself lost in the sweet scent.

Babs tilted her head slightly away, but not too far. "Well, how about you check over what I give you and see if it's relevant." She pointed to a spare monitor. "Use that one." With that she turned back to the computer. She gazed over the files, looking for key points before beginning to dig further, or to flag for Dick. After a long while, long enough for her coffee to get cold. Long enough for her to realize this wasn't going to be fast.

She leaned back in her wheelchair and rubbed her eyes. She took a moment's reprieve to check some other news worthy items. Just to give her brain a break. Then she frowned. BPD had found a foot. A foot missing a body. Babs quickly pulled up the file and skimmed it. She then pulled up the GCPD file about her ID-less body (sans foot). She quickly compared the DNA on both. Minutes later her computer deemed them the same. 

"This might be something." Oracle said as she double checked the ID. "You had a foot come up last night in your town. GCPD found a body, sans-foot. Same woman. Stephanie Hill. On Blüdhaven's City council. Or was on. Forty-seven years old. Last marriage ended in May, badly. No kids. Nearest family is upstate. No recent contact."

With a few taps of the keys the crime scene photo appeared of the foot. "Not quite Zucco's style though." Her lips were white as she mentally added to herself. [i]Too Joker-ish[/i]. "What do you think?" She asked mainly to get her mind off of the thought.

"Looks like we have a concern for escalation. Someone is looking to make a mark, and they're seasoned." Dick said with a grim tone to his voice. "A first kill wouldn't be so methodical. The police likely believe it to the be work of a disorganized killer, but the crime scene is designed to look chaotic, it throws off any clues. This is in fact very well thought out, pre-meditated and full of thought." Studying under Bruce had honed Dick's skills of deduction quite well. That said, he wasn't 'The World's Greatest Detective' but he could hold his own. "This won't be the work of the Joker." Dick added, his gift for reading body language had seen Babs tense up, no doubt the haunting memories of the past coming back too vividly upon viewing the crime scene.

Babs ignored his last comment. "But is it connected to Zucco? We know he's in with some council members. Was Ms. Hill one of them? I don't like coincidences." 

"Does Hill have any claims on commercial property? A warehouse for example?" Dick asked as he began to type up his own search. While no slouch with a computer, he was also no miracle worker like Babs when it came to this stuff. 

Oracle mentally ran through what she had looked up on Ms. Hill. She hadn't found any, but if she was dirty, she would have hidden it. She typed quickly and her computer bleeped. A few minutes later there was another beep.

"Two places." Babs sent the locations to Dick's HUD before she turned to him. He looked tired. "You look beat." She brushed a stray lock of hair back into place. "It's nearly lunch time. Why don't you go get some rest?"

"You offering your bed?" Dick asked with a playful smile and a cocked eyebrow. 

"Seems to me yours would be better. Plus," Babs paused and smirked. "You have a guest waiting."

"I do?" Nightwing said with a pause before placing a palm to his forehead. "Tim's running the Gauntlet tonight isn't he?" With a slight sigh, Nightwing looked out at the sun now brightly shining over Gotham. "Well looks like I do need to get home, but I don't think this is going to cut it. I don't happen to have a spare change of clothes here do I?"

Barbara sighed. "Second door, closet, upper shelf." She shook her head. "I figured this would happen, Boy wonder."

"I figured it would be after a slightly more fun evening." Dick teased as he headed towards the bedroom. The sound of the closet door could be heard as he rummaged inside. Pulling the shirt over the skin tight outfit, Dick called to Babs as he pulled his pants up. "Who has the pleasure of seeing you in the little purple number? That's not for comfortable sleeping." He smirked emerging from the bedroom. 

Babs had turned her back to him so he couldn't see her answering smirk. "Only the mirror Grayson. Only the mirror. And for your information, it's not for sleeping in." She turned slightly to him, face now serious. She made a come here motion.

"And how am I going to sleep now?" Dick asked as he walked over to Babs. She reached up and adjusted his shirt so the collar for the nightwing suit wasn't visible.

"Not my problem." She told him as she patted his cheek. "Go. Sleep. Play with Tim and be nice. I'll let you know what I find later."

"Thanks Beautiful!" Dick replied with a peck on the cheek as he ran towards the window only to come skidding to a stop. Sheepishly ruffling his hair, he spun on his heel and walked towards the proper exit. "Doors, right." He muttered.

"Looking forward to next time Babs!" He said as he disappeared out the door. The only answer was the sound of laughter.