[center][b][color=red][h1]Bludhaven[/h1][/color][/b][/center]

Nightwing was concerned. Deeply concerned. The Joker was dead. It had been all over the news that the Clown Prince of Crime had [i]finally[/i] bit the dust. Dick certainly wasn't going to shed any tears for that monster. In his opinion, the Joker rated at slightly over Raven's dad on the scale of "irredeemable scumbags." So why was he so concerned? Two words: Bruce and Gotham. As long as Dick could remember, even for a few years before his parents' deaths, those three were symbiotic. Batman and Joker were two sides of the same coin, and that coin was Gotham City. The Joker needed Batman and, as sick as the idea was to Dick, on some level it always felt like Batman needed Joker too. It was... A difficult relationship to work out, but then again so was any relationship either of those two had, so it came full circle. Then there was the inevitable power vacuum that would come up from Gotham's most notorious criminal being removed. Throughout the last day, he thought about reaching out to Bruce and Alfred to offer his services. If he was right, there would be a war, so Gotham was going to need all the help she could get. Maybe he would, and catch up with Babs while he was at it, but right now he was busy.

"Ah! Aaaah! Don't drop me, don't drop me!" cried out Jonesy Jones, career criminal.

[color=royalblue]"I'm hoping I won't have to, Jonesy. Now would you please tell me where Blockbuster is getting his next shipment?"[/color] Nightwing had been dangling Jonesy over the side of a tall office building, holding onto the man's ankle with one hand. Nightwing himself was hanging upside down, attached to the building by dangling himself from a gargoyle, only one leg wrapped around the statue's neck for support. 5,000 foot drop and no net. He felt back at home.

"I thought yous was supposed to be the nice one, man!" Jonesy cried out. His coat fell off and fluttered down to the streets below.

[color=royalblue]"Didn't you hear me say please?"[/color] To prove his point, Nightwing let go of his captive. Jonesy screamed himself hoarse as he began tumbling downward through the air, but his fall was stopped short. The acrobatic hero shot his grappling hook at the mobster, which coiled around the man's waist and pulled taut. Meanwhile Nightwing secured the grapple firmly to his gargoyle platform, then slid down the side of the building. He landed on a ledge near his dangling captive. [color=royalblue]"Did you have fun? It's a lot like the Tower of Terror ride, and look! There's no line! Lucky you."[/color]

"Ok, ok! I'll talk, I'll talk! The boss is gettin' his next shipment by big rig, delivered to the warehouse on 5th of Bleeker, man!" Jonesy's pants had grown considerably darker, yet his skin was so much lighter. Funny how that worked.

[color=royalblue]"I'm glad we could come to an arrangement, Jonesy. Now you be a good boy and wait here for your ride home alr-"[/color] Dick's words were cutoff as his left gauntlet began to vibrate, and a faint light flashed in it. [color=royalblue]"No..."[/color]

Dick brought the gauntlet up even with his eyes and peeled back a small latch, revealing an even smaller computer screen. The message was one he never hoped he'd ever have to see. [color=royalblue]"Empty Nest. Protocol Swarm."[/color] He mouthed the words silently to himself while Jonesy Jones swayed listlessly in the wind, spinning lazily.

"Come on guy, I gave you what you want! Can't you let me go?! I'm startin' ta... Get all... Woozy."

[color=royalblue]"You have fun with that,"[/color] Nightwing muttered, his eyes trailing the flashing red and blue lights in the distance. With that he flipped off from the ledge, fell about two hundred feet, grabbed onto a flag pole, drained some of the dangerous momentum by spinning around it a few times, then let go and landed on the rooftop of a shorter building. In Bludhaven, when you saw the cops the chances were they weren't going to arrest the criminal, and even if they did there wouldn't be any charges pressed. That's just how things worked in a city run by criminals through and through, but right now it wasn't any of Dick's concern. Right now he had to get somewhere. For the second time he opened the small wrist mounted computer within his gauntlet, then spoke into it. [color=royalblue]"This is Nightwing. I'm coming home."[/color]

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[center][b][h1][color=black]Gotham City[/color][/h1][/b][/center]

A lone motorcycle sped through the streets of Gotham with total disregard for the speed limit. This was all scenic, totally irrelevant, and the man at the throttle had someplace to be. Now. Of course, this being Gotham it wasn't going to let him get by that easily. As he rounded a corner, a young woman was being accosted by two thugs with a knife. Without even slowing down, the driver popped the front end up and swung back around in an unbelievably impressive display of driving. 

The two thugs stopped what they were doing soon as that motorcycle came right back for them. Freaking out, they ran into a nearby alleyway, leaving the woman on the sidewalk but taking her purse with them. It was foolish to think that a simple alleyway was going to stop Nightwing. He pursued the two into the darkness between buildings as the woman looked on, dumbfounded. The roar of the engine and lack of light prevented her from hearing or seeing what exactly was going on, but in only a few moments the young hero emerged from the alley once more, speeding right by her and out of sight. Once she had a moment to recollect her senses, she noticed her purse lying at her feet. What had just happened?

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[center][h3][b][color=white]Outside Wayne Manor[/color][/b][/h3][/center]

Dick Grayson sped along the winding hill road, finally coming to a slow. However this wasn't because he was stopping, quite the contrary. He slowed himself in order to make a turn off the road into the trees. Once that had been done he hit the throttle once again, weaving in between foliage and rocks and other natural landscapes until he came to the side of a cliff with running water. Aligning himself toward the waterfall, Grayson accelerated even faster. With his left index finger he pressed a single button on his helmet, which transmitted a radio signal outward. Immediately a large doorway opened up behind the waterfall, parting the rushing liquid to either side. In just a second Dick had passed through, and the door closed to once again allow nature its course.

The engine's roar echoed throughout the tunnel and cave, but it could not last forever. The tunnel opened wide into a large central chamber and Dick Grayson slowed his motorcycle to a complete stop, parking it right next to the Batmobile. Stepping off of his motorbike, Dick removed his helmet and called out, [color=royalblue]"Alfred? Damian? I'm home."[/color]