By 8:30, Nightwing had already handed the tips for the waiter.
"Umm, thanks for the...dinner," I thanked him awkwardly.
He smiled. "No problem."
Our table was by a large window, where we had a nice view of Gotham City at night.
"So...you used to work in a circus?" I asked the crusader sitting across from me.
He nodded. "Yep. The Flying Graysons."
Suddenly, a bright light caught my eye. Batman's symbol shone in the night sky, able to see anywhere in Gotham.
"That's the Bat signal!" I exclaimed, pointing at it.
Nightwing stood. "Yeah, I have to go. See ya."
He was almost out the door when I grabbed his hand.
"Erica, I HAVE to go--" he protested.
"Look, I'm not in Young Justice for nothing. I'm coming with you."
He groaned. "Try to catch up."
We ran out of the restaurant and he shot to the top of the building with his grappling hook. I flew after him, and we ended up on a building, with a gray-haired man.
"Nightwing!" The man acknowledged, and then looked at me. "Who's this?"
"This is Erica, Commissioner," Nightwing replied.
The Commissioner looked at the paper he was holding, not greeting me in any way.
"We heard an explosion just south of here, investigate that immediately."
Nightwing jumped off the building, right after the Commissioner's orders.
What's up with sidekicks lately? I flew after him, feeling a routine starting.
But instead, he spread his arms out, and I saw wings in between them. He glided through Gotham like a bird.
"I guess that's why they call you Nightwing," I stated as I flew up next to him.
He grinned, and we found ourselves in the middle of a gunwar.
I used Air to blow all the gunman away, except for a man wearing a red helmet with a motorcycle jacket.
Nightwing gasped. "Red hood!"
"Who?"
But we were too late. Red Hood aimed his bazooka at Nightwing, then hit the trigger.
I pushed him away and got hit. It felt as if a professional boxer had punched me out of the ring.
"Erica!" Nightwing yelled.
I gave him a thumbs-up. "I'm okay!"
Red Hood was advancing toward me, hands tight on his bazooka. "Superstrength, huh?"
I lunged at him and aimed for the helmet. I punched him into the wall a few feet away.
"Time to unmask this freak," I announced, standing in front of him, with Nightwing close behind.
Wow. A total Scooby-Doo moment. I pulled of his helmet, and found a black-haired man with a mask tight on his eyes.
Nightwing staggered back. "That's not possible..."
"What?" I looked at the man again. He seemed a few years older than me, and had a striking resemblance to Nightwing.
He smirked and held out a remote. "Anything's possible in Gotham." And pressed the button.
There were 20 seconds left on the remote, which clearly meant it was a bomb.
Red Hood drew a gun from his pocket and fired it at Nightwing.
Nightwing fell to the ground and held onto the wound.
"19...18..." He was actually enjoying this!
"Are you crazy? You're going to die!" I screamed at him. I ran to Nightwing and slung him over my shoulder, ready to leave.
"Three...Two..."
Was it my burst of intuition? I grabbed onto Red Hood's shirt and flew away from the building just as it exploded.
I looked down. He was no longer hanging onto my hand.
"Grr..." I growled, looking around.
Finally, I spotted a dark figure running away from me, smiling.
Forget him, Erica. Nightwing's hurt, you have to get him to Mount Justice, my subconscious screamed at me.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," I said to no one, heading for Mount Justice.
"Umm, thanks for the...dinner," I thanked him awkwardly.
He smiled. "No problem."
Our table was by a large window, where we had a nice view of Gotham City at night.
"So...you used to work in a circus?" I asked the crusader sitting across from me.
He nodded. "Yep. The Flying Graysons."
Suddenly, a bright light caught my eye. Batman's symbol shone in the night sky, able to see anywhere in Gotham.
"That's the Bat signal!" I exclaimed, pointing at it.
Nightwing stood. "Yeah, I have to go. See ya."
He was almost out the door when I grabbed his hand.
"Erica, I HAVE to go--" he protested.
"Look, I'm not in Young Justice for nothing. I'm coming with you."
He groaned. "Try to catch up."
We ran out of the restaurant and he shot to the top of the building with his grappling hook. I flew after him, and we ended up on a building, with a gray-haired man.
"Nightwing!" The man acknowledged, and then looked at me. "Who's this?"
"This is Erica, Commissioner," Nightwing replied.
The Commissioner looked at the paper he was holding, not greeting me in any way.
"We heard an explosion just south of here, investigate that immediately."
Nightwing jumped off the building, right after the Commissioner's orders.
What's up with sidekicks lately? I flew after him, feeling a routine starting.
But instead, he spread his arms out, and I saw wings in between them. He glided through Gotham like a bird.
"I guess that's why they call you Nightwing," I stated as I flew up next to him.
He grinned, and we found ourselves in the middle of a gunwar.
I used Air to blow all the gunman away, except for a man wearing a red helmet with a motorcycle jacket.
Nightwing gasped. "Red hood!"
"Who?"
But we were too late. Red Hood aimed his bazooka at Nightwing, then hit the trigger.
I pushed him away and got hit. It felt as if a professional boxer had punched me out of the ring.
"Erica!" Nightwing yelled.
I gave him a thumbs-up. "I'm okay!"
Red Hood was advancing toward me, hands tight on his bazooka. "Superstrength, huh?"
I lunged at him and aimed for the helmet. I punched him into the wall a few feet away.
"Time to unmask this freak," I announced, standing in front of him, with Nightwing close behind.
Wow. A total Scooby-Doo moment. I pulled of his helmet, and found a black-haired man with a mask tight on his eyes.
Nightwing staggered back. "That's not possible..."
"What?" I looked at the man again. He seemed a few years older than me, and had a striking resemblance to Nightwing.
He smirked and held out a remote. "Anything's possible in Gotham." And pressed the button.
There were 20 seconds left on the remote, which clearly meant it was a bomb.
Red Hood drew a gun from his pocket and fired it at Nightwing.
Nightwing fell to the ground and held onto the wound.
"19...18..." He was actually enjoying this!
"Are you crazy? You're going to die!" I screamed at him. I ran to Nightwing and slung him over my shoulder, ready to leave.
"Three...Two..."
Was it my burst of intuition? I grabbed onto Red Hood's shirt and flew away from the building just as it exploded.
I looked down. He was no longer hanging onto my hand.
"Grr..." I growled, looking around.
Finally, I spotted a dark figure running away from me, smiling.
Forget him, Erica. Nightwing's hurt, you have to get him to Mount Justice, my subconscious screamed at me.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," I said to no one, heading for Mount Justice.
"Sir, the cloning failed. And now the girl is fully trusted by the others. There is no possible way to-"
"That is false. The girl is mine, and she knows that. However, with the bat and bird protecting her, it will be difficult."
"Don't forget, she has begun dating the silver boy."
"Yes. But is it worth it to own her?"
"Sir?"
"I've seen her work at a small amount of power. I wonder how destructive she can be at full power. This girl can, no, will be, the end of the Justice League."
"Of course, sir."
"Leave me." The girl nodded, her red eyes glimmering in the dark. Then she exited without a sound.
The boy stepped out from the shadows, his yellow eyes darting around the screens. Each screen had a different picture of the same girl. He reached out and picked one.
"We've waited a long time for you, deary. It's time to come home."
"That is false. The girl is mine, and she knows that. However, with the bat and bird protecting her, it will be difficult."
"Don't forget, she has begun dating the silver boy."
"Yes. But is it worth it to own her?"
"Sir?"
"I've seen her work at a small amount of power. I wonder how destructive she can be at full power. This girl can, no, will be, the end of the Justice League."
"Of course, sir."
"Leave me." The girl nodded, her red eyes glimmering in the dark. Then she exited without a sound.
The boy stepped out from the shadows, his yellow eyes darting around the screens. Each screen had a different picture of the same girl. He reached out and picked one.
"We've waited a long time for you, deary. It's time to come home."