RECAP:
After the fall of
Blockbuster, Mayor Soames placed a new
official legislation into law called the Anti-Vigilante Displacement
act. Making metas and non-powered vigilantes fugitives of
justice
within the city limits of Blüdhaven. With the help
of
Special Agent Cisco Blaine, and the full power of the FBI; a new task
force was integrated into the Blüdhaven Police Department
known as
the Crime Prevention Squad. Meanwhile, Nightwing found
himself
betrayed by his information broker Oracle who agreed with Special Agent
Blaine's plans to save Blüdhaven. He also discovered
Blaine
had a sample of his DNA, which would allow him to uncover his identity,
so he fled in an effort to protect his identity and find a way to
protect Blüdhaven from the new menace that threatens it.
The past few weeks had been a roller coaster ride for Nightwing. First
Mayor Soames had placed into law the Anti-Vigilante Displacement Act,
which made it clear that Blüdhaven would not tolerate the
interference of lawless vigilantes. After that, he was run out of
town by blackmail that Special Agent Cisco Blaine held over his
head. To further complicate his problems, his long time friend,
one time crush, Barbara Gordon alias Oracle had a conversation with
Blaine in which she agreed that Blüdhaven needed a more law bound
approach. All of this culminated in his quest to find someone to
watch over Blüdhaven while he tried to find a way to wrest the
blackmail material from Blaine's hands.
With Katana dispatched to do just that, Nightwing returned to
Blüdhaven to find a riot had broken out started by the Trickster
and a boy calling himself Nite-Wing. So, he teamed up with
Flamebird who he has an uneasy relationship that is complicated by
their one night stand to try and quell it. Things however, are
not turning out so well. Nightwing could not believe how much
fighting he has had to do in the past several hours. Flamebird
has been beside him the whole time, and she looked more exhausted than
he was.
“When will this end?” she asked as she wiped sweat from her
brow.
“I don't know,” he said, then decked a guy who tried to
take a swing at him. “We just have to try and aid the
police as much as we can.”
“Easy for you to say,” she said, then hunched over, placing
her hands on her knees.
Katana drove along the Dixon Expressway, and came right off on Gibson
Lane where she saw Nightwing and Flamebird. She pulled up beside
them, and got off of her motorcycle.
“What is going on?” she asked.
“A riot broke out caused by the Trickster and some nut ball
calling himself Nite-Wing,” said Flamebird.
“To make matters worse,” said Nightwing, his arms crossed,
“the police are being a bit overwhelmed. We could use a
hand.”
“I will be glad to assist, as I'm sure would Black
Lightning.”
“Where is he?” asked Nightwing.
At that moment a bolt of lightning struck the ground, and Black
Lightning took solid form. He looked around and took notice of all the
destruction. People were fighting amongst themselves, and
everything was up for grabs.
“This reminds me of the Chicago riots, only worse.”
“I hear you,” said Nightwing. He looked in the direction
that Black Lightning was. “I wasn't yet born, but I have
heard how bad they were.”
“We best get to work,” said Katana. “The police will
need every bit of assistance we can provide.”
“Wasn't I suppose to say that,” said Nightwing. A smile
formed on his face as the group split up.
Blockbuster rode in a Humvee while Tsung drove ahead in a semi-truck
with a trailer attached. Several cars were behind them as they
drove on the Dixon Expressway toward Blüdhaven. Blockbuster
clenched and unclenched his fists in preparation for his re-encounter
with Nightwing. A dark smile formed on his face as
dark thoughts filled his mind, but he was disturbed from these thoughts
from an intrusion by his driver.
“It shouldn't be too long until we enter Blü-”
“I know that, just drive.”
“Yes sir.”
Blockbuster turned his head away from the driver. The picture of his
mother, which he had gotten from the local papers, only served to fuel
his anger. He then stared ahead, his eyes burning like hot coals.
“Our reckoning is at hand, Nightwing.”
Captain Rohrbach stood behind her fellow officer as they were trying to
get a gunman to let go of a child that he held hostage. She
looked to the officer, his name Abisai Meginhard.
“What do you think, Abisai?” she asked.
“What do I think? What do I think?” he asked.
“You're the captain...”
“I know, but...”
“But, my ass!” he said, then gave her a glare.
“You're the captain, so it's your call.”
“Find me a sniper,” she said, a hard look on her face.
He looked at her, and she looked back with a serious expression.
“Now!”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Flamebird sprinted down McDaniel Street, which was on the far west side
of Blüdhaven. Several teens were walloping each other, and
an older lady was trying to break it up, only to get shoved to the
pavement for her trouble. Flamebird ran toward the youths, leaped
in the air, and kicked two of them to the pavement, which caused the
other three to notice her.
“Who the hell is this bitch?” asked one of the
black boys.
“Bitch?” said Flamebird as she doubled up her fists.
“We'll see who’s the bitch here.”
The boy swung at Flamebird, but she side stepped him and drove the
front of her foot into the back of the boy's head. She then spun
around and slammed the bottom of her foot into his face, knocking him
onto his back. His friend ran toward her and she drove the toe of
her boot into his gut, then kneed him in the chin forcing his mouth
shut, and causing him to bite his tongue. He staggered back and
spit up some blood.
“You're gonna pay for that.”
He ran at her again, and she spun around driving the heel of her foot
into his cheek sending him crashing side ways on the pavement.
“Any of you want to call me a bitch again?” she asked the
other boys.
They shook their heads, and Flamebird walked over, and helped the older
lady up.
“Are you okay, ma'am?” she asked.
The older lady looked at the boy on the pavement, then Flamebird. The
flat of her hand struck Flamebird's cheek. Flamebird touched her
cheek, and looked at the woman as she walked over to the boy.
“Some thanks...”
Katana rode her motorcycle up Avalon Hill where she found citizens
packing away their belongings, as they prepared to flee the city.
She came by the mansion of Blockbuster, Desmond Manor; a light was on
inside and a puzzled look formed on her face. She pulled her bike
up beside the gate, and got off, then made it over the fence, and ran
up to the front door where she checked the knob.
Slowly, the knob turned; it was unlocked, which was unusual. She
didn't know much about the whole Blockbuster affair; only brief
snippets of what was shown on the television and what Nightwing had
told her. She opened the door, and snuck inside. Her hand
firmly wrapped around the handle of the Soultaker. She checked
the area before moving into the foyer. There she found a man sporting a
nose piercing that connected to a diamond stud in his ear, a sword with
wings tattoo on his right bicep, and a black leather vest.
“Who might you be?” she asked.
He turned around, a small shaved goatee on his face, a mad glint in his
eye. His head was clean-shaven, and he had biker gloves on; both
hands held stacked one hundred-dollar bills.
“None of your business, doll.”
“I'm making it my
business,” she said. Her grip tightened on the Soultaker.
“Easy,” he said. He tossed the stacked one hundred dollars
at her. “Have these!”
She pulled the Soultaker free and sliced cleanly through the stacked
hundred dollar bills, but she didn't see the chair thrown at her. The
impact caused her to lose her grip on the deadly weapon. The man
ran around to grab her sword, but she flung one of the chair pieces at
him with practiced aim. She nailed his leg, which caused him to limp
away from the Soultaker.
“Do not run too far,” she said then retrieved the
Soultaker. “I have not yet introduced you to my
hospitality.”
“Fuck you, bitch!” he said, limping away.
“What is it with men referring to us as bitches, whores, and
sluts?” she asked upon cornering him. “We are just as
formidable as you are.”
“Prove it!”
Three fast swipes with the Soultaker and the man's pants fell down, his
nose ring's chain fell to the gravel, and his chest began
bleeding. Katana perked an eyebrow and the man screamed.
“Ahhhh !”
“Are we so fragile now?” she asked.
“I'll get you for this. I swear, tramp.”
Katana leveled the Soultaker at his throat. “What was that?”
He swallowed hard. “Nothing.”
“I thought so,” she said, but kept the Soultaker
leveled. “Who are you, and what were you doing?”
“Name's Deathwing. I worked for Soames. A whole lot of good it
did, I tell ya.”
“You didn't answer my second question, Deathwing.”
“I was taking the money that Soames told me about; the money
Blockbuster hid in a safety deposit box for emergencies.”
“This house is foreclosed by the government.”
“Yeah, well tell that to Mayor Soames. He weaseled the deed into
his slimy hands.”
“Pull up your pants,” said Katana. She took a step back,
but kept the Soultaker aimed squarely at his throat. “You
and I are going for a ride.”
“'S not the type of time I considered doing after wandering for
so long, babe.”
“Say another degrading remark, and I will cut you again. But this
time it will be some place more…
private!”
Deathwing pulled his pants up then went silent, as Katana escorted him
out of the manor.
Nightwing had his hands full, as the tenant building was on fire.
He ran through the front door, and looked around, the smoke clawing at
his lungs. He put his rebreather on, and ran up the steps as he
heard voices.
“HELP!”
“Hold on,” said Nightwing, his voice distorted by the
rebreather.
He made it up the stairs, and came around the hall where he found a
woman with a collapsed child on the floor. She couldn't pick him
up, nor could she carry herself out because of her injuries. He
came over, and checked her over as quickly as possible and then the
boy. The roof creaked, so he realized he had to get them both out
of there at the same time. He fired a grapple line across the
street, and tied the other end around a support column that was holding
steady. He picked the woman up gently.
“Hold on tight.”
“My son!” she said, panic on her face.
He bent down, and grabbed the boy; then climbed up into the
windowsill. An explosion rocked the building, and he realized he
had little choice, so he jumped. His arm was jerked hard by the
added weight, but he managed to hold on. He slid down to the
lower room on the tenant building across the street, and stopped
himself where he could let the mom and boy down. He pulled his
ear mic out, and placed it in his ear.
“Oracle, are you on-line?”
I thought you'd never speak to me
again...
“No time for that. I need an ambulance at Gibson's Lot, off of
Van Fleet Street and Land Avenue.”
Understood. Nice to talk with you
again, Man Wonder.
“Yeah, same here.”
To
be Continued...
Next Issue: Road
To Recovery Part 2: Blockbuster arrives, and all bets are off!
NEVERMORE:
Women; a handful of trouble, a shapely double, an instant classic.
