Disclaimer: All the characters are owned by DC Comics and Time/Warner; this is 

an original story that does not intend to infringe on their copyright. 

Feedback is welcome! 

Copyright May 2000

****

Friends 2: Someone to Watch Over Me

By Syl Francis

There is somebody I'm longing to see

I hope that he

Turns out to be

Someone who'll watch over me... 

(George and Ira Gershwin)

****

"Oracle? Come in, Oracle!" Black Canary vaulted over the open pit. As she 

reached the other side, she chanced a look. Snakes. Ugh. 

"Hey! Oracle! I could use a little help here!" she hissed, as she ran at a half-

crouch towards the next building. Oracle said she'd be off-line until shortly 

before Black Canary arrived at the objective. Oracle was late.

Black Canary found herself suddenly surrounded. She instantly went into a 

defensive position. Assessing her opponents, she grinned suddenly. Goons, of the 

big and dumb variety. They began moving in.

"Now, now, boys. There's plenty of me to go around." With that, she launched 

herself at the two men on her right. Soon, the muffled sounds of grunts, cries 

of pain, and flesh pounding flesh could be heard in the dark.

As she fought, she spoke into her comlink. 

"I guess what they say is true," she muttered, annoyed. "Good help--" She leaped 

and kicked. "--is *so* hard to find these days!"

In less than five minutes, she was standing over her unconscious opponents, 

breathing raggedly. Bringing her hand up to her special earrings, she was about 

to speak again, when someone finally answered her calls.

"Black Canary? What do you need?"

It was a male voice. Deep. Exceptionally deep. Black Canary felt a cold shiver. 

Batman? 

"BC?"

"I'd know that soft, comforting sound anywhere," Black Canary replied 

sarcastically, as she flitted through the shadows of the chaotic compound.

"..." The long pause spoke volumes: Get on with it, Black Canary. We don't have 

all night. 

Okay, okay, she groused silently. Doesn't the guy *ever* laugh?

"Batman, I found the factory. They've manufactured enough of the deadly chemical 

gas to wipe out a large city--several large cities, in fact. The plant is 

located exactly where Oracle reported that it'd be. I've set the main control 

unit to self-destruct--"

"--BC, not the self-destruct! That'll release the gas into the atmosphere! Kill 

every living thing within a twenty-mile radius!"

"Jeez! What *is* it about you people?" Black Canary shot back. "You think just 

'cause I'm blonde, I'm also dumb?" 

"No, I--"

"I happen to know that the self-destruct is a built-in safety measure and will 

break the deadly compound into its separate harmless chemical components."

"BC, I--"

"First, your girlfriend bosses me around like I'm some kind of a G.I. Barbie--!"

"--Oracle is *not* my girlfriend--!"

"--Now, *you* question my actions--!"

"--BC, I'm not questioning--!"

"Well, you can take your cape and cowl and you can--"

"--*BC*!" Batman interrupted. "*Listen*!"

"No, *you* listen, you pointy-eared, night crawler!" She paused momentarily as 

she ducked into a large building, an airplane hangar. Several Soviet-made MiGs 

and US Navy Tomcats were lined up with military precision. "I'm getting *so* 

sick of--"

"*Shut up*!" Batman roared. 

Black Canary stopped in her tracks. The temerity of the man! She was about to 

respond in kind, when Batman's urgent voice came over her receivers. 

"We don't have much time," he insisted. "Listen carefully. The self-destruct 

protocols of the factory's main control unit are misleading. The designers 

intentionally engineered it so that the chemical gases *will* be released into 

the atmosphere should it be set off."

"What? But the information Oracle gave me said--"

"I know what it said, BC. It was the best information I had available at the 

time. But it was wrong," Batman admitted, and then added apologetically, "*I* 

was wrong. I'm sorry."

"...!" Batman's apology rendered Black Canary speechless. Realizing she was 

running out of time, she took a long, regretful look at her getaway jet fighter, 

and began running back in the direction that she'd just come from.

"Hey, no sweat, Bats," Black Canary said. "By my watch, I have at least ten 

minutes left to cancel the self-destruct. Plenty of time." 

She was ambushed from two sides. Kicking out, she caught one in the stomach. As 

he doubled over in pain, she followed through with an elbow to the temple. 

"BC?"

"Sorry, Bats. Couple of trogs jumped me. One's down, the other one's giving me 

trouble."

"BC, you have eight minutes and counting. Neutralize the enemy and continue with 

the mission!"

Black Canary rolled her eyes. "Now I know where Oracle gets the military-ese," 

she quipped. 

"Seven minutes!" Batman warned.

"Oh, great, now I have mission control counting down till lift off. Look, 

Batman. It's been swell talking to ya, but I really gotta go. Time's a'wasting! 

BC out."

****

"Black Canary! BC!" Batman called. "Dinah! Come in!"

"What is it?" Barbara asked from the entranceway. She'd been having dinner with 

her father, Commissioner Gordon, and Batman had volunteered to monitor her 

station while she was gone. It was her Dad's wedding anniversary, the first 

since the death of Sarah, his wife. Barbara hadn't wanted him to spend it alone.

"Black Canary's in trouble," Batman replied, pacing. "And it's my fault." He 

slammed a fist on a convenient table. The contents rattled from the force. 

"I was held up by a bank robbery in progress on my way here. I was about to call 

in the robbery to the GCPD, when I saw the hostages." He stopped pacing. He 

didn't add that it took him longer than estimated to stop the robbery and rescue 

the victims. 

"So what's happened with Dinah?" Barbara asked, worried about Black Canary. 

Batman explained as succinctly as possible.

"That was--" He looked at the clock on the desk. "--five minutes ago." Batman 

stood still, somehow looking both menacing and lost in the middle of the room.

Barbara immediately wheeled towards her station. Without a word, she got to 

work. She had to try to stop the self-destruct sequence. 

"We shouldn't have sent her on this mission alone," Batman said. 

"You know why we did," Barbara retorted. "We couldn't be sure that we'd be able 

to destroy all of the gas from here." 

Batman nodded. He knew that what she said was true. They *had* needed to ensure 

that all of the deadly chemical agent was eradicated. And Black Canary was the 

best operative in the world.

"Dinah has less than two minutes," she muttered, her fingers flying. "If the 

poison gas was exactly where we said it was, then--" She punched a few more 

rapid commands, and finally hit enter.

Instantly, her bank of monitors reset. The multiple monitors became a giant 

screen, each monitor showing a portion of the larger picture. Batman looked at 

it, studying it carefully.

Finally, the satellite camera zoomed in on a particular building. It looked like 

a grain silo, typical of those found in the largely agrarian society that was 

the hidden base for one of KOBRA's satraps.

"Fifty-seven seconds," Batman said.

"I'm trying to hack into the factory's main banks, but it has a *way* weird set 

of security protocols. Worse than yours," she added under her breath.

"Forty seconds." Batman's voice sounded calm. Barbara knew that when he was at 

his most outwardly calm, Batman was at his most anxious. She'd heard this cold, 

icy tone before when Nightwing and the rest of the former Titans had been 

kidnapped by Cyberion.  

"I'm almost in," Barbara intoned. "Just a few more seconds..." Her fingers flew 

across her keyboard. She looked at the clock. 

Twenty seconds.

She wasn't going to make it. She *knew* it! It was impossible. Barbara was good. 

She was the best. But even she couldn't make the circuitry send telemetry faster 

than the speed of light. And at this rate, she needed at least thirty seconds. 

Ten more than she had--!

"--Batman! Come in!" 

"Dinah!" Barbara called, relieved.

"Tell your boss, everything's a-okay!" Black Canary said easily. 

"He's *not* my boss!" Barbara replied sharply.

"Well, maybe not entirely a-okay," Black Canary continued, ignoring Barbara's 

interruption. "Now I've gotta figure out a way to destroy this stuff all over 

again. Oh, and tell ol' Grim and Grimmer for me that next time, he'd better get 

his facts straight, or I'll--"

"Oh, um, you can tell him yourself, BC. Batman is standing right here." Barbara 

looked up at Batman. She was greatly enjoying herself.

"Good work, Black Canary," Batman said. "I think I know how to neutralize the 

objective."

"'Neutralize the objective'?" Black Canary repeated. "Don't you speak English?" 

she complained. 

The sounds of dogs barking in the distance came over the intercom.

"Uh-oh," Black Canary uttered. "Trouble. Gotta run." 

Barbara zoomed out with the satellite camera. She typed a few keystrokes. 

Several blinking lights could be seen moving in on a converging pattern. She 

pointed at the lone blue dot moving rapidly away from the larger pack. They were 

all heading due east, towards the shoreline.

"The blue is Dinah," she explained. "The red are the bad guys."

Batman nodded. The red dots were closing in. A second set of red dots appeared 

at the top of the screen.

"Dinah!" Barbara called. "There's a second group rapidly closing in from the 

north."

"No, kidding? What gave 'em away? The laser rifle-fire? Or their bad breath? I 

swear I can smell it from this distance."

Suddenly two other groups of red dots appeared advancing from the south and 

east.

"Dinah!" Barbara warned. The screen showed a large red blob completely 

enveloping the lone blue dot. 

"Too late, Oracle! There's too many of them!" Black Canary broke in. Batman and 

Barbara could hear her talking to her pursuers. "Okay, boys...One at a time? Or 

all at once?" She gave a short laugh. "My, my...aren't *we* eager?" 

The sounds of fighting erupted over the intercom. Barbara sat, tensely 

listening, nervously playing with a number two pencil. The distinct ticking of 

the clock was the only other sound in the room. Angry shouts and grunts echoed 

off the walls.

Black Canary screamed. Barbara abruptly snapped the pencil in two. 

"*No*! Do not kill her!" a deep voice ordered. "The Supreme Serpent will be most 

pleased--Ooommph!!"

"Eat *this* fang boy!" The sound of bone breaking resounded from the intercoms.

"Stop her, you fools!"

"Uhhnn--!" Heavy breathing, more angry shouts, grunts, and the sound of an open-

handed slap. 

"Immobilize her!" the deep voice roared. "And if she doesn't cooperate throw her 

in the pit."

Batman slammed his fist on top of the desk monitor.

"Hey! Watch it!" Barbara retorted. "You know how much that thing costs?"

Batman ignored her. He was already crouched on the windowsill, ready to take off 

into the night.

"Tell her help's on the way." He fired a jump line to the roof. 

"Help?" Barbara called. "But she's more than twelve hours away!" Barbara was 

talking to empty air. "In a country that didn't even exist six months ago," she 

added under her breath. "Somewhere near the Black Sea." 

Sighing, she wheeled to her station and began trying to contact her operative. 

No, Barbara silently amended. Her friend.

As he rose, Batman spoke softly into his wrist communicator. Landing on the 

roof, he stood and waited, but not for long. A large black shadow swooped over 

him and grew steadily larger. Soon, the Batwing hovered just off the roof, and 

the pilot's canopy opened for him.

****

The darkness didn't lift. Black Canary knew she'd opened her eyes, but the 

darkness remained. She blinked to clear the cobwebs and took a cursory 

assessment of her body. She decided it was safe to sit up.

"Uhhhnn..." she groaned softly. "I've gotta find another line of work." She 

brought her hand up to her head. Shackled! Fuming, she yanked uselessly. She 

dropped her hands letting out a long breath. 

"Terrific." She looked around. The gloom was almost impenetrable, but her eyes 

soon adjusted.

She was in a small, windowless cell. From the smells permeating the enclosure, 

it was also filthy.

"Oracle?" she called. A fizzing hiss was her only response. The comlink was 

either broken or blocked. "Okay, Dinah, you've got only yourself to depend on." 

And that was exactly how she liked it. Awkwardly bringing her shackled hands up 

to her collar, Black Canary felt with her fingers until she found a hidden 

Velcro patch.

Tugging carefully, she removed the patch and held it gently in the palm of her 

hand. Again, going by touch only, Black Canary found what she was searching for-

-a thin sliver of metal.

"Skeleton key: never leave home without one," she quipped. Within moments Black 

Canary had removed her restraints. She replaced her key in its hiding place. 

Feeling her way along the wall, she found the door. Working blindly she tried 

gauging its makeup.

"Cold metal," she muttered. "Seamless, no apparent knobs or locking mechanisms." 

She paused her verbal commentary as she continued her inspection. Running her 

fingers around the door seal, she stopped. She ran her fingers lightly back a 

bit.

"Hello! What do we have here?" she asked. She'd felt a small raised area in the 

otherwise smooth surface. "Hmmm...A control button maybe?" Which could mean that 

the door opened electronically rather than mechanically. 

"Okay, lock picks won't work here," she muttered. "So, let's see what the big, 

bad snake boys missed, shall we?"

Humming softly to herself, Black Canary opened her tunic. Her fingers went 

automatically to the inner hidden compartments.

"A girl just can't be too careful these days," she muttered. "No telling if 

she'll have to break out of foul smelling dungeons." As she spoke these last 

words, she found what she needed.

Working quickly, Black Canary placed the small plastic charge on the control 

button and door seal, set the fuse, and stepped back. Covering her eyes, she 

counted to ten. A soft hiss preceded a surprisingly quiet ~whoomph~! Hurrying 

back to the door, Black Canary grinned when she found it open.

"I love it when a plan comes together," she said stepping out. It was the last 

thing she said.

****

The rain of blazing automatic fire came from all sides. Nightwing tumbled, 

rolled, and dived for his life. A spotlight suddenly caught him in its beam, 

pinpointing his position. Leaping between buildings, Nightwing somersaulted in 

midair, gracefully dodging the hail of bullets. 

"Woo-hoo!" he cried in boyish exuberance.

Nightwing hadn't had this much fun in a week. Chief Redhorn's crooked SWAT teams 

had him pinned from the air and several rooftops.

Acquiring and readying a Batarang, Nightwing flashed his would be killers a 

broad grin, and threw. The bright beam of light went out. He heard the faint 

tinkling of breaking glass in the evening breeze.

"So many cops. So little time," he said. Crouching behind a rooftop air 

conditioning unit, he drew a deep breath. Going through the necessary steps in 

his mind, Nightwing suddenly heard Batman's patient voice in his head...

****

"Remember, Dick. Always keep a cool head and always take it by the numbers."

"Yes, sir," Robin replied solemnly. "Bruce? What if the bad guys don't go by the 

numbers?"

Batman looked down at him, his usually stern expression softening. "Then go to 

Plan B."

"What's Plan B?" Robin asked.

"You'll know when the time comes..." 

****

Nightwing grinned. "Okay, Bruce. Plan B it is."

"Did I hear somebody mention Plan B?"

Nightwing almost jumped out of his skin. Hovering less than ten feet away, and 

in absolute silence was the Batwing. Batman touched his forehead with his 

forefinger in mock salute.

Nightwing could literally *feel* the deep thrumming of the aircraft's stealth 

engines. Gunshots suddenly erupted around him. Nightwing didn't wait to be 

invited. He leaped across the distance separating him from the Batwing and 

managed to latch on.

Flexing his biceps, he easily pulled himself onboard. Gasping in relief, he 

looked at Batman.

"What now?" he asked.

"It's *your* game," Batman said. "*You* call the shot."

"Helicopter," Nightwing uttered. 

"Helicopter it is." Batman immediately banked the Batwing and took off towards 

the Bludhaven Police Department helicopter. They were immediately targeted by 

the helicopter's .50 caliber Gatling gun. The hot rounds ricocheted off the 

Batwing's armored body.

As Batman straightened the aircraft, Nightwing jumped onto the starboard-side 

wing and waited at a crouch. Batman brought the plane in closer. When they were 

within twenty feet, Nightwing leaped out, firing off a grappling hook. It wound 

itself around the helicopter's landing skid and pulled him in.

The air around him reverberated with the sounds of automatic fire. He felt the 

white hot whizzes of bullets shooting past him. Reaching the skid, Nightwing 

swung his body up feet first into the open cargo door. He connected immediately 

with a police sniper.

Once inside, Nightwing made short work of the occupants in the cargo hold. He 

started forward. The co-pilot awkwardly tried turning, taking aim with his 

handgun. Nightwing easily kicked it out of his hand, and chopped down on the 

officer's neck. He turned to the pilot.

"So, wanna land this thing? Or should I tell my pal in the big, black plane to 

vaporize you?"

The pilot looked at him with wide, frightened eyes. His forehead beaded with 

sweat.

"I-I th-thought the Bat didn't k-kill?" he squeaked. 

"I'm afraid that that's just an unconfirmed rumor," Nightwing said smirking. 

"I've seen him get mad. It's not pretty."

"--Ulp!" The pilot immediately started going down. "Wha--? What will you do with 

us?"

"You'll find out."

****

"What *will* you do with them?" Batman asked as they took off. Nightwing had 

immobilized all of the crooked cops with plastic tie-wraps.

"The Feds have been trying to bust the BPD's disappearing evidence ring for 

about eight weeks now. I've called in the location of the warehouse where 

they've been stashing the stolen drugs and money that were taken from the 

evidence room."

"Good work," Batman said.

"Awww shucks! It was nothing! I mean, I was trained by the very best."

"Is that right?" Batman asked. 

"You bet!"

"Well, I've got it on good authority that you're a quick learner." 

"Oh, yeah? Who?"

Batman quirked an eyebrow at Nightwing. Nightwing's face cracked into a wide 

grin. Together they both said, "Alfred!"

The warm moment passed quickly. 

"So, to what do I owe *this* visit?" Nightwing asked.

"Do you feel up to a little trip?" 

"Bruce...things are a little complicated at the moment. Blockbuster's dying and 

the jackals are all coming out of the woodwork vying to move in on his 

territory. Bludhaven's about to explode in the Mother of all gang wars!"

Batman nodded and then added quietly, "I need you." He kept his eyes carefully 

forward.

"...!?" Nightwing stared at Batman open-mouthed, his jaw working as he tried to 

say something. He turned away, his emotions in turmoil. He let out a long 

breath. "Okay. On one condition."

"What?" 

Grabbing the co-pilot controls, Nightwing grinned. "I get to drive!" 

With that, he punched the onboard computer, transferring control to his co-pilot 

station. Before Batman could intervene, Nightwing pushed the Batwing's throttle 

to full forward and threw the aircraft into a forward spin.

"Woo-hoo!" Nightwing cried out enthusiastically. Batman shook his head and 

allowed himself a small smile. Some things never changed.

****

Voices swam in and out of consciousness.

"What will you do with her, Supreme Serpent?"

"I shall have my pleasure with her." The ominous voice died out for a moment, 

and then returned again. "...feed her to my pets."

Nuh-uh. Don't *think* so, Black Canary said to herself. 

She swallowed. The blackness kept threatening to engulf her again. She fought 

valiantly to remain awake. 

Get up, she urged silently. She was lying on something soft and silky, the 

delicate scent of roses caressing her senses. 

Where was she? This was not the filthy dungeon that she'd awakened in 

previously.

Forcing her eyes to open, Black Canary felt as if she were looking at the world 

from the wrong end of a telescope. Near objects appeared far away. Blinking to 

clear her vision, she focused on the pillow immediately in front of her. The 

ripples of the pillowcase were magnified to the size of snow-covered hills.

Black Canary ran her hand down her sides, feeling her clothing. Her costume was 

gone. In its place was something soft and smooth. She grimaced, furious.

Turning slowly onto her side and back, Black Canary took in the layout of the 

room. She felt as if she were in a funhouse mirror. Everything was distorted, 

warped. She sat up and was instantly overwhelmed by a feeling of nausea. 

"Drugged," she muttered disgustedly.

"Yes, my pretty bird," a low, menacing hiss said. Black Canary turned her head 

in the direction that she'd heard the cold voice. She blinked in vain, again 

trying to clear her swimming vision.

A reptilian figure stepped into her line of sight. The color of his tunic 

identified him as the KOBRA leader, the self-proclaimed Supreme Serpent. Black 

Canary didn't say anything, waiting for him to speak.

"You have been a constant thorn on our side," he said. "What have you to say for 

yourself?"

Wiping her tearing eyes, Black Canary blinked up at him. Focusing on his putrid 

green tunic, which overlay his golden diamondback armor, she grimaced.

"Either that color goes, or I do," she muttered. The KOBRA leader laughed, a 

cold dry laugh.

"You show no fear," he said. "Excellent. The greatest pleasure comes when the 

impudent are made to scream. When I am done with you, my dear, you will beg me 

to kill you." 

"Can't wait," Black Canary muttered sarcastically.

An urgent pounding at the door interrupted them. "Who dares!?" the KOBRA leader 

roared, flinging the door open.

"Pardon, oh, Great One!" the viper soldier said, dropping to one knee in terror. 

"Our radar has detected an unidentified craft that has just entered KOBRA 

airspace."

"Very well," the Supreme Serpent said. "Tell the KOBRA officer in charge that I 

shall be there momentarily." The viper soldier prostrated himself, and then 

almost seemed to slither out in his haste and fear.

"It appears, my dear," he said regretfully, "that our moment together shall have 

to be delayed slightly." He walked up to Black Canary and roughly took her face 

in his hand. He turned it one way, and then the other. "You are so very lovely," 

he murmured. "It's a shame that I shall have to kill you." 

Black Canary jerked her head out of his grip and stared defiantly up at him. He 

grinned his serpentine smile and ran his fingers down her cheek, her neck, and 

her exposed shoulders. 

"I shall be back soon."

Black Canary shuddered at his cold touch. As soon as the door closed behind him, 

she stumbled out of bed. 

"I'm outta here! Ugh! I *hate* snakes!" 

****

"Oracle, ten minutes to the KOBRA coordinates," Nightwing reported and then 

added, "Hi, gorgeous."

"I copy two minutes," Oracle's disembodied, electronic voice replied. The Oracle 

icon stared coldly at him from the Batwing video monitor.

"I'm doing fine," Nightwing replied. "Thank you for asking."

The Oracle icon quickly broke up into a million bits of information and reformed 

into Barbara Gordon's beautiful face. She had a tired smile as she gazed at him.

"Don't mention it, Boy Wonder." 

"If you two are done," Batman interrupted, "maybe we can get down to business."

Both young people exchanged surprised glances. Barbara's raised eyebrow silently 

asked, 'What's with *him*?' Nightwing shrugged slightly.

"Have you been able to re-establish contact with Black Canary?" Batman asked.

"No. Her comlink signal is either being blocked, or the transceivers have been 

broken."

"What could block her signal?" Nightwing asked. "I thought you pretty much had 

the market on gee-whiz gadgetry up there at the ol' clocktower."

"I do," Barbara retorted. "But I'm not a magician. Telemetry has to have a clear 

path in order to work. If she's being kept in a deep, underground bunker, it's 

possible that her comlink has been temporarily neutralized."

"We read you, Oracle," Batman replied. "Have you been able to crack those 

security codes, yet?"

"Done. I'll be ready when you give the word."

"Good work," he said.

"Good luck, boys," Barbara said quietly. 

"Don't worry, Babs," Nightwing reassured her. "We'll bring her home. You have my 

word."

After Barbara signed off, Batman started dropping altitude. "Radar," he said. 

"Deploy countermeasures."

Nightwing punched a button on his console. Instantly, a stream of glittering, 

aluminum filaments shot out of the Batwing aft section. The metallic strips 

would show up on the enemy radar as a blob, effectively rendering his radar 

useless.

"Countermeasures deployed," Nightwing reported. 

As soon as the words were out of Nightwing's mouth, Batman banked the Batwing 

hard to starboard and dropped it several thousand feet in less than ten seconds. 

Nightwing felt his stomach in his throat. He worked to keep its contents where 

they were.

"Oh, boy," Nightwing muttered. He shook his head. Some things never changed.

****

Black Canary fought to maintain her equilibrium as she moved around the room. 

She was on an out of control merry-go-round. Every step she took put her in 

danger of being flung off. She stumbled from the bed to a low cocktail table to 

a door--not the one from which the KOBRA leader had left. 

Gasping from the effort, Black Canary leaned against it. She blinked hard. Her 

vision remained blurred; however, she noted that the objects in the room weren't 

swimming around quite as much. Whatever drugs they'd used on her might be 

wearing off.

Black Canary reached for the door handle. She had to make several attempts 

before she finally managed to grasp it. Her depth perception was still affected. 

As carefully as she could, Black Canary turned the handle down. She heard the 

distinct ~click~ of a bolt being released.

Cracking the door slightly, she checked the other side. Black Canary sighed in 

disappointment. It was a closet. She searched in the vain hopes that her uniform 

would be in it. It wasn't. 

She closed her eyes against the distorted images before her. The act seemed to 

stabilize her somewhat. The room didn't feel like it was rocking underneath her. 

Going by feel alone, she ran her hands along the walls, looking for any hidden 

entrances or weak spots. Nothing. Enraged, she swept her arms across the 

dresser, dumping all of the contents on the floor.

They fell with a resounding crash. Alerted by the noise, the guards outside her 

door came in at a run, their weapons drawn. Black Canary once again closed her 

eyes against the dizziness, and estimating the guards' distance from her, leaped 

into action.

****

They moved through the compound with a stealth honed from years of experience. 

Although the sun shone with the brightness of midday, the two remained shadows, 

unseen and unheard. They communicated the old way, through hand-signals only. As 

they advanced, they quickly fell into their old patterns.

Instead of feeling the bitterness that until recently would have threatened to 

consume him, Nightwing felt content. It was just like old times. He seldom got 

the opportunity to work with Batman anymore. So often, when he was called in to 

help, it was more of a command than a request.

But this time Batman had asked.

//"I need you."// The words echoed in Nightwing's mind. Studying Batman who was 

running ahead of him, seemingly disappearing in and out of his vision, Nightwing 

shook his head and smiled slightly. 

"I need you, too, Bruce," he whispered.   

****

Black Canary stood over the unconscious viper guards. She closed her eyes 

against the on-set of vertigo. Stooping, she searched them with her hands, 

feeling for weapons, anything that she'd be able to use to her advantage.

She'd noticed that they all wore equipment harnesses and that they carried high-

powered energy weapons. Breathing heavily, she fell on her knees next to one of 

the guards. Risking a look, she did a visual search. Quickly, she unclasped the 

guard's equipment harness belt and put it on herself. She looked around the 

immediate area for his energy weapon.

She found it a few feet away. Not bothering to get up, she crawled towards it. 

Again, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her, Black Canary was forced to put 

her head down between her knees to keep from losing consciousness. When the room 

stopped its wild spinning, she dared to open her eyes again.

Knowledgeable in almost all types of handheld and shoulder carried armaments, 

Black Canary expertly inspected the Viper rifle. It looked relatively simple to 

operate. It had several settings, ranging from stun to fry. She set the weapon 

at mid-setting for heavy stun.

"But if that snake touches me again," she growled, "I may just have to kill 

him."

****

As they moved through the compound, they avoided contact with the enemy. 

Batman's operations order rang clearly in Nightwing's head.

"Our mission is twofold: First, we neutralize the chemical agent and the 

manufacturing process. Second, we find Black Canary and we get her out. And I 

don't have to tell you which is the more important of the two, do I?"

Nightwing shook his head and looked away. "No, sir."

Black Canary was a friend and a hero, but her life weighed against the possible 

millions that KOBRA's poison gas could kill made her expendable. As were they.

As he weaved and dodged along the shadows and open spaces, Nightwing wondered 

what he'd tell Lian Harper if her "Gramma Canary" didn't make it. He vowed that 

it wouldn't come to that.

****

//"...And I don't have to tell you which is the more important of the two, do 

I?"// 

Batman's own words haunted him as he moved towards the objective. So easy to say 

them, he thought with self-recrimination, so easy to condemn a friend to 

possible death. Even as he'd uttered them, he knew he was lying. Black Canary 

was one of the finest fighters he knew. Like him, she had no powers to rely to 

on, just her own innate abilities and courage.

He'd observed her through the past years. She'd been a constant annoyance at the 

start, young and arrogant, harping on her ties to the old Justice Society of 

America. She was too hotheaded for Batman's tastes, always jumping foolishly 

into situations without first taking the time to analyze.

But as the years passed, Black Canary matured, both as a fighter and a hero. She 

could hold her own against some of the best and worst out there. He'd been 

hesitant about having her team-up with Oracle, but the partnership had evolved 

into something special, almost symbiotic.

Batman felt that Black Canary was a member of his 'family,' if only 

peripherally. And she was now in trouble because of *his* mistake. His words 

echoed in his head again. 

Arriving at the objective, Batman nodded at Nightwing. The younger man slapped 

an explosive charge on the main entrance. Batman counted off with his fingers. 

When he made a fist, the explosive went off, blowing the door open. 

As they both dived into the ensuing darkness, Batman swore that his words would 

not prove prophetic.

****

Black Canary stumbled and weaved through the long empty corridor. Where was 

everybody, she wondered? As if in answer, a squad of Viper soldiers turned a 

corner in her direction. They spotted her instantly.

Black Canary dived, executed a shoulder roll, and came up firing. Her reflexes 

were slower than she was used to, and therefore, several shots almost hit her. 

She dodged several more, still firing in return. Finally, afraid that she was 

going to lose the battle, Black Canary closed her eyes and instinctively leaped 

and somersaulted in the air, all the while firing her weapon in the direction of 

the squad of enemy soldiers.

After a seeming eternity, the only sound she heard was that of her own rifle. 

Leaning against the corridor wall, she opened her eyes and assessed the damage. 

The soldiers were lying in various positions along the corridor. They were all 

unconscious.

Breathing heavily, Black Canary swallowed, waiting for her heartbeat to slow 

down. A wave of nausea washed through her. Closing her eyes tightly, she brought 

her hand up to her mouth and willed the queasiness to pass.

"Okay, they came from that direction," she croaked. "Then, that's where I'm 

going, too."

****

Batman took three down with only one Batarang.

"You've gotta show me how you *do* that!" Nightwing called admiringly. 

"Lucky shot," Batman admitted, catching it on the return. 

Nightwing leaped above the heads of several Viper soldiers, kicking out with 

both feet. Gracefully bringing both legs together, he flipped and landed behind 

them. Acquiring and readying a Batarang, he threw.

On the other side, Batman who'd already taken down several soldiers single-

handedly was kicking, lunging, and chopping down with ease. Seeing what 

Nightwing was up to, Batman threw likewise. 

As one, both Batarangs whipped around the enemy soldiers, trailing a heavy, 

triple-weave, NOMEX net. In seconds they were immobilized.

"Good work, partner," Nightwing said.

"You've learned a few new moves while you've been away," Batman observed, as 

they continued on the downwardly sloping corridor.

"Well, if *you* had almost an entire police force out for your blood," Nightwing 

replied, "you'd learn a few new moves, too."

"Point taken," Batman answered. He scanned the corridors ahead. Spotting an air 

conditioning vent, he said, "That way." Nightwing nodded and set a minimal 

plastic charge along the vent's seal. At Batman's go-ahead, he lit the fuse and 

both men stepped back.

Within seconds the vent was open. One at a time, each man easily leaped and 

pulled himself into the air conduit. There was just enough room for them to move 

forward towards their objective. 

****

Black Canary was surrounded. They'd come at her from three sides in teams of 

ten. Even if she were at her peak condition, she'd have a difficult time 

fighting off these many. Still woozy from the effects of the drug, she was being 

overwhelmed.

She fought like a cornered wildcat, desperately kicking out with killing force. 

She used the weapon, useless at close quarters, as a club. Leaping over their 

heads, she spun and kicked out, connecting with several. She tucked and 

somersaulted in midair, trying to fly clear of the enemy below.

It didn't work. She landed in the middle of a maelstrom. Too many, her mind 

cried out. Too many!

Suddenly, the ceiling above them burst open, and two angels in black leaped into 

the fray.

****

"Supreme Serpent!" A Viper officer saluted. The KOBRA leader stood on the raised 

dais of his main control room. "The woman has escaped. We have received several 

reports of firefights throughout the complex."

The KOBRA leader slammed his fist on the control console. "Find her! And when 

you do, bring her to me!" The Viper officer saluted and left. "When I'm done 

with you Black Canary, you will *beg* for release. This I swear!" He turned to 

his operations and tactics center.

"What of the unidentified aircraft? Has it been located?"

"No, your Supreme Serpent!" the operations officer reported. "We have several 

air and ground patrols sweeping the area outside the compound. So far we haven't 

found anything."

"What is the status of the chemical warheads?" he asked.

"They are almost all assembled, Supreme Serpent. The assembly teams report 

another half hour."

"Good. Raise NATO Headquarters," KOBRA leader ordered. "I wish to speak to the 

Commanding Officer, General John R. Myers. He is about to condemn the entire 

population of London, England to death." 

****

"She's coming to," a youngish male voice said.

"Here, put this over her," a deeper voice replied. Black Canary felt gentle 

hands sit her up and slip something warm and heavy over her head. Struggling to 

open her eyes, she looked up at two masked faces swimming above her. She blinked 

slowly, trying to focus. Finally, the two faces solidified.

She smiled slightly.

"Hello, boys," she whispered. "Fancy meeting you here."

Nightwing grinned broadly. "Roy said you were one tough lady."

"Black Canary, do you think you can stand?" Batman asked.

"Think so. Drugged. Everything's kinda woozy." Batman nodded and reached into 

his utility belt. Black Canary couldn't see what he was doing. A syringe 

appeared suddenly above her. She cringed. Needles. She didn't care for them 

either.

"This won't hurt," Batman reassured her. Nevertheless, Black Canary turned her 

head, unable to watch. She felt a slight pressure on her forearm, followed by a 

not unpleasant tingling sensation.

"It's a fast-acting anti-KOBRA venom," Batman explained. "You should be feeling 

a little more like yourself in another few minutes." Black Canary nodded 

gratefully.

"Thank you," she said, eyes closed, leaning her head on his chest.

"Meanwhile," Batman said, gently lifting her in his arms, "we still have a job 

to do."

"Batman, I'll take care of the objective," Nightwing said. "You take BC back to 

safety."

"No," Black Canary protested faintly. "I'll be all right. Put me down. I can 

walk on my own."

"The serum hasn't taken complete effect yet," Batman said dismissively. "You'd 

never make it alone."

"Hey, buster," she growled weakly, "I made it this far without your help."

"Yes, and you almost got yourself re-captured," Batman retorted. "Nightwing, 

take her back to the Batwing. I'll finish the job." 

"Sorry, Batman," Nightwing said with a wave. "Not this time. Besides," he added 

with a smirk. "You two make such a cute couple." 

"Nightwing!" Batman's stern voice would brook no insubordination.

"Gotta run," Nightwing replied. "I've a hot date with a snake." Halfway down the 

corridor, he turned and called back. "Take good care of her. I know a certain 

little girl who sets real store by her." With that, he disappeared down a blind 

corner.

"Kids," Black Canary whispered. "They grow up so fast. Before you know it, they 

develop a mind of their own." She pointed in the direction that Nightwing had 

gone with her chin. "You really care about that boy, don't you?"

Batman didn't answer. Instead, he turned and headed back the way they'd come. 

Black Canary looked down at what she was wearing. Something black. Batman's 

cape, she realized. He'd solicitously cut a slit in the middle, turning it into 

a poncho. She smiled warmly. "Thanks for the use of the cape, Batman," she said 

looking up at him.

Batman looked down at her and shrugged. "You looked...cold," he said, stumbling 

over his words. 

Black Canary smiled at his answer and then straightened her shoulders. "Look, 

I'm fine now. Put me down and go help your kid." Batman again ignored her. Black 

Canary's mouth formed into a single determined line. "Time to put me down, 

Batman. I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself."

Batman stopped in his tracks and did as she requested. He set her down on her 

feet. Immediately, the room began spinning around her. 

"Hey! This is worse than before," she protested, falling over. Batman picked her 

up again.

"I know. The anti-venom is working its way through your system. Until it cleans 

out all traces of the KOBRA venom, it's going to play havoc with your 

equilibrium." 

Black Canary fumed in his arms. "Oh, this is just terrific!" she muttered. "The 

rescue is turning out to be worse than the imprisonment. At least I knew that I 

couldn't trust *them*!"

Batman looked down at her, annoyed. "Were you this much trouble with Green 

Arrow?" he asked. Black Canary grinned slightly. 

"No, Ollie was too afraid of me to ignore my wishes."

Batman's stern expression softened momentarily into a half-smile. "I can see how 

he would have been."

"Look, Batman, there's no way that I'm allowing you carry me out of here like 

some kind of helpless female. Find me a place where I can hole up until the 

anti-venom takes complete effect and *you* go help your young friend. I fouled 

up and now the whole mission may be blown. I can't have that on my conscience."

"If there's anyone who fouled things up, it's me," Batman growled. "I sent you 

the wrong information."

"Is *that* what this all about? Your feelings of guilt? Because if it is, I 

hereby absolve you of any wrongdoing. In this business, passing wrong 

information is par for the course."

"Not in *my* business!" Batman retorted.

"Then maybe you're not human, after all, the way Red's always claiming. He's 

been afraid of you since he was thirteen. From that time you caught one his 

arrows while your back was turned to him." She paused looking up him. 

"Batman, we *all* make mistakes. But you can't carry them as emotional baggage. 

They only weigh you down." She reached up and gently touched his face. "All you 

can do is your best. That's all any of us can do."

Batman gazed long and steadily into Black Canary's eyes. Her chest felt 

constricted and her cheeks flushed. She couldn't breathe. Realizing that she was 

still holding her hand on his cheek, Black Canary slowly lowered it. She was 

suddenly very aware of his closeness and that she was in his arms.

Down, girl! She chastised herself. You're friends, colleagues, pals, nothing 

more. And anyway, this is *so* not the time.

Batman nodded slowly and almost regretfully put her down. She tried standing on 

her own two feet. The moment of vertigo passed a little faster this time. The 

corridor stopped its incessant spinning.

"Can you stand on your own now?" he asked. She nodded doubtfully.

"I-I think so." 

"Good, then we'll find a place for you to recuperate while I--"

They were set upon by several Viper soldiers. 

****

"I can handle this, Batman," Nightwing mimicked. "You take BC back to safety." 

He looked around at the enormous complex. Several Viper soldiers were hurrying 

to and fro, loading what looked suspiciously like warheads onto Soviet-made 

cruise missiles. 

"That does *not* look good," he muttered.

A little further down, Nightwing could see what looked like a large pool. The 

smell of seawater permeated the place.

"Someone tell me that that isn't what I think it is," he groaned. The next 

moment, a deep rumbling reverberating through the entire underground cavern 

confirmed his suspicions. A submarine slowly broke through the surface, its 

gargantuan size filling the pool. 

"Whoa, a Soviet Kilo-class submarine, nuclear-powered and capable of underwater 

deployment of long-range cruise missiles. This is definitely *not* good!" He had 

a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. What had he gotten himself into?

A re-breather mask hung from Nightwing's neck, ready for use in case he suddenly 

needed it. He doubted if it would prove effective against the deadly agent. 

According to the latest intelligence, the stuff literally melted the skin and 

flesh from a person. Worse, death wasn't instantaneous. 

If the phony self-destruct sequence were set off, rather than breaking the 

deadly gas into its harmless components, it would actually release it into the 

atmosphere. The chemical composition of the gas was such that the molecules were 

unusually dense and clung much closer to each other than normal gaseous 

mixtures. Practically speaking, this meant that the gas cloud would hang around 

the targeted ground for a longer period of time.

The only sure way to destroy the deadly compound was to burn it in temperatures 

upwards of 1,000 degrees Celsius. Furthermore any escaping gas *had* to be 

contained somehow and prevented from being released into the atmosphere.

"So, this means that I've gotta find the *real* self-destruct," Nightwing 

muttered. "And somehow keep the stuff from escaping." 

He looked around the place, gauging his chances of success. The loading teams 

below him continued to install the warheads. Viper guards stood at regular 

intervals along the loading docks and from the several sniper points along the 

catwalks. 

Heavily armed viper marines emerged from the sub and took up positions on the 

deck as well as along the loading docks.

"Heh. No sweat."

****

"Tell your respective governing bodies, General Duncan, that they have one hour. 

Oh, and please tell Her Majesty's government that London will be first. 

Afterwards, if the Swiss bank account that I have given you does not begin to 

show the five hundred billion in gold bullion that I have requested, Paris will 

follow and then Berlin, Rome, and so on. Until all of the European member 

countries of NATO are no more."

The KOBRA leader smiled, a deadly cobra smile. "And Washington, DC will be left 

for last. I wish to savor their panic-stricken bombastic rhetoric to the end. It 

shall make their destruction all the sweeter."

"This is *outrageous*!" Gen. Duncan protested. "Five hundred billion in gold 

bullion? There's no way that NATO can raise that much money in an hour's time!"

"Then, in that case," the KOBRA leader said softly, "you condemn the entire 

population of London, England to a very painful, horrifying death. The onus is 

on *you*, General. I would urge you not to waste anymore of your precious time. 

The countdown to London's destruction begins--*NOW*!!!" He made a chopping 

motion with his right arm. His communications officer promptly cut the satellite 

uplink.

"I think that went rather well, don't you?" he asked no one in particular.

****

Standing back-to-back, Black Canary and Batman fought off their ambushers. Her 

reflexes were still not up to their usual razor-honed sharpness; nevertheless, 

she managed to get in a few good licks.

"Fall back!" a commanding voice ordered above the noise. "Encircle them! Cover 

them with your weapons!" 

Within moments, the confusion settled down. Several soldiers were lying at the 

heroes' feet, but several more managed to break contact and backed off until 

Black Canary and Batman were completely surrounded. 

Black Canary leaped into the wall of soldiers, instantly taking two down. As she 

fought with the fierceness of cornered tiger, she heard the high-pitched sound 

of energy weapons powering up. Unexpectedly, she was shoved forward, a heavy 

weight pushing her down, a pair of strong arms around her waist.

The viper soldiers opened fire.

Time slowed down. She felt herself falling. As she went down, she tried twisting 

out of her captor's vice-like grip but couldn't. Black Canary hit the deck hard. 

Instantly, time resumed to normal speed. She rolled out from under the heavy 

weight that was pinning her down. 

Gaining her feet, Black Canary took a defensive posture ready to take on all 

comers. She turned 360 degrees, her pulse pounding. Over a dozen weapons were 

trained directly on her. She felt something down at her feet and chanced a quick 

glance. 

"Batman!"

He was unconscious. He'd taken the full volley of energy fire that had been 

meant for her.

"Chain them!" the patrol leader ordered. Glaring at Black Canary he spat out, 

"Kill her if she tries anything!" 

****

Nightwing took out one of the snipers on lookout duty. He dragged his 

unconscious victim into the shadows and immediately began removing the soldier's 

armor and overlay.

****

"Batman?" the KOBRA leader said mockingly. Batman swayed slightly, conscious but 

being held up by two viper soldiers. His arms were heavily manacled behind him.

"Diamondback, did you know that the great Batman is practically the entire 

Justice League rolled into one?"

"No, my Lord!" Diamondback replied.

"It's true. Isn't it, my pretty bird?" He took her face in his hand and forced 

her to look up at him.

Furious, Black Canary struggled uselessly against her manacles and captors.

"So fiery. So defiant," the KOBRA leader murmured. "I shall keep you for my own 

personal amusement, little one. I believe that you will make a delightful 

addition to my already extensive collection of rare and exotic birds."

Batman struggled against his own restraints at KOBRA's words. Diamondback struck 

him on the back of the head with a rifle butt. Already dazed by the energy 

blast, Batman staggered under the force of the blow. He went down on his knees.

"Batman!" Black Canary cried. She bent at the waist and tossed her captors head 

over heels above her. "Batman!" She was instantly set upon by several viper 

soldiers. Within seconds she was restrained once again.

"Let me go, you stinking, slimy--!"

Batman was unceremoniously jerked back to his feet. He staggered slightly, but 

quickly recovered. He nodded at Black Canary indicating he was all right. She 

smiled, relieved.

Noting Black Canary's reactions to Batman's safety, the KOBRA leader began to 

laugh. It was a quiet surprised chuckle at first, but it soon escalated to a 

highly amused roar. The reptilian leader was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Is it possible?" he roared. "Can it be that the beautiful Black Canary might 

have *feelings* for the Dark Knight?" 

Black Canary gasped, and unable to help herself, stared at Batman. No! It's not 

true, she denied. 

Batman, in turn, steadily held her gaze. It seemed as if time stood still for 

the moment. Black Canary again felt her chest tighten, and she found it 

impossible to breathe. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not at this moment.

"This is too much!" The KOBRA leader laughed, enjoying the unexpected turn of 

events. He signaled his communications officer. "Let us show our prisoners the 

fate of all who displease me." 

The com-officer nodded. Instantly, the forward viewing screens came on. Black 

Canary reflexively shut her eyes and quickly turned away. Before them, two men 

were lashed to long poles. They'd been crushed to death by monstrous serpents 

and were even now being devoured. Their faces were frozen in horrified death 

screams. 

The KOBRA leader addressed Black Canary. "My dear, as you've already suffered 

the death of one lover, I believe that it would be unconscionably cruel to take 

the life of another for whom you seem to care, and force you to keep on living."

Laughing, he turned to someone in the back of the control room. "Python!" A huge 

Viper noncommissioned officer stepped forward. 

"Take our prisoners to the pit. Lash them to the feeding poles. I would not wish 

my pets' dinner to escape." 

"Yes, my Lord!" Python acknowledged, saluting.

As the KOBRA agents checked the two heroes' restraints and prepared them for 

transport to the viper pit, Batman and Black Canary stood perfectly still, the 

calm in the eye of the storm. Each stared at the other in quiet wonderment.

Neither spoke as they were dragged out of the main control room towards certain 

doom.

****

"There! That should do it!" Nightwing said, pulling a makeshift lever. His 

action brought a shower of sparks, which flashed and then quickly burned out. 

This was followed by the lights in the cavernous open bay going out. 

He heard shouts of protest from below. Not wasting any time, Nightwing activated 

the Starlite scopes in his mask. Sticking to shadows afforded by the catwalk, he 

quickly made his way down to the bay floor.

Crossing the open area, he saw several dozen men milling about. Although they 

were all equipped with night vision goggles, they waited for the power to be 

restored. The material they were handling was too dangerous to handle under 

anything less than optimum conditions. 

Staying low, Nightwing carefully skirted them as he hurried towards an area 

marked with a red skull and crossbones, the international sign of poison. 

The place was sealed off with a large Titanium/steel re-enforced door. Nightwing 

knew that the door had the weight and makeup of a bank vault. Furthermore, it 

was operated on a separate power source than the rest of the compound. 

"...And with his handy-dandy electronic Bat-scanner," Nightwing muttered, "the 

Boy Wonder set to work."

****

As they were being dragged to what promised to be a sure and painful death, the 

lights went out. Batman and Black Canary immediately sprang into action. Their 

movements were somewhat hampered, but this was the best chance they had.

Slipping out of his guards' hold, Batman went down and rolled forward. Without 

pausing, he regained his feet, and turned to face his guards.

Panicking, the guards went for their weapons. They never reached them. Batman 

leaped and spun in midair, kicking straight out with both legs. He struck one in 

the jaw, the other on the temple. Tucking tightly, he somersaulted while still 

airborne and landed at a defensive crouch. 

Someone grabbed him from behind. Instantly, he bent at the waist, throwing the 

soldier over and forward. The viper soldier went flying into the others who were 

all shouting and fighting in the confusion.

"BC!" he called.

"Here!" a confident voice said less than a foot away.

"Back to back!" Batman ordered. 

"Gotcha!" she replied. As soon as Batman knew she was behind him, he awkwardly 

locked arms with her and bending forward had her kick out. After a few more 

tries, they had the rhythm down. Black Canary even managed to turn the tables on 

Batman by bending forward and bringing him forward and over. Within moments, 

they took the guards down. 

"BC, reach into the third compartment in my utility belt," he ordered. She 

looked up from where she'd been bent over one of the prostrate guards. She 

removed the guard's night vision goggles and donned them. Nodding, she reached 

for Batman's belt.

"Really, Batman, we hardly know each other," she quipped as she searched the 

compartment. "I mean, I thought we were just friends." 

She found it, then--a skeleton key. Batman didn't respond to her teasing. Of 

course, Batman *never* made unnecessary small talk, but still, he seemed to 

withdraw into himself. She could almost feel the chill coming from his end.

As soon as they were free, they took off in the same direction that Nightwing 

had been headed. 

****

"Whoa. Holy End of the World, Batman," Nightwing whispered, awed. In a deeper 

voice he added, "'Fear not, Boy Wonder. The Bat-destructo beam will make short 

work of the gas and put an end to KOBRA's evil plans.'"

Nightwing made a wry face. "I wish." 

He turned slowly around in the chamber, his eyes taking in its strengths and 

keeping an eye out for any weaknesses. The finished chemical compound was stored 

in a cold chamber, in absolute zero. Several storage bins were lined floor to 

ceiling in the vault. Behind a transparent titanium/steel chamber Nightwing saw 

that the manufacturing process was still producing more of the deadly chemical.

At room temperature, the chemical reverted to its natural gaseous state. At 

temperatures ranging near absolute zero, it was in a semi-frozen, viscous form. 

It was only dangerous in its gas form; however, even in its inert frozen state, 

it had the potential of becoming a deadly gas if allowed to thaw to room 

temperature.

The only solution was the most dangerous one. He had to increase the temperature 

inside the titanium chamber and in the storage bins to above 1,000 degrees 

Celsius. The resulting explosion would totally destroy the chemical compound, 

rendering it completely harmless.

Unfortunately, if he did that, then the whole underground complex would also be 

destroyed. The problem to which Nightwing couldn't seem to find a solution was 

that he couldn't allow any of the gas to escape into the atmosphere. 

Thinking about the warheads and missiles lying prostrate on launchers out on the 

cargo bay floor, an idea suddenly began to take form.

"What if instead of the complex exploding, I somehow produced a chain reaction 

that forced it to *implode*?" Grinning, he set to work.

****

"What is the status of the power?" the KOBRA leader roared. Viper soldiers and 

officers alike cowered in fear.

"Supreme Serpent!" Diamondback replied. "The Chief Engineer reports that the 

power grid was sabotaged--!"

"Sabotaged!" the leader screamed. "I want those heroes found! Do you hear me? I 

want Batman killed on sight! As for the woman, I want her stripped and thrown 

into the viper pit!" He addressed Diamondback directly. "I want the power 

restored immediately! I don't care what it *takes*!"

"The Chief Engineer states that it will be restored shortly," Diamondback said 

quickly.

"I want an *exact* time, you fool! NATO should be responding to our demands 

within the half hour."

"Yes, oh, Great One!"

"I am surrounded by incompetent fools," the KOBRA leader fumed.

****

"Here goes nothing," Nightwing muttered. He quickly pulled the pins on several 

gas grenades and tossed them into the open bay. The reaction from the viper 

soldiers was almost instantaneous--they began screaming in panic and almost as 

one started a rush towards the emergency exits.

The viper marines raced towards the open hatches on the sub's decks and jumped 

in, closing the watertight doors behind them. A few marines were left stranded 

on deck. One or two banged uselessly on the hatches, begging to be let in. A 

couple dived into the seawater pool.

The submarine began submerging and within moments, it was gone.

Nightwing tossed in a couple more harmless tear gas canisters for good measure, 

smirking at the results of his actions. 

"Did somebody say 'gas'?" he asked. The bay was soon cleared of enemy vipers. 

"Time to save the world, Boy Wonder."

****

"Look, if *you* hadn't sent me the wrong information, this wouldn't have 

happened!" Black Canary snapped. "So don't criticize my work!"

"I'm not criticizing--!" Batman began. 

"The *hell* you're not!" 

They were running at a full sprint through the darkened corridors. They came to 

a set of elevators, but with the power off, the elevators weren't operational. 

Momentarily calling a truce, the heroes opened the elevator doors. The shaft was 

empty. Batman tied a safety line around his waist and tossed the other end at 

Black Canary.

She caught it, and tied it around her own waist in turn. They quickly checked 

their gear, and then as one leaped out and grabbed onto the elevator twin 

cables. Without a word, they began climbing down to the nether regions of the 

complex.

Batman took up the conversation where they'd left off.

"All I said was--"

"All you said was that I should've waited to establish comms with Oracle before 

proceeding with the mission."

"I believe that that was part of the operations order," Batman retorted coldly. 

"The mission operative will not proceed until given the final go-ahead by the 

control."

"Listen, Mr. Dark and Dreary," Black Canary shot back. "I may not have a Canary-

mobile or work out of a Canary cave, but I do all right. This is *my* mission, 

and I didn't need you *or* your interference!"

"I didn't realize that launching a rescue mission was considered 

'interference,'" Batman replied quietly.

"I didn't *need* rescuing. Everything was under control until *you* showed up. I 

work solo. I don't need *anybody* to watch over me like I'm some helpless little 

girl."

"And Oracle?" he asked.

"What about Oracle?" Black Canary asked. "She's my friend. She watches my back."

"I see. So when Oracle helps you, it's all right because she's your friend. When 

I do, it's called interference."

"...!" Black Canary was momentarily nonplussed. She realized that her tirade 

against Batman's assistance had been unfair. He'd only been trying to help. And 

it certainly wasn't his fault that she felt embarrassed over the KOBRA leader's 

earlier observations.

No! She did *not* have feelings for Batman. The man was impossible! Cold. 

Distant. One of the living dead. He was not at all like Ollie had been--warm, 

laughing, full of life.

Instead, Batman was always so critical, as if he were evaluating her every move. 

And she wasn't the only member of the JLA who felt this way. Green Lantern and 

the Flash did, too. And look at how he'd spoken to Nightwing. As if the younger 

hero were some kind of a tin soldier from whom he expected instant obedience.

And yet, for that one moment in the KOBRA control room, when she and Batman had 

stared into each other's eyes, she'd felt as if she'd been suspended in time. 

She shook her head in self-reproach. 

They arrived at the lower levels. Unable to look at Batman, Black Canary 

unhooked her safety line. Keeping her face averted, she was about to open the 

elevator doors, when a strong arm blocked her.

Black Canary was forced to look up. Batman steadily returned her gaze, as if 

waiting for her to make the next move. She did. 

Her eyes locked on his, Black Canary deliberately took a step closer. She 

instantly found herself in his arms.

****

"Three down, one to go," Nightwing muttered. He'd removed the side panel from 

one of the warheads and was now inspecting a mass of wires and hard circuitry. 

This was the fourth warhead that he was going to sabotage. 

"Gotta remember Father's Day this year," he said. "How many dads show *their* 

kids the ins and outs of how to properly disassemble a warhead?" He ran his 

scanner over the circuitry. "The guidance system should be...here!" 

Nightwing removed the circuit card that was hardwired with the guidance program. 

He quickly attached a few multi-colored wires from the scanner to the circuit 

card. 

"The red one's connected to this thingy-jiggy..." He hummed softly to himself. 

"The blue one's connected to this other thingy..." Finished, he pressed a button 

on the scanner unit. He watched the LCD screen as it scrolled through billions 

of permutations in a few seconds. It came to a stop.

Quickly pressing another series of numbers, Nightwing smiled feeling satisfied. 

He'd reprogrammed the programmable chip in the circuit card. Now, instead of the 

card containing a digital terrain map of the missile's planned route, it was 

programmed with a countdown/self-destruct sequence. In thirty minutes, the 

missile was going to arm. 

At the same time, its rocket boosters, which were propelled by ramjets and 

capable of reaching speeds upwards of Mach 3, were going to ignite and slam it 

almost instantaneously into the gas chamber. The resulting explosion would then 

set off a chain reaction with the other three, armed missiles. 

The combined force of the conventional munitions loaded onto the warheads would 

be enough to bring down the entire the complex. *And* in the unlikely chance 

that any of the deadly chemical wasn't totally destroyed, the explosion would 

ensure that the gas was buried under tons of earth and rubble.

"I hope," Nightwing said under his breath.

****

Black Canary closed her eyes and parted her lips. What are we *doing*? she asked 

herself. They had a mission.

Batman looked down at her lovely face, lightly touching her cheeks by the 

fingertips. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. Dick needed him.

His lips touched hers, gently at first. Her scent surrounded him, a faint 

fragrance of summer blossoms. Thoughts of Dick faded to the background, but 

didn't completely disappear...

The taste of his kiss consumed her. She felt her senses being assaulted on all 

sides. Their tentative kiss intensified, grew in passion and hunger. 

His hands moved from her face down the length of her body. She responded 

immediately, losing herself. Their critical situation diminished in importance. 

All that mattered was the present...

****

The cavernous open bay suddenly rang with the high-pitched sounds of energy 

weapons being fired. Nightwing automatically leaped, executing four somersaults 

in midair, a carry-over from his days in the circus. Landing in a tight tuck, 

Nightwing rolled, coming up smoothly with three Batarangs ready to throw.

Releasing the offensive weapons, Nightwing didn't wait to watch their graceful 

flight. Instead, he turned and performed several handsprings, dodging the lethal 

energy bursts. Spotting a row of large metal containers, he launched himself in 

their general direction. Too late!

As luck would have it, his forward momentum delivered him into the crosshairs of 

a deadly Viper rifle.

****

I can't *believe* I kissed him, Black Canary fumed. We're in the middle of KOBRA 

Headquarters. The snakes are getting ready to kill millions of people with their 

poison gas. And I--*we*--take precious time for a *kiss*, of all things!

She stopped at an intersection of two corridors and signaled Batman to wait 

while she made sure it was clear. Taking a cursory look, she gave the Dark 

Knight the age-old 'follow me' arm signal. Batman nodded. They proceeded in the 

direction they'd been headed.

At least their actions for the moment were completely professional. She stumbled 

suddenly as the memory of their kiss made her knees go weak...

Batman was likewise giving himself a mental tongue-lashing. Much like the ones 

he'd given Robin years ago for a momentary lapse in judgment. Inexcusable, he 

harangued. The lives of millions are at stake. And Nightwing--?

He hadn't heard from Nightwing for almost two hours now. Whatever he might be 

feeling for Black Canary should've been placed on the backburner until they'd 

accomplished their mission.

Batman saw her stumble and immediately worried that the Viper-venom hadn't been 

completely purged from her system. 

"Are you all right?" he asked in a low voice. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, okay?" Black Canary snapped dismissively.

What's going *on* here, she wondered? I've *never* felt anything other than 

professional friendship for Batman. Oh, all right, actually I could barely stand 

him. Yet, all of a sudden, I feel like a giddy schoolgirl. Oh, cripes! I have 

butterflies in my stomach! Okay, now I'm really mad.

She looks mad, Batman thought. Then caught himself admiring her heightened 

coloring. You're acting worse than Robin ever did at sixteen while mooning over 

Batgirl. At least, *Dick* never lost sight of the mission. Or his partner.

They came to an open door. Using hand signals, Black Canary indicated that she 

was going to investigate. 

She quickly checked inside, weapon held at ready. All clear. Giving Batman the 

go-ahead, they changed positions in the corridor. He now had point, and she 

cleanup. They continued down the corridor. As she jogged about five meters 

behind him, she kept her eyes open for any unexpected trouble. 

Dinah, you are one *stupid* girl, she rebuked. How could you let this happen?

Still, try as she might Black Canary couldn't get the kiss entirely out of her 

mind. Recalling the unexpected sensuality of the moment, she smiled slightly. 

Wow!

Well, okay, there's that, too, she admitted. She hadn't felt that desired by a 

man since Ollie. Nor had she desired a man as much as she did Batman during that 

one brief, desperate moment in the elevator. Again, not since Ollie.

It always came back to Ollie. She'd loved him body and soul. He'd been her other 

self. He'd completed her. When she lost him, Black Canary no longer felt whole, 

as if a part of her had died as well...

You're an idiot, Batman said. Dinah isn't one of Bruce Wayne's one-night stands. 

She's a bright, intelligent, independent woman--a respected friend and 

colleague. Plus, she's always hated your guts, he added wryly. 

Batman sighed and thought of the many times he'd just wanted to grab her and 

shake some sense into her, because she'd yet again foolishly fallen into some 

avoidable trap. 'A few minutes to think the problem through ahead of time 

would've saved you a lot of unnecessary grief,' he'd wanted to yell at her.

He wondered now, if he'd been annoyed with her as he'd claimed, or if even back 

then, he'd been more worried than he'd cared to admit. But Ollie would always be 

there, standing next to her. Two sides of the same coin. 

So, he'd never yelled at her. Never expressed his concern for her safety. In 

fact, he'd rarely spoken more than two words at a time to her...

But there was something else, Black Canary continued. With Ollie, she'd always 

felt in control and on equal terms with him. Their relationship had been one of 

both mutual love and respect.

Feeling Batman's lips crushing hers, his arms pulling her to him with increasing 

force and passion, Black Canary suddenly felt afraid. The passions that passed 

between them were fraught with violence, almost anger. 

Anger at what, she wondered?

Anger at what, he wondered?

Suddenly, they knew: Anger that they might need each other, want each other more 

than either cared to admit. 

And for two strong individuals who prided themselves in their ability to always 

stay in control, their anger was with themselves, because they knew that they 

were about to lose control.

****

"Hurry, you fools!" Diamondback screamed. "Or this whole complex is going to 

come down on top of all of us!"

The agitated technicians continued working, their eyes inadvertently sliding 

towards the chronometer's steady countdown. Ten minutes left. One young tech was 

so nervous that his hands were noticeably shaking. 

"Specialist, hold the spanner here," the chief tech ordered. The young Viper 

nodded and tried to do as told. His hand slipped.

"You *imbecile*!" Diamondback shouted, slapping him across the face. 

The young technician went down. He was blubbering in panic-stricken fear. There 

were only six minutes left. What had he gotten himself into? he despaired. The 

KOBRA recruiter had promised adventure, high wages, and job training. It had 

been just what a bored, recent high school dropout wanted. But now? 

"Got it!" the chief tech cried out triumphantly. He'd successfully stopped the 

countdown at 5:36 minutes left. The crying technician felt a deep sense of 

relief wash over him.

"Y-You did it, Rattler?" the young Viper asked. "W-We're g-going to live?" He 

thought of his mother and their home in Yangton, South Dakota. He hadn't seen 

her in almost eleven months. It seemed a lifetime ago.

"*We* are!" Diamondback replied. "However, *you're* not!" He fired. The young 

technician's body fell over, smoking from the energy burns. The boy would never 

see his mother again. The chief tech stared at the body for a few moments, then 

shrugged and dismissed the young Viper from his mind. He'd never even bothered 

to learn the dead boy's name. 

"Bring the prisoner!" Diamondback ordered.

Two Viper soldiers dragged the bound and barely conscious Nightwing towards him. 

The young hero had to be held up in order to remain on his feet. Diamondback 

walked up to him and viciously punched him once on the jaw and several times in 

the abdomen, his heavily reinforced gloves adding power to each punch. 

Gathering the last vestiges of his strength, Nightwing rallied back. Using the 

Viper soldiers who were holding him up as leverage, he brought his legs up and 

kicked out with all the force he could muster. He felt the sickeningly 

satisfying ~crunch~ of bones breaking. 

Diamondback screamed in agony, holding his left arm close. The two Viper 

soldiers turned on Nightwing, pummeling him mercilessly. The young hero's Kevlar 

reinforced costume protected him somewhat from the relentless beating, but 

eventually even that small protection weakened. 

"Let him go," Diamondback ordered. He was breathing heavily, his face set in a 

pain-filled snarl. Still holding his injured arm to him, Diamondback grinned in 

grim anticipation. 

The Viper guards released Nightwing who immediately fell to his knees. One of 

the soldiers grabbed a handful of Nightwing's hair and used it to hold his head 

up.

"You heroes are going to learn that you can't hope to defeat or stop KOBRA! Our 

forces are legion! Our cause is just! *We* are to be the next rulers of the 

world, and nothing is going to stop us. Least of all a second rate, non-

superpowered hero like you!"

"At least..." Nightwing gasped. "I have...a better fashion sense--"

Diamondback reared back and kicked him in the face. The others released 

Nightwing and he toppled over. Diamondback immediately set on him, planting 

several malicious kicks on the helplessly bound hero. As Nightwing lost track of 

where the blows were landing--ribs, kidneys, temple--he also lost consciousness.

**** 

Nightwing! Batman felt an all-encompassing cold rage consume him. When he and 

Black Canary had entered the open bay, the first thing they saw was the boy 

being beaten senseless. Black Canary closed her fingers around Batman's arm with 

a surprisingly firm grip.

Batman whirled on her, ready to throw her off, but was stopped by her calm 

presence. Black Canary's eyes held compassion for his pain. In the next instant, 

they hardened to the icy glint of a predator on the hunt. He knew at that moment 

that his own eyes mirrored hers. Without another word, they parted company, each 

headed in opposite directions.

Running at a low crouch across the elevated catwalk, all the while assessing the 

odds in the back of his mind, Batman took out six Viper guards in under five 

minutes. Picking up one of the energy weapons, Batman set it to mid-range--heavy 

stun.

"Dinah should be set," he muttered. "Three, two, one--!" Simultaneously, two 

high-energy weapons set on heavy stun began to barrage the large group of Vipers 

still standing on the open bay floor.

****

"Return fire!" Diamondback ordered. "Take cover!"

The Vipers were being saturated with deadly energy fire from two directions. 

Running, diving, and rolling as they sought cover, they were being quickly cut 

down by the relentless volley. 

"You idiots!" Diamondback screamed. "Get them!" But he was yelling at the empty 

air. All of his soldiers were down. He was the only one left. The absolute 

silence sent a visceral reaction to the pit of his stomach. A light tap between 

his shoulder blades told him it was over.

Turning, he gasped in relief when he saw that it was Black Canary and not the 

dreaded Batman. His terror-stricken expression quickly changed to a smug smirk. 

"If it isn't the pretty bird who flew the coop," he said, looking down his 

prominent nose at her. "You should've kept going, Black Canary. Our Supreme 

Serpent has ordered that you shall fill his beloved pets' food dishes tonight."

"Is that right?" Black Canary asked. "Ooh. I'm scared. See?" She punched him 

with a hard right hook to the bridge of his nose. He toppled over backwards, 

landing head over heels, on his injured arm. He screamed at the sudden knife-

like pain.

"Oops. Now how do you suppose *that* happened?" she asked. She tapped her upper 

lip with her fingernail, a look of mock bemusement on her beautiful features. 

Diamondback stared open-mouthed, his eyes registering his shock. 

"Oh, I know," Black Canary said, holding up her finger as if struck with a 

sudden idea. "Like *this*!" She leaped and in an eye blink struck out with a 

scissors kick. Diamondback collapsed, his eyes rolling into the back of his 

head.

"Oh, my goodness," she said in a little-girl voice. "I done a *baaa-aaad* 

thing!" She tapped his prostrate form with her toes. He was out cold.

"Thank you," a deep voice said behind her.

"What are friends for?" she said with a smile. "Besides, you might've killed 

him. I couldn't let you have that on your conscience." 

Batman nodded, but he'd already forgotten about Diamondback. He was looking at 

Nightwing's unconscious, battered form. The younger hero's costume was rent and 

bloodied, his body curled in a fetal position.

Batman went down to his knees and gently lifted Nightwing by the shoulders.

"Uhhhnnn..." Nightwing moaned. He swallowed, his eyes fluttering as he struggled 

to wake up. "Bru--Batman?" 

"Don't try to talk, son," Batman said quietly. "We'll have you out of here in no 

time."

Nightwing weakly shook his head, 'no.'

"F-Failed mission," he whispered. 

Batman held him a little closer. "The situation's under control. The mission is 

*not* a failure." 

Ashamed, Nightwing weakly turned away. "S-Snakes took me by s-surprise...t-too 

many...s-stupid move on my p-part." His voice was growing fainter as he slipped 

back into unconsciousness. "F-Failed you...again."

"*No*! Nightwing, you could *never* fail me. Do you understand, son? Never!" 

But the younger man was already out. Batman felt a light touch on his arm. He 

flinched at the touch. 

Black Canary inexplicably felt as if she were intruding on Batman's private 

moment with his son. How could she ever have thought him cold and unfeeling, she 

wondered.

"Listen to me, Batman," she said with quiet urgency. "You need to take your boy 

out of this hellhole and get him to a hospital. I'll clean up the snake's den."

Batman shook his head. "Absolutely not! I'm *not* leaving you alone here! We're 

*all* getting out together!" 

"Sorry, buster," she snapped back. "But you're not my boss, and I'm not afraid 

of you. This is *my* mission, remember? *My* mission--*my* responsibility." She 

pointed at Nightwing with her chin. "*Your* kid--*your* responsibility." 

Black Canary took Batman's face in her hands and gently pulled him to her. She 

kissed him softly, no more than a light whisper on his lips.

"Batman, you and I are two of kind," she said, her voice husky. "We live hard 

and fast and to hell with the danger. We have few ties to bind us, but those we 

*do* have, we hold close to our hearts and fight like wild cats to protect." She 

kissed him again, a deep lingering kiss that stirred long-dormant needs within 

them both. 

"I want you to get your boy out of here," she insisted. 

Batman opened his mouth, ready to protest. She quickly shushed him with a finger 

to his lips and another kiss.

"If the three of us stay," she said with quiet assurance, "then none of us will 

make it. One of us has to carry him out of here, and one of us has to stay back. 

And he's too heavy for me to carry and get him out in time. You know what I'm 

saying is true."

Batman looked away and then down at Nightwing. The younger hero's injuries 

looked serious. Even if he regained consciousness, he'd never make it out of the 

underground complex on his own.

"If that were Roy lying there," Black Canary continued, "I'd expect no less from 

you. Because that's what people who love each other do. They sacrifice for the 

ones they love. Please, don't cheapen what I'm feeling for you right now by 

going all macho on me and refusing to do what I ask."

Batman glared at her long and hard, fighting the familiar urge to shake her. How 

could she expect him to leave her? He'd come here to rescue her, not sacrifice 

her. Her words echoed in his mind. 

//~Please don't cheapen what I'm feeling for you right now...~// 

And what am *I* feeling, he asked himself. He gave a mental headshake. He 

*couldn't* go there. Not now. Not at this moment. Not when he was about to say 

goodbye, possibly forever. 

He looked at her, his throat catching at the sight of her beauty. He drank in 

her nearness, breathed in the hint of summer blossoms left behind in her wake. 

He suddenly saw what he wanted to see in her eyes.

To hell with it!

Batman pulled her in and roughly pressed his lips to hers, instilling all of the 

fervor his long-suppressed desire could muster. Parting finally, gasping for air 

from the force of their mutual longing, Batman finally nodded in surrender.

He was about to speak, when they were startled by a faint voice coming from 

below them. "See...? *Told* you...you make a cute couple."

Black Canary burst into a relieved giggle. Batman turned a chagrinned half-smile 

at Nightwing. 

"You know, you're never too old to spank."

Nightwing smirked weakly. "Batman's got a gir-irl!" he whispered. "Wait'll I 

tell Oracle." He grimaced in sudden pain, gritting his teeth to keep from crying 

out. "Batman," he whispered anxiously. "The warheads. I-I set them to go off in 

a-a chain reaction, but--" He passed out again.

Black Canary jumped up and jogged over to where the missiles lay on their 

launchers. She inspected the warheads that had their side panels removed. "The 

countdown sequence is stopped at five minutes, thirty-six seconds," she 

reported. On further inspection, she added with confidence, "I can do this!" 

Batman nodded, and carefully lifting Nightwing, stood to go. "Are you sure about 

this?" 

She nodded. "Yes. Please go while we still have time."

Batman studied her face for a long moment. At last, he straightened his 

shoulders, and nodded curtly. He was about to start for the exit, when she 

stopped him.

"Wait!" she called. Pausing, Batman turned and looked at her, a single eyebrow 

raised. Black Canary removed the re-breather mask that still hung from around 

Nightwing's neck. Shrugging slightly, she said, "Never can tell." Batman nodded.

"I need to evacuate the complex," she added. "The fastest way I know how is the 

same way I did it last time. By activating the self-destruct."

"But--!"

"Don't worry," she rushed on. "The self-destruct sequence is automatically set 

for thirty minutes. You'll need to give me twenty-nine of those minutes. That 

should give me plenty of time to reset the timing on the warheads." She shrugged 

as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"The missiles will arm and at the same the ramjets will fire, propelling the 

missiles forward into the manufacturing chamber. The chain reaction will totally 

annihilate everything left here. Including the self-destruct. It'll be destroyed 

before it has a chance to release the gas into the atmosphere."

"This entire complex is going to come down on top of you. You won't have much 

time to get out."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Black Canary said with false bravado. "I've been in 

worse predicaments." Looking at him askance, she added with pointed amusement, 

"I may not be a *cat*, but some people have told me that I have nine lives!" 

****

Black Canary worked quickly and efficiently. The room rang with the high-pitched 

wailing of a warning klaxon sounding an emergency evacuation. It went off as 

soon as she activated the self-destruct. Within seconds the outer corridors 

echoed with panicked shouts, angry orders being barked, and energy weapons being 

fired.

She shook her head. 

"Tsk-tsk. Good help *is* so hard to find. The head snake office must be 

experiencing a few retention problems. Maybe world conquest doesn't seem like 

such a hot deal if you're in danger of having all of your skin and flesh melted 

off." She shrugged and continued working.

She grinned suddenly, the image of Batman's expression at her parting "cat" shot 

invading her thoughts. His look had been most un-Bat-like. And quite priceless.

Looking at the digital readout of the countdown clock, she went back to work. 

Batman should be near the surface by now. She'd asked him for twenty-nine 

minutes and he'd agreed. Time was running out.

****

Time was running out!

Imitating one of Nightwing's earlier moves, Batman cartwheeled in midair, taking 

down four Vipers. They were about halfway to the upper levels when they'd been 

ambushed by ten-man patrol. Fighting them off was wasting precious time. He 

*had* to get Nightwing to safety.

Landing at a crouch, Batman leaped straight up, tucked into a tight ball while 

still airborne, and somersaulted over their heads. He alighted gracefully behind 

the pack. Readying two Batarangs, he threw them almost simultaneously. Soon, his 

defensive weapons were trailing the heavy Nomex net over and around the six 

remaining Vipers.

Within seconds, the enemy was subdued. Hurrying to where he'd left Nightwing 

lying unconscious, Batman lifted him and began moving down the corridor. 

"Hey! You can't leave us here!"

"The gas! We'll all be killed!"

"This place--it's gonna come down on us all!"

Ignoring their pleas, Batman was about to pass the helplessly weighed-down 

Vipers, when he stopped. What was he doing? He couldn't just leave them to die.

"Please!"

A few of them didn't look much older than Nightwing. Little more than boys. What 

recruiting tricks had the KOBRA organization used to entice them to this type of 

life? Narrowing his eyes, Batman reached into his utility belt and took out a 

pen-laser.

"You!" he growled, addressing the youngest in the group. The boy looked up at 

him, his wide brown eyes pleading. "Watch."

Quickly, Batman showed him how to operate the pen-laser. 

"I'm going to place it here," he said, laying it just out of easy reach. "By the 

time you get to it, my partner and I'll be long gone."

"What if we don't reach it?" the boy asked desperately. "We'll all be killed." 

Batman was already hurrying off in the direction of the exit.

"You'll reach it," he called back. "If you want to live."

The Viper soldiers immediately began to scramble and maneuver their bodies, inch 

by inch towards the pen-laser. After a few more precious minutes had passed, 

they youngest Viper called out in triumph, "Got it!"

****

Black Canary glanced at the self-destruct countdown clock: six minutes! She 

shook her head. "Where's Arsenal and his trick arrows when I need them?" she 

muttered. 

"You! Stop!"

Black Canary spun around. The KOBRA leader stood up in the elevated catwalk. He 

was alone. 

"Oh, it's just you again!" she said in disgust. "Go away. I'm busy! I don't have 

time for games."

Her business as usual retort took the KOBRA leader temporarily by surprise. He 

quickly recovered, however. 

"You obviously don't understand, Black Canary. I am here to stop you from 

thwarting my plans."

"'Thwarting'?" she snorted. "You guys don't actually *say* that?" She turned 

back to the job at hand, rolling her eyes. "I suppose that the scripted response 

would be 'You and what army'?"

"*This* army, of course."

Black Canary went absolutely still. The sounds of high-energy weapons being 

powered up resounded clearly in the open bay.

"Uh-oh," she whispered. Her eyes slid to the warhead's countdown clock: 

5:36...5:35...5:34...

She did it! She'd successfully reactivated the missile's countdown sequence, 

which Nightwing had started. 

Until these *bozos* 'thwarted' the kid's plans, she added ironically. Allowing 

herself a small smile, her eyes moved inadvertently to the self-destruct 

sequence--4:25. Doing a double-take, her eyes slid back to the missile 

countdown--5:02!

This isn't happening, she groaned. 

The self-destruct sequence would reach 'zero' a good minute, twenty seconds 

ahead of the missile firing. That meant that the gas would be released into the 

atmosphere long before the underground complex was destroyed.

"I *hate* it when that happens," she muttered.

****

Batman crouched next to a long wall running down the length of the above ground 

portion of the KOBRA base. Nightwing lay next to him. The younger man had been 

slipping in and out of consciousness for the last few minutes. Batman's features 

momentarily softened. 

He thought back to the seemingly endless miles of corridor and stairwells 

through which he'd carried his solidly built protege. At one point, Batman had 

been forced to actually stop and take a short breather. As luck would have it, 

Nightwing stirred awake at that moment.

****

"Wha-What's going on...?" Nightwing whispered.

"Taking a breather. We're almost out."

"Y-You? N-Need a b-breather?" Eyes unfocused, Nightwing's pain-filled expression 

registered disbelief. "...must still be unconscious..." he mumbled.

Giving him a half-smile, Batman bent down to pick him up. "You're not as light 

as you once were."

"N-Never had problems p-picking me up...when I was nine."

"You only weighed fifty pounds when you were nine."

"S-Sometimes...w-wish I was still nine..." Nightwing murmured, slipping back 

into darkness. Batman blinked rapidly at the words. After all these years, the 

boy could still utter words that pierced the Bat's well-shielded heart. Firmly 

setting his jaw, Batman lifted his son in his arms.

****

Coming back to the present, Batman looked down at Nightwing and whispered, 

"You'll always be nine in my eyes." 

He spoke quietly into his wrist comlink. Within moments, a black shadow 

descended towards them. At the same instant, they were beset by a fierce barrage 

of high-energy fire. Picking Nightwing up in a fireman's carry, Batman quickly 

hauled him onboard the Batwing. In an instant, they were safely airborne.

Batman banked the aircraft and buzzed the compound, barely clearing the 

treetops. Vipers scattered in all directions. A few brave souls fired on the 

Batwing, but its armored plating protected it. Nothing less than a nuclear 

warhead would be able to penetrate its outer hull.

Batman checked his chronometer. Three minutes twenty-five seconds left before 

the self-destruct went off and released Armageddon. That meant that he had only 

two minutes twenty-five seconds left before he had to go Plan B--destroy the 

complex from above.

"Oracle. Come in."

"Where have you been?" Oracle answered immediately. He had her on voice only for 

the moment. "I've been going crazy here! You're almost three hours overdue--!"

"Oracle, we don't have time for that!" Batman snapped. "Are you set?"

"Of course I am!" she retorted. "*I* do what I say I'm gonna do. I *don't* leave 

people hanging, worrying half to death--"

"Oracle!" Batman shouted, interrupting her. "Zero hour is...two minutes, twenty 

seconds on my mark!" He paused for an instant. "Mark!"

"Two minutes, twenty seconds! Got it!" Oracle responded professionally. "Where's 

Nightwing? Black Canary?"

"Nightwing's injured. Have Alfred call Dr. Leslie. He'll be in even worse shape 

by the time I get him home."

"*I*--?" Oracle repeated faintly. "Not *we*--?" Abruptly, Batman put her on two-

way visual. The Oracle icon quickly dissolved and Barbara Gordon's worried 

countenance appeared. Batman noted the circles under her eyes. "What happened? 

Where's Dinah?"

"She's still inside," Batman said.

"Bruce?" Nightwing's barely audible voice spoke next to him. "Y-You can't do 

it..." He swallowed and continued weakly, "N-Never f-forgive yourself..."

Batman didn't answer for a long moment. Nightwing looked at him worriedly 

through pain-hazed eyes.

"This is Black Canary's mission," Batman replied in a low voice, keeping his 

eyes firmly on the horizon. "And her idea." 

"But why?" Nightwing asked. 

"We have to seal the compound somehow to prevent the gas from escaping. This 

won't be a sure thing. A large amount of the gas may still escape. The outer 

complex is nuclear hardened, so there's little way of knowing whether Argus will 

even put at dent in it."

"Argus?" Nightwing asked.

"NATO's eye in the sky," Oracle explained. "It's a satellite surveillance and 

weapons array. NATO can pretty much monitor the world with it. *And* destroy 

just about anything that threatens its security."

Batman turned and faced them squarely, his jaw jutted in an all too familiar 

look. "Two minutes."

****

The place was a madhouse. Viper soldiers were scurrying in all directions, their 

faces registering sheer terror at the thought of the gas escaping. The self-

destruct countdown read 3:00 minutes!

That meant that Black Canary had exactly *two* minutes left. She'd ordered 

Batman to blow the complex a good minute before the self-destruct sequence had a 

chance to finish its countdown. 

Well, maybe *ordered* was a bit strong, she amended. *Requested* was probably 

more like it.

"Hold your places!" the KOBRA leader screamed. "Remain at your stations! Shoot 

anyone who tries to leave! I want the chief technician to disarm the missiles--

again! And get *someone* in the control room to stop the self-destruct. Hurry, 

you cretins!" 

Some loyal followers did as told, while others kept running. Many of the Vipers 

who tried to escape were killed as they ran, among them, the chief technician. 

Fear of dying by the deadly chemical heavily outweighed the fear of being killed 

by Viper fire; therefore, many more kept trying to slip away.

Black Canary looked up. She was being held firmly between two huge Viper guards. 

They towered almost a foot and a half over her. Two minutes to live. 

She grinned suddenly. Isn't this *why* she left her mother's flower shop and 

stole her old costume? Because she'd wanted excitement? Danger? Adventure?

Here goes nothing.

"Uh, boys?" she began. The two guards both looked down. "Do you know what that 

chemical agent that you've been manufacturing will do to you? Melt your skin? 

Eat away your flesh?" She smiled brightly. "And that's just for starters. Don't 

forget the part about turning your bones into something that resembles soggy 

bread. Real icky."

Both guards grinned down at her.

"Think she's trying to scare us, Sidewinder?"

"Sure sounds like it, Coral."

"Sidewinder and Coral," Black Canary said pensively. "Those are nice names. Bet 

your mom and dad spent hours pouring over baby books to find just the right 

one."

Coral twisted her arm slightly. She gasped against the increased pain.

"You leave my mother out of this, bird lady," he hissed. "She has nothing to do 

with this."

"Aw, poor baby," she taunted. "Mommy doesn't approve of your career choice?"

Sidewinder joined in. He turned to glare directly in her face, his vice-like 

grip on her slipping just a little. "Look, lady, my friend asked you not to--"

It was too late. He'd given the martial artist just the opening she needed. 

Twisting underneath them, she simultaneously kicked up and connected with 

Coral's chin. Spinning, she struck Sidewinder with a solid roundhouse to the 

solar plexus.

"Sorry, boys," she said, running towards the launchers. "But I don't have time 

to hold hands just now."

Several Vipers assailed her from all sides. Earlier, when she'd escaped from 

them, she'd almost been captured again because she'd been disoriented from the 

Viper venom. Now, Black Canary was back in top form. Taking them down two and 

three at a time, she demonstrated why she'd been one of the founding members of 

the Justice League of America. 

Picking up two of the discarded Viper rifles, she leaped, flying across a broad 

expanse, firing steadily. She quickly worked her way to the missiles. Finally, 

tiring of the game, she leaped above their heads, spinning 360 degrees and 

firing at anything that moved. 

Vipers fell all around her. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the KOBRA leader making his way to the 

emergency exit.

Landing on her back, her forward momentum carried her several more feet, while 

she fired all the way. She targeted the KOBRA leader just as he made it to the 

exit. A clean miss! With their leader gone, the Vipers gave up, throwing down 

their weapons and rushing to make it to the exits. 

Black Canary finally stopped next to the warhead that she'd set to go off.

She had 45 seconds before Batman blew the complex from above ground. Working 

quickly, she reset the timer on the warhead: 15 seconds!

Spotting the seawater pool, she started towards it. A few diehard Viper soldiers 

had remained behind, still trying to stop her. Running, dodging behind any cover 

she could find, rolling to avoid being hit, Black Canary adjusted the rebreather 

mask on her face just as she reached the edge of the pool. Not pausing, she dove 

in.

As she was about to slice through the salt water, the countdown sequence reached 

zero. The world went white-hot followed by absolute blackness.

****

At thirty seconds and counting, a massive underground explosion suddenly rocked 

the entire complex. Hovering at 200 feet, Batman and Nightwing could actually 

see the very ground below them ripple outwardly in a rapidly expanding 

concentric circle.

Trees, buildings, men scurrying for cover--everything in the path of the shock 

wave toppled over, mere toys being knocked carelessly aside by a giant child 

throwing a violent tantrum. 

It was over in seconds.

****

"I've contacted NATO headquarters, Batman." Barbara's tired features gazed out 

from the Batwing's communications monitor. "General Duncan was relieved to hear 

that the chemical threat is over. They're already deploying a special 

environmental cleanup crew to the site. And I believe that the Sixth Fleet will 

be deploying a few SEAL teams to roundup any lost lambs...I mean, snakes."

"Good job, Oracle," Batman said.

Barbara looked at Nightwing, who was sleeping restlessly, his breathing labored. 

Batman had given him a heavy sedative to make the trip back home easier. Turning 

back to the Dark Knight, she addressed the question upper most in her mind. A 

question whose answer she already knew but needed to voice.

"Any word yet?"

"No." 

"Batman, Dinah is my friend, and I'd be the last to give up on her, but--" She 

choked on the rest of her words. 

It'd been almost two hours since the explosion and still no word from her. Even 

her personal locator beacon hadn't shown up on any of their receivers. To make 

matters worse, Nightwing's condition showed signs of deterioration. The beating 

they'd given him had broken several ribs and caused internal injuries. He needed 

medical attention.

"Batman--?"

"Batwing breaking off search, Oracle," he said impersonally. "Returning to base. 

ETA twelve hours."

About to cut communications, they were both startled by a weak transponder 

signal. Black Canary!

"Triangulate!" Batman ordered.

"Working," Oracle muttered. "Almost got it...There! She's located five nautical 

miles out in the Black Sea at the following coordinates--!" She punched a key 

and instantly transmitted the data to the Batwing's onboard computer.

Batman immediately turned the aircraft in the direction indicated.

****

Darkness...floating...so cold...

She felt the darkness lifting. A strange sound greeted her, the cry of a 

seagull. A seagull?

Open your eyes, Dinah, she ordered. You know how much you hate those birds. Why 

do people always feed them on the beach anyway? Ugh! Throw 'em all in the Viper 

pit, I say.

Viper pit? KOBRA?

Black Canary's eyes snapped open. She immediately started sinking and 

compensated by treading water. 

"Okay, Dinah, stay calm. If the locator beacon's operational, help should be on 

the way. Never thought I'd miss Oracle's incessant yapping in my ear...Do this. 

Don't do that...kinda comforting to have someone always watching over you."

She thought of Batman. "I still can't believe I kissed him. Just another notch 

on his utility belt, probably." 

Black Canary thought of how he'd come halfway around the world to "rescue" her. 

Of how he'd considerately loaned her his cape. 

//~You looked...cold.~//

And of his goodbye kiss. 

Smiling suddenly, she lay back in the water, allowing herself to be carried by 

the current, preserving her strength. Yes, it was nice to have someone always 

watching over her.

The sun was suddenly blocked by a large black shadow. The Batwing silently 

settled less than three feet off the water. The cockpit slid open and a now 

familiar grim face looked out at her.

"Going my way?" she asked.

****

Epilogue

"Come on, girlfriend," Oracle coaxed. "Spill!"

"Sorry. I never kiss and tell," Dinah teased. She was lying in her bathtub 

enjoying a luxuriating hot soak. The scent of summer blossoms from her favorite 

bath oil permeated the room.

"Did you say 'kiss'?" Oracle repeated. "*Do* tell!"

Dinah cleared her throat and smoothly changed the subject. "By the way, how's 

the kid? Is he going to be all right?"

"He'll be bedridden for a few weeks, but he'll be okay."

"Bedridden? And will the lovely Ms. Oracle tend to the poor sick boy by bringing 

him vats of chicken soup?"

Sitting back in her lair, Barbara laughed softly. She picked up a photo of Dick 

and her taken at a Christmas party shortly before the earthquake. 

"Something like that," she said. Realizing what Dinah was up to, she quickly 

added, "Oh, no, you don't! You're not changing the subject. What happened down 

there between you and Batman? I've never seen him act so...uh, *concerned* 

before--except maybe about one of *us*! I mean, you know, Nightwing, Robin, me--

members of his 'family.'"

"Wel-ell...let's just say that we came to a sort of understanding," Dinah said 

blithely. 

Barbara felt a sudden cool breeze touch her cheek. Startled she looked up just 

as a familiar dark form stepped out of the shadows. Dinah was still talking.

"He's not so bad, once you get to know him," Dinah continued. "But I guess you 

already knew that--"

"Uh, Dinah--" Barbara began, looking up guiltily at her uninvited guest. Batman 

quirked a single eyebrow at her.

"And if he plays his cards right," Dinah said suggestively, ignoring Barbara's 

desperate warning, "who knows? I may just show him my scars one day." 

The sound of water splashing could be heard over her sparkling laughter. Barbara 

covered her face in her hands.

Batman stood arms crossed, a menacing figure by any standard. 

"Who knows, BC," he growled. "I might just take you up on that one day." 

Turning to leave, a small half-smile played across the corner of his mouth. He 

winced slightly as a few of Black Canary's more descriptive expletives followed 

him out. 

Stunned, Barbara shut off the speakers and shook her head. "This is going to be 

interesting."

The End