Titans

[Cazzik]

TITANS
VOLUME 1: MAGIC, MUTANTS, & MAYHEM

His eskrima sticks left his hands with pin point accuracy; each weapon connecting with the face of its intended target. Both men hit the ground hard, unconscious, and in one case, with a broken nose. Nightwing retrieved the weapons as they ricocheted back. He moved quickly and silently, as William had trained him to do. Coming up on three other men around the corner of the warehouse he was on them before they knew what was happening. There was a sizzling crack as his weapons came to life with a blue burst of electricity. More bursts of light as he brought them down on one man, effectively tasing him into the dirt. The second offender saw nothing as Nightwing's foot connected with his head, sending his face into the side of the building. The thud of his friend hitting the building caused the third adversary to turn around and raise his gun. The thug got one unsuccessful shot off before Nightwing sent him into the land of dreams like his compatriots.

"Someone heard that shot go off. Be ready," William's older, raspier voice echoed in Ryan's earpiece. He didn't respond but both William and Nightwing knew the older man was right. He picked up the pace. The rain bounced off of his nearly all black combat suit. The red bird emblem shown eerily across his chest whenever light from the lamp posts hit it. He heard movement from within the warehouse. They had definitely been alerted to his presence.

He heard the main doors open up and the sound of multiple pairs of boots hitting the wet ground ahead of him. Nightwing clenched his teeth and frowned. There was no way he wasn't doing this. He had a job to do; a mission. This group had been kidnapping and smuggling mutant children for weeks. That was going to end tonight. Within seconds Nightwing was on the roof, planning on taking his enemies from above. He walked slowly to the edge of the building, just above the main entrance. He stared down at the mercenaries. He counted twelve.

"Are you going to work tonight or just stand around and lallygag?" William's raspy voice came through the earpiece once more. Nightwing smiled and armed himself with several wing-dings, "God you're old."

The bladed, high tech, shuriken-like weapons through the air, just as the man who had thrown them. Before he hit the ground four of his adversaries were down, tased by the high voltage wing-dings that now punctured their skin. Eight to go. His foot stomped down hard on one's knee, cracking it with ease. His eskrima stick caught the same man under the chin. Seven. THe man's closest partner began to turn. Nightwing grabbed the barrel of his rifle and shoved it upward hard, ramming it into his face. He brought his hand in flat, catching the man in the neck. The mercenary stumbled backwards, choking. Nightwing delivered a powerful kick to his chest sending him straight to the ground. Six.

Another wing-ding left Nightwing's fingertips, plugging itself into the barrel of another rifle and exploding. Five. The hero shot forward, dodging gunfire and brought his eskrim stick up into the face of the next enemy, followed by his knee to the man's gut. He then proceeded to use the man as a human shield as gunfire pelted the man's vest. Four. One electrified eskrima stick hit its mark, being thrown from behind the shield. Three. Two more wing-dings, each caught opposite shoulders of the same man. He went down to the dirt after a final blow to the face from Nightwing's gauntlet. Two.

Nightwing rolled away from the man he had just beaten and toward the next, who was firing wildly in an attempt to hit the hero. Ryan swept the man's leg and knocked him unconscious using the eskrima stick he had just collected again. One. Nightwing stood up and stared down the last of his adversaries. His weapons were clutched tightly in either hand as he watched the last mercenary. The man was quivering, still gripping his gun. It was a stand off. Then, without another thought the other man threw his gun to the side and turned and started running away. Nightwing smiled slightly and raised one eskrima stick and pressed a button on the side. A grappling line flew forward, gripped the man's bullet proof vest and the hero pulled back hard. The mercenary was off his feet and on the ground, hitting with the force of a powerful blow. The hero stepped forward and looked around, grinning, "Zero."

With that the entire front of the building exploded open. Nightwing covered his eyes in protection. As he gazed back at the explosion he watched a massive mechanical war machine step out. Under what was conceivably bullet proof glass he could see the bald image of none other than Dr. Gizmo, "You think you've won, Nightwing? You think you've beaten Dr. Gizmo?! Impossible! I am unstoppable! I am infallible! I am..."

Before the villain could utter another word a massive hammer had blown through his mech device, crippling the weapon and causing it to collapse about itself into the dirt below it. The flying hammer whirled about and returned to its wielder; a high tech armored woman called Steel, floating above the ground. Nightwing looked up at her, "That only counts as one."

Zoe Hudson smiled beneath her faceplate, "Uh huh. Whatever you say."

From under the rubble of the mechanized terror machine the pair could hear the muttering's of the five foot mad scientist, "No fair. No one told me this was a team up thing."

[Cazzik]

Nightwing and Steel watched from the roof of a nearby office building as the police rounded up Dr. Gizmo and his mercenaries. They stood in silence for awhile, smiling slightly as first responders escorted the kidnapped children out of the warehouse. Both heroes recognized that this was a small victory. They had prevented these specific children from being shipped off to god knows where but they had yet to uncover the location of those who had been taken over the course of the last few months. Ryan spoke first, not taking his eyes off of the scene before them, "You didn't tell me what you were doing here, Zoe?"

Steel scoffed and raised her faceplate, "I don't actually answer to you, Ryan. But if you must know, I was doing that same thing you were. Mutant children have been vanishing from Metropolis for months now. My father and I tracked them to Dr. Gizmo, which in turn, led me here."

Nightwing nodded, "I had it under control. I didn't need your help."

Zoe turned a stern look to her ex-almost boyfriend, "Really? All under control? You were going to do what exactly to the giant walking mech suit of doom? Taze it? Maybe throw a couple of winger-dingers at it?"

Ryan put up his hand, "Wing-dings. They're called wing-dings and I know you know that."

Steel put her arms up in frustration, "Wing-dings. Whatever. My point is, I had the artillery to take it out so I did. You're welcome."

"You're right," Zoe's eyes went wide as Nightwing spoke, "Sorry."

She nodded at him and the tension felt lessened between the pair, though not entirely gone. After a long silence Zoe spoke up, "So where's your partner? It's not like you to show up to something like this without backup if you can help it."

Nightwing turned to look at her. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was; her dark hair and eyes, her mocha skin tone. She was drop dead gorgeous and on top of that she was one of the single most brilliant individuals alive, "Guardian isn't my partner, per se. We just happen to team up...frequently. And I don't know where he is. William couldn't get him on comms yesterday or today. Something might be up. He doesn't normally go dark like that."

"You're worried about him?" questioned Zoe.

Nightwing shook his head, "Not yet. But if we don't hear from him soon I might get there."

Steel's faceplate slid back down into position and she motioned to a VTOL aircraft hovering above them, "We can take a look around the city if you want. The smuggling ring is dead for now. We'll see what the police dig up later on about Gizmo's employer."

Nightwing nodded, "Couldn't hurt. Let's go."