Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or any member of the Batfamily.

Who is Nightwing?

By Red Blaze 16

Chapter 1

It was late at night. Summer had left Gotham and autumn was just settling in. The cold wind blew through the city and made its citizens long for coats. Since it was after midnight, there were very few law abiding people roaming the streets. Once the night fell, usually the city belonged to the criminals and Batman.

But the Dark Knight was not alone in Gotham. In fact, all of Batman's former partners were calling Gotham their home, so it wasn't unusual to see Batman working with Red Robin or Nightwing working with Robin. Some of the Batfamily even worked with Red Hood, though some found it easier than others. For a man who felt he needed no one, Batman's family was getting larger and larger.

Recently, Batman had heard rumors of a scientist using the warehouse district. The man would kidnap whomever he could, experimenting on them. The lucky ones died. Batman knew he needed to put a stop to it and, with Nightwing at his side, they went into the warehouse district, shortly after sunset.

Hours went by. They put a stop to a few thugs who were using the abandoned buildings are a base. They also stopped multiple muggings. It was well after midnight when Nightwing found the warehouse the scientist was using.

Kneeling on the rooftop, looking in through a dirty skylight, Nightwing watched a man, wearing a long white coat walk around. The man was older than Nightwing, probably close to 50 years old based on the gray hairs and lines in the man's face that the hero could see. And he wasn't alone. Others moved around the room. Based on the level of freedom some used, Nightwing guessed who were the thugs that worked for the scientist and who were innocent people being used.

Raising a hand to his gauntlet, the dark haired hero pressed a button. "Batman?"

There was a moment of silence before the younger hero heard the Dark Knight. "Go ahead."

"I think I have found the scientist."

"I'm locking on your position now," came the reply before the line went dead.

Nightwing looked down at his gauntlet. He waited until he saw the briefest flash before returning his attention to the men below. Batman had made sure that there was a tracker in all the uniforms, so that he would know where every member of the team was whenever he wanted to know. Some, like Red Hood, found is beyond annoying, while others took it in stride.

Looking through the window, Nightwing watched as a child, wearing very baggy clothing, was led away from the machine. The hero frowned. When he first looked through the window, he didn't remember seeing any children. Only adults. Nightwing stomach knotted at the thought that this madman was experimenting on children.

Even though he heard nothing, Nightwing raised his head and looked behind him. A shadow, dark against what little light that shown around the warehouse moved toward him. Recognizing the shadow, Nightwing returned his attention to the window.

"The scientist is over by the machine, in the center of the room," said Nightwing, as Batman settled next to him. "I've counted at least a dozen thugs. There are also at least three hostages, one of which is a child."

Batman said nothing as he also examined the space below.

"Do we go in hard or soft?" asked the younger man.

"Hard," growled Batman.

Moving away from the window, Nightwing headed toward another skylight. Just as he reached the window, he heard the sound of shattering glass. Wasting no time, Nightwing jumped through the window, using his hands to protect his face. It was the one thing the hero missed about wearing capes. They were a good protection against glass.

With a flip, Nightwing landed lightly on his feet, before turning to face the first thug. The man was holding the child. Wasting no time, Nightwing attached the thug, breaking his hold on the child.

"Run, kid," said Nightwing before he swept the legs of the man in front of him.

With a grunt, the man hit the ground hard, banging his head off the floor. Hearing the sound of running feet, Nightwing quickly side stepped, just as a thug passed him and tripped on the first man the hero had taken down. The second man landed on the first.

Nightwing looked for where the child had been, but not seeing the boy, decided to focus his attention on the remainder of the thugs. Two more approached him. The dark haired hero faced off. While the men were big on muscles, they were short on brains and moves. Nightwing had both men on the ground moments later.

Just as the last man hit the ground, Nightwing turned to see how Batman was doing. All the thugs who had attacked the Dark Knight were on the ground and Batman was staring at the scientist, who was sitting on his machine.

The machine was large. It was dark gray and somewhat boxy in shape. The scientist sat half way up the machine, which was about five feet from the floor. The seat was off to the side, closer to Batman than Nightwing. The man appeared to be at the controllers, already pushing buttons. As Batman turned to face the scientist and machine, the scientist pushed a button. From behind, almost like the tail of a scorpion, a pole shot up from the back of the machine. As it reached its peak, the top twisted open and revealed a small dish that pointed down.

"It's over," growled Batman.

The scientist shifted his gaze between the Dark Knight and Nightwing. Slowly, the young hero moved toward the machine, ready for the scientist in case he tried to make a run for it.

"I won't be stopped," replied the man on the machine.

"You're done," said Nightwing, as he continued to walk toward the machine. "Just give up already. Your men are down."

The man's hand hovered over the controls. Just as Nightwing took his next step, the man slammed his hands down on the controls. The dish glowed green for a second, before a shot of energy flew out and hit Nightwing in the chest.

"Nightwing!"

The younger hero flew backwards, hitting the ground hard on his side. Nightwing attempted to get back his feet, before falling back to the ground. The hero laid on the ground, partly on his stomach and partly on his side.

Batman rushed at the scientist, wasting little time of grabbing the man. "What did you do?" demanded the Dark Knight, as he dragged the other man from the controls.

"You'll see," sneered the scientist.

Clenching his fists, Batman punched the other man. Standing close to the machine, the blow pushed the scientist backwards. The older man hit his head on his own machine before his eyes closed. Unconscious, the man slumped to the ground.

Turning his attention to his downed partner, Batman rushed across the ground.

"Nightwing?"

Just as Batman reached his partner's side, he knew something was wrong. While Batman was taller than Nightwing, the younger hero wasn't small either. For a moment, Batman wondered if his eyes were deceiving him, as it appeared that Nightwing was getting smaller and smaller. In mere moments, Nightwing was half his adult size.

"Nightwing?"

The younger man, though he looked more like a child now, groaned. The Nightwing costume, which had fit like a second layer of skin, now hung on the dark haired hero.

"Batman?"

The voice sounded higher and softer than the adult voice that Batman had heard only moments before. Batman reached down and touched Nightwing's shoulder.

"Batman? What happened?" asked Nightwing.

Slowly, the younger hero shifted and looked up at Batman. Batman's mouth opened, but no noise came out. The domino mask had slipped from Nightwing's face. The mask, meant to be wore by a larger face, could not stay on the smaller face. A pair of bright blue eyes looked at Batman.

"And why are you calling me Nightwing?" asked the younger hero. "I'm Robin."

…...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Review! Thanks!