Nightbird Ascent Part 1: A Little Anarchy

DISCLAIMER (scrolls across the screen): What you are about to read is not actual canon Earth-G. It is one of the many multi-verses that Earth-G has spawned. This tale has been taken from the chronicles of the multi-verse known as Earth-Golan, also called Earth-Nolan. Anything found in this story may resemble actual Earth-G facts, but unless stated by their individual owners, should not be taken as actual Earth-G canon.



An ice cream truck screamed down the streets of Gotham. Behind it on the Nighthawk, was one of the city's well-known heroes in hot pursuit. Over his earpiece came the deep, tenor voice of the Owl, "We've got to hurry Nightbird, there's only three minutes left—and you know how Maniac works."

"Of course—the joke wouldn't be half as funny if the hospital exploded when it was supposed to,"  Nightbird made a face which was lost under the helmet to any outside sources. He aimed his small propulsion canons at the truck. "Give me two seconds."

A series of blasts were fired, hitting the back tires of the fleeing vehicle. The truck flipped over and skid for a half block on its hood. Nightbird stopped and pulled the bike to a halt, watching and waiting. "How's the evacuation?"

"Almost complete. With any luck, no one will be hurt," The Owl replied before barking orders to an officer. Nightbird eyed the suspect emerging from the vehicle. Maniac looked around and spotted the hero, then began to laugh. Slowly, the notorious Clown 'Prince' of Crime began to saunter towards the hero. "Apprehend Maniac and get whatever information you can."

"Got it," Nightbird revved the engines as a warning. "STAND DOWN."

Maniac gave a crazed laugh. Nightbird turned the Nighthawk toward the villain, revving the engines again. Maniac continued as though it were a leisurely stroll through the park, adding a small bounce to the step. Nightbird lowered his head and hit the gas. Maniac pulled out a small knife and began to toss it in the air and catch it, continuing forward. "Come on, I want you to do it… I want you to do it… Come on, hit me… HIT ME."

At the very last moment, Nightbird swerved, toppling his bike and skidding off into the road. Maniac's head tilted back and the trademark eerie laugh echoed off the buildings. Nightbird grunted and got up. With a deep breath he readied his fists, making a mental note about the gas mask in his belt. "You're a deranged clown with a sick sense of humor. The Asylum is too good for a lunatic like you."

"If that's so true, why did you stop?—You just couldn't bring yourself to run me down, could you?  See, this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness—even if it would be for the betterment of humanity," Maniac closed the gap with a casual looping step, gripping the knife tightly. "And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. It's just a vicious little cycle—/isn't it/?" With that, Maniac lunged forward, the blade pointed at Nightbird's face.

"Evacuation complete, Nightbird do you have Maniac in custody?" The Owl sounded nervous.

Nightbird dodged swiftly and sent a right hook into Maniac's face. Maniac stumbled back, then laughed, swinging wildly with the knife. It sliced through the kevlar on Nightbird's arm. A thin red line appeared. Maniac gave a twisted grin, "Ooooh, first blood! This is getting good!"

Nightbird's fist connected with Maniac's nose, the blow giving a sickening 'crunch'. Maniac screamed and grabbed at the nose desperately to stop the blood flow, the knife tip dangerously close to a self-inflected jab in the eye. Nightbird gritted his teeth, "What's the joke Maniac? Why a hospital of all things?"

Maniac regained footing and eyed Nightbird, body relaxing. A wicked cackle filled Maniac's throat. "Why? Because it's /funny/. You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan."—Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up—nobody panics! You know why?  Because it's all "part of the plan". But when I say that one little old mayor will die, or a puppy is going to get kicked… or I'll blow up a hospital—well then /everyone/ loses their minds! Because it's not part of the plan!" Maniac laughed wildly again, swinging the knife to and fro carelessly. "So you see, the /joke/ is that the rest of the world is as sick as I am!"

"You disgust me," Nightbird leapt forward, connecting a fist with Maniac's nose.

"But you haven't said I'm wrong," Maniac gloated, taking another blow to the face. The clown stumbled back, tripping over a curb. Nightbird pressed the advantage, pummeling the criminal with more emotional than he intended. Instead of crying out in pain, Maniac just laughed.

"You /are/ wrong," Nightbird growled, roughly throwing Maniac onto the pavement in an unceremonious belly flop. Nightbird brought down a boot on the clown's back, yanking back Maniac's arms and cuffing the wrists. "Gotham's citizens are more resilient and good than any of you mani—sociopaths give them credit for. One day you'll see that."

"If this city was so great and worth saving," Maniac drooled in a bored tone, "They wouldn't need you or the Owl or your merry band of little freaks—they're going to turn on you, you know. You know what people love more than seeing a hero succeed?—They like seeing him fail…" Nightbird pulled Maniac upright, scowling. Maniac looked at Nightbird over a shoulder, with the trademark wicked smile. "One of these days you're going to fail—and the city will hate you for it… One of these days, you're all going to bite off more than you can chew—and then, oh, what fun shall we have! HA hahahaha!"

"Shut up Maniac!" Nightbird slammed the clown into the nearest wall. Maniac laughed. "Your plans have failed. Gotham General has been evacuated and the bomb squad has been sent in."

"Oh really?" Maniac laughed harder.
"Nightbird! We have a problem!" The Owl's voice held a terrifying amount of dread. "It's about the hospital. The squad has been all over the grounds and—"

"What's so funny?" Nightbird's eyes darkened. Maniac twisted, sending a knee into Nightbird's groin. The young hero doubled over and released the convict for a moment.

"This." Maniac pulled a small device from a back pocket and hit the button. Across the city, near the docking bays, two loud explosions sounded. Nightbird looked up in horror as Maniac's laughter filled the air. "See, I thought about blowing up a hospital, but I was sure you and your caped crusading friends would be able to fix that—so I had Punchy plant some bombs on ferries instead. All that noble work and effort for nothing… Tsk tsk. Maybe you need to rethink your career or brush up on your Detective skills." Nightbird stood slowly, moving as though he were in a fog. Sirens sounded several blocks off and drew closer. Maniac began laughing again. "And the cavalry is coming—late as usu—"

"SHUT UP," Nightbird slammed Maniac's face into a light pool. To his surprise, the clown went limp. Nightbird felt as though an elephant was on his chest and his stomach churning. For a moment he was afraid he'd killed the clown—and what disturbed him more was the moment that followed, where he had almost hoped he did.

"Nightbird?—Nightbird are you there?" The Owl sounded concerned. Nightbird swallowed hard.

"Yeah," He replied weakly, tossing Maniac to the cement. "Owl… we… we failed…"

"No, you didn't," a slightly annoyed voice crossed their encrypted line. "But you all had me pretty darn well scared for a good five seconds."

"The Answer?" Nightbird blinked. He had only heard the man's voice a few times.

"That's a question. But yes, I am the Answer. And you're welcome." Came the reply.

"Good to know you've got our backs," The smile on Owl's face was clear in his tone.

"How did you—?" Nightbird began in wonder.

"Right, right. Just doing my duty. Now if you don't mind… Awesome Woman is going to need me in about five minutes and I'd like to put dinner in the mic," with that the line went dark.

Nightbird slumped against the light post, staring down at Maniac and immediately feeling guilty over his actions. He heard Owl clear his throat, "Everything all right, Tim?"

Nightbird didn't reply. A police car and paddy wagon for Anthony Asylum screamed around the corner—Nightbird assumed courtesy of the Answer as well. Inside the police car were Herge Toro and Rachel Monte, two of Gotham's finest and brightest officers. Nightbird grabbed a grappling gun and fired it at an adjacent building. Without a word he swept off into the night.

"Tim, meet me back at the Nest," Owl said evenly. Then the line went dark. Tim knew better than to protest. After retrieving the Nighthawk, he took off into the growing shadows.

* * *

"I am terribly sorry Miss…" Mr. Vulpin exchanged nervous glances with Alphonse, who stoically positioned himself by the window trying not to look bored.

"Kase," came the soft, feminine reply with the faintest hint of an accent. A beautiful young woman in her early twenties sat in a business suit before the two men in the large office of Thomas Conroy. She had beautiful blue eyes full of life and a soft, carrot colored hair, which was pulled back into a tidy bun. Her makeup was natural and almost impossible to detect. "Kathani Kase."

"Ah, yes—Ms. Kathani Kase—very lovely name," Alphonse gave a small nod to her, his light British accent making his manners seem all the more polite. "Arabic in origin?" She nodded with a smile. Alphonse gave a smile of his own in return. "Well, we're afraid that Mr. Conroy and his chief business partner Mr. Grayson will be indisposed this evening and will have to reschedule."

"I see," Kathani Kase lowered her gaze, trying not to look disappointed. She stood, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress suit. "Well, please inform them that this matter is of utmost importance—our industry has much to offer and I believe that we can make the lives of Gotham's citizens better—an interest I believe we share with Mr. Conroy."

"Of course," Vulpin nodded. "I will let Mr. Conroy know and will have my people call yours."

"Excellent." Kathani smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check in on our newest project.—I want everything to be perfect for Mr. Conroy's presentation."

Both men nodded and Mr. Vulpin escorted her out. Alphonse waited until he was alone before reaching to his ear and tapping an earpiece. "Catastrophe averted sir."

"Thank you Alphonse. Reschedule for tomorrow afternoon if you think this is actually a merger worth making," the Owl said nonchalantly.

"Of course sir—is one o'clock suitable for you or Master Timothy?" Alphonse flipped out an appointment book and got the pen ready. There was a short pause.

"Wow… one meeting and you're sold? This /must/ be good," Nightbird chimed in.

"That will be fine Alphonse. Thank you," the Owl sounded mildly annoyed.

"Very good sir, I'll let her know," Alphonse scribbled the time down and tapped his earpiece. He had plans to make and didn't need to overhear their conversation—as entertaining as he was sure it was going to be. Such was the price of working for both Thomas Conroy and the Owl.

* * *

"Stocks in ConTech are maintaining a steady 900 thanks to Mr. Conroy's new investments in green energy and a better quality of life for the citizens of Gotham. Despite these successes, S. Skylar from Metropolis continues to make a push for ground in Gotham, insisting Conroy's company is a monopoly," Autumn Gleason, the most famous reporter in Gotham, prattled on about the news on the main video screen of the Owl Nest.

"Tim, are you all right?" Thomas Conroy, cowl down but still in costume, sat with his back to the video screen, observing his protégé with concern. Nightbird was leaning back on one of the rails, his eyes intently studying the floor. "What happened with Maniac?"

"I… I crossed a line Thomas…" Tim sounded embarrassed and guilty.

"What line?" Thomas raised a dark eyebrow inquisitively. "How did you cross it?"

"I—I let my anger get the better of me—when—when I thought he had killed those civilians…" Tim trailed off, looked out over the bay where the vehicles were kept. The backdrop of a cave system and waterfalls was not only good for hiding all sorts of neat toys and gear, but also for soothing the spirit.

"It happens Tim," The understanding in Thomas's tone surprised Tim, he had fully expected a lecture or to be reprimanded. "To tell you the truth… I've gotten dangerously close to a few lines myself… and if you took your anger out on Maniac…—it was well deserved."

Tim blinked. "Who are you and what have you done with my mentor? Mr. Cool and calm and responsibility and discipline—telling it's okay to pummel the snot out of Maniac?"

"Just don't do it again," Thomas smirked, managing to keep himself from chuckling.

"So, how'd the Answer do it?" Tim's spirits, much improved, now allowed him to focus on happier matters at hand. Thomas turned to face the video screen.

"And in other news, the rising star Kase Corporation is looking to ally themselves with ConTech. The company's mission to make the earth cleaner and more green in an effort to better the world's populace should meld nicely with that of business tycoon Thomas Conroy and his vision of a brighter, better Gotham," Autumn continued her report. Thomas always thought she was a little squirrel-like with the way she chittered and chattered on in her report.

"He was monitoring the wireless frequencies and notified Gotham GP of the unusual activity down near the docks. The ferries were emptied and the boats that were rigged were sent out to sea on autopilot since the bombs were not able to be disable in time," Thomas responded, eyes glued to the video screen's ticker that ran beneath the report.

"Wow… he really DOES know everything," Tim shook his head. He turned his gaze to the video screen, tilting his head to the side somewhat. "So… Alphonse actually made an appointment for you to meet with the head of Kase Corporation, huh?"

"Apparently… I'm thinking of having my right hand man go to the meeting," Thomas replied.

"You afraid he's trying to set you up again?" Tim grinned wryly. Although Thomas had his back to his protégé, Tim knew the look on his mentor's face. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy.

"Well, I did hear that this Miss Kathani Kase is a cherry bombshell," Thomas shrugged. "And yes Tim, I did say /miss/—which means this is very much in your area of expertise."

Tim rolled his eyes trying not to smirk. "Well, if you insist…"

"I want you to relay back to me exactly what those plans are and go ahead as though we're making the merger. Kase Corporation is a new industry and I want to make sure Skylar isn't using it as a front," Thomas glanced over his shoulder.

"Paranoid much?" Tim quirked an eyebrow, smirking. Thomas responded by arching an eyebrow, his expression deadpan. "I know, I know… it's not beneath Skylar to do something like that… is he still obsessed with Mastermind?" Thomas rolled his eyes and shook his head, a faint smile forming as he went back to the news. Tim grinned, "I'll take that as a yes. Man, Liss just goes on and ON about how obnoxious that is…"

The camera focused on a close up of the reporter. "And for our final piece of news, our hometown heroes once again thwarted a dastardly plan by the crazed villain Maniac today with a little help from the Answer. It's always good to know they're looking out for us. Well Gothamites, that's a rap. This is Autumn Gleason reporting from Gotham's best source of news. Have a great night!"

* * *

Sitting in front of a video screen in a dark room, Legacy leaned against a console with his fingers in a steeple. He had always had a strong dislike for Gotham's favorite reporter. She always reminded him of a squirrel—and he hated squirrels. They were obnoxious, dirty little creatures with no intelligence and a death wish. He spoke in a bored manner, "Has Professor Carroll made the proper arrangements?"

"The board is set. The pieces will move at your command," Velocity replied, standing behind him with her fingers resting on the back of the chair. She smiled at him.

Legacy over his shoulder at Velocity and returned the smile. "Tell Professor Carroll her services are needed."