Inheritance

[0nightwing0]

Who:  Dick, Joker, Tim, Roy, Bones, and Matt Murdock ..Possibly Stephanie Brown
Where: Training room and moving to the Medical Bay
When:  afternoon
Summary: Dick's going to take up the Mantle left behind by his mentor..whether he likes it or not.
Warnings: Blood, Gore, Violence...its Joker, you know its going to be graphic

Comments

[entro_pist]

It had been far too long since he'd paid Nightwing a friendly visit and so when the Joker had seen the undercover vigilante disappear into the complex's training center, he figured today was the time to play catch up. He did not follow immediately but had chosen instead to wait until Grayson fell into whatever routine he'd come to do and until he was sure the vicinity was empty.

Grayson's dog growled at him as the Joker approached, alerted by his forward presence and the long, wooden bow he held propped over his shoulder. This was a training center after all so it wasn't difficult to find something to use as a weapon upon entering the place. The dog had assumed a defensive stance with its hackles raised on end and teeth bared. There was good chance it would attack but the Joker was willing to risk it to say hello and spend some quality time with an old chum.

And what better way to say "Hello, good to see ya!" than to express it aggressively. Muffled footsteps hastened across the mat floor as Dick appeared to realize he wasn't

[0nightwing0]

Among the mechanical sounds of the dummies the vigilante's ears caught something entirely different, yet all too familiar. The whoosh of the Bo Slicing through the training room air was familiar yes, but it wasn't until he heard the laugh that he knew who it was. By the time that had happened his hand had caught the bow out of pure instinct. Ripping his blindfold off with his other hand Dick stared with a glare that dripped venom back at the souless black eyes of his attacker

[entro_pist]

The combined force of the dog throwing its weight into the attack and of Dick's fist connecting solidly with his jaw knocked the Joker to the floor. Though he was snagged above the knee with hot, crushing pressure by the dog's powerful jaws, he knew better than to struggle and tear his flesh more than necessary against its fangs.

"You know me, I like to keep things interesting," came his raggedly spoken reply delivered with a grin. One moment his fingers had slipped into his coat out of sight and almost within the same moment he was turning his face away as a jet of pepper spray bombarded the dog's senses. When the dog released its jaws with a pained squeal, the Joker forcefully shoved it off of him and rolled quickly away, expecting Dick to strike at him with the bo. And if Dick happened to get distracted by the dog for even a few seconds, he would be on his feet again in no time despite the wound.

[0nightwing0]

The yelp of the young dog called for Dick's attention but he didn't let it deter him from his fight, Bruce was ok..just in a bit of pain. Dick took advantage of the bo in his hand and his closeness to Joker to lunge onto the main shoving the long staff lengthwise against the greasepaint covered skin of the clown's neck. The pressure wasn't enough to kill the man but it was enough to keep him on the ground while the vigilante's fist connected with the man's head two times.

De j'vou was a funny thing, as Dick remembered the last time he'd put the clown in such a position. The memory of the glass slicing into his skin was still fresh in his mind, but this time they had no cuffs. This time he'd be able to take the man on rather than be caught off guard..

[entro_pist]

He'd only gotten so far as one roll before Nightwing's weight bore down on him, pinning him to the floor by his throat. The Joker's hands reached for the bo, pushing against it on either side to allow himself enough space to breathe. And laugh. The feeling of it, the pain, revived a memory into crystal clarity-his first encounter with Nightwing in the prison compound. He'd had a staff pressed below his chin just like this but behind his back there'd been a brick wall instead. He recalled the thick shard of glass in his hand, Dick's blood, the heavy thud of the man's body hitting the floor after taking a blow to the knees, volts of electricity ripping through his own body as punishment. Yes, he remembered all of that in an instant; it made him smile

[0nightwing0]

" Sorry I was too busy cleaning up your counterparts mess in Gotham, and shoving hyposprays into peoples necks to ward off the toxin. If you're such a concerned citizen I would have thought you would have helped" Dick had to loosen his grip on the Bo to land another punch to the clown's head, giving the man a potential opening. Fists smeared in red and white greasepaint slammed into the man's skull only short of killing blows. It was as if all the pain and anguish the man had caused him was coming out in full force in those blows.

You know, Dick, maybe you're starting to lose your touch.

Dick let another blow strike its target at that blow, this time it was a knee to the man's exposed abdomen. It was a thought that echoed in his mind for so long, and so it hit hard and strong. Was he growing complacent? Was he getting rusty in his work? No he was perfectly fine and with another blow to the clown's gut he proved his point.

[entro_pist]

"Oooh,... struck a... nerve," he managed between fists. But the Joker didn't fight back nor did he invest much effort into struggling for freedom, only laughed until the wind was knocked out of him

[0nightwing0]

Dick cried out in pain and shock, his hands going to the offending eye that was seeping with blood and clear fluid. It was if his entire eye was on fire and it was a struggle not to rip it from his skull in an attempt to rid himself of the searing pain in his skull. Slowly he brought his hand away from his eye hoping beyond hope that it had just been the eyelid, his blood soaked hand shaking slightly. It only took a moment to realize how deep the blade had gone, cutting the lens itself. There was no hope for it then, it was blind once again

Grabbing a batarang from his belt he lunged at the clown going for the man's own eye and slicing blindly at the rest of his now blood spattered body. Something snapped in him, he was pushing towards breaking that one rule. For two years he'd dealt with the pain and anguish the clown caused him, not anymore...not that day.

[entro_pist]

But today Dick wasn't going to get an eye for an eye. The blade of his batarang snagged clothing and left a few gashes on the Joker's forearms but it didn't touch him anywhere above the chin. Unfazed by the fresh cuts on his arms and Dick's animosity, the Joker burst into another fit of excited giggles as if this was nothing more than a tickle fight.

Then, taking advantage of Dick's state of pain and loss of bilateral vision, he deflected the batarang and drove a fist of his own at the man's blinded socket. It connected with a wet sound and the Joker took the following moment as an opportunity to shunt Nightwing off of him. He shoved the length of the bo hard against Dick's chest, right up under the other's arm where limb met socket, and rolled until Dick was pinned to the floor with his throat and upper arm trapped beneath the bo.

"Now this takes me back. This really takes me back," the Joker growled, eyes rolling skyward with memories of the good ol' days when he'd fought Nightwing on the rooftop of some broken-down building in

[niiroya]

"Hey punk, I'm changing the track!"

Roy had been searching for Dick when the older man hadn't shown up for his shift at the bar, not finding him at the apartment or the medical bay the red-head decided to try the training room.

The door had slid open onto what looked liked a scene from a slasher movie. His mind cleared quickly when he saw that it was Joker pinning Nightwing and not the other way around.

"Get the fuck off of him!" He exclaimed, bow armed and aimed right at the clown's side.

[entro_pist]

The Joker didn't turn or look up to see who this nosy intruder was but from the corner of his eye, he could see that a bow and arrow were trained on him. Five minutes alone with Nightwing, was that too much to ask?

"Nnnrah! Someone's always interrupting," he groused with a shake of his head but otherwise didn't move, reluctant to give up the downed vigilante. His knife, the one that had torn out Dick's eye, was still in his hand, flat side pressed between the bo and his palm with the edge of its blade just below Dick's chin. He had no real intention to use it or to kill Nightwing, but he also knew that if the man were to survive, his injury would require immediate medical attention soon.

[0nightwing0]

"Do it...shoot..now" Dick croaked out, blinking his damaged eye hard. The knife had not torn it out, however it did slice through the cornea and lens. He didn't dare move as Joker held the knife to his throat, the sharp edge biting at his skin. Crimson trickled from its edge as pressure was put ever so slightly on the blade. He felt more pissed than helpless but at that moment he just wanted to make it out alive.

Bruce Snarled at the clown inching closer, he was loyal to his master. The dog didn't think twice about defending Dick he just wasnt stupid enough to launch himself onto his masters attacker.

[niiroya]

Roy fired the red colored arrow and after whooshing through the air it inbedded in The Joker's left shoulder blade, right into the bone, hoping to get the villain to drop his weapon and start focusing on him.

Moving to Bruce's side he quickly checked the mutt over greatful not to find any fatal wounds on the animal.

[entro_pist]

At Dick's command to shoot, the Joker dropped, trying to flatten himself on the floor beside Dick. But at close range, a speeding arrow was a lot faster than it seemed and it drove itself into muscle and bone. Though his shoulder took the damage, he at least managed to avoid a punctured lung.

The Joker snarled viciously, not from pain but from pure, mad rage. Roy had asked for the Joker's attention and now he would get exactly that and more. Before cupid boy could get the chance to launch another arrow, the Joker leapt up with a Glock 17 full-auto in his hand. If Roy didn't move now he was going to get a head full of bullets. Staccato bursts sounded as the Joker dodged backwards behind one of the targets Dick had been practicing on. He'd nearly tripped during the move, still somewhat woozy from Nightwing's hammering fists, plus he'd forgotten all about the dog bite above his knee. Once safely behind the man-sized structure, he clung to it for support and began the process of removing the arrow.

[niiroya]

"Shit."

Roy flipped one way and sent Bruce the other as the crazed man emptied the clip into the space that the pair had been in, he asn't getting caught out again.

Though Joker had sort cover, like a true hunter he hadn't lost sight of his prey as he strung another arrow onto his bow, this one has an explosive charge at the end of it.

"Nightwing, you okay?" He called out not sure if he was allowed to us civillain names or not before the arrow took flight towards the fighting drone.

[0nightwing0]

" Can't see left eye.." Dick said rather weakly back as he tried to get up, blood ran from his eye thick and fluid mixed the sclera gone red with the blue a sickly clouded glass. Bruce bounded to his owner laying down on him to guard him from the danger, at least for the time being. The vigilante grabbed onto the dog's collar to ease his pain knowing it was best to stay put and stay as low a target as possible. " got knifed Roy"

How was this going to affect him now? Would he be able to fight without his full vision? If there was a worse time than this, with gotham, for one of the few of its only vigilante's to get hut it was now. He couldn't get thrown out of the game, not now, not with Tim out there and the people in so much danger.