Secrets Aren't Meant to be Kept

Keeping Secrets

Keeping Secrets

Slade was getting old, or the effects of the government experiment were fading away. He was moving slower than usual. Nighwing shouldn't have been able to hit him as many times as he did in his condition.

He could feel the muscles in his abdomen straining with each movement.

He moved back as Starfire shot down firebolts. Slade leaped from the first floor onto the balustrade on the second floor while throwing a disc at Starfire. It exploded in her face. She wasn't harm, just dazed.

He used his staffed to jump on the second floor and ran to catch up with Slade. The mini-bridge that they were on curled in front of them. He adjusted his weight at the change of the structure under his feet.

Nightwing watched as Raven used her power to wrap the metal structured around Slade. However, he shot his grappler before it could encase him. Nightwing watched as he struggled to reach the third level.

Following Slade using his own grappler, Nightwing used this opportunity to tackled the criminal to the ground.

They fell to the ground with him on top. He soon fell over in pain as Slade kneed him directly where the bullet exited his body. He looked up to see Slade walking backward. A trigger was in his hand. He pressed the button. Immediately, Nightwing heard explosions coming from behind him.

He was engulfed in a black light before he could think about his next move. Once the light was gone, he was outside with Raven, who was helping him to stand up.

"Are you okay?" Starfire rushed to his side taking Raven's place.

"I'm fine," he lied. Pain suffused through his body, and he was sure that he blacked out for a second.

"You're bleeding."

"It's a flesh wound." He pushed her hand from the wound, and stood up straighter. "His knee pads must have microspikes on them. Where are the others?" He asked, looking around for Cyborg and Changeling. Cyborg went to recover the data that Slade destroyed. Changeling went to help too, but he ended up searching for hostages after discovering four tied up near a bomb.

"We're here." They turned behind them and saw their friends walking towards them.

"How did it go?"

"All the hostages made it out safely." Changeling answered first. "And I already called the police. They are on their way."

"And I was able to recover about eighty percentage of whatever Slade was looking at. I sent the data to the Titan server and made a copy for the cops. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nightwing said, trying to ignore the pain.

"What about you, Raven?" Changeling asked.

"I'm fine; thanks for asking."

"Are you sure? You don't-" Cyborg elbowed him in the stomach.

"She said she was fine. You should ask Starfire if she is fine too." He asked through clench teeth.

"Right." Changeling said slowly as Raven raised an eyebrow at the interaction between the two best friends. "How are you, Starfire?"

"I'm sad that Slade escaped, but overall I am well also."

Nightwing, who ignored the whole interaction and was looking at the data that Cyborg uploaded on his communicator, said, "We need to see if there are any more clues." The group looked at the burning building.

"I don't think any more clues can be found until the fighters of fire come." Starfire said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Okay." Pain shot through him. His vision was black for a second. "Cyborg, Starfire, and Changeling, stay here and wait for the cops. If it isn't too late when the firefighters finish, search for clues. I am certain that the police will allow us to help with a building this size. Raven and I will follow a lead." He turned to the mystic Titan, who nodded and engulfed them in dark light again.