Lost Stars

Chapter Thirty Eight

-Dick's POV-

After a shocking call, I rushed back to Bludhaven. Batman and the rest of Gotham were very aware that Red Hood had returned, but no one knew where he had gone and why. Except me.

When I told Barbara I needed to get back to my city, she didn't protest. I asked her if she wanted to go with me.

"No," she had said, looking up from her papers, "You go ahead. The commute from Bludhaven to Wayne Enterprises is so tiring. I think the move here was a good idea." Barbara smiled. I let her words slide past me, even though, inside, I was raising my eyebrows. Coming to Gotham wasn't a move. I only planned on being here until Red Hood was taken care of. I had predicted it would only take a few months, but now I was almost seven months in to this job. I wasn't quite happy that Barbara was...happy. Gotham was still suffocating to live in and I wouldn't want to move back. But Barbara did.

"Ok," I had replied, trying to hold my tongue back from spewing my thoughts. I had packed a small bag and left in a rush.

Cop cars rushed around like ants. As I zipped around, I tried not to think of how angry Amy was going to be at me next morning. It was Saturday, my day off, but when I showed up at the department on Monday, Amy would definitely kill me.

Sporadic fires littered Bludhaven. I dropped down beside two annoyed police officers. "Nightwing?" One of them asked, almost unsure if I was actually standing there, "Where the fuck have you been!?"

I sighed. "I wasn't aware of what happened here," I looked around, "what did happen here?"

"Well, the guy from Gotham-"

"The Red Hood!"

"Yeah, him. He passed through almost undetected. Then, he started kicking up some dirt and explosions started going off!" One of the cops exclaimed. I could tell they were the youngest officer on duty.

The older one patted his partner's shoulder. "Around midnight, several bombs went off around the city. They were small, but they still caused some damage. Then Red Hood and some other guys chased each other through the North side of the city, shooting their guns at each other and crashing into things."

I crossed my arms. I crept forward, inspecting the small fire in front of me. I raised an eyebrow. Before the question could come out of my mouth, the cop appeared beside me. "There were so many fires, the firemen couldn't get them all. We asked them to leave this small fire alone so we could see what kind of bomb was used."

"It was a small explosive, like you said. I don't think he meant to cause much damage," I examined, covering the fingertips of my red gloves with dust and ash, "I think he was just trying to attract attention."

The cop cocked his head to the side. "What for? I thought the Bat was handling him. Why would he come here?"

I wanted to answer his questions, but even I didn't know. Bruce and I weren't sure of Red Hood's target or goal, other than that Gotham's underground and Black Mask were involved. I would have to inspect Bludhaven and see how either of those things had to do with my city.

I zipped away and visited other spots, but all the attacks seemed to be the same. I needed to find exactly who Red Hood was chasing and why he had placed the bombs to distract them. Ugh, I thought, this would all be so much easier if Athena was on our side.

As I crouched down into the dirt, fiddling with the remains of a bomb, I got a call. "Hello?" I spoke first.

"Nightwing, come to Arkham. Now." Bruce sounded serious. He always sounded serious but this time, it was urgent. I quickly stashed the remains in my utility belt and looked out over the coast. Even from Bludhaven's skyscrapers, I could see Arkham island. With all the lights surrounding it, Arkham was pitch black. It seemed to suck away all the light and life around it, leaving the island look like a dark hole.