Friend or Foe [Hawkgirl]

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

The clock was ticking and every hour counted his the next six days. Dick Grayson didn't have much time left to figure out what was going on. Not only was his life on the line. His reputation was as well. Nightwing was now see as an outlaw and a threat by police. After someone's little hostage attempt and kidnapping Dr. Pamela Isley, Nightwing had the blood of possible ten people on his hands. And at this point, there could be more out there than he knew himself.

He knew Babs had warned him to stay off the streets as Nightwing, the police were still looking for evidence and Nightwing himself. Though, Dick was completely innocent. He would never do such a thing. Kidnapping someone and killing anyone in his way just wasn't his style.

In fact, Nightwing wasn't a criminal at all. But in the public's eyes, Nightwing's motives were very questionable at this point. And there he was that night, out on the streets in the very costumed figure that was now possible a rogue.

Questions still filled Dick's might when he tried to figure out just what was going on. No evidence had turned up pointing fingers at Isley or away from her. It's wasn't everyday someone stole your identity and tried to use it for their own crimes. Well...maybe in the sense that this was a vigilante. And being a knew name on the streets would give anyone reason to see just what costumed freaks were up to.

Dick had been forced to lay low. If he wanted to go out on the street of Gotham, he was going to have to go it the old fashion way of hiding in alley ways and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It wasn't safe for him to go out on his bike as Nightwing.

He wasn't stupid. He knew the risks and was playing the stealth mode like his mentor had done for years and had taught him. It was a risk he was willing to take. Going under cover wasn't going to help at this stage. And with the new reputation the Nightwing image had gained, Dick might be able to use that to his advantage when dealing with some people to interrogate. It was the police and the FBI he had to make sure he stayed out of sight of.

There he saw on the rooftops of East Gotham. As far away from the police station as he could manage to start his investigation. He crouched down near the ledge of the building. Looking at the city streets below.

What he was looking for was not really the question. Who he was hoping to find was more of it. At this point, there wasn't much to go off of. And if he wanted information, what better place to go than to the local joints of East Gotham were the crooks and thugs hung around at most hours of the night.

He sat quietly observing the streets and building below. He hoped he might be able to find a rat in the bunch of thugs. There were a few out there he knew by name on the street. Not one to pay for the information, no one was really willing to take on as what they saw as a freak in a costume.

[Deleted]

Hawkgirl is not a detective. Not that she isn't smart, but she's never had the patience to look for subtle clues and piece them together. Except when it comes to one narrow set of skills: espionage. Back on Thanagar, she taught the class - literally. And that means that she knows how to hide and, in turn, she knows how to find others. Being able to fly and having the eyes of a hawk helps too; it's not simply a matter of being able to see a long distance but also to be able to spot what you're looking for among all that you can see. That one tiny speck among the masses of other things. Where's Waldo is not a challenge for her.

After hearing the reports of someone in a costume killing and kidnapping, Hawkgirl didn't waste any time taking the clues she needed from that. All she needed was the name and the appearance: it didn't take her more than about two seconds for her to know to look for him at night. The name, Nightwing, was a hint, but what was really telling was the costume; while the rule of thumb doesn't always hold, black is color of choice for those who operate mostly at night. She prefers the day herself, but she's happy to make an exception for an apparent new rogue.

Where to look is also simple: it always pays to start in the worst part of town and branch out from there. And when that doesn't work, you seek out more information, change your strategy, and try again. Fortunately for Hawkgirl, however, the first attempt is successful. Flying high over east Gotham, she trains her eyes for the little patch of blue in that particular shape and, given that he's on a rooftop, it's easy enough for her to spot as she scans from high above. He's making this too easy for her! But then, nobody ever thinks to look up. At least, not until it's too late.

The moment she spots her quarry Hawkgirl dives straight at him, wings tucked nearly silently behind her until the last second. Then they fly open to stop her quick dive, her movements so precise that her feet touch down no more than a step away from him. "Found you," she says with a smirk, giving him little time to react before she aims a blow at his chest with an open hand. Fortunately, it's a relatively gentle one by Hawkgirl's standards - meant only to knock him away from the edge of the building and surprise him so that trying to run will be more difficult. Then again, any blow meant to toss a person a few feet, even a 'gentle' one, probably hurts.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

Sitting near the ledge, Dick heard something coming at him. Not exactly the usual sound of some type of weapon coming at you. No, but rather the sound of someone diving at you! His sight turned to face the incoming new situation. This was definitely a new situation, he hadn't expected someone to come at him at night, at least not one of the meta-humans.

Dick was going to stand when the person had started to land, but she had come in too fast for him to get the chance to react. And as soon as she landed, her words puzzled him, not really thinking about what the other heroes might try to do to him. At least the ones he knew would give him a chance. But this on came right in.

"Found me...," his question was cut short as he received a flat handed hit to his chest before he had barely started to stand. The blow set Nightwing into the air backwards and back a good eight feet from where he had been.

While in the air, Dick figured it was best to try and catch himself on the landing. Though she had surprised him, he could still think quick on his feet. While in air, he turned slightly to allow his right shoulder to make contact with the ground first, but would curve his back along with it to lessen the impact. And he did just that, landing into a somersault, rolling twice before he caught himself and was back into a crouching position and looking at the meta-human on the rooftop with him. His right shoulder slightly pounding with how it had slightly taken that hard impact against the rooftop.

He recognized her. It was Hawkgirl. He should know enough about the aliens that help out. That and all the files Bruce kept on most of the Justice League. You kind of get the feeling he doesn't quite trust all of them all the time. Thought with how some aliens had turned before against the League it was kind of hard not to understand Bruce's reasons. But really to have files, Dick would never go that far.

Dick stood up quickly, not giving her the chance to strike him again while he was down. What was she doing? With a quick thought, he came back to the fact that Nightwing was now a wanted criminal. Oh, boy...This wasn't good if meta-humans were even going to try and bring down Nightwing.

"Wait! You're making a big mistake," Dick started in. He didn't try to strike back. He had no reason, he wasn't the Nightwing everyone thought he was. Not the one who committed the crime. But he was going to have to explain that to everyone else. "I'm not the guy everyone is searching for," he continued.

[Deleted]

(OOC: For the record, Hawkgirl is an alien, not a metahuman)

As she does whenever she's fighting someone she's never fought before, Hawkgirl observes his movements and reactions carefully - if you understand how your opponent moves, you can predict how they'll move, and if you can predict how they move then you can defeat them easily. Unfortunately for Dick, Hawkgirl never really knew him as Robin. Certainly never actually watched him fight, or she might have recognized him based on that alone.

But she does recognize something else, "You move like Batman." At least, she can well imagine Bruce recovering from that blow in that way. Then again, that doesn't necessarily help - she knows that not all the people Bruce trained with were good people. And he certainly never told her about anyone named Nightwing. Not that Bruce is especially forthcoming about anything, ever, and especially recently.

And naturally he wouldn't tell her that he has a file on her - not that she'd be especially surprised. But it would indicate that she has no easy weaknesses like kryptonite or fire, and she has everything from super strength to incredible endurance to bullet-stopping reflexes. She does have a particularly bad case of claustrophobia, but she's known to tough her way through it and it's unlikely to be useful when they're already outside. Other than that, it would note that disabling her wings is a good idea, but given her greater-than-human strength that's the sort of thing that would probably require preparation. In a situation like this her main weakness is that she's so highly aggressive that her moves are predictable and she often falls for subtle maneuvering - yet, that strategy works well enough for her that Batman doesn't necessarily win every time they spar.

In other words, talking her out of it is probably the best idea since she hasn't, in fact, turned. She just believes that Nightwing has - if she knew which side he was on to begin with.

Her expressions are hard to read underneath the fearsome helmet she wears, but she's clearly angry and, when she hears his words, skeptical. "Funny, you look exactly like him," she says, suddenly leaning to brace herself before using a strong thrust of her wings to send a powerful gust of wind at him - knowing that would be particularly effective since he got back to his feet. Though she doesn't have the absolute 'no kill' policy of some other heroes, she generally tries to avoid it when she can. No, angry as she is, her goal here is simply to defeat him so she can hand him over to the authorities.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

(ooc: sorry about that, I'll go back and edit it.)


Ok, so after hearing her comment on how me moved like Batman, at least she was headed down the right track. Though it might take a bit to convince her that he isn't the killing Nightwing everyone was now on the watch for. That might be easier said then done. He never really had to handle Hawkgirl before. It wasn't everyday he had to face someone that was a member of the Justice League. At the moment he wasn't really all that concerned about where she was from and who she believed. He was more focused on trying to avoid any attacks.

Dick noticed that she braced herself as she performed another attack. He didn't really have any where to run to or try and hold onto against it. The gust of wind cover a large range. He didn't stand a chance at getting out of the way. So, he braced himself against the gust of wind.

It did little good as he struggled against it and he lost his footing on the ground. He was backwards a couple of more feet away from Hawkgirl and was stopped by the side of an entrance way to a staircase to the roof. Dick's back slammed into the concrete side and he winced as he made contact with it.

Now sitting along side the wall, he looked back over at Hawkgirl again. Her comment before she had made the attack gave him even more reason not to attack. If she thought he was the murder, going after her would only seem to prove him guilty. Dick hated to not stand up and defend himself, but he didn't want to give her more reason to believe the word on the street, not until he had at least tried to reason with her.

Dick leaned against the wall and got back to his feet again. "I'm telling the truth," he started. "I'm the real Nightwing. I was trained by Batman." He hoped that would at least maybe get her thinking a bit. He had to try something, getting knocked around wasn't exactly how he wanted to spend his patrol.

"I was framed," he said. "The other Nightwing is an impostor." He wasn't sure how likely she was to believe what he was saying, but he'd give it a go. He had plenty of other reasons to give her in hopes of convincing her. Dick would try and give this a chance for a bit before he was going to have to start defending himself and avoiding her attacks better.

[Deleted]

Hawkgirl's eyes narrow again as her suspicion reaches another level. Batman never told her about anyone named 'Nightwing'. Then again, she has to admit that there's a lot of things that he doesn't share with the League. Still, he tells a rather strange story, and it seems much more likely to her that he's lying and trying to play upon the fact that this isn't her normal stomping grounds and she can't keep up with all the who's who. On the other hand, she can't just ignore what he's saying on the off chance that he's telling the truth - and she does note that he's making no particular effort to fight back.

Whichever it is, she knows she needs to learn the truth quickly. Fortunately, she's quick to hit upon an easy answer to that problem. "If you were trained by him, I'm sure you know who he really is..." she comments, her head tilting at the implied question. She doesn't often think about him as Bruce, as she tries to keep her relationships among other League members strictly professional. But she does know who he his, and she also knows that he's very good at keeping that secret - if Nightwing is a part of that club then she be sure that he's telling the truth. If not, she just might have to assume that he's lying unless he can offer up something else.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

Dick looked at Hawkgirl, standing across the rooftop from where he was not standing. After what he had said, he noticed a pause in her attacks that had been going on with the questioning. He was glad she didn't try to strike him down this time after he had said about him being set up.

He stayed where he was at the moment. Then he heard her comment. A answer that only those closest to Bruce would be able to answer. Being out in the middle of the city, he wasn't about to just blurt out Batman's identity and Bruce's biggest secret.

"Of course I would know who he is," Dick replied. "There has only been one Robin along side of Batman." He knew she would know the answer to Batman's identity. Only the Justice League were the only others outside the Bat-family to know this.

Looking around, he was more hesitate to just say it out loud. Anyone could be listening. Boy, he was really starting to become paranoid over stuff like this. Then again, who wouldn't after growing up in an environment where everything was secretive and never discussed. "I can say it, but I'm sure Batman wouldn't care for me saying it out loud," he said as he took a few steps toward her.

He was every caution as he approached her. Staying alert just in case she decided to try and hit him with another attack. He could risk saying Batman's identity so openly on a rooftop. If the guy wasn't mad at him now, he sure would be had he known that Dick was going around and saying who Batman was out loud in public. Though to a Justice League member, that was another story. But even then, you never knew who might be around.

"I'll say it as long as you promise not to hit me with your mace if I stand a few feet from you," he said making an agreement before he took any chances. "I know the Bat and if he found out about this, I can tell you he wouldn't be happy about it...Then again the guy never really is all that happy to begin with. I should know, he did raise me." He hoped the way he was talking was also giving off hints that he really did know the Batman. Surely, if the League would at least know Bruce did have a ward. Even Clark Kent knew that.

Nightwing was now getting closer to Hawkgirl. But kept approaching slowly. If how she had just gone after him was a greeting of some kind, he did not want to know what it would feel like to be fully attacked by her with all her strength.

[Deleted]

Hawkgirl is relatively unbothered by him getting closer - though mostly because that places him further away from the stairs into the building. And he hasn't shown any signs of meta abilities and without them the only real way for a human to get the best of her is through some sort of trickery, and she hasn't seen any sign of that either. Then again, just because she hasn't seen any signs of it, doesn't mean that she isn't wary of the possibility so she's not inclined to let him come as close as he's saying.

Fortunately, there's an easy solution to that. "Eyes of a hawk, ears of an owl - you can whisper it from there and I'd hear. And, by the same token, if there was anyone else nearby I'd know about it and I wouldn't have asked," she says with a half-smile. It's always good to have her abilities underestimated. Still, he's right: if Batman knew that his real name was being used as a test then he wouldn't like it. Which is exactly why it's such a good test, really. Other things, like his attitude about his name is easily guessed.

Claiming to be raised by him though - that's an interesting detail. One that Hawkgirl isn't sure to make of. She knows about Robin, of course, but wouldn't recognize him out of that costume and didn't hear anything about the recent split. So that actually raises more questions than it answers - questions she doesn't feel particularly free to ask without confirming which side Nightwing is on.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

Dick stopped when he was a little more than half way from where he had started out from. After what she had said, he kept the distance now. Uh, he hadn't thought about that at the moment. Her abilities that came along with being Hawkgirl. He had forgotten, but who could blame him in this situation.

He simply nodded in response to her reply, fully understanding and recalling her abilities. "Alright, I'll say it," Dick spoke up a few seconds after he comment. Though he glanced around himself, just to be sure. He looked her straight in the eyes. Then in a low whisper he says, "Batman is Bruce Wayne. I'm his ward Dick Grayson." He added that last bit of information just in case she thought he was just saying more. But there was a difference between Dick being adopted and the ward of Bruce Wayne. All most people knew was that he was raised by Bruce Wayne.

He crossed his arms and shifted his weight to his left leg to get the weight off of his right, that was still healing. "I hope that convinces you enough," Dick replied. He was still quite relaxed, not showing any signs that he was going to try and make a run for it or anything like that.

"I'm not exactly sure what else to say that would convince you otherwise. But if it helps to clear up this misunderstanding, I used to be Robin. I'm just now wearing darker colors and working under a new name," he stated. "A name and image that is just being tarnished by this impostor that decided it would be fun to take a hostage and kill a few people. I'm just left with the blame of it all." A frown came to his face as he explained this all. He hated going over this about the other Nightwing.

Anyone who really knew him knew he would never do such a thing. But he didn't blame her for not knowing. Nightwing was new to the vigilante world and people had the right to question where his loyalties lay. It had probable only been a few months at most that Nightwing had been around. And of course with what happened between him and Bruce, he was sure it was still a sour subject to get on with him.

[Deleted]

Genuine surprise spreads across Hawkgirl's face when he passes her test; she'd expected him not to. She'd hoped he wouldn't, actually, because if he's not the guy she's looking for then he's still out there somewhere. The surprise switches over to frustration as she comments, "Damn it. I believe you." Well, 99%. Not even that test is foolproof, but it's enough to cause her to operate under the assumption that he isn't lying unless he proves otherwise and until she can spare the time to verify his words. Which isn't now - she's on the hunt for a murderer, after all.

There's a pause and Hawkgirl closes her eyes in thought adds those facts to what she already knows and considers what to make of them, but she opens them and says, "Whoever this impostor is, he must be someone with resources. The resemblance is uncanny, though I only saw the security footage," she comments. Of course, if she'd actually been there then with her eye for detail she's certain that she would have been able to tell the difference in even a well-made fake. But then, if she'd actually been there then he probably wouldn't have gotten away.

"There was only a little of him fighting, but there's a good chance he's a metahuman or has enhanced his strength in some way," she adds, which she's guessing that he might not already know - such careful assessments of someone's fighting ability and style aren't necessarily easy to make. But that's a part of the reason why she was surprised by his technique earlier: the apparent difference, though that certainly wasn't enough to convince her. The Nightwing from the footage had seemed... sloppy, and it was his effectiveness in spite of that which has her convinced that his strength is more than it should be. But that could have also been a skilled fighter who was simply being lazy with easy victims - naturally such a person would switch up their technique to face someone like her. At least, that had been her theory until a moment ago.

"Do you know anything else about this guy?" she asks, that look of aggression now coming back into her eyes as she thinks about what he did - though fortunately it isn't directed at Dick anymore. She's all too eager to try again - quickly, because she knows he has a hostage.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

Dick was relieved when she said that she believed him. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her attacking again. She could pack quite the punch even if it wasn't her full strength. He had heard about her enough to notice when she might be holding back in a fight. It wasn't that hard to learn that most aliens seemed o have super strength.

Listening to her quiet, he took in every word from her observation of the security videos and reports from witnesses. He looked up at her when she asked if he knew anything about the guy. "Sorry to say, but not the slightest beside he decided to steal my identity," he replied, not all that pleased still with the whole situation.

"All I know it that the hostage he took, I have had a few run ins with her," Dick started. Not really wanting to go into the detail. "Her name is Dr. Pamela Isley. She's a botanist and works with the chemicals of the plants."

He really didn't want to get into more detail about what had gone on between the two of them. He still wanted to handle it himself, but at this point. If was life or death on his part and he rather do what he can to stay a live. Though he could easily get killed in his line of work.

"There is not much time. We need to track them down. We need to make sure nothing happens to Isley. We only have six days...," he went quiet at that part. Still being a bit reluctant to go into fuller details. "I'm not all that sure that Isley might not be behind this. There are a few good reasons I would come up with for why," he started in again. "But at this point anything could be going on. I haven't the slightest at the moment, know who would want to go after me in this way."

[Deleted]

As hot-tempered as Hawkgirl is, she's also not one to lose her cool and forget how fragile humans are. If she'd pulled out her mace that could have killed him easily, and that he doesn't have any broken bones despite how brief her aggression had been is a sign that she was actually being very careful. She may have nowhere near the strength of Superman, but she certainly has her fair share. And agility, stamina, and training on top of that.

Listening to him very carefully, Hawkgirl frowns. It's obvious enough to her from all the incomplete details that he's leaving something important out, but she's not sure how hard to push him on it. "Run-ins? Is she a criminal too?" she starts. While she supposes that she can grant him some leeway to not tell her absolutely everything, there are a few details she knows may be essential. "What happens if something happens to Isley?" she adds, because that's what seems strangest to her about what he's saying. If he's had problems with her before and if she may be behind this, then that would point to her not being an innocent hostage, but if that's the case he seems to be expressing too much concern for her well-being.

"And I hope that it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: if you're not telling me something that could lead us to them..." she says, trailing off and leaving the last part unsaid. While she can respect someone having secrets and trust that someone trained by Batman would know when and when not to keep a secret, they are talking about a murderer who obviously has something against him. So she won't try to force it out of him, but trying to guilt it out of him is another matter entirely.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

Dick looked at her once he had finished his explaining and saw her frown. This wasn't good. She had noticed every much so that he was avoiding some of the answers and keeping something from her. He tensed up when she started to ask more questions. His glances shifted off of Hawkgirl at the moment. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to say anything. The business that had gone down between him and Isley wasn't something he was proud to have let happened.

He let his arms fall back to his sides as he raised the right one to rub the back of his head. Just a bit nervous to have say any more on the subject. But he couldn't just keep quiet. There may be more innocent lives out there that might suffer if this information had anything to do with the recent crime.

"Well kind of...sorta, I guess," these words had never gotten out since Isley threatened his life over the information he really did not want to give out. He glanced back up at her. "There are a few things that she could be charged for, but the police never really looked into, but I did," he replied, finally getting half the information out on the woman's criminal activity, but not going into full out detail on it. Just more of a summary of the woman.

Though the next question, he was even more hesitant to answer. But if people were going to believe that he need their help and didn't have much time, he was going to have to come clean with it and tell them why. Dick gave a heavy sigh and let his glance drop off of Hawkgirl again. He was not proud of what he was going to have to admit. "I don't think it is going to help much with trying to find their location...It was more of something that happened between Isley and I when I first went to investigate on a case that she was my prime suspect," he started out. He stopped for a second and looked back at Hawkgirl again. His eyes carrying this heavy burden that he did not want to lay out for other to see.

"The reason that it is so urgent that we find her is, not only that her life might be in danger if she has nothing to do with this, but...I don't have much time left," he replied, his gaze falling back to the floor. He didn't let his head drop down all that much. But it was enough to signal that he was ashamed of himself that he had let this happen. He was a trained and skilled vigilante and he had let this one mistake that he shouldn't have let happen. He had been in a vulnerable position when Isley had him trapped in the vines and she took her chance at trying to keep the situation in her control. And she had done just that with the poison that had been injected into his system.

She had played him like a fool, keeping him in check to make sure he didn't go and get the cops involved or even Batman. "There is a poison in my system and if I don't receive a serum to hold it off, well...In one weeks time, it will take effect and...," he stopped himself there, not wanting to go on. "I didn't know any other way to try and get the antidote out of her. She could easily decide against giving me the serum for a week if I had turned her in. At that point, I had no other choice," he replied.

He looked back up at her. Shame and embarrassment showed a bit in his eyes, but he kept his figure unchanged. He wasn't going to fall apart over this. Emotions were almost a foreign language to the Bat-Family. Sure Dick had more personality than the brooding Bat, but he still wasn't one to admit when he needed help sometimes. This situation could have gone on for some time had Isley not become a hostage now. He would have found a way to get the antidote sooner or later. But not, the tide had shifted and he was being pulled further out to sea by his own situation.

"I had it under control until this happened," Dick replied. "But right now, it's down to a matter of days. And if Isley and this murder are not found within that time...I don't stand a chance. That was all he had to saw at the moment. He had to go and start letting people in on it. Babs had found out after what had happened with the crime and he wasn't about to turn down help now. Even if there wasn't much time.

He didn't say anything about anyone else knowing about this. He had avoided Batman to the fullest since their split and this just made it look like he hadn't been able to work on his own. It had been one slip up. One Dick hadn't been happy with. He had been trying to keep it under control as long as he could. And he had done everything he could think of to try and keep Isley form withholding the weekly serum from him.

[Deleted]

Hawkgirl listens to his explanation in silence, her expressions difficult to read. When he finishes she simply comments, "Now that is a problem." However, in the silence after that statement she's obviously thinking very carefully, adding all of that to what she already knows. He's right that it does very little to help find them - at least on the surface, she'll have to think that one over more carefully - but it does give her a lot more insight into the situation.

"I think that it's unlikely that Isley is behind this," Hawkgirl finally says, "If she's been committing crimes that are unknown by the police, she may reveal herself by inviting them to look into her even as a victim in this case. And there seems to be no reason for her to do it: she already has your life hanging over you, if she wants you dead it would be as simple as not giving you the serum, and if she's able to make a poison that sophisticated - can't even tell to look at you - I'd hate to imagine what else she could do to you that would be just as quiet." She shakes her head, "No, if she's behind this she'd have to be as crazy as someone like Joker, and if she was I'm sure you'd have mentioned; there's no real benefit to her in this - she has simpler ways to get to you. Of course, if she thinks this impostor is you then she's doubly in danger."

There's another pause before Hawkgirl adds, "But you'd think that there'd have to be a connection - her and someone pretending to be you. I don't suppose you've told anyone else about this?" But though she asks the question her tone sounds doubtful. Given how reluctant he was to tell her, she's guessing not, and if he did it would probably be only someone he has good reason to trust. On the other hand, "Perhaps Isley told someone. Obviously she's less at risk in this than you. If the kidnapper has it out for you then they'd know they merely need to hang onto her for that long to get you. So much easier than trying to find you." She shakes her head, not really liking to have to say so, but being able to analyze these things is one of Hawkgirl's specialties. It's why she can beat Batman at chess - regularly.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

Dick listened to her reasoning of the situation. That Isley might not be behind this at all? Dick still suspected she had something to do with it to begin with, but Hawkgirl was right. Isley would draw too much unwanted attention to herself if she had done it. And attention was something she was most definitely trying to avoid at this time. She wouldn't have done what she did to Nightwing if she didn't want anyone looking into it.

She could have tried to kill him, but the Bat-family would have been on her tail in a heart beat. No one can get away with a crime like that. There were too many risks to take when dealing with Nightwing and the other vigilantes.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you do make a point," he replied on Isley's innocence. Any person doing what Isley did to take money and be able to threaten a life with easy and sleep at night, deserved to be in jail. He had remembered Isley's comment, that he wouldn't have been the first one she had killed. He wondered just what else her past was hiding.

Though, now was not the time. She was a hostage and hostage situations were all about time. And time was not on their side at the moment. The trail seemed cold, and Dick hadn't any leads yet.

Dick heard her next question and looked up at her. After Babs had come in with the news, he had not choice but to go through almost the same conversation with Hawkgirl, but he had had to convince her it wasn't him. "Only Batgirl should be the only one to know about this. But I wouldn't be surprised if Batman won't find out shortly after that," he said. He knew she would handle it more seriously than he had. He had only been trying to protect others from what might happen if they got involved. But he didn't have that option any more.

He listened as she went on explaining a bit more into the possible theory. "Though if it is someone who has it out for me, which there is not doubt in my mind, I would think they would still want to see it for themselves. Anyone who dresses up and impersonates a vigilante can't expect to not be tracked down," Dick added in on it. "I just can't think of anyone that clever to actually try and pull something like this. It can't be any of the usual craziest in this town. My best guest is that it might be someone in charge of some sort of operation that I possibly shut down not to long ago. But in that, there are a lot of suspects," he continued.