Silence

Chapter 24

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Nightwing's POV

The days passed slowly. Everything was back to normal, as if she'd never come.

Dick hated normal.

Every day, something triggered the memory of her face. She'd looked like her whole world was crumbling around her. And it was all Dick's fault.

He knew he shouldn't blame himself. He did the right thing. What others did wasn't up to him. All Dick could do now was move on.

All of these things were on his mind as he walked to the mission room. He was greeted by his teammates and Batman. He shook thoughts of Willow from his head and focused on his former mentor's news on the Cadmus investigation.

"Have you found anything on Hamilton?" Artemis asked.

"Last week I interrogated Dr. Milo and his men," Batman started. "Milo seems fixated on finishing his experiment on Willow Bates."

It took every bone in Nightwing's body to keep from wincing at the name. He didn't dare glance at the others, afraid his face might give away his thoughts. Though, some in the room didn't need to see his face to know what he was thinking.

"As you know, the warehouse you gained intel from is abandoned. All traces of Cadmus' occupation are gone," said Batman.

"So we're back to square one," Robin sighed.

"Not necessarily," Batman responded. "Milo's headed to Arkham Asylum. If we need information, we know where he is."

Dick sighed. Regardless of everything else, they'd captured the man who'd hurt Willow. Dick reminded himself of this often. She's safe. That's all that matters.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling this wasn't over. Hamilton still might have something up his sleeve.

"What's the plan, then?" he asked.

"I'm going to gather more intel from Milo and some of my own informants. From there we'll form a plan to catch Hamilton," Batman responded.

"Can they still carry on their experiments without Willow?" M'gann asked.

"If we're lucky, they'll have moved on from that project. Worse case scenario, they kidnap someone else."

Nightwing somehow sensed they were all thinking the same thing. The worst case scenario would never happen. Not if they could help it.

"What's the mission?" Artemis asked.

"One of Milo's men mentioned a guard who jumped ship after Willow was taken," Batman informed them. He turned to the monitor and a profile appeared on the screen. The man had a rough, square face and cropped, sandy hair. Next to his face, there was a name.

"His name is Jackson Bennett," Batman said. "He's been involved with several gangs in Gotham, and somehow got involved with Cadmus. He has a habit of leaving a job at the first sign of trouble."

"You think he might have information on Cadmus' location?" Aqualad asked.

"Possibly, or he might have a lead on Hamilton's movements," Artemis answered.

"He might be more willing to talk than Milo," Batman added. "I'll handle Milo, the Team will be responsible for finding and interrogating Bennett."

"Is he still in Gotham?" Nightwing asked.

"Most likely. He'll be needing money, and I doubt he'll get it legally. I've notified the GCPD to be on the lookout for him. As soon as we find a lead on his location, a group of you will be dispatched to find him."

The meeting ended, and the others went their separate ways. Nightwing lingered, letting the information sink in. After a few minutes, Wally approached him.

"You okay?" he asked. "You seemed pretty tense earlier."

"I'm just focused on the mission, that's all," Dick responded, his feet shifting.

"Really? Are you sure it has nothing to do with a certain, very soft-spoken red-head?" Wally asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. When Dick said nothing, Wally continued. "I may not have M'gann's telepathy, but I know when something's bothering you."

"I don't feel like talking about this." The last thing Dick needed was to be told the same thing he'd been told a million times since the vote.

"You'll see her again," Wally assured Dick didn't know if that was comforting or not. He figured he'd give almost anything to see Willow again, but the circumstances weren't in his favor. He wasn't sure he could look her in the eye if they crossed paths again.

"She's not coming back," Dick confessed. No matter how much he wished, it wouldn't change the truth. "She won't come back if she knows she has to leave. I mean, would you stay if you were in her place?"

"I guess not," Wally sighed after a moment. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes.

"Whatever," said Dick finally. "She deserves a normal life. I can't take that away from her. Besides, there's no going back now."

After another long silence, Dick walked back to his room. He sat on his bed, mulling things over in his mind.

He sometimes imagined seeing her again, getting lost in those deep, dark eyes. He let his mind wander to "what ifs".

What if things were different? What if Willow was still here, training? What if she had been voted in? What if she joined the Team and fought crime alongside them? With him?

He shook the thought from his head. The more his mind lingered on it, the more depressed he became. He had to get his mind off it.

He checked his watch. It would be getting dark soon. He suited up and headed to the Zeta-tube. He emerged in Gotham City, his hometown. Dick knew every inch of this city; he had to.

Nightwing took to the rooftops of Gotham as the sun set behind the looming skyscrapers. As darkness swept over the massive city, he ignored all thoughts of Willow and focused only on the mission ahead of him.

Nightwing disappeared into the shadows, searching for the nearest criminal activity.

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Hello lovely readers!! Did you enjoy this chapter? What will happen next? Leave your predictions in the comments!

I've decided to move the update deadline from one to two weeks. I will do my best to update on time, but it's close to the end of the school year, so I've been overloaded with homework.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you all next time!!

TTFN!!!!! (Ta-Ta For Now)

~ Mocha ☕️