Dick groaned as sunlight streamed through his bedroom window. He had a nasty habit of waking up two minutes before his alarm was supposed to sound. He lay on his back, his body aching from the night before. What had started as a typical pastrol of the streets had ended up being an all out brawl with six rather large goons who had taken to trying to rob a bank. Amateurs. He'd taken them easily enough, but not before one of them got a couple lucky swings with a metal bat. He was sure to bruise.

After showering and dressing in a pair of light wash denim jeans, a white button down shirt with a green sweater and a matshing green tie tucked into the collar, he slipped on a pair of shoes, towel dried his dark hair, and headed out the door. His penthouse apartment was only a few blocks from the college and to his joy, it passed by his favorite coffe shop, Diane's.

Dick ordered a coffee and plopped into the corner tablepulling his laptop from his bag and setting it up. As he was putting on his reading glasses, the barista delivered his drink and he set to work finishing up a paper before he had to head to class. Man, was he glad he'd be graduating in a few weeks. Having Bruse Wayne back him, he already had several offers for positions at many hospitals in the country. Each were as tempting as the next, but none more than the staff position at Gotham General. Let's face it. Dick Grayson...aka Night Wing....wasn't leaving the city for anything.

Victoria Hayward appeared to be a normal, rather attractive woman as she walked quickly from her vespa to the large modern building. Her high heels clicked softly against the pavement as she walked at a very fast pace. The sign on the front of the high rise read Archer and Winston Publications. Soon, she was through the door and on the elevator, to her office on the top floor. Being the editor-in-chief, she had a luxurious executive office with a fantastic view of Gotham. As soon as she walk through the door of her office, Jason, her assistant, rushed in behind her.

"Here are the final manuscripts from Daniel." Hey said hurriedly as he handed her the manuscript Daniel had edited. Jason stood in front of her, waiting for a moment, as she looked at the stack of paper.

"Where's my black coffee, Jason." She replied in a very annoyed tone. He fumbled for a moment before answering.

"Well, Ms. Hayward, it seems i have forgotten it. I'll run down to the Starbucks and order it for you right now though." He answered nervously before running towards the door. Victoria followed him and towered over him as he turned to face her.

"You realize I could fire you right now. Consider this your last warning, if you mess up again, you'll be living out of a dumpster again. Would you like that Jason?" She spat bitterly at him. With her heels on she easily towered over the boy. His breathing became scattered.

"No, Ms. Hayward."

"Good, that's what I thought. Now get out of my face." She replied coldly before he ran out the door. She sighed happily as she sat down at her desk. Her power gave her a certain evil warmth. She began to read over the manuscript and decided it wasn't something she needed to do at the office. Her position gave her the option to work from home and today would be a good day for that. She shoved the manuscript into her purse as she walked out. Jason tried to approach her with the cup of coffee but she merely pushed him aside, knocking the coffee onto his newly pressed shirt. It made her feel even more superior. Soon, she was on her scooter and back to her amazing penthouse lair/apartment.

"What chaos will the city see tonight?" She said to herself as she closed the door behind herself.

Dick only lasted working on his paper for about twenty minutes before he minimized the document, pulled up his tap on the Police Records, and began browsing through the criminal records. He was keeping taps on all of the crime lords that were soon to be released from jail. There were far too many being granted parol in his opinion.

He could feel it...he was slipping. It was something Bruce had warned him about. "Always keep your idenity, Dick. We can't afford to be just one. We must always be two. Or one will consume the other." And here he was was. Losing himself to the darkness. To Night Wing. Dick Grayson was dying a slow and agaonizing death. He was losing interest in everything he used to love: school, sports, dates, friends. Even life. Now all he could think about was crime, power, fighting, darkness...the night. The adrenaline. It was intoxicating.

Dick quickly shut his laptop, pulled off his reading glasses, and rubbed his eyes. He was in need of a vacation. Well...Dick was in need of a vacation. Night Wing on the other hand...needed to get back to work. That's what he really wanted. More than anything. More than this...mask.

Victoria sighed as she looked at all the security and news feeds popping up on her computer screen. She noticed that today was the day that the vault at the bank was being cleared and transferred to the reserve.

"Prefect." She said, imagining the chaos of a total robbery. It wasn't about the money for her. She made plenty at her job. It all about taking, and disturbing the status quo. Grinning, she threw her purse and heels to the side and headed to her artillery and costume room. She quickly changed from her work clothes into her yellow and black costume. She slipped her two wrist blades into there place in her wrist guards. Getting an idea, she grab a low-power sparker bomb and tucked it into her backpack.

She tied her eye mask on, took a deep breath, and was suddenly on the roof of the bank. She ducked down low as to not be noticed. Pulling the bomb from her backpack, she teleported into the back corner of the bank. Keeping quiet and hidden, she set the bomb for an hour and disappear to the roof again. The bomb wouldn't destroy the bank but it would sure put on a show. The distraction would give her enough time to make a clean getaway and to get to watch the panic that would ensue.

There never really was anything exciting that went on in her life, nothing worth talking about. Granted, everyone knew who she was, who could appear on the cover of a magazine and not be noticed. But no, that was not exciting, it was not exhilerating, it was not the kind of fun that Shade had. No, her alter ego had all the fun. If she were to be frank with herself, she was Shade, Annabella was just this person she pretended to be. She herself was an adrenaline junky, one who wanted to have fun all the time, and loved when she was in the face of danger. She never took much in life seriously, nothing but this so called duty or job she had ridding the world of evil or trying to. What amused her is her alias could be labled as that of someone who was evil. Her abilities were not particularly friendly. Annabella grinned to herself, as she sat back on her bed in her one bedroom apartment. She had the television on Comedy Central, but she was paying little attention to it at the time being. She was browsing through her iphone for something interesting, something she could occupy herself with, something Shade could take care of.

What application didn't these phones have? She looked through the news, through various building information, people, who was locked up and who wasn't. There really were some corrupt people out there. They didn't seem to be too interested in keeping anyone in prison anymore. Their excuse was it was too crowded. Apparently one had to take the lives of wrong doers to permanently keep them off the streets. She grinned to herself and crawled out of bed. Her bleach blonde hair was messy and unkept looking. It was more a look than a lack of grooming. She liked the messy look about her. She had on a spaghetti strapped black tank top and some grey sweats. Colors she didn't really wear unless she was Shade, however, she was in the comfort of her own home and didn't mind it much. She kneeled down by the television and started flipping through the channels. Mentally, she cursed herself for having lost her remote control. Soon though, she stopped on the news channel and turned the volume up a bit. As she stood up she smiled. "Only a matter of time. This town can't seem to help itself."

She then walked over to her closet which was already open, and found what was Shade's costume. It was all black. Skin tight jeans with a skimpy top, black lace up gloves and boots. Along with these she had two pistols she kept. It wasn't really neccessary as she could make weapons at will but she brought them all the same. The guns themselves were already loaded and she always kept extra ammo around. She grabbed the guns and the ammo and walked over to her bed. "Alright I am getting impatient, I'm bored give me something to do." she said to no one in particular. It was true this town had an extremely high rate of crime and it was quite scary to most. However Annabella found it exciting and she couldn't get enough of it. She did however, tend to be one of the people who scared others. Not so much intentional, however she never cared what anyone thought of her. "I wonder what nightmares I can think up today." she grinned cheekily.

Vinson made sure there was no one in the hallway before opening his door and guiding his last patient of the evening out. It was a building with many functions, so being seen there was not a sure sign of psychological distress, but most of his patients were at least partly paranoid. Some might have said that most citizens of Gotham were partly paranoid, although most of them had reasons for their fears.

He finished up his paperwork for the day and looked at the reflection of the setting sun as its orange glow inflamed the newer buildings. People on the street outside seemed to pick up their speed as they rushed to and fro. The other half of Gotham would start to wake up around now. The other half of Vinson would be waking up, too. He longed for a time when both halves could get a good night's sleep. But it wouldn't be tonight. And Vinson still had to get home.

Vinson could walk to his apartment, but after dusk it was something of a dicey proposition. He didn't look like the richest man in town (and he wasn't, not by far), but he also didn't look poor, down, and out. Even they were sometimes taken for a ride in Gotham. If he were attacked, he could fight back, but that was what Halo was for, to bring light out of the darkness. The Batman had taught the city that the man behind the mask is a different man. In Vinson's case, a good man, too, but with a very different task. So Vinson made his way to the well-lighted train station nearby and waited for darkness to fall.

The train ride home was insignificant, but challenging in its own way. There were so many sick and helpless the train just whizzed past. Even on the train there were two women whom he feared would not make it through winter once it came, whether from the cold or from the fun they spoke of in garbled whispers to each other.

In his small, unassuming, and safe apartment, Vinson prepared for the evening, turning on GNN and listening for the latest news in the news-filled town. So much of it wasn't even covered because it occurred in bad parts of town. Vinson shuddered to think of Arkham and his brief practicum in that worst part of Gotham. It was certainly a way to weed out the hundreds of would-be criminal pathologists, him included. There was little hope for the poor souls in that place. Some, yes. But many more, no. He stripped out of his work clothes and into a cheap but clean outfit he'd bought for tonight: a long-sleeved shirt and cargo pants. No one would consider them the attire of a professional and no one would think of a therapist if they saw them on a poor homeless person the next day. He headed out with a grey package.

In a dark alleyway a few blocks away from his apartment, Vinson again doffed his clothes and unfurled the grey suit. He felt the warm embrace of Halo as he slipped into the costume. He would leave his human clothes on a rooftop somewhere. If they were there when he returned, all the safer for Vinson. But Halo had no fear of being found out.

Victoria waited, and as darkness set in, the time on the flash bomb dwindled to mere seconds. She smiled as her watch indicated the time was up and she heard a loud bang, then several screams. Looking over the front of the building she spotted the armored van.

"Like candy from a baby." She muttered to herself as she flashed inside the building. Victoria knew the money would be packaged up at this point, but not loaded. The screaming people around her ran, dived, and panicked in every way possible. As the flashing bomb died out, she noticed more eyes fall on her. She was easily recognizable in costume among Gotham citizen who suffered her terrors on a regular basis.

"Good evening fine citizens of Gotham. I am Chaos Girl, your entertainer for the evening," She called out loudly as she popped her wrist blades out. "I will ask you politely to turn off any mobile devices or things that go beep. Failure to do so could result in death." She laughed manically at her own words, as a few people screamed in fear. Soon she heard the police approaching outside.

"Well that's just great. I guess I'll have to put on more of a show." She said as she put away the knives and pulled two pistols, mostly for show. The police needed to feel helpless. She pointed the guns in a few peoples faces, blocking the door. Things were going quite swimmingly for the villain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Craig Wilder cursed as he picked up the phone. The police chief had told him Chaos Girl was striking again. But this would be her last time. It was time to finally catch the evil woman and he knew just who could do it. He picked up his cell phone and sent a group text to Halo, Night Wing, and Shade. He didn't know their real names, but he was fine with it as long as they did their jobs.

{Chaos Girl hostage situation at Central Bank. Don't let me down.} He looked out his office window to the city, praying his heroes would save the day.

Dick was already dressed when his cell blinked. The alarm in the lair had gone off signaling the appearance of one of his foes. He clipped on his utility belt, mounted his bike and sped out of the former batcave, now called the Nest.

He sped down the streets weaving in and out of traffic. The sun was low on the horizon turning the whole city an ethereal orange. He could see the smoke in the distance- there had definitely been an explosion. As he drew closer he could hear the screams, taste and smell the smoke. He was early to the scene. Ambulances and officers hadn't even arrived yet (though their sirens were nearing).

Nightwing dismounted his bike and made his way through the forming crowd. The entrance was blocked with fallen rubble so he detached a grappling hook from his belt. "Get everyone back!" he shouted to the guard from the armored truck. Launching himself into the air, the zip line drew him to the second story where he crashed through the window. The bank floor was twenty feet below. He tucked into a roll as he hit and ended up in a crouched position. His eyes adjusted to the smoke filled room and he saw the many people still trapped inside. Then he saw her. Arrogantly standing in the center of the room, basking in the fear and confusion the citizens provided.

He stood, his dark eyes fixed on her. “Chaos. Should have known you were behind this. Wreaked of amateur thievery.”

Halo was waiting for the train when his communications monitor flashed a message. It scrolled along his forearm thanks to piercing white fiber optics atop his sleeve. "Dang," he said aloud, still caught up in the cardinal rules of seminary, one of which was not to curse. At eighteen, it had seemed impossible. At thirty-five, it seemed laughable. "She's starting early tonight."

He looked down on the track below and watched as the City Loop train pulled into the station. It hissed to a halt beneath him and he deftly jumped down, making sure not to make too much noise and rattle the riders inside. No need to frighten them. This late at night, most of them were probably frightened already. He held onto the maintenance grooves on top of the train and licked his lips as the automated voice prepared passengers for departure before zooming to life. Halo laughed as the wind whipped past him, but it was like an amusement park ride, over too quickly with more time spent slowing down than actually moving. Central Bank was only one other stop. He was glad for that. Vinson was always such a proponent of public transportation. Halo just went along for the ride. He watched as a sleek black motorcycle whirred past on the streets below. Now that transportation moved. Some nights he could use one of those. The bike was long gone by the time the train made it to station closest to Central Bank.

The same automated voice came on as the doors opened. "Gotham Center. Please be advised. There is report of trouble near . . . Gotham Center. Please be careful. Have a good night."

Halo clicked his teeth at the recording. It was redundant. From on top of the tracks, he could see a small pocket of sky filled with smoke and fire. It was quite the spectacle. He wouldn't need any maps as he leaped across rooftops toward the chaos.

Chaos Girl grinned as Nightwing rolled in through the ceiling. These heroes were creative, she would give them that. His little stab at her skills got under her skin, but she couldn't show it. She had to turn the situation back on him. She was the one with control at the moment, she reminded herself.

"Maybe so, but master of advanced fireworks. Didn't you like my big sparkler?" She replied, laughing a little. Then, she cocked her two guns. She pointed the first one on the little girl on the floor next to her. She knew the police wouldn't try anything while a kid was involved, and the girl wouldn't dare disobey the evil lady with a gun to her head. She then pointed the other on Nightwing.

"Will your super best friends be stopping by for the fun as well?" She asked, almost sadistically excited. "The more the merrier, right?" She said, smiling evilly. She admitted, the heroes were a minor setback, but a challenge was always fun. She watched the masked man's every move, making sure he wouldn't try anything stupid. She kept reminding herself, You have control of this situation, Victoria. She forced herself to believe it. But in the pit of her stomach she felt her grip loosening.

Annabella grinned when her iphone went off. She looked down and checked the most recent news. She smiled, she should have figured who would be causing trouble but around this time? Perhaps she was just bored or impatient. Annabella had everything she needed, her outfit, her guns were on as well. She needed nothing else. She walked towards her window and looked down the stories. The top of the building was casting a shadow upon the building and the ground, due to the sun going down there was shadows everywhere, and soon it would just be darkness! She grinned and forced her window open, upon doing so, she jumped out of it and dissapeared into the darkness of the shadows.

She always found it amusing traveling this way. Shadow to shadow, dark area to dark area. Her body took to the darkness and she because the darkness itself. Right now if anything she just needed to follow the sirens which she could hear clearly now, she swore she smelled smoke as well. Well now that's interesting, she thought to herself. She neared the building, and saw the police were already surrounding it. She herself, was still in the shadows next to the building, invisible to those that didn't possess her abilities. She could guess that Night Wing was already there, only because he was always there first. Lucky him. It was too bad for her however, there was no shadow that cast itself inside, only those in the middle of the room. It didn't bother her however, she simply cast herself out of the shadows and walked into the doorway. She saw Chaos Girl, whom had a gun to a child's head. She formed what looked like a long black vine and cast it towards her yanking the gun away. With her free hand she pulled out her pistol.

"Why didn't anyone invite me!" she smiled. "That wasn't nice of you, and picking on children? That's not nice." She walked right into the building, letting the gun come to her and eveloping it within herself. She then dissapeared within a nearby shadow and appeared next to Chaos. Or seemed to. It was a living breathing functioning version of herself. And illusion she had given life to, but with a darker side than herself. The real Shade was nowhere to be seen. However, she was still in the presence of them. Suddenly, it seemed like a nearby shadow was growing and heading towards Chao's feet.

Smoke and screams filled the air around Central Bank. Halo could see from atop the gargoyle-encrusted Hall of City Records that there was no way into the bank from street level. It was a dang shame. He preferred to act normal and stay grounded, often literally, as much as possible. Gotham had seen what had become of Batman over the years, Vigilante of Doom, he might have been called that one year not too far back. Too good for law and order. Too good for front doors. Being an adrenaline-fueled daredevil had its perks though, and Halo knew when to use them. He saw a broken window in the business mall attached to the bank, just across the street from him. There was an exhilarating way to get into it.

First he backed up on the ledge on which he stood, to the first column decorating his same side of the wall. With a burst of speed, he then ran. It was not more than a few feet before he was pushing off of the beak of a bird-faced stone grotesque and leaping through the air, his arms spinning like propellers on a plane that had no business in the air. The broken window was far enough down that he would make it, although he was almost certain he would be taking glass with him. He braced himself for the impact as shards of glass splintered around his tucked body, before rolling on his side and getting up.

On the other side of a bean-counter's once tidy office door, he found a stunning atrium and ran towards the skyway between the two buildings, watching the dust of broken glass remnants fall away from him. It wasn't more than a few seconds before he was through the doors into the bank. With their alarm system, the locks weren't much of a challenge. Fortunately for Halo, the alarms were already going off. Below him, he could see Chaos Girl with her hostages and Nightwing, eager for a showdown.

From the corner of the building came a shadow, viscous and moving as if it were alive. Halo had seen it before, but it was still terrifying, as if darkness were on the move and sweeping over all of Gotham. He couldn't imagine a worse fate for the permanently shadowed city. These days it had become so hard to tell the villains from the heroes.

"Looks like we're making it a party," NightWing growled. Truth was, he was probably as aggravated as Chaos was. These other heroes...they unnerved him. He couldn't trust them any more than he could trust the woman across from him. "What's say we take this outside before someone get's hurt?" he asked rhetorically as he made his way closer to Chaos girl.

From the corner of the bank he could see police officers slowly evacuating the civilians. Most had made it out after the initial blast, but there were at least three that he observed were wounded: a man near the counter was knocked out, a woman who looked like a teller was clutching a hand to her right leg, bloody pouring through her fingers, and the child...the little girl who'd had a gun aimed at her, had a small gash on her forehead. Their whimpers echoed in his mind. Oh...she'll pay for those. Without waiting for a single movement in response to his question, NightWing lept forward and tackled Chaos. It was a seemingly desperate move, but perhaps the others could make themselved useful and get the hostages out before Chaos regained control.

NightWing lept forward and tackled Chaos. It was a seemingly desperate move, but it allowed Halo to attempt to rescue the hostages not directly in Chaos Girl's hands.

As Chaos Girl responded to Nightwing's and Shade's almost simultaneous attacks, Halo fearlessly jumped down over the railing and onto the bank floor, landing behind the evidently not-bullet-proof glass of the tellers' windows. He was at the fallen woman with just a few long strides. "Never fear. I'll get you out of here. But first, to safety." He surveyed the damage to her leg and decided it would be easier to carry her. She clearly wasn't paralyzed. Halo scooped the woman up and ran through the rubble behind the teller windows to deposit her at the end of the teller windows. With Shade and Nightwing busy with Chaos Girl, he had to avoid any direct exit, but the woman would be safe behind at the end of the row of windows. There would be no debris from the blockaded entrance to fall on her and no lunging, seemingly alive shadows to knock her around on their way to Chaos Girl.

Getting a sense of the dark hero and the darker villain's deadly tango, Halo waited to rush for the man stranded by the counter. If he could get the girl while he was at it, all the better, but he didn't think Chaos Girl would kill her. She would have done it already, maniac or no.