PLOT:
While Alfred is away seeing to some "final" business arrangements for Bruce in Japan, Dick finds himself alone in the Bat-Cave. Standing amongst the trophies and empty Bat-Suits Bruce has left behind, Dick
reflects upon his past and potential future as a crimefighter. It's during this introspective journey that he comes across a pool of hardened candle wax on the cave floor. The wax serves as a reminder to Dick of that solemn vow he took
to protect the city so many moons ago. Suddenly, the noise of a screeching bat high above alerts Dick to the fact that he is not alone.
Dick decides to use his own more efficient form of sonar and working on a hunch, launches one of his Escrima sticks up into the darkness above. Shortly after an
unconscious ninja comes toppling to the cave floor along with the Escrima stick, a wave of other ninjas rain down around Grayson,
surrounding him. Working quickly and silently, he out maneuvers
each of the ninjas before taking them all out of commission by running them down with one of the out-dated Batmobiles. Retrieving a communication device from one of the
unconscious would be assassins, Dick calls out the person behind the attack.
As the familiar voice of Ra's al Ghul answers back Dick is none too surprised. Ra's wants to meet with Nightwing in a location of his choosing - to which Dick is more than happy to oblige on the mutual condition that neither of them bring along any of their "friends." Ra's accepts Nightwing's offer and within moments Dick is in the air heading towards
the desert borderland between Rajasthan and Pakistan where Ra's al Ghul is waiting.
After landing the two men honor their truce and convene deep underground at one of Ra's hidden Lazarus Pits while waiting out the sandstorm above. The two adversaries discuss recent events including Ra's
resurrection and subsequent temptation of Tim Drake. Ultimately however the conversation turns to Ra's true motivation behind inviting Nightwing to his camp - the status of Bruce
Wayne. Reading Dick's facial expressions, Ra's infers that Bruce is in fact dead. The Demon's Head laments not being able to have been the one to send Bruce to the afterlife and freely admits that if his death were to have come at the hands of
'the Detective' he would have deemed it an honorable death indeed.
Ra's then begins to work out some of his frustrations by challenging Bruce's ward and heir apparent Nightwing to a sword fight. Nightwing, like Bruce so many years before him, gets the better of Ra's and decides to end their meeting. Ra's offers Dick the sword which Bruce used in their famous duel long ago but Dick refuses.
However by the time he returns to the Bat-Cave he finds the sword waiting for him. Plunged into the seat of the Bat-Computer's chair, the sword reminds Dick that Ra's is truly a force that must be reckoned with.
|
Home
