AN: Hi, everybody! Thanks for giving my story a chance! I would love any reviews and comments! Feel free to PM if you have any questions, or want to give me any pointers!

Disclaimer: I do not own DC, or any of its characters. This chapter, along with future chapters, will have dialogue from the New 52 Nightwing (and possibly Batman) comic books. BEWARE OF SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE NIGHT OF OWLS ARC!

"Beware the Court of Owls,
that watches all the time,
ruling Gotham from a shadow perch,
behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth,
they watch you in your bed,
speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send a Talon for your head."

Gotham City
7:35 P.M.
The Night of Owls

'God damn you, Bruce,' Nightwing thought as he stood on the edge of a building. The lights from the streets and buildings softly illuminated the hero's face, laying shadows across his left cheek. Although his face was devoid of emotion, his inner thoughts betrayed his true feelings.

The past few days had been absolute hell. The return of Raymond, the attack on the circus, the fiasco with Raya, and William Cobb, his great-grandfather, a Talon, was in the Batcave. 'Just another day in the life of a Bat.' Dick chuckled humorlessly. Gritting his teeth, he shot a line towards another building and leaped off the roof. As the air rushed in his face, his bruised cheek was soothed by the night air. He allowed his mind to travel back to his conversation with Bruce in the cave.

His cheeks flamed with anger as he remembered how Bruce had struck him, knocking loose the filling, proving to him that he had once been destined to be a Talon. Although he had been surprised initially, he quickly accepted this, and was determined not to let this faze him. No matter his past, he had chosen to become Robin, then Nightwing, not a Talon. The past did not matter; it was only the present he was focused on.

He was currently on his way to the GCPD to look at some evidence. Apparently, one of his escrima sticks had been found at the scene of a murder. Just another thing he needed to add to his plate. 'This week has officially sucked.' Weightlessness overtook his body, the air rushing through his hair. This was the only time when the world melted away, stripping away the stress, the anger, and the fear, leaving only blissful peace. Dick wished it would never disappear.

A few minutes later, he landed on the roof of the GPCD. Moving silently, Nightwing entered the building via a concealed grate. Since he and Bruce had entered the building so many times in the past, the building layout had been committed to memory. He crawled through the ventilation, and dropped silently into the evidence room. Scanning the boxes, he perused the shelves until he found the correct case number.

'Why hasn't this whole ordeal hit the media yet, like with the Rossini case?' Nightwing thought to himself as he examined the evidence. However, as he about to delve deeper into the box, his earpiece chirped.

Incoming transmission from Alfred Pennyworth.

Alfred's voice was clear and sharp in his ear. To all allies of the Bat presently in Gotham...I send this with the greatest urgency. Tonight, the Court of Owls has sent their assassins to kill nearly forty people across the city.

'What?'

I have uploaded a list of the target's names here.

In Dick's right eye, he could see the names scrolling. Jeremiah Arkham, Mayor Sebastian Hardy...

The Court's assassins, the "Talons," are already en route to their targets. They are highly trained killers with extraordinary regenerative abilities. For many of their targets, I fear it may be too late-

I will keep the *BANG BANG* keep the line to the cave open as long as I can manage.

Hearing the loud noises in his ear, Dick felt a twinge of fear prick his heart. Knowing that the murder case would have to wait, he shoved the box back on the shelf. "Alfred-I'm at the GCPD now, but this place is Fort Knox compared to City Hall. Commissioner Gordon has an army with him here." Nightwing had scrambled out of the building, and was already swinging through the air. "I can get to Mayor Hardy in five minutes-let's pray that's fast enough!"

Unbeknownst to Nightwing, he was not the only one on the hunt tonight. A mysterious man watched as the hero emerged from the GCPD and shot a line across the street. As he jumped off the edge, the man melted into the shadows, waiting for his moment to strike.

AN: And that is the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time!