The Edge of Honor Who: Nightwing and Creote NPCs: Gio "Nine Volt" Acerbi Where: Channel Park, Uptown Gotham City When: September 10, the twilight hours before dawn. What: Nightwing tears a path through the Gotham underworld, looking for the man who attacked Liz Raleigh. Rating: PG-13+ for violence. Status: Complete.
The man ran through the park, prey trying to outpace the hunter on foot, knowing that if he could make it to the docks a friendly boat and allies would be waiting for him. The growl of a motorcycle grew louder in the distance. Gio Acerbi was not a man who scared easily, but tonight had been a nightmare, and it was all from taking that job that had been offered to him. It had paid well, and taken time to see through, but he'd done it.
He'd faced down stronger men, bigger men, men with guns and knives and crazy looks in their eyes. He'd even seen the Batman once, opting to help one of the bosses get away by sticking behind knowing he'd get the business end of the vigilante's boot.
But this one, with no cape, with black hair waving in the wind and a look that could melt steel, had been pursuing him, cutting him off, like he was being toyed with.
Gio had some early warning, that a man in body armor had broken bones, crashed safe houses, left grown men crying, all while uttering Gio's name. Someone had given him a call, and he dashed out of his place quicker than lightning. They were terrified. This was the Cosa Nostra, the most powerful crime group not just in the city but on the East Coast. This guy moved like Batman, struck hard, but was almost feral in his pursuit of Gio, which meant that the woman in the DA's office was a more important target than even he knew when he took the job.
Bright headlights cast his shadow long over the park's grass as the motorcycle closed the distance, but he was almost there. He couldn't outrun it, but if this Nightwing was playing with him first, it was that idiot's loss.
Gio cleared the distance, his legs on fire from being pushed beyond his limit, and jumped onto the docks, clearing his way to the small ferry used to transport goods quietly into the city. Men were slumped on the ground, and Gio shouted at them, but it was clear this was a dead end. The engine of the motorcycle growled, and Gio turned to see it leaping through the air at him. He barely moved in time, and the man on the bike leapt backward off of it as it slid on its side and came to a stop on the ferry.
The shadow flipped in midair, shrinking, and then slamming onto the surface, legs splayed, arms out for balance, head lowered. The vigilante's head lifted and glared at him. Gio put up his arms to fight, and noticed two large sticks appear in his attacker's hands. One slammed into his left forearm, breaking bone with sickening ease, and Gio yelped, scrambling for the gun in his pocket.
"Stupid move, Gio!" The way the voice growled, deep and unsettling, was lost on him as he felt the crack of hard plastic against his cheek and went spinning to the ground. His gun scattered off the edge and into the water. Nightwing stood on top of him, then took swings at his torso. Ribs cracked, and the vigilante dropped the weapons and hauled him up by the collar. "Who ordered the Raleigh hit?"
Before the hitman could even reply, an armored fist crashed into his face. A knee came up and drove into his stomach. This man was going to kill him. He could barely stay conscious with all the pain. "I'll t-talk," he breathed out.
Nightwing slammed him up against the ferry's cabin wall. "I'm losing patience."
"The order came from... from way up."
"Moroni? Aquista?" Nightwing's head turned when Gio didn't react. He was pretty sure it had come all the way from... "Falcone?" Yep. But he wasn't going to admit it. That would end him real quick if word got out.
"Falcone's in Blackgate, that's..." Being slammed up against the wall stopped Gio short, unable to finish the sentence.
"Why!? What's Raleigh done to anger the Cosa Nostra?"
Gio twitched. "Let me breathe, I'll talk." The man let go, and he dropped a few inches to the ground, cradling his arm. "Lots of guys are upset. She's taking away foot soldiers. New recruit pool is shrinking. S'what I heard anyway. But that's not even the f-funny part."
- - -
Dick was losing his patience. It had taken hours to hunt the man down, and his fury hadn't subsided in all that time. If anything he was upset it had taken this long to smoke the man out. "Get to it," he warned Acerbi, taking a step toward him.
"Somethin' about old grudges and favors. This was a message for her boyfriend. The Wayne kid. Seems when he was a cop he made some enemies." Gio laughed. "She'd probably be fine for now if it wasn't for him showin' back up and makin' waves."
Dick's eyesight went white with sudden rage. He was singled out by the Cosa Nostra not long before he'd left Gotham, fighting them off during a charity cruise, just for being an honest cop. He'd left the force, not because of the threat, but because one of those men had worked for Tony Zucco, the man who had killed his parents. He left because of his anger.... Bruce had wanted him to find some peace, and he thought he had.
But now he was angrier than ever.
"Rich boy just had to get him some of that high profile trim, right? Two birds with one stone for the people I work for, a pesky idealist and some idiot rich boy? Hope his trust fund hit the spot, know what I'm sayin'?"
Nightwing growled, his heart splitting in two. It was his fault she'd been attacked. Mouth twisted in rage, he kicked Gio to the deck forcefully. The man went for one of the escrima sticks he'd tossed to the ground, but Dick slammed his heel down, breaking the other arm. Gio screamed. "Scum. You torture, you take away people's livelihoods and innocence." Dick lifted him up again, holding him near the edge of the boat. The man's eyes rolled for a moment as the pain threatened to drive him unconscious.
Dick headbutted his nose, and Gio screamed again, weeping now. The young vigilante held him over the edge of the ferry. "How much do you love your own life? Let's see you swim with two broken arms, huh? See if you can take the pain."
He let Gio look down at the water below, let the man beg and plead, then dropped him into the water. The goon's head reappeared as his legs kicked, and he begged for help, going under again. The water was cold enough to add more complication, and his head submerged again for a moment, before his broken arms flailed and pushed him back up, screaming as the salt water found open wounds.
"Who gave you the job, Gio?" He snarled loudly. "Talk!"