[ Before Dick properly traverses the rooftops to approach Talon's forces from behind, he does take a moment to hear Hana's parting words. Having leaped off her mech already, Dick looks over his shoulder to regard Hana with a knowing smile. Not a sign of genuine mirth, but a hope he extends to her. A silent vow from Nightwing, as they both understand the gravity of the situation. Even if they succeed against this entourage, they might still fail when facing another. The risks are high, the danger imminent, so...
Business as usual. ]
Don't worry, D.Va.
[ Now, he produces his grapnel gun. Gets a running start towards the edge of the rooftop, braced to make the jump. With comms already on, he's content to use his indoor voice. ]
I was trained by the best.
[ And those are his last words to her as he progresses across multiple buildings, dropping down to the streets only when he finds it advantageous against Talon. He doesn't begin by engaging them all directly, straightforwardly attacking them all from behind. Too many eyes on him at once will mean someone gets lucky, and he's riddled with bullets.
So what he does is throw several smoke pellets as he sprints towards the troopers from behind. Among them march Firefly and Electrocutioner, basking in the Magistrate's recognition, likely feeling that they've chosen the winning side. But when smoke begins to cloud their vision, visibility of their surroundings now diminishing, they turn to hear stray gunfire behind them. Talon troopers sound tense as they attempt to not shoot each other while searching for their attacker. Blows descend upon them nonetheless-- helmets, limbs beneath armor, the chassis protecting their chests. All these things were getting broken.
Two reinforced eskrima sticks, each carrying an electric charge. Each held by a man striking each trooper with enough force to incapacitate them, render them motionless by knowing exactly where to hit. The numbers drop before the smoke finally dissipates. As it clears, the two new enforcers can see what's been done to some of their team. Dick finishes one off with a high knee to his face, breaking open his helmet. By jumping into that high knee, Dick traps the trooper in a guillotine choke between his legs and uses the momentum to send that trooper flying towards another.
Dick lands with his back on the concrete, eskrima sticks still in each hand. As Firefly and Electrocutioner approach him, both spout petty insults for thinking he has a chance against the Magistrate. In that time, Dick performs a kip-up to get back on his feet. ]
Look, guys. I saw that there was a party. Thought I'd invite myself.
[ He shuts down the electricity flowing through his sticks, now eager to beat down his opponents the old-fashioned way. Firefly readies his flamethrower, Electrocutioner his shock gauntlets. They hear other troopers in disarray, barraged as they are by D.Va and her mech, but they don't care.
They've spent enough time in Gotham to know Nightwing orchestrated this. And if they kill him first, they might save the other enforcers the trouble. ]
Is it so much to ask that I wanna be included?
[ Spoken as he slides beneath a spray of flames unleashed by Firefly. He rises after closing the distance to the arsonist and strikes his wrist with one stick, the flamethrower with the other. Dick's reached a point where he doesn't care what he breaks short of killing his opponent. Seeing Firefly howl in pain at his injured arm, Dick barrels through him with his shoulder, sending Firefly stumbling into the ground. Dick does so just before Electrocutioner fires some shockwaves at him. Corkscrew jumping away from the blast, Dick throws an eskrima stick directly at Electrocutioner's exposed face.
Electrocutioner ends up deflecting the stick with one of his gauntlets, only to find Dick rushing at him with the other stick. This puts the guy on the receiving end of a beating, until finally, Dick sweeps Electrocutioner into the floor and places him in a chokehold while using the stick as an extra vise. ]
Surrender. I can make the pain stop if you just surrender.
[ No stray gunfire headed his way. No troopers that aren't kept busy by D.Va's share of the war effort. Good.
He grins at this understanding, but it's a second too long. Electrocutioner reaches behind himself to slam his gloved hand on Dick's side, shocking him at max voltage. But the Nightwing suit is insulated. So the shock isn't lethal, doesn't even sting, but the concussive force of the blast, amplified by Electrocutioner's gear, sends Dick flying. Before he can even hit the ground, Firefly intercepts. Traps Dick in a bearhug (anything better demands the articulation of one his hands, but Dick broke his forearm), and ascends to a great height above the battle, looking to drop him.
Dick's in a perilous situation, to be sure. But nothing a little guile can't get him out of. So even as Firefly spews more insults at him, waxes poetic about the futility of Nightwing's mission, Dick can only think to himself:
no subject
Business as usual. ]
Don't worry, D.Va.
[ Now, he produces his grapnel gun. Gets a running start towards the edge of the rooftop, braced to make the jump. With comms already on, he's content to use his indoor voice. ]
I was trained by the best.
[ And those are his last words to her as he progresses across multiple buildings, dropping down to the streets only when he finds it advantageous against Talon. He doesn't begin by engaging them all directly, straightforwardly attacking them all from behind. Too many eyes on him at once will mean someone gets lucky, and he's riddled with bullets.
So what he does is throw several smoke pellets as he sprints towards the troopers from behind. Among them march Firefly and Electrocutioner, basking in the Magistrate's recognition, likely feeling that they've chosen the winning side. But when smoke begins to cloud their vision, visibility of their surroundings now diminishing, they turn to hear stray gunfire behind them. Talon troopers sound tense as they attempt to not shoot each other while searching for their attacker. Blows descend upon them nonetheless-- helmets, limbs beneath armor, the chassis protecting their chests. All these things were getting broken.
Two reinforced eskrima sticks, each carrying an electric charge. Each held by a man striking each trooper with enough force to incapacitate them, render them motionless by knowing exactly where to hit. The numbers drop before the smoke finally dissipates. As it clears, the two new enforcers can see what's been done to some of their team. Dick finishes one off with a high knee to his face, breaking open his helmet. By jumping into that high knee, Dick traps the trooper in a guillotine choke between his legs and uses the momentum to send that trooper flying towards another.
Dick lands with his back on the concrete, eskrima sticks still in each hand. As Firefly and Electrocutioner approach him, both spout petty insults for thinking he has a chance against the Magistrate. In that time, Dick performs a kip-up to get back on his feet. ]
Look, guys. I saw that there was a party. Thought I'd invite myself.
[ He shuts down the electricity flowing through his sticks, now eager to beat down his opponents the old-fashioned way. Firefly readies his flamethrower, Electrocutioner his shock gauntlets. They hear other troopers in disarray, barraged as they are by D.Va and her mech, but they don't care.
They've spent enough time in Gotham to know Nightwing orchestrated this. And if they kill him first, they might save the other enforcers the trouble. ]
Is it so much to ask that I wanna be included?
[ Spoken as he slides beneath a spray of flames unleashed by Firefly. He rises after closing the distance to the arsonist and strikes his wrist with one stick, the flamethrower with the other. Dick's reached a point where he doesn't care what he breaks short of killing his opponent. Seeing Firefly howl in pain at his injured arm, Dick barrels through him with his shoulder, sending Firefly stumbling into the ground. Dick does so just before Electrocutioner fires some shockwaves at him. Corkscrew jumping away from the blast, Dick throws an eskrima stick directly at Electrocutioner's exposed face.
Electrocutioner ends up deflecting the stick with one of his gauntlets, only to find Dick rushing at him with the other stick. This puts the guy on the receiving end of a beating, until finally, Dick sweeps Electrocutioner into the floor and places him in a chokehold while using the stick as an extra vise. ]
Surrender. I can make the pain stop if you just surrender.
[ No stray gunfire headed his way. No troopers that aren't kept busy by D.Va's share of the war effort. Good.
He grins at this understanding, but it's a second too long. Electrocutioner reaches behind himself to slam his gloved hand on Dick's side, shocking him at max voltage. But the Nightwing suit is insulated. So the shock isn't lethal, doesn't even sting, but the concussive force of the blast, amplified by Electrocutioner's gear, sends Dick flying. Before he can even hit the ground, Firefly intercepts. Traps Dick in a bearhug (anything better demands the articulation of one his hands, but Dick broke his forearm), and ascends to a great height above the battle, looking to drop him.
Dick's in a perilous situation, to be sure. But nothing a little guile can't get him out of. So even as Firefly spews more insults at him, waxes poetic about the futility of Nightwing's mission, Dick can only think to himself:
How's Hana doing? ]