Gotchard in DC Ch 22

Dick had only been in National City for a hot minute, but with Alfred's help, he'd already transformed a Wayne Enterprises warehouse into his personal Batcave-lite, shipping in a bunch of his gear from Bludhaven.

Dick strode over to the wall and flipped the breaker switch. The lights flickered to life, bathing the warehouse in a bright glow, making the space feel super open and airy.

The ground floor was now a slick equipment repair zone and training area, kitted out with all sorts of high-tech gadgets and workout machines. Upstairs was a chill rest area, simple but comfy.

"Alright, let's do this properly. I'm Nightwing, Dick Grayson."

After showing Isaac to the chill zone upstairs, Dick casually pulled off his domino mask, revealing those piercing blue eyes. He turned to Isaac, who was right behind him, stuck out his hand, and said it all with a relaxed but serious vibe.

"…Kamen Rider Gotchard, Isaac Kondo. Guess we're not playing the secret identity game anymore."

Isaac was momentarily floored. He wasn't expecting Dick to just lay it all out like that. He'd planned to keep things a little distant, not spill the beans on who he really was.

But seeing Dick's open attitude, his resolve started to crumble. He took a deep breath, grabbed the Gotchard Driver on his waist, and with a mental flick, deactivated his transformation.

Shaking Dick's hand, Isaac's tone had a mix of "oh well" and relief. Truth was, besides the kidnapping thing, he needed Dick's help with Rachel, and swapping secrets made teaming up way easier.

Dick nodded slightly, like he appreciated Isaac's quick thinking, or maybe he was just filing away Isaac's name in his mental Rolodex. He gestured for Isaac to crash on the sofa.

"Here's what I've dug up on the missing persons cases lately. Take a peek and tell me what you think."

Even though he said he wanted to brainstorm the missing persons cases with Isaac, Dick really just wanted a chance to chat with him one-on-one. He wasn't expecting Isaac to drop any truth bombs, seeing as he was still the new kid on the block.

He yanked open a drawer in the table, grabbed a file, and handed it straight to Isaac, signaling him to get reading before they dove in.

"The scope of these missing persons cases is seriously messed up, huh? This is way bigger than just you and me, right? What about the Justice League? Are they even gonna show up?"

As he flipped through the documents, Isaac's eyes widened, and his brow furrowed like he was trying to solve a Rubik's Cube. He'd figured the disappearances were just a few cities over, but now he saw they'd spread across the entire U.S. of A.

Slapping the file down, Isaac looked up at Dick. He wasn't a dummy; a widespread operation like this screamed large-scale human trafficking, likely backed by some heavy hitters or packing serious heat themselves.

But usually, when stuff like this went down, the Justice League's A-listers would be all over it. So why the radio silence?

"They are missing persons cases. They are currently entangled with their old adversaries and can’t break free."

Dick's lips curled into a sly grin as he answered Isaac's question. First, he made a point of calling them "missing persons" cases, not "kidnapping" cases.

Then he laid out why the Justice League was MIA: their usual baddies were stirring up all sorts of trouble, keeping them on their toes.

They'd try to poke around and investigate, but by the time they'd wrangled their old foes, the perps had already vanished into thin air.

"I see. So, what should we do?"

For some reason, the situation Dick was describing rang a bell with Isaac, but after racking his brain and coming up empty, he just steered the convo back on track.

Since Dick had spelled it all out, Isaac knew what he was getting at and jumped in.

"We can't manage matters in other cities for now, but we can try to resolve the situation at this transit hub in Naxinnuo City."

Seeing that Isaac was on the same page, Dick gave a little nod, tapping his fingers on the table as he spelled it out. Taking down this transit hub was a task his foster dad and mentor had handed him.

"Hmm~ So, that's why you suddenly bolted to National City from Bludhaven?"

Nodding like he'd just cracked the code, this gig seemed right up Isaac's alley, seeing as he'd been working on it already.

"…Not really, I have another reason for coming to Naxinnuo City.”

Hearing Isaac's words, Dick's brow furrowed slightly. He had been so busy investigating the minor missing persons cases these past few days that he almost forgot his original purpose for coming to Naxinnuo City.

Since Isaac had brought it up now, Dick felt it was a good time to ask this local expert.

After all, he had learned from Oracle and the police system that the truck carrying the girl who sought his help in his dreams belonged to the Shadow Gang, whom Isaac had sent to prison and the hospital.

"Oh? Spill the beans. If you need a hand, just ask."

Seeing the wheels turning in Dick's head, Isaac's curiosity was instantly piqued, and he couldn't help but push for details. If he could help Dick out and get him in his debt, getting his help with Rachel later would be a piece of cake.

"Actually, it's no biggie, just that a while back…"

Facing Isaac's curious stare, Dick didn't hold back and just laid out how he'd bumped into a girl with purple-black hair, and then for days on end, he'd been dreaming about her begging for help.

"Hold on a sec, this sounds oddly familiar!"

As Dick was talking, Isaac felt like he was having déjà vu. Unlike before, this was the real deal, 'cause he'd just lived it a few days ago, and Rachel, who was responsible for this, was chilling in his secret lab.

"You know something?"

Dick was caught off guard by Isaac's reaction, but he snapped back quick and gave Isaac his full attention.

"So, you're saying you know something?"

"Yeah, turns out I do," Isaac says, leaning back against a crate. "Ran into a similar thing a few days ago. A girl named Rachel hit me up in a dream, asking for help."

Isaac pauses, picturing his talk with Rachel. She mentioned someone else she tried to contact, right? Before the cultists chased her off?

Dick practically vibrates with anticipation. "Rachel? Tell me everything. Purplish-black hair?"

It clicks. This is the "someone else" Rachel tried to reach. Looks like Nightwing was the first in line for the Rachel Roth Rescue Squad!

"Yep, purplish-black hair checks out. Sounds like you were the dude she was trying to get ahold of before I showed up."

Dick nods slowly, processing. "How is she? Rachel, I mean. Where'd you find her?" He's calmer now, more focused. "And what happened?"

Isaac runs a hand through his hair. "She's crashing at my place right now, safe and sound. As for how I found her… well, that's a bit of a story."

With Dick officially confirmed as Rachel's first choice for a savior, Isaac figures there's no point in holding back. This whole situation needs a proper investigation, and Dick seems like a solid ally.

So, he spills the beans. He keeps it concise: stumbling upon Rachel, rescuing her from the cultists, hearing her story, and deciding to take her in.

Dick listens intently, his brow furrowing. "Mysterious abilities, a cult… sounds like things are way more complicated than I thought. Mind if I meet her? Gotta ask her a few things myself."

Isaac hesitates. "Gotta check with her first. Hang tight."

He pulls out his Smaphone and calls X Wizard, knowing Rachel's probably glued to the screen, mashing buttons in some video game. Sure enough, X Wizard answers right away.

"Hey, Wizard, got a situation here. Remember that dream-hopping girl, Rachel? Well, the guy she was trying to contact before me just showed up, and he wants to meet her. Is that okay?"

After a brief explanation, Rachel's voice pipes up in the background. "Yeah, tell him it's cool. Maybe he can help."

"Alright, she's down to meet. Let's roll."

No time to waste, apparently. They ditch the warehouse and head for Isaac's secret base.

"Alright, let's go."

Isaac's usual style would be to drag Rachel to Dick's place, but since Dick spilled the location of his own Batcave-lite, Isaac figures it's only fair to return the favor. Besides, he thinks, it's not like this base is top-secret. Got backups for days.

MK2, MK3, MK4, the list goes on, Isaac thinks to himself. Exposing one base is no biggie when you're rolling in secret lairs. Plus, not just anyone can waltz in; without the Alchemy know-how and secret spells, most folks wouldn't even find the door.

Leading Dick through the hidden entrance and down the long corridor, Isaac finally arrives at the main hall.

Rachel's sitting on the sofa, nose buried in a book. The hall itself is pretty bare-bones, not exactly setting the mood.

"Rachel, meet Nightwing. Nightwing, this is Dick Grayson."

Rachel glances up, marking her page. "Thanks, Isaac. Hello, Dick."

"Hey, Rachel." Dick gives a friendly nod.

The air's a bit thick with awkwardness, so Isaac steps in. "Alright, let's sit down, get comfy. We got stuff to talk about."

After a few forced smiles and small talk, Dick gets down to business, peppering Rachel with questions about the cult and their so-called "Lord."

Over an hour passes. Dick's soaked up all the info he can, and he finally calls it.

"Thanks for your time, Rachel. I'm gonna need to do some digging. Isaac, here's my number. Keep me in the loop, yeah?"

He shakes Isaac's hand, then heads back towards the phone booth entrance. Isaac sees him off, and Dick hops on his motorcycle, roaring off into the night.

Back at his own Batcave-lite, Dick sinks onto the sofa, letting out a long breath. He grabs his Smaphone and dials a familiar number.

"Oracle, I need your help. Rachel's situation is even messier than we thought."

On the other end of the line, Barbara's voice is calm and steady. "Lay it on me, Dick. I'm all ears."

Dick takes a deep breath and starts to talk.