Nightwing & Angel - The Legend Untold

 As Mark Fletcher, Loe Halloway, and Gustav Van Doren were trying to make their escape, they found themselves confronted by a crowd of Alphonse Capone's men in the hallway. Mark's eyes scanned the area, calculating the odds, and he muttered, "There are too many of them... how can we bypass them?"

Loe clenched his fists, frustration boiling over as he growled, "Tsk."

Suddenly, Mindy's voice echoed in their minds through her telepathy, calm but urgent. "Loe, Mark, go to the right side. Only six men are there. You can escape by taking the stairs—there's an exit door nearby."

Mark's eyes darted to Loe, and without hesitation, he whispered, "Let's move." He signaled with a nod toward the right side, trusting Mindy's intel.

Loe, always quick on his feet, glanced at Gustav who was in his ant-sized form and safely tucked into his pocket. "You better hang on, Gustav." he muttered under his breath as he prepared for the escape.

Mark and Loe moved swiftly, staying low to avoid drawing attention. They quietly navigated the hallway, sticking to the shadows. As they approached the group of six guards, Loe silently gestured to Mark to stay behind him. He had a plan.

Using his quick reflexes, Loe grabbed a loose metal object on the ground and hurled it into the opposite direction, creating a loud clatter that echoed down the hall. The guards immediately turned their heads, distracted by the noise.

"Now!" Loe hissed to Mark.

The two darted past the guards, sticking close to the walls as they made their way to the stairs. Mindy's voice in their heads kept guiding them with precise directions, ensuring they avoided any more run-ins with Capone's men.

As they reached the staircase, Mark exhaled in relief. "Good call, Mindy."

Loe nodded, a slight grin forming on his face. "Let's get out of here before we run out of luck."

Mindy's voice echoed urgently in their minds, "Be careful, guys. They've activated Night Eye. They can see you now."

Loe clicked his tongue, muttering, "Of course. If this company's been robbed before, it makes sense they'd install countermeasures to prevent it again."

Mark sighed, feeling the weight of the situation. "Yeah, that's to be expected." he agreed, glancing at the dim hallway now illuminated by a subtle glow from the Night Eye sensors.

Loe scanned the area quickly, recalculating their next move. "We can't rely on invisibility anymore," he said, tightening his grip on the door handle as they paused at the exit.

Mark clenched his fists, knowing stealth would now be much harder. "How do we play this now?"

Loe's mind raced. He knew what to do based on his slum days. "We'll have to move fast and blend in where we can. Stay close, and if we're seen, we'll improvise."

Gustav, still in his tiny form, murmured from Loe's pocket, "Just don't get caught. I don't want to end up squashed in a pocket."

Mindy's voice came back in their heads, steady but concerned. "Keep to the shadows where possible. They might see you, but they'll still need to figure out who's there. Don't give them time to react."

With a sharp nod, Loe motioned to Mark. "Let's go."

They quickly slipped into the staircase, avoiding direct line of sight with the Night Eye sensors and racing down toward the exit Mindy had pinpointed for them.

..............

Alphonse stormed through the corridors, his mind racing. "I can't let this happen!" he muttered angrily under his breath, his steps heavy with purpose. He headed straight for the lower levels, where he knew Vivian Van Doren was being held. She was the key to everything—she knew too much about the situation, and if she talked, it would unravel everything.

As Alphonse descended, his mind replayed the events that had led to this mess. The stolen journal, the breach in security—it all pointed to a group that Vivian might know something about. His frustration simmered as he approached the dimly lit basement where she was kept.

Vivian sat in the corner of the room, chained to the wall, her body bruised and battered from weeks of captivity. Her once-bright eyes were dull, and her appearance was a shadow of the woman she had been. She'd been through a lot, subjected to the cruelty of Alphonse's men in an effort to extract information from her.

Alphonse entered the room and glared down at her. "Vivian," he growled, his voice laced with menace. "You know who they are, don't you? The ones who stole the journal. You're going to tell me."

Vivian looked up at him, her lips cracked and dry, but she said nothing. Her defiance, even in her weakened state, was clear. She wouldn't give him what he wanted easily.

Alphonse narrowed his eyes. "I don't have time for this. If you don't start talking, I'll make sure you regret it."

Vivian remained silent, her gaze unwavering despite the pain she was in. Alphonse's temper flared. He knew time was running out, and he needed answers—now.

As Alphonse loomed over Vivian, holding the voice recorder that would broadcast her words throughout the Chicago Outfit, Vivian's defiance only grew. She spat at him, her voice trembling but firm. "You think this will save you? You think forcing me to speak will fix everything? Your people—your workers—they'll hear the truth."

Alphonse sneered, his desperation palpable. "I don't care what they hear if it means getting that journal back."

Vivian recoiled as he moved closer, but her resolve stayed strong. "You're afraid. You're losing control, Alphonse."

Alphonse's eyes darkened. "Desperate times, Vivian." He pressed the device closer to her face.

Meanwhile, in the upper levels, Mark, Loe, and Gustav continued their escape, navigating through the hallways as Mindy guided them. But then, they all froze in their tracks. A woman's voice—distorted but clear—echoed through the speakers that lined the walls.

It was Vivian.

Loe stopped abruptly, his eyes wide. "What... is that?"

Mark glanced at Loe, recognizing the sudden tension. "Is that...?"

Before he could finish his thought, Gustav's voice, shaky but determined, cut through the silence. "That's my wife... That's Vivian!"

Mark looked at Gustav in shock, while Loe's eyes narrowed. The sense of urgency multiplied tenfold. They couldn't leave without saving her now.

Mark immediately recognized the shift in Gustav's demeanor, and his expression hardened. He clenched his fists and looked at Loe. "We have to get her, no matter what."

Loe, caught off guard by Mark's intensity, raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so worked up? This isn't like you, Mark."

Mark hesitated for a moment, his voice strained. "I... I'm not letting another woman die in front of me again."

It dawned on Loe then—Mark had watched a women died in that year 1947. The memory had haunted him ever since.

Loe's expression softened, his tone more measured. "I get it now. But you know rushing in headfirst won't help anyone."

Taking a deep breath, Mark turned his attention to Gustav, who was visibly trembling but holding on to his determination. "Gustav, we need a plan. You know this place better than we do. How do we reach her?"

Gustav, still in his ant-sized form but perched on Loe's shoulder, quickly scanned his surroundings. "We need to go deeper into the lower levels. There's a service elevator to the east that'll bypass the main guard posts. We can use it to get to where she's being held."

Loe nodded, determination etched into his face. "Alright, Mindy, can you guide us?"

Mindy's voice rang clear in their minds. "I'm already on it. Head to the right, down the corridor. The service elevator is your best bet, but it's heavily guarded. Be prepared."

Without wasting any more time, the group moved swiftly, trying to stay out of sight. As they approached the corridor Mindy had directed them to, they saw the elevator, but as expected, two guards stood watch.

Loe's eyes narrowed. "I'll take care of them."

Before Mark could object, Loe, still invisible, sprinted forward, taking advantage of the element of surprise. In a blur of motion, he delivered a sharp strike to the first guard's throat, knocking him unconscious. The second guard barely had time to react before Loe incapacitated him with a swift kick to the head.

Mark, catching up, smile a little bit. "You're reckless, you know that?"

Loe grinned. "But effective."

They quickly dragged the guards aside and entered the elevator. Gustav returned to normal size, his face tense with anxiety. As the elevator doors closed, the weight of what they were about to do hit them all.

They quickly dragged the guards aside and entered the elevator. Gustav returned to normal size, his face tense with anxiety. As the elevator doors closed, the weight of what they were about to do hit them all.

Gustav broke the silence. "She's been trapped there for years… if anything happens to her—"

Mark placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get her out. We won't leave without her."

The elevator descended, the tension rising with each passing floor. Mark glanced at the security feed in the corner of the elevator, noticing that Alphonse's men were now on high alert, sweeping the building in search of the intruders. Time was running out.

Mindy's voice echoed in their minds, calm but urgent. "I'll guide you. I can sense where she is."

Mark nodded. "Thanks, Mindy."

Gustav, overwhelmed with emotion, tears drop at his eyes as he whispered, "Thank you… thank you, guys. I just—thank you."

Loe, ever practical, cut in. "Save the thanks and the tears for later, Gustav. We're not out of this yet." His gaze hardened. "We need to save her first."

When the doors opened, they found themselves in a dimly lit basement, the air thick with the smell of mold and dust. Chains clinked in the distance, and faint cries echoed from deeper within.

Vivian's voice was louder now, the desperation in her tone unmistakable.

"There," Gustav whispered, pointing towards a heavy steel door at the far end of the hallway.

As they approached, the sound of footsteps grew louder. Mark held up a hand, signaling for them to stop. Two more guards rounded the corner, but this time, they were alert, their eyes scanning the room.

"Night vision," Mindy reminded them in their minds. "They'll see you coming."

As the two guards yelled, "Intruders!" Loe's eyes flicked toward the glowing green lights, realizing they were the source of the night vision tracking them. He smirked confidently, unfazed.

"Doesn't matter," Loe muttered under his breath, his voice full of swagger. "I'm the Angel vigilante, remember?"

With that, he lunged forward, delivering a devastating punch to one guard's temple, sending him crashing into the wall. Loe spun around, delivering a swift kick to the second guard's chest, sending him flying back with a thud.

"Peasy cakes." he taunted, his grin widening.

As the two guards hit the ground from Loe's swift strikes, Mark's eyes widened as he saw a wave of 20 more guards rushing toward them. "You were saying?" Mark muttered.

Loe glanced at the approaching guards and smirked. "Alright, this might be a little more interesting."

Mark, channeling his inner Nightwing, whipped out his dual batons with a flick of his wrists, the weapons gleaming under the dim lighting. "Time to work." He darted forward with impressive speed, his movements fluid and acrobatic. The first guard swung a baton at him, but Mark flipped over him, landing with grace and striking the back of the guard's head with his baton, knocking him out cold. He spun in mid-air, using the momentum to deliver a powerful kick to the next guard's chest.

"Show-off!" Loe yelled as he dodged an incoming strike from a guard. He fought with a streetwise, raw style, relying on instinct and brutal efficiency. He grabbed the guard by the wrist, twisted him around, and delivered a sharp elbow to his nose, sending him sprawling to the ground. "A good punch does the trick."

One guard swung at Mark with a baton of his own, but Mark ducked, smoothly rolling forward, and as he came up, he slammed both his batons into the guard's legs, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Loe, on the other hand, embraced the chaos with a wild grin. A guard lunged at him, but Loe ducked under his swing and grabbed the guard's arm, twisting it and sending him crashing into another. With quick reflexes, Loe caught a baton mid-swing and flipped backward in a sharp acrobatic motion, dodging another attack.

As he landed, Loe delivered a swift kick to one guard's chest, using the momentum to flip forward and land a heavy elbow strike on another's face. "That's for trying too hard!" he yelled, enjoying the adrenaline rush.

Mark, meanwhile, was a whirlwind of precise strikes and calculated movements, flipping over one guard's head and using his batons to disarm another mid-strike. He dropped low into a slide, taking out the legs of two guards at once before vaulting back up with a powerful upward strike.

Loe, noticing a guard charging at Mark from behind, grabbed a nearby pipe and swung it like a baseball bat. "Behind you!" he shouted, smashing the pipe into the guard's back, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Thanks." Mark muttered, not breaking his rhythm as he knocked out another guard with a quick, well-placed baton strike to the temple.

With the guards sprawled across the floor, groaning in pain, Loe and Mark stood back-to-back, panting slightly but victorious.

"Peasy cakes." Loe repeated with a wink, wiping some sweat off his brow.

Gustav, still tucked safely in Loe's pocket in ant-size, peeked out. "You guys are insane." he whispered, his tiny voice trembling.

Mark just smirked. "Let's keep moving."

To be continue