HOMEMADE DYNAMITE !
❝ THE BIG PICTURE. ❞
"I'M NOT SURE WHY, but... some part of me never thought I'd see this place reduced to rubble." Abigail Lance's words were surprisingly soft as she looked out at the charcoal corpse that was once Black Manor.
Dick Grayson looked over to her, silent for a moment, watching her sift through the debris. Dawn was just breaching the horizon, the sky blushing softly as it's periwinkle strands began to weave through the indigo satin of the night. The rising sun encased Abby's figure in a halo of gentle light, morning breeze nudging her hair playfully.
He dropped his eyes to the ground, moving a few more pieces of concrete before raising them to look across at the wasteland before them. His expression was dark and cloudy, shrouded in uncertainty.
"That's because you knew the people it belonged to. It's strange to think the home of people like Maya Black and Barry Allen could fall overnight." He finally said, turning to look at her again. A small smile spread across his lips. "Maya is gonna be furious."
Abby let out a hoarse laugh. "Do not want to be there for that family dinner."
She stood to her feet, lips still curved upwards, and lifted her hand towards a large piece of stone. The familiar sound of her powers hummed to life, vibrations erupting from her palm, casting the stone aside like it was nothing.
"You're getting pretty good at that again," Dick pointed out softly, looking up at her.
Her gaze fell to her hand before moving to him with a faint shrug of her shoulders. "What can I say? Vigilantism's done wonders for my self-esteem."
"Why didn't you take it back up sooner?" Dick asked her, hesitantly. He saw her shoulders tense.
He dropped the question as soon as answer didn't leave her lips, knowing he didn't have the right to push her to open up anymore. The two continued shifting through the rubble in silence, until, finally, she spoke.
"It didn't feel right. I couldn't do it alone." Abby sighed deeply in perplexion, "Being a Titan meant something else after everything that happened." She fiddled with a shard of metal as she faced him, "How did you go back?"
Dick stared for a moment before replying, eyes dropping to the ground sorrowfully, "It was all I had. I'd lost everything else."
She didn't respond, watching him return to his work. After a moment her wandering gaze caught sign of a glinting black object partially buried under dust and stone. A frown etched into her features, and she made her way forwards, pushing through the debris until she was looming over the object reflecting the sun's rays. Squatting down, Abby gently brushed crumbs of dirt and flecks of ash away to reveal a GPS.
Digging her hands into the rubble, she pulled the device free. It was too far away from the main building to have been from one of the Black-Allen's cars, no this was theirs. The people who had ambushed them in Noah and Nora's home, who'd taken Kory and Gar and Jess. Anger boiled in her veins, setting her blood afire.
She dragged her eyes from the carnage, up to the horizon before her. Her sharp gaze caught sight of tire tracks in the soft ground, deep and fresh. Not hers, not from yesterday either — these were heading in the wrong direction. The fact that the GPS had been left in rubble but these tracks remained meant that Arthur must have come in a separate car to his accomplices, a car which must have survived the explosion.
Abby caught Dick's eye as realisation shot through her. This was a lead, this was how they were going to find the others. Save them.
Dick jogged over to her side, stopping next to her expectantly, eyebrows knitted together, "What is it?"
"Tyre tracks. Heading back towards the centre of Daybreak, leading from right here. Opposite way to us," Abby looked to him, "It's gotta be them."
He nodded slowly, "Okay, let's go then. We can call Nora an—."
Abby cut him off, "We can't go with them." At his confused expression, she held up the GPS between her thumb and finger, "We have two leads."
"We split up?" Dick questioned, following her train of thought, eyes leaving the device to look over the tyre tracks again.
"Exactly. Two of us follows the SatNav, the others track down our Nuclear Family," Abby explained. Her voice faltered towards the end, worry for the people she cared about flickering across her mind.
Dick's next words echoed the fears in her mind. "Is it safe to split up? We have no back up, Abs. No team, no exit strategy, nothing. No way of knowing what we're walking into." He stared at her softly, words wary but gentle. "Look, I'll walk into anything if you're by my side, but doesn't it feel like we're missing the big picture here?"
She sighed, glancing over to him, "If we split up there's no guarantee we make it back to one another again. We could be playing right into the hands of whoever these psychos work for." Abby admitted truthfully.
"Then we go together." A sly smirk tugged up the corners of his lips. "We'll find the others and take it from there, be our own backup."
Abby's eyebrows quirked, not saying anything as she stared him out through her dark lashes. Too many memories swam to the surface at his words, prompting her to remember so many of the things they'd been through — together — that she worried she might drown under the weight of them all.
She looked down at the device, muttering under her breath, "Let's just hope this piece of junk works."
Pressing the power button on the side, her shoulders dropped in relief as she watched to blue screen light up. Beside her, she heard Dick sign in relief. Despite it's cracks and glitching screen, Abby managed to navigate the GPS, finding the last location to be Chicago, Illinois.
"Fuck," Abby breathed, "Not a short trip."
"No, but that must mean whoever is in Illinois is worth it," Dick pointed out, the logic in his words making Abby nod. Chances were, Illinois wasn't home to the family's HQ, but hopefully it would take them one step closer to it.
"Their handler?" she suggested, looking over her shoulder at him. His lips were pursed.
"Maybe," he shrugged, "Only one way to find out."
She pressed her lips together in thought. For a second, he thought maybe she'd say no. Maybe she'd tell him she hadn't come back to this life for a reason. Big picture be damned, she wasn't fighting for a cause that would only leave her broken again. A seed of doubt had buried itself in him, a doubt that no matter what he did, the girl before him would never trust her like she once did. And then Abby smiled. It was a sly, wolffish smile.
She gestured to the car. "Ladies first."
"Hilarious," Dick replied monotonously as he pulled himself into the drivers seat, and Abby slid into shotgun. Behind the monotone voice, comfort in her choice made him feel as though he was doing the right thing again.
As he turned on the ignition, her gaze, full of the same fortudide it had worn for many years, met his stare. Five years could change a lot, but Dick Grayson knew the look of determination in her eyes like it was his own. Suddenly he knew that seed of doubt was wrong. Knew that if she couldn't find a way to save Jessica and Kory and Garfield then she would make one, that the people threatening Rachel would never get her. Anyone that stood in her way didn't stand a chance.
"SO THIS IS YOUR GRAND PLAN ... this was the best you could come up with?" Nora's eyebrow was raised inquisitively at Abby, her words an unamused whisper.
Perched on a rooftop overlooking yet another motel (the super society really had a penchant for those), Abby Lance and Nora Black-Allen were observing the bone-chillingly calm movements of the nuclear family. Dick was hovering at a different location somewhere, probably better hidden than the duo, and Noah had stayed behind in the car with Rachel to keep her safe in case anything went wrong.
Dawn was dragging on forever, but seeing as seven o'clock still had not come around yet, Abby couldn't blame the sky for it's pinkish hues. Still, the warm glow made her leather jacket and black boots stick out like a sore thumb and she didn't even want to think of the disapproval her conspicuousness would garner from Dinah and Ollie. And Roy. Then again, he'd be too busy sulking to lecture her on it.
"Does anything but pessimism ever come out your mouth?" Abby muttered irritatedly, peering through her binoculars.
Nora pursed her lips pensively, in faux thought, "Yes ... when the plan is not most likely to get me killed."
"Shut up and watch my back." Abby rolled her eyes, passing her binoculars to Nora as she crouched down and moved forwards.
She heard Nora scoff mockingly but carried on, moving to the edge of the roof and slipping down the fire escape, her feet hitting the concrete softly. Dick appeared at her side instantly and the two exchanged a quick set of gestures before moving towards the motel. They crossed in shadows and crevices, hardly noticeable despite the absence of darkness' cover.
As they hovered by the door to the motel room, Abby looked to Dick. "We make this quick. We go in, we take them down, we get the others."
"And you say I'm Batman Jr?" Dick whispered, eyebrow raised.
"Trust me," Abby hissed back, unamused, "You're as close as it gets, Bird Brain."
Dick's lips turned upwards. "That's my nickname for you, genius."
"Sorry, which one of us is named after a flying animal?" Abby questioned rhetorically.
"Which one of us got called Birdie by Roy Harper for the majority of their life?"
"The same one who's gonna punch you in a second if you don't fucking get on with it," Abby deadpanned.
Nora's bored voice whined down the intercoms. "God, you two are nauseous."
Dick grinned impishly at Abby before pushing away from the wall in a spin, facing the door and kicking it down in a fluid motion. As he turned away, she stepped into his place, the two moving so quickly the family inside didn't have time to react before her ultrasonic vibrations erupted into the room, bedframes splintering, glass panes shattering, lightbulbs exploding.
Carnage followed Abigail Lance's aim like a shadow and within seconds, she'd laid waste to the room.
"Really meant it when you said you weren't dicking around, Lance," Nora mused down the comslink before her voice took on a humorous undertone, "Let's just hope our guys weren't in your line of fire."
"Supportive as always, Nora," Abby muttered as she lowered her hands. Dick at her elbow, the two entered the motel room.
He tried hard to keep the smile from his lips. "Some things never change, I guess."
Abby shot him a look before their gazes shifted to the sight before them. And her stomach hit the floor. Before her lay scattered the family who'd ambushed them, but there was no sign of Kory or Jess or Gar. Panic settled in her bones as she realised Arthur wasn't there either.
"Shit," Abby breathed, rushing forwards to check the bathrooms and wardrobes. Nothing.
Dick didn't show his concern the way Abby did. Instead of fretting, he rushed forwards and began tying the family up, hauling them onto the wooden chairs from the dining table a few feet away before binding them one by one. Abby chucked him her portion of rope before rushing back out the door, not sparing a glance at the few startled guests who were peeking from their rooms. This was Daybreak City. It was hardly an unusual scene.
Sucking large breaths into her lungs as she tried to calm down, Abby clenched her fists. How could she be so stupid? Of course they split up. Arthur wanted a her dead and the only way he'd do that was by drawing her out. By taking her friends. The family didn't want them, they wanted Rachel. So of course they'd stay behind, of course they wouldn't care for keeping the other three.
She was vaguely aware of Nora rushing to her, Noah and Rachel not far behind. Her mind was so caught up in fear of what could be happening to them, of what she was letting happen by not saving them. She swallowed thickly. No. She was stronger than this. The plan fell apart, okay fine, so she'd make a new one. This is not the end of the line, she was not giving up. Her friends still needed her.
"Abby... where are they?"
Rachel's fragile voice softened Abby's gaze. The brunette turned to the young girl and blew out a long breath through her chapped lips.
"I don't know, Rach..." she placed a hand round the girl's shoulders, "But I'm gonna bring them home, okay?"
"Promise?"
Abby let out a small laugh through her nose. "Yeah, kid. I promise."
She looked over to Nora, who she found with her knuckles pressed to her lips. The raven haired woman offered her a confident wink, despite the worry in her face. Abby shot her one back before the two moved back inside to find Dick balanced on the edge of one of the destroyed beds, the quartet tied up nearly.
"Either of you know what the fuck we're gonna do next?" Dick asked quietly, his words weighted.
One of their two leads was a dead end. Their friends were now missing. She didn't know where they were, just that they were in danger, and that was all she needed to know. They had no way to track Arthur, no way of knowing how to get to them. But they did know who he was now working for — and Abby would be dammed if she didn't do everything in her power to get to both her friends and the handler of the psychopaths before her.
"Chin up, boy wonder," Abby breathed, straightening her back as she turned to the family with a sickly sweet smile, "Leave the brooding to your better half. You haven't got the cheekbones for it."
"You're hilarious," Dick replied dryly (clearly not a fan of the comparison to Bruce).
"That's a lie," Nora stated flatly, crossing her arms.
"Okay, look," Abby faced the family, ignoring her friends as she pulled the GPS out again, lips tugging upwards slightly at the panic that flashed across the mother's face momentarily, "I don't care whether I find my friends from the guy at the other end of this, or from what I'm sure you will be more than happy to tell us. But one way or another, I will find them. And, for your sake, you better hope it's sooner rather than later."
"I'm afraid you won't get a peep from us, dearie," the mother answered nonchalantly, "Loose lips sink ships."
"I wouldn't be worried about someone else's ship when yours is heading in the same direction as the fucking Titanic ri—," Nora began with a growl, rushing forwards towards the family, only to be met by Abby's arm.
Abby turned to her, holding her back firmly. She caught Nora in a stare, "Great plan, Einstein. Punching them is really gonna make them want to cooperate."
Dick stepped forwards, crossing his arms as he circled behind the parents, "Who are you people? And why are you looking for Rachel?"
The mother kept a straight face. The father answered instead, deceptively sincere. "Where are our manners? I'm Dad, this is Mom."
"And that is unnerving," Abby muttered in a deep breath, crossing her arms and taking a step forwards , "But he asked you a question."
Dad tusked disapprovingly, "Nobody likes a tattletale."
"Yeah well, no one likes kidnappers either, pal. Hate to break it to you," Abby commented snippily, tone dripping with snark, a scowl on her face.
"She's right, darling," Mom sighed flippantly, "How terribly rude of us."
Their monotone voices and void expressions put Abigail on edge. Something uncanny lingered in their eyes and she couldn't put her finger on where she'd seen such... doll like facades before. Her gaze flickered to Dick. He wore the same expression as her.
"Okay, can I knock one of them out now?" Nora barked, unimpressed, "They're creeping me out."
Dick moved across the room quickly, grabbing onto Abby's elbow as he leant into her ear, "I've seen this before. We've done this before. In Gotham. Remember Mad Hatter's victims? They acted just like this."
"Mind control. Fan-fucking-tastic," Abby muttered, her eyes darting from Dick, centimetres away from her, to Mom and Dad. "That means letting Nora go nuts wont do much."
"No amount of punches is gonna get them to talk," Dick agreed, watching her intently as he spoke next, "That means our only lead is the GPS."
Abby bit the inside of her cheek, hating how it felt like every one of her cards were being pulled from her grasp. She wanted to keep trying, wanted saving their friends to come first. This was wrong. This felt like giving up. But she knew Dick was right. She nodded in resignation.
"I'll go tell Rachel and Noah. Someone will have to stay behind to watch the Swiss Family Robinsons." Abby turned on her heel.
Stepping out into the morning rays, Abby sighed deeply, grinding her teeth before moving towards the duo. She noticed, after a second, that for the first time she saw Rachel laughing. A smile was clear on her face, and Abby noticed a similar one on Noah's. As she grew closer, she heard the remnants of a story leaving Noah's lips.
"... And that's how Nora nearly blinded the entire extended Black-Allen Family at her twelfth birthday party," Noah concluded, grin clear on his face.
"Careful, Noah. All that smiling may pull a muscle," Abby commented, stopping before them.
"As you can tell," Noah began, looking pointedly at Rachel, "Abby's humour hasn't improved either."
Abby rolled her eyes, before her face fell serious, "Rach... they aren't talking. We don't know where Jess or Gar or Kory is. But we're going to find them, okay?" Abby gave the girl a remorseful look, "The thing is, to do that we're gonna have to find out who's in Illinois, and why they went there. I need you and Noah to stay here and hold down the fort, make sure nuclear-family-gone-wrong stay put."
Rachel watched her intently for a moment, before nodding. She seemed nervous. "You're coming back, right?"
"Course we are. Noah's gonna keep you company whilst Dick, Nora and I are gone," Abby smiled, looking to Noah, the simple and soft nod he gave her being all she needed to know he was okay with the plan.
"We got this, kiddo." Noah nudged the girl gently, "I'll tell you about all the shit Dick and Abby got into when they still thought they hated one another."
"Now that sounds like a good story," Rachel giggled, eyes lighting up.
Abby smiled softly at the two of them, catching sight of Nora in her peripheral vision. Pulling away from the duo, she made her way to the hero's side, frowning as she saw the regretful look on her friend's face.
"Why is it, every time you wear that face, I always hear something I don't like, Black?" Abby questioned with a quirked eyebrow.
Nora's nose scrunched up in a frown. "Hmm... probably because it's my 'you won't wanna hear this but...' face."
"That'll be the one," Abby mumbled in bemusement.
Nora scratched the back of her head with a sigh. "I can't go with you to Chicago, Lance."
"You leave me on a six hour journey to Chicago with Dick and I'll never speak to you again," Abby stated flatly, not missing a beat.
"Don't be dramatic, dickhead," Nora rolled her eyes with a laugh, "I already spoke to Dick. We both agreed that there's something we're missing. That big picture? There's more to it than meets the eye. I'm gonna dig into what we already know about Rach and this doomsday cult that seems to follow her — starting with Kory's supposed research."
It hurt to see her go, to hear another goodbye, but Abby knew Nora was right. It was the smart move, this was the best way. The right thing to do. Their fastest way to try and track down the others, and find the true purpose behind Rachel's importance to the people hunting her.
Abby nodded slowly, tone light-hearted, "Don't be a stranger, asshole."
Nora grinned mischievously, eyes beginning to glow, burning like a dying star. "Me? Never," she paused, "Oh, and tell Noah he can tell mom what happened to the house. Let Rachel know I'll see her around."
Abby smiled in response, the only confirmation Nora needed. With a final wink, starlight encased her body, fire and flame incarnate, and in a blinding flash — like a solar flare ripping the morning sky open — Nora took off into the air. In a blink, she was gone, nothing but a fleck of stardust in the atmosphere.
Bur there was no time for melancholy.
Pulling it from her pocket, Abby switched on the battered GPS. She stood there for a moment, content in the morning light. Her brows darkened in thought as her eyes watched the sun rising from behind the dark horizon. She remembered how many times she'd seen it from a rooftop or skyscraper or a crime ridden alleyway. She remembered how long she'd spent with a mask on her face, using her powers for something good, something bigger than herself.
She remembered how long she'd been running from who she truly was, who she had always been. And Abigail Lance was finally done running.
NOTE!
unfortunately, kids, it's really kinda the end of the road for nora for now :( she'll briefly be in the next chapter (only a phone call) and will reappear in homemade dynamite towards the end, and the things she does will still have an effect on the story. what things, i hear your ask? well, the things she get up to in her own book "blackout". it's coming out shortly — and is ofc a donna troy fic pls and thank you!!
let me know what you thought of this chapter — you know how much i loVE COMMENTS 🥺 and i'm sorry for taking so long to update! i'll try and be better. hope you are all well during the pandemic, and remember to stay safe and keep washing you hands!! xx