Nightwing #26

Issue Details

Synopsis

SOME STRINGS ATTACHED Recently, three hospitals in Chicago undergoing trials for a drug containing the chemical Kanium Carbonate have been robbed of it. The culprit has posed as a doctor in each case, and tonight she is hitting the Rush Medical Centre - the last hospital in the city which has any of the chemical. Given the obvious pattern, Nightwing finds it easy to plan a way to catch her - which he does, as she tries to escape via the roof. He is surprised, though, when she drops her disguise, and he realizes that he has met her before. The thief is Mali the mimic, and if memory serves him, she is a bit deranged. Unfortunately, her ability to mimic his moves makes her escape much easier. Despite that, Dick manages to separate her from the stolen chemical. Annoyed, she cuts her losses, but not before announcing that her new moniker is "Marionette."   Afterward, Dick returns to his shared apartment - a larger one, given that the old one he shared with Michael and Joey was feeling pretty crowded. To his annoyance, he discovers that his window is locked, and is forced to change on the roof using a secret stash of emergency clothes. Upon finally getting inside, he learns that Joey has agreed to look after a friend's daughter, Jen, for a few weeks. Happy to meet her, despite the additional person, Dick grumbles to Joey about her having closed his window, and finds it best to swallow his concerns at her response. Living with roommates is more difficult than even he expected, but necessary, if he intends to be able to afford a roof over his head.   Elsewhere, Mali returns to her apartment and is grabbed by two thugs waiting inside. They warn that the police have been called, and they intend to see the drugs she stole disposed of, whether she needs them or not. Angrily she allows her more violent impulses to take over, attacking her attackers. As the police begin banging down the door, she struggles to grab a syringe of the Kanium Carbonate, and inject herself with it, escaping through a window and up onto the roof.   In order to pay his expenses, Dick gets a job at McClellin's pub - a common hangout for cops - thanks to Michael. Welcoming his friend to his new job, Michael introduces Dick to Detective Maxwell Morgan, who believes that the Kanium thief will try to hit Drexler Chemicals, who are bringing another shipment of the drug through their supply center. Morgan explains that the first lead they have on the case is the news that a landlord and his muscle took a beating from a tenant who was supposed to have been a junkie, but the paraphernalia the police found was for Kanium. If the girl is as desperate as her landlord made her sound, she could well target the supply center. He invites Michael to sit in on the stakeout at Drexler before leaving.   Dick notices an apparent sore-spot about costumed criminals and vigilantes, and Michael explains that Morgan certainly has a vendetta against masks - and his recent success getting footage of the Prankster has made him the de facto "masks guy". The only trouble is that Michael needs Morgan to get him access to the crime scenes, requiring a certain spin on his stories. This strikes Dick as ethically questionable, but Michael sees no alternative.   While Michael and Morgan stakeout the supply center, Drexler's own security keeps a tight ship. Unfortunately, Marionette still manages to get inside - but Nightwing is already waiting for her. Just as he makes himself known, both Michael and Morgan receive phone calls. When they answer their phones, they enter a sudden trance that renders them immobile. Dick calls out to Marionette, begging her to give up, promising to get her the help she needs. She is unmoved, but a when bullets riddle the walls around them, they realize a third person has interrupted them. The third party explains that only one person can help Mali - the one who created her. That one is he, the Mad Hatter, and she is his favourite Alice.