E9: Just something in your eyes?

Since Catalina Flores turned nine years old and discovered Jonathan law's book detailing and revealing his life, he became her aspiration, he was everything she wanted to be and a little more. The obstacle was though, how could anyone try to be what they simply cannot, what a force like Blüdhaven won't allow unless you pay the price of death. Painful, excruciating, humiliating and slow or fast death. Trying to be a hero in Blüdhaven when she was growing up, death was the only consequence.

The next night made its way around slowly and Catalina couldn't get that mysterious hero out of her head. He fought identically to her Idol Tarantula described himself to have battled in his book. She felt a few feelings the night before but the strongest being inspiration to finally live up to her mentor after years of cowardice that haunted her. That night was the catalyst for how she should have lived after meeting and being trained by Law during the roughest times.

Catalina Flores sat on top of Cayden memorial hospital, doing her utmost internal work to work up the courage to fight crime like her idol and the vigilante she saw.

She stood at the very edge of the hospital's roof reading his book again, reading the very chapter about all the many leaps into action he took during his adventures. He'd describe them all as leaps of faith and one failure could've led to his career ending earlier than he'd liked it to have ended and the heroic name of "Tarantula" being wiped away into memory and jokes told until it became… something else entirely unrelated. Maybe even a name belonging to the antithesis of a hero with disreputable deeds and heinous acts attached to it. Maybe belonging to a legacy of an ignominious existence.

She realized a long time ago that she can't stop all crime, at least with the F.B.I she feel as though she's saving more lives than she thinks she can, she could, working like him but for the man she's been chasing down for a while, a vigilante's way is an undefined and different way to her despite knowing everything she'd need to succeed. The smart and safe path with her team, with her agency and their restrictions from the F.B.I has been failing her and she's fed up with failing everyone time and time again, failing the children her target has trafficked and failing her mentor's memory thanks to fear.

In her mind, now she's wearing her hero's suit, about to break the law so many times over and risk her life more than she ever did at the F.B.I in a single night, as long as she gets her target backed into a corner at the very least by the end of it, losing an arm on the way would be well worth it to her.

Her thoughts were everywhere as she stood up straight and tall preparing her web gun and shoes for her leap, she's only ever loved the thrill of the leaps so this isn't what was really on her mind. It took her 30 minutes but she was going to finally go on her first vigilante patrol but she refused to call herself that word, her desperation was stronger than her fear and brought her to this point of vigilantism.

Nightwing flipped up from behind her and scanned this new character in front of him as he silently but calmly walked closer and took notice that it was a woman that was curvy but fit, who looked like from even behind that she didn't skip a day at the gym. He can admire that in a woman, no problem.

"So, been inspired by Jonathan Law recently?" Catalina heard from a calm voice behind her which made her grab her gun from its holster swiftly through reflexes and take a single shot at Nightwing which he dodged speedily then disarmed her as he then proceeded to flip her over his shoulder without hurting her too much. 

"Now I'm just confused." Said Nightwing as he continued to restrain her, "Are you an assassin hired by Blockbuster?" Nightwing asked as he still had her on the ground, she couldn't get out of his hold and grip, he was choking her but he noticed she couldn't speak so he eased up and let go.

Once he got up and looked below, he recognized the gun he disarmed perfectly, certain markings on it he briefly noticed before, and his eyes widened having a quick epiphany but she never seen it as his mask blocked out his eyes completely with a good chunk of his face and she was busy recovering on the ground. She got up and didn't know what to say, she had no hard feelings from the little scuffle they just had and dusted herself off.

"What's your name, are you a friend or foe, and is that actually John Law's special web gun?" He asked with a stern tone before he went ballistically fanboy over noticing the gun in her hand, placed in shock and awe. He then looked down and noticed her boots and couldn't believe those were John law's special wall sticking shoes, he then noticed her gauntlets after scanning her and couldn't believe they were John law's special gauntlets with small storage compartments and a high density steel coting of armor.

She still couldn't speak because she was feeling butterflies, she didn't know what to say and she was for the first time flustered by a not too familiar emotion because she had always tried to ignore it for the sake of devotion to her work to the F.B.I and education. Dating was a luxury she didn't earn or have time for in her mind.

"You got a name, miss, or you haven't had your caffeine tonight?" Nightwing asked but it felt like he was talking to himself, "I've made that mistake once, it was almost my last." Nightwing finished with an easygoing and friendly tone but she still remained silent while  staring at him. Nightwing eventually felt awkward and still puzzled. 

"I'm… a woman spider, querido." Catalina whispered, her butterflies making her act unlike herself and confidence become flimsy. 

"Besides the obviously genuine equipment of Jonathan Law and a suit designed identical to his own, I'm going to take an educated guess and assume you mean you're Tarantula's protogé?" Nightwing responded with minor excitement in his voice as he could see the suit and equipment wasn't cosplay or memorabilia from a crazy fan, "I'm actually meeting THE Tarantula's successor!" Nightwing said in his thoughts as he was freaking out in his head but didn't show it on the outside too much. 

"You're a fan of Jonathan Law's writing?" Catalina asked as she was deeply shocked. 

Nightwing looked down at her book and replied "Of course, he's the author for any real first generation superhero admirers, he was brilliant and after the accident he authored true stories about the lives and journeys of the first and original Justice society of America, the original All-star squadron, the original Extreme Justice, The Blackhawk Squadron, The new gods who allied with the JSA and earth's heroes during a catastrophic event, and he continued to write the biographies of real world heroes in the military until his sudden disappearance. He became part of my inspiration for wanting to join a team as a kid." The tone Nightwing had was filled with the sort of confidence you get when you're a genuine fan of something and did your work and Catalina could feel his passion for following the ways of the old heroes, Catalina knew they could talk about his work all night. 

The mention of "John Law's disappearance" forced a face of pessimism, dejection and now low spirit as it began to bring back memories for her. Nightwing kept talking and saying his opinions until he descried what she was feeling from her face, body position and eyes with a hint of the pure sense of relatability after looking in a mirror years ago during a tough time for himself. 

"What's wrong?" He asked after he noticed and immediately stopped talking about "John law being the heart of the first generation instead of Hourman" with his tone full of honest concern. 

"It's nothing, you said you were part of a team? Tell me about this team you created, did you guys meet the justice league yet?" Catalina asked after she ignored his question and began pulling herself together so quickly from a devastating memory that it was incredible.

"I didn't create the team, it was co-founded by me and some of my–" before he finished he bursted out asking again, "You're acting, I can see you're holding something life shattering tough inside that's killing you, trust me, speaking from experience, it'll help a lot if you let it all out from a good friend who'll listen." He bursted out while interrupting himself as he grew more and more bothered by her obvious acting. He thought it was pretty good though. 

"Thanks for the advice, Hermoso. I don't need a life coach or a friend, but I do need a protector who can stop a bad, bad orphan that's doing some bad, bad things in the world permanently. Can I rely on you to protect, instead?" Catalina replied and asked with a tone filled with humorless business after she disregarded his advice entirely. 

"I DON'T kill but-" Nightwing grabbed his Escrima sticks from their magnetic holsters on his back and showed her visually by a defensive Kali stance while activating his charged tips leaving her with a smile and ogling his body with excitement on her mind as well to finally arrest her target.