Batman's disappearance had left Gotham City reeling, and Dick was determined to solve the mystery. After some initial investigating, he realized that the clues, few as they were, pointed to an unknown adversary - someone with knowledge of Batman's methods and tactics.

This adversary had somehow managed to elude Nightwing's efforts to track them down, leading Nightwing to realize that he would have to think and act outside the box in order to find his mentor.