What's a Black Bird without her Robin?
Black Birds run in the family. Dick had Grace. Jason had Estella. Tim had Rachel. Damian had Lorri.
He was obnoxious and rude. Made himself at home. Imposed on the delicate life you and Bruce had composed. And...
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"Where am I?" Langstrom asked as you pulled the bag off his head.
"Just start talking." Batman ordered.
"Ra's wanted me to splice animal DNA to human," He began. "using advanced mutagens. He would provide volunteers for me to work on."
"Obviously you took him up on it." Batman said.
"I knew it would mean prison if anyone discovered that I was up to my old experiments." Langstrom continued. "But how do you say no to Ra's al Ghul?"
"You don't." You simply said, stepping forward. "You made the right choice to protect your family, but now it's time to end this mess. So, what is the mess?"
"Ra's wanted him to make the ultimate warriors." Nightwing stated.
"Ra's called it Operation Air Strike."
You looked to Robin as Langstrom spoke. It was clear he knew nothing of what his grandfather had been planning.
"No military could withstand an army of flying super-power ninjas using sonar in the dead of night."
"But Deathstroke took over." Nightwing cut in once again.
"The formula was my ace in the hole." Langstrom folded his hands. "I kept working on it, making improvements. If I completely finished it, I didn't know what he might do."
"Where's your family?" Batman asked.
"I don't know. He let me speak to them once, briefly. My daughter mentioned something about snow, uh... Two...two mountain peaks that she said look like cat ears." Langstrom said, looking up.
"Interlaken." Robin spoke. "Grandfather's compound."
"You're sure?" Batman asked.
"I'm sure." Robin crossed his arms.
"Can you make an antidote to the man-bat formula, with the right materials, the right equipment?" Batman questioned Langstrom.
"It's possible," Langstrom agreed. "but what about my family?"
"Leave them to us." You smiled. "Nothing we haven't seen before."
••
The mountains were covered in snow. You pressed your nose to the glass, feeling the chilly window.
"You wouldn't happen to be nervous, would you?" Damian asked. He held his domino mask in his hand.
"Yes." You replied. "I get major anxiety during hostage rescue missions."
"Why is that, if I may ask?" Was all he said.
"Because I failed one." You replied. "It's how we lost the first Black Bird."
You could hear Batman's gloves squeaking as his hands gripped the jet's steering wheel harder.
"..Was it bad?" Damian whispered.
"It was horrid. I'll never forget it. Especially the raid on the League that took place after, led by my sister Ella. But the members of the Covert-Ops Justice League team who attended the raid with us convinced her not to avenge Grace." You spoke. "She was killed by Talia al Ghul."
The jet went silent.
"Put on your mask." You ordered, placing your own mask back on your face.
"I hope you're right about this." Batman said after another few minutes.
"I know these mountains well." Robin assured him. "I've been climbing them since I was four. It was a part of my training."
"That's some training for a four-year-old." Batman stated.
"First time I climbed, I fell, broke my wrist. I made it to the top any way. It was expected. I was Ra's al Ghul's grandson."
"Was it all like that, Damian?" Batman asked, making you flinch.
You had learned when the mask went on, you weren't Bruce, you weren't Dick, you weren't Lorri. You were Batman, you were Nightwing, you were Black Bird.
"I was being groomed to lead humanity." Damian spat.
"How can you hope to lead humanity when you've never been a part of it?" You asked, interrupting the boy's conversation.
The jet went silent again.
"When I went through my trauma," Batman began. "I had people around to help. Alfred, Dick, Grace, Lorri, others. As far as I can tell, all you've had are trainers."
You could feel Robin's eyes flicker to you, even through the domino mask.
"There's the stronghold," Robin said. "beyond those peaks."
You enter the castle-like building, only for it to be abandoned. The cells were all empty, and you wandered the halls aimlessly, shivering from the cold. Damn Grace and her stupid fashion taste.
"It's staring to feel like a dead end." You stated, turning to the boys.
"Listen." Batman ordered. "A false wall."
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