The Last Talon

Chapter Sixteen

'What the hell was that?' Jason was confused. He didn't like to be confused and that made him angry. Dick had been quiet the whole way back to the mountain, sat in the back of the jet with his eyes closed. There had been a series of cracking noises and Jason had noticed that Dick was breaking his fingers, one by one. When they had arrived at the mountain they had disembarked and Jason had turned on his adopted son.

Dick didn't show any emotion, he stared at the other man with blank eyes.

'Are you going to answer me?'

'You're going to need to be more specific.' Said Dick, his voice flat.

'So you're the leader of the Owls?'

'Apparently so.'

'Were you ever going to share that information with us? Or were you just going to let us continue believing you had been a prisoner for all that time?'

'I was a prisoner. Locked away in ice for two decades.' Dick snapped. 'And I held on as long as I could in the beginning. Held onto the hope that Batman would come for me, that someone would come.' His voice started to rise. 'But no one ever did. So I did what I needed to survive. I became their Gray Son.'

Jason went to yell again but Dick stood forward till he was an inch away from his face. 'So don't you dare judge me for what I did.'

This seemed to calm Jason slightly. He sighed and looked at the Talon sadly.

'We tried to find you. We all did. For years.'

'I know.' Dick was quieter now, but for some reason, he still seemed agitated.

'Dick, please don't shut yourself off again. Talk to me.' Jason pleaded. 'I know what it's like to expect rescue and for it not to come.'

'No, Jason.' There was a bitterness in his voice. 'You know what its like to die. And I appreciate that experience must have been horrific. But you don't know what its like to be trapped with no rescue, settled with the knowledge that no matter how many times they hurt you, starve you, stab you...you can't die.'

'Dick?' Bruce had listened in on the conversation and had seen the whole mission through Batman's eyes. He had seen Dick fight the Owls, seen him fight them off as though they were children and not trained killers. His speed and strength were like nothing he had ever seen and then he had run straight onto a sword in order to save the young speedster. He had felt horror as Dick had laid there waiting for his head to be cut off, he had felt relief and shock as the kid had ripped the sword from his body to defend himself. And he hadn't known what to think or feel as he watched the boy he had taken in from the Circus stand and announce himself the leader of the Court and the Parliament of Owls alike. Like Jason, he was confused at the revelation that Dick had been trained to be the heir of the Court, and by elimination was now technically their leader. But unlike Jason, he wasn't angry. He blamed himself for not being able to find Dick and hearing the young boys confession had made him feel so sad for the Talon. Whatever Dick had done, he had done it to survive the cards he had been dealt. Bruce came forward and touched his hand to Dick's shoulder. The younger's cold expression softened.

'I'm sorry.' Dick said, his eyes downcast, looking ashamed.

'Whatever happened after the Court took you was not your fault. And I do not blame you.' Said Bruce. "I'm just sorry I didn't save you from it.'

Dick nodded sadly, then his eyes travelled past Bruce and saw Ben in the doorway.

'Are you alright?' He asked the redhead, who nodded but didn't come any closer. "I'm sorry if I scared you.'

Ben smiled, glad that Dick was starting to sound more like himself. For a while, the coldness in his voice had made him seem more Talon than anything else. But even so, there was something wrong, Dick was holding himself in a strange way and he seemed uncomfortable. Damian noticed this too as soon as he set his eyes on his brother. But he said nothing about it, instead proceeding to debrief them.