It all started with a master and a slave. The slave- a young man in his mid-twentyth- still believed he and his master had a partnership, that he was no slave, but in fact an apprentice. But for the master, there was only one student, only one boy good enough to step in his footsteps one day. And he was going to get that boy. But to do so, the man must take precautions and have back-up plans for his pack-up plans and things like that took time. There was one last obstacle he had to overcome and he knew just the right way to do so.
"Master?" This time, the one addressing the man as 'master' wasn't a blue-haired boy, this time, it was a girl. Joker's son had no clue about all the other apprentices the master had trained and was still training, he thought he was special. A cruel grin stretched the man's lips. There was only one special boy out there, the one who rejected him, the only person who earned his respect.
He looked down at the kneeling girl below him. He once again asked himself how old she was. Sixteen? She was small for her age, but her looks only deceived her enemies. She was deadly, just like him. "G01," he greeted her coolly. The girl still had her head bowed, her palms turned upwards.
Submissive.
That's how the master needed his slaves. He was playing a dangerous game, a game that could cost his head if he didn't control his apprentices. He needed them bound in chains of fear, needed the idea of them overpowering him burned out of their minds.
In their eyes, they were nothing, just pawns in a game of chess- his game of chess. And that was exactly how the master wanted them to see themselves, as below him. He owned them and he made sure they knew that. That's why the girl in front of him didn't have a name. None of them did. They had numbers, they were numbers. He had taken them in when they were toddlers, taken them right out of the hospitals, so they'd grow up with the knowledge that they are nothing without him, everyone except for Castor.
All the man wanted was to impaled that useless boy with one of his swords- or both, but sadly, he still needed him. The master took a great risk by taking Joker's son under his wing, but with the boy's hate for Robin- no, Nightwing- corrected the man himself, Castor would do anything to get his revenge, and that just happened to be exactly what the master needed him to do.
The man chuckled. Rage blinded those who were too weak to control themselves, that was the reason he didn't tell Castor that Robin was no Robin anymore, no little birdie, that there was in fact a new Robin on the streets, a Robin the man almost hated as much as he hated Dick Grayson. Damian Al Guhl. The master's smirk widened. Maybe he'd get to kill two birds with one stone. Quite literally.
The girl shifted on the ground, her master had almost forgotten that she was there. Kneeling like this for who knows how long must be disconcerting. He fold his arms behind his back and enjoyed the sight. Pain was a beautiful thing-as long as he wasn't the one experiencing it.
After another silent five minutes, he finally decided to get to the point. "G01, you have a new mission. You'll find everything you need in your cage."
She bowed her head even lower, almost touching the ground with her forehead. "Yes, Master."
"You're dismissed."
He knew that she was holding back a relieved sigh as she stood up and stretched her back. She bowed her head once more and quickly strode out of the room.
Whenever he had a mission assignment for his apprentices, he summoned them to his 'throne room', that's what they called it. Basically, it was a huge plain room with a throne-like chair in the middle and a holographic computer wall. His haunt wasn't as big as most people might think it is. In addition to the 'throne room', he had a huge open-air training area, his personal bed room with an additional kitchen and bath room- entering was a big no-no for anyone- and then there was the 'Room of Cages', where his apprentices lived. He had people all across the earth, completing missions for him and, so there was only one person- G01- living here right now.
Castor lived in an apartment in the north of Gotham, the small apartment was cross-linked with hidden cameras- but back to the cages. They were lined at the walls, leaving an open space in the centre of the room, where he laid the food for his slaves, like the master did with his dogs. He wasn't a barbarian like most people thought- well, maybe he was, but he had no interest in starved assassins, so he made sure they always had enough to eat and drink.
He didn't put them in cages because he wanted to torture them, but because he needed to creat a certain effect. For them, he was like a father, mother, teacher and god all together. He punished them when they did something wrong and rewarded them when they did something right- they didn't know it any better. The only time they were allowed to leave their room- they only slept in the cages- was, when he summoned them for a new mission, or when they trained with him. The throne room was so huge and bright- the complete opposite to their always dark room- it was like heaven to them.
Yes, it intimidated them, but also fascinated them.
And during their training sessions was the only time- except for mission- they ever saw the sky. The kids- that was all they were- were becoming addicted to the sight of the stars and the sun and to the glaring computer screens. They were addicted to their Master, the only one who could give them what they desired, the one they lived and died for.
So, what do you think of the prologue?
