Gone.
Without a trance, swept up with the wind and vanished over the horizon. He just couldn't believe he was gone. The little boy who had captured his heart in the 2 years he had stayed at the manor. But why would he leave?
What had Bruce done wrong to make him skip out on him, or was this something else entirely. For months now Dick had shown an obvious liking to the manor and nothing suggested he would run away. So what would warrant his sudden disappearance?
The dark knight stood up from where he was kneeling, the last place where Robin was confirmed to be. There was only one thing left at the scene but it held no meaning. There was but a single item that had all the answers to where he was. But the legends were too old, and the rhyme had not fallen upon the dark knights ears since his parent's deaths.
Still the piece remained there. Haunting him, the small piece of evidence pushed to the back of his mind. Making himself believe that it was there on pure coincidence was his first mistake. Walking away he left a single white feather on the ground.
A feather that belonged to an owl.
Several years later…
The air swept around the red mask the boy wore, the cold didn't bother him. In fact the boy had taken a liking to the cold. A constant reminder to himself that he was still in fact alive. He looked down from his pearch upon the newly built Wayne tower. For the first time that night he allowed himself to relax.
His tired muscles were finally given time to rest, smiling he enjoyed the last few hours of night. Yet he knew the second he returned he would have to face Bruce. Since the beginning of this month, Bruce had acted strange, going as far as yelling at Tim. They all knew why, and didn't blame him.
It had been seven years since his first adopted son, Dick, had disappeared. Jason sighed, he had come along just a few months after his mysterious disappearance and yet he couldn't fill the empty hole the golden boy had left.
He would have been 17, this past March he thought idly. Making Dick 2 years older than himself, and 5 years older than little Timmy.
That case from the start had been cold, and that's probably what irked the brooding batman. Nothing left behind at the last location. No evidence had come up since then, even with the minds of the three greatest detectives in the world they couldn't solve it. Nothing made sense of the case, why had he left? Did he leave on his own free will? Or was it a possible kidnapping? Where was he now? Most importantly.
Was he still alive?
A rather small flicker in a far rooftop is what brought Jason out of his thinking. Being curious he began to go towards the rooftop in which he had seen the flicker. Yet he was met with nothing.
Jason didn't think much of it, putting it off as trash floating around in the middle of the night. It wasn't until he heard the small scrape of a knife being pulled of it its sheath and the sudden immense pain in his upper arm that he realized he had fallen for a trap.
He looked up to his assailant, who had rendered his arm useless, with confusion. It was a villain he had never fought before. He wore a simple mask that was made to look like an owl of some sort. The mask had covered his face entirely. His uniform consisted of full black with knives scattered all over him.
In the few seconds he had to analyze the man in front of him he hadn't realized at least half a dozen more knives had painlessly gone in to his body. Each precisely hitting nerves and pressure points, leaving him completely immobile. Sliding to the ground he was met with a kick to his face which left him staring at nothing but oblivion as he blacked out.
When he awoke he noticed he was tied to a chair, so well he couldn't move without injuring himself. Dully he noticed that he still had his red mask on. At least he hadn't taken it off, Jason thought to himself. He looked around and noticed he was in apartment . He couldn't hear anything to give away the time or place of where he was.
He heard the sound of footsteps coming closer and pretended he was still unconscious.
"Don't bother, I know you are awake" the man said as he walked in. it wasn't the fact that he knew it was an act, but the sheer sound of a voice so young made him whip his head up in shock.
Yet the man still had his mask on, leaving no clue to his identity. Slowly taking out a knife from his place in his sleeve he began cutting the rope that held him there. The man took a seat arcos from him and just stared at him, while Jason just stared back.
"Jason Todd, for your crimes against humanity, the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die" He spoke as he stood up. Unsheathing one of his larger knives from his back. Cutting through the last rope he swung up to counter the incoming attack. Trying for a more damaging attack, Jason tried to punch him square in the jaw, but moving as fast as lightning, the man dodged and punched him sending him back into the wall.
" Who are you" He gasped out while clutching his aching side.
"the Talon" the man replied simply, kicking him back down. ' and I was sentenced to kill you' he added.
Reaching to stop the incoming attack, Jason gripped the man's leg and threw him off his balance. Sending the man toppling backward.
Using his fall, Jason shot up towards he window, jumping and breaking it in the process. He shot a line towards the nearest building and hid. Noticing the distinct lack of sound that would be the Talon coming after him, Jason ran towards he cave.
When he arrived stumbling, Tim who was on the monitor ran and helped him onto the medical bed.
"What happened to you?" He asked getting everything he would need out.
"Ran into a new villain today, pretty tough one too." He replied wincing at the pain the stitching brought.
"New?" The towering voice of Bruce came out from behind him. Jason turned to see him just walking in from the garage.
"Yeah" he mumbled, moving occasionally to give Tim more room. " Said he was part of a court of owls or something like that." Bruce who had been walking towards the computer had suddenly stopped.
"The court of what?" he asked. "Owls" Jason repeated.
"Its not possible, its just a rhyme" he dismissed.
"and that's not even the scary part" Jason added. "He knew who I was" he whispered. Looking down feeling ashamed for reasons unknown to him.
"He knows you?!" Bruce asked turning around yet again. Something must have clicked in his mind because he was suddenly going towards the archives. Reeling through the many files on the computer until he opened one that had the previous Robins name on it.
"It cant be" Bruce mumbled. The doors suddenly opened revealing Alfred with a horrified expression. It wasn't until they looked down that they realized he had a knife lodged in his abdomen. Slumping forward, the killer was revealed to be the Talon.
"Oh, but it is" He said. Ripping his mask off revealed a more aged Dick Grayson then the photo on the computer showed. Grinning wildly he took two knives out throwing and hitting Tim sending him backwards.
Gasping Jason ran towards Tim, only to be horrified that both went straight to his heart. Killing the 12 year old instantly. Bruce realizing what had happened, ran blindly towards the Talon attacking him with a fierce barrage of punches. All of which were blocked easily by the experienced Talon.
Kicking him backward into the monitor the Talon focused again on Jason, who was still shocked at what had happened to his younger brother. Grabbing his sword he walked up to Jason, fully knowing that he was distracted by what he had done to poor little Timothy.
Raising his sword he brought it down, but before he could deliver the final blow a powerful mass crashed into him. Snapping Jason out of his trance and straight to the Talon. Standing the Talon was yet again face to face with the Batman.
"What happened to you! Why did you do that!" He yelled. Punching him with the anger seven years of sadness brought.
"Ive been sent to kill the Wayne family" He replied robotically. Dodging every attack he had directed towards him as if it was nothing . Grabbing a punch directed to his face, Dick twisted Bruce's arm and threw him into the boy who was running toward them. Sending both of them into the wall, groaning both of them stood up, taking out smoke pellets they both dropped them to the ground and vanished into the rafters.
As they landed on a beam they were met with the cold gaze of the Talon, sitting upon the beam. Smirking and laughing he jumped towards Jason grabbed him and sent him flying down 20 feet to his death. Landing safely by him Dick looked up and smiled at Bruce.
"I always finish the job" the Talon said to him.
Narrowing his eyes and trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. Bruce jumped and aimed a kick at the Talons chest. Easily blocking it the Talon sent a knife after Bruce. Striking Bruce in his spinal cord, it left him paralyzed. Broken but still alive.
He lay there, with his face to the ground, wondering what had happened to the small orphan boy who he had adopted.
He felt himself being turned over by the Talons foot. Kneeling the Talon laughed at the Dark Knight.
"Well hat wasn't much of a fight after all" He said poking the mask.
"What- what happened to you" Bruce croaked out.
The smiled was wiped off the boys face.
"I was taken, by my family. I had radioed for help. But no, the batman never showed up to save his partner. So I was tortured until my sprit was broken and I hated everything and everyone but the Court."
"I was never saved like you said you would always do. I waited for the sound of you making your dramatic entrances but as the years passed, I realized you had stopped looking for me"
" I realized I had meant so little to you, when you had meant the world to me". He spoke rather loudly.
"I never stopped looking". Bruce replied weakly. "I had left what I could behind, thinking you would get the old rhyme! But no, the dark knight was always busier with something else. Yet you had the nerve to replace me." Standing up the Talon went to where Bruce kept the gun that killed his parents so long ago.
He watched as Dick loaded it and took the safety off. He watched as Dick walked back and kneeled in front of him yet again.
"Oh the irony" Dick laughed as he shot the single bullet into Bruce's head.
With a gasp Bruce shot up.
"BRUCE!" he heard Nightwing yell and felt him reach up and hug him tightly.
"Dick! Get off of him, hes still injured!" Tim said to the right of him.
"No he isn't replacement stop worrying" Jason said not to far from him either. Confusion rang in Bruce's mind.
"Get away from Dick!" Bruce jumped up and said. Shielding both Jason and Tim from their brother, All three looked at him with confusion. It was just then that Bruce noticed the red and black uniform that Dick wore, not the plain black one the Talon had worn.
"Wait..what…?" Bruce whispered to himself.
"we should probably explain" Tim said. Jason cut in and spoke " You were fighting Scarecrow with us when you were exposed to a rather strong form of his fear gas. It wasn't one with a cure, we just had to wait while you slept It off" He finished.
Letting out a breathe he ran up to grab all three of his adopted sons in a hug. Just being glad they were all alive and well.