The Little Princess Part 3
"My father, Ra's Al Ghoul, always had a soft spot for Gibraltar." Talia sighs fondly, cradling her head in her palm. Her long nails tapping on her cheekbone,"He called it the perfect tactical outpost."
She stares out into dark pit of the ocean dept. "Now, your government still maintains a substantial military presence on the island."
Talia smiles, a cold and unforgiving smile; like a funny joke was told but she can't quite grasp the human emotion.
"Tell All to stand down when my soldiers arrive or I'll see to it that your lovely wife is devoured Alive by cannibal gourmets. Really prime minister I will."
Talia delivers her final threat, then waves to one of the soldiers to cut the feed. She turns around and looks at the hysteric women tied up.
Her eyes are wide and pleading, and her appearance is entirely unkempt.
Talia stares her down head tilted up but her eyes stay focused on the woman. Talia lips curled into amusement, it's so satisfying to see human's pitiful flaw asking for mercy and giving it. At least her daughter knows not to have mercy.
Darissa stays still as they drive down a winding road. The red light gives her a sense of panic, of adrenaline, her fear spikes, and anticipation runs rampant. She is going to see her father in action. This is so new, so different from what her mother told her about him.
They came to sudden stop and if it wasn't for the seat belt that pulled back tightly she would have flown forward. Her eyes scrunch up a little in surprise but she quickly got over it.
Batman had already opened up the batmobile and jumped out moving toward a closed off warehouse. She rushes to get out of the batmobile and moves to her Father's side.
At first glance it looked like an old abandoned warehouse but as she got closer she noticed the reinforced structure, there are motion sensors at every corner, cameras at every angle, and traps for every nook and cranny.
Batman pauses at the entrance to unlock the entrance. There is a repeated echo as the harsh white lights turn on around them. Her shoe scuffs the floor echoed around the room, she hears the shifting of fabric as she walks from her cloths.
The silence is bothering her to an extreme level, it makes her skin feel chilled and her mind an open nerve sensitive to anything.
Batman walks toward two doors he opens the second one and inside are multiple astronaut outfits of multiple sizes.
He pulls out the smallest one in the back of the closet.
"Put this on." Batman tells her, pointing to a closet.
Darissa huffs unimpressed with the ill fitted outfit, so much for the man with a plan to his back-up plan.
She walks into the closet letting the door swing shut.
She puts on the jump suit first shoving her foot into the pant leg and then the other leg- it hung off her like a sheet that tangles at her feet and challenges her equilibrium.
"Fine. Be difficult I'll win." She bunched up the sleeves and pulls up the pant legs forcefully puts on the large boots and gloves.
She looks down at herself and groans in indignation, she is very much aware of her short stature but despite being the smallest outfit Father has, it just makes her look like a toddler.
Growling lowly at her luck she closes her eyes taking in a deep calming breath to prepare for the embarrassment when she walks out that door.
When Darissa walked out of the room she looked quite comical, her lips were pulled down in a grimace, cheeks sticking out in a pouty manner.
It was very childish, and Batman most definitely picked up on the fact that she looked unfeigned and innocent. He imagined the possibility of a mundane setting of father and daughter going out shopping and his daughter pouting up at him begging for that one stuffed animal they just saw at the shop window.
Darissa shifts her weight from foot to foot wondering why her Father is synchronizing her, it grates on her to an unbelievable level, reminding her of Grandfather when she failed but she had not done anything to deserve such a look.
"What?"Darissa's voice punctures through the muted silence of the warehouse and his musings.
Batman just frowns lightly and turns his back to her,"Let's go."
But no this little girl in front of him has killed people raised to be the antithesis of everything he stood for -truly Talia knows how to play this harsh and bitter game. He has seen what this little girl has done to robin, she does not understand justice or mercy and that makes a very dangerous human. But maybe, he can help her or if nothing else make sure she isn't a danger to herself and others.
She puts on the space helmet and puts in place all of the seat straps in place as the mechanical voice of the A.I. warns three minutes before blast off. She stills herself in the seat her eyes wide and bright.
This is more than she expected but why has her father not acknowledged her? She does not have that much time left with him why can't he acknowledge her?
Slowly recessing into herself, face blanking out she worries that she might have failed her mother, perhaps she has gone too far to gain attention from her mysterious- unknown father?
"Men are so predictable. He'll feel responsible for your rescue you see. He's like that." Talia crosses her arms,and absently recalls her beloved's determination to do whatever it takes to save someone.
"I want him to see how easily I can make him do exactly what I want." Talia smirks in self-satisfaction. She methodically taps her fingertips on her arm, like an internal clock counting down the time till she lays eyes on the man who gave her the perfect child.
"Bulu! The Dark Knight is coming get ready to-" A sharp breath interrupts her command as her eyes catch the familiar shadow of the Dark Knight.
Batman drops down from the sky and kicks Bulu with all the force of his fall that pushes him to the ground in an instant Knockout.
Darissa goes for the cluster of ninjas around the Prime minister's wife, she kicks off one to elbow the other in the face, a familiar crunch of a person's nose crumbling gives her instant satisfaction."Guhh!" One cries out at biting off their tongue from her uppercut to the jaw.
"Ha! Look at me mother!" Darissa calls out, hoping for the elusive words of praise.
"Mother's busy at the moment dear!"Talia's narrowed eyes follow Batman and she navigates towards an open area for her man-bats to appear,staying away from Batman's path.
She fiddles with her communication watch before returning her focus on her love. Once she confirms their ETA,Talia stepped out of the shadows, deadly and beautiful all the same.
"Mother I ruined your plans!" Darissa excitedly defeats the last of the ninjas.
"Of course you haven't darling I wanted you to bring him here."Talia response to her daughter. Batman takes quick steps put pauses a short distance.
"You know I always get what I want, Beloved. And what I want is you. I want us to fulfill my father's wishes and be family"Talia brushes her long elegant hair off her shoulder.
"Who else in this world is like us, Bruce Wayne?"She asks the love of her life.
"The century's greatest crime fighter, the daughter of the Greatest Crime Lord. And there genetically perfect child."Talia motions to herself Darissa and Batman.
"Join me and I promise I'll never threaten civilization again."Talia swears with a less than convincing tone.
"We'll found a Dynasty that will rule the planet for a thousand years. Ours is a love love story remember?" Thunder cracks in the sky.
"That was long time ago, Talia."Batman corrects her, making his first statement in their showdown.
"Then it's war."Talia's face pinches into a hateful stare.
"My dear detective, my mad, billionaire, brilliant genius with your secret hideouts, your double life and your justice league membership, it's not over."Her expression falls blank.
"For people like us, the world is the game board, and nations are pawns." She takes gentle steps toward Darissa kneeling besides her hands laid on her shoulder in a motherly protective stance.
"Make your choice Darissa are you coming with your Mother or would you go with your Father?"
Darissa gives a helplessly lost look, and gives one the most honest statements of her life "Do I have to choose? I would much rather we were all together."
Talia just gives her an unimpressed look while her father has not stopped glaring at her mother.
Both her parents ignored her plea. Rejection felt like a bitter pill of regret, insulting her right to very core.
Her mother's hands slip from her shoulders as Talia stands once more. Batman tenses with more alertness than before.
"Kirk Langstrom is consulting with the British army on Man-Bat tactics as we speak. The prime minister's wife is safe Talia. Robin and Alfred are both still alive." Batman harshly response to Talia.
"Your little guided-missile did her best but it's over. I'm giving both of you a second chance you don't deserve. Get out of here before the British Navy blows you out of the water." Batman stands tense with his final offer.
Talia measures her words carefully for her next words,"One of the first things my father taught me was how to escape certain death."
Talia slowly drags her eyes up to meet Batman's glare, her eyes flashing with the lighting around them with an edge of danger.
"You're here because I want to give you one last chance beloved."
She relaxes her stance opening herself up to being genuine. "Reform me."
Batman openly reacts to her statement realizing that this meeting was manipulated from the very beginning,"You set this all up?" He shouts angrily.
Darissa crosses her arms for a man that supposedly knows everything, he sounded very surprised.
"They will kill you both! Human lives are not a game Talia!" There is a slight panic in his voice that confuses Darissa. There is no way that any of them would die right here, but completely ignores the fact that they could definitely get injured.
"Of course not My Detective. Of course not." Talia is completely focused on her Father refusing to look away.
Darissa stares at the ocean water for a few moments and realizes the water is rippling unnaturally and there is a dark imprint of a missile directly aimed at there vessel, right where her mother is standing.
"Mother?"
It's so close but her mother has yet to see the threat. Darissa surges forward, pushing herself off the ground to shove her Mother out of the way. Talia smiles holding eye contact with her father a victorious smirk,"Your move."
Just before a blinding flash deafening boom as the vessel explodes.
Elsewhere.
"Darissa was magnificent!" Talia openly praises, "Every inch her father's child and mine!"
Her eyes alight from their first encounter with the Dark Knight. She moves toward the lab.
"But she's badly hurt." She leads the ninja to the medical center.
She tells the doctors and scientist, "Quickly! full organ Harvest and replacement."
The limp body of her daughter is placed on the metal table to be hooked up to the life support. The glass tube is brought down and it begins to fill up with plasma.
"Now! She must not die!" Talia gives her cold command and leaves the room quickly.
Talia steps out of the large shower, and wraps a towel around herself,"So?"
She walks toward her bedchamber her composure tolerant and calm.
"Your daughter is in stable condition." The servant reported statically.
"-and Bruce Wayne, is the gossip true?"Talia towel dries her hair, and then disregards the wet towel for a brush. She sits down on a stool next to the wall mirror.
"Gossip?" The servant replies absently before quickly giving a proper response, "He's been seen with Jezebel Jet the supermodel."
Talia gives a growl of irritation. Movements heavy and harsh as she untangles her hair.
She sets the brush down and stands up picking up the white blouse form a folded pile. She quickly gets dressed and heads toward her office.
"Brain activity normal."A scientist reports, staring at a monitor.
"Vital signs regular."another adds from another part of the room, taking notes from the data as well before passing it to a doctor to check.
In the center of the room Darissa's comatose body floats gently in the plasma as the machine stitches her closed with her new organs replaced the damaged ones. Her long hair flaring out around her as she takes deep methodical breaths with her new lungs.
"Twice." Talia frowns in dissatisfaction, "Twice this week." She thought that she had studied him enough to predict the outcome of both meetings with Batman - but both times she failed! She did not predict his actions correctly or did she fail to account for something?
"Leave me. I must think." She leans on her desk her head cradled on her hand taping in frustration on her cheek.
Long hair drapes down creating a large shadow on her face making her scowl look deeper and eyes piercing.
AN: So this took longer than expected, and I blame my laziness and then the fact that I got sick for a few days.
For the next chapter there is going to be a short time skip, and it's almost done. Yay! I actually have most of the next arch done so updates should be steady for a while.
Bonus I am posting a chapter tomorrow that does not relate to the next arch but is form one of my favorite comic book moments of Damian. So keep an eye out for that.
Future events: For the Batman and Robin(2011) arch I'm not actually going to write out the comic story as it seems redundant but what I'm planning on doing is doing the after story or off panel stuff where Dick and Darissa bond. The exceptions will be if it's in a flash back or if there are changes I make to the cannon story then it will be written out, other exceptions are crossovers where Darissa meets or interacts with a superhero for the first time. There is also going to be a lot of fluff, angst, sibling bonding and perhaps some blood.
Update: First revision hope its better-ish.