Never that Easy


Four years. He thought. He wasn't entirely sure. He had been in and out of cold storage so often. He was fairly sure he had been in a month at a time, because he spent a month awake before going back. And in all that time, he didn't see Hood once.

Sometimes, when times were busy, the Talons went on rotation; the two boys were on opposites. And the Bat acquiring a sidekick definitely made things busy. Red Wing, he really would insist on being called a partner, was a smart little thing. Fast, agile, incredibly skilled. Not strong though. But he had caught Talons quite a few times going about their business, stopped an assassination or four, and always managed to escape or fall back to the Bat's side before the Talon could slit his throat.

The Acrobat wished he could talk to him like he used to. Those two precious encounters before the Court learned of his existence. But he couldn't. If he did, the Court would order him to kill the little crime-fighter, and then put him into cold storage until some crisis required him to be pulled out. And that long in cold storage would weaken his cells. He'd have to rely on the Court for regular electrum injections, like Uriah, like Cobb.

He refused to rely on the Court. He still wanted to find Hood, to escape.

As the years went on, he noticed something. Little Red really liked over working himself. A few times, the Acrobat had snuck up on him while he was staking something out, only to find the little crime fighter conked out and snoozing. Instead of killing him like he should, he retreated to a rooftop away and chucked small rocks at him until he woke up. Other times, he had seen him chugging coffee after coffee, trying to keep what was probably a three-day awake-streak alive and well.

The little vigilante was too adorable sometimes.

He had just come back from yet another encounter with Red (one which involved him dropping little notes on the ground for him to pick up; they were mostly along the lines of "You should eat more" and "You're too little to be drinking that much coffee" and stuff) when he saw a new figure in the Parliament room. Or, he thought it was new. Or was it... grown...?

It was Hood. It was Hood and he had grown up without the Acrobat watching. He was taller, still not as tall as Acrobat, well fed, and healthy. Physically healthy at least. There was a haunted look in his eyes that the Acrobat didn't like at all. It took all he had not to burst into tears and hug him, comfort him. That would probably keep him from seeing the little Talon ever again.

Instead, he stood next to his trainee and faced the Grandmaster. "Talons. We have a assignment of vast importance for you. The Joker has killed Uriah." The Talons both suppressed exclamations of shock. Killing Talons was incredibly difficult. Nearly impossible. "You are to rip off his head and bring it to me. Acrobat, you have performed to standards. Your name is Richard John Grayson. Hood, if you are successful on this assignment, we will see about returning your name as well. Dismissed."

His name. His name. That was it. No grand ceremony, no declaration. He would have missed it if he hadn't learned long ago the price for not paying attention to the Grandmaster. He had been handed his name like an unwanted pencil. And yet, it was his. He stood, unmoving, despite the dismissal. His name was Richard. Richard Grayson. Richard John Grayson. He didn't notice as Hood took the intel packet from another Owl, didn't feel as the child pushed him out of the room, into the maze. His name.

And he could get Hood's too! They could finish this assignment, and get Hood's name, and they could leave.

A small voice told him that they should leave now, while they were together, but that wouldn't be fair. He couldn't deprive Hood of his chance at a name just to leave a few days earlier. He would wait.

Hood nudged him on the arm as they walked. "It's good to see you Acrobat. Richard."

"You too Hood. Although I suppose I can't call you that for much longer."

They shared a smile, Richard's joyful and bright, Hood's excited and just a bit jealous. Then the smile slid from the former's face. "How have you been?"

The boy nodded. "Most of my assignments have been successful. The only exceptions are the ones when I run against Batman and Red Wing." That hadn't been what the Acr- Richard had asked. But it answered the question anyways.

He had failed this child. He had said he wouldn't let him become Talon. He had said they would run away, that the boy would never take a life if he didn't want to. Well he wouldn't fail again. As soon as they completed their assignment, as soon as he got his name, he would take him on reconnaissance and never return. They would have to run forever, but they would be free.

Quickly, they found an access tunnel and headed up. This one was built to look like a chimney, long boarded up. In reality, it lead from the labyrinth to the roof of one of the taller buildings in Gotham.

Running with Hood had been everything Richard had imagined. He was pleased to see that the younger Talon had put his teachings to good use, improved upon them even. They ran, leaping and flipping between rooftops, the run becoming a chase, then a race. All too soon, they reached their destination, a warehouse painted garishly and decorated with balloons and clown masks. A simple enough find.

This warehouse was empty except for a skeleton crew of thugs to guard it. They spent a few minutes listening and got the location of another three hideouts to try.

As they ran, Richard spoke up. "Richard doesn't really fit. I think I used to use a nickname. Before, I mean."

"Yeah, it is a bit stiff to suit you. Serious. I wasn't going to say anything."

"Oh? Are you saying I can't be serious?" The first warehouse was empty. They continued on, going from rooftop to rooftop.

"You're about as serious as a paper cut. Even when you were training me, you made it a game." He vaulted an air conditioning unit. "So, what kind of nicknames were you thinking of?"

"Well, common ones for Richard are Rick, Dick and Rich."

"Hmmm..." Hood paused in his jumping to consider the other Talon, who stopped beside him. "Dick."

"Seriously, that one?" He did know what it meant, right?

"Yes. And I know what the other meaning is. It just fits, that's all. You don't seem like a Rick, and you're definitely not a Rich." He gave a short laugh. "We should probably get going Dick Grayson. The Joker won't kill himself."

They continued running. "You're such a brat Little Wing." Dick Grayson. Dick Grayson. Hood had a point, it did work. And it felt right too.

"Little what-now?"

"Little Wing. I get a slightly embarrassing nickname, you get one too. Little Wing." It sounded like perfectly good logic to Dick at any rate. Ah great, now he was used to it.

The younger snorted. "Hey, you asked for a nickname. I didn't. So keep it to yourself, alright?"

"You got it. Little Wing." Talon Dick. Dick Grayson. The Acrobat Dick. Older brother Dick. There were so many insults he could get from this. Oh well. He was a Talon. By definition, he had a thick skin.

The younger groaned. Changing the subject, he asked,"So, what do you know about Joker?"

"Not much. Every time I've been active, he's been in Arkham. We fought once, but the Bat interrupted."

"Yeah, he does that. I've fought Joker a bunch of times. He really doesn't like me, probably because I destroyed a few hideouts and killed a dozen or so of his thugs. The trick is not to underestimate him. He's skinny as a stick, but really strong and fast, like a Talon. Worse sometimes, because he doesn't fight with logic."

Dick nodded at the advice. It made a lot of sense.

They hit their mark at the second warehouse, the unmistakable laughter floating from the windows. They jumped down to the roof and carefully pulled a skylight open. They slipped inside, unaware that they were being watched.


"Batman? I found the Joker's hideout. There's a bit of a problem."

"You are to wait for me Red Wing, understood?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, of course. But some Talons just slipped in there. The youngest two by the looks of it."

There was silence at the other end of the line. Tim knew that Batman didn't like the Court using children as trained assassins. He had been running into the younger one for years, and the older one for longer. Then, of course, Tim just had to befriend them, make life even more complicated. As far as Tim was concerned, if Batman could have... something, going on with Catwoman and Talia al Ghul, Red Wing could have a sort-of friendship with Talons.

It made Batman suspicious of course, but not Red Wing. Once he had seen Sarcastic get blasted through a wall and get knocked unconscious. Instead of cuffing him and waiting for Batman, he had incapacitated the meta thug who'd thrown the Talon and left. He told himself he was just returning the favour for all the lessons Sarcastic had given him, but that wasn't it.

Finally, Batman spoke up. "Do nothing. Do not follow them in. I ran into a drug trade. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"You got it Batman." The line went dead and he was left watching the warehouse.

After a while, he snuck a bit closer. Then a bit more. A few minutes later, he was sitting on the warehouse roof, looking down through the skylight the Talons had entered in. He was disobeying orders, but the Talons were in there. His Talons. The ones who didn't try to kill him on a regular basis. So, he would stay outside, and just wait.


The intel packet that Hood had skimmed had said that the Joker had just escaped, taking Harley with him. That he hadn't had time to gather the many thugs that he had bought off or threatened into joining him. That the only ones he had on hand were the ones who joined him willingly and flocked to his banner every time he hit the streets. It had said that the Joker would be expecting Batman at this time of day, not the Talons.

The intel packet had been correct on all points but the last one. There was only twenty or so henches in the warehouse, but they were ready. The catwalk the Talons dropped onto was charged. They could handle electrocution; they healed from its effects the moment it stopped. The problem was in the fact that electrocution normally lasted a few minutes, minutes in which he and Dick lay on the catwalk, neither giving in to the temptation to scream. And Hood did what he always did when he was in extreme pain. He ignored it, focusing on what was going on around him instead.

Joker simply chuckled and clapped his hands. "Well well, look what the Owl dragged in. What did I tell ya boys and girls. Kill a Talon and others will flock to avenge him. It's so sweet." The goons started laughing, but the Joker's drowned out their comparatively wimpy guffaws.

Harley squealed brightly. "Oh Mistah J, you're so smart! How long do you think they can last up there?"

"Great question Harley my dear! Let's find out."

And so the Joker and his jesters watched as Hood and Dick spasmed and twitched. Apparently, the lack of screaming and begging for mercy was incredibly boring, because after a few minutes, the clown started huffing and fidgeting. Finally, he pulled a button from his sleeve and pressed it. The catwalk tilted, dropping the two Talons to the floor below. Before they could recover, the thugs swarmed them, slapping on heavy manacles and chains. They crossed Hood's forearms behind his back, so they were sitting parallel to each other and wrapped them in duct tape, then taped up his calves. A quick glance told him that Dick was getting the same treatment.

Poor Dick. He'd just gotten his name back. Was it possible for the Owls to take it away again if they were unsatisfied? Yes, it was. It had happened to Escape. Hood had seen it. And getting caught by the Joker was definitely unsatisfactory.

Not to mention, the Joker had killed Uriah. That meant he knew how to kill Talons. For the first time in what he assumed was four years, Hood feared for his life.

Joker strode up, and placed one foot on Hood's face so it was forced to turn to the side. "Well, lookie who it is! You're that Talon who broke my favourite playhouse! That was rude of you. Hmm. How to teach you your manners... Ah I know!" He got off of the younger Talon's face, then walked over to Dick, picking him up by the shirt collar. That in and of itself was a little impressive. There wasn't much loose material to grab there. "You brought a playmate this time! Haha, maybe I'll break him! The other Talon didn't last too long. Maybe we'll get some mileage before this one dies! Wouldn't that be fun?"

Hood didn't respond. He knew Joker. If he responded, the Joker would think he cared about the older Talon. If he didn't, Joker would lose interest and go after Hood instead. Dick had just gotten his name back. If he got out of this with no injuries, he might get to keep it.

It was hard, but he kept his face schooled into stillness. Joker frowned. "Hm. No, huh? Well, how's about you and I have a play date instead?" He dropped the older Talon and grabbed Hood. "Not here, obviously, but I have the perfect place picked out, don't worry. We'll play Pin the Tail on the Birdie, there will be a pinata, and fireworks! It'll be a party! And you know what else?"

Whatever else was going to be at the party got cut off. The skylight exploded, Batman and Red Wing bypassing the electrified catwalk and landing on a goon each. Joker just laughed, ordered his thugs to keep the Bat busy, then he and Harley grabbed the Talons and ran. Dumping their cargo into the back of a garish purple convertible, Joker cried, "Step on it Harley!" Hood's last view of the duo was of Red catching a baseball bat in his chest.

As they crashed through a boarded up window, the Joker turned to his prisoners, a spray can in one hand. "This stuff worked on the other Talon we picked up. No laughing unfortunately, but don't worry, that'll be added to the next batch. Nope, this is just nap-time spray. Lucky for us too, because it's a surprise party. Can't have you seeing the venue before we get there." Giving the can a few exuberant shakes, tongue sticking out one side of his mouth, the Joker gave them what was probably a very unhealthy dose.

Hood tried to hold his breath, but Joker punched him in the stomach and he gasped involuntarily. He did the same to Dick. His vision blacked out almost immediately, but his ears kept working for a little. The last thing he heard before the spray finished his work was Dick's voice.

"Little... Wing..."


Red Wing dusted off his hands, more of a habitual gesture than because his gloves were dirty. They did have a bit of blood on them, punching people in the face did that, but simply slapping his hands against each other wouldn't do anything for that. He looked around. Joker and Harley were missing, as they usually were, but he didn't see the Talons. Had they escaped in the commotion?

"Batman? Where did the Talons go?"

Batman looked up from where he was cuffing yet another thug's hands together, then went back to his work, uninterested. "Joker and Harley carted them off."

"What? Batman, we have to go help them!" This wasn't good. Joker probably didn't have a tea party planned for Red Wing's kind-of friends. Actually, he wouldn't be surprised if it was a tea party, although those were normally Hatter's thing.

"They heal fast."

What? "Batman, they still feel pain! Are you going to leave them to that?"

"They're trained assassins."

"We've been over this. You know how I feel on the matter." And Batman did. Red Wing knew how Batman felt too. It had been a cute relationship when they were younger, but the bodies kept piling up. He sighed. "I'm going Batman. If you stop me, I will never listen to anything you have to say again. If I go alone, I'll probably get caught too. Your choice." Something that Joker said flared in his memory. "But you should know, before I leave, that Joker knows how to kill Talons."

Batman, who had been in the middle of radioing the police for these thugs, cut off mid-sentence. "One moment Commissioner." Lowering his hand, he turned to Tim. "What was that?"

"He said that he had killed another Talon. That he could do it again." He was paraphrasing a bit, but that didn't change anything.

As he had thought, Batman's face grew determined. He wouldn't risk either their health and safety to spare an assassin pain, but he would risk them to save a life, no matter how many people those lives had killed.

Red Wing knew that the Talons had killed people. Dozens of people. But he had also seen Smile throw a knife at a man who was about to mug an old woman. He had seen Sarcastic drop down on a rapist and knock him out long enough for the police to arrive. They were decent people. He just knew it.

He just needed Batman to see it too.


AN: Oh dear, that Joker just cannot mind his own business. This doesn't look good for anyone.

It's times like this when I wonder if I'm getting the characterization right... Hm.

By the way, Escape is Calvin Rose. He was an escape artist who, surprise surprise, managed to escape the Court of Owls and become a hero in the comics. Not here, obviously. Nope, he got caught and taken back and had his name stripped from him.

Anyways! Read and enjoy people! Because next chapter is worse.