Summary: There are very powerful arcane forces within this place, Zatara explained, and many possible outcomes…

Special Thanks: To my two fantastic and patient beta-readers, PJ and Beth. Your critical reading and helpful comments have helped make this a much better story.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to DC, Time Warner, and CN; this is an original story that doesn't intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome.

Copyright: June 2012

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A Good Soldier

By Syl Francis

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[From: Part 6]

Dick had to concentrate on escaping. When the guards came for him, he'd have to remain aware of everything around him and look for any opportunities that he could exploit.

Batman would come. He knew that within the depths of his soul. He was probably on his way already. Dick had to hang on until then. Whatever happened…Robin had to be ready.

Get 'traught or get dead! He reminded himself.

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[Begin: Part 7]

BC…Zatara, there's been a change in plans, Batman reported. Miss Martian…?

M'Gann rapidly sent the teams the mental images that she'd taken from the guard, inundating them with pictures of underground tunnels, monks sweeping the steps leading up to the Kushnite shrine, and moonrise. The most frightening mental pictures were of Robin rising from the Lazarus Pit, not once but twice.

Batman, M'Gann whispered in his mind, I also saw this…

It seemed as if Batman were suddenly inside a virtual reality, an outsider looking in…

He sees Robin being pulled out from under the collapsed ceiling—bleeding, battered…dead.

Before Batman could respond, the scene shifted and he found himself on a rooftop…

He watches as Robin singlehandedly fights against an army of ninjas in hand-to-hand battle, niftily managing to escape their clutches, only to be shot in the chest—by Ubu...with Ra's Al Ghul standing right next to him.

Batman felt his own chest constrict at the sight of his young partner—no, his son—being killed before his eyes. Whatever happened tonight, he would make sure that Al Ghul never laid a hand on Dick or anyone else again!

Miss Martian, I require a private link with Batman, Zatara requested.

Miss Martian looked inquiringly at Batman who gave her an affirmative nod. She concentrated briefly, her eyes glowing and said, Go ahead.

Batman noticed that the mental link had become very quiet. Zatara?

My friend…there is something you must see.

Batman suddenly clutched his head as he was assaulted by new images, almost too rapid to make sense of…

He finds himself at the base of the Rama Kushna shrine. The full moon hangs red and bloated just above the treetops. He sees Dick splayed out on the altar before the shrine, struggling against his restraints.

Ra's Al Ghul, Taskmaster Dusan, the Sensei, and Talia stand next to the altar at the four compass points: Al Ghul at the head of the altar, facing east. Dusan at the foot, facing west. The Sensei stands at the center, facing north, while Talia is being held forcibly in place on the opposite side, facing south.

The Sensei's eyes glow with an inner fire…a burning madness. He speaks, but his words are lost amidst the sounds of screaming.

Talia is screaming at her father, fighting uselessly against Ubu's iron grip. At a gesture from Al Ghul, Ubu clamps his massive hand over Talia's mouth, effectively silencing her. Talia continues to struggle, her eyes pleading.

"Daughter, you more than others know of the dichotomy that the first requisite of immortality is death. Young Richard…you should not fear what lies before you; instead, be proud that as the chosen Vessel 'thy eternal summer shall not fade'—"

Dick actually rolls his eyes. "Oh, brother! Again with the Shakespeare quotes! What is it with super-villains and—" He isn't given the chance to finish because Dusan gags him. Dick simply glares at his captors.

In the sudden quiet, the Sensei's words ring out, "The law of sacrifice is uniform throughout the world. To be effective, it demands the sacrifice of the bravest and the most spotless…"

Batman recognizes Mahatma Gandhi's words just as a knife blade flashes in the moonlight—!

As his vision cleared, Batman found himself on his knees with no idea how or when he'd ended up there. Steeling his chaotic emotions, he rose to his full height, projecting the terrifying image of the Bat bent on vengeance.

There are very powerful arcane forces within this place, Zatara explained, and many possible outcomes. This vision is a warning of one such outcome.

Batman remained still for a long moment, haunted by what he'd seen. Finally, he sent out a single-word acknowledgement.

Understood.

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The door to his dungeon cell creaked open. Startled, Dick watched as a dark, lithe figure flitted in quickly, closing the door behind her. She turned, a finger to her lips.

"Talia?" His voice croaked from disuse.

She hurried to his side and quickly picked the locks securing him. Dick's arms fell down his sides, stiff and sore from having been held in the same position for the better part of the day. He groaned as he massaged his next-to-useless limbs, trying to get the blood flowing again. She began rubbing his arms and legs in order to help him along.

"We must go now," she hissed. "Can you walk?"

"…Think so," he said hoarsely. She helped him to his feet, but he insisted he could walk unassisted. "I can do it," he grumbled.

"Then let us hurry." As she turned away, Talia rolled her eyes in fond exasperation. Just like Bruce.

As Dick stepped out the door, he saw the guards lying unconscious on the floor. Talia led him into a side tunnel, which they followed for a few hundred yards. As he trailed behind her, Dick noticed that Talia was armed with twin broadswords, cross-sheathed on her back and a pair of nunchakus in a thigh holster. In all, Talia cut quite a formidable, dangerous presence, a complete opposite to his mom.

After several minutes of running through a series of endless tunnels, they finally arrived at the end of the line, another heavy iron door.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"I'm getting you away from here," Talia replied as she flipped up a cover on the side of the door, revealing a scanner and digital pad. She placed her hand on the scanner and punched in her security code. "There's not much time."

"But why…? Why should you help me?" Dick demanded. "Unless…unless what they're saying is true…that you're really my—"

Talia hurriedly pushed the door in, effectively cutting off his question.

"This way," she said, leading him through yet another labyrinthine network of dark tunnels, her flashlight barely piercing the gloom. Several more minutes of running followed before they came to yet another heavy door. Talia again placed her palm on the hand-scanner and punched in her security code. The red light turned green, and they heard a distinctive click indicating the door was unlocked.

No sooner had they walked through the door, than an army of ninjas suddenly swarmed them. The Sensei and Ra's Al Ghul walked up to them.

"I am quite disappointed in you, daughter. This betrayal cannot go unpunished."

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Artemis, Zatara…move up, Batman ordered. Take up your forward positions.

On our way, Artemis replied. Zatara manipulated the air molecules around them and transported them to the sloped temple roof. From there they had a clear view of the Kushnite shrine and the healing waters of the Fountain of Essence.

Beta team, be ready to move up. Make sure you keep the gate open.

Roger, B. Black Canary's voice was a soothing balm. She rarely lost her cool under fire, generally dispatching her opponents with a quiet efficiency that was as calm as it was deadly.

Ask him if I can scout the perimeter at super-speed, Kid Flash said eagerly.

Kid…he can hear you, Aqualad reminded him.

Yeah, Kid Idiot…everybody can hear you! Artemis added.

I'm sorry…it's just so hard to sit still, y'know? Kid Flash whined. Too much adrenaline.

Wally, stay focused! Black Canary ordered. Or I may have a long conversation with your Aunt Iris.

Eyes wide, Kid Flash gulped. Focus…gotta stay focused. I can do that.

"If you say so,"Superboy muttered. M'Gann giggled, but quickly suppressed it.

Batman didn't bother articulating his annoyance. The young heroes were getting better with each mission, but they were still so young. Five years ago he never would have endured their immaturity. But a certain gifted acrobat, whose optimism and zest for life gave him something else to live for besides his relentless mission, also taught him the patience and understanding that come with raising a child.

Batman might have been Robin's mentor, but Dick was most assuredly Bruce Wayne's teacher. He taught him how to be a father, and in the process, showed him how to love again. The Dynamic Duo thus inspired other heroes to mentor a junior partner, laying the foundation for the next generation of heroes.

Giving his approval for the covert team of junior heroes, training them and assigning them JL sanctioned missions had been the next logical step. It had also offered Dick a chance for real friends with common interests, almost a chance at a normal life—or, at least, what passed for normal in the life of the junior superhero.

And now, he was entrusting them with the single most important mission since their inception. Recalling the chilling image of Dick lying on a sacrificial altar, he prayed his trust wasn't misplaced.

Heads up, people, Artemis called. We have activity at the base of the shrine.

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Dick and Talia immediately sprang into action, attacking with the ferocity of cornered animals. Talia grabbed the nunchakus from her thigh holster and tossed them toward Dick, who caught them easily. Taking a moment to familiarize himself with their balance, he quickly went through a kata that combined the martial arts weapons with elements of savate.

When two ninjas got too close, Dick dispatched them quickly. He struck the first with roundhouse kick to the chin, effectively knocking him out, while simultaneously whirling the nunchakus and taking out the second with a few well-placed hits to the temple and back of the head.

Not taking the time to celebrate, he assumed a back-to-back stance with Talia, covering her six o'clock. The pair fought in synch as if they'd been training together for years. Talia whipped out the Chinese broadswords, and quickly proved she knew how to use them. What's more, she didn't hold back, using deadly force with impunity. Before long, several ninjas lay at the feet of the two besieged combatants, either unconscious or dead.

However, despite their best efforts, there were just too many assassins against them. They were soon subdued and quickly disarmed. Dick was restrained by two grim-faced ninjas who held his arms unnecessarily tightly behind his back. Seeing the high number of ninjas lying all around, Dick smirked up at them, feeling a grim sense of satisfaction. They rewarded his insolence by twisting his arms just shy of dislocation. Dick hissed in pain, but refused to cry out, glaring his defiance.

To his left he saw that Ubu, the giant who'd shot him, was similarly restraining Talia. From her pained grimace, it was obvious that her arms were also being twisted agonizingly behind her back.

"Father…you know this is foolish. The ritual for the soul exchange will never work!" Despite her desperation, she somehow managed to sound reasonable.

"On the contrary, Talia," Al Ghul spoke smugly, "the ritual will most certainly work." He studied Dick for a moment. "The Vessel will serve his purpose exactly as intended."

Or not! Dick thought defiantly as he slipped out of his captors' hold and launched himself at the Demon. He managed to get a roundhouse kick to the abdomen, and as Al Ghul bent over to protect his exposed middle, Dick quickly followed up with a flying leap, spin and kick to the temple. Or, at least, that had been his intent, but he never made contact.

In a rage, Dusan had hurried to his Master's aid, and reaching Dick, knocked him down from behind. The taskmaster didn't stop there; he kicked the downed boy with great relish in the chest and abdominal areas. As Dick curled in on himself for protection, Dusan kicked him on the back of the head, sending him into oblivion.

In the meantime, as Dick unexpectedly attacked the Master, Ubu was momentarily distracted and loosened the vice-like hold he had on Talia. Not one to let such an opportunity pass, Talia slammed her elbow into Ubu's stomach, catching him off guard. She spun and kicked out, connecting with his iron jaw.

The kick that would have killed or least incapacitated an ordinary man didn't even faze the giant. Instead, the man mountain proved that size did indeed matter.

Ubu's counterattack was lightning swift and five times as painful. Not holding back despite his opponent being his young Mistress, whom he had protected since her birth, Ubu's massive fist struck her along the side of the head, and Talia went down as if she'd been shot.

Somehow the Daughter of the Demon held onto her senses. On hands and knees, she pleaded in great desperation. "Sensei, listen to me…This is all a lie! Richard is not my son! You must believe me. Father is only doing this to—!"

"Enough!" Al Ghul made a cutting motion with his hand. "It is almost time. We must prepare for the ritual." He indicated to Dusan and Ubu to bring Dick and Talia along.

"Sensei! You must listen!" Talia begged. "Father is lying to you. The ritual requires the shedding of blood from both the Vessel and the Soul Walker. Don't you see…he means your death! You've become too powerful. Richard isn't my son…the ritual won't work. The Fountain of Essence will refuse to exchange your soul for his."

"Daughter, you disappoint me," Al Ghul chastised. "I can forgive a mother's desperation in attempting to help her son escape his Fate. I cannot forgive a disobedient daughter, who lies about me and accuses me of treachery against my own father." He snapped his fingers. Dusan threw Dick over his shoulder, while Ubu dragged Talia to her feet.

"Forgive me, Mistress." He bowed and then again restrained her arms behind her back. He then guided her heavy-handedly down the tunnel. Talia glared at him, promising retribution in some unforeseeable future.

"I was simply trying to help a poor, innocent boy who does not deserve what you plan to do," she insisted, addressing her father. "He has already suffered so much in his young life. Please, Father…I beg you."

By now, the procession had reached a heavy metal door at the end of the tunnel. Al Ghul quickly had his palm scanned and punched in his security code. As soon as the door opened, he signaled Dusan who passed his unconscious passenger to another.

The White Ghost bowed to his master and led the Demon's own elite guards through the heavy door first in order to run a security sweep of the area around the shrine.

As they waited, Al Ghul gave Talia one more disappointed look, which soon grew in intensity. Reaching into his tunic, he pulled out a small, oblong box.

Talia stared at it, eyes wide. She forgot how to breathe. The world narrowed down to just her, her father, and the box in his hand. With a look of smug triumph, Al Ghul opened the case. Lying inside, on a bed of dark blue velvet was an exquisite single strand of pearls. She immediately recognized the priceless necklace, of course.

Father and daughter held each other's eyes. No words were needed. With just one move, Ra's Al Ghul had shown again why he was the Grand Master and Talia and Dick but mere pawns in his great game—Checkmate!

Dusan signaled the all clear, and they all walked out onto the base of the shrine.

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End of Part 7