A/N: Really hope you guys like this chapter, it's a long one!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Enjoy!

Chapter: 25

The hours dragged by and they were nearing the end of their trip. Hopefully things would go better than they had for the past day. Total silence since Slade had destroyed his phone. Apparently he was royally pissed Darren didn't follow his orders and Darren himself didn't really feel like talking to his father, he just glared out the window at the forest they were driving through. He was morbidly bored, he was sick of being cooped up in this stupid tin can car, he wanted out. He needed to stretch his legs, he needed to move around and he couldn't do that in the limited space of his seat. Darren was getting stir crazy and he hoped they got there sooner or later, for now though he'd only be able to stare at the scenery.

He wondered how the League of Assassins were able to build their fortress compound here without drawing attention to themselves. He thought the government or at least the Justice League wouldn't be okay with an assassin organization in their country. Perhaps they didn't know or they paid off the right people to keep their operations and presence in Alaska off anyone of importance's radar. Darren also figured they didn't spend all their time in one location, they had multiple headquarters around the world, moving from one to the other often when jobs came up and opportunities rose in their favor.

Darren deduced that the only reason they were in Alaska and the US at all was because that was where Slade was. They were using Grant and Joseph against him, therefore they'd be where he was. That fact made Darren wonder if they expected them to come. He wondered what their odds were and wished that Slade had thought to contact at least one of his allies to aid them. If the League really wanted to use his brothers as incentive, they'd be under heavy lock and key and watched at every moment. He didn't like how this was panning out. The odds were not in their favor, even with their enhanced abilities.

Darren shook those thoughts from his head and looked out the windshield. Dick's birthday was today, he wouldn't get the present Darren had picked out for him…which sucked. He figured it wasn't the best birthday either, some cousin he was getting kidnapped by his own father and missing it completely. The first of Dick's birthdays they shared ever, and he wasn't there to celebrate it with him. Christmas was only a few days away too. He'd never gotten to celebrate it before and it looked like he wouldn't be able to this year as well…he hoped this would get wrapped up quickly so he could get back home.

It occurred to him then, that the Manor was indeed home to him. A home was something he never truly had ever and the others wanted Darren in their home. They wanted him. It was a startling realization, they actually wanted him to stay with them. He hoped he hadn't disappointed them too much…he would come back, they were family just as much as Slade, Grant, Rose and Joesph were.

Snow started to fall once again, heavier than it had earlier in the day. Darren placed a hand on the window and he could feel the chill from the air through the glass. The intense cold did not sit well with him. He also figured they chose Alaska over anywhere else because of his weakness to the cold. If they knew Slade had a son who was a Talon…they knew he wouldn't survive in the cold. Darren pulled his hand from the window and glanced at his father,

"You should have let me grab my suit," Darren said, "It was insulated…and I had a heated cloak,"

"You came in what you are wearing now. I was expecting your Renegade armor. I worked with what I had," it was a biting remark and Darren sent his own in return,

"I was expecting a training session. Not an all out war with the League of Assassins,"

"There won't be a war. This will be in and out, no one will even know we were there and that we took their only bargaining piece,"

"It's never just in or out and how do you know they are both in the same place? Who puts both priceless gems in one box, when they expect someone will steal them? When they probably want someone to steal them?" Darren growled back. Again noting how Slade didn't seem to be considering these issues or telling Darren what he thought about them as well as what he knew of the compound. Slade glared at Darren and he, in turn, snapped his head away to look out the windshield staring angrily straight ahead,

"You don't under—," Slade started,

"Look out!" Darren yelled. Slade looked back too late as a giant tree came crashing down in the front of their van, them colliding head on with it. The force flinging Darren forward as the windshield broke showering them with glass and a forcefully chilly wind. The airbag deployed, concealing Slade from Darren's view as they were jerked around within the confides of the car.

Metal screamed and sparked as the engine ignited, flame flaring out around them and the force of the crash flipping them over and over in the air before slamming them upside down into the snowy ground. Glass shattered once more as metal screeched and crumpled under the six thousand pound weight of the van itself, and rolled once again over the ground jumbling its occupants until Darren was thrown from the van and into the soft, wet and cold snow squinting into the eerie whiteness of the day.

Darren sprang to his feet instantly, shaking the snow from his clothes and hair. The snow still fell and the air was frigid, his clothes were sprinkled with wet splotches and he was thankful he was wearing boots or his socks would be wet as well. Trying to ignore the worry he felt at the freezing cold temperature he scrambled over the snow and to the still smoldering vehicle. Darren ignored the burns that healed themselves over and he brushed off pieces of glass in his arms, pulling out the bigger pieces when needed, to let the wounds heal. There were no broken bones, not that it would have mattered. Perhaps he had broken bones, they just healed before he could realize. He had to find his father. He didn't call out Slade's name or yell for him. He didn't know how close they were to the compound and he didn't want to alert anyone of their proximity, but he still needed to know if his father was alright.

He climbed over the mound of snow formed by the skidding of the car and crouched down by the driver's side window. It was empty. There was no one there. Darren stood once more and looked out around the woods they were driving through. Where was his father? Had he been thrown out of the vehicle like Darren had? He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He had a bad feeling about this. He turned slowly in a circle, looking for any sign of his father but didn't see anything but trees and bright white snow.

Darren turned back to the tree, eyeing it suspiciously. Why had the tree fallen in the first place? Hurrying over to the tree Darren saw that it had been cleanly cut by a saw blade, this had been deliberate…someone had meant to do this. Darren stood stiffly by the tree, looking around. Something was off, something was wrong? Where was his father? He could heal almost as easily as Darren…everything felt wrong.

Darren tensed as suddenly he saw in his mind's eye his own backside and someone, dressed in a dark tunic wielding a katana, sprinted towards him on soundless feet. Darren blinked and suddenly he was facing the fallen tree once again. He heard the sound of something whistling through the air and ducked to the right, spinning around to face his attacker. Precognition had acted and alerted him of the danger he was in. The man was clearly an assassin and he wasted no time in trying to attack Darren once again. He had no time for this, with an impatient growl he grabbed the sword as it arced towards his torso, ignoring the blood that dripped into the snow when the razor sharp edges cut into his palm, and swung it out of the assassin's grasp. He then flipped the sword so in a flash of movement, the hilt was in his grip. The assassin barked something in another language and dozens of assassins rained down from the treetops. Darren narrowed his eyes, so it had been a planned attack…the League of Assassins knew they'd be coming and when they'd be there.

He tested the weight of the blade, eyeing the assassins and wishing he had a second sword. He liked the feeling of having a second weapon in hand, it felt right…balanced…even…it was better than having his other hand waving about as a target for another attacker. Fighting with two weapons was like utilizing off-sync partners. One moving in right after the other, one to cover the other to attack…they worked in harmony together to gain the upper hand and win. Though he couldn't do anything about that, he doubted they'd let him get away with that trick a second time.

Darren wasted no time and brought his sword across the stomach of the assassin before him as the others closed in on him. There was no time for restraint and Darren didn't see the need for it. They weren't innocents, they had plenty of blood on their hands and he didn't care what the others thought. They were murderers and showed no mercy for the innocents they had killed…so he wouldn't hesitate to kill them. He whirled through their ranks, ignoring the cold and the sudden stiffness of his movements, the biting cold was slowing him down but that didn't stop him from slamming through the assassins. Dodging, weaving and disarming or killing the assassins as they kept coming despite any setback Darren wrought on them. There was no hesitation and with good reason. He was also angry, he was livid at his situation how his father had lied to him and withheld information. He needed to get away from here, he needed to get home…he should have never gone with Slade in the first place.

A sword slammed into his shoulder and with a cry of rage Darren ducked under the sword's next arcing blow, grabbing the latest attacking assassin and threw him with all his strength. He soared through the air landing just within sight of Darren's enhanced vision, taking a few trees out with him. Darren felt a bit guilty. He should be thinking this through, he shouldn't be acting on instinct but he was in the cold, he was growing slower and slower, weaker and weaker as the fighting continued. He was compromised…and they were killers too. Darren slammed the flat of the blade against an assassin, while dodging the sword of another behind him. They were closing in on him. They were forming a ring around him, and Darren was tiring…the cold was wearing him and his endurance down, making it almost nothing. He was getting desperate. He swung, ducked and parried over and over again in frenzied movements as they just kept coming and coming.

Darren stabbed through the next assassins shoulder, pulling the blade out as another swiped behind his knee. Darren's leg buckled and someone disarmed him, the stolen katana flying through the air and landing somewhere far away. Sword points were out aimed at him and his breath danced frantically in the wind. He reached to swipe another sword but they danced out of his reach, lesson learned afterall apparently.

Eyes narrowed, gathering the speed and strength that was left he leapt at one of the assassins, just a meaningless blur to their eyes and grabbed his shoulder, pulling the sword out of his grasp and spearing his hand through his chest. He tore through skin, muscle and bone with surprising speed until he reached the assassin's rapidly beating heart…he ripped it out…blood spilling in a puddle on the snow. The assassin made a choking sound, eyes on the heart now in Darren's hand and clutched at his chest before collapsing in a heap on the bloodied snow. Silence followed and even the other assassins stopped in their approach, looking at Darren with slight awe and a little fear.

He eyed the heart in his hand before letting it drop to the ground, stumbling away from it…shocked that he had done what he'd done. His hands were coated in blood, halfway up his right forearm was caked in it. Darren stood frozen where he was, surprised at how easy it was…how there was no effort required to rip someone's heart out. It had been done in the blink of an eye. Part of him was sickened by it, another wondered how quickly it would solve all his problems. A third part didn't want to ever do that again…he didn't like the gruesomeness.

Suddenly it was as if Darren was outside his body, looking at his backside once again, an assassin sprinting forward, shaken out of his shocked stupor. He blinked and was once again himself, moving to the side as the assassin thrust forward with their sword. Darren acted without even trying to, jerking his hand forward and through their back as they stumbled past him, pulling their heart out. A strangled gasp followed before they too crumpled into the snow.

Darren dropped the heart again with a gasp, stumbling back and blinking rapidly…he shouldn't be doing this…he was only acting on instinct, he couldn't keep doing this…it wasn't right, yet…there was nothing else he could do…it was instinct…it was easy…they were killers…it didn't matter—did it? This was all too confusing and conflicting to Darren, he didn't know what was right or wrong…and frankly he didn't have the time to decide. The cold was setting in, deep to his bones…he could feel his strength waning and his movements sluggish and slow.

He needed to run…he needed to just get out of here and away…he needed to find his father and then they needed to get out of here. Darren took another step back and froze, looking down at his chest…at the sword point now protruding through his heart. Another assassin, not the one that snuck up behind him—his uncontrollable precognitive abilities not helping in this one moment—barked in anger at the assassin who stabbed him as Darren slumped forward to to his knees. The sword was withdrawn quickly and he collapsed face first into the snow. Darren glared blearily at the assassins crowding around him, yelling and arguing in another language before darkness shrouded him.

Darren jerked awake, a sharp intake of breath rattling down his lungs for the first time in however long it took for him to come to. He blinked, twisting in his sprawled position on a stone floor, trying to get his bearings,

"So you were right, a sword through the heart will not kill him…well, not permanently," a deep and dark voice rumbled from in front of him. Darren sat up with difficulty, his wrists were chained together once again, to see who it was that had spoken. He was in a somewhat dimly lit room, stone with grand pillars all around and archways leading in different directions out of the room. Before him was a dais with a throne-like chair and within it sat an older looking man, sharp features and dark cruel eyes, he was well built from years of fighting and training. He wore a green assassin's tunic and Darren recognized him from the photos on the Batcomputer. This was Ra's al Ghul…the Demon's Head leader of the League of Assassins. Next to him stood a young woman, with dark brown hair and deep green eyes…she looked a lot like Damian. This was Talia al Ghul…Damian's mother.

Darren eyed them warily. The room was surrounded by guards and so dimly lit that he couldn't see all of them lurking in the shadows…they must have done it on purpose. They knew he was a Talon…they must know he had great eyesight and acted to combat it. While he could see well in the dark, with enough light and shadows layered on, he wouldn't be able to see certain things. He'd glance in one direction and find it too dark, look in another and find it too bright to stare at directly. If he did manage to escape from the chains he wouldn't be able to know their true numbers and therefore have no real chance at getting away.

Darren didn't know who Ra's had just spoken to…or perhaps he was just musing the fact to himself, Darren just didn't know. He looked around once again, trying to gauge their numbers and to see if his father was anywhere in the room. With slight relief he realized he was not anywhere in sight…they hadn't found him which meant he'd be coming to get him. He'll be rescued soon, along with Grant and Joesph…at least he hoped that was true. It was his father's mission all along but what if because he was on his own he wouldn't come and rescue them? Perhaps he'll go find his other allies to help him. He felt slightly bad he'd been captured. It was a failure on his part and he was ashamed that he hadn't been more useful.

Ra's al Ghul eyed him, an intense gaze piercing Darren's own…it was a disconcerting look. Like a hunter examining the size and value of his catch. Letting out a slight cough Darren addressed the Demon,

"Where are my brothers?" he growled. Ra's raised an eyebrow,

"Hm, you'll see them shortly," he replied dismissively,

"My father will come for us. He'll get us out," Darren snapped in warning. Ra's had the gal to smile at that, a dark, cruel and demeaning sneer, and instead acted as if Darren hadn't even spoken, "And if not him, the Bats," Ra's gaze darkened at that, he'd always been at odds with Batman and he seemed to know Darren was one of them or at least with them. The Bats have proven time and time again that somehow they'd defeat Ra's and hopefully this time was no different. Though it was clear the Demon's Head didn't know the others had no idea where Darren was…and he wasn't inclined to let that slip. Ra's continued on, undeterred by his declaration,

"Do you know what I seek? Do you know of the—," Talia stepped forward and placed a hand on her father's shoulder, stopping him from speaking,

"He would not know. He is but a child and the Court of Owls would not reveal such information to him,"

"It would be easier to just ask," Ra's replied, "You never know what information they gave to him. His great-grandfather is the leader of their assassins, he would inherit all that once the time came if he had stayed with the Court…if he hadn't run," Darren eyed Ra's, how did Ra's know of William Cobb? How did he know of any of this,

"Trust me. He knows nothing that is clear," Talia stated, Darren eyed them, a frown in place. What was it Ra's wanted to know…and why would they just assume he didn't know the answer to their question. What was it he was after if not leverage against his father? What else was going on? What didn't Darren know? Before he could question Ra's al Ghul any further—to be fair it wasn't like he could make Ra's answer him if he even managed to ask his questions—the man waved to his guards,

"Take him to the others," with that dismissal Darren was hauled to his feet and marched down as series of hallways, twisting and turning with so many left and rights and stairs that Darren couldn't keep track of where he'd come from and where he went. He knew one thing though, they went lower and lower down into the fortress. Down into the dungeons before the guards unchained his hands and tossed him unceremoniously into the dirty floor of one of the cell rooms. The door slammed shut and a lock clicked behind him and Darren was thrown into darkness. But darkness not plagued by the shadows of lights, he could see,

"Darren?" a voice asked as hands pulled him to his feet. It was then that Darren realized how tired he was and how he was still caked in dried blood, his own and the assassins he'd killed or maimed, it smelled horrendously, "Is it really you?" a hand jerked his face closer and Darren saw Grant before him, Joseph sat a few feet away against a stone wall looking on, his face grim,

"Y-yeah. It's me," he muttered, glancing around the room. Noting how dirty and frigid it was. The dungeons weren't well built, the wooden door on weak hinges and the gaps in the stones within the room noticeable. They were built like that purposely, but it was also worrisome. The window had bars on it but no glass, the wind blowing in steadily. Grant and Joesph both wore coats, but Darren was just in his torn clothes it wasn't great odds for him but they wouldn't be here long. Grant let out a curse, startling Darren, and let him go wringing his hands in anger,

"This is not good. Not good at all," Darren smirked, glad he had some good news to tell them,

"It's not all that bad," he said, turning to look out the small window in the door. There were two guards in place…perhaps that was why Grant and Joseph hadn't tried to escape yet…they were pretty deep in the fortress as well. Noise would bring more assassins they'd be surrounded and detained once more almost instantly, "Dad will come, they haven't captured him…we'll be out of here in no time," he murmured conspiratorially, so the guards wouldn't hear him. Turning to face them with a grin on his face he only found them staring mournfully at him,

"Darren…" Grant started, glancing at Joesph who nodded encouragingly,

"What? What is it?" Darren asked, suddenly feeling concerned. He took a step away from them his back bumping against the door, their expressions were too remorseful…what had happened? What was wrong,

"I don't know what he told you…I don't know what he said…but we're in here because of Slade,"

"Yes. I know. Ra's wanted him to do something and he refused, that's why—,"

"—No. We were put in here because Slade didn't want us stopping him from getting you here. That was his job…that was what Ra's wanted him to do. He doesn't want Slade for anything but getting you into his grasp. He wants you,"

"What…I…no…I don't understand…why would Ra's need me for anything?" Darren asked, shock numbing the sting of betrayal he suddenly felt. It made him focus on anything but the fact that everything Slade ever told him was again, in fact, lies,

"Darren…we…we had no idea. Ra's…he resurrected us after we were killed as a favor to our father…asking for one in return. The Electrum formula from the Court of Owls. Ra's demanded he bring him a Talon so he could get the formula himself rather than trying to find the Owl with the written formula. A Talon wouldn't be easy to get…or easy to keep from the attention of the Court if they were favored…the only option was you,"

"But…but…I wasn't a Talon then," Darren said slowly. The stunned understanding that this was preplanned, this was something almost years in the making by Ra's and by his father, overshadowed the pain and shock of finding out his brothers too had been killed—that was why Rose said he should talk to their brothers, because they understood what Darren had experienced. Icy cold awareness washed over him…and he then grasped what Grant was about to say,

"It was true when he said he tried to get you from the Court earlier…but that was before everything happened…after Ra's made his demand and after he refused to resurrect us until Slade gave his word he would help him…Slade chose to follow through. He needed them to turn you sooner…so he started to try and undermine the Court's hold on you. He made it seem like he was trying to take you back...he was really pushing them to turn you sooner. He kidnapped you when you ran and put more Mirakuru in you blood to push them over the edge and decide then and there to kill you and make you a Talon. Darren…I'm sorry…we never knew any of this…we genuinely thought he wanted to save you from that fate…but, he deceived us…he tricked us and used us to help his plan work, to help deceive you,"

"But…why…why does Ra's want—," Darren couldn't seem to form the right words and Grant—a dismayed yet hard look on his face—continued to speak, guessing what Darren was trying to say,

"Ra's is obsessed with immortality…you virtually have that Darren. The Electrum in your blood…that's what Ra's needs. It's why Slade forced their hand to turn you into a Talon," Darren felt as if the world had shifted…only one thought rang through his head: his father had wanted him dead, his father had wanted him to die…his father had left him with the Court of Owls because he needed a Talon for Ra's to use as a human guinea pig for the replication of the Electrum Formula.

Everything was a lie…from the very beginning. Nothing had been true at all. He didn't care about Darren…he only needed Darren…he used Darren to pay off his own stupid debt with Ra's. Grant spoke his name but Darren didn't say anything he just spun around and slammed on the door, causing the two guards to jump in surprise,

"Where's my father!" Darren roared at them, "I want to speak with him now!"

"Darren. Don't…I don't think that's a good thing for you to do right now—," Grant started, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to tug him away from the door. Darren shook him off and pushed Grant forcefully away from him. Grant fell back and slid across the floor, his strength in the push more than he intended. Joesph stood swiftly and eyed Darren fiercely but did not interfere. He seemed torn between wanting to see how this would play out and wanting to stop any fighting that may or may not occur.

Darren didn't care what Joesph did, he turned away and slammed on the door again, the hinges groaning. The guards barked out a warning, their hands on the hilt of their swords. Ra's had spoken to his father in that room…that's why it was lit that way so he wouldn't see Slade. So the lies he woven would stay in place, so he could manipulate Darren later into thinking something had happened to him and that's why he couldn't come to rescue the three of them sooner. How he'd convince Darren that Grant and Joesph were lying was a mystery to Darren and it didn't matter now that he knew the truth,

"I know he's here! Let me speak to him now or I swear I'll kill you all!" Darren yelled. The guards laughed at him and Darren lost all control of his anger, everything turned almost red. He slammed into the door with all his strength, sending the door flying into one of the guards and into the wall opposite the cell. As he stepped out into the hallway he yanked the heart out of the other assassin without a second thought and stalked towards the stairs, tossing the heart onto the ground like it were a clump of garbage. More assassins ran down to meet him, they must have heard him yelling and the slam of the door.

Darren showed no mercy. He was filled with pure unyielding rage and hurt and betrayal. Nothing would stop him from confirming the truth, even if he had to kill every assassin in the damn compound to get it.

He was on autopilot, ignoring everything around him as he marched forward. Fighting and killing anything and everything that stood in his way. Grant and Joesph might have been behind him trying to get him to stop or perhaps joining him as they worked through their own anger towards their father at using their deaths and resurrection to justify submitting his son, their brother, to this 'experiment'. Perhaps Grant and Joesph were mercenaries, but they didn't create chaos in the way Ra's would once he got the formula for Electrum and they certainly wouldn't allow their brother to be used in someone else's plot.

There was a reason the Court of Owls kept the formula so secret, if it fell into the wrong hands…if it was given to terrorists and foreign leaders…if it was brought into countries and given only to a certain few…there would be wars over Electrum…there would be black markets and profits and never ending death and carnage as one tried to kill the other for the abilities Electrum brought them. It would be never ending madness…it was a guarded secret so that only the Court of Owls possessed such a valuable weapon, and so only they could forge their own weapons—Talons—when the time required it. They only wanted Gotham…not the world and they knew the danger such a drug would bring if given or sold to another. If Ra's cracked the code…who is to say he won't give it to his assassins? That he wouldn't sell it to the highest bidder? Or that he won't use it to turn tides in wars or political struggles worldwide? He could control everything if he had the drug…and now Darren was trapped with that very same drug coursing through his veins ready to be taken and dissected until all the right parts and compounds were extracted and replicated.

Daren swung through dozens of assassins using his speed and strength to force him forward faster than the assassins could react and counter, searching for his father and searching for a way out. If he escaped, they couldn't do anything…he couldn't let them do this. He ripped hearts out and roared in anger as he slashed through their chests with weapons he stole or took along the way. He ignored the blood only letting him feel the pain and hatred towards his father for what he'd done to him…for what he made him become because of his lies,

"STOP!" a voice thundered and Darren froze…the voice was too commanding, too powerful to ignore. At the end of the hall stood Ra's al Ghul, a new army of guards around him, his daughter standing next to him holding a sword a hard expression on her face. He wondered if as a mother she recognized the pain in his face, his stance, his very being and actions and wondered if she understood the pain and disappointment he felt towards his father…he wondered if she ever felt it towards her own. But then again, she was an assassin…and they never cared to show or hold onto emotions that weren't practical. Darren stood panting among the bodies of fallen assassins and glared at Ra's, taking a menacing step forward,

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said coldly, nodding to the end of the hall. Darren glanced back and to his dismay saw Grant and Joesph held by assassins at sword point. They were surrounded and close enough that with one flick of a wrist they'd be ended. They weren't as indestructible as he was…they had lost most of those abilities by being resurrected in the Lazarus Pit. It washed away the fast healing the Mirakuru granted them…albeit they still healed fast but not enough for a slashed throat not to be lethal, "Go back to your cell alqatil alsaghir(little killer) and I'll forget that you've killed nearly four dozen of my men,"

"Let me speak to my father," Darren growled, not moving, he was so tired…all he wanted to do was sleep but this needed to be done and he would not let Ra's see him waver,

"You seem to think that you have any kind of leverage alqatil aleadim(mindless killer) and you also forget you killed my assassins," Ra's looked passed Darren at his brothers, "Kill them," he stated simply,

"No!" Darren cried, snapping around to see them closing in tighter around his brothers, the two of them looking ready to fight…but also looking wary. There were many assassins around them and Darren didn't know how long they had been trapped in that cell. With no exercise available and probably no proper diet they were weaker than usual. Darren was too far away to do anything and even if he tried and even with all his speed he wouldn't make it in time…he could throw a weapon but that would only stop one assassin, not the others…he was trapped which left only one thing to do: bargain. Darren faced Ra's once again, "No, please don't! I—I'll…I'll do whatever you want, I'll go along with whatever you need me to do…no more fighting…no running…just don't kill them please!" Darren called to the leader of the assassins,

"No…ngh…Darren no! Don't make deals with him! No—," whatever else Grant meant to say was cut off by the tip of a sword dipping farther into his throat, effectively silencing him. Though Darren could see they were both struggling with their captors, trying to fight them off. They didn't want to be the shackles that held him here. They wanted him to go and leave them…but he wouldn't do that. If there was anything living with the Bats had taught him is that loyalty made you family, blood had nothing to do with it. It was the choice to stand by one another, protect one another that made them strong, it made them work so well together. Loyalty was their strength…and Darren would make it his own. He would not abandon them. Darren sneered at Ra's…who's dark, greedy grin never faltered,

"Let them go," he growled, "I'll do what you want,"

"Stop," Ra's commanded, the grin still on his face, "Excellent alqatil aleadim, now back to your cell,"

"But only if you let me speak to my father…only then will I go along with anything," he still needed the truth…he needed to hear it from Slade only then would he know for a fact that this was the truth and nothing but the truth. Ra's considered his final condition and Darren grabbed a dagger from the ground and held it to his own throat, "I think the Electrum loses it's hold on the blood cells if the Talon is truly killed, I could be wrong afterall I am only a child but then again I could be very right…we do have some limitations, even still…so I think a living and willing victim is better than a dead one…and you wouldn't want to risk me being right," Ra's glared, his expression thunderous while Talia paled and looked on with shock…surprised that he would so willingly threaten his own life,

"Fine…take him to his father and bring the other two back to the dungeons…make sure he doesn't get his hands on any weapons and that he's properly restrained when speaking with his father. I still need Deathstroke and I don't want patricide to hinder anything," with that guards once again surrounded Darren and led him away from his brothers as they were forced in the other direction and away from Ra's as well.

He wondered if facing his father would ease the hurt he felt…the anger and hate…he wondered if he could ever look his father in the eye and think that any of this was for him…that Slade had ever once cared about him.

Darren stood in a darkened room, wrists chained through loops in the floor. It was clear the chains were of the same material Slade had used in the car, perhaps he had even given it to Ra's for this very purpose. Maybe he had seen this meeting coming, and that made Darren wary. What would Slade have planned if he had known this would happen and would Darren fall for any trap his father wove for him to fall for. Slade had the luxury of precognition, Darren had no control over what little of that ability he had. It wasn't something he was reliant on, but it was also a liability to ignore it and lack control of it. It could have saved him from so many bad decisions or moves or even from being attacked by the Court's Talons in the first place.

Darren tugged on the chain, the cuff around his wrist was tight…of course he didn't feel it cutting into his skin but he could already see the redness that curled around his wrist. He was so sick and tired of being chained, of being restrained. He seared with anger, malice and bitterness…it seemed chains would always weigh him down in some way or form whether they be real or figurative restraints. Darren would always be held back, he'd always be controlled by whomever held that key to his bonds. It was starting wear on him, perhaps it had started over the past few days which had rubbed him the wrong way or maybe it had been going on for longer.

What if Slade was right…what if Darren couldn't be the hero the Bats were grooming him to be, what if it was too late and their efforts for nothing? What if he could only end lives instead of save them? Perhaps what Slade—Darren growled at himself and shook his head. He would not let his father win over his mind…he was fine…he was fine…he was in control, in control…he had control. No instinct drove him—except perhaps just moments ago—he would use his head, he'd think everything through instead of giving in to his instinct.

The door creaked open slowly and Slade stepped into the room. He did not look haggard or weary. He did not have armed guards shadowing him as if he had been dragged through the halls to this room. There was no blood on his clothes or dried on his skin from any earlier wounds. He looked relaxed…he didn't look concerned and that made Darren's blood boil. He should be ashamed, utterly ashamed by what he had done, what and who he had bargained with and why and how everything came into play. He should had this situation as much as Darren did…he should see how bad this would pan out,

"You asked to see me?" Slade said evenly. Darren blinked at him, unable to respond…stunned by the civility of the question…shocked by the conversational tone he chose to use. As if this was just a calm conversation between father and son.

Darren tugged on his chains one more time, glaring at his father,

"Why did you do it?" he growled, "How could you do it?"

"Darren…you don't—,"

"No. I understand perfectly. I know what you did, I know what you think will win me over again but I know perfectly well that you just used me like a pig for slaughter!"

"Then why am I here?" Slade hissed, "If you understand everything so very perfectly? What use is it to rub in your face what you think you know. Everything I've done, I did for you three boys," Darren let out a bitter laugh, of course he'd try to spin the story in his favor. He'd given Darren some bait, waiting for him to rise up and take it…and perhaps Darren would play into Slade's hands by what he said next, but he needed to hear if from Slade not his brother…everything. Darren needed truth and nothing but the truth and Slade would give it to him because he was desperate for his son…sons…not to hate him, because he still needed them,

"Because I want you to say it. Look me in the eye and say what you did," Slade narrowed his eyes and Darren knew he wouldn't deliver, not in the way Darren wanted him to,

"What do you want me to say Darren? That I'm proud of this? That this is what I wanted for you or your brothers? What else was I supposed to do? I offered him Mirakuru, but he wasn't interested in healing from wounds, he was interested in being long-lived. So I told him about the Court of Owls. I told him it was impossible to get the formula, so he demanded I minimize the impossibility,"

"And what? I was your risk reducer? I made everything possible? I wasn't even a Talon then!" Darren yelled, stepping forward aggressively, his arms being yanked back by the chains,

"Ra's al Ghul asked if I knew someone within the organization and without foreseeing his plan I said I knew my son was being held there despite my best efforts to intervene. He then asked if you were a Talon and I said no, that they weren't sure the Mirakuru biologically in your blood would allow the change to hold and that children were not turned until they were older.

"He demanded I get you out and push them to change you earlier than anticipated by interfering, he said all he wanted was a blood sample from you afterwards and that would be it. You would be free from the Court and we could go our separate ways. I weighed the risks, and I determined the outcome overshadowed it all. I did this for you boys, I had to do this. It was the only way to save Grant and Joesph and it was the only way to save you from the Court of Owls," Darren snarled at that, pulling on his cuffs harder than necessary, he could hear the loops in the floor groaning against his strength—but he had not eaten in a while and they would not come loose,

"Bullshit! That is utter bullshit. You think I wanted to die? You think that just because you lost two of your sons that killing the third didn't matter?"

"That wasn't what I thought and you know it! This won't kill you Darren, Ra's doesn't need to kill you for this…you said it yourself, it is unknown what happens to a Talon internally when they actually die so you will not die,"

"But you let them turn me. You let William kill me just for this…all for this! Grant and Joesph are prisoners being used to keep me here because I could break out of here easily if I didn't hold back…and there are murderers within these walls, I would show no mercy. I was raised to be a killer against my will and I've already broken my unspoken promise not to kill just based on that. Because you decided that for me, you made them turn me into what I am now. How is that saving me from the very thing I never wanted to be, how does that fix everything? How is that helping us? How is that doing anything for us?

"You selfishly did this because you thought manipulating our lives to fix your mistakes wouldn't matter to us," Darren's voice was raw…it hurt from his anger and from yelling. He hoped it showed how much he hated Slade. He hoped all his father saw in his eyes was unyielding pain and betrayal and hatred because that's all he deserved. He used one son to save the others and then used them to try and justify the manipulation…the fact that Slade would so willingly let his children die for the others, for him and his needs…his deals. It was appalling, it was something Darren would never do, ever even if he hadn't known about this that would never once appear on his radar,

"Don't do that. Don't flip that like this. I did what I needed to keep this family alive!" Darren let out another dark, deep bitter laugh, jerking his chains once again,

"Alive? Ha, as you loved to point out earlier: I'm already dead. Grant and Joesph have already died and if Rose had stayed with you, she'd be dead most likely as well. And the reason behind all our deaths…you! I'm probably next again because clearly Ra's doesn't just want a sample, he wants an everlasting supply,"

"The old man just wants it for himself," Slade growled, "that was the deal,"

"And how often do assassins keep their word? I am one…so know this, it's never very often. I mean, what better way to keep ahead of all the other assassin organizations, terrorist groups, enemies of the League, the Justice League themselves than with an army of undead, unkillable assassins? And why steal from the Court of Owls when you could be handed a young, long-lived donor?" Darren bit out. He probably sounded a bit hysterical at this point but that didn't matter, what mattered was how Slade could overlook a detail like that. How could he not see the benefit of such a drug as Electrum would be for the League of Assassins. As well as the benefit of the Court not knowing someone was working on cracking the formula for that drug because they didn't care about the Talon being used for that research,

"And how would he even know if he got it right? Who would he test it on? Why not his captive who already has the drug coursing through his veins? Every one of the trials they create will be put right into me…like dissolves like right? But what if it's not entirely like the original? What will happen then?" Darren growled lowly growing silent after to let that sink in. Slade was silent, his face nothing but emotionless,

"You still won't die, you'll live…I think a bit of discomfort will be worth it if your brothers live as well," Darren hissed through his teeth, trying to keep his anger in check…his wrists were rubbed raw by this point but he didn't stop,

"You're effectively killing me yourself. The Court guards the secret of the Electrum Formula with their very lives, Talons and Owls alike. Anyone who has ever stolen it has been hunted down to extinction; every family member, every in-law…everyone you ever knew or spoke to: gone like they never existed. They'll know it was me who 'gave' it to Ra's. They know I'm connected to you and they know of your connection to the League of Assassins. They. Will. Know. Everyone will be in danger and they'll be after me full force for past transgressions and this…all because you were…desperate—," he could say much worse but didn't…he was too angry to think of another word to use…too sickened to even try, "…If Ra's can have it anyone can and anyone will if it gets out what makes Talons the way they are. You've killed me Slade, more than once. You've ruined me, you changed everything without considering those involved. Are you happy? Was it WORTH IT?"

Darren roared those last few words. They slammed throughout the room, echoing mercilessly as he stood panting, the chains on his wrists cutting in deeply and drawing blood as he had pulled on them more and more throughout this conversation, as he tried to get closer to his father—to do what, he did not know, but it had been impulsive and unconscious movement at the same time. He would never look at his father the same way again. Nothing would change what he had done and nothing would make it better. Slade had ruined everything, just like everyone had told him he would.

Slade stared evenly at Darren. Perhaps he saw the shift of perspective in his eyes, saw the way they bore hatefully into his and knew that everything had changed. The hope Darren had for them was gone, crushed by one decision…one choice…that changed the course of Darren's future, one that changed his life. It seemed Slade realized in the moment of silence which consumed the empty stone room, that this was something neither of them would come back from. And it seemed…it seemed…Slade was all right with that for he stepped back and knocked on the locked door,

"I think he has said what he wanted to, and I think he's learned all he could. We're done here," Darren bit his tongue…he still has so much he wanted to say…but all the same he felt empty. Like…there was nothing left where his anger had been or where his hope had been either. It felt like something had left him and it wasn't just energy. Everything he'd ever wanted had been destroyed in a matter of minutes…and it was the truth. It was the truth and nothing but the truth. It was what Darren had wanted, and it was what he had received.

And it left him…with nothing.

There was just nothing to feel.

There was nothing he wanted to feel.

That's all there was.

A bleak…

…Emptiness.

When the guards came to unchain him and pull him away. He didn't look at his father, he just let them guide him away. He was trapped now…more than ever. No one to rescue him and no one that knew where he was. Perhaps it was better this way. Perhaps the Court of Owls will never learn what happened to him or where he was and everyone else…all the Bats, Dr. Leslie, Dr. Branley and Livia…would be safe from their wrath. Perhaps it was better to be trapped within this fortress than out where everyone would suffer just by knowing him.

Perhaps this was his safe haven afterall. He was safe from harming anyone else who crossed his path.

A/N: Whew, that was a LONG chapter(almost 9,000 words...I think that's a record for me!)Hope you liked it! I worked really hard on this chapter. I wonder how many of you saw something like this coming and how many of you didn't expect this to go anyway like it did.

I really worked hard on this chapter so I would really really really appreciate some reviews! Any questions, comments and concerns are welcome, critiques are welcome as well! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

Next chapter on Thursday unless I get some pretty awesome reviews for which I'll post an extra chapter earlier in the week!(maybe I'll post on Darren's birthday...it will be October 31st soon ;) )