A/N: Here's the chapter I promised for over the weekend.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Enjoy!
Chapter: 25
Tori blinked blearily through the grit in her eyes. She couldn't tell whether it was night or day or even how long she had been in that windowless room, but it seemed like an eternity. Everything ached, everything stung and her head felt like a balloon and her stomach growled menacingly. Her arms had grown numb and her legs just dangled, her knees a few inches off the ground. The ground…the ground was slick with her own blood. Tori could feel it saturated on the back of her shirt that was nearly shredded through on the back and stuck in clumps of her hair. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to even move a muscle so she just hung there, staring passively at the tiled floor.
Torture…it was a word that was sometimes mentioned fleetingly in the batcave. It brought bad memories for everyone who ever stepped foot in that damn cave. Cruelty was a nicer way to say it, but either way it was barbaric and senseless. It was something Tori never imagined experiencing herself. Yet there she was, dangling helplessly, wishing desperately that William would just give up, but he wouldn't. Cobb was an assassin, trained to do this sort of thing, a monster. And if Tori said yes, that's what she would become. Tori didn't want that, she wasn't meant to be a monster or a soldier…right now, she didn't even want to be a vigilante…she just wanted to go home.
The first night or day…whichever it was…had been done with her at her strongest. By the end, she had passed out and all that strength just faded. When she woke up again, withering in agony at the cuts and trying to keep her tears and snot in so William wouldn't see, he started again…and that time, Tori screamed.
Tori winced at the memory and licked her dry and cracked lips. William hadn't been there the other time she'd woken up, after hours of waiting she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore and fell back to sleep, hoping the sleeping would help heal her wounds. Tori couldn't see them, but she could feel them. They criss-crossed her back and they stung like someone was pouring salt on a cut or lemon juice on a paper-cut. They itched like no tomorrow but she did not have the energy to try scratch them. Not that she could. Tori just feared moving in general, it caused more pain than comfort.
Her fingers had lost their feeling a while ago and her toes had started to turn purple from the cold. It was the only thing she could see at the moment since moving her head hurt just as much and her curtain of hair concealed nearly everything else except her feet and the tiles of the floor. Her right foot had swelled enormously and ached with every breath.
The door creaked open and Tori jerked unintentionally at the sound. Her body flared with pain and she let out a gruntled groan that cracked her already dry lips,
"Look up," William said, Tori didn't respond or listen. She wasn't moving, it hurt too much, "I said look up," he said it sharply now and Tori gritted her teeth and forced her neck to move. Craning her head up, her breath hitching now and then, she then shook the knotted and clumped hair out of her face so she could see him. Tori hoped there was hate in her eyes, she hoped that Cobb felt horrible for what he was doing, but she knew deep down that he probably didn't care. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Maybe he was just seeing how much she could take before she died or until she gave in…and after the first few times, Tori swore to herself that she would never give in.
William stepped closer and Tori, though already quite stiff, stiffened further as he brandished what looked like a needle. Tori suddenly found strength and jerked away from him, kicking out slightly as she did,
"Get away from me!" she hoarsely cried, "Don't touch me!" she snapped. William glared at her,
"I am not opposed to breaking your other ankle Victoria, now stay still," he snapped, as he grabbed her by the jaw and jerked her head to the side, causing her to cry out. Tori struggled weakly, side-glaring him,
"What are you doing to me?" she demanded as he stuck the needle into her neck and pushed the plugger,
"Healing you," he said even as Tori felt a surge of energy course through her veins,
"W-what was that?" Tori asked, wincing as some of the bones in her ankle snapped back into place. She wiggled some of her toes experimentally and was shocked when they actually moved. They still ached, but it was semi-healed. Her back was knitting back together, not all the way, but the worst was being healed at least a little bit,
"Electrum," Tori looked at him in shock, "Not enough to make you a Talon, but enough to heal a little of the wounds I've inflicted. We can't have you die on us. Not yet,"
"I thought people have to die to become a Talon?" Tori asked. As she hung in the room she thought through all her knowledge on Talons and the Court, which wasn't much, and she remembered something like that…and dreaded that part excessively. Every time she came close to giving in, she told herself that she would have to die…and she didn't want to, she never wanted to die like this or before her time. She was a survivor. She survived her childhood in Gotham and her time with Mac…she could survive this,
"They do, and you will when you become one of us," William said, looking pointedly at her,
"No…never," Tori said, ever glaring at William,
"I admire your stubbornness and determination, and while those are valuable traits, they will do you no good at this moment," he said,
"Are you going to whip me again Cobb?" Tori snarled,
"Not until the Electrum is out of your system, enjoy the respite," did he seriously just say that?
"Why are you doing this at all?"
"We need more Talons, I need an heir since my other one rejected my offer,"
"I am not blaming Dick for this. This is all on you!" Tori yelled, "Why me? First Mac and now you! Why am I so special!"
"You are not special. You are blood. As for Mac, I do not know. We funded his work, only because we sought to prevent the deformation of our veins. Not because of you," William said, gesturing to the blackish purple veins on his face and neck, "We had hoped that the technology would help our Talons fit into society better. So we could hide in plain sight. Some can, it is unpredictable where the mutated veins will appear. Some have it on their arms or backs and they can live life out in public. Others…most, cannot for it is on their face and chest and neck. Mac would hopefully change that, though he had no intention of helping us,"
"He never paid you back after he and BioTech made money,"
"No he did not, and the chips were not compatible with the Electrum," William said, "He betrayed us,"
"If he betrayed you, why don't you just kill him?" Tori asked, shifting carefully and realizing that she could move much easier now, "It's what you always do with people who betray you,"
"Yes, that is true. But he has left Gotham, which is our domain. We do not leave Gotham for it is our home and our means of finance and we have an understanding with other Assassin guilds,"
"You act like it's the whole world,"
"We've done a lot for this City, and a lot to gain power,"
"No, the Owls get the power and fame. You just do the dirty work,"
"But of course, how do you think we are paid?" William asked with a dark smile, before turning and closing the door and locking it, "The Electrum is out of your system," he monotoned. Tori shook her head,
"You don't have to do this," she nearly pleaded,
"Then you will become a Talon?" he asked,
"No," she said,
"There is only one option for you. Talon. Willingly or unwillingly it does not matter. Think of this as reeducation. They want you to choose this by any means necessary and the Owls will have what they want," William said. Tori said nothing, just slumped forward to stare at the floor again.
Time crept by slowly. Will would come and go with no pattern. Tori had no way to know how long she'd been there. It could have been days or it could have been months, she had no way of knowing. The aching of her foot had lessened to a really dull throb, but her back was a mess half the time. She didn't even want to see the damage, she didn't want to look at it. William would come in and give her Electrum randomly and return to beating her an hour or so after. Electrum burns through the system really fast at lower concentrations, but would stay forever when at a certain, higher, concentration.
Tori came to realize what Cobb had meant by this whole process being reeducation. She was learning little bits and pieces about the Court of Owls and how it functioned. Where the Owls met, what the Grandmaster did and his or her right-hands as well. There were dozens of Talons, but only twenty-eight or so were unfrozen at a time. Since a lot of the Talons had been taken or killed, the older ones had been unfrozen to be mentors to the younger, newer, Talons. Tori dreaded the kinds of abuse that forced others to become a Talon.
As time went by, she wasn't sure how much, Tori tried to escape. The problem was she could barely move at all. The pain was constant, yet she could ignore it now, perhaps Cobb thought he was conditioning her for the pain of Talon training—not that she'd ever consider going through with that, it was just a passing thought. Sure, it would stop the pain and the hanging…but it would be an eternal indentured servitude. Bruce would be coming, so would Dick, Tim, Babs, Jason and Stephanie. Surely they have been looking…can't they hack her EMP bracelet? Or actually…couldn't they just find her? The bracelet was gone…why hadn't they come? Tori shook her head and continued her next plan of escape. Thinking of those things would just confuse her loyalties…she didn't need that right now, she needed to escape. Her stomach was started to growl less which indicated that if she didn't eat soon, she'd die. They'd been giving her water, but no food…and her head was killing her because of it.
Tori craned her neck up towards the ceiling, the pain a roaring wave though she put a cap on it right then, she needed to at least try and break free. Summoning as much strength as possible she grabbed the chain holding the manacles with numb fingers. Concentrating on her chip, and the super strength it granted her she tugged. A bolt pulled loose just as Cobb opened the door and stepped through the threshold. Tori froze where she swung, a loose bolt rolling on the floor,
"What happened here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. Tori said nothing. She watched as he bent and picked up and bolt and looked at where the chains hung,
"The chip you have…it gives you super strength?" Tori glared at him, "Answer," he growled,
"I can neither confirm nor deny the statement made without the presence of my supervisor," William slapped her across the face before turning to leave, "Wait!" she called,
"What?" William growled menacingly,
"How long have I been down here?" William was quiet before heading out the door. Before it closed though, she could hear him answer her quietly,
"In a few hours. It will be three days," Tori's heart skipped a beat. Three days….three days…three days? All that pain and suffering…and it had only been three days?
Three days and she had thought of giving in two times per day at least.
Three days and she was convinced there would be no way out. If she died, they took her and she'd become a Talon, and if she survived she would be tortured until she gave in…she was trapped.
Three days.
Only three days.
Will had stopped coming with the Electrum and the beatings hadn't been as often. Maybe they expected her to die soon? She certainly felt so. It had only been a few hours into her fourth day and already she could feel the itching, the need for the Electrum to heal her. It was like withdrawal…no…it was withdrawal. She needed the Electrum to heal her, she needed it to feel like her old self, like her strong and capable self. That was why he had done it. Not to heal her out of pity in his heart, but to draw her closer to the dark side…like an expert chess player, he was four steps ahead of her. Tori was losing.
The assumed fourth day was the worst. When William came he had two other Talons with him, though they were masked and wheeled a tray in,
"What is this?" Tori demanded,
"That chip, is not compatible with Electrum. If you are to become a Talon, it needs to be removed," Tori's heart and stomach plummeted,
"No…no, no, no…you can't do that,"
"We can and we will. We need you Tori. You've wanted so badly to make a difference in the world and you can with us. Batman hasn't even trained you, he hasn't even bothered to find you," Tori bit her lip and eyed the two Talons who stood ready by Cobb's side as she mused over what he had said. It was odd that she was even considering what he had said, but she couldn't help it. It was true, Bruce hadn't come…not yet. I bet he hasn't even looked, a darker, newer voice whispered in the back of her mind. Tori shook her head,
"Never gonna be a Talon. Not willingly ever," she said,
"So be it," William said, and gestured to the two Talons as a third entered, "You will die eventually, whether it's from pain, starvation or exhaustion it doesn't matter, and when that happens we will make you a Talon. Or you can give in, it will be quick and painless and then you will be strong again. Far stronger than you have ever been,"
"I have super strength," Tori snapped, struggling as one Talon pushed her hair away from her neck and the other's held her in place,
"Had," Cobb said, as the scalpel came down.
It was agony. No anesthesia, they held her down as she screamed and thrashed. Her body withered in pain and she kicked and she cried and she vomited. The neck stayed stationary and sooner rather than later, the chip was out. After that she was given Electrum one last time and Tori was in too much pain to care how disgusted she should have been at the fact that all she felt was relief when it was given to her.
William stayed in the room at all times now, never leaving, never eating, never sleeping or relieving himself—at least not while she was awake. He watched her with those nearly similar eyes and she just glared at him, even as her body wracked with spasms and her legs numbed and stopped being numb. He just watched as she coughed and vomited up clumps of blood. She had been strong before, she could be strong to the end…maybe after she died they wouldn't use her, too resilient and stubborn, it was a pointless dream but it was one nonetheless,
"H-h-how *COUGH* long?" she warbled out, a long time after the removal of her chip. Tori had to speak, the silence was deafening and driving her crazy…not literally…she hoped,
"Five days," William said softly from his perch, leaning on the wall. He pushed off from it and moved to stand in front of her, "It won't be long now," he said,
"I-i-i-s that s-suppo-sed t-to be comforting?"
"No, a time limit. You can save your family a lot of suffering,"
"What?" Tori demanded, ignoring her suffering for a second to hear what Cobb meant,
"I went to the Grandmaster today, while you were asleep. I knew you wouldn't die just yet, but I needed to make sure my orders hadn't changed. They have changed. He said that if you didn't submit to being a Talon willingly, to let you die. I am to dispose of you and fly to London and kidnap your brother…the youngest," Tori turned to ice. Her little brother. Cameron, his laughing little three year old face popping up from when they had all been younger. His smile which was larger since her visit and the action figures he plays with now because he knew that it was not Batman who killed his parents…that trust just regained suddenly gone in the blink of an eye. If it had been anyone else she would have called bluff, but she saw the seriousness in William's eyes, she knew that he meant what he said.
Tori, who had been content in dying without willingly consenting to being a Talon, now hung bleeding internally as everything shifted into perspective. She thought of the torture she had been put through and of her smiling laughing little brother and how she could not bear him to suffer because she was too selfish to save him. Tori took a deep breath, she could feel it rattle in her lungs as a cough unwillingly pulsed through. She spat up blood, more than should be okay and looked at Cobb,
"H-h-he will b-b-b *COUGH* be left alone?" she asked, unable to fully complete the sentence coherently, but William got the gist as he moved closer and lightly placed a hand as delicately as possible—as to not touch the lashes on her back—,
"I swear, that no harm will come to your brother or the rest of your family by my hand or the Talons. I do not break my oaths, you can have faith that I will abide this promise," Tori looked at Cobb, blackness starting to form at the edges of her vision and she couldn't help but tear up. William looked at her, almost sadly, "I'm sorry," he said. The black grew thicker and before she lost her chance she nodded,
"I-I'll become *COUGH* a-a Talon," William cut the manacles from her wrists and caught her as she fell, "I-I-I don't w-w-anna die," she choked out as William lifted her into his arms. Black was winning and colors were blurring into nothingness,
"It won't be for long," he replied, as he carried her…almost tenderly… down twisting halls and down spiral staircases. Everything was swirling dizzily, but she could vaguely see the door as it opened and slammed shut. Tori could feel the cold of a steel table as she was laid on it and the sting of an IV drip and other tubes. Beeping filled her hearing a second later and she tried to raise her arms, to feel something as blackness and now a sliver of white swept through her vision,
"Wait," she called, "d-d-on't l-leave me," she whispered hoarsely. A hand, hesitant and uncertain grabbed her's,
"I am here," William said. Tori briefly wondered if he had ever actually spoke to his children, or ever dealt with them because in that moment, she—though her sight was long gone as she drifted from the living to the dead—could see something almost human in her great-grandfather. But it could also be that she was just grateful to be grounded to the earth through a calming touch. Darkness tore her sight away and she struggled to breathe. She could barely hear anything but she thought someone murmured 'relax' to her as she struggled to take her breaths…until finally she couldn't take air in anymore. A mesh of white and black filled the backs of her eyelids and she could not feel her body anymore. In that moment, Tori did not feel panic…she was not even aware of anything…just a brilliant and bright light a distance away…as she took her last breath, she knew her brother was safe…it was worth it for him to live a normal life.
It was worth the change.
A/N: I did not enjoy writing that. Dark dark and darker it got...but it had to be done for the sake of the story.
REVIEW! I will keep you all updated on when I will be posting these chapters more often!