AN: This chapter is really brutal. I think it may be the most brutal thing I've ever written so take that as you will… We're actually close-ish to the end which is just surreal. I still can't exactly say though how many chapters are left. I'm proud of myself because still managed to find a chapter name (maybe cheating just a little bit).
I used italics for the mindlink in this chapter because there will be a mixture of mindlink and normal dialogue.
Loftcat27: Yes. He's absolutely horrible. Imo he reaches the pinnacle of his horribleness in this chapter… But for some reason he is a lot of fun to write. I'm glad you enjoy him as a villain!
Imjustshippinmywaythrulife: Wow. Your comment really made my day. Thank you. Writing villains is so hard. Like you said: There is a fine line between a villain being cartoonishly evil and so humanized that they are just not intimidating anymore. Cobb indeed has a kind of affection for Dick. He sees it as a weakness though. At the same time, he is still jealous of Bruce because he has taken over the mentor role in Dick's life. It's twisted stuff and Cobb is gonna get really dark in this chapter.
Batman and Nightwing bonding is the best! You'll get more of that in this chapter and also more of the Team and Wally. I love them.
I don't understand though why Slade, the personification of kindness of course, could be getting on your nerves. He's such a well-adjusted and likeable person. Adored by everyone he meets and never antagonizes anyone. ;)
I had to laugh at your frustration about Jason. We love you, Jason, but you really could have been smarter about this. Trusting Slade? Not your best moment, Jay.
But he is an emotional and empathetic person even if he often tries to hide it and he is often led by his heart. Just like Nightwing is. It can lead to good and bad things (as this chapter probably shows).
ChibiRealm: We'll have to wait and see what happens… This is not the last we've seen of her. Jason has definitely found himself in a precarious situation.
18. Talons
Cobb's eyes were burning into Nightwing from the other side of the room. He wanted Nightwing to beg – as Nightwing had done so often before. Even now, Nightwing found himself struggling. He fought the urge to just fall to his knees and plead to Cobb at the feet of the stage. But he had tried it before. Cobb never gave Nightwing what he begged for. He just dangled the possibility in front of Nightwing's face and manipulated him with it. He had to be strong and resist. But he didn't know how.
He remembered what Artemis had told about going on even if you felt helpless. Doing things step for step and being proud of yourself for achieving them even if they would be easy for other people.
Step 1: Keep standing upright to show that he wouldn't submit to Cobb. Not this time. He would stand his ground. Nightwing could do this. He looked up forcing his eyes to meet Cobb's. He flinched when he saw Cobb's growing irritation. His mas- No. Cobb was waiting. Nightwing's knees shook and fear raced through his head. But he was doing good. He was resisting.
Step 2: Calm down. Get more confidence. Nightwing went through Batman's exercise again while concentrating on his friends and family. They were close. They were supporting him. He could see them. He could hear all of their heartbeats. And he could feel Wally's hand in his own. Nightwing didn't feel confident. But he didn't feel worthless either. That was a win.
Step 3: Say 'no' to Cobb. This step felt impossible. Nightwing's throat felt like Cobb was squeezing it shut. Cobb would be so angry if Nightwing dared to speak in front of him. And even worse: If he used his words to refuse Cobb.
"I'm not seeing you begging", Cobb snarled, "Do you want him killed?"
Nightwing fought the urge to sink his claws into his palms. Why did he have to be so pathe-?
No. Not go there. He was trying to be confident.
"Get on your fucking knees", Cobb's face darkened in anger.
He left the stage stomping towards Nightwing. Nightwing wanted to shrink back but he remembered step 1. Stand his ground. He could do that.
Batman pushed himself in front of Nightwing shielding him from Cobb.
"Don't fucking touch him", Batman growled in all his menacing glory.
Batman was defending Nightwing. He was being brave for Nightwing. Nightwing wanted to be brave for Batman, too. Cobb hit Batman in the face. Nightwing could hear the crack of Batman's jaw. It made Nightwing angry. How dare Cobb hurt the greatest man Nightwing had ever known? Nightwing's partner.
Batman straightened himself and went into a fighting stance. Blood ran down his jaw.
Nightwing used his anger to fuel him. Cobb was already raging. No matter what Nightwing did now. But Batman would be proud of Nightwing if he dared to speak up and resist Cobb. Batman had said that every word Nightwing spoke was already a victory against Cobb.
And Nightwing wanted to win tonight.
He opened his mouth. It felt like he had to force a rock out of his throat.
But Nightwing looked into Cobb's face and said: "No."
It was a small scratchy sound. Easy to miss. But it seemed to fill the room. Nightwing had done it. He had managed to reach Step 3.
"I'm really proud of you", Artemis said in his head.
It made Nightwing feel braver. He raised his chin looking into Cobb's eyes even if it was terrifying.
Cobb didn't see it that way. He ignored Batman and stomped in front of Nightwing. He towered over him.
"What was that?", he asked.
It was easier the second time. Nightwing spoke a little louder: "No."
Cobb wasn't used to hearing 'No'. His face grew even redder.
"We need to get Jason and Deathstroke and escape", Batman said over the mindlink, "Ms. Martian, on my signal go into camouflage mode and get them. Nightwing and I distract Cobb. And the rest of the team fights off the Talons."
"Understood", Kaldur said, "Execute."
Nightwing focused on Cobb. His mouth was set tightly.
"So, you want your brother to die?", Cobb's voice was low. Dangerous.
"Make no difference. If beg or not", Nightwing held Cobb's gaze, "Fight this time."
Cobb chuckled: "Like you did last time? Do I have to remind you how that went? You will never be able to defeat me. You are weak. You are pathetic. And I'll remind you of your place before I release you from your-"
Nightwing headbutted Cobb. The Head-Talon snarled in annoyance. He gripped Nightwing by his collar and pushed him against the wall. Cobb's back was to the room. At least, Nightwing was distracting Cobb.
"Now, Ms. Martian", Batman said.
M'Gann went intangible. She was on her way to Jason and Deathstroke.
Nightwing needed to continue distracting Cobb. But he felt frozen. The Head-Talon was so close that Nightwing could see the flecks of blue within his golden eyes. Reminders that Cobb had been human once.
Nightwing needed to collect himself. He needed to fight. Step 1: Sta-
Cobb slapped Nightwing in the face. It didn't particularly hurt. It was just meant to humiliate. And it did its job. His thoughts raced in fear unable to formulate a plan. Nightwing felt so small in front of Cobb. He always had. But especially now with being caught between Cobb and the wall.
Cobb gripped Nightwing by his chin pushing his claws into his skin: "When I'm finished with you, you'll beg me for death, you weak, little creature."
Nightwing opened his mouth. He tried to say something brave. Like Jason would. But he couldn't. The rock was stuck in his throat again. He only got out a few sounds that seemed pathetic even to him.
"Speechless again, aren't you?", Cobb patted Nightwing's cheek in a condescending way, "I haven't punished you yet."
His gaze bore into Nightwing when he said: "Kill them all."
Upon their master's order, the Talon's moved. They lunged at the Team. Nightwing couldn't see what was happening with M'Gann and Jason. Cobb was blocking the view. Nightwing had to trust them. Hope that they could defend themselves. He couldn't change anything anyway. He was in Cobb's grip again.
Cobb forced Nightwing's mouth open. He was about to rip out his tongue again when Nightwing bit down like he had done to Green Arrow. His teeth broke Cobb's skin. Nightwing tasted blood. It was satisfying. Hurting Cobb in even this small way. Cobb cursed ripping his hand out of Nightwing's mouth. He raised his hand to slap him again.
But Nightwing spit into Cobb's face. A bloody clump clung to Cobb's cheek. He looked dumbstruck. As if he couldn't believe that his pet had disrespected him. Nightwing couldn't believe it himself.
But Cobb grew completely livid this time. Nightwing could see the bloodlust in his eyes. And it terrified him. But he forced himself to fight. He writhed and kicked. Still unable to break Cobb's grip. The Head-Talon was just too strong. Cobb strangled Nightwing slamming his head into the wall again and again. Nightwing's ears rang. He tried to rip off Cobb's hands but they were tight like iron.
A particularly harsh impact made Nightwing go limp. The world went dark for a moment and Nightwing was in that terrifying place between life and death. It was cold and lonely. And Nightwing felt like he wasn't complete. Like he was pulled into two directions at once. One pull won out and Nightwing's head jerked up. Cobb's face greeted him in life.
"You can't escape me. I can kill you over and over again and you'll just be pulled back", Cobb leaned forward whispering into Nightwing's ear, "But let me tell you a secret: I can make it permanent. You just have to admit that I own you. Then, I'd allow you to die permanently. Because I control every part of your life – even its end."
Nightwing shuddered. A few years ago, he would have jumped at this proposal. He would have bowed to Cobb until his back broke if the Head-Talon wanted him to. Only to be free from the constant pain Cobb put him through. But Nightwing had something to live for now. He didn't want to die. So, he mustered up all his courage and shook his head.
Cobb fastened his grip around Nightwing's neck letting his claws cut him. He pressed Nightwing even tighter against the wall.
"Are you sure, creature?"
Nightwing's knees shook and he was sure that Cobb's grip was the only thing holding him up. But he nodded weakly.
Cobb's fist slammed into the wall next to Nightwing's head. Nightwing flinched. Cobb's scare tactics were as effective as ever. But they didn't change that Nightwing didn't want to die. He loved life too much now.
Cobb growled: "I'll make you fucking beg me to kill you. When I'm through with you, you'll-"
Batman appeared out of nowhere. His fist hit Cobb's cheek so hard that Nightwing could hear his bones break. Cobb flew to the side. He let go of Nightwing.
Nightwing felt the weight in his chest lessen as he fell beside Batman. His mentor (and the person Nightwing secretly wished to be his father) was with him.
Batman sent a kick to Cobb's knee breaking it. It immediately started to twitch.
"I'll break his bones", Batman said, "You blind and deafen him. He can't notice Ms. Martian."
"Claws?"
"I'll allow them this time."
Out of the corner of his eye, Nightwing saw that M'Gann was telepathically ripping the knife out of the hand of the Talon that was threatening Jason. She lifted Jason and Deathstroke into the air. M'Gann needed to cross the whole room with them. She needed time. Their plan would be over if Cobb saw it.
The Team was defending themselves from the onslaught of Talons. They were holding on. But Nightwing wasn't sure how long they could continue.
"Break their necks", Nightwing said, "Keep them down longer."
"Good advice", Wally was zipping through the row of Talons taking their weapons to make them less lethal for the rest of the Team to take down, "How do you break a neck again?"
Nightwing frowned remembering that he was on a superhero team now. He doubted that Black Canary had taught any of them how to break a neck. He wasn't surprised though when Artemis gripped one of the Talons and twisted their neck in textbook fashion. Connor did it with pure strength. Kaldur was too hesitant. And Wally continued stealing their weapons and ramming into them when one of them became dangerous for another team member. They would be fine. The Team was doing good. Nightwing had to concentrate on his own task.
Batman's fists were raining down on Cobb. But the Head-Talon got up again. Slashing at Batman. Batman narrowly evaded. He gritted his teeth when Cobb's claws ripped parts of his cape off. Too close.
Nightwing took out one of his throwing knives. He aimed at Cobb's eye. But the Head-Talon evaded. Batman used the distraction to kick against Cobb's throat. Cobb fell back a step.
Nightwing lunged at him winding his legs around Cobb's neck. Cobb cursed trying to rip Nightwing off him. But Nightwing pierced his claws into both of Cobbs eyes. Scratching. Then, he pushed them into Cobb's ears. The Head-Talon's senses were dulled.
Cobb snarled pushing his claws into Nightwing's back. Twisting and slashing. Nightwing couldn't feel his legs anymore. Cobb flung him to the floor. Nightwing's head collided with the wall. He felt dazed for a moment as his body twitched to regenerate itself. Something glinted in the corner of his eye.
Nightwing had known that Cobb would heavily injure him. But he had taken the risk to dull Cobb's senses and give Batman a better chance. Batman hated it when Nightwing risked bodily harm in dangerous maneuvers. But Nightwing could take it. It was his way of protecting his mentor. Take the damage to give Batman a better chance. And it worked, so Nightwing would continue doing it.
Batman threw a Batarang at Cobb. Cobb wasn't prepared for it, his senses still dulled. The explosion threw him back.
Batman lost no time. He dazed Cobb with a punch to his temple and pushed another explosive Batarang into his chest. Cobb screamed as his body was ripped open.
M'Gann reached them with Jason and an unconscious Slade. Batman ripped Jason's restraints open with a Batarang.
"Retreat", he said, "We have no effective way of restraining Cobb. We're going through the labyrinth. The other entrance is blocked."
They would have to cross the whole room to get to it. Impossible with dozens of skilled killers in their way.
"If we get the damn weapon-", Jason protested.
"NO", Batmanled the way.
Nightwing's body finished twitching. He moved his feet, happy to feel them again. He looked at what had glinted before. It was the necklace that Zatanna had made for Nightwing. He must have lost it during the fight. Nightwing picked it up and hurried to follow Batman into the maze.
"What the fuck are you doing?", they heard Cobb's angry voice even outside, "Hunt them down and slaughter them. Block their escape. Bring the traitor to me."
"You need to tell us the way, Babe", Wally said.
And Nightwing nodded. He was determined. He could do it. Connor had thrown Slade over his shoulder while Jason was in the back. His brother tried to act like he was fine, but he was holding his thigh every now and then.
Nightwing would be concerned if he wasn't barely struggling with holding it together himself. He could hear the Talons. They were spreading through the maze. Following.
Step 1: Concentrate on the way and the enemies.
There was a faint scraping on the other side of a wall. A Talon jumped down aiming for Wally's neck.
Step 2: Protect loved ones.
Nightwing snarled and shoved his claw into the other Talon's throat in mid-air. The Talon tumbled to the floor laying there motionless until he started to twitch again.
Wally halted. Looking down at the Talon with wide eyes.
"They are so quiet", Wally said.
Batman threw an ice pellet at him stopping his healing for now.
"We need to get to the exit quickly", Batman said.
"I hear more coming", Connor said, "They know where we are."
"Can hear us", Nightwing said.
But he could hear them as well. There was more scraping along the wall. He tried to locate it following the wall until he could hear where the Talons were. Nightwing scaled up the wall. When he reached the edge, he came face to face with another Talon. The Talon kicked Nightwing but Nightwing took the momentum summersaulting to the opposite wall. He threw his knives at the Talon taking out both his knees and then his throat. The Talon lost his balance falling back. Nightwing heard a sickening crack.
He flipped to the other side again peeking over the edge. The Talon was laying in the hallway below his neck broken. Nightwing jumped down to rip out the Talons organs and give them some more time.
"Can you see the exit, M'Gann?", Batman asked, "How many Talons are in the way?"
M'Gann floated into the air. She stared into the direction of the exit.
"Bad news", she said, "The Talons are on their way to block it. They are scaling over the walls to reach it."
"How many?", Batman asked.
"Dozens."
"That's too many", Batman said, "Not with Deathstroke unconscious and Hood injured. We can't risk it."
"So, we're trapped?", Wally asked.
More Talons ran towards Nightwing. He was still divided from the Team through the wall. They would scale it to catch the Team off-guard. Nightwing snarled. Not if he had a say about it. He hit some of them with his knives taking them down. Nightwing gritted his teeth when a knife hit his shoulder and another his knee. He was getting overwhelmed.
"Nightwing, come back", Batman ordered from the other side of the wall.
Nightwing ignored the pain scaling the wall to get to the other side. He barely had any throwing knives left.
"Need to run", Nightwing ripped the knives out of his body, "Talons wait on other side."
He could hear them climb.
Nigthwing's claws were dripping with blood as his body jerked to heal the knife wounds.
"Where to?", Kaldur asked, "The Talons are everywhere. We aren't safe from them anywhere."
"Nightwing, think", Batman said, "You know this place better than anyone."
Nightwing felt like the walls were closing in on him. Talons jumped over the wall. Launching themselves at them. They barely had space to maneuver. They would soon be closed in.
Nightwing thought about what scared him. Where would he not want to go?
Cobb. Cobb. Cobb.
"The freezing chamber", Nightwing thought, "Talons hate. Weakened there."
"Go", Batman sank a Batarang into a Talon's chest.
They ran again. Wally ran in the front with Nightwing.
"Do I want to know what you just did on the other side of that wall?", Wally asked, "I'm not sure if it's creepy or sexy. Probably both."
Nightwing bit his lip. Not sure what to think. The maze and fighting the other Talons made Nightwing feel more like a Talon himself again. Using his claws to scale the walls. Fighting enemies with claws and knifes. The familiarity was comforting to a degree. Nightwing had missed just slicing through enemies without fearing that he could easily break them.
They were close to the heart of the labyrinth. The place which needed to be crossed to reach most of the areas. Talons would be there. Nightwing was sure of it. He warned the others. They halted when they reached the place with the coffins and it was empty.
"Didn't you say Talons would be here?", Artemis asked.
Nightwing tensed: "There have to be."
He listened wondering if he had misjudged. Silence.
"The pictures on the lids are gone", Batman said.
His mentor was right – as always. But Nightwing didn't know what he meant. Batman walked towards one of the coffins and slammed a Batarang right through it. An angry snarl came out of the coffin. The lid flew off almost colliding with the Team. Connor punched it in half in the air. The Talon jumped out of the coffin attacking Batman with a knife. Batman threw an ice pellet at him and shoved him back into the coffin.
But the Talons seemed to have noticed that their hiding places weren't secret anymore. Dozens of them jumped out of the coffins.
"Damn. They really are like zombies.", Wally bit his lip," No offense though, Babe."
"Focus, Baywatch", Artemis pulled an ice arrow out of her quiver.
They really were circled now. The Talons had known that they would likely have to cross the center of the labyrinth. Hoping to catch them off guard. Batman had destroyed that plan. But they were still-
"We're fucking screwed", Jason said.
"Not if we fight", Kaldur pulled out his waterbearers forming two blades with them.
Nightwing could do that. He knew how to fight.
The Talons lunged at them. They formed a circle putting the helpless Deathstroke in the middle. A small part of Nightwing felt smug at seeing Slade like this. Payback for that ice pellet. A larger part wished that Slade could help them. He would be more than useful in this impossible fight.
Jason scoffed throwing a side eye at Deathstroke: "Big mouth and fucking useless when it counts."
They were doing fine. But the onslaught of Talons just didn't stop. Nightwing did his best to take them down quickly. Slicing their throats and breaking their necks in one go.
"I'm out of arrows", Artemis screamed.
"I'm out of ammo", Jason cursed.
Suddenly, there was a pained scream. M'Gann who had been camouflaged in the air fell down. Connor caught her. A knife was stuck in her shoulder.
"Leave it in", Batman told Connor, "Put her in the middle of the circle."
Connor protested: "I can't just leave her-"
"NOW. We don't have time for hesitation. We need every fighter."
Suddenly, Nightwing felt something around his neck. A noose He tried to slash it open. But the wire tightened around his neck. Someone pulled him over the floor. The Talons made space. Nightwing struggled. But it only made the wire cut more into his throat.
The Talons closed the gap again dividing Nightwing from his friends. Nightwing heard scared voices in his head.
"You fucking bastard", Jason screamed, "Let him go."
"Come and get it if you want it", Cobb pulled Nightwing painfully slow towards him ignoring his struggles.
Cobb stopped pulling when Nightwing laid to his feet. Nightwing felt dizzy from the blood loss. He tried to slash the noose again. But the lightheadedness was affecting his movements.
Jason cursed: "I'll fucking kill you."
Cobb pulled something out of his suit. The weapon. Jason stared at it.
"You would need this to kill me", Cobb chuckled, "But I took it from you just like the creature you call a brother."
Jason screamed something. But Nightwing was too weakened to understand. Panic overwhelmed him. He slashed more vigorously on the wire ignoring how his claws dug into his skin.
What he understood though was the sound of the gun dropping down next to Nightwing's head. He looked at it not even trying to reach for it. The gun was unnatural. No one should die like this. Not even Cobb.
"Pathetic", Cobb's voice was close breaking through the haziness of Nightwing's mind, "Batman has already declawed you. I wasted so many years on you."
Cobb had tested Nightwing. And Nightwing hadn't passed in his eyes. But Nightwing wondered if he had even wanted to pass Cobb's test.
Cobb smashed the gun under his foot. Jason screamed. Their secret weapon was broken.
Their fate was sealed.
Nightwing still struggled. But Cobb tugged harshly on the wire making Nightwing whimper.
"If you struggle any more, the wire will decapitate you", Cobb said matter-of-factly.
Nightwing didn't listen to reason. Panic had overtaken his brain. Cobb tugged again and again and again. Only then, did Nightwing stop struggling. He froze. Paralyzed out of fear.
The conscious part of his brain told him that he should fight. He couldn't give up and lie at Cobb's feet like a dog. It was dehumanizing and humiliating. But there was nothing Nightwing could do. He would never overpower Cobb in a physical fight.
"Look at this creature", Cobb screamed, and the Talons halted, "I want its friends to watch, too."
The Talons stopped fighting circling the Team. The Team stopped fighting. Too exhausted or injured. They only struggled weakly when the Talons pushed them down. Even Batman bled through several deep gashes over his torso. His jaw was swollen. It was probably broken.
"Look how pathetic it is", Cobb pushed his foot down on Nightwing's chest.
His ribs cracked one after another.
"It deluded itself. Thinking that it could be something. That it could escape me. But it is nothing. Not even a Talon. It is disgraced."
A jolt of fear went through the Talons. But they stayed still looking at the scene before them.
"This will happen to you if you don't obey. So, look closely", Cobb broke another one of Nightwing's ribs.
His body jerked to heal itself. It made no difference. Cobb crouched taking Nightwing's hand. Nightwing knew what he was about to do. He was disgraced. An unworthy Talon. He didn't deserve his claws.
Nightwing looked into Cobb's eyes trying to find humanity in them. But they were only filled with rage and disgust.
"Please", he mouthed at Cobb, "Please don't."
Cobb didn't care. He looked at one of the Talons.
"Hold down its wrist. I'm starting with the right hand."
The Talon crouched next to him. He didn't look at Nightwing. But his hand was shaking. The Talon was scared, too. Cobb ripped off Nightwing's mask. He wanted to see the pain in Nightwing's eyes.
Cobb gripped the claw on Nightwing's thumb first. Nightwing tensed trying to prepare himself for the pain. He wasn't prepared. Nightwing screamed as loudly as the wire around his neck allowed. And when the pain became too unbearable, Nightwing retreated.
Jason couldn't watch. But he forced himself to. Nightwing needed to know that he was not alone. But Jason wasn't really sure how much N still noticed. Nightwing screamed at first. High-pitched tortured screams. His body shook violently. Cobb threw the ripped off claw in front of Jason's face.
Jason felt sick. With the claw, Cobb had torn off a significant part of Nightwing's thumb leaving a bleeding fragment of a finger. Jason couldn't even imagine how painful it was.
Jason balled his fists. Adrenaline pumped through his body. This monster was hurting his brother in front of him and Jason was powerless. By the third finger, Nightwing was quiet. His glassy eyes looked at the ceiling. Unfocused.
Cobb finished the first hand throwing the claw on Nightwing's pinkie finger in front of Batman's face. The Dark Knight growled and thrashed. It took four Talons to keep him down.
Cobb told the Talon to hold down Nightwing's left wrist. Jason tensed waiting for this to be over.
Cobb continued. Jason needed a few moments to see that Nightwing moved his mouth. Nightwing only got out one sound over and over again. It was barely understandable.
"J?"
Jason's stomach dropped: "I'm here, N. You are not alone."
Nightwing kept pleading for Jason apparently not lucid enough to see that his brother was there. Or to hear him.
Jason's eyes teared up. All the energy left his body.
"I love you, N. I love you so much. We'll get through this. We'll fix this."
Jason kept mumbling comforting things to Nightwing. He didn't know what else to do. He knew that it was useless. That Nightwing was caught in his own world. But what else could he do?
A clawed hand pressed down on Jason's shoulder. Jason frowned. The Talon that was holding him down looked at him with pity. Eyes clearer than ever. It was the same woman that had restrained Jason in the arena. Jason wondered if she had deliberately stayed close to him.
Cobb ripped off Nightwing's last claw. Nightwing had curled up into a fetal position whimpering quietly to himself. He cradled his mangled fingers. They were still bleeding. Red dripping down on the white granite.
Nightwing grew weaker and weaker as his body struggled to heal all of his wounds. Cobb reveled in the sight. He sliced off the noose around Nightwing's neck. N didn't even move staying at Cobb's feet.
"See what happens to traitors?", he looked at the other Talons.
They nodded unanimously. Some of them were pushing their claws into their palms. Not even bothering to hide their distress. Others had balled their fists as if to hide their claws from Cobb.
Cobb pushed his hands into Nightwing's chin turning his face towards him: "Who is your master?"
Nightwing just whimpered and tried to turn his head away. Cobb didn't let him, pushing his claws deeper into Nightwing's flesh. He raised his voice.
"Tell me, creature. Who owns you?"
Nightwing whimpered again. His eyes were still glassy as if he wasn't completely there.
"DIDN'T YOU DO ENOUGH? LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU FUCKING BASTARD", Wally screamed.
West was completely livid. He thrashed in the hold of the Talon that was restraining him ignoring his wounds. Jason had never seen West so angry. It was terrifying actually. The Talon had difficulty holding him down.
Cobb just smirked.
"I can do anything I want with it", he stomped onto Nightwing's injured hand.
Nightwing whimpered again, too weakened to react. Cobb looked at West his eyes glinting in a predatory manner. As if he was silently asking: "What can you do about it?"
West completely exploded. He shoved the Talon off and ran towards Cobb. So, quickly that lightning crackled around him in the air. West slammed into Cobb shoving him into a wall. Instead of stopping, he pummeled Cobb with his fists in pure rage.
"Control yourself", Batman's dark voice said, "Think about Nightwing."
West stopped. Cobb was already regenerating. In a few seconds, he would be up again. West hurried towards Nightwing falling to his knees next to him. He pulled him into a hug. The former assassin hid his face in the side of West's neck.
"Wing?", West stroked his back trying to get his attention.
But Nightwing stayed unresponsive not even reacting non-verbally. Cobb was twitching already standing up.
Jason had to get to his brother. The Talon weakened her grip on Jason. Jason made a show out of shoving her away. He fought the Talons holding Batman down first. His thigh throbbed painfully but the adrenaline helped him push it into the back of his mind. With Jason's help, the Dark Knight could free himself from the Talons.
The Talons were fighting more sloppily than usual. They still seemed shocked, looking at Nightwing's unresponsive form.
"Take him, Flash", Batman screamed.
Wally scooped Nightwing up. They ran. Not knowing where to. Just getting away.
"What the hell are you doing?", Cobb screamed, "Hunt them."
He was up again. Shit.
The Talons followed them. Led by an enraged Cobb. Jason felt himself slowing down. He looked at his thigh. A stain of blood was spreading there. And Kaldur was also struggling with carrying Deathstroke's still useless body as Connor had insisted on carrying M'Gann. They wouldn't keep this up long. They needed to gain some ground.
Jason took off his helmet. He threw it directly at Cobb and the pursuing Talons. It exploded into Cobb's face. It would probably be too optimistic to hope that it took off his head. But a guy could dream.
"Where are we going?", Artemis asked.
Her quiver was empty.
"To the freezing chamber", Batman said.
"We don't know where it is", Kaldur said.
Wally looked down at Nightwing who hadn't moved during the pursuit: "Wing?"
No reaction.
"I know it's hard, Babe. But we don't know where we have to go. You have to tell us where the freezing chamber is."
No reaction.
"Wing?"
No reaction.
Jason cursed: "He won't talk when he's like this. In any way. He has withdrawn. He only does it when it's really bad."
"Ms. Martian, can you look into his mind to get a layout from the maze?", Batman asked.
M'Gann bit her lip in pain from the knife but she nodded. Her eyes glowed green.
She looked sad when she was with them again: "I could do it. But he doesn't want me inside his mind. He's trying to push me out. And his mind is really fragile right now."
"Can you do it or can you not?", Batman said.
"I can but it would hurt him. I can't say to which extent."
"It's only information."
"It's information intertwined with trauma. Nightwing connects memories with this maze."
Batman seemed to hesitate. He looked at Nightwing's unmoving form.
"Focus", Batman said.
No reaction. Even Batman's command couldn't pull him out of it.
"We don't have time", Batman said, "Take it out of his mind."
"No", Jason stepped in front of Batman, "We're not hurting him anymore."
"We're all dying if we don't get to this freezing chamber", Batman said, "I don't like this either but we-"
Kaldur suddenly pulled out one of his waterbearers pointing a sword at a Talon in front of them. None of them had noticed them. The Talon tilted their head looking at the team. Silence. No one moved. Except for the Talon's left foot. A small twitch. Jason's eyes widened.
"She's not a threat", Jason said, "She helped me."
Kaldur nodded and put his waterbearer back.
The Talon walked closer to them. She watched Nightwing tilting her head to the other side.
"You love it", the Talon said in her monotone voice, "How?"
Jason bit his lip walking closer to the woman. She looked at him. Her gaze was less cloudy than before.
"He's a person", Jason said softly, "The best one I've ever known. We saved each other."
The woman didn't react.
"You are a person, too", Jason said.
Her claws twitched as if Jason's simple statement was distressing her.
"The others are close", she said, "They will tear you apart."
"We don't know where to go", Jason said, "We want to get to the freezer."
The woman shuddered at the mention of the room.
"Evil place."
"It is", Jason agreed.
"You tried to save Talons", she nodded jerkily at Slade, "From him. Why?"
"Because I don't want you to get hurt. I want to see you free."
The woman stared at Jason closely. He shuddered under her gaze. But he held eye contact with her.
"You are strange", she said, "Different."
"In a good or bad way?"
"Kind", she almost said the word like a question, as if she was trying to understand what it meant, "I don't want you dead."
Silence. Batman was getting impatient. He was glaring at Jason urging him to hurry up. Jason glared back. They were onto something. Jason could feel it. He trusted his intuition.
The woman turned towards Nightwing. Hesitantly, she reached out and stroked his hair. Her movements were robotic. She looked like she was trying to understand something.
"Freezing chamber", she mumbled to herself and walked through the hallway.
When they still stood there, she turned around tilting her head: "Follow."
The rest of the Team was hesitant.
But Jason looked at them: "We can trust her."
"Trust", the woman mumbled as if she was trying to understand what it meant.
They talked over the mindlink.
"Are you sure you aren't a Talon whisperer or something?", Connor asked.
"It's not that hard", Jason said, "You just have to be nice to them and treat them like people."
Jason hated that this approach was a novelty. The Talon reminded him so much of N when they had first met. The same confusion at basic kindness. The same off-putting intensity. The same need to help someone. There was hope for these Talons. The Team was not only fighting for itself – but also for them. Jason would make sure of that.
The Talon opened a metal door. Bruce stayed cautious of her. He marked the way towards the freezing chamber with slices of his Batarang into the wall. They would be able to find their way back if they needed to. Jason hadn't shown the best judgement tonight. But regarding her, he seemed to be correct. She nodded at them.
"Best luck", the Talon said, "I will blend in again. Master won't know who helped you. He can't tell us apart."
Bruce looked at the freezing chamber. It was filled with glass coffins. Some of them were occupied by Talons who were in stasis. The room was cold but thankfully Bruce's armor kept him warm.
"Thank you", Jason said, "You've saved our lives."
"Strange feeling", the woman muttered to herself leaving the room, "Not in a bad way."
She reminded Bruce of Dick. It made him feel worse about having killed these Talons all these years ago – seeing them as mindless creatures. There was hope for more Talons than for Dick. He wasn't the exception, but the rule.
"So, what are we doing?", Connor asked.
"Regrouping", Batman said, "Thinking of a better plan."
Wally looked down at Dick. He seemed exhausted from carrying him all this way. But Wally still held on. He set Dick down on the floor. All this time, Dick kept hiding his face in Wally's neck. His body had stopped jerking because of the cold. But his hands weren't completely healed. Some of his fingertips had almost regenerated. Others were nasty, open wounds. And there were still red lines over his throat where the wire had dug in.
Wally was trying to coax Dick out of his state by gently talking to him: "Can you hear me? Come on. Just show me your face. You are starting to scare me."
He kissed the top of Dick's head. No reaction. Wally grew more desperate. He continued his ramblings. Bruce blocked them out.
Instead, he focused on M'Gann. The knife was still stuck in her shoulder. She needed medical attention soon. There was nothing they could do at the moment except keeping the knife in and making sure she stayed conscious. Jason's thigh was bleeding. He didn't even seem to notice too focused on Dick.
Bruce bandaged Jason's leg despite the other's protest.
"I don't want you to bleed out", Bruce said deciding the matter.
He indicated Kaldur to come closer and gave him a piece of his cape: "Press this on his leg to lessen the bleeding."
Kaldur nodded.
"I can do this myself", Jason crossed his arms.
Kaldur stayed calm: "I know, my friend. But I would like to help you."
Jason couldn't refuse. He let Kaldur take care of the wound.
Bruce tried not to panic at the idea that he was stuck in an underground-freezer with a group of almost-teenagers – who he was responsible for – and a mercenary. He had to devise a plan. The freezer would keep the Talons away for a bit. But they couldn't stay here forever.
He needed to call the League. A covert team hadn't been enough. They hadn't been covert by the second they stepped into the maze. But Bruce had hesitated in calling in the League. Cobb was working with the Light. He must have a plan to take the League down. He probably had some Kryptonite stored away, courtesy of his master Lex Luthor. But this possibility didn't matter at this point. Their situation was dire enough.
The communicator had no reception down here. Bruce forced himself to take a few calming breaths. Think. There was something that they needed to be able to exploit. They wouldn't be able to get Cobb into the freezer. It was almost impossible to keep him down for long enough to move him. And he was too smart to lure in.
"Superboy", Batman pointed at the backwall, "Can you hear something behind it?"
The clone stood up reluctantly letting go off M'Gann. Artemis took over for him cradling M'Gann's head in her lap and mumbling to her. Connor put his ear to the frozen wall. He listened for a while.
"Water", Connor said, "Very faint. The wall must be thick."
Batman watched it closely. There were scratches under the sheen of ice. They hadn't been the first ones to try to escape from here. But the walls apparently were thick enough to keep a desperate Talon in. All of the walls in the Court must be strong.
"We'll get to the sewers once we've broken through this wall", Bruce said.
"You want me to punch through it?"
Bruce looked at M'Gann: "Can you faze through it?"
The Martian looked paler than usual. Her hands were shaking. But she was holding on. Bruce would never say it, but he would always be amazed by the courage of this team.
"I could", she said, "Without the knife."
"NO", Connor balled his fists.
Bruce had to agree with him. Pulling out the knife would be too much of a risk. It could very well kill M'Gann. And they didn't even know if she could make it over ground while losing all this blood. Too many factors depending on luck.
So, Batman said: "Punching is our only option. Aqualad can help."
"They'll hear us", Kaldur said, "They'll be coming."
"That's why we'll have to be quick", Batman said, "The rest will defend the door."
Connor nodded and started to punch. He hissed when the wall barely made a dent. But desperation kept Connor going. Kaldur joined him. They each took a turn. Recuperating while the other worked.
The noise was loud enough to make even Dick flinch. Bruce was glad to see a reaction from him. He wasn't completely absent. Dick still kept his face hidden in Wally's neck though. Wally seemed to be at the end of his rope after minutes of trying to reach Dick. Jason tried to coax Dick out of it, too. None of them succeeded.
Steps hurried towards the door.
"They are coming", Connor said.
Artemis and Jason stood up readying themselves for a fight. Wally was still comforting Dick. Bruce hated to pull the speedster away, but he was needed.
"Flash", Batman said warningly, "We need everyone who can still fight."
Wally ruffled Dick's hair:"I'm not going away, Wing. I'm coming back."
He tried to stand up, but Dick made a desperate noise and clutched Wally's costume with his injured fingers. Sobs shook his body. Wally stopped struggling, looking up at Bruce helplessly.
The door opened and a clawed hand peaked through the gap.
"Shit", Jason flung himself against the door making the Talon snarl as their hand was squashed.
The Talon still pushed, and Jason could barely hold on.
Artemis looked around for a weapon. She ripped Deathstroke's bloody katana from his back and sliced the Talon's hand off. The Talon yelped in pain pulling back. Jason closed the door. Artemis pushed against it, too.
"I can help", Kaldur was panting, exerted from hitting the wall.
They had made a small dent.
Kaldur collected the liquid water from the room and pushed it against the door. It froze in a matter of seconds closing the door off for now. They had won some time.
A groan ripped Bruce out of his thoughts. Deathstroke looked around the room. He was still restrained.
"Whose idea was it to bring us into a fucking freezer?", Slade asked.
Bruce ignored him.
"Don't you want to untie me?", Deathstroke asked.
"So that you can betray us again?", Jason said, "I don't think so."
Bruce silently agreed with him. Slade could help them punch a hole into the wall, but he was too much of a loose cannon to risk freeing him.
"Punch ourselves out?", Slade chuckled, "That's your brilliant plan? I would have expected more finesse from you heroes."
Bruce ignored Slade's taunts looking at the door. Until now, the freezer had worked as a stronghold to defend. But it was only a question of time until the Talons would get in. They would be slowed down by the cold, but they were still dangerous.
Bruce took one of the coffins ripping off the wires it was connected to. He barricaded the door with it. Artemis and Jason took the hint carrying another coffin together. Jason was in visible pain, clenching his mouth. The bandage around his thigh was stained with blood.
Slade looked at Dick: "What's going on with the kid?"
"He's been like this since-", Wally broke off looking at Dick's declawed hands.
"I've only seen him like this once", Bruce said, "After his parents died."
"And what did you do?", Wally asked.
"I took care of him."
"Did it help?"
"He became more aware", Bruce became uncomfortable.
"Then, what are you waiting for, old man?", Jason paced through the room in reckless impatience, "Snap him out of it. We need him."
Bruce felt like a rock was stuck in his throat. The people in the room stared at him expectantly. He couldn't do it. He couldn't comfort someone in front of so many people. He couldn't show this kind of vulnerability. He had done it as Bruce Wayne in front of the circus tent. But not as Batman.
"Move it, old man", Jason became more demanding.
"Yes, Batman", Bruce could hear Slade's smirk, "Move it."
Bruce felt like a robot when he approached Dick. Why did this whole operation hinge on Bruce's emotional skills? It was the only field where he would admit to being horrible at.
Bruce crouched next to Dick and Wally.
"Give him to me", Bruce said to Wally and cringed when he noticed that he had talked about Dick as if he was a pickle jar that Wally needed help opening.
Wally tried to push Dick into Bruce's direction. But Dick snarled and clung even tighter to Wally. If he still had his claws, he would have probably pushed them into Wally's costume and hung on to him like a cat. Wally looked helplessly at Bruce.
Bruce put his hand on the back of Dick's neck. Dick tensed at first, but he leaned into Bruce's touch after a while.
"I'm here", Bruce simply said.
He felt like the female Talon who had struggled with expressing emotion. Ignoring the fact that the Talon had the excuse of being a brainwashed child soldier.
"You can come to me", Bruce bit his lip considering his next word.
It was time. Maybe Bruce would never have the opportunity to tell Dick if he didn't do it now.
"Son", he added quietly.
The word seemed to have a magic effect on Dick. He looked up at Bruce his gaze still clouded. Then, he lunged himself at Bruce like he had done so often before. Bruce wrapped him into a hug. His chest felt lighter suddenly. He had meant it. And he was glad that he had said it even if it had been hard.
The last months with Dick and Jason had been amazing despite the hardships they had gone through. Bruce loved them and he wanted to keep them around. Jason had challenged Bruce and often made him almost tear his hair out. But he was a great student and a great person who would do anything for the people he loved. And Dick had lighted Bruce's life up with his empathy and kindness. He forced Bruce out of his emotional comfort zone and made him relearn how to take care of someone. An ability that Batman had long been missing.
Bruce loved these boys. They were his sons in anything but blood. And blood didn't count for anything. One look at what Cobb had done to Dick confirmed that.
"Dad", Dick mumbled.
And Batman smiled pulling his son closer.
Dick finally looked up at Bruce. The awareness had returned into his eyes. But he was moving slowly from the cold. Dick showed Bruce his hands. Both of them were coated in blood. The right hand was almost healed but had stopped because of the cold. The left hand was still bleeding. Dick's left pinkie had it the worst. It had been the last finger Cobb had declawed. Half of it was missing and blood was running down from it. Dick's hands shook. He made a pained noise staring at his fingers in horror. It was almost unbearable to look at.
"Look at me", Bruce said.
And Dick did.
"We can fix this", Bruce mirrored Jason's words and pulled out a bandage.
He wrapped Dick's hands. It wouldn't do much but at least Dick wouldn't have to look at his declawed hands.
Dick shook his head: "Gone."
He must mean his claws.
"I've seen you fight in the last months", Bruce said, "You don't need them."
Dick still looked at his hands in horror as the blood soaked through the bandages.
Bruce took a deep breath. Then, he decided on an approach that would definitely work if not be a bit manipulative. There was no greater hero for Dick than Batman.
"I don't have claws and I can still be Batman."
Dick tilted his head taking one of Bruce's hands as if to verify his statement. He took off Bruce's glove and looked at his calloused hand.
"Batman not need", Dick said, "But what if Nightwing do?"
"But Nightwing learned to fight without claws."
Dick bit his lip: "Talons have claws."
"And you aren't Talon anymore."
Dick frowned thinking about Bruce's logic.
A loud thud echoed through the room. Another. And another. The ice, that Kaldur had used to seal the door, cracked. But it held for now. Another thud filled the room. And another.
Kaldur and Connor accelerated their own efforts. The dent took painfully long to grow.
Jason took Slade's katana and tried to slice the wall open. But nothing happened.
"Built against claws", Dick said, "Not help."
Jason continued pacing through the clutching Slade's katana: "I know. I just want to destroy something."
"Can we explode it?", Artemis asked as another thud echoed through the room.
"Too dangerous", Batman said, "The sound of the explosion alone could permanently damage your hearing. And that would be the least of our problems."
"Supersoldier, here", Slade said, "We would be quicker if I could hit the steel wall, too."
"No", Batman said.
Jason held the katana into Slade's face: "How about you shut up."
Slade rolled his single eye.
"I think we could get through", Kaldur said, "If we had more time."
"Well, we don't", Jason paced more quickly.
"Nightwing could get us more time", Slade said.
Jason almost exploded at Slade. But Bruce held him back with a glare.
"Remember what I told you, Little Bird? The reason I didn't kill you?", Slade looked at Dick.
Dick pulled his knees to his chest.
"You know how Cobb works", Slade said, "You have leverage over him. Time to use it."
"Not know how", Dick mumbled.
"You are a not completely useless. You'll figure it out."
"Shut the fuck up, Slade", Jason glared at the mercenary, "We're not throwing Nightwing out like some sheep."
"He's not a sheep", Slade said, "He's a killer."
Nightwing looked up tilting his head. Slade met his gaze nodding towards the door.
He signed towards Nightwing. Bruce couldn't see it from this angle. He was more occupied with securing the door than seeing what Slade signed. But it made Nightwing perk up.
Another thud. The ice on the door cracked as the door was flung open. The coffins still held it back. Bruce could see dozens of Talons through the gap and Cobb behind them as their watcher. He raised his fists expecting the Talons to get through any moment now.
The dent in the backwall had grown a bit deeper. But nowhere near as deep as they needed. Connor and Kaldur hit against it with newfound determination.
Dick nodded at Slade. He stood up still cradling his hands, moving slowly but deliberately.
"What are you doing?", Jason asked.
Dick climbed over the coffins and reached the door. He snarled at the Talons that still flung themselves against the door. They halted probably surprised by Dick's appearance. Cobb frowned. This hadn't been part of his plan.
"Cobb", Dick was quiet, but determined, "Talk. Now."
AN: Your inner badass is showing, Nightwing.