Who Guards the Guardians
Chapter One
April 10th, 2010
Gotham City, USA
Miagani Island, Grand Avenue
Amidst this mass of skyscrapers populating Gotham City laid a rundown apartment building, its foundations barely holding together under the weight of gravity. On its roof was a single male in his late teens, his head dipped back and gaze firmly shut behind a wall of darkness.
Gotham City's skyline is one of the most breathtaking sights in North America. The horizon is sprinkled with soaring skyscrapers and brightly lit spotlights crisscrossing the skies above.
What historically started as a city of exiles and huddled masses quickly transformed into a significant cultural melting pot containing over 14 million people. It should have been a beautiful place for families to live out their lives in peace, but that was not luxury afforded to the teeming masses who resided here.
His father labeled Gotham City as a cesspool driven by insanity, corruption, and every sin humanity empowered. He wasn't wrong, the classification was entirely accurate, and the cities very existence marred every principle the League of Shadows abided by.
But he was not his father, nor would the great Ra's Al Ghul tolerate his flesh and bloods treachery. That didn't stop the lessons that were imparted upon his psyche from reverberating to the front of his mind.
"The League of Shadows has been a check against human corruption for thousands of years. We sacked Rome when its indulgence became infectious to the continent; we loaded trade ships with plague rats when the decadent populations became unfeasible. Every time a civilization has reached the pinnacle of its decadence, we return to restore the balance. That is what we fight, Davian. We exist solely to eliminate criminality and malevolence from this world, and the costs will never be too high."
"I understand." Two emerald orbs regarded the heir to the demon with a cool expression.
"If you are to be my heir, then you must first master your fears, your insecurities. Are you ready to begin?"
"Yes, Father."
Davian snorted in barely held contempt, palming a dagger that was the last gift from his sister before his untimely departure. Nyssa disagreed with his exodus, but he was no longer willing to play along with his father's machinations.
The anger, the hate, the complete disregard for human life, Davian was tired of it all, so he got out. His only regret was that he couldn't convince Nyssa nor Talia to depart with him; they still faith in the League of Shadow's purpose.
They still believed in his father's ambitions.
It has been nearly three days since he stowed away on a cargo ship carrying weapons, personnel, and supplies to a Shadows outpost in mainland North America. Davian's exodus was more complicated than he'd imagined. Gaining entry into the freighter wasn't difficult; trying to explain his presence on the merchant ship to Talia was the hard part.
"Davian." Shoulder-length raven hair flowed with the high sea winds, covering the left side of his sister's gentle face. Her soft bright green eyes reflected the influences of the Lazarus Pit that continued to rejuvenate her and his father when death came calling.
"Talia," Crimson eyes flashed brightly. She did not come with her sword in hand, an oddity that never happened while they resided on Infinity Island. Talia was always the most observant of the trio, and she no doubt caught on to his plans with little more than a glance in his direction.
"Your leaving," Talia's gaze turned towards the duffel bag lying at his feet. Sorrow was plain for his ears to hear, even over the Atlantic Oceans crashing waves.
"Yes."
"Does Nyssa know?" A hail mary attempt by his sister to make him reconsider, of the two, Nyssa was the closest to him. They trained in the arts of warfare, learned about the sins of humanity, and endured Ra's Al Ghul's expectations together.
And yet, he was leaving regardless.
"No, she does not," Davian admitted without a hint of deception.
"Good," Talia drew a dagger, hurling it with barely a flick of her wrist. He snatched the blade a few inches from his chest, observing the memory stick hanging from its handle. " Nyssa and Father will search for you, if not out of love then out of a desire to protect our reputation."
"You and I both know he loves himself above all else," Talia did not disagree with his statement as vigorously as he was used to.
"You are his son, Davian, and I am your sister. Even if you don't believe in him, then believe in me." It hurt to see her so despondent; it killed him more that he was the reason for it.
"I do believe in you, Talia, but I refuse to be a pawn in his games. Our father is driven by an outdated tradition, and an outdated belief that he believes is the only way for humanity to evolve."
"It is." Davian gave her a narrowed glare.
"You don't believe that." It was an aged old argument, one that neither of them were willing to capitulate. Talia did not fight him that night because, deep down, this may be the last time they would meet without crossing blades.
"What's on the drive?" Davian separated the memory stick from the dagger, holding it in between his index finger and thumb.
"Everything you need for a headstart." His expression lowered a smidge.
"You knew this day would come, didn't you." Nothing ever escaped her notice.
"I knew the moment you questioned our father's actions in Bialya. You disagreed with the implementation of Queen Bee's rule within moments of her ascension. Even after you feigned understanding to our father after your punishment, I knew your heart was not in our cause." That argument was nearly a year ago when he was beginning to realize the direction his path was leading him.
"You never said anything to him. Why?" Her expression fell on the wayside.
"I had no desire to see you forced into that prison again," Talia conceded. "Father believed you would come out of that hell a better man, but he didn't realize all it did was expose you to the league's faults. All it did was make you hate him more."
A shudder of fear crawled up his spine as he recalled 'the Pit.' It was a prison located in the ancient part of the world, obtaining such a fearsome reputation that it became known as "the worst Hell on Earth." It was a miracle Davian survived that hellhole when he was barely entering his teens.
"So what now?" An apt question, one Talia considered heavily.
"You go to Gotham; this cargo ship is dropping off a shipment of gear for our followers in the region. If you can make it to the city without anyone noticing, follow those coordinates. Someone will find you there."
"Bruce?" Talia nodded in affirmation.
"Yes, I confided in private to my beloved of your transgressions, and he is willing to give you a new path. All you need to do is survive long enough to reach it." His sister attempted to reach out to him, but distance and the cargo freighter's departure horn interrupted her.
Talia's face hardened, eyes turning into pure stone as the siblings stared at one another with guarded expressions. Their discussion was coming to an end, and Davian made one final desperate attempt to convince her to leave with him.
She didn't take it.
"The next time we meet, brother, it may not be as pleasant." He believed her, and that hurt above all else.
"I know." Davian reached down, sheathing the dagger and snagging his duffel bag in one fluid motion. "Goodbye Talia, I-"
By the time he looked up, she was gone, disappeared into the familiar blackness of Infinity Island. A piece of him hoped that the next time they met, his father would be long dead. A dream that more than likely would never come to pass, Davian stared into the abyss, unaware if Talia could hear his parting words.
"Goodbye, I love you. Both of you."
As the memory passed into darkness, Davian's eyes shot open. His crimson gaze regarded the city skyline with a passive expression. As beautiful as the view was, he wasn't here to partake in sightseeing.
He'd nearly fallen into a listless slumber when his trained eyes caught sight of a passing shadow in the heavens. A significant weight settled on the roof behind Davian, and finally, his patience had been rewarded.
"Davian?" The Gotham vigilante questioned. It was instinct alone that made the Al Ghul glance in all directions in the escape routes available if things went south.
"Bruce," Davian replied. "Heard you gained an apprentice a few months back; hope he's as good as he needs to be."
"Not here to discuss my protégé." Batman settled in a chair to his right, gaze never leaving the son of Ra's Al Ghul. "I'm here to talk about you."
Davian and Bruce had an odd relationship since the Gotham native visited Nanda Parbat seeking the wisdom of Kirigi in his crusade to understand the criminal fraternities. It was there that Talia met the Dark Knight in his earliest inception. The bond the pair formed eventually convinced his sister to invite Bruce to Infinity Island to complete his training.
Ra's had taken to the man with a fervor that Davian had never seen before in his adolescent life. His father trained Bruce in the League of Shadows' way of combat, unknowingly molding his future adversary into the man he is today.
It was on that cold night ten years ago where Batman was officially established. Davian remembered the heated conversation between Bruce and Ra's even as Talia looked on in muted horror.
His father demanded that Bruce take his final step in his ascension by executing a man accused of murdering his neighbor. The Dark Knight adamantly refused.
"I'm no executioner." He remembered that fury that lit in his father's eyes, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"Your compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share." Maybe Bruce was the spark that led Davian to resist his father's ambitions, but in the end, it mattered not.
"That's why it's so important. It separates us from them."
Davian couldn't help the chuckle as he recalled the outrage in his father's face as Bruce faced down a room full of bloodthirsty killers. He admired the man's defiance in the face of overwhelming odds, and it was a treat to watch him burn the temple to the ground even if Talia was torn between her loyalty to her father and her love for Bruce.
In the end, she chose Ra's over Bruce, just like Davian.
"Todays the anniversary, you know." Davian began. "On this day ten years ago, you burned down the temple. That was a good day."
"Not for your father."
"Why do you think it was such a good day for me?" Bruce snorted in amusement before he returned to the subject at hand.
"What do you want out of this, Davian?"
"A new start," The Al Ghul replied. "One not dictated by the ambitions of a wanton madman, and I will burn every scheme, every outpost, every aspiration my father wishes to inflict upon this world."
The tone, the passion, pervading from his very frame left Bruce with no doubt in his mind of Davian's will to wage a one-man war against his father. But he had little desire to watch potential waste away directionless and without proper oversight.
"I'll make this clear then for both of us. I am willing to offer you a path, but this will require complete conformity to my way of operating. I don't need you going off-kilter in your desire to see Ra's put to the cross, so to speak." Bruce would not tolerate a rogue element.
Davian thought long and hard. In retrospect, he was trading one leash for another, and he knew that. He knew with absolution that Bruce would keep him on a tight leash no matter what.
Of all the potential candidates willing to step into the light and fight the darkness, Davian was the most dangerous of them all.
Not by power or strength but by circumstance. Davian's blood would allow him to command one of the most potent factions in the world, and they would be at his beck and call.
Bruce was taking a risk, but he'd lived an entire life based on that word alone. So one more wouldn't break his back too much.
"Are you in?" An apt question, one that was easy to answer.
"When do we start?"
This is a story I just kind of wrote on accident while doing my primary Halo/Cyberpunk fic. When a friend of mine inquired of this fic, I almost left it in a folder to basically be forgotten for a later date. He convinced me to at the very least post it as a single chapter for now so, here it is.
I won't promise to update this fic as much as the other, we'll just see how this goes. The title is also subject to change at a later date.
As always I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and remember to review to your heart's content.