The Emperor's Talon

Chapter 5: They Fly in Light and Hide in Darkness

Richard looked from Batman to Alfred. He felt as though they were arguing over his fate while simultaneously ignoring his presence. He had been in that situation many times before; once when the Court of Owls negotiated handing him over to Emperor Palpatine and many times again when the Emperor and Darth Vader decided what his next missions would be or how else to break him. Richard knew he was a weapon. He knew people used him to do their dirty work. But he had some semblance of pride left. He was not so submissive and broken in as some people believed.

So he spoke up. Because Batman and Alfred weren't his masters. "I'm standing right here," he pointed out. He was being cheeky. But he was also hurt to hear how much Batman still thought of him as nothing more than a dangerous weapon after he had just saved his life. Richard had chosen not to kill the troopers at Batman's request to prove to him that he wasn't the nightmare of legends. He was much more than that. Batman turned back to him as if he had just realized that Richard was still standing there. The Talon wouldn't have folded his arms over his chest like an unimpressed child, but Richard did it anyways.

The unspoken question hanging in the air was so what happens now?

Alfred broke the silence. "Sirs. May I suggest that you retire and get some much-needed rest? It's late or rather extremely early and you have been out all night getting shot, hunted, and who knows what else. I believe Master Richard should spend the night here, with your permission." He turned to Batman who nodded once.

"Very well Alfred," said Batman. Turning to Richard he added, "you will stay here in the cave. You may rest in the cot in the med-bay if you're tired or you may train on the equipment. You may not leave the cave or use the computers. I'll know instantly if you do. Am I understood?"

Richard fought the urge to role his eyes at Batman and point out that he could leave whenever he wanted to because, after all, he was trained by the best in the art of stealth. However, the Talon part of his brain answered instead as he had conditioned himself. "Yes sir."

"Good. I'll be back soon. And we shall continue to discuss your future."

Richard flinched. In Gotham, Batman was law. He was the unquestioned dictator. Just like the Emperor was the law of the Empire and Darth Vader was the master of the Talon. The Court of Owls had been the governor of Richard's childhood. They all tried to lord over him. But what was Richard the ruler of if not his own fate?

Richard didn't say anything as he watched Batman retreat up the stairs. I'm free now he thought; no one can hold me back. I will be what I chose to be, with not even the Force as master of my fate. Richard Grayson will fly again.

He made this silent vow knowing that if the Emperor or Dart Vader knew about it, they would return to their prosses of tearing him apart because they had seen he had not broken to their will yet. Other beings they would simply execute and replace with someone willing to do everything requested of them. But Richard had died once already. And then many times again in spirit. So, they didn't kill him like the others. Instead, they tried again and again to break him.

Every time they broke him, Richard lost a little piece of himself. It was the fear of losing himself completely that had driven him to escape. What light inside him that survived started to dwindle. The pieces of him that made him Richard Grayson shattered one by one. Yes, only pieces of him survived the trials intended to bread him. But every time they broke his spirit or killed the light inside him, some of it was reborn. Those pieces, the ones that emerged like a phoenix from the fire, made Richard everything he was. More than a weapon. More than a soldier. More than a boy. He was hope.

Because it took hope not to lose himself to pain. It took hope to hide that he hadn't broken. It took hope to run away. And it took hope to start a new life; to believe that he could be something other than what life had set out for him. Richard understood better than anyone that we are what we choose to be; not the role the past says we should play.

So after Batman left, he dropped the knives and his armor on the floor. It made a satisfying clattering noise that echoed through the cave. The Talon was dead. Batman may not believe it. No one may ever believe it (except maybe Alfred) but that didn't matter to Richard. Because he had chosen this. His last kill to escape from the life that was chosen for him was to murder the Talon that had consumed Richard Grayson.

Upstairs in the house, Alfred got Bruce Wayne ready for another day in Gotham's bustling business district. For a former Jedi Knight sworn renounce possessions, Bruce had certainly risen swiftly up the corporate ladder thanks to his father's company. Most former Jedi were either dead or in seclusion. But Bruce had chosen to hide in plain sight. Brilliant really.

Right now, they were having a heated debate on the future of the boy Talon down in the Batcave. Alfred cleared the plates from the table while looking Bruce directly in the eye.

"Sir, the boy needs guidance not a cage," he insisted.

"I gave him the run of the Batcave! What more do you want from me?" demanded Bruce.

Alfred didn't flinch or back down from the tone of voice that addressed him. "Look to the Force to guide you as you once did. There is more to the Force than moving things with your mind or guiding your strikes in battle."

"Look to the Force," spat Bruce. "The Force didn't tell me that my Master would did before my eyes on Felucia. The Force couldn't stop the pain when I lost him. The Force didn't help me save the parents of that little boy on Tyth. He and I watched together as General Grievous threw them out of the refuge's ship. We watched them fall to their deaths; murdered when they were so close to salvation. Where was the Force in all of that? WHERE!"

The old man looked a hundred years older in a second. "I'm sure I can't answer that sir. But I might be forgiven for pointing out that, even after the Clone Wars and Order 66, you chose to follow the light. You hide within the shadows as the Dark Knight, but the dark side hasn't consumed you. Yet." Alfred turned away then. "I fear perhaps some-day it will. That you will let it."

Somehow Bruce didn't think I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman. was the best response. No, he was going to have this conversation whether he liked it or not. He was teetering on the edge of the dark side and he knew it. He had known it for a while now. Sometimes it scared him. Sometimes he embraced it. But, "what does that have to do with the boy?"

"It has to do with the boy because Richard was trained as a child assassin. He was raised in the ways of the dark side, yet he fights it with more vigor and hope than many Jedi I have known. You could teach him how to be a hero rather than a weapon and he can teach you to see the light. To hope," answered Alfred.

"I'm late for work. See you tonight Alfred."

"Have a nice day sir."

Batman towered over the boy. He had finally convinced himself that there was a certain "problem" down in his cave that needed to be resolved ASAP. He couldn't believe what he was preparing to do. Neither could he quite make himself believe that the boy had remained put as instructed and hadn't tampered with the computers. Leaving the kid in the Batcave alone had been a test. He was surprised the boy had passed.

"Where is your armor?" he demanded.

Richard cocked his head like a bird. Batman could almost see the cogs of his mind turning and calculating in those deep ocean eyes. "That was the armor of the Talon. I am not the Talon."

"Then what are you?"

The boy seemed to think for a moment. "I haven't decided yet. Mostly I'm Richard, the last Flying Grayson."

Batman tried not to flinch upon hearing the name Flying Graysons, because they fell. He watched them fall. And afterwards he held a screaming five-year-old in his arms. "So, you're just Richard," he said aloud.

"My parents called me Dick. No one has called me that in a long time. Perhaps that's who I should be. Dick Grayson was happy. I want to be happy."

"Dick? Thant's unfortunate." Bruce couldn't resist. It wasn't the sophisticated of names.

Richard or rather Dick cocked his head again. "So is getting caught in an energy net and almost getting executed by dim-witted Storm Troopers."

Alfred almost snorted a laugh. It came out as a strangled cough. Batman turned his head to look at the old man, who was doing an Oscar worthy performance of hiding his smile. Never the less, amusement radiated off him through the Force that was much harder to suppress.

"Well Dick Grayson, let us begin your training. If you are going to leave this cave, I will teach you how to fight without being a killer. I will teach you to be a hero or the people and a thorn of the Empire. Now, take your beginning position," instructed Batman.

Dick took up a defensive position on the mats and they began to spar.