The Emperor's Talon
Chapter 18: No Other Option
The school's security team and the GCPD response force stopped firing when it became clear that the Bounty Hunter was out of range. Jim Gordon stood dumbfounded at the blown out window as he watched Deathstroke drive away with his daughter. "NO!" he screamed. He slammed his fist against the wall beside the window several times.
"Sir?!" called a strong voice with a heavy accent.
Gordon whirled on Chief O'Hara, "I want every available man tracking down the kidnapper. Sargant Panaka, call up the Storm Trooper garrison and get their useless white butts moving. Let go people!"
The GCPD sprang into action once again. Several cop-speeders began streaking towards the bounty hunter's trajectory into Gotham's sky traffic lanes. Others were on com-links and requesting the Storm Trooper's involvement. And still others began taping off the hallway as a crime scene. The school's security force was already in motion and ushering students and teachers out of the class rooms. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon stood frozen in the middle of the hall staring blankly at the charred remains of the lockers.
"We're working on the kidnapper's location, sir," said O'Hara, "we traced 'im as far as Crime Alley before 'e engaged some new-fangled cloaking device on his speeder."
"Keep working on it chief," ordered Gordon, "don't stop until Barbra's back where she belongs."
"The kidnapper's name is Slade Wilson, otherwise known as Deathstroke," said Dick from the corner. One of the MD's of initial response team was quietly dabbing at a deep gash in his arm. "He said he needed Barb's help with something."
Gordon and O'Hara turned around as they came to the realization that they had forgotten that Dick had been there when Barbra was taken. Gordon felt like he had forgotten how a police commissioner was supposed to act as soon as Barbra was taken. He had been trying to act professional, but he knew that the second he had a chance, he would break down into a hysterical parent. Seeing Dick sitting there- baring the scars of the encounter- reminded him that there was more to his job than running around like a chicken with its head cut off demanding that someone bring back his daughter. But as soon as those thoughts crossed his mind, fear for his daughter returned. This boy had seen everything; surely Dick would have some information that would help him find Barbra.
With these new thoughts in mind, Gordon strode over to the corner and gripped the boy by the shoulders. "Dick, can you tell us what happened? Remember everything you can; it might help us find Barbra!"
"The man was a bounty hunter. He said something about needing Barbra's help. He said that one of us was coming with him; he didn't care how, and he didn't care who," answered Dick.
"How'd ya know 'is name was Deathstroke and that 'e's a bounty 'unter?" demanded O'Hara.
"Because he said so," snapped Dick.
"Good enough for me," said O'Hara holding his hands up defensively.
Gordon gave the police chief a wild and displeased look for interrupting the interrogation. "Dick please, try to think…where would he be taking her? Why dose he need her? Did he hurt her? Was she badly injured in the explosion? Oh, god! I can't…" His hands were shaking as he continued to hold Dick by the shoulders.
"She wasn't hurt in the explosion. Stunned: but I don't think she was badly injured," answered Dick.
"Why did he take her?! Where did he take my little girl?!" Gordon had almost lost control of his voice. Desperation, worry, and grief had all but taken over his senses.
"I don't know sir," Dick answered honestly.
Gordon didn't register the honest pain in the blue eyes staring at him. He gripped Dick's arms tighter. "Where did he taker her?!" he cried.
"I don't know!" screamed Dick in the hopes of getting through to the man. It did no good.
"Why would he take her? Why would he take my Barbara?!" Gordon barely registered the near teary-eyed boy in front of him or the blood seeping through his fingers or the medic trying gently but firmly the pry his hands off of Dick's biceps. "He should have taken someone else!" he cried.
"I know. I wish he took me instead!" cried Dick.
"Commissioner let go!" shouted the medic, "You're hurting the boy!"
"Jim, we're going to find her, but you 'ave to keep your 'ead on straight, see? Barbra's gonna be all good, if 'er father just does 'is job to find 'er," O'Hara called from behind him. The burly Scott took hold of his boss's shoulders and began to tug him away.
"Let go of me, chief! What do you think you're doing?!" demanded Gordon.
At that moment, a figure clad all in black blocked out the sun streaming through the broken window. It landed sure footed on the tiled floor accompanied by the sound of crushing glass under heavy boots. The figure stood tall- silhouette in a black cape- and commanding everyone's full attention. O'Hara and the medic let their mouths fall open slightly.
Batman strode over to the commissioner. "Get ahold of yourself, Gordon. Barbra needs you to be strong. Take charge and find your daughter."
"How did you…?" Gordon began. To say he was shocked to see the Batman- his occasional source of information and secret part-time associate- would be an understatement.
"I'm Batman," came the inevitable response.
Gordon pointed to Dick. "He was there when she was taken; he must know something!"
"He's a kid!" snapped the medic, "he's told you everything he can!"
"He can talk for himself!" put in Dick.
Barman turned to Dick. "What did you see?"
"Deastroke came for Barbra. He said he needed her help with something," answered Dick.
Batman turned back to the commissioner. "Gordon, your daughter has been taken by a bounty hunter who I recently learned has taken up residence somewhere in Crime Alley. I suggest you start there for clues. And another pointer, all cloaking device have an electro-magnetic signature. Have your men start scanning for one."
Having somewhat recovered his senses, Gordon turned to O'Hara. "Take a squad to Crime Alley and start looking for the bounty hunter's HQ. And get the computer analysts working on finding the speeder's electro-magnetic signature."
O'Hara looked dubious. "Hey, Comish', aren't we supposed to be helping the Empire arrest Batman? Why are we taking orders from 'im?"
"Because his ideas are the best we've got! Now get moving!"
O'Hara didn't look any more convinced, but did as he was told.
"Deathstroke must have taken her for a reason," mused Batman, "I think it would be wise to take the kid into protective custody."
"Yeah," Gordon looked bac towards the corner, "I'm sorry I was so hard on you kid. I don't…I didn't…"
"It's alright, sir," said Dick, "I understand."
"He'll be alright," said the medic, "just needs some rest and someone to hold him. After the shock wears off, he should be kept under observation for PTSD. But just to be on the safe side, I'll call Gotham General Kids and-"
"No," interrupted Batman, "we don't know that Deathstroke won't be back for him. I'm stashing his someplace safe until this is over."
"Do it," encouraged Gordon.
"Are you insane?!" screamed the medic, "we can't hand a kid over to a man wanted by the Empire for god knows what!"
"Neither of you have a choice," growled the Bat, "there isn't time for negotiation." He turned to Dick, "Richard Grayson-Wayne, come with me."
Dick rose from the corner and strode over to his mentor and guardian. Batman wrapped one strong arm around him, and before anyone could stop them, they flew out into the city. Dick wrapped his arms securely around Batman's neck. He felt safe swinging through the air with his mentor. And he felt guilty for being safe when Barbra had been taken by Deathsroke. Gordon was right, it should have been him. Moment's later, they were sitting in the Batmobile which had been parked about a block away.
"Are you ok?" asked Batman's gruff voice.
Dick was stunned. He'd expected some sort of lecture for letting Barbra be taken. That's what all of his other trainers would have done. "I'm fine."
"Really?" It didn't sound like Batman was convinced.
"Yeah. It's Barb I'm worried about."
"You blame yourself for not being about to protect her."
Again, Batman surprised him. "Yeah. I do," Dick admitted, "I've failed people before, but…it's selfish really, but it hurts more because it was Barbra. I care about people, but she cares about me too."
Batman grunted. "I know that all too well. Be careful with your heart, Dick Grayson, you have a good one. Don't let it betray you."
"But…"
Rather than continuing down that path, Batman interrupted. "Deathstroke is probably planning to use Barbra as some kind of bait to trap us."
"That was my evaluation as well," said Dick. They were going into business mode now. He could do that. "It's a trap I don't see a way out of walking into."
"I agree. We'll be back at the Batcave soon. Get ready to gear-up. I have a feeling we won't have to wait too long before we learn what Deathstroke and Fett are up to." Batman punched the accelerator.
"I hope not," said Dick, "I owe Slade one major ass-kicking."
A sly smile graced the Bat's features. "So now you're dealing in revenge?"
"No, I'm dealing in Justice," retorted Dick. He lowered his voice, "I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!"
"Not yet," Batman deadpanned.
Somewhere in the Wayne Enterprises Skyscraper:
Boba Fett watched with amusement as a somewhat beat up Deathstroke sauntered into the dark office and deposited Barbra Gordon on the floor. "Got the last piece of step one," Slade stated.
"She's a 13-year-old girl. I'd think you incapable if you failed." Boba almost laughed outright at the irony.
For his part, Slade was indignant. His pride got in the way of any kind of a retort, so he changed the subject instead. "Are the charges and hostages set for phase two?"
Boba spun his blaster through his fingers. "Like you even had to ask."
"Excellent," Slade strode over to the door, "let's let they Dynamic Duo know we're here."
"It's about time."
The two bounty hunters strode out through the office door and locked it behind them. They left Barbra alone in the dark, bound and gagged, awaiting her rescuers. Someone was going to die tonight. She was sure of it. The question was, who?
The Batcave:
Richard Grayson, former Talon, knew what was going to happen. He knew what he was up against. And he knew that he would likely surrender himself to ensure that Barbra would be set free. But knowing the likely outcomes of any given conflict was not quite the same as accepting them. If he was going to face Deathstroke and toughest odds the Empire had to offer, he would go out in a blaze of glory. Dick knew it was probably a cliché to think that, like something out of a holo-vid hero's inspirational speech, but what the hell? He'd say it anyways.
He looked over his shoulder as he tugged his Kevlar chest-plate into place. Batman was still on the computer trying to get a fix on the bounty hunter's location. Unfortunately someone, likely Boba Fett, was good with computers and blocking Batman's signal from another end. Under other circumstances, Dick would have been amused by the string of curses issuing from the Bat. Right now thought, he was finding it hard not to think about what would happen to Barbra.
Since Batman was occupied, Dick sauntered over to the chest in the corner of the Batcave. Buried underneath Robin's armor and weapons were the lightsabers he had made under the tutelage of Darth Vader. He activated one. It's brilliant red blade ignited from the hilt. Red; like the blood of those who died by it. Red; like the blood moon of Avloine.
"I'm not sure red is your color these days, young sir," said a voice at his shoulder.
Dick deactivated the lightsaber. "Yeah. But I don't have another color."
"Oh," Alfred looked at him quizzically, "tell me, how to you make a red lightsaber?"
"You break the Illum Crystal and make it bleed," answered Dick.
"So what happens if you heal the crystal like you've healed yourself?"
"You mean fill the Crystals with the Light Side and redeem them?" asked Dick as he slid the crystals out of the lightsaber's casing.
"Exactly. It's a poetic final step into your new place in the universe as you prepare to fight the Darkness you were imprisoned in," Alfred agreed, "don't you think?"
Dick sat down cross legged on the floor of the Batcave. With the Force, he set the Illum Crystals afloat in the air. They began to shine and orbit around him and sing a low note as Dick drew pure light from around the universe and poured it into the crystals. He became a vessel of everything thing good in the galaxy. The crystals would heal. They would be redeemed. They could be saved.
Somewhere in the Wayne Enterprises Skyscraper:
Barbra shook her head. She maneuvered herself into a sitting position and tugged at the gag in her mouth. The rubbing of the rough fabric against her face burned, but after a moment's more struggle, she pulled it down around her neck. In the darkness, she heard the faint scuffling noises of another body. She guessed the person was around her own age or size. "Dick?" she called as loudly as she dared.
A grunt came back to her from a few feet away.
"Dick, is that you?" her voice trembled despite herself.
"Who are you calling dick?" asked a boyish voice.
Barbra felt her hopes crumble at the response. She wanted to cry, but forced her voice to remain more or less steady. "Who are you?"
"Name's Jason. And you are?"
"Barbra. What happened to us?"
Jason scooted closer to her. "As near as I can figure, we're being used as bait. These bounty hunters are trying to catch Batman and Robin for the Empire."
Barbra had heard many conflicting stories about the Batman and his new sidekick. "Do you think they'll come for us?" she asked.
Jason shrugged. "Probably."
"What happens if they don't?"
After a moment's hesitation, Jason answered, "if they don't come for us, well, then we get an express ticket to the afterlife."
"How can you talk like that? Don't you take our situation seriously?!"
"Yeah. But my bet's on Robin and the Batman. They won't let us down." He sounded confident.
"How can you be so sure?" Barbra demanded. She was losing control.
"I've-"
Jason was cut short by a loud explosion on one of the lower levels. Barbra screamed. The entire skyscraper trembled and the floor beneath them bowed and bucked. Eerie blue lights blinked on as the building's power shorted and tapped into the backup generators. Then the sound of blaster bolts echoed through the halls and stairwells intermingled with terrified screams. Some one was laughing. Someone was shouting orders. Someone was crying.
Another grenade, or possibly a bomb went off in the turbo-lift shaft. The steel doors blew into the office inwards accompanied by a blossom of orange flame and black smoke. The door crashed against the far wall, narrowly missing Jason's foot. The two children wrapped their arms around each other. Barbra ducked her face in Jason's shirt as 9 or 10 more explosions erupted around them. It sounded like the bounty hunters had taken out the rest of the turbo-lifts. The building continued to shake. A few windows cracked. Dust fell from the ceiling. Furniture was thrown about and papers cascaded off the desk or spilled from the filing cabinets.
When there was a lull in the mayhem, Barbra dared to whisper, "do you think it's over?"
"I don't think so," whispered Jason, "that Boba Fett is a madman."
A low voice crackled over the building's speaker system. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen," it began, "there is no need for alarm. As long as you do as you're told and provided that the Batman and his sidekick show up on time, you will all walk out of here and live full lives." The voice paused. "I hope you're getting my signal Batman, because I have to shoot one of these people for every ten minutes you delay."
Another voice, probably off mic, echoed through the building. "Great threats," it deadpanned.
"What?" demanded the first, "did you think I had some evil genius speech prepared?"
"Indeed not," said the second, "it's just a pity that your natural eloquence is so…decidedly lacking."
"You want to make the demands?"
"At the risk of sounding redundant," answered the second. This time addressing his audience, Slade continued, "my associate is quite right, Batman. Come and face us or it is the Wayne Tech employees who will pay the price. Oh, and one message for you Talon, your friends Jason Todd and Barbra Gordon seem to have ended up here with us. But don't think finding them will be easy. It'll test just how good you really are. Do you live up to the legends? For their sake, I hope so."
When the building's speakers shut off once again, Barbra found herself trembling. She hadn't realized until now how tightly she had been holding Jason's arm. He didn't seem to mind though. 'Don't worry, Barbra," he soothed, "they'll come for us."
"I've been strong, as strong as I can be, until now…but…I, I c-can't…keep it up any more!" Barbra cried.
Jason had all but crawled into her lap. His arms were wrapped around her shoulders. "I'm scared too," he admitted, "but I've seen Batman and Robin in action. I have to believe Robin will come for us."
"I'm older. I should be comforting you," Barbra tried to laugh through the tears.
"I don't think it's like that," said Jason.
"Aww, you're bonding," sneered a voice, "how cute." It was Deathstroke. He stood tall in the dark doorway. "Let's see if your friend comes for you." He strode into the room after locking the door behind himself, and sat down in the comfortable office chair.
"Robin isn't my friend," Barbra pointed out defiantly.
Slade steepled his fingers and rested his elbows on his knees as he peered down at her through the mask. "On the contrary little lady, you just know him by another name."
Dick, thought Barbra. Images of the way he fought Deathstroke to protect her flashed through her mind. Oh no!
The Batcave:
After the explosions registered on the master computer's head's-up threat display, Batman was finally able to zero in on the bounty hunter's location. He logged into the Wayne Tech mainframe and opened all the security cameras and sound systems in the cave. What he heard and saw made his stomach drop. If it had merely been the kidnapping of Barbra Gordon, he could have handled it easily. This was worse.
"My associate is quite right, Batman. Come and face us or it is the Wayne Tech employees who will pay the price. Oh, and one message for you Talon, your friends Jason Todd and Barbra Gordon seem to have ended up here with us. But don't think finding them will be easy. It'll test just how good you really are. Do you live up to the legends? For their sake, I hope so." The bounty hunter's voice echoed over the Batcave's sound system.
"My word!" gasped Alfred.
Batman stood up swiftly, knocking over his chair in the process. He pulled the cowl over his head and scanned the room. Striding over towards the weapons cache, he grabbed the toughest weapons in his arsenal. This was it. The showdown they had been anticipating. "Robin," he barked, "we have to go. Now."
He hesitated at the weapons vault for another moment, before punching in a nine-digit code. A small panel slid back to reveal his old lightsaber. Beside Alfred, it was the last remnant of his past as a Jedi.
"This weapon is your life."
Holding it again brought back memories.
"Do or do not; there is no try."
It felt so right to have in his hand again.
"A Jedi Knight you are now, Bruce Wayne."
He unleashed the blue blade from the hilt.
"Let the Force be your guide, Padawan."
Deactivating the weapon, he clipped it onto his utility belt.
"We must not dwell in the past, but neither must we burry it."
Snapping out of his own nostalgic reverie, Batman turned around. "Robin, we need to go!" he shouted urgently. Then he saw it. And despite what he knew of Dick Grayson's capabilities with the Force, his mouth opened slightly.
Dick was connected to the Force so utterly and completely in that moment, that he could see Barbra and Jason in the Wayne Tech office in his mind. He could see Deathstroke's face mask. He could see Boba Fett pacing before his hostages. He could see the blown up interior of the skyscraper. And he could see his past. Images of his parents, the Court of Owls, his own death, Darth Vader, and the Emperor raced through his mind. They threatened to over whelm him with rage and pain. But Dick Grayson had chosen the light, and it flowed through him.
As the pain and the images flowed faster and stronger, he let out a scream. The Illum crystals he was trying to heal cried out with him as they released their own blood and pain into the Force. The orbited around him faster and faster. White light filled the cave. Batman and Alfred were forced to shield their eyes against the unbridled power of the light. Then came a near soundless explosion and a rush of wind that nearly blew the two men off their feet. Then silence and stillness.
Gasping for air, Dick looked down at the two crystals he had redeemed from the darkness. They were bright white and perfect. He snapped them back into his lightsabers' casing and looked up at his mentor. "Let's do this."
A/N: Thanks for reading guys. Hope you're enjoying the story!