Robin screamed in pain as a knife plunged into the right side of his abdomen and a sob escaped his lips.

Wearily Dick Grayson's bloodshot blue eyes opened to see William Cobb.

The strongest Talon in the Court of Owls.

His great-grandfather.

He gritted his teeth after William twirled the knife in his stomach and screamed again when he suddenly removed it.

Blood began to flow from his wound but he was no longer worried about it. He was sure that weeks had passed since his kidnapping and he had become used to the routine of his captors.

First he would be subjected to hours and hours of torture, then they would give him some time where they would "patch up" his wounds and after that he would spend the next few hours training against other Talons under the supervision of his great-grandfather and other higher-ranking Talons.

His body ached from countless wounds and he was not sure how much longer he could go on.

The problem was not only the physical wounds but also psychologically.

Haly's Circus, the place where he spent his first eight years of life with his loving parents, was actually a front for Claw training and recruitment!

And Haly, who practically Dick regarded him as a grandfather, knew about it!

And perhaps his own parents knew it.

Dick knew better than to believe William's words, but there was a small part of his mind that whispered to him that perhaps there was some truth to it.

Robin was taken out of his thoughts when a strong fist connected painfully with his jaw. Groaning, he looked at his great-grandfather who was watching him with yellow eyes devoid of emotion (and each time sending shivers of fear through him).

"In half an hour, training." William turned and walked away, leaving Dick chained to the wall.

Robin fell to the ground after taking a hard kick on the chest from a Talon but quickly got back up with a backward flick, watching his opponent.

With superhuman speed the Talon lunged at him but the hero had anticipated him and moved to the side and then kicked him on the chin.

He narrowly avoided a punch to the throat but could not avoid the claws that sank on his right shoulder.

He bit his lip to keep from screaming but was subsequently caught by the throat and lifted at least two feet and the only thing he could see was a pair of yellow eyes.

Robin hoped it would kill him. He couldn't take it anymore.

But on the other hand, he knew he could not afford such a thought.

Bruce, The Batman, the man he was sure would save him because he always did, his father, would be devastated.

He would enter a darkness from which he could no longer succeed.

And Dick could not allow that.

The vigilante tried to break free from his grip but it proved futile.

Damn superhuman strength.

Talon slammed him violently to the ground and lifted its foot and then slammed it hard into his already aching chest.

A whimper of pain involuntarily came out of the 12 year old.

He was sure other ribs had been damaged.

Gritting his teeth forcefully, he lifted his legs and wrapped them around the Talon's head and then pulled it as far away from him as possible.

He got up with a gasp because his whole body was sore. He glanced at his opponent who had already gotten up.

Miraculously Robin managed to block a kick and threw an elbow into the Talon's face and swept its legs.

He pounced on his fallen enemy and angrily began to choke it.

The Talon did nothing to counter him.

When Dick recognized what he was doing, with a gasp full of horror he immediately let go and staggered backward, completely disgusted with himself.

Although rationally he knew that strangulation could not permanently kill a Talon, the thought of the action alone made him want to vomit.

He turned when he heard a little applause only to see William with an icy smirk he could never forget.

"One step ever closer to having you break rule number one of The Batman. One step ever closer to having our Gray Son." he hummed, his yellow eyes literally glowing.

An involuntary shiver ran down the young vigilante's spine and, to his horror, he discovered that his great-grandfather was right.

He did not know how much longer he could last.

"Now, why don't you use the knife you are equipped and slit that Talon's throat? Maybe with a good beheading." said William in a voice that grew lower and more menacing.

Dick looked at the Talon who was still lying on the ground, its face unchanging in the face of its possible death.

Robin knew that, technically, these Talons were not people.

Or at least they weren't anymore.

They were monsters.

They were destructive machines.

They were tools.

They belonged exclusively to the Court of Owls.

They no longer enjoyed free will; their every single action depended solely by the Court.

They had been violently stripped of all their emotions until they became true empty shells.

There was nothing human about them anymore.

And the thought of becoming like them scared him far more than death.

If it had not been for Bruce Wayne taking him in...

But in spite of all that, just the thought of taking a life (even from these monsters), of breaking the oath he swore to Batman...

He looked at the knife that was attached to his suit, the golden handle and long, sharp blade shining on his pale, frightened face.

Taking a deep breath he looked at the Talon and, with renewed determination, shook his head decisively.

The smirk fell from William's face and his face was so angry that it scared the hell out of Batman's partner.

The next second William was within an arm's length of Dick, who took a step back but could go no further.

With one hand Cobb had him pinned by the throat and angry yellow eyes were looking hard at him. "You dare refuse?" he hissed dangerously as his grip on Richard's throat tightened slightly.

Dick panicked and could only mumble something incoherent.

"After that, in just a few weeks, you learned moves that The Batman would never, ever teach you?" he growled.

Despite himself, Richard had to agree with him.

The Court of Owls had taught him (and probably would continue to teach him for a while) some lethal moves that The Batman would never let him learn.

And he knew he had become more dangerous.

He put his hands on those of his captor to try to push them away, but he already knew it was only a futile attempt.

His vision began to blur and small black patches appeared before him.

Suddenly, however, the hand released him and Robin eagerly sucked in oxygen.

His little moment of happiness lasted a short time when William drew one of his own knives and stabbed him on the thigh.

Dick cried out in sudden pain and a fist connected painfully on his ribs causing him to buckle in two. William's elbow made contact on the back of his head and he fell to the ground as he began to see stars from the enormous amount of pain.

Salty tears mingled with his blood.

"So weak. But don't worry, Gray Son." William crouched down and grabbed him by the hair so that his blue eyes could faintly see icy yellow eyes. "Soon you will be our strongest weapon.

"Our Gray Son of Gotham.

"Our The Talon.

"No matter how long it takes.

"You will be ours alone."

This was the last thing Robin heard before darkness took over.

And Batman saved him after he spent more than three months at the mercy of the Court, one step away from becoming what Cobb wanted.

And for that Bruce Thomas Wayne has never been able to forgive himself.

No matter how many times his son had already forgiven him.

Batman was roused from his memory by Gordon's voice.

"Are you all right, Batman?"

Without looking at him the Caped Crusader nodded abruptly. "I know who's responsible. Or rather, the people responsible."

"Is the killer more than one?" he could hear the skepticism coloring Yin's tone.

"Organization." he briefly corrected her.

His white eyes once again rested on the knife he held in his hand. After taking one last look at the owl symbol on the golden hilt, he placed it back where he had found it.

"Don't take the murder weapon for-"

"It's not important." Batman interrupted the commissioner, who was struck by the abrupt tone. He took a deep breath.

Gordon had nothing to do with it.

"Sorry, commissioner." he said catching everyone in the room off guard. "It's just that the organization is more dangerous than any of you might think."

He turned to the other vigilantes who were looking at him strangely and slightly concerned.

"Let's go back to the Cave. We'll have a lot of work to do."

Gordon and Yin exchanged a glance, and by the time the commissioner was about to ask the Dark Knight what the hell was going on, he was gone, as were his allies.

"I hate when they do that."

When they made their return to the Batcave, it was easy to see that Batman was looking blankly at the Batcomputer, despite still wearing the cowl.

Robin, at his side, was giving him clearly worried looks, wondering what could be upsetting his mentor.

"All right, no more games. What the fuck is going on, Dickhead?" asked Red Hood as he removed his helmet and shook out his hair, his white forelock following the movement.

Batman's head snapped toward the sound of the voice, his hand making its way into his utility belt only to freeze when he saw who it was. With a slow sigh his arms fell softly to his side.

An alarm bell rang in the heads of the vigilantes.

Dick Grayson was always alert. Even when he appeared to be relaxed, everyone knew that a small part of him was frantically watching the area around him for danger to him and his family.

So the fact that Jason surprised him meant only one thing.

Dick was worried and, probably, even frightened.

Which in turn translates to the fact that something really bad was about to happen.

"You said the victim's killer belonged to an organization." Steph began slowly, worried about her brother.

Rarely the Bats had seen him so agitated.

Batman shook his head as if to clear himself of some thought and, with a sigh, lowered his cowl. His gaze rested on each of them and, after nodding to himself, he began to speak.

"The killer is a Talon." only these words were uttered from his lips.

A silence made its way into the cavern.

"You're saying the organization is the Court of Owls." although it was obvious, Tim felt the need to express it aloud, receiving a few snorts.

"The Court of Owls? The one you said kidnapped you? Like the one in the nursery rhyme?" asked Cass with a frown.

Dick nodded at her and began to recite the nursery rhyme.

«Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,

ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.

They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed,

speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send The Talon for your head.»

The nursery rhyme, hummed so darkly and creepily by the elder Wayne, sent shivers of fear through every vigilante.

"I don't know why you are so worried about the Court of Owls. Just because it kidnapped you many years ago doesn't mean it's dangerous. It will be an organization like any other." stated Katherine with a shrug.

Wrong words to say.

It was as if the temperature had dropped below zero while the tension had skyrocketed.

Dick's eyes darkened noticeably and everyone could feel the aura of pure rage surrounding him.

With his body tilted slightly to the front, the Dark Knight took menacing steps toward Batwoman and grabbed her by the collar of her suit, and an inhuman growl escaped from his throat.

"Don't. Speak. About. Things. That. Don't. Know. Clear?" he growled dangerously, his blue eyes glaring at the redhead with an icy, deadly stare.

Kate could do nothing but nod in fear as the words died in her throat.

She was afraid to even open her mouth.

Dick released his grip on her, who took several steps backward, shocked by the firstborn's threat (as well as frightened by the fury simmering within him).

Jason, Dinah, Tim, Cass, Steph, and Damian gasped at what they had just seen.

Sure, they had seen Dick angry many times before but never like this and, more importantly, never with a member of their family.

As if he had just made himself responsible for his own actions, Dick shook his head but did not apologize to Kate and turned away, his cape following him faithfully.

With his back to his family, he rested his hands on the keyboard as another silence descended in the cold cavern.

After several glances, and in unspoken agreement, it was Dinah who approached Dick and laid a hand on his shoulder.

Everyone noticed how the first Robin had stiffened at the contact and how he then relaxed, recognizing her immediately.

Something was really wrong.

Dick brought his hand over his girlfriend's, intertwined their fingers and squeezed her hand.

After a long sigh he turned back to his family, his eyes calmer this time.

"Sorry for losing my temper." he began, looking at Katherine who refused to meet his gaze. "It's just that... Kate's comment triggered something in me. A lot of anger.

"I'm not going to lie to you: what the Court of Owls has done to me is very bad, something you can't even imagine." his comment garnered angry and protective looks within his family.

"But you do not need to know what happened. This knowledge is limited to me, Alfred, Bruce, Dinah and a few members of the League." with a firm glance he nipped any protest in the bud. "But I promise you I will tell you someday, just not now." he received a few nods from the leader, albeit reluctantly.

"Ready to know what the Talons are?" his very serious blue eyes examined each of them analytically.

He was too serious, and that meant only one thing.

The Talons were more dangerous than they had ever thought.

They nodded without saying a word, feeling some determination rise in them.

"The Talons are highly trained killers and pose a great threat. We can consider them as a kind of meta-humans since they have superhuman strength, speed and agility. They also have better hearing and sight than a normal human being, including us. Another dangerous characteristic of theirs is that they have a high level of healing factor easily comparable to Deathstroke's. Actually, theirs is better than Slade's.

"They are practically immortal, no matter how many mortal wounds you inflict on their bodies: they will always regenerate in a time interval that varies from the extent of their wounds. Stab one in the heart? It will die and regenerate. Do you shoot one in the brain? It will die and regenerate."

The vigilantes gasped at the description of these Talons: they were truly powerful and dangerous to deal with. The thought that there was an entire organization full of them was terrifying.

Dick was not joking when he stated that they were more dangerous than one might think.

"Fortunately, they have weaknesses too. They are very sensitive to loud noises and intense lights, so stun grenades and Dinah's canary cry will come in handy. A major weakness is cold. They are very sensitive to frost and their movements become slower and sloppy under a certain temperature, so we can also make use of the batarangs that freeze our enemies."

"Well, at least these assholes are not invincible." mumbled Stephanie getting a few nods of the head.

"True, and what's more, there's also a way to kill them outright without them regenerating."

"What is it?" asked Tim.

"Behead them. But you'll also have to move the head away from the neck, otherwise if they're close the head will reconnect with the neck and the Talon will regenerate."

"Wow." it was Kate who broke the stunned silence.

"I'm beginning to think that the Court of Owls might be as dangerous as the League of Assassins." Damian reflected aloud.

Much more so.

It was Dick's first thought but he did not express it aloud, instead just nodding at him.

"I am quite sure that soon the Court will send some Talons. Since they are very dangerous killers and difficult to take down, I give you permission to use lethal and potentially deadly moves. You can kill them, even permanently if you want." he declared without any hesitation.

"What the fuck?" exclaimed Jason, his eyes as wide as everyone else's.

Even Dinah, who already knew all the information Batman had expressed, was looking surprised at her fiancé.

"We don't kill, or have you forgotten?" asked Tim with a certain amount of sarcasm present in his tone.

In fact, everyone was looking at the first-born as if he were an impostor because surely Dick would never have so easily allowed the killing.

The golden boy going against Bruce's main rule?

Never imagined before.

"They're not people. Not anymore, at least." Richard's somber tone surprised everyone. "They're just tools owned by the Court. The Court wrested their entire existence from the Talons. Most Talons do not even remember their own names. Theirs is no life: by killing them, we will be doing them nothing but a favor."

In light of this new information they could see the logic behind Dick's words.

Of course, there were some like Jason, Damian and Kate who readily agreed and others, like Cass, Steph and Dinah, who were slowly thinking about it. Tim was the only skeptic but would think about it later.

There was so much information they had learned that night.

"Had the Court tried to impose this fate on you too?" the question from Tim shocked everyone and they turned to see Dick, whose face was even more somber and that was enough of an answer.

"Fuck it, when I see them I'm going to fucking decapitate them all!" Jason gritted his teeth, his green eyes briefly taking on the hue of Lazarus Pit.

"No one hurts big brother." nodded Cass, her brown eyes promising a slow and painful death to any Talon she would encounter.

Everyone else readily agreed.

Soon only Dick and Kate remained, the latter approaching her own bike to exit the Batcave and return to her own apartment.

"Kate." the redhead turned to see the eldest Wayne hesitantly approaching her, shame written all over his face. "I just wanted to apologize for how I acted with you. I'm really sorry."

"I should apologize too, Dick." she smiled at him, catching him off guard. "I shouldn't have said those things. I was reckless and only now do I realize how much the Court really hurt you, though precisely I cannot know. I can understand the anger you felt."

"Maybe, but I shouldn't have laid hands on you." he said with a sad smile, regret and shame overwhelming him.

Kate hugged him, and he, initially surprised, reciprocated. Afterwards Katherine gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek and gave him a small smile.

"I've already forgiven you, Boy Wonder."

The acrobat snorted in amusement and waved her off as she exited the cave.

Dick took his moment, going to the Batcomputer and typing. An image of William Cobb appeared on the monitor, and the first Robin looked impassively at the picture of his great-grandfather.

"Bruce had told me that he and the Justice League had destroyed all your bases, but apparently that's one of the few things he was wrong about.

"The Court of Owls has returned and will probably throw Gotham into chaos. However, you have not made the right calculations.

"William Cobb, you and all the other Talons had better not hurt my family.

"Why else" here he paused and his steely blue eyes showed only anger at seeing Cobb's face.

"You will have to face the full fury of The Batman and you will not come out alive."