AN: I'm a bit late but this week is a nightmare of assignments, so I deserve some slack. On the bright side, Donna Troy has entered the chat and we get a chapter just from her perspective. I also peppered some clues as to what is going on around here.

Warnings for: human trafficking. You have been worried about the human-trafficking-tag and your worries have been justified…

6. Trapped

When Donna woke up, something hard dug into her back. She groaned and turned her head.

Metal bars? Donna sat up. Pain ran through her head. It felt like her skull had been split open. Donna tried to move her hands but found them cuffed together behind her back. Metal cuffs also restrained her legs, painfully digging into her ankles.

Donna ripped, trying to use her Amazonian strength to break them open. But she couldn't. Something was weakening her. The tight collar around her neck. Donna felt herself panicking. She ripped at the cuffs again. But it had no use. She was trapped.

Donna's breathing accelerated at the realization. She had never been in a situation like this before. This was exactly the kind of situation Diana had tried to protect her from. Donna closed her eyes using a breathing technique that Diana had taught her. She had to stay focused. Stay calm and find a way out.

Donna needed to order her thoughts. Go through what she knew about her situation. She had been on a humanitarian mission to Qurac. The sight of the camps had shocked her, and Donna had tried her best to keep the supplies in sight and make sure that they were dispersed fairly. The environment had been hostile the moment Donna had stepped foot into the camp. The guards had scrutinized her closely - constantly supervising her. Her watchdogs had led her away from a certain side of the camp ignoring any questions Donna had.

Donna had suspected that there was something dubious going on. Something worth investigating. So, Donna had sneaked away one night to find out what the guards were hiding from her. She had been eager to prove herself. To show Diana that she was capable enough of watching out for herself and being a hero.

Donna hadn't been prepared for the horrors she had found. She shuddered at only the memory of the warehouse. The building had been filled with cages. They had been stacked onto each other and each of them had contained a Talon. Donna had recognized them from Diana's explanations. The Talons hadn't moved. Their bodies slumped to the floor of the cages while workers had hurried around the warehouse and unloaded a truck with more victims. Their business had been busy. Donna suspected that they moved Talons from all over the world.

The nonchalance with which the workers had unloaded actual people like property had shocked Donna. She wasn't naïve. She knew how horrible the world could be. But seeing was different from knowing. Donna had frozen. She should have moved. Left and acted like she hadn't seen anything until she was back on Themyscira. She should have told Diana and the League would have sent actual heroes who were qualified to deal with these things.

Donna hadn't done any of this. Instead, a tranquilizer dart had embedded itself into her neck out of nowhere. She had stumbled, desperately trying to keep up her strength. It hadn't been enough. Donna had crumbled to the floor, her eyes heavy. Before she had lost consciousness, military boots had stepped into her view and a tall figure had leaned over her. The figure had gripped Donna's arm and Donna had felt the strength in that grip. A strength that was close to her Amazonian one. Donna had tried to look up, but her eyes had fallen shut. The person had dragged her body over the floor. Towards one of the cages presumably.

Now, she was here. In a desperate situation with no way out. Donna could kick herself for freezing. Diana had been right. Donna wasn't cut out to be a hero even after all that Amazon training. Apparently, being an ambassador was the only way Donna could do good in the world. The realization hurt.

Donna may not be a hero but she still had to save herself now. So, she looked at the scene around her. Apparently, she was in the cargo hold of a plane. It was filled with cages. The workers must have moved the contents of the warehouse here. Currently, the ramp of the plane was down. It had landed somewhere. A little glimpse of the outside world told Donna this this 'somewhere' wasn't Qurac. She could see a lush tree line.

Donna assumed that her disappearance had caused some attention. Themyscira and especially Diana were bound to look for her. So, Bee must have moved her merchandise to hide it and Donna with it – which made it harder for the heroes to find her.

Donna looked at her neighboring cage. There was a Talon lying in there. A woman around Donna's age. Her arms and legs were restrained like Donna's and there was a collar around her neck. The Talon's claws were bound together so that she couldn't attack with them. It was an undignified picture that reminded Donna of a lobster in a restaurant. Only waiting to be eaten. An IV led into her forearm. Donna followed the line to an IV-bag that hung from the top of the cage. It was empty currently.

Donna looked up. There was a hook at the ceiling of her cage, too, but no bag hung from it. Donna frowned. Why weren't they dosing her with whatever they used on the Talons? Donna wasn't conditioned to be a killer, but she was still a trained Amazon. Did they perceive her as so little a threat?

Two workers walked along the rows, exchanging the empty bags for new ones. The first one was a middle-aged man who did every gesture with far more routine than Donna liked. The second one was fresh-faced, barely older than Donna herself and looked at the Talons with apprehension. He handed the older worker the IV-bags from a cart and stayed away from the Talons while the other man opened the cages and swapped the bags. He leaned into the cages, ignoring the dazed Talons lying on the floor.

Donna made sure that they were still far away enough. Then she crawled as close to the woman next to her as she could.

"Hey", Donna muttered quietly to her, "Do you understand me?"

The Talon gave no indication that she had heard. Her eyes stayed concerningly empty. They reminded Donna of the eyes of a doll.

"Can you nod if you understand what I'm saying?", Donna tried all the languages she knew.

She didn't know where the Talon was from. Maybe it was a language problem. The Talon didn't react though.

The workers came closer. Donna laid down on the floor of the cage again and pretended to still be unconscious. The experienced man opened the cage of the Talon next to Donna and pushed an IV-bag into the rookie's hand.

"Me?", the rookie looked down at the Talon, his hand tensing around the bag, "I don't think I can do it, Al."

"Let's wait until Jim is back from lunch break."

The rookie visibly breathed out.

"Of course, you", Al grew annoyed, "Stop staring and swap that damn bag. The longer you wait, the more active they become. You can't keep running around here like a scared rabbit. The moment you give them an inch, they claw off your face."

The newbie leaned into the cage, his shaky hands reaching for the empty IV-bag. Talon didn't react. Rookie switched out the IV-bag dropping it a few times. Talon's claw twitched when the bag landed next to her face. It seemed more like an instinctive movement than an intentional gesture. Donna suspected that Talon was as stressed as the newbie was by this situation. The boy jolted back and hit his head against the metal roof of the cage.

"Did you do it properly?", Al asked.

He leaned forward to check the IV-bag.

"Congrats", Al's voice dripped with sarcasm as he closed the cage, "You managed to hang up a bag."

"She moved", the rookie said.

"That was nothing but a twitch. You'll notice when these things move."

The cart rattled along, steps following it.

"What about that one?", the young one said.

"That stuff won't work on her", Al said, "No Court conditioning."

"I didn't know that we are moving actual humans."

Donna's mouth felt bitter. That explained how the workers could be so nonchalant about this. They acted like they were moving normal goods from one place to another because they saw the Talons as such.

"Usually, we don't. This one just snooped where she wasn't supposed to and now she's our problem. Stupid Amazon."

"She's an Amazon?"

"Quit staring, boy or your jaw will drop to the floor. She'll be off our hands soon. The big boss wants her for his little project."

"Big boss?"

The older worker scoffed: "I've never even met him so don't get too excited."

Donna could hear the men move. They switched the IV-bag of the Talon in the next row.

"They are so unnerving", the young one said, "I'm glad that stuff keeps them down."

"Pliant like kittens", Al laughed, "You need to make a round every hour."

"I'm not sure if I want to work here. Sounds kind of unsafe."

"First day and already quitting? It's not that bad. Just make sure they stay doped up. After the boss is finished with breaking them in, they don't blink without their new owner telling them to."

"I thought you didn't know the boss."

"The big boss. The boss you'll meet soon enough. The merchandise gets restless without him."

Donna waited until the voices subsided, disgusted by the way the men talked about the Talons. She crawled towards the woman again. The Talon hadn't moved since that twitch. Donna wondered how long her IV-bag had been empty. It couldn't have been for long from her lifelessness. Donna tried to reach through the bars but soon noted that the cuffs were too bulky.

Donna's thoughts raced. She needed to sever the IV quickly to ensure that the Talon couldn't be dosed again.

Donna looked down at herself, searching for anything she could use. Her belt. Donna gripped it with her hands behind her back and pulled so that the belt buckle wandered to her back. Her arm muscles strained but Donna managed to open the belt buckle.

She inched closer to the edge of her cage. Talon wasn't moving, her eyes growing increasingly glassy. Donna would have believed that she was dead if she didn't know otherwise.

The IV-line dangled in Talon's cage. Donna's belt should be long enough to reach it and potentially rip it down. It would be tricky with her arms behind her back, but Donna had been trained to use all kinds of weapons on Themyscira. One of them being a lasso. She knew how to hit a target.

So, Donna turned her back to the bars of the cage and struck out with her belt. There was a sharp metal clang that marked Donna's failure. Donna looked around. The two workers had finished their round and had left the hold. Donna could hear voices outside. Laughing. She assumed the workers were on break for now. An opportunity Donna had to use.

She tried again. Another clang. Another. Donna constantly listened out for the workers. She would be screwed if they found her like this.

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.

Donna gritted her teeth. She had to keep a clear head. Frustration would mean failure.

She struck out again. Donna tensed. Expecting a clang. But there wasn't one. Donna looked behind herself. Her belt was slung over the Talon's IV.

Donna bit her lip in concentration. She pulled on the belt hoping it wouldn't just slip off. It didn't. The belt buckle caught on the IV-line.

"Sorry, Talon", Donna muttered and pulled.

Talon flinched as the IV-line was ripped out of her arm. It was a good sign. She wasn't completely numb then.

Donna waited a few minutes. Staying on the floor. Pretending that she was asleep. She edged closer to the bars again, her voice hushed.

"Talon? Can you hear me?"

Talon didn't respond. But this time, golden eyes ended up on Donna. They hadn't dosed her with much then.

"Good", Donna said, "I think we can escape from here – together."

Talon didn't react.

Donna had hoped for more initiative. She looked at Talon's bound claws. The tips still peaked out.

"Can you pick your collar with your claws?", Donna asked.

Donna feared at first that Talon hadn't realized her words. But then Talon frowned, slight confusion edging into her empty expression.

"Talon", Donna tried to speak as clear as possible, "We can get out of here but I need you to work with me."

Talon tilted her head slightly to the side. Donna breathed in relief. Talon was listening. Now, Donna needed to know how she could convert attention into action. Donna remembered what the man had said. About the conditioning of the Talons. She assumed that the Court hadn't encouraged creative thinking.

"Talon, pick your collar with your claws and open your restraints", Donna forced herself to make it sound like an order.

Talon tensed at the order. Donna cringed, about to apologize. But then Talon moved. She contracted her body, her movements still sluggish. Talon needed a few attempts to get her hands in front of her. But she did it. Donna couldn't help but be impressed.

Talon pushed her claw into the lock of her collar. The claw scraped across metal. Donna held her breath until she heard a small click, and the lock sprang open. Talon looked at her with a tilted head when the collar dropped off.

Donna smiled at Talon: "That was amazing. Rip open your cuffs."

Talon strained to rip open her cuffs. They seemed to be solid even with a Talon's enhanced strength. She looked up at Donna, her body tense when she couldn't fulfill the order.

"It's okay", Donna said, "Can you pick the lock of your cage with your claws?"

Talon nodded jerkily and went to work. She flexed her claws freeing them from the bindings and picked the lock. Donna shuddered at the sound of claws scraping over metal. But Talon did it. The door opened with a click.

The moment the door opened, there was a loud noise. Sirens. Vapor spread through the room. Donna felt it first. They were cooling the hangar down. There was a mechanical noise as the ramp closed. Security measures in case one of the cages was breached.

Talon sat in the cage, her face scrunched up at the noise. She looked at Donna with a tilted head. Donna frowned. Why wasn't Talon moving? The door was open. Talon could leave. Then, she remembered how cruel the Court was and how little autonomy it must have left its Talons.

"Get out of your cage, Talon. You are allowed to be free."

Talon crawled out of the cage, her movements sluggish.

"Can you pick my lock?", Donna asked.

Talon nodded and crawled towards Donna's cage. She used her claws to pick the lock, her movements growing weaker with each moment. This facility truly was designed to contain Talons. It exploited each of their weakness leaving them no chance of escaping on their own.

Donna crawled out of the cage leaning towards Talon and tilting up her chin. Talon seemed to understand this time without an order. She raised her claws again trying to pick Donna's collar.

Donna should feel unnerved by having a trained killer so close to her. Letting the claws of a said killer so close to her throat. But she didn't feel any apprehension. Donna saw the tension in Talon's face. The rigidity in her posture that spoke of great pain. Talon deserved to be free, and they would get to freedom together.

Talon's claws slipped and nudged Donna's skin. The assassin made a distressed noise and tensed as her eyes lingered on Donna.

"It's okay. I'm not angry. Keep trying", Donna tried to smile in an encouraging manner.

Talon tilted her head and continued. Until Donna's collar sprung open.

"Thank you", Donna ripped open her restraints.

They budged easily under her Amazonian strength. Talon shivered from the cold vapor that permeated the air.

Donna leaned forward and ripped open Talon's restraints. First her arms, then her legs.

"You are very strong", Talon's voice was scratchy, but Donna was glad to hear it, "Stronger than a Talon."

It showed that Talon trusted Donna to some extent.

"I'm an Amazon", Donna said.

Talon frowned: "I killed an Amazon before, I think."

"Do you want to kill me?"

Talon tensed. Then, she shook her head.

"We need to get out of here", Donna said.

She looked around her. All those cages. Donna wanted to free them all, but she knew that she didn't have the time. The cold was making the Talons weak. They would need to be carried to stand any chance of escaping and Donna couldn't carry them all. It hurt her soul.

Still, she needed to do what she could. Flee together with Talon and get help. She was the living proof that Queen Bee was involved in the Talon-trade. The Amazons would act against her and whoever else was involved with this horrific business.

Talon tried to pull herself over the floor with her claws towards the ramp. But she didn't have enough strength anymore to go on. She made a little distressed noise. Her face turned blank as she slumped to the floor. Resigning herself to her fate.

Not on Donna's watch. Donna scooped Talon up. Talon tensed at first but relaxed when she noticed that Donna wouldn't hurt her.

"Did you believe that I would leave you behind?"

Talon looked up at Donna with wide eyes: "I fulfilled orders. No use anymore."

"You're my friend, Talon. I don't leave friends."

Donna reached the ramp.

"It's reinforced. No Talon can break it."

"No Talon can fly either, right?", Donna said.

Talon smiled hesitantly: "No."

Donna kicked against the ramp. It dented slightly but held. This whole plane was specialized on Talons though. This whole operation had never been designed for an Amazon. So, Donna kept puncking and kicking until the ramp was thrown open.

She squinted as sunlight hit her eyes. They were in the middle of a field. Donna could see the tree line in the distance. Men with blue guns surrounded them. They seemed tense, their guns trained on them.

Donna looked up. The sky was free. She could fly up together with Talon and leave all of this behind them. Donna would make sure that Talon was safe. Bring her to Themyscira to give her a place to heal with the Amazons.

"I wouldn't do that if your new friend's life is worth anything to you", a smooth voice said.

Donna looked down. A man was standing between the goons. He didn't seem very threatening, wearing the get-up of a stage magician with white gloves. His features were sharp. Blonde hair with icy blue eyes. Donna would find him handsome if she didn't know what a scumbag he was.

"And you are?", Donna glared at him.

"I'm the boss. Call me the Conductor", he smiled in a charming way that made Donna's skin crawl.

"These guns?", the Conductor nodded at them, "One of them hits your friend and she dies painfully. It destroys her body from the inside."

"If you hurt her-"

"We won't hurt her if you cooperate, Amazon. I'm not going to lie: You could fly away. But do you want to risk any of my men hitting your friend on the way out?"

Donna gritted her teeth. She felt an itch in her hands – a deep-seated need to punch this jerk. Talon looked up at Donna, gauging her reaction. Donna could fly up. She could protect Talon with her own body. Shield her. There was a significant chance that Donna could be quick enough that none of them would get hurt. But there was also a significant chance that Donna's attempt would kill Talon.

"I'm not worth it", Talon muttered.

Donna would always make the same choice if a life was threatened.

"I'm not risking you, Talon", Donna muttered to her.

"I don't understand."

Talon sounded confused at the idea that anyone would try to protect her.

"You will. I'll make sure of it."

Talon frowned as Donna floated towards the ground.

The Conductor's smile widened: "Such a fool. Throwing away your chance at escape for this creature."

"She's a human being", Donna landed on the grass.

The Conductor scoffed: "She barely has a mind. I can show you."

Donna felt a weak energy crawling around the edges of her mind now that she was on the floor. It was trying to enter but it was too weak to do so. Donna didn't even need the mental blocks Diana had taught her.

"You are a telepath", Donna said, "A pathetic one."

The Conductor's smile froze: "I'll show you how pathetic my power is."

He looked at Talon. Donna looked down at her as well. Talon's face evened out, growing blissfully empty.

"Kill the Amazon", the Conductor barked.

Talon's claw struck out. Donna dropped Talon, narrowly dodging the claw that was aimed towards her throat. Talon landed in a crouch. She jumped up. Her movements still sluggish. Donna dodged her. She flew up to evade Talon's claws. Talon continued jumping up, trying to slash at Donna.

"Stop", the Conductor said.

Talon froze.

"What are you doing to her?", Donna glared at the Conductor, balling her fists.

"My level of psychic energy is enough to invade these creatures' minds. Their court conditioning is giving me the opening I need."

Donna scoffed: "So, you can only kick someone when they are already vulnerable? How impressive."

The Conductor huffed: "Insult me one more time, Amazon, and I'll have her killed. I have enough merch in there."

Donna scowled but floated back onto the ground.

"Talon", the Conductor said, "Kneel next to me."

Talon sank to her knees next to the Conductor. The man ran his hand through Talon's hair, smirking at Donna.

"You are disgusting", Donna crossed her arms.

"You are going to let my men sedate you. Any resistance and the Talon is dead."

"Fine", Donna raised her hands, "You win – for now. But this will all catch up to you. I'll find a way to free all these people."

"You would need to free yourself first", the Conductor snapped his fingers.

A man with a syringe approached Donna. It went against Donna's whole being, but she let him sedate her. She glared at the Conductor all the way through. He barely paid attention to her.

"She admires you", the Conductor continued running his hand through Talon's hair, "She is in awe of your kindness. She doesn't understand it. The simple creature."

Donna felt herself grow sluggish. She fell to her knees, landing on an eye-level with Talon.

Talon's eyes were empty again.

"I'll get you out of here somehow, Talon. I promise", Donna said.

Talon didn't react. But Donna was sure that it registered somewhere in her mind. These Talons were more perceptive than they looked from the outside. It broke Donna's heart. It would be kinder if they were as mindless as everyone said.

"You are the one who doesn't understand my kindness, simple man", Donna shot back at the Conductor, "She does."

"A page from Wonder Woman's playbook – how cute", the Conductor approached her.

Donna tried to keep herself up, but the sedative pushed her down. She crumbled to the ground, the side of her face landing in the grass.

"You heroes are all the same."

"No", Donna muttered.

She wasn't a hero – Donna thought with bitterness. Diana had never allowed Donna to become one. All under the guise of keeping her safe. Donna loved her sister, but she could do without her overprotectiveness. It was stifling most of the time. Keeping Donna from soaring to her full potential.

But maybe Donna's potential hadn't been that high in the first place. Searching for the warehouse had been her attempt at playing hero - and she had failed miserably. It had led her here. Saving Talon had been another attempt. Another good deed that Donna had screwed up. She had almost gotten Talon killed and brought her onto the radar of this psychopath. Maybe Diana had been right to keep Donna in the ivory tower that was Themyscira.

Donna's eyes dropped shut. She was sick of getting sedated by now.

AN: They were so close. They could see the sky. :(

Jason is getting some competition as a Talon-whisperer. It's not that hard though when you just have to be kind to them. The secret isn't that secret.

It was interesting to write this chapter because I could think of all these ways to exploit the Talons' weaknesses. It's fascinating because they are so strong and so vulnerable at the same time.

And we met the Conductor – a real creep. I found the idea fascinating that Talons are more susceptible to psychic control because of their conditioning. So, I had to use it at some point. Will Nightwing meet the Conductor at some point? We'll see… He's suffered enough though without having this creep in his life.

Who is the big boss and what does he want with Donna? We'll see…

Next chapter, we get back to our regularly scheduled Nightwing/Jason/Bruce/Team-disaster.