AN: A little bit of a breather chapter after the last two angst sessions - but still important. We have some *key* revelations and interactions here. Also, I love writing Nightwing when he's putting on a scary assassin-act. And sneaky spy work. A lot of sneaky spy work in this chapter. Wally's favorite ninjas are at work. ;)

24. Vessel

Jason crossed the courtyard on his way to another training session with Talia. The screams of the instructor echoed through the space. He was lingering over the trainees, watching out for any mistake. That bully hadn't changed since Jason had upgraded to Talia's lessons.

Jason spotted Themis among the recruits. She was doing push-ups at a speed that was considerably faster than the last time Jason had seen her. Themis looked up from the push-ups. Her eyes met Jason's.

Jason halted. Themis looked… rough. There were large bruises in her face and her nose looked like it was broken. Jason suspected that the instructor had switched to being hard on her now that he couldn't let it out on Jason.

The instructor noted Themis' lack of movement. He screamed at her in Arabic and rained a stick down on her back.

The instructor's gaze rested on her and shone with his usual maliciousness. Jason had a bad feeling about this. The recruits Themis and he had started training with were almost all gone – either dead or they had improved enough to be initiated properly. Themis was still getting paired up with the newbies despite being one of the longest-lasting trainees here. Fresher trainees were overtaking her.

She had improved enough to survive until now, but Jason suspected that the instructor would get impatient with her. No recruit survived an impatient instructor in the League of Shadows.

Themis knew. She was too smart not to.

Themis continued her push-ups, but her gaze remained on Jason. Her garb was stuck to her back as blood stains marred the fabric. Her eyes looked like they were challenging Jason to do something. And Jason felt it within him to walk up to the instructor and bash his face in. That man was a bully and Jason had always hated bullies. Red Hood had sworn to protect the defenseless from them.

But he just turned away. There was nothing he could do. At least he told himself that.

Jason wondered when he had become the person who ignored injustices that happened in front of him.

Jason shook his head at that thought. He was playing the long game. All the moral compromises he made now would be worth it once he was back in Gotham to distribute justice.

Artemis waited on the curb of a busy Fawcett City-street. Batman had sent Wally a time and location for a meeting. No one was supposed to recognize her. So, Artemis had taken on the cover as an average college girl and ventured out.

Her disguise consisted of some make-up, a black-haired wig, and some glasses. They did wonders for Clark Kent so Artemis suspected that they would aid her as well. Artemis chewed on some gum – nicked from Wally's bedside table – to give her cover the finishing touch.

A black SUV drove up.

Artemis smiled in case anyone listened and said: "Took you long enough, Dad."

She sat down on the passenger's seat and quickly closed the door. The windows were tinted.
Artemis came face-to-face with Bruce Wayne.

"Dad?", he said in a deadpan.

"You'd rather I scream over the street: Hello, billionaire Bruce Wayne who's here to drive me to my safehouse."

"Good point", Bruce said as he maneuvered the car towards the edge of the city, "So, you got wrapped up in this?"

"I may have tried to kill your son. Oops."

Bruce's hands tightened around the steering wheel: "Explain."

Artemis told him all the details.

"-Nightwing and I talked it out. You can even thank me for keeping Wally from screwing up the mission."

Bruce stayed quiet – as expected.

"Where are we even going?"

"Gotham."

"A bit more specific than that."

"Wayne Manor. It's the safest", Bruce said, "And I can… use your assistance."

"How?"

Bruce stayed quiet.

"Come on. It's a long drive. You can tell me."

She had known that conversation wasn't Bruce's strength, but he was bringing it to a new level today.

Bruce filled her in about the entire mission. Artemis asked for every detail. He grew more talkative during their conversation – not much – but still noticeable for the man who was Batman.

"I'm close to creating a neutralizer for the mind control", Bruce finished up his report, "Nightwing will be able to use it on the Titans."

"He's going to have to walk into that facility and they will have to let him leave with the Titans without suspecting anything", Artemis said.

"It all depends on how well he plays his role until then – how trustworthy he seems. The Light and especially Luthor aren't even allowed to consider the possibility that Nightwing is capable of being disloyal."

"He has to jump when they tell him to."

"He has to kill when they tell him to", Bruce said.

"Which is a problem for someone who refuses to kill."

"That's where you come in", Bruce said, "Nightwing needs a backup crew."

Artemis should be offended that Bruce was already planning with her. After all, Artemis held some lingering resentment after being kept out of the loop for months. It had only brought her pain.

But she knew that this was bigger than her feelings. This was about life and death.

So, Artemis ignored her feelings and focused on the mission. Compartmentalizing your feelings was one of the most useful tools a person could have. Nightwing understood that. One of the reasons why Artemis couldn't stay angry with him for too long.

Artemis understood every decision Nightwing had made on this mission. She didn't necessarily like them, but she knew why he had made them. In a mission, there was no place for feelings. It was about making the most efficient decisions needed.

Most heroes didn't understand that. Batman was the exception. It was probably the reason why Nightwing gravitated towards him as a mentor.

"He needs someone to clean up his fake-killsafter him", Artemis said.

Bruce nodded: "I need you to be his liaison. You need to be on-call permanently to help him stage his kills until I've finished developing the neutralizer."

"I get it", Artemis said, "I'm buying him time."

"I have a beacon that he can use when he needs you. You're going to have to deliver it to him."

"Do we even know where he is?", Artemis asked.

"Deathstroke did one useful thing: He planted a subdermal tracker in him. I always know where Nightwing is."

Bruce pushed a button on the radio. The screen changed to a map. A blue dot was at the Lexcorp-building.

"It's moving", Artemis said.

"We've lost if it stops moving", Bruce kept his eyes on the road.

He looked unaffected but Artemis could hear the tremble in his voice. A chill ran down her spine. She had always taken Batman as overbearing but now she understood. He was scared.

"Do you understand the seriousness of this mission, Artemis?", he asked.

"I'll protect him."

Bruce nodded: "For what it's worth, you are the best person for this job."

Artemis stared at him in disbelief. High praise coming from the Dark Knight himself.

Talia watched as Jason Todd sparred with one of her servants. The daily training was paying off. Where Jason's footwork had been messy before, he now took every step with surety and calculation. His grip around the katana had strengthened and he struck with purpose.

Talia realized what her Beloved had recognized in Jason Todd. He looked like he could be unstoppable if he set his mind to something. Like he could protect Damian if it came down to it. Exactly what Talia needed in her knight.

She would need him to step up soon. Her contacts in the mystical community had told her that the Demon's Head was searching for a sorcerer. Ra's was laying the groundwork for his ritual.

It was earlier than Talia had hoped. Damian was still young. It felt almost like yesterday that Talia had taught him how to walk. Still, Ra's' health was fading, and he needed his new vessel soon. A vessel in the form of her son.

Jason's katana struck out. Too fast for his opponent to block. It hit him in the shoulder, making him lose his center of gravity. Talia noted with satisfaction that Jason had struck exactly where she had taught him. Wielding the katana was about precision. Not pure strength. Jason had learned not to brute-force it.

Talia's servant tumbled to the floor. Jason's katana shot out and lightly hit the side of his throat. Enough to suggest a beheading. In a real fight, the man would be dead.

The servant stood up. He bowed in front of Jason. Jason bowed back. A sign of respect.

Talia dismissed the servant. She noted Jason's questioning gaze on her.

"You did satisfactory", Talia said.

Jason's chest puffed up at the praise. Talia noted it. She could see the insecurities in Jason. He craved reassurance from a parental figure.

Talia wondered if her Beloved had driven Jason away with his emotional distance. A trait that Talia had noted herself in her Beloved. He was stunted when it came to showing affection – even for his loved ones. How suitable then that Talia had always welcomed a challenge.

She had enjoyed prying affection out of her Beloved. Bruce had grown to trust her. Talia wondered how much she must have hurt him by cutting him off. But it had been to his benefit. Talia had been clear-sighted enough to recognize that they were of two worlds.

Two worlds that Talia hadn't been able to reconcile at the time.

Looking at Jason made Talia wonder what would have happened if she had gone to Gotham with her Beloved. Maybe they could have raised their son together and Damian would have been spared of all the emotional burdens Talia had inflicted on him for his protection.

It was too late now. There was no use in pondering the what ifs. Talia had always been a pragmatist. She needed to work with what she had. And currently she had a son she needed to save and a knight who could be her key to getting him to safety.

"You seem pensive", Jason said.

Talia would have bristled at such an accusation coming from Todd when she had first met him, but she had let Jason come too close to keep up her usual façade. Jason was family now.

It was bizarre to think of a street rat in this way, but her Beloved had willed it so when he had accepted Jason as his own. Talia had always been one to respect Bruce's choices and so she would accept Jason as well.

There were limits to her acceptance though. Talia had seen what the Talon could do on the summit. The inhuman way in which it moved and the efficiency with which it dispatched its enemies. Deathstroke had been cocky to assume that he could tame such a creature and Luthor was, too.

The Talon was a true remnant of the Court. A brutally efficient predator who took all the humanity out of the most human act of killing. Formed to be so by its masters. Talia could not understand how Jason could love such a creature and how her Beloved could have taken it in. A thing so utterly broken that it defied the laws of nature.

Talia suspected that the Light had committed a mistake in making this creature its enforcer. It made them too much like the Court. An organization that had been destroyed by its own inhuman creation.

Talia would have spoken up and supported Black Manta's interjection. However, the Demon's Head did not tolerate what he saw as an undermining of his authority. So, Talia had stayed quiet.

The Light's matters were not hers anymore. They had ceased to be the moment Ra's had put his own desire for power and immortality over his family. Talia would not weep if the Talon ripped off its leash and clawed the Light open. She would not fight. She would simply ensure that her son stayed safe from the fallout.

Her respect for family was the only reason Talia had stuck with the League of Shadows for so long. She had cut off her Beloved for family. She had treated Damian too harshly for family. She had sacrificed all her personal desires for family. Not anymore.

Talia saw now that her sacrifices had not been valued. She had chosen the wrong family. Talia should have gone with Bruce then. But it was too late to change her mistakes now. Time would only move forward.

"Go on a stroll with me, Jason Todd", Talia said.

She led Jason into the al Ghul gardens. They sat down on the same bench where their first conversation had taken place.

Talia watched the pond. A line of ducklings was swimming behind its mother. Talia suspected that the mother would bite if anyone dared to harm her children.

"I told Bruce about Damian", Jason said, "He knows that you have a son together."

Talia tensed. She had feared Bruce's reaction.

"How did he react?", Talia asked.

"He seemed surprised but also curious", Jason said, "We didn't have much time though so I can't really say."

Talia frowned. She folded her hands together to hide her sweaty palms. Nervosity was not becoming of an al Ghul.

"Very well. He was bound to find out eventually."

"I'm sure he'll welcome Damian with open arms. He should be happy to have a real son."

Talia did not miss the bitterness in Jason's voice.

"My Beloved is nothing but decisive. He does not trust easily but if he lets you in, you have his affections forever."

"I'm not sure about that."

"I was doubtful when my Beloved accepted a street rat as his, but I could not deny the bond that such a claim creates. It is the reason why I chose you as my knight. I chose to trust in my Beloved's decision."

Jason frowned: "You think I'm Bruce's son?"

"He did claim you, didn't he?"

Jason bit his lip. He still looked doubtful.

Talia could see the insecurities in him. The insecurities that could awaken Jason Todd's worst impulses.

"I need to be sure of your loyalty, Jason Todd. I need you to protect family first."

Jason stayed quiet. He seemed thoughtful.

Talia could see his insecurities warring with his innate loyalty. She hoped that his loyalty would win out.

Talia stood up: "The safety of my son depends on you. I depend on you."

Jason's head whipped up at her admission.

Talia turned away. She had messages to send to her network. They needed to be prepared in case it came to a war between the Demon's Head and his daughter. Talia could feel the storm brewing.

Artemis sneaked over the rooftops of Metropolis. She stayed close to the chimneys and melted into the glittering facades. She couldn't be seen today. Her uniform consisted of solid black and a mask that covered her complete face. There was nothing to identify her by. Even her blonde hair was covered. She wasn't even carrying arrows.

Artemis crouched on a roof behind a skylight. In front of her, the Metropolis opera hall was shining like a star. Nothing but the most glamorous toys for Lex Luthor's big gala.

Artemis focused on the dot on her screen that showed Nightwing's position. She switched her goggles to heat vision. The heat vision revealed a figure crouching on the edge of the glass dome that formed the roof of the opera house. Nightwing was watching to ensure that no one harmed Lex Luthor.

Artemis would love to get a one-on-one with Luthor, but she was here for something different tonight. Her role laid in the shadows.

She pulled a shuriken out of her costume. Attached to it was a slip of paper.

Artemis threw the shuriken. It embedded itself into the support beam next to Nightwing. His clawed hand reaching out, ripping off the shuriken and vanishing in the darkness again.

He must be deciphering the message. Artemis had kept it short and to the point:

"Press this for cover-up. I'll come."

The shuriken contained a beacon that would send a signal to Artemis. She would know where he was thanks to the tracker in his body.

Nightwing peeked out from his hiding spot.

He signed quickly: 'Thank you. You the best.'

'You're welcome', Artemis signed back.

She allowed herself a smile. He wouldn't see it behind the cloth covering her face.

Nightwing clawed the paper apart and let the wind take away the pieces. He melted back into his hiding spot. Artemis turned around and left as quietly as she had come. She suspected that she would soon be called upon.

Jason sat at the pond for a while – contemplating what to do. Talia's words had thrown a wrench into his current plans. Jason had intended to simply run away with Themis the moment she asked him to.

Now, he wasn't so sure anymore. Talia had called Jason family. She believed that Bruce saw him as a son. Still, what if Talia was wrong or even worse: she was doing this to manipulate him?

Jason didn't know what to do. He wished N was here – the only person Jason could be sure was his actual family. The only person Jason would always owe his loyalty. Nightwing would listen to him and give him certified big brother-advice.

But Nightwing wasn't here, and Jason had been a dick to him anyway the last time they had seen each other. A jealous, little prick who had been envious of Bruce's attention.

Jason hid his face in his hands. What was wrong with him? Why did he push Nightwing away over Bruce? Nightwing would always take priority over Bruce for Jason.

Jason sighed. Willis was right. Jason was pathetic. He needed to man up and act like an adult. If the decision just wasn't so hard…

Jason stood up from the bench. He walked along the edge of the pond. It was larger than expected - more like a small lake. Jason shouldn't be surprised. The al Ghul's didn't settle for anything small.

A quiet voice reached Jason's ears. Damian was crouching near the water. His voice was less nasally than usual.

Jason pushed himself against a palm tree. His heart raced. He wasn't keen on talking to the brat in the middle of figuring out his crisis of conscience.

Damian was muttering to himself in Arabic. Jason focused hard on Damian's words. He caught the gist of it.

"…mother…. father…one day mother tell… need to become stronger", Damian kept muttering.

Jason frowned. Who was Damian talking to?

Jason peeked out from behind the stem of the palm. Damian was indeed crouching at the pond. He held a loaf of bread in his hand and ripped off crumbs to throw them into the water. The ducklings were swarming him. It was an adorable picture. Jason would have never expected to describe the Demon Brat as adorable.

"Leave something for your brothers and sisters", Damian told one duckling that was fighting its siblings for a particularly big crumb.

Jason was frozen. Damian looked so young here. Like the child he never allowed himself to be.

Jason turned around. This was too personal. He would leave Damian by himself. Jason took a step back, but his foot hit a leaf.

It cracked. Too quiet for a normal person to notice. Damian had never been normal though. His head whipped up immediately. Damian's open expression turned into a sneer when he recognized Jason.

"What are you doing here Todd? Spying on me?"

Too late. Jason was caught in this conversation now. He needed to explain himself. Otherwise, he would risk Damian complaining about Jason's spying to his grandfather.

"I had a talk with your mother", Jason approached carefully.

He sat down next to Damian at the pond. Damian looked like he wanted to jump up and run away. But Jason took a little piece of bread and threw it at the water. The ducklings swam towards it.

Damian sneered and threw his own piece. The ducklings went over to it.

"Remember ducklings, my bread is superior", Damian sounded like he was commanding his army.

Jason suppressed a chuckle. He threw another piece. They made a little competition out of it until the whole bread was gone.

Jason was surprised by how fun this used to play games with Nightwing. Anything from rooftop-tag to card games. This reminded Jason of only difference was that Damian was far more competitive.

"It's not fair to hold the identity of your dad over you", Jason said.

"It's not your problem, Todd."

"I have a lot of respect for Talia, but she is making a mistake in not telling you."

"Are you here to hold it over my head, too, Todd?"

"No", Jason said, "I'll tell you if you want me to."

Damian halted. Jason could see his breath hitch.

"Is this a test?", Damian asked.

"I promise you, Damian. It isn't."

"Well", Damian crossed his arms and raised his chin, "Tell me, imbecile."

Jason ignored Damian's haughtiness. It was easy to recognize it as a defense mechanism once Jason brushed aside his own insecurities. He was the adult here. Maybe he should act like one for once. Talia certainly had trust in him and Bruce maybe, too.

"Do you know Batman, Damian?", Jason asked.

"Mother calls him the greatest hero in history. The pinnacle of what a human can achieve."

Holy shit. What a way to bolster Bruce's ego.

"His civilian identity is Bruce Wayne and he is your father."

Damian frowned: "This cannot be."

"Why? You have similar features. Batman trained here. It shouldn't be very surprising."

Damian crossed his arms: "I am not the son of a hero. You are lying, Todd."

"I am not", Jason resisted the urge to raise his voice.

Damian jumped up. He balled his fists. They shook in anger.

"Do not dare to ridicule me, Todd", Damian's cheeks were wet.

He hurried away.

Jason was left dumbstruck. He had hoped that this would have gone differently. That what? That Jason would play the responsible, big brother?

Stupid of him to think that. Jason wasn't a big brother. He was the one who made trouble and needed to be looked after. He wasn't the one to fix things.

When Jason was younger, he had believed that Nightwing could fix anything. It had turned out that Nightwing couldn't. But he came pretty damn close especially for someone who had barely been able to function a few years ago. Jason would never live up to that.

He stood up. As much of a disaster as this conversation had been, it had strengthened his resolve. He needed to protect Damian and get him to Gotham. It might cost Jason his place in the family once Bruce realized that he could have something real. Still, it was the right thing to do.

Jason would never forgive himself if he left Damian behind and the kid got his soul sucked out by his evil grandpa. Not to mention that Bruce would never forgive Jason. At this point, Jason should probably question the life choices that had led him into this predicament.

Angela Muñoz opened the door to her Washington apartment. She sighed and massaged her temples. Amanda Waller was one of the most capable people in the business, but she could give you a headache. Waller had been particularly hard on all her agents ever since the Suicide Squad had imploded under her nose, setting heaven and earth in motion to get it running again. Until now without success.

Angela took off her shoes and put down her gun. She mentally calculated how many bowls she could still get out of that cereal she had left.

Angela was on her way to the kitchen when she was pulled back. Something cold and sharp settled against her throat.

She froze. How had this intruder gotten past her entire warning system?

Angela couldn't see her attacker behind her. Her first guess about their identity would have been Deathstroke. But Slade Wilson was dead now. Killed by his own little experiment.

"The Light has sentenced you to die", a quiet voice behind her said.

Angela balled her fists. It was him. Deathstroke's botched experiment. The Light's new enforcer. Angela used the term enforcer loosely. Puppet would have been more adequate. The Light had been taking pages from the Court's playbook ever since it had gotten into the Talon-business.

Angela pushed her eyes shut in defeat. She had expected this. No one who had been associated in any way with that cursed Taipei-mission had come out unscathed. Angela had been lucky – until now.

"Talon", Angela said.

She expected a slash to her throat. Talons were efficient usually, unless their masters ordered something different. Lex Luthor was vicious enough to do so.

"Not kill if you give intel", he said.

Angela didn't believe it in a second. Whatever intel he needed, Luthor must have ordered him to kill her once he had it.

She decided to play along. Gain some information about the Talon's mission and hopefully get an opening to escape.

"On what?"

"You have intel on Grandmaster Luthor."

"Grandmaster huh?", Angela said, "Apparently, you've switched keepers."

The Talon didn't take the bait. Of course, he didn't. Talons didn't have any pride to wound.

"You ARGUS", Talon said, "You collect intel on Grandmaster. Where is?"

"I won't tell you."

"We see", Talon hummed in a non-committal way.

It made goosebumps spread over her neck. Talon searched her for weapons, discovering all her knives.

"Good knives", he muttered and pocketed them.

Talon led her towards the kitchen chair and pushed her down. He took some duct tape out of his uniform. The sound of the tape tearing made Angela flinch. Talon cut it off with his claws and taped her limbs together.

No. Angela wouldn't survive this. There was no way. The Talon had been deadly efficient in Taipei already and he had only grown since then.

ARGUS had analyzed every millisecond of that leaked video. Their analysts had concluded that the Talon must have been around 14 then – 15 at most. This placed him in his early twenties now, barely out of his teens.

He still looked painfully young. Angela could see how he had been able to put on an innocent act for Batman and the League. Waller and ARGUS hadn't believed it one bit. They had always kept an eye on this particular Talon and the last few months had proved how vicious he could be.

Talon crouched on the kitchen counter in front of her. He watched her closely.

"Where intel?", he said.

"I can scream."

He tilted his head: "You want kill your neighbors?"

Talon's voice was matter of fact as if he wasn't even trying to intimidate her. He was just naturallyunnerving. No. She corrected herself. Not natural. Conditioned.

But he was right. Angela's neighbors were dead if she screamed. Even if she called the cops, they would end up dead. Only a meta or a hunter trained to take down a Talon had a chance against this creature.

Angela couldn't involve anyone in this.

"I don't know about any intel", Angela lied.

Talon didn't fall for her act: "You collect intel on Lex Luthor but you get very cocky. You not share it yet. You want present it best moment for get promotion."

Angela bit her lips. It had been a mistake. Any agent worth their salt knew that in intelligence, efficiency would always win out over emotions.

Angela had lost sight of that when she had been passed over for a promotion year after year. It had made her bitter and reckless. She had been collecting intel on Lex Luthor for months now. All on her own time. Digging into his accounts and uncovering all his shady dealings.

How often had Angela imagined herself going up to Waller with her flash drive and delivering to her evidence that would take down one of the most powerful criminals on the planet? She had imagined Waller's stoic façade cracking to show real pride for once. Maybe she would even get a medal for her efforts.

Had it been arrogant to foster such dreams? Probably. But Angela had been in the spy business for 15 years now. She had sacrificed every other part of her life to the altar of intelligence work and Waller's exorbitant demands. There was no one who would even notice her missing outside of her colleagues.

"Not smart", Talon said, "Make you vul-ne-ra-ble."

She couldn't believe that she was getting scolded by a Talon of all people. His matter-of-fact tone made it even worse.

"You're right", she said, "It does."

There was no use in denying it. She had screwed up big time. Her hubris would lead to her death and one of the most powerful criminals in the world walking free.

"So, tell me where is. Leave with intel and you stay quiet", he put a clawed finger on his lips.

"We both know that I won't get out of here alive no matter if I give you the intel or not."

"Need torture it out of you then."

Angela mustered up enough courage to glare at him: "You know that I'm ARGUS. So, you should also know that I'm trained to resist all torture."

"All?", he took out a knife and turned it around in his hand, "Not believe."

Angela tensed. If anyone could come up with a new way to torture her, it would be a Talon. And they both knew that anyone had a breaking point. The person Talon had been once, had long been broken.

"You tell?", Talon asked.

"I won't", she took a deep breath.

Angela knew that she was dead already. If she stayed quiet, she could at least win time. It would slightly increase the chances that Luthor would face justice after all.

"I knew that you would turn up eventually to kill me. I had it coming", she said.

Talon tilted his head in the other direction. He was still crouching in front of her looking like a predatory breed of bird.

Angela couldn't overwhelm him physically. Talons were trained to perfection in their fighting. The Court had severely stunted their Talons in their mental development though. Maybe she could get into his head.

"Taipei haunts us all, doesn't it? Even you. We analyzed the video at ARGUS. You showed signs of emotional trauma."

Talon tensed. His claws dug into his palms.

"You are still showing signs of emotional trauma", Angela said, "The broken speech patterns? I wonder where that comes from. Maybe they damaged something in your brain when they fried it. Or it's trauma. Probably a mixture of both."

Talon snarled: "What you have do with Taipei?"

Angela suppressed a smirk. Apparently, she had found one of his hot buttons.

"I wasn't there. I should have been."

"Should?"

"I had the flue so a colleague filled in for me", Angela snorted, "Damn flue saved my life and it damned her to death. Unfair, isn't it?"

Talon hummed. He seemed reckless, shifting the heels of his feet.

"You killed her. It's in the leaked video", Angela said, "Her name was Paula. She attempted to escape through the window, but you caught up to her. She tried to appeal to you and she seemed to get your attention, but you still killed her."

"Only remember blur. Not… she", Talon trailed off.

He seemed more thoughtful than emotionless now. Angela hadn't even known that Talons couldbe thoughtful.

"The analysts said you showed signs of disassociating."

He shifted his heels again. She was at least unnerving him.

"Paula had a little sister. Their parents had passed away in a car crash. So, she took care of her little sister all by herself. Rough deal in life. You should know something about that."

"It honor serve Grandmaster", his voice returned to its emotionless state.

Angela scoffed at his stock answer: "Sure it is. It's fitting that you should be the one to take me down. I've been playing political games in Washington for 15 years now. And that's what they are: Games. We tell ourselves that we are making a difference but, in the end, it's always the rich and powerful who win. You should know all about that. Waller drafted you into her Squad without trial."

"Squad create war for government on mission."

Angela frowned. Talon showed far more awareness than she could have expected. He knew what he was being used for.

Angela chuckled: "We always make the same mistake. We point to the symptoms of the problem instead of the actual problems. You aren't the monster. You are just a kid who got screwed over by the rich and powerful. And now they are pulling your strings. Enforcer? My ass. You are a puppet."

Talon put his clawed gloves around the counter. Angela winced at the strain he was putting on the material. Still, he didn't answer.

"The material I have could take Luthor down for good. You would be freed. You could even live in that nice Talon-center. Or hell, maybe we could even find your real name and family."

She tried to paint an enticing picture. Enticing, but unlikely. Even if the Light fell, every authority in America would be out to punish him or take advantage of him as a resource. That kid had lost his freedom the moment, the Court had snatched him up. It was unfair but Angela had learned to be realistic in the last 15 years.

Talon didn't need to know that though. She needed to get him on her side, even if the chances were slim.

Angela herself didn't know what she wanted for him. He was undeniably dangerous. He had killed her colleague and a room full of people. He would kill Angela tonight because there was no way he would let her go.

But the idea of this Talon just being exploited over and over again until it killed him was bleak. It was unfair. The idea that a person – a child – could have all humanity ripped away from him and damned to be treated like disposable until it killed him. That child deserved at least some empathy, didn't he? Even if he had committed some of the worst crimes imaginable.

"Not have real name and family", Talon said.

Angela cursed internally. Court-conditioning really was something. It still had a death grip on all the Talons Angela had seen despite the Court's fall.

"Of course, you do. The Court stole you from whoever was your family before."

"No. Steal a child's body. That child not me."

Angela frowned: "You believe that you are a different person?"

This was fascinating. Angela wondered if all Talons conceived of their identity in this way or just this one. No one had probably bothered to check.

Talon shook his head: "You try manipulate. It not work."

"I'm not manipulating you."

"You do."

Angela was surprised at his insistence.

"Really need that data", Talon said, "You tell?"

Angela cursed internally. Her window to get him on her side had closed.

"No. You'll have to torture it out of me", Angela's words were braver than her tone.

She had shaken him for a moment but in the end, he would do what he was conditioned to do. Finish the mission. Their short detour had revealed one key thing to Angela though: He wasn't mindless.

Talon hummed in a way that told Angela nothing and jumped off the countertop. He moved to the kitchen wall and knocked against the wall, listening.

"What are you doing?"

"Look for secret", Talon went on his knees to knock against the floor, "Take long time but less time than torture ARGUS-agent."

Angela's thoughts were racing. He acted in a manner completely unexpected to her. This didn't match with any behavior ARGUS had predicted for Talons or for him specifically.

Not torturing her because it took too long was a thin excuse. Could it be that Talon just didn't want to torture her? This could change everything.

Talon searched the kitchen thoroughly. He didn't find anything because there was nothing to find. Not here.

Talon picked her up and brought her to the living room. He continued his search.

This continued until they reached the bathroom. Angela tensed. Talon tilted his head at her reaction.

"Most people hide valuable thing in bedroom. ARGUS-agent know better", he sounded like he was reciting a lesson.

"That Bat-training paid off for you, didn't it?"

He was acting like Batman if she thought about it. Interrogating her and investigating instead of torturing the information out of her. Could the Bat have overwritten some of his Court-conditioning?

Talon sounded almost amused: "We see if find it."

Talon searched every corner, knocking against every tile. One of them sounded hollow.

Talon pushed the hidden button. He made a triumphant noise when the tile gave way and pulled out a flash drive.

Angela would have been impressed if she wasn't so horrified. Months of work on one tiny flash drive in the hand of the Light's enforcer. She had been stupid to leverage this intel for her selfish gain. What was a promotion against taking down Luthor for real?

Talon approached her. She expected him to slit her throat now that he had what his master wanted. Instead, he brought Angela to her study and moved to the computer. He navigated the computer slowly, as if he wasn't completely sure what he was doing.

"You don't have to work for them", Angela tried to reason with him again, "I know that the Court conditioned you. I saw how young you were on that video. You were a child. You shouldn't exchange one master for another."

He had shown that he was more reasonable than Angela had assumed. More a cunning predator than a wild creature on a leash.

Talon hummed. He seemed to barely pay attention to her while all his focus was on the computer. Talon pulled something out of his uniform – another flash drive. He inserted it in the computer.

"How make double?", he muttered.

Angela needed a moment to understand what he meant. His hacky speech patterns were hard to follow at times.

"You want to copy it?", Angela felt dumbstruck again.

"Yes", Talon said, "Tell how do?"

Angela didn't understand what the purpose of copying the incriminating information was if Talon's aim was to help Luthor. His behavior made no sense. But two versions of information had more chances of surviving than one.

"Sure", Angela frowned.

She gave him instructions.

"Thank", Talon pulled out both flash drives and pocketed them.

He approached Angela and cut the tape around her ankles with his claws.

"Not try run", Talon said, "Not work."

Angela gritted her teeth. But she followed his orders as he shepherded her towards her car. He was right. There was no opportunity to run. She cursed her tinted windows now.

To her surprise, he pushed her onto the driver's seat and cut the tape around her wrists.

"Drive", he said.

"You don't know how, right?"

Talon didn't answer. His silence was answer enough. The Court and Luthor didn't encourage self-sufficiency.

It was sad knowing that this Talon would be a young man now if the Court hadn't gotten him. Driving should be a source of freedom for him at this point. It had been for Angela at his age.

Angela started the car. She considered forcing the car off the road. Maybe she could get away. But he would heal quicker than her if she got them into an accident. It had no use.

"Anyone you alert, dead", Talon pushed his claws against her side, "Understand?"

"I do", her hands tightened around her steering wheel.

He ordered her to drive to the edge of town. They stopped at the river. This was it. He would kill her and dump her body in the water. Make it look like an accident.

"Get out", he ordered.

She did. Talon shoved the car into the river. Angela didn't understand why he hadn't killed her in the car and dunked it with her body. But she didn't complain. This was her opening.

She turned around while he was occupied and ran. Her heart was racing as she aimed for the tree line.

Angela didn't get far. She bumped against a dark figure that had soundlessly appeared behind her.

"I wouldn't do that", a female voice said, "You are dead if you run."

Angela froze. She reevaluated the situation. Talon had an accomplice.

"No one followed us", the woman said, "I secured the perimeter."

Talon threw the copied flash drive at her. She caught it.

"The intel?", the woman asked.

Talon nodded.

"I have a gift for you, too", the woman gave him a box, "You need to stick this on the mind control devices."

"Hope it work."

"Batman made it. It should work."

Batman? There was something Angela was missing here. Apparently, Talon was diverging from Luthor's mission, and he was working with Batman? That would mean that Talon had never betrayed Batman and the League. Angela tried to put together the few pieces she had gathered.

"Not doubt him", Talon nodded at the flash drive in the woman's hand, "Leak if I vanish."

"I will", the woman said.

"What is going on?", Angela asked.

"We don't have time", the woman said.

Talon nodded. He took out a grappling gun and aimed it towards the tree line.

He hesitated and turned towards Angela: "I very sorry for your co-worker. It not worth anything - I know. A girl still lose her sister. But… I sorry."

Angela didn't know what to answer. This wasn't her apology to accept nor to receive. And the person who had the right to hear it had been missing for years now. Angela watched as he zipped away, vanishing into the crowns of the trees.

The woman didn't give Angela any opportunity to brood. She ushered Angela to another car with tinted windows. Angela sat down on the passenger seat. The woman drove even further out of town.

"Are you going to kill me?", Angela asked.

"I'm here to save you", the woman said, "But if you want me to save you, you need to cooperate. Luthor believes you are dead now and it needs to stay that way."

"Are you from the League?"

"No", the woman said.

The woman stopped the car in a field in the middle of nowhere. A plane – which had been cloaked before - became visible. The woman drove the car into the cargo hold via a ramp. The plane lifted off immediately.

Angela was led to the cockpit.

"Meet Batman", the woman said.

Gotham's Dark Knight sat in the pilot's seat. He acknowledged her with a short nod.

"Did Nightwing secure the intel?", Batman asked.

Nightwing? Angela's deduction had been correct. The Talon – no Nightwing – was still loyal to Batman.

The woman put the flash drive down in front of him: "He told us to leak it in case, he doesn't ma-"

"He'll make it", Batman broke her off.

Angela spoke up: "Nightwing never betrayed the League. He is undercover."

Batman grunted in what Angela assumed was an affirmation.

"We prepared a safehouse for you", Batman said, "You'll stay inside until the mission is finished and you are prohibited from leaving for any purpose."

"I get it", Angela said, "I'll stay put."

She had been the liaison for agents all over the world. She knewhow serious the task of protecting your operatives was.

"If this isn't a League-mission, then who is behind this?", Angela asked.

"It's Nightwing's mission", Batman sounded proud.

Angela shook her head at this information. They had completely misjudged what a Talon was capable of. Nightwing had cut his strings.

Nightwing entered the Lexcorp-building. Luthor had insisted on civilian clothes, so Nightwing was wearing the necklace that made him look like Dick Grayson. No one spared him another glance as he crossed the foyer and went into the elevator. He took out his employer's card which had the word 'intern' written on it and held it up to the scanner in the elevator. It whirred as it went up to Luthor's office.

Nightwing exited and passed Mercy Graves on his way to Luthor's office door. She simply noted his presence with a slight nod. He knocked.

"Enter", Luthor said.

Nightwing opened the door.

Luthor look up. He was fiddling with a pen. Luthor never fidgeted. Whatever that ARGUS-agent had collected on him must have been compromising.

Nightwing held out the first flash drive to Luthor: "Secure intel. Dispose agent. Make look like car accident."

Luthor barely acknowledged what Nightwing had said. He dropped the pen and ripped the flash drive out of Nightwing's hand. The businessman put it into his own computer.

"Oh, that little bitch", Luthor muttered.

Nightwing tilted his head. He caught a glimpse of Luthor's screen. It consisted of rows of numbers. Bank transfers? Nightwing wasn't sure. Smarter people would have to do something with this once it was leaked to the public.

And it would be leaked. The question was only whether Nightwing would live to see it.

Luthor ripped the flash drive out of his computer. He clutched it in his hand.

"MERCY", Luthor screamed.

The android entered: "Yes, Mr. Luthor."

"Destroy this."

"Yes, Mr. Luthor", Mercy gripped the flash drive and crushed it to pieces.

Luthor smirked: "Little upshot thought she could upstage me. Stupid. No one gets the best of me."

"Of course, Grandmaster", Nightwing said.

Luthor leaned back. He looked at Mercy: "Go fetch that file."

Mercy went to a cabinet and pulled out a file.

"I have another target", Luthor looked at Nightwing.

Nightwing folded his hands behind his back. He sighed internally. This would be the fifth person Nightwing had fake-killed ever since he had become enforcer. At some point, even Batman would run out of safehouses to stash Nightwing's fake murder victims in.

But things had changed. Now, Nightwing had the means to free the Titans. The box Artemis had given him was hidden securely on the roof of a building.

"Next target is in Coast City", Luthor said, "I want him eliminated in less than three days."

"Yes, Grandmaster", Nightwing took the file.

He left the building. The file was about some CEO in the aviation industry.

Nightwing would never make it there though. He would attempt to end Project Titan or die trying.

Nightwing crossed a shopwindow and looked at the dead face of Dick Grayson. Maybe Dick would finally be able to rest once the person who had stolen his body was dead. There was some justice in that.

AN: I had multiple people figure out the Themis-connection before. Consider yourselves flattered by me. I'm a proud author. ;,)

Also, I love writing outsider POV. Scary assassin Nightwing in Outsider POV is just the best.

And Jason and Damian had a brother-moment! Damian was so adorable. (Don't tell him I said that.) He knows about his dad but doesn't believe it. Damian can join Jason in those workshops on Daddy issues. Take care of your sons' emotional issues, Bruce! They are like cute, little ducklings who need guidance - or rather Robins. *wink*wink* (I'll see myself out. Don't know what got into me there. Lol.)