Talon

[Gotham Central Hospital]

"This was a massacre. Twenty-three of our officers ruthlessly murdered, killed like animals. All because we trusted that freak with the ears and cape. All because you said that we should call him a friend! And look where it has gotten us. He comes into our station and kills our men and women!" Harvey looks to Jim. Both men stood in out in the middle of the hall.

"Something doesn't seem right here. What reason would he have to do this...so far he has only targeted criminals, and even then...he hasn't killed any one of them" Jim places his hands on his hips as he turns his head to look to his friend. He breathes in "I think he might have been framed..."

"Jim! Listen to yourself. We are talking about a guy who dresses up like a bat! Maybe he finally snapped or something. You cannot tell me that a perfectly normal person would go out and do the things that he does. I should have seen it sooner. It was only a matter of time before he went crazy" Harvey hastily counters.

"Harv, I understand how you are feeling. You feel responsible. And you are carrying all the weight on your shoulders...but we need to think clearly about this. You are a detective. So we need to find out why and how this happened" Jim places a hand on the other man's shoulder.

"You understand? You understand? I spent all night calling the families of the cops that he murdered. Do you know what it is like to hear the same gasps and breakdown over and over? Hearing every single tear, every single heart-stopping deafening silence. I can tell you, Jim. That's not a fun time. Hearing "How am I going to tell the kids?" was the one that got me the most, and I heard that more than enough times in one night then I would ever have liked" Harvey pulls off Jim's hand from his shoulder "...So don't act like you know how it feels, okay?" Harvey growls.

"They managed to stabilize Harper. She might be able to tell us something about this whole thing once she wakes up" Jim tries to reason with his partner.

"That could take days, Jim. We are getting this son of a bitch! I have S.W.A.T teams all over the city looking out for him. If he is stupid enough to show his face around this city...we will get him!" Harvey adds.
"Target sighting confirmed! I got eyes on the target!"

Harvey looks down to the communicator in hand "Looks like he really is that stupid. Come on, Jim. Let's bag him"

[Underground]

"You did well, 514A. You may be the who is destined to save Gotham after all..." a masked woman in a red dress looks over to the Talon. Talon was currently bandaging his wounds. His eyes look to the woman "It is the court's duty to oversee Gotham, never to reveal ourselves to it. But times have changed. People want a savior, that is why they so quickly took a liking to The Batman even with his violent ways. The people of this city are in such need for a hero, and such Bruce Wayne cannot be allowed to be that hero. You must become the true Dark Knight of the city. And as you rise so will we..." the woman walks around Talon as she keeps her eyes on him.

"When I was first created. I thought I was meant to become Bruce Wayne...however...my true destiny was to become the savior that he refuses to be. The true hero that Gotham deserves. That is the will of my creators which I have inherited. Gotham has proven time and time again that it cannot be saved. The people have chosen the path of cowardice and to deny the truth of what must be done. The only way for Gotham to be saved is for it to burn and with it will arise a much more worthy world...a world where I stand guard...where I will protect the innocent and judge the guilty..." Talon forms his hand into a fist "Batman would never understand what must be done...that is why I must kill him..."

"In due time. We must make the city hate him first...despise him. Until they are willing to accept you as their new savior" the woman explains.

"He is going to be looking for us. And he will not rest until he finds us" Talon replies as senses that the woman was staring at him.

"Then let him...we have plans for him...now go and play" the woman caresses Talon's shoulders "Go and be Gotham's hero"

"Please for the love of god don't kill me!" a man screams as he was hanging over the edge of a building with a grapple line wrapped around his leg. Batman stood on the roof as he stares down to the man. His eyes narrow as he kneels down on the edge.

"If you don't want me to drop you, then talk! Where is Black Mask?!" Batman calls down, clearly out of patience.

"No way! He would kill me if I talked!" the man calls back up as he panics.

"He might kill you, but you will definitely wish that I would if you don't start talking right now!"

"Okay, Okay! He's...at the skyline Club with his men! There is no way that you can get to him now! The whole city is now looking for you. And Black Mask is ready for you to show up! Going there is suicide!" the man calls up to the dark knight "You are a dead man! You hear me? You are a dead man walking! You think that you could just show up out of the blue and defeat Gotham's underworld? They may hate each other, but lately, they have all agreed on one thing! You have to go!"

"Thanks for the information. Enjoy the view" Batman stands up.

"Wait! Pull me back up! My head is getting dizzy!" the man begs.

Quickly the door to the roof was barged open as four S.W.A.T officers come on to the roof along with Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon. They all line up as Harvey pulls out his gun and aims it at Batman "GCPD! Hands in the air or we will shoot!" Harvey yells. Jim and the other officers also aim their weapons at the dark knight "We finally got you! You are going to pay for what you did to our people! I should have never trusted you" Harvey's eyes lock on his target.

"Hands in the air or we will open fire!" Jim warns Batman.

Batman slowly turns around to Jim and Harvey "I did not kill those officers. Riddler was working for the Court of Owls! The Talon was the one who attacked your people. By the time I got to the GCPD...it was too late" he explains as he secretly reaches into his belt.

"Wait! The Court of Owls? How do you know about them...?" Jim lowers his weapon.

"Jim? What are you doing! Keep your weapon on him!" Harvey yells.

Batman throws a small black ball onto the roof. Smoke begins to be released from it as the whole roof was quickly engulfed in it "FIRE!" Harvey commands which he and the four other officers followed as they quickly shoot at the smoke-filled area. Jim quickly looks around the roof as he tries to find the dark knight.

"The Court is back in Gotham. Watch your back; you may be a Target" Gordon quickly turns as he sees a shadowy figure run towards the edge of the roof. Batman's cape swooshes around before he leaps off of the building. The smoke faded enough for the roof to be clear enough to see.

Jim quickly runs to the edge of the roof only to see that he had vanished. Harvey walks up to him "What the hell was that? You just let him get away!" the grizzled man chastises the commissioner. Jim slowly looks at Harvey.

"The Court of Owls...that's what he said. If they are back...he may be the only one who can stop them..." Jim reluctantly tells Harvey.

The Skyline Club

Roman Sionis aka the Black Mask stood in front of the glass window of the club. Dressed in a pure white suit and a black skull-shaped mask he looks out to the city "Gotham...is it not beautiful at night?" he comments, arms held behind back "Or that was what I use to say four months ago, before our friend arrived in town and started prancing around the place as he owns it" Black Mask turns his head to see two people sat in the seats behind him "Our little Bat problem. Taking out my men and costing me millions. I heard it has been the same with you. I say it's about time we dealt with him..."

"And how do you propose that we do that?" a dark-haired woman dressed in an all black suit who was holding a glass full of wine asks "Last time I checked. The whole underworld of Gotham is in hiding because of this guy. I can't find anyone who would be brave enough to take him on..." Sofia Falcone adds to her prior question.

Tony Zucco nods in agreement with Sofia "There is no one in Gotham that can even come close to taking down the Bat. Some of my men are even scared to go outside because they are convinced that he is always lurking in the shadows"

Black Mask turns to face the two other crime lords "So what now? Are you going to run away like a coward? Because I worked tooth and nail to take this city for myself...and I will not give it up just because someone comes barging into my city and cost me millions. See I have a problem with that...all my hard work just going to waste. Us three rule all of Gotham...not the mayor, not the GCPD and definitely not the bat. We built this city up from the pile of ash that it was left as...and will continue to do so!"

Sophia sips from her glass "So let me get this straight...you have a plan to kill the bat? I'm all for it...considering that it can actually work" she raises an eyebrow as she awaits an answer from the man. She sets her glass aside on the table next to her.

"This world is full of those freaks...those so-called Heroes. All the way from Metropolis to the bloody ocean. You know what makes the bat so unique? He's just a man in a suit! He's not bulletproof, he's not faster than the eye can see, he can't shoot an arrow and he certainly cannot talk to fish...this is just one man. Who can bleed and who can die...who will die" Black Mask responds as he slides a file over to the other two people. Tony Zucco grabs the file and opens it.

"What the hell is this...this is crazy?" Tony questions.

Sophia snatches the file off of the man and gives her own opinion "I can't believe that I'm agreeing with Mr. Receding Hairline here, but this is complete madness, plus it would cost a fortune" she throws the file back onto the table "Which can only mean one thing...you're desperate" Sophia smiles with a firm smugness.

They all quickly look towards the door of the penthouse as loud gunfire could be heard from outside along with screaming and a lot of it. Sophia's eyes widen as she stands up "The Bat! He's here!" she comments as both she and Tony look over to Black Mask.

"The Bat would not let us hear their screams..." Black Mask takes notice.

"Then who the hell is outside?" Zucco asks.

"You don't want to know" Black Mask responds as he quickly pulls a handgun out of his blazer.

The door to the penthouse was knocked off its hinges as the Talon walks in, covered in splatters of blood. His eyes lock on to the three crime lords. He raises the two bloodied daggers that he was holding to be level with his chest. His blue-chromic eyes look over all three of them "Roman Sionis, Sophia Falcone and Tony Zucco...for your crimes against the city of Gotham. You have all been sentenced to...death" Talon announces as he sees the handgun that Black Mask was holding.

"So you finally decided to come after me? I hate to break it you, but you are not invited to this gathering of ours. See, I was hoping to save this surprise for the bat if he even made the mistake of coming here, but I guess that you'll have to do! Croc, old boy. Show our friend what we think of party crashers!" Black Mask yells out.

Talon gives a confused look to Black Mask "Who were you talking to?" he asks as a large reptilian hand punches through the floor and grabs his foot. The hand pulled him down and through the floor. Talon was thrown across the room and collided with the wall to the room; cracking it. Talon shakes his head as he sees a large monstrous creature walking towards him. A dark-green reptile humanoid figure stood in front of him. The creature grabs Talon by the throat and pushes him against the same wall.

"Ohhh...did that hurt?" Killer Croc breaths over Talon.

"No" Talon responds as he plunges one of his daggers into the beast's hand. Killer Croc yelps as he releases his grip on Talon. The owl-themed fighter rolls out of the way as Croc slams his foot down on the ground. Talon stands on his knees as he pulls out a new pair of daggers "But I can't feel my lower back...so I'm not too sure..." he adds as he quickly runs forward. Croc grins as he swipes at Talon who easily slides out of the way and under croc's legs where he used one of his daggers to slice the creatures' leg.

"How cute" Croc laughs as he rams his fist into the ground. Talon rolls out of the way as he barely dodges the blow. Croc looks over his shoulder where he sees the Talon leap onto his feet as he readies his daggers for another attack. Killer Croc turns around and laughs "To be honest. I was hoping for the bat, but you will be fine. Your flesh will taste the same and you will die the same"
"Batman demands to be feared, but I demand to be respected" Talon shoots back as he throws his daggers at Killer Croc. The reptilian beast easily just knocked them away as he begins to walk forward. Talon runs forward and throws a punch at Croc.

"And I want to gnaw on your bones" Killer Croc laughs as he grabs Talon's fist. Talon's eyes narrow as a blade ejects out of his boot. He kicks upward and cuts all the way up Killer Croc's stomach; creating a trail of blood in its path. Killer Crock's eyes narrow as his large hands grabbed the Talon's torso as he begins to squeeze. Killer Croc growls "Oh boy. Now you've done it!"
"Agreed" Talon breaths heavily as he rams his head forward and headbutts Killer Croc. The beast released its grip on the Talon; letting him fall back onto the ground. Talon pulls out the sword from his back and looks at his target "I shall slay you"

"Many have tried...all have died trying" Killer Crock laughs.

"None of them were me" Talon shot back as he swings his blade at the creature. Croc steps back as the sword cuts across his chest. The beast's eyes widen in surprise at the sight of his new wound. Talon took notice of that and quickly swung again. This time cutting across croc's shoulder. And with another swing; the beast's stomach was slashed again. Killer Crock kneels down as he holds his wounds.
"Wait! I had enough, I give up!" Croc pleads as dribbles blood.

"I play for keeps" Talon lifts his blade and aligns it with Croc's heart "A strange creature that you. You are still a criminal and it is my mission to kill you. To eradicate your kind from Gotham. For your crimes against Gotham and its people...I sentence you death!" Talon yells as he prepares to force his sword through the beast's chest. Talon's eyes widen as he sees a shadow fly past him. Quickly turning around he sees a shadow quickly descending upon him from outside "You don't know when to quit, do you?" he thinks to himself.

The windows shatter into shards of glass as the dark knight glides through. His eyes settling upon Talon. Batman stands up "Here you are. Thanks for saving me the trouble of hunting you down" he then throws a Batarang towards Talon who easily sliced it in half with his sword.

"Nice suit. Quite the upgrade, but don't think that you are safe" Talon returns the sword to his back "See this piece of filth? This is what you are letting roam around Gotham! Think of all the people he has murdered! There is only one way to deal with a monster like him...but you will never accept it. Your foolish code will always prevent you from being the true hero that this city is in desperate need for. That's why I must take your place like this city's dark knight...I can do what needs to be done! What you refuse to do!"

"No. You were made to replace me so the court could have complete control of Gotham. You were made just to be their tool and that's all you will ever be. You are here just because I was strong enough to fight against the court. You on the other hand...you will always be their puppet. A means to an end" Batman coldly tells the Talon. The Dark Knight readies himself as he lifts his fists it up as he and the Talon slowly pace around each other.

"Maybe, but that's all I ever had and have known. You wouldn't understand" Talon grabs his sword as he and Batman continue to steadily circle each other "How's that wound of yours? You lost a lot of blood back there. I can't believe that you can still stand after that...unlike me. You feel pain. You are held back by your own mortality..." Talon observes.

"And you are held back your arrogance" Batman shot back.

"Shut up!" Talon swings his sword at Batman who used his gauntlet to block. The blade slices across the armored glove; scratching it. Batman side steps and throws a punch towards the other man's stomach. Talon uses his right hand to grab hold of the first. Talon's boot ejects a blade which he then kicks upward towards Batman's stomach. The Dark Knight quickly raises his knee to block the blade. Batman then headbutts Talon; knocking him back and making him stumble.

"What the..." Talon whispers.

"You can't use the same tricks as last time" Batman comments as he lunges forward, he spins on his knees and sends an uppercut towards Talon. The owl-themed character jumps back out of the way as he grabs a dagger from his chest with his spare hand. He kicks Batman in his chest which the dark knight took head one. Talon then takes a swipe with the dagger which Batman used a Batarang to knock out of his hand. The Talon then swung with his blade. Batman steps back and dodges the sword.

Batman then side-steps while using a Batarang to cut across Talon's shoulder. The dark knight then moves behind Talon and kicks his back; knocking the Talon forward. He then leaps forward and jumps high enough to slice Talon across his back "All these years that you were training to become me. You may have all my skills...you may have my intelligence...but you are missing the most important thing to be me...!" the dark knight tells Talon.

"And what would that be then?" Talon asks as he prepared himself to go on the attack. He turns on his heel and swings towards Batman. The dark knight slides out of the way and yanks the sword out of the talon's hands. Batman uses both of his hands to snap the blade in two; dropping it to the floor "I endure the pain...the suffering. You just ignore it" he explains as he looks to Talon who slowly turns around while holding a new set of daggers.

"Well in that case...let's just how much pain that you can really endure" Talon growls as he charges head-first into the dark knight. His head hitting his stomach as Talon rams him out of the broken window; causing them both to fall above the streets of Gotham. Batman's eyes widen as he spreads out his cape as he glides across the streets of Gotham.

Eventually, Batman rolls onto another rooftop. He looks around at his surroundings seeing that Talon had vanished "That beast must have damaged his body more than he thought. Talon gave a much better fight last night"

"Alfred, when hunting down Black Mask...I ran into the Talon. It looks like Talon was trying to kill Black Mask" Batman informs the man on the other end.

"Oh my, are you alright?" Alfred asks concerned.

"I'm fine, Alfred. It seems that Talon bit off more than he could chew. It seems that he was fighting a large crocodile shaped man. I got there just before Talon could kill him. As well Black Mask was already gone. I'm back to square one" Batman looks over to the Skyline Club.

"What are you planning to do now?" Alfred follows up.

"Now that the Court of Owls has made an attempt on Sionis' life; I'm sure that he would be more willing to talk about the information that he has on them. I'm sure that he has gone into hiding so finding him will be harder than before. Alfred, I'm returning back to the Batcave. There has to be some footage of the Skyline Club. Maybe that can let me know where he went" Batman pulls out his grapple gun and aims it at the next building along.

"Should I make some tea, master Bruce?"

Batman was launched across buildings as he begins to glide.

[Underground]
Talon breaths heavily as he holds his sides "I am having trouble breathing...is that normal?" he asks as he lays on a metal gurney. His eyes look up to the masked woman in the red dress as she cups his mask with her palm.

"It seems the damage to your body has become severe, 514A. Your body is dying..." the woman tells him.

"He's right...I would never have been able to replace him...he was meant to guard Gotham..." Talon breaths heavily.

"No, no, no, no,...no. not at the moment, but soon you shall become the one who is destined to be the darkest knight..." the woman takes hold of the talon's hand "You were never meant to stay as the Talon forever...you will be reborn as a true equal to Batman...and then you can claim your place as Gotham's darkest Knight..." the woman looks down where a large green pool was. She tightens her grip on his hand "The Lazarus pit shall repair your body and improve your mind. Not even Batman will be able to stop you, 514A"

"I'm...scared..."

"That will all be gone once you awake..." the woman reassures him "You will become our knight. Our creature of the night...our warrior"

Chapter End