Broken Wings Chapter 2: Monster, a young justice fanfic

Author's Notes: Is three-shot an actually thing? If not I am creating it now! I am a big Young Justice fan and I am so glad it got a third season! I just finished it and it was really incredible! I also love Dick Grayson is a Talon stories, as you're about to see.

Summary: He had been called many things in his life. Nightwing. Monster. Talon. Son. Hero. Each title had been true, for a certain amount of time. Then he would shed it for the next role that 'destiny' assigned to him. But no matter what others called him, he would always be Dick Grayson. And one thing that Dick Grayson embraced...was that destinies did not exist.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Enjoy

Bruce

Bruce felt the mask crack beneath his fist as he punched the Judge. The Judge in turn went flying into the wall before collapsing to the ground, the broken shards of his mask falling around him. But when the Judge looked up, Batman couldn't hide the surprise that crossed his features.

It was a woman. (1)

The Judge was female, having curly blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She must have been using some kind of modulator inside the mask to disguise her voice. She had a small mole just beneath her left eye, and beneath that mole was a bruise just beginning to form from the punch he had landed. She also wore cheery red lipstick and blue eye shadow, but Bruce barely paid mind to that.

He knew her.

He didn't know her name, but he did know her.

She had come to galas he hosted. He had seen her at charity events. For God's sake, she had been in his house. She had shaken hands with him.

Batman was so stunned that he did nothing as she got back up, a look of rage on her face. "Kill him! Kill him NOW!" She shouted, pointing at him for clarity.

The Talons once again sprung to life and were upon him. That snapped him out of his stasis. He fought them off one by one, blow by blow. He had to use some of his exploding batarangs to destroy their heads but eventually it came to an end.

But when he turned back to the spot the Judge had been previously, she was gone.

Wally

Dick was running ahead of them, making twists and turns all throughout the accursed maze like he had the entire layout committed to memory. In hindsight, he probably did.

Even Wally was having trouble keeping up. Despite his metabolism, the drugs the Court dosed him with were still working their way out of his system. Everyone else was still a bit shaky on their feet. Kaldur, however, had it the worst of any of them. He took a much bigger hit due to the water from the fountain. He still hadn't woken up, and was being carried over the shoulder by Conner.

Eventually, Wally managed to gain some speed, enough so that he was neck and neck with Dick. "Dude, you have lost your mind if you think you're getting out of this without an explanation."

Wally hadn't meant to sound so hostile, but he was still trying to wrap his head around this. Had Dick planned this all along? Had he let the Court take him? Let himself be turned into a Talon? What would possess him to do something so foolish? Especially so close to what happened during the invasion.

Dick turned to him, rage igniting in his golden gaze. It took an effort on Wally's part not to flinch. "As soon as we get out of here, Wally! As soon as we get out, and not a moment before!" He screamed before turning back to the halls ahead and running past Wally.

Wally gawked from his running position. What was that? He had never seen Dick react like that before. He had always been, for the most part, extremely calm (or rather traught, Wally thought to himself) even under the most stressful of circumstances. It came with Batman's training. Control your emotions. Never let your emotions control you. All that. Yet Dick's look made a small part of him fear for his life.

Wally was pulled from his musings when Dick suddenly stopped in his tracks. Wally tried to stop as well, though he was much less graceful in it. He lost balance and very nearly hit the floor when Dick reached out and grabbed him by the back of his uniform and pulled him into a standing position.

"Thanks man." Wally said as he turned to his best friend. Dick was looking straight ahead, yellow eyes unblinking. "Dick?" Behind him Wally could hear the rest of the team stop where they were as well. The ginger turned to see the team all looking ahead of the two of them with expressions of concern. Finally, Wally looked forward.

And there stood William Cobb, golden eyes blazing with unbridled fury, his claws ready to tear them to shreds. But all that anger was directed at one person.

"You betrayed us!" Cobb snarled savagely as he flexed his fingers, causing the claws to extend with an evil hiss.

Dick shook his head as he returned Cobb's glare in full. "You can't betray someone you were never loyal to!"

Wally couldn't help but smirk at that.

Before Cobb could attack, Dick turned to Wally and whispered quickly. "Go. I'll be right behind you."

"But-"

Wally's argument was left unsaid as the two Talons sped towards each other. Cobb tried to deliver a round house kick to Dick's temple, followed by a claw strike to the same area. Dick swiftly dodged both and grabbed his ancestor's outstretched arm from the failed attack. Before Cobb could react, Dick used his claws to strike beneath the armpit with an attack so strong, Cobb's arm was completely severed from the body. Dick then threw the discarded limb to the side and continued to strike Cobb in the chest and face with a series of quick jabs.

Pushing down his disgust, it occurred to Wally just how much Dick had been holding back during their own fight. Sure he had taken them all down in rather brutal ways, but this made it seem like nothing. Here was Cobb, a man with over a century's worth of fighting experience and electrum infusions, and in mere moments Dick had managed to...'disarm him' so to speak. Earlier Cobb had taken note of the fact that Dick had only bested Miss Martian and Superboy, but now it was obvious. If Dick had truly meant to, the entire team would have fallen to him.

Dick grabbed Cobb's remaining arm as he spun around and was suddenly to the Talon's rear. He yanked the arm outwards and pressed his hand between the shoulder blades and pushed Cobb against the wall, giving his a face full of concrete.

Dick turned to them with that same look of urgency once more. "Go!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Robin pulled up his holomap and they all ran for the highlighted passage, leaving Dick to tend to his great-grandfather.

After a good few minutes of running around, the team found themselves at a grand staircase with a large pair of doors at the top, similar to those you would find for the front doors of a mansion. Everyone began to make for the top. Except one. One maintained his ground.

Halfway up the stairs, Artemis turned around and saw her boyfriend staring at the hall they just came from. "Wally come on!"

Wally didn't respond right away. Something was off. They had spent a fair amount of time shuffling through those halls. If what Wally had seen of Dick's skills were anything to go off of, the fight should have been finished already. And based on the Romani's new found speed, he should have caught up with them by now.

Something wasn't right.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to find Dick." Wally sped off before she could object. He remembered the turns they had made fairly well. Well enough to only hit two dead ends, that is. But eventually he heard the sound of shouting and went from there. And what he found completely horrified him.

He had been correct in assuming that Dick had won the fight. Cobb was laying flat on his chest on the ground, weakened but conscious. Dick was on top of him, straddling Cobb's lower body between his legs. Dick's clawed hand was holding up Cobb's head, clearly adding to the discomfort as his spine was forced to bend back too far. Dick then delivered a powerful blow to the back of Cobb's neck, causing a sharp crack to echo through the maze. Cobb's head fell to the ground, his neck bent at an unnatural angle.

His neck was broken, Wally could tell. That was good. A broken neck could incapacitate Talons. That should have been the end of it. But it wasn't. Dick's claws reached down and curled around the underside of the now unconscious Cobb's jaw and yanked his head up before smashing it back to the ground.

Wally stood there completely still. What was happening? He was defeated. Dick never went further than that. But here he was, pounding Cobb's face into the ground. That's when Wally caught the look in Dick's eyes. There was this...wrath there. It wasn't mere anger or resentment or even hatred. Wally had seen this look thousands of times while fighting the villains of the world. And it was something that he had only ever thought criminals were capable of. Until now, that was.

It was blood-lust.

Dick the placed a knee on the center of Cobb's back, his hands still gripping his head. With a snarl, Dick yanked Cobb's head upwards. Wally expected him to slam it back down again, but that's not what this was. Dick just kept pulling. Eventually Wally could see the skin from the front of Cobb's throat begin to tear from the shear force Dick was using.

"The only successful way to kill one seems to be decapitation."

Batman's words rang in Wally's head as he realized what Dick was doing. Realization hit him like a sack full of bricks.

No. No this wasn't right. Sure Artemis had beheaded some of those Talons who came after them. Wally was sure some of the JLA members were doing that to Talons at that very moment. But this was different. Cobb was defenseless. He posed no threat to anyone like this. This wasn't self-defense. It was murder.

Without thinking Wally sped towards Dick and pulled him off Cobb. He threw himself on top of Dick and pinned both his wrists while laying on top of his lower body. Dick growled and tried to get free, his advanced strength proving a challenge for Wally to keep in check.

"Dick stop it! It's over! He's down!" Wally yelled as he watched his friend thrash violently beneath him. "You don't need to go that far! What would Bruce think?!"

Immediately Dick stopped struggling and just laid there, eyes slowly drifting up to meet Wally's. He looked at the redhead as if he only just realized who it was that was holding him down. Wally had no idea what caused this sudden state of calm. Maybe the fact that he had used Bruce's name?

Now that he seemed fine, Wally slowly got up from his awkward position atop Dick and offered him a hand, but Dick didn't take it. He slowly got up on his own and starred down at Cobb, whose wound to the throat was already healing. From what Wally understood, the broken neck would take several hours to heal. But he couldn't care less about the state of William Cobb. What concerned him was Dick's expression.

He was looking at Cobb's wound in pure shock, like he hadn't realized what he had been doing until then. Wally could pinpoint the exact moment he did realize it though. Because that was the moment his expression turned from one of shock to shame. Dick looked down at his clawed gloves, blood still soaking them.

They stayed in that way for a full minute before Wally placed his hand on Dick's shoulder. He tried to ignore the violent flinch that ran through Dick's body at the sudden contact, or the way his eyes widened in panic as he turned to face the redhead. Wally put his other hand up defensively. "Hey now. It's just me."

He waited until Dick seemed to calm down to place his additional hand on the opposite shoulder. "Come on now. It's over. We're going home." He then gave a small push to nudge Dick forward. Soon enough, they were walking out of the Labyrinth at a slow and steady pace, Cobb's lifeless form laid forgotten on the ground behind them.

Wally didn't realize until that moment just how much he had actually been hoping that this was all some grand manipulation on Dick's part to get to the Court. That way it was as simple as them getting into a screaming match, one long lecture about keeping secrets from the team, and everything was back to normal. But one look at Dick's current state made it very clear that wasn't the case.

Wally didn't know exactly what the Owls had done to his best friend. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. What he did know is that whatever they did, they managed to accomplish that which no other villain in Gotham, not even the Joker, had been able to do before. What no other villain in the whole world had been able to do.

They broke him.

Tim

It had taken a while, but they finally managed to clear the area of Talons. That was in no small part due to Black Canary. Luckily all the Talons had their senses cranked up to an 11. They couldn't stand her screaming, and she didn't have to worry about killing them for obvious reasons. Many were unconscious, scattered throughout the street. The other Leaguers had similar success around Gotham, and the Talons were being transported to a nearby Cryogenics lab until a more permanent solution could be found.

Tim couldn't believe it. It was really over. Before he had been dreading this mission. In his mind it would take months, perhaps even a year to fully bring down the Court and get Dick back. But here they were. The Talons were defeated, Dick was alright, and several Owls were in custody. And as it turned out, the Court had some type of partnership with the Light. This bust could very well end up being key in bringing down Vandal Savage and his cohorts for good. And Kaldur had also woken up, the affects of the drugged fountain water finally having worn off.

All that was left was for Wally and Dick to walk through those doors.

Right now they were in the Bioship, waiting for their comrades to come in. Sometimes Tim really hated Wally's pension for being late. For one of the fastest people alive he sure did like to take his time.

Eventually though the hiss of the Bioship's main door opening let Tim smile. He immediately turned in his seat to see his comrade and brother.

And the smile instantly vanished from his face.

Wally was gripping Dick's shoulders and helping to lead him into the ship. Dick kept his gaze down to his feet as they walked in, he had his arms wrapped around himself, and he had a frown set in his features. Wally guided him to one of the free seats and set him down. Dick turned in his seat so that he was facing the window and looking away from the team. He seemed to just curl in on himself in an attempt to make himself seem small. It struck Tim just how good he seemed to be at doing that.

Wally sighed as he took his own seat behind Dick and turned to face M'gann, who was already staring at him. In fact, the entire team had their eyes glued on either of the newcomers. For Wally, they looked to him for answers. But Dick, it was like staring at a terrible car accident. Yes it was heartbreaking to look at but you couldn't help it.

"Let's head out." Wally said in a sad voice. "Cobb is back in the maze. He's incapacitated. Tell the police to pick him up."

The flinch that ran through Dick's body at the mention of his great-grandfather did not go unnoticed.

M'gann nodded, eyes never leaving Dick as she took to the controls and the Bioship began to fly out.

Tim turned away in his seat, no longer able to bring himself to look at his broken brother. Just like that his hopes were shattered, and his fears confirmed.

Dick was anything but alright.

Barbara

Barbara could see it too. Anyone with eyes could see it. The normally stone faced Nightwing wasn't even trying to hide his vulnerability in that moment. He just looked so...defeated.

Barbara had been the one to come up with the theory that he had been a mole within the Court. And she had been right. When that was proven by Dick freeing them she had been ecstatic. That meant they could take down the Court, get Dick home, and everything would be okay.

God. Had she truly been that naive? Had she truly believed that even someone as strong as Richard Grayson was strong enough to come out of that unscathed?

Now the truth was laid bare in front of her. One look was all it took. One look and you could see that this boy was not just broken, but shattered.

Barbara could only hope that he wasn't beyond repair.

"So...I guess I owe you all an explanation." Dick said. His voice still had that rough edge to it. Barbara hoped she had been wrong, and that it wasn't the result of relentless screaming. But something in her gut said otherwise.

"No you don't. You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to." Wally responded, despite being the first to say that they needed answers. He must have seen just how vulnerable Dick was at the moment too. Then again, who couldn't?

Dick shook his head. "I do want to though." Dick said as he finally turned to face them, though he kept his eyes down. Eventually he managed to will his eyes to met Barbara's. She still flinched a bit at the yellow of his eyes. "First things first. I owe all of you an apology. Especially you Babs. I...I don't know how you could ever forgive me." He said, turning away again. "I hurt you all. And what I did to your dad-"

"No." Babs said firmly. She couldn't watch Dick do this to himself. It hurt too much. "You saved my dad Dick. I know what you did for him. I know you hit him in a non-fatal area, even though you must have known the Court would punish you. And it worked. He's fine Dick. If it had been another Talon that was sent after him I would have been visiting a morgue instead of a hospital. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all."

She could tell by his expression that he didn't believe her.

"It's not just that." Dick continued. "What happened during the invasion-"

This time it was Conner who interrupted. "What you did saved the world. There's nothing to forgive Dick."

'We're just sorry it took us eight months to realize it.' Barbara added silently.

Dick still looked unconvinced. Regardless, he moved on. "Okay then. I guess I should talk about the Court." He said, tugging awkwardly at the collar of his unitard. "I'm not sure where to start..."

"The beginning might be a good place." Wally said with a smile. Babs smirked. Leave it to Wally West to try and lighten the mood even under circumstances like this.

Dick grinned a bit at his friends attempt at humor, but his lips fell again once he started. "First off, this wasn't exactly planned. I actually did get injured by Harely, and then I passed out in my apartment from the injuries." That caused a pang of guilt to rush through Barbara. Like Wally, she had briefly considered that the whole thing was a set up from the start. Now she felt like complete shit for even thinking it. "I woke up when I heard a window break. I fought off the Talons that broke in for as long as I could, but eventually they knocked me out. The next thing I remember was waking up in the Labyrinth, in front of that fountain. My injuries had been tended to, and they left me in there with all of my weapons. A voice over the speakers told me that things had to start with a test of strength. That's when the Talons went in. I fought them off. All of them. I'm not sure of the exact number. But after that they just left me in there. Sooner or later I got dehydrated and had no choice but to drink from the fountain, which as you well know, was drugged. The next time I woke up..." Dick trailed off.

Barbara gave him a concerned look. "What happened when you woke up?"

Dick looked her in the eye again. "I'm guessing you already know about the...conditioning process for Talons." Dick spat the word out like it hurt to say.

Barbara hesitantly nodded. "We don't know the specifics though."

Dick looked away. "Well you're not going to. I'm not talking about that."

Artemis was the one who spoke up next. "Dick, I can't imagine what it was like in there. But whether it's to us or Bruce or Dinah, sooner or later you're going to have to-"

"I said I'm not talking about it!" Dick snapped.

Babs had to stifle a shriek, and was sure Artemis had to do the same.

It took Dick a moment but he seemed to suddenly realize his outburst and looked completely shocked. "I...I'm sorry." He said weakly. He turned in his seat again, facing the window so that his back was to the team. "Just...please don't make me talk about it."

Babs heart broke right then and there. She knew he would have to open up about it sooner or later, but those wounds were too fresh. They would revisit it another time. He just sounded so desperate not to bring it up. They couldn't just force him. "Okay. You don't have to talk about that."

Dick seemed to relax somewhat at her words. Enough so that he turned to face forward, so his side was to the group rather than his back. Then he continued.

"Without going into too much detail...I can tell you that they hurt me. They sicked their Talons on me. They experimented on me. They turned me into..." Dick didn't finish that statement. He only absently touched the area around his now yellow eyes.

Barbara's heart sank. That was another thing that they had to face now. Dick was no longer human. And in all their research; she, Tim, and Batman had never found anything about curing Talons, or riding the bloodstream of electrum. This was permanent. Even if they did help Dick heal and overcome everything else that happened to him, he would be a Talon for the rest of his life.

Dick took a deep breath before continuing. "I can't really tell you why I didn't get brainwashed or broken by all that they did. I just didn't. I maintained my free will. But I did manage to convince them otherwise. Once that was done I just had to look for an opening to escape. Lucky for me, they wanted me to be the one to kill Gordon. A test of loyalty I guess. I was going to bolt the minute I got there, but then I saw Conner and Tim there. Then I thought instead of just escaping the Court, maybe I could bring it down. But if I revealed myself right then and there, the Court would know. They always know. They would have evacuated the facility and destroyed any evidence they were there. They would have a new base set up by the end of the month, and we would never get another chance to get at them. So instead I did what I did because I knew it would lead you to them. I'm not proud of it." Dick shifted a bit in his seat for a moment before continuing. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Yes. Thank you Dick. We know that couldn't have been easy to share." Kaldur answered.

Dick nodded and looked out the window again. That's when he noticed something. They were far further above the city than they should have been. He could make out the horizon from here, which was nearly impossible considering all the skyscrapers in Gotham. "Where are we going?"

"To the Watchtower." Wally answered. "The League is going to want a mission debrief."

Dick's eyes widened for a moment before he let out a sigh and closed them. "I see. Will...will Bruce be there?"

Babs gave him a strange look. Dick almost never called Bruce by his civilian name when they were discussing League business. That and he sounded worried. Shouldn't he be glad that he would be seeing Bruce? "Yeah, he will be."

Dick nodded and looked over to Tim. "Can...can I maybe borrow one of your masks?"

Tim looked at him in surprise. Well that was an odd request. "What?"

"I'm not ready for Bruce to see..." Dick trailed off, again touching the area around his eyes.

None of them had the heart to tell Dick that Bruce already knew about him being a Talon. They just allowed Robin to pull his spare mask from his utility belt and hand it to his older brother, who looked at it hesitantly for a moment before putting it on. Once again, he looked like Nightwing. He looked like a hero.

Not another word was spoken for the rest of the ride.

Bruce

Bruce wasn't listening as the other Leaguers droned on about the Talons and the ensuing battles that took place. At that moment he only cared about seeing Dick.

When Barbara had sent him a message telling him that Dick was not under the control of the Court and had even helped them escape, he had to read it over again to make sure he wasn't losing his mind. Once he was positive that it wasn't some type of hallucination, Bruce sent her a message back telling her to come to the Watchtower as soon as possible. She had responded with a brief 'okay'.

That was how he found himself in this position. Listening to his colleagues give reports on things he already knew while he could do nothing but let his mind swarm on thoughts about his son. Was Dick injured? What was his mental state? Was he indeed a Talon?

Those thoughts were shut out when a mechanical voice made the announcement that a ship had just docked in the Watchtowers hanger. That was all he needed to hear.

He took off for the hanger immediately, not bothering to listen to the protests of Diana as he did so. Soon enough he was down in the bay as the team began to exit the ship, each one carrying a rather macabre expression. After Dick emerged from the ship, he stopped wondering why.

His son's face was hidden by a mask, but all of the questions that Batman had were answered right then. The way his skin was paler than should be possible. How Dick had his arms wrapped around himself like he was just barely keeping himself from falling apart. The way his expression contorted into a mixture of emotions once he saw Bruce.

He knew in that moment that Dick was not alright.

He silently walked over and came over behind Dick, placing his hands on the boys shoulders.

"Come on. Let's get you home." Everyone was shocked by how gentle and caring Batman's tone was in that moment. He didn't really care. And he was more than willing to hear arguments from the League about why he shouldn't have left the meeting to take care of his son, though he doubted anyone had the balls to do that.

"Bu-but your debriefing..." Dick said weakly. Bruce sighed internally. That was so typical of Dick. Willing to do anything for others, but never lifting a finger to help himself.

"There's time for that later." He said as he pulled Dick towards the nearest Zeta Tube. He stopped just in front of it and turned towards Tim.

"The moment the meeting is over I want you back at the cave. No detours, no delays." His protege nodded readily before Bruce turned back to his oldest and helped him through the Tube, the voice announcing their departure.

Almost immediately after the materialized in the Batcave, Dick rounded on him and crashed into his chest. Dick gripped him like he might sink into the floor and soon enough began to sob into his chest.

Bruce sighed as he wrapped his arms around Dick. The boy must have been bottling it all in, not wanting his team to see him in such a state. Sometimes he regretted his role in Dick's habit of not opening up about his feelings.

Bruce raised a single hand and pulled back his cowl. Dick didn't need Batman right now. He needed his father.

As Dick's legs began to give out from under him, Bruce lowered himself so with his son until they were kneeling on the ground together. Bruce gently raised a hand and stroked his son's hair. It had grown somewhat longer during his time with the Court (2). He swept the dark locks out of his sons' face and quietly shushed him. "It's okay Dickie. Let it out."

Bruce wasn't sure how long it went on like this. He only continued to stroke Dick's hair and let his suit soak up his son's tears. Sooner or later though, Dick spoke.

"T-th-they h-hur-hur-hurt m-me." Dick gasped out between sobs. Bruce knew that 'hurt' could only begin to describe what he had been through. How could this have happened. Was this his own fault? When Dick had told him he needed some space after his falling out with the team he had understood, but did he bring this on Dick by leaving his son be. Whatever the case, Bruce was pulled by his musing by Dick's next words. "Th-th-they m-m-made me a m-m-monster."

Bruce pulled his son off of his chest by his shoulders and took a hold of his chin, forcing his son to look into his eyes. "Don't ever say that Dick. You're not a monster."

With a shaking hand, Dick reached up and pulled off the mask provided to him by Tim. Bruce was ashamed of himself for letting his expression change to one of shock as he gazed into the yellow orbs.

"Yes I am."

Tim

(Two weeks later)

Dick was anything but alright. It had been clear when they had rescued him, and it was clear now.

They had already made a public announcement of Dick's return. Officially, Dick had been kidnapped for ransom and the kidnappers had threatened to kill him if Bruce called the police. The negotiations went on for six months before Dick was finally returned to him. He had to falsify some medical records, since he couldn't take Dick to an actual hospital for obvious reasons. Dick had to wear blue colored contacts for the press release about his return. He had covered the black veins by wearing a collared shirt, and his pale complexion was easily explained by the fact that he hadn't been let outside in over six months.

After a few days worth of harassment, the press realized they weren't going to get anymore out of the Wayne family, and stopped stalking them. Many of Dick's colleges from the Bludhaven police department came over to check on him. They all swore to catch the animals that took him, and one of them (Dick's partner Amy, Tim remembered) gave him the number for a department psychologist and recommended to the moon and back that he get help before wishing that he get better soon and leaving.

Still, Dick was no closer to being alright.

Some of it was small things. Things that wouldn't occur to most people.

The way that Dick took to his new appearance, for one. One day Tim went to Dick's room to see how he was doing, only to find his older brother in the adjoining bathroom staring at himself in the mirror, his eyes casting a sad gaze as they took in their own golden luster, and the ghostly pale flesh surrounding them. Not wanting to let his brother torture himself anymore, Tim pulled him out of the room and forced him down to the living room, somehow managing to convince him to watch some movies with him. Tim had been hopeful every time he saw Dick giggle at some stupid joke from the film or smile at happier moments. That hope was effectively crushed when he went to Dick's room the next day only to find the boy curled up on his bed, his mirror laying in pieces on the bathroom floor.

Another was Dick's avoidance of small spaces. He always left his door open all night long. Some mornings Tim found Dick asleep on the couch of the living room, probably feeling cramped in his own bedroom. One night Bruce had attempted to take Dick to dinner in an attempt to get some normalcy back into his life. He had a panic attack in the limbo and they had to stop to let him out several times over the course of the ride. By the time they made it to Dick's favorite restaurant, he was too disheveled to even speak. Tim smiled sadly, remembering that the next day when he had worried over Dick, his brother promised him that he was perfectly 'heveled'.

Then there were more obvious things. Such as Dick's new aversion to the cold. It was the middle of winter, so this one was not so easily hidden. Most days it was as simple as asking Alfred to make them some cocoa. On colder days it involved wrapping Dick in nearly every blanket in the house. Then there was that dreadful day that the heat went out. Alfred had called someone and assured them that some people would be over and the heater would be up and running before the end of the day. Tim was fairly content staying in heavy clothing until that time. Then he realized that he hadn't seen Dick all day. He went into Dick's room only to find him curled up in the corner, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Tim could clearly see that it was not only do to the cold, but also fear that was causing him to tremble. Approaching Dick slowly, Tim attempted to comfort his brother. Dick shot out and wrapped his arms around Tim before crying. Tim did his best to comfort him but it seemed to help very little. They stayed like that well into the night until the heat came back on.

The very worst were the night terrors though. Most nights Tim and Bruce would be awoken by bloodcurdling screams in the dead of night. They went into Dick's room to find him curled in on himself and screaming like he was being murdered. Bruce always pulled him close and spent the next hour or two trying to calm him down. More terrifying though were the things that Dick would scream during these episode.

"I didn't want to!"

"Let go of me!"

"LET ME OUT!"

One time Tim decided to sleep in the same room as Dick. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Tim always woke up during these episodes anyway. At least this way he would be there to comfort Dick when it happened.

Oh how wrong he had been.

Tim woke up that night not to the sound of screaming, but to the feeling of hands wrapped around his throat. Dick was looking at him with an expression of pure hatred. He was having one of his episodes.

Tim didn't even try to make sense of the situation. He only wanted to get Dick off of him. He tried to hit him or pull his arms away from his neck, but Dick was too strong. Desperately, Tim hit his fist against wall, praying someone would hear him. His prayers were answered when the door burst open and Bruce emerged, tackling Dick to the ground and holding him there until he came to. Once he did, Dick just fell apart upon realizing he had attacked Tim. He muttered apologies through his tears for the next several hours. It took days for Dick to trust himself enough to be in the same room as Tim again.

Tim tried his best to get Dick back to his old self. He encouraged him to swing on the trapeze in the Robin's Nest, did his best to get him out of the mansion, and tried his very hardest to get Dick to eat something.

But it was like Dick was a ghost. He had no interest in doing anything, opting to lock himself in his room twenty-four seven. Despite his newfound claustrophobia, he insisted that the door remain closed so he wouldn't be able to hurt any of them during a night terror. Whenever Tim had tried to bribe him into coming out with offers of food, Dick turned away and said that Talons didn't need food to survive, only clean water.

But Tim refused to give up. He did somehow manage to get Dick to agree to spend at least one hour out of his room each day. Those were generally spent with Tim and Bruce and the three of them tried to do something normal, like watch a movie or play a game. Like a normal family. Of course, their family was anything but normal.

He had also swayed Dick to call members of the team once every few days. That had been more out of concern for them than Dick though. Every moment he spent with the team had turned into utter torture, as he would much rather see if Dick's situation had changed at all. Worse still was the fact that the team spent every waking moment asking him what Dick's condition was. What was he supposed to say? That his brother was essentially a shadow of his former self?

Eventually he managed to convince Dick to allow a visitor. Wally and Artemis weren't able to come because her mother had some health problems. Tim knew for a fact that Dick didn't want to see any members of the team out of shame for what he did with the Court and during the Invasion. That left one person.

Roy had been absolutely furious with Tim and Bruce though. Tim couldn't blame him. He was ashamed to admit that they had forgotten about him, and that Roy had to find out about Dick being back because it was front page news. That said, Roy knew better than to think that Dick had been kidnapped for ransom, which left Tim to tell him the uncensored truth. He had especially taken care to tell him the changes to Dick's appearance. Dick denied that it affected him, but Tim could see the small hurt in his eyes whenever one of them stared too long at his golden irises.

Dick seemed to perk up at seeing Roy. In fact, it was the happiest Tim had seen Dick in days. He decided to leave the two long time friends alone for the time being. He had missed enough school as it stood, after all. But when he returned home, they were no longer in the living room nor were they in Dick's bedroom. Tim was about to panic when he heard noise coming from the cave.

He went down and what he found reignited hope in him. He wasn't sure how Roy made it happen, Tim was just glad that he did. Dick was up in the Nest, flying from post to post in the graceful way that only a Flying Grayson was capable of. On the ground below were Bruce and Roy. While Roy was openly applauding, Bruce had a proud smile on his face as he watched Dick soar. Tim also saw a look of pure elation on Dick's face as well. For a moment, everything was normal. It was like the Court of Owls never existed.

Dick was not alright.

But he would be. If Tim had to spend the rest of his life ensuring it, Dick would get through this.

Alfred

Alfred had helped Batman recover from multiple injuries. Both him and all three Robins. He had stitched wounds without an anesthetic, put casts on broken bones, and pulled bullets from gunshot wounds on more than one occasion.

But this was different. The wounds weren't physical. And Alfred found himself feeling completely useless.

Dick was completely withdrawn the world. A shell of his former self.

Alfred brought him food and Dick responded that he didn't need to eat anymore. Alfred offered to clean his room, Dick opened the door to reveal it as spotless. Alfred asked permission to trim Dick's untamed hair, Dick flat out refused.

But none of that was important. What was important was when Alfred had urged the young man to seek out on of the psychologists his partner had recommended. Dick rounded on him and snarled like a wild animal, yelling at him to mind his own business before ascending the stairs to his room.

Right now Alfred was absentmindedly sweeping up the kitchen and washing the dishes from that nights meal. Once again Dick had been absent. Alfred halted though when he heard someone come down the stairs. Alfred put away the dish he was washing and walked out into the living room.

Dick was sitting on the couch, staring blankly into the fireplace.

"Master Dick." Alfred called out to announce his presence.

Dick whipped around but relaxed when he saw who it was. "Oh. Hello Alfred." Dick said as he returned to his seated position on the couch. Alfred sighed internally. Ever sense his return to the manor, violent mood swings seemed to be an all too common occurrence. And after these mood swings Dick would apologize for his behavior and become withdrawn again. This was the first time he had spoken to Alfred since his most recent outburst over seeing a therapist.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Master Dick? Even Masters Bruce and Tim have retired to their rooms." This was no surprise though. Batman and Robin had taken a temporary vacation to help Dick cope, even though nothing seemed to be working. That said, it was odd to have them home all the time rather than out all hours of the night and taking out criminals.

"I'm a Talon." Dick reminded him, eyes not leaving the fire flickering before him. "I don't need to sleep as much as humans."

Alfred's heart sank whenever Dick used the word 'humans' as though he no longer fit into the category. He also seemed to use it as an excuse to not take care of himself. He stopped eating, leaving the manor, and now sleeping, and said 'I'm a Talon' each and every time.

"I see." Alfred said as he returned to the kitchen and quickly brewed a mug of coffee, before returning to the room and setting it down on the table in front of Dick. "And is that the only reason for your lack of sleep?"

Dick shrugged as he accepted the mug before him. The butler stood there in silence for several minutes until Dick caved. "I can't sleep Alfred. Every time I do I'm back there. With them."

Alfred nodded as he picked up the now empty mug. He went back to the kitchen and returned with the refilled mug as quickly as he could. If there was one thing Alfred knew about this family, it was that they turned into serious flight risks whenever they were confronted with their own emotions.

"I understand why that would make you hesitant to go to sleep Master Dick." Alfred said as he handed Dick the mug. Dick took it with a grateful smile. "What I don't understand is why you still refuse to talk to anyone about this."

Dick groaned as he set down the mug. "What do you suggest Alfred. That I go to a shrink and tell them that I'm Nightwing, I was kidnapped by an underground society of rich people, and now I'm an undead freak? They would toss me in Arkham and throw away the key."

"First of all, Master Dick, I would never allow anyone to refer to you as a freak. What exactly lead you to believe that you were allowed to?" Alfred asked, his tone never changing.

"Love you too." Dick said under his breath as he took another sip of black coffee.

"Second of all, I agree that you shouldn't see a traditional psychologist for this matter. I would prefer that you speak to Miss Dinah." Alfred explained.

Dick shook his head. "I can't do that either. If I did talk to Dinah, she would tell Bruce anything she thinks he needs to know."

"Is there something that Master Bruce should know?" Alfred countered, not missing a beat.

Dick rolled his eyes. A gesture that caused him to shudder as he felt Alfred's phantom glare on him. "I've told him everything he needs to know."

"With all due respect, Master Dick, you've told him nothing." Dick turned to counter him, but Alfred continued before he got the chance. "Furthermore, you live under the same roof as the two greatest detectives in the world. Both of whom care a great deal about you. One way or another, they will find out what methods the Court of Owls has for training their Talons. It is only a matter of whether or not they learn this from you."

Dick stood there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water until he pouted and turned back to the fire. He knew Alfred was right. He wished to God he could keep what happened there buried though. It was hard enough to move on without revisiting the sins of the past.

"If nothing else, I would advise you to speak to members of your team. They call the manor a great deal, and I refuse to tell them that you're resting the next time they call." Alfred warned.

Dick sighed. "Fine. There's something I needed to discuss with them anyway."

"Splendid. Now then, if you still refuse to turn in, I would like to request that you assist me in tiding up." Alfred suggested.

Dick smiled slightly and got up to do just that. Even though neither of them said anything for the rest of the night, Alfred could tell that Dick was happy with how normal things were in that moment.

Still, perhaps he should have told Alfred that what he had to tell the team wasn't good news.

Kaldur

The the team was in the main room of the Watchtower, where all the Zeta Tubes connected. They were doing their best to make themselves comfortable, but Kaldur could tell that they missed the cave terribly. But there was no time to mourn. There was work to be done.

As it stood, Barbara was at computer terminal, typing away on holographic keyboards. Tim, Mal, Virgil, Karen, and La'gaan were on missions. Gar, Jaime, Cassie, and Bart were taking turns sparing with each other until Kaldur could find appropriate assignments for them as well. M'gann, Conner, and Zatanna were there as well, more supervising than anything else. And even with all that was going on, this was a relatively slow day in comparison to what they had recently.

That wasn't to say that Kaldur was complaining by any means. If anything, he was grateful for the distraction from Dick's situation. They had attempted contact numerous times over the last two weeks, but they had only managed to reach Bruce Wayne's servant (Alfred, Kaldur remembered) who told them that 'Master Dick' was resting. Kadlur knew that was bat-language for 'I'm not ready to talk about it'. Eventually the team as a whole had accepted that, and would wait for Dick to come to them.

Recognized: Nightwing B 01

Kaldur looked at the Zeta Tubed in shock. 'Speak of the devil, and the devil will appear.' He supposed.

Though he did get concerned when Gar leapt up from his seated position and flipped towards the activated Zeta Tube just as a figure materialized in it. Everyone had been informed about Nightwing's identity when he initially went missing, so that they knew they could be looking for either Nightwing or Dick Grayson. They had also taken care to tell everyone about Nightwing's change in appearance so that they could prepare themselves for when they next saw him. But Kaldur knew from personal experience that hearing about a change like that and actually seeing it were two different matters entirely.

Gar ran up and hugged Nightwing just as he materialized. Kaldur could tell Dick had to suppress the reflexes that had no doubt told him to attack Garfield.

"I'm so glad you're...back." Gar paused in his statement as soon as he made physical contact with Dick. Even for his age Gar was fairly smart. And it didn't take a genius to know that someone shouldn't be this cold. And so Gar looked up at Dick. He hadn't meant to recoil. He truly hadn't. But as soon as he saw those wicked yellow orbs, he stumbled back in shock.

Dick looked down at his feet, sadness clear on his features. At that moment beast Boy felt like the worst person in world.

"I...I need to talk to Kaldur. In private." Dick said, stressing the last word as he took a look around the room.

Kaldur nodded to him. Dick hadn't spoken to anyone from the team since the night they stormed the Court. But based on what Tim had told them, it was best to avoid pushing Dick unless it was absolutely necessary. He turned to the rest of the team, only to find them already on their way.

"Don't worry." Cassie said as she waved a hand, a small smile on her face as she turned to Dick. "We get it. We'll make ourselves scarce."

Dick nodded to her, grateful for the understanding. Soon the room was cleared, but only of the younger members. Babs, Conner, and M'gann were all still there along with Kaldur.

"I said in private." Dick said softly, still refusing to make eye contact with any of them.

"Dick." M'gann said from her spot next to Conner. "Please. Whatever you can say to Kaldur you can say to us."

After a moment, Dick nodded slowly. "Ok." Dick would have preferred not to make this a spectacle, but relented. She was right. They were still his friends. He could do this.

Though Dick did take notice of the fact that Tim wasn't there. In fact, many members of the team were missing when he first came in. "Where's everyone else?"

They were surprised by the sudden change in topic, but Conner answered. "Most of them are on missions." The Boy of Steel answered before giving Dick a reassuring smile. "You've been keeping us pretty busy."

Dick looked at the clone with a raised brow. "What do you mean?"

Kaldur got to work and began typing on the keyboard. After a few clicks, several holographic screens popped up in front of them. It appeared to be a series of financial records, a few pictures of Lex Luthor handing people stacks of hundreds, some photos of people in owl masks (which sent a chill up Dick's spine), and a few newspaper headings, which Dick didn't bother to read.

"This was all thanks to you." Barbara said as she began to explain. "After the Court was taken down we raided every paper and digital record they had. It turns out we were right about the Court having a partnership with the Light. The Court provided them finances for their illegal activity and Talons for a few hits and in exchange the Light was helping the Court expand their reach to areas beyond Gotham. A lot of what we found implicates Luthor though. He provided them with Kryptonite and cryotanks like the ones used in Cadmus as part of their arrangement. And we have all the records to prove it. Doesn't matter how rich Luthor is, even he is going to do time with all this evidence."

That's when Kaldur took over. "As it stands, the team are on assignments to take down the other bases the Court of Owls set up in locations around the world. With each one we bring down we find more evidence that will allow us to go after the Light's political members as well as find the identities of the Owls so they can be charged." By the end of the explanation, Kaldur was looking at Dick with a proud smile. "You've opened Pandora's Box Dick. This has been a great victory."

Dick looked between them and the records in shock. It appeared he had a hard time grasping that this all came from him. But it was true. If it weren't for Dick turning on the Owls, none of this would have been possible. They owed Dick a great debt.

That's when Dick forced himself to look at Kaldur directly. "What about...what about Cobb? And the other Talons?"

Kaldur didn't mean for his smile to fade, but he couldn't help it. He knew Dick was still struggling with what the Court did to him without bringing up William Cobb. Still though, Dick deserved the truth. "The adult Talons were all killed during the Leagues raid. The children did not attack, but they did not respond to being rescued either. Many of them are being treated by the best child-victim-experts in the world."

Dick looked at him in surprise. "For real? Where is the League getting funding for that?"

M'gann giggled a little into her hand. "Oh, you know. Anonymous source." That earned a small laugh from some of the others that were present.

Dick just looked at them, clearly not understanding the apparent inside joke until realization hit him. He couldn't help but smile too. Of course. Who else had enough money to fund all this. No wonder Bruce had been so busy the last few days.

"As for Cobb..." Kaldur began, pulling Dick from his thoughts. "...he was taken into custody for all the murders we were able to find, though there are surely more. My understanding is that Mr. Freeze's old cell in Arkham was modified to accommodate him. The cold keeps him...docile."

Dick took a moment to process the information before nodding. "That's good."

"So then..." Babs began awkwardly. "What did you want to see us about?"

Dick's face fell. He had almost forgotten what it was he needed to say. He had been too caught up in how nice it felt to be among his friends. He let out a long sigh. "It...It's about my leave of absence from the team."

Kaldur's eyes widened momentarily before he gave Dick an understanding look. "Dick, I'm glad you want to come back. But I really do think it would be for the best if you gave yourself some more time before-"

"No!" Dick practically shouted, stopping Kaldur mid-sentence. "No, it's not like that."

Dick closed his eyes and sighed. When he did the image of blood and claws, which had long since become branded on his mind's eye, flashed in front of him, as though reminding him why he was there. He had been torturing himself over this decision for days. He knew it wouldn't be easy to say. He knew it would be even less easy for them to accept. But what they wanted didn't matter. What he wanted didn't matter. This was for the best. It had to be done.

"It's not a leave of absence anymore." Dick finally said. "It's a resignation." His words elicited a confused look from Babs and a few others, so he went on. "I'm not coming back to the team. Not now, not ever. I can't."

For a while, no one could bring themselves to say a word. Some were sure they had misheard him. Nightwing quitting? That couldn't be right. Even if Kaldur was in temporary command, this team had always been meant for Dick's leadership. Kaldur had been so proud to see his young friend grow into the role of leader over the last few years. He couldn't just leave.

"Dick, I can't accept your resignation." Kaldur said gently. "I understand that what the Court did to you was horrible, but if you would only give yourself time-"

"No Kaldur!" Dick interrupted bluntly. "This has nothing to do with what the Court did to me, what I did during the invasion, or even that I'm a Talon. It's just...the way it is. I don't have a place on this team anymore."

It was Barbara who spoke next. "That is not true. Dick, this team was built because of you." She said, clearly exasperated. If what Dick was saying was true, and it had nothing to do with trauma or guilt, than what in the world had brought this on?

"It was built because of Wally too and it survived when he left. I don't see how I'm any different." Dick said, still looking away.

"Wally gave us a reason when he retired. At the very least, you could do the same. You owe us that much." Conner countered.

Dick shook his head and narrowed his eyes on the team, specifically Kaldur. "All due respect, I really don't. I don't need your understanding and I don't need your approval. This was just a way of letting you know how things are. I'm not coming back to the team and nothing you can say will change my mind. Please Kaldur, I'm asking that you respect my decision."

M'gann looked at Dick with sad eyes. "That's not reasonable Dick. You can't just expect-"

"Very well." Kaldur's brief remark cut M'gann off. They all looked at their leader in shock. He couldn't be for real! Was he seriously giving Dick his approval to leave the team for good?!

"Kaldur, you can't be serious!" Barbara exclaimed. "With all that he's been through lately, he's not in the right state of mind to make that kind of choice."

"He is still in the room Barbara." Kaldur reminded him, resulting in Dick shooting him a grateful glance. Kaldur then turned to face Dick, no longer avoiding his gaze. "Dick, I'm going to trust your judgement on this. I only ask that you remember that our door is always open, and that regardless of your status with this team, you will always be our friend."

Dick let himself smile a bit at Kaldur's declaration. He walked towards the Atlantean and outstretched his hand, which Kaldur shook in response. "I will Kaldur. Thank you."

Kaldur then put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "Then as your friend, I request that you reconsider this. This team needs Nightwing."

Dick's smile vanished and his whole demeanor changed at the mention of his moniker. He turned quickly, breaking Kaldur's hold on his shoulder, and went straight for the Zeta Tubes.

"Nightwing is dead." He said in a broken voice. "I'm just his corpse."

A stunned silence passed over the group that stayed there well after Dick disappeared into the light of the Zeta Tubes.

Wally

(One week later)

Wally was absolutely starving by the time he reached the front door of Wayne Manor. Sometimes he had to acknowledge the fact that his speed was both a blessing and a curse for this exact reason. Perhaps he should start following Artemis' advice and start driving places. But that wasn't very important now. Right now all that mattered was him seeing Dick.

He picked himself up and adjusted the backpack around his shoulders as he knocked on the door and waited for a moment before Alfred answered. "Ah, Master Wallace." Alfred said with a small bow of his head. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unannounced visit."

Yeah, Wally saw that coming. He knew Alfred hated it when he didn't call ahead, but Wally didn't want to take the risk of calling only for Dick to turn him down. It would be much harder to do that once he was actually inside the manor.

"Sorry Alfred, but I really need to see Dick. I promise I'll help you cook, clean, mow the lawn, dowhateveryouneedjustpleaseletmein!" Wally anxiety was starting to show as he began to speed-talk during the end. Luckily, Alfred was familiar with how to decipher his speech during times like this.

Alfred raised a brow before relenting. "Very well. Master Dick is up in his room. You will be helping me set the table this evening. I assume you will be staying for dinner?"

Wally couldn't help but nod eagerly at the prospect of food before entering the house racing up the stairs to Dick's room. "Thanks Alfred you're the best!"

"No running inside the manor Master Wallace!" The butler called back, but the words were lost on Wally now.

Once he was in front of Dick's room he knocked on it quickly. "Dick!" He shouted. After waiting a few seconds and not getting a response Wally tried again. "Dick I know you're in there! Please let me in! It's urgent!"

That got a response. Wally heard some shuffling from the other side of the door before a wide-eyed Dick opened it. "What's wrong?! Did something happen to Artemis?!"

Wally shook his head as he entered the bedroom. "No, nothing like that." He said as he set his bag down on Dick's bed. The he unzipped it and pulled his laptop from the inside. "I just found an awesome new game and you've got to try it out." He said, serious tone shifting into a playful one as he grinned broadly.

Dick looked at him incredulously for a full minute before managing to speak, if one could call it that. "What the-Wha-I-" He sputtered before finally managing to string together a few syllabus. "What the hell man?! I thought something was seriously wrong! You said it was urgent!" He yelled, his eyes narrowing into a batglare.

"Yeah. I lied." Wally replied nonchalantly.

"WHY?!"

"It got you to answer the door, didn't it?"

Dick threw his hands in the air in frustration. "There is something wrong with you West. Something seriously psychologically wrong with you."

"Don't care." Wally said as he set the laptop down. "You've been avoiding me since you came back. The most I've seen of you is the media's periodic updates on 'The search for Richard Grayson's kidnappers'. You are my best friend and I'm through with it. So you and I are going to do something. We are going to sit, eat, have a video game marathon, and you are going to like it if it kills me. And if you complain or try to stop me I will wait here until you're asleep and dye your hair pink."

Dick looked at him with that same disbelieving stare for his entire rant until finally snorting. "Wow. Dramatic much?"

"Is that a yes?" Wally asked hopefully.

"Of course it's a yes. You think I would miss the opportunity to kick you ass again?" Dick asked, smiling for the first time in days.

"Don't be so certain! I've been practicing with this one! You don't stand a chance!"

Dick

(Five hours later)

"Nonononononono!" Wally shouted as Dick began to overrun his base. In the background of blasters going off the redhead could hear Dick's signature cackle. "How is this even possible?! I've had this for months! This is the first time you've ever seen it!"

"Sorry Wally. You can't beat me in a regular fight, you can't beat me virtual one." Dick bragged as he continued to mercilessly destroy Wally's base. Only a few minutes later the base was destroyed with a satisfying 'K.O.' appearing on Wally's screen.

Wally tore of his headset in frustration. "You hacked this! I don't know how but you did! Admit it!"

"I'll only admit that I am the undisputed king of gaming. And you sir, you are my serf." Dick said with a proud smirk as he leapt off the bed and walked over to a tray of assorted snacks. Alfred had brought it by earlier, having been all too familiar with Wally's appetite. Dick tossed Wally a chocolate bar, which the red head caught. Dick then got his own candy bar. This was nice. It was amazing really. For the first time in weeks, Dick felt normal. Maybe there was hope for that. Maybe he could have his old life back.

Dick paused from unwrapping the bar.

No. No he would never have his old life back. Nothing could undo what happened with the Court. Nothing would make him forget. And if his friends knew what happened, they wouldn't be so eager to help him. They would see him for what he was.

They would see that he was a monster.

"Dick?" Wally's voice snapped him from his thoughts. He turned to the redhead, who had somehow already eaten over half his snack. "You okay man? You spaced out for a minute."

Dick nodded as he pulled the wrapper from his granola bar. "I'm fine. Just got distracted."

"Okaaaay." Wally said, clearly not believing him. The ginger speedster awkwardly went back to chewing on the last bit of his food before speaking again. "So, I talked to Kaldur yesterday." He mumbled around the food in his mouth.

"Oh yeah?" Dick said absentmindedly as he sat down next to Wally on the bed. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Well...he told me about you leaving the team." Wally forced out, knowing how Dick would react.

Dick proved him right as he threw his head back and groaned. "How did I know that was the real reason you wanted to hang out? How did I know it?"

"Dick, we're worried about you. First you become a shut in, then you start openly ignoring all your friends, and now you're quitting the team you've been a part of since you were thirteen?"

Dick snorted indignantly. "Honestly Wall, of all the people to lecture me about leaving the team..."

Wally slapped his hand to his forehead in frustration. He knew this would happen the moment he decided to talk to Dick. "I gave you and Kaldur a good reason though Dick. Tula just died and I saw how much it devastated Kaldur, and I realized I never wanted to lose Artemis like that. I wanted a normal life."

"How do you know I'm not trying to do the same thing?" Dick countered.

Wally stood up and gave him a look that screamed 'Are you serious?!' "You've barely left this room since you came back, you've stopped talking to your friends and family, you haven't gone back to your job, and you wake up every night screaming. You call that a normal life?"

"Well what do you want from me Wally? This isn't exactly something you just get over." Dick replied, starting to raise his voice.

"I want you to talk to us. We still don't know what happened in that Court. You have dozens of people that care about you and want to help you work through this. Why are you icing them all out?"

"I need to protect them!"

"From what?!"

Dick stood up abruptly and looked Wally right in the eye, his face mere inches from Wally's freckled one. "From me! Don't you get it! I'm a monster! You don't have to keep me safe from the world, it's the world that needs to be kept safe from me!"

The words came pouring from Dick's lips before he could stop them. Once he was finished and realized what he had said, he covered his mouth with his hands, eyes widened in horror. It was too late though. Wally had heard him. He managed to catch the stunned expression on Wally's face before he turned around, no longer able to bring himself to face his best friend. "Just...just go Wally. Please just leave." His voice was already beginning to crack.

Wally had been unprepared for what Dick said. He had no idea how to respond. He just wanted so desperately to assure his friend that he was wrong. That he was not a monster. That he would never hurt anyone. But the fight was drained out of him. When Dick told him to leave, his dazed state caused him to do just that. He walked out of the room and manor without another word passing between them. He would have to set the table for Alfred some other day.

Dick just stood there for a while after Wally left. But sooner or later, he collapsed back down on his bed, tears fresh in his eyes.

Wally didn't see it. None of them saw it. Not yet. But what would he do when they did? What would he do when his secrets were laid bare for them to see?

What would he do when they found out what a monster he really was?

Tim

Tim quickly became aware of just how much he enjoyed his newfound independence as Robin. Bruce had been logging extra hours at work to help those kids they had rescued from the Court. He worked well into the night, which meant that Batman was on a temporary leave of absence. And for the first time since his inception, Robin was flying alone.

And so far it had gone off without a hitch. He had taken down crooks left and right. He had even managed to bring the Riddler in single-handedly, despite Bruce's order not to take on any of the major crime bosses without him.

Regardless, Tim found himself enjoying the feeling of doing what he loved without having to answer directly to Bruce. he was beginning to see why Dick had graduated to Nightwing. Perhaps he should have a talk with his brother about him becoming independent as well.

Tim sighed at the thought though. If only his home life was as easy to handle as capturing criminals. Despite his declaration to help Dick through this, he had been unsuccessful in that front so far. Dick still hadn't opened up to any of them about what happened with the Court. He spent most of his days locked in his room, which must have been torture given his fear of small spaces. What could be so bad that he was willing to torment himself like that rather than talk to them? Was he afraid that talking about it would cause him to relive it? Was he afraid that they would think less of him? Tim couldn't understand it.

He decided to push such thoughts down and focus on the task at hand. Swinging from building to building, Tim kept a watchful eye out for any suspicious activity. Eventually he was rewarded by a mugging in a dark alley. Seriously, could these guys get more cliche? They were wearing ski masks and were holding a woman at knife point. There were only two of them, which meant that this would make for a nice and easy exercise.

But when Robin was about to go in and help her, a new figure beat him to it. Out of the darkness a hand reached out and gripped one of the attackers by the shoulder. No...not hand, Tim realized with a start. Clawed hand. The newcomer yanked the man back so that his head hit the brick wall. Robin couldn't help but cringe at the violent cracking sound that echoed through the alley. The other man, releasing his grasp on the woman, abandoned his knife and took out a gun. He attempted to shot the newcomer, but the man's elegant flips and turns kept any of the shots from connecting. The newcomer then kicked off against the wall and sent himself flying at the mugger, his fist colliding with the man's shoulder and eliciting another sickly sounding snap as the man's collar bone was shattered. The victim ran out of the alley screaming, just as terrified of her savior as she had been her attackers.

Now that the man was still and he could be seen clearly, Tim's fears were confirmed. It was indeed a Talon.

The Talon in question bent over and yanked up the man's head before slamming it back to the ground, knocking him out. That's when Tim knew he had seen enough. He dropped down into the alley. The Talon took a defensive stance, but paused when he saw who it was that joined them.

Through his domino mask, Tim was glaring daggers at the Talon. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I-"

"Don't bother to deny it! I know your acrobatics anywhere!"

"But-"

"I can't even look at you in that damned mask! Take it off!"

"Tim-"

"NOW DICK!"

The Talon lowered his head in defeat. Slowly, a clawed hand rose up and gripped the cloth of the hood before yanking it off to reveal Dick Grayson's face. He wasn't looking at Tim, and his expression was neutral, but Robin could tell he was ashamed.

That didn't release Tim from the anger he was feeling though. How could Dick do this?! What could possibly lead him to believe that dawning that accursed uniform again would ever be a good idea?!

The sound of sirens cut off his internal rant. The victim must have called the police. Tim growled loudly and turned to his brother. "We'll talk back at the cave. But we will talk." He said, his voice stone cold as he took out his grappling hook and swung up to the nearest rooftop. He stayed just long enough to see his brother run away from the scene before allowing himself to head back to the manor.

Tim didn't waste time in wondering how Dick had gotten back to the manor before him, or how he snuck in without alerting Alfred. The rage was still very present in him, and with Bruce out of the house and Alfred never going into the cave unless asked, he didn't have to worry about keeping it in or keeping his voice down.

Dick was standing there, leaning against the Batmobile looking down. His Talon hood lay discarded in front of the Batcomputer along with some stray batarangs and various other equipment. His face was still neutral, and he looked as though he was waiting for Tim to yell at him and tell his how very fucked up this was. He wouldn't be disappointed.

"Dick." Tim said, keeping his voice modulated even as anger boiled inside him. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

Dick lowered his head further in shame. That was the moment he truly knew he had screwed up. Tim was the most patient person in their family by far. Even more so than Alfred. To make him of all people swear was itself enough to let one know they were in the doghouse. "You...you wouldn't understand." He whispered. He almost wished Tim hadn't heard it, but in the silence of the cave that was impossible.

Rather than pop his cork then and there, Tim continued to brew as he responded. "We're coming up on an anniversary, you know. It's been two months since you came back."

Dick ignored the seemingly odd change in topic to contemplate Tim's words. He was right. It had been about two months since the Court was taken down and he came back home. That meant it had been almost year since the invasion. 'Time flies.' He supposed. Apparently, Tim had similar thoughts.

"That means it's been half a year since they took you. Half a year since they tortured you and made you a Talon. Half a year since they, in your words, 'killed Nightwing'." Tim raised his hands to signify the air quotes, and a layer of venom was added to his tone every time he mentioned how long it had been. "And yet here you are, parading around in the uniform they gave you acting like the Talon they thought you were."

That made Dick's head snap up and stare at Tim, a look of betrayal in his eyes. Tim couldn't understand how much those words impacted him. Not unless...

No. No Tim couldn't have found out. He couldn't have. If he had Bruce would have disowned him by now.

"That's not true!" Dick said, finding his voice even though his insides felt like they were in knots. "I'm not like that! I'm saving people!"

"Oh I saw how you were 'saving people'!" Tim said, finally screaming and letting his anger loose. "That man you threw into the wall?! I heard the paramedics talking about him! He could have permanent brain damage! And that other guy?! I don't think he'll ever be able to move his arm without pain again! That's saving people?!"

"They were the bad guys!" Dick defended, but was cut off before he could say anymore.

"And that makes it okay?!" Tim yelled. "Disabling people for life?! You don't think that crosses some kind of line?! And what the hell are you doing in that suit?! Do you even know what it's like for me to see you in that?!"

"SHUT UP!" Dick screamed at the top of his lungs, unshed tears stinging his eyes. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING! YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND!"

"Oh I understand!" Tim shouted back, not wavering in the slightest. "When you told me that you needed space to recover, I understood! When you cut all ties to your friends and quit your job at the police department, I understood! When you decided to quit the team and leave Nightwing behind, I understood! Hell, I even supported you on that front! But only because I thought you meant you were leaving ALL of that work behind you! Not sneaking out in the middle of the night behind our backs dressed as a goddamned Talon!"

After Tim was done with his rant, he had to stand still for a few moments just to catch his breath. That much at once had taken a lot out of him, physically and emotionally. But as soon as he was ready to speak again, he did, albeit in a far less outraged tone.

Dick was still standing there, still as a statue like he didn't know whether to beg for forgiveness, run away, or break down in crying.

"How long?" Tim said much more gently.

"Tim..." Dick began pleadingly, only to be cut off again.

"How. Long?" Tim repeated.

Dick had to look away again, no longer able to stand the look on his brother's masked face. "Since the beginning." He said as quickly as he could, hoping to get this over with. "Since the night after I got back."

Tim didn't know how he wasn't surprised, or how he avoided another outburst of rage. "Dick..." He started, his voice sounding small from how drained he was. "After everything the Court did to you...after everything you suffered, why would you ever go back out in that suit?"

"I couldn't do nothing." The response was almost immediate, like he had been expecting the question. "I couldn't just let other people get hurt while I did nothing."

"But why as a Talon?" Tim asked pleadingly as he closed the distance between them. Soon he was within arms reach of his predecessor. "If you could sneak out as a Talon, you could have snuck out as Nightwing. Putting on that suit is not healthy. You must know that. So why, even if you felt like you had to do something, would you do it as a Talon?"

"It's what I am now." He said despondently. It was the only answer he could think of. And it was for the most part true. He couldn't be Nightwing again. Nightwing was a hero. Dick Grayson was a monster.

Dick never could have prepared himself for what Tim said next though. "You know what...I think you might be right."

Dick looked at Tim disbelievingly. Had he misheard him?

No, this was real. Tim had no idea, but he was confirming every single fear Dick had kept bottled up.

"Dick never would have done what you have. He never would have lied to us. He never would have brutalized criminals. And he would have burned that suit." Tim said as he looked up at Dick and pulled his mask off, revealing wet eyes and an impassive expression. "The way your acting...that's the way a Talon acts. It's like I don't even know you anymore. The Dick Grayson in front of me, he's no better than Cobb-"

Crack

It all happened in an instant. One moment Tim had been in front of Dick, spouting the most hurtful words he could think off. And the next, he was the ground clutching the place where his brother had slapped him.

Tim wasn't sure which one of them was more shocked.

Tim looked up at the young Talon slowly, taking note of his trembling figure. He finally caught the tears in Dick's eyes, though they still hadn't left his lids. But Dick's expression was absolutely horrified. It snapped Tim back to reality.

Oh God. What had he done? He just said every awful thing, every single affront and degradation he could think of to his already fragile brother. Tim didn't know what had possessed him to do it. He only knew that he had felt betrayed, and wanted Dick to hurt as badly as he did. No. No please don't let it be too late to fix this. He could fix this, right?

Tim never got the chance to find out. Just as he raised his head to begin spewing apologies, he saw Dick looking down at his own clawed hand in pure fear, his other hand to his mouth to keep himself from screaming. Confused, Tim examined the claw, and quickly found out why Dick was so scared. Running down the claw on his index finger was the smallest stream of blood. The claw must have nicked him when Dick hit him. He had been so preoccupied with the burning in his cheek he hadn't noticed.

Dick's tears finally spilled out, falling over his face and into his glove clutching it, whimpers escaping the muffle the glove created. At that moment Tim knew he was the worst person on Earth.

Even after he had said all those awful, unforgivable things to Dick, it was the act of hurting the person that had just betrayed him that caused him to cry.

Tim thought he heard Dick say something akin to an apology as he spun on his heel and ran upstairs.

"Dick wait!" Tim called, but it was too late. Dick was gone.

And with him, any hope Tim had of helping his brother.

Dick was anything but alright.

And Tim hadn't helped him.

Tim had made things worse.

Tim was beginning to get tired as he walked through the caverns of the Labyrinth. But he couldn't stop now.

His vicious attack on Dick had been the previous night, and it had become evident how much he had made things worse. Dick had another night terror, even though they had all but disappeared until then. He refused to come out of the room all day, despite his claustrophobia. But worst of all, when Tim passed by his door, he heard relentless sobbing.

Tim knew he had to find someway to make things right. But to do that, he needed to find out once and for all what the Court had done to Dick. His brother certainly wasn't going to tell him, especially not now. That meant returning to the belly of the beast. The facility used by the Court had been abandoned, though they most likely had more around the city. He and Batman had made it a plan to come back and collect as much evidence as the could on the Court, but they had been so caught up in trying to help Dick recover, it soon became an afterthought. So here he was, without Batman being any the wiser as to what he was doing.

He rounded yet another corner, and finally found himself at the fountain where they had confronted Dick. The many coffins that had housed the Talons were still there, though they were empty now. Tim looked over them all until he finally found the one he was looking for. The words 'Gray Son' were engraved on a bronze label above the coffin. Shaking his head in disgust, Tim ran his hands over the coffin until he found the latch to open it. When he did, it took an effort not to gag.

Kaldur had been telling the truth in his report. Brown stains that could only be dried blood were on the inside of the coffin, laced with claw marks. But these weren't made by the golden claws of a Talon. What Tim found next confirmed that. Seeing something sticking out of the metal, Tim took out a pair of tweezers and used them to pull it out. Stuffing down his horror, Tim realized it was a fingernail. Dick had tried to claw his way out with his bare hands. Suddenly the screams of 'LET ME OUT' that were often heard during his night terrors made sense. Tim had never noticed any damage to his brother's nails though. It must have been due to the healing of Talons.

Deciding there was nothing more to be learned from the coffin, Tim turned away and began to search elsewhere. Soon he found himself in what looked like a surveillance room. Taking a seat at the digital terminal, Tim found multiple video files with dates next to them. The last one was dated the night they got Dick back from the Court. Scrolling down, Tim selected a file that was dated just a few days after Dick was taken. Tim took a deep breath and let himself contemplate what he was about to witness. Whatever had happened to Dick that traumatized him so thoroughly, he was about to watch it. But Tim still shook his head to clear himself of the consequences. What might give him nightmares didn't matter. Only helping Dick mattered. After what he did, he owed him that much. Tim pressed play.

After half a heartbeat of waiting, a video began to play.

Barbara

(The following day)

Things had been slow lately. They had finished their work with the Court some time ago. Their take down had helped them in bringing down numerous other criminal enterprises, Luthor included. Babs hadn't missed the smiles on Superboy and Superman's faces as they watched him get dragged away in cuffs on national TV.

But now they hadn't really had to do anything pressing. Just surveillance and such. She had to guess that the Light was slowing things down after having so many of it's members captured.

Not that Barbara was complaining. It finally allowed her to dive into her school work. Barbara was easily one of the smartest people in her class, but you could only miss so many classes. And on the excused absence sheet, it baffled her to no end that they didn't have an option that read 'fighting crime'. Dick used to laugh at that joke.

She sighed at the thought. Dick had still refused any contact with anyone from the team since his resignation, save for Wally. But based on how the speedster had behaved after that encounter, it hadn't gone well.

So when she got a text from Tim earlier that day saying that they had to meet at the Watchtower, she had almost jumped for joy. Surely this had something to do with Dick. What had surprised her though was to show up only to find Wally, Conner, M'gann, Artemis, and Kaldur already there, with Tim nowhere to be seen.

That was how she found herself waiting there for Tim to show up. Some of the others were chatting, but she was too deep in thought to engage them. What pulled her back to reality was a voice sounding from the Zeta Tubes.

Recognized: Robin B20

Everyone immediately turned their attention to the Zeta Tubes in anticipation, but what came out had them afraid.

Tim was paler than a ghost. He was just barely stumbling into the room before he hit the ground, hyperventilating by the looks of it. Even with his eyes covered, his slits in the domino mask were wide enough to convince Barbara that he was afraid for his life.

Conner was the first to react, rushing to his friend's side and pulling him to his feat. They made their way to the couch as Conner urged the boy to breathe. Everyone was swarming him soon, asking what was wrong, if he had been attacked. Barbara got him some water for what it was worth. He drank it without stopping for air even once.

Soon he had his breathing under control again, enough so that he could talk. "I...I saw."

Barbara gave him a confused look. "Saw what Timmy?"

He crossed his legs on the couch and wrapped his arms around himself, as though he was trying to make himself seem small. "I...I know what the Court did. I know what Dick..."

That shut them all up. At least for a few minutes. Long enough for Tim to calm down some more and continue. "I went back to the Court's base. They recorded it Babs." He said, his voice broken.

Her own eyes widened at the prospect, before her shock gave way to rage. Those bastards! Not only had they tortured her best friend, they had taped it! Like it was some sort of sick game?!

Eventually she managed to calm herself down, just in time for Conner to grip Tim's shoulder and speak in a low voice. "Tim. What did they do?"

That question had been weighing on all of their minds for some time now. Since they got Dick back for that matter. Now that the answer was here, it occurred to them just how horrible it would truly be to hear the answer. But that didn't matter. They had to know what happened. For Dick.

"It was worse than we could have imagined." Tim mumbled, still clearly freaked out. "I forced myself to watch everything they did. They activated the electrum almost right away, after his fight with the others. After that, they offered him the choice to become a Talon willingly or they could force him to. He told them to go to hell..." Tim trailed off before starting again.

"Because of his healing, they could do almost anything to him without worrying about him dying. They electrocuted him, burned him, they...they..." Tim had to pause. Before any of them could even think about offering him comfort, he tore off his domino mask and allowed tears to pour freely from his eyes. "Oh God! He screamed all the time! He called out for Bruce! He called out for ME! He called out for...for..." Tim's rant dissolved into sobs. Barbara quickly took a seat next to him and pulled him close to her. She didn't need him to finish. She knew. Dick had called out for them. For his team.

"Oh Timmy. I wish you had waited. I wish you had never seen that." Babs sighed as she began to stroke his hair back. Because of how responsible and mature he was, it was easy to forget that Tim was only a kid. She wanted answers on what happened to Dick, but not at the expense of Tim's innocence.

"Don't be like that Babs." He mumbled, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I've been taking down criminals for over two years now. I'm looking innocence in the rear-view mirror."

'Oh. Did I say that out loud?'

"And it was worth it." Tim said as he pulled away from her and got up to walk over to the Watchtower's terminal. Once there he took a wire connected to his wrist and plugged it in before typing out some code. A large holographic screen was pulled up in front of them with a large file tagged on its' folder. "I found out what made Dick like this. It's all right here."

A pregnant pause overtook everyone there. One video explained how Dick became so withdrawn? How was that possible? Weeks on weeks of relentless torture was the only explanation. There was no way that was all crammed into one video.

On top of that disbelief, Barbara couldn't do it. She couldn't subject her eyes and her brain to something that made Tim this upset. She just couldn't. "Tim, if what you're about to show us is a clip of Dick being brutally tortured, I don't need to be here."

"That's not what it is." Tim said, keeping his eyes focused on the screen. "It's...something else."

"Can't you get a little more specific?" Wally asked from his seat next to Artemis. "I have to be honest Tim, whatever is on there, I don't want to see it either. It's bad enough imagining that stuff. I don't think I can bring myself to watch."

An unspoken hum of agreement passed over them, but Tim just shook his head. "That's not...look, I don't want you to see it either. I'm going to have nightmares over it. But if you don't see it with your own eyes, you'll never believe what happened."

Barbara was going to renew her protest when she saw the pleading gaze in Tim's eyes. It caused her to freeze up. She could see it all there. The pain and trauma yes, but also disbelief. Whatever was on there, even Tim didn't want to believe it, and he had seen it with his own eyes. If he truly thought that it was best to watch it through then...

"Okay then." Barbara said. Before anyone could contradict her she turned to face the group. "Let's just put our faith in Tim here. And whatever Dick went through is still at least partially on us. We owe him this."

No one could escape her reasoning. Tim's call for trust was iron clad, and they all wanted to help Dick. Everyone slowly gave way and nodded.

Taking advantage of the situation, Tim pressed play before anyone could change their mind.

Dick

Several months earlier

Dick tried his very best to scream, but the water suppressed any noise from him. The Court had quite the imagination for techniques in the art of breaking a person's will. They had already gone through electricity, blades, whips, branding irons...

Dick lost hope some time ago when he realized that he was actually wished one of these terrible methods would just kill him already! But no matter how painful or humiliating or hopeless it got he survived.

He just! Wouldn't! Die!

This was their latest in a long line of malicious inventions. Dick was sealed inside a vat of water that then had the opening sealed shut and more liquid poured in until there was no air left inside. Though it wasn't possible for him to die and by extension, couldn't drown, his lungs still screamed for air. It was like being killed without the pleasure of things actually ending. To make things worse, they had started to bring the water that surrounded him to a boil. Dick hadn't noticed at first due to the pain in his lungs, but slowly his skin began to feel like it was on fire.

He floated inside the water for what felt like an eternity, clutching his throat and failing to even scream in pain. But miracle of miracles, the container was eventually opened and turned on its' side so that he came tumbling out as the water poured from the container. Dick began to violently cough up water until he was satisfied that his airways were clear. Once that was done, he heaved in all the air he could, as if it would disappear if he didn't. The blisters and burns began to fade and give way to alabaster skin, though Dick almost preferred them to the corpse pale skin he now possessed.

He was currently wearing a standard Talon uniform, but they hadn't given him the gloves, which left his hands bare to see. In fact, they hadn't equipped him with any weapons whatsoever. They wouldn't until they were satisfied that he was a loyal servant of the Court of Owls. And that was never going to happen. He would keep this up. He wouldn't stop rejecting them until they had no choice but to kill him. Then he would finally be free.

A slow clapping sound put Dick on high alert. He looked around the room rapidly to see what was going on. He was at the room with the fountain again, and two Talons were carrying away the container he had just been trapped in. But his eyes were locked on another figure. He glared daggers as William Cobb began to enter the room, clapping his hands together slowly.

"I must admit my dear grandson, I am impressed. Many of our own Talons would have broken by now. You however...it is clear that we underestimated you." Cobb said as he approached.

Dick immediately went after him. He attempted to strike the Talon's face, but he was in no condition to take on this foe or any other. Cobb grabbed his fist and used the momentum to flip him over, sending him crashing to the ground on his back. Dick tried in vain to get up as Cobb went on.

"As I was saying, we have underestimated you. You, and your loyalty to Wayne. But I think I have found the perfect solution for that." Cobb said with a sly grin as he snapped his fingers. Dick turned to see two more Talons walking into the room, but they weren't alone. The were dragging someone in forcefully. It was obviously a man by the size of him, and they were carrying him by the underside of his arms so that his legs were dragging on the ground behind them. He was probably gagged, as the only sound coming from him were muffled whimpers. It was hard to say as he also had a cloth hood over his head. He seemed to be wearing a very expensive suit, meaning they had only just taken him. The Talon's stopped and help their position once they were in arms' length of Cobb, keeping a firm hold on their prisoner.

"This has all become much simpler Gray Son." Dick growled at the use of the Court's name for him, but Cobb continued. "Rather than have you become a Talon right away, we will do this gradually. And we begin with him." Cobb said, pointing to the man. "The Court of Owls has sentenced him to die. If you can do that Gray Son, if you can kill him, this all stops. We will never hurt you again, unless you require discipline of course. It is a fair trade. His life for yours."

Dick wanted to scoff. He wanted to tell Cobb where he could shove his offer. He wanted to smirk and crack jokes like he had so many other times while facing situations like this.

But this was no laughing matter.

Because the truth was, Dick was fighting himself tooth and nail to say no.

He wanted so badly to say no. But the temptation was like nothing he ever felt before. It was stronger than his happiness in his Flying Grayson days. Stronger than his glee while flying through the night skies of Gotham and Bludhaven. God help him, his need to say yes was stronger than his love for his family.

When Cobb finished his part in making the offer, Dick had to physically bite his tongue to keep himself from screaming yes until he went blue in the face. It had been nearly five months that he had been here. Every single day was worse than the last. And it had become horrifyingly clear a long time ago that no one was coming for him.

He just wanted it to stop. He wanted it all to stop.

Dick always had a high tolerance for pain. It came with the job. But this...this was as close to death as one could get without dying.

Every single bone in his body had been broken. His eyes had been ground out. His tongue had been severed from his mouth. And the cold...

...it was always so cold...

Dick cried in desperation as he allowed himself to collapse on the floor before the prisoner and the Talons that held him. "I can't do it...I can't do it...I can't..."

There was a part of Dick that became outraged at his own answer. That demanded he take back what he had said and take the prisoner's life now.

But Dick stuffed these thoughts down with all the strength he had left. He couldn't do it. He couldn't betray what Bruce stood for.

Much to his surprise, Cobb actually seemed pleased by the answer. He knelt down and yanked Dick up by his hair, causing the vigilante to growl in pain. He forced Dick's head in a position so that he was staring right at the prisoner, and with his other hand, Cobb yanked off the man's hood.

Dick felt something break inside of him. He forgot his name. Who he was. Where he was. What he was doing there. All of that faded to white. His mouth went dry and his chest tightened. Before he could even attempt to stop them, those evil thoughts from before swarmed to the surface, and took full possession of his body like a demon rising out of hell.

The man they had prisoner was looking down whimpering pathetically, though it was muffled by the cloth he'd been gagged with. He appeared to be of Italian descent, and was obese. He was balding, but what little black hair he did have atop his head was slicked back to cover the crown as best it could. When he looked up to Dick pleadingly, Dick saw a familiar pair of copper brown eyes. He knew those eyes. Those eyes haunted his nightmares. He saw those eyes before he went to sleep at night and every morning when he woke up. The resolve that Dick had built up...the resolve that refused to allow him to betray Batman by agreeing to work for them...it melted away like snow dropped in a roaring fire.

"I'll let you and mister Zucco get...reacquainted." With that Cobb snapped his fingers again and the Talons departed from the room, letting the gagged man fall to the floor. They didn't have to worry about him getting up. His knee was shattered. Before he left though, Cobb glanced back and tossed something which landed on the ground in front of Dick. With one last glance at the soon-to-be Talon, Cobb was gone.

Dick remained frozen in the position they had left him. He was staring at Zucco as though he couldn't decide whether or not this was really happening. Lord knows how many times he had hallucinated within the Labyrinth.

Something in his gut told him this was real though. This was Tony Zucco. The man who murdered his parents and ruined his life was mere feet away from him, locked in a room with someone who had been trained by the greatest warriors on earth, and left completely unable to defend himself.

They were alone...

No one could see him...

No one could stop him...

He could do whatever...

he...

wanted.

Sooner or later, Dick managed to lower his gaze to the object that Cobb had tossed. There before him lay a pair of golden claws. Hesitantly, Dick picked up one of them. Some unseen force began to guide his hand as he gently slipped it on without thinking. Dick couldn't describe what he was feeling at that moment. If he had to put a word to it he would say he felt...complete. The glove he was wearing felt as natural on his body as skin. Without the previous hesitation, he put the other on and flexed ten fingers out quickly, causing the claws to extend. He looked down at the soft glow of light reflected in them, completely mesmerized. It was the sound of Zucco struggling to get up that got his attention away from the claws.

Zucco was trying to get up, but to no avail. All he had managed to do was rub more dirt and grime onto his already filthy face. Slowly, Dick got up from his kneeling position and walked over slowly. Zucco must have caught the movement out of the corner of his eye because he looked up at Dick again with that same expression to plead for help. Dick almost scoffed at the sight. At an intentionally agonizing pace, Dick lowered himself down to a kneeling position and slipped the gag out of Zucco's mouth, causing the whimpers to increase in volume. "P-pl-please! You've got to get me out of here!"

"Shhhhhhhh." Dick hushed as he pressed a newly taloned finger to Zucco's lips. Zucco became alarmed at the sight of the claws and did as told, too afraid to do anything else.

"You don't recognize me. Do you?" Dick asked in a voice that was far too calm for these circumstances. It was no surprise. Between his pale skin, golden eyes, black veins, and how much he had aged since the last time he had seen this man, it would be a miracle if Bruce was able to recognize him. Still, Dick answered for him. "Oh, of course you don't. After all, what's another orphaned kid to you..."

Zucco looked up at him, obviously confused, and pulled back when he saw the yellow eyes. He kicked against the floor with his one good leg in an attempt to get away, but Dick hauled him up to a standing position and would not release the grip on his shoulders. Zucco stood there on one leg, so as not to agitate the injury to the other.

"What about the Flying Grayson, hmm? Does that strike a cord?" Dick asked, his voice still impossibly calm.

Zucco looked at him with his eyes bugging out of his skull. "Th-the Graysons?! That was twelve years ago! It was just business!"

That's when anger and hatred burst through the wall of calm he'd been keeping up. Dick quickly shifted his grasp on Zucco's shoulders to his neck and began to squeeze, causing the mobster to gasp for air.

"Business?!" He roared. "You slaughtered an entire family and you call it business?! I want you to be honest Zucco, and if you lie I will gut you like the pig you are! You don't even remember them do you?! The names yes, but you can't even remember their faces, can you?!"

Too terrified of the man holding him to lie, Zucco let out a strangled response of, "No! No I don't!"

"Well that makes one of us!" Dick screamed as he threw Zucco to the wall with his enhanced strength. Zucco hit his side against it and certainly broke a few ribs. When he landed on the ground, he began to try in vain to get away, but it was no use.

"You're lucky! I can remember everything!" Dick screamed to the point of his throat becoming raw as he stalked closer to Zucco. "I remember my parents! They loved me! They taught me how to fly! They made me everything I am! I remember my aunt and uncle! They loved me like I was their own! I remember my cousin! He was my hero and my best friend! I worshiped the ground he walked on! But above all, I remember watching them fall! I remember seeing them break against the ground! I remember having to watch them get carted off in body bags!"

Dick's eyes were streaming with angry tears. He picked Zucco up, clutching the sides of his head. Then he saw as recognition lit up in Zucco's eyes. "You-you're him! You're that Grayson kid!" He said, panic flooding his voice.

"No." Dick said as he pressed down harder on the man's skull. "I'm a Talon. And the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die." Dick had no idea where these words were coming from. He only knew that they felt good. He had fantasized about this moment for years, but the utter pleasure he was getting from this moment could not be overstated. It didn't show on his face though, as he continued to glare daggers as Zucco. "But...they never said I couldn't have some fun first."

Dick moved his thumbs over the ocular sockets and lifted them up before bending them at angles so that his claws were pointing directly at Zucco's pupils. Zucco's eyes widened as the claws pointed towards them. Dick was glad. He wanted Zucco to know what was going to happen.

Zucco screamed as the two claws plunged into his eyes, gouging them out. Blood and white discharge oozed over Dick's knuckles as Zucco continued to howl in pain. But the wrath rushing through him wasn't quelled just yet. Dick yanked his thumbs out and tossed Zucco to the ground. Once again the man proceeded to try and crawl away, now with no way of knowing where he was going. "Help! Somebody help me!"

Dick snarled like a wild animal and he reached down and flipped Zucco onto his back before kneeling on top of him. "No! You don't get to play the victim!" He screamed in feral rage.

"Let's get this straight right now." Dick growled as he leaned down towards the mobster's eyeless face. "My family, they're the victims! You're the criminal! This is justice!"

"Please." Zucco whimpered and sobbed. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not. You don't know the feeling." Dick said before digging his claws into the man's fat belly, eliciting more screams in pain. "But believe me. You will."

The next hour or so was a blur of blood and screaming and slicing.

Dick somehow found his way to the fountain when it was all said and done. He couldn't even see because of all the blood covering his face. The fountain water wasn't safe to drink, but he saw no issue in washing up in it.

After he had splashed enough water in his face that he could see clearly, he turned back to Zucco. The image was still blurred, but he could clearly see that the man was no longer moving.

That's when a new sound entered the room. It was laughing. It was slow and quiet at first, but eventually rose to the sound of an all out cackle. It took Dick a moment to realize that he himself was the one laughing.

He just couldn't help it. He doubled over and fell to his knees in front of the fountain. He had never felt so elated in his life. The man who killed his family was dead! The Court would stop hurting him. For the first time in over half a year, Dick was genuinely happy.

But that all came to a halt when he heard a slow applause once again. He didn't need to turn to know who it was. Cobb walked towards him and knelt down in front of him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Dick didn't react. He still felt too good. Even Cobb couldn't take this away from him now. And William Cobb was many things, but I liar was not one of them. He had said the Court would put an end to his torture. For once, maybe Dick would be able to sleep without being afraid of what the next day brought.

"I am so proud of you my boy."

That one statement made the whole world tilt and caused Dick to sober up. Proud? Cobb was Proud? Dick still didn't regret his actions, but having Cobb praise him for them made them feel...wrong.

"The way you did it with almost no hesitation. And that ferocity. You are all that I hoped for and more. You will be an excellent Talon."

That's what finally set Dick off. He looked up and met his ancestor's gaze without flinching and gripped the front of his uniform. "No." He said with conviction. "No, I won't. I'll never be a Talon. You can keep going all you want Cobb, but I'll never be anything like you. And when I get out of here-"

"You'll what?" Cobb asked in a sarcastic tone. "Where will you go if you get free? Who will take you in? You just broke Wayne's most precious rule. You killed a man in cold blood, who was begging you for his life."

Dick's hold on the uniform faded as the words came baring down on him. "N...no. It wasn't like that. Zucco was...you said...it was...I..." Every response died in his throat.

"You what, Gray Son?" Cobb asked as he took hold of Dick's chin and forced him to meet his own golden eyes again. "You didn't know what you were doing? You were desperate? In pain? It was a mistake?" He said, spitting out the last word. He used his hold on Dick's chin to force him to turn to Zucco's body. "That looks very intentional to me."

If Dick's throat weren't already so damaged he would scream at the top of his lungs. Was this even possible? Had he really done that?

Zucco's face barely looked human. Besides the gaping holes where his eyes should have been, there were also claw marks that cut through his cheeks and revealed his teeth for all to see. His mouth was suspended open in a perpetual scream. One arm had been dislocated, while the other was completely torn from it's socket. Based on the amount of blood that laid next to the open wound, it had been done while he was very much alive. But his main body had been the worst. His chest was splayed open with ribs and his innards were spilled out to the sides. He had been completely disemboweled. It looked like a wild animal had done it.

No...no not an animal. A Talon.

Dick scrambled away from the scene in terror. No. No this wasn't right. He...he...

Dick still couldn't form a protest, even in his mind. What was there to say? He knew what he had been doing. He knew that it was wrong. He took to his role as Talon so easily. And he had enjoyed it.

But it still just wasn't right! He was supposed to be a hero! He didn't kill! He didn't! Even someone as despicable as Zucco!

But the evidence was laid bare in front of him. He had killed. And there was no shoving the genie back in the bottle. This was real. This was permanent. No matter what he did for the rest of his life, this would never go away. He was a murderer now and forever.

Dick lurched forward, afraid he might be sick. Denial and guilt raged in his mind. It kept him from noticing Cobb's sly grin widen.

"If only Wayne could see you now." Dick froze at the use of his guardian's name. "I imagine that he would throw you in Arkham himself. That is, of course, if he didn't behead you. After all, you are a murderer. Just like Zucco. Just. Like. Me."

Dick began to breathe rapidly. He hadn't even thought about Bruce! Oh God! How could he ever bring himself to look his father in the eyes again?! He killed someone! He broke his vow to Bruce!

What if Cobb was right? What if Bruce saw him as just another Talon after he found out? And what about Tim? What about Babs? What about Wally? Would they also be disgusted by what he had done? By what he had become?

Dick was full on hyperventilating when Cobb walked over and knelt down in front of him again. "Our bloodline stretches back to the Court's very founding. We have served them since the founding of Gotham, and we will continue to do so after this city has returned to the dirt." He then reached forward and grabbed Dick's face to force him to look up again.

"Welcome to the family. You're finally one of us."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Dick no longer cared about how damaged his throat already was. He screamed. He screamed for betraying Bruce. He screamed for the lose of his innocence. He screamed for giving into the Court.

He screamed for becoming their Gray Son.

It was three days before they woke him up. After his break down they put him in the cryochamber to settle down. Dick knew he had been ignorant and a fool to think the Court would keep their word in ending his abuse. Going into that coffin was the worst torment of all. Being crammed inside as the cold slowly set in, freezing to death but unable to die.

Soon they dragged another person into the room with a hood over their head before the Talons pulled it off. Dick recognized the prisoner. She was the Gotham Commissioner of Cultural Affairs. He had seen her before at galas and such. She wouldn't have been hard to capture, and she had no chance of getting away. She was paralyzed from the waist down. (3) And like Zucco, she had pleading tears in her eyes while looking at him.

Cobb had told him to kill her. He had blatantly refused. Even if he had dragged the Joker in here, he still would have said no. Never again. Not after Zucco.

Cobb didn't say a word in response. He only began to dig his claws into her upper back and drag them slowly across her flesh. Muffled screams of pain came from behind her gag. Dick's eyes widened in horror as he shouted at Cobb to stop.

William retracted his claws and told Dick that he could stop it. He only had to kill her. If he didn't, her death would put Zucco's suffering to shame.

Dick looked at her with another conflict ragging in his mind. He wouldn't be able to save her. He was to weak from being in hibernation. Usually they used serum to minimize the effects of hibernation on Talons, but they had denied it to him in this case. And even if by some miracle he could find the strength to even pick her up, an army of Talons would be waiting to stop them.

He swore he would never kill again! But was letting this poor woman suffer worth it? He didn't get to dwell on the thought any further. Cobb became impatient and sunk his claws into her back again, eliciting more screaming.

Dick felt his resolve shatter in the midst of her wailing. He shouted at Cobb to stop, that he'd do it. Cobb pushed her to the ground and walked out of the room to leave them alone. Before he was gone though, Cobb ordered him to 'say the words'. Dick didn't need further explanation, nor did he need to be told that if he didn't both him and the woman would suffer.

He slowly brought himself over to her and picked her up off the ground and cradled her in his lap. He told her that the Court of Owls had sentenced her to die, and he hated every minute of it. Then he lifted the gag and asked her for last words.

She looked at him with understanding in her tear-filled eyes. She knew that he was just as much a prisoner here as she. She nodded and took him into her confidence, sharing the last words she would ever utter. They completely shattered Dick's spirit.

"Please tell my little girl...her mommy loves her very much."

To Dick that had been worse then if she had begged for her life or called him a monster. He was about to kill a mother. He was going to orphan a child...just like Zucco had done to him. He nearly changed his mind, but reminded himself what her death would be like if not by his hands. With wet eyes, he nodded to her. He had to turn away as he gripped her head and yanked her jaw up and head back, snapping her neck.

After all was said and done, Dick silently wept over the corpse of the woman he killed.

The next time had been a few days later. It had been another person he knew. It was a boy he had encountered at Gotham Academy. Dick couldn't remember the guy's name though. They had sat at the same lunch table and been partnered together in a few classes but they were more acquaintances than friends. Dick was thankful that he didn't seem to recognize him though.

This time Dick didn't need Cobb to tell him the stakes. He went over snapped the boy's head back. After what happened with the woman (Valerie, her name was) he couldn't bring himself to listen to another person's screams, nor their last words.

Talons carried his body out without anyone uttering a word. And Dick allowed a stray tear to escape from his eye.

Dick didn't know the next person to be brought in for execution. He didn't know if this man was a cop or a criminal, a sinner or a saint. What he knew is that no one deserved to suffer like the Court would make him if he didn't do what needed to be done. Dick killed him without hesitation. This time no tears were shed. No regrets were pondered.

That was what scared Dick the most. He was becoming numb to this. He was becoming a Talon.

There was only one more. Dick barely looked at the man before killing him. It was easier that way. Easier not to humanize them. He refused to allow tears to come or any expression to form on his face. He couldn't let the Court know that he was still Richard Grayson. For the time being, he was the Gray Son of Gotham.

The aftermath had been far more interesting than the act itself, as it turned out. Cobb told him that the Court had been satisfied with his work, and would be sending him out for his first assignment soon.

Dick still forced his face to remain impassive, even though internally he was ecstatic. This was his chance! He would be free soon! He could go home!

At least until Bruce found out what he did. What he was now.

After that, Dick wasn't sure what he would do. He would just hope and pray that no one ever found out what he had done here. Hope that his secrets would stay buried forever.

Hope that no one would ever find out that he was a monster.

(1) I have no idea if this is true for the Judge of Owls from the comics, I'm basing it off of Batman vs Robin.

(2) In my mind, Dick looks like the cover image for the story.

(3) Refers to Valerie Venderman, one of the people killed during the Night of Owls.

So this was originally supposed to be a three-shot but after writing this chapter and seeing how long it was I realized it should be split into two, so it is now a four-shot.

I hope to have the rest up soon. Until then, please tell me what you thought.