Damian raced back to the Cave the moment he received the distress beacon. He knew he should not have left the others alone, not with Father out of the country. He was the one that was supposed to be protecting them, if anything happened…
"They will be fine." Cassandra's voice cut through the thick atmosphere of worry Damian had surrounded himself in, soft and soothing even through the comlink. "Stephanie is smart and Jason is strong. They will take care of each other." Damian tightened his grip on the handlebars, Cassandra's grip tightening around his ribs as the bike when off road to get to the Cave entrance.
The sounds of a battle met just further into the Cave. Abandoning Damian's motorcycle in a hidden alcove, the pair continued to the Control Room separately, Cassandra through the air vents and Damian on foot in the shadows.
Damian knew every nook and cranny of the cave system underneath his home. Every tunnel that connected to Wayne Manor were imprinted into his memory, until he could navigate his to the now abandoned Drake manor in absolute darkness. The shadows hide him from view as he comes to the battle taking place just below where he sleeps.
Anger feels his mind, fueled more as he sees both Jason and Stephanie fighting back to back. The enemies surrounding them are in matching armor, almost exactly as he had sketched from Tim's brief description the one time he was cooperative in his pseudo-captivity. There are fifteen in Damian's direct sightline: nine of them surrounding Spoiler and Robin, two are held together with the patented 'Goop' from Spoiler's Gooparang, three are trying to break their way through the door that leads to the holding cells and the Cave's auxiliary control room, and lastly, a single enemy is sprawled on the ground covered in ice crystals. What he doesn't see though is Alfred or Dick. The obvious answer is that they are beyond the heavy metal door that is currently under assault.
Out of the corner of his eye, Damian see Cassandra positioning herself in position to strike at least three of their friends' assailants. It's in the half second that Damian's eyes are off the intruders that he finds himself being thrown and pinned to the ground. Damian was able to get his legs under his attacker and kicked her off, running and vaulting over a group of two more on his way to aid Jason and Stephanie, now joined by Cassandra.
Static came through his comlink as he neared the group. "...Tes..ing Zzzt… Ca… ar… me? This is… 'Nyone, testing can anyone hear me?"
"Penny-One this is Blackbird can you read me?" Damian said, dodging an attack and finally making it to his teammates; getting into a defensive position as he spoke.
Alfred voice flooded through his ear and Damian felt a small inkling of hope. "Blackbird, thank heaven you have arrived. The intruders cut out our communications, how are Robin and Spoiler?"
"We're still here Penny-One." Jason's voice came from beside Damian as he flipped over Stephanie to perform what should have been a knockout blow. "They aren't staying down, have you found anything?" Cassandra and Stephanie moved to cover the hole Jason left in their defenses as Jason settled to cover the area just left of Damian.
"The enemy has a faint radioactive signature. Not dangerous level, mind you. And their body signatures are much lower than average." Alfred told them, "I've taken the liberty of lowering the Cave's temperature. Do they seem to being any slower than when they first arrived?"
"They're slower," Stephanie answered, fending off a trio of the armored fighters with Cassandra. "I know we're insulated because of the suits, but what about Red Robin and Dick? They're both going to freeze down there."
Damian ducked below a headshot and kicked the legs out from beneath the would be assailant. "What did you left Red Robin with the kid?" Damian said angrily, dodging another attack.
Jason landed a jab on his opponent, shaking his hand during his short reprieve. "Seemed the safest place for him to be." Jason said defensively. "Tim will rather fight these guys rather hurt Dick."
Damian groaned, "And what about after? Do honestly think that Drake will just let everything go?" Damian was starting to be able to see his breath. The intruders were slowing down, some almost at a walking pace now.
Jason shrugged, throwing an exploding Wing-Ding at a new group of attackers. "Haven't thought that far ahead. I was more worried about keeping the kid safe."
Tim flexed his wrist as Dick finally unlocked the restraint holding him to the bed. The temperature in the room was starting to drop rapidly, the boy shivering as he moved to the other side of the room away from the older boy. "What now?"
Tim grinned, flashing white teeth in a smile that seemed to wide. Looking at the door and then the air vent, a plan forming in his head before he shook his head. "The Cave's heating system has been turned off, probably to slow down the enemy." He paused and caused under his breath, "The air vents are probably too cold to move that way."
A pounding sound came from outside the door, Dick's shivering probably now a combination of the lower temperatures and the new sense of impending doom. Taking a deep breath, Tim grabbed the staff, extending it to full length as he grabbed a blanket. "Cover yourself, first opening you see I need you to run. Find an empty room, and for the love of God stay quiet and do not get caught."
Dick nodded as the sound of pounding became louder. Whoever was outside was definitely outside the door now. Repositioning his hold on the staff, Tim fell into a fighting stance with a grin on his lips. The door flies open with a bang, the same Talon who had stabbed his just days before standing at the door.
"Where is the child?" The gravelly, dead voice speaks and Tim hopes for the life of him that the kid listens to him. The figure before him is maybe even more impressive in the light, metal uniform glistening with the light reflecting from every blade strapped to his chest. "Surrender him to me and you will be allowed to live, child."
Tim turns the staff around, eying his opponent before laughing. "I don't think so." Staying defensive, he really wished he had some kind of armor. One knick from those knives had put him out in minutes, meaning that any strike he took now would result in his death. "See, I have this thing about giving children to murderers. Call it a fluke, but I just don't swing that way." He is jumping out of the way as the Talon strikes at him, using the staff to put more distance between him, as he finishes his little speech.
"Foolish child." The Talon threatens, pulling two knives from his chest armaments. "Wayne was a fool for taking what was ours; but you and your ilk are completely insane for standing by him." Tim has to knock away one of the knives before it can hit the center of his chest. The Talon moves slower than their last encounter, but the days of recovery and confinement are not helping Tim either. "My brethren have already taken care of the forward guard, you can still surrender and I will let you live. Just tell me where the child is."
A chuckle escapes Tim's lips as he gets behind his enemy, who is becoming seemingly lethargic with the increasing cold. "I highly doubt that, Talon." A double strike, the first to the the right wrist and the second to the back of the head, resound with a satisfying crack each. "You see, it was a mistake to strike at their home." Tim could hardly feel his fingers at this point, pins and needles intensifying as he moves his fingers to reposition his hold to be more offensive.
The Talon's movements are almost like slow motion as he spins. "The Court of Owls cannot be stopped. We will have our Gray Son, and I will make sure I am the one to slit all of your throats." A too slow strike misses Tim by a mile, "And I'll make you watch, screaming as my brothers and sisters…"
The end of the threat is never heard as the Talon is covered in ice in mid strike. Tim's blood is still boiling from adrenaline and whatever parts of the lingering madness from the Pit escaped his control, rising his weapon towards the panting at the doorway. A falls from his lips as Dick's voice calls out to whoever their rescuer is.
"Stephanie! Steph, thank God. I was so worried" The boy's voice sounds shaken, maybe a bit watery from unshed tears.
Tim stands still, reigning in his aggression as he sees Dick run into Stephanie's arms. The purple of Spoiler's cape wrapping around the boy as she crouched down to hold the boy. "It's okay Dickie." Stephanie says before speaking soft, sweet nothings into Dick's hair. Looking up, her piercing blue eyes look to Tim, all the gratitude and softness that Tim thought had left the world.
Cassandra seemed to appear behind her, face unreadable as she stood behind the pair at the doorway facing Tim. "Bruce is in route. Alfred wants everyone together." The statement is obviously meant for Tim, and he nods.
Dick does not look up, head laying on Stephanie's shoulder as she stands up holding him still wrapped in her cape. "Tim too right? I don't wanna leave him."
Stephanie's places a kiss into Dick's hair. "Of course, Tim is coming too." She looks at Tim, who again nods. "Now come on, it's freezing down here."
Tim kicks at the icicle that is the now fallen Talon. "What about the big bad?" To be honest he is surprised that Stephanie outright froze the man, particularly with Bruce's no killing rule.
Stephanie looked at Tim. "They aren't alive. Alfred doesn't know if it's magic or science, but the only way to stop them is extreme cold."
"Which explains why I can't feel my fingers." Tim responds sarcastically, retracting his staff to its compact form.
"Yeah…" Stephanie says as they start down the hallway, Cassandra bringing up the rear and Tim just slightly in front of Stephanie. "Sorry about that. We lost communications and Alfred had to make the decision on the fly."
Tim shrugged turning the corner and stopping short, making Stephanie bump into him and Dick making a sound of displeasure. Tim is struck silent as he glares at the large man in black, a figure he had yet to see in his entire imprisonment. "Bruce, it is good to see you again."
"Tim…" Bruce's reply is like a pained sigh, his face like it is seeing a ghost. Which Tim laughed because in a way it was. This was the first time in years that Bruce was able to see Tim's face. A paleness that even the Pit could not cure, but in almost every other way still the same.