Our Flag Still Flies – War of Rebellion

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PART FIVE: WAR GAMES

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Traded, carted by the words that bound him to a contract of mysterious origins, this was his original sin for not forgiving his only father – who could still be alive! As the General had the teenager dragged back to his room in cuffs, the next few days he'd learned of two things.

His children both hated and respected the General; Grant being the only one to pose a threat with his weapons. Rose, the second eldest was a stealthy and cunning young assassin with a background of mixed blood and mixed relations with the other guards of the building. The teen crinkled his nose at the thought, her sly wit could entice those soldiers to cut their own heads from their throats. And lastly, Joseph, the youngest who's psychic ability almost dwarfed Rachele's strong magical ties to her clan in the old-world order. He however, was small and weakest, depending on his family for some added security while General was tender with his commands on that one.

It worried the teen noble in chains, that this man was not just the keeper of mere children, yet their savior as well. Their creator of all they had become. So, this plan was simple as simple could, he'd find a way to bring the Ravagers to leave behind their father's status and false promises to join the rebel allegiance in Metropoli where there was only a wall. One wall, but enough to gather favor from the ruler. Alexi Ulyanov was a man who took no sides, bound only those to his service that he could feed his wealth into, like a machine that grew too fat with paper bills to bend over and count himself lucky. Alexi may have been a sworn enemy of the Blue Knight, Metropoli's patron do – gooder and leader of that country's resistance.

They still made plans, made amends and did not bother to struggle with petty arguments as other leaders tended to win their wars in such a vile display of prominence. The Dark Knight Wayne had often tried to pressure the Blue Knight, his ally not to easily fall sway to Alexi's cleverly disguised tricks. He was a man of many monikers, and with many allies on both sides, just as Wayne who protected all yet neither. Richard always begged to know if allowing evil kings to thrive was dangerous, and why. His father had told him long ago that all lives could understand pain; of those the cared for or hated, which connected each and every person on the planet.

This planet, this pain.

Wilson spoke as he saluted his three children, and their newest Ravager.

Robin.

"Recruits; your new mission is training to mean something to this war – time. This is who you shall be addressing, and in hours to weeks, you will storm with me to the capital of Styr and take the crown BACK! FOR BLUDDBECHIA!"

"FOR BLUDDBECHIA!!"

The did drills, practiced a skill from the east in many different sets and weapons were kept loosely to staves which Grant in fact excelled at even much as Robin.

"Very good, you'll make an excellent co – captain, Grayson."

Richard didn't beam full of pride. He didn't want to betray Roy, even if Roy had opted to betray the rebels, if only to save his wife and child. That could only be the reason he deduced, as the General was handed a staff. Robin's head floated down from the clouds of his inner turmoil while the General brought with a snap of his fingers, the players in today's duel to participate and to learn.

He was flattened into the grass, shoulder nearly ruined by a pummel into the feel of dry rock. His hand was patched up, each finger bent as he tried not to shout, Grant and Rose snickering while Joseph dead eyed, looked to his father's face for any sympathy. Sympathy for a former rebel leader that didn't stand a chance in beating the master manipulator in close combat.

Not all on his own, as the boy was made to return later to be watched and patched up by Joseph.

Richard looked around at the medicines in glass jars and vials, the ointment laid out with new bandages and linens. For their hard work, he expected this to be enough. ~ I know why my father wishes to trust you. ~ The blonde younger teen picked up the ointment and removed a part of the other's dark top. "You don't, it's blackmail by your General. I'm only here until this war is won…that is my burden to bear." He flinched at how the gash was much deeper than he'd earlier calculated. "Stitches…your father will fake his sincerity, as will eye." Sighed the rebel leader bound to the cold table. ~ Father only wants to trust you, because Sir Wayne was a member of the party that admonished his style of combat in the past. ~ Now, the Court congratulated the General's efforts a great deal, enough to hand him this opportunity to cause total devastation to the lives of his enemies' children.

~You are not of his bloodline, yet he holds great animosity and respect towards your father; was he not of your blood, I did hear –

Richard moved quickly as Joseph was brushed off. His curiosity could be a ploy concocted by the General to gain a better hold over his new property. "My business in the past is not why, and even if it were, the General sees me as a threat due to my involvement for many years as Sir Wayne's supposed son, whether I am of their blood or not means very little." He crossed his arms, Joseph frowning as he took out the roll of gauze and stretched it wide. ~You need to keep that past locked in a closet. My family is in enough danger handling a Borne – Blood…~

Richard gasped at the insult, setting down his feet weakly onto the ground as the gauze was moved closer.

"You know nothing, so speak nothing of my past, pampered fool!!"

"Brother!" The one to arrive with a vial of medicine for the cabinet was that one eyed sinckering Rosa. She was so keen on seeing him miss his aim at her during their training rounds. "Joseph, father warned you about provoking the prisoner –

"I am here out of a contract –

"IMPRISONED to it, you mean." Rosa shoved the box onto a nearby desk and stomped over to slam her elbow into the Wayne boy's jaw. "At ease, I mean him no real danger…he insulted my family –

"You have others, that figures as much." She stared at Joseph who hung his head. "My brother learns too much from our sibling Grant, who is…. not very bright. I am attempting to retrain him to think…." She seethed to her young family member, her grip at her belt if she should need to punish the blonde other "Logically…. From speaking out where conflict is not wanted." She finished. "We are our father's knights; we are the order this country craves and to act so foolishly in front of even a squire to the enemy…." She shook her head at both teen boys. "For shame. Clear up here and do as you were ordered; Robin? You'll be seeing my father in his study. He has news, about your rebels to the west."

/

Robin found his way by the castle guard's direction to the other wing he'd entered only days past. How many, he could not live to think as his guard knocked for the teen. The man on the other side, spoke clearly as a gong upon the day light hours in another time.

"Enter."

He did so, the guard leaving the boy to his master now as the man looked up from a pile of forms and documents. His masked expression was almost amused as he skimmed the papers of Metropoli antics and the headlines back in G –

"Your city has fallen to pieces." The man coaxed the boy come closer as he flopped the headline down into the teen's vison, the bled ink from rain and traveling too far across the border dragged him into its pages.

~ Rebels nowhere to be found; where is our Dark Knight and will he rise again?? ~

"Give up. Join me, and this will all come to pass –

"I still want Korina to go back to Jumperei. She doesn't belong in chains."

"She is your betrothed, or was behind Wayne's back."

"He was presumed dead…. I…I couldn't let Barbara Gardendale (Gordon) be exposed to the fighting –

"Her legs were blown clean off in the raid of the Ice Palace's turn over. (Ice Palace in Gotham.) She was to be wedded, handpicked by your father…yet she turned you down under, some circumstances." The General huffed, taking a file from his pile of documents that read ~Richard Wayne. ~

"You…. how did you discover –

The boy gulped, the General's grin too unintended of this time to meet, face to face. "I have the Court's aide in this, their Talon assassins find out as much as Ra's men and soldiers have carried out. It was how your city was lost, your father…nearly hung and taken in to be sentenced with his final words."

"Just as you spoke, he is alive."

"Maybe." Chuckled the evil doer of a sort. His hair was pushed to his neck as the white haired elder moved to another file in the pile. ~Roy Harper. ~

"Harpenstanz." The General ignored the boy's shaking head and dead eyes as he recited even more of his life's work. "Roy was…. Sir Oliver's supposed heir to the company that once held sway over a generation." Wilson explained to the boy at his desk side. "That man, is dead while the reason you allowed Roy to leave unharmed was for the reason you remain ever closely connected. The man in this file is in fact a man now, with a beloved not unlike your Korina. He had one, only one and we were able to use that woman and her child to keep him handy. To have him hand over the city of Styr to me."

"No! I know of this; you didn't tell me it was so underhanded…he was in pain and…..how could your country - folk not oppose such injustice??" The teen rose on his toes over the desk to demand, the General having more fun than he had torturing the Dark Knight beside his allies. "By the way, boy…" He swapped stories for a question instead, rising from his desk as the chained teenager in cuffs could not fight the man as he wished to. "Did you believe yourself to be the only heir? The only Son that Dark Knight had either sired or brought into his home? Do you not recall any others?"

"Other…. you are mad! There was no one else –

"Not in Gotehilmn." The General lilted and tutted a strong finger, it dipping to point at a single packet with a black label. "I give you permission, to seek out a missing piece to your father's disappearance." The man waved for the kid to pick it up, his hands still shaking even as this could be his way to seek his father's captors.

"Go ahead." The man ushered with his words; his voice soft as if speaking to a small animal instead fo a boy called Robin. Richard swallowed, his tongue dry and fingers as well, bumping his digits to slowly pluck the paper packet from the man's direction.

It said…heirs to the Wayne line…. why would he not…. there were more??

/

A painful flashback as he relieved the moment vividly now. This was a trick by Sir Wayne to keep them all from finding one another, even while half of his children were either dead or traitors in his time.

"Jason. You must not carry that attitude whilst Master Wayne is hard at work –

"Alfred, you can't predict who he'll send word to on the side lines….I want to be there. Why else –

"Timothy! Young master Jason…Dear, goodness sakes. Why aren't you boys in your rooms at this late hour." The balding and rather concerned servant sighed yet…he wasn't above that, even more. He was the one who had saved Sir Wayne Richard recalled as a single heir to the house in which he watched memories dance abound.

"Alfred, Tim? Jason?? You two should know better than to eavesdrop; father is not a meeting with the prime ministers of separate regions. I'll take them back to bed, Alfred –

Was…that was him?? A younger him, with a glow to his face and brothers…

/

"She is not the mother."

"But she is, Sir Wayne, and you could very well instigate all you wish." A man with a dark beard and a piercing set of dark green eyes like a snake sat at the chair across from Sir Wayne. Richard had no need to be there, he was trying to keep his young sister Cassandra from waddling off without a proper pair of knickers about the manor. "Stay still, Cassandra! –

Dick scooped her up, seeing two persons leave the office. A woman with a swaddle of cloth to her bosom and a man with his eyes as sharp as blades. "Oh, my dearest apologies, Young… Wayne." The man dipped his head with a small grin to the two, Cassandra starting to wail as Richard tried to save her from the bad man who wouldn't quit gawking. The woman didn't speak, yet her eyes ignored the girl, seeing a boy out of the corner of her eye that was…a bit of a detective's stance. A rat in her sights, he scurried off and did not stay while Richard bowed his head and did the same.

"A pleasure, we were about to be off. Thank your father if you could for inviting my daughter and I to your home; the country's anti - war efforts will greatly benefit from the aid of other nations."

The boy nodded, falsely faking his sincere posture. "We thank you for your patronage."

The man chuckled as the woman too thought it amusing to see the eldest with such a vocabulary. Even if he spoke in the tongue of the Gotehilmn and Romani people to the other side of the globe. That boy, had just spat a cuss into his view, how very bold for any Wayne to be….

/

"There was no need to allow them to walk over to your table, father! They are criminals

"Lady Talia has birthed a new brother…" The man at his desk a day later was haggard, truly in a state that Richard had not witnessed before. "A new, son, to the Al – Ghul and Wayne households –

"How??" The fifteen-year-old asked. "Why was it so much older-

"Alchemy, it was aging at a rate not even science could begin to comprehend." The Dark Knight told his eldest child, the babe in Talia's arms did not sound human by the adult's description. "They ridiculed us both…. I swear upon my birth, that if that child comes to be as we have…he will have no part in becoming anything that his grandfather wants. You must tell none of your brothers or siblings." Bruce commanded as Richard felt it impossible to want to even recall. The war was over more than a few missing children, yet the fall of order was upon them from among the shadows of their own home.

"I promise you, father." Richard decreed with a grin almost too charming to diminish by words alone. "I shall in your place, should the capital come to be taken by this new enemy, I will fight for that child and for all of us. Even when all of the world is in constant fear."

"Bluddbechia is not a country of pacifists." Sir Wayne warned his wary child. "It is a place where the children are subjected to the horrors of war at an early age, this life is too natural to them. I only ask this, my son; if the country should fall without the Wayne line to guide it back to its natural state, you must save as many as you can if you are able. The lives in this country are important in preserving the House of your grandfather and my Great Grandfather. I want you to promise that if the house falls, you will take your siblings and keep them safe…"

/

Tears fell onto the packet as Slade took the parcel from his servant's trembling grip. "I…why do I not remember?"

"War is hard, you could have buried it all away, or…you didn't."

Richard blinked away fat tears from his eyes. "How? That is ponly possbile with the Alchemy not akin to –

"Madame seer Rachele had a power, an ability to dull pain as I can recall." Slade rubbed his chin; Richard's breathing was a dulled panting to his ears.

Richard recalled it. He had found them while their family's manor was taken over. Tim was taken by darkly clad foot soldiers from his bed. They had been separated during the coup when the manor had been burned to the ground. Cassandra was lost, as was a family friend Duke and his father to the House of Wayne, while Alfred had fled with Stella (Stephanie) and even Barbara…whom had lost her legs later in a rebel raid of the ones deduced to have started the fire. (In this, Joker is responsible but not the way that you think.) Jason had been forced to flee and was separated, lost in another city and gods knew…. he knew !

"The more you took away your pain of failing them, the more lost you were. I can tell you this, you already met two of your family at the council room. That day I took you to serve beside me."

Richard clutched his hair, his eyes widened as the image flashed through him, the woman and the two boys beside her! That was Timothy and the younger was…. his father's illegitimate son…."

Ra's grandchild.

/

Fires licked the dying wood in the cold stove as a boy, now here nearly a man retreated in time to Bluddbechia's underground with his new family. He wore something less a rag more a lower class pick pocket as the kid was without his own wits the day, he was found in the gutter by a green haired character with all character to him. He laughed and then a frown filled the creases; his arm out to the kid as Jason Wayne took the man's grubby palm and had lived.

"Uncle J?" The boy moved a plank of wood up from a hole in the next lot, the man's goons watching the criminal's hide out as he counted coin and trinkets that his helpers had brought to keep them all fed for another day. The war had stricken every price; the cars, the cattle and the papers. All of the pretty festive events were marches and sold next to nothing worth the man's time and at times, Jason wondered if he had been the real reason as to why Uncle J or the man in his seat of an old car seat now dismantled, was gloomy. Drumming his long, gloved fingers against the arm of the chair, Jason swallowed his pride and walked in, his stance ridged and cautious of the man. Last week, he had beaten his lover and she had run off with some of his aimless collectables. The only person Uncle J had was his one treasure, the Wayne boy. His adopted urchin, as Jason did all he could to keep them from ending up in the poorhouse or the stockades for being what they were.

Dirt.

Uncle J sighed loudly and then growled into his palms, his eyes greatly heated as his whole-body shook. The walls to the building might have collapsed had Jason not been moving with a leaden stance at he'd been taught. "We should move, I think this city –

"You think you could survive on the road, kiddo?" The green haired savior looked up from his clasped hands with a mutter. "I've gotten you food, cloths. Heck, I can't even sell you for what it's worth! We're both just ugly and useless…" The man sudden broke out into a grin and then a strong bout of laugter as he smacked his knee, his spirits restored once more. Jason sheepishly tried to do the same, his head trembling and hands in his pockets as he pulled out a paper he'd stolen from a stand across town. "you…heehee….Gotta see, Unc. This is worth a lifetime of good laughs, sir. I found another elite to rob blind!"

"No, boy!" The green haired crook's eyes fell onto the boy, his smile faded as his eyes of a pink and red restlessness pained Jason the most. "I took you from the wreck and you want to go back and take from your own….? You….you really are my Lil' Jay! Haaa!!" He pulled the kid over and ruffled his hair. "Harleen left us high and dry, but don't worry, son…Daddy is gonna fix us up for a long time. Stick with me Lil' JAY and the infamous Gotelhimn (typo will fix) Jokester will see to getting you that cool knife set you always planned to haggle me for. And not to forget a butler, maybe a couple of ponies. Ah, Harleen can eat her stockings for all I care -language!" Uncle Jay had the kid move away as the two shared a laugh out of their miserable circumstances. "Sir, I wanted to know if that rich man we'll be taking from….does he know anything about –

The Jokester steeled his gaze at the boy, the room gone quiet as he gripped the seat arms of his makeshift throne. "You don't need to talk about them, they left you. Remember?? You are here and we'll stick it out. Tells ya the truth, I thought you'd cut my throat with the Wayne blood in you –

"I was adopted in to the home, sir." Jason said with a bitten lip. "I'm not his real son, and I can be yours. I just want a warm meal, and good clothes to wear like my brother –

"You mean the one that stayed with the "Ghoulies," is that it?" Snorted the Jokester as he rolled his eyes irritated at the fact that his son's want of a better home WAS eating him alive.

"You need to be taught to respect your betters." The man pointed to the corner of the room where there was a hook and a chain to lift heavy crates. Jason's face lost its spark as he was forced not to blow off his savior. He'd just be treated for his wounds later anyway.

/

The fire had severely burned his body, whartever skin and bone was there made him sick to stare at it. He stole a shawl from a shop keep and ran with his meat flaring, his gasps endless as the path he fled down into the town; the town of his was all ash as Jason started to hyperventilate, and yet he kept running. Dead children, pets and family that layered the bomb laden streets. Sirens and horns drove him mad as he found a dark alley and fell face first into the mud, right at the mercy of two Bluddbechian soldiers.

"There is only one survivor on this street…."

"Should we –

"Sonny!!" A woman in a shawl with a rather shrill voice and pale skin, they came to claim the child and focused their eyes on the guards. "My boy is very ill! Please, let him go. His mother is worried sick she is…" The woman cooed in the boy's ear, when the words the figure actually had whispered were much more concerning.

"Play your part and be good. We'll flee the drones together."

"They are just mud -suckers." One of the guards kicked a clod of earth into Jason's face. "We're done here. Save yourselves if you won't submit to the General or die wishing you had."

/

That woman had been Uncle J in disguise. How clever and real he was behind the makeup. He'd been a failing actor for years and in his mind, he saw an opportunity to save someone who'd lost family as he had. Harleen had been upbeat and witty as her beloved, yet the two never told the boy what they really did for a living since this war had destroyed their lives.

They stole, and took and conned until there was no one left to oppose. The war got worse, the soldiers made it so that Bluddbechia was a place to die, not live. Only the elites lived in nice houses as Jason by some miracle had not lost his body but had lived. Uncle J had found a special potion and to his amazement, it brought the little zombie back from beyond the beyond.

Those were days that even in poverty, Jason could be thankful for a mom and dad again.

Until Uncle J abused his right to keep going. He was aggressive and would drink or gamble on occasion far too easily – and he'd win then get threatened by the mob ends in the city. Harleen had gotten far too upset to stay, and he'd hit her. Called her things that made no sense to Jason. At twelve, it was a time he could not enjoy. A few years went and the two were not his mother and father, but his employers. The boy was given tasks. Some were suicide, and he still had to go. For his training with the Wayne family impressed his new father and employer. There was a day he'd taken a shiny apple and the thing had been whacked from the boy's palm. That was the first time he'd stolen; cuts on his legs from a shrubbery in the nicest neighborhood his nose could pick up. Yet Uncle J had screamed and flogged him until he begged to know.

Was that not enough? Was he going to be sold if he didn't do better?

Harleen as the boy came to be of age now at sixteen, was since departed for Metropoli. She had asked Jason to go, yet Uncle J had no one. Not one friend in the world as he stayed loyal to his flap – happy father in Bluddbechia.

While today, he was this close to having his rump tanned as he was directed to stay put.

The wood had come down before, the boy winced at the first set. He counting and let sweat pour past his ears as the growling, snarling Uncle J beat him and then used the potion he'd saved the kid with to do it again. Jason was aware it was a magical elixir and just did as he was told.

/

The Jokester, thee Clown Prince before…before the fires took his fortune with it.

He'd found the kid after overhearing about a sudden death days later and missing bodies as the kid beside his chair only covered his face to sleep in the dust. The caked blood had dried on his knuckles from fighting the spasms of that magic formula from some witch in the gallows. The crown prince he truly wished to rob blind was dead and of J's ambitions gone too – Harleen had seen him remotely as hollow, yet the family he'd not kept watch over. The boy only staying out of pity…

He'd keep him around, see if he was right. The green haired, red eyed ghoul of a man from the saddest of expectations to the city looked over the boy and remembered what the kid had told him.

"One day, the court is gonna come beggin' for ya, kid." The man whispered as Jason slumbered on.

"If they want you, they'll have to offer me a place by the water with you in it, cause you're not the worst ticket outta this dump." He carded through the boy's locks and sighed. "Harleen won't come back kiddo, but I'm not letting you get dumped by some Wayne boy who barely remembers his ow name." Yes, the paper had shown a child at seventeen with dark hair and striking orbs right beside the General and his Ravagers. As one of them. Yet in those times when the Wayne bunch had been alive, Uncle J had entertained the family in their parlor with gags and tricks to brighten the dear faces of Sir Wayne's own eldest son.

Yet, heck. The resemblance was uncanny!

"We'll get us all dressed up for the big time." He grinned, Jason nuzzling into the hand without knowing it was even there. "Cause you an me, I'm glad you stuck around to see this war to the end."

/

So, Joker (Jokester) is a "down on his luck" entertainer who saved Jason with a similar sample of the Elixer of life Wilson took, thus you get it. Wilson kept tabs on EVERYONE FOR YEARS. Stalker alert! He also expects Richard to be his Ravager co – captain and never have a chance to leave his duties; destroy the rebels from the inside with his hands both tied. The worst crime he could accomplish would be blackmail at this point, so Slade isn't interested in Richard like that unless he'd debase himself since that part isn't over. Slade's kids are all brats. As in rude snobs with a great set of egos like their pop – which isn't all true. Grant wanted to live up to his dad's expectations because it's all he knows and that might make him an outcast as the eldest, if he decides not to do better. He's hot headed, foul mouthed and a bit spiteful. Rosa plays it on the sly and is protective of Joseph the youngest as well. She just does as her father expects and won't ask too many questions.

Richard had a flashback and realized that Rachele's powers numbed his pain and grief of losing his family, only to cause his memories to recede. He almost for years had forgotten about the siblings that did survive and we won't tell you what happened to Stella (Steph) Cassie or Duke…I decided to have them perish in the fire, but not Duke or Barbara. They are a part of the rebel alliance in another city – spoiler!

Jokester or J is abusive and Jason has a small case of Stockholm due to the manipulating of his emotions by J. He keeps him close because he pushed everyone else back. His false desires will get weird later as this is a bit M and Explicit tied in to it. And Bruce DID know about Talia's child, as did Richard before the fire (borrowing Black Butler) for this plot point. However, the siblings are scattered. Where is Alfred with Stella? What about Tim's reason for joining Talia? Will Dami learn the truth behind his mother's curse and his grandfather's ploy to use the General to bring hell to the people by the Court's order?

Find out! More to come and we are just getting started!