The Talon stares at Dick. In turn, Bruce, Jason, and Dick stare at the Talon, at the face of a teenage alternate Dick Grayson.
For a long moment, nobody moves. Then the Talon leans forward ever so slightly toward the glass of water nearly forgotten in Dick's hand.
"Sorry," Dick says, glancing down at the cuff on each of the Talon's wrists, leading back to the railing. Dick holds the glass of water up, allowing the Talon to drink.
Bruce steps back, still watching the Talon. Then he looks around.
Cass is watching Dick's back, while Tim and Damian have paused their work on the universe traveling device to step towards the rest of the group.
"What-" Tim begins.
Dick steps back from the Talon and gestures vaguely toward the Talon's very familiar face.
"Huh," Tim says in a quiet tone. "Well then."
"Precisely," Damian says faintly.
The Talon looks back and forth around the group.
Dick takes the lead. He steps slightly toward the Talon, shifts his stance to be more open and inviting, and begins. "Do you know my name?"
"The intel I have gathered labels you as Batman's associate Nightwing," the Talon says.
"That's right," Dick says. "But I have another name too."
Dick pauses, probably waiting to see if someone is going to interrupt him and stop him.
None of them do. Bruce sees where this is going, and he agrees it may help.
So Dick carefully removes his domino mask and smiles at the Talon. "My name is Dick. Richard Grayson, if you're going to be picky about it. Mom used to call me her little 'robin.' Any of that sound familiar?"
The Talon is frozen in place, all except his eyes, which dart around the room as if trying to avoid Dick.
Damian clicks his tongue. "What we know of the Talon process involves brainwashing and mind wipes. Perhaps he does not remember?"
"I think he does, Dami, at least a little," Dick says, then he pauses.
The Talon's eyes are now as frozen as the rest of his body. They're fixed on Damian. The Talon repeats one of Dick's words quietly. "Dami?"
Damian tilts his chin up in what looks like confidence but which Bruce knows is actually more like confusion. "Indeed. If Richard has given away his name, I suppose I may also. I am Damian Wayne."
The Talon doesn't move for the span of about thirty seconds, not even blinking, and Bruce tries to remember if Talons need to blink. Then, in one smooth motion, despite the cuffs holding his wrists in place, the Talon goes to his knees.
"Whoa there," Dick starts, moving closer to the Talon.
The Talon only has eyes for Damian. Despite the water he's just drank, his voice is even raspier than before. Again, he repeats, "Dami."
"That is the insufferable nickname I have been assigned, yes," Damian says with a sniff.
"Insufferable? Insufferable, my-" Jason begins.
"Dami," the Talon says again, cutting Jason off. "You're… You're okay. Here, you're okay. Batman is… You are okay, Damian?"
Damian pauses.
They all pause.
Bruce is starting to get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"I am all right," Damian says eventually.
The Talon, already on his knees, slumps even closer to the ground, wrists still held in place by the cuffs and forcing him to contort to an extreme position. If the Talon weren't a version of Dick, Bruce would be worried about the integrity of his joints, and even so, Bruce is starting to get concerned.
Bruce takes a step closer.
The Talon's wide eyes zoom in on Bruce. "Batman."
Bruce freezes. The Talon's voice is filled with emotion: fear, certainly, but bizarrely threaded through it… Could that be hope?
"Please," the Talon says. "I'm begging you. I'll give you all that I am and all that I could be. I'll take whatever pain is handed to me, I'll fill your every desire, I'll never ask for anything else. I offer you my very existence. In exchange, offer up the same goodness you have given your Damian. Offer that to my Dami."
Suddenly, Bruce knows exactly what (exactly who) the Talon took from the League of Assassins. Without even needing to look around, he knows his kids have come to the same conclusion.
The Talon quivers in front of them, as low to the ground as physically possible while still in the restraints. He bows his head and peers up at Bruce with desperate eyes. "Please, Batman, please. You're, you are superior. You're better than the Batman from my universe in every possible way. I've been watching you, and I've seen how you treat your associates, how you treat everyone. You're so good, and Dami needs that. He needs help. He needs you. Please."
The Talon's mouth is still open, lips still forming more words, more pleas.
Bruce doesn't need to hear any more. He takes several quick strides forward and kneels in front of the Talon.
The Talon falls silent. He keeps quivering. His lips silently form the shape of the word "please" one more time.
"It's okay," Bruce says. He says it as firmly but as gently as he can. "You're all right. You and your Damian are both going to be all right. We'll make sure of it."
"You'll… You'll help him?" The Talon whispers.
"We'll help you both," Bruce says.
"Thank you," the Talon says fervently. "Oh, thank you, I owe you everything that's possible to-"
"You don't owe me anything," Bruce says. "I want to help."
"That's basically the reason he's Batman," Tim says.
The Talon just keeps staring at Bruce from near the floor.
And that's enough of that. The Talon's position looks likely to be painful soon, if not already painful now. Carefully, Bruce reaches forward with both hands and guides the Talon up into a more comfortable sitting pose.
The Talon lets Bruce do so, which is. Well. It's helpful, but it's concerning how easily the Talon moves with Bruce's motions. Bruce can tell the Talon has been forced to follow along with far too many things before.
Bruce puts that thought aside for now. "We'll help you. But to help your Damian, we need to know what's happened to him and where he is now."
The Talon nods rapidly and begins to explain.