The Dark Knight Chronicles – My Brother the Renegade; My Father, The Batman –
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Chapter 16: Behold; Your Rescuer
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Dick gladly couldn't hear the buzz of currents from what was keeping him stable. The ones overhead were the scientists that could change his fate without his permission. He remembered Slade being close by, then…
"Boy."
Slade's looming mask attracted the vigilante's eyes of a cobalt blue and feverish grey. "S…. what…. ha-
"You were brought to your great etc…. grandfather's attention." Slade tapped a finger in Morse code as Dick dryly opened his mouth to respond. Nothing came. Smiling behind the mask, Slade learned to be subtle in situations that called for better planning. He'd saved Joey from the HIVE before like this. Addie from Jackal. He could center his world around Grayson, as long as they both knew their lines.
"Eyes shut now; this could be bothersome for your delicate ears." The man whispered before letting his might be known. He took the only blade he'd needed from Wayne's archive. This one was a fan of beheadings as it twisted with the male demon's smirk to see the scientist, removed from his task.
"Now." Slade eyed the others as two Talon were in the room, Slade was not supposed to be here, he was supposed to be resting fir his meeting with the master owl. Cobb would know what to do if he got an early warning. So, Slade took the factors, the birds and the good, out. Slade had told Dick to play dead, so he controlled his breath, still feeling ill from whatever was in his blood. He wasn't…going to change. The serum refused that he could. He wouldn't…
Slade killed off the last as the talon burned, ashes eating its life as none stood. Slade hacked away the binds holding his partner back as he lifted the kid over his shoulder. "Let's get to the surface. Cobb is –
"WILSON!!"
The man ran with his prize retrieved. "That wasn't Cobb, but Thomas... That prick who was the dead to them. The son of the Wayne line, the elder brother in which time had forgotten; head of these idiot birds and their plots to secure order in a city bereft of it.
The man in black called himself "Owl man." Schizophrenia or manic depression must have run in the family. (noted, this is to quote on the ones who are basically insane, not depressed. I would say mania, but depression is clearly connected to those that fall into misery as it erodes one's ability to maintain a balance in their lives so…just speculation.)
"Return back to us now, and I won't have your body burnt to ash –
"You know how I'll die, Wayne?" Slade hissed as he turned his head back, the boy slung over his shoulder while door to the side opened up, sand pouring in with a few more coughing bats to watch the hallways. Slade would time it. "You can't even fly like a real bird. What luck have you to burn me at the stake at all?" The man bolted for what he imagined was the kids coming through a place he'd memorized out if reach.
"Your post would have been secured! You would have never had to leave my nephew! Stop! This is against the way of our Court's decision! You'll have us all in trouble-
"Then, learn from it." Sniffed the mad man as he pushed the brats back into their sand trap that was clearing up. Vass frowning and Damian growling as Todd. He nodded and took Dick.
"Move, all of you." Todd ordered, Slade nodding as he held back the door last. They practically crawled through the hole, until they came to a fork. "Don't take that way back."
"Slade, what other way is there? What do you even know about –
"Damian, child. Trust me. I never wanted to join the owls, that is the door we need to go through," He pointed at it, biting back what the kid could easily counter in the back of his mind. "Dick is gonna be dead weight right now. Any way to wake him up?" Todd asked with a grumble. "As a meta too, we'd have a better shot at cutting loose from Thom's gang out there."
"That we would, but I need you all to shut up and get down that hallway." The roof suffered as debris tried to hit Damian's head. He evaded as they all agreed.
"Lead the way, for now." Squinted the younger, male bat.
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Thomas rummaged through the balls to get to the one location Slade was after before him. The door unsealed with a single touch by his print as the owl man entered to reveal more equipment. The tubes suspended on high held Duke, Alfred. The ones he could get rid of in a few minutes.
"Halt."
The man turned to see Slade and his posse with the talon ready to strike from the shadows. "This is as far as you're going to get, Thomas."
The owl's leader cackled and bit his lip to stop, the boy. Was quite a funny little imp, wasn't he? A dumb demon for Wayne to have taken pity. Such a different face, compared to their gray son.
"I didn't lose him yet, urchin. That boy is the savior of this city, whether he wishes it to be the case. The owls know his worth, as do I."
"What about yourself?" Damian crossed his arms, Slade wondering what the brat was up to. "If the gray son gets all if the glory, you might be abandoned once more. You became one of them fir recognition. Imagine what a young face like that would do if it replaced you…?"
"Your mother has plans for you as well, demon child." Sneered the adult in his goggle headed cowl. By the dial to whatever was keeping the fee stable, above, vermin of a different sort, crouched low to the floor.
She toed the line between seen and unseen as her eyes peeked to find the cords and where they were being suspended from. Let the bat's boy, stall. She had this.
"Mother was forced by grandfather to commit to this unreasonable act. Your cronies are no match. He doesn't trust just anyone in his circle. Blood is far superior-
"Which is why, it was a good thing you decided to save the gray son, and exposed yourself. Little Al – Ghul." Thomas motioned to the Talon as they attacked. Dami pulled out his sword as Slade dragged out a different weapon. Smoke bombs.
Selina was a cord away as she sliced. The vats came down one by one as Talon went to liberate the cat from her act of felonies against the Court. " Stop her!! Get the boys back! I don't want them to escape to the surface!!"
He was angry, frightened mostly by what the real orderly would do if he found out that Wayne had failed. That the real Wayne of this city was being drained of his memories in some other city far from Gotham's shores. "Banging example of your leadership abilities. You'd make an awesome bat villain to throw in the big house, Tommy…. for coming after our family !!" Todd used his blades quickly, before two talons brought the stand-alone fighter to hit them where Slade had told the boy.
To behead each and every one.
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Slade caught up with Dami and Cass as Cass went to go cull dome bird brains after her possible new mother. She liked Selina. She was not maternal in any way, but she had skills and honor to a degree. She also cared for Bruce, which was a plus. Alfred was helped up as Slade got a frown from both him and Duke, who looked wildly shocked at the outcome
"Slade?? What ate you…how did we get –
"No time. Can you stand and fight, or will you need to be carried back by one us once we have her chance to leave…"
"You won't get to leave, Wilson."
Cobb came in with reinforcements as Todd groaned a d left Slade to deal with Thomas. "Swap!"
The men tagged in as Duke had enough power to defend himself and Pennyworth. There were so many shadows that he felt nearly invincible. "No suit, guess we are doing things without the training wheels."
" Do remember your training, Master Thomas." Alfred warned, the boy nodding as he made sure to not lose control like the very first mission. If this got them closer to locating Bruce, so be it.
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