"How is he?"

Bruce didn't look away from the monitor in Dick's cell and didn't deign Clark with a response either. Clark sighed heavily, "I'm sorry Bruce. You know I would have been there if I could but fires kept popping up"

He held up a hand to stop Bruce from speaking, "I know you think it was a wild goose chase but until we can pin it on the Luthor, or the Light, or the Court, all I can say is that I'm sorry you and the boys suffered for so long"

Bruce nodded, knowing Clark would understand all the different emotions he was conveying with the simple gesture.

"So how did it go? With Leslie and the boys?"

Bruce rubbed his eyes, "It didn't" he said flatly, "Leslie thinks that the boys are making better progress with Dick and the picture idea better than her so Alfred set her up in a room upstairs and she just wants to monitor their interactions so far. When she isn't at other appointments, she'll be here for the most part"

Clark looked down the hallway where most of the guest rooms resided. He wasn't sure how he felt about letting the boys take the lead on Dick's recovery but he knew he also wasn't certified in any form of mental therapy and nagging Bruce would only stress him out more, "Not that I'm not glad to be back and see that the boys are alright, but I'm assuming this wasn't a social call?"

Bruce muted the monitor on his desk and leaned back to finally look at Clark. They were both casually dressed and in his upstairs office. Alfred had gone overboard with refilling drinks and snacks and making sure there was always an abundance of electrolytes everywhere around the manor. As a result, Bruce's desk always seemed to have a coffee and Gatorade now, "We are going back to the Court's base to securely contain their Gotham base"

Clark blinked, stunned, "Us? Who's us?"

Bruce ticked up a single brow "You. And me"

Clark frowned, "Bruce this is way too soon, plus we should be going in with more reinforcements. If what you've reported is accurate then the Court is far larger than we anticipated. Plus I think it's obvious to say that they know more about us than we do them"

Bruce's stony expression hardened, "Then don't come"

Clark rolled his eyes, "Bruce! Be reasonable. Just wait for Diana or Dinah-"

"Diana got held up after all on something else, and Dinah can't make it down there like you can. She'll be reliant on a rebreathing mask like me and have no predetermined concept of their base layout"

"Then you shouldn't be going either. Just strap a camera to my chest and have me J'onn go in"

Bruce glared this time, "I'm going, Clark"

"You're not taking the boys?"

Bruce shuffled some Wayne Enterprises-related documents on his desk to busy his hands, "It's too dangerous and I'm not sure Damian or Tim can handle going back down there so soon after"

"Jason?"

Something in Bruce's expression closed off even further, "Do they even know? Bruce you can't keep hiding stuff from them. Look how poorly it went over with the Joker and Dick and then-"

Enough!" Bruce snapped, "You're either coming with me or not, but you are not telling them. They've been through enough. This is merely to grab any evidence we can and to tie up loose ends"

"Like Wilson?"

Bruce's mouth thinned, "Amongst other things"

Clark ran a hand over his face and heaved a sigh. He looked at Bruce to find the man already watching him, his black hair soft and slicked back, looking clean despite the bags under his eyes, "Alright" he acquiesced, "When do we leave?"

"Tonight. I'm leaving for patrol and I will signal you when to meet me at the tunnels. The entrance is opposite the bay, closer to J St."

Clark nodded, looking less and less pleased, "Decisions like this are why there have been trust issues and leadership quarrels in the League, Bruce"

Bruce shuffled his papers again and his throat bobbed angrily, "The fact that I don't need any metas to accomplish any of my missions is why I always seem to be needed to resolve them"

Clark crossed his arms. He was relieved that Bruce was letting him on on his dangerous plans so he could accompany him as support, but it was true that Bruce was the highest ranking non-meta member of the League. There were already very few non-powered individuals in the Justice League and Bruce always made a point to highlight that additional manpower in his city was just that; additional, not a necessity.

"Does Alfred know?"

Bruce didn't answer, "Just let Alfred know at least. He almost lost it when you disappeared with Deathstroke"

Bruce's eyes turned downcast and he nodded, "I'll inform him of the plan"

Superman peered into the tunnel skeptically, "You're sure it's down here?"

Batman gave him a blunt look. Superman held up his hands, "Alright, just checking"

Batman turned away and continued in, "Wilson and I found their entrance through here but they were waiting for us"

"Is there a chance they still might be?"

Batman grunted, "Worst case scenario will require you to fly us out and away from a possible ambush. Best case scenario, Cobb was telling the truth and he was having this entire base of talons relocate somewhere else". Bruce fingered the rebreather at his hip, "If that's the case, I want this to be an evidence containment mission"

Superman nodded his understanding, "You said Deathstroke was still down here when you were-uh sold to the Talia Al' Ghul. Would Cobb take him with them where they went?"

"We were technically purchased by Ra's and the League but Talia claims she duped her father and handled the transaction and trade without his knowledge. As for Wilson, I'm not confident. It would take a lot to kill him but Cobb seemed to have a solid vendetta against him for interfering with their plans for Nightwing. If they want him alive for further use, most likely he'll have been taken with them"

"Strange" Superman surmised, "I've never heard of Deathstroke being successfully held captive"

Batman narrowed his eyes, "That's what makes me unsure if he is, he either escaped which makes him a threat, or is still captive, which makes the Court a bigger threat for managing to hold him this entire time"

There was an underlying growl to his voice that didn't belong to the Batman, but to a vengeful parent. Superman floated silently beside but placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "We'll protect him, Batman. The Court won't return and they won't get Nightwing again"

Batman shrugged off the hand, "I'll believe that when Cobb and his associates are all in a high-security prison". He stalked further when suddenly his belt beeped twice. Batman halted and placed the rebreather over his face, adjusting the mouth straps to be as tight as possible. Superman held his up to his face as a precaution as they continued on.

Clark wasn't blind to how much Batman was keeping from him and the Justice League. He knew he and Diana and a few others were especially privy to Bruce's secrets and that was still minimal when compared to the hidden confirmation as a whole. He knew there was hidden information besides Dick's biological and familial connection to the Court. He knew it was eating him and the boys inside but hoped it was something that Bruce could look past for Dick's benefit. Jason and Damian were more forgiving due to their rogueish and rough upbringings, so that paired with Tim's gentle acceptance of all things Dick left Clark wondering if Bruce was the only uncertain factor in Dick's future with his family. He was hesitant to promise that everything would be all right because for as long as he'd known Bruce, there had been very few consecutive years of peace. Dick was the longest streak but that was broken by his near-death beating by Two Face as a child. Following that was Jason's sudden adoption and then his death and it only seemed to get worse with less amounts of time over the years.

Eventually, they happened upon the entrance and Batman held up a hand to signal Superman's halt. They waited in silence for close to 10 minutes before Batman gave the all-clear to proceed toward the large titanium door. There was a single biometric lock paired with some additional complicated equipment on the sides.

"How are we supposed to get in?" Superman inquired over Batman's shoulder, "I can't punch through any of this well, I can't even see through it"

Batman grunted and took out a small handheld device. He started to type away before the device spit out a small holographic-colored duplicate of a single brown eye. Without a word, he held the duplicated eye up to the wall lock and watched as it was scanned. A moment passed before the wall security lock beeped and the screen came to life with a simple blue screen, prompting a code or order entry. Batman began typing and Superman could only guess he was inputting a code or some software he knew would overwrite or override the current locking mechanism's own safety protocols. Eventually, the scanner hummed and the doors beside them shuddered before finally parting, allowing them entry.

"Whose eye was that?" Superman asked as they slowly stepped inside. He knew Batman wouldn't appreciate being coddled so he settled for being side-by-side with the capable human male.

"I took intensive physical scans of the talons when we had them at the cave" he answered simply. Superman blinked, stunned. He had completely forgotten about the 2 talons they had stored away and sedated at the watch tower. No one had been up to personally check on them but Red Tornado was manning the space base while everyone else was occupied. He would have to check in with the robot vigilante soon. They had to pass 3 different containment hallways before finally entering the man area. Batman scanned the open hallways more bluntly now that he wasn't handcuffed with a mercenary in front of his sons.

"It looks like they really did clear out. I'm assuming we couldn't have gotten this far if anyone was still here" Superman commented.

"Deathstroke and I were taken down here and to the right. I want to double-check the cells first and then we need to check every single room. There is an area here called the maze as well. I want to see this and-" Bruce was suddenly cut off by a hard hot throb in the base of his throat. His eyes pounded and he quickly blinked away any moisture that gathered.

"Batman?" Superman asked in concern.

Batman shook off his comrade's soft tone, "There is just a lot that I want to take stock of down here. Nightwing was put through a lot down here and I want to know…..all of it"

Superman nodded and didn't say more. Seeming to understand that Batman was warring with the distraught father inside of himself. He was back in the place that had not only treated his sons horribly but had taken and hurt his oldest son in such an obvious but ambiguous way. It left Bruce reeling with a multitude of emotions and it left the detective trying to discern what his partner had been put through. Batman led the way down the hallway and 3 lefts later they stopped in front of a wide-open area surrounded by iron bars and split into 2 main sections.

"This is where the boys were held?" Superman asked as he peered into the dry desolate cell.

"We were all held here. I still can't figure out if Cobb kept us together to prove how unconcerned he was about us being in close proximity to each other or if he was foolish and got lucky that we never had the chance to act on anything substantial"

Superman nodded, "So, I'm assuming this answers the question as to whether Wilson is still down here"

Batman nodded and moved on towards the end of the hallway. He stopped and turned to the boy in blue, handing him a small device that looked like a cross between a biometric DNA scanner and a camera, "I'll go right and you go left. I want a copy of everything. Every room and paper left behind" Batman took a step forward and froze before turning to Superman again, "If you find something that you don't think needs to be accounted for, take 2"

Superman rolled his eyes as the Dark Knight stalked away, his cape swishing loudly behind him. Superman obligingly took pictures of every door and every four walls within. The hallways seemed to go on forever and he felt a bit lost without his x-ray vision to assuringly guide him back to where he split from his partner. He fiddled with his picture device and did his best not to overthink and speculate about how this would all play out. The last time one of Batman's sons died, the poor boy came back with a vengeance for his adopted father's and brother's lives. Fortunately, Nightwing redirected this determination towards crime fighting once again; although there has been an extreme amount of leeway given to Redhood and his preferred methods. Now, it seemed fate was replaying history with Batman's oldest son, spitting him back out from the grave and with compounding family ties and newfound abilities that spelled trouble for Gotham and its inhabitants. Especially if Batman was still firm on his no-meta rule.

Would he order Nightwing to never use any of his potential abilities? Besides his apparent increased healing, it should be relatively easy. Then again, Redhood came back from the pit as a technical meta with slightly increased senses and reflexes. Superman stopped before his next door and realized the door was locked. He felt tension well up inside his chest over the first locked door. He gripped the handle and wrenched it sideways, tearing it off so he could nudge open the door easily. He opened the door and felt around the wall for a light switch. The lights hummed to life and he immediately realized he was in some sort of clinic room. There was a gurney against the far wall and his eyes narrowed when he realized that there were leather and velcro straps hanging off the side of it. He made his way further into the room but relaxed when nothing out of the ordinary seemed to pop up or grab his attention. Against the far was a sink attached to a table with shelving above it and on the far side was a projector for medical x-rays.

Superman glanced at the equipment but it looked normal and well taken care of. He made his way over to the shelves and opened the doors, stopping at the first one when he realized there were large manilla envelopes still inside. He quickly pulled them down onto the desk, keeping them in order as best he could. He flipped open the first one to find a picture of a young girl with fair skin and dark copper hair. Most of her face was covered by a talon-styled mask and goggles but he couldn't but notice how she looked around the same age as Damian. On the right side of the folder were medical and general notes. He flipped through a few pages, noting that they were all at least a few months old. One page took note of her recovery after something severe that happened a few years back and another highlighted that her new assignment was 'prisoner and personnel oversight and assistance'.

He furrowed his were assigning a young girl to help watch prisoners?Had she interacted with the boys and Bruce?

The nest folder was a simple-looking man, far older than the girl. He looked closer to Bruce's age and his lips were scarred in multiple places like an amateur knife swallower had messed up one too many times. His eyes were dull but his jaw was clenched, a vein sticking out over his throat. Superman flipped through a few before he turned the pile over and started from the bottom first. He froze when he flipped the first page open. On the left side were 2 photos paperclipped to the folder's inside. They were both of Dick. One was a newspaper clipping of Nightwing flipping down from a tall building and the other looked like a zoomed-in photo. It depicted Dick's profile from the side and he was turned to someone in the middle of a sentence, and he was in his civvies with his sunglasses pushed up into his dark locks.

Superman forced himself to slow down as he flipped through the folder's pages. They were dating back almost 6 years, closer to when Dick was killed and taken at this point. Most pages were medical notes of his physique and standard skill set but every few pages were a mental and medical exam summary like he was given regular checkups for a doctor and psychiatrist. Superman scanned the page rapidly, reading, 'The Grey Son is resistant and resilient. Grandmaster has informed us this is a trait he would not like remedied. Efforts will be made to redirect his attention and interest'

He frowned and flipped to another page, 'The Grey Son has been in isolation for 4 weeks now, exam suspended. TBD'

He flipped to another random page, 'Grandmaster requested an emergency check-up due to a concern regarding the Grey Son's memory retention abilities. Dr. Amanik and I believe that this is an accidental result of the Grey Son attempting to hide information from us. Patient is harming his own long-term memory retention capabilities. Patient will be administered Globesterynime, Chloesterinaime, and Hydropleschic to minimize any further mental degradation'

Superman felt his stomach drop as he read the doctor's notes describing Dick's failing mental acuity. He flipped to another more recent page, 'Patient is exhibiting similar signs and behavioral patterns as previously done. His muscle memory and reflexes have been confirmed but his mental retention remains to be seen. Grandmaster has ordered an increase of suggestive medication in his water and weekly exams but Dr. Amanik and Dr. Jadi have both recommended increased social time with Lincoln Marsh'

And below that, 'Updated/Edit: Patient has shown noticeable improvement post maze trials with positive social reinforcements. Recommendations for positive reinforcements will be made to lessen negative reinforcement detriments'

'Suggestions: increased group activities and accompanied lunch hour'

Superman frowned at 'group activities' wondering what it meant. He flipped to another page before he caught himself and stopped, realizing how hard his heart was pounding beneath his ribcage. He gathered the files in his arms and started making his rounds again. He started back the way Batman had gone and found him a few minutes later. Batman hadn't gone far and was standing inside a larger room that looked like a control panel. Beyond the Dark Knight was a glass window instead of a wall and below, through the window, was another room but slightly below it.

"It's a clinical observatory" Batman intoned without looking away. Superman stepped up beside the other man and lost whatever words he thought he could say. He was stunned because in the brightly lit room below was zigzagging symmetrical-no. It was a maze. The same colored walls seemed to go on forever in either direction and in the very center was an open space of flat land. In the center of the open area was an intricate 3 layered fountain. Superman had an overwhelming sense of being in an oversized observation room above a mouse maze.

"The Maze"

Batman nodded, "They leave talons in training in here until they break to- to understand their instinctual weaknesses"

Superman glared down at the brightly lit arena. He tried not to but he could easily picture Cobb and his compatriots up here watching Dick struggle through the maze, lost scared, and confused, "Their decorating leaves a little to be desired," Superman said trying to lighten the mood.

"It was the only source of sustenance supplied to Dick" Batman growled lowly, both were eyeing the obvious fountain, "We need to take samples of that. Wilson alluded it has a ridiculous amount of hallucinogenics and suggestive toxins in the water"

Superman blanched, understanding Dick's instability if he lived off contaminated water for who knows how long.

Batman uncrossed his arms but froze when he spotted the folders. His lips thinned severely, "What's that?"

Superman tried his best not to overclench the folders in his hand. He held them up but didn't offer them to the Bat, "They're medical history packets for some of their talons-their soldiers. Whatever they're called"

It wasn't necessary to clarify, "Dick's folder is in here, a Dr. Amanik?"

Batman narrowed his eyes and then nodded like he was reassuring himself that it was a good thing to find evidence, whether or not it involved his son.

"I found a few rooms I think he was kept in" Batman informed Superman. Superman turned towards Batman but didn't respond, waiting for the other man to offer more, "One was a cell and the other was a sensory stimulus deprivation room"

"What? Like it was so dark he couldn't see?"

"No the room was bright, padded with soundproofing, and ridiculously all-white. I've seen it before with certain criminals captured by Waller or the U.S. Government. The room stimulates a person's senses until they're dulled down and raw. Most times the rooms are used for interrogation or torture of criminals they don't need to keep around for long. I-"

Batman cut off with a breath, "It will be good information for Leslie so she can treat Nightwing better"

They had one more hallway to clear out before they could leave and seal off the compound. They had just re-emerged from the maze and were quiet, lost in thought. Before abandoning their initial search of the compound Batman had insisted on searching the maze. Superman had flown above Batman to direct him along the correct turns until they were in the center of the maze. The ceiling was too high to reach with a normal or even enhanced leap so Batman assumed the maze had been modified or reconstructed after Dick's apparent escape from the original maze; into the ceiling. Batman hadn't uttered a word as he dipped the tip of his device, which still went unexplained to Superman, into the fountain's water. The machine had beeped and started humming, signaling that the machine was digesting the water's components. Superman knew not to ask, lest he aggravate his partner more, but he wondered if the results would be done anytime soon. Now there was a more driven, determined mood emanating from the Bat and Superman assumed it was from the additional financial and audit documents that had been found behind a filing cabinet before Superman had reconnected with Batman. There wasn't anything too incriminating but the same bank that Lex Corp used to despot most of their public funds was listed multiple times. A win for the detective's mind at least.

They were making their way down when the last door caught both of their attention. It was the only double door they'd come across and it had a fingerprint lock, similar to the jail cells. Superman took the lead and sent his fist through the machine lock, causing frayed bits of wire and sparks to leap out. He saddled one of the doors off its hinge and away onto the wall behind them and Batman stepped forward with a small flashlight. The room was utterly dark and neither could find a light along the walls.

"This might be the opposite of the white lightroom you found" Superman commented lowly.

Batman looked around and froze on something that reflected his light, "It's not" he said simply.

They both approached the item to find it was a rather large oval encasement-like thing. The top half was white and the bottom was a solid dark metal. The entire thing came to the Bat's chest and beside it was an electronic keypad and screen on a thin podium. Batman tapped the screen and it lit up offering 3 options:

'Review Stats'

'Wake'

'Extend Sleep'

They both froze and you could hear the lack of breath in the silent room as they both read 'Wake'. Batman quickly put a palm to the white upper casing and jerked his hand back. Superman furrowed his brow at the reaction and tried as well, staring at the frigidly cold top, "Feels like liquid nitrogen but…worse" Superman said in confusion. The cold terminating from the orb container was so cold it had seared his palm for a second.

Batman nodded before turning back to the electronic screen. He selected 'Review Stats' and they both watched as the screen loaded the image of a young man around Dick's age. A biography of bullet points started to load below the picture and Batman scrolled, skimming the information as he went. Superman noted a few things as the page progressed down, like 'last 5 missions deemed a failure' and 'unable to learn electronics mobility at level: proficient'. Batman scrolled down the very bottom and they read that the young man, who couldn't have been more than 25 had a kill count recorded at 52 and a birthday of 1956.

"That can't be right" Superman stated as he re-read multiple times, "I know you explained how the electrum works but that means this kid had to have been given a shot for the last 68 years"

"Until now" Batman replied, just as mystified, "They've frozen him in some sort of pod. I can't even fathom what's involved in this and if they need the electrum while they're in here"

"At least with everything Nightwing has been put through, he doesn't have to worry about being frozen in time like this. He won't be given those toxic shots anymore"

Batman's shoulders stiffened significantly and Superman frowned, "Batman? What's wrong?" Batman was difficult to read but Superman had known the man long enough to pick up certain tells in his frequent lack of answers.

He frowned when there was no answer, "Dick doe-"

"There's more"

"What?" Superman turned to follow Batman's flashlight and his stomach fell as he saw row after row continue on down the expansive room, "Good god" he breathed, "What has the Court of Owls been doing?"

"Exactly what I told you and the others" Batman growled, "They have been growing and expanding under our noses since Gotham was established. Who knows if they're particular to just Gotham. This may just be where they originated"

"But why Gotham?" Superman asked bizarrely, "No offense"

Batman's lips thinned, "That is one of the things I'm least sure of" he admitted. Batman continued on to the next capsule sleep pod and Superman followed him. He rested his palm against the capsule and his wrist quivered, "Batman, don't hurt yoursel-"

The man cut him off with his specialty Bat glare. The boy in blue was not deterred, "I know you're thinking of Nightwing but he is not these young men, he's not-"

"He is" Batman snapped, his gravelly voice breaking momentarily. Superman blinked, realizing how severely this room of frozen meta warriors was affecting the Dark Knight.

"He is a talon and they expect the same, if not worse, from him. They changed him and I was too late to stop it. They changed his biology. They stole years of his life. They ingrained themselves into life experiences that will shape and change his personality-his decision making"

"But he won't cave to them, we know Dick. He's incapable of that kind of violence. He'd never bend to the Court"

"You didn't see him down here, he didn't look at us like he knew us in the slightest he-" Batman ran a hand over his face in aggravation, "Even when he first found him with no idea what he was doing; he had half a mind still in the Court's clutches and was the most violent I'd ever seen him-"

"And he still never hurt his brothers as bad as we know he could" Superman insisted, "Bruce be realistic, Dick is going to have mental trauma from this but that doesn't mean he's genuinely changed"

"You're not getting the point, Clark" Superman frowned as Batman broke the no name in the field rule, "I had no idea who I took in and I thought I did. I didn't think I'd ever need to vet an 8-year-old boy from the circus when I made him my ward. Everything I knew about him and his family came from his own mouth and perspective and I took it all at face value"
"Are you saying that would've changed your decision?" Superman asked incredulously, "Dick didn't know any of this, how could he have clued you in?"

"No" Batman was quick to deny, "But, my lackadaisicalness in not double and triple-checking everything has brought so much unnecessary pain. I love Dick" Bruce looked almost angry when he spoke, "But I was lax and it has hurt us all, Dick moreso than anyone. If only I looked into him and found these obvious connections. I could have kept him from going out as Robin or targeted the Court before Cobb set his sights on us"

"It's not unnecessary" Superman reminded him, "If you always adopted Dick then the Court would have always come into the picture no matter what. Plus, if you kept Dick from joining you in the field, you would have only left him physically vulnerable. I know you're not blind to how the Young Justice teams see him. He's a younger you Bruce- no one else in our community inspires so much loyalty and fear at once"

Batman held a look of disagreement but didn't vocalize it, "The amount I'm learning about Dick has made him seem like someone entirely different. I haven't seen my actual son in the last 6 years for longer than a handful of months. I need to remeet Dick and I can't seem to get past the fact that my mistakes have made this all possible. Dick should be in college right now. The only arguments we should be having are about him maxing out my cards, not about Deathstroke or his freedom…"

"Bruce, I'm sorry but…you need to suck it up. You're Batman. You know more than anyone how wishing for a different life will only make this one less appealing. Dick is healing and the only option for you and the boys is to let him heal. You can't afford to have any doubt moving forward, not for his sake. He's the only one that should be facing denial while he heals"

Bruce's jaw flexed like he was holding back anger or words of disagreement.

"Bruce" Superman admonished, "What's wrong with him healing?"

"Nothing!" Batman bellowed, "I just-"

Bruce looked down at the pod they were standing in front of. He ran his fingers over the screen until he brought up the young woman's bio. It listed her as being born in the 80's but she didn't look a day over 28. Her kill count was low, around 10 people, but there were numerous notes about her delays in reporting back to base and smuggling items into base from missions and above ground. She was repeatedly put through additional training and conditioning but punishments and reinforcements did not seem to work, her behavior was deemed passive-aggressive to the Court's mission and she was put to 'sleep' as they call it; to avoid further detriments and negative influences to the others in her squad. Neausa was bubbling in his gut ever since they'd found the maze and Clark had found medical reports on Dick. He was past feeling horrified for his oldest. He was lost somewhere in inexpressible wrath and numbness. He wanted to do something and he could think of numerous ways to do it but in the end, nothing helped his son go back in time and heal his wounds completely. Nothing freed Bruce from his guilt of knowing he'd gotten 2 children killed. His negligence and oversight were to blame. His kids always criticized his over-protectiveness and wariness but if he had doubled down some of this might have been prevented. The more he thought about the what if's the more anger pooled hotly in his gut. He wasn't even sure how much of his son was still with them, even if he learned to act like the old Dick Grayson. The old Dick Grayson wasn't burdened with the knowledge of his parents involvement with genetic experiments, willing or not. The old Dick Grayson didn't know more than 5 ways to kill a man, and the old Dick Grayson wasn't enhanced. He was completely human and fallible. That was what made Robin such a wonder. He was human and young and still triumphed over all, managing to inspire others as he did.

He despised the reminder of what lay in front of him in this room. It implied that Dick had listened well enough and obeyed enough times to not be deemed a failure and put into this strange cryo sleep. His son was a survivor, but what did he do to survive so well this time?

What exactly had his son done in the name of the Court of Owls?

"I don't see anything," Jason said as he scanned the street below with one of his many helmet lenses.

"Of course you don't, dumbass' Tim snapped as he looked as well, "There's titanium and multiple layers of concrete and other metals. X-ray or night vision or heat signature won't do crap right now"

Damian huffed, disappointed at the 3rd announcement of no news.

"Shut up, you weren't even supposed to come" Jason snapped at Damian.

"There is no way I was going to let you galavant off and disobey Father without my supervision"

"He doesn't even know we're here, that's the point demon"

"I know he would disapprove and I am acting preemptively"

"You should've stayed home with Dickhead" Jason said; he peered over the rooftop they were perched on top. They'd more than caught on to Bruce's plan to ditch them and go back to the Court's compound. It only made sense after 'Uncle' Clark was called for a 5 minutes social call.

Bruce didn't do 'social'.

Damian frowned again. "He won't talk to me; yet"

Tim and Jason shared a smirk. Damian was angsty but still motivated, which was an improvement from the last few days.

Jason rolled his eyes, "Don't worry h-"

Suddenly the ground shook, reminding Jason of the last 6.5 earthquake Gotham had a few years back. The rumbling started low and consistent but quickly grew into an incredible roar. The rumbling started suddenly and grew ferociously without warning forcing Jason to grip the edges of the rooftop. In his periphery he could see Tim and Damian on all fours, trying to stabilize themselves as well.

"The base!" Damian cried. His voice was almost smothered under the larger reverberations of the rumbling all around them but Jason heard well enough. He jerked his attention to the street below and his sense supported Damian's as well. The Court's base was caving in on itself. Tim gasped and clutched the edge of the building. He looked like he had the urge to leap over but still had enough sense to realize how little he could do. Damian spluttered helplessly when they just continued to watch the street lamps sway and groan.

"He has Superman down there with him, we can't do better than Supes" Jason reminded the youngest.

"The Court's base is surrounded by kryptonite-infused metal plating! He can't do crap!" Damian exclaimed. Jason winced at Damian's panic and his regression of proper English phrases, "It'll be f-"

Suddenly the groaning began to grow louder and they could start to distinguish a new sound of crumbling cement and rocks, intermixed with snapping metal. Jason instinctively reached for his belt, prepared for the moment he and the others would have to leap off a building. With a sharp sound below, Jason watched as the slab of the road beneath them broke and a large zig-zag formed in the road in less than 20 seconds. Jason almost took that as his que to escape off the rooftop when suddenly the ground started to fall away when it reversed and birth forward, spewing slabs and chunks of concrete around the road and into the first-story windows. Superman and Batman emerged, covered in grey soot and grime. Batman had an arm around Superman's and spotted the boys immediately a deep frown depforming his lower face. He signaled with 3 fingers to the left as Superman ascended further. The boys nodded confirmation and started to follow the Dark Knight, grappling and leaping over rooftops with a fluidity that Dick would be proud of.

After a few blocks, the two league members touched down and waited for the boys to join them. The moment they were all on the same rooftop Batman crossed his arms, his oxygen mask dangling from his fingers, "You followed"

Jason rolled his eyes underneath his helmet, "Of course we-"

"When you knew I would have disapproved"

Jason mimicked Batman's stance as if he were the adult here. Batman glowered, disregarding the fact that his Robins were immune to the Bat glare.

"The tunnel caved in" Tim exclaimed, "What happened? Did you find anything? Do you know what caused it?"

Batman frowned and looked back down the street where the road was caved in to form a bigger-than-average pothole. The top layer of road had caved into the hole Superman had burst from, essentially stopping up the whole and leaving a war-torn-looking road behind. The rumbling had subsided but that ground was most likely unstable and would need to be completely redone and restructured, "We did" Batman confirmed.

"Well?" Damian demanded, "What did you see? Did you scope it all out before the cave-in, or whatever that was? Probably defensive measures from the Court"

Superman stiffened, "Maybe we should debrief back at the cave?" He ran an awkward hand over his nape, "We got through basically all of the Court's base and it wasn't too pretty. There are medical files on Nightwing and others for you all to go over in a safer place"

The boys looked equally unappeased but no one objected, nodding in agreement to get to the evidence quicker. Jason caught Damian's expression as they moved to head out. The boy was turned towards the direction of the crumbling street with an unfocused frown, "What's wrong demon brat?"

Damian blinked and then turned his frown towards Jason, "Tt, shut up Todd"

"Damian" Damian blinked, looking up at Bruce as he realized he'd missed something. Bruce was staring at him expectantly and he realized he'd spaced out again. They'd gotten back to the cave and undressed, debriefing with Superman while they settled back into the cave. His ears burned and Bruce sighed. He turned to Jason, "I want you to work with Tim to disseminate all the information that's relevant or new, ok? I'll give you more details to draw out an appropriate mirror image of the Court's base as well.

Jason nodded, understanding that Bruce was putting him on censorship duty for any images of pictures that might be too much for Tim or Damian. They were working their way through the collected files first before even touching the scanner combo compact that Luscious built for Bruce a while back. Tim was at the perfect age where he walked the fine line of adulthood and childhood. Despite being 19, almost 20. Bruce and Alfred had always had reservations about letting Tim be exposed to certain things the same way that Jason was without provision. Jason always assumed, Bruce coddled Tim the way he could with Dick and Alfred's judgy faces in the back of his head, and was always a little impressed at how Tim handled the inconsistent pandering.

Damian, on the other hand, had always demanded to be treated as an adult and despised any form of coddling or babying. He never handled it well and Dick's breakthrough with Damian was groundbreaking as he was able to get the youngest Robin to understand that he was still a child in almost every way that counted and deserved to live it out before adulthood spoiled anything further. Bruce corralled Damian further away and past the mats, almost to Dick's cell before stopping, "What's wrong, Damian?"

Damian looked surprised that Bruce, and not Batman, was asking under the cowell, especially after his emotional welfare, "Nothing" he dismissed quickly.

Bruce sighed and straightened, "You can either tell me now to get it off your chest or risk being taken off any foreseeable missions and projects because I think you are hiding something important"

Damian spluttered at the quick escalation, "It's nothing that would put us at risk!" he exclaimed indignantly.

"Then you should have no trouble sharing with me"

Damian glared and scuffed his foot against the ground, glancing at Dick's cell where the older boy lay, "I'm just reflecting on our time with the Court", he muttered. Bruce nodded, already suspecting. Damian had never been held captive for so long nor had he been at greater risk for more physiological harm than physical.

"These experiences are few but they do happen. You know your grandfather had entire systems set up like this for prisoners and traitors to the League"

Damian nodded, "I know, it's not how we were treated, it's just…."

He trailed off and Bruce watched his youngest, growing slightly confused at realizing it was something besides the literal trauma. He should have suspected his assassin-born son would have no trouble with being kidnapped.

"What is it?" He asked, attempting to soften his tone. He couldn't count the number of times Dick had gifted him his own bat glare for speaking too aggressively when the situation didn't call for it.

"I-" Damian took a breath without looking at his father, "I feel guilty about how I am internalizing Drake's family past" he rushed out.

Bruce blinked and schooled his expression quickly. He knew that Cobb had wielded the Drake's family involvement with the Court at the boys; particularly Tim and then again when Bruce had been captured as well. He had yet to confirm if anything Cobb said was true but he had a niggling feeling in his detective's gut that it held at least some truth. The Drake's had been in contact, possible business partners, with some higher members of the Court but the important question is if they were blatantly aware of the Court's true purpose and actions. Bruce prayed that Tim's parents never had any intention for him to become a member of the Court. He couldn't imagine his empathetic, intelligent son reigning over any lab-made metas like a warped monarch.

"Why do you feel guilty? He asked slowly. He was surprised seeing as how Tim hadn't tried to confront the elephant in the room since they'd been freed. He was certain his second youngest was stuck in denial of some sort but it allotted them more time to focus on other pressing matters.

Damian was still doing his best to avoid eye contact and fidgeting slightly, "It is not important-"

"Damian' Bruce insisted.

"I think uh, I feel better…about Drake's parental involvement with the Court's…doings"

Batman pieced it together instantaneously for Bruce, "It comforts you that you're not the only one coming from a family with a dark past?"

Damian nodded, playing with the hem of his shirt, "It's different than Todd or, or what we all assumed of the Graysons"

"You think it's bad to find comradery with Tim?" Bruce asked.

"No! I-" he stopped and frowned seeing the slight uptick in Bruce's mouth, "I do not think it's appropriate that I am appeased with this commonality between us"

Bruce nodded understandingly, "It's alright Damian, but what do you feel is different from Tim's parents to Dick's?"

Damian shook his head, "That is different. Drake and I were both raised in wealth and used to a lavish environment. Richard and Todd were both used to…."

Damian trailed off as he struggled with a more positive synonym for trailer trash and a crap life. Bruce watched his son sadly. Damian was seeing himself reflected in Tim. Both children were raised up as the center of attention in wealthy households, Damian's a little less normative but still comfortable.

"Damian, I don't think this is something you need to feel guilty over. You're doing what a detective does and connecting the dots. Finding patterns and similarities in places that don't even need it" Damian nodded, not looking comforted.

"I think you should be prepared to support Tim though" Bruce added. Damian looked at Bruce quizzically, "You know you struggled a lot when your mother left you here. It took a while to accept a lot about your previous lifestyle and I think it's fair to say you would describe your childhood differently now than you would have when you were 10"

Damian's ears flushed but he nodded; nonetheless.

"Tim isn't confronting it now, obviously we've been a bit busy but as soon as things slow down and we all have a minute to relax and think about what's happened, it's going to hit him and he's going to have to accept a different reality about his family and past". Bruce laid a hand on Damian's shoulder, "I think it would be very mature and helpful of you to offer support and guidance when Tim struggles with this, just like Dick will when he recovers more. I'm going to do some serious digging into the Drakes and the Graysons as soon as I can but keep in mind, Cobb could have told us, and Dick, a lot of false information"

The mention of Dick seemed to light a brighter fire within Damian and he nodded firmly, "I will consider it, Father"

He looked at Dick's cell before marching back to Tim and Jason's side. He peered over Jason's shoulder and had to avoid being swatted, "Don't sneak a peek, you little shit. You can look at it when the replacement and I are done"

Tim peered over at the arguing pair as he struggled not to focus too intensely on what Jason had tried to review subtly.

'Subject's ability to hold his breath has increased by 3 minutes and 16 seconds since previously observed'