Talon chapter 19

A.N: Truth be told, I had originally been planning to post another chapter for Hydrus Black and then bloodline first but then some stuff happened and long story short is that it's going to take me a bit longer to write it and this chapter was nearly done so I thought I'd just finish this up and post it.

So, my next post should be one of Hydrus Black and then after that I'll proably follow up with a bloodline post or another chapter of Hydrus Black since I expect my next chapter for this stroy will be a little long. Unless I decide to divide it into two smaller chapters.

Okay, I'm just rambling now. Sorry. I'll let you get back to your semi-regularly scheduled reading.

(.)

Chapter 19 - Bats and Arrows

"You know, this is very, very annoying." Victor Zsasz sighed deeply, sounding fully and utterly irritated as he pressed the tip of his blade into the throat of the woman he was holding.

"Put the knife down, Zsasz!" Ordered Commissioner Jim Gordon, aiming his gun right at Zsasz. "I'm getting too old for this," Complained Gordon.

He wasn't even on duty at the moment; he had been heading to the local store when he had spotted Zsasz. Gordon had recognised him easily; Zsasz was a fairly noticeable man. He was a muscular man who had carved tally marks into his skin, a mark for each victim. It said a lot of things about the man, especially since it was harder to find parts of his body that didn't have marks. The man was wearing the standard uniform for Arkham prisoners; he had escaped the facility yesterday, Gordon had found out not long after.

It didn't take him much time to work out that Zsasz had managed to bribe one of the guards there to let him out. Gordon had tasked every man and woman on the force to keep an eye out for Zsasz; it wouldn't have taken long for the man to start hunting for victims again. It was only pure luck that Gordon had managed to find the thug. He had chased after him, but chasing criminals wasn't so easy anymore. Time was undefeated, and it was slowly catching up to Gordon. His hair had shifted from red to grey, including his moustache. His vision was somehow worse than before, not that he thought that would be possible. Thank God for glasses, or he'd be as blind as a bat.

Zsasz had managed to grab a girl, a pretty young one, younger than Jim's own daughter. She was wearing revealing clothes, and her makeup was ruined by the sweat and tears on her face. He suspected that the girl had sneaked out against her parents' wishes to go party at night; he wasn't entirely sure if that deduction was based on pure policework and detective skill or simply a fatherly instinct. Either way, that didn't matter now. What mattered was the fact that Zsasz had managed to grab the girl and bring her deep into the alley that they currently found themselves in, all while pressing a knife against the young lady's neck.

Jim had been in plenty of hostage situations. Unfortunately, he sometimes even ended up being the hostage. He knew that there was a difference between scared thugs grabbing the nearest form of protection and Zsasz. If Jim wasn't careful, then the man would not hesitate to hurt or do worse to the girl.

"You see, I'd really like to, Gordon, truly. I would. But there is the tiny matter of the gun that you're aiming at me, " Zsasz said, his back to the wall behind him so that nobody could sneak behind him. His voice was so soft and gentle, while the rest of him was anything but. The girl he was holding let out a small whimper. "Shush," Zsasz told her in a quiet voice. "It's okay, don't worry, dear girl. Everything will be perfectly fine. Either you go home tonight, safe and sound, or you get the rest of eternity being hurt by nothing. The choice rests solely in the dear police commissioner's hands." Zsasz said, staring at Gordon.

"Really?" Gordon drawled. He knew enough about Zsasz to know that the man was chatting complete and utter bull. No way in hell would the madman be able to resist hurting someone when the opportunity was presented to him. Even if he was good for his word, Gordon didn't trust that some other young girl wouldn't end up dead in a gutter somewhere. "Enough of the games, Zsasz. Let her go, turn yourself in, and you might just get some leniency."

"So tempting," Zsasz said in a mocking voice. "But here's the thing, Gordon, I like it better on the outside. So much fresh air, so much freedom, so much fun." He purred, pressing his blade deeper into her neck, just enough to draw blood. The girl froze, not even daring to let out the smallest of noises.

"That's enough," A new voice said as Batman glided down, his cape spread out like wings. He landed a short distance on Gordon's left. Gordon felt his body relax somewhat with the presence of the 'Dark Knight', yet he still kept his gun aimed at Zsasz. "Give up, Zsasz, and I'll make it painless."

"Batman," Zsasz's voice might have been soft before, but he had growled out that name as he glared at Batman. "There aren't many people that I've wanted to add to my collection as much as you."

"If you're hoping to kill me, then there's a long line of people you'll have to get behind," Batman replied, calm as ever. "Last chance, surrender."

"Hard pass on that." Zsasz replied, tightening his grip on the hostage.

"Take him out," Batman ordered.

"Gordon can't shoot me, Batman, not without risking this pretty little thing," Zsasz sneered at him.

"Wasn't talking to him."

"What are you -" Zsasz's response was cut off as he suddenly felt his knife pulled upwards and yanked out of his hand, as if an invisible hand had grabbed it. The next moment, a metal stick bounced off the ground and shot towards Zsasz, plonking him on the forehead. The girl screamed as she fell on the floor while Zsasz stumbled back. The mass murderer wasn't given much time to recover as Robin glided in, cape spread just like Batman's was earlier.

Robin crashed into Zsasz's chest with a drop kick that shot the career criminal into the wall behind him. Robin landed on the floor, grabbing his mini-staff. Zsasz took a step forward, and Robin swept his legs out from under him, and Zsasz slammed face-first onto the ground. He tried to get up, but Robin was quicker and extended his staff to full length and swung it hard at Zsasz's head, knocking him out.

"Damn!" Gordon blurted out as he lowered his gun. He looked at Batman. "You found another Robin?"

"I found him, actually," Robin's voice called. Batman ignored it in favour of speaking to Jim.

"It's a long story," Batman told him. "Zsasz got out. How?"

"Bribed a guard," Grunted Gordon as he put his weapon away. "And before you ask, we did investigate properly. Found out he was bribing multiple guards at the same time, we also discovered he had a secret account under a fake name. Despite what you think, we don't need you to do all of our work for us." He said, knowing that, despite his words, Batman would probably still investigate the matter anyway to be sure that there was nothing else.

"Hmm," Batman hummed, deciding that he'd investigate the matter to be sure that there was nothing else.

"So, a new one?" Gordon asked, looking at Robin, who was talking with the woman that he had just rescued.

"Long story," Batman repeated. "But I wouldn't worry, he can handle himself." He said. Robin had defeated Deathstroke on his own, a man who could make most of he criminals in Gotham cry out for their mothers. From what he had seen, Harry as Robin was far more dangerous and capable than Dick and Jason were at that age, and that was without even including his powers.

"Sweet Merlin on a bike, woman!" The two heard Robin's incredulous voice cry out, and they looked to see Robin examining a handbag that the woman had dropped. "Look, twelve bullets are what one might consider 'protection'. Twelve condoms is what you call overkill. If you had more bullets and fewer condoms, then you probably wouldn't be in this situation." Gordon's gaze snapped straight back to Batman, who let out a deep sigh.

"He takes some getting used to."

"I'll bet," Gordon snorted.

(.)

"If you had more bullets and fewer condoms," Jason's voice was accompanied by laughter.

"I stand by my statement completely and hold zero regrets," Robin said, arms crossed as he sat in the passenger seat of the Batmobile.

The chairs inside this thing were surprisingly comfortable. Robin had no qualms about admitting that. But there were also surprisingly more buttons and switches than one would expect from a vehicle. From what he could see, there was a button to eject the passenger, another to eject the driver, multiple buttons and switches served to activate and control the vehicle's artillery, there was a button that activated the boosters in the back for increased speed, and there was even a switch that shot out flares.

There was even a screen, one through which Jason was face-timing them, meaning Robin could see every detail of the older boy's face as he continued laughing.

"I really don't understand what's so funny. Having that amount of birth control on your person is unnecessary," Robin insisted before tilting his head thoughtfully. "Unless she genuinely needed that much protection for whatever she had planned. In that case...ew." Robin decided. For some reason, Jason laughed harder.

Right now, Jason was the only one in the Batcave. Alfred was upstairs in the Manor with Selina, Dick had returned to Bludhaven with promises to come back as soon as he could, Barbara had gone with Dick, saying she'd be back soon. That was why Jason was currently operating as their 'support' via the batcomputer. Suddenly, a beeping noise was heard on Jason's side of the screen. Jason stopped laughing and straightened up.

"What is it?" Batman asked, masterfully dividing his attention between Jason's call and not running over a stray cat that chose the wrong time to cross the road.

"We got a message," Jason revealed. "It's from Roy. He and Arrow are coming over, ASAP."

"Green Arrow?" Robin asked. Green Arrow, the hero of 'Star City', was a member of the Justice League. Much like Batman, he was one of the few non-powered members of the team, choosing to primarily use a bow and arrow. Add his green coloured costume to the mix, and you get the name 'Green Arrow'. He had adopted his own sidekick, 'Speedy', at roughly the same time that Batman had adopted Jason. If Robin had to guess, then he'd say that 'Roy' was likely Speedy. The two had previously worked together on some cases a couple of times, the last time being when Batman had gone to Green Arrow's city to investigate a possible lead on a kidnapping of a rich, billionaire.

"The very same, they're on the way to the Batcave now," Jason confirmed.

"We'll be there soon," Batman said, cutting the call. "Hmm, you did well out there."

"Yeah?" Robin tilted his head.

"You made sure the hostage wasn't hurt, and you took care of Zsasz. Yeah, you did well." Batman repeated himself.

"Thank you," Robin said softly. "I'm looking forward to going out more with you."

"You are?"

"Yes," Robin said quietly as he looked forward. "Going out and... helping people. It feels...it feels right. It feels better than anything I've ever done. Making sure that nobody gets orphaned or widowed. It feels good."

"I suppose it does," Batman said thoughtfully. He glanced at Harry for a moment before focusing on the road.

His conversation with Zatara was still fresh in his mind. He was still left with many questions: what had happened to his son? What had happened to his soul? Had Harry accidentally died at one point and been placed in the Lazarus pit? All of his research, plus what he had confirmed with Jason, told him that the Lazarus pit can have horrible repercussions if used even once. Even now, they were still monitoring Jason for differences. Batman at least had a baseline to work off when it came to Jason; he knew what Jason was like before the pit and could see the differences, clear as day. Though it was debatable how much of it was due to the pit and how much was due to the trauma of unexpectedly coming back to life.

But Harry? Batman never even knew he existed before he arrived at his door with a resurrected Jason. Is this how he always was? Or did the pit change him? If he asked, would he have told him honestly?

"So, you and Zatanna seemed to get along well," Batman said after a brief silence.

"Yes," Robin agreed. "We've decided to keep in contact via Hedwig."

"Hedwig?" Batman repeated.

"Yes, she'll take our letters for us," Robin said, speaking as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're using your pet owl to deliver letters to each other?" Batman asked slowly.

"Yes," Robin said, tilting his head slightly. "Why?"

"I think the better question is why you wouldn't just use a regular, human post."

"Hedwig is much more efficient and cheaper," Robin said immediately. "Besides, it gives her something to do."

"And...she needs something to do?"

"I don't know, do you?" Countered Robin. Batman remained silent for the rest of the trip.

(.)

"So," Jason said as he spun around in his chair with a grin on his face. "Long time, no see." He added as he stood up to greet the two new arrivals in the Batcave.

Firstly, there was Green Arrow. A well-built man, just a tad bit smaller than Batman. He had a distinctive blonde goatee; his costume was a dark green tactical suit connected to a hood that he used to cover the top part of his head. He had light green boots and gloves, along with a utility belt around his waist with an arrow symbol. That's without mentioning the bow in his hand or the quiver full of arrows on his back. Standing next to him was a much younger person, a fifteen-year-old with a matching costume. Except his was red with yellow boots, gloves and a yellow utility belt, not to mention the bright yellow cap with a red feather on his head, something that almost distracted you from the red hair he was supporting. He wore a black domino mask exactly like the one on Green Arrow's face, while also supporting a matching bow and arrow.

"You can say that again," The younger of the two laughed as he and Jason embraced each other in a hug. "Damn, I couldn't believe it when I heard that you had come back to life."

"It was a hell of a journey, Speedy," Jason said once they let go of each other. He extended his hand and shook Green Arrow's hand.

"Well, we're just glad you're back." Green Arrow said warmly.

"Thanks, glad to be back." Jason nodded to him just before the roar of the Batmobile echoed into the cave. "Guess he's back," Jason shrugged.

"Good," Green Arrow hummed. "We got something important to discuss with him."

"Something big," Speedy added. "Bats and Arrow over here might end up needing some help from Robin and Speedy," Speedy added with a grin.

"Well...that's good," Jason coughed awkwardly. "You can ask them yourselves."

"Them?" Speedy frowned. "But-" He trailed off just as Batman came sliding up the pole and landed a short distance in front of them. Not long after that, Robin came up and landed next to him. Both stood perfectly still, faces blank as their capes covered their bodies. "So it is true," Speedy said, voice slightly less warm as he stared between Jason and Robin for a moment before addressing Batman. "You really replaced him with this kid?" He asked while gesturing to Robin. A slight narrowing of Batman's eyes was all it took for Speedy to remember just exactly who it was that he was talking to, since he didn't look like he wanted to say any more.

"It was my idea," Jason cut in, through both the conversation and the tension. "He's good," He said, pointing to Robin. "Even better than I was at his age. And that's without his powers."

"So, it's true," Green Arrow spoke up. "I'd heard rumours based on Jon's mission report. Your new Robin is a meta?" He asked Batman.

"His powers are magic-based," Batman explained. "Zatara verified it himself. Still, I know that he's not why you came here to talk to me."

"You got me there," Green Arrow nodded. "China White." He told him in a serious voice.

"Hmm," Batman frowned. "Computer, bring up records of 'China White'."

"You know, I become remarkably less useful when you make everything voice-activated." Jason joked just before a picture of a pretty Chinese woman appeared on screen; she looked to be in her early thirties, but her hair was white.

"Yep, that's her," Green Arrow confirmed with a sigh. "Drug lord, not afraid to kill anyone and everyone that gets in her way. I crossed paths with her a few times. I have reason to believe that she's coming to Gotham. We managed to get one of her men and made him talk. China's doing a deal tonight in Gotham. A big one, at midnight. Involving, and I quote, 'a ship full of the good shit'. I figured you'd want in on this, since it's your city and all."

"You assumed rightly," Batman confirmed. "Sounds like she'll be at the harbour. It won't take long to verify," Batman said before turning to Robin. "Be ready, we'll probably be going out soon."

"I'm ready to go whenever you are, Father," Robin assured him.

"Father?" Speedy repeated quietly to Jason, a look of disbelief on the young archer's face.

"Father," Jason mouthed back with a small nod.

"Oh, so this one was home-grown then?" Green Arrow asked lightly as Batman walked past him.

"Quiet," The Dark Knight said without looking back or breaking stride. Green Arrow chuckled before following him to the computer. Leaving Jason, Speedy and Robin alone.

"You sure it's the best idea for you to come along?" Speedy asked Robin, looking down at him...literally. "It's going to be tough."

"I've had worse," Robin stated matter-of-factly.

"Trust me, he's good to have watching your back," Jason told Speedy, who still looked doubtful.

"If you say so," Speedy said with a small smile. "Still, I'd prefer having you watch my back."

"And I appreciate that," Jason told him sincerely. "But...just...not now. Robin - this Robin - is more than capable. Trust me, he single-handedly beat a guy who'd give even Batman a run for his money."

"Whatever," Speedy said before looking back at Robin. "Try not to slow us down, kid."

"Buddy," Robin let out a very deep sigh. "You've mastered one weapon. I've mastered every weapon. Get on my level first before you start looking down at me."

"Oh boy," Jason whispered to himself, his chest tightening somewhat, almost as if he could sense something bad was about to happen.

(.)

A.N:

Ages as of now:

Jason - 17

Harry -10

Nightwing - 20

Speedy - 15.

I know this probably won't matter much but I'm just writing that down in case anyone's interested.

Also, the next chapter or two are chapters I've really been looking forward to writing. We'll get a little bit of a team-up between Green Arrow and Batman (two of my favourite DC characters), we'll also get some tension between Speedy and Harry, plus we'll get to meet two of Batman's most famous villains. I truly hope to be able to write it as well as I imagine it and I hope you guys will enjoy it.

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a review.