Talon chapter 14

Chapter 14 -

"Where are they?" Batman asked with a glare as soon as he arrived at the cave. Barbara was still sitting in his chair while Jason had been standing next to her, the two turned to look at him as he gave them both the same look that had frightened some of the most dangerous criminals in all of Gotham.

"Of all the things I missed, that glare is not one of them," Jason sighed.

"Where are Dick and Harry?" Batman asked, not really in the mood for jokes. "I just had a call from Commissioner Gordon, apparently Nightwing had attacked a group of thugs along with, and I quote, 'a mini ninja'. Where are they?"

"It's bad news, I'm afraid," Barbara told him apologetically. "Harry's got a new role model," She said before bringing up one of the Batcaves' security camera feeds, showing one of the multiple training areas in the cave. From the camera view, Batman could see Nightwing throw one of his escrima sticks at a bunch of training dummies. The stick bounced off the first one and ricocheted off another two before ending up back in Dick's hands. He then handed the stick over to Harry; evidently, he was trying to teach him how to do the same thing.

"Yeah, it's not like I'm the one who helped Harry escape from the League," Jason huffed.

"Aw, are you jealous?" Barbara cooed mockingly.

"I'm not jealous," Jason said straight away. "Mildly irritated, perhaps."

"Hmm, of course," She said with a look that said she plainly didn't believe him.

"You two knew about this," Batman said, looking plainly unamused.

"Kid wanted to do something," Jason shrugged. "Come on, Bruce, you've been around enough of us to know that he's not going to stop. You didn't, I didn't, neither did Babs or Dick." He told him.

Batman looked like he wanted to argue, but the argument died in his head before the words could reach his mouth. As much as he hated to admit it, Jason had a point. He had never wanted anyone to join in on his crusade, never. When he had first adopted Dick, he had tried his best to keep him out of it, but Dick had been insistent on joining. The boy might not have been a Wayne by birth, but he had certainly inherited the Wayne family stubbornness. The first time Dick had left the manor, not as Dick Grayson, but as 'Robin', Batman knew straight away that it wouldn't be the last. Even if he had spent the rest of the boy's childhood keeping him under lock and key, the boy would eventually escape and go out as Robin or just do the same thing as soon as he was old enough to leave. With that knowledge, he had decided that if Dick was going to go out, then he might as well be trained and that Bruce might as well be the one to go with him.

That was how Batman and Robin were born, the pair that would quickly become known as the 'Dynamic Duo'.

After Dick, there was Barbara, who became Batgirl, the girl who didn't stop crime fighting even when she got shot in the stomach and paralysed. The brave daughter of the police commissioner had decided that she would be helping, in or out of the field. Jason shared more similarities with Dick than he would probably like to admit. Like with Dick, Jason wouldn't have stopped. All three of them had seen the same light in Harry's eyes, the light that they had all shared. He had ignored that look in Harry's eyes, not wanting to go through the possibility of losing another son. But it seemed that Harry, like the others, was not going to be stopped.

"What was the purpose of it?" Batman asked suddenly. "Dick and Harry didn't just go out for no reason."

"No, they didn't," Barbara confirmed. "It turned out that Ra's had Lazarus pits all over the world. From what Harry has told us, his mother and aunt are currently trying to destroy them all. Dick and Harry had gone after one of Deathstroke's men,"

"Harry managed to beat him by himself," Jason added with a proud smirk.

"The two were able to extract some rather worrying news," Barbara continued. "Apparently, Deathstroke is going to be heading to Scotland. He's hoping to sell the pits to the highest bidder. The biggest Lazarus pit is there. I don't need to tell you why that's bad." She frowned deeply. The pit was extremely valuable, and the restorative properties of it made it extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. If the pit becomes public knowledge, wars would likely be fought over it.

"Scotland," Batman frowned. "I can't leave Gotham unprotected."

"You won't," Dick said as he and Harry both arrived, having jumped off the elevator pole that had pulled them up from the lower floor. "Barbara and I can watch over Gotham while you're gone."

"So, Jason and I will head to Scotland," Batman nodded.

"No," Jason said suddenly. "No, no Bruce, I...I won't be going."

"Jason?" Batman asked, unable to stop the worried tone that came out of his mouth. "Are you -"

"I'm fine," Jason said quickly. "I'm fine, I just...I...I'm not going." He said with a shake of his head.

"Ignoring him obviously not being fine," Harry spoke up. "I am going."

"Harry," Batman began.

"I know Deathstroke. I was trained by him. I know about the Lazarus pits as well. I need to do this." Harry insisted. "Besides, I have to make some stops in Scotland."

"What could you possibly have to do in Scotland?" Barbara asked, staring at him curiously.

"It's personal," Was Harry's response. "I am going, that's not up for debate."

"Of course, you're going," Jason said at once. "Batman needs his Robin after all."

"What?" Batman turned to face Jason. He took his mask off and looked him right in the eyes. "Jason, are you sure?"

"I am," Jason said firmly. "Harry...he'd make a good 'Robin', Bruce, I know he will."

"Hmm," Bruce stared at him for several moments before turning to Harry. "Robin? Are you up for it?"

"I would have chosen the name 'Owl' personally, but it'll do." Harry nodded. "I want to help. Not just with this. I can't stand by and do nothing. I want to help, just like Dick and Jason did."

"You'll be great," Dick said, patting him on the shoulder. "Since you're going to be Robin, we need to get a costume ready for you."

"Nothing too flashy, please." Harry requested.

(.)

"So, how long do you think the two of you will be gone?" Selina asked as Bruce and Alfred placed the last of their suitcases into the boot of the limo that was parked in front of the manor.

"I don't know, hopefully it'll only be a few days," Bruce said, walking up to her as Alfred closed the boot. He planted a kiss on her cheek. "I'll call you when we get there."

"You had better," She warned just as Harry exited the building, dressed in black shoes, trousers and a matching coloured jumper. "Hmm, he's got your dress sense." She told Bruce, who was dressed in a black suit with his white shirt being the only other bit of colour he was wearing.

"What's wrong with that?" Bruce smiled at her. She rolled her eyes at him before turning to Harry, who, for some reason, had her cat perched on his head while Harry's owl was perched on his right shoulder.

"So, kid," She said. "Looking forward to going to Scotland?"

"Yeah, what's not to like? Just got to go and stop one of the deadliest men in the world from selling an evil pit of anti-death juice," Harry shrugged. "I'm just not looking forward to the travel, to be honest."

"You most definitely have your priorities right," Selina said in an amused voice. "So, I heard that you're going to be Bruce's backup."

"More like he'll be mine, but don't worry, he'll be fine," Harry assured her.

"Well, I'm glad that you're there to look after him," Selina said with a smirk. "But if you don't mind, this one is staying here with me." She gestured to the cat. Harry clicked his tongue, and the docile cat quickly leapt off of Harry's head and into Selina's arms.

"Okay, Hedwig," Harry turned to his trusted owl. "I'll see you in Scotland." He nodded to her, and she hooted before rubbing her head against his. After nibbling affectionately on his ear, she leapt off of him and quickly took flight.

"She's coming to Scotland?" Bruce couldn't help but ask. "She's going to fly there?"

"How else would she get there if she's not coming with us?" Harry said, giving him a look that suggested he was having doubts about Bruce's mental capabilities.

"I...you know what, never mind." Bruce sighed. "Anyway, better get in the car. We need to go quickly. The sooner we stop Deathstroke, the better."

"Agreed," Harry nodded. "We need to destroy the Lazarus pit while we're at it. It's not something I want to leave for any random idiot to find. In the wrong hands, it could end up causing more problems than my grandfather ever did. And I'm too old to deal wth that bullshit." He said bluntly.

"Master Harry, language," Alfred admonished.

"Sorry, Alfred," Harry apologised immediately.

"Apology accepted, Master Harry. With that being said, do mind your tongue." Alfred told him before he went and got into the driver's seat.

"Or at least remember who is around you when you swear," Selina whispered to Harry.

"Selina," Bruce sighed deeply.

(.)

It was an odd feeling, travelling with his new father. Harry had experienced many different forms of travelling throughout both of his lifetimes. There were the typical Muggle vehicles that he had been in, like cars and trains. Then there was the Hogwarts Express, plus all the various magical transportation systems like floo networks, portkeys and brooms. With that being said, it was still a weird thing to be travelling with Bruce Wayne.

Once Alfred had dropped them off at the airport, Harry realised very quickly that they weren't going to be sitting in a regular plane with dozens of other people. Instead, they'd be sitting in a private plane. Harry wasn't sure if Bruce just happened to own it or if he had just managed to rent it out quickly; either way, it was still very impressive.

Having the whole plane to themselves was a great benefit as it allowed Bruce and Harry to discuss their plan in more detail. The only times they had to stay quiet were when the stewardess would come in to offer food and drinks, to check in on them and to try and flirt with Bruce. Once they got to England, Harry found that a Roll's Rolls-Royce had been waiting for them. Though this time there was no driver and Bruce was the one who was driving the car.

Hopping into that one, they headed to two places at Harry's insistence. Charing Cross Road and King's Cross Station. In his previous life, the first had been the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, the pub that the Muggles raised children used to get into Diagon Alley, the most famous wizarding shopping centre in Britain. King's Cross had been where Platform Nine and Three Quarters was, the platform that would take you directly to the Hogwarts Express.

Except, neither of them was there. He hadn't been able to find the Leaky Cauldron or any sort of similar building, nor had he been able to access Platform Nine and three-quarters. Meaning, either this world's entrances were different, or, like he suspected, there weren't any wizards like him here in this world.

That thought had left him quiet throughout most of the journey. He could tell that Bruce really wanted to question him on each of these stops and why Harry seemed to be so disappointed after each of them, but thankfully, he kept quiet. Harry was under no illusion that Bruce wasn't going to try and work it out himself or question Harry later, but for now, he was thankfully willing to give Harry some space. From what he saw, neither of them was big on talking, and that ended up suiting both of them.

Once they arrived at the hotel that Bruce had booked, the two wasted no time in heading up to their room. The 'room' in question was big enough for a whole family get-together; it was the type of thing that Harry's Uncle Vernon would have boasted nonstop about if he had even stepped inside. TV, gold chandeliers, art on the walls, fancy carpets, the whole package. Bruce didn't so much as give the room a second glance before closing the door and speaking to Harry.

"That room is yours," Bruce told him, pointing to one of the doors. "Go get ready, we're leaving in half an hour."

"Right," Harry nodded before taking his two suitcases with him. Thankfully, they were both fitted with wheels, so he didn't have to carry them. Once in the room, he packed away his stuff. Bruce had instructed him earlier to leave some stuff around to make it look like they were at least intending to stay

The hotel they had booked was near the sea; if the information they had was right, then Deathstroke would be fifty or so miles up in an offshore facility, where he would be trying to extract the Lazarus Pit. It was up to Harry and Bruce to stop them. Though they weren't alone, apparently, most of the League was busy, so Bruce couldn't call them all in to deal with the mess. But one of them would be coming to help and would be meeting them soon.

A short while later, Harry had stepped out of his room, not as Hadrian Al Ghul or even Harry Potter, but as Robin. He rolled his shoulders as he stood, his posture started subconsciously straightening even more than it already was.

He was wearing a sleek, form-fitting suit designed for not just mobility, but also protection. His chest piece is a dark red armoured plate with subtle segmenting for mobility. On the left side of his chest, there was a small black circle, inside that circle in muted gold was an 'R' emblem. The shoulders and arms are covered with black, reinforced armour sections that match the sleek, tactical look of the suit. Black and armoured gloves extended up, connecting to his forearm gauntlets, where three sharp, fin-like blades extended out, much like with Batman's costume. His left gauntlet was slightly bulkier than the right, given that Barbara had insisted he have a mini-computer fitted in there. A tan-coloured utility belt and black trousers with protective armour padding were followed by a pair of sturdy, black boots. His domino mask fitted perfectly to his face, covering his eyes and the bridge of his nose. The sharp edges on both sides of his mask ended up making it look like sharp wings were covering his eyes. While it had previously been green, Harry had changed it to a matching black colour.

It was at that point that his father walked out of his own room, not as Bruce Wayne, but as Batman. His father took a look at him; it was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking since the upper half of his face was covered. But Robin didn't see anything that suggested disapproval.

"No cape?" Batman asked. While capes might not have been necessary, they were valuable in their line of work, given that they not only helped with appearances but also proved to be quite useful in other regards. His own cape could harden into a shape that allowed him to glide through the air and had, over the years, stopped its fair share of bullets.

"I got one right here," Harry assured him. A second later, Batman took a step back as a black cape materialised in front of him. The cape ended behind Robin's knees in sharp points, much like his own. It was as black as night and reached up to wrap around his shoulders, ending with a hood that had covered Harry's head. Leaving only his mask and mouth visible.

"What is that?" Batman asked slowly.

"My cloak," Robin answered. "It was a gift."

"From whom?" Batman frowned. His nature as a detective meant he was never happy with secrets, even if he did keep his own fair share of them, and it appeared that his son had more than one secret of his own.

"An old friend of mine," Robin said, a sad smile on his face.

(.)

A.N: Hi guys, hope you liked the chapter.

Also, I hope you like Harry/Robin's costume. He will have a different costume when he's older, but this will be his costume for a large portion of it. I based the costume off some fanart I saw on the internet. I will try to post a picture of that art below, I don't know if patreon will let me or not. Anyway, the look is basically a black version of Damian's mask from the son of Batman films, and the rest is just an armoured version of Robin's suit with everything being black apart from the chest plate.

For the next chapter, I will be introducing my first member of the Justice League besides Batman. I'm thinking of going for one of the 'big ones', but the member won't be that important to the next chapter so if anyone wants to suggest one of the lesser-known ones then feel free to do so.

Like I said, I'll try to post the picture of the art below. Just take that look, take off the dozen extra straps and change the mask shape and have a smaller utility belt and that'll be it. Thanks again for reading.