"Blah" is Jason and Dick's mind link

'Blah' is thought

"Blah" is talking

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Robin was watching the med-bay security cameras alongside the rest of the Team. They'd been waiting hours for the unconscious man to awaken. Batman wanted to interrogate him on his affiliation with the Red Hood as soon as possible, and honestly, so did the Team. They're all curious as to who this guy was.

Tim hadn't told anyone yet, but the hero looked eerily familiar to someone he'd met once before. Now, he wasn't sure if they were the same person. The last time Tim had seen the man he'd been a small child, and the man had been a young boy. He was praying they weren't the same person because the boy his father introduced him to had been a monster.

It could've been the hint of blue that shone in his ebony hair, or the pale white skin he wore that sparked Tim's memory. That made him notice how similar they were in the first place. He just hoped it was a crazy coincidence because the boy Tim met should be dead. Well, at least that's what his father had told him.

======LinkBreak

~FlashbacK~

The room held dozens of metal cages, each one varying in size. The dimly lit room gave only enough light to see a few feet in front of you, as to not damage the merchandise. The pair walked silently through the room, eyeing each cage carefully. Inside each pen was prized weaponry, and the purchase of one must be made very carefully. The Man walked closely beside each enclosure, gazing inside for a few seconds before moving on. There was a certain item that he was looking for, one that was very rare and expensive.

A young boy wandered to each cage, eyes wide as he read the name tags tied to the bars. The man watched him roam, keeping a close eye on his only son.

The young boy caught sight of a small cage tucked away in one of the corners and waddled towards it. "Papa, is this one ours?" The young child, no older than eight asked, pointing to the rusted metal.

Inside the cage was a pitiful sight -or it could be to some. The thing inside was wearing metal cuffs and a jagged collar that tore at it's skin. It's hair was black and filthy, and it's eyes were an eerie yellow. The thing watched every movement the two people made with a blank expression.

"Yes, it's ours, Timmy." The Father replied proudly, sparing a glance at the tag on the enclosure.

"Why do we have him? Can he come out and play with me?" Timmy questioned and peered in through the rusted bars. He went to poke the creature but his Father's hand came down upon his, stopping the movement.

"No, you can't play with it. Its purpose here is to keep us safe. It doesn't have time to play." His Father answered, watching the chained object inside with mild disgust.

Timmy removed his small hands from the steel bars, watching sadly at the boy inside. "Can he at least come out? He looks sad in there," he asked and shifted to look at his Father, eyes moistening.

"No, Timmy, he can't." The Father pointed to the chained boy, who merely watched them converse, his expression remaining blank. "He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature."

Timmy glanced up at his Papa, a look of understanding in his eyes. "I won't forget." He looked back at the boy and smiled at him. "Can you tell me your name?" Timmy asked the strange boy.

His Father grew angry at the question. "You're a smart kid Timmy, I want you to always remember that. But one day, this thing will be yours to command, and you need to understand that it's only purpose is to kill. You must show it no kindness. It will only take advantage of that and hurt you in the end."

"Yes Papa, but what is his name?"

The Father looked down at his child for a moment, pondering, and then looked down at the thing, catching its blank stare. "Not him, It. We call it a Talon, Timmy. They are an extension of us -the Owls- a tool built only for our use. Ours to command. They exist only for us."

The boy turned from his Father to watch the caged boy again. "Hello Talon, my name is Timmy. Nice to meet you!" he greeted, smiling brightly.

The Talon inside tilted his head like a dog. It was confusing. What was it supposed to do? Was that a command? It shifted in the cage, sitting comfortably on its legs and spoke softly.

"...Masters?"

~Flashback End~

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"Robin, you alright? You kind of zoned out there for a minute."

A hand waved in front of his face, jolting him from the memory, "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking about the hero. Sorry." Robin turned to face his teammate, rubbing his arm.

"It's alright. Batman just called us to the med-bay, the guy finally woke up." Superboy spoke, casually pointing behind him to their friends retreating forms.

"Really!? That's great! I'll be there in a few seconds, I need to turn off these cameras first." Robin replied as he excitedly typed away on the keyboard.

"Okay, I'll see you there then," Superboy answered, clapping Robin on the back, causing him to jump forward a bit.

Robin listened to the sound of Superboy's footsteps fade down the corridor. It was time to get some answers. He shut down the computer and walked down the hall to the med-bay. Hopefully, he was wrong about the guy and this was all a big coincidence. Hopefully.

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"So you're the hero of Bludhaven?" Batman's voice cut through the silence. He walked forward and stopped a few feet from the bed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Nightwing stiffened at Batman's approach and quickly nodded at the man. He was even more intimidating now that Dick wasn't worrying about being attacked.

"You're going to need to answer a few questions for us before you're allowed to leave," Batman explained, not leaving any room for objection. Dick nodded to Batman, letting the man know that he understood. It's not like he'd even be able to object if he wanted to.

Nightwing watched Batman carefully as he moved to remove the metal cuff on his wrist. He kept his eyes glued to the man, and he -Batman- did the same. Dick could only guess as to what the man was thinking about. Maybe the old Bat was trying to figure out his ID? He really hoped that Batman didn't recognize him. That would not end well. At all.

Dick briefly took his eyes off Batman and looked to the doorway where the mini-league stood. They were watching him with weary eyes and by the glare that was being thrown his way, he could tell that the clone was mad. Dick ignored the glare and focused his attention back onto his arm. Batman was slowly slipping the cuff off, still watching him. It made Nightwing tense -the weird look he was being given. Had he been recognized that easily?

Batman stood up silently and rested his hand on Nightwing's shoulder. Dick felt his muscles tense up, and his instincts were screaming at him to attack. To escape. To eliminate the target. He bit into his lip, forcing himself to relax. Nightwing needed to remain calm and keep a cool head. Nightwing had no reason to fear the Bat. 'But Talon did.' But Talon was dead, at least, that's what he kept telling himself.

Batman sent a hard glare his way, "I need you to follow me. Try anything and there will be co-" Batman was halted mid-sentence as Superman and Green Arrow burst loudly into the room.

Dick flinched at the entrance, the loud noise hurting his sensitive ears, and whirled his head towards the doorway.

"Wha-" He heard Batman start to ask but Superman ignored him in favor of shouting, "Deathstroke was sighted down in Bludhaven. GA and I went to investigate..." Dick ignored the rest of the conversation in favor of returning to his thoughts. 'What's Deathstroke doing in my city?'' he pondered. He faintly remembered Hood talking about the mercenary, but he didn't pay to much attention. 'Was he supposed to be in Bludhaven? Maybe he had a meeting with Hood?' Dick's thoughts were running wild with questions and half-formed theories when he felt something grab onto his hand.

Nightwing flinched violently, not prepared for the sudden contact. He tried to pry his hand away but that only made the grip on his hand tighten. Dick looked down and saw a bloody hand holding tightly to his. Surprised, he followed the arm to the body and was shocked to see the beaten form of a man. The room around him was silent and his ears could hear each blood droplet hit the floor with a silent 'pat'.

Dick met the man's eyes -as best he could with his mask on- and noticed how they kept going in and out of focus, he was dying. The man squeezed his palm once more before his hand fell out of the grip, limp. Dick curled his hand into a fist and simply watched as Green Arrow rushed to place the man on a bed. 'What was that about?' He could feel something hard in his hand that hadn't been there previously. 'What did that guy give me?'

The man, still staring at Nightwing, gasped out weakly, "Y-you. I recognize y-you. You helped m-me once. T-thank y-you, man."

Dick's eyes widened behind his mask. That man was using code. More importantly, that man was using Red Hood's code. 'Red Hood, Trust Me' That's what the message said. 'But what am I supposed to trust?'

"GA, hurry!" Batman yelled out. "Ms. Martian and Artemis stay here and help Superman, the rest of you follow me!"

"You!" Batman turned sharply and pointed to Nightwing, still sitting on the bed, "Follow me."

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Batman led them out of the chaotic med-bay and into an interrogation room. Maybe now he'd be able to get a read on the kid. He'd noticed that the hero tensed when he'd first approached him. Now, ever the curious man, Bruce wanted to know why.

"Sit," Batman told the hero and pointed to a chair. "The rest of you, out." He turned around and watched the teens go, slamming the door as they left. The room was silent, save for the small wince that sounded from behind him. He whirled around only to find the hero smirking at him, arms crossed over his chest. Batman glared and sat down in front of the kid. Now, how was he going to do this?

"What's your name?" Bruce questioned, deciding to start with something easy. He waited for a few minutes, patiently, might he add, before asking again.

"What is your name?" He spoke, this time with a little more aggression present in his voice.

The hero once again did not reply, he only dragged his hand across the table in a squiggle. Batman watched the motion carefully. What was he doing? What did it mean?

The kid let out an exasperated sigh and dragged his hand through the motion again, this time with a little more effort.

"Do you want to write it down?" He asked carefully, watching the hero's reaction. It was the only logical thing Bruce could come up with.

The kid sat up straight and nodded and Bruce reached into his utility belt and grabbed a paper and pen. He placed them in front of the hero and waited for him to answer. 'Why does he want to write down his answers? Does he think we can analyze his voice?' Bruce thought to himself.

"Why?" He asked bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest.

The kid picked up the pen, scribbled down something and slid the paper to Batman. Bruce glanced down and read the answer allowed.

"Nightwing? Is that who you are?"

The hero nodded, gesturing to himself.

"Okay, Nightwing, why aren't you speaking?"

Nightwing made a face and took back the paper. He put the pen to his chin for a moment before writing again. He slid the paper back to Batman who read it silently.

You're the World's Greatest Detective, why don't you tell me?

Bruce grunted, his frustration with the kid growing ever so slightly.

"I'll ask again. Why. Aren't. You. Speaking?" He questioned, glaring down at the boy.

The kid smirked and scribbled something down.

I can't

Bruce growled, "Can't or won't?"

The kid quickly wrote down his reply, face unusually blank. Batman filed that away for later, talking was a sore spot then.

A little bit of both

"Fine. Now tell me, why have you been hanging out with the Red Hood." Bruce needed to get some real answers now. He wanted to know if this guy could join the Team, or if he had go to jail. He skills could be quite useful on missions. Either option was fine with him, but Bruce preferred the first.

Nightwing smiled brightly and scribbled on the paper, handing it to Batman this time. Bruce didn't miss that either. What changed?

He's my friend

That surprised him, although he didn't let it show. "Your friend? You, a hero, are friends with a mass murdering psychopath?" Batman barked. Maybe if he changed the kids view on his 'friend', he'd be a little more open to conversation.

Nightwing frowned but didn't move to write anything down, so Batman continued, leaning forward. It looks like he found another weak spot.

"Yes, your friend has killed over a hundred people in Gotham alone. What makes you think he's your friend? What makes you think he won't just turn around and kill you when he gets bored? Have you ever thought about that?" Batman demanded, raising his voice slightly with each question he asked.

Nightwing didn't reply for a few minutes, and the ever growing frown on his face was the only indicator towards his mood. Bruce could only guess as to what was going on in the kid's head now. As the silence grew, Batman took this opportunity to really look at the kid.

He had jet black hair that held an almost blue tint, his skin was a little to pale, but it could've just been the fluorescent lighting. He almost looked familiar, but he couldn't be the person Bruce was thinking of. After all, the other guy had been trying to kill him.

The scratch of pen on paper brought Batman from his musings. It seems like Nightwing's made up his mind. Bruce waited patiently for him to slid the paper over once more.

Nightwing looked up at him and the lopsided grin on his face was a little disconcerting. It made Bruce's spine shiver and his instincts scream 'danger.' He ignored the feeling for now and focused on the paper in front of him.

I have thought about it many, many times. Red Hood won't hurt me, nor would he kill me. Friends don't do that to each other. But that's something you'd never understand. Now, can I go? I have places to be.

Batman reread the note a few times -ignoring the rude comment- before deciding on his next course of action. If he let the kid go, they could follow him back to The Red Hood. But that was a flimsy plan at best. If they kept him here though, Red Hood's hand might be forced...

"No, you'll be staying here at the mountain until further notice." Batman stood up and headed towards the door, "Follow me."

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This was an outrage! And illegal, it had to be illegal somewhere. Batman was keeping him here against his will. That had to violate some kind of law. But it did help Red's plan, so he was pretty okay with it. After all, the saying goes 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.'

He followed a few feet behind Batman. He didn't want to get too close to the man. Just being in his presence sent shivers down his spine. Dick really didn't want to know what Batman would do to him if he found out who he was. Would he experiment on him? Find out how long he took in between resurrections? Maybe he'd even freeze him.

No way. He'd rather take his chances with Joker, than have Batman find out. Speaking of Batman, the man had finally stopped walking. He looked up from his feet and glanced around his new surroundings. He was in a large cavern with a couch and television set off to one side. Along the other was a kitchen that connected to some hallway. It was rather empty, except the fact that the couch was currently occupied by the mini-league.

"This," Batman gestured around, "Is where you'll be staying until further notice. The Team will be watching you and will alert me if you try anything. I need to go check on Superman, but I will be back." Then with a whoosh of his cape, Batman left the room. Quite dramatic that man was.

Dick didn't know what to do now. The little league was staring at him like he grew two heads, so at least nothing was new. The strange thing was the little Robin that slowly approached him, followed closely by Superboy.

"Hey, Nightwing, right?" Dick nodded and Robin took that as an okay to continue. "You want to come watch a movie with us? We're watching Lion King?" He thought for a moment and weighed his options. 'What's a lion king?'

Dick did need to wait for Red, but he wasn't good around people. He didn't know how to act. The Court didn't think being able to function in social occasions was important. Dick was going to have to pretend. Pretend that he knew how to act like a normal human being. Man, he hoped Red got here soon.

Nightwing looked to Robin and nodded his head in reply, following them to the couch.

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Not to long into the movie, after Mufasa's death, -which he wasn't prepared for- Red Hood started to call him. Well, mind talk him? What was it called?

"Hey, we're in place. Is everything okay over there? They haven't hurt you right?" Hood asked roughly.

"No. I'm fine. I'm watching Lion King. On a couch. It's weird." Dick replied back smoothly. He'd gotten used to talking over this link while in the interrogation room with Batman.

He heard Red chuckle through the mind link, "Oh I bet it is. Slade and I are going to get started, so make sure you're ready okay?"

"Okay. See you soon Red." He thought back before focusing on the people around him. The Martian was looking at him strangely, but everything else was fine. Nobody suspected anything yet. Dick just tilted his head at her, confused, he didn't want her getting suspicious of him already. Red's plan hadn't even started yet.

"Hey Birdie?" He heard Red ask a few minutes later, although Dick made sure his face remained blank.

"Yeah?" Dick sent back. Did something go wrong?

"Call me Jason."

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I'm back! As I have said before, the reason I was gone for so long was because my laptop broke. I had to wait until Christmas to get a new one.

I hope you all can forgive me!

What did you think of the chapter? Any favorite parts? Let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you!

Til next time,

Rachel