By the time Jason carried Dick out of the orphanage, the rain had stopped.

Thomas Wayne, having become the king of Gotham for just one night, had already been toppled by the Batman. Maybe he had joined Batman's exhibit in the cave even, Jason thought. A sign to the world that Batman could not be cowered.

And as for Jason?

In order to maintain this dream, he betrayed Batman, killed countless people, and even harmed the one he loved most. But the result was nothing he'd wanted.

He sighed. Fate was a strange thing.

He placed Dick under a withered tree. Removing his gloves, he gingerly touched Dick's cheek with his good hand. Unlike the sickly paleness from that first time, the dark healthy colour of the Romani people had returned to Dick's skin. From this face, Jason could almost see that day from more than a decade ago when, in the rain, he met him.

If he could, he would have prayed that they should never meet. Had Dick not met him, then maybe he would have been spared this fate. But more often, he thanked God for bringing them together.

Richard Grayson was the most important person in Jason's life. He's optimistic, persistent, and kind. Too bad Jason learnt none of that.

It's probably their destiny.

Dick's earpiece crackled. Jason plucked it from him and inserted it into his own ear.

"Grayson," Damian's voice came through. "Red Robin had successfully come into contact with Batman. What is your status?"

"Come pick him up."

Damian fell silent for about three seconds. "Jason, your plan failed. The new Judge is dead."

Jason smirked. The kid was so not cute. "I know."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing."

"You must receive punishment." Damian paused, as if regretting his harsh words. "If you are willing to repent, I believe father would still accept you. But I don't think you'll accept that. You didn't do this out of impulsiveness."

"You know me best. I wish you well, dear student." Jason crushed the earpiece.

Dawn seeped over the retreating storm clouds, lighting up the fringes of the sky in brilliant gold. Jason looked up.

It looked like it'll be a great day.

He returned to the basement, waiting for the Talons to awaken. In a few seconds, they will all be released.

Plopping down on the floor beside the control panel, Jason studied the wound Dick left on his palm with fascination. He didn't attempt to stop the bleeding. The Lazarus water within him had already sealed the wound, slowly repairing the cells. However, its power seemed to have faded. Jason could barely see any different in the wound from a while ago.

A few more days, perhaps, the water would completely be metabolized. By then Jason Todd would once again be mortal.

Before the coffins opened, the control system blinked another question across the screen. "Should all the samples be placed under mind control?"

Jason paused. Thomas was dead. The choice no longer really mattered.

An idea emerged. Jason pressed the button for "no."

The coffins opened one by one. Sitting up, the Talons looked puzzled. Like newborn foals they peered around with their own eyes for the very first time. They crawled from their confinement, their limbs shaking. Everyone looked around, finding each other familiar but also strange.

Jason watched with neither joy nor regret, just uncertainty. Thomas was dead, the Court would fall. A horde of tigers without collars had been released.

And yet he promised Dick safety.

A Talon approached. The first to recover, this one was a middle-aged man, his skin akin to bark. He must have been an assassin for a very long time. His hands closed to fists, but Jason could tell he meant no harm. Intelligence seeped back into those dead eyes.

"You are number 139?" he asked. "I believe you are the one that freed us."

"I'm Jason Todd, not some number," Jason said. "I'll tell you another good news. The Court is done for. But soon enough other branches will send people to take over this place. So you should run while you can."

The Talon stiffly curved the corner of his mouth. "They are everywhere. How do you suppose a bunch of corpses is supposed to run?"

"Then run farther." Jason stood up, his wound still quivering.

"All the Court lacks now is a leader. As long as there is a new leader, Gotham would still belong to it." The Talon seemed to know much.

Jason glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"It's time for Talons to call the shots."

Jason raised his eyebrows, and then smiled, satisfied.

This is what he's waiting for.