Damian's P.O.V:

I turned and saw my monster of a mother strutting across the gruesome wreckage of at least 50 dead assassins. She kicked a limb out of the way and somehow made it look graceful.

With a smile that could combat the Joker's, mother said, "Now where do you think you're going, Damian?"

There was a number of assassins escorting her as she moved toward me. I knew Sasha wasn't budging, she looked seconds away from passing out. Her skin was hot and sweaty and her body was shaking violently. I had a feeling there were some stages of blood poisoning occurring from one of her stab wounds.

It looked bad.

Knowing I wouldn't be going anywhere with her like this, I slowly rose to my feet. Jason's pistol lay a couple feet away on the floor. If mother made a move, I knew I would snatch it up instantly and fire.

But Talia wasn't looking excessively violent tonight. She placed a hand on one of the younger assassin's shoulders, one she'd been keeping awfully closer than the rest.

It was strange of her to do that. Something was wrong.

Mother's eyes scanned the bodies surrounding her. "You know, Damian, you really do never cease to amaze me. I wasn't sure if you still had it in you after all that time away from the light. But now I see that the real Damian Al Ghul is still in there after all."

Although I tried to be in control of my emotions, I couldn't stop my jaw from tightening.

"It's Wayne, actually," I corrected.

"Damian Wayne."

Mothers smile dimmed slightly. "Call yourself what you like, it doesn't take away from the fact that you, my boy, are just as cold hearted as I remember."

There was something in the way she said that that struck a nerve in me. I didn't know why, I was used to people calling me all sorts of cruel words. It had never bothered me before, yet all of a sudden I was feeling extremely irritated at what Talia had said.

You are just as cold-hearted as I remember.

Am I...?

I heard a hiss coming from the Batwing. The glass encasing the cockpit opened up to reveal my father, clad in his Batman suit, standing tall on the ledge of the jet.

"Stand down, Talia. This has gone on long enough."

Talia placed a hand on her hip, eyes drifting to my father. "Actually, we've only just begun,
Bruce. Damian has so much potential to be explored, and i won't allow you to waste it on rescuing simpletons from those pathetic criminal freaks running around Gotham in colourful costumes."

Bruce's glare only deepened. "We had an agreement."

Talia shook her head. "We had. Unfortunately that agreement has expired now that the League is very much rebuilt and ready for my son to inherit."

"This is insane, mother," I spat, unable to control my anger anymore. "Do you realize just how much damage you're causing? All these assassins dead, wasted just from keeping me here. You think I won't give up trying to escape? You'll lose every last one of your soldiers. You said it yourself, Talia: the real damian is still in me, the one who was just as cold hearted as before."

Talia nodded her head slightly. "That's all very true, Damian. But you know i'd do anything, no matter how many lives spent, to give you the life I know you deserve."

She gestured to the assassin beside her. "Take my friend here, agent #317. I'm quite certain you boys have met before. You don't, by any chance, happen to know a Flynn Owens?"

Oh, shit.

The assassins lifted his hood, and there stood a very cold, emotionless looking Flynn.

"You see, Flynn here has been denied opportunity all his life. He's never had parents to love him, spoil him, dedicate their whole existence to him. He's never had the chance to rule an entire culture of people, to be the destined heir to something so big and beyond himself that he barely even understands it."

Talia's eyes locked on mine. "What do you think his reaction would be if I told him that he could have all that and more in return for one simple task?"

Flynn was fiddling menacingly with a deadly looking machete.

I needed to leave, now.

I sensed my father moving from behind, but Talias gaze flickered to him in an instant. She suddenly pulled out a pistol and pointed it toward Sasha.

"One more step and the kid dies."

Her other assassins made their way toward the Batwing, circling it. Bruce stiffened in anger but stood down, the gears in his brain obviously churning as he formulated a plan.

"Your little girlfriend down there isn't looking so good," mother frowned, slightly lowering the gun and motioning for Flynn to walk forward. "Would be a shame if something were to happen to her, huh?"

Flynn sent me a smirk. "Sup, Wayne."

I glared at Talia. "What on earth have you conjured up now, mother?"

She just laughed. "Why don't you ask Flynn yourself, my son?"

The boy was twirling his sword now. "Yeah, Wayne, why don't you ask me?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What has she brainwashed you into doing?"

Flynn sauntered closer, his eyes lingering on Sasha. "I think Blondie needs some serious medical attention. Don't you?"

I took a protective step in front of her.

He snickered. "Here's the thing, Wayne. Or should I call you "Al Ghul" now? Your mom has promised me some pretty cool things in exchange for blondie's life. I mean, this could all be avoided if you just stayed here with your real family. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to kill her."

He gave a casual shrug at that last part, then flashed a shark like grin.

Of course Talia was doing this. My mother had always been an eccentric person.

I flexed my wrists and shook out my hands, wiping the blood off on my robes. The idea was to remain calm and nonchalant, as if his words had zero affect on me.

"So you want a fight, then? Round two, seeing that I beat you last time."

Noting by the flicker of irritation in his eyes, he clearly wasn't expecting that response.

"I wouldn't say you beat me, exactly," he tried to cover the anger up with a fake smile.

I shrugged. "Wouldn't hurt to go again, then, right?"

He worked his jaw, head tilting to the side.

"Wouldn't hurt at all."

—————————

I picked myself off the ground and spat out blood.

It seemed that this kid wasn't as terrible at combat as I'd thought.

"Join us or she dies," Flynn's scowl cut through the air like a knife through butter, his katana positioned beneath Sasha's neck.

I didn't know how Sasha was managing to stand in her condition. Her shoulders were slumped forward and her eyes were struggling to remain open. She looked seconds from passing out.

"Flynn... don't..." Sasha muttered, eyeing the shiny blade warily.

He gripped her tighter, glaring at me. "Last chance, Wayne."

I had a million different ideas circling through my mind. Hundreds of potential moves I could use to get her out of this position, thousands that would end with him dead.

But Sasha had that look in her eyes. That glimmer. She wasn't done yet, it seemed. She wasn't ready to give up.

And then she moved, faster then i'd ever seen before, ripping his arm to the side and twisting around until the sword was in her left and she had thrown him to the floor.

Flynn reacted quickly, jumping back to his feet. But Sasha was there in a heartbeat, aiming the tip of the blade at his face.

"Don't move," she growled. "I will slice you in half after everything you've done to me."

His glare deepened. "Don't kid yourself, we both know you're not strong enough."

He had a point, because in that moment I knew Sasha was ready to collapse. Her arm shook, sweat beading on her forehead. She was struggling to even hold the sword at shoulder's length.

I knew she didn't have long.

I made my way toward him, ready to finish the deed if she were to fall. "Let us go and you'll be left unscathed," I lied, knowing just how much I wanted to see him bleed.

But Flynn ducked, swept a leg out and sent Sasha to her knees. He snatched the sword and twirled, stabbing at the empty space beside me as I swiftly dodged the attack.

I brought my own blade up and our swords clashed, sparks flying.

"Why are you doing this?" Sasha snarled as we fought, Flynn sending a roundhouse kick my way while I dodged and rolled to a crouch.

He swiped at me but I caught his arm and flipped him to the ground, locking my knees around his neck in a choke-hold.

Flynn was struggling to breathe. "You wouldn't get it," he rasped, prying at my legs.

Sasha stumbled into view, her stance almost zombie-like. She stared into Flynn's eyes, a look of disgust on her face.

"Try me."

And so he did.

"People like us ain't shit," Flynn wheezed, still managing to glare at her even in his state. "We don't get shit. We..." he gasped for air, "...are constantly at a disadvantage... we're not rich and privileged like he is."

I glanced at my mother, saw her watching in pleasure as I strangled the life out of this boy. She wasn't even trying to stop me.

Oh.

And that was when I knew.

"Damn you, Talia," I muttered.

I didn't want to do it. I hated the guts of this kid immensely, he'd caused too much trouble for both Sasha and myself.

You have to prove her wrong.

So, reluctantly, I removed my legs from his throat as he coughed and sucked in air.

I turned to my mother, moving to my feet and feeling the weight of the katana in my hand. Without thinking, I threw the goddamn weapon toward her. She stepped gracefully to the side as it soared past and landed somewhere in the field.

"I won't let you win," I growled, anger seeping from every part of my body. "Never again."

But I sensed the figure behind me a little too late. Flynn swiped at my back and I narrowly avoided the hit, ducking for his next attack and weaving out of the way.

I grabbed his fist before it met my face but wasn't quick enough to stop the slash to my chest. It hurt, but I'd felt worse. I'd felt a lot worse.

Flynn had me pinned to the floor now.

"Stop it," Sasha demanded, falling to her knees again as she tried to hold herself up. "Please, just stop it."

"Why should I?" He spat back. "Why should I let him win? Talia cares more about me then anyone has in my entire life. She's giving me the chance to rule the world, Sasha. Me, a worthless, experimental assassin, finally able to do something useful."

I scoffed at him. "You think she cares about you, Owens?"

Now Flynn's gaze was back on me. His face flickered in a way that suggested I'd gotten to him.

"What do you mean?" he growled.

Sasha spoke from behind, "She's using you, Flynn. She's using you to get to her son."

Flynn's grip didn't loosen, but I could see the gears in his brain turning as I nodded, approving Sasha's words.

"She wants me to kill you," I told him, struggling to pry the katana away from me. "She wants to prove to me that deep down, I'm a murderer. She doesn't give a shit if you live or die, all of this is for me."

Now Sasha was beside him. "Flynn, you can stop this. Come with us and we'll help you. You can start over like I did, you can forget about Midnight and you can forget about being an assassin. You can be whoever you wanna be."

Flynn's eyes drifted to Talia, who was still watching, eyes narrowed and lips pursed.

"You weren't gonna let me rule anything, were you?" He suddenly spoke, surprising both Sasha and I, and probably everyone within earshot.

I watched my mother's brows furrow and her frown deepen. She knew she'd been caught now.

Flynn stood, eyes never leaving her as he let go of me. He stepped once, twice, three times toward her.

"Flynn..." Sasha said, worry etched in her tone. I moved to her quickly, pulling her up and glancing at the Batwing. Bruce's eyes met mine and we understood each other immediately.

Now is the time to go.

"Come on," I told her, watching as Flynn grew closer and closer to Talia, his scowl never fading.

He was going to get himself killed.

Not my problem.

Sasha was reluctant to move. "No, we can't leave him with her..." she muttered, head lolling slightly as she rested her weight on me. "We can't..."

Talia's ninjas stepped forward, ready to attack the boy sauntering their way. But she held out a hand, stopping them.

I pulled Sasha toward the jet. Flynn could do what he wanted, that was his choice now. My mission was to get back to the safety of the manor and hopefully never see my wretched mother ever again.

Sasha collapsed, finally, after what had felt like an eternity. She was strong, I'd give her that. Stronger than most people.

I picked her up. She was heavier than she looked, her body packed muscle beneath that smooth, pale skin. Dick and Jason had taken out majority of the assassins surrounding the Batwing, still defending against the last few. "Go," Dick yelled, shoving a ninja away from the entrance.

Useful for once, I see.

"She needs medication, now," I ordered, lifting Sasha onto the table as soon as I got inside.

Bruce had the Batwing in autopilot and pushed past Tim to get to me.

"How long has she been like this?"

I glanced at the infected stab wound beneath her ribs. She'd had it when we found her in the cells, meaning it would have been from the day before.

"Long enough," I managed to say, swallowing hard. I knew that Blood poisoning could kill in only 12 hours. Bruce did, too.

He began yelling out instructions, ordering the others to retrieve medication. Tim pulled open the fridge filled with multiple different solutions in glass tubes, vials and bottles. He fumbled around desperately, reading the labels as fast as he could.

"What kind of antibiotic? Vasoconstricter?"

"Get me the Angiotensin II, she's going into septic shock."

Jason and Dick came in seconds later, Dick picking up gauze and ripping Sasha's shirt, sterilizing her wound. Although she was barely conscious she still managed a wince, clenching her eyes shut.

"She's still awake. I'm knocking her out," I declared, moving to the fridge and shoving Dick out of the way. I grabbed a needle full of anesthesia and injecting it into Sasha's neck.

"Damian..." she was mumbling, hand moving weakly at an attempt to reach me.

I moved closer. "I'm here."

Her head lolled to the side as she tried to look up at me.

With a trembling voice, she said, "Am I going to die?"

Bruce had the diluted vial of Angiotensin II and was injecting it into her bloodstream.

"No," I lied to her. "You're going to be fine."

The anesthesia was working now and she began to close her eyes.

"I didn't even get to ask... to ask you about all the shit that just happened... about who you are..."

I knew she was talking about my relations to Talia Al Ghul and the assassin that I had formerly been.

"I promise to tell you everything when you wake up, yeah?" I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, trying to take her mind off the pain.

She just nodded, eyelids closing against her cheeks. Her hand soon fell limp and I knew she was out.

"Majority of her wounds are infected," Tim assessed. "The main one, the stab wound, is really bad. She hasn't got long, Bruce."

"We need to get back to the cave," my father grunted in reply. "I can treat her properly there."

I lowered myself into the benches beside Sasha, suddenly feeling the extent of my own injuries taking their toll. It seemed that my adrenaline had masked quite a few cuts and fractures. Yanking down my shirt, my eyes landed on the long gash across my chest.

"Hey, kid," Jason's hand moved to my shoulder, voice holding a rare amount of concern. "You alright?"

I shrugged him off. "I'm fine," I spat, words a little too sharp.

Jason clearly noticed this and resisted my attempts of blocking him, tugging down the dark cloth of my assassin robes.

"Holy shit," he exhaled, a grimace forming on his face as he further examined the wound.

"You," he snapped his fingers at Conner, who looked mildly startled that anyone had paid him any attention. "Get me some fucking bandages and a shitload of disinfectant."

Conner returned seconds later with the materials, Jason snatching them from his hands.

"I said I'm fine," I hissed at him. It was infuriating how he insisted on helping me when there were clearly more pressing issues to worry about, like the fact that Sasha was most likely about to die from blood poisoning.

But Jason was bigger then me, and thus stronger, meaning his grip on me only tightened and forced me to remain still. "Can't have you passing out on us, baby bats," he muttered.

Growling, I responded, "Believe me, I've experienced much worse than this."

He chuckled dryly. "Oh, I believe you, alright. And I also don't give a shit. Shirt off, now."

And reluctantly, I did what he said.

omg so i had to split this chapter in half as well cause it was 6000 words long... but dw the next chapter will be out within the next day now that i'm in quarantine and i can't fucking do anything woohoo

thanks for 27k reads x