2
It couldn't be the boy.
Batman was certain of that, wasn't he? Was he hallucinating still? The Owl before him had the boys face, only with the pale tone that he'd seen the Owl's have. It had to be a hallucination, his unconscious mind had tried of dragging up hallucinations of his parents or one of the many vilians he'd encountered. It was now dragging up images of the ones he'd failed.
It was simply another hallucination. Putting the boys face on one of the Owls. He'd learnt rather quickly that the hallucinogenic water could only conger images of people when a living person was there, simply replacing the living person with one created by the hallucination. Batman figured that it was a way for the Owls to get there victims to stop fighting, allowing the Owls to do what they wished to the victim of the waters. To bad for them as Batman fought against anything he sore, hesitating when ones he cared for were being hallucinatied.
He couldn't hesitate now. It was just another Owl, it wasn't Richard.
Keeping that firmly in his mind Batman swings a punch when the Owl was close enough missing by a mile as the little Owl drops down into a crouch and springs away with another bird like noise. This Owl was smaller than the others..
Focus.
It's a Hallucination.
Why wasn't the Owl fighting back then? It was just standing a little ways away watching with Richards face making little noises.
He was hallucinating right?
It couldn't be..
It had been nearly five days since he'd last drunk the water, being almost a week and a half since he'd been captured by the Owls. He'd lasted as long as he could before taking a drink as his thirst became too overwhelming. Batman had realized it was hallucinogenic after only a few minutes so he hadn't touched the water since. It had to be out of his system by now. The itchy dryness in his troat begging for water was a obvious sign of that. And he had been seeing actual Owls the last few times one has come down to torment him.
If it was...
That really was Richard Grayson.
"Richard..." Batman says watching as the Owl, no...Richard lets out a coo at the name head tilted to the side. "Is that you Richard?"
Richard lets out a pained sounding noise, shaking his head. "Talon" Richard says in a soft voice, hoarse from disuse.
"Talon? No your name is Richard Grayson.." Batman says with a frown. He still wasn't entirely convinced that he wasn't hallucinating still. The Owl, Richard shakes his head more and takes a few steps backwards. "No Richard...Talon" the small boy says pointing a finger at his chest.
Batman frowns uncertainty. What had the Court of Owls done to the boy to make him forget who he was?
"Talon show Batman out" Richard continues motioning as he backs up waiting by the entrance to one of the halls. Batman hesitates before following along after the boy, even if he was hallucinating it wouldn't cause any harm following along after Richard. He was about eighty percent certain that he wasn't hallucinating anymore but he was still cautious anyway ready to go on the defensive if the boy attacked.
Richard continues to walk a few steps in front of Batman only motioning whenever he took a turn. "Why are you helping me?" Batman asks after a while, Richard tilting his head a confused look on his pale features. "Batman....good, Talon liked...Batman..before being Talon.." Richard answers in his broken English sentences. He sounded confused, making a small noise before falling quiet apparently thinking.
Batman thinks himself of the broken English that Richard spoke. From the records he read Richards was Romanian, being only nine when he went missing, he would be around thirteen or twelve now and Batman assumed that the Court of Owls didn't teach him proper English. From what he had observed it sounded like they communicated through a variety of noises, animal based primarily being bird like sounds. That would explain the broken English that Richard spoke.
It had probably been half an hour since Richards appearance did a loud screech fill the silent air that had Batman going into a fighting stance and Richard stopping with a wine hands over his ears. More bird like noises sound that causes Richard to whimper slightly flinching and backing up when Batman touches him.
"Grandmaster knows Talon bad help Batman" Richard says, Batman was struggling to understand the broken English through the haze of his mind. He peiced together enough to understand that the Owls were coming and knew that Richard was helping him. "Fast" Richard says and starts to run surprising Batman with his speed. Batman glances back seeing distant shows running towards them before following after Richard at a run. The boy slows down at each turn ensuring that Batman was still behind him before taking off again only to skid to a stop with a squark as a Owl drops down before Richard.
A sudden protective spike in his chest has Bruce moving grabbing Richard and tugging him back behind him raising his free arm to block the blade that had been about to cut Richards head off. Luckily he still had the arm guard on that arm so the blade doesn't cut into his arms. Richard lets out a screech and uses Batmans shoulder to attack the Owl from above swiping with the claws on his fingers. The Owl collapses lifeless on the ground, black blood coating Richards claws. Batman didn't have time to be shocked by the deadly attack as the Owl starts twitching. Richard turns and grabs onto Batman tugging him along as the Owl starts to sit up.
"Talons not die" Richard says pulling Batman along at a run, taking quick turns as more Owls appear down the tunnels, halls and rooms of the Labyrinth. The young boy pulls him into a dark room filled with coffins jumping up onto one and scaling the wall to a hidden trap door that even he wouldn't have noticed. Richard pushes the hidden door open and disappears through. Batman is quick to follow behind, a little slower with the climb without any of his gear. He emerges in an abandoned building finding Richard fighting against more of the Owls. The boy was impressive using his smaller size against the others, darting in with quick swipes, using the Owls as his own personal climbing equipment.
"Up!" Richard yells over to him causing Batman to instinctively look up finding a shattered sky window above him and more of the Owls in the rafters.
Richard cartwheels back over to him leaving behind a trail of dead or unconscious Owls, it was hard to tell. He jumps up using Batman to get higher swinging up into the rafters, Batman following along behind him using a nearby stack of rusted barrels to get the needed height. Together man and boy fight their way out, Richard at ease with the height swinging between rafters a dark shadow darting about around Batman.
They clamber out the window into rain, somewhere near Gotham harbour within what appears to be abandoned factories. Both were supporting a few cuts and scrapes, Batman much worse off after going nearly two weeks without food and water and having already sustained injuries, Richard didn't even seem to know he was hurt crouched by Batman. "Out now where?" He asks, apparently having no plan once he had gotten Batman outside the Labyrinth.
Batman didn't have to answer as a loud boom sounds nearby that has Richard flinching. Batman watches as the Bat Wing appears above them blocking out the rain, the ramp lowering. "Inside" he orders pulling Richard into the small plane watching as Owls scamper out the broken window below them. The Bat Wing takes off leaving the Owls behind with angered screeches.
Now that he was safe he turns to Richard crouching down in front of the boy who had yet to take his hands away from his ears staring down at the now closed ramp. "Richard" he says attempting to get the boys attention. "Talon" he tries again succeeding this time the boys golden eyes flickering to him.
"You can't go back to them Talon. It's not safe for you" Batman tries to explain. Richard blinks a few times.
"Not Talon now?" He asks in a small voice.
"No not Talon. Richard Grayson" Batman says watching the young boy before him. No he wasn't a boy not really, he was a highly trained brainwashed assassin.
"...Richard...not go back? Stay with Batman?" Richard asks hesitating on his own name.
"Yes you can stay with me" Bruce says with a soft smile pulling down the very tattered cowl. "I'm Bruce"
"Bruce. It loud" Richard says removing one hand to motion around them. Bruce nods slightly "I know, it's okay. Come on its quieter up here" he leads Richard up to the pilot seat. The engine noise is muffled once he closes the door. Bruce sits down in the seat letting out a sigh at the feel of the leather. "Sit Richard" he tells the boy who had been hovering beside him. He complies and goes to sit in the corner eyes wide and curious as he looks around.
Bruce smiles and hits the come button flinching at the worried tone of his butler comes through. "-uce? Master Bruce can you here me? Are you there?". Richard lets out a noise at the voice wildly looking around. "Shh, it's okay. Relax" he tells Richard who obediently startles back down in his corner. That was a bit worrying.
"I'm here Alfred" he says to his butler turing on the computer screens to actually see the butler. He looked much more disheveled than typical, more tired. "Oh Master Bruce, I have been so worried. Surveillance cameras spotted you and I imediantly sent the Bat Wing. Are you alright sir?" Alfred asks.
"Not really, it's alright. I'm bringing along a guest could you ready a room and prepare the infirmary?"
"Of course sir, should I call Dr. Thompson?"
"Not yet, I'll be home soon"
"Of course sir. I'm glad you are safe" Alfred cuts the camera off. Bruce lets out a sigh sinking back into his seat looking back at Richard who had found one of his spare capes and wrapped himself up in the material staring up at Bruce.
"You are safe now Richard. No more Court"
Richard relaxes in his little corner giving Bruce a small somewhat awkward looking lopsided smile. The first he'd seen.
It was going to take a long time for Richard to adjust to bring back within society to escape the brainwashing the Court had caused. Bruce was determined to let the boy be a boy again.
Bruce smiles back.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top