The Last Talon

Chapter Six

After two weeks the smouldering building was now stone cold. The firefighters had been through the rubble searching for any bodies and had come up empty. As far as they could tell, everyone had made it out alive, but the building was completely destroyed making it impossible for its residents to return.

This was preferable to the three shadows that entered into the wreckage. They stole through the darkness and made their way to the entrance of the cellar, upon seeing the hole in the staircase they were instantly alert. They entered through the hole and lowered themselves to the floor below.

'There's nothing down here.' Said the first, raising a hand into its hood to activate a comlink.

'Was it destroyed?' A voice answered.

'No, the fire didn't reach down here.' There came a curse from the other side of the comm. 'Are you sure he was here?' Asked the second, staring intently at the first.

'Oh yeh, he was here.' Came the voice of the third from the other side of the room. They were knelt down, assessing the different levels of dust of the floor. 'There was something large and heavy here for a long time. By the looks of it, it's recently been moved. Look, you can see footprints as well.'

They all scanned the floor and through the darkness could just about make our the shape of foot prints.

The first lowered his hood in frustration to reveal a round white owl mask. 'The Gray Son is gone.'

More curses came from the other end.

'What do you want us to do?'

"Return to the nest, there's nothing more you can do tonight?'

'But what about the Gray Son?'

'If he's been awakened it will only be a matter of time before we can track him. Without his Masters to control him, he's a ticking time bomb.'

The three masked figures regrouped, listening for their orders.

'But if he's awake won't he be harder to take down?' Asked the third.

'With any luck, he's infected and will be neutralised without much effort on our part. But even if he's not, he is a lone Talon. He is a relic from the old ways, the new Order will make short work of him.'

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Dick was on edge. It had been a little over two weeks since he had awoken from hibernation, and he had yet to leave the medical wing of the cave. He understood Bruce's concern; finding out all of the other Talon's had been killed by the sickness had shaken him as well, but Clark had already cleared him. Bruce was treating him like a china doll, which in the first few days was how he had felt. But the longer he was awake (and he had not yet slept since he passed out that first day) the more he could feel his strength returning. His body was built to move, it was enhanced to be practically indestructible. It was not used to being kept captive for so long, even the Court had given him time to train and to move.

The longer he stayed within these four walls the more his body twitched and the more his muscles itched to be used. For the last few days, he had settled for pacing while he was alone, moving from one end of the wing to the other. It took 25 steps each way.

'He's like a caged animal.' Said Diana, watching the boy on the security camera.'When are you planning to reintroduce him to the world?'

Bruce was also watching the boy on the screen. 'When he's ready.'

'When he's ready, or when you're ready?'

Bruce looked at the Amazon princess and sighed, knowing she was right.