Damian's Sister

The Betrayal

Robin came from the ceiling, taking a few down. Together, the deadly duo took out Draco's men.

"I can pay you," Draco tried to compromise. "More money than you've ever seen."

Robin kicked him as he tried to crawl away. "I don't give a damn about money. What I care about is payback. For the lives your drugs have ruined." He put all his anger into his kicks, kicking as often and as powerfully as he could. "For the widows and orphans left in your bloody wake."

"You wanna help widows and orphans, punk, go join the Salvation Army."

Robin jumped, landing on his knees in the middle of Draco's chest.

"Finish him," Talon ordered, putting a knife in the boy's hand.

He brought the knife up to Draco's neck then hesitated, unsure. He pulled back. "We found enough evidence to put him away for the rest of his life."

"Finish him," Talon insisted.

"He's already finished," Robin protested, putting distance between himself and Draco.

"Hey. Ain't you the Batman's brat?" Draco asked. In retaliation, Robin made him kiss his boot.

"Not anymore."

As he left the room, he flicked the knife in his hand, cutting the rope from the man hung on the ceiling. The man crashed down, his wrists and arms aching from the sudden blood flow. His gag kept his grunts quiet, and he watched the hooded figure make his exit.

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Talia didn't ask twice; Daire didn't want any doubt. She knew what she was getting herself into. She expected this test of alliance.

Her sword slid out of its sheath with the familiar grate. One hand rested on the sheath at her waist, she used her hips to put momentum into the swing.

Daire didn't flinch as the man's blood sputtered across her face. The man's eyes widened in shock. A kid. He spent his last moments staring into the blank eyes of a child who had obviously seen too much.

A mix of strangled gasping and gurgling emitted from him as his hands went to his neck, then the ground. His strength quickly faded, his life draining with the growing puddle of blood.

Blood. So much blood.

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Talon waited several minutes on the roof. He felt more than heard Robin's presence when it finally arrived.

"I know you're there. If you've got something to say, say it."

Out of the shadows, Robin popped out. "I just wanted to tell you that I gathered up the evidence."

Talon made his way to Robin in a single bound, forcing himself into the boy's personal space. Robin stepped away, his back against the wall of the roof ventilation openings.

"Draco's got an army of lawyers that have kept him out of prison for years. But we could have erased him from the equation. Three nights we've been out here together. Three nights I've allowed the Batman to come between us. But no more. Now is the time to step across that line, become what you were born to be. Or I promise you, I will find someone else."

"It's just- I have to be sure."

Talon knew exactly what was holding the child back. "His voice is still in your head. 'Justice, not vengeance.' His voice is wrong. He's like a father to you, isn't he? You look up to him."

"Far from it," Damian immediately denied. "But, yes, I guess I do look up to him."

"I had a Batman in my life. He was a thief. A damn good one. And from a very young age, he made certain I was too. I was his shadow. His echo. I worshiped him. And more than anything, I wanted to please him."