Secrets hurt

Ch 9

Dick knew he was breathing too fast, but he found he couldn't quite help it. His brain was skipping from memory to reality, pulling him in two opposite directions at the same time.

One part of him was trying to get himself to relax. The freezing process was much more painful when you were tense after all.

The other part of him was pushing him to analyze the metal container he was encased in and think up a way to get out.

Snatches of a conversation drifting in from the doorway didn't help his scattered mind.

A face appeared in Dick's view and he instinctively pressed himself as far away as he could, realizing his mistake when the restraints he'd been trying to avoid snapped into place around his wrists and biceps, followed closely by others around his ankles.

The man chuckled. "It looks like you aren't as far removed from your training as you'd like everyone to think," he said.

Dick snarled and struggled in his restraints. "I won't be your assassin again Cobb," he hissed.

Cobb waved his hand dismissively. "The court isn't in the business of taking second chances on faulty talons," he said.

Dick stilled, a question on his lips. Why was he there then? What were they going to do with him if they weren't going to try and force him to be their talon?

Cobb grinned as if sensing the unasked question. "Goodnight Grayson... say hello to your parents for me," he spoke, typing a code into the cryo pod and walking away as the temperature of Dick's world began to plummet.

—

"Negative on site 2," Jason reported.

"Site 5 is a bust as well," Tim chimed in.

Bruce clenched his jaw, his grip on the Batmobile's steering wheel tightening. The court was keeping his son somewhere... he couldn't just be gone.

"Footage around site 9 has been scrubbed in a 1/2 mile radius," Babs said.

"On it," Bruce replied, taking the next turn a bit faster than was necessary and speeding off toward the 9th potential active site for the court of owls.

"Master Bruce," Alfred's voice buzzed over Bruce's communication device. "Do be careful."

Bruce was silent for a moment. "I will be," he promised, the Batmobile skidding to a halt a few streets away from the site.

"Father," Damian's desperate voice called. "Tell us if you find anything... we... we can help."

Bruce grunted affirmatively. He knew he wouldn't call anything in however, the court was something he didn't want to get any of his other children tangled up with... not if he could help it anyway...

The building in front of Bruce looked innocent enough, a small gray building that housed a joint food bank and vaccination clinic during the day.

It was closed now, something Bruce was glad for. Less civilians.

Bruce scanned the building, eyes narrowing when he spotted a discrepancy between the building blueprints and the building he was seeing in front of him.

A small shed built off the back side of the building... That wasn't supposed to be there...

—

Bruce crept through the extensive maze of air vents that spider webbed its way through the court's underground base. He'd hit the jackpot so it seemed.

Talons milled around, most looking like preprogrammed robots as they paced up and down halls.

Bruce peered through one of the metal grates.