The Curious Case of Tim Drake

VI

Talia hadn't expected the call she had gotten from Jason.

In all reality she was quite pleased that the man had called her. Even if no one believed it, she felt for Jason. She had been there through his recovery. They had spent that night together...

She cared for Jason. He frustrated her of course, at times, like he did most people. Especially his family. But, she could see a different side to him that most couldn't.

Talia knew he didn't like her though. And he wouldn't have called if it hadn't had been an emergency. So she took the quickest helicopter they had to the hotel.

She exited the helicopter as soon as it landed on the roof of the hotel. She carried a bag that had herbal medicines in it. Jason hadn't explained everything, only said that someone was sick.

She owed him a favor and she always repaid her debts.

Talia saw the man standing at the stop of the roof staircase, staring at her. He had on no mask, nor a helmet. Just his face, which was something Talia hadn't seen in a long time. She gave a small smile, which of course he did not return.

"Jason, it's a pleasure to see you again," she stated politely.

He nodded, "Follow me."

She turned and looked at her guards. Silently she waved them off and they bowed before leaving. She knew Jason wouldn't hurt her. He wasn't stupid enough to open that can of worms.

They walked down the stairs in silence until Talia asked, "May I ask why I am here, Jason? I believe my long flight deserves and explanation."

"I'll explain," Jason mumbled once they made it to the door. He used the key card to get in. Talia saw a woman and a man sitting in the living area of the suite. The woman seemed to glare at her, but she did not return it. She would not be so "low".

The man did nothing but stare at her. They must have known who she was, but they did not say anything. Talia just continued to follow Jason to the bedroom.

The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from the lamp on a beside table. In the corner of the room was a bed where a small form lay. Talia followed Jason over to the bed and she looked down to see a child. His bangs were pressed onto his forehead with sweat and he was pale. He was shaking and his eyes were closed with a pained expression on his small face.

"My God," she whispered. She looked over at Jason and asked, "Is he yours?"

Jason glared, "he might as well be. I've been taking care of him."

"What happened?" She asked setting her bag down and inspected the boy closer.

"He was deaged by Poison Ivy. I'm not sure how she did it, but it made him eight years younger. Since your father has been using the Lazuras Pit so long, I thought maybe it was a side effect or something," Jason explained.

She nodded with an understanding expression, "Yes, it is a side effect. Luckily you called in time. He would have died without treatment."

She immediately started to dig through her bag. Jason asked, "why?"

"The body can only take so much stress, Jason. The first few times my father was resurrected, he would simply die a few weeks later. Soon doctors were able to figure out exactly why. The body's put under to much stress and it eventually starts to eat away at its own strength," she said simply.

Jason looked confused, "what about when I came back?"

"We got to where we would inject the cure into the body before we resurrected it in the pits. We injected you before even bringing you back," she explained.