Brothers To The Bitter End

7

Batman sat at his computer in the Batcave. It had been over a year and he still wasn't any closer to finding the assassins who had confounded the League for so long. After they had originally defeated the JLA a year prior, Batman had done some research and found out that the three of them, Renegade, Rebel, and Raider, were some of the most feared assassins on the planet. They inspired only a little less fear than Ra's al Ghul himself.

He had also learned that they were called the "Red Assassins" as they wore all black except for a single red R emblazoned on their uniforms over their heart. They wore League of Assassins uniforms, complete with hoods and domino masks.

After their original confrontation with the JLA, Batman had met them several more times on various missions that coincided with League of Assassins wishes. Each time they had defeated him with cool efficiency. They never added any flair onto their battles and rarely inflicted any kind of real harm on him. The most disturbing part of these encounters was how prepared they were for him. It seemed that Renegade and Rebel especially could predict his next move almost before he did it. They knew how he fought, and it disturbed him.

"I brought you some coffee, Bruce." Tim Drake, the most recent Robin, came up to Bruce a little shyly and handed him the cup.

"Thank you, Tim." Bruce smiled at the boy and was struck once again how much he looked like Dick and Jason. Alfred had once told Bruce that he had complex about surrounding himself with people who looked like him. He was finally starting to see what Alfred meant. Dick, Jason, Tim . . . All black haired with eyes that varied from the bluest blue he had ever seen to light blue to blue-green. When Dick had disappeared Bruce had told the JLA that Dick had wanted a break from the hero life. He had told the press that Dick had moved to a Swiss boarding school. When Jason had disappeared, he had fed the press the same story. The JLA hadn't needed an explanation since Jason had never gone on any League sanctioned missions or meetings.

But what about Tim? Would he disappear on patrol some day like Dick and Jason had? Or would this be the Robin that he kept until the boy graduated? It was all so confusing. He glanced over at Tim, but the boy had already retreated upstairs. He was much more shy than the previous Robin's had been. Dick had followed Bruce like a puppy, always asking questions. It hadn't mattered to him whether he asked business questions of Bruce Wayne or life questions of Batman, he had always kept Bruce's spirits up and engaged.

Jason had been his sourpuss child. He had acted out a lot when he was young, but after Dick disappeared he and Bruce had finally connected over a similar grief. Then Jason had become his heavy hitter and had always made Bruce laugh whether it was over his impressions of the villains or a running commentary of Bruce's coworkers.

Tim, however, had never quite seemed to hit his stride as part of the Dynamic Duo. He was an excellent leader as proved with his work with the Young Justice League and its affiliate the Teen Titans. But he still remained fairly quiet around Bruce. But sometimes Bruce preferred the silence to the endless chatter the other boys had provided. He wondered where they were at this moment. He didn't believe they were dead and hoped that whatever they were, they were safe and happy.
********
"Someday, Damian, all of this will be yours." Ra's told his grandson, motioning to the assassins in training below them in the courtyard. Their vantage point from the balcony of the main building in the compound gave them a view of the entire compound. Renegade and Rebel stood on the balcony as well, though a respectable distance away.

Because of their vantage point, they had a clear view of the damage when the first bomb hit. The entire courtyard erupted in activity as those who were left scrambled to their assigned defensive points.

Ra's whipped around. "Renegade, Rebel, take Damian to safety."

"But I want to help!" Damian protested.

Ra's didn't bother to reply, simply hurrying away. Damian would have gone after him if Dick hadn't grabbed his brother and jumped over the balcony onto the ground below.

"Gray! What are you . . ." Damian broke off his tirade as another bomb hit the balcony where they had been only moments before. Jason, who had cleared the balcony even before Dick and Damian, ran over to them.

"We have to do something!" Jason hollered when he was within hearing distance.

Dick pointed towards one of the guard towers. "Someone already is!"

Jason followed his gaze and saw Talia manning the guns and taking out the helicopters that were swarming in. He whistled appreciatively. "She might be a terrible mother, but she's a great shot!"

"Wait, where'd Damian go?"
********
Damian's sword clashed against his opponent's. "You'll die for what you did here tonight, Slade!" Damian growled. He was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check. He had seen the blast that had killed his grandfather. He hadn't had time to examine the body though since Slade had appeared too quickly.

"I'm only taking what is rightfully mine, boy. The League should have been mine. But when you appeared, Ra's went soft and decided to give it to a child. I decided then and there that you would all die for that. After I kill you, I'll kill your mother."

Damian ripped his sword away from Slade's and plunged the tip into his eye. "This is only a taste of what you're going to get!" Damian went for another stroke but Slade neatly dodged him and hooked himself onto a rope hanging nearby that Damian had failed to notice.

"I'll finish you later, boy." Slade hissed as he was reeled in by the helicopter above.

Damian recognized the man at the helm of the helicopter. "Ubu." He had once been one of Ra's most trusted people before disappearing. It seemed that the man had betrayed them all.

Renegade and Rebel arrived in time to see the helicopter fly away as well as its occupants.

"Slade." Renegade spat. "Of course."

Damian turned to his brothers, his face a mask of fury. During the past year, Ra's had started spending more time with his son and had, unfortunately, hardened him. Dick barely recognized the boy that he had raised since he was a toddler. "We have to find him. He has to pay for what he did to Grandfather!"

"Wait," Rebel frowned. "What did he do to Ra's?"

"Don't you see his . . . Body?" Damian searched the courtyard but he couldn't see the body anywhere. His eyes widened in realization, and he dashed off towards a forbidden area of the courtyard.

Talia arrived and gave Renegade and Rebel questioning looks. Renegade just shook his head sadly, and the three of them ran after Damian. They found him down by the Lazarus Pit holding a badly burned body. If it weren't for a few pieces of armor still in tact, Renegade would have never recognized the body as Ra's.

Talia ran over to Damian and blocked his way to the Pit. "It's no use, Damian. The Pit can't bring back a body that has been this badly damaged."

"But we have to try! We have to . . ."

"No, Damian." Talia snapped, a little harsher than necessary. "What we need is to get you to safety." As Damian gently set down what was left of his grandfather, Talia grabbed his arm. "I think it's time for you to meet your father."