Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You’re not even the real Gray Son,” Lincoln March groaned. He was surrounded by the mass of dead Owls. The court had been demolished and destroyed by an experiment gone wrong. March wasn’t supposed to due but their clone killed them all. The Talon. The Gray Son was just a prototype to see how their new serum would work on the real thing. The one that would keep their memories but twist them enough to make them killers. They never thought of Dick Grayson’s feelings towards the court.

“You’re wrong,” the Talon delivered the last kill, “I am the only Gray Son.”

The unbeatable fell to the floor. Meanwhile, he looked around. Samantha, the headmaster lied dead before he looked at the file of demands she had. She wanted the Batman, Bruce Wayne dead. She wanted them all dead, except for Grayson.

But Talon couldn’t kill them. He wanted them. He was the Gray Son and he deserved them more than anyone else did. The memories of a red headed woman with beautiful green eyes. But she was crippled, that was okay. Hugo Strange could fix her just like he fixed him. He imagined her helping to cause destruction amongst the city. Fixing it to be theirs, right now, they are just confused. Like his family. The Batfamily just have no idea what it is like to feel enlightened. No longer is the court there to hold the Talons back.

“Just wait my love,” The Gray Son thought of her. A flash of red in his mind. Then another turned to a vision of Grayson holding his family, a young Robin meant to be a killer, “My Owlets. Gray Son is coming.”

Chapter Text

Robin was foolish to think that he could take on a Talon. Well what he thought was a Talon. But this one was more than a killer, Damian expected to fight off a zombie killer. But Damian felt the heart beat and relented. He couldn’t deliver a kill strike to something alive. He could only defend himself.

“Red Hood, this one is alive,” Damian said over the comms.

“Sorta busy with the dead ones, right now,” Jason retorted over the comms. Damian could hear the guns going off, “Give me a second and I’ll be over there. Keep him on his toes, Demon Brat.”

Damian could do that just fine. He could surprise the man, he didn’t have to be brutal like the league when fighting. Grayson mentored him aswell. Damian stopped fighting face on and took the dodges, staying light on his feet and away from any killing blows. But the man seemed to know what to do with his own acrobatic and swift movements. The flip back managed to kick half the mask off, confronted by a sickly sight that he wasn’t quite ready for.

“Hello owlet,” A blue-ish version of Grayson with black veins. He didn’t look like the undead Talons that he was use to being with. He looked somewhere between an inbetween of life and death. The startling realization had him sick. Grayson wasn’t supposed to look like this.

“Grayson?” Damian shouted in question before his head was slammed into the ground. And his vision went out.

When Damian came too, he could smell the scent of fresh blood. It was a nauseating thing to wake up to when you have a concussion. He recalled the event before, Grayson slamming him down. The inbetween Grayson dressed as a Talon. Damian looked around the small cage he was stuck in. It was standard, something easy to get out of if he needed too. Even without his utility belt. Thinking of the piece of clothing caused Damian to look at himself. He could feel the domino mask was off; the clothing he wore was just the under shirt and leggings he wore beneath the armor and kevlar, even his boots were gone.

“Hello owlet,” the talon Grayson walked in finally. Damian stared at the man. His oldest and favorite brother. The first man he knew what a father should be.

“Grayson,” Damian greeted, “Whatever has been done, surely father can-”

“Your father cannot do anything to me little owlet,” The man booped his nose through the bars, “ He doesn’t see it yet. I hope he will allow me to show him, but if he gets in the way then I’m afraid I will have to end him.”

Damian glared, “Richard you will not harm father nor anyone else. If you’d just-”

“Owlet,” He interrupted the boy. It was starting to grate Damian’s nerves. The only reason he had not liberated himself was that he did not want to hurt Richard. Or allow Richard to hurt him, “I am not Richard Grayson. I am the Gray Son. The man you know and me are not the same physically or mentally. I am a creation of the court, I was their undoing. And I shall be your liberation. You do not have to hide yourself anymore.”

“You’re a clone,” Damian stated. Pieces connected. There was no way the court could have acquired Nightwing without the rest knowing between dinner and patrol. Jason and Robin had been chasing guarding the city when the talons came. Batman was chasing who he thought to be Lincoln March, but Damian can see the body in the room, the rest of the owls.

Goodness, he can’t stand evil clones.

“In a way, I like to call myself an upgrade. Clones can’t feel. Don’t have the memories or the feelings. But I remembered you. Caring for you. Foolishly, Nightwing tried to bury the killer inside you that protects you.”

“You’re nothing like my Grayson,” Damian stated.

“Come with me owlet,” The man opened the gate, fully ready for Damian to either attack or take his hand. Damian just walked past him. He wasn’t nearly as foolish to think that his family wasn’t on their way nor was he going to fight a killer in a place he did not know. His father and Grayson’s teaching coming in to mind.

“Be careful, lil’ D,” Grayson whispered, “Control your emotions. Don’t do anything to incapacitate yourself. Don’t let them touch you either.”

“Don’t fight until you can. Until you can,” Father spoke to him.

“Careful my prince,” his mother concluded, “There is power in showing weakness.”

That day his mother took down three highly trained assassins by simply acting as a homeless woman, scared out of her wit.

Damian followed the man towards a room full of coffins yet hooked to tubes. The coffins were translucent on the top, showing the undead talons. Children, Damian thought, only difference between us is that I was conscious in my killings.

“You’re going to stick me in one of those,” Damian told him. His back was facing the familiar man, “Make me like you. Curve my memories or clone me.”

“I don’t think I will have to do anything to you,” a gloved and taloned hand come down onto his shoulder. The tips pressing through Damian’s black undershirt, it almost tickled, “You’re already like me, aren’t you?”

He was close enough for Damian to reach around and pull a dagger out of the holster of the owl. He called onto his mother’s teachings, the brutality is the only thing a clone like Graysons. A clone like his own would understand. The Damian trapped the man’s body with his own. Many would say being too close to a dangerous killer is unwise, but Talon wasn’t wrong when he said Damian was like him. Damian stuck the knife right in his eyes, angled enough to avoid the brain. The Gray Son dropped to the floor. Damian stood above him.

“I’m like you, but I’m also like him,” Damian snapped, “I wouldn’t move until Batman comes to save you. Any movement and that knife could slice your brain just a fraction enough to do some damage.”

Damian left the Gray Son in agony on the floor, walking towards the exit. He had to find his Robin gear before anything. His father was probably already on his way if Talon didn’t throw away the tracker in the suit. But Talon contained enough of Richard memories that-

Something cold goes through him is feels like shards of ice are buzzing through his body. He can’t control his movement when he falls and stumbles to the ground. It’s just so cold. Breathing has never been harder. He can’t talk or scream, the vocal cords are mangled like razors.

“Oh owlet,” The Gray Son was above him. The only other sound's being the echoes of Damian’s teeth chattering. The man has a body face with a missing eye, holding his own dagger. It reminds him of tar, “You are so much like me.”

Damian’s whole body is curled to itself on the cold floor, atleast Damian thinks it’s cold. He can’t tell for sure with his whole body feeling like the arctic. It’s like a brain freeze going throughout his while being.

Hands are on him, warm but add no aid. He feels himself cradled to a chest, “Let's go see my love.”

Chapter Text

Oracle had been watching everyone’s cams through the domino when she saw exactly what Damian was referring too. She made to tell the family what was happening when she herself had been knocked unconscious. No doubt, Batman was alerted to her sudden drop in vitals when they removed her glasses and watch that helped the family know she was safe. She wasn’t scared when she woke up in a bedroom with now windows and the only door seemed to be locked in. Not that she could move much to check it. They were going to come in and check on her, whatever the courts did. Whatever that thing was that wasn’t Dick. She knows because she was watching through Nightwing’s cams. No person can be in two places at once unless…

“Hello beautiful,” The ghoulish looking Grayson walked in. Thankfully her stomach was fairly solid or else she’d vomit at the grotesque sight of his missing eye. But that wasn’t where focus laid. It was the boy that grasped at the shoulders of the person holding them hostage. Tight little hands clutching at the blue-ish skin. He was shivering, in looks of pain, teeth chattering. Skin having a blue tint to it aswill, lips as blue as the Talons.

“What is that?” She asked. It was fairly obvious what happened. Damian retaliated and the talon fought back.

“Just a simple form of punishment used on Talons in training,” He told her, “It’s not deadly. It will wear off in an hour and I’ll allow him to heal- it hurts very much. Very cold, feels like razors full your body, he’s coherent but I doubt he is focusing on us right now. Most likely trying to focu on breathing, making sure his little heart doesn’t freeze.”

Damian wasn’t being made into a talon or whatever the hell this living ghoul was. That's all that mattered.

“Am I not good enough for the court to talk to me? I have to talk to the poor man’s version of Dick Grayson?” Barbara asked.

He frowned at that, his hand clenching from where it rested on Damian’s back. But he wasn’t going to kill her; she wasn’t seen as a threat, and she wasn’t half as ferocious as Damian could be, “The court is gone. They made me. I killed them all.”

“They made you?” She asked, raising an eyebrow, “A clone meant to be their Gray Son. But you are still alive.”

“It would seem their Gray Son should keep his warped memories. I have the same memories as Dick Grayson, I just perceive them differently. I was meant to be their great weapons, the frontline full of soldiers all in my commands. It’s perfect for when I need a distraction,” He explained. The man wasn’t hiding any of his cards from her. She knew that she was still in the main lair for the court, most likely a containment cell for when they needed a trial.

“You are expecting them to come, do you really think you will win? We’ve taken down the court in the past. You’re just one guy. Down goes you and down goes the rest,” She said.

“Yes, but I have you both. Granted, I’d rather keep you both but if I need to- well, clones are an option,” he agreed.

“You want Richard Grayson’s life,” She laughed, “You are an idiot. An even bigger one than Dick actually is.”

The man set the shivering child to the side. Damian’s purple and blue little face had her wanting Leslie more than ever. She was surprised when he pulled her in towards him. She fought at his hands but was trapped and corner with him being bigger than her. Without much room for movement of her upper body, she let herself be pushed to the bed. Memories of the joker’s violation surfaced but she pushed them down. She couldn’t appear fearful. She wouldn’t let any man win.

“My love,” his hand ran down her jawline. Black blood from his eye dripped onto her shirt. She might vomit now. Might vomit right in his eye, “I want the real you. This is not you. My love, I want to make you whole again. I can do that if only you’d just accept my offer.”

“What are you talking about?” She snapped.

“I can fix you. Physically and mentally. You will walk again and with my help, nothing will ever bring you down ever again. No bullet to the spine can hurt you. Infact, we can take that bullet and have you walk into arkham and place it right between the eyes of the madman. Let me show you a whole new world. The doctor helped me, he can help you.”

“You mean Hugo Strange?” She laughed, “After the court paid him, the genius decided to try and ‘fix’ some homeless people. Batman made sure that your doctor is right back in Arkham. And I will never go to him. Never need to go because I am not broken.”

There were lips on her neck, on her collarbone. They felt like Dick, the hands felt like Dick. But the cool wetness of his blood rubbing against her neck certainly did not. Dick wouldn’t call her broken. Dick would never hurt Damian. Damian, who was still in this very bed with them… shivering away. The child was probably too focused on the pain like the Talon shared before but it still sent a sick feeling in her gut.

In instants, her hand hit his him in the groin. Shooting him up before the same hand shoved at his chest and throat. With a twist of her hips and upper body, she used the elbow to slam into his face causing the talon to fall off the bed.

“You will never touch me again,” She sneered, “If they don’t find us, then Oracle will find her own way out of here. Oracle who is not broken at all.”

Chapter Text

Both Damian and Barbara were taken by the new Gray Son. They saw the evidence from the cams on Oracle’s computer. Bruce had been doing his own detective solving while the rest of the team searched for clues. They could conclude that the Owls had been taken out by their new experiment. Hugo Strange’s projects always had a knack for biting the customer in the ass.

Black Bat and Red Robin had already questioned the mad scientist on the make up of the new Talon. The clone theory matched right on up.

“If he has your memories of people, then he probably won’t kill them,” Red Robin assured Nightwing, “But owls are very territorial. It makes sense that if he were trying to take your life that he’s go after Oracle and Robin.”

“He also left clues of where to find them. Very, very clearly,” Bruce shared, “Which means he wants us to walk right in there. It’s a trap. A calling.”

“A calling to what?” Jason held his hip at his helmet, the red domino mask saving his identity.

“To you guys,” Dick sighed, “Then he will probably move onto my friends and the team, eventually Bludhaven and-”

“So he is obsessed with you and your life,” Jason groaned, “I never pegged you for a narcist, maybe a bit of a silver fox kinda kink… Definitely red heads-”

“Little brother,” Cassandra frowned, smacking the Red Hood upside the head.

“Look,” Jason began, “I say we take this creep down. We know where they are at. We know what he is going to try to do. We’re prepared.”

“He has his Talons running this whole city rabid,” Steph spoke, “Maybe with some help of Superman and Wonderwoman, we could lock this thing down a bit sooner.”

Still Dick just stared at the screen. The owl was toying with the bat. He had his sorta-girlfriend there and his partner there. Dick could do something right now, but that was what Talon was counting on.

Three phones binged. All personal phones, none meant for business. One for each of his siblings.

“You know where to come,” Tim read aloud, “Signed, Dickiebird.”

“I’m going,” Bruce declared.

“No,” Nightwing decided, “You are all going to go save the city. It needs us right now. I am-”

“No. You are not. Dick, this isn’t just you- It’s the Talon version of you. I’ve met him in some other dimensions and he will not hesitate to end you. He will outsmart you and out do you each time. He knows you too well.”

“And you?” Dick asked, “Bruce, do you really think you can take him down when he looks just like me. Essentially is me. If I were him, I know exactly what I would do if you showed up right now. I would win. I’d tire you out, let you think you won, then I’d kill you. I’d let it show that I can heal and all your punches did nothing. Then I’d go after the kids.”

“Dick, what are you going to do?” Tim asked when Bruce actually released his eldest.

“I’m going to throw him a curve ball,” Dick decided, “and you aren’t going to want to know how.”

“Wasn’t expecting a call, kid,” Slade smirked from the docks. It made his skin crawl the way Slade stared him down. He itched for the fight, but he needed him. He needed him bad right now.

“I need you to do something for me,” He asked, “The Gray Son. I know you already know what is going on. You like to keep tabs on me.”

“Yeah. Heard he’s got your first red head all hidden away in his secret lair then your little brat too. Sucks when the bad guys get your girl and kid, don’t it?” Slade huffed a laugh, “So, the goody two shoes needs help from big bad me to take down his evil twin?”

“Batman can’t,” Dick frowned, “He’s too much like me for Bats to strike down. He’s not brutal enough to keep him down.”

“And I am?” Slade grinned, “Go ahead kid, tell me, feed my ego.”

Slade knew what Dick would say. You can take him down because you can take me down, you just choose not too. Dick hated to admit it but Slade was an amazing fighter, ruthless. Dick could barely keep up with him, could never let himself become that brutal to take a man like down and stay down. Slade was the bad guy that Dick would never truly win against. Not without a team, not without his father or brothers… Slade was Dick’s weakness.

“Talon and I share memories, however warped. Wants. Desires. Fears. Weaknesses,” Dick admitted, “You’re it. The one I know will always prevail even when I win.”

Slade grinned like a coyote. It sent chills down Dick’s spine, “That was good but not good enough, I want something in return, kiddo. You want to be my partner in crime again?”

Dick liked to think he wasn’t selfish. He liked to think that he’d put other above himself, that he wouldn’t pull a card like this, “I have Rose’s address. I know where she is.”

Deathstroke eyed the man, all smiles gone.

“I do this and you tell me where my kid is, that’s your schtick,” Deathstroke stared.

“Yes,” Dick nodded. You take down Talon. Hand him over to me where we can keep him detained and I’ll tell you where Rose is,” Dick agreed, “You’re just that good, Slade.”

“You weren’t supposed to come here,” Talon glared. He looked like Dick, but it was a gruesome sight to see. Dick had never been more glad on how quick Bruce picked him up from the circus.

“You have my girlfriend,” He grinned. Talon had a missing eye and a shiner on the side. He knew that on or both was responsible for each, “I want them back.”

“You’re prepared to fight me?” Talon laughed, “Pretender. I’m you but better. Can’t you see how this will end?”

“Yeah,” Dick nodded, “It’s why I had to opt out on this one.”

“You are one ugly son of a bitch, Owl,” Deathstroke jumped from behind. Dick could see the Talon’s breathing slow. There was obvious fear in his one good eye. Dick left the two to fight. His plan had to work, it had to be there. Dick ran towards the room, trying to think of where he’d put them if he was an evil clone. Detainment centers would work the best.

“Dick,” Babs stared at him. She was holding up Damian who seemed to be drowsy, “How’d you? Oh never mind, look Dick, I was thinking about it and if we take down The Gray Son then we take down all the owls.”

“He controls them?” Dick asked.

“He’s the only competent thing left of the court to do it,” She began, “Also, he’s still not good with cold. Even with the beating heart and all that. He is like ice. Which means-”

“He’s warm blooded,” Dick nodded, “The freeze gun.”

“Bingo,” Babs grinned before staring at Damian, “He won’t be able to walk. They used something I believe similar to what they use on the Talons. It chills them, it should wear off but-”

There was a loud sound and shout.

“Investigate later, run now,” Dick told them. Dick had never been more glad for all the workout Bruce forced him to do. Running with Damian on his back and Babs in his arm wasn’t an easy task. When he came to where Deathstroke and Talon were fighting. Each looking worse for wear, Talon almost seemed to be winning though. It was astonishing and frightening. Deathstroke was unbeatable. Even Batman and Ra’s found him troubling.

“Do not touch my owlets,” The monster snarled, turning his back to Deathstroke to throw a kunai at Dick’s head.

Shwoosh.

Dick wanted to be sick, watching his own clone be decapitated. Black tar, acting as blood, spilled from both body and head. His own brain fell out in the process of the fall. The Gray Son had died.

“You weren’t supposed to kill him,” Dick growled. For once Deathstroke looked near collapse. Worn down and sick, “We had a plan to-”

“Stay good, Grayson,” Deathstroke laughed, “You’re way too good at being bad.”

The Gray Son was brutal and vicious. A born killer with all Dick’s ability. Yes, the healing factor helped but- Talon mostly allowed himself to be hit.

The Grays Son was Dick, but evil.

The Gray Son was going to win against Deathstroke.

“I heard what you did,” Bruce frowned, “That was risky. Going to Deathstroke.”

Dick stayed silent as his father came to him. He needed Bruce to be his dad right now, not Batman. No more darkness for tonight. Nothing like that ever again. He didn’t want Damian to flinch at his sight when he first became coherent again. He didn’t want Babs to flinch when they kiss. He didn’t want to be the type of person that a villain like Deathstroke feared.

“You said there were others like him in the multiverse,” Dick frowned.
“I did,” Bruce nodded, “Like him, not you.”

“We’ve all gone bad before, Bruce,” Dick frowned, “If I were to-”

“Not you. You’ve never been dark chum,” Bruce put his arm around him, “You’ve always light. Light when we all needed it. You, my son, are good.”