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There was blood everywhere.
The little Talon did not flinch at the mess. Blood was something he was quite accustomed to; though, his ran a different color than the dead man’s before him.
“It seems the senator won’t be voting on that bill after all,” Grandmaster snorted as he strode into the room.
Now, they were back in the Court. Grandmaster was talking to two Owls about the successful mission. Meanwhile, Talon stood at attention, waiting patiently for his next order. That was his entire existence, after all. He received orders, fulfilled them, then received more.
“We have no further missions for the boy at present,” one of the Owls said, his voice cold and uncaring. “Put him in storage for now.”
Talon wasn’t supposed to feel scared. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything. But he knew what ‘storage’ meant. It meant being put in the cryo-coffin.
He didn’t want to go back in there. It was cold and dark. He hated the cold. The moments inside the coffin before he fell asleep were always excruciating.
“Talon,” his Grandmaster snapped, “it’s time for a nap. Report to your cryo-coffin.”
Talon didn’t want to comply, even if every fiber of his being was begging him to. He’d been trained to obey without question. He knew what punishments lay ahead if he refused. But the coffin was so painful…
He didn’t move.
Grandmaster narrowed his eyes. “You dare disobey a direct order?”
Acidic fear bubbled up in Talon’s chest. He wanted to run away, but it was as if his feet were glued to the floor.
His master strode up to him and jerked Talon up in the air by his neck. Grandmaster’s breath was rancid as he hissed, “It seems you’re in need of more training. The coffin will just have to wait.”
Talons weren’t supposed to feel pain, but the little Talon couldn’t keep from screaming when the first liquid nitrogen-laced knife plunged into his skin.
Dick’s eyes flew open with a sharp gasp. He sat up and frantically looked about the room, but he didn’t see any signs of his Grandmaster. No cryo-coffins, either. Just blue-painted walls and his signed Superman wall poster.
He wasn’t in the Court. He was home. Safe.
“Dick?”
The bedside lamp turned on, illuminating the room in a gentle glow. Barbara sat up in bed beside him and started rubbing circles on his back.
Dick scrubbed his face with his hand. “Sorry to wake you, Babs. It was just a nightmare.”
His girlfriend nodded, her mouth turned downward into a frown. She didn’t ask what the nightmare had been about. She didn’t have to. Ever since Dick had been hit with the toxin that forced him to reveal his dark past to his family, he was scarcely able to sleep through the night.
“I feel so stupid,” he continued miserably. “I haven’t dreamed about the Court like this in years. I thought I had finally buried that part of my past. Now, it’s like that serum resurrected it, turning me into that scared little kid that Bruce had to rebuild from scratch.”
Barbara leaned back onto her pillows and pulled Dick towards her. He happily complied, settling his head on his girlfriend’s chest and throwing his arm around her torso. Barbara was the total antithesis of the Court. Where they were cold and hard, she was warm and soft. Where they treated him as nothing but a disposable weapon, she made him feel safe and valued and loved.
“Better?” She whispered as she ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair.
Dick nodded against her.
“Good. Dick, you can’t beat yourself up. Yes, you’ve had a rough week, but that doesn’t negate the near two decades of progress you made before that. You’ve come so far. Hell, until recently, none of your siblings had any idea you used to be an undead assassin. I’d say that’s pretty impressive. But healing isn’t linear; you know that just as well as I do. Don’t let a little setback send you into a downward spiral.”
Dick sighed. “I just hate that I’m keeping you up at night, too. You don’t get enough sleep as is it. It’s not fair to you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Richard,” Barbara returned, and Dick could tell she was rolling her eyes. “If I cared that much about a healthy sleep schedule, I would have changed career paths years ago. But if it really bothers you, maybe talk to Leslie tomorrow and see if there’s something she can give you to help you sleep better.”
As usual, Barbara’s logic was flawless.
“I’ll probably do that. Have I ever told you how much I love you?”
His girlfriend chuckled. “Once or twice, but it never gets old. Now, how’s your head?”
Dick lifted his head up and sent the red-head a dazzling grin. “Well, I haven’t heard any complaints yet. Care for a demonstration?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s the ass-crack of dawn, Birdbrain. Keep it in your pants. Now, seeing as your mental state has improved enough to proposition me, I’m assuming it’s safe to go back to sleep.”
Dick pulled his girlfriend in for a deep kiss. “Fair enough. Goodnight, Babs. Thanks for keeping me in my right mind.”
Barbara smiled against his lips. “Someone has too. Goodnight, Boy Wonder.”
They fell asleep holding each other. And this time, Dick’s sleep was dreamless.