Supremedalekdunn
The Dark Knight – Heir to the Demon – Prologue – Part 20
It takes merely thirty minutes for Alfred to safely remove the bullet from Talia’s wound. Rather alarming how skilled he has become with removing bullets from people. Part of me hopes it’s simply from the years of practise he’s had during my tenure in Gotham, but I know that’s not the case. I just hope he was removing the bullets from people other than himself. Mercifully for Talia, his skills have come a long way since then. So’s his stitch work.
As he goes to clean his surgical tools, I stay by Talia’s side waiting for her to regain consciousness. Her scar is nasty, but it’ll heal quickly. The perks of being pumped full of Lazarus. Then again, part of me can’t help but be curious as to why the healing factor hasn’t kicked in yet. A bullet wound that size would be more or less gone in 24 hours with the accelerated healing factor granted to her by Lazarus. The only option for it not kicking in is that she’s not been exposed to the pit for a couple of years.
But why would she have deliberately chosen to not bath in the pit?
There’s too many questions, and not enough answers.
Whilst I wait for the sedatives to wear off allowing her to regain consciousness, I take a moment to inspect a scar on her stomach. It’s partially healed but from what I can make out, it’s over a decade old at least. Though I can’t be certain given the extent of healing, the most logical assumption would be the scar of a cesarean section. No doubt there were complications whilst delivering Damian….given all that appears to have transpired that may be an understatement.
”Bru…..Bruce…”
”Feeling better?”
”Can’t tell. Everything feels numb.”
”That’ll be the sedative. The finest Wayne Enterprises has to offer.”
”It’s…..strong….this stuff usually has no effect on me.”
”One of the perks of Lazarus.”
”Yeah. I suppose that explains why it’s having such an effect on me.”
”So you haven’t exposed yourself to Lazarus for some time.”
”The lack of a healing factor tip you off?”
”It….may of. But why?”
”I didn’t want to forget him. In a way, I saw this as a reminder of my failure to protect him. Even before he was born. I failed him. And now….I learn that all the grief I gave myself for all those years….was for nothing. My own father, stole my son from me…”
”Then he made him into a weapon to kill me.”
”You broke him Bruce. When you left. The only time I’ve seen my Father so angry and heart broken before was when my mother died.”
”Now he wants to settle the score. He sacrificed his own son, to make me his heir. I guess it only seems fitting to him that in return, he use my son as a weapon against me. Be it Jason, or Damian.”
”I didn’t know about him.”
”I know. You were as shocked to learn about him as I was.”
”Not him. Jason. I trained him.”
”You what?”
”When he was brought to us half dead and my father placed him in the pit, I had no idea who he was. Only that he was a mighty warrior who had survived the impossible. I trained him. Showed him the way of the League, and next thing I knew he was gone. It wasn’t until he returned briefly that I learned all that he was.”
”One of my former Robins.”
”No. He was a weapon. One that my father intended to blow up in your face.”
”Nice to know he cares.”
”It was then that I realised the truth about my father. To him…”
”We’re all pawns.”
”Even those he holds most dear.”
”Especially them.”
”But to know that all these years, he hid my own son from me. Trained him with a greater intensity than he subjected you to….I just…..I can’t believe that this is the same man I looked up to growing up.”
A single tear falls down Talia’s left check. Before she has a chance to lift her arm and wipe it, I do so. As she closes her eyes to stop herself crying further I can’t help but find this all a bit surreal. A lot has changed in those years apart. Clearly believing herself to have lost Damian left her distraught. It breaks my heart to know that she spent all those years suffering by herself. All because of a moment of cowardice on my part.
Part of me still wonders whether or not I’d have made the choice I did had I known the consequences it would bring. Forced to live apart from Talia having allowed Ra’s to all but break her spirit. Have my own flesh and blood turned against me. All because of some false sense of morality I allow myself to be dictated by courtesy of my long deceased parents. Maybe I should have been brave. That’s all it would of taken…a moment of bravery.
As another tear falls down Talia’s cheek, I grab hold of her left hand and hold it tight. I made a mistake when I ran away from you before, I don’t intend to make that mistake again.
”I promise you Talia. On my dying breath. I will make things right. I promise.”
There’s a long moment of silence as I pause to kiss her hand and show that no matter what she thinks of herself, she still means everything to me.
”I want to see him.”
”You mean…?”
”I want to see my son.”
The Dark Knight – Heir to the Demon – Prologue – Part 20
It takes merely thirty minutes for Alfred to safely remove the bullet from Talia’s wound. Rather alarming how skilled he has become with removing bullets from people. Part of me hopes it’s simply from the years of practise he’s had during my tenure in Gotham, but I know that’s not the case. I just hope he was removing the bullets from people other than himself. Mercifully for Talia, his skills have come a long way since then. So’s his stitch work.
As he goes to clean his surgical tools, I stay by Talia’s side waiting for her to regain consciousness. Her scar is nasty, but it’ll heal quickly. The perks of being pumped full of Lazarus. Then again, part of me can’t help but be curious as to why the healing factor hasn’t kicked in yet. A bullet wound that size would be more or less gone in 24 hours with the accelerated healing factor granted to her by Lazarus. The only option for it not kicking in is that she’s not been exposed to the pit for a couple of years.
But why would she have deliberately chosen to not bath in the pit?
There’s too many questions, and not enough answers.
Whilst I wait for the sedatives to wear off allowing her to regain consciousness, I take a moment to inspect a scar on her stomach. It’s partially healed but from what I can make out, it’s over a decade old at least. Though I can’t be certain given the extent of healing, the most logical assumption would be the scar of a cesarean section. No doubt there were complications whilst delivering Damian….given all that appears to have transpired that may be an understatement.
”Bru…..Bruce…”
”Feeling better?”
”Can’t tell. Everything feels numb.”
”That’ll be the sedative. The finest Wayne Enterprises has to offer.”
”It’s…..strong….this stuff usually has no effect on me.”
”One of the perks of Lazarus.”
”Yeah. I suppose that explains why it’s having such an effect on me.”
”So you haven’t exposed yourself to Lazarus for some time.”
”The lack of a healing factor tip you off?”
”It….may of. But why?”
”I didn’t want to forget him. In a way, I saw this as a reminder of my failure to protect him. Even before he was born. I failed him. And now….I learn that all the grief I gave myself for all those years….was for nothing. My own father, stole my son from me…”
”Then he made him into a weapon to kill me.”
”You broke him Bruce. When you left. The only time I’ve seen my Father so angry and heart broken before was when my mother died.”
”Now he wants to settle the score. He sacrificed his own son, to make me his heir. I guess it only seems fitting to him that in return, he use my son as a weapon against me. Be it Jason, or Damian.”
”I didn’t know about him.”
”I know. You were as shocked to learn about him as I was.”
”Not him. Jason. I trained him.”
”You what?”
”When he was brought to us half dead and my father placed him in the pit, I had no idea who he was. Only that he was a mighty warrior who had survived the impossible. I trained him. Showed him the way of the League, and next thing I knew he was gone. It wasn’t until he returned briefly that I learned all that he was.”
”One of my former Robins.”
”No. He was a weapon. One that my father intended to blow up in your face.”
”Nice to know he cares.”
”It was then that I realised the truth about my father. To him…”
”We’re all pawns.”
”Even those he holds most dear.”
”Especially them.”
”But to know that all these years, he hid my own son from me. Trained him with a greater intensity than he subjected you to….I just…..I can’t believe that this is the same man I looked up to growing up.”
A single tear falls down Talia’s left check. Before she has a chance to lift her arm and wipe it, I do so. As she closes her eyes to stop herself crying further I can’t help but find this all a bit surreal. A lot has changed in those years apart. Clearly believing herself to have lost Damian left her distraught. It breaks my heart to know that she spent all those years suffering by herself. All because of a moment of cowardice on my part.
Part of me still wonders whether or not I’d have made the choice I did had I known the consequences it would bring. Forced to live apart from Talia having allowed Ra’s to all but break her spirit. Have my own flesh and blood turned against me. All because of some false sense of morality I allow myself to be dictated by courtesy of my long deceased parents. Maybe I should have been brave. That’s all it would of taken…a moment of bravery.
As another tear falls down Talia’s cheek, I grab hold of her left hand and hold it tight. I made a mistake when I ran away from you before, I don’t intend to make that mistake again.
”I promise you Talia. On my dying breath. I will make things right. I promise.”
There’s a long moment of silence as I pause to kiss her hand and show that no matter what she thinks of herself, she still means everything to me.
”I want to see him.”
”You mean…?”
”I want to see my son.”