Batman vs. Robin Page #2

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Those papers will be signed soon.

Everything will be different

then, you'll see.

- Where are you going?

- Out.

What about me?

I got you a sitter.

You're sloppy.

No, I'm uninterested.

Get interested.

I don't need to be trained

by some circus clown.

My grandfather taught me everything

I need to know about personal combat.

Well, I was trained by Bruce Wayne.

And every time they met,

he kicked Ra's al Ghul's ass.

Just like I'm kicking yours.

You really are a mass of ego, aren't you?

The pure and perfect Dick Grayson.

The first Robin. Unh.

Based on what I'm seeing,

I was the only Robin.

You're just some lost little orphan

he took pity on.

But I'm blood!

I'm his son.

You certainly are.

Beware the Court of Owls

That watches all the time

Gazing from the shadows

Behind cement and lime

They see you at the hearth

They see you in your bed

Take care, beware, or they will send...

A talon for your head

Is...? Is it true, Dad?

Is there really a secret group

of rich and powerful men...

...who rule the city from the shadows?

Who send their talon out to destroy anyone

who dares to even mention their existence?

Mm-hm.

Absolutely not.

Mm.

But what if it is?

It's just a story, Bruce.

There's no Court of Owls.

It's not real.

And even if it was...

...do you think we'd ever let anything bad

happen to you?

No. Never.

I promise.

Your mother and I will always be here

to protect you.

I believed it. I really did.

I thought it was the

Court that killed them.

And I made up my mind to find them...

...and make them pay for what they'd done.

I knew that Harbor House

was the Court's headquarters.

I watched them.

The richest men in Gotham,

the most powerful.

And if I searched long enough...

...I'd find proof.

And did you?

No, Alfred.

Dad was right.

It was just a story.

It was just a story.

We all look for meaning behind

the tragedies that befall us.

And sometimes the meaning is there.

But sometimes, Master Bruce...

...terrible things just happen.

No sinister plots. No secret societies.

They just happen.

I'm sorry, Kory, really,

but I'm stuck babysitting.

No, I'm not kidding. You're wearing what?

The red one? With the lace?

And the thong?

Please. Don't tell me any more.

Tomorrow night, I promise.

We'll...

Bruce is gonna bust a blood vessel.

Master Dick, it's Batman. He needs you.

Please don't hurt him.

You bastard.

No.

How about a dance, old lady?

Mind if I cut in?

Grab your husband and go.

Get up so I can hurt you some more.

Enough, man. We give up.

Who said surrender was an option?

What are you waiting for, Robin?

Men like this don't deserve to live.

I won't finish it for you this time.

The decision has to be yours.

Wait.

Who are you?

My name is Talon.

Come on.

What is this place?

Home.

You can speak freely here.

My respect for Batman

and all he's achieved is high.

But there are lines he won't cross.

Perhaps out of fear

or some misguided moral code.

There are no lines I won't cross

in order to reach my goal.

So you've come to Gotham to...

To do what Batman refuses to do.

Eradicate crime and criminals

once and for all.

No lines. No limits.

No rules.

You're saying the end

always justifies the means?

If the goal is a worthy one.

Who decides what's worthy?

That takes an exceptional human being.

Like you?

And you.

Keep it.

A gift.

Why me?

We're kindred spirits.

I've been watching you for some time.

I want you to join me.

And if I say no?

When you've made your decision,

use this to contact me.

It's not a tracking device.

Feel free to give it a thorough inspection.

I will.

Oh, and one last thing.

Don't tell him about me.

Not a word.

Where were you?

What happened to you? Are you okay?

You don't get to ask questions.

- Now, where the hell were you?

- Out.

Where?

Just out.

"Out" has suddenly become

a far more dangerous place.

What's this?

- That's mine.

- I don't think so.

So, what are you gonna do now,

build a dungeon and lock me up in it?

Despite what you may think,

I'm your father, Damian, not your jailer.

A biological accident

doesn't make you my father.

And it sure as hell

doesn't make me your son.

There's a school in Switzerland

run by a retired general...

...who knows far more than I do

about boys and discipline.

Try this again, that's where

you'll be spending the next year.

You really played me for a fool.

Not hard to do.

You know, I did my share of

sneaking out too back in the day.

Those things are out there, Dick.

If Batman's a target, so is he.

Then talk to him about it.

- He doesn't listen.

- But, Bruce, he's just...

He's not you, Dick.

Before I took you in,

you had loving parents.

You had a heart.

- And he doesn't?

- That's not what I mean.

Or is it? I don't know.

Maybe biological ties aren't enough

to make a man a father.

Or a boy a son.

I thought you upgraded the security wall.

I did.

I, uh...

I shut the outgoing system down, sir.

Why?

Master Damian said

he felt like a prisoner in his own home.

I thought if he tried to leave again and saw

that there was nothing keeping him here...

...that you did trust him, then...

Sometimes, you have to have

a little faith, sir.

Since when have I been a man of faith?

You did the right thing.

He'll be back.

He'd better be.

He'll get over it, won't he?

He never gets over anything.

Running a little late, Samantha,

but I should be there in 15 minutes.

I'm not a woman

who likes being kept waiting, Bruce.

But I'll make an exception for you.

Well, then, I'll do everything in my power

to make sure your patience is...

Hang on a minute, Sam.

Is something wrong?

I'm not sure.

Bruce?

I'll call you back.

What the hell is this?

An opportunity.

And one

you should be extremely grateful for.

Welcome, Mr. Wayne.

Not exactly a warm welcome.

If we'd wanted you dead,

you wouldn't be here now.

Who are you?

The Grandmaster of the Court of Owls.

I would say the Court of Owls

is merely a legend.

A legend we are, but one rooted in fact.

There was a time when the Court of Owls

stood behind every wall, in every shadow.

We whispered and Gotham trembled.

Not a leaf fell without our permission.

A golden age.

But all golden ages end.

A faction rose against us

that even our talons couldn't stop.

We were forced to retreat.

But we never surrendered.

- And now...

- You're back. Why?

Because we care, Mr. Wayne.

Just as our fathers and grandfathers

and great-grandfathers cared.

We are, and always have been, the sons

and daughters of Gotham's wealthiest.

We know far better than the rabble

what's best for our city.

In other words, you want to control Gotham.

How else to restore a city

that's spiraled into chaos?

That's become a cesspool, a charnel house?

A magnet for freaks, lunatics

and delusional vigilantes?

We have a vision of Gotham's future,

Mr. Wayne.

And so, we understand, do you.

We invite you to join your vision

to the Court's.

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