P.O.V.  ???

There once was a professional thief and his son. The thief was good at his job and made sure his son was, too. The son tried to be his shadow - his echo. He worshiped his father and only wanted to please him. But, no matter how hard he tried; it was never good enough for the father. One night, they broke into the upper floor of a rich man's residence. They stole jewels, gold, and other valuables from a safe, but were forced to run from the security team. While scaling the front gate, the boy accidentally dropped the bag of stolen goods. Later, the father beat his son for botching the robbery. In retaliation, the son stole his father's pocket watch, went outside their apartment, and called the police from a phone booth. A few minutes later, a S.W.A.T. team confronted the father, and a gunfight ensued. The father was gunned down. Soon after that, the boy was recruited by a member of the Vanaver family belonging to the Court of Owls. He was raised and trained by the Vanavers to be a skilled assassin. The boy grew up alongside the daughter of the family, Samantha. The boy was given strength, purpose. He became the Talon of the Court of Owls.

That boy is me. I was helpless, misguided, eager to please but that night, my eyes were finally opened. The night my father had beaten me for botching the robbery was the night that I had realized my purpose.

Later in life my training, added clarity to my vision. I have found my reason to live, to clean Gotham city of its scum.

When I returned to Gotham everything had changed. Lunatics were roaming everywhere without care, killing people left and right. The police were in the pocket of Gangs. 

There was a hero who was trying to save Gotham but he was morally good, never going with his instincts, never understanding how much his actions were hurting people indirectly. 

Due to him instilling fear in the hearts of criminals, crime was lower for some time but then they figured out his weakness. He had morals and a rule of not killing.

And then came along those who don't care for their lives. He was unable to instill fear in them. They wanted to challenge him and during their battles, innocent people who just wanted to live, were harmed. 

Batman is not worthy. He was just a man-child who was chasing meaningless morals to satisfy his desire to be a hero, and was like someone who had a trauma and is trying to deal with it by helping people. 

That's why even after knowing that Samantha and the Court were lying to me and were just uttering false promises, I choose to side with them and aid them in their goal because someone had to sacrifice themself for the betterment of the people. I know I would be placed in those life-preserving machines and be used by them but it was a small price to pay. 

But it really stings that Samantha doesn't love me, thinks of me as a tool, and is with me because just of my prowess. I mean, I have killed for her, sweat, bled for her and the organization's goal. 

But even if I have killed, I have always maintained a clear conscious. Because I never killed innocents or those who I deemed innocent, which are close to none. Everyone that I have killed were involved in more than 5 types of crimes. 

Some of those rich bastards were deep in human trafficking, meta-human trafficking, some of them involved in drugs, some involved in oil trafficking, and all that shit. 

But what I hate most is that the stupid owls are restricting me, telling me not to go help people. The moment I returned to Gotham, I just wanted to barge into various Gang's headquarters with my team and rip their beating hearts out of their bodies. But I can't do so because those rich assholes, born with platinum spoons in their mouths, have never seen people suffering. But it was okay because no matter how shrewd Samantha is, she cares for Gotham and wants this city to become good. So, if that vision demands me restraining my hands then so be it. 

This city is my home and as its child, it is my duty to clean it, protect it. For that reason, I am willing to pay any price. 

I too wanted to see this city rebuilt but this is not possible, because the moment I take care of Batman through any means, I will be in those machines. I want to help somehow but I don't have the fortune to do so. That's one of the reasons that I am helping the Court and the other reason is to punish those who are harming this city. 

In the night I would still go out and clear some low-level goons. In the day, I would practice and gather intelligence, this is my daily routine. 

Today, something different happened. I was just working on the computer when all the screens went blank and then started to show some people's photos. 

Then he appeared. He first talked about Gotham's dire state. At first, I thought that another lunatic had joined the ranks of Gotham but no. This. This one was of a different breed. 

This man genuinely felt bad for Gotham and its people. Others might not have noticed but this man, he has seen the darkness more than Batman and I have.

He took on a pledge of delivering Justice. He killed 15 scums brutally, oh sorry not brutally but by the way they deserved and for the first time in a while, I felt the same happiness that I felt when I informed the police about my father and they shot him.

I have never understood this feeling, but it was the reason I joined the Court and became Talon. 

But the game had just started. Rudra gave control of the life and death of both Victor & Mad Hatter to the public's hands. Justice was served by those who were suffering from injustice. The balance was restored. 

I envy him and his courage in not wearing a mask when everyone does so. His courage to deliver justice and stand in front of the light. I…. I want to be like him. I wanted to deliver justice but my wings are tied. I am just a bird in a cage. 

After some time, Gotham Police Gordon's Interview aired. That old coot had the audacity to imply that his police officers were not criminals. 

In my rage, I broke the monitor screen. 

Then I heard a sound, like a bird flapping its wings. It was a drone which had four propellers and a container box. It was hovering right outside my closed window. 

Then a small tube of metal comes out from the bottom part of it, and started to glow blue, firing at the glass of the window. My window glass was shattered, and it came in.

In a second my pair of Sai ( weapon ) was in my hands. I was in a defensive stance ready to attack or defend. 

The drone landed and the container opened. Afterwards the drone short-circuited. All its parts except the container were melted. 

I was still alert and ready to fight because no one was supposed to know about this place, no one knew about me besides the 2. 

I stayed in a defensive stance for about 5 minutes. Then I slowly approached the container. 

It had a blue disc in it with shiny metal around it. I picked it up and the moment I did, the blue disc started to glow. 

Then a hologram started. It was a boy in a red jacket who was looking at a police shootout. I knew whoever sent it knew about me because the boy was me. It was the day I called the police. Then it showed my training, and a meeting of the Court of Owls. 

The video feed changed and a man with brown skin, black eyes, black hair, wearing a white overcoat with an orange shirt under it, and black skin-tight pants and shoes appeared. 

I know this man. He is the same man who was on the screen. He is Rudra. 

Rudra: " Hello Chris. Or should I say Talon or caged owl " ( A/n: There was no name given to Talon in the movie. )

I didn't say anything because I knew sound could be used for various things. I just kept staring at the Hologram. 

Rudra: " I don't think you were mute. Or do those Owls have such a leash on you that you can't even speak freely? " 

Chris: " What do you want, Rudra? "

 There was no need to play games, because this man knew everything about me, even my name that no one knows nowadays.

Rudra: " What do I want? " 

Rudra was silent for a moment. 

Rudra: " What I want is for someone to realize that he is an Eagle, not an owl that he was led to believe he is. What I want is for you to realize that your talons can and will rip apart everyone guilty no matter who they are. What I want is for you to fly through the sky like an eagle and prey on those who are hurt the innocent. 

What I want is for you to stop restraining yourself and execute your justice. 

What I want is you, Chris. " 

Rudra: " I want you to help me clean this city. I want you, who has seen the darkness, to protect the innocent people of this city from the same darkness. 

What I need is your help to eradicate this darkness that has rooted deep inside the heart of Gotham. " 

Rudra: " I know, you have your doubts and I promise you, every doubt will be cleared but for now why not joined me temporarily and see if I have what it takes to change the state of Gotham, and if I don't then you already have your little hypocrite gang who don't care about your  surprise. " 

Rudra said these in breaks. There was this voice in my heart that said, "I want to see what this man is up to". Not only that, but I wanted to feel that same feeling again. The feeling of executing justice. But I have the Owls on my back. 

Chris: " I think you already know about my circumstances, therefore I am sorry, but Talon can't join you. " 

Rudra: " Oh, however I want an eagle to join me, not Talon. Look into the box. I will send you the coordinates and you will know what to do. " 

I searched the box and there was a ring in it. I inspected the ring and when I put it on, a suit with wings and a guidebook came out of it. 

The suit was black, skintight with foldable wings attached to its back which also looked like a cape. The suit was based on an eagle. The helmet of the suit was red. The lenses have X-ray and infrared vision.  The hands were like my talon suit, attached with deadly claws, but these claws can produce a high voltage of electricity. The shoes have hidden blades that are laced with poison. When the metal wings unfold, they have mini thrusters in them which can help me fly. The suit was not made of fabric but instead various metal alloys, these alloys were made to feel like fabric. It has some magic imbued in it according to the manual book. It also had a hidden kryptonite dagger and bullet for the likes of Superman. 

This suit alone confirmed my theory that Rudra had planed for a long time to eradicate the darkness from Gotham.

*beep*beep*

My phone sounded and a message with some coordinates flashed on the screen. 

************************************************

Rudra's POV

There is one thing that I know, I alone am not capable enough to deliver justice. I need a team. A team that has seen the darkness and is ready to fight it. People who want to save others from the darkness even if it means that they lose themselves in darkness. 

I have been searching for these people with my omnipotence and I found some, but this one guy stands out the most. Even more than Jason Todd. 

I searched for him and I have to say I am now his fan. He turned his father in at the age of 12. He joined a secret organization to do good cause he knew his weakness. He knew where the road would end but he kept going. This boy, no Man is the perfect hero Gotham needs.

A boy at the mere age of 12 had seen the world's true colors, stopped his father and that was the selling point. 

I have heard a certain dialogue a lot of times, "What I am is because of my parents" in the past. "my father used to beat me, my mother was a drug addict" all that shit. I agreed with most of it. But my question with those people was always " was it so hard to call the police or grab a knife from the drawer and stab them with it." I mean the police were just a call away. 

No, the reason that they were like this was that they were too scared to do anything. And in Gotham everyone is scared, and all I have to do is destroy this fear. Tonight the very foundation of fear will be shaken.

You see there is a reason for whatever I have done. The call to Gordon was just to shake Batman. It will send him a message that I know his identity, not only his but every one of his allies. It will make Batman more paranoid, while Gordon will be shitting his pants because a lunatic is after his daughter. 

I chose Victor because I knew what Black Mask's reaction would be. He will try to avenge his brother/best friend, send his goons to kill those people who are the family of victims and those who show their support for me. He will try to put fear in people's minds with this. 

And I want him to do so. Tonight, bullets will be fired and people will die.

All my chess pieces are in the ideal position and all I have to do is wait. 

Plus, it is time that I met the Bat clan. And I have a perfect gift in my mind for them. 

I looked toward a pillar where an old man with a great physique was tied. 

" Hope you are enjoying my hospitality, Mr. Wayne. "