Author's Note: I would like to thank, Emily Thayer, Dragonknight, and Damien Williams.
Monday, January 16, 2012 -- Morning: (Chapter 2)
Guest Bedroom,
Wayne Manor,
Gotham City
"How is she?" asks Bruce, stepping into one of the many guest bedrooms that dot Wayne Manor. Bruce can see that Talia is still sound asleep, but sitting beside her is her half-sister, Nyssa Raatko, who hadn't slept much since they were kidnapped, replies, "Your Doctor Thompkins said Talia is going to make a full recovery. As for the baby, Leslie said there is no reason to worry, that all signs are positive. I'm still worried."
"Well, at least that's some good news," voices Bruce, who had not spoken much to Nyssa, since she was rescued from The Dragon Daughter, along with her sister and Talia's bodyguards. Nyssa, who had been crying, doesn't even look at Bruce, instead, she asks, "Where the hell have you been? Why did you disappear for hours? You should have been here by her side!"
"I'm sorry," voices Bruce, who didn't know how to deal with the fact that he almost lost Talia again and his baby she is carrying, since Thompkins had confirmed it is his daughter, "But, I had some stuff to handle regarding the Arkham Knight."
"I want to kill him! More than I have ever wanted to kill anyone," answers Nyssa, who hadn't told Bruce how she and Talia were taken so easily. She will let Talia do that whenever she is fully recovered. Bruce walks around the bed, and takes a seat across from Nyssa, who is still gently holding her sister's hand, with her remaining personal bodyguards nearby, they are not going to be taken by surprise again. Bruce, needing information asks, "Can you tell me what happened to the League of Assassins?"
Nyssa is also dealing with that emotional turmoil, but she answers, "The League of Assassins is no more, destroyed by the Arkham Knight. Only Talia, Lady Shiva, Talia's bodyguards, and some other members survived the destruction brought down on us."
"Interesting," voices Bruce, noticing a patterning regarding who survives the Arkham Knight's attacks, "Can you tell me anymore?"
"What more is there to tell?" asks Nyssa, staring through Bruce, back to Nanda Parbat, where the main base of operation for the League of Assassins was before it was destroyed by the Arkham Knight, "This Arkham Knight, cut through the League's finest warriors like nothing I had ever seen before. He knew our strengths and our weaknesses, and that the recent civil war had weakened us even more, the League was no match for his militia."
"Why are the survivors females?" asks Bruce, knowing the majority of the survivors had been women but he needs to know the reason.
"I can only tell you what I think," answers Nyssa, wishing her father, who she did not always see eye to eye with was here, "I think despite the Arkham Knight's ruthlessness, he only kills women when it's required. Oh, I'm sure he would have cut out Talia's baby if that were necessary, but he also went through extra effort to capture the female members of the League alive but slaughtered the male members of the League, including my brother."
"How did Dusan die?" asks Bruce, who hadn't seen Dusan al Ghul in years, this caused Nyssa to tear up again, "Oh, I'm sorry!"
"No, it's alright. My father taught me to be strong and I'm going to be strong for him, Talia and the surviving members of the League," voices Nyssa, who is now the leader of the League until Talia is back on her feet, quietly standing up and walking to the bedroom door, Nyssa motions for Bruce to follow her, as he can see that her bodyguards are present even now. Back outside of the bedroom, Nyssa explains, "Dusan was captured and tortured by the Arkham Knight for information. The Arkham Knight had some type of device which he said would make Dusan obey him, but it didn't work for some reason, and Dusan was dissected for study."
'Oh wonderful,' thought Bruce, 'I wonder if that's what he used on Mister Miracle? Did Scott resist?'
"Alright," voices Bruce, who had never seen Nyssa show weakness before, "I will be traveling to the Hall for a Council meeting but have Alfred contact me if Talia wakes up. I also want you to gather together any surviving members and bring them to Gotham."
"Why Gotham?" asks Nyssa, seeing something different in Bruce than she had seen before. Bruce, now with his back toward Nyssa, answers, "Because, I'm going to give Ra, what he always wanted..."
Nyssa doesn't believe what she is hearing, "...I'm going to marry Talia and become the Demon's Head. Now, if the League is going to continue to operate, then it's going to operate on my terms."