A/N: At this point I give up trying to update regularly. I'm so so sorry that you guys are forced to put up with this sporadic mess!

Anyways, onto the overdue update!

Warnings: Graphic descriptions of torture

It is choking, gasping for air that it will never inhale, swallowing water in the vain attempts for oxygen. Talon's vision is blurred by the water surrounding it as bubbles of the oxygen Talon so desperately covets are expelled from its mouth and nostrils. Water rushes into Talon's throat and it chokes on the liquid, thrashing in the chains that trap it in vain attempts to free itself.

Talon's body begins to convulse at the lack of air, vision going spotty.

What the worst part about this is? Talon can do nothing but choke on the water. It cannot die. All it can do is feel its lungs crowd with water and yearn for oxygen it might never breathe, and eventually black out from asphyxiation.

Hours pass before Talon feels the water in the tank draining, its body sinking along with the until it lies limp on the ground, Talon coughing up all the water in its lungs as it lies there, unmoving.

As the oxygen returns to its brain and it becomes aware of everything again, Talon is hefted up by its arms and dragged to a chair where it is unceremoniously dumped.

Pain flares up Talon's head from the impact it makes on the ground, but the only reaction is a subtle hitch in its breath, and the action jarred its lungs even more to force more water from its lips.

It is dragged onto the chair before it is strapped down to it with thick, rough leather straps on its wrists and legs.

This is something Talon is unfamiliar with.

Talon's head is fuzzy and numb; it feels like everything is hazy and muddled.

One of the other Talons—a Senior Talon from all the gold embellishments adorning its uniform—stepped forward holding a simple blade in-hand.

A mere glance at the weapon has Talon jerking back and thrashing in the bonds. Even with a hazy mind Talon can recognize the glowing yellow liquid on the edges of the blade. The liquid that was specifically engineered to elicit immense pain for Talons. The liquid every Talon fears and makes a point to avoid being subjected to.

"N—n—nnn!" The fog in Talon's mind is clearing but slowly. All it can manage is the single noise—it's all that Talon can manage to say; all it remembers.

For all the response the Senior Talon offers, it may as well have been nothing as the Talon walks until it stands right in front of Talon's thrashing body. The Talon reaches out with a hand and digs its fingers into Talon's scalp, the extremely sharp tips of the glove the Talon wears cutting into Talon's head harshly, forcing Talon to still as it pushes Talon's head back.

Talon is given no time to prepare for what comes next as the Senior Talon thrusts the blade into Talon's chest and twists it.

Searing pain races through Talon's veins and it arches off the chair as much as possible, mouth opening in a shriek of agony, heart hammering against its chest. Its vision had exploded in white stars when the blade's tip pierced its skin—the entire blade being buried to the hilt then twisted? The sound to tear from Talon's throat is inhuman. Its chest heaves and the pain pulses with every frantic beat of its heart.

But the Senior Talon wasn't done.

Without so much as a twitch or millisecond of hesitation the blade that the Talon still holds is dragged downward, cutting through flesh, muscle, and leather like a hot knife would part butter. The mind-numbing pain ripping throughout Talon's body is immeasurable and it blacks out for what feels like seconds before there's a sharp snap sound and Talon feels the broken rib, swallowing the shriek of pain and instead screaming through gritted teeth.

The Senior Talon held up a bloody hand, and in it was Talon's broken rib, though Talon could barely make it out through the blurriness of its vision.

At this point, Talon should have expected what happens next. The other Talon removes the blade from Talon's chest only to cut its arm open—which prompts another cry of pain—and force the rib bone into a space where it would fit. Then the Senior Talon stood back and watched, waiting. Talon isn't sure what the other waits for, until it feels it.

The rib bone started to migrate back to where it belonged, cutting and forcing its way through muscle and tendons excruciatingly.

Immortality. A torture.

Just before the bone settles, the Senior Talon steps forward to cut the healed flesh and muscle of Talon's chest open again to repeat the process.

Talon screams its throat raw.

...

Hours later Talon is left in its room, broken, bloody, and sporting a new implant in its neck. Talon doesn't know what it's for, but the exhaustion and pain wore to the bone. Instead of dwell on the harsh discipline it'd just received, Talon collapsed boneless on its bed, eyes dim and resigned, everything aching.

As its eyes slid shut, Talon figured a nap wouldn't be too bad.

The sound of the doorknob turning is what has Talon on its feet in an instant, fatigue suddenly unimportant, back straight as it could be as it continued to minutely correct itself after being repeatedly broken and cut open. Talon catches a glimpse of itself in the mirror and sees a bruise blooming on its left cheek before the door opens and Talon's gaze snaps forward to the wall of the room.

"Talon," a silky voice speaks. Talon doesn't respond but to bow its head slightly. "Look at me as I speak to you, weapon," the voice snaps.

Talon obeys, sliding its golden eyes to meet the black eyes of a white mask. A Master, Talon instantly knows, both because of the mask and dress. The Master wears black slacks, a black button-up shirt, a white vest, and a white tie. A stark contrast to the Talons who serve the Owls and Masters.

Owls and Masters are different, in one way. Owls wear pins on their ties and dresses, and their masks have a small dot on the forehead, the Court's small crest. Behavior-wise, Owls never interact with their Talons. Only the Masters do.

The Master holds an arm out, a manila folder in the extended hand which Talon accepts with deft movements.

Still Talon does not speak.

"Read up on your new assignment, weapon. You do not have any time limit for this target due to the threat level." With a sharp click of the tongue, the Master comments snidely on Talon's battered appearance and exits, expensive shoes squeaking slightly on the smooth rock floor.

Only when the door is closed does Talon again go boneless on its bed. The folder Talon keeps tightly clutched in a hand, the session it'd just had with the Disciplinaries fresh in its mind and irrationally making Talon fear that if it allowed anything to mess up with the contents inside the folder, there would be pain sure to come.

Talon swallowed thickly, hating itself for being afraid, but unwilling to close its eyes for every time it did it saw and remembered everything that happened with vivid, painful clarity. A powerful shudder tore through it, but Talon forces its mind elsewhere. Dwelling on the trauma would do it no good. It has a new assignment to see through, and it needs to get details on its new target before it can do anything.

With the objective of getting information in mind, Talon sat up on the plush bed and slid a gauntleted finger between the flaps of the folder, opening it. The first thing Talon sees makes it freeze, and it is sure its eyes are wide.

That… That was a picture of Charlie, there, paperclipped to the edge of the first paper, granted that he looked younger.

Something in its gut twisted violently but Talon ignored it, licking at its lips and biting at the lower one before tearing its gaze away from the smiling boy to read the information on the file.

Full Name: Charles Otto Udesis

Date Of Birth: November 11, 1991

Age: 13

Blood Type: A

Ethnicity: English-American

Skin: White

Eyes: Grey

Distinguishing features (if any): Birthmark on left side of chin

Reason for Talon potential: Udesis survives in the Bowery with his mother, father, and little sister. His father works as an un-corrupt officer in the GCPD, his mother works wherever will hire, Otto Udesis himself does not work, and neither does his sister. Udesis excels in his classes and shows great physical prowess. He obeys every command issued to him by his family without hesitation. With certainty I say that if his father told him to jump off a bridge, the boy will do it without a second thought. Obedience and physical capabilities are why I recommend the boy.

The signature of who wrote this… This recommendation is unreadable, but Talon finds that it rather not know just who subjected Charles to this life.

Again swallowing thickly, Talon checks the year this was filled.

August 16, 2005.

Talon's target is Charles.

Talon's target is Charles.

Talon's target is Charlie.

With a deep breath, Talon closes its eyes and focuses on its emotions—that are haywire—to utterly tramp them down. Charles, was a Talon. Just as Talon itself is. Talon has an obligation and Charlie knew this—it's not Talon's fault that Charlie decided to… to… to leave. From what Talon read, the Court gave him a better life: food, shelter, training to defend himself, safety, and only asked for one thing in return.

Grip on the folder in its hands tightening so much that the thing starts to tear, Talon gritted its teeth.

Damn it Charlie, it mentally snarled, a low growl slipping past its lips outwardly.

Damn him for doing this to Talon. Charlie was Talon's friend—the last thing Talon wants to do is hunt him. Especially because it knows the look Charlie will give him. The one that he shouldn't be able to give because he's a Talon that went through the same thing Talon itself did, and it makes no sense how someone can go through that and manage to be sympathetic and understanding like that. It wasn't fair because Talon came out like this and Charlie came out like that and—

Talon cut its thoughts off savagely, eyes snapping open, hands slamming the folder shut, and hissed. This was ridiculous. Talon refuses to start being jealous of its only friend, when they've known each other for the entirety of Talon's time with the Court.

Talon stood and went to set the folder on the dresser. There was no information in that folder that would help Talon locate Charlie, unless he had his memories. In which case Charlie would immediately seek out his sister, at least to make sure she was okay and alive, before finding the Bat.

But Talon wasn't supposed to know anything of Charlie's plans to escape. Essentially, it had nowhere to start. It could give Charlie as much time as possible before the Court grew suspicious of his lack of progress, so that is what Talon would do.

Mind made up with grim finality, Talon began to sharpen its blades as it waited for thirty more minutes to pass. Then it would leave to start the "hunt".

Out of obligation Talon would track its friend. Out of choice would it postpone the foreseeable inevitable as long as possible to give its friend a chance.

A/N: Please review if you enjoyed, and have stellar holidays!