Talia stood beside her father as the dead body of Batman's prodigy was ready to be lowered into the Lazarus Pit. She hadn't been able to confirm whether it was Richard or Jason as the body had been brought wrapped in bandages like a mummy. 

All she knew was that the boy had been damaged brutally before being killed in the explosion. His backbone had shattered from the crowbar blows and due to the explosion, he was injured beyond repair. But the Lazarus Pit had handled many injuries and she hoped that it would be able to bring the boy back from the dead as well.

Ra's stood at the edge and dipped his head in a nod. Slowly but steadily, the dead body was suspended by metal chains and lowered into the Lazarus Pit.

The chains were retrieved and the bandaged body disappeared below the surface. Ra's and Talia waited as the green liquid was terribly still.

Perhaps the rumors weren't true and the pit could not resurrect the dead.

But then ripples broke out on the surface and they paused, emerald eyes focused on the pit in front of them.

The corpse they had lowered into the pit was broken such that it had been held together by the bandages wrapped all around. But by then, the healing waters had started to work and the agonizing snaps broke the silence as bones began to rejoin and wounds began to seal up.

An excruciating scream ripped out and all of them stepped back in alarm. From the center of the pit arose the body of the once-dead Robin, his irises blank white and his mouth wide open as the neverending screams ripped out from him.

Talia looked at him in shock, feeling that she didn't recognize the boy at all. It was not Richard and then it struck her that the Robin who had been murdered was Jason Todd, Bruce's second adopted son.

Those blank white irises gradually regained color, electric blue flecked with an emerald green that was the same shade as the Lazarus Pit's liquid.

And the scream finally came to a stop but the boy was anything but stable as he rushed out of the pit like a madman, his arms ready to hit anyone who tried to stop him. He was reacting purely to a survivor's instinct, feeling trapped by enemies and wanting to escape.

He was blinded by rage, trauma as well as an urge to break free and would stop at nothing and destroy everyone who stood in his way.

Ra's nodded at one of his men to tranquilize the boy and soon enough a dart landed in Jason's neck. He pulled it out and crushed it, another painful scream ripping apart from him with his eyes wide and haunted.

But before he could run away, the tranquilizer took effect and he fell down on the ground, his awakened senses falling back into a dark void.

Talia looked at her father and then back at the boy who had just been resurrected. As Ra's did not say anything to stop her, she approached the unconscious figure, dropping down on her knees to look at him closely.

He was not Richard but he was still a boy. A boy close to Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson, a boy who wasn't meant to get involved and killed in all that ruckus.

"He is severely damaged mentally. We can not send him back to Batman in this state," Ra's had approached them too as he remarked, "he must stay with the League until he recovers. But considering his state, he needs to be looked after and we will have to make sure he doesn't escape or else he can be a threat to us too."

Talia looked up, pondering over his words as she stated, "I will look after him. Send him to Damian's room."

"Damian's room?"

"Yes," she stood up as well, "we do not have any vacant quarters at the moment for him and I feel like we shouldn't leave him with the rest of the Assassins just yet. Damian is at the fort, he is not coming back anytime soon so we can put the boy in his room until then."

"Do you know this boy?" Ra's asked and his eyes were focused on her to gauge her reaction, "you are going out of your way to protect him."

"Honestly, he's not who I thought he was at first," she replied, "but he is still important to someone I care for and I can not let him get damaged further."

"Is he important to you because of Batman?" Ra's asked because he felt Talia was in some way or other fond of Batman and wanted to help his son to get back in his good books. 

He did not know the true nature of the brief encounter between Talia and Bruce that had resulted in her giving birth to Damian. He simply assumed that she admired the Dark Knight and he did not object to it because he knew how advantageous it would be for the League if they had an ally as powerful as Batman.

Talia felt that answer could suffice for the time being so she nodded, "yes."

"Very well then. You can take responsibility for him for as long as he has to stay at the base," Ra's told her his decision, "after he recovers, we will send him back if he wants to. If not, then we can keep him with the League. He will be trained as one of our soldiers."

Talia could see that Ra's was rushing with things but she didn't object to it, "as you wish, Father. But if he wants to go back, you will not stop him."

"Indeed. I have no intentions of keeping him here against his will."

With that final remark, Ra's Al Ghul left and Talia ordered the Assassins to take Jason to Damian's room. She would have a quarter prepared for him in the meanwhile because she knew her son wouldn't like it if he came back to see his room taken by another person.

But for the time being, Jason would be staying in Damian's room, under the strict watch of Talia Al Ghul. She would make sure that he didn't escape and she would see to it that he recovered.

Ra's felt she was doing it for Batman. But Talia had a deeper motive underneath that no one could guess at the moment. Jason Todd could be an asset in the plan she had reserved for Deathstroke to put into action when the right time came.

But for that, she had to make sure that the young resurrected warrior recovered and clearly chose to stay at her side instead of going back.

***