Bruce had convinced Dick to go back to the circus, just one last time. To just watch the performers again, to remind him of how life used to be - even if the most memorable day wasn't a happy one. He had been sitting, bored, as he waited for the gymnasts to come up until he saw you - swinging high above everyone else, starting the act.

At first, it brought tears to his eyes on how similar you were to him. You had the same air of grace and precision, swinging like you were floating on air. It was almost as if you'd been trained the exact same way - to be able to control every movement, every limb, every muscle in your body to a point where it was almost robotic. And it unsettled him.

He knew he had been trained to become a Talon - and he didn't even know it. All those years in the circus were supposed to lead up to the big finale - picking up the title of Talon, becoming one of the most deadly assassins in the world. By a stroke of luck, he had become Nightwing instead. A big, blue beacon of hope in an otherwise dark world.

And he could see himself - or what was meant to be him - in you. He could see the owl start to take flight in your wings... and he was determined to not let it happen.