INT. COURT OF OWLS – INNER GARDEN – NIGHT
The inner garden is hauntingly serene—dead silent, save for the occasional flutter of owl wings above. Twisted trees and black stone statues of long-dead Court members form a maze-like enclosure. The sky is overcast, casting a pale grey light over the garden.
Dick enters, flanked by shadow and uncertainty, only to find the Grandmaster standing beside a koi pond—still, statuesque, and unreadable beneath his mask."Grayson… I knew I could trust you."
Dick doesn't answer immediately. His eyes scan the stone tiles, the pond, the unnaturally still wind."You summoned me."
The Grandmaster turns slowly, hands clasped behind his back."Frank has betrayed us."
A pause. The weight of the words hits hard.
"Frank? Are you sure?" Dick said full of shock
The Grandmaster walks forward, tone grim and deliberate."In his quarters, we found masks… bloodied. Taken from murdered Court members. Four in total."
Dick's brow furrows beneath the mask. This doesn't track—Frank had always been fanatically loyal to the Grandmaster. Quiet. Precise. Cold-blooded.
"And to make matters worse, he's vanished. His family's gone dark. His safehouses are empty. His tracker was deactivated three days ago." The Grandmaster tells dick.
He pauses near a tree with silver feathers hanging from its branches—symbols of judgment."You've proven yourself, Grayson. You're not just a blade—we trust your instincts. And that's why I want you to find him."
Dick straightens."And when I do?"
"You put two in his skull. One for every oath he broke." The Grandmaster said without hesitation.
He steps closer to Dick now, voice lowering beneath the weight of command."Betrayal is rot, Grayson. And I will not allow rot to take hold in my Court. Find Frank. Remove him."
Dick nods slowly, masking his unease."Consider it done."
The Grandmaster turns back toward the koi pond, the conversation clearly over."Good. And Grayson… don't fail me."
---
INT. COURT OF OWLS – HALLWAY – MOMENTS LATER
As Dick walks away from the garden, his mind races. Frank—a traitor? Or a setup?
He knows Evelyn's been targeting her father's loyalists all week. Frank had always been skeptical of Evelyn. Outspoken in private. Quiet in Court meetings.
"Masks in his room?" Dick thinks.
"Too convenient."
Now, he had a target. But he also had a choice.
Kill Frank… or find out what really happened.
And if Evelyn's cleaning house behind the Grandmaster's back…
…it was only a matter of time before she set her sights on him, too.
INT. COURT GARAGE – NIGHT
Rain patters lightly against the cracked windshield as Dick tightens his gloves, seated behind the wheel of a nondescript black sedan. Ralphie, still rubbing grease from his hands and stammering through a warning about needing an oil change, watches him drive off into the Gotham night.
INT. CAR – MOVING – NIGHT
As soon as Dick is out of the Court's underground range, he pulls a small signal jammer from his pocket and places it on the dashboard. He checks the seams of the seats, the base of the gear shift, and behind the vents for bugs—nothing. Clean.
He exhales.
Then he dials a number on his encrypted burner.
---
INT. BELFRY – ORACLE'S HUB – SAME TIME
The screen lights up. Barbara, in her chair, instantly answers. Her voice is calm—but her face lights up the moment she sees him."Hey… You okay? You look like hell."
"I've looked worse." Dick said sighing to himself.
He leans forward, urgency sharpening his voice."I need your help. The Grandmaster says Frank betrayed the Court. Claims they found masks from murdered members in his room. But I'm not buying it."
"Frank? Seriously?" Barbara asked shocked.
"He's gone. Him and his whole family. I need you to check every street cam near his home. Evening footage. Something doesn't smell right." Dick tells her.
Barbara's hands move like lightning across the keyboard. Dick waits in silence, tapping the wheel.
A moment later—
"Got something. About 6:20 p.m.—black Court-issued car pulls up outside Frank's. Two masked operatives escort him, his wife, and his daughter out the back." Barbara said frowning.
She sends a screen grab. Dick's eyes narrow at the unmistakable Court insignia on the collar of one of the men."That's Court protocol. That wasn't an arrest. That was an extraction."
Barbara's brow furrows. She begins tracking the car."Same vehicle shows up on traffic cams at Northbridge, then takes the tunnel to the expressway. Next feed I can find shows it pulling into Gotham International."
"An escape route…" Dick said quietly.
"So why would Evelyn—or anyone in the Court—let Frank and his family live?" Barbara asked.
"That's what I'm going to find out." Dick tells her.
Barbara looks uneasy. Her fingers linger on the keyboard."If this is Evelyn covering her tracks, Frank's not out of danger. And if she's playing the long game—he might be a pawn she's saving for later."
"Then I need to get to him before she decides he's no longer useful." Dick says.
"Want me to scrub the camera logs?" Barbara asked.
"Yeah. Make it look like he vanished on his own. No sign of the car. No sign of me." Dick tells her.
Barbara nods."Be careful. And Dick…"
Dick looks at the screen.
"Come home in one piece. Please." Barbara said with worry in her voice.
"I'll do my best." Dick said smiling faintly.
He ends the call and tosses the phone to the passenger seat. The rain hits harder now, washing Gotham's grime off the windshield—but not his conscience."Hang on, Frank… I'm coming."
EXT. GOTHAM INTERNATIONAL – PRIVATE RUNWAY – NIGHT
The rain has slowed to a drizzle, just a cold mist clinging to the air. Floodlights buzz faintly overhead as Dick's sedan pulls up beside a private jet, engines idling quietly. A black SUV is already parked nearby.
Two Court of Owls operatives, fully masked, turn from where they're standing near the plane stairs. Their white owl masks reflect the light like ghosts.
One of them steps forward.
"Grayson? What are you doing here? We've got orders—Frank and his family are to be flown out—" The court member didn't get to finish his sentence.
Dick steps out of the car, calm and controlled. His voice is cold and confident."Evelyn sent me. You're relieved."
The two masked members glance at each other, hesitating. Dick steps closer, eyes unflinching behind his own mask."I said—you're relieved. Evelyn's orders."
A tense moment passes. Then, reluctantly, the operatives nod. One shrugs and mutters something under his breath as they head for the SUV. A moment later, the black vehicle pulls away, disappearing into the foggy night.
Dick turns to the plane where Frank, his wife, and his teenage daughter are seated inside, visible through the cabin window—nervous, huddled close together.
The hatch opens. Frank steps down slowly, shielding his family behind him."Grayson…"
Dick raises a pistol and points it at him without a word.
Frank freezes. His family gasps behind him.
Dick says nothing.
Just stares down the barrel at the man who taught him how to read the Court's codes, how to survive its politics—now a supposed traitor.
Frank raises his hands slowly, his voice shaking with a mixture of defiance and pain."So… that's how it is."
Dick's grip tightens slightly.
EXT. GOTHAM INTERNATIONAL – PRIVATE RUNWAY – NIGHT
The drizzle weeps across the tarmac as the private jet's turbines hum softly, a sharp contrast to the storm brewing in Dick's head.
Frank stands at the foot of the stairs, hands raised slightly, eyes steady. The rain clings to his grey hair, soaking into the collar of his coat. Dick's pistol remains aimed, his finger tense on the trigger.
"I knew Evelyn wouldn't keep her end of the deal." Frank said calmly.
Dick's jaw tightens."Evelyn didn't send me, Frank. The Grandmaster did."
Frank chuckles—a dry, bitter sound."Smart bitch. Getting the Grandmaster to pull the trigger on his most loyal follower? That's how you seed doubt. That's how you turn a Court into a mob—disloyal and hungry."
Dick narrows his eyes."You knew?"
"I've known for years. I tried warning him—again and again. But the old bastard sees what he wants to see. Thought she was his legacy, his heir. Never once saw the dagger in her hand."He steps down another stair, slow, deliberate."And now that dagger's at his throat."
Dick's hand doesn't waver, but his mind races."Why didn't you try to prove your innocence?"
Frank sighs and gestures vaguely toward the plane."Because deep down, Grayson… I'm tired. This life—the masks, the orders, the blood on your hands—it eats you. Evelyn gave me a way out. I took it."
He glances behind him, to his wife and daughter seated inside the plane."But the question remains, Grayson… are you going to pull that trigger? Or are you going to let me and my family disappear?"
Dick's hand lowers slowly, almost like the weight of the pistol finally caught up to him."Damn you, Frank…"
He turns and walks away, the cold rain washing over his face, mixing with sweat and regret.
Frank watches him go, nodding almost sadly.
Then he turns and climbs back up the stairs into the jet.
The hatch seals.
Engines roar. The jet begins to roll forward.
As it lifts into the air, disappearing into Gotham's misty sky, Dick stands motionless on the runway, staring up into the grey clouds.
Knowing he's just made another dangerous move on a board where every piece bleeds.