The golden eyes stared up, unfocused and unseeing. Then the pupils shrank, adjusting to the light and Dick blinked. A moment later he was off the table, flipping himself backwards and away from them. His body stood in a defensive position, his eyes alert. They looked over Jason, Tim and Damian. A low hiss came out of his mouth.
'Grayson?' Said Damian, watching Dick's movements. There was a look on his face, somewhere between defiance and fear. At the use of his surname, Dick coiled in on himself even more.
'Richard.' He whispered. 'I am Richard, I am not your Gray Son.' He repeated this over and over under his breath. All the while his legs began to shake, the extensive hibernation appeared to still be hindering him and he was already wearing his body out.
'Dick?' Bruce came forward, raising his hands so the boy could see he wasn't armed. 'It's ok. You're not with them anymore. The Court is dead. You're safe.'
Dick's eyes focused on him, although his body was still shaking, it began to relax slightly.
'Bruce?'he whispered.
'Yes, it's me.' He came closer but realised his mistake. The closer he got to the boy the more the boy could see the changes of time in his father. Dick stepped back, his body hitting a wall which he proceeded to shrink down, his legs no longer able to hold him up. He looked over each person in the room, the fear growing more evident of his face. He didn't recognise any of these people. Some of them looked familiar, but they were older. Much older.
Superman could hear Dick's heart beating faster and faster.
'We need to calm him down.'
Diana stood forward, like Bruce she raised her hands. Being half immortal, her appearance had changed very little over the last twenty years. Dick seemed to cling to this when he saw her. She was familiar, she was unchanged.
'Diana.' He whispered.
'Yes, it's me, Dick. Can I come closer?'
He nodded and she sank to her knees in front of him. Tenderly she took his shaking hands in one of her own, raising the other to the side of his face. He was cold to touch like the other Talon's had been, but his eyes were different. The others had been expressionless, even as they had laid there in agony, their bodies shutting down there had been very little emotion in their eyes. But Dick's were wide, the pupil dilating in the centre of the gold. She could tell he was terrified.
Dick's body seemed to finally give up and he sank forward, exhausted. Diana sat and held him practically on her lap. Cradling him to her.
'I don't understand.' Dick mumbled, half asleep.
'Don't worry Dickie, we'll explain when you wake up.'
'Don't put me in the ice.' His mumbles were even more slurred.
'We won't. Never again.' Diana said, her grip tightening on the boy as went limp in her arms. She looked up at the others, their faces were a mixture of sadness and pity. What kind of life was this child going live?
They picked Dick up off the floor and settled him into one of the beds in the med-bay. Against the white sheet, he looked pale and his body stilled again in sleep.
'What the hell just happened?' Asked Jason, eyes fixed on the boy who an hour ago had been a corpse. 'I thought you said he was dead?' He turned to Superman, who looked just as shaken.
'There were no vitals, no signs of life until just before he woke up.' Superman said, rubbing his hand through his slightly greying hair.
'Bruce?' Diana caught sight of Bruce's expression. She had never seen her friend look so old.
'He was terrified.' Bruce whispered. 'He was scared out of his mind and I couldn't comfort him.' Bruce had noticed the expression on Dicks features as he had approached. The relief that had flickered there for a moment had turned to horror and confusion when he could properly take in Bruce's aged face. He had been 45 when Dick was taken, now he was pushing 70.
'It'll be ok Bruce.' Said Tim, 'Give it time.'
'Time is the one thing we've had too much of.' Mused Bruce, then his face grew serious. 'I want someone by his side at all times.' He went and sat down by the bed, turning his back on the others, a gesture they knew meant he wanted to be left alone. All complied and left him to stare into Dick's sleeping face.
'I'm sorry Son.'
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Dick had not dreamed in a very long time. When frozen in hibernation the body and the mind shuts down to the brink of death, there are no dreams, no reprieve from the darkness. Just endless waiting.
But he was sure he must be dreaming now, he felt warm and comfortable. There were colours everywhere, they were swirling and spinning. He couldn't quite make out shapes, only colours but they were a reprieve from the darkness so he didn't mind. He watched them for some time, feeling himself relax as they moved around him. But then a noise cut through the colours, a toneless shriek over and over.
But that wasn't right. The chamber blocked out all sound, he shouldn't be able to hear anything. But then, he shouldn't be dreaming either. The more he focused on the sound the less vibrant the colours became until soon they were nothing but bright light.
Opening his eyes felt strange, when waking from hibernation the reaction is violent, your eyes rip open of their own accord and your body flies into fight of flight readying you for your mission. This was different, he felt sluggish and tired his eyes sticking together. This wasn't hibernation, this was sleep. Actual, blissful, dream-filled sleep.
The bright light stung against his enhanced eyes, but he pushed through the pain until the light morphed into shapes and shapes became objects.
'Dick?'
It had been so long since he'd heard his name. The owls had always called him their Gray Son. The voice sounded warm and familiar.
'Bruce?' He tried to look for him but the light was too bright and everything was still slightly distorted. Suddenly, the light dimmed enough for him to open his eyes. His name was repeated and he looked in that direction, but the man sat in Bruce's place was old, though his features resembled his father.
He flinched back, realising in the back of his mind that he was in a bed, not in his chamber.
'It's ok Dick, you're safe.' The man had Bruce's voice. Dick stared at him with large yellow eyes, all the while registering there was something else in the corner of the room.
Dick's whole body tensed, both the unknown beings sensed this.
'I think he's gonna go.' Said the voice from the corner. The voice was familiar and Dick wanted to look but his eyes were latched on to the Bruce look alike.
'No he's not.' The man before him reached out and placed a hand on the bed beside him. 'You're going to remain calm, aren't you Dickie?'
Dickie? Only his family called him that. His body tensed further, his eyes flicked quickly to the other being when he sensed them come closer. The voice had been familiar but he did not recognise the man. He was younger than the other one.
'He's gonna go, Bruce.'
'Quiet, Jason.'
Jason! Dick glanced his eyes back to the other man, allowing himself a few seconds longer to analyse him before turning back to the other. That was why he looked familiar, the features were like Jasons. But Jason was 15.
Tighter and tighter his muscles became and his mind tried to process the information but kept coming up blank. He was so confused and he didn't like to be confused.
Jason remembered Dick being fast, but he didn't remember him being this fast! The kid had clocked an exit and was off the bed and halfway there before Jason could even blink. When Dick's body had started to tense, Jay had expected him to bolt but he wasn't expecting him to do it like that. Without missing another beat, he tackled the boy to the ground. Dick may be a Talon, but Jason outweighed him by a lot. He pinned him to the floor.
'Told you he was going to bolt.' He said, looking over to Bruce who was coming over to them. Jason's grip tightened as Dick began to fight back. 'Shit, I'm not going to be able to hold him! Get Dami.'
Bruce disappeared while Jason attempted to keep a squirming Dick still. By the time Bruce returned with Damian and Tim, Dick was nearly out of his brothers grasp.
The other two grabbed an arm and together then held him as still as they could, but Dick continued to flail.
Bruce knelt in from of him, trying to get his attention. When that failed he did the only thing he could think of. He told him the truth.
'Dick, you have to calm down. It's us, your family.'
Dick continued to struggle.
'I know we look different Dick, I know this is all very confusing and scary. But it's been twenty years Dick.'
Dick stopped. He looked the man in the eye and stared.
'It's been twenty years.' Bruce repeated sadly. 'How long were you with the owls before they put you in the chamber?' He didn't expect Dick to answer, but the boy thought for a moment and opened his mouth.
'A year.' He said quietly. He took the information in and his lip began to tremble. 'I've been frozen for 19 years?'
Bruce nodded. 'I'm sorry Dickie. We tried everything we could to find you.'
But Dick wasn't listening. His eyes glazed over and he went limp in his brother's arms. Defeated.
A/N I'm sorry there is such a long gap between chapters. I've got a lot going on so I am literally writing whenever I get the chance. This being said, I am 100% commited to finishing this story so don't worry. Follow the story and it will continue to be updated. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please please please review. Karin xx
UPDATE: A quick update as a lot of people are asking about ages. Dick- 17. Bruce -65. Jason -36. Tim-33. Damian-28. Terry-17. Wally and Roy- around 38 to 40. etc.
