Sleeping Sickness
summary: Dick Grayson gets abducted out of costume and neither the Batman nor his team know where and how to save him. But whoever has him knows his secret alter-ego and on the brink of madness from psychological torture, Dick is having a hard time clinging to his own identity. (Contains slash between Conner and Dick & heavy on father/son dynamic between Bruce & Dick)
genre: Angst, Hurt-Comfort, Drama
rated: M (Torture, Language, Adult themes)
author note: Shameless Conner Kent/Dick Grayson slasher. Title and chapter themes inspired by the song "Sleeping Sickness" by City and Colour. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 3
Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Maybe I'll sleep when I am dead
But now it's like night is taking sides
With all the worries that occupy the back of mind
Could it be this misery will suffice?
"Wake up!"
Dick was jolted awake with a shake as a female voice shouted. As his vision came into focus, standing above him was Wally and Artemis, both in full uniform. Kid Flash was quickly unbinding Dick's limbs from the restraints while Artemis gently unfastened the strap from around his mouth.
"Thank god, Dick," Artemis sighed as she reached two fingers in to help Dick dislodge the foam block that had filled the inside of his mouth for days and threw the offending item to the floor. "We were afraid we were too late."
"I-" Dick coughed, trying to loosen up his vocal chords that hadn't been used in days, "I knew you guys would find me."
"Yeah well we gotta get you outta here quick," Wally spoke, frantic as he and Artemis each took one of Dick's arms under their shoulders, each wrapping an arm behind his back to steady their friend as they hoisted him out of the chair.
"Where are-"
"Kaldur, Meghan and Conner are all outside trying to make a path for us to escape," Artemis answered before Dick could finish the question. They kept their grasps tight on Dick as they ushered him out of the room he'd been stuck in for god knows how long. As they opened the door and tried to escape through the hall they were ambushed by a dozen of the Doctor's orderlies, the three separating as to fight back.
Dick was kneed in the gut and the young man doubled over in pain. He was still weak from the abuse and as Dick went to swing up at his attacker, a fist connected with his own mouth, splitting his lip, and forcing him to the ground. As Dick's face slammed down on the linoleum floor what he saw chilled his blood.
There lying on the floor down the hall was M'gann, her eyes open and unseeing, mouth slack.
No.
Dick pushed himself up off the ground, his eyes searching the room as he saw Wally collapse in a heap after one of their attackers snapped his neck.
No!
A fist in his hair yanked his head back, pulling Dick to his knees as he was forced to watch Artemis shot in the chest and Kaldur strangled in a chokehold.
No, god no!
"I told you there was no point in fighting," the familiar voice of the Doctor spoke as he rounded the corner and walked towards where Dick was frozen in despair at his friends death, no longer even feeling the pain from the vice grip at his head.
Behind him two of his orderlies walked, dragging a limp body between them. Before they tossed the lifeless body to the ground, Dick already knew it was Conner. A bright green blade stuck out from his back, buried deep right into the spine.
"These are you worst fears realized, Richard," the Doctor bent over him, his voice calm and collected as he smiled down at the heartbroken boy.
"No, no, no," Dick's silent cries were nothing but a faint moan as the world turned upside down on him.
The images of his fallen teammates disappeared, the images burned in his mind though, as he awoke from the haze. All he saw now was black.
He felt hands on his head pull off whatever was covering his eyes and he blinked as his vision came into focus.
He was still in the damned room, trapped to the chair, still gagged, still immobile.
He panted heavily beneath an oxygen mask that rest over his nose and gagged lips, tears streaming from his eyes as he still felt the agony of watching his friends be killed. His whole body ached, his head where his hair had been pulled, his gut and jaw where he had been punched.
"Thats right, breathe it in deep, Richard. This combination of oxygen and ether is allowing you to breathe deep through your treatments but is keeping you nice and docile," the Doctor encouraged as Dick could feel him lift something off his forehead. "That was a fascinating response. Whatever you saw, your body responded as if it was really happening. Your vital signs went haywire, your body reacted as if in natural pain, and your anguish was palpable."
Dick glared up at him through heavy eyes, trying to make sense of what his captor was saying.
"I do think the addition of the Benzodiazepine into your IV drip definitely enhanced the hallucination this time around."
Dick's eyes widened, his breath shortened, relief washing over him as the realization that what he just experienced was some sort of dream, a hallucination or something; that his friends hadn't tried to free him, and they hadn't died in doing so.
"This is the first time you've come out of this phase in the treatment believing whatever it was you just saw." At Dick's confused look, the Doctor continued. "You don't remember do you? Good, then let me have the pleasure of explaining it to you again."
He grabbed two items from the nearby table.
"These when switched on," he said, holding up a pair of goggles, "display hypnotic colors while this," he held up metal headband with an array of wires that connected to a nearby computer and power box, "send messages to your brain. Together these two work in tandem and the program stimulates the fear centers of your brain, giving rise to your fears and nightmares. With the addition of the Benzo and your sedation, the results are very satisfying. Dr. Crane isn't the only doctor in Gotham who can experiment with fear, Richard."
"Rimmmph nnngg," Dick swore behind the gag, his still-groggy brow furring in anger, his eyes filling with fire as he stared up at his captor. He was exhausted, drained, battered, but he was not beaten. He would not be a willing participant in this sick twist's games. His tried to clench his fists to pull at the wrist bindings, but his strength was weakened as a result of the tainted air being forced into his system through the mask.
"What do you say we have another go around, shall we?" The Doctor didn't even entertain waiting for a response from Dick as the goggles were placed back over Dick's eyes.
His vision was black as he felt the headband replaced onto his forehead. Panic began to overtake Dick as he waited in darkness, knowing that fear and heartache were in store for him once the Doctor turned on the machine. The panic circled him like a beast stalking prey. The hero had been in countless predicaments that left him vulnerable before but never anything quite like this. He'd faced his fears long ago, but as the Doctor had told him on day one, they were trying to break him. And for the first time in a long time, Dick felt like he was at his breaking point.
With a dull hum he heard the machine spring to life and the goggles came alive as colors danced into his vision and he succumbed to the hallucinations.
For days he watched his friends dying again trying to save him. He relived his parents death. He was there the night Jason Todd was killed by the Joker. He watched Bruce falling to his death just like his parents, and yet another failed rescue attempt resulting in his friends deaths. And then the past treatment of the electroshock therapy was actualized when Dick dreamed of the Justice League going rogue and destroying humanity.
Some repeated more than others; his team dying in attempt to saving him was the one that seemed to replay itself the most. They died differently each time, always in an attempt to rescue him. Sometimes it was the original team, sometimes Tim and the new recruits were there too. But it always ended the same. They were always trying to rescue him, Conner was always the last to die, and Dick was always left behind alive and broken. And Dick could honestly say, he wasn't sure if they were really alive anymore.
Each time he awoke from the hallucinations half-conscious, his muscles wracked with strain against the bindings, body throbbing, head and heart pounding, and feeling a little less whole then the time before. Each time, a little less sure of which reality he was truly existing in.
Despite it Dick held on to two truths he knew to be infallible with unwavering certainty. The first was his identity. He had held a lot of titles in his twenty years. A Flying Grayson, son and acrobat; Robin, sidekick and boy wonder. And more recently, Nightwing, Batman's dark heir, a teen titan. But through it all, he had always been Dick, clinging to that strip of light in his world surrounded by darkness, and he always would fight till his dying breath to continue to help those in need, to be a catalyst of change and light in a dark world.
The second truth he didn't learn till after a few years after his parents died. Something that had nothing to do with having Batman as a mentor and partner, or being a valuable asset to the fight for justice. It was something that he just knew that would always be, despite their differences, their battles, and their different journeys. Dick knew with unshakable faith that no matter what the cost, no matter where, Bruce would always find him when he needed finding, whether spiritually, emotionally, or physically. That thicker than blood, Bruce Wayne, not Batman but Bruce, would always protect Dick Grayson. He'd rescued him that night his world shattered, rescued him by allowing him to join him in his crusade, and countless times after. He was his safety net. Bruce would always save him.
Dick teetered on the edge of consciousness as the Doctor and orderlies cleared the room after his final treatment for the day, however many days it had been. Two thoughts crossed his mind as he was left alone to finally rest. The first was how was he supposed to cling to his identity when he was having a hard time clinging to reality, the unshakable dread that swept over him that his friends had been killed trying to save him, that he couldn't trust anyone any more? The second thought that was his final one before he succumbed to much anticipated unconsciousness was the hope that it wouldn't take Bruce, the one man he knew he could trust, too much longer to save him this time.
Eight days. It didn't sound like much when you framed time like that. Now 192 hours, that was more expressive of just how long its been.
Bruce glanced down at his watch, noting that it was now 11pm, making it 197 hours since Dick Grayson was abducted. He sighed, leaning back in the chair, staring at the large computer screen in front of him as he sat at the console in the Batcave. Occupying the screen was all the information they had gathered, and to Bruce's frustration, rage, and disappointment, it wasn't much.
The security camera footage from campus only showed Dick being grabbed, and manhandled before the footage cut out. All campus cameras went out at the exact same time. Campus security chalked it up to a server glitch but Bruce knew better. With the whole security system down and no visual on whatever vehicle had taken Dick away there was no way to track it it on traffic cameras. And their was no visual of the four thugs that had attacked Dick either prior to them cutting through the parking lot to intercept Dick in the alley.
Bruce had watched and re-watched the footage countless times in the last two hours. The clip was a mere two minutes and thirty five seconds but Bruce was looking for anything distinguishable about the men who had grabbed his son. But these men had worn basic scrubs, nondescript windbreakers, gloved and masked, and worked smart, methodical. It was pissing Bruce off.
He pushed himself away from the console, getting up to stretch his muscles as he made his way over to the small tray on the other side of the cave that Alfred had left over an hour ago with some sandwiches. He had all but begged Bruce to eat, to step away for a moment and take care of himself. He had been alone in the cave for over twelve hours now, still dressed in a pair of sweatpants and long sleeve henley shirt. Bruce had gotten up this morning and came straight to the cave at 7am and hadn't left, determined and desperate for a new lead in old information. Batgirl and Robin were sent to patrol tonight and were to call Batman if they needed him.
Grabbing a half of turkey with swiss, Bruce eyed the chicken and jalapeño, Dick's favorite, and grabbed a half of that as well before sauntering back to the large chair. As he settled back in he replayed the video, watching as the grainy black and white footage showed Dick being rushed by four men, grabbed and gagged and drugged, stripped and bound before the footage cut out. Bruce rewound and zoomed in.
It was then Bruce saw it. Bruce paused the video just as Dick was caught between the three men, arms wrapped around him and twisting his own behind his back, mid struggle as his feet were grabbed and hoisted off the ground. Bruce zoomed in to the wrist of the hand that clamped over Dick's mouth. Peeking out between the end of a glove and cuff of the jacket was a the corners of a tattoo that resembled the mark of the Bat Killers gang founded by Penguin. It wasn't much but it was a starting point, his first real lead, cross referencing known members of the gang and ties to the medical field based on their attire.
"Master Bruce," Alfred called as he headed down the long staircase towards leading to the depths of the cave. and turned to face Alfred. "Young Master Kent is upstairs. Would you like-"
Alfred stilled mid sentence at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the paused video footage that had been zoomed in to Dick's face, the hand clamped over Dick's mouth.
"Alfred," Bruce stood and came to stand in front of his butler, a man he viewed as a father, one hand reaching to clasp Alfred's arm. Alfred was a rock at all times, it was rare that Bruce saw the facade shatter and to see fear in Alfred's eyes.
"The last conversation I had with Richard was about his carelessness with his things. With all we deal with, you'd think we'd be better at having meaningful conversations. When's the last time you told Dick how important he was to you?" Alfred spoke with a voice that was sad and angry at the same time, eyes fixated on the image of Dick on the screen. "I mean, honestly, sir, we all know what this family means to us, but we're all so stubborn that it takes one of us laying on their death bed or at the brink of self destruct to express it. And sometimes not even then."
Bruce just stared at Alfred as the other man just continued to focus on the screen over Bruce's shoulder. Seeing the boy like that, and to Alfred he would always be a boy, broke his heart. The hand covering his mouth, silencing that beautiful boy, the fear and anger he could see in Dick's eyes, tore at Alfred's soul.
"Against all odds, despite all our pain and loss, somehow we have found each other and filled that sense of family we were apparently all needing," Alfred continued, sight unwavering from the screen. "You've all lost so much, had so much taken from you. Don't let them take him from us, Master Bruce. I don't think this family can survive it."
"We all know what we mean to each other. But you're right, every once in a while it wouldn't kills us to express it," Bruce looked to his old friend, pained at his grief. "I will bring him home Alfred."
"You saved him once, Master Bruce, when you brought him to us all those years ago," Alfred finally tore his gaze away from the screen showing a boy he loved to the one that was standing in front of him, grabbing tightly to Bruce's arms. "You'll save him again."
"The truth is Alfred, he's the one that saved me. I wouldn't still be here if he hadn't come into our lives. Batman would still be fighting, but Bruce would be gone. He kept me human. He reminded my everyday that we were there to protect, not just punish."
"We haven't gotten many things right, son. But we did manage to raise a good man, despite your corruptive best efforts," Alfred smiled sadly before he dropped his hands from Bruce's arms, the fear Bruce had found in his eyes transforming to something more fierce, something more angry "You will find Master Dick. You always do. You always will. You must."
Bruce didn't say anything in response, simply just patted Alfred's arm and nodded curtly.
"Shall I fetch Master Conner?" Alfred straightened up where he stood, arms behind his back; and just like that, business as usual.
"No," Bruce sighed. "I have my first real lead. And I need to get out of this cave. Maybe grab some water after choking down those stale sandwiches."
"Well if you had eaten them when I had brought them down," Alfred scoffed, trailing behind the smirking billionaire up the cave stairs, "they wouldn't have been as hard as your thick skull, Sir."
'The Doc wants it done while he's unconscious.'
'But I thought we didn't want to risk moving him.'
'The kid is out cold and the Doc wants him moved to the basement for treatment phase three. Lets just do it now so we don't miss the rest of the Metropolis Meteors vs Gotham Knights game.'
Floating on the edge of consciousness, fuzzily aware of his surroundings and predicament, two voices pierced through his daze. Exhausted and broken as he was though, Dick fought hard to follow those vague, dull sensations back to the waking world. He could feel his the absence of the straps at his chest, elbows and wrists. The one at his neck, waist and legs were still there but now was his chance.
Struggling to stay absolutely still as he summoned the strength to do something, Dick felt the flare of fear and anger pulse through him as his arms were brought in front of him and his wrists were bound together with a leather strap. He had to wait for the right moment.
As the neck strap was released, Dick's eyes flew open and with a surge of burning rage, the orderly who released his neck was met with a vicious double fisted punch across his jaw. Considering Dick's drained and weary state, it was a strong swing. The orderly staggered back and with his moment of relative freedom, Dick raised bound hands to pull down the strap gagging his mouth. He spat out the completely sodden sponge and screamed.
"Superboy! Superboy, help! Con-mmmpphh!
Dick tried to bring his limbs to block the assault but the orderlies pounced on him, seizing his bound wrists in an iron grip and a large hand clamped over Dick's mouth, forcing Dick's head back into the padded chair, the weight of the two men pinning him firmly back in place.
"Mmmmph!" Dick shouted from behind the hand, trying to bring his bound hands up to pry at the oppressive hand but the second orderly held them tightly in his grasp and Dick could feel the bones cracking in his right arm as the grip tightened and twisted.
"Little shit," one of the orderlies cursed, taking the hand that wasn't covering Dick's mouth and reached for the walkie at his belt. "Doc, we've got a problem. The little fucker got loose and called for one of his super friends."
"Idiots!" The Doctors voice shouted through the walkie.
"Do you want us to kill him?"
"No, then this would be all for naught," the Doctor cursed. "Bring him to the basement and prep him like you would for treatment phase three and then put into effect escape plan b as we discussed. And boys, I promised you would have your chance at some fun. You have my permission to rough him up before I meet you down there."
The radio cut out and Dick twisted frantically in the grip his captors had on him, waist and legs still binding him to the chair giving him no chance of getting any leverage against them. Over the surgical mask, the thug with his hand clamped over Dick's mouth, the one who had attempted to smother Dick earlier, looked down at him and Dick could tell he was smiling beneath the mask. His gloved hand pressed tighter over Dick's mouth, the flesh beneath his hand whitening before bring the walkie back to his face to respond.
"With pleasure."
Bruce had barely made it halfway up the staircase before Conner came running down, almost colliding into him.
"Whoa, Conner what-"
"I heard him!" Conner interrupted, frantic.
"What?! What did he say?"
"I heard him shout 'Superboy' and 'help' and then he started to say my name and then his voice went muffled. But I have him, I can hear him breathing and grunting. He's gagged or in pain, I don't know, but I have him! I just need to stay focused and we can find him."
"Stay focused. Get the Batmobile started while I suit up."
Bruce ran back down the stairs into the cave where Alfred was waiting already with the suit in hand, Conner right behind him making a beeline for the Batmobile.