CHAPTER 10

Bruce woke up to silence. However the battle had ended, it was over now. The glow stick was dying out, but it still cast a little light. How long had he slept? He checked his watch...six hours. He got up and lit the lantern again. Dick was quiet and very still. As he had been doing since rescuing his son, he checked for pulse and respiration. Still alive. He laid a hand on the boy's forehead; hot and dry. He went to the doorway and carefully opened it a crack. The area down the hillside was covered with patches of char. Where it had been hit with energy weapons, small fires had started and then died out. The land was empty.

He closed the door and reached for his communicator but got only static. The jammers were still up. If he scouted cross-country, he didn't know what he'd find. And in any case, he couldn't leave Dick here alone. If the bio-ship made it to base, the League knew where they were and would find a way to get them out. Best to wait here for rescue, at least for now.

He pulled off his cowl and gauntlets and set them next to the cape, running a hand through his hair. Among the supplies was a small propane camp stove and some cooking implements. Mentally, he applauded whoever had stocked this place; probably Dick. He heated water and made instant soup, then rummaged out a protein bar. He sat down next to Dick, vaguely hoping that the smell of food might awaken him.

"Dick...can you hear me?" Bruce wafted some of the steam near Dick's nose. "Come on, buddy, you always liked this stuff, God knows why..." Nothing.

He ate the protein bar slowly, wondering what he could do. He knew very little about the Machine, except that it had been banned intergalactically. This was probably why. There had to be some way to reach him.

The darkness was restful. The yellow light was gone and he'd been at peace with its passing. Bits of memory dogged him but he ignored it. Remembering was too painful and he somehow knew he'd been in a lot of pain lately. He heard a voice calling someone named 'Dick'. He was momentarily troubled, then let it pass over him and faded back into the comforting dark.

Batman leaned back, rethinking his strategy. "Nightwing! Wake up!" He rested a hand on Dick's shoulder, shaking it gently. "Nightwing!" Scanning Dick's face closely, he could see they boy's eyes moving beneath closed lids. Something was happening...maybe he was dreaming..?

Nightwing strode down the hall in the Watchtower from the workout room, heading for his quarters. He was dressed in a loose jumpsuit but wore his mask. All of Batman's early lessons in security had stuck and he had found no reason to abandon them at this point. Abruptly, he stopped, faced with the one person he didn't want to see.

"Batman," Nightwing said neutrally. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"A war just started," Batman replied mildly. "They've asked for my services as one of the League's generals. But I'm glad I found you. There's something I want to discuss with you."

"All right," Nightwing said. "There's a conference room a couple doors down..."

"Yes, I'm familiar with it," Batman said easily and led the way to the door, opening it for Nightwing. Of course the old b******d knew all the nooks and crannies up here. He helped form the League when I was in pixie boots and short pants...

Nightwing followed his former mentor into the room and sat down across the table from him. "And just is it you wanted?" He had to remind himself not to grit his teeth.

"I understand that Superman wants to use the Team for sabotage and guerilla warfare and you to continue on as leader..." Batman leaned forward, hands flat on the table.

"Yes, and I understand that you've already rendered your objections," Nightwing responded, not taking his eyes from his mentor. "That's already been overruled by authorities greater than yours."

"Since they're putting me in a command position as chief strategist in this war," Batman said evenly. "I'll need trained staff. You know almost as much as I do and have command experience as well. I'd like you to be my head of staff. You've been my lieutenant for most of your life."

Nightwing closed his eyes against the rage bubbling up inside him. "Let me get this straight," he said through clenched jaw. "You couldn't get me removed from my role as a saboteur and now you're offering me a desk job? Who the Hell do you think you are?" Nightwing realized that he was standing with fists clenched.

Batman stood slowly. "I'm your father and I'm worried about you," he replied quietly.

"All right, Dad, let me ask you a couple of questions," Dick raged. "Do you think, after all the years you trained me exhaustively, that I am incompetent? I really need to know."

"No. I don't think you're incompetent. You were an excellent and talented partner," Batman replied.

"Then, this concern you have for my welfare really does spring from what happened when you were a kid," Dick said, using the words like weapons. "When you watched your family die in front of you. I'm not going to die, Bruce, much less do it in front of you. It's okay to let me take risks; you trained me for them. Hell, I almost died a couple times as Robin and you didn't make this kind of fuss."

Batman was silent.

"This all started when the Joker shot me, didn't it? He used a gun and almost took me out of your life, just like your parents. Bruce, I'm all grown up now. If I'm 'reckless', it's because I know the odds and know what I'm doing. You tossed me out of the nest yourself. How can you object now if this bird wants to try his own wings?" Dick fell silent, panting, arms folded over chest. He softened his voice. "Bruce, I'm not your responsibility anymore. Let me go."

Batman pulled his cowl down off his head. Facing him was a very tired Bruce Wayne, looking ten years older than his actual age. He smiled crookedly. "When I was younger, a friend of mine had a child and we were joking with him that he'd have to worry about the kid until he was eighteen. An older friend, one who had adult children, broke in. He said that you never stop worrying about a child, no matter what age they are. Until you die, you worry about your children."

"Son...son, wake up...Come back..." Dick heard Bruce's voice, tireder than it had been that day, calling. The darkness didn't seem so comfortable anymore, not if Bruce needed him.

Bruce was near despair, no matter how much he reminded himself that these things took time. One more try. "Son...son, wake up...Come back..."

The closed eyes stopped moving. Then slowly, slowly the lids lifted and dazed blue eyes looked blearily up at him. They focused on his face and Dick smiled.

"Dick," he breathed. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

His son's mouth opened and lips moved, but no sound came out. Dick frowned and a frustrated look crossed his face. He pulled his hand from Bruce's grasp, weakly lifted them both and began to sign. "They did something to my throat..." he shuddered, remembering. "Can't talk. Or make noise. Hard..to breathe sometimes." His eyes flashed around him. "Are we in batcave?"

"No," Bruce said with a half-smile. "Your team and I rescued you. We got separated and I got you to your staging area, your cave."

"I see," Dick closed tired eyes. "When'll we be leaving?" His eyes opened suddenly. "The codes...last thing I remember...they were taking numbers..and symbols from my mind. I thought that I was in the Watchtower and they were..." His eyes closed and, first breathing fast, he began to gasp for air, terror on his face.

"It's okay, you're safe now," Bruce said soothingly, and slid behind him to hold him upright. "Breathe. Just focus on your breathing. I don't think they got much; M'gann mind-touched the ones who were interrogating you. We planned for her to destroy any information that they had gotten. And I am certain that the Machine was dead when we left," he added with grim satisfaction.

"Machine...dead?" Dick looked hopefully at his father. "You're sure?"

"I helped kill it myself," Bruce said softly. "It's gone. Now, you've got a leg wound and you'll need some time to recover from the T'Shal. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"Thirsty," Dick said. "Some water would be good."

Bruce got the bottle of water and helped him sit up. As soon as he began to tip some into Dick's mouth, his son started coughing and choking. He took the water away, puzzled and worried, and laid him back down. "Can't you swallow?"

Still breathing heavily, Dick signed back, "Don't think I can. Or not much. What do we do now?"

"I'll think of something. You rest for now and sleep if you can. We'll figure this out," Bruce said in as comforting a tone as he could manage.

Dick gave him an eye-roll that said, "Yeah, right." But he obediently closed his eyes.

Bruce mentally inventoried the contents of the first aid kit. Dick could live without food for a week but water was vital. He could go maybe three days without it. The kit was basic and didn't have the tools for an IV or naso-gastric tube. He tried the communicator again; still jammed. Still trapped here.

A few hours later, he saw that Dick was thrashing and struggling in his sleep. He'd always been prone to nightmares and Bruce wouldn't blame him if he had them now. He laid a hand on his son's arm. "Dick, wake up. It's okay, you're safe now. You're safe..."

Dick's eyes opened and he looked around wildly. When he saw Bruce's face he relaxed a bit and his expression grew less frantic. He tried to speak, remembered, then spoke with his hands. "Sorry. Nightmare."

"That's okay, Dick," Bruce smiled. "What are a couple of nightmares between us. I have 'em too." He picked up the water bottle. "You're probably pretty dehydrated by now. I have an idea. Want to try again?"

Dick looked at the bottle warily. "I'm really thirsty but what's your idea?"

"Just this," Bruce got a sleeping bag, still rolled up and tucked it behind Dick's back, propping him up. "Do you remember when Ace was still alive?"

Dick grinned. "You mean, Ace the Bat-Hound? Of course I remember my dog."

"Well, do you remember when Joker gassed him and we had to give him those pills? He had trouble swallowing them..."Bruce settled down next to Dick and held up the water bottle.

"You're going to treat me like we did the dog?"

Batman smiled at Dick's dismay. "It worked, didn't it? You need fluids and food; we can't hike out of here until you're up to speed."

"Okay, okay, give me the water bottle," Dick said. "And I'll do it myself." He uncapped it, took a tiny sip and tried to swallow. Bruce could see that he was having trouble getting the water down, but held his peace while his son began to stroke at his throat to force it down. Dick opened his eyes, held a thumb up and tried again.

By the time he'd managed to down the rest of the bottle, Bruce had the soup reheated. "Okay, you work on this while I check your leg," he said and handed Dick the tin cup with a small quantity of soup in it.

Bruce moved the blanket aside and was about to change the dressing when he heard the sound of the cup hitting the stone floor of the cave. Dick was sitting bolt upright, his face white with terror.

"What is it?" Batman asked.

"The T'Shal, they're outside. I don't know how but...I can sense them. They're outside the cave, looking for us," Dick said.

JLA HEADQUARTERS
PAN-AFRICA

CONFERENCE ROOM B

"So, the T'Shal didn't get our codes?" Wonder Woman asked the assembled team.

"No. I took it from their minds," M'gann said confidently. "They had only just broken through and had only partial knowledge. Nightwing fought... very hard."

"What was his condition when you left him and Batman?" Wonder Woman asked, worry in her eyes. M'gann was reminded that Robin had been the first sidekick and the adopted nephew of the entire League for years.

"When we broke that damned Machine, he just faded and died," Wally said, tensely. "Bats started CPR and Artemis took over. She brought him back," he said, smiling over at Artemis. "He was unconscious the entire time we were there."

"I couldn't reach his mind," M'gann said. "It could mean that he was shielding enough to keep me out, or that he has brain damage of some kind. As we arrived, he was seizing. That stopped when the Machine was disabled."

"And you believe that Batman is waiting at the rendezvous point?" Wonder Woman asked.

"If it's possible for them to get there, he's there," Wally answered. "M'gann told Batman about the tunnel and it ends up about a quarter mile from the hill where the cave is. And if Batman's there, Nightwing is too."

"Have you had any luck getting through to them?" Superboy tilted his chair upright and took his feet off the desk.

"None so far," Wonder Woman admitted, watching Superboy with amusement. "The T'Shal jammers are still working. The battle lines have moved away from that area, although it's still in enemy territory it has been decided that we'll accede to your request and send you in to recover them."

All four team members sat upright, faces wreathed in grins.