A/N already had the idea for this chapter and I really couldn't wait to post it.
Chapter 9: seeing is believing
Dick and Damien looked out past the crushed gargoyles that used to guard the old house miles away. Even in its crumbled and destroyed state Sick knew it would always hold it beauty. When, or if they were lucky enough, this war would end and he would rebuild this building, he didn't know about Damien. The twelve year old kid just stared at the house he called home, before all this.
"Come on, stop hanging around we have to get moving!" Conner snapped at the top from where he stood on top of a junk pile.
"Why can't I just run there?" Wally insisted and Artemis shook her head, "What if you run into an Amazo?"
"Hm." Wally grunted crossing his arms, "I`m fast enough!"
"I didn't say you weren't, stop pouting!" Artemis snapped, Dick drowned out another one of their arguments not caring to stop it.
"We could go down there." Dick said more to himself, sadly Damien heard and smiled, "Then let's, no one can stop us!"
"I know that, but we have to think about-."
"Conner, Right think about the great Super-boy!" Damien snapped interrupting him. Dick glared at him, he always assumed he had gotten past the phase were his 'brother' tried to guess his next word and then get angry about it.
"No," Dick said calmly, "Adam, we have to find him."
"Are you coming?" Wally asked looking at them from over the junk pile, the others obviously had went further to see if they would catch up and wally came back to check on them. "Were co-." He felt Damien nudge him and Dick looked at the house, he knew he would find something he wanted to see, they had to go. "We're going to check the house, we used to live there and, I forgot something."
Wally bit his lip then nodded, "Ok, I`ll let the others know." Without another word Wally was gone. Dick barely took another step before the Kid Flash was back, "Okay, let's go." Wally smiled.
"Thanks Wally." Dick said.
"Ya, thanks' a lot." Damien said less enthusiastically.
They walked the long way to the house and Dick smiled at the sight of a few birds here and there. He could actually see some grass beneath his feet. Things were different here. Dick remembered Bruce, his liked Bruce; he was a good friend it was just sad that he never really got to know him.
Finally they reached the house, the three teens separated to look around and Dick memorized the whole building completely. He remembered the marble like stairs, the red carpeted halls, the wooden Wally, and most of all he remembered the bright red oak door. Dick was lost in thought as he walk over the Burt post of an old bed he dug under the rubble and smiled a little at the brown cover of the suit case. Being hidden under the bed gave it extra protection.
Slowly Damien opened the lid; he looked at the insides like his eyes would fall out.
"Hey Dick we-." Damien said walking over to him. "What?"
"It's empty!" Dick growled. The wooden suit case began to crack under his furious grip and he stood up and threw it to the ground. "Someone took the pictures Damien!"
"Dick-," Damien said but Dick threw his hands in the air pacing around the ruble in livid anger. "Why? Why would someone-," Suddenly the wood beneath him collapsed and he fell. It didn't take but only a second before he hit metal.
"Recognized, Alfred Pennyworth." A rusty machine said. Dick gasped as Damien and Wally Jumped down into the small machine next to him. Lights lit up and then with a screeching jolt it started to go down.
"Where are we going?" Wally asked felling the walls for a way out. Then the elevator stopped and the door slid open half way, rust covered it and Dick, Damien and Wally had to push their way out.
Everywhere was lit with computer light that come from a glass tube and a large computer next to it. That's not what caught his eye though; it was the limp pictures on the table, his pictures. He wasted no time racing down and grabbing the photo he saw.
In his hand he held the slightly burnt picture of his parents, and him. His real parents. He stroked his thumb over the dusk to see the face of a tall man, a beautiful woman, and a small eight year old kid. He could have stood there forever but the sound Damien`s voice pulled him from his trance. "No…no…no…" Damien muttered his face pressed against the glass tears leaking along it. Damien's hands were balled into fist and Wally patted Damien`s back to comfort him.
Holding the picture in one hand Dick slowly made his way over to the huge glass tube that lay there. He never noticed the person inside, the glass was without dust and it was easy to see his face, his black hair, and the scar that was under his right eye.
Dick pulled of his own mask with his free hand and when he did so he felt the large tears flowing freely down his cheeks staining them completely. Slowly Dick`s knees gave out and he sat against the glass, tears leaving his blue eyes, "No…Not him to…not Bruce." Dick cried.
XXX
Zatanna walked around the base her eye trained on the ground so she wouldn't catch the eye of any of the people that crossed her path. He assumed she could make herself invisible but what was the point, if you lived in this world you had to be strong.
"You've come to free them haven't you?"
Zatanna looked up at an old broken down looking man with a thick smell of whiskey on his breath.
"I don't know what you mean." Zatanna said looking around for one of her friends to pull her from the conversation.
"The Justice league of course." The man said spitting a little. Zatanna snapped her gaze to him. "What?"
The man smiled with yellow crooked teeth, "There held captive in that spiky crown building, been there for two years now."
"B-But their alive?" She asked.
"Who knows what Luthor does to them up there?" The man grumbled.
"Yes but there are up there right?" Zatanna pleaded.
"Andy!" What are you doing harassing the new recruits!" Vixen yelled walking over to them, "they'll hear none of your lies!" She spat.
"There not lies Alfred told us-,"
"Alfred is an old fool who`s lost his mind working for the Bat." Vixen spat. She turned to Zatanna her gaze ten times friendlier, "I hope you pay no attention to him, his lies are frequent."
"I-I guess so." Zatanna said.
"Good, come it's time to find your friends."
Zatanna smiled at her but the thought still pierced her mind, could the old man be right, could the league be up there at this time?
XXX
Adam gulped down the water in deep thirsty chugged and then took another large bit out of his pancakes. The odd feeling he had about Lex had been pushed to the back of his mind but he still felt it lingering there in silence. He felt more energized and stronger as he ate. Lex sat next to him eating his own small plate of food.
Adam smiled and pushed the plate away finishing quicker than he ever had. "Done." He smiled at the bald man.
"Good, Now Adien-,"
"Adam." He said correcting him.
"What?" Lex asked.
"My names Adam." He said again.
"Oh yes Adam, I just wanted to know a few things about you." Lex said.
"Like what?" Adam said, he didn't know why but an episode of Kidnappers popped into his head, Lex wasn't a kidnapper, he was a friend…starting now.
"Like do you have any friends?" Lex asked casually.
Adam smiled and a saddening pain hit him, "Yep lots and I have my brother Conner."
"Hm. Right, and do you have any special abilities?" Lex asked, resting hand on the table. The small clinging nudge in the back of Adam`s head returned but this time it had deep sense that made him or more like pushed him to lie. "I can control water." He stated.
"Water." Lex asked uninterested.
"Yeah, water can't get enough of it!" Adam said faking his enthusiasm.
Lex looked at him and then reached into his pocket, the first thing Adam thought was gun but he let out a more relived breath when Lex pulled out a small chunk of green rock. "Do you know what this is, Adam?"
"I don't know a lobster." Adam said feeling a threatening feeling come over him he gathered his best self-defense mode. Cocky-ness.
"No," Lex said unamused, "On a planet far far away it's called Kryptonite."
"Kryptonite." Adam said feeing a slight burning sensation in his throat as the word escaped his mouth. It didn't take long for him to realize, Lex was no friend.