AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter is dedicated to a small spirit who passed away today before their time. May they be loved in Heaven and enjoy the company of the other like minded spirits who passed before them. Amen.

And just to be clear, I didn't suffer the loss. But a very close and supportive friend of mine did. I hope things go well for you and many blessings on you and your loved ones.

Chapter 14

Dark tapped his fingers on the dashboard. He glared straight ahead while Slade, better known as Deathstroke, drove. They had argued for the better part of two hours. His partner had not been happy with Dark's decision. He thought it ridiculous, dangerous, and completely foolish. Still, in the end Slade had only reluctantly given in since Dark had collected their payment without mishap.

Now that they were on their way across the country there was little the other mercenary could do. At this rate getting out of the country would be easy compared to dealing with the U.S. Adjusting his side mirror Dark peered behind them. When he heard a creak from the back of the truck he sighed. Not bothering to look over at Slade.

"He broke out of his box. Think he'll go any further?" Dark asked bluntly. Slade frowned as he kept his eyes on the road. He had hidden his mercenary mask since they were no longer on the job. The payout from this one had been big enough to satisfy him for the moment. Superboy escaping had been a blow he could deal with. Luthor had shown greater interest in Bruce being "killed" rather than getting his clone back. At the moment Superboy was being kept prisoner by the Justice League as far as both men knew. So he was no longer their concern.

"In his condition? I doubt it. He might get up the nerve to get out of the damn thing, but where would he go? We shot his seeing eye dog, and the kid is long gone. I doubt he even cares enough to come looking for the man." Slade answered. Dark frowned, but he said nothing more. He almost wished his old mentor would attempt to break out. Bruce had put up little resistance when he had trussed him up.

"I didn't expect him to be so…"

"So cooperative? Dark, I'm starting to think you when you came back you hit your head a couple of times on the way out. I'm having a hard time believing you when you say Bruce is who you claim to be." Slade complained.

"He was Batman once! I'm telling you the truth!"

"Right, and I'm the gosh damn Wonder Woman. If he's the Batman why didn't he try to defend himself? Even blind Batman could have easily escaped his bonds. Bruce Wayne just whimpered a bit and went along with us. He even begged we didn't hurt the damn dog."

"I'm not sure about that. Maybe it's all an act. Like I told you, he had to be convincing. Maybe even now he has a plan." Dark shot back. He sighed and ran a tired hand through his short black hair. Even with his red helmet off he still tended to wear the black eye mask to cover up most of his face. When he glanced into the mirror again he saw dark blue eyes gazing back at him.

"If it is an act, he has me fooled." Slade huffed. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the road in front of him. They had a while to drive before they reached their destination.

"I assume you have a plant about what you want to do with him." Slade said deciding to change the subject. Dark frowned, taking out his knife and beginning to sharpen it with long, slow strokes as he considered the question.

"Interrogate him, of course. There are two sides to every story. I made it a priority to at least hear his side of things." Dark answered inspecting his blade. He remembered those long nights of training with the former Batman. The endless hours of bleeding knuckles, shortened breaths, and bruises he went to bed with. They were nights he would never forget. Not for the life of him.

"I doubt he'll give you much trouble. It's not as if he put up much resistance, if any." Slade said shaking his head. He was no man to push his morals, if he had any, onto anyone else. There were certain lines he was not willing to cross. However, even he felt a bit of an edge of guilt for the blind man in the back.

"You're positive he used to be Batman?" Slade asked. When Dark nodded the mercenary could only shake his head.

"It's the truth!"

"I didn't say you were lying. The fact is though…"

"What?"

"I've faced Batman a few times. I'm only going along with this because it doesn't interfere with our contract. But him? The man in the crate in the back?" Slade said jerking his thumb to the back of the truck for emphasis.

"At some point in his life that man may been involved in some type of martial arts. Beyond that I highly doubt he is who you think he is. But if you're going to insist on it, fine." Slade continued before Dark could say anything.

"I'll play along for right now. But he's your responsibility, not mine. So if he dies it's on your watch, not mine. I only have the one eye, Jason." Slade said tapping his good eye for emphasis.

In the back of the truck Bruce was forced to brace himself against the back of the crate each time they hit a bump. It jostled him badly, but at least he wasn't tied up anymore. From time to time his head hit the top of the crate making him wince. Every once in a while he reached up to test the lock only to find it the same as before. He thought back to Connor talking to him. Of sleeping peacefully in his own bed as Krypto slept on the floor beside him. Having only to reach down to feel the familiar soft ears of his companion. Even if the canine was dreaming Bruce would hear the thump of Krypto's tail in answer.

Where was his friend now? He hoped Krypto at least was okay. Even as he was being dragged away Bruce was sure he had heard a whimper. Maybe Alfred had survived as well. That would make him happy. As he shifted to make himself more comfortable Bruce found his mine turning back to darker times. At the very least he would not have to worry about being scared of the dark.

Bruce laughed softly at the thought. Even when he had been his persona he had never been truly afraid of the dark. Unease had never stayed his hand or prevented him from acting. Only when he had woken for first time in his new state of his blindness had Bruce ever been truly terrified.

It have been almost, what, two years ago? Bruce had been abandoned by Superman to grieve over his loss. He remembered how cold the floor had felt that night. How he had dug his fingers into the floor as he felt the tears flow. Lying to himself if he could simply just open his eyes he would be able to see again. Clark would never be so cruel. They had been friends once, had they not? Surely Clark only meant this as some kind of joke. A cruel one, to be sure, but surely he would never…take it this far, would he?

Bruce had not even been aware of time passing. At some point he knew he must have fallen asleep. When he had come awake the confusion had set in again. At first he had assumed his room was dark, but could not understand why. Only the snap of a cape had alerted him about who was approaching. Automatically he had reached out a seeking hand. Hoping to find one to grab his in return and to lift him back up.

Only instead of a helping hand he received a harsh one in return. Bruce's hand was smacked out of the way. He felt fingers dig into his hair. Bruce screeched as pain lanced through his scalp as he was hauled up. The roots of his hair feeling as if they were ripping the skin out. Superman had grunted at the noise as he turned around. Dragging Bruce behind him as if he were nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

Desperate, Bruce clawed at the hand in his hair. Panic coursing through him as he wondered what possibly other punishment could be in store for him. A second later he was thrown forward. Bruce fell hard on his hands on knees. He stayed exactly where he was breathing hard. Reaching up he touched his own face. He felt his eyelids, something warm running down his scalp, and the rest of his features. His eyes were open, but he still could not see. In his head he still had a dull, pounding ache which burned. The pain was so much he felt tears beginning to course down his cheeks unable to help himself.

"Fold the laundry." Superman's brusque voice ordered him. A second later Bruce heard the door slide shut.

"Clark? Clark, wait…" Bruce said getting to his feet. He reached out to steady himself and felt a tabletop. He gripped onto it for dear life and kept trying to open his eyes. He didn't want to admit the harsh truth he already knew.

"Clark, come back! CLARK!" Bruce yelled at the wall. There was no answer except complete silence. After a few minutes of yelling the other man's name he gave up. There was no point in trying to draw the other's attention.

Turning Bruce tried to be careful about where he walked. He kept bumping into things and nearly knocked over a table. His sense of coordination was completely off by the loss of his sight. Given the choice he would have simply gone into a corner and died. Fear kept him moving though. Fear that there was possibly a worse punishment then this one waiting for him.

As he thought about his first day of being blind Bruce shook his head of the bad memories. What he would give to just see for one more day. Just to catch a glimpse of the sun, stars, and the open sky. He remembered the patch of blue when he had tried to escape with stark clarity. There days that went by when he felt as if he were trapped in his own mind. There was the real fear he might even go insane.

What would Connor think if he knew the whole truth? Despite trusting the boy, loving him even, with his entire being Bruce still could not even bring himself to tell the boy all. The only living being he knew his pain truly was Krypto. He feared if he brought the boy in to close Connor would be disgusted and leave. There was something deeper there between them if Bruce wasn't mistaken. He knew the boy had an interest in him, but their differences were astounding. The boy had shown interest in traveling down that particular road, but it would have been like taking advantage of an unsuspecting child.

If something happened to me I couldn't stand to put him through that pain. Maybe this is for the best. Wherever I'm being taken maybe it's just to put a bullet through my head.

Bruce found the idea didn't scare him nearly as much as he thought it would. He found he almost welcomed it to an extent. Maybe he would move on to a better place? Would it be so bad?

At first he could not say what drew him out of his deep thoughts. He fell asleep at some point again unable to stay awake. Bruce didn't dream, but he woke up abruptly. He frowned remaining exactly where he was for a long time. Then he realized his prison had stopped moving. Raising his head from his knees Bruce reached up to touch the lid of his crate. It still lifted a few inches like it had last time.

After a minute Bruce banged hard on the side of the crate. He heard no answering bang or voices of alarm. If anything, if seemed as if whoever had captured him could care less what noise he made. Unless…they had gone away. Had he been forgotten?

"Only one way to find out." Bruce murmured.

Bruce angled his body and kicked at the lid of the crate. He heard a crack for his effort and could not help the grin he felt. Well, at least he still could do that. It actually felt pretty good to kick at something. He gave the lid two more solid kicks before he heard the audible bang of the lid hitting the wall of the truck. Cautiously, Bruce put his hand on the side and stood up. His knees ached from having been in the cramped space for so long.

He took his time getting out of the crate. Next reaching out to touch the sides to guide himself. He felt heavy cases beneath his hand made out of hard plastic. He undid the lock of one and reached in to touch the contents. When he felt cool metal beneath his hand he yanked it back. A second touch of the contents revealed what he was looking at. A sniper rifle which had to be put together. This one had been taken apart and stored away. Two more searches revealed even more weapons.

Bruce felt to his stomach realizing he had been surrounded by guns his entire ride. Terrorists? Assassins? The most likely reason was probably mercenaries. Why bring him along though? Or perhaps they knew who he had once been? Shaking his head Bruce went towards the front of the truck. He held his hands in front of him and felt his hands touch cold metal. His hands moved over the doors and wondered how in the world he might be able to break out. He at least wanted to have some fresh air.

He gently pushed on the doors. There was little give from them. Taking a step back Bruce gave them a kick. The doors rattled, but remained where they were. Frowning, he considered about what to do next. From the sound he figured it must be some kind of bar which slid across the door and locked it. He had heard something rattling outside the doors which confirmed his suspicions.

He didn't have to wait long though. A minute later Bruce heard a screech as the doors were opened. He turned around his hands spread wide in front of him. He didn't want his captors thinking he was armed. There was a pause where the only thing he could hear was heavy breathing. Then the crunch of boots over gravel as another person joined the first one at the entrance.

"Told you he would break out. What do you want to do with him now?" A deep voice asked. It sounded familiar, and for a moment Bruce could not place it. Then he felt a chill go down his spine as he realized who it was.

"Take him inside. Where else is he going to go?" Another voice said. They were both distinctly male, but this second speaker sounded very young. If he had to guess the young man had to be in his early twenties.

"If you think it's wise. Alright, Bruce Wayne, step out." The older man instructed his tone bored.

Bruce slowly approached the direction where he had heard the two men speaking. He held his breath as he stepped out of the back of the truck. He heard the men back up as he came out. When Bruce's feet hit the ground he was glad to feel a breeze on his face. Well, if they were going to shoot him so be it. He would not resist them at this point.

"So, you're the Batman. Or used to be." The older male voice stated. Bruce heard the younger man mutter a few curses under his breath, but refrained from saying them aloud.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, sir." Bruce said keeping his voice completely calm. He kept his tone subdued so as not to alert the man he was a threat.

"My partner keeps telling me I have a reason to fear you. I've fought Batman before, and I can say for certain you're not him." Slade stated bluntly. He walked up closer and shoved his face only an inch from Bruce's. The blind man's eyes shifted as he turned his head listening the sound of the military boots on the gravel.

"He is him! I can prove it, watch." Dark insisted. Slade sighed, but backed away. He had only bothered to bring out his pistol and his army knife.

Dark walked up to Bruce and gave him a long, hard look. After a moment he whirled and threw a punch. He landed it right on Bruce's shoulder and sent the blind man staggering back. The blind man caught himself on the edge of the truck, but made no move to protect himself. Dark paused waiting to see if the man would retaliate. When nothing happened he threw another punch this time a bit harder. Other than a shudder of pain the former billionaire only accepted the blow silently. His sightless eyes shifting as if attempting to bely the pain he felt.

"All I see is you beating a blind man, Dark. I don't know whether I should stop you or be ashamed. Probably both. You're wasting your time. Either let the man go or shoot him. I don't have time for this nonsense." Slade stated tiredly. Dark frowned as he glared at Bruce.

"No, I'll let him live. But I will shoot that dog of his. And the boy too for that matter. You know which one I mean, don't you?" Dark whispered quietly. Then he had a thought and smirked at the idea.

"Do what you want with me, young man. But please leave my friends out of this. You won't gain anything by killing them, so why bother?" Bruce said his voice soft as he spoke. A desperate edge to his voice at not having the power to do anything.

"If that's how you want it then, fine. Why don't I just hand you right back over to Superman then? I heard he's being released in about a month. He was re-evaluated by some experts who say the guy only had a lapse in judgment. Guess that means he'll want his plaything back, won't he?" Dark stated coldly.

The reaction was better than he had anticipated. Bruce's face turned completely pale at the thought. Dark laughed, mocking the man as he reached out to shove him in the chest. When his hand touched the blind man's chest though Bruce reacted automatically. Grabbing Dark's wrist the man expertly twisted it. Moving incredibly fast Bruce yanked Dark forward and smashed his face with his elbow.

Slade watched with a bit of amusement and awe. Dark had not been anticipating that particular move, but he quickly recovered. He broke Bruce's hold and quickly ducked out of reach. His nose bleeding freely as he glared at his former mentor with closed eyes. Bruce was breathing hard his entire body trembling at the quick exchange. After a few seconds Slade opened his mouth to speak until Bruce turned towards him. Seeming to look straight at the mercenary despite his blindness.

"Slade Wilson, you underwent a super soldier experiment. You lost your wife, and your son perished not long afterward. Your wife blames you for the loss of your son despite the fact it wasn't your fault, was it? After that you decided to become a mercenary. You don't drink, never smoke, and only take contracts when they suit you. Rather than drag it out you would rather get the killing done as fast as possible." Bruce said taking a breath before he continued.

"You have a healing factor, but it did nothing for the eye you lost. You have training in multiple firearms, weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and extensive knowledge of various martial arts. One of the only reasons you continually challenged the Batman was because he was the only one to present a challenge to you. It's a shame you lost each time."

Slade paused as he listened to the rundown of facts about his life. Dark fell silent as Bruce rattled off the small details about the mercenary's life. When the man skipped a couple Slade knew who the man was. He frowned as he glanced at his partner who listened intently.

"You're right. He is the Dark Knight, isn't he?"