Thank you all for 150 reviews! It's more than I had ever dreamed of!
Thebluecrystalrose: All 20? I'm impressed! Thank you for reading, glad you are enjoying, and welcome to the story! Here's an update for you.
Captain Planet: I am growing more and more curious about your identity. Thank you once again for your faithful reviews, whoever you are. I didn't mean for Catwoman to rob the store, only to break the window. I intended to write more on Madame Rouge in this chapter, and ended up not doing so, and I think I forgot to cut that section. Oops. As for the angst, I can see what you mean. I think I am caught in constant fear that I am merely writing filler and that people are growing frustrated or impatient. Anyway, I find that Dick calling Slade "Master" of his own free will while apologizing at his feet just added to the whole effect. They still have some things to work out, nothing is perfect overnight, but it's a step. As for slipping into summary, I think it's because, oddly enough, I don't find Dick very interesting right now, so I don't want to spend too much time on what he's doing, since he isn't doing anything, if that makes sense… I suppose it's all a matter of personal preference, as you said.
Candiandi97: Oh, glad you don't hate him! Yes it is sad, and you have hit the nail on the head: Slade is manipulating him. Remember that.
READINGhearts17: Had do be done, dearest. Stay tuned.
Alexus Loves Writing: Hello! Glad to see you review! I always love new reviewers! Thank you so much! I am glad you are enjoying the story!
SladeRavenFan: I'm glad to hear you liked it!
Thaliag.2: Oh good! I've been worried about how people would feel about Dick since I planned this out! Glad to hear everyone is liking it! Catwoman was interesting to write. I'm glad I did her justice.
MasterIcePhoenix: Soon! And yes, I got it!
MarleneGrayson: Welcome! Here's the update!
Anon: Here it be!
"Bruce, please. I know you wanted to be here to interrogate her yourself, but we wanted to take the burden off your shoulders," Clark said, following the dark man as he stalked angrily towards the mainframe. The Batman was less than pleased to find that the other members of the League had gone against his wishes and questioned Madame Rouge themselves; the most he could do now was watch the footage from the interrogation, as the woman had long since refused to answer any more questions, and her morphable molecules were incredibly pain resistant, even if the JLA was desperate enough to sink to torture. Batman prided himself on the fact that, even in the face of sheer panic and desperation, they had not yet sunk to such levels.
As he pulled up the footage, Batman sank into the wide, plush rotating chair in front of the massive computer tiredly. The nights of Gotham were not easy on him at any time, let alone now when he was under so much added stress. Hopefully in the interrogation he would find some clues, something useful.
"What was the most important information you gathered?" he asked gruffly as the video began.
"It's worse than we thought, Batman," Superman replied. "Deathstroke—Slade knows the Titan's identities as well." Bruce wasn't surprised. The criminal mastermind had figured out that Robin was Dick Grayson, and keeping that in mind, it wasn't too far of a journey to the realization that Bruce Wayne was Batman. The Titan's identities would be a little more challenging, but if he had figured out who Robin was, then clearly the man had resources.
"Then it's safe to assume he also knows the identities of the League. At least the main members."
"And to assume that that's why Dick hasn't tried to escape," Clark agreed. The green changeling had told the League all he knew of their captivity, including that Robin had chosen to be Dick Grayson for the duration of his captivity, and that he had said Slade had some sort of blackmail, something to keep him from trying anything. According to Beast Boy at the beginning, Dick had tried, had fought back as much as he could but Slade had beaten him down, quite literally. Clark found himself shaking with anger as he thought about what the villain had subjected the child to. Who beats a child with a whip for not doing something they don't want to do? Dick wasn't family, but he was as good as where the League was concerned. When they got their hands on Slade, the man would wish he had never been born.
Their one small comfort was that Dick wasn't doing this of his own free will, but by force.
The change in the boy was remarkable, Wintergreen thought as he watched the two orange and black clad figures spar across the room. With the boy's arm still bound in a sling, it was mainly Slade on the offensive, and Dick dodging and blocking.
Dick did everything he was asked without hesitation, without complaint. During weapons training, he picked up and put to use everything Slade so much as glanced at, always with that puppy dog look. Will could tell that Slade was reveling in every moment of it.
Slade's real moment of triumph had come earlier that morning, as he had, in a way, sworn the boy in.
"You will serve me?" he asked.
"Yes," Dick replied, standing in a soldier's stance, arm still in a sling, as the taller man circled him like a vulture eyeing its supper.
"You will obey me?"
"Yes." Slade stopped his rotation and looked the boy in the eye.
"Tell me," he said quietly, slowly, drinking in the moment. "Do you fear me?"
At this the boy was silent for a moment, before he let out a small breath of air, almost unheard. "Yes."
"Excellent."
Wintergreen had watched the exchange with morbid fascination, standing against the wall so as not to interfere with the integrity of the vows. Slade wanted the boy's attention on him, and him alone.
Now, he watched them with an equal amount of fascination. When Wintergreen had first joined Slade in this endeavor, he had known that Slade would stop at nothing to get the boy where he wanted him. Apparently, his mind still clung to some dregs of innocence, even after all this time, because he had truly never even conceived that Slade would do some of the things he had done. The things he had put that child through…
Will had not been present for everything, but he had seen enough to know that Slade had damn near tortured that boy, warping him body and mind into what Slade wanted and nothing less. Snidely, he found himself thinking, "Just as he does with everyone."
But Slade Wilson was a good man, a man he had grown to know through his army days, and a man to whom he had saved his life. And the damage was already done. Truthfully, the boy was physically no worse for wear. He was resilient, and Slade knew the boundaries of the human body better than anyone, after what he had been through… what they had made him. Mentally, perhaps some work was yet to be done with Dick before he would truly be healthy again, but the boy would be fine. Slade would not drive him to insanity, he knew better. And after the incident with Grant… well, Will knew Slade would not allow unnecessary harm to come to the boy from outside sources either. He had learned his lesson on that front. The boy was as safe with Slade as he had been at his tower, now that he had stopped fighting him.
The boy clearly wanted Slade's approval, and Slade truly wanted to be on good terms with the boy. Now that they had come this far, things could only go up. Will would continue to assist Slade in molding the boy. It was the least he could do. After all, he owed him his life.
It was a week before Dick could bring himself to visit the Titan's again. Whatever his feelings were on the matter, he knew they wouldn't understand, would never be able to understand why he had chosen to join Slade. They knew nothing of what his blackmail was, they knew little of his past, of his relationship with Bruce… what he had been through.
Even so, he knew they would worry more if he didn't see them, or rather, they didn't see him, and he wanted to make things as easy for them as possible.
That in mind, he steeled himself and made his way to their rooms, flagging down a bot as Slade had taught him so that he could get inside.
"Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos." Raven was sitting crosslegged on her bed, eyes closed and meditating, when she heard the whoosh of the door opening. Giving herself a few more moments to leave her trance gradually, she stood and flung her cloak about herself. Just because she couldn't use her powers right now didn't mean she didn't need to practice controlling them. The time would come when she could control the dark tendrils of magic again, and she wanted to be ready.
Leaving her room to see who had arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to see Ro—Dick, his arm still in a sling, caught in one of Starfire's rather exuberant versions of a "gentle" hug, Cyborg smiling slightly off to the side.
"Oh friend," the Tameranean exclaimed as she released him, clasping her hands together, "It has been long since you have come to see us! We have much to ask you! Are you alright? You are injured? Why have you not—"
"Whoa, Star," Dick chuckled, cutting off her speedy rant of inquiries. "One thing at a time." Raven arched and eyebrow, watching from her doorway. He was happier than he had been when she had seen him last, newly injured and looking petrified of Slade's retribution. That, at least, was a small comfort.
Cyborg stepped forward and clapped him lightly on his uninjured shoulder. Gesturing to said joint, the half metal teen said, "What happened, man?"
"Oh, that, don't worry about it… M—Slade didn't do it." At the incredulous looks he received, he cleared his throat and, heat rising to his cheeks, said, "I did it. I was trying to buy some time so I—I threw myself off the bars." Cyborg winced in sympathy.
"It was a good try, man," he said as they walked to the couch they all shared in the common area. "The results weren't the best." They all sat down, and she watched the look on his face as he was reminded of that incident. His expression perplexed her, but she thought it best not to dwell on it and entered the room fully.
"Hi, Dick," she said in way of greeting, seating herself on the armchair opposite him.
"Hi," he replied. "What have you been up to?"
"Meditating, just now. Reading mostly," she replied, nodding towards the bookshelf. "The older man rotates the books every so often." Dick nodded, before being hit with another barrage of questions from Starfire, and they all allowed themselves to slip into easy conversation.
It was as close to normal as they had felt in some time, and, if not for Beast Boy's absence, it might have felt like home.