Now I'm gonna have some random name drops that are just fun and mean nothing. As I've stated before, I got all my intel from TV so if it's inaccurate, sorry! Please enjoy!
50 – Station Visits
Dick waited in the Jump Precinct hallway, sitting on one of their random chairs and staring at nothing. Thinking about nothing. He wasn't even trying to escape those simple handcuffs he was wearing, nor fidgeting from boredom. It was almost relaxing just sitting there, lost in nothing, at all. Numb.
Didn't even look twice at the soda placed into his hands, or even the man who handed it to him. "Thought you might like a drink. Do you like this flavor?"
"It's fine." He took a sip, not noting the flavor at all. The officer over juvenile arrests looked over him with concern. To think this was the kid who easily broke into multiple buildings and fought all the Titans into corners. He wasn't proud, disappointed, guilty, cocky, or any of the usual emotions he saw when a teenager was arrested. And considering how much he accomplished as a criminal in such a short time, he expected something. But not even caution at the drink? He just took everything quietly, obediently.
He only saw this reaction from victims of abuse, neglect, or of some kind of traumatic attack. The officer pulled a chair away from the side of the hall and put a clipboard on his lap. There was some paperwork to do. "My name's Jarvis Stark. I'm with the Jump District Civil Services as a liaison with the SFPD. I need to ask you a few questions before the police can get to the bottom of this. Think you can help me out here?"
"Ask away."
Seeing the broken down boy answer automatically, no emotion, pained Jarvis greatly. He thought he saw a hand twitch when he said 'civil services' but he might have been imagining it. He clicked his pen, looking back to the paper work instead. "Name?"
"Richard John Grayson."
"As a costumed criminal, you had an alias I assume." He glanced up at the kid and knew he saw his hands tighten around the can. "What was it?"
"Renegade." Dick's voice was softer but spite came with it. At least he wasn't completely deprived of emotions.
"Alright. Age?"
He blinked realizing something. The acrobat looked at him for the first time. "What's today's date?"
That made the officer blink in surprise. He didn't know what day it was? "Thursday, April 30th."
The teen nodded and looked at the can in his hands again, eyes barely focused. "Seventeen."
"Birthdate?"
"March 21st."
Jarvis nodded, understanding a little. "That explains the question. Place of birth?"
"Nebraska."
He looked at the kid curiously. Just a state? "Can I get a city?" There was a touch of disappointment in the way the kid shook his head. Maybe he was born on the road or in a cabin. Nebraska wasn't all cities after all. "Okay… Parents names?"
Dick's hands clenched a bit as he spoke. "John and Mary Grayson."
"And what's their phone numbers?"
"They don't have any." His head drooped a fraction more, quieting himself. "They're dead."
"Oh." 'Crap!' the officer cringed inwardly. Orphan. Now he was a ward of the state. That meant bringing in a lot more paperwork and a lot more complications. He was hoping this case might be simpler, a runaway who was attracted to the excitement of criminal life by this 'Slade' guy. "Ah… how about the name of your last foster parent?"
The kid clamped up, shrinking slightly into himself. A lot of kids did that, shrinking back from when they were last seen in the system so they wouldn't be sent back or get into trouble. Definitely a victim of abuse here. Well he was seventeen. He didn't have to go back. "Okay, scratch that. What can you tell me about your boss?"
"Slade Wilson, Deathstroke." The words rushed out of his mouth, almost as if he wanted to tell someone for ages. Guessing by his actions, he probably had. "Mercenary, assassin. Wanted in several countries, warrant for his arrest available on the Interpol website. Caught by Justice League a year and a half ago when he was hired to target the princess of Kosvach. Broke Green Lantern's arm, Aquaman's clavicle, twisted Flash's spine, and sent Wonder Woman into the ocean."
"You know quite a bit about him." That… was a pretty interesting report. Detailed too when it came to the League, especially their injuries.
Dick turned away again slightly, his bottom lip quivered slightly. "I liked the League."
Seeing the way he felt guilt mentioning the League, he put down his pen and asked the one question that buzzed in his head and several others once they knew he wasn't working alone. "Why were you working for Slade then? If you liked the Justice League, why work with a killer?"
"I didn't have a choice." His voice dropped again, threatening to become silent. "He was going to kill them if I didn't become his apprentice. I did what I did to save lives. But it wasn't enough."
"What?" Jarvis could tell the kid was referring to something traumatic.
"The massacre at the border before we got here, that was him." His head was nearly touching his hands in guilt. "I couldn't stop him. I couldn't…"
'Oh g-d… he saw it happen…' This was one seriously screwed up kid, and he knew it. That border crossing made international news, almost becoming a platform for politicians on both sides of the border. The slaughter opened a lot of people's eyes. No wonder the boy was so quiet. He placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder trying to comfort him. "It's not your fault. If this guy could do all that to the Justice League, then what could you do to stop him? You did everything you could."
His words had no effect on the boy. He still had his head down, eyes unfocused, and shoulders hunched over in shame. Now he knew where to put the teen in his mind; he was a victim forced to become a criminal, but was honestly a good person at heart. He was just dealt a horrible hand.
"Stark?" The man looked up at his name, seeing a lower ranking officer coming towards them with an orange jumpsuit in his hands. "The examiner's here and the kid needs to get cleaned up and changed."
Dick automatically stiffened, eyes widening in fear. Jarvis noticed it but not the guard. Something the man said put him on edge. "I'll take him over there when he's ready."
"Orders say now." No wonder this guy wasn't a higher rank despite his age. Jerk. "Come on kid."
To the interviewer's surprise, the teenager obeyed and followed, taking the can with him. Jarvis followed after them, noting how the boy downed the can and dropped into the recycling bin along the way, keeping his head down. It made him think. He had to get a child psychologist down there soon, and talk to the Teen Titans. He thought he heard a couple of them demanding to see their former enemy earlier. Clearly they knew more about this than he did.
"I still say this is a waste of time." Sargent Kendal glared through the one way mirror to where the psychiatrist was talking to their former Renegade. As far as he was concerned criminals were criminals, no matter what kind of childhood they had.
Jarvis Stark gave him a sidelong glare, still flipping through the files and official reports the Titans had handed him half an hour ago. From them he determined how much the kid actually told him, and how much he left out. Even the Titans were leaving things out, to protect his 'family'. They provided proof of nanoscopic probes being inside their bodies and that of four others (all younger than them) until a day or so ago. These probes were treated as miniature bombs and a trigger found in the warehouse wreckage was linked to them, ready for Slade to use at a moment's notice, unless the boy did exactly what he was told. He really was saving lives.
The teen's medical reports weren't very encouraging either. From them he could conclude, Richard had undergone severe training, similar to marine training regiments, along with other signs of abuse. He had bruises, cracked bones, fractures that hadn't fully healed, and fresh scar tissue over fifteen percent of his body. Most of these injuries occurred within the past four months. There were also signs of poor nutrition, changes in water consumption, exhaustion, and weight loss. The only kind of abuse they could say didn't happen was sexual. At least Slade wasn't a pedophile. The psychiatrist would be able to determine how much damage was done to him mentally and emotionally. PTSD was a highly likely under these conditions, and all his actions thus far agreed with that conclusion.
"The courts would say otherwise. Have you ever looked at things from the criminal's point of view?"
"Not if I could help it." Kendal had to admit this was the easiest to handle juvenile delinquent he'd seen in years. Almost a good little soldier. Maybe he'd get a deal and join the military as part of his parole. He cooperated with his investigation from the beginning after all. Gave up exactly where the goods were taken to and whatever buyer he knew about. His men were looking at the safe houses as they spoke. The kid even beat up and turned in his boss for them (who was currently being restrained in a special isolation cell meant for metas after receiving some medical treatment). Still didn't mean the kid wasn't a criminal.
"Now, Richard," the lady, Dr. Pendergast, started with a smile, "I'd like you to relax here with me for a moment. I'm not here to hurt you or accuse you of anything, I just want you to look at some pictures for me and tell me what you see."
Dick blinked once then nodded, hands cuffed to the table before him and wearing an orange jumpsuit. They got him to wear it, but that was it. The teen pointblank refused to go near a shower or any running water, a terrified look on his face. Jarvis had to step in and talk the authorities, convincing them to let him be for the time being. The severity of his trauma was very disheartening. He was a smelly inmate before even having a trial.
The psychiatrist on the other side of the glass didn't like having a teenager in handcuffs, but she brought up the inkblot pages anyway. She had a job to do, and the kid really looked like he needed someone who couldn't shoot him to talk to.
"A rabbit." She nodded. Normal answer for that one.
"Squirrel." Another went down.
"Giraffe."
"Elephant."
"Big Top." This made the woman blink and look at the picture itself. It kind of looked like a tent, but the phrase 'big top' wasn't usually applied to the image. Plus the kid looked away from the image for a second. Circuses must mean something to him.
She flipped another card and continued. "Island."
"Tree."
"Mesa."
That made her blink as well. "Mesa?"
"That's what the rock formation's called, a mesa." She nodded, learning something new. Either the kid liked geography or he traveled a lot.
Flipping another card, they went on. "Truck."
"Book."
He hesitated slightly before answering the next one. His voice wavered as he spoke. "Superman."
Pendergast eyed him for a moment, not entirely surprised he wavered at this one. Many people saw the diamond formation on that page and said 'Superman'. It was how they said it that made an impression on her. He knew the man of steel would be disappointed with him, and he was very disappointed with himself.
Another page turned and he closed his eyes after a look. "Blood."
'Doesn't want to see blood. Someone died in front of him?' She turned another page, hoping for another normal response. Instead the boy flinched and turned away, his breathing speeding up into a near panic attack. He licked his lips nervously before saying a word, very weakly at that.
"A bat."
The shrink blinked and looked at the image herself. It usually made people say 'butterfly', 'bird', or 'moth'. Once in a while it was 'bat' but never had she seen that reaction, neither had the people behind the glass. Kendal was confused while Jarvis was surprised to see that much emotion from the kid. He jerked away from cleaning, but this was different. It was as if seeing a bat was painful for him, heartbreaking even. His fear was linked with sorrow. Why would a bat do that?
"Do bats frighten you?" The lady used her best concerned mother voice, setting the image down between them. Dick refused to look at it, trembling slightly, but shook his head slowly. "It's okay to be scared of bats. They scare me too. Bats can be very scary creatures. Violent, mean, and messy. They—"
"I'm not scared of him! I'm not…" Dick put his head in his hands, practically touching the table. His audience just stared in surprise as he shook and tried to regain control over himself. It didn't take long. After a minute of silence, he flipped the picture over, hiding the bat from view. He didn't want to see it. Didn't want to think about it. About anything. "He helped me and I betrayed him… I'm sorry…"
"It's okay Richard." Dr. Pendergast put her hands on his, letting him calm down. "It's okay."
"Is there a cape or a fanatic in Nebraska who has something to do with bats?" Sargent Kendal wondered out loud.
"I… Don't think he's really from Nebraska," Stark offered, staring through the glass at them. The boy on the other side was struggling to stop his shaking, yanking compassion from those watching. "Just born there."
"Then where the hell is he from?!"
"No idea."
Raven was finally allowed to stay with Dick in the hallways of the precinct. She and the rest of the Titans were kept from him for the past twenty-four hours so the police could get his story without collaboration. They didn't realize how much this was a Titan case and not your typical teenaged delinquent having a change of heart kind. He was a victim, a hero, and a high profile target. They were supposed to save him from the criminal and protect him from then on. Thus far they weren't doing so well in the protecting part.
The other Titans were either taking on Control Freak down town or fighting with the adults when it came to Dick's case. The black and white policemen were saying he was one thing while the specialists argued another. It was getting very annoying. If only they'd listen to the Titans a little more. They were the ones he really hurt after all, and he had cooperated with everyone as soon as he knew the real danger was gone.
And yet they were still arguing. Loudly.
"He's a victim!"
"He's a criminal!"
"If you would just review the evidence—"
"He stole tech from seventeen electronic firms! Pieces from three museums! And plans for some government project! What more evidence do you need?!"
"Look!" Wonder Girl tried to make everyone see reason. Wasn't working out too well. "We have documented proof he was under coercion! His family's lives were in danger!"
"The Titans' lives too," Speedy added.
"He said he was an orphan!" That was the Sargent. He really was a frustrating guy. "Making him a ward of the state!"
"He's in a state of shock!" Stark insisted with some back up from the psychiatrist. "Look, he's given you everything you've asked. Even told you where to find the stolen tech."
"Everything but the Wayne chip and the thermal blaster from S.T.A.R. Labs."
"Actually," Speedy interjected, sounding very awkward, "I've been holding onto that. He flicked it at me that night before disappearing. And if you want to be technical, he wasn't stealing that time."
"And the blaster is in pieces on Wayne Tech," Wonder Girl added.
"There, all the stolen objects have been recovered, no harm, no foul," Stark concluded for them.
"Doesn't stop the B & E charges, assaulting an officer, trespassing, and being an accomplice to murder! Had he asked for a deal—"
"STATE OF SHOCK!" Dr. Pendergast repeated. "He can't make a coherent statement about what had happened to him directly! Let alone make a deal before telling you everything you want to know!"
"Quite a mess isn't there." Raven looked over the boy, sitting in a chair nearby and staring at his hands. "You know, if you told them everything this could be cleared up faster."
"Doesn't matter." Dick took a sip of the drink he was given, eyes so far off no one could tell if he was thinking at all. After weeks of his screaming emotions hitting the empath, it was strange feeling nothing from him. He was frozen inside, numb. He honestly didn't care what happened next. And she couldn't figure out why he felt nothing now.
When he learned of the Titans being probe free along with his siblings, relief and joy pushed aside everything else, still spilling out of him. When he took after Slade he was consumed by rage and the need for vengeance. When he left the rubble though and came to the officer, once he dropped Slade to the ground and surrendered, nothing was left in him. It was as if he gave up.
"I'm a criminal," he admitted, almost as if he were reading her thoughts instead of she reading his feelings. "I did all of it willingly. It may have saved lives but it doesn't change the fact that I still did it. By law I have to be punished for what I did, regardless of reasons."
"Not everything is black and white," Raven tried to tell him. "Cases like yours—"
"It doesn't matter. I may have beaten him physically," a spike of regret came from him, still sitting there expressionless, "but in the end he won."
The Titan opened her mouth to speak but realized she could say a million words and they'd mean nothing from her. State of shock? More like the worst guilt trip in the world leading into chronic depression. It would take more than a compassionate jury or a plea bargain to clear this young man's conscience.
The yelling continued, going back and forth about the evidence, his word and all the cooperation they were getting. Someone ran into the office after ten minutes saying something about the FBI coming in and missing persons, but it brought the volume level so far down neither of them could hear it. Raven grew tired of watching someone who had no intention of running, talking, or doing anything, and drew away to a nearby corner to meditate.
Several minutes passed and several officers as well. Lawyers, judges, criminals, the world passed them by, some going into the once noisy office and others pretending it didn't exist. Voices were raised again as a lawyer joined the argument/discussion about the boy's future, but they ignored it. The 'I'm Sorry Thief' was willing to accept whatever punishment they gave him.
"Dick?"
The cup he was holding on to slipped past his fingers as he heard his name, eyes widening in surprise. Raven's eyes opened at the sudden spike in emotion from the teen, just in time to see him turn and look at the one who called out to him. Slowly, in disbelief, he stood up, staring at the man.
"Bruce?"
Halfway down the hall stood Bruce Wayne, a similar expression on his face to that of his son's. Relief, joy, sorrow, disbelief, they all poured out of their faces as their eyes met. The older man took a step forward.
And Dick sprinted down the hall in the opposite direction as fast as he possibly could.
A/N: XD so they finally see each other after four months, and Dick runs. well, after everything he's done and all the abuse he's suffered, can you really blame him? DIckybird's confused, end of story. Tomorrow is a really fluffy scene. In fact two really fluffy scenes. Hopefully they'll make up for all the things i did to Dick.
So Dick's gone numb after everything, tired of all. Certain people are on his side while others are just being pains. Jarvis Stark was because I could not come up with anything so I just went with marvel things. I think I'll be using Dr. Pendergast again in the future, just not here. I used the inkblot test for fun really, but I wanted to have Dick indicate his guilty conscience and who his allegiance really belongs to through them. I know next to nothing about psychiatry, so don't take me as an example.
Well, like i said, tomorrow's fluff. See ya then!
