Content warning! Possible graphic violence, depictions of abuse, and violent mental/emotional breakdowns

Welcome back! Fun fact, I spent over 200 hours on this chapter so if you're wondering why it took me 4 months, there you go :)

A couple of things before we get started. The next chapter is going to be short. This is by design and I've had it planned out for a long time, so don't worry that it's a sign that I'm abandoning the story or losing interest. It's just going to follow Dick and the fallout from his actions in this chapter, nothing else.

Completely unrelated (wink), please pay attention to the content warning. This chapter gets intense, the only thing I will promise is that no one dies. But! Be prepared for graphic violence/mutilation/Extremely Bad Things

Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed, please know that you made my week and I absolutely love hearing from you. It motivates me so much to keep writing when I get reviews telling me about the things you liked or theories you have!

Thank you so much for your support and your patience, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait!


Dick Grayson


There's a team already waiting when I follow Slade into the back room. About a dozen mercenaries prepping their gear in the dusty, dimly lit room as they sit on crates surrounding a set of worn-down tables. There's ten men and three women, all clearly ex-military and all of them look about as friendly as a brick wall.

One of the men stands up, nodding once at Slade. His hair is trimmed down to a buzz cut and there's a long, smooth scar running across his jawline.

"Wilson." He says in greeting.

"Han." Slade returns.

"Do you have the equipment you promised us?" Han asks in heavily accented English. In response, Slade hefts the case in his hand onto the table. He holds out his hand and I give him the matching case I carried in. When he opens it, my stomach drops through the floor and I have to clench my jaw to bite back the instinctive protest.

Slade didn't tell me what was inside. Now I understand why.

They're weapons. But not just any weapons.

Apokoliptian tech.

I doubt that any of these guys have ever seen these kinds of weapons in action, but a single one is horrifyingly dangerous. Let alone the dozen Slade just armed them with. Call me crazy but all that on top of a dozen mercenaries, the team waiting at the other location, plus me and Slade? This has to be overkill.

Or it's just proof that this mission is ridiculously important. And how pissed he'll be if anything messes it up.

Han turns to the assembled mercs and barks something in Rhelasian too fast for me to follow. They stand up and start grabbing weapons from the cases, inspecting them and trading among each other until they've all been armed with their choice of highly dangerous and experimental Apokoliptian tech.

Once the weapons have been distributed and everyone is satisfied, they gather around the table in a half-circle. Han has a set of maps laid out that show the grounds, the embassy and the residential quarters. There's also a stack of papers listing security checkpoints and radio codes being passed out. The man on my right holds the stack straight past me like I'm not there and Slade takes one before smoothly passing the rest on. Nobody makes any attempt to share with me, least of all Slade.

I swallow, my stomach churning uneasily.

Han nods at the team and launches into the briefing. I can't understand a word that he's saying but the last thing I want to do is make Slade look bad by getting distracted this early on. I already know the plan though, and Slade will tell me if anything important changes.

So instead of paying attention, I focus on keeping my posture straight and my face neutral and the debrief goes by without me listening to a single word.

The woman on Han's left asks a question and one of the others snaps something at her. The woman waves dismissively at him and the guy does not like that. I can't understand a word of it, but one second, it's just the two of them yelling at each other and the next, the whole room is shouting.

Slade doesn't react, he just keeps up his signature "this isn't worth my time" look, but pretty soon he's the only one not taking a side.

Except…

A shiver runs along my spine and I turn to see one of the men on the far side of the room is ignoring the argument completely. He's just staring at me.

My heart stops.

Slade didn't tell me anything about these people. He mentioned Han only to make sure I knew to act like he was in charge, but other than that Slade pretty much told me, "Do what I tell you."

But this guy? I know exactly who he is; very, very high up on Interpol's most wanted list, active warrants in fourteen countries for war crimes, terrorism, and connections to just about every kind of criminal enterprise; human trafficking, blood diamonds, smuggling nuclear materials in violation of every treaty in existence, and that's just the start of the list.

One of the only fights Batman and I ever had (that wasn't secretly about Slade) was when he caught me using the Batcomputer to hack the CIA's database to look at their most wanted list. I was looking at his file when Batman found me.

Batman was furious; at the time, I assumed he was so mad because he didn't want the CIA to be able to use the connection to get into his system. After all, we'd dealt with worse criminals every single day in Gotham. And besides, all of them were so far away. Yun-Seok Li was a South Rhelasian ex-pat with known ties to the Northern regime all the way on the other side of the world. I didn't think I'd ever have to fight any of them; hacking the CIA was just fun.

Of course, now I'm sitting five feet away from one of the most brutal and ruthless people in existence and I wish more than anything I could go back in time and strangle myself for being so naive.

Yun-Seok still hasn't looked away, his eyes scanning up and down my uniform and I'm paralyzed. My chest feels tight and I'm terrified to breathe. Slade is busy watching the other mercenaries argue, and he either hasn't noticed or he doesn't care.

He has to have noticed; it's Slade. He sees everything. So if Slade's ignoring him, then I should too, but that's so much easier said than done when it's starting to make my skin crawl.

He's still staring at me.

Why is he still staring at me? Is he just curious about Deathstroke's apprentice? That's pretty normal, it's just like the Iceberg Lounge and the League of Shadows base. But this… this is worse. I don't know why but it's so much worse.

I have to focus. I can't lose my composure now, I can't let him get to me and I can't let them know I'm anything other than Deathstroke's perfect, obedient apprentice. This is the most important mission Slade has ever taken me on; I can't mess up before it's even started.

Besides, Slade isn't going to let anything happen to me. He's not going to let any of them hurt me.

It doesn't matter how badly the mercenary is creeping me out or how desperately I wish I could be anywhere else. I can't mess this up. Not even when a roomful of mercenaries with enough firepower to level a city are seconds from a total free-for-all and Slade still hasn't so much as blinked.

"Come now, we're not setting a good example for the child." Yun-Seok says in English, smoothly cutting through the barrage of voices and stopping the argument cold. The room goes deathly still for a second… and then a round of chuckles starts and the tension breaks. I feel my face burn while I fight to hold myself still. Stay as still as a statue, don't react, don't break character.

"Yuzue is right." Han takes advantage of the quiet to regain control. Almost as quickly as the fight started, they're back to the mission debrief. Yun-Seok winks at me and turns back to Han. Everything about it makes my blood run cold.

I can't react. I have to stay still. I can't break character. I can't let them know that I'm…

I'm not in character.

My heart stops as the realization comes slamming into me at a hundred miles an hour. I'm not in character. This isn't anything like meeting Ra's yesterday or a million years ago when Slade brought me to the Iceberg to pretend Renegade was someone else. This is real.

I'm really here.

Renegade is on this mission, but there's nothing to hide behind. I'm Renegade.

Renegade is the perfect apprentice, trained by Deathstroke the Terminator to be his obedient weapon. I was trained by Deathstroke to… to be his weapon.

I don't have to obey Slade on this mission so that I can make him look good or to protect my cover so that nobody knows who I really am. I have to obey Slade because… I have to. Because I gave him my word that I would. And because I have everything to lose if I don't.

My eyes find the back of Slade's mask and I fight back a shiver. It's Slade. It's still just Slade. He brought me on this mission for a purpose. It's not just to show off what I can do to people he needs to impress. It's because he needs me to get this job done.

"The other security you asked for is already in place. They've secured the secondary location and are prepared to receive the package." Slade answers a question I didn't hear. That's the only thing he did tell me about. Five supervillains waiting on location to meet us, ready to follow Slade's command to keep the facility secure. That's also one of the last things Cheshire told me; the Light wants to see how Slade does when given a team to command.

But between what she and Ra's told me, and what Slade didn't, this is it. The Light may have been searching for a new member, but the decision has already been made.

If Slade completes this mission, it's done. He's in.

"Good." Han nods, pulling out a stopwatch. Everyone else pulls one out too and they all sync up on his mark. Slade explained that Han was running the op before we left, but what he didn't tell me was why they're bothering to pretend that Slade isn't the one in charge.

This is Slade's mission, his job, his final test he has to pass to prove to the Light that he's worthy of joining their numbers. That he's too dangerous not to be brought into the fold.

Slade didn't tell me anything about what the mission was for when he debriefed me, but the words Ra's said to me ring through my head and the more I try not to think about them, the harder it gets to ignore.

"Before he is officially appointed, he will be given a task to complete. At this moment, Savage is explaining exactly what he will be asked to do. The two of you will leave in the morning, and should the objective be completed, Deathstroke will become a full-fledged member of the Light."

It's a test of a lot of things. It's a test of Slade first and foremost. I mean, for all I know, Slade put this plan into action in less than 24-hours. And it's also a test of me. Renegade. For Ra's to find out once and for all if I'm a liability or if I'm the asset Deathstroke claimed.

Not that Slade told me any of that.

I don't get it. Why doesn't he want me to know? He hasn't told me anything about the mission. He didn't tell me anything about why we went after Sánchez either, but this feels different. That was Slade testing me, the first mission I went on as Renegade.

This isn't like that.

Slade trusts me. Not completely, but he's giving me a chance and I've been trying as hard as I can to earn that trust.

And it's not like he's sending me in completely blind. Aside from the cases of insanely dangerous weaponry, he's told me exactly what we're doing. Infiltrate the grounds, take down the security systems, keep watch for patrolling guards, help Slade coordinate from the outside. We're not going into the building, Han's team of assorted mercenaries and war criminals is handling the actual…

…the actual abduction.

My stomach twists itself into a painfully tight knot and I'm terrified that it's going to show on my face, even with the mask. I don't want to do this. I really, really, really, really really don't want to do this. This isn't like the last mission, or any of the other ones Slade's ever taken me on. The target is an innocent man.

He's not going to die. Slade promised he'll be fine and that no one gets paid if anything happens to him, but we're still about to abduct an innocent man in his own home and transport him across international borders. And taking into account who it is… I'm pretty sure it doesn't get much worse than kidnapping a foreign nation's diplomat from their host country.

I breathe out, balling my hands into fists and squeezing so the pressure gives me something to focus on.

It's going to happen no matter what I do. And it couldn't be more obvious how seriously Slade is taking this mission. That means I can't mess up. Not even a single thing. I have to be absolutely perfect.

Orders and final checks are being called out in a frenzy and it all happens too fast for me to follow a single word. But I don't have to. I just have to fall in line when Slade nods his head and moves for the door.

I take a deep breath like that's going to slow down my frantic heartbeat or make my hands less clammy. One of the women standing near the door locks eyes with me; my spine straightens and my shoulders drop as reality comes crashing back down around me. Right now, I'm Renegade. My job is to follow Deathstroke's orders.

Anything else is unacceptable.


The meeting point was well chosen; there's nothing suspicious about a group of people gathering at a restaurant, and the loading area behind the building means there's no witnesses or cameras to watch everyone pile into the vans. Slade said the restaurant owner will deal with the cars we came in, having them moved one at a time over the course of the night so there's no evidence we were here at all.

It's a short drive into the city but I get more and more nervous with every passing second.

I don't want to do this.

If I help Slade abduct a foreign ambassador and send him off to North Rhelasia to be tortured, there's no coming back from that.

I'm not a hero anymore. I know I'm not. I know I can never go back. But… even with everything Slade has made me do, I never dreamed I would ever do anything like this. I just feel sick and my palms are sweating and I can't think of a single worse place to have a nervous breakdown than right here and right now, tightly packed into the back of a van with a dozen people who have reputations as the most brutal of the people who already kill people for a living.

The door opens and the first team piles out before I even realize that we've gotten to a drop site. My hands squeeze into fists, fingernails digging in against the fabric of my gloves. I have to focus; we're almost at the second site and there's no room for error right now.

I glance over at Slade, who's doing a final check on his handguns. I wonder if he gets nervous before a mission. Especially when the mission is this important.

"What does he stand to gain from joining?" Ra's asked me yesterday. Why does he want to join the Light at all? Ra's acted like I should have known the answer, but I have no idea. I don't even know why he wants an apprentice.

Almost like he can hear how far my thoughts have gotten, Slade turns his head to fix me with a glare. The full weight of Deathstroke's stare chases every other thought out of my head and my back straightens itself.

I let out a shaky breath but then Han gives the next signal and the third team slips out the back of the van, disappearing into the night with deadly efficiency. As soon as the doors are shut, the driver is circling to the last drop point near the power tower. Slade nods at me and that's all the warning I have before the van stops and Slade follows Han outside. I'm right behind Slade, and as soon as I'm moving, some of the tension slips away.

It's easier with something to focus on. I keep my steps as silent as I can, staying right behind Slade at the appropriate distance as we approach the site. There's a box that connects to the main power grid on the side of the power tower. Han digs through his gear and pulls out a small contraption that he attaches to the side. After a few seconds, a blinking green light appears.

It's a modified EMP; it'll knock out all power to the building, allowing his team full access to anything secured by electronic locks.

Of course, those locks need to be disengaged before the power goes out. And unless the security system is already disabled, the outage will send an alert directly to the security company. Plus, the reboot will knock out the backup power system and make sure they can't get anything back online before the mission is done.

Han barks orders into his walkie talkie and one by one the teams report back in. Han nods at Slade.

"Everything is in place." He says, "On your mark."

"Good." Slade answers. "Renegade?"

That's my cue. I reach into my gear bag and pull out a laptop and a set of cables. It doesn't take long to wire the cables into the power lines and, most importantly, the perimeter alarms so I can get a physical connection into the building's grid.

Slade hands me a flash drive, the one that Han's team used to steal administrative access credentials to the security system. I take it and Slade holds on for a second too long before letting go. It's almost a warning.

My chest tightens, but I plug the drive in and put all my focus on getting around the firewalls. It's not long before I find what I'm looking for. Someone trying to use the user interface wouldn't be able to access this hole, but the software programmers need to be able to run diagnostics or upload patches in case clients start complaining about the system malfunctioning. That's the problem with digital security systems. Someone who knows what they're doing can cause a huge amount of damage.

Like, for instance, disabling all the features it controls or forcing a system-wide reboot.

"Is he in?" Han asks after a pause.

"Thirty seconds left." Slade tells me, and that's as close as Slade gets to admitting that he doesn't know. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I file away the fact that Slade doesn't know nearly as much about hacking as he pretends to if he can't tell that I've already gotten by the firewalls and upgraded the credentials to a root account.

"Don't need them." I tell him. My heart is pounding as my hands hover over the keyboard. I have complete access to the system; even if security knew I was here, there's nothing they could do to stop me now.

"Call it." Slade tells Han. His eyebrows narrow, jaw set in a frown. My stomach flips over while I wait for the hammer to fall.

The whole mission rests on this; if the reboot doesn't happen, that's it. It'll be a complete failure; no abducted ambassador, no direct flight to Rhelasia, no money for the mercs, and no spot on the Light for Slade.

And it will all be my fault.

I could do it. It would take two seconds to disable the administrative access and lock Slade, Han and the rest of the mercs out of the system. And unless Slade has a backup with an entirely different set of credentials, they'd be completely locked out.

"Ready." Han says, signaling to his man on the other end of the property. "Now."

Slade nods at me.

I push the button to trigger a system-wide reboot and kill the building's power grid.

"Go." Han barks into the walkie-talkie the second the lights go out. From out here, I can't see or hear anything in the building. Han nods at Slade and then he disappears to go meet his team inside.

Slade takes the laptop out of my hands and opens a new screen, one that displays the camera feeds from each of the mercenaries. All of them have small cameras on their tactical vests; tiny, battery powered devices that let Slade track them through the building.

He ignores me while he watches the feeds, his eye tracking across the screen as the first team takes out the patrolling guards on the west side of the building. Even from the small video screen, it looks brutal. I tense, watching the assault from three different angles, but when they silently lower the bodies down, the guards are just unconscious. I let out a breath of relief, the knot in my chest loosening a little bit. Slade glances back, but he doesn't find anything he doesn't like on my face so he turns back to his screens.

For the first few minutes, I can barely breathe. It feels like time is happening in slow motion and at triple speed all at once. I want to throw up just as badly as I want to rip the computer out of Slade's hands and smash it to pieces, but more than anything I want Slade to give me a nod, to just tell me I did a good job or show a single ounce of approval.

"Take over." Slade says after a few minutes, handing me back the laptop. He pulls out a pair of binoculars and holds them up. He holds up a walkie talkie and radios something in Rhelasian.

Watch the cameras. I can do that.

I watch on the screens from six different angles as the first two teams breach the house, while the third team takes up positions along the inside of the fence. They've incapacitated every guard they've come across, and I really, really hope it's a good sign that I haven't seen a single gunshot yet.

Slade ignores me while he coordinates with Han, delivering orders for him to pass along to the mercs. Watching him work is… intense. Way more than any mission I've ever been on with him, even with the two of us way out here and away from all the action. I can't see his face through the mask, but it couldn't be more obvious how closely he's following the situation. He's in control of everything and it's eerie to hear him give Han an instruction and see the mercs in the building seamlessly react to the order.

It strikes me again just how dangerous Slade is; just how good he is at manipulating all the strings to make sure everything goes the way he wants it to.

He hasn't so much as glanced at the camera footage since he gave me the laptop, and the longer the mission runs, the more nauseous I feel. The more useless I feel.

He doesn't need the cameras to get his job done. He doesn't need me to be watching it at all. He brought me on this mission to knock out the security systems, but he doesn't need me for anything else. He doesn't need to be out here watching, but he is, even though it's making his job harder.

Slade is out here because he doesn't trust me. Because he needs to keep an eye on me to make sure I don't ruin the most important mission of his life.

There's a lump in my throat that I can't swallow and my heart is beating a million times a second. I look down at the screens, trying to focus even harder to find something, anything, to prove that I'm not just a liability to him. I've worked too hard; I have to prove it.

I see a flashlight cross the camera feed as the incoming guard continues down the hallway instead of turning towards the hidden mercenaries. Something about it feels wrong.

"He's going the wrong way." I realize. Slade turns sharply.

"Who is?"

"The guard. With the power out, their priority should be checking on the ambassador, but that hallway doesn't lead to his rooms."

Slade raises the walkie talkie and gives Han new orders. I assume that's what he does, because the team onscreen suddenly starts moving after the guards they'd just been hiding from.

"Good work." Slade says, and I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding. He raises the binoculars again, listening attentively to the quiet chatter coming through the walkie-talkie.

Good work.

He didn't sound surprised. It was just a statement of fact.

Good work.

The tightness in my chest loosens and I fight back a grin as a wave of relief crashes through me.

I was wrong before. It was just mission anxiety and the stress and lack of sleep from the last week catching up to me. Slade trusts me. He's counting on me.

"They found him." I report, my heart still pounding with relief. The team forces their way through a door, blowing pieces of wood everywhere as the surprised ambassador jumps up. I can't tell what the room is just from the screen, but from the blueprints I memorized, it's one of the sitting rooms.

Slade looks down, checking his watch quickly before nodding.

"Let's move."

"Wait, but don't we need to watch—"

Slade hesitates for a little too long before he shakes his head firmly.

"Leave it."

That's an order.

I hesitate but I still put the laptop down. When I let go, my hand stings.

He's moving back towards the main road, and it's all I can do to just keep up with him.

Slade would rather leave the laptop behind— he'd rather leave the most important job of his life to chance— than trust me to stay behind with it.

No. That's not right, he does trust me. That's just the nerves and the stress and the exhaustion talking, if Slade really didn't trust me he never would have taken me on a mission this important. He has another reason, I'm sure he does.

Slade trusts me, right now I need to just trust him too. So I pick up the pace and keep my eyes peeled for any hidden security measures that stand between us and the rendezvous point. Han is waiting for us outside the parked van with fake emblems for the local power company on it.

"Two minutes." Han says in Rhelasian, and it doesn't make me feel better at all that I actually understood it.

"You planted everything?"

"It's all in place." Han nods.

"Good. See this through as far as it goes. The more real it looks, the better." Slade answers.

I've been doing this for a long time. The action-packed, adrenaline-fueled mad rush that happens in the last few seconds of a mission. That still doesn't prepare me for the blur of motion when the side door is thrown open and the team drags the target—half-bound with a hood over his head—out of the building and into the van.

The night is quiet, there are no alarms, and there's no shouting security guards, so it's easy to hear the target's muffled shouts as he struggles. My heart stops as the mercenaries drag him past me and nausea rises in my throat. He's being abducted. I'm helping abduct him.

I should help him. I shouldn't let them do this.

But I can't move. My body won't let me and every time my hand so much as twitches the voice in my head screams at me about how pissed Slade will be. And then, while I'm still frozen in place, he's shoved deep into the van as the other mercenaries pile inside.

"Target secured." One of them reports over the walkie-talkie.

"Move out." Han orders, and Slade grabs my arm and shoves me into the back of the van, climbing in behind me and slamming the door shut as the driver tears out of the parking lot.

It's done.


Wally West


"How long do you estimate?" Kaldur asked the instant they were in the air.

"The computer says ninety-five minutes to arrival, I'll try to push it as much as I can." M'gann said. "Skies are clear tonight so we don't have to worry about the weather."

"We must be thankful for small blessings." Kaldur nodded. "Superboy, please help her plot the course."

"No problem."

"For the rest of you, scour the internet. We are searching for any news stories that are either ongoing or have unfolded in the past few hours near the District of Columbia. Any information that may help us uncover what we are heading into will be absolutely vital. The League is doing the same and will contact us as soon as they find anything." Kaldur said, pulling up the screens in front of his chair.

"Are you sure he's there?!" Jason burst out the second Kaldur was done, whipping around in his chair to face him.

"Kid Flash received the tip." Kaldur answered calmly and Jason spun around again.

"Well, are you sure? How do we know we can trust it?"

"We don't." Wally said. "But my source is a man of his word. If he wasn't going to tell us the truth, he wouldn't have told us anything. We might not know much else, but he'll be at the storage facility outside of DC tonight."

"It could be a trap." Artemis pointed out.

"It could." Zatanna answered, her voice steely and a little too hungry for blood. Not that Wally blamed her. "Or they could have no idea we're coming. And I think we owe them more than a little payback."

"It's worth the risk." Roy agreed, firmly cutting off the conversation before it could go any further.

"So… what exactly is the mission?" Rocket asked. She seemed the least on-edge of the three newbies, which meant she was probably the most relaxed person on the entire ship. "You said we're going to a big storage facility near DC. Wanna tell us why?"

Wally felt a dozen pairs of eyes land on him.

"We're not sure yet." He answered. Kaldur cut in before he had to try and come up with an excuse to give them.

"There is someone we have been trying very hard to find. The tip Kid Flash received will likely lead us to his location, however we don't know anything more than that. Superman is leading the Justice League's efforts to discern what their goals are so that we can be prepared prior to our arrival."

"Who is it?" Green Lantern asked. "It sounds like that's the only thing you do know; can you at least tell us that?"

The bioship fell silent as the team stiffened. Jason opened his mouth and Barbara put a hand on his arm, shaking her head and mouthing something to him that Wally couldn't quite make out.

"Right. Trade secret. Sorry I asked." Their new teammate muttered after an uncomfortably long pause. A pang of guilt hit Wally's chest. It wasn't fair. These were their new teammates; they should have been able to trust each other and they'd all come to help even when they knew that so much was being kept from them and… Wally stood up suddenly.

"I'm… I'll… check equipment." He muttered before stalking out of the main room and into the equipment hold.

He sat on a low bench near the motorcycles and dug his hands into his hair, trying to get himself under control. There would be time to deal with all his issues after Dick was safe.

That's what this was all about.

Getting Dick away from that psychopath and bringing him home.

Wally stayed like that for a while, tugging on his hair and trying to just breathe but it wasn't working. He dropped his hands and looked up miserably at the sound of cautious footsteps.

"I know this is a stupid question, but are you okay?" Artemis asked.

"We can't talk here." Wally answered tersely. Artemis sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You can still tell me how you're doing." She squeezed his arm gently, offering a smile that held more sadness than anything else. Wally let out a sharp breath.

"It feels like a mistake to have brought them." Wally admitted, choosing to tell her the least complicated part of what he was feeling.

"They're part of the team now." She reminded him.

"I know!" Wally snapped. Artemis's mouth pinched at his outburst and he sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry. What I mean is… he shouldn't be here."

"Ja- Robin?"

"Don't call him that!" Wally's hands clenched into fists, fingers digging into his gloved palms. "He's not ready. He's just a kid, he shouldn't be here!"

"Give him a little more credit than that." Artemis frowned. "M'gann and I were with him on the Watchtower. Don't get me wrong, he's got a lot of room to grow, but he had my back. I know you're scared, but you're not listening to him. All he wants is to bring Dick home."

"Just because your childhood was an assassin training program doesn't mean kids should be soldiers! He's just a kid!"

"You blew yourself up when you were his age," Artemis reminded him sharply.

"I was following Barry's notes!"

"Do you hear yourself?" Artemis huffed. "Face it. Jason is in the game, whether we like it or not. And don't you dare think I'm happy about this. We all lost Dick, but he didn't just lose a friend, he lost his brother. I know you're worried about him, but if we don't back him up, then he'll go in by himself, and get himself killed."

When Wally didn't say anything, Artemis continued.

"We don't know what Dick's been through in the last couple months. We have no idea what Wilson did to him, or if this has any chance of working. All of this could just make everything worse. But we have to try and we have to let Jason try too. Babs has told me about how hard he's been training. He's taking this really seriously and he's gotten a lot better."

Artemis's voice was steady and Wally had no idea how she managed it.

"It's too dangerous." He shot back, trying to get her to see reason while forcing down the traitorous voice in his head that said she was right. Not that Jason was ready, but that he wouldn't listen if they tried to stop him.

"And if we try to leave him behind? We don't know what we're walking into, but it's Dick. He would never hurt Jason. For all we know, Jason might be the only one that can possibly get through to him."

"It's not Dick I'm worried about." Wally said darkly.

"We're not going to let Jason anywhere near Deathstroke." When he didn't answer, Artemis sighed and leaned back against the wall, putting her feet up on the bench. She laced her fingers together with his and Wally squeezed, as grateful for the contact as she was. They sat together for a while, not saying anything. Finally, Artemis asked, "Wally, do you… do you really think this is going to work?"

Wally's heart sank.

"I don't know. I… it's been three months. Almost four. It's been a long time and they've been nowhere to be found and I have… a really bad feeling about the fact that they're here. You don't know what Deathstroke did to him. And that was before he had to…"

"When he couldn't do anything obvious." Artemis finished when Wally trailed off.

"Yeah." Wally crossed his arms across his chest. "I just… I think if this is going to work… I think Batman's the only one he'll really listen to."

"Well, why isn't Batman here?"

"He's in court." Kaldur said quietly as he and Roy entered.

"He's what?!" Artemis demanded.

"It's Stephanie's custody hearing." Roy said. "If he leaves, Brown's lawyer is going to use that against him. It already started when you got the call."

"So there's no chance he can get here." Wally asked, his chest tightening.

"No."

"Shit." Wally put his head in his hands. "I just hope we're not too late."

Artemis put her arms around him and Wally leaned in.

"It's going to be okay." Artemis whispered. Wally closed his eyes and put his forehead on her shoulder, leaning in as she squeezed tighter. "We just need a few minutes alone with him to convince him it's safe to come home. We can do this. I know we can."

"This is all my fault." Roy said suddenly.

"What?" Wally looked up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"If I hadn't left that day at the cave… none of this would've happened."

"What are you talking about? You don't know that!"

"Your mind was not your own. The things they made you do were not your fault." Kaldur reminded him.

"I know! I'm not talking about—look. Think about it. That was the day that everything started to go wrong, and the team wasn't the only thing that came out of that."

"Like me." Artemis said, her arms squeezing her stomach so tightly Wally was worried she might make herself sick.

"No." Roy's voice was steady, his expression even as he stared down at the younger archer. "You chose this life on your own. Regardless of what happened, you would have ended up with us."

Wally squeezed his girlfriend's hand, and despite the terrifying, unknown clusterfuck they were blindly flying into, something in his chest loosened. He hadn't really realized how much he'd been missing Roy, or how much colder and hostile he'd been acting, until his friend was back. A year ago, Roy had been one of his best friends on the planet, and then he'd suddenly been a completely different person. Maybe he was right that the fake induction was the catalyst for all the horrible things that had followed it.

"Roy, this wasn't your fault. If anything, it was my fault. Or M'gann's. We both knew what was happening and we—"

"No." Artemis cut him off. "This wasn't any of our faults. Okay? You all have to stop thinking about it like that or you're going to go crazy. Any of us could have done something. Any of us could have realized something was wrong before it was too late. But this is all on Wilson. And Roy, you have to stop blaming yourself for being mind-controlled. Not your fault. And I'm the one telling you that."

"I appreciate that but… this might not be the best place for a heart-to-heart." Roy pointed out.

"I disagree. It seems as good a time as any." Kaldur squeezed Roy's hand. "Especially when it may be our last chance."

You don't have what it takes to really come after me. If you get in my way again, you won't get away with such a clean injury. In fact, you won't get away at all.

Wally shivered, a phantom pain stabbing at his ankle. The injury was long-since healed, but the memory of that black and orange mask looming over him hadn't gone anywhere.

"We're not going to let it get there." Artemis promised. "Fuck the UN, if it's getting bad, we're calling in the whole League."

"We might not have a choice. After Star Labs, what Deathstroke said he would do if we tried to come after him…" Wally said, heart pounding from the sudden rush of memory.

"Do you believe we should call off the mission?" Kaldur asked seriously. Wally froze.

"No." Wally's voice shook as he struggled to get a hold of himself. "No. We have to try. We have to."

"We are going to get him back." Kaldur promised. Roy took his hand and they nodded at each other in somber agreement.

"No matter what it takes." Roy agreed. Kaldur squeezed his boyfriend's hand one last time before turning back to Artemis and Wally.

"Take your time, both of you. The League will contact us as soon as they have something." Kaldur said. "We just wanted to ensure that…"

"That someone knew the real plan." Roy finished.


"The South Rhelasian Ambassador to the US has been abducted." Superman's face appeared on the bioship's screen. "The perimeter alarms and security systems were disabled for a period of twenty minutes, after which time the embassy security team realized the grounds team wasn't responding. There was a single clip capturing the actual incident, and combined with the tip Kid Flash received, we can be certain of Deathstroke's involvement."

Kaldur nodded and the rest of the team shifted at the words. Wally balled his hands into fists, his mouth set in a tight line. They still couldn't be sure what they were heading into, but so far, Cold's tip seemed like it was right.

"Wonder Woman is still en-route from Themyscira and Batman is… unavailable. With the pressure on the League right now, we can't mobilize yet. Politically speaking, my hands are tied; as you know, the UN has issued sanctions and is closely monitoring my activities right now. I won't be able to help you except as an absolute last resort." Superman continued. "Aqualad, I want you to know that the entire League supports your judgement on this mission. But please, be careful. We can't lose anyone else."

"You have my word, Superman." Kaldur responded heavily. "Kid Flash, you have the floor."

Wally nodded at M'gann and the chairs swiveled around to form a half-circle so that everyone could see the screens, along with the schematics Roy had found. Bumblebee gasped at the sudden movement, and Green Lantern almost fell out of his seat in surprise.

"We know that they're taking him to a storage facility outside of the city." Wally said, pointing to the map on the screen. "There's a lot we don't know yet, and it's always dangerous to go into a situation blind. We have to assume that they want Ryang alive, and that their goal is going to be to move him out of the country. There's no licensed airstrips in the immediate area, but the lots behind the storage place would be plenty of space to land a plane or a small jet."

"We do not know what kind of force Deathstroke is working with, but we must be prepared for an ambush." Kaldur said. "We will operate in two main objectives. The first is to retrieve Ambassador Ryang and bring him back to safety."

"What's the other?" Rocket asked.

"Deathstroke." M'gann said darkly and the venom in her voice made Bumblebee flinch. Jason looked to the side, his hands balling into fists.

"As I said, we do not know how many enemies we will be dealing with, but from the information we have about the abduction, we must assume it will be an extremely difficult fight. Bumblebee, Green Lantern, stay to the eastern perimeters of the complex and be on the lookout for guards or other hostiles." Kaldur said. "Flamebird, you will take the south side of the main building. Make sure that you're in position to provide backup should it be needed."

"That's the side by the airstrip, right? I mean, the parking lot. Same thing."

"Correct." Kaldur nodded. Then he turned to Jason. "Robin will stay on the bioship."

Jason shot upright, his jaw dropping in outrage.

"But—!"

"This is not negotiable. We must have an evacuation route ready in a situation this dangerous. Be ready to engage the camouflage and get us clear." Kaldur's voice was firm and commanding, leaving no room for argument. Jason glanced around at the team and deflated when he saw they were all on Kaldur's side.

"Fine."

"Batgirl—"

"I'm going in." Barbara cut him off sharply.

"Very well. Superboy, Rocket, you are both watching the south quadrant. Zatanna, Artemis, take the west side. Miss Martian, Kid Flash, the north. Batgirl, you are with them, but you will keep the bioship in view. It is imperative that our exit remains uncompromised."

"And what about you two?" Barbara asked, noticing that Kaldur hadn't said what he and Roy would be doing.

"Our priority is Ryang." Kaldur said.

"Wait, so we're just supposed to wait on the sidelines while you handle everything else?" Cameron demanded. "What about all that stuff about this being a super dangerous mission?"

"Do not be hasty for a fight." Kaldur cautioned. "Simple missions rarely ever stay that way but strategy will always triumph over brute force."

Cameron bristled, but Conner shot him a look and he sighed.

"Alright, you're the boss."

Kaldur turned to the three new members.

"If you are outmatched, do not hesitate to call for backup. There is no shame in calling for help. We are a team, and we are here to help each other succeed. Do you all understand?"

"Yeah." Green Lantern said.

"Got it." Bumblebee said at the same time.

Rocket nodded, touching the tip of her finger to her head to confirm.

"Then we are ready." Kaldur said firmly.

"We're approaching the east drop site." M'gann reported from the ship's controls. "One minute."

"Bumblebee, Green Lantern, Flamebird, prepare yourselves." Kaldur gestured for them to stand and make any last second preparations. Wally took it as a cue to adjust his goggles and get ready for his own drop.

"Approaching drop zone one." M'gann said.

"Deploy." Kaldur ordered. The three dropped through the holes in the bottom of the bioship and disappeared into the night.

"Engaging camouflage mode." M'gann said, flying the ship even closer to the compound. "Rocket, twenty seconds to your drop. Superboy, you're up next."

Rocket stood up, adjusting her inertia belt before looking down at the hole opening in the bioship's floor right next to her feet. Then she glanced back at the rest of the team.

"Look, you don't have to pretend you're telling us everything." She said. "Whatever else you're really here to do, good luck. Just let me know if I can help."

As soon as she was gone, Jason whirled on Wally.

"Are you sure Dick is there?"

"Captain Cold heard it from Boomerang. Deathstroke hired him for this job, and Boomerang was positive he would be there." Wally told him.

"Boomerang's not too bad." Barbara said hopefully. "We can deal with him, no problem."

"No he is not. If we can expect enemies of similar stature, we may be able to gain the advantage." Kaldur answered.

"But we don't know how many of them there'll be." Zatanna said.

"Nope." Artemis agreed.

"But that means we know Deathstroke is calling the shots. If he hired Boomerang, he probably chose everyone for the mission." Roy crossed his arms over his chest.

"So the next question. We find Dick. What then?" Conner asked.

"We bring him home." Jason snapped.

"But how is that going to change anything? What happens when Deathstroke comes back for him?" Zatanna asked nervously, fidgeting with the ends of her coattails.

"Deathstroke can't get into Gotham." Barbara shook her head. "Catwoman has the whole Rogues gallery locking it down. Deathstroke might be dangerous, but he's not crazy enough to cross every major player in the city at once."

"He will be safe there, and so will you and your family." Kaldur assured Jason.

"Assuming that we can actually get him to come with us." Roy added.

"What are you talking about? Of course he'll come with us!" Jason snapped.

The team looked at each other. M'gann locked eyes with Wally, and he could feel his chest sinking at the reminder of just how young Dick's brother was.

"Look, Jason, we… we can't be sure that… it might not be enough. Even before this happened, Wilson had so many ways of keeping him from getting away, and now he's had him for months. We have no idea what Dick has been through. I know you want to help, but it's just not safe. The best chance we have is if we can get him alone; we can talk to him and convince him it's safe to come with us. That we want him to come with us." Artemis said gently.

"What do you mean convince him?!"

Kaldur put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"The fact that you do not understand is why you must stay behind."

Jason looked around at the team's faces, growing more and more distraught.

"Roy! Come on, you know I should be there! He's my brother!"

"You heard Aqualad."

"But that's not fair!"

"He's thinking of what's best for the team and the chances for success." Roy answered evenly.

"You are not just leaving me on the ship! Finding him is the only reason I'm here! I'm going to help whether you like it or not!"

"Very well. But you will stay in the immediate area around the ship. Report on anyone who passes by or attempts to leave to the north of the facility." Kaldur ordered. Jason scowled, but he nodded. Wally saw Barbara lean over to him and whatever she said made his shoulders drop in acceptance.

"Any questions?" Kaldur asked. Nobody answered, except for Zatanna who shook her head.

"Very well. Miss Martian, link us up." Kaldur ordered.

'Link established.' M'gann said.

"One final reminder. Absolutely no names on the comms. Red Arrow and I will locate Ryang and bring him to safety. The rest of you, find Robi—Dick." Kaldur steeled himself, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Alert the rest of the team once you've found him, and do whatever you can to get him alone. Do not engage with Deathstroke alone. Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Batgirl, I believe you three have the best chance of success. Once Dick has been located, get there as quickly as you can."

Kaldur paused for a second before continuing.

"And this is absolutely crucial. The second that Dick agrees to come, get him on the ship and get back to Gotham immediately. If Red Arrow and I are not with you, do not wait for us. Good luck."


Dick Grayson


The van pulls to a stop and as soon as it does, there's a flurry of motion. Slade steps out of the back and stands in the parking lot, watching everything unfold to make sure it's going smoothly. He spares a half-second to glance at me as I fall in at his side.

"The transport lands in fifteen minutes. Hold it together, it's almost over."

I nod stiffly, but that's not good enough. Slade's hand lands on my shoulder, squeezing a little too tightly.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." I nod.

"Good."

With that, Slade heads inside the building and I follow right behind him.

Han's crew has the ambassador in one of the bigger rooms, handcuffed to a chair and blindfolded. He's being quiet. Guess he's not the type to panic.

My stomach clenches.

The cameras are all set up, and Han nods when Slade enters. Green lights all go on at once. Slade takes up a position near the far wall, crossing his arms over his chest to look as disinterested as he does dangerous. I stand just behind him with my hands at my back in military parade rest, the picture of the perfect, obedient apprentice.

I've been perfect tonight. Everything I've done was absolutely perfect, not a tiny error or blip or anything.

And it's still not enough.

When I asked if we should really leave the laptop— leave the security systems and the possibility of getting found out too soon— Slade hesitated. He hesitated. He knew there was a danger, but he thought it was safer to risk that chance than to leave me alone with it. Because he doesn't trust me.

How can he not trust me? After everything I've done to prove that he can count on me?!

For the last three months, I've been alone with nothing but my thoughts and the knowledge of everything I've lost and Slade… Slade's mind games, Slade fucking with me and twisting my head inside out.

I knew I wouldn't last forever. We both did. So, I didn't fight as hard as I could've. Everything I tried— refusing to do my classes and holding out as long as I could— was partly real, but it was because we both know he would never trust me if I hadn't fought him.

He knows that I don't want to do this. He knows I don't want to hurt people or help him steal or blackmail or kill, but that doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter at all.

Because Slade always gets what he wants.

Because Slade decided that I'm his.

And as much as I hate it, as badly as it hurt for me to accept it, that's how it works. I'm Slade's.

I'm Slade's apprentice, but that's not even… that doesn't even start to cover it.

It doesn't matter. I'm done fighting it. He's giving me a chance to prove that he can trust me, just like all those other times and I haven't let him down yet. But even though I've been perfect, he still doesn't trust me. Why is it killing me that he doesn't trust me yet?

The ambassador lets out a sharp groan, growling in an attempt to resist the pain. My stomach drops through the floor as the sound wrenches me out of my thoughts and back into the nightmare I've been trying as hard as I can to pretend isn't happening.

Hold it together.

They're not going to kill him. He'll be fine. There's nothing I can do to stop this. I just have to hold it together.

One of the women backhands the ambassador across the face hard enough to draw blood.

I flinch.

Slade glances down and I stiffen, my heart racing suddenly.

No. No, please don't let him have seen that.

Who am I kidding, of course he saw that! Please don't let him think I'm… I didn't mean to. I'm not going to do anything crazy; I'm not going to ruin this mission for him! I just… I don't want to…

Han snaps something at the ambassador in harsh Rhelasian and he meets the mercenary's gaze calmly. My stomach churns and I almost lose my grip. It's everything I can do not to lose my stomach when Han pulls back the man's hand and the crack of a finger snapping echoes through the room.

The cry of pain might as well have come out of my mouth. I flinch again, legs trembling underneath me.

Slade's hand is on my shoulder and I can't breathe. I fucked up. I ruined it. He's going to be so pissed, I have to get myself together, there's only a few more minutes, right? And Slade promised they're not going to kill him; they're just roughing him up but that's it. He's going to be fine, and it's fine that he's screaming in pain because they need him alive and they're not going to kill him-

"Perimeter check." The order is low and steady, and I flinch. Slade doesn't sound pissed but there's no way he's not, not when I'm this close to ruining the entire mission because I'm too weak to watch them interrogate—

"Renegade, now."

My feet are moving me towards the door before my brain catches up to the words.

Slade sent me outside.

Because he couldn't trust me.

Because I blew my chance to show him that I can do this, that I'm not going to just ruin everything the second he takes his eyes off me.

I make it halfway down the hallway before my eyes start stinging and I slam my foot into the wall because the last thing I need right now is to start crying.

This is an easy mission and it's almost over. Ten minutes until the plane gets here and then we're done.

I'm so tired of this. Every time I feel like I'm getting somewhere, it's like I open my eyes and I'm exactly where I started. Or even worse, miles away from where I thought I was.

What's wrong with me?!

I know that Slade is still the bad guy here. I know that everything he's done to me is bad and that he's been inside my head for such a long time, even before he kidnapped me and locked me away to be stuck in isolation for months and months and months, but it's just so hard to remember that sometimes.

I just want to be okay. I just want things to be better. Like they were that night, sitting around the campfire, when he told me about his son and I actually thought that he might trust me a little bit. That for the first time in months… no, for the first time in years, things were actually getting better.

Because if Slade trusts me, that means that this isn't all just completely one sided. It means that Slade respects me enough to think about how I'm feeling, to consider what I might want or think or need or—

But what's the point? I know that's all wrong. Because Slade doesn't trust me. Maybe he does a little, but not enough. Not when it matters. And there's nothing that I can do to prove it to him.

Especially not when I blow every chance that comes my way, like I did tonight.

"Do you copy?" Slade's voice rings in my ear suddenly and I take a deep breath, my arms falling to my side and my back straightening as a reflex.

"Yes sir."

"Good. Do a full perimeter sweep, including check-ins with all five lookout points. Report back any suspicious activity." I nod even though he can't see it, trying to force down the surge of disappointment that Slade isn't calling me back to his side after sending me out for a few minutes of air. Of course, that thought gets accompanied by a wave of nausea that I'm upset I'm not allowed to be in the room where an innocent man is being tortured for information. Slade interrupts my inner monologue before it can get any further. "Be alert Renegade. This is about the time when things start going wrong."

Going wrong?

"Yes, sir." I answer, but the words stick somewhere in my brain. What does he mean, going wrong? Does he think the ambassador is going to escape? No, of course not. He's probably worried about security forces realizing there was a home invasion and an abduction.

I'm already at the end of the hallway, so I turn the corner and start down the corridor of yet another endless row of storage lockers.

I wonder what's inside. Old, useless junk, maybe furniture, maybe old appliances or costume jewelry or maybe even valuables. Stolen art?

I think Selina used to use one of these types of places back in her heyday. Of course, that storage vault was a pretty far cry from this one. That one actually had security and active personnel, not a single desk worker who got bought off with a single stack of cash.

My chest hurts at the thought.

Don't think about Selina. Tonight's been shitty enough, no need to bring any other baggage into it.

I could open one of the lockers, see what's inside. It's a pretty simple combination lock, it wouldn't take me more than a few seconds to pick it open. Or I could just break it. Imagine explaining to Slade that I wasn't paying attention because I was too busy opening storage chests. That would go over great.

I let the idea sit for about half a second before reaching the staircase and starting the flight of stairs to the ground floor.

A few more mercs are stationed near the entrance to the stairwell, chatting in quiet Mandarin, hyper dangerous Apokalyptian weapons hanging loosely at their sides. They all nod at me when I pass, completely professional now that the mission is underway. I wonder if they'd be so careless with their weapons if they knew that one of them is capable of opening black holes and the other can emit a radioactive wave strong enough to fry a person's brain in a single shot.

Probably better not to think about it.

There's voice coming from behind the building, and as I get closer, I hear a man and a woman laughing in English.

"-should see it sometime." The man says.

"Oh? Maybe I should." The woman answers. "I'm usually free on Saturdays."

"Saturday is good. Do you like Thai food? I know this great place in Waverly."

"I like Thai," she grins back, and I can practically hear Frost curling a strand of hair around her finger flirtatiously. Never would've pictured Faust for the type to have any game, but apparently, I underestimated him. That or Killer Frost just really likes Thai food.

I really don't want to get in the way of whatever's happening (for so many reasons) but Slade told me to do a perimeter sweep and I can't mess up something this easy.

They both turn to look at me.

"New orders?" Killer Frost asks. I shake my head.

"He just sent you down here to spy on us, then?" Felix Faust sneers, and it's not at all a pleasant first meeting.

"Perimeter sweep." I answer, not pausing or letting my steps slow down. The silence follows me until I round the corner, and then I hear them exchange frantic whispers. I could try to listen, but I really, really don't want to know what they're saying about me.

Besides, I'm in enough trouble with Slade, I don't need to get into a fight with the people he's hired to make sure this insanely important job goes off without a hitch.

They're not the only ones here. Mammoth and his sister Shimmer are on the other side of the building, and I'm seriously debating whether or not I can get away with missing that part of the perimeter on my sweep.

Killer Frost and Felix Faust are bad, but at least I never really had to deal with them before. But Mammoth? Shimmer? I know those guys and I am not a fan. The last thing I want to do is get anywhere near them.

Instead of hitting the east side, I take a turn towards the fire escape, where a man in a large overcoat is smoking a cigarette.

"The old man finally let you off your leash, then?" Captain Boomerang jokes, the cigarette bouncing up and down in his mouth.

"Perimeter sweep." I answer, giving the exact same response I gave Frost and Faust. It's easier to just repeat what Slade said than to risk saying something I shouldn't. I'm pretty sure that the entire villain community, if not the entire damn world, knows that I'm Dick Grayson, but I don't know for sure. And the last thing I want to do is give that away if they don't actually know.

Or worse, give away my real secrets, that I used to be Robin and that I stole the chips and that there's still technically a ten-million-dollar bounty on my head. I'm sure that would go over well.

"Not a fan of our crowd , huh?" Boomerang asks. I don't know how much I can say, so instead of answering I just shrug.

"Well, I don't blame you for coming over here. I'm much better company." Boomerang grins.

"You did try to skewer me yesterday."

"Can't blame a guy for being curious. You showing up for the first time after everything we've heard about you?"

"What have you heard about me?"

"Pretty much nothing." Boomerang shrugs. "Wanted to see if you were worth the hype."

"By attacking me with my back turned?"

"No hard feelings, right kid?"

I shrug.

"Sure."

"Have a smoke?"

Boomerang holds out a pack and I hesitate.

I've never smoked before. Slade will probably kill me if I try to start now.

"Pass."

"Suit yourself." Boomerang pulls the pack away and tucks it into his coat. He pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and blows a cloud of smoke. "I'd take the other side. Plenty of space to walk and it's a good spot for an ambush. Keep your head on, if you know what I mean."

I hesitate. It's not bad advice at all, but the way he said that… it's like he's expecting something. And I don't like the feeling that he knows something I don't. It's bad enough when Slade does it, but now Captain Boomerang?

"Thanks." I say quietly before turning and heading for the far side of the building.

Boomerang is right. The ground floor storage is closer to a maze than an actual building, and without a roof, it feels wide open. Someone on the high ground could get the upper hand and I'd be stuck on defense. It should be easy for me to hop up on top and keep watch from there, but Slade wants to keep Renegade separate from… from Robin. Robin flips through the air and climbs things, Renegade keeps his feet firmly on the ground.

And besides, I still have no idea what I'm even looking for, or if I'm even looking for anything.

This whole mission has gone perfectly. Except for me almost losing it in front of all the mercenaries, everything is on schedule. The plane should be here in less than ten minutes and then the job is done. Then it's totally out of our hands and Slade gets to report back to the Light for his promotion.

I have no idea how I feel about that. It's huge for one thing. Slade is taking a spot at the table and becoming one of the most dangerous people on the entire planet. And he couldn't have gotten there without me. Or at least… no. He couldn't have gotten there without the things he did to me, without the weapon he turned me into. I'm not… he's not proud of me. He doesn't need me. He needs the tool he's made, the person he broke and reshaped into something that suited him better.

I don't really know how I feel about any of it. Or what I should be feeling. A week ago, Slade handcuffed me to a car seat for six hours. A month ago, I was trapped inside a building without any human contact or even a second of fresh air. And now, I'm doing everything I can to help Slade get his spot on the Light because he's giving me a chance to prove myself and I can't mess it up after everything I've been through to get here.

I take a deep breath, forcing air into my lungs and holding it for a few seconds.

It's quiet. Every step I take echoes through the darkness, but the quiet hangs in a way that just feels off.

My feet stop.

Something's not right.

There's a buzzing sound.

There's plenty of things that might be making it, but a normal bug wouldn't have caught my attention. It only takes a second before my eyes lock onto the tiny, rapidly moving shape just as I hear a choked, "—wait!"

The warning comes too late, because my hand is already closing around the tiny figure, who lets out a matching tiny yelp.

"Let go of her!" A voice shouts, and the next thing I know there's a giant green fist swinging at me. I dive to the side and the Lantern construct punches the ground next to me, but while I'm dodging, the tiny creature in my hand starts to grow rapidly until I lose my grip.

I let her go, focusing my attention on the Green Lantern swinging a cartoonishly massive sword at my head. I dodge backwards, giving him the space to get to his friend.

It also gives me a chance to get a good look at him. He must be new, because he's definitely not John or Uncle Hal. It's not a typical Green Lantern uniform, with a blocky mask over most of his face and a big white patch over the chest, but the Lantern Corp insignia displayed over his heart is unmistakable.

"Deathstroke, we have company." I tell Slade over my comms.

"Who and where."

"A Green Lantern and a friend. I don't recognize them."

"Keep them engaged, but stay aware. If there's two, there will likely be more."

"Yes sir."

"Good work, Renegade."

I dodge under the sword and kick the Green Lantern in the chest. The force throws him back against the wall and his massive construct evaporates; it also gives me a good look at him.

Not all the heroes in the world are part of the Justice League. In fact, most of them aren't, like the Doom Patrol, or the alien duo out in Dakota City, or even those mutant turtles running around the sewers of New York City. (And I thought that was a myth but the Department of Defense has a lot of files on them so… anything's possible)

Still, it's kind of weird that I have no idea who either of them are. At least one of them is pretty clearly a Green Lantern, but the bee girl is completely new to me.

And judging by what I've seen so far, she's pretty new to the hero business too.

Bee girl, who's now a full size human with two transparent wings folded across her back, raises her fists and shoots two blasts of yellow light at me. I dodge one of them and let the other hit the wall over my shoulder. A grin pulls at the corner of my mouth; I was totally right about her being brand new. Her aim needs a lot of work and judging by the way she's standing, she's got all her weight on her heels. That'll make her slow to move.

It seems like she can't fly when she's full size, and those energy blasts are coming from the weapons in her hands. If she loses them, there's a good chance she'll be powerless. Assuming those weapons aren't actually just there to help her channel her powers so she doesn't explode, but she's holding them a little too casually for that.

I watch them and the two new heroes stare back at me, neither of them moving.

"Well? Are you gonna just stand there or are you waiting for my backup to get here and completely outnumber you?" My heart is beating faster as the adrenaline kicks in, and for the first time tonight, it feels like the weight is off my shoulders. Slade told me to keep these two busy, and right now, there's nothing I want more than a clean, easy fight.

"You called for backup?!" Green Lantern demands.

"I did, and you probably would've heard me do it if you hadn't been shouting while you charged at me," I shrug. They're never going to get better without constructive feedback. "Long story short, your covert infiltration isn't going well. And we have eyes on all your friends."

That part's a lie (or at least, I have no idea if it's true or not). But either way, Slade knows we have company and he'll deal with it. He'll let me know if my orders change. But for now, my job is to keep these two busy for as long as possible. Or at least for the next six or so minutes until the plane lands and they move the target.

But the two heroes both flinch back, which means I hit a nerve. My stomach twists, but hopefully in the future they'll think twice before blowing their position.

The Green Lantern's ring glows green, and then massive boxing gloves form around his fists. He charges forward, pulling back to strike me in the head.

It's a weird choice, and not just because the huge size slows him down.

I let him get close enough that his partner will have trouble getting a clear shot in, then I duck left under the first hit, and duck to the other side for the next. To his credit, the Lantern doesn't get frustrated until I've led him halfway down the row of storage units, ducking and dodging every single strike. He lets out a growl when the glowing green boxing glove buries itself in the wall behind me, finally letting the constructs dissolve.

Something else starts to form, but I don't give him the chance.

I lunge forward, grabbing one of his arms at the same time that I kick him just under the knee. I twist, bringing him with me as I over-rotate his arm and shove him against the wall. The half-formed construct disappears as he lets out a cry that's more startled than pained.

"Word of advice." I say casually, tugging on the ring so it's barely still attached to the guy's finger. The guy stiffens, terror flooding his features as his uniform begins to glow vaguely green. He knows as well as I do that if I pull the ring off any farther, he'll be completely powerless. "Next time you want to pick an easy fight, make sure you know who you're going up against."

"You want advice?! Don't turn your back on me!" Bee girl shouts.

It's a pretty good surprise attack.

At least, it would've been if she hadn't just given herself away by shouting what she was about to do. If there was any doubt in my mind that these two weren't brand new heroes, that gave it away.

I saw her coming as soon as she moved, but something stops me from countering. For one, the armor on my back is really thick and sturdy, and unless she's aiming for my head, Bee girl has a lot to learn about aiming for weak spots. Plus, I have no idea how hard her blasts are, and it's better to find out in the beginning of the fight than at the end when I'm tired. Besides, Slade knows they're here and my job is just to keep them busy. There's no reason I can't offer them some advice and give them a couple (badly needed) pointers.

So, I don't move out of the way when the blast hits me in the back, and it packs a pretty good punch. Not nearly enough to knock me off my feet though, especially with the armor absorbing as much force as it does.

Bee girl lets out a little "eep," when she sees her attack fail, but to her credit, she aims again and fires off another round of blasts. I dodge, releasing my grip on the Lantern's ring to grab his shoulder and push him towards his partner. He lets out a yell, scrambling to bring his hands up to protect himself while she yelps and tries to aim away from him.

By the time they both get their bearings and Green Lantern has his ring firmly back on his finger, I've got my bo staff in one hand while my weight shifts onto both feet so I'm ready to move.

"Five minutes." Slade's voice is suddenly in my ear. "Keep them busy."

I grin.

"Not bad for a bunch of newbies. Any interest in another round? I'll go easy on you, I promise."

Neither of them rises to the challenge.

"Who are you?!" Green Lantern demands. "Where are you keeping the ambassador?!"

"And who do you work for? What do you want with him?" Bee girl shouts.

I blink.

Who am I?

"You really are new."

The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them. Unless everything that everyone has said to me is a lie, the entire world knows about Deathstroke and his "new" apprentice. For two superheroes to have absolutely no idea who I am, they've gotta be as new as they come.

I force myself to grin, but this time it's more of a grimace.

"I'm Renegade. Do you both have names or should I keep calling you Greenie and Bee girl?"

"The name's Bumblebee." Bee girl frowns.

"Nice to meet you. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet, you'll be able to react faster."

"I'm not taking advice from a criminal." Bumblebee scowls.

"Well, you should, it'll help."

The Green Lantern raises his fist at me, ring glowing green.

"I'll give you one chance to tell us where the ambassador is."

"Right." I raise an eyebrow. "I wish I could, I really do, but I'm pretty sure my boss would kill me."

The two of them look at each other and nod, then the next second they're moving. I'm impressed; they've got strong instincts if they're already working together so well. It's not nearly enough though.

Bumblebee shrinks down again, flying into the air and firing off her blasters while Green Lantern shoots a bright green projectile. I spin my bo staff to deflect the blasts before launching myself at the Green Lantern. He ducks under the first sweep, but I spin with the motion and catch him across the chest with a spinning hook-kick.

The buzzing of Bumblebee's wings gives her away again, and I strike backwards, just missing her. I let go of the staff as my hand snaps out, grabbing the tip of her wing.

She lets out a cry, aiming both of her blasters at my hand. I let go and almost as soon as I do, she's growing back to full size. The Green Lantern gets up again, but I sweep his legs out from under him and he goes crashing back to the ground.

I turn back to Bumblebee, settling back into a fighting stance as she raises her blasters. Her hands are shaking a little, but she's looking me in the eyes and pretending not to be afraid. Something rises in my chest and I realize it's pride.

"Not bad." As much as I feel bad about this fight, it's the most fun I've had in a very long time. I can't remember the last time I was in a fight where I wasn't completely, hopelessly outmatched. "You're gonna be a great hero someday."

"I don't care what you think." Bumblebee spits. Then she shoots, and I intercept the blasts with my bo staff. My hand closes around a throwing knife, but I hesitate. She's adjusted her stance like I told her to (and the thought that she actually listened to me makes the ache in my chest a little lighter) but she doesn't have the reflexes yet. The knife could seriously hurt her. Instead, I grab one of the S-shaped projectiles. It's not pleasant to get hit with one (and I've had plenty of bruises to prove it), but she'll be fine.

I throw the projectile, sending the disk hurtling towards her shoulder. It'll stun the joint for a few minutes, making it harder for her to aim without causing any lasting damage.

A blast of red light comes shooting down from above, incinerating the projectile in midair. My head snaps up at the attack, and my heart is suddenly in my throat.

That's heat vision.

I would know it anywhere.

The person descends from the sky and I freeze, my entire body locking up. The ache in my chest turns to a block of ice in my stomach, spreading across my body until I can't move.

"Superboy?!"

The words fall out of my mouth, completely and totally shocked. Conner looks… completely insane.

A half-shaved buzz cut, earrings, studded leather jacket, a blue and red one-piece suit and ARE THOSE HEELS?! I can't stop staring and it takes me a full minute to pull my jaw off the floor. Because if Conner is here, insane looking as he might be, then that means…

My hand rises to my ear of its own volition. I feel my mouth open before I hear myself say, "Deathstroke, it's—"

"Your team." Slade interrupts me, and doesn't wait for an answer.

There's another blast of heat vision and I dive to the side, ducking around the corner of the storage unit for cover. Realization strikes, and it strikes hard. That's not Conner. Conner doesn't have heat vision and he can't fly, and he definitely didn't have that scar on his chest last I checked. Especially because I know that scar. I saw it on Luthor's files that day I helped Conner and Zatanna break into LexCorp.

"Match." I breathe, my heart pounding so hard that it's trying to rip itself out of my chest

"It's actually Flamebird, now." There's a blast of ice that goes over my head, and after he takes a breath, Match—Flamebird— calls, "By the way, it's nice to meet you. I never got a chance to say thank you before."

"Get back in here." Slade orders, his voice urgent but nothing resembling concern. My hand reaches for a smoke grenade before he's even gotten the words out. The cloud of smoke will handle Bumblebee and the Lantern, and chances are pretty good that it'll keep Flamebird occupied while he clears it. That's more than enough time for me to launch myself on top of the shed housing the storage units and sprint back to the main building.

"Where'd he go?!" Bumblebee exclaims.

The ground shakes and Mammoth lets out a roar, followed by a very, very familiar shout. That's Superboy.

He's here too.

He's really here.

Judging by the sounds and the flashes of light and earth-shaking rumbles surrounding us, the fight is well underway. My heart is practically in my chest and my hands feel clammy but there's no time to think.

There's a single mercenary standing by the door, and he drops his weapon and has the door open for me as soon as I jump down from the low roof. I sprint inside, barely pausing to open the access door before charging up the steps three at a time, rounding the corner and sprinting down the main hallway. I almost collide with Slade in the loading area right outside the room where they're holding the ambassador. Before I have the chance to say anything, Slade puts a firm hand on my shoulder and squeezes.

"Breathe." The pressure on my arm is strong and solid and it's exactly what I need to pull me back to the present.

I look up at him and Slade's steely gray eye stares back from behind the black and orange mask. My stomach is churning and my heart is in my throat and all I can hear is the blood roaring in my ears.

"Are they… are they here? Is it really them?"

The grip on my shoulder gets tighter.

"How many of—"

"All of them. Your whole team, plus a few extras." Slade says.

"Did you know?!" My cracks on the last word, desperation crushing every ounce of self-control I had.

Did Slade know they would be here? Did he send me out to check the perimeter knowing I would run straight into my team?!

"Not definitively. But it was always a possibility."

I struggle to pull a breath in, a sob rising in my throat as tears sting at my eyes.

"I…. I can't… Slade, please¸ what do I do?!"

"Breathe."

My heart is pounding in my chest and with Slade standing over me, the emotions ramming around inside me start to bubble over. Nausea twists my stomach along with hot, salty tears pricking at my eyes.

The team is here. My friends are here.

They got new members. If Bumblebee and Green Lantern and Flamebird are on the team now then that means they moved on. Maybe they forgot about me. Or they're trying to pretend I never existed so they don't ever have to think about how badly I betrayed them.

They're already trying to erase me. Bumblebee and the Lantern didn't even know who I was. They didn't have a clue that if things were different, I'd be their teammate. That we were supposed to be on the same side.

And what's the team doing here? How did they find out about the ambassador?

Are they here for me? Do they even know I'm here?

Something inside me aches because it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if they came to stop me or if they came to save me because there's nothing they can do. Slade will never let them take me back.

And if I somehow manage to get away with them, Slade will come after me. He'll never stop.

But even if I knew they could keep me, keep all of us safe, I can't. It's too late. Not that it matters…because they can't.

I want to go home.

I want to go home and sleep in my own room and wear my own clothes and forget about Slade and everything he's done to me. I want my family, I want my friends, I want to be safe, I want my dad.

"Their mission is to retrieve the ambassador." Slade says like the world isn't falling apart around us. Like the blood is still flowing through my body and my hands aren't so numb that it hurts. And he's still talking which means he expects me to listen but HOW CAN I when everything inside my head is screaming at the same time and there's so much fear and loneliness and longing and anger and terror and grief and horrible, cruel bits of hope burning in my chest because my friends are here. They're really here. "The transport will be here in a few minutes; Han and his team are already en-route to the plane. We're about to have company and you must not let them leave this building. Do you understand?"

"Slade, it's, it's…" It doesn't even sound like words coming out of my mouth, just a desperate, broken plea. "It's the whole team!"

"Listen to me, Renegade. Everyone has shoot-to-kill orders on anyone that leaves the building. I can only guarantee their safety so long as you do not let them leave. Do you understand me?"

"I…"

"Renegade." Slade's hand wraps around my chin, an impossibly strong grip that forces my eyes to meet his. I can't move. I can't look away and his gaze is so intense I can't take it.

"We both know what I could do to you." Slade's voice is almost a whisper. "I already have you. It's only a matter of time before I break you."

"Do you understand me? Do your job, and they're all safe." Slade asks, and I can't tell him apart from the one haunting my memories. My chest heaves, heart pounding uselessly as I try to grab on to the lifeline.

Do my job. Keep them alive. Do my job, keep them alive. It'll be just like fighting Bumblebee and Green Lantern. I can do this. Do my job. Keep them alive. I can do this.

Don't think. Just do it. If I do my job, none of them get hurt.

Slade lets go of me, and I draw in another breath, hands balling into fists as I force myself back under control.

"Do you understand?" Slade asks again. His voice is just as calm and cool and collected as ever.

"Yes sir." I breathe, and my voice is almost steady. Do my job. They'll all be fine. Everything will be fine.

"Good. Once the package has been delivered, I will join you. Stay at my back, do not deviate."

"Yes sir."


Wally West


'Captain Boomerang is on the north side. It's just him.' Miss Martian reported.

'That's what I saw too. There's one guard on the east side, he's watching the door.' Kid Flash said after a brief pause. 'Wait, there's two more guards near the parking lot, they have eyes on the whole corridor.'

'I see them, and I can take 'em.' Flamebird answered, nothing but pure confidence in his voice. It made Wally nervous. In terms of raw power, Flamebird was more than a match for, well, anything, but Superboy had thought the same of himself and his first few missions had been…rough.

'Do you have eyes on Bumblebee and Green Lantern?' Aqualad asked patiently.

'Yeah, they're both in place.'

'Good. Hold your positions for now. Superboy?'

'I'm here with Rocket. Shimmer and Mammoth are on the south side. I can see two heat signatures behind them, and a bunch more in the building.' Superboy reported.

'How many?'

'More than ten, but I can't tell exactly. There's a lot stuff in the way.'

'Miss Martian? Do you have anything?' Aqualad asked, and Kid Flash knew he was hoping the mind-reader would be able to pick up something important.

'It's taking most of my energy to hold up the mindlink with this many people.' Miss Martian frowned.

'Zee and I found two guards on the west side, near the outdoor storage. They could be holding the ambassador over here.' Artemis interrupted from the other side of the compound.

'Felix Faust and Killer Frost are guarding the door to the main building.' Red Arrow countered. 'He's in there.'

'It could be a trap.' Artemis shot back.

'No, Red Arrow's right. I'm picking up something I recognize. If could just get a little clearer—' Miss Martian cut off suddenly with a gasp. 'It's Deathstroke! He's inside, I'm positive.'

Wally frowned, his stomach tightening.

Captain Cold was telling the truth.

It should have made him feel better, but all Wally felt was terror. This was it. All their plans, everything they did to keep Dick's family safe, to protect his and Batman's identities, to make sure Deathstroke wouldn't be able to get anywhere near Gotham to enact revenge; it all came down to this. This could all be over soon.

All they had to do was convince Dick to come with them.

'Good.' Aqualad said with confidence Wally absolutely didn't feel. 'That means our intel was correct. But we must be careful. We have only one chance to get this right.'

'What's the plan?' Batgirl asked. Kid Flash snuck a look to his right, where he could just make out the tips of her cowl on the other end of the roof.

'Artemis, Zatanna, handle the two guards quickly and quietly. When that's done, rendezvous with Red Arrow and I. Batgirl, you as well.' Aqualad ordered.

'Got it.' All three answered in unison.

'Kid Flash, can you join Miss Martian without being detected?'

'I have a clean path to her.' Kid Flash answered, making eye contact with Miss Martian on the building across from him. She nodded at him, gesturing down and around to confirm the route was clear.

'On my mark, Zatanna and Batgirl will create a diversion to lure Felix Faust and Killer Frost from their positions. Artemis, Red Arrow and I will go in through the west entrance. Kid Flash, Miss Martian, breach the building from above. Superboy, you and Rocket will handle the south side.'

'Charge Mammoth, got it.' Superboy nodded. Not that Kid Flash could see him, but he knew Conner well enough to know.

'Is everyone clear on their roles?'

'What do I do?' Flamebird asked.

'You're backup. If all goes well, Bumblebee and Green Lantern will be clear of the battle, but we still don't know our enemies' numbers. They may need your assistance.' Aqualad could all feel Flamebird's annoyance through the mindlink at the responses.

'Seriously? They're fine! They're having fun with their stakeout. I came to help, not sit in the corner!'

'Knowing that you will have our backs if it is needed is more help than you know.' Aqualad answered.

"Aqualad. The bioship's radar is picking up something. It's a couple miles away but it's moving right at us." Jason radioed over the comms. "What should I do?"

"Nothing for now."

"Should we do anything?" Green Lantern asked. "Uh, it's Green Lantern, by the way."

"No. Everyone, hold your positions. If I am correct, there is a plane coming to transport the ambassador. Our best hope for success is to strike while his captors move him." Aqualad answered. Whether or not that was what Aqualad really thought, Kid Flash heard the real order; stay put and stay out of the way.

"Got it."

Kid Flash breathed a sigh of relief when none of their new teammates protested the order. This was going to be hard enough without having a bunch of other people to look out for.

'Aqualad.' Superboy said suddenly. 'They're torturing the ambassador. I can hear them, they're in the main building.'

'Zatanna, Artemis, NOW.' Aqualad ordered. Kid Flash checked that the path was clear again before speeding down from his vantage point, crossing through a few hallways and running up the wall to land on the roof beside Miss Martian.

She nodded at him in greeting, and then he pointed out the guard he'd seen moving from his original spot and she pointed out four more to make sure Kid Flash had seen them too.

'We're in position, Aqualad.' Kid Flash said when the two of them were crouched out of sight by the emergency access hatch.

'The guards are down!' Zatanna reported.

'And I'm almost to your position.' Batgirl added. 'Red Arrow, you've got some movement behind you.'

'I saw it. But good eye.' Red Arrow said.

'Is everyone in—"

'You guys! Dick's here!' Flamebird interrupted frantically.

'Where?!' Kid Flash froze.

'He was just on the east side fighting Bumblebee and GL but he's gone! There's all this smoke and I can't see where he went!'

"Bumblebee, Green Lantern. Are you alright?!" Aqualad barked into the comms.

"Yeah, we're okay." Green Lantern responded, sounding a little winded but unharmed. The knot in Wally's chest loosened just the tiniest bit. Dick hadn't hurt them. That meant they weren't too late. Because Dick would never hurt anyone if he had a choice.

"But this kid just came out of nowhere and kicked our butts!" Bumblebee hissed.

"Stay there in case he comes back." Aqualad said, before switching back to the mindlink. 'Stick to the plan. Deathstroke will be with the ambassador, and once we find him, we find Dick.'

As much as Wally desperately wanted to go try and pick up his friend's trail, Aqualad was right. Things hadn't gotten messy enough for it to be over just yet.

The mission was just getting started.

'Kid Flash, Miss Martian, go!'

"It's gonna be okay." M'gann said, squeezing Wally's arm comfortingly.

"I hope you're right." Wally answered. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes and nodded. "Okay. Let's do this."

'We're going in.' Miss Martian said, holding out her hand to telekinetically unlock the entrance hatch. It swung open silently, and the two of them held their breath to see if it would trigger any alarms or send any guards running.

"It's clear." Miss Martian said and Kid Flash nodded.

They made their way carefully down the ladder, before making their way down the hall.

'Third floor's clear.' Kid Flash told their teammates.

The staircase opened out onto a landing overlooking the main floor, leading to the long hallway of the second floor. It wasn't long before Miss Martian stiffened, throwing her arm out to stop Kid Flash from moving.

'Found them!'

'Are you certain?!' Aqualad asked urgently.

'No, but there's two guards outside the door.' Kid Flash answered before Miss Martian could. The chances were high, especially given the relatively small number of guards they'd seen so far, but this mission was too important to risk being wrong.

'I can make sure if I can just get a little closer.' Miss Martian insisted.

'Do it. Artemis, Red Arrow, with me. Let us see if we can get their attention."

"I'll go ahead." Miss Martian whispered.

"Be careful." Kid Flash said. Miss Martian nodded before shifting herself to be nearly transparent. He lost sight of her a few times as she flew closer to the guarded door, but by the time she reached the other end of the hallway, he'd managed to hide himself from anyone coming down the hall and figure out where she was again.

'It's the ambassador, and he's not alone. I can sense at least five guards with him.'

'Is Dick there?!' Kid Flash asked, his heart pounding.

'No.' Artemis interrupted. 'We just found him.'

"What?!" Kid Flash hissed. 'Is he okay?!'

'He's alone. Is there any sign of Deathstroke?' Aqualad demanded urgently.

'No. I don't sense anything, he's not here.' Miss Martian answered.

'If he's alone, I have to get down there!' Kid Flash shouted.

'No!' Aqualad interrupted before he could move. 'They know we are here, if you do not get to the ambassador now, we may lose our window! We will reason with Dick.'

'I can take these two.' Miss Martian raised her hand, a green glow in her eyes gently illuminating the hallway. The guard stiffened, raising his weapon and barking something at his partner. She whacked a fist against the door behind them, while the first guard aimed at Miss Martian. Kid Flash was moving before he even had time to think.

"They saw you! Get down!" Kid Flash shouted, speeding forward to tackle her out of the way. The guard fired, red-hot plasma shooting out of his weapon and melting the walkway they'd been standing on. The floor gave out under Kid Flash's feet, and then the two of them were falling as the guard fired his weapon again. Miss Martian's hand snapped out, telekinesis flinging crates into the air to intercept the plasma before it could shower down on them. They hit the ground hard, but Kid Flash was back on his feet and tugging Miss Martian out of the way before the guard could fire again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aqualad's water bearers swinging out while Red Arrow and Artemis fired arrows at the guards surrounding them. Kid Flash sprinted towards them, hoping for a second to regroup and make sure the plasma hadn't hit M'gann.

Something slammed into his legs, knocking Miss Martian out of his grip and sending him crashing to the floor. The end of a long metal rod pointed under his chin, forcing Wally to crane his head back to avoid the crackling electricity.

Wally barely bit back a gasp.

Dick looked almost unrecognizable. The mask on his face was a totally different style than his old domino mask. The ends were spiked in a way that made the dark circles under his eyes stand out even more and there was a faded bruise on the side of his face, stretching from his temple to his cheek.

He'd grown almost two inches and athletic leanness had been filled in with muscle. The orange and black uniform screamed, "Danger! Do not engage if you want to live!" Worse, there was a silver 'S' over his heart that made bile rise in Wally's throat.

But that wasn't what scared him the most.

There was a hardness in his face and in the way he was standing that he'd always somewhat had, but where there had once been lightness, there was only edge. He looked battle hardened and dangerous.

He looked like a mercenary.

"Dick." Wally breathed. Then he caught up to the fact that his best friend didn't look particularly happy to see him, and that he was pulling back his staff to strike. "Dick! Dick, stop!"

The bo staff hurtled through the air and Kid Flash barely flung himself to the side in time.

"Dick, stop!" Kid Flash shouted, but Dick didn't hesitate. Kid Flash was a speedster but Dick was fast, and the months he'd been gone had only made him faster. The staff caught Kid Flash in the knee, knocking him to the ground. He threw up an arm to protect himself before Dick could strike again and shouted, "You don't have to do this!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Red Arrow making a break for the stairs on the other side of the room. Almost faster than Wally could follow, Dick threw an explosive that detonated right in the archer's path. Miss Martian threw her hand out, telekinetically pulling him out of the way just in time.

Red Arrow was back on his feet immediately, an arrow notched and pointed straight at Dick, but he hadn't followed them. He was standing in the middle of the battleground in a fighting stance, eyes roving around the room and taking in every motion the Team made.

Aqualad had his waterbearers drawn into swords, while Artemis notched another arrow and drew back, scanning the room for other threats.

Wally gritted his teeth and pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring the throbbing in his knee (and in his ankle), and formed ranks around Dick with his teammates.

"Listen! We have everything handled!" Wally pleaded. "You can home! You don't have to do this anymore!"

Dick didn't say anything. He just tightened his grip on his bo staff and clenched his jaw.

"Dick. Please." Wally said. Dick looked at him with a piercing gaze before moving on to Aqualad, then to Artemis, and Red Arrow before settling on Miss Martian. The room was quiet; they'd taken down all the guards and now it was just them and Dick. "Please. It's okay."

He didn't move.

Red Arrow took the lead, slowly lowering his bow to point at the ground so Dick could see he wasn't a threat. The rest of the team followed, slowly lowering their weapons until it was just them and their teammate. Their friend. The one who'd given up so much to protect them and was so close to safety, if he would just listen. Dick didn't react except for the rise and fall of his chest, a little too fast and a little too frantic.

"Dick." Miss Martian stretched out her hand towards his head, eyes starting to glow green. "Let me show you—"

"Don't touch me!" Dick screamed, sounding almost like a wild animal. His bo staff crackled as it slammed into her outstretched hand before any of them could move. M'gann cried out, her body stiffening as electricity coursed through her.

"M'gann!" Artemis shrieked, losing her grip on her bow and sending the arrow hurtling towards Dick. He turned, somehow striking the projectile out of thin air and knocking it towards Kid Flash. Artemis ran forwards to catch Miss Martian as she fell, leaving herself open for Dick's staff to strike.

Aqualad's water bearers shot out, catching the weapon before it could hit Artemis. Dick was moving again as soon as metal hit solid water, and Kid Flash raced forward to help Aqualad.

Dick had always been better at hand-to-hand combat, and no matter how well Wally and Kaldur fought together, Dick was better.

"Kid, get back!" Red Arrow grunted, and then Roy was charging forward, taking Wally's spot in the frenzied dance. Wally barely had a second to take a breath before a gold light blazed through the room, throwing Aqualad and Red Arrow backwards.

"Well, this is impressive. You've barely started and already you've made quite a number of enemies." Faust laughed, stalking forward to Dick's side like he had all the time in the world. "What'd you do to them? They seem pretty pissed at you, it must've been something spectacular."

"Nice of you to save some of the fun for us, though." Frost grinned as a chill swept through the room, followed by a blast of ice.

'What do we do?!' Artemis dodged backwards as icicles shot up through the floor.

'He won't listen!' Kid Flash shouted into the mindlink. Felix Faust began chanting, hands glowing gold as he leveled a glare at Wally. Before the spell could hit, Dick was charging at him again, and Wally was back on the defense.

'Change of plans.' Aqualad said urgently, blocking the icy projectile headed for his head. 'There is no sign of Deathstroke, we cannot waste this chance. Kid, do what you can. I am going for the ambassador.'

'We'll cover you!' Artemis answered. Red Arrow grabbed a grappling line arrow, ready to follow Aqualad up. Aqualad raised his waterbearers, pulling back and drawing a long whip of water.

'Go!' Miss Martian's eyes glowed and then Dick's feet lifted off the ground as she pulled him into the air.

If Wally thought they'd have an opening, he was dead wrong.

Dick's foot caught him in the chest with the force of a train, knocking the wind out of his lungs and throwing him back against the wall. In the same motion, Dick threw a projectile at Miss Martian to break her concentration and charged forwards as soon as his feet hit the ground. He swung his bo staff to intercept Aqualad as he swung and a whip of water snagged the railing. Aqualad propelled himself into the air, trying to move quick enough to make it up, but Dick was on him in an instant. Wally could barely see the bo staff as it swung in a lightning-fast arc, slamming into Aqualad and knocking him to the ground.

Out of the corner of his eye, Wally saw Red Arrow fire a net right at Dick while his back was turned. It was a perfectly timed shot. As the net unfurled in midair, Dick tensed, his head snapping around as he realized he was in range.

But just before the net reached him, a boomerang came out of nowhere, slicing through the strands and knocking the whole projectile out of the way. Dick was moving again, dodging the arrow Artemis fired and moving to Captain Boomerang's side.

Something big and heavy crashed through the far wall, sending boxes and papers and car parts flying through the air. When the debris cloud settled, Kid Flash could see Superboy tangled together with Mammoth while Rocket threw herself out of Shimmer's way. Wally couldn't help but stare at the purple glow that enveloped her as she flew out of reach.

Alien tech was so cool, but there would be plenty of time to learn how his new teammate's powers worked when this was over. When Dick was home safe.

"Heads up!" Someone shouted before a small explosion knocked Shimmer off Rocket. Batgirl charged after the villain, red hair flying loose behind her. She leapt into the air, her hands springing off the floor to catapult herself into a flip. Her feet made contact with Shimmer's jaw, throwing her back even further. The villain caught herself, charging forwards with a growl but before she made contact, a purple wall glowed into existence around Batgirl.

"Keep pushing her back!" Batgirl shouted and Rocket nodded.

"Got it!"

The two of them advanced together and Wally couldn't help but be impressed. Batgirl was a natural at this. Both the fighting and calling the shots in battle. And Rocket was more than holding her own, too.

Flamebird burst through a shattered window, tossing one of the mercs to the ground and crushing their weapon in his hands.

"The plane's landing!" He shouted at Aqualad, before Mammoth slammed a giant fist into him and knocked him into the wall. The foundation rumbled again, and Kid Flash glanced nervously at the building's supports.

"Watch it!" Dick shouted at Mammoth. "Do you want to bury us too?!"

Mammoth stiffened in anger, but he didn't argue. The sight made Kid Flash hesitate. If Mammoth was listening to Dick… and there was no sign of Deathstroke anywhere and Dick had no interest in listening to them… what if…

'Aqualad! We can't get close, there's too many of them!' Zatanna shouted over the mindlink.

Dick let out a yell and charged forwards, swinging his bo staff in a wickedly fast but controlled arc. Wally dodged under, trying to avoid the weapon and the scattered pieces of the crates Miss Martian had destroyed.

"Green Lantern! Bumblebee! Get to the plane to help Zatanna! They're moving the ambassador now!" Aqualad ordered over the comms. "Flamebird! Go with them!"

Flamebird attempted to take off, but Mammoth got a hand around his ankle and slammed him back down to the ground. Before Wally could try to help him, Dick was closing the distance between the two of them and pushing Wally back against the wall. Wally didn't see a way to dodge, so he darted forwards and punched, trying to push his friend back. The blows knocked Dick off balance, but his staff swung upwards, slamming into the bottom of Wally's chin. He saw stars, but still managed to raise his arm in time to block the strike aimed at his temple.

Wally grabbed the stick blindly and pulled, trying to drag Dick off balance. But he spun under, jabbing an elbow into Wally's diaphragm and slamming his head into Wally's nose. Pain erupted as blood started pouring out and Wally raised his hands to stop it.

Wally stared at his best friend, not understanding. Then he saw the tears spilling out from under the mask and something inside him broke.

Dick was crying.

"Dick. Please." Wally begged. "It's safe to come home."

Dick hesitated, a shiver running through his body like a spasm.

"I promise."

Dick's mouth opened, but before anything could come out, something blasted Wally from the side. It burned along his feet before shooting up to his neck and it wasn't until his body was encased that he realized it was ice.

"Kid Flash!" Superboy charged towards him, but a ring of golden light appeared around him, freezing his feet in place.

"Aqualad!" Batgirl shouted. "The plane is leaving!"

"Miss Martian! Take Green Lantern, Rocket and Flamebird with you and go after the plane! Do not let them get away!" Aqualad ordered. Dick froze, and Wally could see him planning his attack. But instead of moving or throwing another explosive, Dick's hand suddenly rose to his ear. His shoulders slumped, and Wally knew his friend well enough that the relief and resignation were screaming at him. Whatever Deathstroke had just told him, it was final.

Wally struggled, desperately trying to wrench himself free but the ice had encased him from the neck down and he had no momentum to get himself loose.

Dick hesitated and their eyes locked. Even across the room, Wally could see him mouth, "I'm sorry."

Then he turned and headed for the shadows.

"No!" Wally shouted, yanking as hard as he could. He closed his eyes, trying to vibrate himself free but he wasn't fast enough. Dick was leaving and there was nothing he could do.

"You're not going anywhere!" Someone shouted, and the next thing Wally knew, a blast of heat vision threw Faust backwards, and then Superboy was hurtling towards Dick at breakneck speeds.


Dick Grayson


"The target is clear." Slade reports, and the ball of anxiety in my chest unravels. That's it. Slade won. He gets his spot on the Light and none of my friends are dead. "Meet me at the extraction point, we're clearing out."

"Yes sir." I somehow get the words out.

It's over. It's done. They're all safe and it's over. I have to get out of here right now. I'm sprinting for the door before I can do something stupid like making eye contact with Wally again. I'm so close, I just have to get back to Slade and this will be over.

Superboy lets out a furious sound, something halfway between a shout and a growl and then he's throwing himself into the air, a blast of heart vision blazing into existence between me and the door.

"You're not going anywhere!" He growls, one hand grabbing the front of my uniform and slamming my back against the wall hard enough to knock all the air out of my lungs. For a second, he looks like Wolf, towering over me with nothing but animal rage. My hand closes around an explosive and I brace myself for the opening, trying to focus when my lungs are screaming for air. But he's pushing too hard and I can feel something in my chest straining like it's about to break and then—

"Superboy!" Flamebird sounds beyond furious, and suddenly it's really easy to connect him to the mindless beast locked up deep underneath Cadmus. "What the hell did you do?!"

"Get off me!" Superboy shouts, shoving him back and the split-second of distraction is all I need to twist myself free and throw the explosive at them. I sprint through the doorway, throwing myself and the corner and pushing everything I have into getting as far away from the building as I can. My lungs burn and my chest aches but I can't slow down for anything.

The burning rage in Superboy's eyes… that was wrong. That was so wrong. And Flamebird's reaction, that kind of anger only comes from fear.

He seemed fine for most of the fight, but then that sound he made… that scream. Flamebird thought he did something, but what could he have—

I cut off that line of thinking. It's not my problem. Whatever happened to Superboy, I… it's not my problem. I kept them inside the building, I did what I could to keep them safe. And Slade wouldn't lie to me about something this important, my friends are going to be fine.

There's a streak of purple light overhead, followed by a matching line of green. Rocket and the new Green Lantern. They're racing after the plane, and my heart jumps a beat.

They can stop the plane. It's not too late, they can still save the ambassador.

A laugh escapes my chest and tears prick at my eyes at the thought. The good guys can still win. They can still save him, and if they do, everything that I've done tonight was for nothing. Slade could lose. Slade could lose everything.

That's a good thing. That's a great thing. Slade could lose.

The laughter in my chest in gone, a deep, aching pain in its place.

Slade lost.

Everything I did tonight was for nothing.

Helping Slade abduct a man in his own home, stalling while they moved him, fighting my friends; it was all pointless. It was all for nothing. I crossed a line for nothing.

I hurt my friends for nothing.

I miss them. I miss them so much it's killing me and they were right there and I was too focused on doing my job—on keeping them safe—I didn't even listen to what they were saying.

Kid Flash didn't look mad. He was trying to talk to me, he was reaching out like he thought I would help him. Like he still believed in me.

Anger spikes through my chest. What were they thinking coming for me?! Don't they know how much I gave up to keep them safe? Slade promised me they wouldn't get hurt if I did my job, but don't they understand what Slade would have done if I'd even thought about going with them?

Stop.

Don't think about that.

I don't have a choice.

Slade trusts me. He's giving me a chance and I can't mess it up.

I didn't mess it up.

It's done. The mission is over, the ambassador is off the premise and Slade ordered the move-out. He's waiting for me at the extraction point with a helicopter and we're gone the second I get there. He's gonna be pissed that the Team intercepted the target but it's not my fault. I followed all my orders, I did everything right, just like he wanted me to.

Just a few more seconds. The extraction point is right around the corner. I'm almost there. And then when I'm safe and Slade and I disappear again, I can stop pretending that I'm anything anywhere near okay.

I'm almost done. The fight plays over and over in my head, Kid Flash yelling at me to just stop and listen, to let them help. He has no idea what he's talking about. I can't go with them. It doesn't matter how badly I want to, I don't have a choice. I've done this all for them. I've done all of this to keep them safe and I can't just throw it away.

I lost everything for them.

The extraction point is just ahead, and I pick up speed as I round the corner. And then I stop, dead in my tracks while my heart forgets how to beat.

There's someone standing in front of the exit.

It's Robin.

Everything Slade said comes flooding back to me, like cement pouring over my entire body and freezing me in place.

He replaced you. He doesn't care about you, he just needed you. And as soon as you turned on him, he gave it all to the next kid in line.

I can't move.

It's Robin. It's him. He's right there. Wearing a stolen uniform like he has any right to it.

The suit… fits him well. The cape looks a little bulkier than mine, and the yellow is a little darker and less eye-catching. Instead of the black gloves, he's got green ones, and matching green accents at the shoulders.

I can't stop staring and that's when it sets in. Not only did Bruce give him my suit… he changed it.

Made it his.

The new suit is Jason announcing to the world that he's Robin now, for real.

For good.

My heart starts pounding ago while my mouth goes dry. Neither of us moves.

I can't tear my eyes off my little brother.

He's here. I haven't seen him in four months and I've missed him like a missing limb every single day since Slade took me and he's here. He's standing right here, staring at me like he can't bear to look away any more than I can.

"Dick!" Jason breathes, and the next thing I know he's throwing himself at me and it takes me a full second to realize he's hugging me.

My arms come up to wrap around him and Jason just hugs tighter. It takes my brain too long to catch on to the fact that he's saying something.

"You're here! I told them I could help and they didn't believe me but I told them! I knew I'd find you and I did! It's gonna be okay, you can come home now! It's safe! Selina got the rogues to—"

He cuts off suddenly as I shove him back, hands tightening on his shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I…" Jason looks stunned. "I told you! I came here to find you!"

"You can't be here! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is?!" My head snaps up, looking around the corridors and the exit just up ahead where Slade is waiting. "Do you have any backup?!"

"I was with the ship! Aqualad said they got the ambassador and told me to keep watch for anyone trying to leave but then one of those guys with the big guns found the ship so I had to take him out and then you came—"

"They left you alone?!" The shout rips itself out of my throat, and my heart is beating so strongly I can feel my pulse all the way down my arms, into my wrists and beating against my palms. "They let you come and then they left you alone?!"

Some part of my brain knows I should stop, that I have to go now and Slade and my exit are just around the corner. But the last threads of my self-control snapped the second I saw my little brother standing in a uniform that shouldn't fit him with nobody around to protect him and I can't stop.

"How could they let you come?! What the fuck are you doing here?! You have to go, now! Don't ever do anything this stupid ever again!"

"What are you talking about? We found you!" Jason exclaims like it's a good thing. My hands are shaking so badly I can't understand how I haven't dropped my staff yet. He shouldn't be here. None of them should be here.

Don't they understand what Slade will do to them if they try to take me back?

"You have to go!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you!" Jason shouts back.

"Yes you are."

"No." Jason pulls out a birdarang. "I'm not."

My jaw drops, somewhere between horror and incredulity. What the hell does he think he's doing?

"You're gonna fight me with my own equipment? Wearing my uniform?!"

"You're coming with me." Jason says darkly, clenching the weapon in his hands so tightly it would cut his fingers off if he wasn't wearing gloves.

My heart pounds. A huff of air that could almost be laughter escapes my chest, my mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"Am I?" It's not a question as much as it is all the fear and loneliness and anxiety and grief from the last few months bubbling over all at once, the nauseous feeling inside my stomach swelling until my whole body is freezing hot and burning cold at the same time, drops of sweat dripping down my cheeks. "Do you think you're better than me? Or do you just think I want to watch you get yourself killed."

"Dick, please. Listen to me! It's okay, everything is—"

"Everything's okay?!" My shout echoes in the darkness. "Is it?! Did you get everything you wanted now that there's no one standing in your way?!"

"Dick!"

"Shut up!" I shout, hands flying out to shove him back as hard as I can. "You just couldn't wait to be Robin, could you?! You think you're ready for this?! You think you're better than me?! Well guess what, you're not! You're not good enough!"

"Dick‼! Wait! Please!"

It's the easiest takedown I've ever done.

Bumblebee and the Lantern were new, but they're miles ahead of Jason. He's sloppy and slow and if he could land a hit, I'm not sure I would even feel it. And with every hit that I land, the terror building in my chest just gets stronger and stronger.

He shouldn't be out here.

He's not ready.

He's just a kid.

He's going to get himself killed.

What's going to happen to him?

Bruce isn't watching out for him. There's no sign of Batman anywhere, just the team that's packed with new heroes who barely even know how to use their powers. And they left Robin—Jason— alone, left him to fend for himself in a place swarming with supervillains and weapons capable of leveling a building in one shot.

He's lucky to even be in one piece right now.

He's not going to get lucky every time.

He's going to get himself killed.

And there's nothing I can do.

I lost everything to keep Jason safe and he's throwing all of my sacrifices away.

He's going to get himself killed. And there's nothing I can do.

Nothing.

I watch him struggle underneath the hold, cursing and tugging and yelling at me and trying to bite and claw my hands, and I know that he is never going to stop. He knows he's in over his head. He knows he's not ready.

He. Doesn't. Care.

"You can't do this!" I shout, pressing even harder.

"Then come back!" Jason shouts in fury. "Take it back!"

Take it back.

Take.

It.

Back.

I can do it.

I can take it away from him.

I can keep him safe. For good. No more costumes, no more putting himself in the line of fire, no more playing with certain death.

My hand reaches for the knife at my hip, unsheathing it and pulling it into the artificial lights surrounding us.

"Dick what are you doing?! Get off me! GET OFF!" He shouts, but the only thing I see if the blade in my hand.

One motion.

He'll never walk again. No more Robin, no more missions, no more risking his life for nothing.

I raise the knife, perfectly positioned over the spot.

Jason is still shouting bloody murder, fighting with everything he has to throw me off but he can't. I have him pinned and I'm bigger and stronger and better than he is. He can't stop me and he knows it.

He will never forgive me for this.

But he'll be alive.

He'll be safe.

I won't have lost EVERYTHING for nothing.

"Dick! Stop it! Please!" Jason begs, his voice filled with nothing but pure terror. My arm locks up, and there's a roaring in my ears that's deafening except for the sound of my little brother pleading for his life. Something wet drips down my face as my fingers go numb. I can't feel the knife in my hand or the frantic twitches as he tries to wrench himself free.

Half-formed thoughts rage inside my head, battling against the storm of emotions as the dam inside my chest shatters into a million pieces.

Nausea courses through me in waves, guilt and grief and pure, unadulterated rage throw themselves against the terror filling every inch of my body from head to toe.

I can't hurt him.

I can't let him do this.

I can't do this.

There's nothing else I can do.

He looks so scared.

They can't lose anyone else.

I can't—I have to—I can't— I have—

He took Robin from me.

"Renegade!" The rage in Slade's voice stops me dead, freezing me all the way to my core. I've never heard him sound this angry.

Ever.

A hand grabs the back of my neck, yanking me off him with brutal force.

"Time to go."

He shoves me towards the chopper and I stumble before my feet find their balance. My staff is gone, but when I turn to look for it, Slade shoves me again.

The next thing I know, I'm in the helicopter and it's somewhere over the water, churning restlessly under the helicopter's floodlight. There are millions of glittering lights nearby that means we're close to a city. In the distance, the Empire State Building is lit up blue.

That's the only clear thought; everything else is a blurry, jumbled mess. But it starts coming back to me. Slowly at first, with the new Green Lantern and Bumblebee, then seeing Match, realizing my team was there. I know what happened during the fight, but it doesn't feel real. I know I helped keep them inside the building but all I remember is panic and adrenaline and just moving without letting myself think for even a second.

Then Slade called me back. We were done, the mission was over, I just had to get back and then—

"Slade."

Slade doesn't answer but that just makes the panic grow even worse.

"Slade. What happened?"

"You were in shock. It's been a few hours." Slade says calmly, finally looking over at me. "The mission was a success."

"But… they got the ambassador." It sounds right, even when everything else in my head is a swirling mess. Slade inclines his head to confirm it and he doesn't look the slightest bit upset.

"It was never about him. It was a frame job."

"You… the…"

"The South Rhelasians believe the abduction was carried out on the orders of the Northern government."

"Then the ambassador—"

"Ryang is fine, just like I promised. And don't worry; your friends are fine too."

My friends are fine.

My friends are fine.

My friends are… fine.

That's not right. There's something else that… JASON!

"What did I do? Slade, what did I do?!"

"Nothing." Slade answers, but I know that even if he's not lying, he's not telling the whole truth either.

"I… I… Slade I hurt him I… he's gonna… I…" My head is spinning and my throat is closing and I can barely get the words out and somewhere in the back of my head I know that I'm hyperventilating and I must sound hysterical but there's no room for anything but panic and horror and Jason, Jason, "Jason, he, I he was—"

Something cracks against my face, snapping my head to the side so hard that it bounces off the helicopter wall. Fiery pain erupts in my cheek, spreading down to my neck from the force of the whiplash.

Slade lied. He said he wouldn't hit me again.

But it helped. He did it because he knew it would.

I manage to draw in a breath, finally aware that Slade has a firm grip on each of my shoulders.

"Listen to me, Richard. I will never let you near him again. I will not let you do anything that you'll regret. You didn't hurt him. You didn't do anything to him."

But I was about to.

I wouldn't have done it. I couldn't have. No. I could've. But I wouldn't have followed through, I didn't do it and I would have stopped.

"Are you able to walk inside yourself?" Slade's voice is calm, steady and reassuring, and it's only after I've processed the question that I realized the helicopter landed and we're on top of the apartment building.

"I… yeah." I say. And I can. I follow him inside through the door on the roof, taking a second to pause and look around at the sprawling cityscape around us. It's almost dawn, and the first rays of sunlight are breaking through the darkness. I take a breath in and slowly let it out before following him down the stairs.

Instead of heading to the armory to do maintenance like we always do after a mission, Slade leads me straight to my apartment.

"Take your gear off and get changed. I'll be right back."

Get changed. I can do that.

I pull out all my weapons and throw them on the coffee table and then tug the top of my uniform off. Then I remember that all my clothes are in my bedroom.

My room looks the same as it did yesterday, or two days ago, or whenever the last time I was here. The bed is still neatly made and the drawers are closed and the stack of cash Slade gave me is still on the dresser and…

…the case with the chips is still in the corner.

Suddenly, I know what I have to do.

A shiver runs down my back. Don't think about that, Slade will be back soon and he told me to get changed. I throw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and head back into the living room to wait for Slade.

He's already there, standing by the kitchen counter with something in his hand. I can feel myself shaking as I walk over but Slade doesn't comment on it.

"Here. It'll help you sleep."

Slade drops a small white pill in my hand.

My heart pounds, terror flooding my stomach as my mouth dries up. It's a heavy grade narcotic and absolutely nothing legal for Slade to have. Does he know?!

"Do I… do I have to?"

The look on Slade's face doesn't soften exactly, but it's not harsh either.

"Your body needs rest. And there's not a chance you're going to be able to sleep on your own, is there?"

I stare at the ground. My body is trembling, nausea and terror churning in my stomach. At least I can answer Slade honestly.

"No."

"Take it with a glass of water and go to bed. Meet me in the gym tomorrow whenever you wake up. I'll be back by then."

"You're going somewhere?" My heart is pounding in my chest so loudly I'm sure Slade can hear it.

"I have a meeting. It's nothing for you to worry about."

I swallow.

"Right."

Slade pauses.

"I'm sorry for what happened tonight. I never should have let you anywhere near him."

"It's not your fault." I say bitterly, my throat tight and tears stinging at the corners of my eyes. Slade watches me carefully, not saying anything for too long.

"Take that and go to sleep." He says finally. "That's an order."

"Yes sir."


Agent David Waters

CIA Offices, Upstate New York


"Waters."

"Why the hell would you pick him?" Waters snapped, ignoring the greeting and the pleasantries.

"It had to be him." Wilson answered, looking entirely unconcerned at the mess he'd made. He took the seat on the other side of the desk like he owned the place.

"If you'd picked a nobody from nowhere, we wouldn't be having this conversation now. But do you have any idea the kind of mess Wayne's lawyers could make?"

"So, you're not concerned with the rumors that I've drafted a child into the fight?"

"Do I look like a damn social worker? You promised me eyes on Luthor and his band of terrorist pals, instead I'm stuck cleaning up your mess and chasing the FBI off your tail." Waters spat.

"I'm a contract mercenary." Wilson crossed his arms over his chest as he relaxed into his chair. "They're not interested in my contacts or my network. If I want a seat at the table, they need to see power. Ambition. On my own, I'm hardly worth their time. But training the next generation? Building a legacy? Shaping the future in my image? That's a language they understand."

Waters scowled, finger tapping against his desk.

"I told you to be subtle." Waters frowned.

"Subtle wouldn't get me anywhere. I needed to catch everyone's attention, and I have it. I have exactly what I need."

"You needed to pick the one brat in the entire Northern Hemisphere that could draw the damn media circus to a standstill?"

"It had to be him." Wilson repeated. "Luthor will never trust me. He knows how deep my contracts with the state go, but he thinks he's untouchable. He doesn't see me as a threat, but why take the risk of allowing me to join him at the table? Of course, if my apprentice turns out to be Wayne's own brat—"

"Luthor can't resist keeping him close." Waters finished.

"I told you. I know how they think, I know what they needed to see. And whether you like it or not, it worked exactly like I planned." Wilson said, holding out what looked like a very high-tech pager. "It's official. You wanted eyes on Luthor and Savage, you've got all that and more."

Waters glanced down at the screen to read the message from Vandal Savage himself, memorizing the details he would have Wilson send over later and narrowing his eyes at the last line which read, "Welcome to the Light."

Waters looked at Wilson, holding the man's gaze for a second, sizing him up. He knew Wilson's type. Understood exactly how the man worked.

"I know you're lying about the kid, but you held up your end of the deal, so I could care less." He learned forward, tapping his pen to the pile of memos piled onto his desk. "What I do care about is the fact that I have the joint chiefs of Staff and the state department breathing down my neck and you promised me answers on what your new friends want with the Rhelasians. So give me something I can use, and then I'll see about making your most recent charges disappear."


Dick Grayson


The pill in my hand feels like a lead weight. It's been an hour since Slade told me to drug myself to sleep, to knock myself out so I won't remember what I did, so I won't think about it. He gave me an order.

I can't do it. What am I thinking?

I have everything. I'm safe. I have freedom. I have his trust. Or at least, some version of it. I can't do this! I'll lose EVERYTHING.

But that's nothing new. How many times now have I had everything taken away from me? How many more times is it going to happen?

Well, if I do this, I know the answer. Just one more time. When he finds out what I've done, that's it. No more chances, no more privileges, no more mercy. Just me and Slade and the fact that I betrayed him.

This is a betrayal. It is. If I do this… and he has to know it's coming, he must suspect it. That's why he gave me drugs, insurance to make sure I can't do anything stupid while he's gone. OR maybe this is just another fucking test, maybe he's watching me right now to see if I'm going to turn on him the second that he's gone.

And that's just one more reason why I have to do this. If I don't, nothing is going to change. It's going to be like this forever.

But that'll be better than what will happen when he finds out.

I stare at the case in the corner of the room while my heart pounds. I can't. I can't.

Just thinking about it is insane. I can't—Slade trusts me! He trusts me and if I… it's unthinkable. I can't. I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this to Slade. But that's exactly why I have to.

Jason was terrified. I almost… I was going to hurt him. Badly.

What I want doesn't matter anymore. I almost hurt my brother, there's nothing I can do to make it right. If this goes wrong…

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my shaking hands.

If this goes wrong, I'm signing my own death warrant. There's no room for any illusions there. But there's also no choice.

I hurt Jason. I hurt him. I don't get to run away from that. I don't have a choice. Everything I've done has been to keep Jason… to keep them ALL safe and what I did tonight… if Slade hadn't stopped me…

This is what everything has been leading up to. All of my plans, that last desperate straw that got me through all those months trapped with Slade—and all those weeks completely alone without him—it was for this. Everything I did to earn Slade's trust, it was all for this. This is my chance. And I have to take it. I owe Jason so much more than that. I owe them all.

I have nothing to lose. Just my life.

But if I don't try… then I'll lose that anyways. Slade's already taken it for himself, he thinks it's over. And it is. For me, it's over no matter what I do. Tonight was proof. I fought my friends. I hurt Jason. I wasn't in control of myself; Slade was. Whoever I am now, it's not who I was the day Slade took me away. I made these plans because I was terrified of what Slade would make me into. Of what I am now.

I have to do this. Because if I don't do it right now, I never will. Because right now, the thought of betraying Slade is almost unthinkable.

But I hurt Jason.

And that's it.

I grab my backpack, stuffing it with the clothes I bought myself… two days ago. Three days ago, since it's about eight in the morning. A week ago, I was doing everything I possibly could to prove to Slade that he could trust me and now I'm about to…

Stop.

Don't think.

Just do it.

My clothes go into the backpack and in the center, I throw in the plexiglass box containing all the remaining chips. I count them eight times to be sure they're all there, and my heart is beating in my chest so fast I can't see straight.

I pull the wad of cash off my dresser, flipping through the stack to get a rough count. It's not going to be enough, but it'll have to do until I can get to my emergency account.

Everything is planned out, every single step of the way. I've thought through EVERYTHING. Only time will tell if it's enough.

I pull my new NYU hoodie over my head, sling my backpack over my shoulder, put my headphones in, and head for the door. My heart is pounding in my chest so fast I'm worried the security cameras are going to hear it, but I've done this walk enough times to make sure that there's nothing out of the ordinary. I press the button for the first floor and the elevator moves without a problem; there's no reason for Slade to suspect anything other than me going out for a walk to clear my head before going to sleep. Besides, he's not here. He's going to know soon, but not a second before he has to.

The elevator doors glide open and I walk through the lobby towards the door like I'm in a dream. It could already be too late, but I'm in too far to turn back now. Nothing stops me from pushing open the doors and stepping over the threshold for what could be the last time.

And just like that, I'm outside, blinking into the sunlight. It's a beautiful day, considering it's early April and the weather has been gross so far. It's a perfect day to disappear.

I head for the entrance to the subway, forcing my shoulders to relax and putting everything I have into disappearing into the crowd. It's six stops to Grand Central, and once I'm on the train, it's going to be a long time before I can stop moving.

Assuming Slade doesn't catch up with me first.


AN: Buckle up. It only gets worse from here.

Like I said before, the next chapter will be short. We'll see how long Dick lasts on the run, what he gets up to, and just how well his plans hold up to the wrath of a FURIOUS Slade.

Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought about the chapter, how well you think this is going to end, and any theories you have about what Dick is planning. Or if you're just enjoying the story!

Thank you so much for reading! See you soon!