"Have you told Roy?"
Donna leans next to him as he stares at the monitors displaying the Tower's medical bay.
Two screens. One with the Kryptonian girl and the green boy, still unconscious but shifting in a way that indicates they might not be for long. The other with a heavily sedated Roy Harper look alike that can't be older than fifteen.
"No," Dick answers. "He's busy. They've barely had Lian home for a week. I'm not bothering him or Jade until we at least know what we're dealing with."
She frowns but doesn't argue. "And what are we dealing with?"
He pulls up the medical reports on a seperate screen. "Not clones. At least, not with those two," he gestures to the younger boy and the girl, "Queen Mera's still running blood samples of...well, the one that looks like Roy; but, it's not like we can't guess those results."
"Why did the Light make a clone that's missing an arm," she asks. "Especially an archer?"
He shrugs. ""How did they find another Kryptonian? And, better question, who is she? How did they get their hands on Martian DNA and why inject it in a kid? Some answers we're not going to get until our guests wake up."
"I don't like this, Dick." She shivers. "It's just….that's Roy. Our Roy. Who knows what the Light did to him."
He reaches down and squeezes her hand. "Not our Roy. Our Roy's safe and home with Jade and Lian. This Roy…," he pauses, stuck on a memory, "he's just a poor kid the Light's not even let live a life."
She meets his eyes, mouth set in the hard, fierce expression that's partly her sister but mostly just Donna. "We're helping him, Dick."
He nods. "We will. All three of them."
On the monitors, the girl lets out a small groan followed by the younger boy, tensing in response.
Dick turns to Donna and tries to muster a smile. "Time to go figure out some of those answers."
ooooooo
By the time he gets to the medbay, both occupants are mostly awake and staring at the room with large, wary eyes.
Both eyes flicker immediately to Dick, who raises his hands in as non-threatening a manner as possible.
"You're safe," he reassures firmly, "You're in the Titans Tower, we rescued you."
The boy cocks his head, eyes going impossibly wider. "Oh crap, you're Nightwing!"
Dick grins. "The one and only."
Judging by the look of relief that follows, that's at least one he doesn't have to worry about being a secret evil Light agent.
The girl blinks, long blonde hair so much different than the short black Dick still vaguely expects. She has to be about sixteen. "Are we...am I on Earth?"
He regards her steadily. "Yes. Are you from Krypton?"
"I am," she frowns. "I was. My name is Kara of the House Zor-El."
"It's nice to meet you, Kara." He smiles before shifting to a more serious tone. "Do you remember how you ended up with the Light?"
The frown deepens. "My ship...I remember waking up when it crashed and...it wasn't supposed to crash, something must have gone wrong." She hesitates, hand clenching on the metal railing of the bed until it crumples underneath. She glances up in surprise.
He winces. "There's, um, a few more things we need to tell you after your story."
Kara unhands the metal bed railing and moves her hands back to her lap almost cautiously. "The only thing I remember after is trying to get out of the wreckage before people in suits came, holding a bright green rock. Then...I think I passed out." She bites her lip in a gesture that's incredibly human. "How...how long have I been asleep?"
"We're not sure," he answers honestly. "We think the people who took you are part of a criminal organization called the Light that we've been trying to take down for years. We found both of you in cryo-containers stored in one of their old labs. I don't know how long they had you; but, I can promise you're safe here."
Kara goes quiet, processing, and the boy shifts in his bed.
"What's the date," he asks.
Dick tells him and the boy shrugs in a way both casual and fragile. "Okay, not too bad then. I only lost a few months."
"You know when you were put in the cryo-container?"
"Yeah. Vaguely, I mean. It wasn't the first time." The boy folds himself up in the bed until he's clutching one of his knees to his chest. "Garfield Logan, but everyone calls me Gar. I don't know anything about the Light but I know how they got me."
He continues before Dick can say anything, antsy in a way that suggests wanting to get it out as quickly as possible. "I lived on an animal sanctuary in Qurac with Mom...She...she died. In a car crash. But it was...weird. I saw her before she got in, it was...She didn't know what she was doing. She didn't have control. I know it. I tried to tell the police, the doctors, reporters, anyone and then this woman with a crown showed up and told me she'd help." He scratches the back of his ear. "It was stupid. I shouldn't have listened, it just felt like I couldn't say no."
Dick almost interrupts but Gar continues.
"Anyway, so there was this lab and then this green stuff and now," he gestures to himself, "I've got a tail and can do a lot of weird things I'm pretty sure aren't just puberty."
He takes a breath, closes his eyes, and then his entire body shivers and shifts until a distinctly green monkey sits on the bed, still wearing Gar's clothes.
Another second and Gar shifts back to human, lips twisting into a slight grin at the wide eyes Dick and Kara are giving him.
"Yeah," he says, "it's a lot cooler when the guys in lab coats aren't forcing me to test it." He shrugs. "But, hey, if you're telling me I no longer have to deal with them, then I am a-okay chilling here and figuring out what I missed in the last three years while I was captured by crazy."
Kara breaths in suddenly. "My cousin! I need to find my cousin. My parents sent me here to watch out for him!"
She looks about half a second away from getting out of the bed herself when Dick holds up his hands to forestall her.
"Wait, we can help you," he says. "Who's your cousin? What does he look like? Was he with you when you landed?"
Dick really doesn't want the Light to have another Kryptonian in a cryo-container, not just because of the ethics.
Kara shakes her head. "No, he was on a separate ship."
She pauses, breathing getting heavier "He's just a baby! I was supposed to look out for him. What if they found him, too?"
"What can you tell me about him," Dick asks quickly, trying to calm her down.
She tries to take a breath. "He should have landed in a ship like mine. He's five months old, black hair, bright blue eyes. His name's Kal-El."
Dick's entire chest stutter and his heart come to a near stop.
"Oh," he says for lack of something better. "Oh."
Kara looks up at him, bright blue eyes that now look so familiar.
Oh.
He speaks because if he thinks about it too long he won't. "I'm sorry. I think...I think something went wrong with your ship. Kal-El...he's not a baby. His ship landed almost forty years ago."
"He's…," she blinks, "Kal-El's an adult?"
"He was," Dick corrects softly. "I'm sorry. He...he died five years ago during the Invasion. He was...a hero, one of the best heroes the world's ever had. I'm so...I'm so sorry."
Kara's still looking at him, mouth open like she doesn't know what to say and Dick doesn't blame her. He pulls out one of the tablets they keep in the medbay and types in a quick search.
"Here," he hands it to her, "you can read about him if you'd like. He went by Superman."
Kara takes it, staring down at the picture of a man in red and blue like it's the only thing left in the world.
Dick leaves her to it, pulling out another tablet from beside Gar's bed and handing it over to him. "Might help you find the things you missed and you can just ask any of us, of course."
"Um, thanks," Gar answers, still shooting glances at Kara across the room. He clears his throat, trying to stretch his face into a smile that's still a bit too forced. "So, ah, Titans Tower? Never thought I'd end up here."
"When you're up for it, we'll give you the full tour," he tells him. "Let you meet the rest of the team?"
Gar perks up a little bit more at that. "Cool. Hey, lab guys once mentioned you've got a guy who's part robot with you now? That true? They were super jealous."
Dick huffs out a laugh. "That's Cyborg, I'll make sure to have him stop in next."
"You know," he muses quietly, glancing down at the tablet, "meeting Nightwing, going to Titan's Tower, seeing an actual cyborg, this is really a lot better accommodations than I expected to wake up with."
"Get used to them," Dick promises and for the first time, Gar's smile actually looks genuine.
"Nightwing?" Kara's voice interrupts them.
"Yeah?"
"Like the Kryptonian myth," she asks. "Flamebird the Destroyer and Nightwing the Rebuilder? The Great Rebirth?"
"Oh." He nods, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, like from the myth. Superman-Kal-El told me about it once. When I was choosing a new name...let's just say, rebuilding and rebirth seemed kind of fitting."
"You knew him?"
"I did," Dick pauses briefly to find the words about the man who was almost like an uncle. "He was...well, brave and kind and probably one of the greatest people I've ever met."
Kara glances down at the tablet. "And he was a hero of Earth? He protected it?"
Dick nods. "More times than I can count."
Her lips press together firmly again like she trying not to cry but she doesn't ask anything else.
Dick's wrist computer beeps with an update from Donna.
"I'm sorry, I've got to handle something." He types out a quick message. "Cyborg's coming to check on you. If you need anything, just ask."
Both Kara and Gar give him nods of acknowledgement and Dick holds back a sigh.
He can only hope the next conversation will be easier. Somehow, he doubts it.
ooooooo
"He's not a clone."
Dick stares at her. "...what?"
"He's not a clone," Mera repeats, gesturing to the still sedated boy. "I've run every test I know of, both magical and medical, and there's absolutely nothing to suggest this boy's a clone."
On his other side, Donna frowns. "Then, what is he?"
Mera sighs, sitting on the medbay chair as proper as if it was her throne. "I think you should both sit down."
...That's never a good sign.
Dick and Donna sit.
"By all measures, this boy is Roy William Harper, approximately fifteen years old."
"That's impossible." Donna shakes her head. "We already have a Roy and he's definitely not fifteen."
Mera holds up a small vial of blood, handing it over to Dick. "I also took the liberty of running the adult Roy Harper's blood from storage. The boy we have here doesn't show any evidence of being a clone, the blood from storage does."
Dick frowns. "Mera, are you saying…"
Mera nods. "Based on the magical signature and the extremely large number of stem cells in the blood, the Roy Harper that's been serving on the Titans for the passed five years is a clone. Most likely of the boy we have here, based on the missing arm."
"That's...that's insane," Donna says. "Roy can't be a clone. He's….he's Roy! He just had a kid! He's been a hero for seven freaking years since he was-"
"Fifteen," Dick cuts her off, thoughts coming together faster than he really wants to process. "The same age as the Roy here. If...if the Light kidnapped this Roy and used him to make a clone, then that means...the Roy that's been here this entire time is…"
Dick's breath sticks in his chest as the last piece falls into place.
"Oh...oh fuck, Roy's the mole."
Donna whips her head to him, already shaking her head. "Dick, no. Roy would never-never betray the team."
"He wouldn't have to know," Dick realizes softly. "Conner...when we first found Conner, they were able to control him with just a few words. He fought it. He freed us. But, that was only after he knew it was happening. If Roy doesn't even know he's a clone…" He forces himself to take a ragged breath, "he could be a sleeper agent without ever realizing it."
There's a moment of deep silence and Dick can feel he's right about this down to his very bones. He doesn't want to be, though.
Finally, Donna speaks. "Dick, what are we going to do now? It's Roy."
"We need to tell him." He pauses. "Shit, and Jade, too. They're still with Lian. And….and we need Lilith. She needs to...if there's still sleeper codes, she's the only one that can get rid of them. We need to find out what the Light knows."
Donna's hands are clenched tightly in her lap. "The team needs to know."
Dick scrubs a hand across his face. "...yeah, they do."
"Allow me and Lilith to tell Roy," Mera offers, breaking her silence.
Dick shakes his head. "No, I should be the one to tell. I'm his friend. I've known him since practically we both started."
"That's why you shouldn't be the one," Mera corrects calmly. "You can't be the approaching storm and the safe harbor. I'm the healer who discovered this, let me bare the bad news so you can still be the friend he can come to for comfort after. Wait for him to process and reach out."
Dick hesitates.
"Stay here and tell your team," Mera orders. "With news like this, they should hear it from their leader first."
Dick looks to Donna, who nods.
He sighs. "Fine, I'll contact Lilith so you two can tell Roy and I'll tell the team….first thing in the morning. Roy deserves to hear it first."
ooooooo
Mornings always come far too early when you don't want to face them.
At least, down in the ever present dark of the cave, Dick can pretend he has more time than he does.
He glances at his phone again. Less than an hour until the team meeting.
Mera and Lilith told Roy and Jade hours ago. No word yet from either.
Above, there was the creak of the cave door opening. Dick doesn't move his head from the desk. "Hey, Jay, didn't think you'd be up yet."
"It's not Jason," a smaller voice says and Dick looks up to see Tim making his way down the cave stairs, laptop in hand.
"Tim? I thought you went home?"
Tim shrugs. "My parents are on vacation and, well, it was late so Alfred told me I could stay in one of the guest rooms. But, I couldn't really sleep so….," He shifts the laptop in his hands, "I think I found something."
"Again," Dick jokes but but it falls flat.
Tim gives him a small smile anyway. "It's about Mr. Harper or...well, the Red Arrow one."
"What did you find?" Dick feels way too tired for this but gestures for Tim to sit anyway, giving him his full attention.
Tim opens the laptop. "After you told us, I started looking at the numbers again for bank locations. The money that was transferred to Black Mask last year came from a local Star City bank, a few blocks away from Mr. Harper-"
"Just call him Roy, Tim."
"Oh, um, okay. Anyway, so I started looking at last year's zeta beam record and on April 29th, Roy was logged as taking a zeta from Star City to Gotham and back less than an hour later."
Dick looks at the record. "The same day we got the letter with Jason's birth certificate."
"Exactly," Tim says, excitedly, "I think Roy was the only one that the Light had involved with what happened to Jason!"
Well, great...that's just...something else that Dick has to process. Roy-one of his best friends and teammates-almost killed Jason without even being aware of it.
Another connection and Dick groans. "Shit, Tara. Roy was the one who brought Tara onto the team and his apartment's the one they blew up. They didn't even need to find out his identity, they already knew."
Fantastic. That'll definitely be a fun addition whenever he finally gets the chance to talk to Roy.
Tim's looking at him like he's starting to worry so he tries to pull himself together.
"Thanks for telling me, Tim," he musters out. "This was...a really great piece of detective work."
"...Thanks," Tim says slowly, frowning like Dick's missing the point.
Dick shakes his head. "Sorry, you did great. Really. I just...I just have to figure out a way to tell the team now."
Tim blinks. "But, this is a good thing. It means the Light doesn't know your secret identity."
Dick's head comes up. "What?"
"Roy's a Titan. If he's a sleeper agent for the Light, then he has to be really, really valuable. They wouldn't want to risk him getting found out unless they had to. Having him be the one to set up everything that happened to Jason-especially being the only one-is super risky. If anyone was even a bit suspicious of him, he could have been found out easily. The Light wouldn't risk him if they had another choice which means….they didn't have a choice." Tim smiles. "The only reason they wouldn't have a choice is if Roy was the only one who had access, the only one who knew your identities. I think that whatever programming Roy's under only lets them control his actions, not get information."
Dick doesn't say anything, still running through all the possibilities in his head.
"And it would explain why the Light doesn't seem to know more about the Titans' missions," Tim continues in the silence, eyes lighting up. "Oh! And why they wanted Tara! A real double agent that could give them the information they wanted, too. If Roy could already do it, then they wouldn't need her. That's-"
Dick's hand lands on Tim's shoulder, interrupting him.
"Tim," he says seriously, "you're a genius. Thank you."
Tim ducks his head down, blushing. "Glad I could help."
Dick's wrist pings, reminding him of the time like a weight around his neck.
"Tim, I've got to go meet with the Titans. Tell Babs and Jason what you found, okay?"
Tim nods, throwing a sideways glance at the zeta before his mouth turns to a sympathetic grimace. "Good luck."
Dick huffs out an almost laugh before matching the expression.
"Thanks. I think I'll need it."
ooooooo
Dick supposes it could have gone worse. There hasn't been any tears or angry denials yet so it could definitely be worse.
That said, as the silence drags onto the five minute mark, it's still pretty terrible.
"But….it's Roy. Roy wouldn't…" Zatanna stops, trailing off.
"If he was under sleeper commands, he wouldn't have a choice," Donna reminds quietly. "He wouldn't even know."
Raquel looks up. "Is he going to be okay?"
"Lilith went with Queen Mera," Dick says. "If there's any more triggers, she can get rid of them."
No one mentions how that doesn't really answer the question.
"He's still Roy," Garth says suddenly. "I mean everything he did around us wasn't mind control, right? So, he's still our Roy….he's just going through some stuff right now."
Dick nods. "We know from Superboy, clones aren't just the people they share their DNA with. Roy's still himself and that might be completely different from the original Roy they cloned him from."
Vic winces. "What are we going to do about the kid version? Not to mention Gar and Kara. They've been stuck in cryo-containers for years, we can't just keep them in the Tower forever. They need a life."
"I've got a few ideas but I'm going to need to make some calls first," Dick admits. "Not that there's any rush. The other-the fifteen year old Roy isn't even awake yet. Queen Mera just took him off the sedative this morning."
Kory frowns, sighing softly. "That poor boy. If he has slept for the past seven years, his entire world has changed."
Silence falls once again and Dick lets it rest for a moment before clearing his throat. "Vic, can you talk to your dad about making a mechanic arm. I think...well, I think it might help even a little."
"Sure." Vic shrugs. "He'll need measurements."
"Get them while he's still asleep," Dick tells him before turning to address the entire team, "Look, I know this is...well, not what any of us were expecting. But, it's going to be even harder on Roy and Jade. We're a team. A family. Whatever happens hasn't changed that. When they reach out, we've got to be there for them...and Lian."
Donna quirks up a lip. "Titans together, Titans forever."
Dick smiles back and around the table, the mood seems at least a bit lighter.
Now, he just has to hope that Roy will reach out.
ooooooo
When Dick finally gets back to the cave hours later with the hopes of getting at least some sleep, he's surprised by not one but two faces waiting for him.
"Hey." He grins at Jason and Tim-both looking stiff and uncomfortable as they stand together by the monitors. "What's up with the welcome party?"
Tim shifts, offering a small smile. "You just...you seemed worried when you left so I wanted to wait here and see how it went."
Dick's grin melts into a soft smile. "Thanks, Tim. It went...well, better than expected at least."
"That's good!" His eyes dart quickly to Jason. "Jason came down about an hour ago."
"Of course, I did." Jason huffs at Tim. "Dick's my brother."
Aww, and this conversation has officially become entirely worthy of losing a few minutes of precious sleep over. Sure, he knows it; but, Dick almost never gets to hear Jason actually admit to caring.
"That's sweet, Littlewing!" Dick ruffles his hair, earning a scowl from Jason all for himself.
Beside Jay, Tim's looking down awkwardly at the keyboard so Dick squeezes his shoulder just so the younger boy doesn't feel left out.
"So," Jason interjects, sounding annoyed, "what's going to happen to the ones the Light was holding?"
Dick sighs. "Kara and Gar are basically orphans, they don't have anywhere go. We need somewhere safe where Kara can learn to use her powers and a place that won't mind the fact that Gar is green and has a tail."
Jason grimaces. "What ab-"
"Martians are shape shifters, right," Tim interrupts excitedly. "If it's Martian DNA, wouldn't he be able to just...get rid of that?"
"Based on what Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter could do, yeah, he should be able to." Dick scrubs a hand through his hair. "But, Gar's human. Who knows what it did to his DNA or what the tests the Light made him run did to his control? Maybe we'll get lucky and some of it's a mental block. Lilith's going to talk to both of them later." He shrugs. "Either way, I know some people who will definitely love to meet Kara."
Tim's eyes widen. "Who-"
"What about the original Roy?" Jason cuts in quickly, crossing his arms.
"I don't know yet," Dick admits. "It's...it's complicated. We don't even know exactly when he was abducted. If he's around fifteen...that's right around when Oliver adopted him, after he left the Navajo reservation. With Oliver dead, that's...that's both homes he's ever known gone." He lets out a slow breath. "I don't know what to do yet. We have to wait until he wakes up and...and I need to ask Roy-our Roy-what he thinks."
"Has Roy-," Jason starts.
"Have you heard anything from Roy or Ms. Jade," Tim finishes triumphantly. Jason glares.
Dick looks between the two and refrains from rolling his eyes. "Not yet, but I'm hoping soon."
Quiet settles around them and this time, neither Tim nor Jason are jumping to break it.
"So...what do we do now," Tim asks, hesitantly. "We just...we just wait?"
Dick smiles. "Sometimes waiting's just what you need to solve a case. And I, for one, need some sleep." He stretches, heading towards the stairs. "Tim, if your parents are still gone on vacation, you know you're always welcome here." He glances at his brother, hopefully. "If you haven't seen the library yet, maybe Jason can show you around. He knows it far better than me or Alfred."
Jason snorts. "Hard pass. I've got actual work to do that doesn't involve babysitting. Tim's a genius, right? He can figure out a library."
"Jay," Dick warns but Jason's already knocking passed him, up to the manor and leaving Tim and Dick alone in the cave.
Tim looks down at his shoes. "I don't think Jason likes me much."
Dick sighs, laying a hand on Tim's shoulder. "It's not you, Tim. Jason...takes his time letting people in. Give him more time to get to know you."
Tim doesn't say anything for a second, before looking up with clear hesitance. "You'll still be here though...right?"
Dick leans down until he can meet Tim's eyes.
"Yeah, Tim. I'll still be here. Always."
ooooooo
Because it's Dick's life, he gets barely thirty minutes of sleep before his phone rings.
Also, because it's Dick's life, he answers.
"'Ello?"
"Get here," Jade's voice says. "Now."
And then, she hangs up.
Dick blinks, forcing himself into consciousness.
Well, he guesses that's all he really needs.
A few minutes later, he's re-materializing in a zeta tube in Star City. Two minutes after that, he knocks at Roy and Jade's apartment.
Jade opens the door, giving a tiny nod of approval, before moving back to let him into the apartment.
He surveys it as he enters. Baby toys still scattered around the room with assorted boxes. Knife twirling quickly in Jade's hands with five matching ones, embedded in the target board they keep in the living room. No Roy.
She catches his look and the knife stills in her hands. "He's in the nursery with Lian." The knife starts twirling again, even quicker. "He hasn't left the nursery with Lian since Lilith and Queen Mera were here last night."
"How is he," Dick asks.
Jade's lips press together firmly. "I don't know. He hasn't said anything since they left either."
She throws the knife. It flies through the air with a lethal kind of elegance before embedding with the others.
She's worried, Dick thinks. Another knife twists in her hands. Really worried.
"Lilith searched his mind to remove all the triggers," she continues, perching on the couch to examine the knife rather than meeting Dick's eyes. "The ones that were still active, that is. Your tip was right, by the way, only still active triggers had to do with following commands, not giving away information. The other ones, the dormant ones, they...Lilith said they became non-functional when whoever originally put them in was gone." She takes a breath, finally looking up. "His original handler-Sportsmaster."
Dick swears. "Fuck, I'm sorry, Jade. Sorry it had to be him."
Jade shrugs. "You know my feelings towards my dear dead Dad, Dick. His death didn't get me to join the team. Artemis did, the sister that he treated like dirt even longer than me. I don't think I even shed a tear when I heard the Invasion got him." She taps the knife against the table. "The problem...is that I should have known."
"Roy being a clone is it a bit of a jump for anyone, Jade," he says. "Don't blame yourself."
She flicks her free hand through the air in annoyance. "I'm not talking about that. Who cares if he's a clone? I mean the mind control. I should have known. I saw Sportsmaster use it."
"What?"
Jade grimaces. "Back when...let's say, back when I was in a more avaricious profession, the League of Shadows hired both me and Sportsmaster to fake an assassination attempt in Tapei. Roy intercepted us. Sportsmaster," she pauses, voice going cold, "my father said something, a code phrase, that made Roy freeze and listen to commands." She shakes her head. "I thought it was a one time thing. Some hypnotism trick from Bialya or even Luthor. He lost time, it should have been obvious once he woke up. I didn't think it went further."
The knife starts spinning in her hands again.
"You couldn't have known, Jade," Dick says.
"But, I should have found out," she corrects. "Even as an assassin, I should've found out what I was working with. Instead, I left as soon as possible to avoid working with Sportsmaster longer than I had to." She sighs. "I suppose the bright side is that the handler was him. I know Sportsmaster. He probably made half of the triggers only accessible to him to ensure his value to the Light. If not for his stupid egotism, the Titans would have been compromised more than we were." She lowers her voice so that even Dick has to strain to hear it. "And that really would have destroyed Roy. More than this clone stuff already is."
She looks up. "Talk to him. He's barely listening to me so maybe you'll have better luck. Either way, get him to stop hiding away in the fucking nursery."
She throws the knife. Another bullseye and a fairly obvious end to the conversation as she points him down the hall.
Dick follows the command, hesitating only briefly before turning the handle and slipping inside.
The nursery's dark. Dark enough that it takes Dick a second to focus his eyes enough to see the crib in the corner with Lian sleeping peacefully inside under her Titans mobile-a gift from Kory.
Roy's on the other side of the room, back against the wall where he sits on the floor and head propped on his knees but obviously awake.
He doesn't even spare Dick a glance as he comes and drops on the floor beside him.
"So, I talked to Jade," he says after it's clear Roy's not going to do anything. He makes sure to keep his voice low so not to wake up Lian. "She didn't throw a knife at me so there's at least that….She might throw at knife at you though if you don't leave the nursery soon."
Roy doesn't say anything.
Dick sighs. "The Light...Based off what the other boy they had captured told us, Queen Bee's probably a member. And if the Sportsmaster used to be working for the League of Shadows, it's likely Ra's Al Guhl's another one. We need proof; but, probably Luthor, too, if there's a Kryptonian involved…" He trails off as Roy continues staring at the crib. "That's good, you know? At least we have a lead on some of their members now. We can prepare."
Nothing.
"Come on, you can't sit here forever." He tries to smile. "You'll start to smell. More than you usually do."
Silence.
"...Roy?"
"I'm not," Roy says abruptly. "I'm not Roy Harper. I'm just a clone. Worse. I'm a traitor."
"You're not a traitor," Dick denies immediately. "No one on the team thinks your traitor. It was mind control. You didn't even have a choice, Roy."
"Stop calling me that," Roy snaps.
"It's your name!"
"It's not my name!" Roy grits his teeth, words coming faster like he can't stop now that he's started. "It's some poor fucking kid's name who's life I stole! Mera said he was what? Fifteen? Fifteen when he got captured and replaced with me. That's everything. I took everything from him!"
"You didn't take-"
"I did." He cuts him off. "Everything that's important to me I stole from him. He wouldn't have even met Dinah yet! Fuck, he probably only got Ollie for a few months! I got it. Got years with him, got the Titans, Jade, Lian." His voice breaks on the last word.
His eyes return to the crib, breathing heavily. "And what about her, Dick? You and Jade want me to talk so much? Fine. What about my daughter? How's she going to grow up knowing that her dad is...is whatever I am-too fucked up by the Light to even be a good replacement of the original."
"Roy-"
"Guess that's what I do, isn't it," he says flatly. "I just...I make people think I'm something I'm not just so I can screw them over."
"Roy." Dick grabs his shoulder, finally stopping him. "That's not what you do. You help people. You always have, that's not the mind control or being a clone or anything. That's just you. You haven't screwed anyone over."
Roy shakes him off. "I screw everyone over. I know I do. It's what I'm good at." He laughs darkly. "Fuck, Rob, always the team leader, aren't you? Always have the perfect little thing to say. Who cares if it's a lie? As long as you make people believe it."
There's something bitter and broken in Roy's voice and it catches in Dick's throat like a poisonous gas.
"Roy, that's not…," He stops. "That's not what I'm doing."
At his words, Roy deflates, whatever power he found going out of him like a fire to ash.
"See, I'm doing it again," he mutters. There's a long pause before he speaks again. "Never told you I'm sorry, did I? About five years ago. All the Titan's stuff. Shouldn't have forced you into it. I'm sorry I don't regret it like I should. You were fourteen and grieving and I asked you to do it again. Shit, we're lucky it didn't break you." He looks down at his hands. "I could've led the team. I should've. I was nineteen. I'd been working solo even before the invasion. I could've learned the teamwork stuff, it's not like I'd didn't have experience with Ollie.
Dick sighs. "It's fine, Roy. I get it. You and Donna told me I had the most experience, I worked with a team before, I was the logical choice. Even...you know I made my choice about the team years ago, an actual choice. I don't regret anything. You shouldn't either."
Roy gives him a tired smile. "Told you that's what you do, Rob. Pretty words even when they don't deserve it." He shakes his head and the new words sound like a confession. "I couldn't though. Lead the team. Not then. I couldn't. I was too weak, too...too busy pretending I was as strong as the person I was supposed to be."
"You are strong," Dick says adamantly. "Roy, you're one of the strongest people I know."
"I'm not." He lets out a bitter laugh. "I don't think I ever told you how me and Jade got together, yeah?" He doesn't wait for an answer before continuing. "It was after the Taiwan thing, the plant monster, you remember? I...I wasn't in the best shape." He scrubs a hand over his face. "Actually, when she found me I was drunk enough to forget my name and passed out in Ollie's room with a needle in my arm."
Dick stares at him.
Roy shakes his head. "It was just that once. Back then, I preferred booze normally." He catches Dick's look. "I just...I just couldn't for awhile. Not until Chesh found me and threatened to slit my throat if I didn't put myself together." He sighs, pushing to his feet and walking to the crib.
Dick follows, not saying anything just listening in silence.
Roy looks down, almost smiling at Lian still sleeping peacefully in the crib. He reaches down, lightly tracing a finger over her cheek.
"You were right," Roy whispers. "Dinah and Oliver would have loved her."
He leans back, moving back to the wall until he's almost back to his original spot.
"I know what you all want me to do," he says. "You want me to say it's fine, that the mind control wasn't my fault, and that I know just because I'm a clone doesn't mean I'm not still me. Problem is...I'm not sure who the real me's supposed to be." He shakes his head. "Not sure if I've known for awhile. Not since Ollie."
"Roy-"
"Just leave, Dick," Roy says tiredly. "There's nothing else you can say right now and frankly, I'm done listening."
Dick stands in the middle of the room, watching as Roy's eyes slide from his face and back to the crib, exactly like he was when Dick came in.
Dick sighs, reaching in his pocket and slipping something in Roy's hands, folding the hands around it when it looks like Roy isn't going to take it.
"Your communicator," he says. "Saw it on the counter when Jade let me in. You're still a Titan, Roy. Whenever you're ready, we'll still be here."
Roy doesn't look up when Dick leaves.
ooooooo
When everything's going to absolute shit, there's always something freeing about being in the air.
Maybe it's the illusion of getting above it. Could be the sense of control he finds most easily when he's seven stories in the air without a clear plan on where he'll land next. Probably it's just that it feels like home, instinctively familiar in a way that even the manor or the Tower will never reach.
Dick flips over Gotham's skyline, letting the gravity pull but not conquer him.
Technically, he's supposed to be on patrol-alone, for once, since Barbara's tracking down a lead in Old Gotham and Jason was strangely absent when Dick got to the manor.
Crime in Gotham's still on a brief lull since the Moehler family bust and the latest Arkham breakout was contained. Of course, it's Gotham, so a lull just meant Dick only has had to deal with five purse snatchers, two break in's, and one attempted arson tonight rather than...well, that and Two-Face.
All in all, it's an easy night in Gotham as if running in defiance of the rest of his life.
He needs to check in on Gar and Kara and find a safe place for them to go. He needs to figure out what to do with Tim now that he's involved enough that Dick doubts he'll quit-if he ever really would have quit. He needs to talk to Jason to get him to stop glaring at the kid. He needs to find a way to help Roy. He needs the other Roy to wake up so it stops feeling less like an ax waiting to fall. He needs to find more proof on the Light so they can finally trace them to something.
He needs a lot of things if he's being honest. Most of all he needs somewhere to start.
That's all it takes really. Just a start.
A flash of orange catches in the shadows of a roof and Dick wishes he could say he was surprised. He jinxed himself by calling it "an easy night"; he just knew it.
But, then again, maybe it isn't such a jinx. Maybe...it's an opportunity.
He lands on the edge of the rooftop, staring at the shadows.
"Did you know?"
Deathstroke steps out of the shadows, pulling off his mask until it's just Slade, smirking across from him. "Not even a hello. Rude, kid, we haven't seen each other in two months. Or at least you haven't seen me."
Dick doesn't rise to the bait. "Did you know, Slade?"
Slade prowls closer until he's his usual step too far into Dick's personal space. A threat, a taunt, as if that's really enough to bother Dick these days.
"Know what? That they were keeping that arrow kid as a popsicle or that your friend was a sleeper agent?" He shrugs. "Guess it doesn't matter, knew both."
Dick doesn't grit his teeth, doesn't even allow himself to tense. "Thought you didn't like hurting kids."
Slade snorts, pointedly eyeing the spot on Dick's shoulder where he'd left a scar barely four months ago. "I said I preferred not killing them. Last I checked, frozen wasn't dead."
"Doubt it'll make much difference to him," he says flatly. "He lost seven years of his life Not like you even care."
Slade tilts his head. "Aww, kid, you didn't start mistaking me for one of your heroes, did you? You know who I work for."
He does but that's not the same as proof.
"The Light."
Slade raises an eyebrow. "Ah, so you did figure it out. I suppose I should give them a heads up; but, then again, they really don't pay me enough to be a messenger boy."
"What do they pay you for," Dick asks. "Because I don't think it's standing here talking to me? Doubt they appreciate you showing up every few months, either. Training me."
Because that's what it is. Like clockwork, every two or three months for the past two years, Slade finds Dick alone in Gotham either to fight him or, on the rarer times, to knock him unconscious and drag him to increasingly inhospitable places to see if he can survive. Training, not asked for and actually actively refused, but training anyway.
And if the training actually seems to be help Dick….well, he isn't going to think about that. And he's definitely not going to consider that as a reason he never calls for backup when Deathstroke shows up in Gotham uninvited.
Slade smirks. "No, kid, that I just do for fun. Told you I hate wasted potential."
"Why are you here, Slade? Why now?"
"Because I want to be," he answers easily. "Real question: why'd you stop to talk to me? Thought you had things to do?"
"I'm not just going to let you run around Gotham." Dick glares.
"Well, that's a lie." Slade tsked. "You've definitely tried to ignore me before. The Arkham breakout last Fall for one. Why stop and talk this time?"
"As if you ever actually let me ignore you for long anyway."
Slade leans closer and Dick lets him. "Yes, but if you really wanted to stop me, you'd have called in the rest of the bat brats. We both know you can't stop me alone, kid. So, how about the truth?"
There's a pause and Dick turns up his head defiantly until he can meet Slade's eye, focusing entirely on what comes next.
"You're not a bad person, Slade. I know you aren't. You have a code. The Light...The Light doesn't have a code. They'll kill children, they'll kill anyone the second they get in the way. And the Titans will stop them. We will. They've been hurting our own." He sighs. "Two years ago, you gave me an out-a chance to save my team. I'm giving you a chance at the same for yourself. We're going to bring down the Light, Slade. Which side do you want to be on when we do?"
Slade stares at him, frozen for the space of a single second in what can only be surprise. They're still too close for either to have much room to move.
"You really trying to turn me to the side of the angels, kid?"
Dick shrugs. "Would it be so bad?"
There's a flicker, something too fast to catch, before the single pale blue eye hardens.
"You know," Slade says casually, at odds to the air that's suddenly gone tense, "I wasn't lying when I said I didn't have a reason for coming here tonight. Just felt like it really. But now, kid, I'm glad I came. Looks like you need a lesson, Dick."
Dick tenses.
It's an unspoken truth that Slade knows Dick's identity. Has known it for who knows how long. Dick's not stupid. Slade's a pragmatist. There's been too many opportunities, too many fights that have begun or ended in Dick unconscious for him to truly believe Slade doesn't know.
It doesn't scare him as much as it really should for one reason.
Slade's not going to do anything with it. He won't tell, won't use it against his family, even for money. Dick knows it and it all boils down to the fact that if Slade decides he wants Dick dead, he'll do it himself.
It's probably the only thing Dick can rely on when it comes to the other man.
But, the thing is they both know all of that. Which means the only reason Slade's using it now...is as a warning. And what comes after is going to be bad.
Dick doesn't look away. "What lesson's that?"
"Something I thought you already knew," Slade says. "Naivete isn't something you can afford, kid. You gotta be smarter than that."
"I know what I'm doing."
"No, kid. You really don't."
The sword swipes through the air barely a millisecond after Dick ducks.
He can't dodge the kick to the ribs.
Pain launches up his side and he stumbles backward to his knees as he tries to get air back in his lungs.
He moves on instinct to get an escrima up to block the next blow aimed at his neck. The block holds, the force bending his wrist backwards.
He aims a quick jab at Slade's throat that the older man blocks and Slade's knee cracks against his shoulder with enough force to break the clavicle if Dick takes the hit wrong..
"You're strong, kid." Another blow to the side and Dick rolls with it to get a few more precious inches of space. "You're fast." Slade catches his next dodge and the next move slices the sword across his leg. "But, that's not enough."
He knocks Dick's batarang out of the air.
"What's your strength against a Kryptonian?"
Another swing that knocks an escrima out of Dick's hands.
"What would your speed have been against a speedster?"
A cut too fast for Dick to dodge.
"Against Bane's venom formula?"
A kick that just barely misses his injured ribs.
"An Amazonian?"
Another cut to his arm with too much force to block.
"An Atlantean?"
Slade's foot hits hard against Dick's knee, sending him to the ground. By the time he looks up, the sword's against his throat.
"Or even against me," Slade says, "barely even a meta at all."
The weight of the sword leaves Dick's throat and Slade stares down at him.
"You have to be better than all of them, kid. You don't have a choice. One wrong move, one super powered hit and boom, that's it. You're dead." Slade leans in until he's pulling Dick in by the collar of his uniform. "You can't be stronger than them, you can't be faster, but you have to be better. Better trained. Smarter. More ruthless. Only way you're going to survive this world."
Slade's voice lowers until it's more of a growl. "And that means, shit like you did tonight can't ever be allowed to happen again. You understand, kid?"
His muscle aches. His ribs throbs. A trail of blood runs down his neck.
Dick meets Slade's eye. "I understand."
"Good."
Slade lets go of his collar. He backs away, pulling his mask back on, and a second later, Dick's alone on the roof.
Dick still waits another five minutes before pulling up his wrist computer, typing in a quick command.
Five new trackers blink red in reply, all carefully hidden on a single target.
He activates one of them.
"Luthor," the muffled voice of Slade echoes over the speaker, "I'm clocking back in. Metropolis base in an hour. Have my next payment ready."
Dick grins.
All it takes is a start.
ooooooo
A/N: Wow, thank you everyone for the response last chapter! Here is part 2 of 3, the third one will be posted as soon as I can. After the next chapter, I'm planning to go back for a bit to the previous way of posting the entire year at once (either in one chapter or chapters posted over a few days). Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Happy Free Comic Book Day!