Content Warning: This chapter may contain Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major and Minor Character Deaths, and/or Gore.
Brace yourself.
Selina Kyle
Downtown Gotham City
Thursday, November 29th, 2012
Selina didn't realize she was sweeping the crowd until she caught sight of a scruffy man with greasy hair and a jacket that was falling apart at the seams. He was at a table outside the deli right next to the heaters, eating a sandwich and scribbling in a coffee-stained notebook.
Anyone else might have missed the fact that he was perfectly positioned to see Dick Grayson through the Starbucks window across the street, where the kid was drinking coffee and working at his laptop. Dick stood up and the man tensed, his pencil scratching quickly against the paper. When Dick returned to his table with a cup of water, the man slouched again.
Selina felt rage boil inside her, then it quickly froze into an icy fury.
Nobody went after the kids.
Nobody.
"Planning something, are we?" Selina purred into the man's ear. Before he could respond, she slid into the chair across from him, picking up a menu to fan herself with in a display of threatening nonchalance. She knew exactly how to unnerve men like this, "You know, stalking children is a big no-no. Especially those kids. You know what happened to the last person who tried something with the Wayne kids? Never heard from again. Poof."
She snapped her fingers, leaning towards the man who was just starting to get over his surprise. He was even shabbier up close. It wasn't just the jacket that was falling apart; his shoes were full of holes and rough patch jobs, and he had uneven stubble growing down his face and neck. There was a sickly yellow-tint to his skin that suggested a multitude of liver problems.
A broke, sick, desperate alcoholic. Exactly the kind of scum that would think kidnapping a billionaire's son would solve all their problems.
"Tell me why I shouldn't do that to you."
"Selina."
Selina's eyes widened in shock, before narrowing in a sudden torrent of anger. What the hell was he thinking?!
"You know, that really doesn't explain much, Bruce. Is this a sting?" she hissed, barely keeping her voice to a furious whisper instead of shouting loudly enough for the whole street to hear.
"…no."
"So, you're stalking him because…"
"He's… I can't explain it now."
"Oh, yes you can. I thought you were going to hurt him, Bruce," Selina spat his name, heart pounding with relief that the threat was fake and fury that she'd fallen for it in the first place, "Why are you following him?"
Bruce paused.
"He went on an unauthorized mission last week."
"Because that team of his never gets into any trouble?" she bit out, trying to convey what an absolute thoughtless, inconsiderate moron he was being. What the hell was he thinking? What happened that made Bruce think it was a good idea to put on a disguise and follow Dick around like a stalker?
"He took one of his teammates and the team's ship and disappeared for two days. They didn't tell anyone where they were going or what they were doing. And he missed three days of school by faking a call to the administrators that he was sick."
"Oh," her brows dropped and she leaned back against the chair. Well that explained why he was worked up enough to do something so drastic. That didn't sound like Dick at all. She took a deep breath and decided to give Bruce the benefit of the doubt, "What was the mission?"
"Haly's circus was under investigation by Interpol. Working undercover, Robin and Miss Martian discovered that Parasite had infiltrated the group and was planning to hijack the particle accelerator in Geneva. They prevented him from unleashing a black hole and successfully apprehended him."
"So that's why he went, but why didn't he tell anyone? Why not bring more of their teammates?"
"I don't know."
"Bruce," Selina prompted, "Why are you really following him?"
Bruce hesitated.
"Something doesn't add up. Dick is hiding something and I have no idea what or why. And it's not just this. He's been acting strangely for a while, and I know that Clark and Diana are concerned. With the League's mole problem becoming more and more of a threat, it's imperative that I know."
"You could ask him," Selina pointed out.
"No. He won't tell me. He's so angry about—"
Selina's heart sank.
"—Me," she interrupted.
"Selina, no."
"No, you were right to warn me. He has no reason to trust me and I don't blame him for not wanting me around. But it's not okay that I'm getting in the way of your ability to trust each other. Bruce, you have to talk to him. He's a good kid… a really great kid. You have to trust him."
"I'm worried."
"Of course you're worried. He's your son and you love him, and you're scared that something's wrong."
Bruce didn't answer.
"How long have you been following him?"
"The whole week."
"What have you found?"
"You want to know what I've found? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. On Monday, Alfred picked him up from school at the usual time, he did his homework, then he took his bike to the food bank. He packed lunch boxes for two hours with his friend Josh, then came home at his usual time. Tuesday, he stayed after school for the Mathletes club and got a ride home from Jake Statefarm. Wednesday was the same as Monday. Today, he was supposed to get a ride home from school with Barbara but instead he walked here.
He ordered coffee and has been doing his homework for the last hour. I don't know what I was thinking. I've been treating this like an investigation, following him around and being suspicious of his every move, when all he's done is community service and homework. He's not doing anything wrong. So why am I sure that something is wrong?"
"Bruce… I think we both know what this is really about."
"Do we?" Bruce looked unmoved.
"You can't seriously expect me to believe this has nothing to do with Dick being the last stubborn holdout."
Bruce frowned. His eyes flicked down to the notepad in his hands but he didn't answer her.
"You think it's something else," Selina crossed her arms over her chest. Bruce still didn't respond. Selina fought back the wave of frustration and raised an eyebrow, "Bruce, you can tell me what's wrong. We're partners. That's the whole point of this, right?"
"I don't have enough information yet," Bruce answered. Selina didn't miss the microscopic flinch, or the flash of guilt. He really wasn't going to tell her.
"Look, do you trust him?"
"I want to trust him."
"That's not what I asked. Do you trust him or not?"
"It's not that simple."
Stupid stubborn Bat, making everything more complicated than it had to be.
"Either you trust him or you don't. You can work with either, but first you have to figure out which it is. Do you trust him?"
After a long pause, Bruce nodded stiffly.
"Yes."
"Then go talk to him. Have a real conversation, get a straight answer instead of following him around like a stalker."
Bruce sighed.
"I'm serious, Bruce. Either go talk to him, or go home."
Bruce sighed again, even more exhausted than the first. He'd been doing an awful lot of that.
"Selina, I'm sorry."
"I know you are," Selina said dryly.
"I will talk to him, I promise."
"Go. I'll see you for dinner, okay?"
"You're not coming?"
"I have a meeting in a few minutes. It's important," she pecked him on the cheek, "Tonight. Rao's. I'll wear the blue dress."
Dick Grayson
The derivative of the natural log of x is one over x, so divide everything by x and that gives three times the natural log of x plus x squared. My pencil flies over the page and with a flourish, I'm done with my calc homework.
"What the heck is that?" a woman demands as she approaches my table.
"Calculus."
"Gross," Selina scrunches up her nose, holding up two to-go cups, "I wasn't sure if you drink coffee, so I got you a hot chocolate."
My eyes flick over my empty coffee cup next to my notebooks and she shrugs at me.
"Correction; I wasn't sure how much coffee you drink in a day."
"Probably too much," I answer wryly, taking the hot chocolate while she sits down in the chair across from me, "Thanks."
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I didn't think you were going to," Selina's voice is suddenly uneasy and all of the humor is gone. I've never seen her off-balance before. Catwoman doesn't do nervous, and she's never not in control of a situation. This is new.
"I wasn't."
"Why did you change your mind?"
I take a sip of the hot chocolate, my hand absent-mindedly tapping my pencil against the table.
"Look, I don't trust you. At all. But… I'm not blind. I know that for whatever reason, it's really hurting Bruce that I don't want you to move in. Selina, the only thing I want is for Bruce to be happy."
"I do too. He deserves it," Selina took a deep breath, "And you do too. I know you're dealing with a lot right now, Dick, and I respect that you don't trust me. I really do. But Bruce is really worried about you and I don't want to be just another problem you have to deal with."
At least she's self-aware.
"All I want you to know is that I admit what I did as Catwoman was wrong, and that I don't steal anymore. I haven't taken anything of value in over two years, and everything I've done in that time has just been about keeping up appearances. I'm done being a thief."
"That doesn't just erase everything you've ever done!"
"No. But I have spent a lot of time returning stolen works to their rightful owners and I am working on reparations for the people I've stolen from. I'm going clean."
"I thought you said you already had."
"Not like that. I took a job as a security consultant for the GMA."
"I know. Bruce told me."
"As Catwoman."
"What?" I blink. Hard.
"Dr. Mathers approached Catwoman directly… and I accepted. I'm not just going to be keeping the art safe, I'm going to help the museum and… the…" she shakes her head like she can't quite believe the words coming out of her mouth, "the police… to bait and catch would-be art thieves."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Can't quite believe it myself, but it's a step I need to take."
"Are you really serious?"
"I am."
"You're giving up being Catwoman to date Bruce?"
"No. I'm giving up Catwoman because I can't keep justifying to myself what I do. It was never supposed to be about hurting people and I realized that I was lying to myself the whole time. I can't be that person anymore. Dating Bruce… it is a benefit, I won't lie to you, but those are two separate decisions. I really care about him."
She really does. She looks so nervous and it really hits me that she actually won't go any further with Bruce if I'm not okay with it. That even if he's angry at me for it, Bruce won't either.
They genuinely care about each other. How can I stand in the way of that?
"You know that if you do anything to hurt him, I will hunt you down."
"I'd expect nothing less, Boy Wonder."
My stomach twists into a painful knot with a nice stab of guilt for good measure. I meant what I told her; all I want is for Bruce to be happy. He's going to find out about Slade someday. I'm not stupid. I know this can't go on forever, and now that Batman knows something is wrong, it's only a matter of time. He's never going to be able to forgive me for it when he does find out.
At least I can give him this.
"Fine. Go ahead and convince me why I should agree to you moving in."
Bruce Wayne
The Watchtower
"Canary."
"Bruce. I'm sorry to call you in but we need to talk."
"Is this personal or professional?"
"Both? I'm not sure."
Batman strode over to the room's controls and typed in a code. The shades dropped and a light over the doorframe lit up.
"The room is secure," he pulled back his cowl and sat.
"Have you… notice anything strange going on with Dick lately?"
Bruce stiffened.
"Hear me out. Please."
"I'm listening."
"He's been acting strangely and there's a lot of little things that keep not adding up. He seems so on-edge all the time, and then there's the fact that he doesn't seem to notice that his combat skills exceed all of his teammates. And I mean, far exceed. He took down Superboy in unarmed combat. It wasn't close. In the field, when he hits someone, they stay down."
Bruce frowned. Robin had taken down six burglars in a matter of seconds in between hunting the Riddler, and from their confessions, none of them even saw him move.
"Bruce, he's a great kid, he really is. But he's dangerous and he's in a bad place right now. Normally, maybe I wouldn't have worried about it but I don't know what's causing it. The rest of his teammates, I understand why they're feeling the way they are. Kaldur misses Atlantis and he still second guesses his leadership abilities. Wally just took on a lot of new responsibilities, the least of which is a new school…" Dinah trailed off, letting the silence between them amplify her pointed stare, "Artemis is struggling with her identity, Conner still believes he has to live up to Superman, M'gann is so uncertain about her place here on Earth, and Zatanna just lost her father. These kids have been through a lot and I'm trying to do everything I can to help them but I have no idea what to think about Dick. What's going on with him? And don't tell me you haven't noticed anything."
Bruce sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I may know what's going on."
"You do?"
"I asked the kids if they would be alright with Selina moving in."
Dinah stared.
"Dick… wasn't thrilled with the idea."
There was silence, and after a minute Dinah shook her head.
"I feel awful saying this but I'm glad to hear that. That there's a reason, I mean. Obviously, I appreciate that this situation is hard for both of you, but… that makes… a lot of sense."
Bruce felt a wave of relief pour through him. Dinah knew the Team better than anyone else on the League, and she was the best choice to figure out this mystery. Bruce meant what he told Selina; he trusted Dick. If something was really wrong, if Dick was having mental health issues or problems with his friends or… or spontaneously developing superpowers, he would tell Bruce. Parasite wasn't a reliable source. This was the time to gather information and make rational decisions, not jump to absurd conclusions based on the story of a manipulative villain.
"Have you talked to him?"
"What?"
"Have you said anything to each other regarding Selina since then?"
"..."
"Has he told you why he doesn't he want Selina to move in?"
"Not exactly. We've been… at odds"
"When you say at odds… what do you mean by that?"
"I expressed unhappiness with his decision to assign himself a mission in Europe, and he responded by loudly insinuating that I am a control freak."
Dinah facepalmed.
"You've just been yelling at each other since then?"
"We called a truce after he assisted in stopping the Riddler."
"And have you told him why you want Selina to move in so badly?"
"I've tried to explain the situation to him but he won't listen."
"Bruce. You're upset—"
"I am not upset."
"You're irritated that Dick won't listen to you, but you're not listening to him, either. He may very well have reasons that he doesn't want his adoptive father dating anyone, let alone a woman that he's spent a good number of years fighting. You need to talk to each other and really hear each other out."
"Dinah, he won't listen to me."
"So, you need to listen to him first. Whatever arrangement you and Selina have worked out, you're both adults. Dick is a child and it's your job to care for him, not the other way around. And I know you're upset that he went to save the circus without telling you, but you know very well what they mean to him. It's not that different than when they went to Cadmus against direct orders, and they saved a lot of lives by stopping Parasite."
"So what do I do?"
"Go talk to him. Hear him out. Explain to him why you're upset about Haly's but acknowledge that you would've done the exact same thing."
Bruce hesitated. Dinah let out a long breath.
"Just try talking to him and see where that gets you."
Wayne Manor
"Dick, is now a good time?"
"I was just coming to talk to you."
"I wanted to apologize. The way I've been acting isn't acceptable and I want you to know that I respect your comfort and if you don't—"
"I talked to Selina. We worked something out," Dick interrupted.
"What?"
"She can move in."
Bruce stared. That was not what he'd been expecting to hear.
"Dick, I'm sorry that I have been treating you harshly and I'm sorry that I hurt you by asking Selina to move in. I want you to know that you come first, and if you're not happy with it, it's alright. She doesn't have to move in and you don't have to agree to anything you aren't okay with."
"Bruce, it's okay. We talked for a long time, and I really am okay with it. She makes you happy and that's all I want."
"I'm not going to compromise your well-being over her. If this is the reason you've been acting out—"
"I haven't been—" Dick started to shout, but cut himself off. He sat on the couch under the oil painting of Gotham Harbor and continued in a normal voice, "Not everything is about Selina, okay? Maybe I'm stressed right now, but I'm tired of us being mad at each other. I really am okay with Selina moving in. You just told me at a bad time. Now can we stop fighting?"
Bruce sat on the couch next to him. For a while, neither of them said anything.
"Why didn't you tell me about the circus? I would've helped."
"I know. I just… I needed to take care of it myself. It was important."
Bruce sighed heavily.
"I don't know what I'm doing, Dick. I'm trying my best but I'm not perfect. I don't know everything, I don't have all the answers, and I don't know what's happening. I just that something is going wrong. You know that I trust you and I do understand why you made the choices you made, even if I'm not delighted that you didn't tell me. I'm so sorry that everything with Selina and all the fallout hurt you the way it did. That was never my intention."
"Yeah, I know."
"You know you can tell me things. If something's wrong."
Dick gave a stiff nod, leaning back even further into the couch. Bruce hesitated, then decided to take the risk.
"I know it can be overwhelming, especially when your body starts changing—"
Dick bolted up.
"Whoa, whoa, hang on, Bruce! We went over the Talk in Health class, I'm good."
So much for Parasite's theory. Dick sensed that Bruce was willing to let the subject drop, so he patted him on the shoulder once.
"Good talk, have fun at dinner, I'm gonna go not think about birds and bees."
Dick Grayson
The Batcave
Saturday, December 1st, 2012
"Aqualad is off duty at the moment," Batman says a few days later, when I'm sitting at the Batcomputer running diagnostic scans on the facial recognition software. He's been trying so hard to make nice, but his timing is awful. Turns out missing three days of school means about fifteen hours of extra homework, plus studying for a test I missed. I meant to finish debugging the software last week and now it's taking way longer than I thought.
"Okay…" I don't look up.
"There's a mission I think you would be suited to lead."
"I'm really busy."
"Robin, this is a good opportunity for you. If you want to be team leader someday, you'll need to get experience."
Team leader? My hands slide off the keyboard. I can't be team leader.
"I don't want it."
"What don't you want?"
"I don't want to be team leader. Not after that simulation."
I regret saying it when Batman flinches back at the reminder, but it's true. And after Hizer and the circus and Red Arrow's promise to hunt down the mole, I'm not giving Slade anything else.
"I sent my friends to their deaths. When I made those calls, none of my team made it out alive."
"It was a failure simulation. You made the best decisions you could in that situation. But you know it wasn't real, and at some point, you'll have to move forwards."
"I know! Batman, it's not just because of the simulation! I'm not going on the mission."
Batman stares at me without saying anything. Then he shakes his head and turns, heading for the elevator up to the manor, leaving me to brood.
_The following call was selected at random to be recorded for quality control purposes. The content of the call will not be disclosed, and all data will be discarded after sound quality and background noise levels have been tested and analyzed by our state-of-the-art software. For information about Virezon's call quality standards and testing methods, please call our customer support desk._
_Call Connects_
Speaker 1: This is Wilson.
Speaker 2: I've got a job for you.
Speaker 1: It's been a while, Lex. How's Metropolis holding up under the onslaught of that alien menace?
Speaker 2: Cut the shit Wilson.
Speaker 1: Bad day?
Speaker 2: I need you to knock the brats down a peg. Rough them up, scare them, whatever you have to do short of ending their miserable lives, I don't care.
Speaker 1: I suppose I should know who you're referring to?
Speaker 2: The Justice League put all their sidekicks on a team and they've gotten in the way one too many times with their recent stunt in Bialya. After your close call with the League, I thought you might appreciate a chance for some payback.
Speaker 1: I won't deny that. What do you want me to do?
Speaker 2: Bring them in, alive. They've run around unchecked for long enough, we need to get them under control.
Speaker 1: This team of brats wouldn't have anything to do with your escaped Cadmus project, would it? If so, I'll need some specialized equipment.
Speaker 2: You'll have it. Luckily for you, I've just acquired a sword with a rather high concentration of kryptonite. It'll be delivered to the usual dropoff.
Speaker 1: Excellent. While I have you, any idea why Red Arrow has been looking for information on my whereabouts?
Speaker 2: From what my sources tell me, he's doing a favor for the Flash brat. He and that scarlet idiot made a bet over a cold case.
Speaker 1: Which one?
Speaker 2: It's all hearsay, of course, but I understand it's the murder of a small-time Rogue.
Speaker 1: Is it now? Lex, always a pleasure.
_End of Call_
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Bruce Wayne
Mount Justice
Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
"There have been reports of suspicious activity at the S.T.A.R. Labs in New York City. We have no reason to believe there are any projects that are particularly attractive to potential thieves, but we've been asked to investigate as a favor to the CEO, Dr. Harrison Wells. Details were not forthcoming regarding the kinds of suspicious activity, but we've confirmed unauthorized entrances to the facility along with tampered security systems. Your job is to investigate and report back so we can confirm that the building is, in fact, secure."
Batman heard Kid Flash scoff.
"Easy missions again, I thought we were past that."
"Or they just want to take it easy on Zee," Artemis muttered, throwing an arm around Zatanna's shoulders.
"I don't need to be coddled," Zatanna protested, but let Artemis drag her onto the ship anyways. Miss Martian and Superboy trailed in behind them. Batman met Robin's eye for a brief second before he turned sharply and disappeared into the ship.
"Good luck," he said to Aqualad, meaning the words for someone else.
Dick Grayson
S.T.A.R. Labs
"We split up. The building has eighteen quadrants, we'll need to cover as many of them as possible. If you locate the intruder, alert us to your location. Do not engage them alone. Wait for backup. Understood?"
The team nodded.
"Good. Artemis, Superboy, you're on the western half. Quadrants one through nine. Zatanna, Kid Flash, with me in the eastern half. Miss Martian, do a flyover and looks for possible entry points. Robin, find the tech center and see what information you can find from the servers," Aqualad instructs.
"Right."
Making my way down to the basement is easy, especially with the building's schematics at my fingertips. I look down at my holocomputer to check the security cameras and suddenly I'm not feeling the aster. On the mini-screens, my teammates move through the complex, but where I'm standing there's only an empty hallway. I move towards the doorway that I just came through and when I turn the corner, the image appears on the security cameras like it should. There I am. But the second I move back I disappear again.
Shit.
The cameras in this hallway are on a loop. Guess I found the intruder.
I try the door to the server room and like I expected, it's locked. There's a keypad next to the door and I plug my computer into it, waiting for my virus to hack the lock. A few seconds later, there's an ominous click as the electronic lock disengages. I push the door open, bringing my hand up to my ear-piece. I walk through the banks of computer servers, trying to see through the dim blue lighting. There's someone in here. I can feel them watching me.
'There's an intruder in the server room,' I tell my team over the mind-link when I make out the shadowy figure standing at the far end the room.
'We'll rendezvous at your location,' Aqualad responds immediately.
The figure turns and suddenly the world freezes. My foot hits one of the servers and I wince at the clanging sound that vibrates through the room. I watch, paralyzed from shock as the figure moves closer.
'Slade.'
My breath catches in my throat and I scramble backwards, trying to get to the door but I misstep and my back hits the wall. He steps into the light and my stomach drops through the floor at the sight of the black and orange mask. I've never faced Deathstroke the Terminator before, not like this. I have to get out of here. It's not too late to get away from whatever Slade's planning right now.
"Well, well. You brats really do love to get in the way. Fortunately, I was expecting to run into you," his voice is low and threatening, no hint of acknowledgement or recognition.
"Robin, come in!" Aqualad demands over the comm link that I forgot was still in my ear. My head feels strangely silent and I realize the mind link is gone. I bring my hand up to my ear to answer Aqualad, but Slade moves. In a split second, he closes the distance between us and grabs my wrist.
I jerk back, twisting out of his grip before his hand closes and diving out of the way. My grappling gun pulls me to the top of one of the servers and I leap across the rows, flipping to give myself more height. I sprint across the tops of the units, heading for the door on the far side of the room. Something slams into my stomach and knocks me backwards off the server as a dense cloud erupts. Smoke fills my eyes and lungs and covers the lenses of my mask. Half-blind and coughing through the smoke, I manage to roll when I hit the ground. It's not the smoothest move I've ever done, but it gets me on my feet.
The filter in my mask activates, clearing my vision enough that I can make out Slade's form. The smoke screen becomes an advantage, and I launch two birdarangs in quick succession before aiming a side-kick at his chest. His arm shoots up, blocking the kick and catching my leg in a vice-like grip like he's done so many times before. Before he can throw me across the room, I twist my body around and slam my left leg into the side of his head. He lets go of my leg and staggers backwards. I land hard enough to make my knees protest, but before I can run, Slade's leg shoots around in a spinning hook-kick and I duck. His leg misses my head by less than an inch.
I kick at his knees but he somehow manages to move away and I have to roll to regain my balance. The second I stand up, I have to block a punch aimed at my solar plexus. I side-step an uppercut and block a strike to my diaphragm.
He leaves a tiny opening and I take it, lunging to the right and punching his left side where I know his armor is slightly thinner. The blow lands and Slade lets out a grunt of pain, but it comes at a price. His hand catches my cape. With one motion, he slams me against the wall so hard the air flies out of my lungs. I gasp for air while the world spins, and I can't stop him from pulling the comm link out of my ear. He crushes the device between his fingers, letting the pieces fall to the ground.
"We don't need you bringing the rest of your friends in just yet."
"What do you want?!" I rasp, struggling against his grip. I try to kick him, but he brings his foot down on top of mine, pinning them both against the wall. It doesn't hurt, but it's uncomfortable with my wrists pinned over my head and I hate not being able to move.
"Answers."
"You dragged us all the way out to S.T.A.R. labs for that? What, was Google not working?"
Slade snorts, and his whole demeanor changes. The clinical professionalism slips away, and even with the masks between us it feels familiar again. That shouldn't make me feel better, it really shouldn't, but I know how to deal with this.
"How was Geneva?" Slade asks conversationally.
"So we know each other now?" I spit, pulling on the grip to try and get loose. My breathing is finally back under control but there's about ten million places I'd rather be right now.
"I can beat answers out of you if you'd prefer," he offers, tightening his grip on my wrists until my bones start to pop.
"Stop! Okay, I get it!" the grip loosens, "Your intel was right, we caught Parasite trying to frame the circus for stealing the parts for a particle collider."
"I trust you dealt with him without any… complications?"
"He didn't know it was me if that's what you're asking. Or Renegade," I add in a low hiss.
"Did anything else of note happen in Europe while I was away?"
What?
"Is this a current events pop-quiz?" I ask.
"I'm sure you know what event I'm asking about."
Shit. What's he talking about? Crap, was there some hidden assignment I missed? He told me to take a day off to go to Starbucks, was that code for something? What happened in Europe last week?
"Uh, the German Prime Minister offered to host the G7 summit," I say, "Scotland tried and failed to secede from Great Britain. Italy banned putting ice in soft drinks. Slade, I don't know. Did I miss something?"
"I had an interesting run-in while I was in Lisbon."
Lisbon? What happened there?
"Wait, the bombing in Lisbon? That was you?!"
"It was, although I think you'll find something else even more interesting."
"You blew up a national landmark!" I retort. Slade squeezes my wrists again in warning.
"And I had a very close encounter with the Justice League."
I freeze.
"What?"
"Now the interesting thing is, I've worked a lot of jobs overseas before and I've never had the Justice League attempt to interrupt any of them. That got me thinking there was something different this time. You see, Robin…" he pauses on my name, and dread pools in my stomach when I realize what he's saying, "There was only one person that knew I would be in Lisbon last week."
"No! I didn't do it! I didn't even know you were going to be in Lisbon! And I haven't told anyone anything! It wasn't me! Slade, I swear, it wasn't me!"
Slade lets out an amused huff of air.
"As a matter of fact, I was going to say Damien Moreau, but I'm glad to know you're still trustworthy."
"Is that all you wanted to know?! I didn't do it, Slade, now let me go!"
"Oh, we're not quite done. It turns out, the League's presence was sheer dumb luck. I've heard they excel at that. Apparently Kid Flash happened upon my location via satellite feed."
Wally sent the League after Slade?!
"How did he find out… I mean, where you were?"
"It appears to have been an accidental discovery. I believe you, that you truly had nothing to do with it. I must confess, I wasn't sure. That's a part of why I agreed to this job."
"What job?"
"The one I was hired to do, of course," Slade responds. We hear the rumble at the same time and I can almost hear him grin under the mask, "Ah, right on cue."
"What job?! What are you doing?!" I shout, but Slade's fingers tighten around my throat and cut off my oxygen supply completely.
"Don't worry. Your friends will be fine."
NO!
I writhe and try to get free but I can't move. Black spots appear in my vision and my lungs burn and he's not letting go and I'm clawing and writhing and everything is going dark and I can't get any air and...
Everything goes dark.
Wally West
'The intruder's in the server room,' Robin said.
'We'll rendezvous at your location,' Aqualad responded, nodding at Wally and Zatanna. The three of them started moving towards the server room.
'Sla-' Robin's mental voice cut off halfway through in a panic.
'Robin? Robin!' Aqualad demanded.
'I can't reach him!' Miss Martian cried. Wally frowned, his stomach tightening nervously.
"Robin, come in!" Aqualad shouted into the comm link. The seconds of silence that answered were the longest of Wally's life, "Kid, go find him. Zatanna and I will be behind you."
"Right," Wally nodded, lowering his goggles. He turned and sped down the hallway, desperately hoping Robin wasn't really in danger and that the whole thing was a misunderstanding. Just because Robin had gone quiet didn't have to mean anything bad was happening.
Why did this place have to be such a maze?! Every second it took for him to navigate the building was another second that Robin was in danger. It took him barely three minutes to get across the entire building and figure out where the entrance to the server room was, but it was the longest three minutes of Wally's life.
He threw open the door to the server room and ran into his worst nightmare. The intruder was there alright, pinning a struggling Robin to the wall by his neck.
"Let him go!" he shouted, just as Robin slumped over unconscious and the figure let him drop to the floor. Dread and terror fought against each other until he saw that Rob's chest was moving up and down. He was still breathing. He wasn't too late.
"You must be the Flash's brat. The Boy Wonder and I were just discussing you. You've made quite a lot of problems for me recently."
Wally tore his eyes off Robin to look at the assailant and his heart stopped. Black and orange tactical gear, broadswords crossed on his back, and the signature black-and-orange mask, Wally had spent way too much time looking for the man in front of him not to recognize him.
"Deathstroke."
"Kid Flash. It's time we talked."
Wally balled his hands into fists.
"Get away from Robin."
"I don't think I will," Deathstroke pulled a pistol out of its holster and pointed it at Robin's head. Wally froze and Deathstroke chuckled, "So you two are close. You take a single step and I blast his brains out. Even your mentor isn't fast enough to stop me at that distance, and you're no Flash."
Wally growled, resisting the urge to call the mercenary's bluff. Deathstroke was blackmailing Dick. He wouldn't kill him, no matter what he threatened to do. But Wally couldn't say anything without revealing that he knew about the whole thing. And from what Dick's note said, the only thing keeping Deathstroke from taking Dick away forever was the promise that he would never let anyone find out. Wally had to play dumb long enough for the team to get there, to make sure Deathstroke never found out Robin had broken their twisted deal.
"You want to talk? Fine. Let's talk. But let him go."
"Why the recent interest in me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid. You sent the League after me in Lisbon after making Red Arrow do all the work tracking me down."
"I wasn't looking for you! That was an accident!"
"Deny it all you like, but I have my sources. I know you alerted the League to my whereabouts and cost me quite a large paycheck. So tell me, why were you looking?"
"I wasn't!"
Deathstroke clicked back the safety on his gun. Wally felt his stomach freeze.
"You have one more chance to tell me the truth, or your little birdie here never wakes up."
"No! Don't hurt him!"
"Well?"
"You're the most likely suspect for a cold case I've been working! Red Arrow has been helping me find leads because I got stuck!"
"How interesting. What case would that be?"
Wally swallowed.
"Marcus Aurelius, he called himself the Roman Executioner! He was shot outside a dive bar in Central four years ago."
"Never heard of him."
"Red Arrow told me you weren't the right perp and I didn't listen. I caught the lead that you were in Portugal and I told the League. It wasn't personal! I swear!"
Silence hung in the room like a shroud. For every second that the mercenary didn't answer him, Wally's pulse sped up and his throat got tighter until he was literally vibrating in place and couldn't feel the tips of his fingers or toes.
Finally, Deathstroke inclined his head.
"I believe you. It wasn't personal," Wally let out a breath as the world started moving again, "And in return, neither is this."
That was the only warning Wally got before Deathstroke fired.
"NOOOO‼‼‼‼‼‼"
The sound of the gunshot cracked through the room as he sped desperately towards his best friend. It was sheer panic and terror that blinded him, fear for his best friend overriding the fact that the barrel of the gun was turning. He didn't realize what it meant until the bullet hit him, shattering bone and eviscerating muscle and spraying blood onto the floor and the servers behind him.
Wally screamed as the world exploded into agony.