Finally feeling like I'm getting into the groove of things. This chapter was much easier to write than all my others.
Thanks to all who reviewed and followed :) Made my day.
This could not be happening!
Bruce was brooding. Really, it was what he did best. Even the setting was perfect, with dim lights and his unconscious son lying in his bed beside him, their calloused hands intertwined. Bruce was not one for physical touch, usually, but he knew that his son was. It was no uncommon for the dark knight to hold his son's hand when he was injured or sick many years ago. It comforted the young boy, and inwardly it comforted Bruce too, he just would never admit it. For now he could say he was doing it for Dick.
They had moved him up to his old room, since the cave was really not the most comfortable place. They had a few vital monitors and an IV hooked up to him, but other than that his son looked like he was just sleeping.
Except he wasn't at all.
Martian Manhunter confirmed it. Not that he didn't trust Leslie, he was just hoping for some input from the telepath. It was only a couple moments before the alien looked up at him, his hand upon his son's forehead and he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Bruce. I cannot find him at all. He is gone."
That had scared him more than what Leslie had admitted in cave yesterday. Gone? Doesn't gone mean dead? Then why did his heart beat? He breathed with no assistance. He was more than glad that he did, but he was lost as to what was happening. The detective that he was hated not knowing what was going on. His son was more than in just a coma, he was basically a vegetable. Those words had been the source of a fight between his sons.
"Drake, stop being an idiot," his youngest grumbled as they all sat around Dick's bedside only hours before. Tim was talking to Dick about what was going on. How they were chasing after Trafkensk and where the investigation was leading them. "He can't hear you!" Damian finished.
"What if he can?!" Tim seethed.
"There is no brain activity! He might as well be dead!" And with that Damian marched out of the room. Tim's face was growing redder by the second.
"That little-!" his fists were shaking. "Does he even care? Would he rather him be dead so he isn't taking up space in the manor?!"
"Chill, replacement," Jason grumbled. "He's just dealing with it how he does everything. It's probably better than weeping over his bedside like his lover or something."
"Oh, that's just great coming from the brother that-"
"Take is somewhere else." Bruce interrupted, his face completely passive. Both Jason's and Tim's eyes widened slightly, but they were quiet. Bruce hardly ever came between them fighting. It was Dick who was always doing that. Bruce really never seemed to care before, even though he really did. But he knew he wasn't really one to talk, for his fought with each of his sons just as badly at times.
His boys always bickered more when Dick was out of commision, and this situation proved no differently.
"Bruce," a voice said from behind him. He had been sitting in the dark in his son's bedroom, undisturbed, for several hours as he thought and contemplated the situation, slowly and methodically rubbing his thumb against Dick's hand and periodically caressing his son's forehead and face. He hadn't heard the figure step in, or see the shadow in the doorway.
"Bruce," Clark said again. "You haven't left this room since he's been brought here."
"Your point?"
"Well..." he started walking fully into the room and standing beside Bruce. "I thought you might care about the developments the league and your sons have been making in the investigation down in the Cave."
"They know what kind of gun it is?" Bruce's asked knowingly.
"...No, but we think-"
"Then I don't care."
Bruce could hear a sound coming from Clark's throat that didn't sound particularly happy, but when he felt a hand on his shoulder he knew the boy scout was trying to keep his cool.
"But we found something that could lead us there very quickly." He continued. "Don't loose hope."
Bruce tensed his shoulders. "Who said I was loosing hope?"
Clark ignored him. "I know you blame yourself for this, but don't. Nightwing knew what he was doing."
"How else could you look at it?" Bruce growled, finally turning to look at Clark. "I wasn't taking Trafkensk seriously, and my guard was down. He succeeded in distracting me with Tim. I failed yesterday, Clark, and my son paid for it. Possibly with his life."
Clark just looked at him, wishing that the situation was different. "So you are going to sit in here and mope?"
"My sons are doing fine without me," Bruce replied as he turned back around and fumbled with Dick's blanket and tucked it around him tighter. It probably didn't look like fumbling to anyone who saw it, but it felt like it to Bruce.
"Investigating, yes, but only cause' you aren't doing it yourself, and they aren't sure what to think of that," Clark grumbled. "You, the Dark Knight, the man who doesn't stop at anything to bring the bad guys to justice, sitting playing beside vigil? You might as well tell them that you think Dick is already dead."
"It's my fault Clark."
They were both quiet for a couple moments, the only sound in the room the heart monitor beeping slowly and methodically to prove that Dick's heart was in fact still beating. Finally Clark cleared his throat. "Did you want to hear what we found out or not?"
Bruce took a deep breath. "Fine. Shoot."
"We found the order to get rid of you. It originated from the states, and the sum for your death or permanent incapacitation was in the millions. That narrows our suspects, Bruce. Jason is talking to some of his...um...friends in the underworld...to see if he can get any clues to who issued the bounty. Tim's trying to singulate the area it originated from. If we find out who, then we can find out what that gun did."
Bruce just nodded. "Any sign of Trafkensk?"
Clark frowned. "No."
Bruce's reached down and brushed his hand against Dick's forehead and brought the hand he was holding over his son's chest and laid it there as he stood up. "We'll see about that."
He waited as Alfred exited the room, went down the hallway and down the stairs. Once he was gone, he slipped from his hiding place and with the grace and stealth that was a bat, made his way silently across the hallway and stood in front of the room that held the unconscious vigilante. Without moving his head, he looked about the room for any signs of other visitors that he might have missed in his calculations. None. The coast was clear. He made his way quickly to the bed.
"Grayson," he climbed upon the bed, avoiding the limbs of his older brother as he leaned over him. "Grayson."
No response. He figured as much.
"Don't be such a wuss," he huffed, pouting. "I thought you liked being an acrobat, flying through the air and making a fool of yourself. You can't do that while you lay around on this bed. You won't even need your brain, really. You hardly use it anyway." Dick made no movement. This was the most still Damian had ever seen him. His eyes were closed in a relaxed way, not tight like he usually did when he was unconscious, and his lips parted slightly showing the teeth he was so used to seeing when Dick was trying to charm someone with his smile. He hated it when he did that, but he'd let him do it now if he would just wake up! He'd even let him hug him and call him his annoying pet name if he would just open his eyes for a second and say it!
It was then he heard a slight noise and whooshing sound. He had been prepared to hide or escape the moment he heard someone coming, but he didn't think it would be one of the fastest men alive.
"Lil Robin!" Wally's voice echoed through the room. "Fancy seeing you here."
"West," he said, disgusted. "I should have known you would show up."
"Can I have a turn to snuggle with him?" Wally's eye gleamed mischievously.
Damina remembered that he was leaning over his brother, only his feet hanging off the bed. He immediately sat up and backed off the bed, folding his arms. "I wasn't doing anything of the sort, numskull! I simply heard a noise and was investigating. We can stop all the attention the manor is getting if he'd just man up!" And with that he stomped past the speedster. As he passed him, Wally grabbed his arm and looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
"Don't worry," he said softly. "It's Dick. He'll come through."
Damian jerked his arm away. "I'm not worried!"
"Whatever you say."
As he left the room, Roy was coming up the stairs. Great, what is this? A team reunion? He sneered at him as he quickly walked by and ran down the stairs. Roy just shook his head and walked into the room where Wally had taken to the seat beside the bed.
"What's that little dude's problem? Beside the usual?" he rolled his eyes.
Wally just laughed. "Caught red handed, that's what."
Clark, Tim, Jason and Diana were standing in the Cave discussing that latest news when the batmobile pulled in and Batman jumped out. As he walked towards him, he pulled his cowl down and took off his gloves.
"Batman, we think we know who hired Trafkensk." Clark said as he got closer.
Batman smirked, "I think I know too. Luthor."
It was the same conclusion the others had come to, except of course, Batman had gotten the information in only a half day. Clark and Diana smiled, glad that Batman was back. Tim looked at him anxiously. Batman, reading him, continued.
"Trafkensk was only too willing to tell me what I needed to know after a little...well...persuasion." He was walking over to the computer and sat down, typing away quickly.
"Did he tell you what the gun was?" Jason asked.
Bruce glared. "Yes and no. He knows what it does, but he didn't know anything other than that, including how to reverse the effects."
"Tell us Batman," Diana pleaded.
"It does exactly what we've seen it do. It completely shuts off all brain activity, leaving the victim completely useless. He said Luthor wanted me incapacitated. He wanted me dead, and if he couldn't manage that, the gun was backup."
Everyone took a moment to let that sink in. Bruce had been reeling since he walked away from Trafkensk's broken body. Sure, Luthor was the enemy, but what would he gain to put the bounty on him instead of superman?
"He had no idea how to reverse the effects of the gun?" Diana asked.
"No."
"Luthor might," Jason growled.
"And you expect to get the information out of him, how?" Tim asked, helplessly. "It's Luthor!"
Diana stepped over and put a hand on the robin's shoulder. "We'll figure out a way, Tim."
"We just need to think of something that will make Luthor cooperate." Clark piped in.
"And we need to do it fast," Batman nodded. "Dick's body is only functioning with involuntary reflexes. If his entire body decides to shut down, he'll be on life support. And after that, I don't know." With that, he turned back to the computer. "If we are going to go after Luthor, we need to play it smart."
"You have a plan?" Diana raised her eyebrows questioningly.
He nodded. "Yes. But we'll need more people."
There you go! Feel free to review, it always makes my day :) Also, I'm thinking of doing a YJ/DC tumblr blogs thingy. And maybe I can do some fanart for this fic. Would people like that? If enough people tell me so, I might do the later (the first I am doing anyway. You should just be cool and follow me. You could follow my regular tumblr account too, if you want. I could use more followers.)