Hi guys. :/ Sorry this update is so late. The chapter wasn't finished until a couple of days ago and I started to pull a little bit ahead on the next one. So so so so so sorry.

In other news, I will update next week, then I will be going on a Christmas/New Years hiatus.

But! To change things up, the first three reviewers of this chapter will get a one-shot. It doesn't have to be for Young Justice, just so long as I am familiar with the fandom and the characters. :) Consider it a Christmas present.

Guest review:

Kim: I'm certainly having fun with Jason's background. It's a fun thing to explore. Ah yes, I'm planning on bringing Roy in during the next chapter, so this should be quite fun :)

Thank to all of my amazing reviewers! Again I am so sorry for the slow updates. I'm only going on hiatus so that I can get ahead and post on time like a good author XD

Disclaimer: *ducks under Cheshire's sai* agh! Dang it I don't own Young Justice and apparently that's not a good thing! *ducks again* Bye guys! Enjoy the story!

Chapter 6

Mount Justice

April 26, 5:00 EDT

Batman could tell that the team was discouraged. They'd not only heard nothing from Jason, but no one had been able to get into the cave, even M'gann, whose density shifting had gotten much better over the last couple of years.

Batman had grown quieter and angrier with each passing hour, mostly because he was worried. He'd expected Jason to be working from the inside, but from what all his scanners said, Jason was near the center of the mountain, and he hadn't moved in almost eight hours.

Of course, it was possible that he'd already gone to bed, but that wasn't normal for any of the bats, especially when something was going on.

So, naturally, Batman was worried. As he watched the Team, he could tell that they were not only tired, but felt guilty. He'd already overheard M'gann say that maybe they shouldn't have left the mountain, but all of them had been eager for a day off, a day where their lives were not centered around their missing Teammate.

Dick . . . If he were here, Batman knew he'd have figured out a way to get Jason out. Of course, if Dick were here, they wouldn't be in this situation anyways.

"Batman?" a tentative voice came from nearby, and Batman turned to see Wally standing next to him. The redhead looked exhausted, and he'd removed his mask, revealing the deep shadows under his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well since Dick was taken.

Batman reigned in his glare slightly, which Wally took as a sign that it was ok for him to continue talking. "Should we try the zeta tubes again?" he asked, a little more boldly this time. "We've tried everything else I can think of, and it's been almost an entire day. I don't know how much longer we can all keep doing this Batman."

For a few minutes Bruce was quiet. He'd been trying the zeta tubes every few hours, and each time they hadn't worked. It was something that frustrated him, because no matter what he tried, no matter how he changed the system, it wouldn't let him in.

If Wally was actually suggesting it though, then he couldn't help but feel as though they didn't have many other options available to them. "I will check again. Kid Flash, get the others ready to leave if it doesn't work. You should all get home and get some rest after this."

Wally looked startled. "What? But what if-"

"There will be no arguments. Your families and mentors have already spent a considerable amount of time without you these past few weeks," Batman said firmly, glaring at Wally with a force that made the redhead turn away.

"Fine," he sighed. "Be sure to call us if you get Jason out without us though."

"I will," Batman agreed, feeling a pang of sorrow shoot through him. Wally had been Dick's best friend for years. He'd known Jason nearly as long as his friend had, and was close to the entire Batfamily, although Bruce would never admit it.

Batman moved to the outside entrance to the Zeta beams. The lights had been on for hours, which had seemed hopeful at first, then just painful, as though they were mocking him. Now, as he put the code into the computer, he couldn't help but pray that it would work.

Then, with a thrill of surprise, he heard the mechanized voice speak up. "Recognized, Batman, 02." He stepped swiftly into the light, and took off the second his feet touched the Cave floor.

He'd memorized Jason's position, so he was there as soon as he could be, running through the halls until he rounded a corner and saw Jason. He was sitting against a wall, staring down at something that he had clutched to his chest. His mask was off, and there were the remnants of tears on his face.

"Jason," Bruce cried. He tore off his cowl and knelt beside his son. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Cheshire," Jason said blankly. He didn't react to Bruce's presence, which made him shiver. "She came last night. She gave us a gift." The venom in Jason's voice made Bruce think that the gift was anything but pleasant.

"What is it?" Bruce asked, unsure if he wanted to know. Jason finally looked up at him, and there was a horrible lost look in his eyes. All of a sudden Bruce felt like something was squeezing his heart out of his chest.

"Dick," he breathed. "It has something to do with Dick."

Jason nodded, and showed Bruce what he was holding to his chest. A tattered shirt, covered with blood, a lock of dark hair, with the same rusty stains. Suddenly it made sense why Jason was so still, so vulnerable in a way he never really had been before.

Bruce felt his knees buckle, and he knelt next to his adopted son, putting his hand on Jason's shoulder. "He's fine," he said shakily. "Dick is fine. Talia said she wouldn't kill him immediately."

"How long can he last if she's injuring him like this?" Jason demanded furiously, his eyes suddenly alight. "Bruce, this is a lot of blood, and Dick was already injured. She can only push him so far before he breaks."

Bruce slowly shook his head, feeling a sharp pang in his chest. "That's why we're going to find him," he reminded Jason. "We're going to find him."

They were quiet for only a few minutes until the Team arrived, and shocked and worried voices rang through the hall. Bruce slipped on his cowl, and once more became Batman, Jason replaced his mask and was Robin. They were acting for the Team, pretending all was well.

Everyone fussed over Jason until he got fed up and told them in no uncertain terms that he was perfectly whole and uninjured. Soon M'gann was baking cookies while Superboy watched, while Artemis and Kid Flash sat and watched Superboy's static, just talking and holding hands. They were the only ones who'd been able to make it, and for once, Bruce was grateful for the lack of response to his call for help.

If Superman had been there, or Black Canary, or even Red Tornado, they would have noticed Dick's shirt and the lock of hair for sure.

As it was, Bruce knew he would have to tell them at some point, but for now, while they were happy after finding out that Jason was alright, he would let them rest. They all needed a break from the tension filled moments where all they could think about was their missing Robin.

Unknown place

Unknown date, unknown time

Dick was starting to hate waking up. It felt as though each time he did, he was either in more pain, or in the kind of situation he usually had nightmares about after a particularly stressful mission.

For instance, he couldn't say that it was his favorite thing to be hanging from a wire a hundred feet above the ground when he wasn't the one in control of the situation. The first thing he was really aware of was the burning in his arms and wrists, and then he opened his eyes, and looked up. He was chained to a wire that was strung between two wooden poles. It looked as though it was meant to be a tightrope, but was slightly thicker.

Looking down, Dick groaned. Usually he had no problem with heights, none at all, but now he was not only chained up, and in pain, but also dizzy from the blood he'd lost over the past few days.

The ground whirled far beneath him, and Dick grimaced. It wouldn't have been as bad if he'd been hanging from a trapeze of his own free will.

He started to slowly hoist himself up, pulling himself hand over hand. The going was made slower still by the heavy chain that chafed at his wrists, and the pain in his side and shoulder, but he knew it would only be worse the longer he waited, and he didn't want to find out how long Talia planned to leave him hanging there.

It seemed like hours before he managed to grasp at the rope, but in reality it couldn't have been more than forty minutes. Dick stopped, gasping. The pain in his shoulder and side was getting worse with every moment. He hadn't properly healed from any of his injuries, and this was sure to make it worse.

This is why Batman trained me to move through my pain, he thought grimly. He knew for sure that if he hadn't had that training, there was no way he would even be conscious now.

"Maybe you are more like a bird than I was told," Talia's voice echoed around the room, and Dick looked to see if she was actually there, seeing nothing but a glowing screen.

"I wouldn't have survive being an acrobat without the ability to fly," he responded coolly, trusting that she could hear him. "Just so long as my wings aren't clipped."

Talia laughed. "We were planning on clipping your wings," she admitted, making Dick cringe, "but there's been a change of plan. I've thought of something that I believe will affect your father almost more than keeping you locked in and hurting you."

"And that would be- what exactly?" he asked testily.

"Turning you into an assassin," Talia said sweetly, and Dick almost lost his grip on the rope as the horror nearly overwhelmed him.

Bwahaahahahaha! Plot twist! sort of . . . . . XD I was writing the chapter and went, "welp, this is going nowhere, so why not do . . . this!" Anyways . . . I hope you liked that chapter!

Constructive criticism, good things, ranting, so forth and so on . . .

REVIEW! :) :)