Disclaimer: 100% I own Young Justice in an Alternate Universe, but this one just ain't it.
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Mount Justice
May 29, 3:00 EDT
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Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Wally really wished he could tear that thing out so that it could stop its infernal dripping, but seeing as it was one of the things keeping his best friend alive, he'd finally decided to let it stay put. That totally didn't stop him from shooting it horribly frustrated glares every few minutes. Or seconds. Or maybe constantly, but hey, no one else was in here, so he had every right to glare at it and wish that he could give Dick his superhealing and just have him wake up and not look so dead already.
They'd been back for three days, and Dick hadn't even moved. Leslie said he might live, but she couldn't do anything more. It was up to Dick to pull through himself.
Wally hated it.
When he'd finally woken up, Artemis was sitting by his bedside sobbing. Now that was absolutely terrifying, because the archer normally kept her emotions locked up tighter than the Batcave – as her boyfriend, Wally would know. Immediately he'd leapt to the conclusion that Dick was dead, and it had taken Flash, Artemis, and a very tired looking Jason to convince him that Dick was still alive.
So now Wally was sitting here at three am, watching as his friend continued to not die. No one could really call this living. Hooked up to what seemed like a million different beeping machines, with a mask to help him breathe and a drip to give him nutrients, the Boy Wonder lay still as death on the hospital bed, entirely unaware that Wally was watching him.
Some of the others still had school. M'gann and Connor had finals, although Wally had no idea how either alien would do when their friend was laying here. He'd finished school a couple of weeks ago, jumping through as many hoops as he could so that he could finish the semester early and get going to rescue his best friend.
Fat lot of good it had done. If Wally had done nothing, would Dick be so badly injured? Or would he still be fine? Talia might have let him go, gotten him back to Batman, safely away from Deathstroke's reach.
Wally took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes with one hand. This was ridiculous. If Dick could see him now then he would probably slap Wally upside the head. There was nothing the speedster could have done differently. Dick was here, and he could live. Wally had to believe that he would live. It was the only answer he would take. Now if only Dick could get going and wake up, then it was all be good, and everyone could get a good night's sleep, and Wally could finally have his best friend back.
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Mount Justice
May 29, 12:44 EDT
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Place arrow, pull back, release, swish thunk. Place arrow, pull back, release, swish thunk. Artemis set down her bow and moved onto the range to retrieve her arrows. Each arrow had struck in the center circle, forming a thick cluster. She'd spent so much time in this room over the past few days that it was a wonder no one had come to find out if she was okay yet. Well, almost no one. Wally checked in on her about ten times every hour, his green eyes bright with worry, as though he thought his nightmares were seeping into real life, and Artemis was now missing, a prisoner of Deathstroke.
Wally had told her about the dreams the day after he recovered, his voice shaking as he hugged her to him as tight as he could. Artemis tried to reassure him, but with Dick still unconscious, her speedster boyfriend was having a very hard time being reassured.
Artemis heard some soft voices, and turned to see Barbara standing near the entrance and talking to Mary and Freddie – er, Sergeant Marvel and Lieutenant Marvel. After a few minutes, Barbara hugged the two younger kids and then watched as they walked away. Artemis made her way back to the shooting line and began to fire arrows at the targets again. After a few minutes she heard a quiet cough.
"I didn't know there was an archery range in the cave," Barbara said.
Artemis lowered her bow and looked over at the redhead. Her eyes were red, probably from both lack of sleep and crying. "Yeah," Artemis said. "It was here for Green Arrow's use, back when the League used the cave as their base of operations, then Batman amped it up when I joined the team. I haven't actually used it much, but I needed time to think."
"Yeah," Barbara said. "Time to think. I can understand why you need that."
For a moment the two girls fell silent, the only sound the swish thunk of Artemis's arrows as she released them. "What was up with the newbies?" Artemis asked, finally unable to bear the silence any longer.
"Mary and Freddie decided to leave the team," Barbara said. "I've spent a little bit more time with them than the rest of you have, so they just wanted to let me know in person."
Artemis stopped shooting. "They're leaving the team?"
"They told me it wasn't their place. It's not like they came in at a good time," Barbara said. She shook her head. "It's their choice, and they had a good think with Captain Marvel before. I think they just want to go back to that, without all of this doom and gloom." She laughed. "I can't really say I blame them. At least I knew what was going on when I joined the team, but they'd never even met Dick, they had no idea what the rest of us were going through."
"I'm sorry to see them go," Artemis said. "We didn't really make them feel as welcome as we should have. Zatanna and Rocket tried, and Garfield and M'gann are nice to everyone, but everyone else put up a really dismal effort."
"Can I try?" Barbara asked, looking at the rack of bows.
"Go for it," Artemis said.
"I think they have their reasons," Barbara said, "and I think that they could have made a great addition to the team, but given the circumstances it's probably better this way. Everyone will be more comfortable if things return to how they used to be." She chose a recurve bow and a quiver full of arrows and found a lane next to Artemis.
Artemis paused for a moment, examining her friend. It had been good to have Barbara in the cave. She'd been relentlessly energetic as she helped with the search for a way to get Robin out of Deathstroke and Talia's control, and she'd boosted Wally's morale immensely – that is, until he'd gone to save his friend by himself. But for things to return to how they used to be, Barbara would have to quit the team, and Artemis couldn't see that turning out for the better.
"Are you quitting?" she asked.
Barbara finished stringing her bow and quickly placed an arrow on the string. "It depends," she said, "on whether or not my best friend wakes up." And with that she pulled her arrow back, aimed, and released, watching as the arrow struck the center of the target.
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Mount Justice
May 29, 15:13 EDT
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Batman looked back and forth between the determined faces of Sergeant Marvel and Lieutenant Marvel. "You're quitting the team?" he said.
"That is what I said, yes," Sergeant Marvel said, nodding. She looked a little nervous, but like Lieutenant Marvel, absolutely sure of their decision. "It's not that we aren't grateful, we are, really. But I don't think this team thing is for us."
Lieutenant Marvel stepped forward. "I know you think we're just kids, but look, we were doing fine with Billy on our own before, and we'll do fine with just him again. Maybe if we'd come in at a different time we might have stayed, but I just don't think I'm cut out to fight alongside everyone in this cave. It's been a really interesting experience –"
"And we've learned a lot," Sergeant added.
"– but no offense, I think we'll be happier and safer if we stick with what we know. It's best we pull out now before any of the others really care that we're leaving. Right now they're too wrapped up in everything that's going on to notice if we leave the team, but that'll change when the first Robin is better. I'm sorry, Batman, but we're leaving the team, and you can't stop us." The two teenagers stood and stared up at Batman with a mixture of determination and worry written all over their faces and throughout their body language.
Inwardly, Batman sighed. It honestly wasn't very surprising. Batgirl joining the team during the chaos of the crisis was one thing – she was intimately involved in the situation and at least knew a few members of the team before hand – but these two had been thrust into the middle of what was basically a grieving family, and they were entirely unprepared to handle it. Billy would be disappointed, but probably relieved as well. When he'd first mentioned his friends to Batman it had been with the hope that they could be inducted into the League, not the team. As it was, it was probably best that the hero and his friends continue to work together. From the little that Batman had been able to see of the two young heroes interacting with the team, they hadn't been comfortable at all.
If Robin had been here, the two would be staying. Of that Batman was positive.
"The team isn't meant to be a prison for those who don't want to join," Batman said. "If you ever change your mind, you know how to contact us. Let Aqualad know and say your goodbyes, then you can feel free to leave whenever you want." Sergeant Marvel muttered a quick, rather startled thank you, and then she and her friend darted away from the Dark Knight, probably in search of the leader of the team.
Batman wished that he could just sit next to Dick and not be bothered.
But instead there were the constant updates from Superman and the Flash on the search for Deathstroke. Barry had been at the cave until his nephew recovered, then he'd joined Superman in the hunt for the assassin. So far, nothing. Batman doubted they would find him.
With a concealed sigh, Batman made his way back to the infirmary, where Dick's room had been safety proofed about a hundred times (literally) before he was actually satisfied with it. If anyone whose biological signature was not recognized as a hero (or otherwise well affiliated person) by the Batcave computer tried to approach, they'd be zapped by at least one of sixty-eight hidden traps that Batman had managed to rig in the last forty-three hours.
He had to admit, he was really bad at waiting and sitting still when it came to Dick being injured.
As soon as he'd stepped into the room and made sure that an alarm would let him know if anyone who didn't know his identity was approaching, he slipped off his hood and became Bruce Wayne.
Dick looked tiny in the hospital bed, with all the tubes and wires stuck in him. It was one of the things that made Bruce regret that he'd ever let his eldest son, or any of his sons really, near his line of work. What would he do if he lost one of them? What would he do now, if he lost Richard?
Bruce sat in the chair next to his son's bed and reached over to smooth back the unruly black hair. These thoughts had been circling in his head ever since Dick was kidnapped, but they'd gotten much worse now that his son was battling death instead of villains. Bruce sighed and dropped his head into his hands. How much longer could he do this?
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Mount Justice
May 29, 17:48 EDT
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There were voices now. For the longest time there'd only been darkness. In the beginning it had been darkness and pain, but then the pain had slowly faded to a dull numb feeling. Then darkness and silence and nothingness for what felt like an eternity.
But then he'd heard voices. Generally they weren't talking to him, but often they were talking about him. And they were familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint why.
"Will he ever wake up?"
"Dad, when can we take him home?"
"Richard."
"I've done everything I can, it's up to him now."
"–and if there are any changes–"
"Dick."
"Please let him wake up."
"Agent A said that we should–"
"Robin."
"There's nothing you can do?"
"It wasn't a magical attack, so none of my powers will–"
"Son."
All of a sudden focusing became easier. He was Richard Grayson, Robin, son of Bruce Wayne and partner to Batman. He'd been captured by Talia al Ghul, then trained and tortured by Deathstroke. He'd escaped, but then there was nothing but darkness and pain and a horrible numb feeling. Had he been recaptured?
Everything hurt. He must be on painkillers, but it didn't feel like they were working super well; that, or he'd just finally regained enough consciousness to feel how every single cell in his body rebelled against living.
Dick tried to squeeze his hand into a fist, and when it worked felt a rush of success. If he could move on purpose then he could open his eyes, and if he wasn't safe then he could escape. He'd fought through pain before, and he could again. If it meant getting away from Deathstroke he would do anything.
He opened his eyes a crack, feeling the familiar weight of his mask on his face, and the less familiar weight of a breathing mask to boot. The ceiling was unfamiliar. Probably not somewhere safe then. He could feel where the needles were connecting him to the beeping machines, and it wouldn't be hard to get them out, take off the breathing mask, then squirm out of the blankets and he could fight his way out of here.
Alright. Good. On the count of three then, one, two, three, go!
In a burst of movement the needles were out and the machines went crazy. The mask was harder, but in only a moment Dick was out from underneath the covers and ignoring the agony of moving (right, stabbed, that was how that felt, ouch) he used the bed as a springboard and landed close to the door. Before he could open it the door was flung open and Dick ran right into the tall shadowy figure that began to rush into the room.
That was way too much for his injured body and he began to fall backwards, but before he could get anywhere near the ground arms were around him and he was held carefully in the warmest, safest place in the entire world.
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*Phew* well, I updated long before the year mark. Sorry about not having more last week. That was the plan, but a sibling had birthday, and I was working on something for an art contest with a deadline of tonight (almost done, not yet), and then I spent an afternoon a night and a morning with a friend I hadn't seen in three and a half years. And, of course, Father's Day happened. I hope all dads everywhere know how much they mean to their children!
But I did manage to write this chapter, and it's actually fairly long compared to my normal chapter length.
To my three reviewers, thank you! You are awesome (I include my sister in that), and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Hopefully this story will be finished by the end of the week, but no promises! The good news is, this is the kind of cliffhanger that makes you happy.
Please Review!
~Bright