Chapter 31

A/N: Welcome back everyone! Good to see y'all here again! Glad to see y'all liked the last chapter. It was a fun one to write. Anyways remember, I just own the story, none of the characters are mine sadly.

/comms/

Telepathy/flashbacks

Batcave, November 14, 01:02EDT

Dinah slumped into the nearest chair. Doing her best to keep herself calm and collected as she processed what she had just heard. She knew it had been bad.

Still, she hadn't anticipated it being that bad.

No wonder her protégé had had panic attacks upon even broaching the subject. Because what she had just heard was nothing short of horrific.

Leaning forwards, she ran a hand through her hair, biting her lip anxiously. She had worked some bad cases before. Ones that had left her struggling for days on end to figure out how to help her patient. But this one…it could very well take the God damn cake.

How was she supposed to help someone process and recover from that?

She had dealt with cases of mind control. She knew how to work with severe brainwashing. What she didn't know was how to treat someone who'd been forced to become a prisoner in their own body.

There were similar cases some of her colleagues had worked on. Situations where someone had been paralyzed after a horrific accident or was diagnosed with a degenerative disease. Like her protégé they had been forced to a fate they didn't want nor deserve. Resigned to becoming prisoners in their own skin.

Yet, with Michael it didn't seem that simple.

Maybe it was and she was just overthinking it, however, some part of her was saying that it wasn't the same. That it was one thing to be paralyzed by an accident or a disease while it was another to be restrained and tortured. Made to beg and plead for his life as his attacker just watched with an unchanging grin. Forced to feel every little thing that…abomination did to turn her apprentice into a fucking puppet.

Because that was what is had done. That monster had tried to kill a child so it could use his body as its own personal plaything.

And Michael had been conscious when this had been happening.

It still wasn't clear how long he'd been forced to endure its torment. His memory becoming spotty about what happened after it had crawled into his skin. She could tell he had been thinking long and hard, trying to recall anything afterwards. But, thankfully, he couldn't seem to remember anything.

Honestly, Dinah hoped it would stay that way. There were some things that were better off forgotten and this was one of those. The less he remembered about his time as that thing's prisoner, the better.

Because she wasn't sure if she could hold herself together again. It had been heartbreaking, listening to the boy she'd spent so much time taking care of break down into incoherent sobs and pleas for mercy as he forced himself to remember one of the most traumatic days of his life. Brushing off her gentle reminders that he didn't need to do this at the insistence that he just needed to grow up and get over it already. To see that he still thought so little of himself he would minimize everything that happened to him and just say that he had probably done something to deserve it.

No one deserved what that child went through. And the fact some part of him still thought he did was absolutely horrifying.

If she had to do that again…she was worried for her ability to help her apprentice. To keep him grounded in reality and keep him from drowning in his own memories. Because there was a very real chance she could go to prison for eviscerating the man who had done this to him if she ever ran into him.

"How is he?"

Looking up, Dinah rested her elbows on her knees, meeting the Dark Knight's gaze. "How do you think?" she shot back, doing her best to reign in her anger. She knew what he wanted. And she wasn't going to give it. Most of what Michael described didn't seem to have any major relation to the case. Yes, there were one or two details that did appear to be relevant, but beyond that she was bound to doctor-patient confidentiality.

Though, even if she wasn't, Black Canary wasn't going to betray her protégé's trust like that.

Michael had taken a huge step in the recovery process. It had been long and emotionally draining, but it had been progress. It had spoken to how far the boy had come since she had first started working with him.

When they had first met, Mike guarded his words carefully. Always taking time to respond to her questions, think them through so he could ensure no perceived weaknesses were exposed. Or instead firing back with sarcastic and scathing remarks in an effort to keep others at arm's length. Not that she was surprised by such behavior. The boy had been consistently hurt and manipulated by those who should've cared for him and had been subsequently abandoned by the same perpetrators. It was no wonder he had trust issues.

Looking at him now, it was like looking at an entirely different person. There were still hiccups as was proven by tonight, but at least now he was willing to let her see past the walls he had built. Trusting her enough to let her see the bright, gentle boy that had been hiding behind them.

There was no way in hell she take advantage of something so preciously given. She would not betray Mike's trust like that.

He'd been betrayed enough to last him a lifetime.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Bruce gave a tired sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Is there at least anything pertinent to the case?"

"Yes," she replied, leaning back in her seat, crossing her own arms. "Now, I'm the first to admit I don't know much about robotics. But something he said…something's not right about them. And I don't mean in they were programmed to kill kind of way."

"You mean in the way that they seem alive," Batman finished.

"That's right."

The Dark Knight nodded, glancing towards the med bay. "Come with me, I think I found something to explain this."

Dinah glanced back towards the med-bay, brows rising as she heard muffled laughter accompanied by the sounds of what she assumed was a movie. Robin must've snuck back in shortly after she left to get it set up that fast.

Good. Both of them needed a night to rest and decompress.

"They'll be fine. Agent A will make sure they stay out of trouble."

She didn't doubt that for a second. Alfred was more stubborn than Bruce was some days. That, and the man had survived raising Bruce. Handling two highly trained teenagers would undoubtedly be child's play in comparison.

That and she knew both boys were better behaved than the Dark Knight most days.

Following Bruce to a different area of the Batcave, Dinah crossed her arms as they closed the door behind them, watching as the other hero sat down at a monitor to begin typing. "So, what did you find?"

"You remember the Junkyard site?"

Black Canary grimaced at the mention of the place. She had gone there once or twice to help Batman investigate. And it allowed her to get some insight to how the madman's mind worked."Yes?"

"When I first got there, Afton attempted to wipe the servers, and he nearly succeeded. However, I managed to recover a few files," he relayed, clicking on something, "including this. It's a video about one of his earlier experiments."

That piqued the heroine's interest. Depending on how early this footage was taken in the man's rampage, then it was likely that Afton hadn't had the change to refine his methods yet. He was more prone to making mistakes. And with mistakes, there was evidence that could be used to find him.

She almost pushed Batman out of the way to get a look at the footage.

Immediately, static flashed on the screen before it was silenced by the sound of light tapping. Coming into focus, the woman's jaw clenched as she saw the man's face.

No matter how many times she saw it, it still unnerved her how much the man looked like Michael. His face was a little thinner and Mike's eyes were more blue, but it was still eerie. Logically it made sense given genetics and all that. But that didn't mean she liked it.

"Alright, let's make this quick," William said, leaning back in his seat, calmly looking through a clipboard as if he was going through budget reports instead of documents about human experimentation and torture. "For centuries, there have been tales and legends defying death and extending their lives through unnatural means. Some of these stories speak of harnessing a human soul. Using the energy of their life to do remarkable things. And, for just as long, people have been looking for a way to harness this power. Have some succeeded? Sometimes. But, not in the way it should have. Until now, that is," the man grinned wolfishly at the camera. "In reference to Experiments 85 to 126, I have been able to isolate a metallic substance from living creatures as they die. I call it remnant." He pulled up a vial containing an iridescent, silvery liquid. "And I believe that this, is the physical manifestation of a living soul. Which can be infused to give life to pretty much anything. However, the extraction of this material does result in the life's end. A soul for a soul if you will. The PTC experiments my uncle oversaw seems to corroborate this theory. However, I believe I have discovered a…truer way of doing this. To actually harness a soul to allow me to bring an individual back from the dead, rather than use it to animate other things as was the goal of that particular project."

Dinah's brows furrowed at that statement. What did he mean by other project? Had they underestimated how long William had been killing people?

Glancing to the Dark Knight, she could see his brows furrowed, fingers drumming on the desk. A tick she noticed Batman tended to have when he was agitated. No doubt that man had already been digging into this other project. And judging from his demeanor she would bet that it hadn't been particularly fruitful so far.

"Anyways, this is Experiment 127," Afton continued, "And the way this is going to work is that I'm going to go through each of the animatronics and infuse them with a remnant injection. I'll then interview them to see what they remember from their previous lives, if they remember anything at all. And, if all goes well, then we'll move onto motor skills—heh, no pun intended. So, let's get started."

The screen cut to static before it focused on a new location. This time with the animatronic known as Foxy if she recalled correctly in the center of attention.

"Experiment 127: Test 1 of 5. Subject: Funtime Foxie. Remnant Donor: Liza Rodriguez. Age: 12," William's voice recited with an almost bored tone. "Conducting remnant injection now."

Upon his words the lights in the room went dark, leaving only the red illumination as an alarm sounded. However, the noise was quickly drowned out as electricity suddenly arched over the robotic frame, making it release an unholy screech as different parts jerked before falling limply by its sides once again.

"Hello there. I am Springtrap. Does that name sound familiar?"

Sharp static came from the animatronic, however, both heroes felt their blood run cold as they heard a response.

"Not t-that I recall."

"Do you know what your last name is?"

A spark came off the animatronic. "I am…Foxy-y. Or at least that's all that I remember."

"So you're aware?" William spoke, a distinct note of pleasure in his voice.

"Aw-Aware that I was somebody else before this."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"I—I thi-think I was at a party…T-There was music and si-singing," it answered. "But—something bad happened, to me."

The man made a hum as if he weren't the cause of the tragedy they were witnessing. "Well that's unfortunate," he replied, his tone dripping with false sympathy. "But you're here now. You can leave all of that behind. I have put you back together."

"Ca-an I?" The robot jerked, a sinister red gleam flickering deep in its black eyes. "I don't think you understand how strange this feeling is. A person one moment," its head jerked slightly into a small tilt, "and a hunk of metal the next."

"It's a fresh start. A new life. I'd kill to have that opportunity."

The fox's head twitched again, jaw opening slightly as if it were baring teeth. The red glow more prevalent now. "Yes, well, I suppose you and I have very different ambitions then. At least I'm not a murderer."

There was a scoff offscreen. "A murderer? I didn't kill you if that's what you're implying," the man all but snarled. "Your body was donated for science."

A burst of static came from the animatronic, almost resembling a laugh. "That's funny. Donations usually require consent. Or for the donor to be dea—"

The fox was cut off as it was covered in electricity without warning.

"End of Trial 1."

Canary could feel her hand trembling. This…this couldn't be real. This had to be fake. Something Afton had deliberately planted to make them run in circles. Because if it wasn't then—then that would mean his experiments were so much worse than previously thought.

However, before she had the chance to confront Batman about it for confirmation a new video started. This time showing a more humanoid robot model.

"Experiment 127: Trial 2 of 5. Subject: Ballora. Remnant Donor: Daisy Jones. Age: 10," William recited just as he had in the first trial. "This trial will be conducted with a larger quantity of remnant to determine the effects of an increased dose. Starting infusion in three, two, one…"

As before, the animatronic jerked as it was electrocuted. However this one didn't release the same unholy scream.

"Who are you?" it spoke immediately.

If Afton was surprised by the question, he didn't make any indication of so. "Don't be afraid," he reassured. "I'm just here to ask you a couple of questions."

"Who are you?" it repeated.

This time there was a slightly exasperated sigh, "I'm the man who gave you a gift. The gift of a new life."

"And why should I trust you?" the animatronic shot back. "Because the last time I trusted somebody, things didn't end so well."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"…I remember."

"Can you list details?" he inquired, almost sounding excited to hear about the murder he committed from the perspective of the victim.

"I can. But I don't think I'll share them with you."

Afton almost seemed to growl. "Listen. I'm the one who gave you life. And as your creator, I think it would be in your best interest to tell me everything you remember."

"No."

This time, an angry shout precipitated the arc of electricity. "End of Trial 2."

As static filled the screen again, Dinah crossed her arms. "He has a God-complex. That's for sure." Sighing, she ran some fingers through her hair. "I don't suppose you've seen anything useful against him?"

Bruce clenched his jaw. "No. It appears that his experimental location for these trials was in Circus Baby's Pizza World," the man ground out, no doubt furious that this had all gone on right under his nose. "And we've already searched every square inch of that facility."

She opened her mouth to inquire what else he had found in the footage, but unfortunately was cut off as the next clip began.

"Experiment 127: Trial 3 of 5. Subject: Funtime Freddy. Remnant Donor: Jeremy Watkins. Age: 7," the same bored voice recited. "Now, it appears that how much a subject remembers correlates with the amount of remnant injected. But, it also appears to increase subject hostility. Which could be potentially hazardous for myself. To fully test this hypothesis, I'm going to use a much smaller dosage. So let's get started."

Sparks flew off the animatronic's metal frame as the new trial began. However, unlike the previous trials, this one appeared to have no response. A second shock elicited the same response.

Offscreen, there was a disappointed sigh. "It appears that a minute concentrate has no substantial effect. Results of Trial 3 are negative. A potential remedy would be adding a secondary power source to stabilize its life force. However, that will have to wait for future experiments."

The camera cut again, this time focusing on a large clown-like robot. The one Canary recognized instantly as the one that had been directly responsible for Michael's near death experience.

"Experiment 127: Trial 4 of 5. Subject: Circus Baby. Donor…" William hesitated, his tone dropping to what almost sounded like something pained, "Donor: Elizabeth Afton. My daughter." A strained inhale could be heard as the man seemed to be collecting himself. "Here it goes."

The alarm sounded briefly before the infusion began, causing the animatronic to jerk upright.

"Hello," Afton greeted hesitantly, "Do you…remember me?"

The massive robot buzzed with static, its head tilting slightly. "You're William Afton. My creator."

"I…I suppose that is correct," he replied with an almost impossibly gentle voice.

"Do you know who I am?"

The man seemed startled by this question as he stammered for a response, "I, uh, I—Yeah. You are Circus Baby."

"I am?"

"Yes…But, um, do you—do you happen to know who you really are?"

"I…don't understand."

"Think," the man demanded, a deep undertone of pain bleeding through. "Remember! Who were you before all of this?"

"I don't understand."

"Please Baby Girl," the man almost pleaded. "Try to think back."

"I don't understand."

"Please remember. Your name was Elizabeth Afton!"

"I don't understand."

"Lizzie Belle! It's me! It's Daddy."

The animatronic's eyes flickered a vibrant green. "I don't understand."

"Princess, please. Daddy's right here."

"I don't understand," it continued to repeat. Sparks beginning to fly off its frame.

"Remember!" the man demanded, the sound of something clanging echoing in the background. "REMEMBER DAMNIT!"

The footage cut off without warning, leaving the pair sitting in stunned silence.

For a moment, Dinah could almost see a human underneath the monster. A broken man who wanted to bring his daughter back. Still, it didn't excuse the things he had done. If anything, it made them worse. Because it meant he put other people through the exact same pain of losing a child. That he willingly sacrificed his two remaining children just to resurrect the one he killed by his own negligence.

All just to further his own research in the name of science.

"We can use Circus Baby to our advantage."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Dinah looked down to stare at Bruce. Out of everything they had just witnessed. Seeing the souls of literal children forced into those abominations. Realizing that those animatronics were prisons for the soul of a frighted child who'd had their life snatched away from them in one of the worst ways possible. That was what he focused on.

"What?"

"Elizabeth. She is Afton's weakness. He'll have to come back for her eventually. He won't stop trying to resurrect his daughter," he said. "Not after proving his theories correct."

"And how is he going to do that?" Dinah shot back. "By figuring out how exactly Mike was different. Afton's not gonna do shit about that thing until he gets his hands on that kid!"

"Our interference in his attempts to abduct his son will aggravate him. We know the man has a temper. Sooner or later he will lose patience and will try to get back to Elizabeth."

"Or he gets more aggressive. We already know he's not afraid to take risks," she reminded. "Besides," she turned away, thinking back to her earlier conversation with her protégé, "I don't think Elizabeth is in Circus Baby anymore."

This got Bruce to turn away from the screen, raising a brow at her. "How would you know?"

"Because I think she's the one who tried to kill Mike."