"R-Renegade?" Lady Shiva whispered as if she couldn't believe her own eyes and with a slightly cracked voice, thus breaking the silence.
It seemed that Renegade was also overcome with the same utter shock and surprise at seeing them all there. "G-Guys? What the hell are you doing here?"
"What do we look like we're doing, idiot?" Cheshire growled but the undercurrent of relief and happiness in her voice was evident.
Renegade remained still and silent for a period of time that began to worry his friends and family before a hysterical giggle escaped his lips.
The others exchanged worried looks, fearing for the youngest's sanity. "What's so funny?" Katana asked slowly, staring at him as if he had grown another head.
"Instead of straining my body to escaping, I could have just waited for you in my cell!"
All of them belatedly realized that Renegade was actually somewhere he definitely shouldn't be.
His former main mentor thoughtfully tilted his head to the side, asking the question they were all wondering. "By the way, how the hell did you manage to recover your entire equipment?"
The young assassin waved a hand dismissively at them. "Long story. I'll tell you about it later at home." his masked gaze moved to the two superheroines and he visibly did a double take, as if he hadn't noticed their presence until that moment.
Which worried Diana greatly since Renegade was always hyperaware of his surroundings.
"You two came to save me too." he whispered in disbelief, his voice so full of emotion it cracked.
Zatanna smiled sweetly at him. "We couldn't let you rot in this hell, Ren. You are our friend."
"Other heroes were also ready to storm this prison for you, you know?" at his silent question, Wonder Woman continued. "Hawkgirl, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter."
Renegade remained silent for a few more seconds before his body began to tremble, worrying his loved ones.
"Ren?"
"It's over." he whispered so faintly that they almost didn't hear him.
The mercenary suddenly fell to his knees with a pained grunt.
Diana felt her heart stop briefly, worried sick for her friend and perhaps something more, and she followed the others who crowded around him calling his name, carrying Bordeaux tied by the lasso and careless to her screams of pain as the director of the prison slammed into the various debris.
"You're hurt." she whispered, worry overwhelming her as she took a better look at her friend.
He had several dark bruises on his face, his face was a little paler than usual, his lips were a worrying shade of blue and his left arm was bent at an unnatural angle.
And these were only the visible wounds.
Who knows how many other wounds he had on him.
"What did they do to you?" Deathstroke growled in concern, holding his son.
"Waller has been torturing me ever since I set foot here." Renegade muttered in confusion, missing how his friends tensed up and flashes of pissed off fury crossed their faces. "In three days I received more than 100 lashes in my back, she burned my skin, tortured me with numerous waterboarding sessions, shocked me with my own escrima, she and her agents beat me with various weapons all over my body, pulled out several of my teeth with fucking pliers and more." he concluded in a voice genuinely indifferent to the description of all the tortures suffered.
Diana felt her heart sink painfully and her eyes began to sting. She ran a hand over her eyes, quickly wiping away the traces of tears that formed. She felt her limbs turn to ice as she realized a very important factor.
He still had the inhibitor collar on.
This meant that Renegade had not recovered from the torture and was feeling its full effects on his body.
"How the hell did you manage to get here with all your injuries and without taking off your inhibitor collar?" she whispered in disbelief, barely registering the surprised and horrified gasps of her allies. "It should be impossible."
The Amazon immediately felt lighter when Renegade gave her the familiar smirk that always filled her chest with a very pleasant warmth. "Even as a human I am always full of surprises, Princess."
I missed all this. His smile. His nickname for me. Him. I'm so happy and grateful that not even the worst hell on Earth could break him.
"Remove the inhibitor collar immediately." Cheshire ordered sternly.
"I cannot." Renegade grunted. "Waller-"
"Waller can no longer control you in any way." Lady Shiva interrupted him abruptly, giving him a sweet, reassuring smile. "You are completely safe now. Trust us."
"Always." the young assassin whispered without hesitation.
He grabbed a toothpick from his utility belt and stuck it into a tiny slit in the inhibitor collar. A few seconds later it fell to the ground with a clank.
Wonder Woman watched in amazement as the bruises immediately disappeared from his face but shivered when a crunch of a multitude of bones sounded, a sign that they were repairing themselves.
Zatanna stared at him in shock and concern. "How many fucking wounds did you have on you?"
Renegade smirked at her. "Too many to count." he let out a satisfied sigh and cracked his neck. "Much better."
"Already completely healed?" Diana couldn't help but ask.
"Already completely healed."
I will never get used to the extraordinary effectiveness of his healing factor.
"You were literally on the verge of breaking out of the safest and most dangerous prison in the world." Katana pointed out, a note of admiration and surprise in her voice.
"That's right. But I had to neutralize Bordeaux first, otherwise she would have made my head explode as soon as she noticed my escape."
Wonder Woman clenched her fists fiercely, feeling her anger fully wash over her, but she was preceded by Deathstroke.
"Did they plant a bomb in your head?" he growled in a low, dangerous voice. At his son's nod, he turned his explosive fury at Bordeaux who flinched violently. "I'm going to enjoy putting you and Waller through hell."
"Not to interrupt but shouldn't we leave before some guards notice us?"
"I put them all to sleep. We have a long time before they wake up."
"Huh." Renegade sent a smile to Zatanna. "These are the cases where I love magic."
"Renegade, are you really okay?" Wonder Woman asked, swallowing hard at what she would ask. A feeling of ice and terror took hold in her chest, fearing for the answer he would give her. "Did the inmates or guards… did they…?" her voice trailed off as her mouth filled with nausea and acid, her stomach threatening to expel the contents.
"The inmates threatened me and physically attempted to rape me several times but I managed to prevent them from doing so. The guards never attempted to do this but they also did not attempt to intervene to help me."
The Amazon's muscles relaxed at his response and she let out a sigh of enormous relief as did the others, even as she felt the anger clawing ferociously at her stomach to be released against those bastards who attempted to sexually assault her friend and also against the guards who stood by and watched a bunch of pedophiles and rapists attempt to rape a seventeen-year-old.
The most important thing is that Renegade's body was not violated in such a disgusting and inhumane way. It's one of the worst things a human being can suffer and it's a trauma that marks you for life.
"I have good news for Zee and the Princess." Renegade stated, getting the specific attention of the two superheroines. "As soon as I recovered my equipment, I infiltrated the A.R.G.U.S. servers and immediately made sure to permanently erase every single trace of information and evidence they had gathered on the entire Justice League."
Everyone ignored the cries of protest from Bordeaux.
Zatanna sent him a bright smile. "It's absolutely fantastic!" she shrieked and swept him into a fierce hug. "Thank you so much!"
The mercenary chuckled and patted her back. "You're welcome, Zee."
Diana ignored the feeling of jealousy that burned her insides -and now she was finally able to recognize that uncomfortable feeling that she had never felt before getting to know the mercenary better- and she too sent him a bright smile. "That's wonderful, young warrior." she barely held back a smile when she saw him light up at her nickname for him. "The Justice League owes you a favor."
Renegade broke the embrace with the sorceress and sent a mischievous smile to the demigoddess. "Do you want a hug too, Princess?"
Deathstroke's former apprentice clearly meant it as a joke, which is why he was extremely shocked when he saw her nod with a smirk. He stiffened in surprise when he was suddenly wrapped in strong arms - which could have easily broken him in half - and pushed towards Wonder Woman's shoulder.
Dick felt a strong blush appear on his face when he felt her breasts gently slap against his armor and with enormous willpower he managed to suppress a moan at the sensation. He sent silent thanks to whatever deity existed that he no longer had a heartbeat because otherwise it would be so loud that Slade would easily hear it. With automatic, almost robotic movements he returned the hug, his brain in danger of short-circuiting as he processed that Wonder Woman aka his childhood crush aka the woman he was deeply in love with initiated a hug with him.
If it's a dream, don't fucking wake me.
Wonder Woman felt truly comfortable and wonderful in the embrace with Renegade as she had rarely felt in her entire life: it was as if his figure adapted perfectly to her arms.
Hands down it was one of the best feelings I've ever had.
To avoid making it more embarrassing they were forced to break the embrace, even though they both secretly wanted it to last longer: Dick already missed the warmth she gave off just as Diana already missed his figure to wrap tightly in her arms.
Renegade scratched the back of his neck shyly, ignoring the mischievous smirks of the other people in the room. "So… I think it's best to get out of here." he finally said after a brief awkward pause.
Wonder Woman gave him a small smile that churned his stomach. "I wanted to tell you something first." she shifted her gaze to glance at the others. "Alone."
Deathstroke grunted, although unbeknownst to anyone he had a mischievous smirk hidden behind his mask. "Come on. It's none of our business."
"But I want to know what it is!" Cheshire whimpered dramatically, wincing when Katana hit her in the back of the head. "What was that for?"
Katana just stared silently until the younger girl climbed back up onto the roof, using her momentum from the various debris, with a mumble. The other assassins followed her silently, leaving the room to go up to the roof, and Zatanna grabbed Wonder Woman's lasso before leaving, taking Bordeaux with her and careless of the director's pained grunts as she flew up to the roof.
In the end only Renegade and Wonder Woman remained in the Bordeaux office. The young assassin cleared his throat slightly and looked at her with a curious look. "What is this about, Princess?"
Diana took a deep breath, keeping her heart rate under control and keeping it steady so as not to betray signs of nervousness and anxiety since Zatanna had once revealed to her that Renegade had enhanced hearing.
"First I want to tell you that I'm so happy you're okay, Renegade." she started calmly but eventually threw all caution to hell. "I missed you so much."
The Talon was completely shocked by her admission and felt a huge wave of heat fill every fiber of his being. "I missed you too, Princess." he admitted back, stopping himself from prancing around like a lovestruck idiot when he saw her give him a bright, warm smile that made his knees go weak.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from Waller, the A.R.G.U.S. and the rest."
Dick frowned as he saw the deep guilt in her blue eyes, slightly less bright than usual.
He didn't like it at all.
"It's not your fault, Princess." the acrobat hesitated briefly before closing the distance between them slightly to rest his hands on her shoulders, lifting her head slightly to firmly meet his gaze as her height towered over his. "I'm serious. The choice to end up in this hell was mine alone. Do you remember?"
"Only because she threatened us heroes." Wonder Woman pointed out dryly, her eyes staring at him sadly. "The Justice League was supposed to protect you. Not the other way around."
"The government had you all in its grip. There was nothing you could have done and you know it too." Renegade stated, gently squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. "I don't blame the Justice League. Especially not you and Zatanna who entered the most dangerous prison in the world by teaming up with the best assassins to help me and putting your image and reputation at risk. I wouldn't have been mad if you hadn't. I infinitely appreciate what you have done for me."
"We couldn't leave you here." the demigoddess stated softly. "You are one of the best people in the world. This is the last place you deserve to be."
Dick felt his throat close at the raw emotion in her voice and sent her a bright smile, hoping to convey his thanks for her. "Thank you, Diana."
Noticing the shortened distance between them Diana licked her lips nervously and didn't miss how the slits of the mask imperceptibly shifted in the direction of her tongue. An immense amount of fiery heat exploded in her stomach and she felt every fiber of her entire body go up in flames. Her gaze fell briefly on his soft, inviting-looking lips and she looked up at his masked eyes, shivering when she noticed her own breath falling on his face due to their height difference.
The Amazon slowly began to bow her face towards him, her heart threatening to pop out of her ribcage.
"Young warrior." she whispered staring at his masked face, especially his lips which almost seemed to be calling and bewitching her.
The mercenary swallowed heavily and raised his head, starting to move closer to hers.
"Princess." he whispered back in a voice of so much devotion and admiration that it set her chest on fire.
Their heads were so close that now even Diana could feel his warm breath gently soliciting her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Their lips almost touched but still didn't touch in the slightest, almost as if they were both waiting for the other to make the first move.
However, both closed the distance and their lips grew closer and closer.
A little closer…
A little closer…
Suddenly they both jumped sharply as a buzzing noise sounded loudly, causing them to take a step back.
Just like that the magical moment was inevitably destroyed and ruined.
Wonder Woman began to curse in a language Dick recognized as Ancient Greek and an amused snort left his lips, even though his greatest dream had just been shattered. He saw the woman take out what must have been the Justice League's communicator and, from the way her eyes were focused on the device and the absence of other voices, he knew she was reading a message and cursed silently.
Wonder Woman, the woman I'm in love with, and I almost kissed... but the moment that could have been one of the best moments of my entire life was ruined by a fucking text. Thank you, universe, for reminding me how much you hate me.
Wonder Woman quickly read the message and sent curses at Batman who had just called an emergency meeting of the JL.
So close to kissing, dammit!
She took a deep breath in an attempt to regain her composure and leave aside any trace of anger she harbored towards the Dark Knight and cast a displeased look at the young assassin. "I apologize but I have to go. Justice League emergency meeting."
The mercenary offered her a tight, forced smile. "All right. It doesn't matter."
They both knew he was lying and Diana couldn't blame him at all.
The Amazon gave him a smile that she hoped was bright and unforced. "See you around?"
Renegade's fake smile became more genuine and his stiff posture instantly softened, which she noticed. "Of course, Princess. You won't get rid of me that easily." he joked.
"Good. For I will not let you go so easily, young warrior." She stated solemnly and gravely, chuckling at his shocked and surprised look. "See you around, Renegade." She waited for his confirmatory nod before taking flight, grabbing Zatanna – who had left Bordeaux to the assassins – who gave her back her lasso, greeting their allies with a nod and then finally flying away.
Diana remained silent, ignoring every attempt by the sorceress to plead with her to reveal what had happened while she and Renegade were alone, and she had only one thought on her mind.
I hope this is fucking important, Batman, otherwise I'll make you regret ever being born.
Alfred Pennyworth handed a cup of coffee to Bruce who grabbed it, merely thanking him with a grunt. "Still nothing useful about Renegade's civilian identity, sir?"
"Nothing." the younger man grunted again without ever turning to stare at him, his gaze focused on the computer screen.
Batcomputer.
Alfred gulped as his traitorous mind reminded him of Renegade's voice renaming all Batman-related objects and once again his heart clenched painfully at the thought of the closest thing he had as grandson, so young, completely alone and defenseless in the most dangerous and secure prison in the world under the control of the best federal agency in existence.
"Renegade wasn't lying when he said he slowed down any DNA testing that would lead back to his civilian life."
"Any findings on the unknown substance detected in Renegade's blood, Master Bruce?"
"Nothing new." the vigilante shook his head furiously, clearly giving off vibrations of annoyance. "I'm looking into it further to try and find out what it is but I strongly suspect it's why Renegade is a meta-human, although I have no evidence for this."
Alfred just sighed and turned away, infinitely displeased with the darkness that surrounded his son in everything but blood and blaming himself for not trying to do better with him when they were both younger.
If only I had been more of a father figure to the boy instead of a cold and stoic butler, maybe we wouldn't have gotten this far.
He was about to exit the cave Batcave when suddenly a loud crash rang out, forcing him to turn around. Alfred stared at the spilled cup of coffee on the cold, dirty cave floor, the boiling and steaming liquid flowing like a small river but the reproach died in his mouth when his eyes fell on the computer screen.
He froze in place as every inch of his body was filled with a sensation of ice, horror, shock and surprise.
No… it can't be!
Two matches regarding Renegade's civilian identity flashed on the screen.
Correspondence with Richard Wilson: 100%
It was the second correspondence and image that more than anything turned out to be the greatest shock of both men's entire existence.
The smiling face of a seven-year-old stared up at Bruce and Alfred, his name flashing above the image in capital letters.
Correspondence with Richard John Grayson: 95%
They had discovered the true identity of Renegade, the current second best assassin and mercenary in the entire world.
And not only that.
Richard Grayson was alive.
Richard Grayson was Renegade.