AN: In terms of update schedule, we have no update schedule. I write it, and post it as soon as it's done. I will not apologize.

Iris West-Allen

Central City News Broadcast Media

Monday, January 24th, 2013

The Central City news logo flashed across the screen before spinning away to reveal the anchors sitting at the news desk. The lead cameraman waved his hand to cue their start.

"Thank you for joining us this morning. My name is Iris West-Allen." Iris began.

"And I'm Eric Martinez." Her cohost said. Iris took a deep breath and began her report.

"Unfortunately, our first story today is not a happy one. The Gotham City police department has just announced that Richard Grayson, the fourteen-year-old adopted son of billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne, has been abducted."

A school photo of a fourteen-year-old with perfectly neat hair, bright blue eyes, and a wide smile appeared on the screens behind the anchors. Iris' eyes flicked over to the screen and she faltered, her frown deepening. Eric glanced at her before making eyes with the director when it became clear Iris wasn't going to keep reading her cues. The director made a "roll with it!" gesture and Eric continued the story.

"Sources from within the GCPD say that Grayson's absence initially went unnoticed as he was supposedly attending a private tutoring session last Friday; his father became concerned when he had not returned that night and none of his friends had heard from him. The GCPD was called in to investigate, and upon discovering that both Grayson and his tutor were missing, suspected that he had been kidnapped and advised Wayne to wait for a ransom note. After several days with no contact from either Grayson or any potential kidnappers, the GCPD has declared him a missing person and a national manhunt for both Grayson and his tutor has begun. Bruce Wayne has not yet released a statement, although our sources confirm he has been in constant communication with the GCPD. Due to the high-profile nature of his father, the FBI has also opened an investigation."

"I… I'm sorry, this isn't professional but I need to say this." Iris interrupted him, her eyes red as she wiped a tear away. "I know that Bruce Wayne can be a controversial figure, but I have interviewed him a number of times and I have to say, he is a very kind and generous man. Neither he nor his family deserve to go through this."

Eric put a hand on her arm comfortingly and turned back to the camera.

"All of us here at Central City News wish the Wayne family strength in this terrible time. We will continue to keep you at home updated on the situation, and hopefully Richard will be home soon. To move things to a bit of a lighter note, we're going to turn it over to Serfine with the sports update. Serfine?"

On the other side of the studio, the sportscaster nodded and began her rundown. With the cameras and microphones off, Eric turned to Iris.

"Why don't I get you some coffee?" He offered.

"No, it's alright. I'm sorry." Iris wiped her eyes, trying not to smudge her makeup. "I'm so embarrassed, I shouldn't have done that."

"I don't know if Carson will be happy about it, but I'm glad you said something." Eric told her.

"Iris?"

Eric squeezed her shoulder.

"Speak of the devil," he muttered and slunk away to the coffee machine as their boss approached.

"Layla, I'm sorry." Iris had the apology ready. "I know it wasn't professional but-"

"Calm down. I just want to make sure you're alright. Breaking down on camera is not like you, but I know some stories can hit hard. And this is a particularly bad one."

"Yeah." Iris exhaled heavily in agreement.

"Do you need me to call in James to finish the broadcast?" Layla offered.

"No. No, it's okay. I'll be fine. I just got caught up."

"Whatever you need." Layla said, and for all that her boss could be a demanding perfectionist, she had a psychic sense for what the crew needed to hear.

"Here." Eric came back with a fresh cup of coffee for her.

"Thank you." Iris took the mug and wrapped her hands around it. Layla seemed to think she was fine, because she nodded and turned to leave.

"He's friends with my nephew." Iris admitted suddenly. Eric and their boss looked at her in shock. "They… went to summer camp together. They were inseparable and he's just absolutely devastated."

"Oh, shit." Layla's hand flew up to her mouth.

"Jesus Christ." Eric said at the same time.

"I just wish there was something I could do." Iris said, tightening her grip on the cup. "He's such a sweet kid and he has the biggest heart. I wish I could tell Wally it was going to be okay and that he'll come home but… I can't. The world doesn't work like that, does it?"

Neither of her colleagues responded. Iris frowned down into her coffee, watching the liquid swirl around.

"You know… something just seems so wrong about it. He might not seem like the cautious type, but Bruce is always so careful when it comes to the kids. I mean, he had background checks done on all the camp counselors. The police are saying it was the math tutor, but if got past Bruce's screening checks and didn't want a ransom… there has to be something going else on there. This can't be a normal kidnapping."

"When you say it like that." Eric agreed. "Why kidnap the son of one of the richest men on the planet if not for money?"

"Will this story be too close to you?" Layla asked after a moment.

"Doesn't matter. I'm going to find answers." Iris answered, grip tightening around the mug.

"Alright. Then I want you taking the lead on Grayson from now on. Let me know about everything and anything you find."

"Oh, it's my husband. Sorry, I need to take this."

Iris pulled out her phone and stepped into the hallway.

"Hi Bar. No, it's okay, we just finished the morning show. Yeah. It's all set."

Artemis Crock

Gotham Academy

When Artemis walked into calculus, Mr. Torcado was standing at the front of the room looking… well she didn't exactly know the word for it, but it was bad. Honestly, he looked the way Artemis felt. She filed into the room behind Bette, taking her seat and trying to ignore the empty desk next to Barbara. Just because Dick had been out "sick" for the last week didn't make it any easier to ignore the empty space where he should have been.

"Please take your seats and wait quietly for everyone to get here." Their usually-hyper teacher sounded so serious that nobody made a sound. "I have some very bad news and it'll be easier if I only have to go through it once."

Artemis' stomach turned. She had a bad feeling about whatever was coming next.

It was exactly eight twenty-eight when Maya Lewis walked in and took the second to last empty desk. Mr. Torcado sighed and shut the door.

"Before I say this, I want you all to know that there is going to be an assembly today to inform the whole school at once. However, as his classmates the administration felt it was important that you be told first. Dick is missing."

There was dead silence. Bette's jaw dropped while Nick and everyone else in the class turned to look at Dick's empty seat. Babs started crying in shock and Artemis grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly.

Mr. Torcado took a deep breath.

"The police have not released most of the details, but what I was told is that he was abducted last Friday while he was out of the city."

"They'll find him, right?" Someone at the back of the room asked.

"Unfortunately, all we can do is hope that's the case. If any of you would like to go call your parents, please do so. The guidance counselors have also made themselves available specifically for this purpose. For the rest of you, I don't particularly feel like teaching right now, so I'm going to put on some music and we can all take the period off."

Barbara stood up suddenly and practically charged for the door, tears streaming down her face. Artemis was out of her seat before anyone else could react, and she followed the younger girl all the way into the bathroom.

"Babs!" Artemis called. She found her leaning over a sink, fingers pressed into the sides of the porcelain.

"He's not dead." Barbara's voice was steady. "Artemis, I know you know, tell me that he's not dead!"

"Barbara, I don't… I don't know anything more than you."

"Cut the act! I know, okay?!"

"What are you talking about?" Artemis asked worriedly, trying to hide how worried she was that Barbara clearly knew something she shouldn't.

"He told me! Just like I know that- wait comfort me. Now!" Barbara hissed, and before Artemis knew what was happened, the younger girl threw herself at her and began to sob.

Artemis blinked. Barbara had been fine two seconds ago, and now she was wailing, face buried in Artemis' jacket. She brought her hand up awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Her confusion vanished when another freshman walked into the bathroom. The girl blinked, locked eyes with Artemis, and then immediately turned around and walked out. As soon as she was gone, Barbara pulled back and stopped crying completely.

Artemis stared at her.

"How did you know she was coming?"

"You're not the only one with secrets." Barbara shot back, sniffing loudly and wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform jacket. "Look, I'm just going to rip off the Band-Aid. I know he's Robin, I know you're the Arrow Girl from Star City, and I know that Bruce wouldn't have waited a week to tell the world if Robin hadn't been involved somehow. So tell me what's really going on. Is he alive?"

"He's alive." Artemis answered, reeling from the sudden shock. Babs knew?! "How do you know about any of that?!"

"He's my best friend, Artemis. Plus my dad's the commissioner. It wasn't hard to figure out." Barbara took a deep breath and a tiny bit of the tension in her shoulders dropped. "What happened to him? Was he really kidnapped?"

"It's complicated." Artemis said, before deciding that Babs deserved to know the truth. "But basically, the League had a mole. Nobody knew who it was. We had this mission in New Orleans and almost as soon as we got back, Robin broke into the League's headquarters and stole experimental tech we recovered. He hacked the zeta network, met up with an accomplice, and they both escaped. At least that's what we thought. It turns out he was being blackmailed by a mercenary named Deathstroke. He'd been forced to work as his apprentice for years."

"Deathstroke?" Barbara stared, her eyes going wide.

"Yeah, right? Stupid name."

"Black and orange mask?" Barbara sounded like she was going to be sick.

"Uh, yeah. How do you know that?"

"I… I think I saw him. And Dick. Both of them."

"What?! Where?!"

"Not recently!" Barbara corrected frantically. "It was two-on-one against Batman, I thought I could help."

"Where did you see him? How?"

"It was… on a roof. I sort of… went out."

"What do you mean, you went out?"

Barbara leaned in and hissed, "As Batgirl."

Artemis pulled back.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What? I told you, I'm tougher than I look, and I know Gotham as well as anyone. So what's the plan? I can help!"

"I don't know, Babs."

"He's my best friend, Artemis! I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing!"

"No, I mean, I don't know what the plan is." Artemis answered in frustration. "I know that there is one, but everything is being kept under super tight wraps. There's been so many moles and betrayals, I mean, we all thought Ro… that he turned on us before Batman figured it out."

"Dick would never betray you guys."

"I know. He was being blackmailed for a really long time. I don't know a lot about the plan, but they have to make sure nobody can connect him back to…" Artemis leaned in and whispered, "Robin."

Barbara frowned, looking at the ground. Artemis took a breath, tugging at her ponytail while she tried to think of something helpful to say.

"No wonder he was having such a bad time this year." Babs said, hugging her arms around herself. Despite the serious mood, Artemis snorted. That had to be the understatement of the century.

Cindy Fung

Gotham Academy

The hallways were more crowded than usual. Cindy pushed her way through, trying to get to bio on time so Dr. Phillips wouldn't mark her late. She'd already been late to homeroom once that semester, her mom was going to kill her if she got a second tardy. As she made her way to the third floor, she kept overhearing the same conversation over and over from every group of students she passed. Something along the lines of "it's crazy!"

Cindy might have been able to hear more if she tried to pay attention, but she was running late and if it was anything important, Maggie would fill her in later. Maggie knew everything. It wasn't until she saw everyone standing outside the bio room that she started to think something weird was going on. The door was closed, which meant Dr. Phillips was late. He was never late.

"Cindy! Did you hear?!" Alex pulled her over to the group standing closest to the door. Cindy took a quick head count and saw almost all the freshmen in class, even that weird guy Steven who kept track of everyone's middle names. Cindy felt bad thinking of him that way, he was actually really nice.

"Hear what?" She shook her head to refocus.

"There's supposed to be an assembly today."

"Oh, yeah, we just got an email about it this morning." Cindy said.

"Do you know what it's about?" Brandon asked. Alex shook her head.

"They told all the teachers this morning, and apparently Torcado told his calc class this morning."

"What did they say?"

"I don't know. I know a few people in it, but Hannah isn't texting me back and someone saw Babs crying in the bathroom earlier."

"Holy shit." Cindy blinked. "What do you think it is?"

"Oh my god!" Kiera shrieked, holding up her phone. Everyone's eyes snapped to her at the same time.

"What?!" Six people asked at the same time.

"My brother just texted me. Dick was kidnapped."

Cindy froze. Her stomach plummeted through the floor and her heart decided to stop beating. She looked around at the people standing in the hallway, hoping that she'd just missed him earlier and this was a really, really stupid prank.

"Oh my god."

"Did he say how it happened?"

"The police think it was his math tutor but no one knows."

"Is there going to be a ransom?"

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know!" Kiera snapped, her face turning red. "That's all he said!"

The door to the bio room opened before anyone else could say something. Cindy looked at her classmates, then back at the door. Slowly, they all trickled inside.

Cindy felt nauseous. Dick had been kidnapped. He could be hurt or worse. She knew his dad was one of the richest people on the planet, but even though she knew plenty of super-wealthy trust fund brats at the Academy, she'd never thought of Dick as one of them. He was too nice, and really sarcastic but also goofy when he wasn't falling asleep in class. He'd also been the only lab partner she'd ever had who always did his half of the work on time.

He couldn't be gone.

She sat down in her usual seat and tried as hard as she could not to look at the empty seat next to it where Dick was supposed to sit. She pulled her folder out of her backpack and opened it, reaching for the lab report that was due. Another piece of paper fell out with the report.

At the top, it said, "Is Dick sleeping in class again?"

She furiously ripped the paper apart, tears falling down her face.

Kara Danver

GBS News

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2013

"Hi, you've reached Cat Grant's office."

"Hey Cat, it's Layla over at CCN. Do you still have that exclusive with Wayne this week? One of my people found something crazy on the Grayson disappearance and you're going to want to hear it."

"Um, give me one second, Ms. Carson, this is Cat's assistant. I'll get her on the line." The woman said before her voice became muffled. "Ms. Grant? It's Layla Carson from CCN, she has something on the Grayson case."

"Thank you, Kara." Cat Grant took over the call. Her assistant pointed at the phone on her desk and made a questioning thumbs-up, asking if she could listen in. Cat nodded and shooed her away. "Alright, Carson, what do you have for me?"

Kara returned to her own desk and picked up the receiver silently, placing it over her ear so she could listen to the conversation.

"The math-tutor story wasn't sitting right with one of my journalists." Layla said. "She did a background check on the guy and everything looked okay until she started calling around. None of his previous employers had any record of him, his banks didn't know the guy had accounts with them, even his high school said he didn't exist."

"So, who is he really?" Cat laced her fingers together and sat forward, intrigued.

"I have no idea how the hell she managed it, but Iris found a match for his picture on Interpol's most wanted. The guy's a professional hitman, wanted in about two dozen countries for murder and mayhem. Not to mention, he's the guy that blew up the cathedral in Lisbon back in November."

"What?!" Cat shouted, loud enough for Kara to wince. "Kara, get Wayne on the phone, yesterday!"

Artemis Crock

Friday, February 4th, 2013

Nguyen Apartment

"Your friend is here." Her mom said as Artemis walked in the door. Artemis dropped her backpack on the ground and turned with a suspicious eyebrow raised.

"What... friend?" Artemis asked slowly.

"The boy with the red hair." Paula answered casually.

"You let him in?!" Artemis yelped.

"Of course I did, he came to check on you. Why would I turn away someone who clearly is just trying to look out for you?"

"You don't know what he did!"

"Well I might if you ever bothered to tell me things."

"Mom!" Artemis snapped. "I already told you, I can't tell you what's going on and—"

She cut herself off, realizing that she was a gigantic hypocrite for being mad at Wally for keeping secrets when she was doing the exact same thing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"I know you're worried about your other friend. But he is worried about you and I know that you'll feel better once you talk to him. You've never been the kind to suffer in silence."

"Like Jade?" Artemis raised an eyebrow. Her mom shrugged, wheeling herself closer before patting her daughter on the arm.

"I wasn't going to name any names. Now go talk to your friend."

"I know you're mad at me." Wally said after a few minutes of awkward, silent staring. Artemis frowned, wrapping her arms around her stomach uncomfortably. "I get it."

"No, it's not that." Artemis interrupted. She sighed sharply, looking at the wall of her bedroom instead of at him. "I feel like such a hypocrite."

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm mad at you!" She shouted. "And I have no right to be! I lied to you guys the entire time I was on the team about who I was and who my family was, and when the truth came out, you guys understood."

Artemis pointed an accusing finger in Wally's face. "You were supportive! Even though I lied to you and you had every right to be mad, you weren't! And then I find out that the most dangerous mercenary in the world has been blackmailing Robin for years and you knew?! I'm so angry at you, Wally. You knew the whole time and you never said anything, and now Robin is gone and the Team is a mess if it even exists at all anymore, and I'm so mad at you I can barely look at you. I shouldn't be angry! I get why you did it, I really do. If it was me, I probably would have done the exact same thing. And I'm still so... hurt that you and M'gann and Robin kept this from us when we could have helped save him."

Artemis rubbed her face, wiping the angry wetness from her eyes before anyone could accuse her of crying.

"I have no right to be angry at you. But I am and I don't want to be. I want everything to go back to normal, I want Robin to be back, and I don't want to be mad at you anymore."

"Artemis." Wally said gently. "You can't control what you feel. If you're angry, it's because you have a good reason to be."

They sat in silence. Artemis stared at the Cheshire Cat poster hanging above Jade's bed. Wally looked out the window at the lights coming from the apartment buildings across the street. Finally, he blew out a puff of frustrated air.

"I feel this whole thing is my fault. Robin risked everything to try and get help, and I blew it. Lisbon was a disaster. Deathstroke never would have attacked us at S.T.A.R. Labs if I hadn't tried to send the League after him. None of this would have happened."

"Dammit, Wally! This is not your fault!" Artemis snapped, whirling on him in righteous anger. "Deathstroke did this."

"Sure. But I made it worse."

Artemis took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, trying to get all the frustration and anger and worry out. Wally was still glaring at the window like he was trying to develop heat-vision. Artemis changed the topic suddenly.

"I can't believe the League just bought it."

"The Watchtower being part of Batman's plan?" Wally asked. Artemis nodded, relieved that he'd gone along with the change.

"I mean, they were all they when Robin broke in. Plus, they spent an entire week on a global manhunt for him."

"I don't know that any of them really believe it was Batman's plan all along, but nobody wants to dig for answers right now. It'll just make them look suspicious, and after all the mole problems, no one is willing to do that."

"Oh. Right. Well… at least that's one less thing to worry about. Now you just have to figure out how to tell the whole world Dick is being blackmailed without anyone finding out he's Robin. Easy."

Wally snorted in agreement, but it was more bitter than amused.

"Not sure how it happened, but my aunt ended up taking the lead on it. It's kind of out of my hands now." Wally paused, his fingers drumming a nervous rhythm on the windowsill. "I'm freaking out. This was all my idea, and Megan's too. That means it's on us if it all blows up."

"Look, I don't know what your plan involves, but you're not in this alone. This isn't the kind of problem any one person can fix by themselves. Yeah, maybe there's a chance this all blows up, but imagine how much worse it would be not to even try to fix it."

"Yeah, I know." Wally nodded, making a grim shape with his mouth that maybe could have resembled a smile. "You know they burned one of Deahtstroke's real covers. So if nothing else, that will piss him off."

"Good." Artemis said. Wally looked so desperately sad, and all Artemis wanted to do was get him to smile again. But that wasn't really fair to him. "How are you doing?"

"Shitty." Wally snorted. "You?"

"Not great." Artemis admitted. "Everyone at school had been so freaked out and I know it's just going to get worse when more stuff comes out."

"Yeah." Wally agreed.

"Why did Batman—Bruce, god that ever stop being weird?"

"Knowing their identities?" Wally asked. Artemis nodded. "Not even a little. If you want to keep yourself sane, never watch any of the old playboy Brucie gossip shows. Speaking of, they're cutting into the broadcast soon, if you want to watch it."

"I don't think 'want to' is the right word, but yeah."

Cat Grant

GBS Newsroom

"Thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Cat Grant, speaking to you live from GBS Headquarters. We're joined tonight by Bruce Wayne himself. Bruce, thank you so much for being here. I can't tell you how sorry I am for what your family has been going through."

"Thank you, Cat."

"To our viewers at home who are not currently aware of the situation, Richard John Grayson is fourteen years old. He is a freshman at Gotham Academy, a member of the math team and an active participant at the local food bank. Richard was last seen three weeks ago and on the day of his suspected abduction. Mr. Wayne?"

"Thank you." Bruce looked visibly distraught. "Richard is the most caring and kind person you could ever meet. He is a loving older brother and a devoted friend. We are desperate to find him and bring him home safely. We are looking for any information on his whereabouts. Please, if you have any knowledge that may help the GCPD find him, please call this toll-free number."

The interview continued, with Cat prompting Bruce to talk about his missing son in an attempt to extract any information the public needed to know. Everything was running smoothly until the lights suddenly went dark and surprised gasps went up from the studio.

"What's going on?" Cat demanded.

"Are we still rolling?" Bruce asked, sounding confused and uncertain.

"Wayne." A voice growled from the darkness. "We need to talk."

"Is that…"

"Batman!" Another reporter hissed.

A hissing noise filled the air and suddenly the room was filled with smoke cloud. The next second, the sound of shattering glass echoed crashed through the studio. As it cleared, Cat jumped into action and began barking orders.

"Does anyone have eyes on Wayne?!" Cat demanded. The security team Wayne had brought with him was on high alert, shouting instructions at each other and looking for their charge.

"There!" Kara gasped, pointing out the window to the low rooftop of the next building. Batman had the billionaire pinned to the brick exterior with one fist. Robin stood next to them, arms crossed over his chest and a furious glare on his face.

"Get a camera on them!"

"What have you done?!" Batman growled, loudly enough for the camera to pick up, even from a distance.

"What are you talking about?!" Bruce shouted back.

Batman's response was mostly inaudible, until his voice became a shout, "—impersonate a tutor?!"

"I didn't know!" Bruce could be heard shouting. "Please, Batman, you have to find him! He's in danger and it's my fault!"

"Batman, stop!" Robin shouted, pulling the Dark Knights' arm back. "Look at him! He didn't know!"

Cat did the only thing she could think of; she grabbed a microphone and stepped in front of a camera.

"Several days ago, we received an anonymous tip that Grayson's supposed math tutor was actually a man posing under a false identity. At the time, we believed it was little more than rumor, but given the fact that Batman himself appears to be interrogating Wayne for his part in his son's disappearance, we at GBS believe that you, the public, are owed the truth. Our anonymous source claimed that Richard Grayson was abducted by the high-profile mercenary Slade Wilson, who operates under the name Deathstroke the Terminator. What this mysterious man's intentions with Richard are, it cannot bode well for his safety."

M'gann M'orzz

Just outside the GBS Newsroom

"Let's go." Batman growled to Robin, and the two of them shot their grappling lines and swung away seconds before the billionaire's security team stormed the roof. Anyone who was intimately familiar with the Dynamic Duo would have noticed something strange; Batman moved far slower than usual, as if he was trying to allow Robin to keep up. And Robin, who usually flew through the air with the greatest of ease, looked clumsy and uncoordinated in comparison. Fortunately, the eyes of the world weren't on the Dynamic Duo; instead, the dozens of cameras and phones pointed at the scene were focused on the rumpled billionaire being helped back to his feet by his security agents. By the time anyone remembered the superhero team, they were long gone.

'I am with your security team now.'

'Have them take you back to Wayne Tech and go right to my office, have someone else tell Cat the interview is over. I'll be over in a few minutes to switch back with you.' Batman answered over the mindlink.

'Very well.'

'Thank you, uncle J'onn.' M'gann added gratefully as she landed behind Batman on a concealed fire escape. He held the window open for her to climb through before following her inside. He pulled the window closed, locked it, and covered it with a shade before leading her deeper into the safehouse.

The safehouse was more of a two-room apartment, mostly empty except for a tall chamber on the far side of the room.

"This is the fourth zeta location in Gotham. If you need to come in or out of the city from now on, come through here and disguise yourself before leaving though the building's main entrance. There can be no sign of any kind of shapeshifters in Gotham, Martian or otherwise."

"I know." M'gann said. Batman nodded at her.

"This location is secure, you can drop the disguise."

"Right." She nodded, pulling off the gloves and utility belt and shedding the outer layer of Robin's costume before shifting back into her own body… or at least, her preferred disguise as Megan Morse. "I have the schedule, I'll see you for the next patrol."

"Good." Batman said before gathering the discarded pieces of Robin's uniform and disappearing into the zeta-beam.

Dick Grayson

Somewhere in Manhattan

Some date that is either the day after the Watchtower, or several months later. It's impossible to know.

The alarm goes off. I don't even try to turn it off. Eventually, the constant blaring just fades into background noise, like the remnants of a bad dream.

The door opening is a new sound.

"Get up." Slade orders. The brief second where I wasn't sure where I was crashes apart and burns.

"No." I grumble, my head buried under the pillow.

"You have five minutes before the automatic lock shuts you in here for the next twelve hours. And you are mistaken if you think I will let you out before then."

"I said I'm not working for you anymore. Why do you care when I get up?" I spit, checking to see that it's almost 5:45 in the morning. Slade is standing in the doorway, a raised eyebrow on his otherwise blank face when I look at him.

"Because you may not have anywhere to be, but I have a tight schedule I need to keep to. If you have any interest in leaving this room today, you have four and a half minutes."

"Screw you." I sneer, pushing off the covers and heading for the bathroom. Five minutes isn't a lot of time to get changed and brush my teeth, and Slade still hasn't moved from the doorway when I come back out.

"Can I help you?" I ask sarcastically.

"I don't care for your tone." Slade answers.

"What, does it hurt your feelings?" I shoot back.

"I believe you owe me an apology for your rudeness."

Is he seriously doing this? It's not enough that he tricked me into ruining my life and then kidnapped me, he's going to treat me like nothing has changed?

"What are you going to do if I don't? Because there's no way in hell I'm apologizing to you, asshole."

Somewhere in the back of my head, I know talking to him like this is a truly terrible idea. But, it's not even six in the morning and I'm exhausted and I barely slept at all last night, so it's safe to say my brain isn't working right now. The alarm bells are working though, and they start going off as soon as Slade's eyebrow rises even higher.

"What am I going to do to you? Absolutely nothing. You see, I don't need to. Don't forget, I know you, maybe even better than you know yourself. I'll tell you exactly what I'm doing, if you'd like."

"I don't care." My palms feel clammy and my heartbeat speeds up.

"We both know that's not true. You're pretending to be angry and lashing out because you're scared. You know that I can and will leave you in this room without a second thought. And if there's one thing that just breaks you," my stomach clenches violently, "it's being trapped."

"Fuck you, Slade."

"Lashing out again." His hand shoots out and grabs the front of my shirt, dragging me off balance so his face is only a few inches from mine. My feet scramble to find the floor and I grab his hand, trying to wrench myself free but his grip is too strong. A beat of sweat rolls down my back and fighting back the wave of terror is impossible. Slade grins, his eye ice cold, and I haven't been this scared since that day in the Haunt.

We'll try again in a few days.

"We both know what I could do to you." Slade's voice is almost a whisper. "But I don't need to do any of it."

He drops the grip and I stumble back into the room, trying to get away from him.

"I don't need to hurt you to get what I want, because I already have you. This is your new cage, Richard. It's only a matter of time before it breaks you."

Silence fills the room and I fight back the flood of terrified emotions.

"Speaking of time, you have less than a minute before the door locks. And I'm still waiting for that apology."

I freeze, terror seizing my chest. The walls are too close and I have to get out of here, no matter what it takes.

"I'm sorry!"

For a terrifying second, I think Slade is going to laugh in my face and slam the door. Instead, he nods and the smug look on his face gets more pronounced.

"Apology accepted. Let's go." With that, he disappears down the hall. I hurry out the door and freeze on the other side. There's a chance he was bluffing. That chance evaporates when a red LED turns on above the door and it slams shut on its own, a whirring sound behind the lock mechanism. I try the handle and it doesn't even turn.

Holy shit. He wasn't bluffing. He was not bluffing, and if I'd waited five more seconds, I'd be stuck on the other side of that door for the rest of the day.

I stumble down the hallway, passing a small bathroom and assorted closets before I reach the combined kitchen, dining room, living room area. The kitchen appliances are all brand new and the cabinets and furniture are all made of dark brown wood. The living room area has a glass table, a sleek couch and some chairs and there's even a tv.

Slade is pulling items out of cabinets and I slowly sink onto one of the stools in front of the counter where a bowl has been set out.

He puts a box of cheerios, a carton of milk and a bunch of bananas in front of me. I take the cereal box and fill the bowl numbly; I might not want to, but I'll definitely regret it later if I don't eat anything. I try to eat, but the everything just tastes like sawdust in my mouth. Slimy, gross sawdust.

"And there's not even any coffee," I grumble to myself, trying to pretend that the food is the part that makes this so horrible.

"What was that?" Slade turns around after putting the boxes away.

"Nothing." I mumble.

"Richard." Slade warns.

"Fine! I said, what, no coffee?" I snap. Slade stops, then turns back to the cabinet and pulls out a pack of grounds.

"You can have coffee if you'd like." He answers.

I blink.

"Uh… what?"

"Coffee is a perfectly reasonable request," Slade says like he didn't just slam me against a wall a few minutes ago for telling him to screw off. And then he proceeds to start making coffee for me. I stare at him, my brain screaming as I try to figure out what the hell is going on. He's being nice?! He doesn't do nice! Even when I was younger, he only ever acted nice to get me to trust him.

"Can you just fucking pick a side!" I shout suddenly, surprising us both.

"Excuse me?" Slade does not sound happy and it fills me with rage.

"That's exactly what I mean! Stop pretending to be nice! You kidnapped me, asshole! Five minutes ago you threatened to lock me in that tiny room if I didn't grovel at your fucking feet!"

Slade doesn't answer, he just gives me a look and then turns around to start the water boiling. My heart skips a beat with the burner lights up and the blue-hot flames leap into existence. I gulp, taking a step back as if that's going to be enough if Slade decides to throw boiling water at me.

"Alright." Slade says. "I was going to give you the rest of the day to adjust, but it's time to go over the ground rules."

He leaves the pot of water on the stove and walks over to the table. I let out the breath I was holding.

"Sit." He says. When I don't move, he sighs. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

Balling my hands into fists, I sit in the seat farthest away from him.

"There are a few things you need to know. As far as this apartment goes, all of the doors are equipped with electronic locks. You will only have access to certain rooms at specific times. You will have full access to the living room at all times. You will get three meals a day, but any deviation from the schedule may result in missing a meal. You will be out of your room before six every morning. The door will lock automatically and it will not unlock until six pm.

"Why?"

"To encourage you to keep to your schedule."

"Right, and how exactly is this not you threatening me?"

"The room locks ensure that you are where you need to be. That will allow me to continue my work uninterrupted without needing to supervise you at all times. It is not a punishment, but I will allow you greater mobility and flexibility as you earn the privilege."

Earn the privilege, yeah right. A bigger cage is still a cage.

"Unless I am otherwise occupied, there will be three training sessions per day. You will be in the gym at six-thirty sharp for the morning session, and again at eight in the evening. I will meet you here for the second session at three in the afternoon. That schedule may be adjusted as needed, depending on the pace of your progress."

"What part of 'I'm not working for you anymore' did you miss?"

"I should have specified; the training sessions are optional. However, given that you don't have very much else to do in the way of activities, I think you'll find they aren't the worst ways to pass the time."

"And if I don't follow your stupid plan?"

"I will not force you to obey me, but I will demand a basic level of respect. So long as you don't go out of your way to antagonize me, I will show you respect in turn. Does that sound reasonable?"

"If you actually held up your side, it might."

"I am a man of my word."

I actually snort out loud at that.

"No, you are absolutely not."

"Do you have something you'd like to say?" Slade leans forward, arms cross on top of the table.

"That depends, are you going to hit me for saying it?" I shoot back, leaning away from him and hoping he doesn't notice how tightly my arms are pulled against my stomach.

"No." Slade says. "I won't touch you unless it's during combat training."

There it is again? What the hell is going on?

"Why are you being nice? What happened to all that creepy, 'You belong to me' crap?!" I demand, heart pounding in my chest. I don't want to remind him of that, I don't ever want to go back to that 'obedience or death' threat, but I don't understand what's going on. Slade is being as nice as he's capable of being and I don't understand why!

"Richard." Slade says softly, something almost like pity in his voice. "Look around. I feel no need to restate what should be glaringly obvious."

Fuck. No, he's wrong. Just because I'm trapped in this building with him doesn't mean he owns me, it just means that he's a controlling egomaniac.

"Why are you even bothering with any of this? Why not just beat me into submission until you get what you want? Or better yet, use one of those stupid chips on me and be done with it."

"Because I do not want a brainless minion. You may not understand this yet, but I do value your input. When you're not overwhelmed by the need to be a hero, you're intelligent, clever and highly resourceful. If I just wanted extra muscle, I would hire it."

"What do you want from me?"

"Ideally, I would like your loyalty. If that's not possible, then at least your cooperation."

"That's never going to happen."

"You agreed to this, Richard. You can't be surprised at my end goals, not when you've known them for years."

"Yeah, well maybe you lost some of my trust when you SHOT my best friend! Oh, and how about that time you tied me up in your underground bunker and made me think you were going to starve me to death!"

Slade sighs heavily.

"I'm sorry."

"No!" I shout, slamming my hands on the table. "You don't get to just say sorry! Own up to the fact that you're a monster or let me go!"

"If you're that desperate to leave, then go. I won't stop you."

"But you'll kill my family, right?" I spit.

"Yes." Slade answers, a heavy weight behind the word. At least he's not treating the lives of the people I love as a joke.

I sink down into the chair, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Is that all or do you still have more rules?" I grumble.

"There's just a few more." Slade says calmly. "There's a fully equipped gym on the twelfth floor, as I mentioned before. The elevator has a special swipe card for access; you will only be able to call the elevator once you swipe and it will only take you to the twelfth floor. Any attempts to go to a different floor will be punished accordingly. Aside from training, you'll have access to the gym from three to six in the afternoon. If there's equipment you'd like that isn't already there, I'll arrange for it to be installed."

Ugh.

"On days when I am not here, I will leave a workout and a list of tasks for you to do. You will have access to the gym upstairs from noon until eight instead of the usual hours."

"What if someone else is in there?"

"It's private access. There's no one else in the building who knows it exists."

"Convenient."

"There's only one more thing." Slade ignores my comment. "I've made arrangements for your schooling to continue."

For a second, the only thing I can do is stare at him.

"Are you serious?" I demand. "I'm actively being held hostage and on top of that you're going to make me do homework too?"

"You need to get an education."

"I was getting a pretty good one until someone kidnapped me." I shoot back.

"I've enrolled you in an online homeschooling program. You'll have six hours scheduled Monday through Friday to do your work." Slade says like he didn't hear me. "You will get a five-minute break every hour. Any additional time you waste will be added on at the end of the session."

"I'm not doing that."

"You have two options. Either you can do this program, or I will tutor you personally. I can assure you, neither of us will be very happy with that arrangement but I will honor your decision."

"Wow, more time with you? How could I possibly say no?" I mutter under my breath. I know for a fact Slade still hears me, but he lets it slide.

"In addition to your school work, you will also get ten hours a week to work on your coding projects with Hardison. Other than this, you will not have access to any technology without my direct supervision."

"I want to do video calls." I say immediately, seizing on the idea of actually getting to see another human being besides Slade.

"Absolutely not."

"He's trustworthy! Otherwise you'd never let me near him."

"His trustworthiness is not the issue. If you can prove that you are capable of behaving yourself, I will consider your request."

The pot of water on the stove starts boiling loudly, and Slade stands up.

"Those are the rules. If you follow them, you'll find that the next few years don't have to be miserable. If you deliberately flout them, you may find the opposite. Do you understand?"

I cross my arms over my chest.

"Loud and clear."

Day 1? The count has to start somewhere.

The alarm clock goes off at quarter of six. I pull myself out of bad slowly, exhaustion making my body heavy. I change into a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt, then brush my teeth. It's 5:52.

Plenty of time.

I open the door and make my way towards the kitchen. I make sure to leave the door open so it doesn't lock me out for the next twelve hours.

I don't hear Slade in the kitchen, so at least that's one good thing. I pass through the living room and my gaze snags on the sunrise coming over the tops of the skyscrapers. Off in the distance, I see the peak of the Chrysler building and I wonder what part of Manhattan I'm in. Too bad I'll never get to go outside.

I open the fridge. It's empty except for three plates covered in saran wrap. They've each got a post-it note stuck to them. I grab the one marked "breakfast" and take off the saran wrap. It's a cold plate of eggs and sausage.

It tastes even worse than it looks.

After I finish eating, I see the note on the counter. There's a short workout on it, along a book about the history of Rhelasia and a beginner Rhelasian language textbook.

Slade's not here today. I let out a deep breath and reach for the history book.

Day 2

Slade's bo-staff slashes through the air. I raise mine to meet it and they collide with a loud snap. I push up on his and kick towards his legs. Slade pulls back and then spins around, his bo-staff whipping in a circle. I block to the right, stopping the attack before it slams into my face.

He decided to pick up weapons training exactly where we left off, and I'm really starting to regret coming to this training session at all. It does feel good to let my frustration out, and the when I manage to land a hit on Slade, it feels great. But I'm not a fan of the part where he hits back.

I slide back and lower my stance. Slade readjusts and I spring into the air, bringing my staff down towards his head. Slade raises his weapon to block it and I pull the staff up, trying to hit him with the bottom end. Slade dodges around the blow and jabs his weapon into my side.

I land softly and spin, pushing his staff out of the way with mine before the hit lands. While Slade is still off balance, I slash down again. He dodges backwards then switches to the offensive. I swing the bo-staff and move backwards slowly while Slade advances. I watch Slade's body, ignoring how fast he's swinging his weapon.

We move at the same time, our staffs crashing together to make an 'x' between us. Slade pushes down with crushing force, pressing my staff against the ground. He doesn't move, and I try to pull my weapon free but it's trapped. My heart thuds in my chest and I'm starting to breathe heavily. Slade whirls around, and the pressure on my staff disappears at the same time Slade's staff sweeps towards my chest. I duck under and the staff passes over me. I aim for Slade's legs, but he plants one foot on top of my weapon and puts his weight on it, pulling me off balance.

At the same time, his staff slams into the side of my chest. I stumble, trying to keep my hands on my staff as pain erupts in a long line across my side. Slade lifts his foot and lets me readjust my grip.

There's a glint in his eye that looks too much like laughter. This is fun for him.

I charge forwards and swing, launching a series of close quarter blows. Slade matches them all but he's starting to sweat. He brings his staff up to block a downward strike and my staff slips under his after the initial hit. Switching directions, I jab my staff forwards, striking his sternum.

Slade stumbles back, lowering himself into a defensive stance. He shakes his head and the momentary excitement from landing a hit is replaced by fear. The glint in his eye is still there.

Slade moves so fast I can barely track his movements. I watch his body and block when he swings in a wide arc and push away when he tries to jab. He drives me back with blow after blow, but I manage to block them all. My arms start to burn as he swings down, bringing his staff towards my head. I raise my staff to meet his and the force of his hit makes my arms shake. The end of his staff snaps up and hits mine. The blow rips my staff out of my hands, sending it flying through the air. It hits the left side wall about thirty feet it the air and clatters to the ground.

Slade's staff swings through again, but I have no way to stop it from slamming into my stomach. I shout as the wind flies out of my lungs and I fall to my hands and knees, gasping for air. My stomach burns in agony and I curl inwards. My stomach is on fire and I can't get any air and Slade is standing over me.

"That was much better," he says, ignoring the tears running down my face and the way my face is turning red and he throws my staff down next to me. "Again."

Asshole.

Day 6

I feel like I'm just starting to get a handle on the routine when Slade breaks it. I'm reading the Rhelasian history book in the living room when Slade throws something at me and I catch it reflexively. When I see that it's Renegade's uniform, I wish I'd dropped it.

"Put it on." Slade says. "We have a meeting."

"I don't work for you, remember?"

"Make an exception."

"What? No!"

Slade crosses his arms and glares at me. It's the dangerous kind of glare that makes the room colder and sends ice down my spine.

"You will be attending this meeting one way or another. Richard Grayson can be tied up and dragged in front of the camera, or Renegade can quietly stand in the back. Your choice."

"Will get mad at me if I swear at you?" I ask tightly, heart pounding as I wrap my head around the fact that he's not bluffing. I'm not getting out of this meeting. The longer I fight this, the worse it'll get and I don't really want to see what Slade's version of punishment looks like if he's not going to just beat me up. Slade raises an eyebrow. "Fine. Then I won't say it. But if I do this, I want something for it."

"What makes you think that's how any of this works?"

"Because you like to keep a tight schedule, remember?" I meet his eye with a challenge, pulling a smile that I really don't feel onto my face. "You can either waste time trying to get me to cooperate, which will almost definitely make you late for your important meeting, or you can do one tiny thing for me and both of us are happy."

The look on Slade's face is half-annoyed, half-amused. "And what would that request be?"

"I want more books. Stuff that's just for fun, that Rhelasian history book doesn't count. And I know you're not going to give me any electronics, so I won't ask. I just want some books to read."

"Alright. You have a deal. But I expect you on your very best behavior."

"Fine."

The meeting takes place in the apartment directly across the hall from the one I spend most of my time in. Convenient. There's an office set up where "my" apartment has a living room, and beyond that is a room with screens on every wall. Slade directs me to stand at the back and be generally silent and motionless. Then he sets up the call, and I almost choke when Vandal Savage shows up on the screens.

"Deathstroke. You've certainly been busy lately."

"I'm sure the same could be said about you, Savage."

"Amusing, as ever. Although I have some concerns about your choice of company. I believe I told you it would be a difficult charge to shake."

"Be careful not to put too much stock in rumors."

"Is it him?"

"You'll have to be more specific, Vandal."

"You said you'd acquired a student, and yet, you never specified where."

"You know I don't discuss my other clients. Confidentiality is one of the reasons people seek my services, after all."

I don't let myself smile at the look of irritation that flashes across Savage's face.

"Grayson's disappearance is tied to you in the same week that Batman happened to uncover our plans. The timing seems suspicious."

Oh shit. It takes everything I have to fight back a flinch. Savage was talking about Deathstroke's student, I really should have put together that he was talking about me. If Savage is suspicious, this could get bad. Fast.

"Batman's meddling does have an irritating habit of getting in the way," Slade agrees casually. That's when it hits me; Savage doesn't know that Slade told me about the chips. He might suspect that I'm Renegade, but he has no idea how Robin or Slade are involved. He dropped Grayson... my name... but that's just a guess. He's just fishing, and Slade isn't going to give him anything. He's… on my side. Or at least, he's against Savage. "Now, would you care to move on to business or did you just call for a pleasant chat?"

Savage's lead-in is long winded and boring, dancing around the point for about ten minutes before he finally gets to it. Slade let him talk, no sign of the irritation other than the stiffening of his shoulders that I think I'm the only person in the world who can recognize as a tell.

"You wanted your chance to join the Light. I'm making you the same offer that my colleagues are making to a dozen others. Ten million dollars, and a seat at the table. All you have to do is bring me back my chips and that sidekick brat who got in the way." Vandal Savage said.

"You want Robin?" Slade asks like it's the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard.

"We have a leak. That brat got his information somehow, and he will pay for his interference. And if we can break the little bird in the process, well that's just a bonus."

My blood freezes.

Ten million dollars is… an insane amount of money. And becoming a member of the Light? What if Slade decides he'd rather have that than an apprentice who just makes trouble?

My mouth is dry and the nausea builds as Slade's hand lands on my shoulder.

"It's a generous offer, Savage. I'll let you know when I find something." Slade says, with no intention of letting Savage know that the things he wants so badly are right in front of his nose.

The camera finally turns off and Slade pulls off his mask, gesturing it's safe for me to do the same. But I can't move. I can't look away.

"They don't know?" The words sound so quiet and I hate that I sound so… vulnerable. I hate being helpless.

"No. They don't." Slade opens the door out of the screen room and I follow him into the office he has set up. It's totally different than the office in the Haunt, and if I didn't know who he was or what he did for a living, I'd never be able to guess that it was the office of a mercenary instead of like… an accountant. "Sit down if you'd like. There are some things you need to know."

He sits behind the desk, one leg crossed casually over his knee. My eyes flick over the computer, glancing across the wifi router on the ceiling, and finally meet Slade's gaze. He raises an eyebrow and I look away. He knows as well as I do that I could get a message out to the outside world using his computer, but doing anything like that definitely qualifies as trying to escape. I'm not giving him any excuse to hurt my family. Instead, I sit down in one of the chairs across the desk from him.

"The Light has no idea what's going on." Slade says without preamble. "They know that Robin apparently broke onto the Watchtower, attacked their inside agent, and escaped with all but one of the chips. They also know that the League spent a week attempting to find him, and during this search period, their agent managed to track down a second chip with no sign of either Robin or the rest of the chips. Because of this, they are suspicious of a trap, especially after Batman and Superman revealed that Robin's actions were part of a sting they'd set up to flush out the mole and that they had closed in on a suspect."

"They said what?" My jaw drops.

"Apparently, the members of the League were not happy to discover that Batman had gone behind their backs. Neither were they happy to learn they'd spent a week looking for someone who was not actually missing. Of course, in all that confusion, no one is exactly sure how the other disappearance fits in."

"What?"

Slade's fingers fly over the keyboard before he turns the monitor towards me. It's Cat Grant in her studio, and sitting Bruce is sitting across from her. The banner across the screen says, "Exclusive with Bruce Wanye, Worried Father Opens Up About Son Richard Grayson's Abduction!"

I watch in horror as Bruce talks about me, about my disappearance and how worried my family is. But something's off. It's not his real voice, there's nothing normal about his mannerisms or even the worried tone in his voice. It's an act for the camera.

"He's putting on the show the world wants to see." Slade nods. "After all, I'm sure this is how you'd talk about someone when you've called off the search for them."

"Turn it off." I look away, "Please. I don't want to watch anymore."

"There's more." Slade says, and even though I don't want to look, I can't stop myself from turning back to the screen. Cat is making sympathetic noises to punctuate Bruce's fake sob story, and I can't watch it anymore. I don't understand why he's lying, why he's being so fake. Isn't there an ounce of real emotion he could manage? I thought… he might think I betrayed him, but I'm his son. How can he not really care?

The lights go dark suddenly, and the audio lets out a loud shriek of feedback.

"Wayne. We need to talk," a deep voice growls, and suddenly, I have no idea what's going on. Because that's Batman's voice, but how can it be if Bruce is being interviewed on National Television?

There's the sound of glass shattering and then the sound goes all staticky. It's a few seconds before someone yells, "Get a camera on them!"

The screen changes and the only thing I can do is stare. Batman has Bruce pinned to a brick wall with one fist. There has to be someone else wearing the costume, because Batman is several inches taller than Bruce as he towers over him.

"What have you done?!" Batman growls on screen.

"What are you talking about?!" Bruce shouts back. I have no idea what's going on… but then my heart stops. Standing next to Batman, with his hands crossed over his chest, is… me.

It's Robin. But it looks exactly like me. It's someone doing a perfect job trying to be me.

"What's going on?" I ask. My voice trembles, and I barely even notice when Slade stops the video. "It's a fake. How did they… what's… what are they doing?"

"You've been replaced."

"What? No. No, this can't be real! You… you must have faked it!"

"Plenty of things are being faked here, but make no mistake, Richard. This is Wayne's way of cleaning up the mess you left behind."

"Who is that?!" I demand, pointing at the fake me on screen. Slade shakes his head once, still watching me with that reluctant look on his face.

"You would hope that Wayne would have learned his lesson about putting his children in danger, but apparently not. Let's hope Jason has more luck than you did."

"No. That's not real, he wouldn't… Jay's gonna get himself killed! He's not ready to be-"

"Did that stop him from letting you out?"

I stop dead and stare at him.

"That's different!"

"Is it? It certainly didn't stop him from letting your friend Barbara into the field."

The words land, and they land hard.

"Slade, I have to do something, they're going to get themselves killed! Please!"

"You're unbelievable. All you ever wanted was to protect them, and how do they repay that loyalty? Batman replaced you, Richard. Everything you did as Robin, the name you created, the legacy you built, he threw it all away and passed it on to the next available body."

"No. You're wrong, it has to be…. no! He wouldn't! There has to be a reason, I know there's a reason."

"You want a reason? He was protecting himself from the fallout of your betrayal. He knows what you've done. He knows what it would do to Batman's reputation if his sidekick turned out to be a traitor, so he painted Bruce Wayne as the hapless imbecile who was taken advantage of by the conniving teen he tried to give a home to. Pay attention, Richard. Everything he's done, that beautiful confrontation he staged, it all absolves himself of responsibility for your actions."

I can't breathe.

"Look at Robin. See exactly how easy it was for your father to replace you."

"No."

"That's all you were to him. You were a useful tool, but never irreplaceable. And now you've betrayed him and everything he stands for."

"I didn't."

Slade doesn't say anything, he just watches me with that stupid, pitying look on his face.

"I didn't! He knows I didn't! Wally wouldn't… he would've told him that-"

"Your friend knows better than to open his mouth. He understood the consequences very well when we… talked."

"B...because you shot him!"

Slade shakes his head disbelievingly.

"Everyone in your life has turned their backs on you. You're alone, Richard. Even if you did manage to weasel your way out, do you really think any of them will accept you back?"

"Fuck you!"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. It's unfair that your loved ones don't share the same undying loyalty you have towards them. But you deserve to know the truth about how they feel."

My hands are shaking and nausea rises in my stomach. The Light has a ten-million-dollar bounty on my head and every villain in the world is going to be gunning for Jason, or whoever Bruce stuck into the Robin suit. Into MY suit.

"Why are you doing this?" I hate that it comes out as a whimper.

"Richard, you are intelligent, resourceful and talented. You have so much potential, and it is not going to be wasted on people who don't appreciate you."

"Like you do?" I spit, wiping the stinging tears away from my eyes before they can fall. I'm not going to cry in front of Slade. I'm not.

"I've always appreciated you. I know who you are, Richard. I know everything about you and I promise you, no matter how much you may hate me, I will not turn my back on you."

Instead of answering, I grind my teeth together. Slade isn't on my side. He kidnapped me. He's holding my family's lives over my head. He's spent years lying to me and manipulating me! He's not my friend. I can't trust him!

So why the hell did something in my chest relax when he said that? Why does some stupid part of me feel relieved? Shit, is this Stockholm Syndrome? Can I even trust my own brain anymore?

My internal monologue cuts off abruptly when Slade puts something down on the desk between us.

"Here. You thought I wouldn't trust you with any electronics. This is a show of good faith."

It's an iPod. Complete with a charger and headphones.

"You may download any books or music that you'd like. If you can prove yourself to be responsible with it, I might allow you to download movies. I will be monitoring your account and if I see any activity that I have not explicitly allowed, which I will emphasize because I know exactly how good you are with technology, I will take the device away permanently. Does that sound reasonable?"

"Any books I want? Any music?" I ask, totally stunned. This is… way beyond anything I could have hoped for. It's too good to be true. It has to be. Slade wouldn't just trust me with something like this.

"So long as you follow the conditions, I've given you, then yes. Of course, if you'd prefer hardcover books, you can have those instead."

"No, I…" I reach out to take the iPod, my fingers trembling. There's part of me that expects he's going to pull it away at the last second, or tack on another condition that's going to rip away this tiny moment of… something. But he doesn't. A wave of confusion crashes over me when I'm holding the iPod and there's no catch. Slade just leans back and crosses his arms over his chest casually. I look up at him and he doesn't say anything. "…thank you."

So many developments! Poor Dick is so confused and the game has officially begun. It seems like Slade has all the cards, but this isn't Dick versus some unknown threat. He's had a few years to get used to Slade and all of his tricks. I wonder if that will be enough?

Also, the Light knows that there's a connection between "Batman's plan" for Robin to steal the chips and Richard Grayson's disappearance. But just because Savage has his suspicions doesn't mean any of them have the answers. Dick may have been tricked into making a horrible mistake, but he well and truly destroyed the Light's sources of information in the process. So it's not all bad, right?

I'm dying to hear what you guys think! I had so much fun writing this chapter and all the mind games and moving parts. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!