So apparently an earlier version of this chap got posted instead of the finalized version and I didn't catch it earlier;p My bad. So this is a repost but with the correct editing lol. Enjoy!

Ok, so this chapter references the previous chapter, Chloroform. It's only a small reference, but if you are curious, there it is. Also, since the show aired in 2010 (with Dick being 13) that will be the year I use here to base everything off of, meaning that, with Dick as an 11 year old, the year is 2008-ish.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these awesome characters, only the plot they are used in.

Truth Serum

Ugh again, Dick complained, as his senses began returning to him—in particular his sense of taste. He was well acquainted with the vile chemical tang coating his tongue and mouth.

Chloroform.

Quickly remembering his training, Robin made no move to shift his slack muscles or facial features.

In these situations, being able to continue the façade could be your best chance of escaping—or learning anything about your assailants.

With Batman's words firm in his mind, Robin began taking stock of his situation. Now that he was allowing himself to focus on other things, he became aware of the ache in his shoulders. His arms were strung up over his head and, judging by the pressure on his wrists, it was with handcuffs of some kind. From the ache in his shoulders, he guessed he had been strung up for no more than two hours.

But how did I get here?

Robin tried flipping through his memories. Then it all came back to him. This was day four of the training exercise. His test.

Feeling a strange mix of anticipation at what was coming and calm at knowing he wasn't truly in danger, he tried to deduce his surroundings. He had a good guess as to where he was, but it never hurt to be certain.

Opening his senses, Robin took in all they had to tell him. Aside from the cuffs on his wrists, he seemed to have no- restraints on him and, judging by the feel of the cuffs, he still had his gloves on. That was good. He could also feel his mask still covering his eyes and the reassuring weight of his belt around his hips. He was fully clothed and armed. Sense of Touch: check.

Around him, everything was quiet, though he could hear a muffled sound. Focusing harder, Robin listened. Water. He could hear water flowing from somewhere nearby, though judging by its distortion he was somewhere it was not immediately accessible. Perhaps it was in a different room? That would make sense if he was in the Batcave. Batman would likely have moved him to a rear chamber of the cave where they would not be easily interrupted or disturbed. Sense of Sound: check.

Robin's senses of taste and smell were still affected by the chloroform used on him earlier. Though his sense of smell, was better it still told him nothing he hadn't already deduced from his hearing.

Sight would be the tricky one, but in order to confirm his suspicion of being somewhere at the back of the Batcave, he would have to risk it.

First, however, he would employ his last sense. Robin had no word for it, though he knew it existed. It was the one sense that had saved him more times than any of this others. Many called it a 'sixth sense' or 'instinct'. Whatever it was, Robin employed it, trying to sense whether he was as alone as his other senses were telling him or if he had company.

He felt a slight prickling on his neck. He was not alone, though he sensed no danger either.

Batman and Wonder Woman most likely, Robin concluded.

Having determined as much as he could, Robin opened his eyes the barest amount and tried taking in his surroundings. A dark stone floor and single light blaring down on him, casting all else into shadow. It could have been anywhere, but what confirmed Robin's suspicion was the small table in his periphery stationed at the fringes of the circle of light. On top of the table sat a coiled rope and single syringe.

After yesterday's exercises, he'd recognize that lasso anywhere.

"Are you awake?" Though it was phrased like a question, Robin knew it wasn't. He opened his eyes fully and planted his feet on the ground, gratefully taking most of his weight off his wrists and shoulders.

"How long have you known?"

"Just now," Batman replied, the two heroes stepping out of the deep shadows to stand by the table but not entering the ring of light. Dick smiled. For Batman to admit he had not realized he was awake was very heavy praise.

"Ready?" The Dark Knight asked. Robin rearranged his facial features into a determined look and nodded.

"We'll start with the lasso and progress from there," Batman explained, nodding to the woman beside him. Wonder Woman moved to pick up her weapon and Dick was relieved to see that she looked much less disquieted about using it on him then she had yesterday. At some points, it had looked like it had physically hurt her to use it against him and at once point, she had even stopped the training to "have a word" with Batman. She let the lasso pool beside her and looked to Bruce. The Dark Knight had eyes only for his partner and waited for his assent before giving a single nod to Wonder Woman. The Amazon quickly whipped the lasso out to wrap around the boy's stomach and torso.

He gasped and tensed, but otherwise, Robin made no outward sign of discomfort or effect. He didn't like Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth. Not at all. Not because it hurt or clouded his mind, but because it didn't. If it wasn't for his feeling and seeing the actual rope around him, he would not have known that some force was acting upon and influencing his mind. That scared Robin.

In his line of work, information was everything and not having superpowers meant he relied solely on his mind and body in a fight. The fact that neither could sense that something was influencing him was a terrifying realization and one he did not like in the slightest.

Or, at least, that had been the case initially during yesterday's training. Now Robin knew what to look for and he waited for his mentor to begin.

For the past three days, Batman had been training him in resisting questioning and interrogation by way of psychoactive drugs, hypnosis, or Wonder Woman's lasso. Days one and two had been dedicated to identifying and memorizing the different substances and non-violent techniques known to elicit honest responses, examining how they worked, and running through their various interrogation methods.

But knowledge could only take one so far and Batman had always been an experience-driven teacher.

Batman had strapped Robin to a chair and questioned him for hours. It had been brutal, with the Dark Knight utilizing every questioning method he knew, along with Dick's personal information. For hours, Dick had been forced to try to weave his way through half-truths and deceptions, as he tried to protect the knowledge locked in his mind. At each slip or failure, Batman had made him start again, until Robin could figure out a way around each question. In no instance was he ever allowed to outright lie or not answer. It had been exhausting.

Yesterday, he had progressed enough for Bruce to bring in Wonder Woman and her truth-compelling lasso. That had truly tested Dick's mental fortitude. It was easy to tell himself or Bruce he believed the half-truth or lie he said, it was another to truly believe and accept it as his truth. And if he did not truly believe what he was saying was true, the lasso would not allow him to say it and would instead force the actual truth from him. Those first few hours with the lasso had pushed Dick to his limits and forced him to start thinking very creatively for his answers.

Which had been exactly what Batman had wanted. He had told Robin early on day one that his best weapons for resisting would be vague answers, creativity and a great amount of mental flexibility.

As usual, he had been right.

"What is your name?" Bruce asked. Instantly Robin felt the lasso compelling him to reply. The Test had begun. He focused.

"Robin." He answered, feeling no backlash from the whip. It was the truth; when the mask was on, his name was Robin.

"What is your real name?" Batman asked his voice neutral. Dick tensed slightly before answering.

"The one I was born with."

"What name were you born with?" Batman asked quickly.

"The one my family calls me," Robin said with a slight smirk. It had taken a few tries before he had finally been able to get that answer perfected. Early on he had said, 'the one my parents called me' but that had been too revealing an answer for Batman. It indicated a past-tense association that a good interrogator would hear and jump upon, exactly as Batman had done the first time Robin said it. That had been a rough session.

"What name does your family call you?" Batman rephrased. Robin smirked.

"The one I was born with." This had been a trick he had picked up late yesterday that had initially gotten under the Dark Knights skin. That had only made Dick love it more.

Recognizing the tactic Batman quickly shifted gears.

"Where do you live?"

"On Earth."

"Which continent?"

"One of Seven."

"Is it North America?"

"Yes." Robin did not like the yes or no questions. He had yet to figure out a good method for dealing with those.

"What year were you born?"

"A year that begins with 1."

"What is the next number?"

"2." Dick smirked. Two was the next number to follow one after all. Bruce almost smirked. Diana did.

"Who is the current President?"

"Bush."

"What season is it now?"

"Summer."

"What is Superman's secret identity?"

"The person he is when he's not Superman."

"What's your favorite food?"

For an hour this continued, Batman jumping from topic to topic to try and trip Robin up or dig in for more details with ever more specific questions.

Finally, Batman called for a break.

"You have thirty minutes then we switch to truth serum." With that the Dark Knight turned and left the room, leaving a panting and still restrained Robin behind.

Wonder Woman flicked off her lasso and started forward as though to help him, but Robin quickly shook his head. A silent command and reminder that this was a test. He could only pass or fail on his own.

A welter of emotions conflicted in Diana's eyes before an understanding conviction hardened them. Giving a curt nod the wonderful woman left the room.

The Dark Knight had been relentless today, which slightly frightened Dick. He hadn't realized his mentor had been holding back that much in their other sessions. Evening out his breathing more, Robin finally looked up at his cuffs. He was slightly angered at the spike of relief that flooded him when he recognized the model. Squashing both feelings, he quickly brought out his finger picks and got to work.

It took longer to free himself than normal, though that didn't surprise him, considering how long he'd been suspended. The second the cuffs released him, Robin fell to his knees on the floor, then rolled onto his back. Instantly his arms were seized by the pins-and-needles sensation of blood flowing back into his arms and fingers. He hated it, but there was nothing for it; he just had to wait it out. In the meantime he had 27 minutes to get his mind back together and pee before Batman returned and the test resumed.

How do soldiers survive this kind of torture when it goes on for weeks or months? Robin wondered as he laid on the cold stone floor.

-linebreak-

"Are you all right?"

Wonder Woman turned slightly to look at the darkly-clad hero behind her.

"Yes. I just don't like doing this to him," she said with a slight sigh, but no malice, as she turned to lean against a console and face her friend. She recognized the necessity of this training and agreed with it, having done something similar with her own warriors. But it was hard. Gotham was no friend to the ill-prepared or weak, and the Amazon Commander in her wholeheartedly agreed with this preparation. She just wished it didn't have to be against sweet, 11-year-old Richard.

"It's necessary," Batman stated, his tone as neutral as always, though it didn't fool Diana. She knew he hated doing this far more than she did, but continued regardless—for the same reasons she did.

"I know," she agreed, her steely eyes locking with his as she straightened. Her gaze conveying to him that she bore him neither ill will nor judgment for this. He nodded acknowledgment and fell into step with her as she passed.

He stopped a little behind her as she moved to the Zeta Tube and began typing in the coordinates for the Watch Tower.

"Thanks."

Diana froze, shocked at the rough sentiment, but knowing better then to ask him to repeat it. Instead she looked to her friend and smiled gently. "Anytime, Bruce."

-linebreak-

Thirty minutes later, the Caped Crusader opened the door and swept into the room alone, eyes immediately falling on his partner sprawled on the floor. The boy looked exhausted and Bruce had little doubt that he was. He knew how taxing this was, but he also knew how necessary. He would rather Dick have this experience for the first time in a controlled and safe environment with him than to have to learn it all first-hand at the hands of an enemy. That knowledge, while helpful, did not completely assuage his concern and guilt for his young partner.

However, before Bruce could act upon those feelings, Robin sat up and took away the man's last hesitations.

"Ready?" the boy asked. Truly, would there ever come a day that this boy stopped surprising Bruce? He hid his smile.

"Are you?" the Dark Knight asked. Robin pushed himself up onto his feet and swayed slightly before straightening his shoulders and raising his chin, a crooked smile on his tired face.

"As I'll ever be."

Batman nodded and walked over to his protégé.

"Raise your hands," Batman said, grabbing the cuffs hanging from the ceiling. Robin groaned inwardly but complied. Once Robin's arms were again fastened over his head, Batman pulled the syringe from his belt and showed it to his partner.

"Real truth serum is a clear liquid that is generally injected into the victim," Bruce explained, bringing the needle to the boy's eye level. "This will feel different from the lasso. You will still feel compelled to tell the truth, however the compulsion should not feel as strong nor as all-consuming. However, unlike the lasso, there is no discernible way to tell when an injected solution has taken effect or worn off. Once the lasso is removed, its effects are ended. Truth serum is not so easily judged. Too many factors come into play, such as concentration, dosage volume, victim physiology, and so on.

"In addition, as with the lasso, you will not feel your thoughts cloud, again making it hard to judge when you are under the serum's influence. For these reasons, it is important that you never let your guard down once it's been administered. Understood?"

"Yes," Robin said. Batman nodded and continued.

"That being said, a way to test if it is still in effect is to try to lie at intervals within an interrogation. The longer it is in your body, the less time it has to affect you. Most serums are good for around one hour."

Robin nodded.

Taking that as his signal to continue, Batman brought the prepared syringe to his partner's arm, before carefully injecting the clear contents. Batman removed the needle and applied pressure to the wound.

"How long before it starts to take effect?" Robin asked.

"Generally, you will feel its effects within a few minutes," Batman answered, looking down at his protégé. "I suggest you use that time to get yourself mentally prepared," the Dark Knight warned. Robin's eyes narrowed and he nodded before looking away from his mentor.

After another minute, Batman released Robin's arm and moved to stand before him, the blood having clotted over the injection .

"What is your name?" No pretenses. No warning. Batman jumped straight into it. Robin tried to say a fake name but instantly felt his mouth twitch and quickly changed tactics. Test concluded: serum was already in effect.

"R-robin."

"What is your native language?"

"The one I learned first."

"How do you say hello in your native tongue?"

Robin tried to think of a way around that one, but nothing came to mind.

"O lasho des," he reluctantly admitted.

"How do you spell your name?" Batman continued, noting the failure, but deciding to use the boy's sudden lack of focus to his advantage instead.

"Y-O-U-R-N-A-M-E," Robin spelled with a small smirk, pleased with himself for not falling for that tactic again. 'Never lose your focus' was a lesson he had learned well after day two.

AN: This is not how real truth serum actually works but is more in line with how comic books tend to portray it, which is why I stuck with this version. I have no idea how truth serum actually works. This is just a guess based on other things I have read and shows I have watched. Please do not take these effects and protocols as fact.

Thank you to the amazing Esther-Channah for the wonderful beta job She is a hero and this chapter would likely not have gone up without her.

Though if anyone does know the actual effects and such I would love to hear them

O lasho des is how you say hello in Romani…or so the internet tells me. If this is wrong I am sorry!

Thanks for reading and please leave a review! I love hearing what people think about this story and how it is going.;p