Aves (Young Justice Fanfiction)

Classified

//R

"Where the hell am I?" I ask a little dazed.

"Stay still and shut up," A stern voice said quietly in my ear.

Rude.

I kept my eyes and mouth shut and didn't move. I didn't know where I was or why I was here. All I knew is that I was given instructions and decided to follow them. My head throbbed and my throat was dry. There was an immense amount of pain coming from my right fist and calf.

"Has he woken yet?" A low voice asked.

"No sir, it has only been two days," A lighter voice responded seriously.

It was the same voice that had whispered in my ear. Think Dick, think! What was I doing before I got here? I know I'm not dead because I can definitely feel the pain in my hand. Start from the beginning. I need to remember, take it slow.

I am Dick Grayson. My parents died performing a trick at the circus. I was adopted by Bruce Wayne. I am 13 years old. Bruce is Batman and I am Robin. We clean up the streets of Gotham. I joined a team of heroes including Kid Flash, Artemis, M'gann, Superboy, and Aqualad. I didn't recognize either of those voices to be my teammates. Where was I?

I hear a suddenly hear a loud bang, it sounded like someone dropped something metal. I hear footsteps as they slowly faded away.

"The coast is clear," the commanding voice says.

I open my eyes and take in my surroundings. I was laying on an old mattress that was placed on cement ground covered with a thin blanket. I was still dressed in my Robin costume, but the fabric was cut away around my right arm and calf. They were wrapped in a soft white cloth and stained red. There was a curtain surrounding me so I pushed it out of the way to see where I was.

I was locked in a silver birdcage with a girl with brown hair? The girl turned around wearing a swan mask and all-white clothing. It's all coming back to me now.

I jump off the mattress and reach for my utility belt, but it's gone! She took my gloves too. My hands fly to my face, but the mask is still there. She looks unamused with my sudden freakout. I can't seem to form a sentence, my throat is so dry.

"Why?" I choke out.

"Water." the girl in the mask commands.

She points to a glass of water on the floor next to the mattress. She didn't even answer my question. I pick up the cup and smell the contents, for all I know she could be trying to poison me. I swirl it around in the cup and pour a drop on the floor. The girl starts to move. I whip my head around and get into a fighting stance. She didn't even flinch at my sudden movement and took the cup from my hand. She drank a sip from the cup. She didn't say a word as she sat back down. She didn't die, so I took a sip, which turned into a gulp. I finished the glass in a matter of seconds and sat back on the mattress.

"Why?" It seemed to be the only word I could form. She stayed silent staring at my masked eyes. Her face was completely emotionless.

"Why am I here? Why are you here, is a better question? Why am I not dead? Why are you helping me? Why are - " I said all in one breathe.

"Sit." I sat. She started to unwrap my wounds and wrap them again with new ripped cloth. I was starting to think she had forgotten as well until she sighed.

"You ask one question and then I get to ask one question. Deal?" she said calmly.

"Why am I not dead?" I ask, keeping my voice steady.

"That's not for me to know. If you haven't guessed, Penguin is the one who gives the orders and no one questions his authority."

I looked around the cage again and I realized she was locked in here too. I could come up with a million ways to escape, I'm sure she knows how to get out too. It seemed as though she was hiding in here rather than being kept here. What was stopping her from leaving? What could she be so afraid of?

"But why would - " I started.

"We have a deal remember. Why did you become a superhero?" she asked, face emotionless.

"I wouldn't call myself a superhero, more of a crime fighter. I wanted to rid the world of crime so that others would be safe. It's pretty simple. Why are you helping me?"

She shrugs, "Dumb question. I told you, classified." she answers.

"That didn't answer my question. I asked 'why are you helping?', not why I'm alive. I would still be alive if you didn't tend to my wounds. So answer my question," I protest. 

She sighed and looked at the ground, "Curiosity," she shrugged, "Are you from Gotham?" she persisted.

"Yes."

"Lie, try again," she said disinterestedly. How could she possibly know? What was my tell?

I sighed, "I moved a lot as a kid. Why did Penguin lock you in here?"

"He thinks I am one of his pet birds. Plus, someone had to watch you," she said. So she is just locked away in here along with the rest of these birds. I looked at her emotionless masked face, this must be what Superboy felt like in his test tube.

"Don't pity me, it's not that bad here. I have running water and a roof over my head," she smiled. That was the first sign of emotion I have been able to get out of her this entire time.

"Why the name Robin?" Memories of my parents and my days at the circus flash through my mind. I wasn't going to tell her any part of my past, but she would know if I was lying.

"An old nickname," I responded simply. I wasn't lying, I was only shortening the truth. I answered her question, so she was forced to let me ask a question.

"Why a swan?" I asked nodding to the costume.

She shrugged, "Swans are powerful, graceful, and beautiful."

Her jaw clenched and her lip twitched. It was only for a split second, but that didn't diminish the reaction. Clearly, the name had a deeper meaning compared to what she was letting on, but I could say the same about myself. For the limited room in this cage, I felt as though we were worlds apart.

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