Protecting our leader.

Chapter Eleven

P.O.V of Wally.

I woke back up with a pounding headache, and cracked open my eyes to see I was in the Wayne manor infirmary, again. I sat up and insatntly Megan was at my side.
"Lay back down Wally." She said, "Here, drink this." She handed me a glass of water and I took a couple of mouthfuls before laying back down.
"What happened?" I asked, the last thing I remeber was the attack from the Owls, whatever happened to get me from early afternoon to whatever it was now is non-existant.
"The Owl's attacked the school to get Richard." She said, "They got you, the rest of the team and his brothers to persuade him over."
"But you protected him right?" I asked.
"No." She whispered, bowing her head, "I couldn't do anything."
I instantly sat back up again, "The court has Richard."
She nodded, tears crawling down her cheeks. What were the rest of the team going to say to this when they woke back up?
"I need details Megan." I said, "I can report to Rob and he can tell Batman that Bruce doesn't need anymore protecting. They can come back to Gotham and help us search."
She sat down and began to explain after composing herself, "They had you all unconciuos on the floor, ready to kill, and knives at his brothers throats whilst they pleaded him not to go. But he went to save everyone's lives. They-they injected him with something and he just kind of changed." She took in a deep breath, trying to staunch her tears again, "Then he just left with them. They didn't make him, they released everyone first and then he just ran with them."
"Thank you Megan." I said as I climbed out of bed, before I facetimed Robin I needed to have a talk with Deathstroke, who should still be in the Batcave.
I left the manor and headed off to the waterfall, the entrance and exit. It was dark and the winter breeze bit at me. So I was out all afternoon and late into the evning then. I went inside and over to the holding cells where Deathstroke was.
"Why hello young hero." He said as I stopped in front of his cell, "And why have you come to see me?"
"The court have Richard." I replied bluntly, "And he left with them voluntarily. What do you know of a serum that can change you so?"
"I know of the serum," He mused, "Used it myself a couple of times to test it works. Though I would never use it on my apprentice. He would have to join me of his own free will."
"Just tell me what the serum does and I'll make sure no-one forgets to feed you." I threatend.
"For the first 3 hours his mind will be undergoing drastic changes, he'll be like a robot ready to take commands when they are given by the persons who's DNA is in with the serum. After three hours the brain activity will start up again, and their memeories will fit with whatever they are told. He will still be a puppet to his master, but he will think that is what he wants." Then he said the part that made my heart race and blood drain, "And if he is left in this state for more than a week, he will never come back. As soon as his master dies, his brain will shut down. He will become a puppet to his master forever."
"But can we change him back if we get him before a week?" I asked.
"I'll make you a deal." He grinned and his eye lit up, knowing he had the card that I needed, "If you get him back in time, bring him to me and I'll create the antidote. But unless, you release me and give me Richard I will make a sure death toxin."
"How about we forget the last part and we just do the we release you part?" I asked.
"Only if you can tell me your entire teams secret identities." He grinned.
I sighed, I would have to, "Fine. Miss Martian is Megan Morazz, Aqualad is Kaldur, Superboy is Conner Kent, Artemtis is Artemis Crock and, I, Kid Flash and Wally West."
"Yes, yes. I know all that." He grinned even wider if that was even possible, "But what are Robin's?"
I was taken aback, was he implying there were two Robins? But, I could just make something up, "Jack Horlock." I said using a name from one of my classes.
"Don't lie to me." He said, "I know who they are, just as I knew who all of you are. But if you can find out both of the Boy Wonder's identity. I will leave Richard with you until I can persuade him to join me."
So he means that there are two Robins, which just made this all the more difficult. I tried to barter a new deal but he wouldn't change his mind, and he knew that he held the winning card, so I left with a sigh of fustration to deliever the news to the team.
I walked into the living room to see the team and his brothers all waiting for my result, and when I explained it to them it was only my superspeed that allowed me to aviod the knife that came flying at my head.
I looked behind me to see it firmly embedded in the wall, that would have killed me. I looked back over at the team and the brothers, but the only one who looked angry enough to throw a knife at me was Jason.
"What you mean to tell us is we're never getting our brother back." He shouted, "I should kill you all. I honestly should, especially you Megan. You could have stopped it but you stood there, giving eye's to Conner."
"Jason, calm down." Kaldur begun but was cut off by Tim.
"You wouldn't be asking him to calm down if you knew." He growled, "If you even bothered to pay attention."
"We were, it's just the Owls-" Artemis began but she was cut off by Damian.
"That's not what he means." He snarled, "Now why don't you try to do your jobs before Bruce gets back. Becuase, trust us, you don't want to have to deal with an angry Bruce."
And with that all three brothers stormed out of the room and to their bedrooms.
"So, we need to find him before next Friday?" Kaldur asked.
"I'd say the latest would be Wednesday." I cut in, "Becuase Deathstroke still needs to make the cure and we need to get him back here."
"That shouldn't be too hard." Conner said, "I mean, he's only a fifteen year old kid right?"
"But he's quite well trained in combat." Artemis said, "I took my first lesson with him and he was quite good. But Jason said he could only fight like that against him."
"But he wants to please his master, which we can assume is someone in the Court of Owls." Megan said, "He's going to be killing innocents for that. A bit of hand-to-hand combat won't faze him."
We all settled into silence as we debated this in our heads, but we were a team of superheroes, and he was just a kid with some combat training and an overwhelming need to impress his master.
That couldn't prove to hard, could it?

P.O.V of Damian.

I still can't believe what I had heard, I mean I had seen it myself when he left with the Owls, but to actualy know what was going through his mind, what he now wanted above all things.
"Hello Little D."
I rolled out of bed, picking up my katana's and facing the intruder who was lounging in my window.
"State your name and your business." I demanded.
"Really Demon-Spawn." He drawled, "Don't you recognise your older brother?"
He leaped down from the window nonchalantly, swinging a sword around in circles.
"Dick?" The voice was definalty his, but the tone, the drawl, the way he held himself. That was a stanger standing in my brothers body.
"Master sent me to see you." He said, "After some asking, to make sure you were okay, and see if you wanted to come with me."
"What do you mean?" I asked, "Why don't you just come back?"
"Come back to what?" He asked, "Being sold, abused, made to be someone I don't want to be. This is freedom. And the only people that can bring it to me are the Owls."
I had to try and rememeber that what he was thinking was messed up, whatever his master had told him. But it still hurt that he thought we hurt him.
"Then why did you come back for me?" I asked.
"Becuase you can understand what it's like." He said, "The Assassin's train you to your breaking point, you can't hold back. But the freedom of killing comes with a price. Maybe you just need someone to come and have the freedom to kill whomever you please, not who you're sent to."
"Dick, who is your master?" I asked, holding the lump in my throat, you can never show weakness in front of a killer who kills for fun.
Something I never thought would apply to Dick.
"My Master prohibits me from saying his identity." He replied, "Now about my offer, last chance."
"I'm sorry, Dick," I said, "I can't."
"Fine," He bit, "Then I guess you're just as bad as Bruce." And he left through the window.
And there was nothing of my brother left in him, just the mold that his master had created.