Protecting our leader.

Chapter Tweleve

P.O.V of Jason.

No one had any idea where Dick could be, or what he could be doing. The news had been broadcasting his kidnapping all afternoon yesterday and was still the top story this morning.
"Jay, can I talk to you?" Damian asked from where he had appered on the stairs.
"Sure." I replied walking over to him.
"Downstairs." He classified, "Tim's already down there."
I was taken aback for a second but followed him down to the Batcave, where Tim was sitting at the computer, hacking into Bruce's camera drive.
"What time frame did you want us to check?" Tim asked as we walked over.
"Between 10 and 11 last night." Damian replied and Tim opened up the file and hit play.
"What happens when the team come looking for us and we're not in the manor?" I asked as the video started, just showing Damian in bed.
"I left a note saying we had gone to a freinds to hang out for the morning." Damian replied, "We should be fine until they start to look through our contact list."
I nodded and we went back to watching the video, eventually, at 11:27 a person appereard in the window.
"Hello Little D." The voice drawled, and whilst there was no recognition clicking in Tim's mind yet, I knew his voice, as different as it now sounded.
We watched as Damian rolled out of his bed, palming his Katana's, "State your name and your business." So he didn't know it was Dick as this point either.
"Really Demon-Spawn, don't you recognise your older bother?" He asked, leaping from the window and swinging his sword in lazy circles.
"Dick?" Damian asked in a voice that was holding emotion but trying to hide it.
And Tim and Damian both tensed next to me, Damian from knowing what happened and obviously not liking it, and Tim from finding out this stranger is our brother.
"Master sent me to see you, after some asking, to make sure you were okay. And see if you wanted to come with me." The admiration in the way he said Master, this wasn't Dick, the way he held himself wasn't Dick, he was just a puppet. Just like Wally said.
"What do you mean?" Damian asked, "Why don't you just come back?"
"Come back to what?" Dick scoffed, "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."
He seemed so enthralled by this society that he hated, that he said he would never join. And now he thought that they had given him freedom even when his master controlled every thought that ran through his mind. And Tim, well, it's nice to know I'm not the only one that wanted to shed a tear at the brother we had lost.
"Then why did you come back for me?" Damian asked.
"Because you can understand what it's like." Dick explained, "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 to have the freedom to kill whomever you please, not who you're sent to."
Damian was silent, and I could see he was still trying to reign in his emotions, just like Bruce would be if he could see this.
"Dick, who is your master?" He managed to get out.
My Master prohibits me from saying his identity." He said almost automatically, "Now about my offer, last chance."
"I'm sorry Dick, I can't." He whispered.
"Fine, the I guess you're just as bad as Bruce." He bit and leapt out the window and into the darkness, leaving Damian to stare after him, finally letting his tears fall.
I turned to Damian now, his eyes clear of tears and face as impassable as ever, who knew he even had emotions.
"That wasn't him." Tim whispered then his voice turned to a shout, "It wasn't him!"
"Tim," I turned to face him, tears streaming down his face and his body shaking with held in sobs, "We know it wasn't. It was just a stranger wearing his skin."
"But what if we can't get him back?" He asked.
"We will." Damian assured him, "We will not let our brother become a mindless servant to some ill-bearing Assassins."
That was a harsh way to put it, but it was true. The person wearing our brothers skin was a mindless servant to his master.
I was the first to break the silence, "Alright, I have a plan."

P.O.V of Wally.

I had given up on reaching Robin, I had tried a grand total of twenty times, my patience coming from the beautiful blonde sitting next to me.
"Why don't you try Batman?" She asked, "He's a night owl even if Robin isn't."
I had to admit she had a point there, and so I was now face timing the Batman.
"Hello Kid Flash, Artemis," He greeted, "What is it you have to report?"
"Ummm...well..." I rubbed the back of my head nervously.
"Is Robin there?" Artemis asked.
"He's on a covert mission at the moment, any issue you need to take up goes through me." He replied.
"Have fun Wally." Artemis pecked my cheek and left, ignoring my protests.
"What is it?" Batman pushed.
"Well, you see." I took a deep breath then went into speed talk, "Richard Grayson has been taken by the court of Owls and injected with a serum that makes him a mindless puppet to whomever is his master."
"Say that again." He growled.
"Say what again?"
"How could you let him get taken?!" He shouted, "He is going to murder innocents you idiot."
This was frightening, I had a feeling I would have nightmares about this moment. Batman had never lost control before.
"Batman-"
"Keep an eye out for him," He commanded, "I will be back as soon as possible." And the screen went black.
I put the device down, then it occurred that he never said Robin would be coming back, maybe he was staying to keep an eye on Bruce.
For now, however, we would be keeping an eye out for Richard whilst we still could.

P.O.V of Dick.

Damian had refused, he wanted to stay with that abusive family instead of being free. I don't understand why he would decide that, why didn't he want to join us. I entered the main chamber, walked down the carpet and came to my knee before the grand Owl.
"What was the reply?" He asked, his voice deep and intimidating.
"He refused." I replied, short and to the point, the way he liked it.
"As I told you he would." He said, "Twenty lashes for wasting a night."
I stayed on my knee, head bowed as the whip came down of my bare back at full force twenty times, only letting out grunts of pain. When they stopped I was commanded to get up and given a teaspoon of salt, "Rub it into your wounds."
I didn't hesitate as I reached over my back, a pinch of salt in my hands and rubbed it into the raw wounds, repeating the process until I had used all the salt. The pain was immense, but I had obeyed my master and that was all that mattered.
"I want the body of Wallace West decorating my wall." He said, "It will fit nicely in my collection. I am missing a speedster."
"As you command." I placed a hand over my heart, bowed and exited the grand chamber.
I collected my weapons, changed into my working outfit. Time to hunt the person that had sold me to the human trafficking ring.