Unbreakable (A Dick Grayson story)

CH 6: It's time

Dick looked around his room one final time. He did not know if he would ever return here, and as much as he tried to suppress the feeling, he knew that he would miss it.

After all, even when his parents were alive, he had never had a stable home, what with the circus travelling around all over the place.

It had been nice. But Dick knew that what was to come would be even better.

It was time.

Taking in a slow breath, Dick stepped out of the room and closed his door, slowly making his way toward the training room.

His fingers glided along the wall, the familiar corridors feeling strangely foreign now that he was about to leave.

It was time.

Dick felt weird entering the training room in normal civilian clothing, his deliberately tattered jeans and holey t-shirt only further driving home the fact that he would probably never set foot in this room again.

He tried not to feel sad about it.

"Ah, you're here. Are you ready to go?" Slade asked, looking up from the bag of weapons that he had been packing, a baseball bat protruding ominously from one end.

"I'm ready. How long will it take to get there?"

"A few hours. I'll debrief you on the way."

Dick nodded, pushing his fingers back through his hair which Slade had insisted he let grow out to better support their hoax. "I'll wait in the car."

Slade hummed in acknowledgement as Dick walked away, a faint limp in the boy's step.

As Dick slipped into his seat and buckled the seatbelt, he could not help but glance at his reflection in the car window. A face with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes stared back at him.

He smirked.

There was no way that this plan could fail. Even without the final touches, Dick already looked like he'd been seriously abused, faded bruises and partially healed wounds covering his body.

His hands still shook faintly from the drug that he had taken the night before.

It would take a genius to figure this out.

After all, what kind of person would willingly drug and starve themselves, much less let themselves be beaten for weeks on end.

It was perfect.

It was not long before Slade joined him in the car, turning it on and pulling out of the driveway and beginning the long drive to Gotham City.

After a few long minutes of silence, Slade began to speak. "You know most of the plan already, but I'm going to go over some of the more important details. First of all..."

Dick gazed absently out the window as Slade continued on, a small smile fixed on his lips.

Finally.

It was time.

~•~

"I thought you said we don't trust the crazy ones." Dick mumbled, nose scrunching up in distaste as they stepped into Joker's latest hideout, the smell of rotting blood and un-showered goons making him feel more than a little bit queasy.

Slade shook his head, stepping around a crate of grenades. "We don't trust him. But placing you with him will guarantee that Batman is the one to find you... and it will guarantee that he feels pity for the horrible condition that he will find you in. Just be happy that we got Joker to agree to this... it took quite some pressuring."

Of course, Joker had not really agreed to this plan. No, the Light were not about to put the continuation of their plan into the hands of a lunatic. Instead, Queen Bee had deployed Psimon to control Joker until the plan was complete.

Dick sighed softly, gaze traveling around the rather disgusting looking room not seeing any sign of the famed Batman villain.

"Where is he?"

"Not here at the moment. He will be here when needed. But first we need to set you up. You remember the details of your mission?"

Dick nodded. He knew the plan. It was quite ingenious, honestly.

He had been impressed when Slade had first told him. And, while he had been worried at first, Dick could not help but feel excited now. Finally, finally, he was taking real steps toward bringing his parents to justice.

The plan was fairly simple, at least after it was set in motion. All Dick would have to do was act innocent, and he was great at pulling the innocent act.

Slade smiled grimly, placing a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder. "I have faith in you, Dick. You'll do great. Just remember your training, and you will make me and your parents proud."

"I will. This is what you trained me for, after all." Dick tilted his head back, grinning up at the man who had taken him in and trained him; who had offered him a place and a purpose in a world where he had felt so incredibly alone.

"Thankyou, master. Really. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Slade ruffled Dick's hair before guiding him over to a grimy corner of the room. "Do you want me to knock you out or drug you first?"

Dick shook his head, face setting into a look of determination. "No. I want to feel it. I need to be aware of it happening."

His master nodded, gesturing for Dick to stand against the wall. "By the time you wake up, the drugs should be out of your system. Are you ready for this, apprentice?"

"Yes. I'm ready."

It was time.

Time for Batman to suffer.

Dick had been waiting for this moment for years. All his training, all his struggles, had been for this exact moment. And if he had to suffer more first, Dick did not care.

After all, he had been suffering for years.

So, he simply gritted his teeth as his mentor swung a baseball bat into his chest.

He held still as knives dug into his skin.

He stayed silent as his bones were shattered.

As darkness closed in around him, Dick's lips quirked upward into a venomous smile. He welcomed the unconsciousness, for he knew that the next time he opened his eyes, he would be in the custody of his enemy.

The last thing he saw before slipping under was Deathstroke smiling reassuringly down at him.

Richard Grayson was ready.

It was time for his parents to be avenged.

It was time.