Birdflash oneshots 2

Tortured

Dick wasn't sure how long he'd been there. He didn't know who'd kidnapped him, and he didn't know if they worked for anybody. What he did know was that the Team was in a separate cell block, probably chained up with inhibitor collars. So far, they only seemed interested in him. They'd been torturing him for...however long he'd been there. The only reprieve he got was when he passed out, and he usually didn't get long because they'd started using smelling salts to bring him back. It was method after method, anything from electrical shocks to waterboarding. Dick had nearly drowned once, but they'd managed to successfully revive him. Right now, however, they seemed more interested in the physical aspects of torture. He was chained to the roof by his wrists, just barely keeping his body off the ground. They were slicing into his body with a small knife, creating wounds that lazily oozed blood. Another slice to the thigh brought him out of his thoughts, even if it was only to groan. Dick was exhausted, and he was rapidly approaching his breaking point. "Come on, Birdie. It's time to wake up." A cruel voice sneered.

"Fuck...off." Dick rasped. There were some mocking gasps around the room, but Dick just couldn't give a shit. He knew they were trying to break him, trying to make him spill secrets that he swore to take to the grave. They wanted secret identities, access codes for the Justice League system, weaknesses for his teammates. Dick was leading them on a wild goose chase with his lies, but they were inching closer to the truth. He didn't know how much longer he could do this for. He needed help. He needed someone to save him. He wanted Wally. He wanted to be taken away from this place and cared for in a way that only Wally could care. He wanted to be able to sleep in a bed.

Through the fog in his mind, Dick registered the sound of an alarm. He wasn't sure if that was one of his mental alarms telling him something or if it was a physical alarm, but one was going off nevertheless. He heard quiet muttering around him, but was too tired to try and figure out what they were saying. "Shit. We've gotta get out of here!" One of the henchmen shouted.

The leader shook his head, and pulled out a little black box. "Not until he's dead." Dick had no time to respond as the box was shoved into his side, electricity flying through his body. Dick screamed, louder than anything he'd managed to muster in the last few days. The pain was unbearable, but it wasn't going away. The leader kept holding the device to his side, even when he thrashed and tried to get away. He was going to die.

Right as he was about to pass out, the box disappeared. He heard screams and grunts, but it wasn't coming from him for once. A hand reached up and cupped his face, gently wiping away the tears that had slipped out. "Oh, Dickie. What did they do to you?" A familiar voice whispered, holding him with such gentleness that it nearly broke him. If Dick wasn't exhausted past his limits, he'd probably have been full on sobbing. The most he could do was lean into the hand, trying to ignore the tears that kept falling. Another person ran over, talking to Wally. Dick didn't hear what they said, but he heard Wally. "Yeah. You cut him down, I'll catch him. Just hold on, baby. We're gonna get you out of here."

The ropes holding him up were cut, and Wally caught him before he could crumple to the floor. He went limp in Wally's hold, unable to summon the energy to home himself. Wally wrapped one of his arms around Dick's waist, the other hooking under his legs and lifting him up. Wally had him now. "We need to get out of here, before any of their nasty friends come in." Dick recognized Artemis's voice, which also made him want to sob. She shouldn't have to see him like this. He was a broken toy, a soldier who was pushed to the very edge. He wasn't the wise-cracking hero he normally was.

"Agreed. Just hold on, Dick. You're going to be okay. You're safe now." Wally gently cooed in his ear.

"Didn't...tell them." Dick managed to rasp out.

"What?"

"Didn't tell them. They wanted...information. Didn't tell them." Dick explained weakly. He needed Wally to know that he didn't break. He'd held out until he was rescued. He didn't betray them.