Wrong Parent (Dick Grayson)

5--Questions

I felt really uncomfortable alone in a room with Batman. I was sitting in a chair, facing him, a table between us. It felt like an interrogation, except I wasn't chained down.

I knew the other League members and possibly the Young Justice members were behind the one way glass. I turned my attention to Batman.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Renegade."

"How old are you?"

"About thirteen."

"When's your birthday?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know," Batman asked.

I shrugged. "I just simply forgot."

"How long were you with Deathstroke?"

"About three years."

"What did he have you for?"

"Drug tests."

"Anything else?"

"No," I lied.

"You're lying," Batman said.

"No I'm not."

"You're a good liar," Batman said. "Was this a skill you've always had or is it one you were forced to have?"

"I've always been good," I said smugly.

"That was a lie."

I smirked. "Not bad."

"You're still avoiding my question."

I bit my lip. "Deathstroke...h-he trained me. I was his apprentice and slave. I stole for him in fear of...being beaten." I flinched, expecting Slade to materialize in the room and start to hurt me again. He told me never to tell anyone, and now I did. If he found me...

"Where are your parents?" Batman asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"There dead," I said, knowing Batman had intentionally changed the subject.

"How were they killed?" Batman asked.

"They were murdered when I was younger, nothing more to say about it, alright?"

"Who murdered them?"

I crossed my arms. "What do you care? They're gone and it's not like you can bring them back."

"How were they killed?" Batman asked.

"Gotham's hero wasn't there to save them," I spat out

"You know what I mean," the older man growled.

I shook my head. "Figure it out yourself, World's Greatest Detective," I said with a smirk. I stood up and tried to open the door, but it was sealed tight.I let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face Batman. "So what? Am I your prisoner now?"

"You are until you give me the answers I want."

I grumbled an insult and sat heavily in the chair again. "You wanna know my life story? My parents were murdered by a man named Tony Zucco and I walked as their bodies fell from the trapeze and I'm still haunted by the crack that was made when they fell and the blood that has permanently stained the ground of Haly's circus. I went to a deadbeat orphanage and was adopted by Slade after two years of being unwanted. I became Slade's slave and apprentice, being beaten if I put one toe out of line. I've been the guinea pig for thousands of drugs." I paused to take a breath. "And my main reason for living...my soul purpose in life...is to destroy you."

Batman didn't react to my rant. He simply nodded. "So, your Richard Grayson."

I blinked in confusion. "What?"

"I was there the night your parents died," Batman said.

My confusion was replaced by rage. "You were?! How could you have let them die?!"

"I wasn't in uniform-"

"Oh, so you'd rather keep your identity a secret then save two innocent lives?!"

"There was no time-"

"How convenient," I snarled. "You didn't have time!" A rage overcame me, one that I didn't know I could feel. "I think it's time to do what I was trained to do." I jumped up and did a handspring over the table, wrapping my legs around his arm when I landed to pin them to his sides and put my hands around his neck, strangling him.

Bright lights suddenly flashed on, blinding me for a second. Hands grabbed me and dragged me away from the Dark Knight. I kicked, scratched an bit, trying to get away from my captors. "Let me go!" I screamed. My hands were shackled behind me, a gag in my mouth and Green Lantern and Flash were pinning me to the ground.

I tried to struggle, but they held me good. My adrenaline was leaving and I was exhausted from the lack of food and sleep. The edge of my vision was getting darker, but I fought to stay awake as I was dragged to my feet. I tried to keep up as I was being dragged away, but I slipped in and out of consciousness.

I wasn't thrown into a cell like I was used to, but set down on the bed. "He looks starved," Flash said.

"I'll go get him something to eat," Green Lantern said. They're going to feed me? I wondered. Why? I just tried to kill one of their members...

The gag came off me and the handcuffs were momentarily taken off so that my hands were in front of me instead of behind. Food was set into them and I blinked at it. Slade almost never gave me food. I quickly stuffed it into my mouth before it could be taken away.

As I ate, Martian Manhunter came in and did a mental scan, seeing if I contained any tracking devices or other programing. He didn't find any.

I allowed them to check my uniform, I was already weaponless, but they let me keep everything but the armor, which I didn't need. It was only when they tried to take my mask off was when I resisted.

"We already know your identity," Flash said. "Why shouldn't we take your mask off."

"Because...because..." I couldn't think of a good reason. If they took off my mask, it might mean anything. Deathstroke warned me to never take the fabric off and I always wondered what he was hiding. Maybe I'd be killed if I took my mask off. Maybe it would let out a gas and kill everyone in the room.

Maybe...maybe he could track me with it, control me. Green Lantern gently tried to pull the mask off my face, but it made me yelp. It had been on my face for too long. It was part of me now. "Please leave it," I whispered.

Green Lantern left it. A glass of water was put into my hands by a Leaguer and I gulped it down. I must have been dehydrated, because the world stopped spinning around me and I saw the heros in front of me clearly again. Flash took the glass away from me, running to put it back.

"W-where am I?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," Green Lantern said. "We're keeping you in here until we decide what to do with you."

I bowed my head. Prisoner once again. "Okay..."

"If you need anything," Flash said, now back in the cell. "Just ask. Black Canary's getting you a blanket and a pillow now."

I nodded again, keeping my head lowered so they wouldn't see the tears brimming my eyes. They awkwardly left as Canary handed me a soft pillow and a blanket. "I'll be here if you ever need to talk to someone, alright?"

I nodded again and she left. My cell door shut and I shook with silent sobs. Why? I almost killed Batman. Why are they being so nice? If Deathstroke was in charge, I would've been beat senseless and thrown into a dark, freezing cell with no food or water for a week! T-they even gave me a bed...

I buried my head in my pillow, muffling my sobs.