Wrong Parent (Dick Grayson)

17--Ransom

It was the fourth day of me being Slade's slave. My life was wasting away before my eyes. I could count my ribs that stuck out through my shirt, I had dark bags under my eyes, I was in constant pain from Slade's beatings. Just like it had been before.

I tried to escape multiple times. I tried to open the window, seeing if I could take the electricity coursing through my veins. I couldn't take it and staggered backwards until I collapsed on the ground, all energy gone. The worst part was that Slade knew if I tried to escape, so he'd beat me for that. He'd beat me for everything. I was used to having bandage myself up and ignore the pain from my still-broken arm. I wish I had the healing factor of Wally.... The pain from the loss of my friends was worse than all my beatings combined. Whenever I thought of them, tears filled my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I was Slade's Renegade now. I wasn't going to cry. I'd get an even worse beating if I did.

I was wrapped up on the couch trying to take a nap when I heard footsteps stop right in front of my door. I heard a sound I knew all too well; a lock being picked. I wanted to run, but I couldn't. There was nowhere to go. If somebody wants to murder me...well, what do I have to live for?

The door slammed open and two big guys walked in. They looked around the room until there eyes settled on me and they started walking over. Panic filled me to the brim and I couldn't have blinked if I wanted to. One man grabbed me by the back of the sweatshirt and the other gagged and blindfolded me. After that, he tied my hands behind me and my legs also. I didn't struggle. Nothing could be as bad as Slade.

One of them threw me over his shoulder and they were off. When we walked out of the door, the shock collar was still active. I screamed in pain, my cry muffled by the gag. Black spots filled what little vision I had and I slumped forwards, unconscious.

~

I woke up tied to a chair. My head hurt too much for my to open my eyes, but curiosity got the best of me. I blinked a couple times to get used to the dim lighting or the room. Am I in an abandoned subway station? What am I doing here?

An eerie laugh echoed throughout the room, sending shivers down my spine. A tall and thin man with green hair, a white face, red lips and wearing a purple suit walked in, chuckling and swinging a crowbar. "Hello, little brat," he said. "Are you comfy? I sure hope not. That wasn't my plan at all. You see, I've got a grudge against both the Justice League and your master, Deathstroke. So, I've kidnapped you and sent a note to both that, if they don't try to save you in..." he checked an imaginary watch. "Five hours, I'll kill you!" He broke out in insane laughter. "I'm Joker by the way. I'm sure you've heard of me." Against better judgement, I shrugged. Wally had told me about Joker, but I didn't really know anything about him.

"What?!" Joker asked. "I'm Gotham's top criminal! How haven't you heard of me? Have you been living under a rock your whole life?" He grabbed my eyes and forced me to look at him. "If you knew, you'd be wetting your pants right now." He dropped my hair and picked up the crowbar, which had fallen to the ground in our exchange. "Time to get you ready for Bats and Deathstroke, okay? Just keep still and it won't hurt half as bad." His smile widened. "Or maybe I lied!" He let the crowbar fall.

I just remembered pain and screaming.

~

Exactly three hours later, alarms went off, waking me up. I only knew how much time had passed from the bomb connected to my chair. Two hours were left before I would die. Everything hurt. Joker had broken multiple bones and I was bleeding profusely. I doubted that I would make it two more hours. But...the alarms meant that either Batman or Deathstroke was coming to claim me.

"Looks like the first of our guests have arrived!" Joker exclaimed. He pinched my cheeks and laughed. "Guess the Big Bad Bat decided to come and get you. He'll have to take out my henchmen first."

A man flew down the subway stairs, closely followed by Batman. "Let him go, Joker," he growled. I would have smiled if Joker hadn't broken my jaw earlier. Joker grabbed me by the hair and put a knife to my throat. "Uh, uh, uh," Joker said. "You're not the only one I'm waiting for. We also have to wait for Deathstroke."

"Joker," Batman growled the warning.

Joker 'accidentally' let the knife slip a little, it's blade lightly cutting from the middle of my throat to my collar bone, making me whimper in pain. "Oops," Joker said. "My mistake."

While Joker was laughing, Batman ran up and rammed his elbow into the clown's face. Joker's laughing didn't stop and he stabbed the knife at Batman, who evaded it, grabbing Joker's wrist and snapping it in half, causing the knife to fall to the floor. Joker was still chuckling, and threw a punch at Batman sloppily, which was easily avoided. "You seem to be even less fun than you usually are," Joker pouted. "I can usually get something about Justice or whatnot out of you, but you're just plain boring today." Batman ignored his rambling and instead grabbed the clown by the hair and smashed his head against the wall. The Dark Knight hastily shackled Joker before turned towards me. "It's alright," Batman said. "I'll get you out of here and take you back to the team."

I swallowed and shook my head. "'Why not?" Batman asked.

"Swayde..." I tried to say through my broken jaw, though it most likely just sounded like gibberish. "Hew saiwed...."

Batman freed me from the chair. "You won't have to worry about Deathstroke much longer. The League is hunting him down right now."

"Yow meawn-"

"Don't talk," Batman said. "You'll just make your fracture worse. But yes. You won't have to worry about Slade any longer."

I tried to smile, but it hurt too much. Batman let the last of the restraints fall and held out his hand to help me up. I took it, but almost collapsed right away when Batman let go of my arm. I winced in pain and let out an unintelligible cry. Batman helped me up again, holding me up. "Can you not stand on your own?" No crap Sherlock. I shook my head. "Do you want me to carry you?" Uh...no. I shrugged. He picked me up like a little kid on his hip and grabbed the now unconscious Joker with his other hand.

Whenever Batman's hand brushed against a wound, I tried to hide the wince, but couldn't. Every time, he'd change his position so that he wasn't causing me pain. He dropped Joker on his face as he gently set me down in the passenger seat of the Batmobile. At least he didn't have to buckle me in. He threw Joker in the back before getting in the driver's seat. "I'm taking Joker in, then I'm taking you straight to the mountain, got it?"

I nodded in answer, not sure if he saw me or not. After about three minutes, we pulled up at Arkham Asylum. It scared the heck out of me. If Slade hadn't adopted me...if the team hadn't saved me...could I have ended up here? "I'll be back in five minutes," Batman said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I nodded, letting him know I heard him. I leaned back in the car chair as Batman dragged Joker to the front doors of the prison.

I was just dozing off when my door was suddenly forced open and strong arms grabbed me. I tried to scream, but I couldn't. There was a gag over my mouth. "You've been a bad little boy, Renegade," Slade's voice said. "I'm afraid that, even though Joker gave you quite a beating, I'll still have to do my job." He dropped me to the ground and I cried and screamed and yelled and sobbed the loudest I could, but no one would be helping me, I knew it.

"Batmawn!" I screamed.

~

Okay, so it's not exactly a ransom, but whatever.