Clothed in our grief

Chapter 53

"This is only a rescue mission, Drake. Report back to the cave with all the evidence you found at her house."
"Just because Bruce is going to be gone for a while doesn't mean-" Damian can practically hear Tim rolling his eyes, stopping mid sentence to look at something.

"Every variable has been taken care of. Grayson is coming with me, the less people the better." Damian doesn't wait another second before finishing speaking, placing his domino mask back on and refilling his utility belt.

"Even the variable that includes what John said about the Cold Flame cult? What if he's right, and this has something to do with Ra's. We all know first hand that league assassins are dangerous, but you have to consider what John said. You're doing no good leaving John and I out of the mix. Is Dick even at the cave?" Tim asked, the sound of footsteps and a closed door was audible on his end of the com.

"Constantine has lied before, what makes you believe he's telling the tru-"
"God damn it Damian, this is his daughter! He has no reason to lie to us." Tim knows the steep road with saying that, and if anything he's heard from Bruce about John is true? He might actually be lying about some things. He was told to be aware of everything John says, and look for loopholes and rips in his logic. But that's also hard to do when he's someone who says he's been to hell, and the next moment he says that for some people it doesn't exist.

There's a long silence, and Damian looks away from the com before speaking back into it.

"Meet us in the cave in ten minutes, or we're leaving without you."

He ends the com link connection, and sits down in the large chair in front of the batcomputer. Placing his hand under his jaw and holding his head upright while looking at the screen, as your location beacon just becomes further and further away.

He makes an unaudible groaning noise, and rests his hands on his face. This shouldn't be happening to you, when he met you? Yeah, he figured something was off. When he talked to his dad about it, and why you were chosen for the scholarship program he wasn't given a very straight forwards answer.

Listening to everything Laura- or detective Morris, whatever she goes by. He listened to what she said, about John being played and manipulated. But Damian also takes into account all of the things said about John, and by John. There's nobody better at manipulating people than he is. That man just doesn't care, because he can't. Everytime he does, something bad happens. It's been confirmed by him, and it's probably why he spends most of his time away from the people that actually matter to him.

This shouldn't have happened.

"Damn it all." Damian mutters, ripping the green domino mask off of his face and throwing it on the desk harshly. And almost as if that alone has taken all of his energy out, he rests his head down once again on his hand and presses his chin against his knuckles. This shouldn't have happened to you.

Dick emerges from the lower decks of the batcave, hair soaking wet from the rain. He had been here, he didn't lie to tim about that. He just didn't have to tell Tim how close he had came to leaving without anyone.

"The boat's ready, are you?" Dick asked, leaning against the railing away from the edge of the cave. One that Damian had slipped and fallen down at least twice within his first year here.

"Yeah, we'll leave in a minute." Not even bothering to wait for Tim and John, Damian gets up and makes his way down to the boat. It's black, and easy to camouflage. It's a submarine base, but it goes just about as fast as a speedboat. Undetectable, just what's needed.