Deathstroke's Shadow (DP/YJ)

Chapter 5

Dick's POV

*Back to normal time

That boy... Shadow. I couldn't get him out of my head. The black cloak he wore. The hood that made it impossible to see his face. When he pulled the hood down, I was greeted by white hair and an ethereal glow. His eyes were covered by a mask similar to my own.

"Dick?" 

I jumped in response to the sudden voice, successfully cutting me off from my thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Bruce asked, genuine concern lacing through.

"Shadow." I give my one worded response. 

Bruce gives a look saying, 'go on'. 

With a sigh, I spill to Bruce of what happened the night three days ago I met Deathstroke's Shadow. Or Shadow as he preferred to be called. I went over what I had already gone over in the mission report, but I also went into my own thoughts on it as well.

"He..." I started with a sigh. "He didn't seem like he was being forced or controlled. It seemed as though Shadow had a choice in being there."

"There is more, isn't there? Something you've kept to yourself?" Bruce asked, though it came out more as a statement. He is the world's greatest detective. 

"Yeah. Before he disappeared, he said something else. I can't remember the exact words, but he agreed with what we do, with what the league does, all except the no kill rule." 

I stared at Bruce, attempting to get any sign of what he may be thinking. But as usual when he goes silent in thought like this, I can't figure out what he's thinking or feeling.

"Deathstroke has to be forcing him to do this then, right?" I asked more to myself then Bruce.

"You said that this Shadow told you 'he may be my master, but I don't belong to him', right?" Bruce looked over to me and asked. His eyes filled with some sort of thought I couldn't quite place myself. 

I nodded my head in response, curious at what he thought of this.

"It is a possibility that this kid is being forced. But I don't think so. I don't think Deathstroke works that way, not with children at least. This Shadow wouldn't be open with you as much as he was if he was being forced. If anything, I would say manipulation is most likely the tactic being used."

My eyes widened at the thought of this. Bruce was right. It's always easier to manipulate a child then force them, especially if something traumatic happened to them at one point. Deathstroke could come in offering the world to a child who just lost everything, it way easier then forcing one to come who'd be unwilling.

***

Bruce had left to take care of some Justice League only mission. I had stayed back in the bat cave going through file after file to try and figure out Shadow's real identity. 

Through Batman's detective skills, we already knew Deathstroke was Slade Wilson. But he didn't have any children, well, not that we knew of. So that theory was quickly thrown out the window. And no kids accompany him during the time he does go out as a civilian rather than a mercenary. 

I thought that perhaps that kid could have been a target's son or something. I didn't find any information on kids he's come in contact through this though. All kids Deathstroke has come in contact with through his nightly activities that we knew of were accounted for; whether that meant dead or alive.

I then proceeded to narrow the search down to boys anywhere between the age of eight to twelve that have been declared missing in Gotham. 

82 results.