Dick didn't know how long he'd been in that cage. Time blended together, making an hour seem like three. Someone watched him through a camera, although he'd already broken several. He wasn't going to be something for them to stare at, whoever they were.
Dick had been here forever. He was brought food and water when he was asleep, although it was often days before he slept. He was too alert to sleep, especially when he might be the possession of a psychopath. He usually only slept when he was too dehydrated to do anything else.
Dick had surveyed the room his cage was in multiple times. There were other cages as well, filled with kids younger than him. He often heard them crying, and he wanted to help them. It hurt him to hear people in pain.
Wally had been panicking for three weeks. Dick had been taken by people one night, and there had been no sign of him since. Gotham PD was helping as much as they could, but they only had so many men. Whoever these people were, they were good.
Jim believed Dick was taken for ransom. He was searching for any leads, trying to find the eldest Wayne. Dick had always been a sweet kid, even when he and his dad were fighting. He just hoped they weren't hurting him.
Police were all over the city. If one of the men were out, they'd be caught easily. Wally had been able to describe the kidnappers to sketch artists, and they'd been identified. The Bats and Kid Flash were helping at night, searching through buildings in secret. So far, there was nothing.
Dick was pacing around his cage, hands shaking. It had been two days since he last had water, and his dry throat was killing him. His eyes kept slipping closed, although he snapped them open. He needed to remain alert.
Dick looked back at the camera, which he'd crushed about an hour ago. Or, he assumed it was an hour. Time was tricky. Something told him he was running out of time. People only kept billionaire's sons for so long. Eventually they were going to ransom him, or kill him. But why were there other kids there?
Dick heard a rusty door open. The children immediately went quiet, which sent a chill down his spine. The noise kept him from going insane. He watched as two men walked in, heading towards his cage.
One hit the bars, as if to scare him. He didn't move. If they were going to be bullies, he wasn't going to show them any emotion. He wasn't going to give them a reaction. He'd been kidnapped and trapped in a cage for weeks by now, and he wasn't going to give in.
One of them was carrying a new camera. That was the twelfth camera they'd brought in to replace the old ones, and he destroyed them every time. He thought they would've learned by now.
"Back up." "Make me." Dick snapped. The one not holding the camera pulled out a taser. "I said back up." "I said make me." God, he sounded like a bratty bottom. Wally would tease him about that if he knew.
The door to his cage opened, and the one holding the taser walked in. He tried to hit Dick, but Dick dodged. He grabbed the arm holding the taser and used the momentum to throw the kidnapper into the bars. He fell to the ground with a groan, and Dick grabbed the taser. "You've got two choices. Let me and the others go, or I knock you out and contact the GCPD. Your choice."
The conscious kidnapper ran, and Dick sighed. He flipped in front of him, tasing him in the stomach. He shuddered in Dick's arms, promptly collapsing. "I told you." Dick whispered, slinging him over his shoulder. After searching them for any keys or weapons, he closed the door to the cage and walked away, looking around him. There were dozens of children in here, none older than twelve.
Dick looked at what he had. A knife, a gun, keys, and a cellphone. Okay, he could work with this. He picked up the phone, dialing 911. His hands were still shaking, and he felt sick to his stomach. He needed water soon.
"911, what's your emergency?" "This is Dick Grayson. I don't know where I am, but I need help. A lot of other kids and I have been captured, and we need a rescue. Some of us are starved and dehydrated. I'm not sure how many kidnappers there are." "Okay, stay on the line. Police have been notified and are on their way. Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm not hurt. I'm severely dehydrated, though, and I probably can't go far without help." Black dots were dancing around the edge of his vision. Dick sat on the ground, almost collapsing. He was definitely getting worse.
"How long has it been since you've had water?" "Two days, I think? Time's hard to track here." "Police should be arriving at your location soon." "Where are we?" "A warehouse in downtown Gotham. Can you hear anything?" Dick listened, hearing something faint. "Sirens, I think." He panted, leaning on shaking arms.
His arms gave out on him, causing him to collapse. "Sir? Sir, are you still there?" Dick couldn't answer. His throat was too dry, and his head was spinning. He just wanted to sleep, maybe get some water. Have Wally next to him as he healed.
A door burst open. Dick felt hands turn him into his back, and a familiar voice started talking. Dick managed to crack his eyes open long enough to see Jim Gordon kneeling next to him, pulling out his flask.
The next few minutes were strange. One minute he was on the floor, the next he was being carried by Jim. "The…kids." He gasped out. "They're safe, kiddo. You need to go to the hospital." "Who…" "A child auction. They figured you would be a good investment. They were wrong. Keep talking to me. What happened?"
Dick blacked out. He woke again in the back of an ambulance, an IV attached to his arm. Two paramedics were doing something, moving around the space. They didn't seem to know Dick was awake. It didn't matter much, anyway. Dick passed out once more, letting them take care of him.
A soft voice was what drew him out of his unconsciousness. It was a voice he hadn't heard in forever, and he just wanted to cry hearing it. It was the voice of his boyfriend, who he hadn't seen since he was kidnapped.
Dick opened his eyes slowly, noticing the soft light compared to the normal harsh lights. He wasn't at the hospital? How long had he been unconscious? And why was he in his room at the Manor?
"Dickie? Can you hear me?" Wally asked softly, cupping Dick's face. "Wally." Dick smiled, moving his hand to hold Wally's. "You gave me a heart attack. I thought we lost you." "You're not getting rid of me any time soon." "Good. I need my brave boyfriend around." Wally chuckled, kissing Dick's forehead. "How are the kids?" "Safe and back home. You saved them, Dickie. You saved all of them." "Did you expect anything different?" "Nope." "Good."
