Brothers Until Time Shatters

11

Jason woke to find himself strapped to a table. He immediately began pulling at his bonds but to no avail.

"That's not going to help," a hoarse voice to the right of him warned.

Jason whipped his head around and saw Damian lying there, a massive bruise covering about a third of his face. "Damian? What happened?"

Damian chuckled dryly. "They did not like the answers I gave them."

Jason took a moment to assess his little brother. Cuts crisscrossed bright red across his now bare chest. Bruises peppered not only his face but also his arms, and Jason could only guess as to what his legs looked like. "What did they ask you?"

Damian shook his head and winced at the motion. "A lot about Dick's condition. They know that at least Tim was with us."

Jason's gaze flitted around the room and counted at least four separate cameras and six listening devices. Presumably there were even more. "Where's Dick?"

Damian sighed. "I do not know."

Jason sighed too. "How long have I been out?"

"Hours and hours. Maybe a day."

"A day?!" Jason tried to sit bolt upright, but the strap across his chest snapped him back down. "How much tranquilizer stuff did they give me."

Damian gave him a dry look. "They said enough to put a horse in a coma for a couple of weeks. They also said it probably would not last long enough for their taste."

For some reason, that actually pleased Jason. The thought that they were so scared of him was quite rewarding. "How long have you been awake?"

Glancing down at his bloody chest and bruises, Damian gave Jason a dirty look. "Longer than you."

"I'm surprised they pulled out the torture so quickly."

"They wanted to make sure I am in no condition to help with an escape attempt. If we were to try and break out of here, I would require help. And you cannot help me and Dick at the same time. They know that you will not leave Dick or me here."

Jason smirked slightly at his younger brother's confidence in him. Even six months ago, Damian would have questioned whether or not Jason would actually stick by him. It was nice to know that he was doing something right. "Any ideas for our next move?"

"I am going to sleep. There's no way out right now, and I am tired. Being tortured takes a lot out of a person."

Jason glanced over at Damian and realized with a start that this kid was only fifteen. Somehow he'd always thought of Damian as this immortal demon of hell trapped in a child's body. But no, this kid was fifteen years old, and he'd just been brutally tortured for crying out loud.

"How are you doing?" He asked Damian quietly in Romani, hoping that none of the assassins watching could understand Romani.

"Not good. I have been awake a lot longer than you, and they were waiting as soon as I woke up. They must have given me a much lower dose than they gave you. Therefore I am a lot more bored than you are."

Jason gave him a concerned look. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

Damian heaved a deep sigh. "It is not like I have not been tortured before, Todd. I know the feeling of pain like an old friend."

Jason blinked. Damian didn't usually talk like this. "How much blood have you lost?"

"A lot. I do not know exactly how much. Probably around one or two pints."