Mask of Glass

Ch 16

"Breathe Dick, you're at the manor, you're safe." Bruce tried to comfort his son, but Dick had already been thrust into a flashback.

—

Dick was chained in a white room. His arms were hung up in such a way that he couldn't sit or lay down comfortably.

"You have disobeyed the court once again Talon." Grandmaster spoke from his position at the door of the room.

Dick only groaned in response, a bit of blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Pain throbbed through his body, even minute movements making Dick cry out in agony.

"You deserve this punishment Talon. I hope you think of this when you decide to disobey our orders again." Grandmaster stepped forward and ripped Dick's special tinted goggles off of his face, making Dick cry out and slam his eyes closed.

"Look at me Talon." Grandmaster hissed. When Dick didn't move, Grandmaster sent a swift kick to the boy's side.

Dick cried out, opening his eyes and staring at the man who had tortured him for hours, all because he refused to kill an innocent woman.

Grandmaster grabbed Dick's face with an iron grip, watching in amusement as a tear slid out from one of Dick's burning eyes. "If you disobey me again, you can trust that I will make you suffer so much that you'll look back on this as one of your happy memories." Grandmaster let go of Dick's face before turning and walking out of the room.

There was a moment of silence in the white room, Dick tried to activate his electrum for what seemed like the millionth time, before he remembered the painful injection he had received before the hours of torture. The court had given him something to block his electrum, there would be no healing until it wore off.

Dick's eyes were getting used to the brightness. Which, in reality, wasn't actually that bright when, suddenly, the room was illuminated even brighter. Dick shouted in pain, trying to escape the light that burned his eyes even through his eyelids. As if the brightness wasn't enough, piercing high pitched sounds blasted through the room, instantly rupturing Dick's eardrums. He screamed until his throat was raw.

The torture continued for hours. Dick tried to block everything out, wishing for unconsciousness, but the blinding lights, uncomfortable position, and shrieking noise made that impossible.

—

Bruce hugged his son who was shaking and whimpering, obviously experiencing a flashback.

Steve reached over and snatched the camera from the cameraman's grasp, swatting him in the face. "What the heck was that Dan?" Steve whisper yelled.

"I believe it's time for you two to go." Commissioner Gordon said, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at the two men.

Dan and Steve got the message and rushed out the front door.

Bruce held Dick until his flashback was over. He rubbed circles on his son's back while offering reassurances.

"Is someone going to fill me in on what's going on here?" Commissioner Gordon asked.

"I had a flashback." Dick muttered, falling heavily onto the chair he'd been sitting on before. Dick took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "The court, they put me in a white room that was so bright... and there was this high pitched noise." Dick shuddered, looking at Bruce gratefully when the man put an arm around his shoulders.

Dick felt marginally better. Almost as if a small weight had been lifted from his chest. 'Maybe Jason was right.' Dick thought to himself, laying his head on Bruce's shoulder.