Got Your Back, Always

I.XV

At some abandoned factory, Clay and Cassie are tied up, while acid slowly drips down near them. Cassie had been gagged because apparently, Nick didn't like the sound of her voice. Granted a few of the few times she had been captured she managed to talk her way out of being harmed so maybe the Melting Man had figured that out and didn't want her to manipulate him into letting them go. But there were times where she didn't get so lucky.

"That's close enough, Robin," Nick says as Dick walks in, wearing his Robin outfit.

Dick stops, "I'm the one you're looking for. Let Clay and Cass go."

"Dick?" Clay asks.

Dick glanced at Cassie seeing her gagged and then looked at Clay, "You're gonna be okay, Clay." Dick nodded at Cassie, she was already working on untying herself, she just needed a distraction to finish the job, otherwise, the Melting Man would without a doubt dump acid on her and Clay.

"No, he isn't. He's going to die. She's going to die. So are you. You should thank me. Death is better."

"What happened to you?"

"You did. The feds told me what happened. Robin hijacked my father's transport and offered him up to the Maronis. After your little meltdown in the feds' office, it wasn't hard to link you to Robin."

"I didn't know the Maronis would be there."

"No, you wanted to do the honors. Either way, it seems I have you to thank for what followed. Seems your little act of revenge had consequences. After my father was killed, the deal was off. No more federal protection. So the Maronis came after my mother... And my sister... And my fiancee. They all melted. They tried to melt me, too."

"So, you thought you'd even the score by killing my family. That make you feel better? Did your fucking plan work?"

The melting man takes off the plastic half mask on his face, "Beyond my wildest dreams. When the acid strikes your skin, it doesn't burn. It's much worse. It's like insects eating away at your flesh..." Clay starts to move around grunting. "...burrowing inside of you. I can still feel them crawling all over me."

"I didn't want this to happen to you, Nick."

"I'm not Nick anymore. That's what the acid did for me. It changed me." He turns the lever ever so slightly and a glob of acid falls onto Clay, who groans in agony. Cassie widens her eyes, hoping Dick would do something soon. "You revealed your true self on that bridge. Just like the acid peeled away the surface to reveal my true self underneath."

"They're innocent. Let them go."

"No!"

Jason called out from the above Nick, "He gave you an out, dumb-ass. You should've taken it."

Dick uses the distraction to cut Clay down, Cassie freeing herself not a moment later. Jason jumps down onto Nick and the two begin to fight. Cassie tries to move Clay out of the acid's path, Dick helping her when Jason gets hit with an acid bullet, it knocks Jason over and Dick kicks Nick back before he could shoot Jason again.

The two begin fighting and Dick quickly knocks Nick out. Jason groans and Dick helps him up. Cassie had just about gotten Clay fully untied.

Jason says, "Nice work. Dude deserved what he got."

"Are you okay?" Dick asked.

"Zylon fibers, man."

"Oh, you're welcome, by the way, for saving your life."

"And you're welcome for me saving your life."

They hear police sirens.

"We have to go."

"I'll take care of it," Jason runs off while Clay groans.

Dick walks over to Cassie, "Cass, Clay, you okay?" They nod to him. 

Dick hears a cop groaning, "No!" He runs off towards Jason and pulls him off from punching a cop any more, Jason quickly leaves in anger.

Back at Clay's apartment, Dick is patching up his wound, Cassie had done most of the work so Dick was just finishing things up.

Clay sighs, "You could've told me about being Robin."

"I'm tryin' to give it up," Dick sighed.

"Does Bruce know?"

"Know what?"

"That you work with Batman?"

"I don't. Not anymore."

"Bruce did right by you. Didn't he?"

"He did the best he could."

Dick gets up, pulls out his phone, and calls Kory.

Cassie looks at Clay, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes, Cassie I'm alright. Are you? How did you know how to untie yourself? Do you work with Batman too?"

Cassie chuckled, "Sort of. I kinda only know him because of Gray."

"He never could keep a secret from you could he?" Clay chuckled. Cassie laughed shaking her head. "I don't see no ring though, I thought by now you guys would for sure be married, maybe a couple of kids. I am kinda glad though, I would've liked to be invited to the weddin'."

Cassie looked at him in shock, "Oh we aren't even dating, Clay."

"That I find hard to believe."

Cassie was at a loss for words, Clay smiled at this.

"Hey, Cass, we gotta get back," Dick stood at the doorway, not revealing to the two that he had heard the small conversation.

Cassie nodded and stood up, she gave Clay one last hug before the two headed out.