Againts all Odds || Dick Grayson [1]

22| Rude Awakening

***

There was an endless turmoil destroying any rational thought within me. But one thing that I was certain of was that I couldn't stay at Wayne Manor for much longer. Selina's words held some truth in them, truths that I had been blind to for far too long.  I had no freedom within these walls, in fact there were moments that I felt as if I was suffocating.

Yet, I could not find it in me to tell Dick what I felt. Afraid to hurt him, or maybe afraid that he wouldn't understand. And I knew that for that I was a coward.

That I was weak.

Because in all reality I knew that he would understand me. What I didn't know was what was holding me back. I still felt as if there was something that I was waiting for here, something that I needed. But I had told Bruce that I planned to leave, and that was exactly what I was going to do. Maybe I wasn't going to be the hero that Dick and Bruce seemed intent on training me to be. Clearly I didn't have it in me to be a hero.

Knowing that I had to speak now before I changed my mind I raced towards the library and down the elevators that lead to Batman's hideout. I knew that neither Bruce or Dick would be there, at this time they were probably still patrolling the streets of Gotham.

"You found them?" I heard Dick question, an unreadable tone in his voice that caused me to freeze on the spot. It was odd that they were here at this time, usually that meant something had happened.

"They call themselves the Quorom." Bruce stated firmly, still intimidating although I couldn't see him. Maybe it was the tone in Dick's voice that made me hide, or maybe it was Selina's that still echoed through my mind. Knowing that whatever they were discussing was something that they would never tell me. My curiosity seemed to win over any other sense in this moment. "They're run by Mace Gardner a former military operative who has been collecting metahuman DNA in order to create a superhuman army. He sends out what he calls Sweepers to collect metahumans in order to study the structure of their metahuman gene and duplicate it. Their current base is in a abandoned warehouse next to Ace Chemicals."

"The Sweepers were the ones that went after Chey," Dick stated though the hesitation in his voice made the statement sound like a question. Hearing this felt like my heart had frozen in my chest."and killed her parents."

"Yes." That one word was enough to suck all air out of my lungs, an like something intangible was slipping through my fingers.

There was a moment of silence, one where I considered making myself known. They were on the lower structure of the cave, and all I had to do was step away from the concrete beam I was hiding behind. And I was about to, if it wasn't for Dick who spoke up before I could. "Then we have to tell her."

"No." Bruce stayed sternly, and against what I already knew about Bruce Wayne I still felt surprised.

"No?"

"Not until we've gotten a location on Garnder." Bruce justified, his voice as reasonable as always. Though at the moment reason seemed to not be registering in my brain. "Until then we make sure that no other metahumans in the city are targeted. I already contacted Barry, seems they are having the same problem in Central City."

"I still don't understand why we can't tell her."

"You can't predict how she'll react."

"You say that like you know her." Dick replied, and I felt relieved to hear a bit of anger in his voice. A small amount of the anger and rage that now seemed to be pumping through my blood.

"I don't." Bruce stated stiffly. "And neither do you. Even if you think you do."

"Bruce..."

"My word is final Dick." He said, and it was. Because I if there was anything that the night Black Mask attacked Wayne Manor taught me was that Dick would hide the truth for me if Bruce ordered it.