Forced Bonds

Chapter 34

Gotham City
June 7, 20:33 EDT

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Dick can hear them approaching from behind and he grips the handle bars tighter. Don't they have someone they need to save? Some poor woman could be being mugged right now, and everybody was out over here. His thoughts turn out to be correct as he looks behind him. He curses under his breath.

The Batwing is right above him and seems to be descending to block his path. Several other vehicles race behind him harboring many of the other Leaguers and his ex-team. Conner is jumping through the corn field and has no trouble keeping up. Where they chasing down the man's most wanted criminal or something?!

"Robin!"

Dick swings his arm out at the noise, narrowly missing Barry's head by an inch. Barry is soon back on Dick's right, running alongside the bike. Barry is shouting something, but Robin can't hear anything other than various words, the wind is going by too fast because of his constant acceleration to get away. Wally runs up along side his left and gives Barry a questioning look.

"Does he think he can out run us?!"

Barry just gives a concerned grimace. "Get him off the bike! Ready? 3! 2-"

They don't get the chance as the boy takes one hand off of his handles and grabs his escrima stick from a hidden compartment. He isn't even thinking when he holds it parallel to the ground, it's just his trained reaction. The speedsters are cut off on their count down as the weapon expands in both directions, hitting them in their thighs, and lighting up with electricity.

The two men fall away quickly and are left in the dust as the thousands of watts course through their enhanced bodies. Nobody spares them a glance knowing they would be fine. (Hopefully.)

Dick's heart is hammering hard as he thinks about ways to escape. The fear of being captured pushes him forward and adrenaline continues to flood his system. Something pushes at his mind, but now that he focuses on it, it is actually two somethings.

'Robin, please stop this.' M'gann calls to him mentally. Dick screams and whips his head around looking for the source. Obviously, he doesn't find it, because she is speaking directly into his head. She tries to convince him to pull over, but he ignores her like everyone else. He is more focused on what Martian Manhunter is trying to do.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head!" Dick cries furiously and begins thinking of things nobody should ever have to go through. And he sends his pain... nobody is in his head after that.

Turns out, they are done playing games. Everyone converges on him at once. Nets drop from above, Canary's call breaks up up road, Conner is going to be jumping in front of him any second, Aqualad is wielding his water whips, a red tornado approaches on his left, and several people are aiming bows.

It is total chaos.

Somehow, Robin makes it through all of that, albeit he is now on a different vehicle. He had borrowed Artemis's bike and left her in a temper at the edge of the road. Well... it was more debris now...

It isn't nearly as fast, but many of his attackers have been hindered in that last ambush. He was almost in the clear! Robin knew a safe place close to here! Tears run down his face at the thought of escape, but he couldn't understand why. Was it because he was going to be free? Because he was leaving everyone he thought loved him?... because he wouldn't feel this pain anymore...?

His thoughts are interrupted as he is encircled in a bright white light where gravity seemed to fail. His bike, while still moving at the same speed, is no longer touching the ground and is being pulled upwards.

Since when did Batman have a tracker beam?!

Dick screams in some sort of anguish that even he can't decipher himself, but he wasn't going to go that easily.

"FUCK YOU!" he shouts up the Batwing, but it is more for the person inside. He throws a bird-a-rang right up into the jet and watched as it detonated inside. The plane drops him and he bounces a couple of times before steadying himself back out again. Dick swerves around pieces of falling metal and smiles while tears fly from his cheeks.

Was this... hope?!

He can see his destination up ahead, and his heart swells with excitement. He will be free soon enough.

Unfortunately that feeling doesn't last long as the hairs stand on the back of his neck. Looking over his shoulder, his worst fears come true.

They are back- all of them- and they have that stupid, heroic determinism in their eyes. But what is worse is that they are gaining on him, and they are ready to explode.

"Round two..." Dick breaths sourly.

He dodges arrows with exploding foam, various glowing green objects, the lasso of truth, and many other things. They all try to capture the little acrobat, but his senses are too heightened and he keeps falling out of their grasp.

Eventually, they make it to where Robin is going. With a swell of pure relief-

Dick drives off the cliff.

This time, he smiles as he flips in the air. Letting go of the bike he let himself free fall. The rotation made it so he can see all of their horrified faces. Several even reach out for him, fly down in hopes of grabbing him, or launching projectiles attached with string.

The young teen activates the final part of his plan and throws his last smoke bombs at his would-be rescuers. They are filled with various gases that will hinder them in their mission.

They wouldn't make it.

Dick smiles in deranged hope as he looks towards the approaching ground. Tears falling even faster from his eyes as he longs for what is about to come.

An end to the pain.

He closes his eyes and relaxes his body in acceptance~

He never hits the ground.

Strong hands grab his ankles and slowly, carefully stop his dissent. As soon as they are at a safe speed, he flips the boy 180 degrees, pinning Robin's wrists behind his back, and pressing him close into his muscled body. The teen is effectively immobilized.

Dick's eyes shoot open and he struggles, but it is no use. He screams insults through his helmet and tries to get a good hit on his savior, but no amount of strength could ever harm the man.

Dick strains to see who had caught him and his eyes widened at the face of the superhero who had been absent the entire time:

Superman.

Suddenly, Dick stops struggling. His body slumps forward and just shakes with sobs instead. Superman starts to fly back up to where everyone is waiting.

"Nice of you to finally show up!" Barry greets, nursing his side and favoring one leg more than the other. The light tone of his voice is not taken well and he holds up his hands in apology, "Sorry, my bad."

Superman slowly lets go of the boy, being cautious of anything else he might try. Robin is limp as he is handed off, the adrenaline losing its potency. His body hurt, but his heart hurt worse. He doesn't say anything as he is cuffed, restrained, and carried into the Batmobile that had shown up via Batman's remote control. As soon as they are driving away, Batman removes the riding helmet that had been protecting Dick's identity throughout the entire ordeal.

Dick just stares out the window, but isn't registering anything. Tears just continue to run silently from wide eyes as an inevitable feeling of hopelessness consumes his mind.

He didn't make it...