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DICK GRAYSON FEELS OVERWHELMED. He's got a half-dead Kryptonian in the med bay, a technical little brother on the verge of a breakdown, an assassin out for the blood of the people he loves, and an inevitable breakdown just on the horizon. It is not, all things considered, his best day.
But he can fix these issues. The injured alien can be healed, he can talk to Jason and as for Deathstroke ━━ he's willing to do whatever it takes to stop him, to end this madness once and for all. He's not the same kid he was in that church, not anymore, and he refuses to allow that psychopath to rip away any more of his family.
First things first: Conner, the alien that saved Jason and got shot for his efforts.
His knuckle raps against the door, and he wonders if he should have asked one of the other's to do this. Not that they're particularly up for talking to him... still, Donna would have listened. Then she would be here, probably as calm and collected as ever, and he wouldn't be preparing himself to come face to face with her.
Autumn Alita confuses him. Part of him hates her, violent anger rearing its ugly head whenever he thinks about her lies. They could have had so much more time together if she'd been honest, if she told him the truth in Detroit, but she didn't. She waited until the last possible moment, until she couldn't hide the truth, to let him know that she'd been right in front of him the whole time.
But there's another part, not as hidden as he'd like it to be, that isn't sad or angry. It's something else entirely and it terrifies him. It rests inside his chest and it bursts forward every time he sees her, every time she smiles or laughs.
She hasn't done either in a while.
The door swings open and she stares back at him, no magic hiding her true form. Her hair is tied back into a half-done bun, her eyes ringed with red, and it takes all his self-control not to ask if she's alright.
"We need you", he says instead, doing his best to remain as impassive as possible.
She shifts on her feet. "I... I'm a little ━━ what do you need, exactly?"
"Did you watch the news last night?" He asks. "Or pick up your phone?"
"I was busy."
"Busy", he echoes hollowly. He wonders what kept her busy... wonders if it has anything to do with why she looks like she's seen a ghost.
And Dick Grayson knows his ghosts. A mistake of his youth that's always haunted him, always waited in the background, has finally forced its way to the present, and now the people he loves are going to suffer. She could be one of those people, she could be a target of Deathstroke, but he can't bring himself to tell her that.
Once he does, she'll ask questions, and he... Dick can't say with certainty that he wouldn't tell her everything.
She wouldn't judge. He's had some of the gaps filled in by Wally, by New York's Green Lantern. Autumn Alita would never judge another person for fucking things up.
