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Roy cursed as his fingers slipped; he’d just been about to make some damned progress on the chain. But no. He was stuck, chained to a wall, in some godforsaken place. He was never gonna hear the end of it from Dick if he couldn’t get out of these cuffs.
He slumped back against the wall of the dimly lit, empty little closet. At least Dick had gotten away. He’d owe one to Wally for listening to him.
“KF, get Speedy out of-” He’d never forget the look of shock on his face when Wally scooped him up instead. Dick was gonna be pissed, they were in a lecture for sure, but Roy wasn’t dumb – he knew Dick had the best chance of getting them out of this mess.
Especially because the JLA were off world.
And the Teen Titans weren’t technically supposed to be going on missions right now…
And he’d been the one to suggest they go out anyways.
He fidgeted with the lock again, ugh. This was so embarrassing – he felt like a kid playing dress up rather than a superhero. Well, he couldn’t feel too bad – Donna and Garth had gotten grabbed first, and Wally got abducted on his way back to pick him up. So, he was at least the second to last man standing.
The chains refused to budge – he was starting to get worried. It’d almost been an hour, they needed to get Garth out – no way fish boy would die of dehydration on his watch. If he had his bow, he could have picked this by now. He huffed in irritation as the chains slipped again, as he lost what little progress he made.
Even if he got out the chains, he’d have to get out the door, find the others, free them, and somehow get out. And he had no idea where this even was.
Dick could get them out of this… right?
Maybe he should’ve let Wally get him out of there instead – but even then, what would he even do? No – he’d made the right decision. But in the eerie silence, he couldn’t help but feel a small amount of regret.
The light coming from the bottom of the door flickered, a shadow appearing. Roy rolled to his side, trying to get a better look. There were two black boots, silently approaching. The door handle jiggled, quietly opening.
He heard a shout as the door slipped open – Dick’s alarmed face appearing for half a second before recoiling. He threw a set of lockpicks in the room before Roy could hear his footsteps pounding away.
Roy caught the lockpicks with his mouth, and carefully dropped them into his hands, immediately getting to work. He tried to tune out the sounds of a scuffle outside, tried not to worry as he heard Dick taunting whoever was out there, tried not to panic as he heard shots being fired.
His hands shook as he finally heard the first click. His palms were getting wet with sweat – and he fumbled for a moment, the pick slipping out of his hands just as he started to work on the second lock. Fuck. He couldn’t afford to waste any more time – Dick’s taunts were starting to sound strained, from the sounds of things, he was outnumbered.
He leaned back, grasping for the pick. More footsteps pounded through the halls.
“For a count, you’re really bad at-” Dick’s voice cut off with a thud. Roy’s heart pounded against his chest.
“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuckkity fuckcakes.” His fingers finally found the picks, and he forced himself to breathe slowly, and stay calm. He could do this. It was no different then steadying his hands while using his bow. They worked under pressure all the time.
The lock clicked open in what had to be record time. He quickly shook the cuffs off his wrist, and immediately started work on his ankles. Footsteps were walking away from him, by the time he got through, there was silence in the hall once more.
“Shit.” He muttered, rubbing his wrists as he stood. He crept to his door, peeking out. The hall was empty to the left, though a few unconscious goons laid off to the right. He had two options. Try and find the others or try and find where Dick had gone off to. He couldn’t wait too long; Dick had a tendency to piss off his captors and Garth would need water if he’d been left high and dry.
As he stood in the hallway, trying to make his decision, a near-silent pattering of footsteps began echoing closer. He leapt back into the room, adrenaline rushing through his veins. Quietly pulling the door shut, he held his breath.
The quiet steps got closer, stopping in front of the door. He dropped into a defensive position, getting ready for a-
“Speedy?” Donna whispered, cracking the door open. He sighed in relief, at least something today had gone right. She swung open the door as he waved. He was pleasantly surprised to see Garth and Wally standing behind her.
“Where’s Rob?” Garth asked, his face falling as he scanned the empty room.
“He asked me to get these two out and meet him here.” Wally explained hastily, pulling out a hand drawn map. Roy shook his head.
“Sorry guys, he got grabbed while I was getting out of the cuffs.” A pit was forming in the bottom of his stomach. For something to go right with them, something else had to have gone wrong. “Follow me.” He whispered, heading off to the right.
They slunk down the hall, trying to ignore the amount of blood and what seemed to be vomit scattered around the area where the skirmish had taken place. Roy could feel adrenaline coursing through his veins, his heart leaping into his throat every time he caught a shadow moving in the corner of his eye.
Donna slipped her hand into his, looking just as anxious as he felt. He gave her a reassuring squeeze. He signaled with his other hand for them to stop at the end of the hallway. Silently he poked his head around the corridor. A flight of stairs led up to a higher level.
He picked his path quickly and quietly, making sure nothing squeaked or creaked. As he climbed, he was acutely aware of a steady trail of blood speckled across each step. He let go of Donna, and motioned for the others to follow in his footsteps.
He crouched down as he reached the top. The stairs opened into the back corner of the main headquarters of these assholes. He pointed at Wally, motioning for him to join at the top. He scanned the room, hopefully Dick was in here – Wally could grab him and they’d get the fuck out. There was a wall of monitors mounted on a desk in the back (some of which showed them still neatly locked up in their rooms). A table sat in the center; a few goons sat there keeping an eye on the screen.
His eyes followed the trail of blood across the floor, it led to a box(?) under the desk, a navy blanket covered it, obscuring its shape. He nudged Wally, pointing it out, and Wally nodded back shooing them back down the stairs.
Garth passed him the map, wordlessly showing him the route out as he reached the bottom of the stairs. They waited a few minutes, watching as Wally stood at the top of the stairs, readying himself for the perfect moment. In the blink of an eye, Wally was in front of him, the covered box in his arms.
He ripped off the blanket, tossing it aside. He heard Donna gasp next to him and fought to stifle his own reaction.
“I left you alone for five minutes…” He whispered, pulling the lockpicks out again. What he assumed was Dick was crammed into a cat carrier, his side/arm(?) bulging out against the metal bars. A hefty padlock rested against the side, another on the top. Roy’s blood boiled, his vision tinting red around the edges.
Who the fuck would do that to a kid? Dick was annoying – but this? This was-
“Get… out first.” Dick wheezed. Roy snapped back into the present. Blood dripped from the bottom of the carrier. “Not… safe… here.” Wally passed the carrier to Donna, and together, they quietly sprinted towards the exit.
“I’m going to kill them.” Roy swore, from the safety of their Titans sub (because of course the base was underwater, why not?!?). He angrily attacked the lock with the tools.
“’s fine.” Dick’s muffled voice peeped out from the cage.
“We’re all safe.” Donna nervously stated from the driver’s seat. “That’s what’s matters.”
“Does he look safe to you?!?” Roy yelled, the lockpick nearly snapping in his hands. “Safe my ass. What the hell?!?”
“Uh, you should calm down a bit, or you’re not gonna get him out.” Garth noted.
“’as a point.” Came Dick’s muffled response. Roy huffed, focusing on his work. Finally, the lock popped open. He opened the front door, freeing up some space, and started on the latch at the top.
“How the hell did he fit in there?” Wally muttered disbelievingly. “All of you is in there, right?” He asked, eyes wide with worry. Roy clenched his tools.
“He better all be in there.” He spat.
“I think I am.” Dick replied. Garth timidly walked around the edge of the table, and poked Dick’s side.
“Are you okay?” He asked, lifting the shirt to reveal the imprint of the cage. “There’s blood leaking out of the bottom.”
“Garth, I wouldn’t call this okay.” Wally replied, waving widely at the situation.
“Finally.” Roy muttered, missing Dick’s response as the top lock popped open. He threw open the door. “HOLY FUCK!” He screamed; people were NOT supposed to bend that way.
“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Dick’s head popped out of the cage. “But… I can’t feel my legs… and I think my shoulders are dislocated.”
“Rate your pain?” Donna called back.
“I’m fine. My limbs fell asleep… like twenty minutes ago.” Dick replied.
Wally threw up in the trash can in the back as Garth attempted to carefully pry Dick out. He’d been tucked into a tiny little ball of limbs, folded neatly in half, his legs pressed to his collarbones, and his arms folded in on themselves.
Roy plopped on the ground. “What the fuck is wrong with them? What the actual fuck?!” He crawled over to join Wally. “Who puts a kid in that tight of a cage?” His stomach flipped, and he leaned over the trash can, waiting until he was sure he was safe – and thankfully, not losing his lunch.
“Can I just break this?” Garth asked, gesturing to the carrier.
“Be careful with him.” Donna warned from the front. “You don’t want him to get cut on any sharp edges.”
“Whatever you do… could you hurry it up? Breathing… is kind of hard like this.” Dick wheezed. “Just get me out.”
Garth yanked at the side of the crate, slowly bending its aluminum frame. Eventually it snapped off, and Dick practically poured out in a puddle of limp limbs.
Roy rushed back to the table, he and Garth slowly helped Dick lie flat. Dick flinched at the movement.
“Is it okay for his back to have bent like that?” Garth asked. “I don’t know about humans, but uhh…”
“’m bendy, it’s fine.” Dick hissed through clenched teeth. “Roy woulda snapped.” He ignored the jab, there were more pressing matters.
“Grab the collar just in case.” Donna instructed from the front. A rush of wind and Wally passed a cervical brace to Garth.
“Unnecessary.” Dick groaned, as Garth carefully strapped it on.
“Mm, sure, Batboy. Can you even feel that?” Roy muttered, probing a gash in his side. Dick groaned in response. “I’ll take that as a maybe. You need stitches, and we probably shouldn’t wait any longer.” Wally handed him a medical kit an instant later. He quickly wiped down the cut. “Guys, hold him still.” Dick squeezed his eyes shut as his muscles began spasming. Roy began threading a needle.
“Wally swap with me.” Donna jogged back, hopping up on the table, sweeping Dick’s torso into her lap, cradling his head. Garth popped up next to her, gently massaging his twitching limbs. Roy held his breath, steadying his hands, and sewed his side back together.
Dick gasped in pain throughout the ordeal, but it was hard to tell if was from the stitches or the muscle cramps. “Sorry.” Roy muttered as he finished tying up the end knot. “I’m sorry we got caught.”
“Us too.” Wally’s knuckles were white as he grasped the steering wheel.
“I’m sorry for this.” Garth apologized hesitating only slightly before popping one of Dick’s shoulders back into its socket. He yelped reflexively, trying to curl around the arm.
“Sorry, sweetheart.” Donna tugged him gently into a flat position as Garth moved to the other side.
“Please.” Dick asked quietly, eyes staring blankly at the roof. Sweat trickling down his brow – mixing with what looked suspiciously like tears, as Garth grabbed his arm. “Don’t-ahg” The second shoulder popped back in place.
“Sorry.” Garth repeated sadly, rubbing the knots out of Dick’s triceps as some kind of apology. Roy wrapped the fresh stitches the best he could, as Dick continued to spasm uncontrollably, writhing in place.
Roy leaned against the table, massaging Dick’s calf, it was rock hard – Roy cringed internally as he began working out the knots. “Sorry, kid.” He was only a year and a half older, but Dick was always so small for his age.
“’m not a kid.” He grumbled back, “’sides, I’m sorry you guys had to save my ass.”
“What are friends for?” Garth asked, leaning against Donna as he cradled Dick’s hand, gently curling and uncurling each finger.
“For getting you out of cat carriers apparently.” He joked. “You know, maybe he’s really been a cat this whole time.” The muscles finally relaxed under his hands, and Roy moved onto the next one.
“He’s bendy like a cat, and he does always seem to land on his feet.” Wally chimed in. Roy glanced up, watching as they approached their base.
“Not always.” Dick groaned, closing his eyes again.
“Well, at least you have friends who can catch you.” Donna smiled, gathering Dick up in her arms.
“Thanks.” He replied quietly.
“Thanks for coming after us.” Roy whispered back. Dick opened one eye.
“Always.” He promised. “Thanks for coming after me.” Roy pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head.
“Always.”