FIC: Drifting between (3/?)
TITLE: Drifting between (3/?)
AUTHOR: Demon Faith
RATING: PG-13
CHARACTERS: Bruce/Dick, Alfred, Tim
SUMMARY: Nightwing's down, and the Batclan must pull together to avert tragedy.
WORD COUNT: 705
NOTES: Sorry that this part is quite short - thank you again for all your kind feedback.
The world eased in and he was suddenly awake. He kept his eyes closed, struggling to think. How was he going to escape? How did he stop the torture?
He could hear voices but they were muted and far away. Perhaps this was his chance. He'd break his bonds and hide until Bruce found him. Bruce always found him. But he had to get free, run. It was important to run.
Opening his eyes slowly, he took in the room. It was dark and bleak, and he could hear the demons up beyond where he could see. He had to be careful not to draw the attention of their calls, their eerie screeches sending chills down his spine.
Sitting up, the room spun - the wires were still stealing his life and he had to stop them! Tearing the devices from his arms, he stood up, but the whole room lurched to the side. They knew he was here! They were coming!
He staggered forward, thick liquid on his hands, and the corridors strangely unfocussed. This was some kind of mind control, to prevent him from escaping. He had to overcome it. He couldn't let Bruce down.
There was some kind of noxious gas in the air and he was struggling to breathe. They were trying to kill him, slowly and painfully. The room was shaking with every step, violently tossing him from side to side. It must be the Joker! Only he could come up with a torture such as this.
Demons swooped towards him and he cowered, but carried on. He couldn't be caught again. He wouldn't go back.
"Dick?"
He swung around at that voice and stifled a scream. They had him - the Joker had Bruce! One of the demons moved towards him and he stumbled back, shielding his face.
"Stay away from me! Let him go!"
His voice came out as a harsh rasp - they'd taken his speech, so he couldn't call for help. He would kill the Joker now, he would take him down for good.
"Master Dick, you're not well," the demon snarled, a mockery of Alfred. How dare it. How dare it say those things, twist his beloved memory. He stumbled back some more until he hit something solid. Nowhere left to run, nowhere to hide. Bruce had been captured too, and there was no one to rescue them. No one.
He reached behind him in desperation and his hands closed on…a sword. He would at least take the Joker down with him. He would make Bruce proud at last.
~
They stood completely still, waiting. Dick looked about him in fear, staring up at the dark expanse of Cave and then looking between them.
"I won't let you hurt him," he croaked, eyes drifting across Tim. Bruce held up his hands and saw Dick shift his focus, saw the black gaze as Dick strived to see.
"You're bleeding," he whispered. "They made you bleed."
Too late, Bruce realised his mistake, as Dick surged forward and, in a flash of metal, swiped at Tim. With a cry, Tim clutched at his face, as Dick overbalanced and brought himself crashing to the floor, with the sword clanging dully against rock.
Bruce rushed to Dick's side, kicking away the sword and kneeling beside his weakly struggling form.
"Alfred?" he called, glancing up to assess the situation.
"He'll be fine, Master Bruce. Superficial wound." Alfred was leading Tim away as Bruce turned back. Dick lashed out, trying to strike him, but Bruce held onto his hands, trying to make Dick look at him, to see that it was okay.
"It's all right, Dick, it's all right…"but he was deaf to his pleas, thrashing in his grip, openly weeping with frustration as he stared into the empty space of the Cave, flinching at unseen horrors of the night.
"Let me go, let me go…" he sobbed, until, exhausted, he slumped bonelessly to the floor. Bruce's hand moved to Dick's hair of its own accord. He flinched, but Bruce continued the soothing strokes, watching Dick start to relax.
"Did we win, Bruce?" he murmured in that creaking voice, and Bruce closed his eyes, keeping the tears behind his lashes.
He lied. "Yes, we're winning.
AUTHOR: Demon Faith
RATING: PG-13
CHARACTERS: Bruce/Dick, Alfred, Tim
SUMMARY: Nightwing's down, and the Batclan must pull together to avert tragedy.
WORD COUNT: 705
NOTES: Sorry that this part is quite short - thank you again for all your kind feedback.
The world eased in and he was suddenly awake. He kept his eyes closed, struggling to think. How was he going to escape? How did he stop the torture?
He could hear voices but they were muted and far away. Perhaps this was his chance. He'd break his bonds and hide until Bruce found him. Bruce always found him. But he had to get free, run. It was important to run.
Opening his eyes slowly, he took in the room. It was dark and bleak, and he could hear the demons up beyond where he could see. He had to be careful not to draw the attention of their calls, their eerie screeches sending chills down his spine.
Sitting up, the room spun - the wires were still stealing his life and he had to stop them! Tearing the devices from his arms, he stood up, but the whole room lurched to the side. They knew he was here! They were coming!
He staggered forward, thick liquid on his hands, and the corridors strangely unfocussed. This was some kind of mind control, to prevent him from escaping. He had to overcome it. He couldn't let Bruce down.
There was some kind of noxious gas in the air and he was struggling to breathe. They were trying to kill him, slowly and painfully. The room was shaking with every step, violently tossing him from side to side. It must be the Joker! Only he could come up with a torture such as this.
Demons swooped towards him and he cowered, but carried on. He couldn't be caught again. He wouldn't go back.
"Dick?"
He swung around at that voice and stifled a scream. They had him - the Joker had Bruce! One of the demons moved towards him and he stumbled back, shielding his face.
"Stay away from me! Let him go!"
His voice came out as a harsh rasp - they'd taken his speech, so he couldn't call for help. He would kill the Joker now, he would take him down for good.
"Master Dick, you're not well," the demon snarled, a mockery of Alfred. How dare it. How dare it say those things, twist his beloved memory. He stumbled back some more until he hit something solid. Nowhere left to run, nowhere to hide. Bruce had been captured too, and there was no one to rescue them. No one.
He reached behind him in desperation and his hands closed on…a sword. He would at least take the Joker down with him. He would make Bruce proud at last.
~
They stood completely still, waiting. Dick looked about him in fear, staring up at the dark expanse of Cave and then looking between them.
"I won't let you hurt him," he croaked, eyes drifting across Tim. Bruce held up his hands and saw Dick shift his focus, saw the black gaze as Dick strived to see.
"You're bleeding," he whispered. "They made you bleed."
Too late, Bruce realised his mistake, as Dick surged forward and, in a flash of metal, swiped at Tim. With a cry, Tim clutched at his face, as Dick overbalanced and brought himself crashing to the floor, with the sword clanging dully against rock.
Bruce rushed to Dick's side, kicking away the sword and kneeling beside his weakly struggling form.
"Alfred?" he called, glancing up to assess the situation.
"He'll be fine, Master Bruce. Superficial wound." Alfred was leading Tim away as Bruce turned back. Dick lashed out, trying to strike him, but Bruce held onto his hands, trying to make Dick look at him, to see that it was okay.
"It's all right, Dick, it's all right…"but he was deaf to his pleas, thrashing in his grip, openly weeping with frustration as he stared into the empty space of the Cave, flinching at unseen horrors of the night.
"Let me go, let me go…" he sobbed, until, exhausted, he slumped bonelessly to the floor. Bruce's hand moved to Dick's hair of its own accord. He flinched, but Bruce continued the soothing strokes, watching Dick start to relax.
"Did we win, Bruce?" he murmured in that creaking voice, and Bruce closed his eyes, keeping the tears behind his lashes.
He lied. "Yes, we're winning.