So, the truth is out there now. How many of you saw that coming? Dick hiring Deathstroke, I mean.

Also, blame my sister for this one. She told me to do it. >:)

Dick stood there, paralyzed. "You...you have Jason? How did you get him so quickly? He barely left the house forty minutes ago!"

"Yes, well, he was intoxicated, in his suit, and crashed the Batplane in a field outside of Gotham. I have been tracking your every movement so I knew of this immediately. I snatched his unconscious form up immediately and called you." Deathstroke chuckled. "I am giving you two hours to decide. If I don't have an answer by then, your brother is dead."

The line went dead.

Dick turned to Damian and Tim. "Call father and suit up, we have an idiotic brother to rescue."

Five minutes later the three brothers were gathered back in the cave, dressed in their suits. Tim dialed Bruce on his phone as they headed through the zeta tubes to Mount Justice. He answered on the third ring.

"What is it, Tim?"

"Dick was the one to hire Deathstroke, Deathstroke has Jason, and in exchange for Jason's life, he wants Dick as his apprentice." Tim spoke in one breath.

Bruce was silent for a moment. "Anything else?"

"The team knows our identities."

Bruce sighed. "Alright, well, I will be there as soon as I can. Be careful, Tim. Deathstroke is not someone to fool around with."

"Of course." Tim hung up, looking up to see that they were at the mountain and the team was standing there, glaring at them. All except Wally, of course, who looked sheepish. "I know we aren't in your good graces right now-"

"You think?" Artemis spat, arms crossed over her chest. She looked over the three brothers, noticing a certain parent murdering one missing. "At least you were smart enough not to bring Hood."

"About that..." Dick launched into the story of how he was the one to hire Deathstroke, why he hired him, Jason's reaction and departure, and how Deathstroke captured Jason. "We...we need your help rescuing Jason."

"And why would we do that? He murdered my parents!" Artemis hissed. "He chose to go after Deathstroke, he deserves what comes his way."

"You are going on this mission to rescue Jason and failure will not be an option." All eyes turned to see Batman standing there with Black Canary and a few other members of the Justice League. "You are to bring my son home, safe, and prevent Dick from becoming Deathstroke's apprentice. Understood?"

"Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say son?" Conner asked, looking between the three brothers and Batman. "He's your father?"

"Yes. Talia al Ghul and Batman are our parents." Tim answered coolly. "Problem?"

"Yes, actually-"

"Well, save it. You have a mission." Batman narrowed his eyes at the team, pulling up the holographic computer. "I installed trackers in all of my sons' suits as soon as they arrived to my house and according to Jason's he is just outside Gotham. Go, bring my son home. Alive."

The team nodded, knowing better than to disobey Batman. They ran off with the three brothers to the bioship, boarding in silence. They took off in the direction of Gotham, flying faster than any of them knew the bioship could go.

"So...Batman is your father." Wally looked at Dick, who nodded in silence. "That makes Bruce Wayne Batman."

"Can we focus on the mission, please?" Tim snapped. "Who knows what Slade is doing to Jason right now?"

"Jason is strong, he can handle it." Damian mumbled. "What I'm not sure he can handle is Dick's betrayal."

Dick sighed, looking out the window. "I explained it. I hired Deathstroke so that mother would send us to live with father, giving us the opportunity to be heroes. I knew Jason would not take to the hero life as easily as the rest of us, so I pushed him away, trying to get him to go back to mother. I figured if he went back to mother, he and mother could take out Slade together, without anyone figuring out I was the one to hire him. Mother would see Jason being loyal to her and give him the throne, not me. I mean, we all know Jason would make a better heir than me."

"That is such a convoluted way to go about things." Artemis rolled her eyes. "Why not just, I don't know, talk to your mother?"

The three brothers scoffed. "Have you ever met Talia? One does not simply talk to her about giving up the throne."

"You think she is just going to forgive you for hiring a mercenary to kill her family?" Kaldur asked, sending chills down Dick's spine.

"I'm her son." Dick mumbled.

"That didn't answer the question."

Dick was silent, glaring out the window. He didn't want to think about facing Talia's wrath after getting Jason to safety. That was something he would deal with later, right now he had to focus on getting Jason away from Slade.

No matter the cost.

"We're here. According to the tracker Batman installed in Jason's suit, he's down there."

"...its an empty field."

M'gann landed the bioship, the team silently making their way out into the field.

Mind link up.

Everyone stay alert, you never know what is happening here. This could be a trap.

No one is here, how is this a trap?

Slade just wants us to think no one is here.

Wait, I see something - over there!

Tim went sprinting into the field, the rest following him after a beat. Tim stopped abruptly, standing over a pile of fabric. He stared down at it, a hand to his mouth. He bent down, picking it up and turning around to show the team.

It was Jason's suit, torn and bloody, with a note attached to it.

Damian snatched the note away, reading it aloud. "'X, I believe the two hours are up. Shame, really, your brother had to die. He would've made a suitable replacement for you, if only you had responded in time with an answer. Oh well, I am going to have fun killing your team and your family. After all, I always uphold my end of the deal.'" Damian turned to Dick with a look of rage. "If Jason is really dead, I swear-"

Dick took the suit from Tim, handing it to Wally. "Bring this back to the mountain. Have my father run an analysis on the blood, make sure it is Jason's." Once Wally took off running, he turned back to the team. "Let's find Deathstroke and make him pay."