I hope that whatever was on that flash drive was worth it.
[His tone wasn't an angry or a bitter one. It was one that's resigned to the fact that all this is happening and that where they go from here is all that matters now.]
[The fact that you don't know and that there's so many unknowns in the equation is why he's so worried. About you. About Artemis. About everyone else. But enough with the heavy stuff for now.]
I'll try. Can't promise anything, though. I don't think you quite realize how dangerous Vietnamese Lit can be. [He's still allowed to make jokes, right?]
I'll keep that in mind, should I ever venture into its depths.
*He's always allowed to make jokes. Dick's might be a little bit off, right now, but he can appreciate them. Especially when he was trying to make sure Wally wouldn't try something on his own. Or... in case somebody comes after him.*
*how is this both funny and hurting like whoa, because the other Cave is gone, and the Cave they're talking about is empty of the presence that made it home? Poignant... doesn't begin to cover it.*
Plus, you don't mind my mathematical prowess. It goes well with your scientific gig.
I understand how you feel, Wally. I really do. And, while I'm not your world's Nightwing, if he's anything at all like me, I can tell you with the utmost confidence that he's planned for every contingency.
Remember who we learned from. Batman. Arguably the most potent member of the League, who holds his own against Superman without any powers. He has to plan for every possible eventuality. It's the only way he's survived this long, and he made sure to pass that on to us.
I know. And believe me when I say I know how you feel. In my world, a plan went bad, and Joker ended up shooting Batgirl in the base of her spine. I always felt like it was my fault for leaving Gotham when I did.
But with something like this, risks have to be taken. I know it sounds callous, but we're just a handful of people. Billions of lives are at stake. Believe me, if it were an option, I'd be the only one risking anything.
I don't need to be reminded that there's risks and what the job's about. I lived it, remember? But he can't ever expect me to think that a friends' death is necessary or an acceptable loss.
[People die on the job. Wally gets that. But Dick volunteering Conner to die all those years ago in that training simulation is a line of thinking that he can never get behind.]
Even after that, though, she insisted on being a part of the show. She has an entire clock tower filled from top to bottom with surveillance and hacking equipment and now she provides support for me, Batman, and a handful of other Leaguers.
The point is, as soon as we put on the mask, we acknowledge that our lives are expendable to a degree. I would gladly take a bullet for any civilian, and have - many times.
What we are doing is bigger than us, Wally. We have to keep that big picture in view.
So that justifies everything? He nearly got Conner killed. He allowed Bart, Gar, and Blue Beetle to be taken by people who will want to do who knows what to them.
Sure, he hopes to rescue them. But what if he can't? Or they're too late? Do they just become acceptable losses? I'm pretty sure they didn't sign up for their own team leader to lie to them and let them get taken by the bad guys.
[Wally knows he's being a unfair now. But if Dick can see the cave as just a place, will he ever start seeing their friends as just a person?]
No life is an acceptable loss. At the same time, it's their choice to put themselves on the line. And personally, I kind of feel bad for the guys that took them. They're gathering some of the planet's staunchest defenders, and just the smallest of slip ups, and everyone they kidnapped will be busting out and raising all kinds of havoc.
I hate to see it come to this, Wally, I really do. But there was no other choice. Think of who we're dealing with. Ra's Al'Ghul, Black Manta, Queen Bee, Lex Luthor and more working together. You really think that they would allow themselves to be found out from the outside?
Ra's alone has over 400 years worth of experience. You have to trust in your friends' abilities, Wally. It's the only way we're going to get through this.
[This is Dick, Wally. He watched his parents die, and was trained by someone else who did as well. The idea of lives being 'acceptable losses' just doesn't compute.]
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[His tone wasn't an angry or a bitter one. It was one that's resigned to the fact that all this is happening and that where they go from here is all that matters now.]
Just make sure to get Bart and others back, okay?
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*Diiick just. Wasn't happy in the least. About any of this. But he could appreciate the decrease in anger.*
I've got to. We will.
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[Kaldur's already "killed" Artemis and blew up the cave. What's next?]
Be careful. [Translation: don't do something stupid out of guilt.]
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*We? He? Dick was losing the sense of it all. He didn't know the answer to Wally's question. Really, heck if he knew.*
I'll try.
*beat*
You, too.
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I'll try. Can't promise anything, though. I don't think you quite realize how dangerous Vietnamese Lit can be. [He's still allowed to make jokes, right?]
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I'll keep that in mind, should I ever venture into its depths.
*He's always allowed to make jokes. Dick's might be a little bit off, right now, but he can appreciate them. Especially when he was trying to make sure Wally wouldn't try something on his own. Or... in case somebody comes after him.*
That the worst of your classes?
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Fair warning if you ever do: there's a lot more head smashing involved than you'd think there would be.
[He shrugs]
It's definitely the hardest.
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I'll keep that in mind. If, you know, I get around to college.
*Which is not, if I get to college. He's not that morbid... yet.*
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You should get around to that because it's a good experience.
... And no offense, but I think you've spent way too much of your life in caves.
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Duly noted.
And none taken-- hey! I did do high school!
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...and then went home to a cave.
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*how is this both funny and hurting like whoa, because the other Cave is gone, and the Cave they're talking about is empty of the presence that made it home? Poignant... doesn't begin to cover it.*
Plus, you don't mind my mathematical prowess. It goes well with your scientific gig.
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[He grins]
Hey, I meant that as a compliment. If anyone can appreciate a brilliant mind, it's another brilliant mind.
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And right back atcha.
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Remember who we learned from. Batman. Arguably the most potent member of the League, who holds his own against Superman without any powers. He has to plan for every possible eventuality. It's the only way he's survived this long, and he made sure to pass that on to us.
I promise you, this is all part of the plan.
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Even the most carefully planned plans can fail.
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But with something like this, risks have to be taken. I know it sounds callous, but we're just a handful of people. Billions of lives are at stake. Believe me, if it were an option, I'd be the only one risking anything.
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I don't need to be reminded that there's risks and what the job's about. I lived it, remember? But he can't ever expect me to think that a friends' death is necessary or an acceptable loss.
[People die on the job. Wally gets that. But Dick volunteering Conner to die all those years ago in that training simulation is a line of thinking that he can never get behind.]
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The point is, as soon as we put on the mask, we acknowledge that our lives are expendable to a degree. I would gladly take a bullet for any civilian, and have - many times.
What we are doing is bigger than us, Wally. We have to keep that big picture in view.
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Sure, he hopes to rescue them. But what if he can't? Or they're too late? Do they just become acceptable losses? I'm pretty sure they didn't sign up for their own team leader to lie to them and let them get taken by the bad guys.
[Wally knows he's being a unfair now. But if Dick can see the cave as just a place, will he ever start seeing their friends as just a person?]
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I hate to see it come to this, Wally, I really do. But there was no other choice. Think of who we're dealing with. Ra's Al'Ghul, Black Manta, Queen Bee, Lex Luthor and more working together. You really think that they would allow themselves to be found out from the outside?
Ra's alone has over 400 years worth of experience. You have to trust in your friends' abilities, Wally. It's the only way we're going to get through this.
[This is Dick, Wally. He watched his parents die, and was trained by someone else who did as well. The idea of lives being 'acceptable losses' just doesn't compute.]