Chapter Text
How could you be so stupid?
That thought kept replaying in Dixie’s head. It was all she could think about ever since she got caught. It was supposed to be a simple mission, very simple, like novice-level simple. Batman had heard about an upcoming mob boss and wanted to stop him before he could climb the latter any further.
So that left Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, and her to take care of all the goons. Simple enough right. The goons weren’t that experienced, probably fresh-picked off the street the problem was that there were just so many of them. You take down one there were two more to take his place.
The fight was long and draining, but Dixie was almost done clearing out her designated warehouse. She and her brothers agreed it would be best to split up and attack each warehouse simultaneously. After taking down man after man the battle was finally wearing her down. The adrenaline and high of the fighting was leaving her body.
It didn’t matter though because Dixie only had two left goons, then she would regroup with the others. That’s where Dixie made her first mistake, getting too cocky, a recurring mistake in her profile. The second mistake was failing to check her surroundings, and with one lucky wack to the back of the head Dixie was out like a light.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
When she finally came to, she was in a different location, her head felt like it was splitting in two and her vision was spotty. Dixie shifted her head ever so slightly causing sharp pains to shoot through her head. She looked in front of her only to see an outline of what she assumed to be boots.
Her suspicions were confirmed with a violent jab to the stomach with an added shut-up.
Dixie’s hands were cuffed behind her back, the metal cutting into the skin because her gloves were removed. Her boots and belt were also missing along with her earpiece.
Apparently, the three goons weren’t the only ones to get away and were waiting for a call to regroup. Which left them with plenty of time to deal with Dixie.
The leader decided he needed payback for their operations being ruined and pulled something out of his jacket. Next thing Dixie knew the other two goons were holding pinned her down. She tried fighting them off but another quick jab to the head made her go limp. They began cutting her uniform causing her back to be exposed to the leader. The cracking of a whip was heard and she soon felt her back slice open. Feeling blood trickle down her back.
Each of them took turns with the whip.
After what felt like hours, they eventually got the call to meet up, but before they left they dragged Dixie to another room, in the back practically hidden from the rest of the building. They roughly dropped her on her stomach and proceeded to once again cuff her hands behind her back using the chains that were connected to the center of the room. As Dixie shifted to her side the leader delivered one final kick to the stomach then proceeded to leave, shutting the door behind them. Leaving her in the dark with only a sliver of light coming from the bottom of the door.
That was two days ago or to what Dixie assumed was two days it was hard to tell for sure.
Dixie could tell her back was getting worse the blood may have dried but it was burning against the cool air. She couldn’t lay on her back due to the pain and because she feared she might infect the cuts. So that left her laying on her side causing her shoulder to go numb.
She spent hours tugging against the chains in an effort to get them loose causing the cuffs to scrape up her hands even more. Dixie knows it’s pointless but at this point, it gave her something to do.
It would be a little more bearable if she didn’t have this muzzle on. During the whole whipping ordeal, she kept mouthing off in between every swing and bombarded the goons with insults. The leader eventually got annoyed and told them to find a way to “shut her up”.
After a barrage of kicks, headbutts, and biting of hands they eventually managed to get the device attached to her head.
The muzzle was tight against her face practically cutting into her nose, and with every attempt to shove it off it only managed to seep deeper into her face.
All of this because of a stupid mistake.
How could she be so stupid? How could she be so stupid for getting caught… weak for letting them torture her, and practically allowing them muzzle her … useless for being caught?
A shuffling noise brought her out of her self-deprecating thoughts.
Then she heard a voice.
“Last … location ... somewhere around …”
Dixie knows that voice, she recognizes that voice anywhere that Nightwing.
She heard more footsteps around Nightwing's voice so it seems Red Hood and robin was with him.
Dixie heard the shuffling come closer and closer, making her anticipate the moment they kick down the door and swarm around her. She can just see it now, they bust down the door then would quickly run to her, Robin would get the chains off while Nightwing would take care of the mussel. Red Hood would be worried, but wouldn’t show his true emotions and would hide it through a sarcastic comment.
But the door never opened.
The footsteps began to get more distant.
Why didn’t they see ...
Realization hit Dixie like a brick, making her whole body go cold. The door was in a secure hidden location, invisible to the naked eye. You wouldn’t know a door was there unless you were looking for one.
A million thoughts began to flood her mind, What if they don’t find the door, what if they don’t find her, what if they don’t come back
Dixie tried calling out but the stupid muzzle was blocking out her scream and cries for help only allowing small muffled whimpers to be heard.
For the first time in a long time, Dixie started to panic.
She began screaming given all she had left in her into her voice. She kept calling out for her brothers calling out their real names completely ignoring Bats rule of “no names on the field”. She was screaming practically begging them to turn around to hear her, to get her out of this dark room, to bring her home, but still the only thing that managed to escape her lips were muffled whimpers.
Her eyes started to tear up in frustration. What if they …
No. She had to focus.
The footsteps were almost out of earshot she had to act fast.
Dixie immediately started shuffling around trying desperately to get to the wall hoping she can kick at it to get her brother's attention. It was hard to move. She was physically drained from the fighting and the whipping. Not to mention the chains were thick and heavy making it nearly impossible to move in her weakened state. She managed to switch to her good shoulder and began to drag herself toward the wall. She was almost there when she felt a sharp tug against her arms. The force of the tug caused the chains to seep in deeper into her bleeding exposed wrists causing her to hiss in pain.
The chains weren't long enough for her to kick against the wall, it only allowed for her big toe to barely ghost against it.
The footsteps were officially out of earshot.
Dixie felt hot tears roll down her face. She began to scream, kick, bang her head against the floor completely ignoring her previous head pain. The tears kept streaming down her face, she tucked her knees into her chest closing in on herself.
They didn’t hear her, and since they didn’t find her at this location they won’t come back to search here again.
Am I going to die here was the only thing on her mind. Was she going to die chained up, injured, tired, in a dark room, … alone.
God Dixie didn’t want to die alone.
Not in this cold dark room, where she was injured and weak.
This was something right out of her worst nightmare.
She didn’t want to be alone.
She wanted to get out.
She wanted to get out of this room, she wanted these chains off, she wanted this stupid muzzle off her face, she wanted Alfred to patch her up and tell her everything will be fine, she wanted her brothers to smother her with hugs, she wanted to be back in her warm bed, she wanted Ace to lick her face, she wanted her brothers to tell her she was stupid and that they were never letting her patrol alone again, she wanted to hear Bruce yell at her for making such a rookie mistake, but then immediately after give her a hug.
A small puddle of tears was pooling up beneath her.
She just wanted to go home.