Disclaimer: I don't own teen titans. If I did, they would have suffered more than anyone in the world! I like making them suffer...
Premise: What if Slade took Robin away from Jump right after the fight on Wayne Enterprises? What if the probes were removed by a third party? What if there was no apparent way to escape for years? and then Dick ended up in Gotham? First story in a trilogy from this idea. Characters from Batman comics also involved. Enjoy! I will comment at the end of it all.
Betad by undecidable
Dead Inside
It had been years. So many years since he'd been in that city. And many more since he had seen that person. To think there was a new one, a third. He'd heard about the second, how he died. Well he himself had died too, inside. Died the day he swore loyalty to a man he hated more than anything, one who hung the lives of his friends over his head. For years. Even now.
He hadn't seen any of them in quite some time. And now he was back in his home town with his Master to take down a target. This was to be his first human kill. He killed so many animals on hunting trips, all of them conditioning him for this day. Each kill tore a piece of his heart out.
Frankly, taking down a corrupt mayor was the highlight of the assignment. He just wished he'd do it through the system instead of with a sniper rifle. The heavy weight never felt right to him. He may be good with it now, but it still felt wrong. At least his stomach could take it now.
"I would strongly advise against pulling that trigger."
Speaking about stomachs, his suddenly grew a hole at the voice. He knew it would happen, the dread, the panic, the guilt, he knew it would come. And as much as he knew about it, prepared for it, he couldn't escape it. He barely managed to roll and flip away before a batarang struck his previous location. Reflex made him throw a smoke pellet at the ground, hiding his escape. The rifle was left behind. He could always retrieve it later if he wanted it. He knew where it'd end up.
Quickly and with more skill than a ninja, he disappeared. He wasn't gone. He could still see them, those who interrupted his assigned kill. The new duo stood proudly side by side, looking at the empty space he once resided in. The kid next to him wasn't bounding around like he once did, and his uniform was quite a bit different. Armored. Better cloaked. Padded. He only wished he had the sense that kid clearly had. Showing off clearly wasn't part of his personality. Maybe he was just wearing the uniform to pay homage to himself and his predecessor.
Stupid kid.
He stopped analyzing the new blood and looked at the dark shadow that had once hung over him. There were a few changes to his uniform and some signs of aging on his face, but for the most part he was the same. Exactly the same. His movements included. He could still move in tandem with him if he wanted to. Part of him wanted to. Part of him wanted to run over there and hide in that shadow again, to receive the safety and comfort it once gave him.
That part of him stayed smothered by the endless empty fields inside him. He wanted to do lots of things, like smile. But none of that mattered. What mattered was fulfilling his Master's wishes or they would all die.
"Mayor Krol is still alive Renegade," a cool, cruel voice murmured in his ear.
"Complications." Renegade replied, continuing through the shadows and vanishing from the site entirely. He knew the man's patterns. He wouldn't find him. If there was one thing the young man knew, it was how to disappear. "Returning to checkpoint four."
"Is your former mentor going to be a problem for you?"
He had to take a deep breath before answering. "No more than usual."
"Hm." His Master on the other end of his earpieces seemed to be considering his options. "Understood. Looks like we'll have to rid ourselves of the Batman before getting rid of Krol. Remember his name yet?"
"Negative."
"Shame. This trip would go much faster if you could only recall who he was. Rendezvous and have plans ready before arrival. Deathstroke out."