Chapter Two: The Colorful Future
Author's Note: If you've ever loved Robin as a symbol go read We Are…Robin, the new comics from DC, it's really fun. An army of Robins for the win! And they're really going to war with the Court of Owls in the comics right now! Robin War!
Also borrowed dialogue from Judd Winick's Under the Hood comic and Lee Bermejo's "We Are…Robin!" Issue 2.
Mary Grayson glanced over at Slade as he gave her his report on Samantha Vanover.
"She's the one you're looking for," Slade gazed at Elizabeth Reddington, his curiosity piqued.
"So tell me, how did I know nothing of this shadowy cabal? Especially since they seem so powerful for a bunch of bored rich socialites?"
He crossed his arms.
"Well, they're not overly ambitious, they just want to have and control Gotham City. Like a child has their favorite toy. And unlike you, Slade, they want to stay in the shadows, they don't want everyone to know that Gotham City is theirs, unless they feel the need to put you in your place."
"I see, Samantha Vanover is the Grandmaster of the Court of Owls. They called her Grandmaster and answer to her."
"Did they feel threatened by you?" Elizabeth queried.
"Not at all, let them underestimate me, I have all the advantages. I have a proposition, Red. If we crush the Court of Owls, we'll rule this city, it will belong to us!"
"Sorry, I'm not interested in such a generous offer; I have my own plans for this city."
"So just like that, our business is concluded, and the check you gave me went through."
Slade had been playing both sides for months now, feeding Reddington bits and pieces of info on them while giving the Court bits and pieces on her. Just enough to keep the money flowing, but the Court was starting to become suspicious, so he decided to "side" with them until he learned there plans, then he would betray them and kill them all. After all, the Court had billions in assets compared to Reddington's millions. He'd go where the money was.
She'd asked him to meet her at Bob's Billiards to pay him.
"What are you going to do now?" Elizabeth asked.
"I'm going to eliminate all threats to me, and well, you're a threat, and threats to me don't survive, and I've decided Red, despite your excellent reputation, I want you dead, and if Deathstroke wants you dead, then you're dead."
"Just so we're clear, and I say this not so much as respect as a reminder I'm a breath away from killing you…"
He began to circle her.
"You should have joined me; I would have given you this city," Slade sighed. "We're so very much alike, you and I."
"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice," Elizabeth smirked.
"Oh, you shouldn't make Star Wars jokes at a time like this, sweetheart."
"What's with you villains, you have no sense of humor, except for the Joker and Harley Quinn, none of you know how to have humor in your dark and gloomy world. And the world of villainy is very gloomy, determined heroes chase you the world over, never giving up because they have to stop you. You don't laugh or joke because you're too busy making other people suffer. The reason I can crack a joke is because I know you can't kill me."
She made her way towards a chair.
"You know, when I was 15…I had a summer job installing carpets for Albert Kodagolian…on Lake Charlevoix. Horrible job," she waved her hands expressively. "Hot, indoors…forced to listen to "The Gambler" on 8-track…"
She sat down, "…while the rest of the world was at the beach. Three days into the job, I knew I had to quit. I asked my father for advice. All he wanted to know is whether I gave my word to Mr. Kodagolian…"
"…That I'd work the summer. My father suggested I stick it out. I'd given my word. Worst eight weeks of my life. Until the last day. Mr. Kodagolian shows up on the job site, pulls me aside and tells me…that in 27 years no kid has ever made it through the summer…gives me a bonus $40. The most valuable money I've ever made. A priceless lesson about life. Value loyalty above all else."
She got to her feet and leaned on the doorway, watching him intently.
"It seems you've decided that you're going after the Court because you're their completion," Slade smiled, "I'd say I'm just playing errand boy for you. Perhaps you were a loyal attack dog, but you had a change of heart. I'm just a pawn in this game of yours. Am I wrong?"
"Probably not," Reddington replied.
"You little bitch! Shoulda done this a long damned time ag—" Slade snarled, he aimed his gun at her head.
That was when she high kicked him in the head, sending him staggering back.
Elizabeth locked his elbow with her own, using her other hand to grip his gun.
Grabbing Slade's gun, she pistol whipped him across the face.
He retaliated by kicking her head.
"I thought you were just a bloodstain that didn't need my attention!" the mercenary snapped.
"Ha! You were afraid to get your hands dirty! You just wanted to sit on your can and let the worker bees do the real labor! You tried to run Jump City through fear! Take a look around you, that's been failing for a long time!
She hit him hard again, he staggered back, stunned.
Elizabeth shed the coat she'd been wearing, revealing Talon armor. Slade had to wonder if she was planning a coup de grace, taking over the Court of Owls so she could have Jump City as her playground.
Elizabeth kicked him through the window of Bob's Billiards, "And believe me—"
She slammed her fist into his gut.
"I'm not scared!"
Elizabeth gazed down at him. "You can call yourself whatever you like…you can play dress-up…you can surround yourself with whatever myth you like…but at the end of the day..."
She felt nothing with contempt for him, "…You're just another mercenary!"
Slade looked up at her, enraged. "Look who's talking about hiding…about making myths...about playing dress-up…"
Slade jumped to his feet and leapt over the window. "Look at you! Tarted up like some gladiator owl! Covered in body armor!" He grabbed her by the shirt and slammed her into the pool table, cracking it.
She got to her feet and slashed him across the chest with the Kris, a unique knife she carried with her.
Gripping a sword, he slashed her across the stomach, when the body armor held; he reached around and stabbed her in the back, this time the blade went in.
Reddington quickly placed a small explosive on the back of Slade's armor; he quickly pulled off the Kevlar as it went up in flames.
"You shit little girl!" Slade raged. "Toys! All you rent-a-cops and your toys! You can't fight like men! You never—never put your hide on the line!"
The Concierge of Crime tried to pull the sword out, but had to retaliate by slashing Slade across the back of his masked face.
"You're wrong, that's all I do."
She casually pulled the blade out of her back like it didn't hurt at all.
"Because I guess that's what it all comes down to…sacrifice. You just want to run Jump City…To keep Jump City. But you never understood her." Elizabeth tossed the blade away.
"You have to be willing to destroy this place to make her yours."
Slade let out an enraged scream and leaned in his face very close to hers. He wanted to make himself very clear.
"Sister… I'm ready to torch this place to ash. To kill every sad mouthed breather who was dumb enough to live here...and I'm ready to down with the ship."
Reddington tried to stab him as he held her hand back and gripped her neck with the other.
"And between us little girl, we both know I'm not the one who's afraid to die."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Elizabeth smirked.
He gripped her hand with both of his; he forced the Kris back until he stabbed her through the heart. She dropped to the ground, dead.
"You're right…it was all about sacrifice," Slade observed. He gazed down at the dead corpse.
Suddenly, he saw her eyes snap open. "Well, that was fun! Happy now that you've killed me?" she asked in a cheerful tone. "I do love this trick; it's what gave me my hard to kill reputation."
She stood up and laughed, "What? You think you're the first person who's tried to kill me?"
Elizabeth got to her feet and dusted herself off. "I'll be going now, and by the way, I just had Dembe report a Slade sighting here, so you'd better leave, I do believe I've done a number on you, and now you'll be fighting all of them."
He snarled as he saw the T-Car pull up, by the time he turned around, Reddington was gone.
Elizabeth got into the car, watching on a hidden camera as Robin and the Teen Titans entered the room.
"Slade!" Robin shouted, "I knew you'd come back, and I'm still ready!"
Robin charged forward. They exchanged a flurry of kicks, Robin's foot met the side of Slade's masked face.
"Reddington! Reddington set me up!" he screamed.
"Maybe I should thank her, if I get you; I can concentrate on going after her!" Robin retorted.
Cyborg fired a stream of laserfire from his Sonic Cannon, causing him to move to avoid the blast, only to be on the receiving end of a green rhino's horn. Dark energy surrounded him, slamming him back through the wall and out onto the pavement where Starfire picked him up and threw him back towards a waiting Robin, who slammed his bo staff into Slade's midsection.
Slade hit the concrete but managed to climb to his feet. Robin quickly placed small mini rocket discs on a nearby dumpster and launched it at Slade, the mercenary was broadsided and he hit the ground.
Robin stood over him, he reached down and removed the mask, "It's over Slade."
"Sorry to disappoint you Robin, but it's just the beginning."
Robin stared down at the Minion wearing the Slade mask. He let out a growl of frustration; he smashed his steel-toed boot through the robotic face, smashing it to pieces.
Mary stared at the tablet screen in her hand, "I really wasn't worth your time was I Deathstroke?"
"We'll get them Robin," Cyborg told him. "Both Reddington and Slade."
"It looks like something big went down in, it was all wrecked when we got there," Cyborg noted.
"Slade and Reddington must have had a fight," Raven added.
"Slade did say she set him up," Beast Boy glanced around, "Dude they broke the pool table!"
"Reddington must have called the police when she met with Slade," Starfire had to wonder how they had jus missed her.
"No, the voice that called it in was a man," Raven remembered hearing it on the police band. "Maybe it was someone who worked for her."
"We'll find her soon!" Robin slapped his fist into his palm. "I can't wait to meet her!"
"I can't wait to see you again son, but not yet, I'll see you on my terms not yours," Mary smiled. She shut off the video feed, calling them in had been the perfect distraction for her to get away from both of them.
Slade was completely clueless to her real identity, and she intended to keep him in the dark, besides, she didn't use any acrobatics associated with the Flying Graysons that would tip Slade off to who she was.
Mary looked up at Dembe.
"Dembe, take me to the warehouse district," she told him. Tblack man drove her there!
Mary made her way to a warehouse where she knew a young teenager was waiting for her. This was her redemption, for all the horrible things she did as Elizabeth Reddington.
This movement she created, would help protect her son's city from the threat he didn't see coming, but she'd get him involved, and with his help, there would be an army ready to fight the Court of Owls.
Dick didn't know just how much he inspired people.
She walked in and sat down.
"Welcome back to the world, Mister Thomas," Elizabeth greeted the teenager in front of her.
"UUUUGGGHHH!" the 16 year old Duke Thomas groaned. "I want a lawyer."
"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary. You aren't under arrest," Mary reassured him.
"Not what it looks like. What happened to the others?" Duke asked curiously.
"Your comrades dispersed as soon as they saw me. Don't worry, they're taken care of."
"Huh?! What do you mean, "taken care of"? Did something happen to them?"
"I want to know what happened to you, Mister Thomas," Mary pointed at him. She had changed her clothes before she entered the room and was in a very elaborate disguise. A different wig and a different suit.
"Mister Thomas is my dad," Duke told him.
"Now we're getting somewhere. The whereabouts of your parents are still unknown correct? That is why you were down in the tunnels this evening. Looking for them?"
Duke reached for the hot coffee on the table.
"Maybe. Look, you need to know I have nothing to do with those kids down there. I just ran into them on…accident," Duke explained quickly. "What are you guys going to do about those bombs?"
Mary stood up. "That's what I want to know from you Mister Thomas. What are "we" going to do about them?"
"We"?!" Thomas exclaimed in shock. "You're the cop. It's up to you guys to stop them. Told you I've got nothing to do with this." Duke gestured to her.
Incorrect. Now that you're privy to this information and the potential dangers it presents to the citizens of Jump City, just what are you going to do about it?"
She stood to her feet.
"Look lady…those Robin kids…they've got the whole teenage vigilante thing going on. That ain't…that isn't me."
It had been a crazy day of searching for his parents who had disappeared after an incident involving Joker Zombies, yes, Joker zombies. In the aftermath in Gotham City, he suspected his parents might have been taken away form Gotham and moved elsewhere to a different hospital. He'd seen a picture that sort of looked like them in a Jump City hospital. So he'd hitchhiked across the country to look for them.
He glanced away from her, down at his drink. "I just wanna find my parents."
"What if I made you an offer? Mary asked. "You help me handle this bomb situation and I'll help you find your parents."
"You're kidding right?!" Duke stared at her like she was insane. "Lady, what do you expect me to do?! I don't know how to stop a crazy homeless army, not to mention defuse a bomb. Don't you have professionals for this kind of stuff?!"
Mary met his gaze, "I'm going to make you a professional. I've had my eye on you for quite some time, young man."
"Don't wanna be a cop. Don't trust cops." Duke stared at her. "No offense."
"None 's your choice Mister Thomas, the clock is ticking and only you know the first target." She'd been walking away when she'd turned back to him.
She turned and left
Duke buried his face on the table in his arm. He'd noticed the clock said 10:30 PM Then he placed his hands over his eyes in frustration. Iit was 11:05 PM.
He waited. The clock said 11:43 PM.
"HEY~ You guys ever gonna let me out of here?!"
"HELLOOOO!" Duke called out.
"The hell kind of cop leaves a kid…" Duke reached for the door. It opened. "What the hell?"
HE walked outside, and saw a red motorcycle waiting for him. He found a smartphone. It had a message from someone called "The Nest". It had been a long night, trying to search for his parents, he'd gone down into the sewers and found a crazy preacher who was "preaching" about purifying Jump City with bombs at the city's major landmarks. He'd managed to literally sniff out Duke and his followers had attacked him. He'd been rescued by a group of teenagers calling themselves "Robin".
They'd helped him escape but they'd split when the cops showed up.
Then he'd met mystery lady and found this bike with a smartphone and a message.
The Nest: We'll be waiting for you on the roof of 83 and Perez.
Duke took off and headed to 83 and Perez. He wanted answers and he was going to get them.
Mary Gayson watched the young black man drive off on the motorcycle.
"I almost forgot who I am Dick, I'm sorry, but seeing you again, it's reminded me of what I should be doing, but I'll atone for all the awful things I've done, and if this is the only good thing I can do, then I'll die again with pride. I won't forget who I am anymore. Who we are. We are…Robin."
She glanced down at her phone. The Nest had sent the Robins out, now it was time for them to fly.