This chapter is dedicated to all my awesome reviewers! Thank you guys so much for the feedback! It really helps me reevaluate parts of the story. So thanks again, guys!
Slade seemed more relentless since Robin's slip-up with the computer. The boy was mostly peeved that he had been caught, and not that he'd been trying to communicate with the outside world. He was still allowed to use the device when under strict supervision (which made doing homework awkward with a mercenary hovering over your shoulder and telling you you're doing it wrong) but for the most part he was forced to write out his work, legibly, while Terra could send it electronically.
He was pretty sure Slade didn't give a crap about killing trees.
Losing his mask had also been...awkward. Terra had spilled her juice the following morning, her eyes growing comically large, when she finally realized that the boy wasn't wearing a mask. She'd glanced in shock from Slade, to Robin, and even to Wintergreen as though she wasn't sure she was hallucinating or not. The Boy Wonder probably would have found it hilarious if it weren't so embarrassing.
Eventually she had settled for a, "Huh. Blue. Never expected that," sort of comment and went on with breakfast. It took her maybe three days to stop staring at him. The added attention made him feel uncomfortable especially when he already felt vulnerable and oddly naked without her staring.
He was never happier than the day she simply accepted it as a normalcy.
Time was monotonous in Slade's lair and lost meaning. He wasn't sure how many late night monopoly games he'd played with Terra when the workload was lighter. Or how many awkward dinners he'd had to sit through. His bruises had bruises from the sparring sessions with Slade. And, though Robin would never admit it, he was getting stronger, faster, and more skilled every day.
Most days were the same. Then, there was a day that stuck out from the others.
It was sparring session time. Robin and Terra were fighting as a unit against Slade. It was always easier said than done. The man never seemed to tire. The little geomancer pulled up a good sized chunk of earth, gave Robin a split second to hop onto it, and sent the whole mass flying towards Slade.
The rock missed. Robin didn't.
The living projectile's staff smashed into Slade's with a sharp clanging noise. They exchanged blows, the noise of their staffs clanging echoing through the training room, until shouting added to it.
"Where is he!?" Robin turned his head towards the angry shout and got a staff to the side of the head as punishment for getting distracted in a fight. The boy twisted as he fell, landing in a crumpled heap by Slade's feet. His bostaff made a metallic sound as it rolled away from him.
"Pathetic," the masked man said with a narrowed eye. "What did I tell you about getting distracted in the middle of a fight?"
Robin's eyes narrowed as he glared up at Slade. Then voices broke the silence again.
"Rose, please, you can't just go barging-" it was Wintergreen's voice.
"I'm going to speak to my father," a female voice, presumably Rose, responded.
"They're in the middle of-" William's protests hadn't stopped her, however, because there was suddenly a girl standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a very similar fashion to Slade. She had armor plating on, and an outfit of greys and blacks. It was the mask that stood out most to Robin. She had half of Slade's mask, the colors reversed, that covered everything from her nose upwards. He could only see a single eye.
Slade glanced at Terra and Robin. "You're dismissed. Take a break but don't wander far."
Robin seemed to remember himself then and closed his mouth with a click as he got to his feet and plopped down on the bench next to Terra. The pair shared a confused glance as the girl who looked so much like Slade marched right up to the man fearlessly and pushed a finger in his face.
"What are you doing?" the hand moved emphatically as she talked, jabbing at Slade's chest like a sword. "What is this? Who-" the had gestured to Robin and Terra. "-are they?"
"Rose," the man held up his hands like one would to calm a wild animal and spoke with a placating voice. "Those are my apprentices. You're interrupting their training."
"Apprentices?" his actions seemed to have the opposite effect on the girl. She was growing louder and less controlled. "What do you need apprentices for? You have me."
"Rose!" that man warned her sharply. "Let's discuss this in another room." his attention then turned to the pair of teens on the bench. "I expect you two to work on your programming assignment while I am gone." and with that the man swept out of the room. The girl gave the pair of them a disdainful look before following him.
"Huh," Robin mused aloud as he watched the pair leave the room.
Terra stood up and stretched making a face. "Who do you think she is?"
"Fangirl?" the boy mused with a half teasing smile.
"I want to say she's his daughter," he was serious this time, but the frown on his face spoke volumes. "But why would he need apprentices if he already has children?"
"Maybe they're all lame?" the blond suggested as she led the way towards the desks where they had their programming. Robin pulled his robot out from a drawer and frowned at it. He had a feeling there was more to this than met the eye.
"I wonder what they're talking about," Robin was first to voice this, though it was obviously on Terra's mind as well. His gaze turned towards the doorway Slade had vanished through. He could hear muffled talking beyond it.
"No way. He would so kill us if he caught us!" the blond protested as though she had read Robin's mind.
"He can't kill us if he can't catch us," the boy said with a smirk. "You afraid?"
She matched him smirk for smirk. "Bring it, Wonder Boy."
And the two crept over towards the door and listened in on the conversation. Robin found from his position he could almost make out the two figures beyond the doorway. Their voices carried rather well. He shared a glance with Terra.
"I get replacing Grant, but what is she doing here?" it was the girl talking. Robin was certain that the she in question was Terra. He wondered who Grant was.
"Rose, I'm not replacing you," he drew his daughter aside sternly, pulling her over towards a seating area in the corner of the room so that they could converse on a more even level and giving Robin an even better view of them.
"Then why?" she asked moodily as she plopped down into one of the chairs. Slade was more graceful about sitting down.
"One day, when you come to your full power, you will need loyal people to fight for you and besides you. Those two will become your allies. The girl, she is a willing weapon, and wields incredible power-"
"And him?"
"He will one day be the next Deathstroke the Terminator. Whether he realizes it, or not."
The girl turned a shade paler but her blue eyes sparked with obvious fury. "Why him? Why not me?"
"Dear child," the man said in a placating tone of voice. "I don't want you to follow in my footsteps." the girl stood up abruptly, her face twisted with anger. Slade reached out and grabbed her wrist, continuing to talk. He ignored Rose's obvious desire not to be anywhere near him. "I want you to surpass me, Rose. I want to give you the world."
It was what anyone wanted for their children. Slade just meant it in probably the most literal of senses.
"I-" the girl's rage crumpled instantly and instead standing in front of him was a very uncertain young woman. She shifted and Slade seemed to sense her confusion. Whether it was Fatherly concern or years of practice at manipulating teenagers the world would never know. "I thought you hated me. You never wanted anything to do with me."
"Rose," Slade's voice was tender and he studied the girl in front of him. "Of course I don't hate you."
That was all the teenage girl needed to collapse sobbing into his arms.
Robin pulled away from the doorway reeling and almost forgot himself. Terra gave him a glare and made a soft hissing noise in warning as the pair made it back over towards the desks. Robin dropped into his seat looking paler than usual.
"He- I-" the boy stammered like he couldn't believe what he had overheard.
"What did you expect?" Terra sat next to him with a roll of her eyes. "That he was training you to be the next Batman?"
That stung more than she could have ever imagined. He glared at her and slumped in his seat. This had never seemed so real before now. Now it was very real. Very real and very terrifying. He was pretty sure his world was collapsing around him. Or possibly spinning.
"It's better than being a tool," he spat, not meaning it, but wanting to hurt anyway. To make her feel a fraction of what he was feeling right now.
It hit the mark. Terra's bright blue eyes clouded with hurt and she turned away. "You two are so alike," she said, her voice reedy from holding back tears. "No one will notice when you take over."
Her blow hit him just as hard.
"I'm sorry," Robin said softly. "It doesn't have to be this way. We can get out."
"How?" Terra turned towards him again, obvious doubt on her face. "Besides, I don't want to leave. He's the first person who wasn't afraid of my power. He says I have potential. I want to reach it."
"It's a trap!" the boy protested. "He'll never let you reach your full potential."
"I will!" Terra hissed.
"No-" Robin's hushed reply was cut short when Slade walked back into the room with the girl. The two scrambled out of their seats from the look their Master gave them and turned to face the father/daughter pair.
"This is my daughter, Rose," the man introduced. He wasn't sure if the look on Robin's face at this confirmation was insulting or laughable. The girl gave the pair a glance before rolling her single visible blue eye. "She will be joining you in your studies," Robin got the feeling this was from her insistence. "Respect her as you would me. I'll return shortly and we'll begin."
The girl gave a wave as her father left before slouching into the desk next to Robin. "That was lame." she said with a smile. She pulled off her mask revealing a cascade of white hair and two perfectly functional eyes. They were almond shaped, like she had Asian ancestry, and blue. Robin couldn't help but wonder how similar she looked to the man behind the mask. "So, you're the guy with the girly name, and rock girl, huh?"
It had the desired effect as both teens bristled.
"What's so special about you?" it was unclear if she was referring to both of them or not, but her blue eyes were mostly sizing up Robin.
"He's secretly a girl?" Terra ventured with a smile leaning forward on her desk to peer around Robin and have a clear view of Rose. Both girls burst into giggles at that comment. The Boy Wonder merely scowled, blushing slightly at the comment, and wished he wasn't surrounded by girls.
"Am not." he grumbled.
"Oh cheer up," Terra protested punching Robin lightly in the arm. "We're all stuck here. We're like comrades in arms! A family with the scariest father-figure in the history of ever."
Something the blond said seemed to resonate in Rose because her eyes sparkled.
Robin, however, thought it was a dumb idea and the last thing he wanted was to view Slade like a father. "If he starts making us call him Dad I will bite off my own tongue," the boy said dryly.
"You know, that's not a bad idea."
The three teens jumped as they heard Slade's voice from behind them. Robin sent the man a horrified look because he wasn't sure whether or not the masked villain was being serious or not. Slade remained infuriatingly ambiguous.
The man set a laptop computer in front of Rose and Robin. Rose because she hadn't received one yet, and Robin because his was generally under lock and key. Terra was allowed to keep hers provided she kept it far away from a certain hacking wonder boy. The three teens opened their computers and the lesson began.
Authors Note: Oh Slade, you're such a troll. :3
'kay, raise of hands. Who saw that coming? If you did it means you know me too well.
Also, for those of you who are scratching your head and wondering why anyone would have children with Slade (you're in the same boat as Robin) Rose Wilson, also known as Ravager, is an actual canon DC character. I absolutely adore her, she's really fun to write, and I think you'll enjoy making her acquaintance if you have no idea who she is.
Another big surprise next chapter. Which is going to be posted Wednesday morning. I'm waaaay too busy to post before then. Sorry. Also, thanks Kirokokori for editing advice!
