I got the writing bug haha that's why I'm able to keep writing!

I'm gonna keep Slade's family to just the boys and Addie because I don't really like Rose's character and don't want to include her. But like I said, they won't be important. I'm never actually gonna include Addie, Grant, or Joey in the story.

-X-

Dick crouched on the edge of the building, Slade standing behind his shoulder. They were looking down at Lex Luthor's building, towering at thirty levels. Their objective was on the twenty-sixth floor. Slade would not disclose what their objective was but Dick did not protest. They would infiltrate from the top, take the object, and disappear before they caught anyone's attention. It was simple but it was theft. Despite how good it felt to feel the wind and stretch his legs, the idea of stealing would not sit well within his core.

He had to do what he had to do. If it helped bring Bruce's killer to justice, it would be okay, Dick told himself. He didn't know what to think of himself, he didn't even know what to call himself. Robin was a hero, he couldn't call himself Robin anymore. Yet he wasn't Dick Grayson either. Dick Grayson wasn't a thief. But Dick would have to work for now, he didn't have anything better to call himself.

He looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with Slade. The man gave a slight nod of his head. Dick nodded back before leaping off the edge of the building. He grappled one of the structures on Luthor's building and expertly landed on the roof of the building by rolling after his feet made impact and pushing himself up against a vent system protruding from the roof.

He scouted the roof. There was one door giving an entrance to the interior of the building with a camera facing directly at the door. Dick smirked, it would be easy to override the security system and make the video feed replay itself.

Dick moved his arm up to his face and prepared to type on his keyboard. He hesitated once he saw his metallic glove. This wasn't his uniform. He didn't have his keyboard or computer with him.

Out of the corner of Dick's eyes, he could see Slade leap from the other building and land with the same precision Dick had.

"I could have hacked into that camera." Dick stated dryly, "Your suit is holding be back."

"Nonsense." Slade responded, "I am forcing you to rely on skills alone. Something you clearly have not done in awhile. Now, how many cameras are there?"

"Hacking is a skill," Dick pointed out as he surveyed the area, "There are two cameras. One at the door, one across the street."

Slade nodded. "Well done," He praised, "The door is heavily secured. Instead of disarming the cameras, we will find another way inside. You cannot exclusively rely on your abilities to hack a system. How else can we get inside?"

"The vent on the blueprints. North side of the building." Dick's eyes gazed up and down Slade's body, "Are you even going to fit?"

Before Slade could respond, Dick headed over towards the vent and removed the metallic cage over the front. The vent would be no problem for him; however, it might be a bit of a tight fit for Slade. Dick nearly laughed at a mental image of Slade getting stuck in the vent like Santa would get stuck in a chimney. If Slade couldn't fit through the vent, it was Slade's problem, not Dick's.

Dick put his hands on the edge of the vent and carefully began to climb in, "If you don't fit, find your own way in." Dick said with a laugh before dropping down the vent shaft. He held his hands out to slow his landing to avoid making too much sound. When his feet touched the bottom, he dropped down to his hands and knees. He hoped Slade wouldn't come down after him, there's no way the grown man would fit down here.

There was static in his intercom before Slade's voice came through, "What do you see?"

He brought a finger to his ear and pressed the intercom so he could respond to Slade, "I can go, left, right, or..." Dick peered up as high as he could without hitting his head, "Or down." He finished.

"You're on the thirtieth floor. You have to go down to the twenty-sixth. Proceed forward."

Dick hesitated, "You'll meet me there, right?"

"Yes. Now go."

Dick crawled forward, moving carefully and quietly. It was much harder to remain silent with boots and gloves made of metal, but Dick did his best. He looked down the vent to his left. It carried deep into the building, looking as though it went on forever. The objective was located in the center of the building and would undoubtedly be lying deep in a blanket of security.

The vent curved downwards at a sharp angle. Dick squinted his eyes to see down but could not see how deep the vent went. He sighed in annoyance. For someone as smart and prepared as Slade was, he failed to provide Dick with adequate equipment. This was not "relying on skills alone" but it was simply annoying and holding him back.

Placing his feet over the edge, Dick lowered himself deeper into the complex. As he had before, he kept his arms extended at his sides as he lowered himself with the help of gravity. His hands created enough friction to slow his fall enough so Dick could control it as he went. But, for all he knew, this vent carried all the way to the bottom of the building. Knowing his luck, that's exactly what would happen to him.

Suddenly, he stopped himself from going lower by placing his feet out in front of him and pushing his back hard against the wall, creating an 'L' shape with his body. There was an opening in the vent just below his legs that veered off into the building again; however, Dick could keep going lower into the building if he wanted to. His hunch must have been correct, this must be the main vent shaft that leads all the way to the bottom of the building. Quickly he brought his finger up to his ear to talk to Slade.

"This vent shaft leads all the way down to the first floor." Dick quietly explained, "It breaks off into smaller vents. I think I'm at the twenty-ninth floor."

"Go to the twenty-ninth floor instead and exit through the first you can find."

Dick didn't respond. He needed to figure out a way to get into the opening without slipping and without anything to hold on to. Dick rubbed his gloves together. He hoped they wouldn't slip.

Carefully, Dick lowered himself past the opening and pressed his back against the back of the vent again. Now, he was looking up at the opening. If he could reach forward enough, he could grasp the ledge and pull himself up. He shook his hands to loosen his nerves. It would be a long drop if he fell. Reaching his arms out, Dick was able to get his fingers on the ledge; however, he couldn't hold on well enough to hold his entire weight on a smooth, metal surface.

He took a deep breath. Scratching his initial plan, Dick put his arms against the walls again and allowed his feet to dangle. Instead of carrying himself lower, he pushed one of his feet onto the wall just below his hand and then pushed the other against the wall parallel. He had his arms outstretched with his hands pressed and his feet against the wall but his knees were bent. He was exceptionally grateful for all the stretching his mother and Bruce made him do as he grew up. Otherwise, Dick surely would have been helpless in this situation.

"Are you there yet?"

Richard rolled his eyes. He didn't need Slade disrupting his concentration. He couldn't get distracted, he needed to be tracted.

He shook his head. That one definitely didn't work.

His foot slipped an inch. He couldn't hold himself like this for very long. Dick grit his teeth but let go of the vent with his hands and instead grasped the ledge. When his fingers were over the ledge, Dick's legs went out below him and he was hanging by his hand strength alone. He felt sweat begin to form on his forehead.

He attempted to climb up the wall with his feet to get himself at a better position to climb into the vent, but the smooth surface prevented Dick from getting any sort of traction. Dick stared up at the vent. His arms were getting tired. He needed to get himself up there quickly.

Instead of using the wall in front of him, Dick pushed off of it and managed to press his feet against the wall behind him instead. From there he was able to push off the wall again and propel himself into the vent. He crawled forward enough so that his feet were over edge and collapsed in the vent. His fingers were burning and his arms were aching. He was certain he had ripped open the cuts he received the other day.

Once he recollected himself Dick began crawling until he reached a vent opening below him. He dug his fingers between the openings in the vents and pulled it towards his chest. The vent popped off and Dick placed it in front of himself. Dick peered into the room below. The lights were off but there were counters and tables with empty chairs. He surveyed the area to make sure there were no employees around.

"It's clear. You may come down."

Slade was standing not far away from the vent. Dick hopped down silently before making it over to Slade's side. He hoped Slade knew where the cameras were because he did not. Dick looked down a himself. He was covered in dust. He brushed some of it off himself.

"That was a disaster." Dick mumbled, "Heavy on the dis."

"What were you doing in there?"

Dick glared at him, "Trying not to fall thirty floors. The only thing that got me out of there was my acrobatics. You wouldn't have been able to get out of there."

"I knew better than to go into the vent in the first place."

The boy opened his mouth to respond but stopped immediately. Someone was outside the door. Without hesitating, Dick ran and jumped on one of the tables to leap back into the vent. He pulled himself up and replaced the vent hood behind him. He wasn't sure where Slade went but it didn't matter. His heart was pounding and adrenaline was in his blood.

This was a bigger thrill than what he had felt in a long time.

Light poured into the room. Dick could hear wheels squeaking followed by slow footsteps. A janitor, Dick figured. He released the breath he was holding. Once the janitor passed, they would be able to continue with the mission. The janitor made it to the middle of the room, Dick could see the man's shadow. He sat quietly and watched as he reached down and picked up a wrapper on the floor.

A larger shadow suddenly began to loom over the shadow of the janitor. Dick eyes widened. Slade was going to kill him.

"Wait!"

The janitor's body fell with a loud thud. Without skipping a beat, Dick used his feet to kick in the vent and jump down. Slade grabbed the vent out of the air before it crashed into the floor. When Dick landed, Slade grabbed him by his arm and put the vent gate down and covered Dick's mouth all in the same motion. He dragged Dick closer to himself.

"Control yourself." Slade ordered, "Or leave."

Dick hit Slade's hand away from his mouth, "You didn't have to hurt him."

"We don't have all night to wait for a janitor to clean a cafeteria." Slade said, "Plus," He reached down and grabbed the janitors belt, "He has keys to the other rooms."

Slade noticed Dick looking at the janitor with discontent, "He's fine, Richard. You have seen and endured worse than he has. Cut the hero act and quit acting like a child."

Slade began to walk out of the room and Dick followed behind him. The two men stepped into the hallway and Slade locked the door behind them. Dick looked over Slade's shoulder, there was a camera pointed right towards them. Surely, Slade couldn't have made a mistake such as that one. Before Dick could make any remark about it, Slade seemed to read his mind and answer the question.

"The cameras have all been disabled. They are replaying the same feed."

"I could have done that before we got inside." Dick retorted.

They made their way down the hall, "I know," Slade responded, "However, I want you to learn to do these things without the excessive equipment."

Dick scoffed, "It's not learning when I didn't even see you do it."

"I intended for you to come." Slade explained, "I didn't tell you to jump into the vent in the first place."

The boy's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Instead of waiting behind Slade, Dick went in front of the man. He was pressed in the shadows and moving silently. He remembered from the blueprints that there should be a staircase at the end of this hall. Batman and he had done countless numbers of missions like this one. Infiltrating, getting the intel, and getting out. The only difference was Dick was going to have to leave with more than just intel. He'd have to leave with an actual object. Dick shook himself. He could do this. He couldn't back out now- not after coming this far.

Dick peered around the corner. There was someone at the end of the hall. He signaled to Slade that there was a single person down there and Slade nodded. Probably a security guard. Dick examined the hall quickly, there were no rafters for him to jump into, they needed to move back into a different room. He turned back to look at Slade-

The man wasn't standing there anymore.

His masked eyes darted around the corridor. Where did he go? Dick grit his teeth with annoyance. This had to be Slade's way of making sure Dick "kept up" with him. Quietly, Dick made his way back towards the cafeteria. Was there a different stairway they could use? Dick sighed, at this point he would have been better off in the vents.

The vents just might work. Although Dick couldn't get down anymore floors safely, he could pop out in the nearest stairwell or maybe even an elevator shaft. He put his hand on the door to the cafeteria. Locked. That's right, Slade locked it after they had left.

Dick tried a few more doors in the corridor; however, all of them were locked. There were footsteps getting closer. Dick cursed mentally- he needed to get moving.

He felt his heart racing in his chest again and heard his heartbeat in his ears. It was a crazy rush.

There. There was a vent along the floor. It was smaller than the other ones but it was big enough for Dick to fit inside. Dick raced for the vent. He ripped the metal grate out as quietly as he could but the metal made a relatively loud pop. Faster, Dick told himself, faster. He squeezed his shoulders into the vent and replaced the grate where it one was.

The footsteps were only a few feet away now. Dick held his breath and peered out of the vent. He could see a gun on the man's hip. The man didn't seem to notice anything and continued down the hall. He pulled a pair of keys off of his waist and used them to open the door. When the door shut, Dick waited about ten seconds before he crawled out of the vent. He was caked in dust. He was getting tired of crawling in the vents pretty quickly.

He didn't have time to spare. Dick ran down the hall and made it to the stairwell. He needed to rendezvous with Slade eventually, but Dick couldn't bother with that at the moment. Slade would be on the twenty-sixth floor no matter what. Plus, Slade did warn him that he would not slow down for Dick to keep up with him. For all he knew, Slade had already secured the objective and was making his way out.

Dick opened the doorway to the stairway. The hall was dark except for some signs illuminating the emergency exits. Dick bolted down the stairs until he made it to the twenty-sixth floor. Cautiously, Dick attempted to open the door; however, there was a lock on the door. There was a sign above the lock:

Authorized Personnel Only.

The ebony boy smirked. It stood no match against him.

Dick got down on one knee and popped the black cover off of the lock. It required a key card for access- something Slade probably had. Dick was slightly annoyed- Slade wasn't much of a partner. Batman always had his back and so did the team. For someone that wanted an apprentice so desperately, he was not a very good mentor.

Dick crossed some of the wires in the keypad. By doing this, he could trick the lock into thinking it scanned a key card without actually having one. This was something Dick had done hundreds of times while training. In fact, Dick could probably do it in his sleep. After he crossed another wire, the red light on the lock suddenly changed to a bright green and the door made an unlocking sound. Dick smiled triumphantly as he stood up. Piece of cake.

"Too slow, apprentice. Keep up."

He wasn't sure where Slade had come from, but Dick forced himself to hold his tongue. Instead of taking the lead, Dick moved behind Slade. It was the same scenario as when he had tried to take the lead in Santa Prisca. No one would, or even could follow his lead. Dick had imagined working with Slade to be identical to working with Batman but Dick was wrong. Batman would have at least signaled to Robin where he was going if he didn't want to follow Robin's lead. But here with Slade, the mad would do anything to rub it into Dick's face when he was wrong or made a mistake.

Plainly, Slade was a bad mentor.

Dick had worked and trained with many people in his day, even back in his circus days. Shockingly, for as intelligent as Slade was, he wasn't very good at teaching.

Slade put his hand up to stop Dick in his tracks. Dick obediently stopped. This was the one door with a lock on it. Whatever Slade wanted from this facility definitely had to be in here. With the flick of his wrist, he ushered Dick to step forward and examine the keypad. The lock on there required a fingerprint and an eye examination. Dick grinned, one of the easiest ones to hack into.

Dick shook his head. He was shocked that Lex Luthor would use such simple technology.

Hacking into the security would have been easier to do with his holocomputer but Dick had to work with what he had. All he needed to do was force a factory reset and, in fact, he could change it to his own fingerprint and eye color; however, that would give Luthor easy access to his identity. He could ask Slade to use his fingerprint, but as he was in the military, his fingerprint would be easy to identify as well.

Resetting the system wouldn't work. He'd have to trick it into think Luthor had used his thumbprint on there.

Dick popped the cover off the lock, similarly to how he had the lock in the stairway. He examined the wires. Maybe Luthor wasn't as foolish as he thought. All the wires were the same color. He needed his holocomputer. If he messed this up, they would be completely locked out of the system and most likely Luthor and security would be notified.

Slade seemed to notice his hesitation, "Is there a problem?"

"The problem is the suit." Dick stated dryly, "If I had my computer-"

"You don't. Get over it."

Dick stopped for a moment. Maybe he should trip the alarm on purpose. He forced himself to forget that idea almost immediately. Maybe one day but definitely not now. He didn't want to know what Slade would do to him if he failed a mission.

Reluctantly, Dick began to hack into the system the best he could. He could remember Batman's teachings on how to hack into something with identical wires. They were identical but they weren't identical. There needed to be some sort of discrepancy in order to make sure they were correctly put together so the people who manufacture it could correctly connect the wires. Dick examined each one carefully. One of the wires had a small "L" engraved into base where the wire connected. That was the main wire- if it was cut or misplaced, it would trigger the alarm and shut Dick out completely.

It took Dick almost three minutes to figure it out, but he finally changed the last wire and the keypad shined bright green and the door opened. He gave a sigh of relief.

Before either men stepped into the room, they examined it. There was no internal guards, but there was a piece of... fish in a display tube? Dick squinted to get a better look at it. Was that a piece of Starro? But that was in Gotham's STAR labs. When did Luthor steal that?

Dick kept thinking of questions but he did not voice them. Slade removed something from his utility belt and whipped it across the room over Dick's head. A dark cloud wafted up through the room, exposing hidden lasers in the room. Motion detectors. Dick noticed a computer at the corner of the room. He could make it there and turn off the motion detectors and even open the case. His eyes moved to work the best path to the computers through the wires. It would be a tight fit, even for him. Slade wouldn't be able to make it through there like he could.

"The computer in the corner." Dick explained, "I can turn off the alarms and even open the case."

Slade nodded in approval, "Go. I will monitor the hall."

Dick gave a nod back in agreement before stepping into the room over the first laser. He kept his back hunched over and arms at his sides. He moved quickly through the lasers. Luthor was lucky he was on the good side because his security was all too easy to slip in through.

He dove between the last few lasers, making it in front of the computer. It was a computer similar to the one deep in the Cadmus complex where they found Superboy. The door across the room suddenly slammed shut and the dust finally settled in the room so the lasers were invisible again. Dick scanned over the room carefully. Someone must be coming.

The alarms were still enabled so Dick didn't have many places to hide- especially since he couldn't see the lasers anymore. With a groan, Dick simply ducked behind the computer and crouched away from the view of the door.

The door slid open again. Dick knew it wasn't Slade. They couldn't disarm the alarms though, Luthor probably controlled them here or from his office, so Dick was not worried about the security guard entering into the room. Though, he was surprised that someone other than Luthor had access. Unless it was Luthor in the building. After a few more seconds, the door shut itself again, sealing Dick alone inside. Carefully, he peered around the computer, making sure he was alone. When he was clear, Dick stood and began to hack into the system.

"They're suspicious. We must leave quickly."

"I'm about to disarm the lasers and open the case. I've disarmed all I can but Luthor might still be notified if the case is opened."

A message popped up on the computer letting Dick know the alarms were all disabled. He hoped all alarms included whatever alarms Luther might have. At the very least, the lasers were completely turned off. With a few more movements of his fingers, Dick popped the case open. A smoke came poured out- Dick figured it was liquid nitrogen to keep the sample of Starro frozen and suspended.

"It's opened." He reported.

"Well done. Grab the objective and exit through the vents. There are guards patrolling the halls."

Dick felt his body freeze, "I can't take it."

"Luthor stole it first. You're taking it back to Gotham where it belongs."

"It's stealing." Dick's mouth was dry, "I won't do it."

"You don't want me to come in there and do it myself."

He felt himself begin to worry. Slade never said he'd have to actually steal anything. He couldn't do it- he wouldn't.

"Slade, I-"

"Richard." Dick flinched, "Take it."

He couldn't find his voice to speak. He wouldn't do it- he couldn't do it. It was against everything Batman and his parents ever taught him. Dick took a step back away from the computer. He couldn't make himself speak.

The door opened abruptly, Dick immediately ducked down behind the computer again. He felt someone grab his arm and yank him to his feet.

"Get up."

It was Slade's voice. Dick felt the blood rush to his head as he was pulled to his feet, but Slade didn't release Dick's arm. He dragged Dick across the room until they reached the case holding the piece of Starro. Slade gripped it tightly and shoved it towards Dick's stomach for him to grab it. Dick hesitantly did so. He could feel a bruise beginning to form under Slade's hand and Dick stumbled behind Slade to keep up with his rapid pace.

"Let go of me."

"Shut up."

Dick cringed. Slade was livid. Perhaps he should have just grabbed the piece of Starro. After all, it was already in his hands now. He was the one taking it out of Luthor's building- he would be the one stealing it. He almost dropped the container there. He would not become a thief for Slade.

Slade pushed Dick into a dark room with large windows. He finally allowed Dick to walk on his own towards the windows. He shut the door behind them and locked it in a quick motion. Dick stood at the windows but felt as though he was paralyzed. In his hands, Starro felt as though it weight a million pounds and was not only weighing down Dick's body but also his soul. It was too heavy to allow Dick to move a muscle.

Slade was looming over him again. The man propped open the window large enough for both of them to go through.

"Go."

Weakly, Dick extended his elbows and presented Starro to Slade, hoping he would grab it. Slade was glaring down at him; however, the man took Starro from Dick's hands. Immediately after, Dick dove out the window, removing his grappling hook as he went. He fired it at the nearest building and used it to get his feet back to the ground. Dick hit the ground in a run and Slade shortly followed after him. The car was right around the corner. The two men walked hastily towards the car and Dick got in at the passengers side.

If Dick could have walked home to Gotham City, he probably would have.

Slade was silent on the drive home to the haunt. Dick had the Starro sitting on his lap and was left to his thoughts in the silence. He could vaguely remember reading about Starro but couldn't exactly remember what was significant about it.

They arrived back at a haunt in record time. It was a place Dick was unfamiliar with but they would be spending the night in the haunt before returning back to Gotham the following evening. Dick was hesitant to get out of the car but did so despite what his body was telling him. He wasn't sure what Slade would say to him but Dick knew that he didn't really want to find out.

Slade took the Starro from his hands and disappeared into the haunt. Dick held his breath- maybe Slade wasn't going to say anything to him.

"Your performance was pathetic."

Dick flinched and shot around to face Slade. The man was still in full uniform, towering over Dick. Dick took a step back to put some space between the two of them.

"You never said I'd actually have to steal anything." Dick argued back.

Slade reached forward and grabbed Dick's chin, threatening to strike him across the face, "I did not expect you to act like a child."

"I'm not a thief."

Dick hardly had enough time to protect himself as Slade's fist rushed towards him. He pulled himself backwards out of Slade's hold and crossed his arms over his face to protect himself. The force of the blow sent him stumbling backwards. Before Dick had a moment to gain his bearings, Slade kicked Dick in the chest and knocked Dick off his feet. The metal on his armor made a loud screech and scratched up the floor as he slid across it. He felt fear grow in his chest as Slade approached him again. Slade towered over him.

"Then learn."

Slade's boot suddenly filled his vision. Dick barely covered his face in time but his hands slapped himself in the nose and caused blood to come from it. For a moment, the corners of his vision went black and stars danced across his eyes. His breathing was coarse and labored but he pushed himself back to his feet. He needed to defend himself. Using his hand, he wiped the blood away from under his nose, spreading it along his face.

Dick almost wished he hadn't looked up at Slade. The man looked terrifying.

He staggered back but Slade approached quickly. He drove his foot into Dick's stomach successfully and then twisted around to kick Dick's legs out from beneath him. Dick landed on the hard floor with a loud thud, hitting his head on the metal surface below him. Dick groaned, rolling on his stomach and holding his head. Blood dripped from his nose and formed a small pool on the floor.

"I didn't tell you to stand."

He felt Slade's hand on the back of his head shoving his face against the floor. Dick's cheek was pressed into the blood.

"Failure is not an option, apprentice. If I give you an order, you are to obey it."

Dick opened his mouth to speak but Slade never gave him the opportunity. He pushed himself up using Dick's head and kicked Dick in the stomach again. Dick sputtered and coughed. His stomach was burning and bruised. He pushed himself to his knees, cradling his stomach in one hand and holding himself up with the other, struggling to take each breath.

Slade circled around Dicks body. His shoulders moved up and down quickly to keep up with his heartbeat. The blood had smeared across his face and stained his hair. Again, Slade approached Dick and kicked him another time. Dick cried out as his body slid across the floor, leaving a small trail of blood.

"Do you understand?"

"Y-yes."

Another blow hit Dick in the chest. His back was pressed against the wall behind him.

"Yes what?"

"Sir."

Slade reached down and grabbed Dick by the front of his shirt. He yanked the boy up to his feet and slammed him backwards against the wall. Dick saw stars and heard a loud ringing in his ear.

"No," Slade told him, "Yes, master."

Dick gathered what strength he could to slam his first down onto Slade's elbow to force the man to loosen his grip. However, the second Dick was able to slip away from Slade's firm hold, Slade's knee rammed him in the stomach. Dick doubled over in pain, sinking to his knees in front of Slade. He coughed up blood onto Slade's feet. Slade took a step back from Richard as his knees gave out, forcing him on his hands and knees to keep himself off of the floor.

Slade got down on one of his knees and grabbed a first full of Dick's hair. He forced the boy's head back to look up at him.

"Yes what?"

"Y-yes, master."

Slade released Dick's hair and the young teen's entire body collapsed. He curled in on his side, attempting to relieve his stomach and chest of the terrible burning and aching. Dick felt as though he could barely breathe. He coughed up more blood- his cheek was cut on the inside of his mouth. He groaned in pain, laying on his back in to alleviate some of the pain.

He cracked open one of his eyes. Slade was standing at his head, staring down at him. His held his arms behind his back. Slade put his foot against Dick's cheek, turning his head to both sides. The man analyzed the damage done.

"Pathetic."

-X-

Short chapter. It wasn't supposed to be just Robin and Slade but I liked this part so I kept writing it. But yeah! Sorry if the ending is rushed.

Feel free to drop a review!

-Azu