Yet another chapter guys! It may seem a bit boring but it is important, as any chapter is in a story. I am feverishly working on the next chapter as well because I got a lot of surprises for it! So hope you enjoy and please review! It's encouraging for me and I REALLY appreciate them! (Trust me, I REALLY do.) So as I work on chapter 30, please have fun reading this. Ah yes good news as well...I WILL BE MAKING A SEQUEL!
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Chapter 29: Pay-off
The base was barren and empty of any human life. Abandoned barracks, buildings and vehicles littered the landscape by the mountains. Chancer's Army base was an old training base during Vietnam time and after the war, had since been abandoned as other bases had been around the country. It was ideal for vandalizing teens to hang out and throw parties as well during the night. During the day though, it was vacant ghost town. All around in different fox holes, buildings and vehicles hid Lex's men ready to pounce on any order. Lex wanted it as a precaution in case Slade tried to pull something and for a man in that line of work, it wasn't a bogus precaution. Lex knew Slade had tamed down from the past and still remembered the man's nickname...for him to be so bold now to use his real name was a significant sign of change in the merc.
"I do sense this is a rather...uh, "confining" desposition. Shouldn't we be having the guys up on the mountains, and surrounding the base rather than just, you know...inside it? Kinda be like shooting fish in a barrel."
Lex looked to the Joker who was fiddling with a playing card. It wasn't a surprise the card had a jester pictured on it riding a unicycle and juggling balls. The souless stare in the Joker's eyes bore into Lex's soul itself. Luthor prided himself on his genius and yet, this homely and estranged looking clown seemed to possess a much more vast and steepened knowledge than he had.
"It's only a precaution. I don't expect any retaliation."
"And if there is?"
"We'll be ready then, won't we?"
The Joker wasn't so sure and didn't feel safe in this situation. Mercenaries especially with military backround had a knack for war tactics. Lex holed in his men in a single target area while Slade, if he was smart, would have his robots surround the whole premesis of the base. It was unlikely they would be ambushed but if chances proved him wrong, this was a bad position to be in. The card was flipped back and forth in his gloved fingers and focused his attention on it. Lex was beginning to bore him now.
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Fingers turned the binoculars so the lens could zoom in on a talking Lex. The way his lips formed Slade could read what Lex was saying. They were not planning to attack them after all but, there had been reinforcements placed within the base as a failsafe if Slade decided to attack. Robin was lying down next to him in the sand, avidly watching the point of interest. Slade glanced to him then handed off the binoculars so the boy could see what was going on. The other titans were crouching down behind him and staying out of sight behind the large hill of desert. Slade knew the Titans East were on the other side of the base hidden in the mountains as well, and the flanking sides had his robots lying low. The whole base was surrounded and it would be so easy to take them out now...however, as he told Robin, this time wasn't the appropriate time to face off against Lex and the Joker.
"He's looking at his watch...it's getting that time."
Slade listened to Robin and decided it was time to get up and get down to the meeting point. Robin kept the binoculars and kept an eye out on the valley floor. Having Robin as his back-up was slightly unsettling. Robin and he were not close (as everyone knew), and if he knew anything about Robin, he half expected the boy to abandon the plan and leave him defenseless. Though he had a sure defense and that was his lovely bird, Raven. He had been keeping his word since day one of this sloppy mess and he expected everyone else he did business with to meet those standards.
"Slade is reminding me of the great golarch of Tamerch desert. He was a very, very bad man but...he had the honor of a great T'makar when he decided he should help us Tamarans! Maybe Slade is like the golarch and may be a man with T'makar honor? Is worthy of doubt?"
"Starfire, Slade isn't...an alien so that T'makar honor wouldn't apply. Plus...he has no honor. He only does things if they benefit him. That isn't honor. It's manipulation."
Raven gave Starfire a dubious look, thinking she was insane to voice such an opinion in front of Robin and Beast Boy. The binoculars were set aside as Robin grabbed his communicator and radioed to the other side where Aqualad and his friends were. They were all in place and ready for the first order of attack if need be. Robin sighed and placed the communicator on his hip and turned back. Starfire was lying down with the binoculars backwards and watching the scene below. Cyborg and Beast Boy were too busy snickering at Starfire's naiviety to tell her she was holding the binoculars wrong.
"They look so tiny! Like little smorgoffs!"
It was too funny to not laugh at the comment. Robin and Raven remained stoic and apprehensive of Cyborg and Beast Boy laughing at Starfire's mistake.
"Starfire, you're holding them the wrong way. Here..."
Robin helped her out and a joyous smile came to her face as she now saw a larger picture of Lex, Joker and now Slade. Lex and the Joker stood waiting for Slade to approach them and when he did, Lex held his hand out to shake. Both men shook hands but the looks on their faces betrayed their outer friendliness.
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Both stared at one another's face for a long while, their hands gripping tighter upon the other's wrists in a shake. It took them a minute to realize they should release one another and get down to business. Slade had surveyed his surroundings quickly before coming too close within Lex's eyesight and noted a few helpful ideas in case something snagged along the line. Joker brought a suitcase to Slade and set it down on the dirt.
"Open it."
The Joker hesitated but kicked the case on the side and pressed the buttons. The case unlocked and popped open, revealing newly pressed bills neatly packed into the sides of the suitcase. There was a sickening feeling about the case and about the contents inside. It would be something to check out after he left. The sun beat down on them and Slade was feeling a little overheated to be staying long. He had his money and was keeping careful not to give Lex reason to set his forces on him. Slade picked up the omnious silver case and gave them all a silent nod before turning to leave. Lex's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"How is my little hell bird doing?"
The insulting nickname only phased Slade for a portion of a second. The recovery he hoped was quick enough to keep the Joker and Lex from knowing the truth. Slade turned to face them and decided to give them a very smooth and apathetic answer.
"She is comfortably and safely locked up in one of my specialized cells to prevent her from escaping. She will be delivered as promised."
"Do you have a location in mind?"
"Not yet. I will have my answer by the end of the day. AFTER I check the money."
The two appeared compliant and understanding...which put Slade on edge. These two weren't the kind to be understanding or compliant to anything unless it benefited them. This meeting did benefit them but the attitude...this present attitude was unnerving and sent warning signals up. It was too friendly. Have they figured something out? Have they discovered he possesses feelings for Raven?
"Ah well then, once you have done that please get back to me on the second meeting's location and time."
"I will."
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"Robin, Slade does not look very happy about the payment of the money."
Robin took the binoculars from Starfire and took a glance himself. Slade's body language was stoic but there were faint races of uncertainty and nervousness in the way his fingers moved or his muscles flexed. The binoculars them zoomed in on Lex and Joker. Their desposition was more fluid and calm. They were smiling and looking a little too friendly towards Slade. Their smiles were fake and hiding something. The whirring of helicopter blades distracted Robin and they all took cover under large boulders or shrubbery so they wouldn't be spotted. The deafening sound lessened as it reached it's destination and landed effortlessly on the desert sand. Robin snuck back out and took a look at the meeting spot again and saw Lex and Joker getting into the helicopter to leave. Slade was still standing in the same spot as before, not affected by the roaring sound or the fierce winds. Robin took cover again when the helicopter began taking off and flying over their hiding area. The thundering noise died away after a few minutes and the copter was a speck on the horizon. The others started crawling out of their spots and gathering around their leader.
"So...the exchange of the payment...is good?"
"Looks like it..."
"...No. They weren't smiling for no reason. Something is in this case they gave me."
Starfire and Raven gave a little scream as the guys turned quickly and fell over. Slade was atop a boulder crouching down and holding the dreaded money case. It was cast to the dirt carelessly in the circle of titans for them to look at. Slade hopped down and leaned against the rock and folded his arms.
"What do you mean by that, Slade?"
"Well...either they have a bomb rigged inside or...there are tracers in the money. I don't feel safe bringing that thing to my main base and letting Lex track me down. Also, you all taking it only will reveal my alliance with you. So...what to do, what to do...hm?"
Robin glared at the man before looking at the case and wondering if it was worth it to help Slade out. If there were tracers in the stacks of money, he had the detector on him for it. Batman had taught him a lot, especially about how useful technology could be. The problem was if there was a bomb inside, and no tracers, he hadn't a way to figure that out. Robin sighed and reached into a pocket of his utility belt and pulled out a remote. The case was pulled closed to him and he turned the device on. It was run over the case and began to make a crackling sound. So it was tracers?
"There are tracers...this device can track them down individually so..."
The silver case was unlocked and flipped open. Slade's foot shut the case back and when Robin looked up, he saw Slade glaring at him.
"That is a mistake. If we sit here for an hour sniffing out those tracers, Lex will grow suspicious why I have stayed in this area for as long. I'm sure he is looking at some kind of radar to see how the case moves...so let's move it."
Raven had remained quiet throughout this whole day while Slade was around and most didn't question it. If they had been forced to stay with someone they hated, and then forced to work with them, they would have been quite upset as well. She watched as Slade and Robin had their usual showdown of wits and secretly found it amusing. Spending so much time with Slade, she was realizing how foolish both of them could be. Slade could be single minded and working too hard towards a single goal to notice anything else going on around him while Robin was too stubborn to give others the benefit of the doubt. Only he was right and only he could call the shots. Yet...both of them were so alike it was too coincidental.
"Guys...can we stop arguing and just...go? I don't like being here."
"C'mon Rav, you could do with a tan!"
Raven gave Beast Boy a daring glare and he gave a weak laugh and backed off. It was decided staying in one place was not a good idea and the group called the others. The Titans East met them at the ground level and headed back to the city. It was awkward for the Titans to be working alongside Slade, who Bumblebee despised. All the while she cast angry glares at that masked heathen and thought very brutal and unpleasant thoughts of him. The twins were zipping around like maniacs as they headed back, not caring much about Slade or anyone's feelings at the time. Raven walked a distance away from Slade and at Cyborg's side. It would be deemed unusual for her to walk by Slade, but walking by a fellow titan would raise less suspicion. She had to be careful in front of Robin and not prelude him to anymore ideas of befriending Slade.
"Where are we headed?"
"To a pier where it would be expected I'd have a base at. We're misleading Lex is all it is. I drop off the tracer currency there, Lex thinks I went to my hideout. And will try tracking me there."
The other titans were skeptical of this plan but if their counterparts here trusted this man enough to go along, then they would too. Aqualad took a few glimpses to Raven and saw how solemn she was. This was the titan they were protecting. He remembered her being much more mature than the others, and more calm in compromising situations. Level headed and intelligent, which he admired.
They came to an old pier north of the city. It was rows and rows of warehouses and storages. Slade led the group to an old building with condemned warning posters on it. The windows were broken, the wood rotting into nothing and the metal supports and framings were rusted over. The old, dirty chain and padlock on the door gave the illusion this place hadn't been occupied for years, yet Slade gave it a good push and it creaked open without effort. The large group stepped into the building and looked around seeing a very high ceiling with holes in it. Sunlight leaked in and gave enough light to show how barren and empty this place was. Slade continued further into the place and to a corner. Robin knew Slade wouldn't just pick any old warehouse. There was something special about this particular place.
"This isn't it, is it?"
"No, Robin, it isn't. This was an old base of mine but I abandoned it a year ago. I'm glad it could be of use still yet."
He ripped a wooden panel off to reveal a box with a number keypad and touchpad for fingerprints. Slade entered the correct numbers and took his glove off so it would scan his fingertip. Access was granted and a portion of the floor creaked open. A flip-top door in the wood sprung open and revealed a metal platform for them all to stand on. Once everyone was on safely, it began to lower into a darker, subterranian area. The door flipped closed and submerged them in darkness. The moment the metal platform hit the bottom, lights flickered on and revealed a long, white hallway. Robin thought it felt too much like a hospital but kept his words to himself. They began moving along with Slade leading them. They came to a large door and an eyescan of Slade's left eye allowed the door to unlock and creak open. The titans were marveling at the securities, especially Cyborg who was especially interested in the measures taken for such a simplistic and small base. They entered a room with a table and chairs with a bright poverhead light beaming down. The case was placed on the metal table and the titans were allowed to sit down around it. Robin sat close to the case and took out his tools to begin this little operation. Slade stood behind him watching the boy's progress as he opened the case and started sorting through the stacks of money.
"Hn, Lex was fixing to pay you quite well for giving him Raven, wasn't he?"
"Yes...two million to be exact. However an annoying streak of righteousness prevented me from going through with the whole plan. Perhaps you children are beginning to rub off on me."
Robin stopped with wide eyes and couldn't really believe Slade said what he did. The boy turned quick in his seat and stared at the man with confusion and amazement.
"What did you say?"
"Hm?...I didn't say anything."
The other Titans shifted in their seats, some like Starfire hiding their smiles. Cyborg nudged Raven who nudged him back without looking. She knew what Cyborg was saying to her by doing that and didn't particularly like jokes of that nature. Robin grumbled and returned to work weeding out the tracer bills with the sniffing device. It took hours of sifting through all the money but they finally determined every single tracer bill and set them aside from the ordinary money. The large stack of normal looking bills sat in the middle of the table. The rest had been packed into the suitcase and snapped close. The titans all shared a look of uncertainty while Slade grabbed the suitcase of money.
"Time to go. Evening's approaching."
All solemnly stood from the table and were led out of the base. The young titans all wore blank looks as they stepped onto the metal platform with Slade and the lift jumped and began to elevate. No one said a word to another. It was a quiet and tense moment between the lot of them. Slade could feel these young heroes wanted to tear him apart but knew they wouldn't. Their friend's safety was worth more than anything and if it meant accepting help from an enemy, they would. The platform jolted to a stop at the floor level of the empty building. Everyone stepped off and the trap door slammed shut, hiding the lift perfectly. One would have to look very closely to notice the floor had a line in it for the opening. The Titans East got into their own group and said their goodbyes to Robin and the others. They didn't notice Slade slipped off and was gone, not having made a sound to indicate his escape. Robin had wanted to have his share of words with the criminal without the other Titans present but it seemed he missed his chance.
"If you guys ever need our help again, just contact us, ok?"
Aqualad left with his team and headed back to the east while Robin and his titans walked out of the building with a heavy and depressing aura. It was time to go home and take care of their real job for the city. For the moment, they wouldn't have to worry about Lex or the Joker.
