Teen Titans; The Fighting Life – Epilogue Story; Chapter 4: It's supposed to be simple
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I heard the news from the Titans, you didn't have to go that far. This is your pal, Aqua lad by the way. I was in the neighborhood and thought this diary entry could used some added feedback. I'm in the process of starting up my own team, or at least joining one with a few faces in Steel City. One guy I tracked down to join, is a real sharp shooter. He's also the biggest meat head I've ever met in my life! He says he remembers you from your time with the Justice League, though. Surprised, how we didn't get to meet until you had my back with stopping Atlantis's late criminal – we did clean up the mess he left behind once your team took off for Jump City. I wish you'd stay in touch more, but you seem to be in over your head, as raven tells it... Your team is still, really worried, and I can't blame them…You, were known to be pretty reckless…So…Just keep on your toes and don't get swallowed up by whatever might be keeping you from sending an S.O.S out. It is approximately 19:00 as of this time. My time is a bit different that of the West Coast's. Sorry, if you don't get the concept. It's a good one to get into…hem! Still…Later, Boy wonder.
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Robin's test of resilience was a wild card; a bag of tricks, and worst of all –
Slade became more and more a mystery to the indisposed crime fighter as he remained laid up in a bed of his own making.
It's "supposed" to be a simple trope; a super hero and super friends, thwart a mad - man who's been terrorizing their city. If only it were that easy…
Robin rolled onto his side, then perched himself up onto his elbows. Still in bed, what time was it…
If it had been so easy…
I wouldn't have created Red X in order to stop him.
I would have told my team about the plan, before almost losing my life.
I would have…been harder on myself for…all of it.
Robin's neck craned up at the sound of the door slightly opening, to show the perky face of that enigmatic and annoying as hell –
"I'm still in here…" Robin muttered and threw the sheets back over his head with a loud groan.
He felt like Luke, talking to his companion droid….
Droid. Huh. It was a funny enough to compare the two. Only, Luke was the one in charge…
The bot didn't seem to care and walked right in. It carried what looked to be a spare uniform, or something close to comfortable…His other one was dr –
Wait…Why was his outfit gone? When had they changed him?
"You, are not touching me with that! Get out! Go! Shoo!" Robin shot a glare at the bot from under the covers. It stood hopelessly still, as if it were not something built to take every ounce of verbal abuse from him.
Robin's curses diminished as it came over to place a pair of socks, plain black jeans in his size, and a black short sleeved shirt onto the foot of his mattress. He saw that one of these things did not belong. His gaze went back to the bot, who was apparently built in with a sense of humor. A dark one, at the kind regards of its master…
"Forget it. I'll stay in…You can tell him…Tell him I'm st –
Yet, Robin felt his brow. He blinked and frowned at the sensation.
No fever…What kind of drug did he take? That was no ordinary –
"What day is it…" He rasped out. "Tell me…I've been…"
The bot could not make a great conversation partner, so it tossed up its Scissor – hand arms and shrugged.
"I didn't ask you!" Huffed the teen. Frowning, the teen made the fidgeting, wired - creature jump by his own loud shouting.
That was, weird. It had A.I capabilities…Why was it here this long? Was it, defective?
"Are you going to stay while I get dressed?" Robin relented and got the covers up with a snap. He raised a brow at the dumb machine. "Now, I mean it. I need some privacy." The bot nodded, then bowed off and slunk towards the door on feet built like bamboo poles.
Robin shook his head and muttered to himself, over how unreal this all had been. He removed the top first, then took next his boots, just in case Slade's cameras were actively trying to find a weakness or two...
A robot that was clinging to him like a puppy. A mad man that thought he'd won the Boy Wonder over in a rightful business transaction…And a team of heroes…. that had lost their leader.
Robin yanked his jeans on and wondered why the added boxers had been his size. It annoyed him, and also…
It worried him about how obsessed the man really had been…
His hands went up lastly, to his face. His mask was still in place. But…He found where the shirt had been on the bed, be damned if Slade hadn't kept his word…
Was a folded – in, pair of black shades.
Robin started to feel himself again as he began to pry the mask off slowly, but did the man no such favors. He jumped under the covers and took it off there, then threw on the shades and pulled up the covering to reveal the boy wonder, gone incognito for the long - while. His shades in place, he smirked beneath them and tossed the last piece of his apprentice uniform into a lump with he other parcels of clothing he'd been practically glued to for days.
"I hope he'll let me burn them…Guess they are also pretty expensive. The mask from the uniform glared back at him from the pile. Robin shook off its pitiful glance and walked to the doorway, only to find that the bot was still outside it. It, had not been here to just drop off his clothes?
"Why are you..." As Robin took a good look outside his room doorway, the bot made sure to step in front before he could think to run off in front. Slade had another way to keep Robin in line.
The Nanobots.
He'd even said that they could affect just one Titan at a time. Leaving him out of he man's plans…Or, alive and on the wrong side and as an accomplice to their murder…
Murder. He'd never go through with it. Slade's robot ended up on its back the last time.
But Slade stood there. He just kept on his uniform, only a more flowy one from an era that enjoyed flare pants?
Robbin snickered at his enemy's cloth attire. The mask was still very colorful…But the get -up?
Slade was something out of a Super -Rangers comic book. Robin could not keep his amusement hidden, but Slade was still as threatening by his stare in the boy's direction. It shut the teen up, so that he could explain this change in their arrangement.
"It was a last second call in for a contract. You, don't recognize this face, do you."
"For what? A disco – themed villain's reunion bash?" Robin snidely remarked.
"It's a vintage piece. Worth more than what I paid for those pretty replacements over your eyes. You should think less of what you see right in front of you. That's how good soldiers lose their lives." Slade turned to the stairs as Robin was nudged by the creepy bot to follow the masked marauder.
He wore a lighter black and red over his body, but more blue than black. Robin didn't focus on the odd differences in their appearances as much, once they'd made it to the top of the steps.
The door opened, and light flooded in directly through…
Robin's hand went up as he covered his face. Even with the pricy specs, he was still going to have to adjust to the daytime hours.
"Just to point this out, you were asleep for only a day. The drug you took was a bit stronger than I'd hoped but you pulled through. This, is your hour to embrace some part of that…You'll be left here. I'm going to make sure you can still have a desk to finish that letter." Slade waited to be handed a heavy blade from his supplies as a bot landed over to hold it up to the man.
"You, are going to do a job…As, Slade?"
The SCHWING* of the tall blade resounded; the elevation was still high enough that Robin could call out…
Right now, he took a peek over the man's shoulder. Which he'd wished he hadn't.
Water. Just an ocean, not a bay, not a barge…it was…
A training ground, like in the Navy.
He was not going to see civilization, but Slade was…
"You aren't just hopping on another boat? A copter?" Robin asked the man out of curiosity.
"I do have my own personal items. But, not here on this vessel. You'll find it fairly difficult to hack my security systems."
"You didn't bother to wait when you hacked the Titans' mainframe computer." Robin sniffed, reminding the man that he was not a god among anyone. Whatever Slade had lying around, he'd get it to work towards his escape. He didn't care about the man's threats. He had to risk another few reprimands to save his team. And, to find a way to get that controller…
"I'll be back before it gets too dark out. You'll be set up in the captain's –
"Why are you trusting me?" Robin interrupted, just as Slade had put his gleaming death – wand away into its compartment.
Slade let his shoulders roll a bit as he readied for a sooner that later, warm – up.
"I was actually curious, to see how you'd do without me here."
Robin tilted his head, perplexed by the man's last words. No threat?
"I could…end up escaping. Your Slade bots won't be standing when you get back." Robin promised to keep the place as messy as he could. He was a bad choice for an apprentice. Slade had to have gotten sick of him by now.
"And, I'm not writing anything down. I've decided, that if you want me to go along with this, we should up a few new…ground rules to address…our bargain –
"Ah, do you think yourself a businessman, Robin?"
"I might, I was raised by a ruthless interrogation specialist."
"The Bat." Slade felt his neck tighten. Damn. And when he'd set up a study plan for the brat that would span for an entire year... Not much fun to Robin, but Slade hated breaking protocol.
"Maybe, you should be sent back to your room. I think I've heard enough."
"Fine. I'm sure you'd rather I stay out of your way –
"But that would be giving into YOUR demands, so you'll go to the main deck and start on your newest project."
"I said that I'm not! –
"And what about those Titans? Hmm? Wouldn't it be wrong to just, prolong their suffering?" Slade's hands were soon behind his back. He looked over his shoulder at the desperate child. Even as this alter - self in face, he still knew how to ruin Robin in the most creative of ways possible.
"It is as if you think this should go on…Maybe, you really don't want to go back there…"
"NO...!" Robin clenched his fists and exclaimed.
Slade was goading him. Why?
"Are you sure?" Slade turned to face the teen with his blade still sheathed. He didn't need toys to reprimand the child. He was the only one Robin could turn to. Slade checked his wrist for the time. It was just enough left he saw, to have Robin learn his place.
"I still have approximately ten minutes until a helicopter arrives to bring me to the employer's rendezvous point." Slade had gotten into a fighting stance that had Robin doing the same. With his fluid movements, it was no wonder the Slade bots fought in the same way… in a manner of speaking.
His copies. Like Robin was supposed to be…
This was it…If he could throw Slade into the water, or put him out of commission, he'd be home free.
Slade would have to let him talk. Or he'd find a way to the helicopter first.
"Whatever, and if I win, you'll let me change the rules." Robin said this as steadily as he could. The other male was quite large, even in his humiliating attire. It actually made him look taller than in his uniform that he'd donned while in Jump.
"If you can defeat me in combat…Then, let's see about that!" Slade launched himself at the teen with his fist enough to leave a great mark in the metal that they were standing on. Robin wobbled out of the way in time, and realized that the rough ride was going to be a challenge.
Hit after hit, he had to avoid a swift punch to his torso. Robin got low and tried a kick as Slade caught his leg and tossed the boy only inches from the edge…
Robin scrambled to find a safe distance. It was as flat as a landing pad. There wasn't a fence or wall to prevent him from going…
He'd be drowned…not now! He did try to shake off that spell. Slade had chucked the teen, like one of his weapons.
Robin pulled himself up and tossed his body into a basic bridge to have himself back on his feet. Slade was coming back, wait…He was not going to attack? Robin couldn't let down his guard, so his muscles remained tight and alert.
"What's the matter, Robin? Did I strike a nerve?"
"Like I'd ever let you!"
Robin yelled out and came at the man. Only to be swung back and grabbed by his arm; which had missed the man's ribs in the process. Slade pushed his own armored knee into Robin's gut to finish leaving a lasting impression. To remain on top..
A flashback of their fight in the old haunt…When Robin had first been swept up into the man's crazy dream…The teen gagged from the throbbing ache that had done damage to his ribcage.
Robin gasped and clutched his stomach. He'd fallen for it…Again!
Coughing from the pressure, Slade let the boy drop to the ground. He needed more time, and the dojo could wait.
"A few ribs were bruised from earlier. You'll have to have those looked at while I'm away."
"Stop…don…Don't…Cough..."
"Bring him to the infirmary." Slade commanded three of his bots. The whirring of the chopper was up in the sky. Robin squinted as the glare still bothered him. The shades still did nothing to keep the sun out of his eyes…The bots carried the groaning teen to get himself looked over for any, extensive damage.
After all, Robin was special to the man, nothing but a distraught object wanted by a greedy monster.
He shook his head as the light of day vanished, and with it, a part of his fading chance at an escape was lost to the darkness below.
