"Swipe" by Ed Alger a.k.a. "SecondLevelWriter"

Author's Notes: "You Give Love a Bad Name" is by Bon Jovi. This is the last song for a while. All other disclaimers from past chapters still apply here.

Chapter 11
Boogie Night – Part 4

Shot through the heart, and you're to blame! Darlin', you give love a bad name!

Mike clacked out the beat on his drumsticks before hammering on the drums while Jeff accompanied him on guitar. With his back to the audience, Swipe held his fist up high and pumped it up and down in time with the rhythm. Of course, it wouldn't take long for the crowd (Jinx, Starfire, and Robin included) to follow suit. After the opening riff, Swipe spun around and started singing.

An angel's smile is what you sell
you promise me heaven, then put me through hell
Chains of love, got a hold on me
when passion's a prison, you can't break free

The lone figure at the back was the only one not clapping or singing along. Instead, she was secretly informing her master about Swipe's whereabouts and who was with him.

"When should I move in?"

"Not yet, my apprentice. Continue to observe him until I arrive. I want to speak with our prospective partner personally."

"Yes, sir," she replied before clicking off the communicator and returning to her duties.

Who-oa! You're a loaded gun
Yeah, who-oa... There's nowhere to run. No one can save me.
The damage is done!

Shot through the heart and you're to blame!
You give love a bad name.
I play my part and you play your game!
You give love a bad name
You give love… a bad name

Slade's apprentice jerked a bit at the words of the chorus. She looked up in surprise at the on-stage rogue, how could he know about her? No, it's just a coincidence. It has to be. But… it seems like every time he sings those words, he's pointing right at her. He couldn't possibly know that she's a…

'No, don't even think that. He doesn't know about me, or even my feelings for Beast Boy. I'm not like that at all. I don't… I wouldn't… '

The words still gnawed at her, causing the girl to clutch the sides of her head in an effort to silence them. Through the second verse and its chorus, her temper continued to flare up until her eyes started to briefly flicker with a yellow energy.

You paint that smile on your lips
blood red nails on your fingertips
A school boy's dream, you act so shy
Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye

Who-oa! You're a loaded gun.
Who-oa, there's nowhere to run!
No one can save me. The damage is done!
Shot through the heart and you're to blame!
You give love a bad name.
I play my part and you play your game!
You give love a bad name.
You give love... What the-?

The singing suddenly came to a halt as the whole club started shaking. The crowd looked up fearfully while tiny cracks formed in the walls and ceiling. Panic was setting in quickly, but Swipe was thinking more quickly.

"Okay, everyone, stay calm! We've got two emergency exits on either side of the stage. You guys in the back, go out the main doors," he instructed the masses before leaping down from the stage. "Robin and Starfire, help these folks up front. Jinx, stick with me. We're going out the front doors."

All three nodded in compliance and split up. Through the confusion, nobody noticed the dark figure that had slipped in was already out of the building. In no time, the club was evacuated without incident and Swipe and Jinx met up with the two Titans outside the building.

"Somebody mind telling me what the hell that was all about?" the rogue demanded.

Robin shook his head once, a puzzled look crossing his face, "That tremor looked like it was centered right on the club. Look, none of the other buildings even have a scratch."

"Perhaps it was another of those burrowing robots that Slade sent after us?" Starfire suggested.

"Hard to say, although I could've sworn we wiped all of them out last time. The only other explanation would be…" Robin trailed off as another thought struck him.

Swipe read the Titan leader's face, "Blondie?" He was merely guessing, since Terra was the only one whose powers he hadn't seen.

During the conversation, Jinx was called aside by Rick. He informed the sorceress of what he had seen shortly after the quake shook the club. After thanking the doorman, Jinx ran back to the group.

"Rick says that he saw someone running off that way just after the tremors started. He says it was a girl, but he couldn't make out any facial features and she was wearing a black jumpsuit," she relayed the information to her friends.

Robin furrowed his brow, "It couldn't be Terra. She would've told us where she was going. At the very least, she would've told Beast Boy."

Starfire giggled a bit, "He would have insisted to accompany her, as well. Those two are like two glagnoks in a zurth pod!"

Jinx only smiled before she suggested, "So, should we try splitting up and looking for this girl?"

The Titans' leader tapped his chin in thought, "I'm not sure if we'll be able to find her now. Even with Starfire searching from the air, we won't know where to start looking."

The rogue waggled his index finger, "You forget, Robs, that I can outrun an Indy car. Whoever this person is, she couldn't possibly make it back to her home before I get to her. If we find her, we'll let you know."

Robin nodded, "Be careful, you two. None of us know who you might be going up against."

"Yes, please stay safe, both of you!" the Tamaranean added, taking Swipe's and Jinx's hands. "This has been a glorious night that I would like to repeat in the future!"

The couple smiled, with Swipe speaking up first, "We had fun tonight, too, Sweetcheeks. Good night, you two. We'll be in touch."

Jinx nodded and grinned, "I never dreamed that the Teen Titans had such good dancers in their team." Her remark caused both Titans to flush slightly.

With all goodnights said, both pairs went their separate ways to not only search for the mystery person but to also get to their homes. During their walk, Jinx elbowed Swipe.

"You're not a bad dancer, yourself," she chuckled. "And you sure love those 80s songs."

"I am a child of the Eighties, after all," Swipe replied.

"I don't think November or December of 1989 really counts."

"It's close enough!"

Both of them laughed a little, until a sharp gasp from Jinx cut off the conversation. Swipe looked around in confusion as Jinx ducked behind him, and found an imposing figure of a man standing a few yards away. He wore jet-black armor adorned with a silvery chest plate and three more plates covering each leg. His helmet/mask was the most disconcerting, a featureless half-black, half-orange mask that only revealed the left eye, with four breathing slits serving as a mouth. Swipe already had a good idea of who he was staring down.

"Slade, I presume?"

End of Chapter 11

In Chapter 12- The criminal mastermind finally makes his move and attempts to recruit Swipe as his second apprentice. Will the rogue turn to the dark side?