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

Author's notes: If you've read the past 11 chapters, then you should know the drill by now. Disclaimers still apply. Limited time offer. Call now, our operators are standing by.

Chapter 12
Parley?

"You must be Swipe. I've heard so much about you," Slade spoke with his usual flat tone, his gaze never straying from the rogue.

Swipe quirked an eyebrow, "Is that so? And all this time, I thought the media only knew me as the anonymous burglar who was terrorizing our glorious senator."

"The media? With my training, the entire world will know you as one of the greatest thieves of all time. You could even have this city right in the palm of your hand."

"Keep talking…" Swipe brought a hand around his back, prompting Jinx to take a hold and squeeze it with all the might she had.

"What more is there to talk about? Money, power, everything you ever wanted... I can give you these things and more, Swipe. You have the talent, I've seen it myself. All you need now is to refine your skills and rise above being a simple cat burglar."

"He could kill you if you ever crossed him," Jinx whispered over the thief's shoulder.

Pretending not to hear her, Swipe rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Sounds interesting enough. I was never interested in cats, anyways… All I want to know is; what's the catch?"

"No catch," the criminal mastermind replied as he advanced upon the pair. Swipe could feel Jinx trying to shrink even more behind him while Slade continued, "All you have to do is say 'yes', and you'll be able to steal anything you desire without ever being seen."

"Hmmm… This is quite tempting, I must say. Although, what's the fun in having all the cheat codes when you haven't even beaten the game yet?"

Slade's eye narrowed, "Is that what you think this is, Swipe? Just a game?"

"Random encounters, obstacles, traps, boss battles… Yeah, I'd say so."

"Get ready, Jinxie…" the rogue murmured back over his shoulder. He felt his hand being squeezed even harder, if such a thing were possible.

"Just remember, in this game, you only get one life," Slade said menacingly as he drew ever closer.

Swipe tensed up and gave Jinx's hand a reassuring squeeze, "Then I'd better make the most of it, eh? If you don't mind, I'd like to sleep on your offer. It's getting rather late and the little lady here has had a long night as it is. But don't worry; I'll keep your offer in mind. Toodles!"

Before Slade could answer, Swipe sped off into the back alleys. The crime lord merely stood and watched for a moment before turning to the communicator on his armlet.

"He's on his way. Is the sentry camera in place?"

"Yes, sir," the voice of his apprentice crackled through the speaker. "I see him coming now and I'm already leaving the area."

"Excellent. You do realize that you would have had more time if you hadn't had that little emotional outburst at the club, don't you?"

"I – I'm sorry, sir…"

"Just make sure this doesn't happen again. I wouldn't want your feelings getting in the way of our mission when the time comes. Return to the tower and wait for my next command."

"Understood."

Slade switched off the communicator and gazed back in the direction of the departing rogue, "It seems that I'll have to use more persuasive measures in our next meeting, and I think I know just the way to do it."

Meanwhile, Swipe and Jinx raced inside the motel and bolted the door. The rogue chuckled to himself, still giddy from the adrenaline rush, while the hex-caster gradually released her grip on his hand.

"Well, that was rather exciting," he remarked before glancing to his friend."Are you okay, Jinxie? I've never seen you like that before…"

Jinx nodded once, trying to shake off the anxiety, "I'll be fine."

"But, you're still shaking. Are you sure you're okay?"

The girl remained silent, looking off to the side. Swipe placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"You don't have to say, if you don't want to. But, if something's bothering you, I really want to try to help you. I wanna see you smile again, Jinxie."

Jinx looked up with a blush on her cheeks and did indeed smile as Swipe added, "I like that smile, after all."

The sorceress brought her arms around his middle and squeezed him tightly, "You're just too good for your own good, you know that?"

Swipe returned the hug around her shoulders, "Yeah, yeah. I still ain't no angel, though."

There was a moment of silence as Jinx nestled her head against Swipe's shoulder. The rogue never said another word, as he was starting to enjoy this little bit of closeness.

"I'm… afraid of him," the hex-caster finally said.

"Afraid of who? Slade?"

Jinx nodded, "I could only face him when I was with Mammoth and Gizmo. Deep inside, though, I feared his power. I feared what he could do to us… to me…"

The thief patted Jinx's back, "Well, he's not gonna do anything to you now. I won't let him."

"I know…" she murmured back, yawning just a little bit.

Swipe started to slowly guide his friend to the bedrooms, making sure not to break their embrace, "Sounds like it's time to get some rest. We'll need it for tomorrow night."

Jinx opened the curtain to her bed once they got there and asked, "Why? What're we doing tomorrow night?"

Swipe replied murkily, "The same thing we do every night, Jinxie. Try and take over the world!"

The curtain closed so that the sorceress could change into her nightgown, "Very funny, 'Brain'. I mean it, though. What's going on tomorrow night?"

"We're visiting the senator's mansion. I want to leave him a message along with an empty refrigerator."

Jinx opened the curtain again, now clad in a long, pastel blue nightgown, "Can I tag along? I do have some experience with breaking and entering, after all."

Swipe nodded, "Sure, I could use the company." He gave her one last hug goodnight, which she gladly returned, "G'night, Jinxie. Sweet dreams this time, okay?"

Jinx sneaked a quick peck to the rogue's cheek, "I just might. Sleep well, Swipe." She then trotted lightly back to her bed and closed the curtain again, leaving Swipe holding his bright red cheek while his eyes became as big as saucers.

End of Chapter 12

In Chapter 13 – Swipe raids Senator Goodson's mansion once more, this time inviting his lovely assistant, Jinx, for the ride. However, other forces are now at work that could very well bring the rogue's lucky streak to a screeching halt. Will Swipe get his message across, or will he be thrown into the hoosegow… or worse?

Author's post-notes: A friend pointed out after I posted Chapters 10 & 11 that I never described what Robin and Starfire were wearing at the club. I figured I'd leave that up to the reader, although I envisioned that Star would likely wear the dress she wore in "Date with Destiny". With Robin, I have no idea. He doesn't strike me as a casual dresser, but I also doubt he'd wear the tux from the aforementioned episode. Ah well, maybe I'll add that in for the special edition.