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

Author's Notes: The usual disclaimers still apply here. Our timeline now places us the night before the events of "Betrayal".

Chapter 13
Pillage the Fridge

The day came and went without incident for Swipe and Jinx. Both were making preparations for the impending raid on Senator Goodson's unsuspecting kitchen; the rogue was inspecting his tools and picks to make sure they were in perfect condition while the hex-caster meditated for a short time to keep her mind clear. They also kept tabs on the stolen Titans' communicator to make sure there wouldn't be any unforeseen interruptions.

"I still can't believe you were able to get away with one of these things," Jinx remarked to her friend.

"So'm I, to be honest," Swipe replied as he holstered his daggers. "I wonder who it belonged to. Robin never did ask about it last night, either. I figure someone's gotta be missing it by now."

Jinx picked up the item in question and stuffed it into Swipe's back pocket, "If anyone asks, you found it just laying on the ground."

The rogue smirked, "Sounds like I'm starting to rub off on you."

The sorceress winked back, "If only you knew… Shall we be going now?"

"Of course," he opened the front door and gestured for her. "Ladies first."

And with that, they were on their way. The streets were empty by this time of the night, so they were able to get to the mansion unnoticed. That is, if you don't count the surveillance camera.

As he observed the couple leaving, Slade accessed a phone line and dialed a number, "Hello, Senator Goodson? Yes, I am quite aware of the time. … Who am I? Just a concerned citizen with a warning…"

Meanwhile, Swipe was carefully prying loose the pane of glass that he had found so many nights before. Jinx watched anxiously over his shoulder, throwing backward glances every so often to check for cars. In no time, the glass popped free and the window was quickly opened. The pair crawled inside, making sure to make absolutely no noise.

"First item of business," Swipe reminded himself on his way to the fridge. Before he got into the food, he grabbed a marker and wrote a brief message on the wall beside it: "Don't need another mall!"

Jinx kept to the doorway, watching closely for investigators. After checking back to make sure Swipe was okay, she took a few exploratory steps into the dining room. She looked around the dining table, picking up some of the pieces of silverware and setting them back down again. One spoon, however, barely brushed against the ceramic plate. The soft clink it made sounded deafening to her ears, and likely to Swipe's as well.

The rogue had nearly finished loading up his sack when he heard a noise in the dining room. He hastily shoved the door closed and dashed to the doorway. Jinx looked up at him fearfully before the lights suddenly came on, momentarily blinding both of them.

"I knew it. You- You're not getting away from me this time."

Swipe blinked a few times to clear his vision and saw the senator in a gray robe, slippers, and shakily holding a pistol with both hands. Jinx backed away as Goodson leveled his weapon at her, while her hands started to glow pink in preparation. The rogue wasted no time in dashing quickly in front of Jinx and nabbing her by the arm just as Goodson's trembling fingers accidentally pulled the trigger.

A single bullet nicked Swipe's left shoulder, but it certainly wasn't enough to stop him. He pulled his friend back into the kitchen with the angry senator in hot pursuit. Just as he took aim for another shot, Swipe threw a knife into the wall next to Goodson to make him flinch. The sorceress followed up with a quick spell of her own, causing the senator's weapon to jam at the last second.

Now with enough time to escape, Swipe helped Jinx out of the window before he climbed out himself with the bag of food in tow. The rogue took his friend's hand tightly and started running as fast as his waning strength could allow. After four blocks, he had to stop and duck into an alley to catch his breath.

"We… We made it…" Jinx panted.

"Barely… What were you doing back there?" Swipe demanded.

"I just… wanted to make sure nobody was coming."

"You could've been killed! Why didn't you just stick to the doorway?"

The sorceress became flustered, "You wanted me to be the lookout, so I was looking out! I didn't think the noise was that loud for him to hear, anyway!"

"Jinx, the senator's got security beacons all over that mansion. It's not a good idea to go roaming that place!"

"Well, why didn't you tell me in the first place?"

"It's the senator's mansion! Of course there'll be traps!"

Jinx scowled as her temper flared, "Fine then, Mr. Perfect! The next raid you do, you'll do it yourself!" She turned and stomped off, "I'm going home. See you there."

For a moment, Swipe just stood in silence and watched her leave as a dull ache built in his wounded shoulder. In that time, he started to regret snapping at her like he did. It really wasn't her fault. This was her first time in the mansion, after all. Besides, the worst that happened was him getting grazed by a stray shot. He sighed and started walking after her.

"Jinxie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to –"

A shrill scream cut through the night air, causing the rogue's senses to go on full alert. But that wasn't just any scream, it was Jinx.

"Let go of me! Swipe, HELP!"

Swipe went into a full run towards Jinx's voice. The moment he spotted an orange and black figure ahead of him, the thief forced himself to run even faster until a slab of rock burst up from the ground in front of him. He practically bounced off of the obstacle and was sent sprawling to the sidewalk. Looking up, he saw that Slade had his arm tightly around Jinx's neck and her arms were held behind her back. Beside him stood his apprentice, her features still unidentifiable thanks to her full bodysuit.

"Let her go, Slade!" the rogue demanded as he scrambled to his feet.

"I'll let her go, only if you will be more cooperative. Meet me at the foothills at the northern edge of the city. There's some unfinished business we need to attend to."

"Like hell we do!" Swipe angrily charged the mastermind, both daggers drawn. His attack was halted by another interposing rock courtesy of the apprentice. She then raised her hand towards where Slade was standing, and a large patch of ground he and Jinx stood on broke away and floated quickly to the north. Swipe and Jinx both screamed each other's names as the sorceress was spirited away. The rogue clenched his fists while his attention turned to Slade's still-present apprentice.

"You'd be wise not to oppose Slade, especially if you value your girlfriend."

Swipe snarled, "If anything happens to Jinx, I'll make sure both of you pay for it."

The girl scoffed, "I'd like to see you try. Come on!"

Both combatants assumed their battle stances, ready for the other to make the first move. The rogue would take the initiative, dashing straight for the girl with his daggers at the ready. The apprentice's hands glowed yellow to call up several cantaloupe-sized rocks to hurl at her attacker. Swipe ducked and dodged the attacks while never breaking his stride, until the last one came straight for his head.

There was a loud clang of metal striking rock, and the projectile was chopped in half. The girl's sky blue eyes widened in surprise at the sight, not figuring Swipe had that kind of strength.

The rogue smirked at his opponent, "Pretty neat, eh?" He held up both daggers and admired them briefly, "Steel daggers alchemically coated with adamantine. The only ones of their kind, from what I've heard, an' they're the first really valuable things I ever stole. It's kinda funny, though... I heard that these things were made sometime in the dark ages 'r something, but nobody from this era has even come close to duplicating them."

"Let's see you cut your way out of this..." the girl retorted, narrowing her eyes as she raised her arms to strike again.

Slade's voice cut her off, "The trap is set. Return to the cave, and make sure you are followed."

"But, I can handle this guy myself! I could bring him to you once I've-"

"Do not question my orders, apprentice," the girl's master interrupted. "And don't worry, you'll have your chance."

The girl barely had time to acknowledge the order before Swipe took adventage of her distraction and charged at her again. She reflexively brought her arms up, but failed to prevent the rogue from snagging the hood from her head. Long blonde hair spilled out from under the fabric, revealing the girl's true identity: Terra.

Swipe staggered back, stunned, "Bl- Blondie? But... But you're a..."

The ex-Titan summoned a large rock and leapt upon it, turning back to the rogue, "I did what I had to do. Look, Slade doesn't like to be kept waiting. If you really care about her, then you'd better follow me..." With that, she quickly flew off in the same direction that she had sent Slade. Swipe wasn't too far behind once most of the shock had worn off. He didn't know why Terra had sided with Slade, or even why she wants him to follow her back. He really didn't care at this point, anyway. His biggest concerns now were Jinx's safety, and getting his payback on Slade.

End of Chapter 13

In Chapter 14 – Swipe, injured and alone, must face Slade and Terra to rescue Jinx. Will Slade's new bargaining chip convince Swipe to join forces with him after all, or will Swipe beat the odds one more time?