Allow Me to Live Like You
Alexnandru Van Gordon
Forgive me for not writing as often—I have as seriously sore throat and a pounding headache. I reread my first chapter tonight and I realized how boring it must have been for you guys to read. Oh well, I had to set up a couple of things up in that chapter like who would be where and what everyone would be thinking…yadda, yadda…but I promise that I will return my chapters into their usual (hopefully interesting) selves. I'm also writing mid-terms (yawn) so don't get upset if I don't write as often. I promise that when I return to my regular schedule, I will be a write-aholic once more (AKA you'll probably get the "a new chapter each day" treatment for those of you who, like me, hate waiting too long for a story to continue).
Besides that, if anyone out there hasn't noticed one of my many themes in this story (it's a biggie) it's how unfair children are treated compared to adults. A couple of adults have been down my throat for a while now only because they're in a bad mood. You might have noticed this because of how aggressive a parent I've mad Batman out to be. Then there's this case: Robin is like Batman, and Robin is like Slade too. Then why would Slade take Robin over Batman? A thought occurred to me that Slade possibly thinks of children as items rather than people, the type to be seen and not heard, easier to control. Man…he's really the type of guy you love to hate.
Anywhose—have fun and enjoy!
PS: Sorry—I forgot the summary (hehehe) I just can't help myself.
SUMMARY: (sequel to Blast to the Supposed Past) After Robin is taken forcefully to Gotham city by his old (but not so old) mentor, Batman, all hell breaks loose. The Joker, Slade, Mad Mod—and a whole lot of other baddies start showing up. Is this the war to end all wars—or this merely one of a long chain of battles that will surely follow? And what happened to Starfire—and the future Grayson? Will Robin ever see either again?
Oh well. You guys are a smart bunch. I know that you can do the math in your head in an instant and figure out what I'm up to, but I'm going to have some fun with this! And the only pairing in this story is Starfire and Robin, but I don't know if you'd call it a pairing…they really haven't spent one too many romantic moments with each other…too bad. Oh well, I guess that's why I put this story under Angst aside form Action/Adventure.
DISCLAIMER: Err…since there is a lot of stuff in here that isn't mine this would take a while, so I'm just gonna say—the only two things in this story that are my own are HW and the plot line. All else (JL, Teen Titans, the baddies, etc…) never have belonged to me and never will. Though I might make up a new thing or two to even out—
Alex: Auk! (Hit in the back of the head by a mysterious figure)
???-?: (Reading the chapter) Interesting…but I'll modify this little part. I hope he doesn't mind if I change it… (laughing…fading…)
CHAPTER TWO: (Sorry guys. I'm currently stumped…and unconscious…HELP!)
"If he doesn't slow down, I think I'm going to hurl."
"You're telling me? You didn't have to ride all the way to your tower with him!"
"Agreed."
"I heard that, young lady."
"He he he… He has good hearing, considering we're whispering—considering his image is a bat."
"I heard that too—and bats are blind, not deaf."
"Oops."
"Shut up, Speedy."
"Both of you guys should shut up."
"Hey! Help me out here, BB."
"Sorry, girl. You're…err…teacher would probably kick me off this jet if I took a side in this little to-be war."
"Don't worry. Speedy and I always fight."
…And that was pretty what happened all the way back to Gotham. Robin was buckled into the seat up front next to Batman, still unconscious, and so Speedy was demoted to sitting in the back with HW and Beast Boy. That, unfortunately, spelt trouble, and Batman was too busy piloting the speeding jet to get back there and slap someone. He wasn't the type of person who would slap a kid, but he'd sure put them in their place. At least they kept him out of the remainder of the battle, and it was kind of nice to have a little white noise in the background…okay—a lot.
Besides the annoying bickering, Batman was actually able to drift off in his mind and think of other matters. He switched the jet to auto-pilot with the command of staying at the current high speed, and sat back in his chair—but not before glancing briefly at Robin. HW had used a little too much electricity on the boy, but Batman knew he could handle it. He would wake up a little weak—but he'd be in an awful mood.
Batman smiled. It was fun to watch Robin bicker when he was in one of his moods. It didn't happen often, but it was sure something interesting to watch. He would usually go to the gym and beat the non-living daylights out of a punching bag and snap at anyone who bothered him. But as his strength left him, so did the mood. Then, when he was tired and had to sit down, Bruce would usually approach him and talk. The Boy Wonder didn't argue then. Too tired.
Zap!!!
"Owe! What was that for?!"
Batman risked a glance over his shoulder at the teenagers. All three of them looked like they had been shocked, HW most of all.
"Sorry…" HW muttered with a blush. "Can we land for a moment? I need to get rid of some of the energy I've got stored. I'm producing too much again."
"After the shock you just gave Robin, I highly doubt that." Speedy argued needlessly. "I think you did that on purpose."
"Oh yes—I just love to electrocute the bageezers out of me."
"Likely story—"
Batman turned around before they pulled him into the fight and quickly answered HW's question. "We'll be in Gotham in an hour. Think you can survive until then?"
"I've gone through worse…but I don't know if I can keep myself from frying Speedy next time…"
"Hey!"
He ignored them. Even Alfred failed to interest them out of their fights. They only time they didn't fight was when they were…well, fighting—hand to hand against a criminal, of course. Oh well…at least their moods had failed to reach the level one of Robin's would. You had to watch out for him if you seriously t-ed him off.
That brought him back…way back to when Robin left in the first place. It was a shot to the chest that almost ended his career as a young hero, but somehow he survived and struggled to convince Batman he could fight again. Of course Bruce was afraid of losing him, but Robin argued and went out on his own whenever Bruce wasn't watching. But he could tell when the Boy Wonder snuck out at night. His deeds always showed up on the six o'clock news.
The JL thought it was bad for Robin's health, but he proved them all wrong. That was one of the reasons he was chosen to lead the Titans: an absolutely powerless kid with amazing abilities, a intellect beyond his age, and both the determination and endurance to go on—even when injured. Batman was hesitant when the rest of the JL told him their decision, but he knew Robin needed some alone time away from home. After all, even with such a high crime rate in Jump City, at least there weren't any seriously dangerous madmen on the loose there like the Joker or the Riddler.
Boy was he proven wrong.
But still, the crime rate dropped like a sake of flour and the was no real reason for Robin to return home. Until now, that is…
He stared at the boy a second time as he stirred. Raising a hand to his head, his white eyes flickered opened. "Where…?"
Batman was actually glad HW shocked him as hard as she did. Robin would be too tired to put up much of an argument.
"We're an hour away from Gotham." He explained plainly, acting as though it was any other normal day. "We're going as fast as we can."
"I can tell…" He rubbed an eye and shook his head. "Whoa…that hurt."
"We'll check you out when we get there."
"Yah…"
Maybe he was going to get away with it after all.
"Wait a second…" Robin said, realizing what was going on. His mask indicated he was frowning at Batman. "You kidnapped me!"
"Not exactly. Robin, I'm your guardian."
"No—you're Grayson's guardian. Robin is your partner and taking him against his will is considered kidnapping. I'm appalled at you, Bats. I never thought you were the type to try the flavour of crime."
"The flavour of crime?" He inquired, grinning briefly. "What poetry book did you get that from?"
"I didn't get it from anywhere. My friend Raven taught me a little about poetry on our rainy days, but I guess that isn't going to be happening anymore unless you turn around right now and take me back to my friends."
"You know, you're not alone. Check out the back."
So he did. Staring over his seat, he saw Beat Boy trying desperately to referee the match between Speedy and HW, awarding big points for remarks that made him laugh so hard he cried. But then they all paused and stared at Robin.
"Beast Boy…?" He couldn't help but crack a grin. Maybe his friends weren't so against him. After all, he did hear Raven defending him in the main room back at the tower...and here was Beast Boy. "Why are you here?"
Beast Boy cracked a grin of his own and leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head. "Did you think we were going to trust you alone with a guy as solitary and gloomy as this dude? I'm here to make sure you come back to the Titans before you age out and get sent to the JL."
"You can get into the JL before you age out." Speedy pointed out.
"Well—he isn't going to unless he comes back at least for another year with the Titans."
Batman muttered something he made sure no one else heard.
-Sp-
The rest of the journey was fairly quiet considering he and HW stopped their bickering. Upon returning, Beast Boy was showed to a room by Alfred and Robin was led off (not too happily) by Batman to discuss…stuff… Speedy and HW simply headed into the large kitchen of the mansion where Alfred cooked. They would usually sit and talk to him, but he was busy. So they talked…
"I think we should interview Robin and find out all we can about this Slade person."
He sat down at the table and she sat across from him, a melancholy person all of a sudden. "I've never heard of this guy before, and I doubt we'll find out much." He sighed with a heavy heart. "Poor guy…I think he would have defeated the guy long ago if he had anything to work on. He's a detective like old Bats—I'm far from. And you…?"
"I know how to pick the heck out of someone or something for information, but it would take me next to forever. I'm not the detective type material."
Too bad. They really had to help Robin. Speedy met Robin before and knew how determined he was to win…how good a fighter he was… This Slade guy had to still be alive to be driving Robin as crazy as he was, and that was quite the baddie accomplishment. From what he heard from Batman, Robin wasn't one to snap and start hallucinating.
"Maybe the Titans were right about the dust." HW suggested weakly. "Maybe he still has some in his head?"
"No…Cyborg has a good history. I doubt he left any in Robin's system."
They fell quiet.
"What about—"
"No."
"I mean—"
"No."
Zap!
"Listen to me!" She snapped after slightly electrocuting him. "That felt good…but besides that—do you remember that site we went to on Batman's computer?"
He rolled his eyes and rested his forehead on the table. "What? You mean the time he just about tanned our hinds for guessing his password and hacking into all his files?"
"Accidentally, but yah—that sight about the criminal…Deathstroke the Terminator, or something like that…"
He laughed. "Slade and Deathstroke are two different names, miss. What's your point?'
He lifted his head and looked at her, seeing that grin on her face. Then he began to worry. She said she wasn't a quick detective, but she noticed and remembered things like Batman.
"He was murdered—seven bullets in the chest—no body amour—no pulse for three hours until the authorities came to pick up his body—remember? That guy that Batman had to fight once with the help of the JL before he was an official member."
"Get real!" He shook his head and rolled his eyes behind his mask. "Hello—he's dead—that knocks him off the list."
"But what was his first name, stupid?"
"Sla—"
Then he paused…and begin thinking. But there was no way that that could be possible.
"Anyone could have the name Slade!" Speedy protested, now slightly frightened at the thought of a bad guy rising from the dead. "Besides, what if the guy just picked up the name? Is you're real name Halloween?"
"No—but what reason would he have to change it if everyone knew he was dead? Maybe he did that to confuse anyone who went digging in his past."
"But does he have a last name?"
HW stood up abruptly from the table and strode toward the door. She halted when she reached for the doorknob and stared over her shoulder. "Robin might be able to tell us."
-R-
He sat silently, arms crossed, lips sealed. Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, Jacque, the Green Lantern, the Green Arrow (who looked like he could have been Speedy's mentor), and Batman all either sat or stood around him—absolutely ignoring him. They were too busy talking about the matter of Robin's hallucinations and arguing about the tale he told them. It didn't help that he added the part where he met Grayson. Half of them agreed it was possible and the other half was trying to make sense of it—claming it "all in his head".
He'd rather be somewhere else, lectured by Slade, than remain with the noisy bunch that treated him like a child.
"Can I say something?" He asked quietly, but no one heard—or chose to hear.
"But this Slade sounds so familiar…" Superman pointed out, rubbing his chin with his hand.
"Dead." Batman stated before they could go deeper into that subject.
Flash eyed Batman, wondering what put him in his mood. "But what if he had a son—"
"Two—both dead."
"Alright…." Wonder Woman said, giving Batman the same confused look. "Guess we'll drop that…but there has to be a logical explanation."
"Maybe it is just the dust?" The Green Lantern shrugged.
Jacque shook his head, staring at Robin briefly. "His mind is clear. No chemicals caused that illusion."
"Maybe other methods? Robots?"
"Possible… But who would program them, run them?"
"A partner?"
All eyes fell on Robin, but he told them the same thing he had said a zillion times before with a sigh. "He worked alone… The only thing he ever had close enough to a partner was an apprentice, because in his books—he's number one. No one should ever be his equal."
He suddenly remembered Red X, but shook the memory from his mind. Slade knew all along X was Robin…he was just testing him, luring him into a trap. The second trap had been better-prepared—well set up to force Robin into making a hard decision.
Where was Red X anyway?
-RX-
(Red X: (Typing away) Greetings to all, and please do not attempt calling the police. You'll only kick yourself later on for it. Yes, I am the one who knocked out Alexnandru (Stares at the out-cold person on bed.) He'll come to later on—but now, I'm sorry to say I had to change this part of his story for things to work out my way. You and Alexnandru will be watched very closely by me from this moment on to make sure I am not caught. Sorry to tell you—but I read the reviews you send this guy. So don't ask if he's all right and I'll make sure he doesn't call for help. (Sigh) Now…on with my modification…)
(Red X exits and returns to story)
He stood atop the tallest building of Gotham, one that belonged to the famous Bruce Wayne. Wayne Technologies, one of the world's leading producers of the best weapons a man could steal. He'd like to steal one right now, but he had something else to do…he needed to find Robin.
Batman wasn't the only one with a jet—X stole a pretty nice one a while ago and traced Batman's route on a built in locating device. That man flew like the devil! Where did he get his pilot's license? Or maybe he didn't have one…
From a few sources, he determined that there was a definite link between Batman and Bruce Wayne—friends, if not one in the same. He wanted to find out more about the Dark Knight, but that would have to wait. He desperately needed to figure out where Robin was staying. Robin was Batman's protégé—Batman had a secret hideout—secret hideout would be found by Red X. If he could get something out of Wayne, perhaps he could find Robin…
It was getting late and the sky was just beginning to burn. Flames of red and orange danced around the sun and above it hailed the dark blue sky with its royal moon. Stars could be seen blinking to life across the darkening dome, and they began to glitter… It was a beautiful night. Too bad the nights here were always ruined by a robbery or two… Oh well. You did what you had to do to survive.
Sirens blared below and a woman screamed—not a death-defying scream, though, just a frightened plea fro help. Then there was a gunshot and another scream just the same as the last.
His meeting with Wayne would have to wait.
-A-
Alex: (Rubbing head, gets up off the bed and sits at the desk.) What on earth… (Sees note on keyboard and picks it up, scanning the words quickly) …What! "Signed—Red X"! That jerk… (Rereads story) Well…his change isn't that much. I wonder what he's up to…
Argh! Can you believe this! I think I am going to put a lock on my door before I die of a heart attack or find my head severed from my shoulders. (Shudders at thought) Oh well, sorry if this one was boring too—I promise there will be more action and crime going on, starting in the next chapter. And yes,…Starfire might be separated from Robin, but we can still see her. You'll find out what's up with that poor girl soon—unless someone else decides to modify my story, with pain involved…
-Weary and still sick—and now with a migraine
-Alexnandru Van Gordon