PRIZE-DRABBLES PART 2/2

purpleplumchan from DA was the 300 reviewer for "The Peace Contract", and here is the promised prize-drabble for that… also EXTREMELY late (I just checked, and the rev's are now up to 430! I can't belive that, but I'm more than grateful…). She wished for "dark Slade/Robin with an appearance of Bruce (though no Robin/Bruce slash)"-drabble! I hope this will do, even though it has a LOT of Bruce in it…

It's a free-standing piece…


A New World

Bruce was dying.

He was not alone.

The vast battlefield was littered with bodies, and it had taken Robin much too long to find his old mentor among them. Kneeling by his side, Robin had already assessed the injuries. It had become a gruesome routine. Who was worth taking with you? First it had been everybody, but lately fewer and fewer. Robin stroked a strand of hair out of Bruce's eyes. The man was unconscious. Robin hoped he would stay that way until it was all over, the pain from the multiple wounds must be excruciating… but at the same time, one egotistical part of him, wanted to say goodbye.

This battle… this war… it wasn't one between heroes and villains, and it had never been. It was political, and religious, and utterly, utterly devastating. It had raged across the earth for over two years. No country untouched, nowhere safe to hide. You fought or you died. No one cared which. Three months after it started, the first nuclear bomb had been dropped. It didn't matter by whom. Not then it continued. Humanity where now scattered, their leaders mad, all communications down, recourses dwindling quickly.

This battle had been over a small settlement. They had tried to protect it. Robin wasn't sure if they had been successful… the 'other side', most of them probably their own countrymen, as 'sides' no longer really existed, had attacked, hoping to find supplies and ammunition.

And now Bruce was dying. This battlefield Robin would leave alone. He doubted that he had the strength to leave another. He had lost them all this way, all of them. Even being able to fly wouldn't save you forever… Happy birthday… he thought grimly to himself. What a way to celebrate sixteen years on the planet…

A shadow fell over the pair and something cold pressed slightly into Robin's neck. The boy froze.

"Hello, little bird."

Robin slowly raised his head, the cold metal following his every move. It was a sword, and Robin already knew who was holding it.

"Slade." The tip of the blade caressed his neck almost tenderly.

"Glad you recognize me."

One corner of Robin's mouth twitched. How could he ever forget that voice? The face though, was new to him. Angular, hard, cold, with white hair streaked with blood. Probably not his, Robin assumed.

The blade didn't budge, Slade's arm didn't as much as waver.

"He's… he's dying." Robin swallowed.

"So I can see."

"Can… can you wait… until…? So I can be with him?"

"Wounds to the gut can take hours." the man commented coldly, hinting that he didn't plan to wait that long.

"I… understand… Then-"

"R-Robin?" Bruce's parched voice whispered.

Robin forgot all about the blade at his jugular and leaned over his fallen mentor.

"I'm right here, Bruce…" he barely felt the blade shift and started to trail down his back.

"…you… hurt?" Bruce asked.

"No… no, I'm fine… everything will be fine…"

"Good…" There was a faint smile on the man's lips. "Take… care, Robin… you have to leave…"

"No, Bruce, I'm staying! Please let me stay!" The last part was more aimed at the mercenary behind him.

"I… won't live much longer… I'm sorry…"

"Bruce… you have nothing to be sorry about, I… I would never have lasted this long without you…"

"You'll… be… alone…"

"Not- not for long, Bruce… not for long…" Robin knew that as soon as Slade had deemed that he had been patient enough, Robin would feel that blade slide into his body. He hoped it would be quick, but with Slade he couldn't be sure. The man could kill him in a second or make it take days…

"It's getting dark." Slade's voice cut in.

"Who… who was that?" the former dark knight tried to raise his head. Robin closed his eyes briefly.

"Slade." he admitted. He couldn't lie to the man on his deathbed.

"Deathstroke?" Bruce wondered, and Robin nodded. "Then… I need to speak to him."

"W-what?" Robin stuttered.

"I need to… ask him a favor." Bruce insisted, and his tired eyes swiveled to the man who had stepped around to his other side.

Robin paled. He knew what kind of favor Bruce wanted. To be given a swift death. His mentor would never ask him to do it, but he could ask an assassin like Slade. Robin bit his lower lip hard and bowed his head. Bruce didn't deserve to die slowly and in terrible pain, but…

"You still use swords, I see…" Bruce commented as he spotted the man.

"Of course. Ammunition run out, weapons jam. A sword is reliable." Slade answered dryly.

"You seem to have… plenty of both, though." Bruce said, and Robin looked up at the mercenary, seeing that his mentor was right. Guns, knives, ammunition, grenades… the man was a walking armory.

"I do. My resources are vast. I arrived when the battle was almost over, though. No need to waste it."

Robin saw Bruce nod almost appreciatively and nearly wanted to nod himself. The fighters usually ran out of bullets early, and then shooting them would be a pure waste of materials if you had Slade's skills.

"Why… late…? What… side?" Bruce's breaths had become more labored.

Slade smirked.

"You still believe in good and evil, bat? After all this?"

There was a scraping noise from the dying man, and Robin startled as he realized that the man was chuckling.

"To answer your question," Slade continued "I was merely passing, when I got dragged in. People wanted my weapons."

"I… see…" Bruce nodded. "Tell me, Slade… are you a man who would… honor a last wish?"

"From you? Yes." The other man answered simply. "We used to be on different 'sides' but I do respect you as a warrior."

"Thank… you…" Bruce coughed, and Robin shivered as he saw small specks of blood appearing on the man's lips. "Then… I want you to… take care of Robin…"

Robin's head shot up, looking from the man on the ground to the one standing and back again.

"What? Bruce, what are you saying?! You can't-" the boy started.

"Robin, please… the world… has changed. We have changed… this… is a new world…You need Slade's skills and knowledge to survive now… I can't protect you anymore… if he honors my request… he will…"

"Yeah, he loves protecting me!" Robin snorted "Bruce… you know what happened! You know what he... what he did…"

It had been a month or so into the war. Robin had still been too trusting back then, and a group of soldiers had cornered him. The way they had acted, Robin knew that he was going to get raped, and most probably killed, but then Slade had shown up. The man had still used his mask back then, along with his whole costume. They all had. Now it seemed stupid to wear anything else but military gear.The inexperienced soldiers had been no match for the man, but as Robin thought himself, impossibly, saved… Slade had taken him away and claimed him himself. Robin's eyes burned with unshed tears at the thought. The man had not treated him too roughly, but it had been bad enough. Fortunately they were attacked a few days later, and Robin had been able to escape.

"I'm… aware that… he might… require compensation, Robin… I'm… sorry… I want you to live… please… don't hate me…"
"I… I could never hate you…" Robin whispered, although, at that moment, he was as close to it as he had ever been. He straightened up somewhat. No matter. Slade would never-

"I accept." Robin heard Slade sheath the sword.

"Thank… you…" Bruce whispered.

"No! Forget it, Bruce! I won't-" Robin started.

"So Slade will heed my wish, but you won't?" the man sighed.

"I… Bruce… I…" Robin's voice trailed off.

"Go with him… learn from him… You... won't… be alone…"

"As…as you wish, Bruce…" Robin mumbled. He had to. A last wish… you could never escape that.

"As I said, it's getting dark. We need to go, boy." Slade interrupted.

"No! I'm staying! I'm staying until…"

"A… second request?" Bruce voice was no more than a faint whisper now.

"Of course." Slade nodded shortly. "And don't worry, Mr Wayne…. I'll keep Robin close."

"Thank… you… t-try… try to… treat him… well…"

"I will keep him alive." Slade drew his sword again.

"No! I won't let you do this!" Robin tried to get between the two men, ignoring Bruce's frustrated growl.

"Really?" Slade looked at him coldly. "Have you never helped a dying comrade out of his misery? Always ignored the cries of pain around you? Then you are much more coldhearted than I am." Slade studied the trembling boy, and added, almost kindly, "The birds will come soon…"

Robin's breath hitched in his throat, and his eyes scanned the horizon worryingly. They had started out as common crows, but perhaps they had been changed by nuclear waste, or maybe they had just simply adapted quickly. Having plenty to eat on the battlefields had let to that their numbers had exploded, their beaks and talons sharpened, and they had gotten more aggressive. They swept down on the dead and dying in thousands, and they seemed to prefer their pray alive.

"Move aside. You may have a moment if you wish, then we have to go."

Robin couldn't do anything but obey. He kneeled down by his mentor again, and took hold of his hand. Bruce's fingers curled limply around his, as the man tried to squeeze back.

"I love you, Bruce… dad…"

"I love you too, son… so… proud…"

The man's body stiffened and then his eyes glazed over. Slade slid the sword out of the man's chest with ease, and dried it off against the back of a nearby corpse.

Robin carefully closed his father's eyes and bowed his head, letting silent tears fall.

"Get up." Slade ordered, and then grabbed Robin's arm to help the boy to his feet. "We need to be a mile or two away from here before sunset. Come." Slade set off, not bothering to see if Robin followed or not.

He did. The boy dried his eyes and lifted them to lock onto the patch of forest in the distance where they were headed. He followed in the man's footsteps, crisscrossing around dead bodies.

Batman had been right… this was a new world… and, thanks to a dying loved ones last wish… Robin had a new Master.


The End

A/N… hmmm… this almost sounds like an intro to a story, more than a drabble… but I have no idea what would happen next, so… Do you believe Batman would/could act like this? I think so... under these circumstances... but opinions are welcome! Maybe it's just me... I'm never nice to the bat for some reason... ;o)