"B.G. 'cause you lost all your homie's love
Now call it what you want to
You fucked wit me, now it's a must that I fuck with you"
Chapter 3: Trust.
Slade mused over a fine bone china cup. He had sent his robots- courtesy of LexCorp Robotics Division (not that they knew that, of course) - to retrieve a computer chip that would be instrumental in his rapidly evolving plan. His idea was to construct a chroniton detonator- it was theoretically possible, and he had enough chronitons to hypothetically freeze-frame the entire state if he wanted, but such a device required certain components deep in the vaults of S.T.A.R. labs. Of course, the Titans had been there to stop them.
What surprised Slade was the fact that the Titans had stopped him. It was time for a new track. He was interrupted by a video call, from an untraced source. Warily, he opened the screen to see a skulled face with what looked like a stylised scar across his face. Odd.
"Rumour has it you're interested in this." The figure brandished the very chip his minions had failed to commandeer.
"I'm interested in a many things, Mr.?"
"X. Red X." Ooh, original. Slade thought to himself.
"Hmm, catchy." No need to be rude, just because the man- boy, by his build- had no imagination. "So, are you planning a sale, or a gift?"
"A partnership. I give you the chip; you cut me in on your plans."
"Partnership? My my, we are ambitious." Not to mention suspicious. Undercover cops are more discreet than this. "But an alliance cannot be forged from one small chip. If you're going to win my trust, I'll require more."
"Just tell me what you want."
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Slade ran the tape again. Electronically altered voice, but not well enough. He transferred the file into audio only, and filtered it. Bingo. The filters wouldn't work on the more sophisticated voice scramblers, like the one his employer had used, but they should be more than enough for this.
As the computer ran its scan, Slade thought about his mysterious burglar. Appeared out of nowhere, showed exceptional skill with martial arts, defeated the conspicuously-leaderless Titans by exploiting their hidden weaknesses- so far, not unlike what Slade himself had planned, although he was more interested in the psychological. As the cogs in his brain began to turn, a thought occurred to him. Whoever this "X", was, he showed an inconspicuous interest in Slade's plans, not unlike-
The computer beeped, signalling the completion of its task. Slade pressed "Play", and when he heard the voice he burst out laughing.
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Slade retreated into the shadows of his lair, and tore off his mask. Gulping down air, he nonetheless let out a satisfied smirk. The amount that his rooftop duel with Robin had taken out of him had reinforced the germ of an idea that had planted itself some days before, when he had unmasked "Red X". Robin had already shown that he couldn't trust his teammates, and was perfectly willing to harm them in pursuit of his goals. Excellent.
After all, what could be more 'Theatrical' then having the Boy Wonder destroy his own team?
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Okay, this one's a little shorter. I would think that Slade didn't get the whole 'Apprentice' idea until "Masks", so this is what came of it.
Next up: Creepy surrogate fathers in the Apprentice Saga!