Disclaimer: beeby boppy boo! waves wand And…no success on trying to own DC characters.
A/N: Sorry for the long update, all my midterms just jumped me from out of the shadows. So while I'm battling them out, I was able to post this chapter up. Just don't expect another one on Tuesday. Evil tests and papers die! Man, where's Slade when you need him. Enough of my ranting, here ya go!!
Ch. 18: Welcome to realityThe crispy clean hallway of Lex Corp made Robin feel out of place. He remembered a time when such things did not get to him, living in Wayne Manor and then attending all those balls and functions made him relax…somewhat. Richard never forgot his circus roots and during his little rebellions against Bruce, he would go and create a mess. Of course, trudging dirt and mud throughout the cave was not such a big mess. But just creating a little chaos in Bruce's controlled world was enough for him. Sure, he had to go and clean up the mess with Bruce hovering over his shoulder and Alfred shaking his head. But it was worth it. What was the old saying, cleanliness is next to godliness? Typical Bruce. And in the end, he began to understand the need for cleanliness. He began to seek that overpowering urge to be ordered. That was one of the many reasons why he left, he needed to get away before he became a miniature Bruce…worse a Batman Junior.
Robin picked up his boot, but before taking the next stop he twisted quickly, leaving a small black scuffmark on the white tile floor. Slade had said to be respectful and heed to Luther, he didn't say he had to bend to his every whims. A small zoom sound echoed in the hall. He turned and watched as a small robot hovered over the small scuffmark, sprinkling water and then wiping away the blackness away. All trace of the mark gone. A shiver ran down his back. Just ten minutes in the place and he was already on edge. He hated cleanliness now. He felt more out of place than ever before, because deep down he knew he could never be as pristine as the walls and the floors. His black marks could never be wiped away with water. The dirt of his sins was too ingrained in his pores.
Slade stopped in front of a door, waiting till Robin was at his side. Blue eyes flew up to study the masked face, waiting for Slade to say something. But the man just raised his hand and opened the door with a click. The pair stepped into a dark colored room, projected waves giving off a sense of serenity. Lex Luthor was in front of his desk, leaning upon it, arms crossed. The gray-suited mastermind's eyes bore straight at Robin, not once glancing up Slade. On the corner of the desk, was Mercy her black-gloved hands hanging by her side, her blond hair tucked underneath a black cap.
"Mercy."
Faster than a blink of an eye, Mercy drew her gun and shot at Robin's arm. The bullet skidded across his arm, before embedding into the cushion wall decoration square. Hunching over, the ex-hero gritted his teeth and held his new wound, blood seeping through his fingers. The wound stung and deep enough that it would take awhile to heal.
"What the--"
Another bullet whizzed by his leg, making him jump forward. It was the same type of wound. Robin glared up at Slade, waiting to see his master would do anything. But the metal clad criminal stood off to the side and just gazed forward. Typical Slade.
A shadow fell onto the floor. Throwing his head up, blue eyes widened when Lex grabbed his sore throat, yanking him upwards. Ripping the ski mask off his face, Lex sent a hard punch to Robin's temple sent stars bursting to life before his eyes before he crashed to the floor.
"I don't like being played a fool, Robin. Be best if you remembered such a law." With that Lex returned back to his desk.
Robin touched the gash near his left eye that Lex's ring had created. He hadn't heard the man sneak up on him. Gazing back on the floor, he noticed that the tiled entry way was covered with a slick material that made his dark blood pool together. "Must be an expert in cleaning his mess with little time to spare," thought Robin. "Not even a minute in this room and I am already on the ground and bleeding."
"Mercy, tend to Robin's wounds. I do not want his blood to spread and stain the carpet."
Mercy nodded and her black shoes made no noise on the white carpet. Kneeling down, she took out a can of spray on bandage and applied the thick substance onto his three wounds. Then she took out a small damp cloth and wiped away the blood. Done, Mercy stood up and reassumed her position near the desk.
Robin just stayed still, fuming within with anger that he had fallen so far. But something else was creeping within him now. Fear. He could see know why Slade was careful around the man. The ex-hero had been naïve in thinking that no one could be close to Slade's ruthlessness. He had always pictured Luthor as a crybaby millionaire who was bored with life, thus why he went after Superman. But staring up at Lex's back as the man searched his desk, Robin knew that was just a façade. The real Lex Luther was the man present in the room. A cold, calculating businessman who did not waste time: a mortal who knew of his restrictions but exploited them to their fullest extent.
Turning, Luther tossed the small disk before Robin. "Where is the real disk?"
Robin wanted to smirk but he repressed it. "I destroyed it."
"I doubt that." Luther waited for a response, then scowled, "Get up and stand when I'm addressing you, boy."
Robin nodded and rose to his feet. His gaze fell onto the ground before Lex's feet. Respect, he had to show Lex that he respected him…feared him. The man was not like Slade. Robin had no cards to play against him. And those eyes…He could stand imaging seeing what was flickering over Slade's face behind that mask. Even without it on, the man retained his emotions tightly, much like himself. But, Lex, he allowed emotions to blossom forth, which seemed even more unnerving.
Lex smiled softly, eyes narrowing in glee, "You've taught him obedience Slade. Must have been a quick, painful lesson."
Slade nodded slightly, shifting his position, "Enough to get the point across."
"Good to see you haven't lost your touch." With that, Luther's smile disappeared, "Well, Robin, what should I call you?"
Robin swallowed, "Reaper, sir."
"Your other name."
Slade spoke up, "Seir."
"Better than Richard Grayson," laughed Luther. A shocked expression fell over Robin's naked face. Lex grinned, "I remember those whom I have met in the past. For a minute there, I didn't recognize you, you've changed." "Even when I first thought of him as Robin, it wasn't what I expected from the brightly clad Boy Wonder whom I have heard so much of. Deathstroke, I can see now why you were so obsessed with this boy. But he is your boy, not mine."
A dark look fell over Robin's face. "I don't suspect you wanted to talk about the old times, Mr. Luther."
Lex cracked his knuckles, "Good to see you've got a sense of humor about you, boy. I like that in my employees."
"I don't work for you."
"You do until I receive the disk." A serious air fell upon the small group, "But since you've destroyed the disk, you'll be working for me for a long time."
Lex waited for a retort but none came. Turning, he eased himself back into his chair behind the desk, "What is this plan of yours?"
Deathstroke fixed his charcoal eye on his apprentice. Robin felt his shoulders begin to sag with pressure but straightened up. He had to appear confident to win over Luther. "You can't destroy a superhero by revealing his identity to the public."
"Oh?"
"If you revealed who Superman was, people might be shocked in the beginning but they would get over it. There will still be a Superman to protect them; the revealing of a name won't diminish their faith. Besides," Robin paused and allowed himself a small smirk, "You would get rid of the challenge behind destroying the superhero. Criminals of every sort would be able to threaten his loved ones. The challenge in seeking out who Superman or any other superhero are would be a waste of time. They would start to hate you in destroying the one of the only means of measuring oneself in the criminal world."
Lex frowned, "Be mindful of your tongue, Seir. But you have a valid point in that it would not destroy the image of Superman. So, tell me how would you destroy them?"
Robin took a deep breath, "Walking once more amongst them, put them in a situation that would damage their superhero image. Then reveal myself to the public."
Slade walked past Robin towards the opposite corner of the desk, his voice cold as steel, "There will be no revealing your former identity to the public."
"True, true" nodded Lex, "But I like this idea of damaging their image. Yet, I have done my share of such activities and they always worm themselves out of it."
"Then you must gather solid proof," whispered Robin as he watched Slade sit down in a chair, his charcoal eye narrowing on his apprentice.
"And where would I get such evidence?"
Looking back at Lex, Robin kept his face void of any emotions, "I was thinking along the lines of something dealing with actual video or voice footage of them saying something wrong…"
"And is that all you got?"
"Yes, sir."
Lex sighed and faced Slade, "Deathstroke, it seems that your little apprentice has past my test. The only flaw is that maybe next time-" an anger flash lit his eyes as he glanced over at Robin, "Don't threaten your employer."
Robin nodded, yet confusion was burning to express itself on his face. Luther noticed it and laughed. "Mercy."
The woman stepped forward, "Yes?"
"Go and order some food, the usual. I have a feeling that we're going to be here awhile."
"Yes, sir." With that Mercy bowed slightly and left the room.
Fixing his gaze back on the pair before him, Lex allowed himself to relax and leaned back into the chair. Slade did say to watch the show. Robin was the first to explode. Taking a couple steps forward, he locked eyes with Deathstroke's mask.
"What is he talking about, Master?"
Slade closed his eye, collecting his thoughts before facing the boy again. "What do you think?"
Robin sneered, "Don't, Master. You know how much I hate being played!"
"You're not being played, Apprentice."
"Then what do you call this?"
"A test."
"Test?" Shaking his head Robin raised an eyebrow as if Slade had grown an extra head. "I thought…"
"You needed to be tested in an area where superheroes reign supreme. I didn't want an apprentice who would betray me at the last moment," whispered the criminal.
Robin narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping, "What makes you think I won't betray you later?"
"Because Seir," Slade leaned forward, "You have them, Luther?"
"Yes." Luther bent down and opened his bottom drawer, pulling out a slender metallic case. Placing in front of his desk, he popped the top open revealing two tiny recorders and a small, lean black video recorder.
Slade tilted his head, watching as Robin eyed the three objects, his face scrunched up in concentration. "Luther had sent me the ideas of creating organic listening devices that would become undetectable to all types of scans. He sent me information and money regarding where I could gather the necessary materials. We made it look like I was just producing another weapon…" His eye sparkled in dark pride when Robin's mind clicked.
"The plans…in London…"
"Yes."
"A cover up." Facing Slade once again, Robin shook his head, "You knew all along that I would plan to infiltrate the Justice League and Titans."
Slade leaned back and crossed his arms, "It was successful with Terra."
Lex chuckled, catching the boy's attention. "Did you really think your idea was novel? I've been waiting for an opportunity to get an inside man to appear and it seems you fit the criteria."
Robin frowned, irritation tensing his body, "What makes you think they will trust me? Like I said, they lived through the Terra incident."
"Yes they did, but not the Justice League. You were Robin the Boy Wonder; no one would question the idea of you switching sides. Besides, you are a much better actor than Terra," mused Slade.
"I won't do it, it's too risky," snapped Robin.
"Too bad, you're doing it, Seir," hissed Lex. "Not only because Deathstroke's is your little master, but because you still owe me a job since you messed up the last one."
Robin's eyes darkened as they flickered between the two men. It wasn't that he didn't want to the job because of old ties. It was because he was for the first time scared of getting caught. He didn't want to be the one handcuffed and shoved into the back of a police car, his image forever plastered into the criminal books. He wanted to retain his freedom. "It will have to be convincing."
Lex tossed a hand into the air and scoffed, "I doubt that."
Slade stood up and paced behind Robin, before stopping behind him and lowered a hand on his small shoulder. Leaning down, he purred, "So, Seir…do we have a deal?"
A shiver snaked down the boy's back, striking away all the fear and uncertainty. Pure determination brightened his eyes to an ice blue. He could do this…had to do this to prove to everyone that he was on their side. He had to start from the bottom and work his way to the top and that meant taking chances. Locking eyes with Luther, Robin spoke, "I offer my services to you Mr. Luther in your plan to infiltrate the superhero community and destroy their image." Lex nodded back, but Robin caught it in the side of his vision as he turned his head and zeroed in on the eye that haunted his mind.
"Yes?" whispered Slade.
"You owe me."
A slap on the desk and a full-hearted laugh broke the stare down between master and apprentice. At the same time, the two watched Lex laugh to his content. Crossing his arms, a big smile on his face, Lex chuckled, "Quite the greedy, manipulative little apprentice you go there, Deathstroke. You stumbled a bit, boy, but it is understandable since it is your first time dealing with the royalties of criminals. Yet, in a couple years from now, you might be a threat to me…or maybe the perfect ally. Like master like apprentice no?"
At that moment, Mercy returned to the room carrying four brown bags. A warm smell spread into the room. Locking away Luther's comment deep in his mind, Robin eyed the bags, feeling the vast empty pit in his stomach. He hadn't eaten in what seemed like forever.
Lex stood up and rubbed his hands, "Aw, yes. Chinese. Wonderful." Pressing a button, a wall lowered down revealing a small bar. Gesturing to where Mercy was placing the food and pulling out plates, Lex grinned and made his way to the bar. "Come let us eat."
Robin took a step forward but Slade caught his upper arm.
"I owe you?"
"Yes, for my freedom."
Slade huffed and pulled out a cellphone. "I guess you deserve this."
A questioned, cautious look befell the boy's face. Slade handed him the phone. "Pavel called earlier and said the General was here in Jump City right now." With that, the mastermind left the boy and headed to the bar, pulling off his mask.
Robin eyed the small device in his hand as if it was the Hope Diamond. Situations roared through his mind. Licking his lips, he drew a dart and watched as it hit one of his multitudes of plans for the General. Rolling his shoulders, he asked, "Where is the bathroom?"
Lex jerked towards the door, "Down the hallway three doors, left on the first intersection and two doors down."
"Thank you." With that Robin walked as calmly as he could, even though he felt like bursting into a full sprint. His fingers twitched around the phone; eager to dial the numbers in order to initiate two phone calls that would be perfectly serve as his appetizer before his cold dish of absolute revenge was serve.
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A/N: I think I did pretty good writing this at like midnight. LOL. Well bed's callin' me. Later!
