Nightwing; A Series of Doubts – Give and Take-
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Chapter 29: Blood-Soaked December
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Remember; Slade said by the drop of the ball. Yet, if he breaks that promise, will fate allow it? Find out how much torturous content we can provide in this chapter. Almost at the end! Read on...!
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The night of Richard's disappearance, this Slade from another timeline, went berserk.
He ransacked data, did a once over of clues in the place noted for the crime to have been committed, even got the unwarranted attention of the notorious Red Hood and company as he was followed one night in December.
Across rooftops and industry catwalks, until there was only to flee and hide.
He'd been this way for much longer in his time, treated as a fugitive, a criminal. Slade would occasionally rest and hear the cursed words of the Slade he had banished, the madness making him stronger. More dangerous until one night…
December 13th.
He drew fresh blood in Gotham.
Droplets littered the dirty floor tiles as his hunt had led him to a museum where an escape route was below it. A place of mystery with the stench of owlets like his own.
His little bird was vying for attention when he had given none of that. When he had broken a promise to convey only his sin for the boy to be his Nightwing and beneath his master. How had it all –
Actually, this was perfect - was it not?
Slade had sped up time, now realizing that if Cobb went along with the original plan, if he traumatized poor Richard, his flightless bird would escape back into his –
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The cut and slice through the air of a grappler hook called down from the rafters as winged things on a moonless night.
The shadow of the damned be it so, this Slade was not as it appeared. Turning to the sound of soundless steps, the cowled crusader greeted the drifter from era to era. His boots plodding the bare ground and tile, as the bat's feet walked upon the air. He was without them, and while the cape did so much to protect his brood….
"DON'T take another step closer." How those masked eyes saw so very little, only vengeance - for he was the night among the populace of this filthy city.
"I don't intend to stay long."
"You won't have to."
The face of a second came round to prove at the man's ego. A boy in a bird themed cowl. A red bird.
A Robin of his very own.
"Last chance to come quietly." Bruce remembered his vows, to never be like Joker. Like a man without a conscience.
"Don't have the time." The man pulled out twin katana with ease from his back sheaths. "Why should I have any for the two of you."
"You should…." Tim pulled out a staff like Robin's yet more tech to its masterfully crafted design. He twirled it with grace and poise. No, something did lie beyond that child's once weathered eyes. When he'd truly told the kid what his brother had been up to. When he'd allowed his family to fall apart.
"Because we've been hoping for a fair fight!"
Tim dove in before Bruce could stop the teen. His hits as deadly as they had been against Ra's Al Ghul in recent episodes before, his body anchored in a whole new mode, a whole new side to the teen that made the one-eyed copy cat's hair stand on end.
He wanted to see more of it. So, with a snap of his fingers, tonight's entertainment would be?
His getaway.
The bots all swarmed in, getting Tim pushed farther and farther into a sea of future bots. Their unyielding numbers overwhelmed even the Dark Knight as he turned to mini explosives and cut throat techniques to evade this den of hungry serpentine-
They had shifted into some things. Some as snakes, others were warriors or versions of Slade by memory. The nonsense was delightfully grim he supposed, as Slade leaped off to locate the den of the underworld creatures he sought, while another creature of the unknown batted its wings for freedom into the nighttime skies.
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Dick stayed coyly beside the man who had claimed to be his family. This talk of a prophet or Gray Son was no invitation to celebrate and when it was time, Dick would have his way home. He'd have to rid the owls of his trail first off….
"You seem to be with some unease about you." Cobb came round, not wishing to make the hero feel any less of his humanity as he'd failed to lose under another. That was for the Court to decide. Richard was from a long to none line of assassins. He could be great if he gave up a part of his so-called mortality for even greater ends. The luxuries of Gotham and Blud combined would not sway him. If only, though he clung to life and clutched the shirt collar of a one. A monster that was better off dead.
Cobb came to his great great grandson's side to see if the bruises had been treated. The strikes along his tight thighs and hips were all but for anyone's amusement. Cobb knew of abuses; he too had come out of a home that did not frame him into what he was today because of all of those ghastly scars.
Now, they were what made him unable to forgive the people he so wished to protect; this included not only the both poorest and richest.
This would be, a way to cope. To have the boy as his late protégé. To finally forgive his grandson for not allowing such a time to exist. For he did exist into many lifetimes; a cold-blooded soldier of the Court, he could surpass many and had.
He was even engaged to one of the Court's many elites.
Samantha. She too had wanted him, and she too would have him only if the test was taken seriously. If his pupil was as the tabloids spoke; remarkable in every way.
"Why did you save me?" Sick if feeling the victim, of being the martyr, Richard awoke to the sound of drums beating his heart back from an ice-cold stillness. Cobb had no such empathy; Owls were heartless in the stores about them. Why then, was this one so…. human?
"I should tell you." Cobb decided to win over the boy his own way, not by the inferior methods of a Neanderthalic abuser of human rights. Was he one to guess it by how the boy was not as he had been in recent years prior?
Cobb had never forgotten it; that bird among the sea air city slickers known as Titans and their fan base. He thought it laudable even, more to show that his little heirs would be a perfect reflection if the growth to come in mere decades. The Court would have that perfection, to mold it, to concretely assimilate its ideals and his own brilliance …
Why was such a person pushed, why not fly free?
So, that was what William Cobb would offer the hero.
A way back, up, up and away into the stars to become….
Immortal.
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A crack in the walls led Jason to seek out the annals in time that time without Gotham had since forgotten. Limestone, brick.
Olden dates as Todd caved under, creeping along as rats did within the sewers of this foul city. His nose was kept unclogged despite the rotten stench of decay and repressed memories. Of a slum, of a mother addicted to her forgotten pains.
Dick wasn't an addict; he was in trouble and Jason had promised. He'd promised the Titans, the out –
"Don't go down that path."
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Jason's head swam with who that could have been, why they'd sounded so reassuring. But.
They were, they were the Titans.
Cyborg stood with Raven, Beast boy no longer but Changeling and one more.
Starfire smiled at Red and commended his loyal nature to go into the unknown, yet Raven did not.
"We can jog his memory, or at least try." Cy told the antihero as they walked to the ends of the tunnel together.
"Did you call Batman yet?" Bb bounded over as a rat, the only animal that could find out more from other rats as he made Red's throat itch.
"Nope. Bats will be preoccupied." The middle child fibbed. He'd called for B to be a great distraction. He knew that the Titans were plenty. No powers were a problem, as long as nothing collapsed onto their heads.
"Are you sure this is what should happen." Raven broke the other's confidence bubble fairly quickly. He turned to her, eyes peering just past her initial skepticism.
"Robin is in danger of becoming fodder for a bunch of psychos who control this city."
He exclaimed. "And my enemy too is gonna be there to make it worse if we don't get in line, heroes. Now, either you go through with my plan to infiltrate the Court's underground bunker, or we all go under. How's that sound for " am I sure?"
Raven backed down, yet not because of anything more than her own tactic. She went to telepathically lin with Kori as the empath's powers had been much stronger in the dark before.
~ He's keeping something from us. ~
~ Raven, he wishes to catch the Slade of an alternate reality before something terrible happens. ~ Starfire responded anxiously, enough to float on ahead.
"Star!!"
A blade swiped at her shoulder, the princess falling back so that Raven could heal her. The others fired up their weapons automatically.
"Guess we've gotten close…"
The owls' Talons were atop, on the ceiling and hiding, clinging to the walls.
Mixed in however, Cy read something and gasped.
"Half a' them are robots!" He pointed out plenty as Jason barreled on ahead. His disrgard for their slow responses had the heroes use their stealth as best they could. Starfire was well enough to hit the real Talons, yet the future bots did not give away their position.
Jason ran, his thick boots soon sloshing loudly through the dirtiest sewer waters imaginable.
"We can't be…. he got to him first! This was a set up!!"
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If, was the word as Cobb had to get in touch with his benefactor. The generous donor of his delight. Slade of that other time came long before, his welcome undeserving as Cobb greeted the merc with his Talon legion only feet away to defend their commander.
"You've returned." The owl's right hand came with hands behind his back, holding what cards he needed to for the security of his heir to remain sacred.
"I've come to remind you that you've overstepped your bounds." Slade raised his bade, letting the fashionable future tech slice through solid metal from his side of the floor.
"You took from me, now we are without an agreement."
Cobb stepped forth. "Then." He took to his classic knives and sallied forth.
"There is to be a battle; winner regains a protégé. No lives left, alive ..."
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There came a clatter, a mad scream and a squelch so ear splitting and slippery, that no Talon could lose. None would let Cobb's death go in vain. Slade's future tech had ruined this society of elite shut ins. He made his way down the hall as more bodies piled over. Brainwashed. All walks of life, all ages, all –
Slade rammed open one guest room without knocking.
Here, his scent was closest.
Richard got up in a panic when he saw the cloud, the dust as those swords gleamed scarlet. His face went grey, his eyes wide as any owl's.
"It's time to go." Slade spoke, the boy hearing him, yet still not budging an inch yet.
"I can always ask the bots to drag you out, Richard." The merc swiped his blades out as a Talon half scarred along its eye was totaled by Slade's dripping weapon.
"You…" Dick saw the carnage and held a hand over his nose.
Rot.
"They were already dead." Slade told the teen. "Corpses looking for a chance at immortality. So was William Cobb, your great great grandfather."
Dick stopped a minute.
"You, spoke to him? How did –
The shout of another few voices had Slade nervous.
"No more of this." He brought his hand to Dick's neck as he was made to pass out. The older male snapped his fingers as a future bot appeared from under its cloaking setting.
"Cloak yourself and him." He commanded it. "Go to the base, not the apartment or the safe house."
The shuffle grew closer as Slade demanded it leave with a glare.
Once Dick was out of the warrior's path, Todd had his own knives. Ones for revenge and self-loathing as he came directly at Wilson's smug mug. The Titans being only a few short minutes behind, they'd miss this intro and would fail to discover where Slade had hidden his little blue bird.
Raven appeared in the doorway and soon.
Soon, the light that over took the room ripped all of their reality to shreds.
Slade saw the face, the location and shouting, he screamed as he was VERY angry now. The real reason he had let this pack live…was so that he could have the pleasure of killing them all off!
Raven put up her force field, yet Slade had a counter weapon for that. Her body hit Cy's chest.
Cy sent out a blast, yet Slade deflected it with his blade and harnessed the energy just as Kori was about to use her bolts.
However, Gar was unpredictable. He'd always hated that, more than he'd hated Dick being a part of a team.
He took Jason's own weapon from his hand and flung it, nicking the wolf BB right in the leg as he whimpered away in pain. The Titans would try to stop him…
He them had them shoot the same wall. The same time, his dodging was wearing these angry brats down quickly. He laughed and let the last crack the wall before his bashed it in. He'd find a way to the other side.
Back to his bird. He was through with waiting. Waiting could –
But…was it fated to be?
Raven came close, trying to pry again yet the explosive device from Slade made them cover their sights.
Slade ran, he cloaked himself and took a solution to heal in his belt. His own blood, the stuff he'd give his future prince one day. Once….
Slade slumped as he looked up. Holding his ribs from the jump down, the outside world was…
"Hold up."
Slade stopped, his body getting weak from a carb loss. He needed to survive…this wasn't his time!...
" WE aren't done yet."
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Who does Slade have to face! And also, Cobb's home was a facility to train future Talon. Here, this is a bit fast paced since getting over a bad cold. Had to try to describe instead of elaborate as much. Next chapter - Is Slade going back on his word? Did Raven find Slade's hideout in Gotham or Blud? Who is Slade facing outside of the museum? Find out! Hint, Batman doesn't say "Hold on." It's too informal. Chapter 30! Nearing the end!
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