Teen Titans; ReBeL Yell – If I Had Stayed a Renegade –

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Dick gets caught and sent to Belle Reve during a hit. Find out!

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A STRUGGLE WORTH FLEEING FOR?

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"Well, lookie here what we got us this time, boys…"

Renegade still has his mask, but his weapons were confiscated in that damned desert storm.

They were in a swamp hitting a guy in a flipping speedboat, and then…

Dick remembered getting in, getting away and being knocked out with a taser.

It was a task force, not hit men that had taken him to Louisiana's highest security center for absolute animals.

No, it was the real feds. The crooked worst… as one male with a wide brimmed hat looked over Renegade and made his assessment clear.

"You got anybody you work for kid?"

"Confidential."

"I didn't ask you; I want you to spill or you'll be here for –

"Sir."

A man came to the side of this warden and saluted before handing over a file and clipboard to his superior, storming off with hooting metas and psychos in each cell down the far end of the block. Dick hadn't been admitted on the reasons listed in that file.

No.

He'd wanted to stay here, far away from someone madder than Killer Croc on a good Sunday.

Still, Dick had been to a Japanese prison for a short time. He'd even got lost down the halls of Arkham until Batman wedged his ward out of a sputtering fit. Unless you were bad to the core, you didn't belong at here, or Blackgate for that matter.

"Deathstroke will bail him out, sir…. should we up security –

"Do go ahead an' try to keep that snake in the grass off'a our tails." The warden shook his head. "Yer in for a world of somethin' if you can't do your time an' make sure your new "boss" gets yer full grit. I said, boy?? Are you gonna try me?? Huh? Answer !"

" Nosir!"

Dick had to let it out, tell the person since he was technically still a minor, that Bruce Wayne was the person he could call. He'd get that and then Slade could –

Turns out he wasn't there long before alarm bells started to go off.

Dick's eyes sagged.

"We've got an intruder in the back, somebody put the kid back in his cell." The warden cocked his gun, knowing what he had to do. That gun also, was a bit less southern state and more secret organization warfare.

"Get him situated. I got a feelin' you may be too lucky fer your own shit to know a man named Deathstroke, boy."

Dick nodded and wanted nothing more than to be sent to Blackgate, but this place was not gonna let him off easy. At least there he knew he could call Bruce before Slade hunted them both down for a cheap thrill!

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A man at the gates; double armored uniform, a keen single eye as the beeping was well missed, even as the guards suddenly splattered into a sizzling heap.

Slade held an orb shaped bomb in his hand as more guards showed. More red lights and those lovely sirens to make you a babbling freak who belonged in a cage; he was being led to his little Toto.

Slade narrowed his eye, the smoke bomb going off as he took to his swords and slashed his way to the gate, hands bloody and the mess around him no better.

"Keep on wasting your breath, boys." Slade chuckled and found one guard who could let him by. He looked into the dying man's eyes before dragging his arm over to place the tag embedded into it over a detailed scanner.

" Merci" Slade was in Louisiana, best to do as in Rome.

Finally.

Slade dropped the man down, and with one shot of his gun, there was no saving grace among the building of piled on bodies.

Broken, like he'd hoped to rearrange his scattered apprentice's damn rebellious streak.

Ah, and he'd known the way. This place was a maze maybe to a newcomer, yet Slade knew about the ratty complex for years.

And

"Left leads to…" He snapped his fingers, gun going up to shoot at a guard coming at his left.

"Right. Always did mix up the rows." He shrugged and ignored the dying soldier on his knees, not wanting to stay and shut the man's eyes for him.

Those noble years…well, they were meant nowadays for the league archives to settle on.

Slade played for keeps, as he set off to right one more wrong before one flew back over the cuckoo's nest.

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Dick had room, so he paced a bit, much.

Thinking was hard. He had to watch his back.

The guard were starting to like him…if Slade found out that he'd done this voluntarily…

Even if he had a serum to enhance his everything, Slade wasn't Superman. Dick tried to reassure himself with that hopeful wish.

CODE

" MOVE! MOVE!"

Dick covered his ears, not liking this game as much as he had previously.

Slade was excellent hunter and marksman. Where could Dick run to if Slade was the one killing off these soldiers to drag him back to the loser's seat??

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Captain Boomerang had heard of the newbie for sure. Being in this dirt water state (it is a lovely state, just doing this because he is a bit spoilt. His character will be obnoxious. Still wonder if gluten dairy free beneise are a thing! Sorry for missing the spelling!) His entire operation had been run smock by the competition. A big hot shot called Deadshotwas also locked up in this pen; looking for some lead for an Amanda Waller who ran all the high-end jails, and he was just doing time until his ass was let loose.

Same as always.

But today? They had an alumina visiting in record time.

"I heard that Deathstroke, beat up the Batman."

The cell beside him was a serious spot. The kid had no meta powers, so lucky still that the little Renegade prince was locked up beside a long timer for the show of things here at Belle Reve.

"Did you ever meet the old bat, mate?"

Dick sat and ignored the noise, hearing a muffled sound since it wasn't blocked entirely. Slade's training really had kept him from going tone deaf as he tilted his chin slightly up.

"Look, if that mate of yours isn't here to pack a wallop on the Marsh, then let me –

"HE'S not my mate."

Dick growled and burrowed his head into his arms to try and get some rest before Armageddon came here through those doors.

The apocalypse on its every arm.

Fully – loaded.

Richard shuddered, was this how Grant and Rose thought of Slade's real work?

"Then why are you even here, lad?" Captain B wondered if this was just a kid beaten and trained to stop caring.

"You just gonna sit on your Aussie - ass, or can we rock the boat like old times?"

Captain B looked up at his cell door and smirked at the gun blazer who was also, right up to it. Punching codes in like a machine.

"Waller got to you too, eh?"

"She's not one to fuss." Deadshot looked to his side.

"That kid…"

He walked over as Captain B followed out. They had a special sentence. This kid, he could end up under her radar…someone had to loosen the noose.

"Wait…I think I know who's behind that mask-

BOOM!

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"I'M IN."

Slade lumbered over with a machine gun swung over his shoulder. A broken man's arm was detached but still clinging to it, spurting blood with a shower of its dying stench. Slade just chucked the item as if it were a useless trinket.

Captain Boomerang grimaced and whispered to Deadshot from where he stood, gawking at the mess.

"Nothing in this bloody hell – hole makes a crock a! –

" MOVE."

They did, but Slade didn't lift a finger yet.

"Deathstroke!" Deadshot tried to signal to the loudmouth Captain that it was a bad call to goad a walking war god's disciple. Yet he was not paying any mind to the sharp shot, just staring at the cell behind them, effortlessly.

Captain B nervously threw some banter into the air. Why not slow down this cyclops?

"How's life been treatin' a free man! Is this your query, Death?"

Deadshot face palmed his temples, until he groaned and slunk over to talk to the kid with Slade still not minding….

Who was he? The real chosen one in charge of keeping the beast in line from now on?

Capt. B cleared his throat, it being quite hoarse from the blast before.

"He's isn't very chatty for a… lad, are you –

"I'm here for him. Now, get out of my way."

The roar inside was something to tremble by, so Captain Boomerang knew when to pick his fights, lose some or take what he had and to skitter outta there.

Slade slowly looked over to the cell, only to dash forwards and then down the next corridor of barred walls.

Richard, his Renegade had been set free while their backs had been turned.

And only one other mercenary was as skilled in cutting Slade down a notch like that as he was, wanting it stone cold, dead...

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Dick was herded away with Deadshot keeping his word to not harm any kids. As far as he knew the story, Renegade was working for Slade against his will.

He had a family once; he knew it was obvious by how the kid refused to talk. Keeping his head low as if he'd had earlier – than - life military training.

And then, the mask made him stop and think.

"Did you always wanna be an assassin when you grew up, or did Ole' DS find you out of a back alley and take ya home with –

"I just need to get outside and find someone." Dick finally looked Deadshot in his mechanic face. A part of him was still plenty human.

"Why are you running away to here, Kid?"

"None of your –

A crackle of lightening silver flung through the air, as Dick saw its true form dancing in slow motion. His masked eye turned to the one-shot wonder, almost entranced from the after effects.

" WAIT! –

The explosion rattled the halls as lights flickered, shorted out to some decent degree, while others remained in perfect function from up above Dick's aching head. He raised it lightly, his shoulder sleeve a bit torn up from the smack into that wall that he'd clung to using to soften the blow.

Apparently, not much.

He gulped as his two feet turned into a dash, not taking Deadshot with him as the next rang came after; a sizzle as the next hit a door marked;

HIGH SECURITY CELL BLOCK.

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The door actively opened, the thick clunking of boots coming closer.

Dick had nowhere else to flee to.

The prison would be in on lockdown if he was wrong, so he took a direct chance and fled down through the off- limit doors.

Those breadcrumbs to Slade, being mighty helpful –

"STOP."

Slade looked from his blind side at an older, dangerous weapon pointed at his flank.

"You gonna go after this kid now, Ds? Your own died trying to keep up. I know what of feels like, but don't go taking your frustrations -

"To you, he may seem innocent. "Slade raised his weapon to show Deadshot that he was dead serious about recovering his stolen property.

"Didn't that give it away…? He's not just special, he's collateral." (He speaks of the probe in this case.)

Slade hissed bitterly. "The one man you should be staking another hit on is staring down the electric seat, Deadshot. I'm not going to give that boy the order to get his chance at a new life with one, single bullet. He came here looking to defy ME. He's not ready to hold a gun, yet you didn't spot the similarities. Did you?"

"Wh

"Too bad." Slade called it, a shot ringing clear as Deadshot defended his head, making sure to crawl and throw the other merc off a bit. He was no coward, yet Slade was taking this apprentice spiel a bit too far.

"I almost considered us 'better' rivals than with the Bat."

A loud rumble came from down the hall as Slade and Deadshot both listened.

" It got out." Deadshot stared back, seeing Slade running like a demon for that damned door.

Boomerang came back, wobbling next to his bloke, the two nodding and going in to reduce even more of their pitiful sentences.

"Is he…." Panted the hurt, knife throwing, Australian. "That wasn't the same mask he's worn before for Waller…"

"And that isn't the same kid he'd wanna train in a million years. People get cocky." Snorted Deadshot.

"Slade's playing with another crappy deck an' I don't buy it for a second, my friend, and truth be told? I don't wanna see how he trains his little heirs, anymore, anyway. It's getting way too hard to keep count of his kids..."

They got their weapons ready and swiftly made it through the same entrance, deep into a secret location within this swap tower with no way out.

Yet, every way back in?

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Dick panted and was close to crawling –

A shot rang out and his hands went up to shield himself.

"You think I'd take this stunt lightly? You'll be running that mouth a lot less –

Slade had a shot fired at him, a metal one as his mask took the hit. His growl evident that he was now on the war path.

Dick slunk deeper into what looked to be a lab with…. was that…?

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"So? You're tryin' to run away from your mean teacher because he isn't your teacher specifically, but you were blackmailed to stay and learn to do what he does in order to save your best friends? That all, kiddo?"

The shark seemed to get it, then again…what was a talking shark man doing in a live tank in a jail out in Louisiana?

"Can I ask you something?"

"I, guess…" Dick rubbed his arm, feeling his stress reduced greatly as he spoke to this, creature.

"Name's King Shark, but you can call me King for short. I got stuck in here after my best buds all got taken by Waller. You know about the stuff they do to fish men in most top-secret labs? We get stuffed like crabs and shipped off to Lex corp to be trained for killing and the…...Bluprr….!"

"Are, you ok?" Dick saw the reaction and turned around.

Deadshot had a shot knee and was still trying to clot his own wounds. Capt B was dazed and on the ground, groaning in pain.

Deadshot shouted out his warning words as Dick's masked eyes popped to life again.

"Shit…. kid, run!"

King threw up by the sight of blood all over Deathstroke's uniform.

"Another mess I'll have my apprentice wring dry…Once I drag you back to the haunt for your full punishment…" Slade lowered the blade as blood fell again, making King hurl up into his once clear tank…before a growl got louder, and –

Slade shot out a cuss, though he wasn't quick enough.

"Sonova! -

" Get that offa y'all, an' inta' me!!!"

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Capt B groaned and shook his head, seeing the fight and shouting over to Richard with a smug grin.

"Now…ung…. ya gona an' done it, mate….Kingie was locked back up for ruining supper for the other inmates. Saw a paper cut and went ballistic! Great timing! Bite his other peeper out!" Whooped the Capt, Dick going over to Deadshot despite knowing his time was being wasted on this killer.

"You…gotta get back, I know…." Seethed the coughing merc. "I know, why Slade…is after you….Robin…."

Dick saw the bleeding man slump off to try and get to a switch on the wall.

"Fire alarms? King is -

"Who said anything about fire, lad?" Had Dick known about this circuit, this was in fact not your basic night light as walls dimmed lower to aid in his escape. Slade was fighting a sea creature on land, as Capt B smirked a pointed his shaky thumb at the exit.

"Kiss this place, farewell...see ya around, kid."

Dick could not...understand, but he imagined Slade wouldn't like being tricked.

He liked this idea of being set free.

The door was there, he could...

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TBC!