Teen Titans Presents Robin – Torn Legacy of a Prodigal Son –

/

Chapter 47: Even at the Root of it All, All You Care About You Destroy

/

Quote from apprentice part one which we will be discussing as Dick gets over firing at a hero. As if Slade would give him a handicap for trying…. tut tut…. back to it!

/

Dick was sure Slade had dragged him from the safe house as the lights flickered on to reveal a new set of larger-than-life plasma screens. In his new gear, he more so resembled Slade with red instead of orange and just black to his suit. The metal there was nearly identical to Slade's, minus the trench he'd asked for to make sure he could still have the comfort of a cape. That was denied for a fight, but Dick had insisted it would set them apart to make a statement to men like Luthor. So, of course now in the new haunt as he was led by two Slade bots and his master, Dick didn't think much of being Renegade as he was after all that had been done to secure his "deal" in stone with the famous mercenary. And the most expensive. Wow.

"How good it is to finally be out of plain sight, don't you agree?"

"I, think I'll have to adjust again…. but sure." Dick pulled at his collar a bit.

"Is that too much, the plate doesn't have to be there always." Slade moved across the room to tilt the kid's head up. "I'll have it adjusted. Rest assured, apprentice."

"Any chance, I can just be Dick or Renegade when it's just us…. Sir?"

Slade had allowed Dick the title as apprentice, yet Will had finally talked Slade down in having the boy say master all of the time. Sir, was alright. Slade…. that could be a problem.

"Have you earned that privilege yet, do you believe?" The man removed his gloved fingers from the boy's jaw, the kid's eyes never changing below the domino curved mask. "No, sir…. I don't know. You told me I was doing better, but is that all I should be asking?"

"Hmm." The man paused and had to decide; was Dick a partner by his material as Grant had been, or was he the pupil, unlearned and unworthy. The latter, mostly. He surveyed the screens and then the teen at his side. The boy's eyes didn't falter when they'd spotted the heroes scouting another city to find a few stray leads by the water. He did bite his lip, but other than that…

Slade had another idea to test Dick's new skills and his loyalty to his new teacher.

"Renegade."

Dick looked up, eyes bolting from the plasma view to seek out his master's answer to a supposed question. "I think, that we can test if you are ready; the Titans aren't your target for today, but one thing remains to bother me the most…

"Sir?"

"Wait." Slade walked to the screens and to his left was a few keys. He pressed one set closest to the throne, the dais Dick had hoped to never look at with his own eyes a third time.

"I need you to derail a train and to bring me this boy, alive."

/

Raven meditated all night; she knew it was futile as the only glimpse in her dreams was of that blonde boy and a terrible accident. She rushed to see if that was what she'd find in any reports of any ships, planes, or trains. Nothing had come up, so she tried again. And once more, until the call at her hip at the empath move to cool her head out of doors.

"I'm here, what is –

~Raven. You wanted to go back to Titans Tower…. but why are….look, I know that Bruce was outta the question. Until he's better, we can go after em, but there is no point. ~

"That…. wasn't what had me return back here. Cyborg, Jericho may be in grave danger…. but it won't happen yet." She held her temples as the scene of a crash and a fire had her eyes shoot open with a gasp. "I have to find out, he could be killed by –

~Raven! What's wrong with you? You've been like this since we messed with Joey's control of his powers. ~

She blinked; he could be…

"I have to locate Jericho…any changes I'll report and have you meet me via portal." Raven sighed. "I just hope my vision has some silver lining…. though, I highly doubt it." She raised her hood, eyes masked as well as deep in contemplation over what came next.

~Don't leave us out of the loop. Speedy can –

She'd already let him go as Cy sat scratching his head. "She's not herself, worse than Rob was….and I don't think anyone made her think the world was comin' to an end, did they..."

/

Cheshire didn't like meeting her new employer inside a creaking, cruddy warehouse out in Metropolis. The city was no Detroit or even Seattle. Kansas. Rarer even, the sight she saw was a bloodhound bathed in fool's gold and sterling silver, right beside a helmeted, white paint splattered old face in the crowd.

Such a way with words.

"Well, where's the fire?" She tugged at her mask as the two others obliged. "No need to sneak around like rats at the pier side." Grant gave a smile of a salesman to the green-eyed kitty. "It's actually found a snag in it, so I need you for your first job to help out a Titan –

"Wait, Roy already knows I don't have…. I came here to stop acting like the double agent." She stomped her foot at Jason. "Did you put him up to this? Scheming like his father? Going into abandoned buildings?"

"Eh, we had a permit. No need to get snippy, kid –

"I'm your senior back at the fortress, Todd." She shot the hood's direction. "You can't order me around, and he should spill. Who's my target? Any others you hold a grudge against, army brat?"

"I'm here, to help you both." Grant pushed back his now fully blonde locks. "He's important to me, your objective. Has powers like the goth who's trying to stop us. But I'm not the one, Jade." He motioned to the side, a line of sight that could have been a glare or nothing at all. "This is a mother box." He moved to the device; nothing but a box without wires or anything outside of it. Like a computer chip glowing red. "It can get you as far as you need to go. Alien tech was something ole' Lex wouldn't be able to hide from my boy Red's greedy paws."

"Aww, you do care!" Red batted his eyes like a dame in love. Cheshire snorted at the two in disgust. "Cute, but not very… professional. What did you say that you're called again? Definers?"

"Defiance." Red told the half Asian assassin senior. "Pretty neat, huh? We sound like anarchy for dummies but hey, it's a start."

"I think that it will be, and a partnership you couldn't pass up. Not after Artemis ended up as his number one specimen to mess wi –

"My sister isn't anyone's object!" Jade shouted at Grant's wise talk this time. "Not even to you, but who's backing me up?"

"I was going to send red, but I had contact with a lost Robin. One that needed to find his way to another nest where he's understood. Where we can fill in the blanks."

"You…you converted…. a Bat??" Jade stepped back and gasped.

"Which one???"

"Why don't you two meet right now? Face to face; Red Robin?" (I'm using it.)

Grant snapped his fingers and out of the dark world wrought in iron lunged capacity, stood and walked a thirteen year old with a cape of a bird, wings inward and fire red. His head was cowled by a more bird themed outlook. A mask was below as he lifted up the extra cover, his hand shot out to shake Jade's in a customary way. "Glad you'll be joining us. Welcome."

Definitely, even if this wasn't a cult that convinced boys to rob trains…Jade was reluctant, even as her arm went out to find the gloved one. Grant pulling their arms closer in a push while standing between the two unofficial partners. "Welcome, to team Defiance. Our new family and your reason to celebrate." Grant and even Rose, who was there in the background with her mask up all clapped. Clapping, unafraid of their own destruction as she just shook that strong arm. Her mind going utterly, and completely blank in the dark room.

/

Raven saw the terminal; she checked over across the platform –

Mainly before waking. She awoke with a cold sweat, today…it was happening soon as her siesta had ended. The train she was on was supposed to be his. Her hands went to the cushions as her powers "felt" for a connection.

"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?"

/

It wasn't Dick, it wasn't at all.

" Slade ." She drawled out angrily, almost growling his alias in a lowered voice.

"Sorry to ask, but why are you on this mission all by yourself?" In his civilian attire, he still bothered her a great deal. Even with the attack in India, the push for her to work harder.

"Your promise is useless by the way. I'll go else –

"Here, sit." She patted the side, regretting even the slightest bit of pity in her tone once more. "Stay, and tell me what you mean."

"Is that a threat, empath?" Slade cocked his head, eye patch seeing her unease as it seethed below the teenager's hooded frame. "I'm busy at the moment, unless you'd issue a trade…"

"Secrets stay, but anything regarding Dick is allowed."

"And the Titans, the bat." Slade added in his piece and assurance that he'd win their battle of wits.

"Fine. So, talk."

/

"Richard responds to me perfectly; I even taught him one skill that the bat never would."

"With that, I'm going to ask again." Raven tapped a finger on the arm of her seat. "My spell, how did you nullify it."

"Simple. All with a few methods that magic can't touch. Technology, and I won't say anything else." The man rose with that air to him irritable to the empath. He was preening his own accomplishments in blackmailing, brainwashing and abusing an innocent boy. No, a young adult. Slade had to be in on catching Joey before whatever else. She let him go, her hood back up as she continued…

/

A notable second or two to go, Jade and Tim had gotten onto the train as brother and sister. Joey was in coach to stay less a victim, while any other hero onboard or villain blended in less than fine. Raven had to put her civilian wear on with make up as Slade didn't really expect her to do something so hectic. She did, but she wore a bit pinker to fool him and a red wig instead. Slade could definitely find out, so she moved to allow one of her "personality swaps" or emotions to take over. Joy came in handy as she made Raven into someone ideal to have around. "Yeah! I'm gonna get this one, boss lady! Count on it."

Sneaking out to the restroom, she was face to face with one other green coat wearing soul.

"You?" Raven's cover blown, Jade shushed her while Slade was in the dining car elsewhere and dragged the gagged empath into the stall with her.

/

"Ches –

"Shut up." Jade put a hand back to Raven's mouth, pulling back when Raven growled at her in a natural way to her personality. "Are you on team Roy or Slade? Answer the question."

"Um, I don't know? Why do you think I'm trying to get you away from that psycho!"

"Oh, as a double –

" Don't." Jade cut the empath off, warning her not to go that route. "Who's with you, I have this mission set for myself. Slade is going after Jericho and Roy is not here on watch…I want Slade mostly, to tell me where my sister is." Jade clutched her arms, tears peeking behind a mask of untruths.

"You, you ARE going to interrogate him?" Rave squinted as the other woman's arms were rather….strong!

"He's connected to THEM." Jade was speaking a language outside of Raven scope as the Titan shook her head, gaining a thought there a second. "Wait, who?"

"Ra's was a part of a society bent on controlling metas and the outcome of what they'd be useful for in the future. They call it The Light." She told the empath, double agent style. "Renegade's "teacher" was apparently chosen to replace Sportsmaster on their board, and he could end up in worse than anything. I heard half of them one - up their rivals, the Justice League." She told the heroine with a shudder. "Right now, you know it too. Jericho is a meta which means –

"They could use his powers…" Raven gasped. "We can work together, and I have a plan –

"Do you, because touching furniture isn't much of an attack plan to me." Jade crossed her arms to admit. "You need to upgrade your stealth abilities with this creep, he's trained to shoot you point blank at will. If you ever want to see Robin again, you can't play the hero. You have to go in deeper."

"That was why Robin was lost to us the last time." Raven mentioned and shook her head. "I'm needed –

"Your teammates can handle it, you need this. He had a connection to the villain, but we know better." As Jade smiled at the empath, a knock came to the door, a jut as both looked at each other. "What?" Raven asked, Jade smirking with a finger back to Rae's lips.

"Just follow my lead, sweet black bird." She said softly. "You'll be safe as my partner - in - crime in no time."

/

The door swung back and the two people waiting for the toilet both covered their own lips. (This is to advance plot, not pairing!)

Raven was to the side of the small sink with Jade pouncing onto her, lips and all moving as liquid as the stream from the tap. Slade was coming back in a short while, so Jade unhooked herself from her fake prop and partner to grip her hand and lead the pink clad teen from the stall while the passengers were too tight lipped to tattle or even lecture the young actresses.

"Ugh! Get a room, not on a moving train…. go back home!"

"Damn teens, no decent manners!"

I'll call the conductor, you'd better have I.D on ya, brats…"

The door slid back as Raven's joy diminished; both young women tried to get the bittersweet romance out of their minds –

But Jade, was cool about it either way. "Why did we fake –

"It worked, didn't it?" Sniffed the assassin. "Come on. Those two are probably back in the dining car."

"Wait, how did you know where they'd be…this is an Austrian line to the UK. The airport is –

Jade put of a finger. "I can't talk to you until we're away from cameras again. Stalls have zero, if you wanted to know." She winked and Raven gawked. "You…that's, why??"

/

EXPLAINING!! SO, RAVEN DIDN'T SAY WHERE SHE WAS GOING ONLY THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE AN ACCIDENT. RECALL, WESTERN EUROPE IS WHERE JOEY AND ADELINE ARE RIGHT NOW, SO HE'S GETTING AWAY TO SEE IF HE CAN COME FINFD OUT WHY GRANT IS SHOWING UP IN THE NEWS SO OFTEN. JOEY IS PART OF THE TITANS' GROUP IN EUROPE BUT NOT OFFICIALLY. GRANT TOOK ON JACKAL'S LOOK TO MESS WITH HIS DAD'S HEAD. DICK IS THERE, BUT IS HE HIDING ON THE TRAIN OR NOT? WHY DID SLADE CASUALLY TALK TO RAVEN? WAS IT TO GIVE HER EGO A POKE OR MORE? AND JADE IS GOING TO BE BI UNLESS IF ANY SHE IS JUST ACTING IN THIS LATER. LETTING YOU KNOW. ARTEMIS AND THE LIGHT NEED TO GO DOWN, SO SHE'S GOING TO USE RAVEN LATER TO GET HER SIBLING AWAY FROM THEM. ANYTHING ELSE…. WE SHALL SEE.