Teen Titans Presents Robin; Torn Legacy of a Prodigal Son

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Chapter 54: Long Time Coming -With Arms Crossed and Backs Turned

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Drinking in the purely mistaken hospitality that any abandoned warehouse – turned eventual secret lair created out of stolen tech and billionaire funds, could provide, Slade Wilson had not the arms at his disposal to touch his brow as a streak of red coated his lashes on his right side.

How he could sense it? He could, and by the latter….Dick was again questioning his Morals while a former bat stole the man's apprentice's ear in a futile attempt to turn the anti – hero, into a true scourge of the earth.

That was not ever to be the case, as long as he took a good look at his captors. Face to face.

He was given a very powerful inhibitor collar like his apprentice and bolted down to a special chair, but into it…

~ Built in wires and –

"He's up, we see? Right, Dickie - bird?"

A Jackal, beside his apprentice.

"How very, villainous of you, Grant." Slade snorted and tried to look up at the boy who had once wanted to be everything he could never admit to. Now, but now, it was as eerie as seeking out the reflections of your past.

And future.

"Ah, I'd take that as a compliment, but I'm nothing like you."

"Really?" Slade batted his unmasked, bloody face at the unblemished teenager. Dick looked away and tried not to bite his lip. This was father son business. "Jay? Could you help me a sec?"

Todd waltzed in and from the sliding doorway as his X's came out, not red.

But pitch black at his hands.

"Yeah, boss?" He cracked his neck with a great sound, bones snapping in comparison of what they'd do to their captive. "What can I do ya for?"

Grant looked over his shoulder, sly and cold. He warmly however, ushered in Jason to have some time in the limelight. "Tell him we mean business, go on. Take the first hit, it's on me."

Todd looked at Wilson, mask on and unblinking as he did one better, he took off his gloves. Cracking his knuckles, it felt good to throw the first stone – and to punch the daylights out of the most dangerous killer in the world right now.

"What are –

"I'LL see you two in a wee bit." Grant grabbed Dick's arm as he protested, finding only pain in doing so. The serum was still imperfect and Dick's fatigue healing was limited until it was further left under the trial by his master. It seemed that his executioner had other plans. Slade was left in that silver room with Jason, who wailed on his ass, as Slade took every hit. His bloody nose would heal.

Thwak!

His knees could bruise, but he'd manage.

Crack!

Who needed a working arm? It had an hour to die and he'd be fine in less tha –

"I…." Jason panted, his quivering wrists aching for more blood, more than he was getting out of his target today. "G wants you alive, says your assets and kid belong to us."

"Renegade did not defeat them in combat." Slade coughed a bit and spat out a squishy clot from his lips. "He…. gasp…. has to prove that he can first…."

"DICK WON'T DO IT!" Jason barked at the killer in handcuffs. "He won't go back when you've got nothing, not even shit on –

"Wayne." Slade drolled out between heaves as Jason shoved the man back into his chair. "He planned for you to come and find us. We talked about it." Jason began. "I'm in on it, as a mole for the Titans and the Bat. Tim was in it too, if you wanted to know who sent you that contract in your inbox."

"Well, quite a prodigy he is with his tech." Slade chuckled, teeth bled to the gums by what Defiance had done before he'd woken inside of this box.

"Ours, not anyone like yours or B's. I'm leaving once my brother is set free." Jason proclaimed to the man. "He and his pals from Cali won't even remember your smug face once I'm done busting it in."

"Brutal, but not a hero." Slade shrugged, his view swapping to the wall behind the armored thug child of the bat's undercover project. "How did you have the Dark Knight agree to this one, Todd."

"Because, unlike your slime ball ass, people care about us. About what happens next. But you?" Right then, a blade came out as Jason dragged it to skim across the man's beard, a brush only meant to tease on the idea. "You won't die, and now my brother can't sleep at all because of how much you put him through."

"We had a deal."

Jason snorted at the merc, his lip twitching practically as he withheld another blow to Slade's smug face. "Yes, one that YOU instigated; one that you trapped him to keep or you'd kill the people…. fuck off. I'm done. We'll drop the temp and leave your ass to freeze like it was so inclined to do…"

"What does that mean, Todd. You know that boy won't let that happen."

Slade looked at Jason, but the cocky Red was almost grown. Almost as wise to call his kill a success. "Bruce can get the memo later. You're going to rot in this cell and the only way out, is if Dick is nice to you. He won't be." Todd walked to the hatch, the temp already falling below freezing on the inside of this cooler.

"I, won't yield."

"You won't have to. We have our objective so fuck off, Wilson. Last chance you'll get outta me, and your goddamn perfect weapon." With a SLAM of the door, it locked with Slade meant to gain less fingers and toes at the end of it all. So, they wanted him dead, they thought –

Slade's eye bolted to the lock. The boy was serious. Slade's growl grew to a yell as Renegade's foolish rebellion would make things worse in his favor. The heroes were dead. Once he got out, he'd punish more than one of those brats for putting him in a box to still his thoughts of revenge.

The temp was getting worse, but not by far as Slade started to pick at the chains and locks. Wrenching off the thing like a jump rope on the playground and a bully, he'd be. He rose, his breath teeming with ire so thick that the ice could not catch up. The frost was downed as he hacked the device, but to his dismay…

The detonation trail of bombs; locked in place and waiting on their last tick was all Jason, as the place went up in a mushroom cloud of defeat.

/

Dick kept his head down, the drive out of this warehouse district a scare as his body tensed into a protective mound beside his anarchist younger brother. "He's…. not going to die from that, we have –

"And I said we have someone to put him in the ground if he fucks with us again." Jason clenched Dick's arm and tried to tell the older ex- boy wonder. "Trust us to save you for once, Goldie."

"Pop may be slowed a bit, but he's made a mistake on all counts with this little meet -up in a city of allies."

Katana….

Dick gasped and looked at the blast from behind them, Grant meaning that Slade was being shoved from their trip anywhere else. The car had started driving faster off the highway and to the only terminal that could be….

Dick flashed his masked glance at the wheel of the vehicle, and then at the only door Jason couldn't stop him from jumping out of.

He wasn't going to meet that man.

/

Grant was driving on the other side of the road, but he saw that flash of fear in Grayson's eyes. Same as he'd seen in Terra and Joey when he'd been confronted by the school staff in the Alps where Addie had sent her good little boy.

He was backing out?

"Jason, I'm going to stop the car."

"What?" The outlaw dragged his face to seat itself before Grant's frowning features. "I am going, to stop the vehicle, because Dick wants out."

"What??"

"Jason….you, you worked for him, this was all –

"I didn't do it in the first place, but…you need to trust –

Dick shook his head, eyes purely reflecting on what lies Slade had probably lodged into his skull. But, that was mostly true. Bruce knew he was a criminal now, a low – life like the man who'd taken his old face away. Given him….a new one, a new way to cope with this world that would….not…..

"STOP the CAR!"

"No way, Dick head!"

"I'll get this –

Dick's anger was well into the stage that Grant was about to hit the park gear, the break at his foot, when Dick…

KICKED.

The door flew off while the car was still moving, the two watching as the wincing ex hero gritted his jaw and didn't let the fakir's lessons fall south of his own. He wasn't normal, and this pain was nothing he couldn't manage as he flipped out the open door and into the road of the freeway in Tokyo Japan. People swerved to avoid him as he rolled and came to feel his heart and a gash at his back…other than that, he'd been fine.

"I'm going to –

"Stop it. We have company." Grant nosed towards the mirror as Jason looked to see what looked to be a rather peeved Terminator on a mission.

Would he…resort to such violence!?

Dick ducked as the other, older merc held onto something and stood in the road, walking through a lane of displaced cars. "We aren't finished, Todd." Slade was holding, his one weapon. A single set of Rose's Katana.

"He got to her….no, shit!" Jason turned to the other, his break going as Dick scrambled up, but the blade.

The blade…

"I'm sorry –

SHWING!

Jason watched as the boy wonder, the silent anti- protagonist of this tail, was sliced across the chest. A spray of blood had Grant jam the damned car and jump out with Todd leaving the now screeching vehicle to hit a second car. Grant had his collapsible staff with two shocking "points" to make, while Jason had his Red X's to get in close.

"That will make things simpler, for now." Slade raised the blade, Dick's body still…. still….

"Sir…."

Slade prodded out again, the gurgling, dripping apprentice now crying and screaming as the pain was unlike no other. "You tried to go with them, to diverge from our deal. I should take the Titans out now, but you'll feel that scar far deeper than a few dead by your insolence, boy."

"Dick…he's…."

"Serum, damn." Grant clicked his tongue. Jason looked on and shook his in disbelief. "You…. you turned my brother into…no….no…..this wasn't supposed to happen to us! Grant!"

"Relax. We'll get him back, just….don't forget to repeat after me." Grant swung in with his staff high up, Slade's stolen swords and Rose's blood somehow soaked into their twin souls. He could cry of it, but Slade only stood in the way. Mask off and probably healed by whatever he had just gone through – but how so quickly?

"You want to know why the serum was improved in me, Grant?" Slade came close in as Grant jumped back. "Enlighten the class, asshole." Growled the angered teen anti – hero. "How did your serum differ from his?"

"In one way, it was a prototype to further increase the potential of the first, and it worked."

"You always wanted someone to push, well. Why him?"

"Incentive, cooperation." Slade cryptically told the teen. "Robin was not at all ready to face me, but how he is now…he may just surpass the master when you never could."

"Always willing to gamble a life or two for some cheap thrill of yours, pop." Grant parried a hit as his armor deflected one low blow just in time. "What's next? You stealing bodies from the morgue to create a new bride that won't shoot your OTHER eye out?"

"This old thing?" Slade joked mockingly to his eldest son. "This, is a badge; a reminder that there is still work to be done to secure my legacy. One that you and your sister could never even comprehend!"

/

In the road, Dick was being pitied again by Jason, who swore and cussed as he dragged his brother to sit up. Dick coughed, yet he healed instantly enough to bat Jason's hands away from his battered body. His ashamed body, of what he now was and saw himself as.

"Stay…away from me…cough! No! –

"Dickie! I'm here, don't fight me. I'm not going to h –

"Bu he would!" Dick dragged Todd in as he started to whisper, Slade's attention on Grant for now.

"Look, if I can fight him and take him out this way, then so be it…I had to let it happen. He won't kill them, but I –

"you….Made –

"I won't go back to him." Dick diverted the words as he shoved Jason away from him. "I made it clear that Slade is the only one I can trust."

~He was using this to…. ~

Jason put on his best mask, the actor taking to the stage for a second encore.

"What do I tell the Titans?? That you're finally…a bad guy?"

"Look at you! We're exactly the same if not worse." Dick noted by Jason's suit and appearance. "Keep this between you guys, Bruce has to figure it out eventually."

Dick saw Jason rise, his hands on his weapons as Dick got into a fighting stance to defend himself. He suddenly turned his head as Slade nodded, parrying Grant as he looked to his side for a unit and pressed a button in his suit.

Jason heard the sound of something a bit out of character for the man, but not off the mark.

"Overload! We'll need a distraction."

The next event was a trickle down of electricity that surrounded the vehicles on the freeway's lengthy roadway. Slade had control over that ugly chip from the very start. Grant used his rod to try and divert away the shock, yet his staff quickly overloaded. Grant tossed it away and pulled at his guns to each hip –

"Don't. This is over before it ever began, Grant."

Slade's stolen sword was dipped for the assassin son to put his toys south. To toss them down with his hands up as the next copter that dove down left him to cover his face from the searchlights.

"There's our ride." Slade moved closer to the ladder as it dangled down low. Richard hurried to grab on first, his feet making it up as Slade made sure that no one could follow. "Next time, try to have a better security team on hand…or just a better plan to trap me. Another foolish attempt set in place by my own flesh and blood. I'm disappointed even more in your leadership abilities…. BUT you did leave me in chains." Smirked the mercenary. "And maybe, the next time, Renegade can return the favor…." He left as Jason fired, but the field around the craft was generated well, the pain in his body from the probes as Dick had to look on, eyes wide and no tears in sight.

The sky cleared as the authorities missed the sight of Overload being taken by the mad man in his pocket. The streets were cleared and cop cars from the city's Tokyo Troopers (really putting this in) had Detective Daizo wonder, if the heroes were the ones clearly losing this fight as it raged on.

He tipped his tan hat and looked at the cost in damages to his country – folk. The people of Japan needed to tell the JLA that no border was safe from whoever this "Renegade" likely was.

Seeing as Slade had failed to introduce himself, that being the reason he'd introduced the new "Richard" to another place in the present day. Here, was his initial reason to be reborn, or so Slade had decided would happen as, Death.

Then Rebirth would come. It would.

That was correct, as Daizo ordered a search for the convicted, the arsonists and anyone else.

/

Jason stayed with Grant to locate Rose back a way, she wasn't too happy to have to give up her gear to the cops or her father. At some point, Jason was in their base and settled into his computer chair. The bat's logo made him wonder if Dick's plan had to work or…. if it was impossible that it should at all.

~ What's the latest report I'm seeing in Japan; the latest news said you fought them both on the highway. ~

"NHK, B?"

~ It took some time to read through your last message. ~ Bruce told the ex – hero. ~ What about Dick. ~

"He…." He should have respected Dick's request but it didn't work that way in the Capes community. If one fell, they all fell. What Richard was doing was being too cautious. Hurting himself, selfishly.

"Dick, stayed…. B. He did it to gain the dude's trust and…it may work –

~ What about the…~ Bruce paused. ~ What did Deathstroke accomplish in saving Richard? ~

"It worked, but better."

Bruce's face fell. ~ We have to be sure he won't be in deep cover for longer than he has. Slade could find out, torture him until he talks. ~

"For the love of…. B!" Jason slammed a hand into the keys as Bruce's head rose up abruptly. Jason's masked eyes were revealed as he ripped back his dark red domino mask. "No way is Dick gonna kill his team; the Titans, me? Come on, B." Jason grinned. "This is Goldie we're talking about. A fakir taught him how to overcome pain, like you did –

~ Yes, but with the serum, that pain will be amplified beyond his understanding. It could ruin him, Jason. Slade could turn him hollow and there might be nothing left to save if he succeeds with his, weapon. ~

/

That was the scare as it went on, for a few weeks. For a few, the noise echoed around in his skull.

Grant gripped it and denied that Slade's face could be so real. So close.

~ You'll never be good enough, faster than I need. Always a few steps behind. Useless. ~

"No…I, can't be…." He panted, the panic rising and madness dragging him away as it had –

"Pills, fuck!" Grant dug around with a stumble through his bag, searching to find that….

He was fine.

Anti – psychotics were only given here because Jason told him to. Jason, his lover and…. he could fix him. Grant crumpled into himself on the floor and silently whimpered. He could put this unlucky pup to bed, not all a mess as he'd seen what Grayson had that he…still needed to want. To KILL for.

/

He heard a knock, and then a bang on the door to their resting home apartment. The rest of the base was where Rose had gone to repolish her gear, so Grant had his eye on a visit from the last people who needed to come knocking. Jason was with Rose and Tim, who was not close to this case since it was too much firepower he could only imagine. Grant sat up, his face rather grim and dead – eyed as he hobbled to the door.

Feds, he peeked through the hole and went to get himself ready to stall. Slade had to have sent these troopers. Todd was unaware and he could survive a Japanese prison just fine. "Take care of the kids for me," Grant got his gun loaded up, the click of the lock the least of his worries. "Alright, sweetheart? Wait for me to come back. I won't be forever." He aimed at the detective's head as Daizo fired back, brushing the armor of this masked perp's enigmatic identity.

"Halt! You are hereby placed under –

"Can you keep up, commish?" Snarkily, Grant leaped around to pull the troopers from the safe house. He'd also left a bomb in case this place got torn apart for any evidence they'd brought with them. "I hated staying in that first hostel. The bed broke my fall…. but damn, have you heard of customer appreciation?"

"How dare! This is not about what you expected then to happen, but what trials you are going to go through now, that we have located the mastermind known as –

" Jackal ." Grant grinned and walked to a window, the breeze feeling good against his clammy flesh. He needed his fix, and badly. "Hope you troopers can sprout wings. I got mine –

"FIRE!"

The shots rained down, the damned merc had told them Grant found when he'd come to….that they read his file. Knew his face.

/

Raven felt it like a static shock at first, but then Joey's internal yells made her yip and fall over. "What happened??" Gar looked over at the two, meditating as per the hero's one only talent. "It….we have to contact the league, right now!" She gasped, Joey was right there and a panic attack was to his horizons. His only brother, had been taken to a high security prison in another place – where, Raven and he had no idea. But one thing was for certain.

The files of anyone Grant knew or had been associated with had been leaked to the Tokyo Trooper's online database of criminal investigations.

Including, a dive into the regular billionaire face of….

Bruce Wayne, and his missing ward, Dick Grayson.

/

Ohhh, so Jason won't try to bust Grant out of jail…will he? What will Slade do to Richard knowing he's a literal mess? Will Rose be ok, or will Joey come back down to earth? Find out! Introducing a bit of drama, we now return you to our regularly scheduled programing….!