Teen Titans – Severing Old Bonds – Sibling Rivalries –
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Chapter 12: What Are You Waiting For
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"Slade…. Why are you –
"I said it enough, didn't I, boy wonder?"
Slade moved with the grace of a leopard in this jungle setting, while Dick had only his birdarangs to pull out with one set of escrima he was saving for getting even with Rose and Grant's puppeteer.
"I'm not falling for any more of your threats, tricks. Your intentions can't be this seriously –
"Twisted? Like you are around Joey's fears of Rose losing out? You do realize she's still a serious player in this game, don't you."
"Rose is being controlled, you said –
"Not, all of her thinks that." Slade moved with his skin tighter, his muscles smooth as he raised his machete to come at Dick slowly.
"What did you mean by –
"If that kid wants a contest; we'll give it to her." Slade's one masked eye popped, a way that gleeful glance always had the boy cringing. Even when his shadow had never really worn a grin, Slade was real here, and he was proposing Dick pose as a captive.
Slade, the hunter who had taken him in.
Dick, the captured soul who had no right to survive.
"You're utterly, despicable! No way is this going to work!"
"She's after my disapproval." Slade grunted, shaking his head and stepping closer.
"So, don't look back." Slade reached out to tap the kid's arm. Dick almost leaped at the abrupt contact, his body stiff as a nail, skin bristling as if fire from the sky had caught him off guard.
Dick wasn't sure if a cryptic –
The crunch of a branch and shuffle of pebbles had Dick wonder if Slade was just testing him. Pushing him over a cli –
Sonova…
It WAS a cliff! And he was collapsing down it….!
His limbs became jelly, his eyes wider than before as the fall made him shut them tighter.
He screamed and tumbled into a dusty roll, Slade skiing down on two steel toed boots to greet the fallen leader at the base.
"How about, now?" His boots crunched over rock as Dick noticed his face steeling up, his arms… legs, teeth…
All cement….like a paralytic…?
Slade smirked as the boy finally caught on, truly horrified by the man's temper.
"Tuckered out enough to go along with my plan?"
"N…" Dick spat out blood from a cut lip. He never shifted to stand, his leg must have been twisted, no way he'd get to fighting Slade if….
"I have just the thing; you must learn to understand, hero. My mental capacity is far ahead of that of you or your team's." Slade boasted. "I have a liquid solution; one formulated from my own blood that can heal that injury, and in the time it takes to get through the gates to that coliseum."
He pointed to the distant fortress that the Titans under the control of Slade's kids' ally were still being corralled into as they moved not an inch.
Dick shifted shakily to his arms, onto collapse again, but he still wasn't able to rise. Oh, the pain being a twisted sort. Just like his nemesis.
"Y…. you… won't…"He gritted his jaw as Slade only looked down, making it seem as if he had something more to say. Though, he didn't have the time to wonder what it was. He simply looked, staring at Dick as if he'd escaped from the walls of some hellish boarding school filled with corrupt teachers. A wolf staring the hunter, the downtrodden in the eye.
"I have to." Slade then crouched in front of the hero, Robin's domino mask coated in earth and cheek lightly scratched.
"The plan won't work if I get forced into this also, Robin. I need you to distract Rose's many "fans" for me, make it a real show stopper while I shut down their operation. Just as we planned... Your friends can join in too, once they've gotten one foot in the door."
"Creep…. you…. damn!" Dick seethed. He couldn't move. Why was he in such bad shape? Had Slade hit a pressure point?
Dick froze and realized, yes. That was why he was acting stupefied and in a damned stupor! In front of this…. madman! HIS all – time, enemy !
"Don't fret." Slade chuckled and dragged his old ally's head up to see into that one vicious look. Locks of ebony hair burning, even though his senses picked up only static.
"Rest up; you'll be a present to the same queen that you'll be dethroning in that same exact hour that I tell you to."
The next punch to his face had the boy wonder seeing tropical skies and palm trees, before he sighed and shut his eyes and ears to the sound of another sinister plot unfolding.
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The kids and Kori had escaped Grant's heavy hitting position by finding a cave to his inside of. He was after them, hunting for players for the queen's arena. Starfire was certain that this was a trap.
"Robin? Robin! Please, come in! Where are you??"
"Is that mean looking guy who was with you the one who took him ya think?"
"Melvin…" Starfire sighed and lowered her arm down. "I believe that he may have…taken the case the over." She couldn't be wrong. Slade had wanted everything his way, and as a Garblernelk, he did not like to play "the nice" while on any such team.
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Raven and Cyborg went with Eli to see about how guarded the front was. Turns out, not very.
"I don't like this a wee bit or a single, mates…" Eli rubbed his arms as if this were a haunted manor and not a rebuilt version of an island death match arena.
"Get it together, E." Cy patted the kid on the back as he pouted, feeling his senses thrive.
Danger, was afoot.
"I don –
The click wasn't from a gate, but guns as Cy and Raven tried to put their hands up.
"We can' leave Jericho…" Frowned Eli. "I'm terminating their options."
With eyes as frosted visions of what may be, Eli made sure to freeze the guards before one could alert Grant of their location.
"I'm not one for horsing around." Eli dusted off his hands and Cy stood, wondering if Eli was a wild one or not.
"Just, be more careful, a' right." Cy warned the heroic tween. "Could be a set up an' we just –
Sirens went off immediately as the three ran for it through the gates.
"Any more jinxes you'd like to put on me, human computer?"
Even if Cy was right, that kid's sass was…so, so wrong about him!
Even if Raven was trying not to chuckle.
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Jericho had taken out a guard and had been spotted, seeing the camera with his friends now in grve danger of being taken alive.
Jericho took a deep breath a nd concentrated.
~Robin?? Robin?? ~
~Wrong answer, boy. ~
Joey jumped back.
~Dad. What have you done?? ~
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What DID Slade do to ruin their big break in? Find out!
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