Teen Titans - Renegade's Last Resort ; Finding Pandora = Hope
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Chapter 2: What Prometheus Sought
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Not the same story, but it's a myth about moralistic integrity and the sacrifice against all principles to gain something that is not owed.
It flows, I think?
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The men of today and tomorrow, would be no saviors of mankind. That much was true.
Hope was the very inkling of a dream that could never be touched, purchased or owed. It was a myth, as much of creation lasted in the eyes of the modern and shallow mortal – until the era when technology, and foresight was at its zenith. Until Pandora herself decided to give one soul apart from the many, hope. As they saw fit.
In his hand, hope was stored inside a black box. Or so he decided to behave as if it did. The boy across the floor where gears turned above his head, stood ready. Whether for reward or punishment, he didn't have to run. Icarus had no journey to undergo, he had lives to salvage from an end so tragic, instead.
Friends, kept the boy, the Renegade, chained to the wall. The boy, did not speak as Slade the mastermind of this story, easily overlooked one concern.
The box was placed onto the floor as Slade shifted it with a slide of his boot by the lower platform to the child's armored leg. "This isn't what I asked for, apprentice. Open it."
"Sir, I-
"Don't. Just, do as I expect, instead." Hissed the criminal. "See so for yourself."
With fingers as weak to hold something of greater value than his own freedom, the teenager scooped up the black case and to his worry, it wasn't really what they had been expecting to find.
"That is a ruse set up by whoever got there first."
"I didn't –
The mastermind stepped, boots scrapping the floor as the teen felt his chest flutter painfully quick. "There was no way that I could have –
"It's not you, boy. The facility was on guard, but we'll be ready. That red headed hero, did you chase him away?"
Dick's shoulders slumped as Slade brought his own hands behind his back, a curious edge to his voice. "Well?"
"I, chased ….the bots chased him into the water. By the pier. I…don't-
The grievances were enough as the boy felt his right side become red as a hot set of coals to the face. He'd….Slade had backhanded him, as the child stood. He was just too tired of losing this battle over and over…
"I'm sorry, s –
Another hit, this time to his knees onto his side as Slade descended and the child knelt BENEATH this criminal with a temper to rival a storm god. "You chased him. Into the water. Across from their TOWER!"
His hair was yanked up as the child in Dick Grayson bit his tongue. Tasting copper through his teeth, the child seethed out as he was dragged before the screens and the stairs up to Slade's iron throne.
Slade would have pulled him by the roots even harder. Had the boy been not so fragile, so weak. Dick wasn't this man who was immune to pain, this creeping madness that existed to torment the city from underground and above.
"You can plainly see why this was a failure from the start. I blame myself, for not having you kill the teenaged archer by yourself. The robots are programed to annihilate if I allow that…you don't by any chance, recognize him, do you? Apprentice?"
Dick shook his head, the scream he withheld not enough as Slade slammed the boy's cheek to the step as he was let go. "I'll call Wintergreen in to patch that up. For the time you have before he does, take a good look on what you've lost us for tonight."
Dick gripped the stone as he groaned and forced his body into a kneeling position by Slade's throne. "Closer, boy."
Dick froze. He checked the distance between his own neck and the man's armored knee. It was, very apart. He wanted to keep it that way.
A deal though, was a deal. He swallowed his fears, his pride. Crawling barely as his bruised face made no difference , the boy leaned his head over as Slade gripped the kid's chin, forcing it to fall over his leg as Dick's chin was turned no more delicately by the wincing bruise, towards the high-definition plasma screens on every orifice of the mad man's secret haunt.
Roy was busy trying to find a way into the tower, he'd even gotten ashore as the screens panned to inside it. Those hidden cameras had not all been destroyed as more popped up in their place. The probes and the count down to the Titans' time to rescue themselves, was brought up onto one screen as Dick seeped in a breath and shuddered angrily at this. What he'd allowed, was Slade to have absolute control of everything. This city. It's communications, its security and, its hope.
The Titans could be called this city's hope, Slade never agreed . Dick was starting to understand how their egos might have made it difficult to see the big picture.
Teens playing cops and robbers with fancy gadgets, powers and back stories that might win an Emmy on some networks.
They were a joke. Batman knew it, Dick was sure he'd pull the plug but at the cost of everything the boy had tried to earn. Tried to build with that Wayne family down payment that he'd never fully repay.
Not when…
"We'll have to try again. The real element is hidden, and the reason is what we briefed on before that last heist…don't you remember?"
Slade gripped the back of the boy's neck at the scruff to get his attention, a pale jaw with a shapely bruise at the right cheek had formed to make Richard feel uncomfortable with anyone searching his features until it healed.
Vain was Adonis, maybe too so were others?
"Yes, sir. The element has the power to…power multiple cities and reduce carbon output as well as can be used as a second solar charge for crop production. Hope." Dick huffed softly through his nose.
"Hope, that can do so much more, my apprentice. They say that's its worth in their book, but my play book is a bit…more ambitious." The criminal almost purred. "It can also, grant wishes. Simply put, hope is not all that it brings."
"You want to what? Fuel for an army? Us…Taking over the ci-
"NOT." Slade shoved the kid's jaw back with a rough twist to stare at the side again. He then put his hand to the kid's scalp and held it there, not tugging fully. Kneading was more the word. Waiting to punish the boy for his back talk. "The hope I want granted was actually to test on my favorite new weapon. A piece of technology that pairs very well with the core container of the true element. Pandora's box." He annunciated "That box, has a key. The key is also what we need to activate the device that utilizes the element's full potential. It can be used in multiple areas of industry, yet it takes decades to replicate on single particle from another. There are maybe a cluster in existence. Wayne had one, Queen Industries is in the process of stabilizing a core for their ceo to play with." Slade kneaded deeper into Dick's dark scalp, though it didn't hurt this time.
"S.T.A.R labs may be at the forefront of its creation. Yet, they say that the parts to make the container for the element, are not from earth. That the core itself was by intergalactic findings…funny, then why is that information being leaked, do you think?"
Mad, truly. Madness.
Dick refused to move, to rip from his master's hand. He was simply being scuffed as a pup not willing to pay mind to its owner's direction. Slade was going to direct Richard into becoming a killer one day, he had no choice. That, or Slade went through and ordered Wintergreen to hit the trigger. As he'd said, he didn't even need to have it as long as Dick couldn't stop him.
After the event where he'd missed his kicking leg to Slade's mask, the man had turned his head in time to grab the boy abd threw him to the floor, pinning him down and ordering it. Dick had bawled out as the cancer instead, was the result. Slade, wasn't going to go back on his word, because that was the first time that Dick had said the words "I'm sorry, Master," to the mad man. He'd wept into his chest abd thanked him out of shock, then again after the shock was over, he revealed and was locked inside his cell to sleep and dream in wake less darkness of his errors.
His insubordination, Will had called it.
William was just as ugly a person, only doing as he was told and when Slade told him why. He was a soldier in his light of that last insult. Slade too, but he held himself at the highest position and rank. Dick was….nothing.
"You'll need to prepare once your fave is healed, dear boy." Slade let go, pointing as Will entered, near soundless. The gears turned their distraction causing effects on at full noise level. Dick looked up woth his beaten face at the tray of bandages and a painkiller. The needle was intimidating as Slade nudged the kid up with a jolt of his knee. "Go. Clean up, then return to your quarters. I will call for you when you are needed again."
That was always the truth. Dick was needed here, but not like how the Batman needed hos Robin, or how the Titans would have died had it not been for their leader's stupid dealings with an iron clad devil.
Pandora…if he could learn more about it, it may then be as Slade said. Bring him reason to escape his chains. Save his friends.
Warn his family of Slade's plan. Even, if he really had no idea what that even was yet
Dick walked off after Will, stepping in line behind the elder as Wintergreen spoke not a peep. Richard too, knew that it was useless.
Will only communicated with those that he trusted, and he for sure could not trust a boy that was willing to stab them all in the back to be someone's hero again.
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Batman. It was a sure shot as Raven meditated, yet saw not a whisper of Dick's state like before. He's calm, but…I sense nothing."
"We can't let him win." Cy ran a hand over his skull as he poked at a few keys to have their connection up. "It's opening soon. Anything you want me to tell the guy?"
"That Slade is working underground wkth his motives, abd that they…are dangerous. That aura isn't wrong." Raven said as sge landed, winded by how much energy she was using up.
"Go rest, Raven. I got this. BB and Star will keep you company." He offered up, smiling as if there was hope to live another day.
Minus their affliction growing tirelessly by the day.
A greater and greater risk to live by.
"I'd rather rest in my room. Where I, can calm myself back to center." Raven said with little expression to her hooded features.
After she had left him, the room whirred up with the connection opening fully. The load bar done, while Cy took in a deep breath and gathered up his composure.
~ This channel current is private. Who is –
It wasn't bat, but a man. A dark haired, Bruce Wayne.
"Whoa, I…we were going for –
~ You have him. And I have my own question as well. Where is your leader...~
Cyborg blinked. " You…no, now wait a –
~ I'm offering up my time, this is coming from Titans Tower. I know this address. Answer the question. Where is Richard Grayson?~
Cy had not told a soul. Under oath, they, well… He and Rob had shared only a pinch of info, but he'd never disclosed Batman's identity. Only his own. He was after all second in command. In case someone got loose and went rogue. They never thought it could happen to a golden kid like Dickie G…
Now, it all made too much sense.
~Where is Robin. I'll rephrase that.~
"Gone, taken. Which is why I needed ta' talk to you. To, the Batman."
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Slade watched on as the Batman made his move. Slade knew it. The obvious truth was nothing new. Why else would Robin have become a target and a way to spite the man's single foe from the JLA? Originally, the archer was a target for the apprenticeship, yet he wasn't candidate material. He had a narcissistic view of everything and his skills were not up to par wkth Slade's. They were nothing alike. It might have been nice to get back at Green Arrow for humiliating Deathstroke, yet still…
This way had more than enough perks.
Yet, to kill the archer's exiled side kick…
Oh, he could do something far better. More taxing on the mental health of Queen and his petty realizations of good over evil.
Sane to Bruce, trying to have held from a dying machine. Piece of crap.
Slade rose and swapped screens to seek out the Star City expo. And lo –
Another box to feed to the wanting and greedy eyes all around the television.
He had it, but would the boy comply if he stepped out to take? …
It was the box he wanted, the thing that could grant more than hope, maybe even teach the bat a lesson once his other side project was finished to its completion. Slade summoned a robot as it came there to hos throne, kneeling as a knight. "Program; espionage. Target, The Pandora Element and container. Destination. Star City California …"
The robot made only a few pings before more appeared. "Go, order reached. O' nineteen hundred hours. Set."
He didn't like this part. Too sloppy and he'd lose hos other prize. He would send these scouts to steal, but another face had to do what he wanted just beyond artificial parts.
A fierce, blue haired and avk jacket wearing teenager stepped out of a shadowed corner on a screen just above his head. "Livewire . Overload is in your hands, my dear. I want you to deactivate any security sensors and the bots will keep the expo lively…are we clear on the plan?"
~ Steal your little trinket and I get paid. In full. Sounds fair enough to me.~ Cheeky as this thief was, sge was a live wire – an electricity welding meta with Overload to give her extra juice. To warn anyone to move, while the thief made its mark on what could be considered, a false role in progressive innovation fir mankind.
It was for those willing to pay, not for the state of the world.
So, Slade would slap them on the wrist, tale away their toys and call it a night. It was enough that Livewire wasn't working for Lex. She might have gotten ripped off by some other psycho in the market for world domination otherwise. He had to stay back and watch his small bird, twittering away as it sung a sad song off to sleep.
~ Full, and a pardon. You'll still be on call ~
" You paid me very well the last time for upsetting that little assembly, Deathstroke, sir." Livewire said. " I can handle anything that doesn't give me a tidal wave of trouble, if you know what I mean."
He nodded as she cut off the connection. "And besides that, you really can't work well with others. I wanna see what all the fuss is over a silly little black box. Changes the world, or whatever?" LW snorted. "Give me a break. Crazy megalomaniacs." She groaned, setting up her gear with the chip for Overload's data still in her possession. He was expecting her to deliver. And she, really wanted his cash. That old dude was loaded!
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