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

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IMMOVABLE JOINTS

My anatomy and physiology elective was going alright…but then I had to stay out due to my autoimmune the weather, and federal government paperwork. Too long! This takes after the shock collar part one and two of rebel yell where Richard learns that the probes are still active or Slade wants to show Dick how hands on, the Titans will eventually perish. Dick fights of course, but being a puppet to a sociopath can be less painful if he does his homework first. Thus, we start….

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"The gel - like cushioning between two…"

Robin had not slept in days. Up all night, stealing. Up all day, doing textbook anatomy college prep for his homeschooling professor. Slade was used to this, yet Richard had gone to a classroom with people. Done online work when he was in Jump adjusting.

Slade wanted him to ace this without sweating through his shirt at the man, yet Richard…was soo tired…

"Apprentice?" Slade leaved over with the book in hand. They were not really using it alone. There were visual aides. Big old screens to draw onto in digital art style ink. Or even images that you'd see on a power point. The works. When it cane to his apprentice, Slade had not broken his word before. Even when they headed back to the states and hid away in what looked to be Bludhaven, Dick did not fight the urge to speak his mind and ask.

Why next door to the big bat?

Never any answer, so wgen they'd arrived, Dick had been beat. He had cat naps, but the stress. The jet lag. It ached like nothing he'd ever felt. Slade gave him mess to calm himself down, but willpower was preferred.

Today though, he couldn't even keep his eyes open.

"APPRENTICE." Slade's tone was stemming on a full on fit. The last time he'd been punished had been before asking that question about Bruce. Slade knew too much. About his home, his family. His parents' death.

Dick was worn thinner each day as Slade with a twitch of his lip and a hand at the hold of the spine of that large hard back cover in his grip, SLAPPED it shut, rousing the boy from his lack of clarity.

"I'd expected you to be better formulated in staying up late. Rather, are you a bird or a bat, now? It's daytime and I can't have you drooling all over your current assignment."

"Sorry, sir." Dick rubbed at his face and tried to sit up in the desk Slade had presented to get the ball rolling. "You'll stay fir thevrest if the lesson. If you want that extra credit," He hinted, an eye going to the screens behind them as his friends showed up. Slade had the bots drag them into a fight while he took the kid out. There was no need, Robin performed. He was good enough to continue. That's what Slade wanted. A perfect, potential soldier. An heir. Robin was started to sit in a slump, so?

"Up. I think I can aid with this through hands on participation."

Dick frowned and got up from his seat to stand in front of the man. "You know how joints move, contract. Everything that any college student would already. Correct?"

"I, think so."

"Humph." Slade walked around Robin's ridged and drowsy frame. "We'll see. You recall the probes. They were never removed so if I were to show you something a bit differently from that in yourself…the shocks I give also affect the nervous system. The synapses that run between movement and control. Heck, if I wanted to, you wouldn't be standing in one piece."

"Sir?" Dick tried to speak in a croak, a scared one. "I already know this –

"But do you know," Slade ignored the boy, partly, "That if I were to set a command, the movement would be controlled by the person holding the switch. You'd not only fall to your knees, but pick up a pencil –

"But shock collars don't control movement." Richard rebuked. "That would be …or have to be neuro receptors on or in the body that would act as direct transmitters. I …that's not possible."

"What if it were." Slade pulled out the switch at his wrist, the one right next to the probes' activation. Dick swallowed. "Unless I got some kind of internal bugging or even had a surgical –

"No, it can happen." Slade smirked beyond the face he held. (similar to Terra and her suit.) "And I can show you. Just, stay still."

"What? –

Dick didn't notice until it was at him, the small spines were thread thin as his throat caught in om itself. He gripped his neck and tugged at the dreaded device. "Stop! That hurts!"

"It should. You'll have to give it a second to activate properly. It's a temporary state. This is only a lesson, Dick." Slade said too calmly, the boy's eyes breaking to tears as his legs wobbled but stood. "S…ir…"

He'd never say master. That was their deal in order to keep Robin in this contract with the madman. His guinea pig, Richard gritted his teeth as the spines retracted back into the metal band. "All done. For step two; I want you to lift your arm and raise it above your head. Can you do that, Robin?"

Dick panted and weakly grunted as his arm lifted high as it could, he dropped it once he was sure-

"I DIDN'T." Slade glared at the boy. "Say you could put that down. Up ." He commanded gruffly.

He commanded and Robin obeyed. Holding it now after that ache in his neck was…extremely painful! Dick winced as he imagined blood to lick at his skin. That Slade would let him go to the infirmary at any moment-

"Now, lift your right leg and bend your knee."

"This isn't-

"Do you want to get that wound looked at? I could let it scar, put a permanent reminder of my brand on you forever." Slade threatened.

Dick grunted through the forced pose. "No, just…really… why?"

"To teach you." Slade went for the buttons at his wrist. "You wanted to see that I wasn't a liar. I always keep to my word." He pressed, and as if an extension away, the boy's arm went lower and lower. Dick tried to pull it back up, but it was entirely bolted as he tried not to fall over on one leg. "What was –

"Easy." Slade pressed a new button and the boy's other arm slowly leaned up to bend at the elbow.

"Slade! What are you do –

"Quiet. Lesson time isn't up, young man. Or you could stand as a statue in time out." He chuckled at his subject's state. "I have many ways to go about this, but let's do some overview of what you think you already know."

"The patella is directly above the?"

Knew it, he said, right. He had to answer that.

"Ah, the…. lateral men-

The shock was as before as Dick was forced to plant his foot while Slade had the arm move to slap. The boy looked up. His pen cheek red by the palm of his gloved moving part. Slade…had made him hit himself??

"Arm up, bent." Slade returned the arm to position as Richard shook. "What again , is below the patella. Not on either side, you know this."

Dick thought back. He was just nervous. He knew it! He…he did…

"THE…. PATELLA LIGAMENT IS VERTICAL DOWN! DONE! I'M –

"No, next question." Dick felt the foot drop as he gasped, his heart too hard to tell off. Damn it …Slade was really controlling him, but how? The prick! In his neck?

Dick shivered as the next page opened. Slade hummed as his fingers skimmed to the spot he wanted answered through the textbook. "The next part will be a spot you use to lift with your arm. The part that is easy to twist our of place. Hint; it hurts to hit it twice."

"It…" Dick imagined that his arm was the biggest hint as he scanned his tired brain for one par t of the muscular system that hurt like a mother when hit more than once in a row.

Damn, easy.

"The, damn elbow…sir?"

"And second to that, what part of the muscle extends to flex when it is hit? When NOT bent."

He was loving this. Holy shit.

"IT'S LATIN. Name, Apprentice." Slade drew out as Dick's arm felt weighted. Heavier as he held it in an odd angle.

"A…." Slade looked on expectedly behind the mask as he then took off his. The sweat of his brow seeming unique compared to Dick's terror of the man before it. "Was going to swap parts soon. You are still not as advanced if you can't even remember what the Latin is for elbow. Such a shame. Punishment it is, then." Slade pressed a button again on his wrist as Dick growled out in pain, his arm never dipping as Slade's little dirty trick held him up. His arm still bent and his eyes still red and puffy from the strain on his immovable joint.

"AN…"

"Hum?" Slade took to his wrist as the shocks started to cease, lowering their frequency to that of a mere buzzer. "Anything to tell the teacher, Grayson?"

Dick took in a partial breath as he sought the answer from years of practice. Years, lost. Reused. Wasted on him…

" An…coneus…" Dick felt the arm drop as a grinding sound popped. His eyes went wide as the thing stood limp for a second before moving again, shocking him to want to sit back down. "Oh, so you do know the answers? My apologies. You looked completely clueless to me just a few seconds ago. Maybe we should try another, see if YOU aren't lying."

Dick shook his head. "Hurts….please, I'll listen. No more –

"But you're learning, dear boy. I'm only as happy to see to your education as the bat and those pesky ex friends are in seeking out your whereabouts. It fits, as it should. You're doing as you're told, that was the original agreement."

"Not as your robot toy!" Dick exclaimed anxiously. "I never signed up to lose all of my will to you –

"Then, maybe you don't need the incentive." Slade rubbed his chin and looked at the titans as Bruce made contact to them. Dick's mouth went dry at the sight of how Kori never once smiled again. "She looks upset. Maybe she never really could care to see you hurt her, right Dick?"

"No…she's, she's afraid. Like me."

"So, you can't play my game s little while longer?" Slade asked. "Any sooner you pick up the pace and make your first real kill, you might get that chance to truly say goodbye. I'd hate for you to part on terms you can't handle. Sge certainly knows how to put up a brave face in front if your ex mentor. What do you think Bruce would do if you shattered the collarbone of some street punk? Or took out a guard's knee with a hit to the –

"I got it….I…" Dick seeped in a breath and pointed to his neck "This space here…is the spot of the semispinalis capitis ." Dick pointed to the back of his neck, the back of it and right below the hypothalamus by a few inches off the spinal column as he readied fir more ways to scream the man's name profusely. He pressed into it with his fingers as the mastermind nodded and expected a better example.

"The back of the neck has to be a close chance when it comes to attacking…not unless the artery or the spinal cord is severed by an ace. The neck here is….close to the spinal column where the nerves work as part of the optic nervous system. That in total could cause a person to become stunned possibly, even disabled at the spine to the legs if the nerve is hit directly." He speculated. "The knee or Patella, with enough pressure can be shattered." Dick progressed as Slade nodded his head just a bit. "Then, the vein that the collar is digging into by the very anterior or front of the throat….where is that then? Tell me."

"Systemic vein in the neck that carries blood and oxygen through the column and to the brain. Without that, if it were to be hit. Few hours, tops." Dick put his hand to his side. Slade was letting him be himself a second. "The lateral exterior oblique for instance. If you cut that, it would be the same as fixing a hernia. The person would bleed a bit but take longer to –

"Try again." Dick's baby went to his side rib by the spot he'd explained. His other went to cover his lips. He could still talk, but Slade was trying to put two coins in his basket today.

"The tear is not a place to expect one to die from a wound, but sure. The tear is more than a gun shot. The other thing about this tear is that it can heal. In most cases, it is useless until you're looking to do surgical work. The second would be, the mouth. You can torture. Pull teeth, even expect them to live through it."

" What is the muscle called for the lips. Last question and we can sit back down." The man said, pleasantly.

"Shit." Richard bit his lip as Slade's new toy just pressed on them tighter with the other hand from his oblique.

"Lips hold onto secrets. What secrets will spill from my apprentice that I haven't gotten to hear?" Slade wondered..

"Voice box, not lips. The orbicularis oris." Dick corrected with his hand lifted from his mouth, finally. "As for the blood vessels in this set of muscle, how long does it take to stop –

"A few hours to a few days, depending on the trauma suffered." Dick swallowed. "I, answered every question you have. So, may I sit back down and finish the lesson, sir?"

"Dear child, this WAS your lesson. If I had not gaged your skill level, I wouldn't have known to up the anti on your education. Understanding basic anatomical processes and twisting them by their efficiency in our business is vital. Where is the correct vein to sever or cut for an easy death on contact? What bone shatters the quickest while only having the target immobile instead of deceased. These things are easy for your bat. They should be a breeze for the child he left. To me…"

"I, maybe not have to use all of that information. Some of it like the lips is, well. Not as helpful."

"If your own body is a weapon. Believe me, some day, that useless data will come in handy. When you can process information from looking at a page only once, you know you're no longer on the level of any minor criminal mind. As my apprentice, I'll be sure to perfect your lessons as I see are best for my pupil."

"What if I don't survive the test of your training? You won't keep me alive just because of a little bargain, right?"

Slade looked the boy over, knowing it wasn't suicide he spoke of, but a trick question of the mind. "You don't need to worry about that. Do only as I ask and you won't perish early. Do as you want always, and that might not be the case."

Dick looked to the seat and was ushered to sit back down in it. "We'll move on to a favorite of yours; arithmetic." The man returned his mask to his face as then no sooner, a call came through on the screen of the Headmistress of the Hive. ( No brother blood yet.)

~ I hope I am not interrupting anything. Good day to you both.~

"As to you, Headmistress Kane.~ Slade didn't say why he seemed to pay close attention, or that his fingers moved in a strange pattern as the two calmly spoke of a new plan on the horizon. ~ The hive has equally equipped you with the latest robots money can buy, yet we have question of their use.~

"Simple." Slade smiled as Dick could tell this was a happy occasion to his master. "They are to destroy the Teen Tians. "

If Dick had a say, he stood up. Slade ignored as the boy's grip tightened around nothing but air. ~ The bat was spotted closing in on your city. We might deem that a risk –

"Risks are meant to be taken. My apprentice knows how to deflect a few hits from old acquaintances. How will the rest pay off on your end? Should we successful crush their attempts in Blud today, I think that you'll have to forever figure any past grievances. Don't you think?"

He'd gotten a number if tech through them to get to the bottom of the hive. This was all a plan to use them, then crush them like they had his original pupil. And, his eldest son. Richard was right about one thing. As prideful as Slade was about keeping the teen, he was assurance and nothing more. If he got hurt, the contract would need a makeover. If he were killed in battle, well…Slade then had the right to kill off the titans permanently. He wouldn't tell Robin about his little stipulation right at this moment. Not while his pockets were lined and his ambitious nature, ever sharpest against the bat, most of all.

~ Very well. If the robots prove a success, we shall look into further deals with your, network, to start. The villains in Blud are who you had listed, correct?~

"Old affiliates, nothing new." Slade said with a carefree attitude to his one and every response. "I would like to see about any ventures in expanding. As far as the robots, there may be a chance you'll allow me to look into purchasing the rights of them now. That way, you get paid and can also be done with me. Is it about…four million? Total?"

Dick's eyes popped back as he sat down to watch the old goat function. What? Slade was….really going to pay to have the schematics to build his own bots? He could just steal! Steal the blueprint. Not give a damn until they cane knocking at his door, but he was playing his cards ever so carefully. Richard saw how Slade for the first time, looked very patient. Since Dick if course made him the opposite, this person…she was, mirroring his angst to nullify it. The only people who could –

Dick dragged his question back for later. How close was she to this man? What secrets did the metal masked maniac even have with the Headmistress? Or the hive?

~ We'll keep this motive in our confidence. I intend to allow it, yet the directors of the facility that crafts the robots may be not so forgiving in their desire to drain your account. Let that be a warning.~

"I'm willing to accept the risk and work past any ills so far." Slade said rather courteously. "Leave a word to your upper management on this. We'll be in touch."

SSe nodded and the deal was only half made. "If they reneg on my offer, Slade turned to the boy with his back still to the kid. Neck craned over to add lastly, "I always can use my Renegade to finish what was started but never finalized."

So, a weapon. Easy to say this day was one of the few that drove Dick to change his viewpoint all over again. He'd get the collar off.

And when he did…Slade, was going to pay the price in full fir Robin's removal from their contract. Every wasted penny at a time.

/

So, I used easier spots to tick Dick off. The lips and the muscles associated with that. Give to ten minutes if the cut is not severe by the way. The knee or patella is vertically placed to the patellar ligament. The throat is trickier because it is not an instant kill area. Weird, right? Not always anyway as Dick put it. Has to strike a vein and sever to do any damage, so he'd be taking about knives or swords in this case. Nod to Deathstroke. The elbow was just a joke as Slade said funny bones hate getting hit twice. I have a sensitive one so we can concur. The last was the back of the neck and nods to the spine and Babs becoming Oracle later. I thought basing on later incidents and the fact that Slade is a big fat liar when it comes to his past – Dick can find the picture pretty clearly here.

So? If I don't deal with how to become a knee replacement specialist, my aim is really trauma and nutrition so yeah this is why we don't go cracking joints abd wrote about them instead. The collar injected a similar pinch into his like Terra but ut comes out. It just means he's hardwired and over time those marks like Slade said could be permanent if he gets to cozy with the idea…or if Dick is still alive by then. Notice I mentioned the probes only when the titans were compared to Dick and his neuro control shock collar. What a mess…and his sleep schedule needs work.

One shots to come. This one…was kind of on the whatever. Thanks for reading, more to come soon!