Chapter 6: MY NEW ROLE FOR TODAY IS?...

/

Dick is sixteen right now in this and this, was after the lagoon boy watch was secured. Dick is told by his teacher that they'll be looking into a new base of operations in Jump City, California. Dick doesn't want to face the heroes living there currently staying there, the Titans, any more than he wants Batman to track them both down. However, a stray bit of pushing changes everything and Slade finds it high time too late for Dick to pull that trigger.

If only he'd spared the boy sooner, being that he cannot stray from his savior yet fears being anyone else at all if he tried to. This, is not so warm and fuzzy…I give you the next part before he is all caught up. A recap, maybe?

/

This was a long stretch as the boy practiced his strikes while the reports from the other day blared in Slade's ears.

A mystery earthquake.

"Hyaa!"

"Too low, focus your attention on my weak points like I told you, boy. Here."

Slade sent Dick to his knees, yet the boy bounced onto his toes and rolled into a crouch – one hit.

"Yes! Sir, I did I –

"Stay focused!" Slade reprimanded. Dick was becoming sloppy, his hits during their practices were creative, yet had no merit if it didn't involve some sort of incentive or a reprimand. He didn't like where that could lead the boy if he only depended on himself. One shot could fix it always.

"Stop." Slade put up a palm. Dick looked ready to go, yet Slade was tired of playing games in the corner. "Your combat training is improving; you however still seem to not have enough discipline yet to advance -

"But…. I went through the drills. I even learned how to hit pressu –

"Those are in close range; you need more perspective. More distance apart to analyze a potential threat. That is where we'll start, AFTER." Slade enunciated. "After we debrief this month in total in the main room. Come."

/

"Your new skills in close combat were aggressive, yet controlled best when up against an opponent that was a threat. You need more of a push than was expected; Dick." Slade turned to the teen as his eyes towards his teacher, seated upright in a chair in the man's main lounge of the estate. "Yes, sir."

"I know that you are old enough now to know why the only fire arm handling has been in books, blueprint designs and reports I've had you write up to keep your mind extra sharp. You're ready by now and this should come as no shock, to fire one for yourself."

"Sir…" Dick's only case was ptsd from the first time he had shot the bat. Ever since then, panic attacks had been an issue, they kept having to put his hands on approach on hold. Years, it was too long now and if the boy didn't shoot a single gun like he was expected, he'd be cast out. This was his last shot. A permit, for a junior. They'd be going to a range in a new city where Slade told the boy his base would be set up and for them to share during their review of Jump City. Getting cold feet, Dick then raised his hand coyly up. "Sir! Uh…Isn't that a place with more than one veteran hero? I heard that someone made that territory theirs and if we…. are you sure this isn't another test?? You said my body was a weapon. I don't need to use a –

"This was a part of our agreement long ago." Slade jumped down the kid's throat, "Or have you forgotten, Dick. I own you; your entire life is up to me to dictate – and as a minor still, under my custody…. you will do this or be cut off from any further contracts…"

"What- Sir! I can try, but I'm not sure I…." His eyes got wider under the dim light, searching for the rest of his voice. Slade saw his apprentice's heartrate and posture shift like before as he moved from his seat. This had to stop, it was not enough and Dick needed to know what he was good for. "Dick, Dick. LISTEN. Apprentice!"

Shaking his head, his hands were held down as he tried to breathe. This panic was bad, but manageable as all the rest. "We're not changing our minds right now. The heroes are a threat to any future contracts, that could jeopardize Deathstroke's reputation, your courses... All I want is you to work security. Think of it as a downgrade, please. Shooting is just in warning, to keep them from driving a wedge between us and any clients we may need to observe. You'll take it slow." He coaxed, hating the damn sound of his tone. "I don't need you to wait; you need to get a grip. You need to be mindful of why you are here."

Dick's sobs had turned to small shudders as Slade soothed him and left a hand on his shoulder. Too many hugs would keep the boy to cling to him. He needed him somewhat independent. "W…. w- w will….I change too?"

"No." Slade put a hand to the boy's shoulder and squeezed it tight. "No, you'll still be my apprentice. Maybe one day better than you think you are now." He let the kid settle into his role as he began their overview. "A few weeks ago, I found out about a case that goes back even earlier than when I came to Gotham. In Markovia. In the time it takes to have our new outpost up and running, there is something there of interest making its way to California… you'll be in charge of security. The area will be under your watch. I'll secure the underground. Send word to any that want in on our tiny project."

"Project, sir?" Dick wiped his eyes messily.

"Yes, a meta child who may not remember my face, yet remembers that I have what she needs. Her uncle broke a treaty and killed the girl's parents. They fell ill, and now her brother is also being used as a puppet for the diplomats to do with as they see fit. The girl will likely need shelter and help with her impressive powers." Slade watched as Dick looked empathetic to the child. "That's terrible…. she must be all alone. How can you help her? With your powers, are the that similar to the girl's sir?"

"No, not at all, my young apprentice." Slade replied and gazed out at the open air. "Montana. I'm going to miss it terribly."

"Me too." Dick chirped. "Will we get to ride the horses when we're back home again…. sir…?"

Dick had taken to Sky and Sure - Shot. Both were named by his sons. This place was a later gift to his wife. Ex, as it was. Dick was best not to meet at this point. "This place is off the grid to the bat, I made sure of it." Slade made sure Dick could smile. This new journey would either make or break him as a professional. "First thing, you'll go with me to a nearby range." Slade got up as Dick wobbled to stand in his sorry state. "It's high time we go over your oldest habit of running away into your own mind."

/

The shots blared on in Dick's sleep as he woke to gag and upchuck his supper into the walk-in toilet. "So weak…. why can't I do this?" Dick wiped his lip and panted, looking at the mass of gross gook and again, he was nauseous.

/

Dick came down and for some reason, he was a bit better. Slade however had made it clear that Dick would speed up the process. "Come, I know a spot we can get a clear shot."

Dick was used to the feeling now, it was a week and he still vomited every other night, until Slade found out and had to intervene. "You're going to have to have tougher skin eventually."

Will had stopped over, the butler and dear war friend of Slade – one who owed him as much as price as Dick still did. "He's sallow as can be. Slade! Are you pushing that boy too hard? You know his constitution –

"He's finally overcoming his fear of them, Will."

Dick covered his ears in his bed as he ascended the steps to his room. Will was like the nanny. Slade was no father to him. He'd never said he was. Slade had boys, he had kids. Dick…. was just a distraction.

"Who is that kid anyway?" He sniffed and kicked the door shut. "Slade wouldn't replace me…. would he?" This girl sounded powerful. She had royal blood and was more meta than Slade….so, would it work if he even cared to be a part of this mission. Not like he had a choice. Dick paced the room and groaned to himself. "No, Slade wouldn't do that…he cared about me, I'm his partner. I'M his apprentice!" Dick stomped his feet and growled. Dick was dependent on their bond. He had shattered all other bridges for that cost of killing Zucco. It wasn't his choice; he couldn't even leave…why…

Dick fell to his knees and rocked himself, his hands to his face as he tried to get rid of this hopeless feeling. What if the meta princess was less weepy than him?? What if Slade liked her more? What if….

Her shouted and ran to the window, shouting out of it, before crying into his hands. "No…. He's mine…. you can't take him away….no….no…. NO!"

/ /

(So, Dick is literally cracking up because Slade made him had separation anxiety and maybe even more abandonment issues. He's come to thinking that Slade would never have any other protégés. That he is a favorite in the man's life besides his friend Will and Slade's unnamed kids. He will never be the man's son, but like Rose in the comics, he may go too far to prove that he can't be shaken from leaving the man – this is where his world is starting to crack. You saw how his sheltered confidence as a protégé is selectively granted contracts that keep him from learning about being free, so in a way he believed Slade would be this way forever and never ask him to kill. Sorry Dick, read the fine print next time!)

"I spoiled him until this month." Slade ran a hand through his thick white locks. "He's going to lose this lesson, damn…"

Will tipped his tea cup and took a small sip. "Slade, you sheltered the boy as you tried to your own children. Naturally, he had to learn that this agreement was in stone. You were too relaxed with the boy, you knew his story. We both had..."

"He's still healing, it might not be a good idea to even call him my apprentice if he can't hold a damned gun, Will. He's…if he isn't safe when he faces them, then he can't –

"Hush a moment."

Will put his ear to the ceiling as Slade heard it too.

A shout, a tired teenager was crying for help. Slade rose, yet Will stopped him. "He didn't hear us. These walls don't allow sound travel up, don't you remember?"

"Buyer's remorse." Slade groaned and sat back down. "He's not my son, yet I…have coddled him. He's going to not hold up as a great asset if…"

"He vomits, yet his shots show promise. Once at the range, he can see that for himself." Will took another sip, pensively awaiting the boy's sobs to die down. "It's getting a bit too late for me –

"Stay, he needs you." Slade turned his eye up to his old friend. "And, it would be nice to have an extra seat at the table once in a while."

"I suppose." Will sighed and put his saucer down a moment to think. "A few days, and then Austria awaits. Addie has been asking a delicate question as of late. She seems to think your goals are not like before. You've built up a new network of low - brow super villains, and not to mention…." Will gritted his jaw. "A, lair??" He shot at his friend's face. "I should be here to pull you from this new act of guilt that boy may have to shoulder. You've decided to add –

"It's to accommodate someone. That girl. Tara, the missing princess from Markovia."

Slade ducked his head as Will was flabbergasted by the news. "I have yet to see that boy happier than he is now, Slade." Will went for the kitchen to place his cup in the sink, hands over it as he leaned and tried to understand his friend's own vital changes. A transformation. "Let me just say, that the boy, Richard is correct. There are many soldiers and assassins in history that cannot use a fire arm."

"He's not any exception to the rule. Will." Slade sniffed. "That boy's parents were killed by a gun; Wayne's were killed by a masked man as well. I won't have them mimic the other and have MY protégé avoid firearms because of a little self- pity!"

Will didn't say anything more as he just washed his cup and left the other to stew in silence. "Goodnight."

The elder didn't reply. He had the worst feeling, and from his experience, that was usually a premonition not of his own making. Bruce was a hated character in this household. Slade was foolish to not cap his distress.

Yet the outcome he dreaded even more than Slade had. Taking him home like a puppy to his flat. Slade had sacrificed his efforts here, and now if he went forwards and broke his little side project….it was nonrefundable. Nothing like a gun, nor a blade in his palm to bet on, for keeps.

/

Dick was a moody teen at times. Sometimes his regression was more clinical in comparison to a crying child's. Slade had gone along for years to numb it on their jobs, but at their waiting areas, in person vs in this place? The estate was too easy for Dick's training. Off they flew by jet to a bay in Jump, seeing right at the tower shaped like a giant T. Slade didn't make too much h conversation as Dick's brooding was already getting to be an eyesore. With the robots Slade had programmed to help out, Dick was made to carry some belongings into his new haunt with his master in tow.

Slade flicked on a switch and it was, quite spacious. They were inside a high-tech looking warehouse with a bunch of knows on the walls in a row only when the sensors activated for the right person. Dock definitely had missed a course in robotics and engineering the last month and a half.

"This isn't anything more than a decoy, apprentice." Dick shrugged and hoisted up the item; a box of some sort a bit higher to not drop it. "Here, is where we actually will be fir a good long few hours, on most days." The next hidden panel Slade had touched, opened the floors up as the stairs down were inside the warehouses interior underground. This was…strange to be in a hole doing grunt work. "Where is the whole thing, si…."

A door, no. A giant wheel to open a hatch as Slade did the honors. "In." He directed the teen, who didn't need to be told twice. At the bottom, was an elevator like the ones at a construction site. Underneath the floor, was an enormous network of gears…a lot. Of damn gears.

It was tall with pillars making it look the part of an ancient, iron temple. By the top at a dais made of concrete and steel, were two seats. Two thrones beside one another overlooking an entire array of wider than wide screens that saw with an eagle's eye, everything in the city that would soon be their new home.

Slade watched patiently, intently as his apprentice stood to then place the box carefully onto a metal worktable as it came up from the platform they were standing on. The man had a crinkle in his mask full of pride. "On that note, you should be a bit more able to blend in. I've been working on a prototype suit, custom designed to match my own appearance." His voice was dropping to seem cooler in the already boiling room. The steam from the gears had Dick look around thrice as he twirled back to the throne, then to a robot that was holding a flat box in its hands. As big as a ….

Dress?

"The one thing you never wore on any of our old missions. Here, it won't be a regular job like you thought. I'm wearing my mask to symbolize a turning point in our careers, Apprentice. You will take this uniform and wear it, go on." Slade was right. It had parts, and…it was black and orange red like the man's mask. In it too, was a spike ended domino mask, just like ….

Frowning, Dick looked up at the mastermind. "Is, is this really mine now? What for?"

A silly question, or a wise on. Slade motioned that Dick go to the corner to try on the suited piece. Complete with knee guards, his own gauntlets, a gun holster, and….a large coat that made it all come together as Dick stepped back into his boots. The half jacket was a bit silly but he liked the material. It didn't feel too tight on him. He was a growing boy after all. A sense of pride wheeled him back over to show off the outfit to his master with a grin out of that dark world. He was still not putting the mask on, so Slade pointed a gloved finger to the kid's cerulean. Dick's mount formed a line as he looked at the mask like a pair of new glasses. "Do I have –

"You'll need to keep your identity as my diligent helper. In fact, no one needs to know which you were before. I've chosen a better name. How does…." His boots tapped the concrete platform as Slade rubbed his chin. "Renegade, sound to you?"

Dick pulled at his jacket and grumbled a bit. "Who did I betray –

"Batman." The man smiled. "You were a good kid who did as he was told, but your desire to become my apprentice sent him into a spiraling realm of denial that if, you should take this name to new heights…it might just bring him to admit to a "moral" defeat. You can't go back, nor do you ever want you. Right, Renegade?"

/

Renegade. Dick found that his new room was smaller and the walls were strangely darker underneath the roof of this new cellar that his master had chosen to keep them confined to. In the "haunt," Dick got to break fir new ground and express his ability to fly higher ability with some creative air. "I can climb this whole place…" He panted. "There are so many hiding spots. We have to do a match, sir –

"In a moment, apprentice." Slade was looking at the screens from the security of his new throne. Dick used a grapple to send himself to his seat with a grin like a big kid off the monkey bars. "Any sightings so far, sir? I can scare off any intruders. Like you said. I -

"Quiet." Slade barked it as the walls made all sorts of noises bounce. Dick curled his legs under him and looked to the side in a mild shock. Had…. had he just been told off by his…