Chapter 7: Wearing my Mask with Pride

/

It was possible that the lack of Vitamin D was getting to both master and protégé. Dick was pushed away for three days, and it wasn't until Slade simply didn't show up that Dick might have gotten into more trouble with his serious withdrawal issues.

The panic was there, but so too were the lessons. He learned to hide and hunt in dark places. He was given a gun to assemble and reassemble each morning and night. If he made any error in the tasks, he was confined to his room for a few hours. There were meals delivered to him by a slot in his door, yet this had to be a test so Richard bucked up. Tried to stop complaining. He was sixteen, not twelve he told himself. "Slade is going this far all for me, you'll see." He bit into his toast and said to himself anxious, angry that he couldn't have more to do.

"He isn't going to abandon you…no, he's good to you…"

He awoke one night with his head fuzzy and the door wide opened. It had to be day…but was it? There were no clicks, no timers or any sounds except the winding gears in the main room of the haunt. Slade was up at his station by the screens. Fiddling with some buttons and zoning in on the next target.

A red headed woman from another planet.

A girl with mystical, dark powers.

A green skinned boy that could change into animals.

A black African American half robot, half teen named Cyborg as the green animal morphed and threw a football for their supposed leader to catch.

"Cy, send it here! I'm open! I'm open!"

They looked so happy, so young…was that the group they had to battle? Was he going out this late in the day?

"Sundown, it's still too early to send you out officially, but I want to do some legwork to see if they'd even think to think anything of a fellow hero."

"Huh?"

Slade looked at the boy as the robots brought one more box to the same table from before. "I want you to make an impression on them, gain their trust for a year –

"SIR!" Dick blathering out, his fears rising like he had believed. He was replaceable…. Tara was taking his role – he could die! They were incredibly powerful. He wasn't…. wasn't that strong to face them.

"Stop that right now, Dick. It's you're self-loathing that is the problem."

"I…. you're going to kick me out, I don't even know them…or…is this…espionage….? Sir, I'm not a meta. They could …. -

"This. Is your role." Slade stood from his throne as Dick started to feel very, very, claustrophobic. "Even if you beg, even if you shout or kick and cry and scream at me. My mind is made up. Do you know why I had you distracted and separated from your master for that many days since our arrival?"

"You, were teaching me a lesson. This was a test…" Dick swallowed and added seemed pleased enough with the answer.

"I've treated you too soft, and it was high time you learned to stand on your feet without my direction. If you fail this mission, you will either be captured by the enemy. Or the Batman may step in if they discover who you really are –

"I…then can I have more time to prepare? I've never faked being somebody else!" He felt his breath starting to lock up. An attack was forcing its way through until Slade snapped his fingers. "Look at me, you know I want you to return from this mission. If you are successful in learning all you can about those "Titans," then there is one thing you've always wanted. Hasn't there been, Dick."

"To be, called your son…finally, sir." Dick's head bobbed.

"To not just be your apprentice, but to know you won't abandon me for no reason. I care. But I…. I think…I think if you did that, I'd care too much."

He shattered at his own words.

That. Was the lesson. Dick would never be what he wanted. Never close enough as his heart felt colder now. The echo of gears filled him to materialize his pain. Empty echoes. "Sir, I'm sorry for my earlier transgressions. It was wrong. You're my mentor. It's how we've had our agreement since you saved me from…him."

"Keep that attitude, Richard." Slade put a hand on the boy's skull as he nodded, letting the locks be touched once more. It might be the last time he gets that much attention from anyone. Even someone who is incapable of caring openly for a kid like him.

"You're going to need to have the heroes take pity on the real you once you are inside their tower. Find a way, and it will happen."

Dick blinked as Slade left him.

Wait…it would…

He shook his head. No, it's not possible. Slade…would become his?

/

(Dick might snap eventually, but we'll get into it. This will look ugly eventually. Remember, he's never killed anyone with a gun or at all. Slade is saving his skills for a big challenger.)

"Hi, I'm…."

Dick slapped his face and paced the floor if his room. The mirror in it reflected back an unhappy boy in a boring outfit of choice. Black shades, green eyes as contacts and his hair was longer for the case of making them think he'd been on the open road like a hitchhiker. He went to Slade after their meal at night and in the mornings to rehearse his new role as a potential candidate to the Titans. "I'm pretty good, wanna see me throw this as far as I can?"

Slade chuckled as Dick dropped the act and scowled at his master's expression.

"What? I suck as an actor, don't I, sir."

"No, you are too engrossed in your message. You need to be less selling it and more telling. Relax a bit. Your stance could send the wrong message. For example." Slade pressed a button on the dais thrones arm and a screen popped up with video of Dick and one of Slade's comrades' own protégé. She wore a lot of green and had long dark hair. Her Asian decent was indifferent to the boy who didn't look to be as unfriendly while they geared up for a mission.

~ This is only a bodyguard position but heck, I've never seen a Kabuki mask –

~ It's not. ~

She was surely not ok with the characterization of a culture it was also totally inaccurate. ~ Name, eh…Dick, I guess? ~

~ Your first run, I suppose. ~ Her air was as spoiled as they came. Dick snorted and crossed his arms at her. ~ Humph, no! I've done this a few times with Deathstroke. Better be a lot nicer to me if you can, whisker – breath. ~

"Ah…. that was –

"You already have a personality." Slade pointed out to the boy. "Stop trying to mask it and use it to your advantage. You're not a door-to-door salesperson, Dick. You can do this."

After the lesson, Dick was better prepared to simply "act" like a teenager. He already had been, that was why Slade didn't restrict the real him to become some covert robot…. yet.

He had asked Slade before. If he made his first kill on a contract, would he change like Zucco? Would he murder someone in cold blood?

His stomach churned besides the grinding gears it seemed, and the session was left a moment to settle the acid in Dick's babied stomach for supper. He had earned the right to eat with his...

M…. Master.

He tried to call Slade master as a way to prepare for his return in a year to the haunt. He wanted to surprise the man with his conquest of this city. Their city, Dick beamed on.

Until the day finally came…

/

He decided to go with a red hoodie with an R patch at the breast. Black cargo pants were too loose, but he made sure to add rips in the hem. His even was easily able to hide his connections because…

"No comms. I'll see everything with these."

Tiny, cameras. Dick was handed some to store wherever they would fit.

"Will I be able to send any S.O. S? Or will you, master?"

Dick begged to know as Slade moved over to the screens and away from his pining pupil.

"The name you chose as your alias." Slade suddenly spoke in a low voice. "Robin, the nick name that your mother gave to you growing up? Why is that, explain."

Dick nodded. "It'd be the perfect cover. They're new to what we already know about this city. It won't take long until I know more about them too."

"Good boy, I'm pleased that you've finally stepped up to face your fears for me. Now, up to the surface. The bots will accompany you."

Dick went with the robots and noticed how alone it was already becoming. Hos separation anxiety had kicked in, yet his bit into his cheek and kept walking.

Up, until they were by a manhole cover instead of the warehouse across from the giant T.

The screen face of one robot was revealed as Slade appeared on it in his new and imposing regalia. ~ This is where we shall part ways. Should you feel that you have been compromised in any given form my only option to that is one order- destroy the Titans. Incapacitate the enemy. ~

Dick's heart felt heavier as he wished those words had not been the last thing he'd heard

"Y…yes…"

His body felt someplace else.

"Master, Slade." He rasped, the fear in him reaching a bit higher before his ego left him as before. His cold interior self was his shield as it arose out of the blue.

It, was Renegade.

He, was Robin.

"As you command, Master."

That was the mission. He nodded; glassy eyes understood the man as Slade observed in silence on the screen. ~ One year of this and you will have your reward. Good luck. ~

(Alter personality splits here. Dick is cracking up. Slade is aware that je did this, so much so that more to come.)