Our Time in Reverse – What it Takes

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Chapter 32: Puppet Masters

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Robin was silent the rest of the day after his little shut down from seeing their new "nemesis," Slade.

The team took the time to go over any DNA. Skin hair. None of that. He'd worn a wig and a false beard and goatee. A face that looked like Slade, but it wasn't to any that had not seen his real face. "In that file, he had black hair and he was wearing an eye patch. That dude could be somebody he hired, right Richie?" Bb looked over his shoulder as Raven meditated on the roof. Starfire was making her famous "pudding of sadness." The thing was, no one was exempt from being a taste tester.

"He's gone and left no clues. I got a voice file but…." Cy played it back, the other thing that Kori had on her device also matched up.

"It's him…"

"Slade." Cy ended it as Bb gawked out the first part, making Richie very nervous. "I'm going to get some air –

"Not yet you ain't. Star? Got a sec?"

Richard looked out as Starfire send a grey and purple glob right into his windpipe.

What……was that??

Robin coughed out the disgusting poison as Starfire took a bite and acted as if it were only bitter to her face. "This delicacy is eaten when bad things happen. Come, we shall…do the talking in private and give our friends "the space."

"But –

"Go on, spike. I've got a lotta work to do ta keep this tower run-in."

Dick could not press her off as Kori dragged the boy wonder through mechanical doors towards the hallway. Once they were outside, she let go of his cape. "You are not safe seeing what we have discovered. I still believe he has plans and that we must do as we promised to protect –

"I don't need saving, I just need my purpose to change." Robin countered and walked away, the alien hovering over with the bowl of mush in her hands. "Just another taste, and I shall ask no more of this."

Robin grimaced and pulled his tunic collar at the bubbles forming on the surface of the slop she had crafted. "I…don't think this is a good plan –

"It is not "good." She shook her head. "It will suffocate what worries you do still have. I shall eat the whole bowl…as a prank if you comply?"

"Star…–

The first scare that rattled his chains was a running BB as his cheetah self dove for the elevator to the first floor. "We got faaan mail!!!"

Robin flew into Star's arms by mistake as she blushed and dropped him. The rumble of a thousand horses then stamped back with the weight of a large wooden crate on the back of a smaller green zebra!

"Beastboy! Not in the tower!" Raven appeared behind the green quadruped and tugged him by her magic and the box. "You want to crush the entire floor that way? Swap, now."

"Bu…. awrg…..fine, MOM." Bb grumbled and she dragged him over to Starfire to gather up as the younger, pouted. Raven carried the box while Cy went over the files, the DNA traces and the man's face. He had a perfect mask –

"Mail came." Raven let the door open as she deadpanned, dropping the box by her magic onto the floor in the center of the main room. "Oh! Is that a package, for the us??" Starfire was thrilled and examined the box in midflight due to this joy. Robin came in rubbing his arm as Bb bounded up and sniffed the box as a German Sheppard.

"No." Raven reprimanded as he woofed in annoyance at her. "C'mon, Raven. It's a gift for how many times we saved the city. Even says so on the label."

"Yeah. But we don't exactly advertise the address…do you?"

"We have a T in the middle of the bay as our headquarters." Cy grunted to the red breasted hero. "I think that's an a- ok to send fan mail ta us from any place on earth."

"I feel so exposed…" Robin eyed the box as he made sure a small bug camera did its work.

~ Seeing this, master? I have some worry that this could be a future enemy. Can y –

"Open the box, already! I'm dyin' to know! Cy? Can we?? Please!!"

"Alright, but…I gotta run a scan."

"It's not alive. I…already checked."

"There was neither kicking nor the screaming." Starfire cheerily backed up Raven's comment as Cy sighed and took to getting the lid off with a tool that was easy enough to acquire. A rrrip of Star's alien strength later, the box contained in it straw betting and packing peanuts. BB threw his nose into the box as a snake until Robin shrugged him off accidentally and the Gartner serpent went right into the bedding.

"B –

"Cool...I…think?" He popped out his human head and pulled up an arm. "That's a big box. Can we use it on Beastboy to crate train him sometime?' Raven teased, the green kid giving her a sour look before showing the team his find. "Look! It's all of you, and moi! As…."

"Puppets…" Robin swallowed. Another enemy, he was right on the money because...

There was even one of him, with a removable mask and blue eyes.

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"How does that…. whoever they are, know…Sir?"

~You didn't say a word until you saw it, I can always have a robot take it from the tower to analyze. ~

"How long after we're walking targets…it knew my eye color! I'm a sitting duck…" Robin groaned and sat on the low-rise bed he had been forced to put up because of Starfire's pestering about pests. He'd relented, and it held a bit sturdier than his futon that stayed in the corner. Anytime the bed didn't do its job, he'd return to the former. For sure.

~ Calm yourself, this is an easy wait; I can look into what I can from a distance. The one thing I need from you is to erase that file. Both of them. ~

"The…...sir." Robin sat up. "It's already being looked over. Who else –

"The bat, the league. Recall, Cyborg has friends from within their circle. Bruce Wayne built that tower as the bat by his heroisms and that brat's own do Gooding. You can also hope to see him, soon. ~

"Sir? What about Jason? Is he really… in this city?"

~He is, in the tower. ~

" WHAT??"

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Jason found that once he was in, he was cut off from getting back to the wharf. Slade had diligently made it so that no matter how hard Todd tried to fight back, he never made it across. Slade evenly hacked back as Todd finally went into the basement to curl up in a heap. B the next day, his stomach woke him while he stayed ever aware of where he was.

~ You…. cut him off, he's in the…. Tower. Right now…. Sir? ~

"Correct, my apprentice. You are going to either calm him down, or you'll do so my disposing of him before he has a chance to expose us. Do this, and I can assure you, the files won't land. I gained control of the system Cyborg put together through your little stunt –

~The drive? When I was infected…? That was…that was to extract –

"It granted access to the tower's main systems. I didn't tell you?" Slade cocked his head a bit as Robin stood back and felt numbed by the timing of that confession. ~ What, he wants to fight? What should I –

"Knock him out, dispose of the body. My robots and I can see to the rest once he surfaces."

Slade dropped the connection, the boy's disbelief an easy answer that he would act. Maybe not kill the Robin from Gotham. He didn't want to go back to his team with a guilty conscience. "Use your head." Slade grumbled and stepped down the dais steps. Wintergreen was polishing some silver vambraces as Slade took them with a nod and a wordless thanks. "How is the girl."

"Better. She's eaten most of her meals and the book work is helping to have her concentrate on something else other than your skull of my kneecaps." Dryly, replied the older male.

"She's still not her full self. I want her ready to test her abilities in the other chamber." Slade looked up as he wondered if a sewer was a bit overhyped for the spot of an evil lair. A safe house was too personal. Robin was not getting that kind of treatment. Nor, Tara.

"I'll be sure to notify her to be presentable once you are ready to see to your weapon."

"She is not, not here." Slade said. "I'd call her my apprentice if it keeps her under my thumb." He moved a bit closer to the screens. Robin had stopped pacing like an idiot and was on his way to the basement. Todd was crawling through a duct as Slade moved to his wrist and spoke into it. "The other bird is on the move. Just above you."

"Yes , sir ." Robin shot out his rang as the jump had Jason hit his head, the duct opening as he toppled into boxes from supplies the Titans could not store in other spaces within their home. Richard dove out and kicked Jason before his poorly positioned Kester could make a mess and ruin the task at hand. ~ Very good. Keep him immobilized. Stay quiet as much as you must. ~

"Talking to your boss?" Jason wiped a bit of blood from his running nose as Dick froze up. "Who, are you." The older boy brought up his stance, while Jason dusted himself off and did a bridge handstand to find himself upright. "You can do that too, can't you, Dick?"

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