Our Time in Reverse- What it Takes
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Chapter 40: Shaking in my Pixie Boots
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Jason awoke to the metronome's sound of a grandfather clock ticking away in the corner of his bedroom. To his right, by the side of the bed was Alfred with Master Bruce. "We ran some tests earlier. Jason."
The boy groaned and stared at the ceiling, wishing he really were still fast asleep. "I'm not all myself. What gives…"
"I don't exactly know." Bruce masked his discouragement as Alfred refilled a glass to have to the boy. "Dickie…I saw him, B. You gotta tell me the rest. About his life after. Like when I was a kid."
"I'm making sure he's not off of our radar, but Slade is as capable of escaping the police as he is at being immune by his involvement with so many unsung voices. He used to be a war hero, turned to crime as soon as he changed overnight."
"He's a meta, sort of. I looked at, the file." Jason heaved himself up as Alfred caught the boy before he did anything drastic. "Please be still a moment more, Master Todd." Alfred coaxed the kid not to rise too quickly.
"Master Bruce only means that involve himself in the new hero's lifestyle…it would be difficult not to –
"To alert the true mastermind pulling the strings in that city."
"You…did it, didn't you." Jason swallowed and layer back into his pillows. "You let them know…"
"I know Cyborg, he was brought to us by Silas Stone, his father from STAR labs. The JLA helped bring the tower to where it is now, and as long as the reports aren't altered by anyone on that team, we will continue to monitor from a safe distance."
"Slade, he…he got it."
Bruce leaned into his hands and ushered Jason to continue.
"Into the computer, hacked it. Made it so he can see everything they do. I thought I was just getting lucky, but then I saw the laptop. Dick…he's working for him. Handing out codes, data. Even encrypted keys, B…"
"Dick, what did you overhear the night they took you out."
Jason had been up earlier before fainting. He imagined the shock was just enough to bring him down, but now…
"He…was listening and responding via a mic in the mask. I don't think a dog could have not heard em, but for some reason…Dick looked, conflicted when he was told ta attack."
"He's being manipulated, Jason."
"While that was always the case, we will finally put this hopefully to bed." Alfred nodded, wistfully. "And we then might have the bat send this crook behind bars for child endangerment and the abduction of a minor. Richard was only a boy when he was given the option to run away with that… that."
"Alfred, make sure to message the Titans in the cave tonight." Bruce interrupted. "I'll stay with Jason for now, there is still something I haven't told him yet."
"As you wish, Master Bruce." Alfred slipped away to do the bidding of the boy that would be vat, now a man for many times in his lifetime. Far greater at the expense he was about to gain from – should Richard still have a conscience…
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Bruce was back to the cave in thirty or less as Alfred left car revving up by the lower platform. "You're certain that having yourself injected into their lives at this time is the wisest choice, Master Bruce." Frowned the sarcastic sounding old timer.
"I'm keeping a promise I left on hold, Alfred. Dick needs someone to guide him from making an even bigger mistake than the first time."
"Will your presence not count as a shock? He's clearly been trained to take orders. Wilson has kept the boy busy as a blasted spy! Those child cannot be aware –
"Slade might have a plan to dodge suspicion from the Titans. If I'm fortunate with my calculations, Slade won't be in an earshot of that Tower. My guess exactly is…"
Bruce let the screens show the rest.
"Below. The city."
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NOT WHAT YOU THINK!!
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Slade pulled out his virtual keyboard and started to type and hack and do what he did best.
Be first, never worst.
Bruce was onto him. It was going to get ugly from hereon, but there would be a slight delay. The good news was that Richard wasn't entirely unaware over how Wayne functioned. This little lesson gave Slade and edge as the boy robot poked and prodded his apprentice, who kept a stiff upper lip.
Raven and Beastboy bothered Slade more so, their powers as impressive when they took something into greater focus. Cyborgs was still vying to become a leaguer, yet Starfire…
Was not hard enough to find a liar. That very fact that she was royal to another galaxy, far way. She had to be watched most of all. Richard was weak to her sympathy only when it worked. Slade could turn the tables. The tapping of grunge style mountaineering boots, rocky from point a to Z…the child je had weaned on revenge would learn to listen and listen well.
"Tara, we've gone over the process; Batman never introduces himself. Richard is reunited by a chain of events in our favor." He said smooth, calm and collected as he turned to the blonde ex princess from his dais seat.
"I understand. When do I get to meet the team. Slade?" She put a hand to her hip in the doorway. "You keep saying he should get to know me already. Why not soon?"
" Patience, dear Terra Nova." Slade returned to his screens.
"He'll be alright as long as nothing –
Slade squinted at the screen "When was that earthquake scheduled, Tara?"
She cocked her head at the intervention in the med lab at Titans tower. ~ Samples are showing you're still here, but are ya? ~
~ What is this all about? ~ Dick groaned and sat up on a gurney. ~ It's late. Can't we just forget about this until –
~ Bloodwork on fasting. I got it. ~ Cy pulled up a screen on one computer monitor by the lab as Dick gritted his jaw. ~ I'm not –
"He's going to –
Slade hushed the girl. "We'll see. Get your fury ready to crackle . If he does go down, then we can cut their little meet up. Short."
/
Dick looked at the floor. He was sure Cy had found something from the last trigger. The man they'd fought was a robot, but the old man with the brothers, wasn't.
"I smelled it on you when we got back, but you weren't…I mean…you were asleep, right?"
"We took a new sample. You went after him and –
"And there was no other decent way to check on our dear friend!" Starfire blathering as Raven faceplate herself, Bb groaning at the blurred conclusion.
"THREE. WORDS. Zombie. Mind. Con-
"Hypnosis." Raven jumped. "Through whatever got into your blood. I don't know…" She looked to Cyborg to clarify her thoughts. "Mind control ain't off the ideas we did have on you running out late. Star even got loose to go looking by the docks."
"She what??"
Starfire put her finger up as Robin lost his calm. "No, no. You said I was on this team. I went to get dirt on his next plan. I found it. I'm milking this man after he betrayed mom... It's work –
"He hacked our tower!" Cy shouted. "You let in a bug that could still be multiplying – all because you never wanna listen. And frankly, spike, I don't think your real name was ever Richie."
"H- how do you know that?? Who –
"Him." Bb growled as his ears dropped. The screen didn't have to go off as Slade slammed his palm down angrily. By the window, was the bat of Gotham. In the flesh.
"Good evening, titans."
"Mr. THE BAT!" Starfire gasped and floated back beside Robin. "You …we were not expecting any visitors at this time. And so soon?"
"My tech is that good. But he's lost his momentum. Hasn't he?"
"Back off, jerk."
Slade snapped his fingers through the mic as the bat motioned to the teens. "I need a word with him." Batman motioned to the most reluctant runaway. "Alone." He emphasized strongly. Eyes narrowed at that boy's domino mask.
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"Let me talk with your boss."
"Can they hear any of this? Did you really just figure out that I'm innocent? I'm a-
"I know who you are, Dick Grayson."
Robin's eyes softened. "I'm not whoever that is, I'm their Robin –
"You're you, not Slade's personal servant-
"I'M MORE, BRUCE…" Snipped the boy with wild eyes as he tugged off his domino mask. "He doesn't need to talk to you. You heard It too, right? What we're doing –
"Making yourself just like him. Into a wanted criminal?"
"NO!" Spat the boy. "I'm his, protégé but I'm going to be the only person he'll ever see through that glass. I made sure I wouldn't fail –
"He's trained you to hate others, Dick. To only depend on him-
"Just like when you locked the old' him" up in a cage???" Dick shouted even higher in his distress. "Zucco could have been put away; you waited and set the bait, but you KNEW where he was hiding. You KNEW. But you never bothered to take care of him…for me?? Why did you just…get cold feet!"
"Too soon and you would have been back in danger, Dick. I had to be sure. Wilson was at the tent that day. It's why you were targeted."
"He didn't target me. He saw me, just like you. You both could have done anything when I had no one. You just…" Dick scoffed abd clicked his tongue at the ground, "You were just the worst one to talk to me to begin with. You left me, never sat down like my parents did and got to 'care." Sniffled the boy, backing away as he touched a spot on his mask. Bruce reached out but the tremor came to fast. "I need you to get out. Never come back."
The quake had Kori banging on the door. Bruce saw the window caving in as Dick stood there, waiting for the word from a loving dictator now in his life.
Bruce wouldn't take it.
~ HE SAID. TO GET OUT . ~
Bruce's masked eyes grew aware that they were being watched. "Tell that mad man, that I'm watching from every perch. You're not going to stay with him. Not even if you deny what I said…it's for your own good, Richard." Bruce disappeared into his seat of the batting in a single flip.
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Slade hummed to himself as Terra reset her art. She had to pant and roll her shoulders at the sheer amount; of stamina it took. "Wow. Tough life he's had. Daddy issues, the Wayne?"
"As you heard." Smirked the merc as Dick wiped his face. The Titans retrieved him and made sure that nothing went on. They had some cleaning up to do as Slade watched debris fall onto the last lead the heroes had at unmasking their nemesis. "He's made his choice. The bat, is out."
/
Dick was in the middle of a fierce capture move. If he was exposed to his team, that meant Slade wouldn't stop until their deaths came swiftly. Bruce would be guilty of allowing the children to perish, and Robin…
He'd never forgive the man. It was upsetting, yet the bat had a feeling he'd see the kid in action very soon. A briefing on a new set of designs for a heat lazer or thermal blaster had two stored locations for the prototype. He wasn't glad to get that off the ground as Wayne, but as the bat…
Bruce set off to recalculate. From what he'd been able to read by the Titans' gossip, the pier was the first place to do some snooping.
Beneath.
If only he could break the news.
/
Dick stepped back into his room and slid down the door, his back to it. He hid his head in his arms and let out a forged sigh. "I failed you, master…"
The laptop in his room flickered on. The obvious about to come. An encrypted message was attached.
~ Cyiq verte 9032. ~
It was a code.
Dick crawled over to the device and sat at the desk they had put together. Everyone here wanted to rip into him. In a sealed file attached, was a pick-up address for an item that would not be delivered. It had a tracking attached as Dick checked the link.
"Wear for…"
He squinted at the rough design. Technology. It needed something better. He'd get this passing grade on his own, he typed back to the man an idea.
~ Do you want to die early? ~
"It will work." He responded back to the mystery blogger. "Let me try it."
~ One try. Test run. Send the schematics when you do. Three weeks. No less. ~
"Yes, sir." Dick hit send as the screen showed a download file to get him started. "Just need to find a power source…" He rubbed his chin as Dick swerved the chair in the direction if an observatory across the water. He remembered it being deserted. Cold too. Oddly, artificial.
"This will have to do. Find the location of…" He typed in the code to unlock his answers. This sort of search option was only fir his blend of assassins and their students. There would be no mistake about it.
"Dr. Lee Chang. Former engineering, quantum energy and physics professor who worked on cold fusion models…and…"
Dick typed in a few words as another X symbol showed up. "Xenothium, Xeno is Greek. For different or changing shape…hum."
Fitting for a quiet thief. The costume design was Slade's own handiwork as Robin went over the back of it to its missing face piece. "Needs a mask." He went back to the average web. Ideas flooded his skull. Masquerade. Mass murderer. Horror –
In a few months, it would be time to dress up and spook the kids roaming these streets. Why not try that then?" Dick grinned and clicked on am in stock item that he could run after on hold with the money he was allowed through his master. "How about this one?" He texted back.
The three dots appeared as Dick leaned into his seat.
~ Interesting. Why this? ~
"It's almost impossible to tell and a voice modifying device can be easily built into it. I can do with being like you. Full face and no way to stop until I'm out of the way. And the Xenothium has been tested. As long as it is used but not continuous, we shouldn't self-destruct here."
~ You're learning to be reckless, not stupid, boy. ~
"I know. But a daredevil isn't what will attack." Dick tapped back. "Fool them, then the probe bots can work in our favor for the next plan. They already know I was a target. Cy's devices were totaled. So…"
~ You need to play dumber than before. Bruce is too quick on us, but I have just the remedy to keep him from the source of their conflict. ~
"What about you, master? Should I stay away a bit…um, I mean –
~ Fear not, dear boy. The bat won't break us up. I promised you a chance and this could be it. ~ The man fibbed. ~ I'll even introduce you to who made your parting scene worth the watch. She's curious to see the real you. ~
Richard blushed as he shook his head. "The subject. She's a person, Master?"
~ Flesh and blood, and willing to have her way once I hold up my end. She wants to locate someone. While going to the league would be too much trouble to bother with, I've been rather…generous with you both. ~
"You stopped him from pushing." Sniffled the kid as he tried not to weep over the keys. "He's wrong. You do care what happens to me. Thank you, Master Slade."
~ You're awfully relieved to not be crushed under debris today, twice. Anything you've failed to hide this time? ~ Slade chuckled thankful that Terra wasn't in the room right now. The boy was bonded to him by a form of conditioning that could not be severed that easily. Not unless they both perished. His noble squire.
"I'm just glad that I trusted you. You saved me, so this is what I can do. Only I could be that person you'll have at your ear. I'm still listening."
~ Get some rest. Tomorrow, any data will be rewritten. If Cyborg asks for another vial, I have something stored in bathroom to keep him guessing. ~
It was a vial of some purple liquid. Slade said it would skew the results. Dick didn't care as he held the case to his chest. "Thank you, sir…I'm glad to carry you with me, always…"
That was…
Richard wasn't …
Slade furrowed his brows as Will saw the entire sentence and how the other had reacted. "You must speak to the boy. This is…becoming the wrong sort of scenario. That –
"I'll talk. Only when he's done acting like a dreamy eyed school girl." Snorted the man. "When did this ever become a reality, Slade?? The boy is bloody smitten! This wasn't the case. Tell me the serum is responsible..."
"I'll look into this." Slade gripped his seat arms and sighed into his chest. "Don't wake the girl. Robin will rest and by tomorrow, tomorrow I'm sure he'll be learning to shoot a Xenothium powered X through solid steel and titanium."
/
So, Dick is turning into a confused student with a complex but Slade is going to tell him off. Unless, he used that the same way as he did in the original Judas contract. But no sex in this! It's just that tension he wants out of the way but had no idea how loyal the kid really was. That shouldn't come as a shock. But let's see how Bruce puts the pieces together THIS time.
Once again, this is all fantasy fiction so the children in this are not real. It's a subjective division of conflicts and scenarios that are thrown into the air as the moment allows so please! Yes, in the real reality outside of the book tube, all of this is in the state of being poison. However, it invites in aspects of suspense. Simply that. If it confuses anyone, please feel free. Up next? Masks.