Our Time in Reverse- What It Takes –
/
Chapter 43: High Flyers and Ruby Tic Tac Toe Boards
/
The equipment was nearly done. He had everything ready to ship out as Slade and his crony - bots stood by. "Such an honor to do business with the esteemed crime lord of this city. Mr. Slade. Do tell me how the Xenothium belt and gloves function for your partner."
"Chang, he's not at my level. Whatever had you to think I wouldn't work solo all these years?" Slade knew Professor Lee Chang from some old contracts. Before Richard had flown into his scope, Chang had helped out in Markovia for a spell. Tara wasn't even aware of it, yet Slade did have all of the answers the girl needed to hear.
"I took you never as someone willing to replace…" Chang stopped himself, "Ah, my apologies. Your last protégé's life will be remembered as a valued one to the cause of we villains of the lower tier. He was strong, but as-
"Ravager won't be coming back any time soon. This boy, he needs a new title soon enough. A little shock of power might have him finally out of his reluctant state of mind. I do want him to kill like my son had. In time, he won't question our methods."
"A fair teacher you are." Chuckled the goggles older man with a strong jaw and stereotyped features. Sadly, that was only due to bring shoved in lockers as a teen, or even punched down by men like Slade that wanted his genius to call their own fir a hefty bit of green.
"Black market laws work if you know how to manage around them. Thankfully, you name is safe with me. And, you donation to my laboratory…"
"The same. Should the technology be a success, I'll be sure to mail you a bit on top to conclude this deal. To many others, should your little toy impress the heroes as much as it should, my apprentice."
/
The deploying of his army to thwart the Titans, steal the chips as Slade set a background filter for Robin to see upon lifting the captured boy's face, was coming together and concluded part one of their grand half plan. First, set the mood.
Robin have dove through the air and his aerials had saved a Titan. The alien. He didn't like her; she was a pest. The boy rolled his eyes, but…
Slade squinted as the countdown went. Dick looked back and jumped to find cover from the exploding bot. Every bot itself, Slade chuckled darkly. "Good timing, better than the previous role you played with the mutant."
Slade rubbed his chin and went to seat himself at the dais. Today was a cool down. Cold water to beat the steam clogging his ridden pores as the man lifted his mask up.
"Tough evening, sir?"
Slade jolted around to see an icy pitcher of cold brew tea and a note. Well, that was quick. "Who is this from. What's the occasion, Will? Reading me more than usual?"
Will just walked to look up at the massive screens, to one of the bat scouting the rooftop near the tower with binoculars.
"He was worried you wouldn't show. Did the transaction go smoothly?"
"Chang is up for any lower with a bank account and six figures." Slade sighed as he leaned back his head. "Tara was easy tonight?"
"No more than usual. She left a mess for me to clean…and she was not once suspected she claims to be a spy. Your perfect mind is as usual, rather too twisted for my tastes."
"Get used to it, Wintergreen." Slade filled his glass and raised it up to the screen where Starfire and Robin were not getting along. "If he can push, that will pull her in. Make her seem so delicate and worth more than his objective. My dear boy is learning to push and gear himself up for a long, night. I even left a gift."
"That's generous of the almighty cheapskate." Will sniffed.
Slade countered. " Legendary, rather. Wayne might yet have you beat. He has been highly invested in the next chip. Has it locked away where none could look to wonder."
"The red one."
"Blue." Slade said. "That one the Titans have. The Red will be what Wayne will miss the most. Green, maybe the third and last." He shrugged and took a sip. "Trying to give me a sugar rush? Infusions, again?"
"You could use something less toxic to your image in one glass. Eating like a muscle-bound tightwad is fine, for a time. You're not in your thirties. Even if science tells me wrong on that…"
Wrinkled was his brow, yet Slade's was in peak form. "Fine. Thank you for the venom." He downed the glass in one gulp as that, turned the elder's frown upside down.
" Now, I'm ready for my power nap. Care to shut your lids and let the bat's master stay at ease?" Will teased.
"A bat in the belfry would make you lose some ounce of sleep. Tonight, I think the boys can handle things by keeping him closer from our haunt."
"Robots. Humph. You'd rather boss me around all blasted…well, children, that I might call your sadism at work –
"I'm cursed to oblige." Slade smirked. "None taken. Thank you for the refresher. I'll stand guard. Not even tired."
"Very well." Will nodded and wound his way back down a maze of corridors and halls that were stone cold grey and copper. Something about that sentiment made him think. No matter. The cot was calling.
/
Robin waited at the window as he went for it. Cy was so slow at this. Yet had he been so coy, Raven was waiting below.
"Hi." Dick landed with his grapple cord as she raised her head to the stuck in claw. Her hand moved abd it was forced to retract as she caught him, floating them both back up to his room as he writhed by her magic. "Stay put. We don't want you in danger. Not again."
"Raven, it's out there. I can't stay put."
"Tomorrow night." Raven unbleached her fists. "Promise me. Don't go to whoever you think us willing to help you more than us, or we won't give you the option of staying on this team."
/
He needed to go. The package. Everything…it was supposed to be a test. Some runner up je turned out to be. Kicking the side of his bed, the boot made a scuff in the wood as Dick growled at his rotten luck. Stay here. Be a fake Titan. Go out, get what he wanted. Ruin the plan.
Dick sat on his bed until his poor eyes could not stay open…
/
It was after hours and even Bb was fast into REM. Raven had to be in rotation of guard duty. Maybe asleep. He looked up and saw a shadow cross the room on foot. Robin didn't dare do a thing as the…
Robot. It was holding a package in its hands a black and white case. With a Red X on the front. Dick looked the bot in the eye as a recording or an audio feed cane through. ~ This was not difficult to manage, though I realized your persons was put on lock down. My apologies for being a bit tardy with your equipment. It should be inside. The technology you requested. The suit? ~
"I, it's under my bed. In a box."
~ Hide it better. It's time to go. What will you call yourself after tonight. Apprentice? ~
The bot cocked its head curiously as Dick looked and eyed the design of Slade's little present.
"Red…. red, Red X." Dick looked the bot in the eye as it backed away. With a nod, it cloaked itself and left the tower via a passage allowed by Slade's command of the Titans' home. Robin started to strip down and swap voices with a modifying elder ice he'd installed in a costume mask he'd picked up on their trip out. Being a hero paid something at least. Slade had his account at a set limit, yet he could learn to budget. It was right to do this. To get the number one spot. Dick pressed the center of the belt as it turned a brilliant, glowing red. He became consumed by its glow and left the gloves for last along with the belt. It fit right. Like…like it belonged to him…
" Alrighty, then. Time to tug some chords, make some noise downtown." His persona…a cocky, elusive thief. A thief who wanted to help the bad guy for his own gains, but then found…
Dick looked down at a sticky note set up in the box.
In it was not only instructions, but what Slade wanted to add to their little performance. Dick's hand did stop shaking as the little prompt told the part he'd be playing. He had to kill a hero or pretend to. Then, he had to do a complete 360….and reveal his identity to the heroes…
Losing their trust…
/
Slade made sure he could get up to speed and designed a robot to held the attire of an armed guar at the next building. It took control and there was no dispute. By the latest of midnight call, the alarms went off fir the Titans.
"Where is friend Robin??"
~ Sorry. ~
The comm popped up. ~ I went sooner, was an s.o.s and thought you guys were –
"Your broke out. We had a deal." Cy reprimanded. "I'm not letting this happen again, hear me? Stay where you are and –
~ He's got the chip! ~
~ No time, get here asap. Use Raven's powers. Tech sector. The coordinates are coming to you. ~
Dick slid back on the mask as he weaved past a corridor. Scrambler on. Mask up. Voice, deep. Running…
Super-fast. Robin punched the belt as it fizzled to life. His entire body felt particle light as his entire frame became the specks he worried would follow. Instead, it acted as s temporary. He felt…high on the dopamine. The rush!
"Whoa…"
"Nowhere ta run." Cy was there with the others. Mask up, deep breath.
"Not planning on playing long. So, you can find someone else to interrogate. Sorry, kids."
"Kid?? He's the punk who took the chip –
"Ow!" Bb was bonked by Raven as Starfire stepped forth. "Please, surrender what you have stolen and we shall not have to harm you."
"Not in the cards, sweetheart. I've got a lot of slots to have filled by tonight. None of yours to know." He ran in the other direction as he flew to a roof and dropped from it, to catch a fire escape.
"After em!"
That was…Dick snorted and swung his whole body up as he scaled the catwalk down, doing aerial flips and seeking his exit to a subway underground. At night, the place looked too deserted. Spooky. He saw his own reflection in the sheen of the wall and gasped with a chuckle. "Get it together –
"Do you come with Subtitles?"
Dick set his goal to cloak mode.
"My eye can spot him even if he's invisible."
Dick crouched, a good hit coming as he scaled up to the tin man's back. (I'm taking out three times and I'll make it the first time, then decided it fails. Wait for it…)
One X. Wonder if it? He waited until a shadow shifted then…
Wham !!
Cy acted as if he had a remote control in some kid's hands to work him. The ted light harming his body as X in this outfit moved onto Raven while she was willing to battle the thief.
"Heads up." He flung a gloppy X as it layered her in red good. It…morphed? He really liked this game. A lot!
Chuckling, the thief went for the platform as a starboard nearly had him fall onto the tracks. Was a train running this –
Bb came as a Billy goat with horns as Dick side stepped. Starfire freaked out, Dick's heart already past pounding. "No… He smacked the X on his belt and ended up getting the kid out of danger. The dazed hero rubbed his skull as their mystery enemy flipped to the exit and was away from any questions the teens might have otherwise had.
He swapped out in a few minutes to Robin's uniform and stunned a flashlight on cue at the dusted heroes. "Titans??"
"R…Robin, you…" Starfire went to Cyborg as he started to spit.
"You let us down again, man! We went up to the dang spot and you just didn't get around to it?? I know you didn't go an-
"I was thrown off, when you…" Dick held his bruised cheek. "Sorry, the bot. It hit me pretty hard. I was kind of unable to hurry until I came back. I'm sorry…"
Raven let the glop slip off as she moved to put a hand to his face. "Slade bot." She read. That was all she could. Slade's courses really paid off. "Hold still." Dick winced as the pain in a white light, simply wasn't there once her hand had been removed. "Better?"
"Yes, totally…we both…what happened to you and Cy?"
"And me!!" Bb growled. "I got saved and socked by…by a dude in a Halloween mask and a cape! A cape!"
"Uhm, what is the matter with the cape?" Starfire asked.
"Nothing, but he got socked before by ex-daddy. Why did it take thirty minutes if you got only one –
Dick pulled up his tunic. They looked bruised, pretty badly as Raven's eyes deepened a bit. "Ribs…" Robin said with a hiss." I can't lie to you…it, really effing hurts right now…"
Cy moved and rolled his shoulders as the effects wore down. "Back online. But you need medical attention, badly. And, sorry we doubted you. I didn't want you ta get hurt…it's my error."
"I don't fight like he taught me, so I'm going to hurt a lot more." Dick smiled still, before Raven and Star had to catch the winded false hero. "I…did what I could…"
/