Our Time in Reverse – What It Takes –
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Chapter 47: Pointless Wunderkind
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"I swear, can't we have a decent conversation about this, lads?"
Slade had snuck mad mod out of his cell as a prison guard with one detailed helmet. "You pushed my hand in this, Mod. You made that bond stronger, yet you defied my warning to PUSH harder!"
The man was kicked in the face as others the thug had hired just patched him up, a note there for his release back to a nursing facility and not an asylum. "I always keep to my side of the bargains I swear to men like you. Take it. Your job is done. Don't show up again unless I call."
With a swing of his cell door shut, Moddie was unable to retort and simply groaned to clutch his balding, liver patched skull. "I'll be at that. The lad's not knew to these projects. Might have to contract ken like him through my network more, bloody often."
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Dick tapped his foot and sat on his mattress. The floor was his comforts he'd left it behind. One night remaining. It was midnight. Day three. Three days had passed. The last day…his master had to deliver. Dick laid finally down as his eyes shut for only a few short hours…
The dream he had that night, was very strange.
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~ Hello? ~ The cell and prison in his head was like another planet. He pounded the earth and leaped with low gravity, dust chartering as a second set of feet found their way closer. ~ Apprentice. Tonight, will be the end of your security. You might need to choose now; where do your loyalties lie-
~Sir, with you! ~ Dick rebuked. ~I won't go anywhere. That's…what we promised. ~
~ You won't even want to kill them, once you find out…~
~Sir…sir! Wait! ~
For a brief moment, the scene looked familiar once more. Dances across roofs in Jump could not compare to those cold, dark streets of Gotham. The figure of Slade had morphed into a winged man, a child beneath that desired but an answer from their fledgling since lost in the world.
~ Don't you want to meet them? Your family? The rest of us, Dick? ~
~ Your family is not with him, Renegade. ~
Slade appeared as Batman's cloak swept behind him, Richard becoming equally frustrated. His mask was still on, his Robin uniform in the dream was an identical shade as he saw half of it morph into Renegade's uniform. An exact two face as he fell over, both Slade and Bruce pointing at him. Talking down to him.
~ You can't even save this city. It does not belong to you, you never earned the role or title of a hero.~
~Bruce…I'm doing-
~ How coukd you turn your back on our plans, Renegade? You belong to me, this city will one day listen on our every word. The titans won't be needed. How can you stand as mu apprentice….~
~ When you don't even
...
~STOP!~ The ground shook as both adults spoke in unison 9ver him. His feet giving way, the cracks were made larger and this world fell slowly to crumble at his feet. In the dark, it didn't seem to have a way to the bottom, only into a sinking abyss as he fell.off of his own planet.
Yelled at by two men that were supposed to be his teachers.
Dick let the lies take him as he fell.into the real world wkth an alarm so red, both ears thought to bleed. He woke, sweating off the fear of loss so great as Cy stepped through his door.
"It's him, it's Slade."
Dick checked his alarm clock.
Four a.m.
He wiped his brow, hard wired to evade his emotions for long periods.
~ Not my apprentice. Not theirs…~
"I'm coming. Hold on." He lifted himself from the bed as Cy worriedly walked over. "You ok? Looks like you had a pretty bad nightmare. The acts been on, so you aren't the only one a us."
"Who else could…"
Dick flew by Cy' bulk to the main room.
Raven.
Fricken witch, she had to get too close!!
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In her dream, Raven had seen a cloaked man from her world and Trigon, her father. They made a deal; one bent on gaining power and using that to enter through their gates to this world. Her home.
A boy was at the arm of the man in the cloak, and Raven didn't have time to call out as her dream had ended. Starfire and Bb were outside the door, knocking for her to go with them. An alert had the heroes up too soon.
"Cy called us… yawn….tell me you heard that thing, too?" Bb grumbled and slouched his way down the hall, as Starfire saw how disturbing this was to her female teammate for some reason. "Friend, Raven? Are you not… well?" The princess asked. "Did you not also have the same alarming dream of waking to the exact siren in the tower?"
Raven shook her head. "No, Starfire I…didn't sleep." The empath replied. "I didn't catch a wink, not like he can."
Bb scratched his ear and yawned again, muttering that he wanted to go back to bed. That only crazy early birds or night owls lived in Gotham half of the year.
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According to Bruce, that was true by most standards.
He awoke to Jason nudging the man up, the rest being that he wasn't in Gotham, bit they weren't in the hot –
"Jason?" Bruce looked to see them in what was indeed a closet. "We were tracked down, B. You nearly got thrown out a window until your call last night…
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Bruce had heard the news about the madness in Jump and only saw a glimpse of the one responsible before he was locked away. As the bat after visiting hours the previous night, he'd gone to the whacko's cell for answers.
Mod's red hippie capped hair was dead and balding. The man in the program was not there. A stump of a real geezer sat on the bench and had a plain cane in his hands, looking at his past and present while the bat had no real guards to keep him out.
"Mad Mod, or is it…someone else I should be addressing."
" Moddie is fine, Bat – bore." The elder groaned and laid onto his cot, scratching his pants bottom as Bruce ignored the lack of decorum in this elderly British male's manner of hospitality.
"I'm aware you fought the Titans –
"What's it to you what I did or didn't, mate? "Snorted the disgruntled senior. "Those brats ruined my idea; was a brilliant plan. I took it from an old picture in my day." Mod grinned, almost happy that he'd gone bad all over again since 67'. "To base it on an indoctrination of today's whiny –
"Criminal charges were not dropped by your pleas for insanity." Bruce told the grumpy senior. "I did it for recognition, bats. How else could I get my way in this new fangled town?"
"Who pushed you in the first place, Moddie." Bruce asked and demanded the British elder consider hos sentence carefully the next time. "You were able to have your resources. You're originally a Hollywood designer and failed executive of a company in tinsel town that's since lost its charm and sway. Who had you ultimately "decide" that attacking the Titans would make you into what he'd promised?"
Mod turned white as a dead man, with the man looming over, having been more than aware of Jump's criminal hierarchy.
"I…. I reached out, he'd give me a job. He did is' part…I underestimated the bird bloody brat…The big boss was fond of keeping him alive. Under orders..." Mod raised an elderly brow and chuckled. "Sort of imagined your boy in that suit. Looked to be an exactly, identical –
"Trust me, Mod." Bruce turned to go, Mod's chance to catch the bat off guard, a bit worrisome that he wouldn't have his time to turn this over to the big man. "Those two have no further connection. You'll now have your evidence shuttered for revealing that you were of your own accord. Say hello to the Joker for me when they admit your name into the register." Bruce left to a foul mouthed elder and no further questions, before he'd seen the ambush. Been knocked out as smoke bombs and that man's face…and a girl…. he'd lost consciousness as Mod skipped to freedom. Bruce knew what could happen, that Dick was not getting that extra day to wait for him. How they nearly had him when he woke, the beating and ten – rocks flying and his flip into the water by the bay.
A set of sirens sang as he drifted back to life and pressed his unit to send an alarming S.O.S to his partner.
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"Dick…. Slade is, active." Bruce gripped his neck as if something had stung him. "B…. we looked into Mod, and it was his big break. Slade's drones took them all outta there. Cinderblock, Jinx and even Doctor Light."
"This is, not good. Jason. I need to give you one order while I rest –
"B?" Jason checked the man's pulse and saw the injection site. "The cave." Jason's voice shook. "I'm sending you home, I'll get the Titans to hear me out."
"Jason…." Bruce was weak, not from being hit, he was with…some drug?
"We'll get you to the lab. I don't like what I'm feeling. Cool it, lifting…. heavy!" Jason dragged Bruce from the dock side to the bat wing on the water; converted in one click. "I hid it. We'll set the coordinates…Jason…" Groaned the billionaire.
"Yeah, B?" Jason almost didn't want to be left alone. It was not his mission. Not now, but he was the one who had wanted to meet Dick Grayson. As a kid, he had…. idolized the kid on the trapeze, pitied him as Bruce had wanted. He had really wanted Dick to be with them both…
"I'll get them to listen. Slade is up to something, big."
The bat wing slipped off into the open water as Jason didn't wave and simply turned to the bay's other view.
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"Titans…. nice ta meet ya." He grinned and looked for his vehicle. Built in propulsion for flight. He could jet across –
He then saw the car, the cycle. The fight….
Just after, Five A.M….
Jason didn't know what to do. If he went to follow them, that was best. Tail and try to assist. It was what he was trained for. Jason rode on as his bike was slim enough to navigate the side streets. The docks…the pier? They were headed towards him!
He dove out of the way, hiding as the alien Starfire; slender, strong and quite lovely…. she sneezed. Loudly.
"Please excuse me. I am allergic to metallic chromium."
"Whoa, lucky break!" Grinned the green kid, the 'morpher" known as Beast boy.
"Then…" The purple eyed goth frowned, rubbing her chin as the answer was too easy. For them."
"Star can track it."
It? What was it?
"The chronotron detonator is a trap, I know it." Dick's brows furrowed below the mask, his wrists scrunched as his face. "Slade wouldn't let us in without a reason to see us all fall or get captured."
"You are here, with u – u…. achoo!!"
The teens stood back and covered their faces. Robin used his cape; Dick looked so much like Slade in black and red that Jason looked away, hoping to join into a fight if anyone else had their metallic eyes wide open.
Maybe, like some villains they knew….
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Slade would have paced his way to Gotham, yet his gloves were cleaned of the mess of abducting Wayne without any prints to convict a soul. He was Mr. Black in yet the locals eyes; in the Titans', he was just Slade. To the bat, he didn't want conflicted thoughts on where they'd be headed once this city was burnt to ash.
"How is the plan by the docks, Terra? Any sign of them yet?"
A crackle, a pause as Terra spoke through her comm. ~ Almost. The alien princess is allergic to the device's alloy. I think that's a good thing, mius it being kinda weird. ~
"This world is never as we decide, my dear. And, Robin? How is he faring after the lead's been added?"
A lead, as in a robot disguised as a person. A new version with a vocal box and the suit it was in was a dock worker. Nothing less as the girl explained everything. "Your perfect partner tossed the bot into a wall. Keeps asking it if it has seen the symbol you left for them. Waay, too creepy. You sure he's got this?" Terra had seen this once. A child clung to their adult until that silent betrayal made them lose their senses. Dick was so much like the person she once was. Now dethatched, Slade was nothing but a tool. A short-term guide for her brother to be located.
~ Bryon was located last night, by one of my close contacts. He's still subjected to tests as you said to control his abilities. By next month, I'll arrange for you to gather him, bring him through the country and I'll even have your names changed so you…can do some catching up. ~
To Tara, this was very big as her hand flew to her mouth, gasping back tears while Bb sniffed the air. She kicked up so dirt to make his sneeze instead, her eyes wondering if he was easy to train. Dog – Bb nosed into a warehouse with his team as Tara pressed a switch in her palm.
"Lock em up. All successfully completed, sir." Tara nodded into her comm.
~ Very good. ~ Slade purred back, pleased as ever that this could work. ~ Release our "welcome brigade. ~
Tara nodded and pressed another button, watching the sun start to peak by through the air without the heroes there to see it.
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Jaspn gawked as Tara hopped down, his feet moving as he jumped her; the comm flying from her fingers as she yelled and growled as some fierce beast for him to let her go. "Get offa' me!"
"You locked them in…. let me –
The rumble was severe as Tara turned to the warehouse, the only one far off the water that lead to a tunnel into the sewer, the Titans being sent into it as Jason tugged at the blonde's arm and looked at her with masked desperation. "Tell me where they're going. Answer, or I won't hold back."
"Hurt me, hurt your pride." Tara snarled, "Not much of a hero, neither is the guy you copied."
"I…" Jason bit his lip. "So, what. He's going to get his shit back. I want answers, dweeb."
" What??" Tara let her eyes glow golden until he pulled out a bat tech special. A strange disc rendered her powerless as shocks coursed through Tara's body. "Shit… shit! N –
He dragged out her device for opening the door as the locks unbound, the tunnel revealed as the door was thrown back. "Shit, now what…" He held onto Terra as she didn't get to defy him with her fists of avalanche given might.
"I brought these for Slade, but you need em more," The cuffs were for a meta as they collapsed outward, encircling her wrists instead. "No, you don't know him…. he won –
"Shut up !" Jason shot at the kid, just a kid. He couldn't let her steer him the wrong direction from here on. "Obviously. You work for him, so why would I trust you? Huh? You want to tell me why my brother isn't above ground? I know he's got something cooking." Tara saw something of this Robin that didn't scream bat. More thug than anything, more vengeful. "Slade never said it, but we met. Just once." Todd grinned and pulled Tara with him as the robots lay dead. Birdarangs in their arms, chests. Like it was a massacre of metal parts, a war not won.
"You won't get to stop –
"Shut up and come on." Jason plucked Tara up as she was forced to fall. Down into the sewer, he didn't forget the grapple as the floor crumbled once more, the broken bots falling into the sewer waters and out to the largest source of stink made whole in Jump.
" Ewwww…eww…!"
"Quiet." Jason shushed Tara as they were brought deeper down the tunnels. "I think I can hear…"
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Soo??? Find out! We are into apprentice part one by the way, 2003.
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