Our Time in Reverse- What it Takes
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Chapter 70: Capitol Zero – World Burning Down
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So, back! Slade is goodie goodie with Trigon or, the other way around. Dick is working to keep Slade positively uncertain of his real desire to topple the man for lying to him, torturing him with a serum that made Slade crazy, and may do the same to Renegade.
Larry appears from his dimension and says that his idol, Night Mite told Larry Nosyarkcid, to find Richard Grayson and warn him about what was going to occur should he not swap titles from villain, back to hero.
Starfire is worried that Richard is not fully on their side, but pities him if he is and Cy and Raven sense that it's all an act because Batman guesses the same. Slade could be trying to break Renegade so his plan will fail and he'll just stay with Slade to guide him. Forever. Being his a super soldier serum - victim now.
So…will Raven figure out her real enemy is not Richard for taking the job as spy for Trigon and Slade on their lives, and are Roy or Wally dead set on helping out? Find out!
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Trails of red from a motor bike's headlights scared the citizens of Jump City. People on their way home or even the police were stumped a grey, tiger tattooed looking young adult with angry eyes resembled Lobo from Metropolis. That, and the Titans had to stop the copy cat, Johnny Rancid.
"Nyahaha!! Go Titans!! We can take em!" Larry was optimistic but also didn't see the new Robin as his match. He poked the kid to speed up, yet Todd used the caution Batman had instilled once he saw a boy on the rooftops standing up, to face them.
One that looked ready to kill for the sake of a wasted glory.
"I….Rob –
He blasted at her, eyes solid behind the mask while Johnny took that as an OK in getting back to terrorize the city goers after dark.
Raven didn't wantbti treat it as sge lashed out via tendrils of darkness, her telepathic voice hearing…
Static. That wasn't-
"AH!"
"He's not going to trust me again, thanks to this mess. You know what you have to do." The boy recited to Raven as Starfire's eyes lit up fiercely. All eyes on Richard.
Renegade.
"Slade doesn't call the shots. We do. You aren't shit without someone to go crawling back to, so what gives?" Cy wasn't having it.
Dick turned his head as the thermal ray in his hands was on his arm, branded there. Slade decided to voice activate it to the suit like a high powered magnet; if they tried to remove it, someone got shocked.
"Bring it, then. We'll see if you're not wrong." Dick was grinning and Jason knew that Slade had done more damage without their knowing again.
Psychological torture was the General's specific calling.
"Titans!"
The main stage was the city. Up, soon. And Dick knew how to grip solid concrete as his abilities made his muscles ache like never before.
It was a madness that Slade had injected into him before the mission without saying a thing. A very feral part of Dock had awakened as he only did what got him the most points, the most effort.
He in a deep way, had no idea how to cage this beast as Beastboy threw himself as a hawk at the Titan. The thermal blaster rooted out the problem while Raven ran to heal Bb's arm. Starfire flew over to Dick arm before he shouted –
"NO!"
She'd activated the arm; his whole body and her own were coated in red rats as he started to come to. She was, trying to, but he ran for it.
~ Apprentice. Report!~
"She, touched me. Sir. I'm s –
~ Go after Rancid. Keep up. I want you back in one piece. Don't let it happen twice…~
Dick could feel the effects wearing off. He would have to run for Rancid he set off a grapnel shot as Raven danced into view and tore into the suit by her talons. Dark energy, cold as he screamed out and fell right into the wall he'd tried to scale. Trash layered at his feet, a tin can lid rolled by.
"Ro-
"Renegade." He grunted, trying to get up. The suit wasn't hurting her?? Why?
"I've deactivated it. You should be safe –
"I'm never safe! Look at us!...It's all my fault…" Dick crumpled and held the wall, his composure without Slade there was of a frightened sort of human. The kind that needed to get a away before he exploded at himself.
"You're not continuing to let him through. T-
~ Apprentice. I told you to use. That. Blaster. Defend you position.~
"I …"
Dick raised his arm, the tendrils shrinking back as he crouched and fled.
Raven blinked and clutched her chest, her eyes turning to four red suits before she called down. "Slade…"
This tug of war with Richard wasn't coming off as easy enough to him. Richard's connection had to be severed. Even with the tears in his suit, the mangled parts about the ground now, he was still intact. Still running but to the wrong company.
Even if Todd wanted that, she couldn't keep this up. He couldn't, and it was a risk to let Dick make such a stupid gamble of his own sanity.
She had heard his heart and it broke hers too well. If Dick ever had a superpower without the serum, it would be to leave a trail of them in his wake.
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Slade pounded his fist onto the console. He saw it all. There, before the crackle. That boy was not going to play dirty. He got up, calling out to one more who might hear him. "Lord Trogon! I'm giving you permission to do as you wish, so long as they are kept alive…"
~ TORMENTING YOUR SERVANT IS OF NO VALUE TO ME. MY DAUGHTER HOWEVER, WILL LEARN TO ENJOY THE TROUMPH OF ENDONG THIS SJALL WAR. AS YOU DESIRE, MY FAITHFUL FOLLOWER. ~
The booming echo had Slade turn back on some back up cameras. Raven was trying, she really was bold enough to play the hero…too bad.
Slade smirked and pressed on more perfect button on his console's settings as the dash lit up, and Richard's eyes shut in time for Raven to scream out. Burned by her father's powers, sge felt her skin bleeding woth marks of red, of lava and torn clothing on them both, wailing for their merciless masters to stop.
Slade sighed, leaning back as he watched, waiting for the Titans to hear it as well.
Of their first real warning.
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So….this is it? Running after the B day thing, we are skipping it. TRIGON is going to bring the fire through Raven and someone will act to shut her down. Who, though? Find out!