Teen Titans Renegade's Last Resort- Finding Pandora = Hope

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Chapter 9: Stripped and Bone Bare of his Pride

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Dick staggered into the elevator as they didn't bother making a switch to the dockside alone. As if this weren't enough, Livewire was mainly in custody thanks to the remaining robots that hadn't lost their heads. They marched in single file as if ants under a moonlit picnic bench. The stray trip led Dick to flank the other as they did the same to he and Livewire.

Once the new safe house and haunt was evaluated inside the shell of a hideout; the crates moved along as the boys pressed buttons to open more passageway into the walls. Still, it was too dark to see a thing as the bots knew where to go. Robin, was along for the ride as if unable to leave the pack with his forced trust.

They were now in an elevator to ground peel, like that last haunt, only deeper in the Rock of Gotham's woodwork. Slade had succeeded in getting the Owls pissed off, or would. Joker had to have some agreements made, as well as Cobbles pot, Black Mask…

Who else knew about this, Dick wondered as he was let down a poorly lit hallway into a screen spillover- a whole room surrounding them with the latest attempt to gain traction. Being what he was, Slade even left subtitles and the perfect range of sound. A torture chamber, as Livewire melted off into the shadows.

"You came, unhinged there. A bit late to gain pardon from the bat."

Slade's liquid purr made him sound amused as ever by this development. "I did what was necessary. You, you knew. You knew about where they'd be saved…"

"Can you read minds now, apprentice?" Smirked the madman as his boots done with the test, his glinting half mask had Dick stiffen by how the shimmer if those screens made him look as if the images bounced off of the metal plates he and Robin were wearing.

By far, his burden to carry.

"No, I can read motives. You told me to –

"I never specifically said "Were." Slade corrected. "You assumed me to be one to forgive your actions on that vessel?"

"You'll never trust me, even if you say-

"In time, that won't all matter. You'll stay, and for one…" Slade rubbed his chin as he pondered over a detail. "That suit. Take it off for me."

Dick staggered backwards. "That wasn't-

"You fought the archer. Took his belongings to tir him up. Take him out. Why should I trust you…you said it right, dear boy. That will take much longer if you cannot follow orders. Now, strip. All of –

"Fuck off, Slade! I'm-

The trigger came out as Dick looked at the screens, the light and sounds... it was worth seeing them. A few threads bared to…Slade. He wanted honesty, even forced out of the boy.

"Strip, and you may be forgiven for your earlier transgressions."

Dick slipped off his jacket first from the new suit. The gloves, too quick as his heart raced.

"Easy." Slade near whispered as he saw the shift. "You're going too fast, it won't be healthy if you're getting dehydrated in a hole. Take your time."

Slade looked at the screens as he turned his head. One eye at Robin, the other was bare and pointless to shift unless, to mock.

Dick growled and undid his boots. If Slade wanted a show, he'd give him a big standing ovation. This bird was not going ti stay grounded forever. It was…just…"

"Easy, Richard."

Dick felt his breath hitch as he shut his eyes, sliding a bit while trying not to break apart.

~ He's going to Gotham and we can't just pack up and leave um all to –

~ Cyborg, what I wanna know is how they got stuck in this with you in the first place?~

Green Arrow was such a nosy Nance, Slade sniffed, watching only as Dick was starting to tremble a lot less. Down to his pants left, he started to pull down the undertakers next. His briefs, Slade would leave those.

Poor kid. Wasn't allowed to wear boxers on the job. Too much material to let hang around, but…he passed.

"Let me see you." Slade came up to the kid as he lifted the kid's chin, taking the last piece off. The mask was in his hands as Dick's blue stared daring back with slits of an angry cat.

"Nothing to hide. You're clean, almost." Slade motioned an arm as he lowered his apprentice's chin to usher over a bot with a towel in hand. "Shower will be close down that hall. The robot will guide you."

"Can…can you trust me." Dick rasped as his voice was still as shaken as his momentum to turn on the man.

"We won't know so soon, will we?" Slade chuckled, turning the kid round to do as he was told. Wobbling until he was grounded, the room stabilized and the sound became background noise with a press from Slade's remote. "Go, rest."

"Wait…what about-

"I shouldn't of just up and tricked you like that." Livewire came out as the collar was taken off, a big grin on her face as Slade didn't send his boys into attack mode at all. "Livewire will be a stand in guard and associate for us. Or, primarily against the Titans and bat. She can fix any means of communication to keep them blinded while you and I train for the future. The cover will be enough to take the element from Wayne, and this means no more errors. No failures." Slade told the kid harshly. For your sake…. Wintergreen will not be joining us here. Just a master, and his untrained apprentice." He explained, rather cheerfully.
"Anything she needs, we will negotiate. Consider it a viable lesson. You let her out, even when that could have left you to go against my orders. You even let her attack them, to a degree."

The man mused as Dick clung to the towel. "Go change, remember what I'll want from you the next time you should take that shot – no mistakes, Robin." Slade put up a finger before nudging his heck at the bot in the exit, waiting on the diligent boy wonder.

"Understand your place."

The kid padded out with his head ducked. Livewire watched, and when he was out if sight, she let out a real sigh of amazed surprise at the warning.

"Whoa! You…sir, are hard core on that boy. And life is tough on him already-

" You as well. I should warn, my dear." Slade held up the remote he'd been fiddling with earlier. "He's not the only one who needs to learn some obedience in this city."
She groaned before biting back a scream. Blood trickled from.her nose as he held a palm there. Her big glossed eyes saw the man and she knew why. Why there was a problem with patchy….why he was a bat villain half the time… why…

Why Robin was so damn miserable.

"S…sorry!" She sputtered. "I'll do better next time, I swear!"
The stupidest response, and the click was over as her entire body returned to normal. "It's to save you the trouble of turning on your pride, my dear." Slade dropped his arm, letting the next screen show just why he had to act a bit selfishly to keep her in his lair like that.

"YOU…..BUGGED ME UP??"

"The can't taken out by your powers. If you even so as put one toe out of line, you'll be ended." Slade sneered. "You're a con artist at heart. Hack into every room underground that I've built and you'll see just what it means to have nothing to stand for. Go on." He motioned, yet she shook her head.

"See? Better at this already." Slade nodded, the screens changing to show Batman on the prowl atop a lonesome gargoyle. "That, was faster than anticipated." Slade frowned. Livewire said not a word.

"When the time comes, that angry rodent will forget how to see what's right in front of him. Make sure that my apprentice is untouchable." He commanded her. "His safety, his very nature is never to change unless I say that it should."

"Ah…yes…s- sir!" She nodded, bowing like an idiot on the force overseas. "I'm good to drag him out of the shadows…ta stay alive."

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Bruce would be waiting. Watching for Slade as he came up top. Maybe in a day, ten days. Bruce groaned and wondered what was being broadcasted to the man's lair. He swapped to a scrambler on his belt as he alerted his own to do the same. "Keep Wilson guessing. He should not be able to distract us with anything suspicious of mass destruction…"

Bruce shut off the link as his eyes remembered this very spot. Robin had been told not to climb off ahead. All energy, not wit as he simply let the wind take his breath away.

Slade wouldn't take that image, as Bruce kept on brooding. Watching the ground below for a clue…
Time was running shorter; the Titans wouldn't be safe while the solution was a single fix. Untested, maybe. This was a desperate hour, and so f as not a single side effect had him wondering otherwise.

The Titans were alive Slade was free to roam the city with his ward, his son in the man's throws. How should he react, as angry as any father whose child had been abducted?

Yet Dick Grayson was not a normal kid, let alone a teen who wanted to prove that fact to his mentor. Look what now that had done – dragging him into the limelight….losing.

Bruce didn't try to stop as y put as he set off his grapnel to hit for another turret. This city held memories he'd rather treasure, all because Robin had come into his life so very long before the Titans.

Slade would pay.

The bat darkly looked out as the red in his vision slightly grew.

Slade, would see his fury at maximum.
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