Simulation Training Session Against The Best Assassins In The World In Lethal Mode: Completed And Passed
Renegade, fully dressed in his mercenary identity except for his mask, smiled at the robotic voice and stowed his weapons once the training session had ended.
Thanks to some special, advanced technology -stolen from both Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp by Dick himself- in the huge secret training room in the Wilson home it was possible to fight against holograms of all heroes and the most dangerous assassins and mercenaries.
Thus Renegade could simultaneously fight against the world's greatest threats in the highest mode and thus such holograms were no less lethal than the originals.
Consequently, this allowed Renegade to not even hold back in the slightest, thus only being able to improve and perfect himself from all points of view: physical, mental, strategy, etc.
This was an exceptional training method that allowed him to perfect and keep himself always in more than extraordinary physical and mental form.
Dick heard his work phone emit a short ring that resounded throughout the room, signaling the arrival of a message, and he walked over to the table. He picked it up and raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw that it was Slade who had contacted him, being even more confused when he read his message.
Klarion. Spell shortly. Don't panic. Do what you think is best.
The acrobat's mind immediately went into detective mode, analyzing the message from his former mentor and all that he knew.
A few hours earlier Deathstroke had left to head to one of his New York City hideouts to attend one of his usual meetings with the Light who, at least in previous meetings, had not yet organized any other plans. This meant that in these hours of meeting the Light came up with a plan involving Klarion and his powerful magic.
Dick could not help but notice the brevity of the sentences lacking conjunctions and subjects, which surely indicated that Slade barely had time to warn him for what was shortly to happen. Moreover, the fact that his father warned him not to panic implies that whatever the spell was, it would have been so dangerous and terrible that it could potentially have frightened Renegade.
I'm not feeling the aster.
The last Flying Grayson smiled sweetly at the last sentence of the message that clearly conveyed Slade's total unconditional trust in him. The knowledge that he was the person Deathstroke The Terminator, the world's deadliest and most dangerous mercenary, trusted more than anyone else and on such a high and unattainable level, well, it was always a beautiful feeling that warmed his chest.
With a sigh he stowed his work phone in one of the many compartments of his armor. He walked out of the secret training room and as soon as he reached the living room his civilian and personal phone rang. He picked it up, gave a small smile when he saw that Rose was calling him and accepted the call.
"Hey sis-"
"D-Dick!"
Dick froze, his smile quickly slipping away. He felt the cold clawing at his body at his little sister's voice of pure panic and desperation and his grip on his phone tightened slightly unconsciously, almost snapping it in half. "What happened, sweetheart?" he asked keeping his voice soft, immediately going into overprotective big brother mode.
His chest contracted painfully when he heard her pull up with her nose on the other side of the phone line. "M-Mom disappeared! I-In front of u-us!"
The acrobat blinked in surprise, not expecting that. "What?"
"M-me and Joey w-were watching a movie with m-mom and suddenly s-she disappeared!"
The hell?
"I-I'm scared, D-Dick! I want m-mommy!"
The Talon winced at his younger sister's so distressed and frightened whimpering and his heart broke further at the mental image of her with tears on her angelic, innocent face. "I will fix this. I promise you, Rosie. I'll be right with you, okay?"
He heard her pull up with her nose. "Okay."
"Good." Renegade sprinted into his room, determined to change clothes and take his Renegade armor with him anyway.
He had the distinct feeling that it would serve him well.
"In the meantime stay close to Joey and do not separate for any reason in the world. Do not open the front door to anyone, hang up immediately on suspicious calls, close the windows and stay away from them. Lock yourselves in your mother's bedroom closet and leave only when you hear four loud knocks on the bedroom door. Am I clear?" he ordered in a firm but at the same time gentle voice.
"A-All right."
If Dick had had a heartbeat, at that moment he was sure that it would have been so fast that he thought his heart might have left his chest.
He was so anxious and worried about his little siblings as never before and he did not know if Adeline's disappearance was a part of Light's plan, although he doubted it since no super-villain was aware of Deathstroke's ex-wife or his younger children.
"I'll be right there. Don't worry, Rose: everything will be all right. I will fix everything. I promise." Dick continued to reassure her with sweet and reassuring words. "Your mother will be fine. Trust me, okay?"
A small sob came out of Rose and the sound was worse than every single stab to the heart Dick had suffered from the Owls. "O-Ok." a pause. "Dick, I'm scared." she confessed in a whisper.
Dick had changed clothes and was depositing his armor and weapons in the first suitcase he saw. "I will be with you even faster than you would think. I love you both."
"We love you too, big brother." Rose murmured softly and, after a final goodbye, the call ended.
Dick had borrowed one of Slade's many cars and was currently breaking every traffic code. However, he did not have to go too far when on a main road he saw numerous cars crashed into each other, against light poles and so on, and there were also numerous children and teenagers in the middle of the road who had anguished and panicked looks on their faces.
What the hell is going on?
Despite his whole being screaming at him to head to his little siblings who needed him, he could not ignore children and teenagers who clearly needed help. He therefore stopped his car and got out, running toward the area of general chaos.
"What happened?"
His voice caught the attention of all the children and teenagers -of which there were 16 in total, Dick counted- who stared at him with equal looks of despair, fear and bewilderment. "A-All the adults a-are gone!" one of the teenagers cried anguished.
"My father was driving me to tennis practice in his car when he suddenly disappeared!" a child, clearly in shock and who could not have been more than 11 years old, whispered weakly, staring at him with huge brown eyes wide with fear and despair, tears streaming down his face. He had a few superficial cuts on his face and arms that were bleeding. "I was lucky that the accident caused me only minor injuries."
Every other child and adolescent told their own story concerning the disappearance of their family members and loved ones. All the time Dick remained impassive and after the end of the last story he gave a deep and tired sigh.
I hate magic.
Dick remained on the scene for a few more minutes and informed the teenagers that they should keep an eye on the younger children and temporarily take under their wing all those who needed help, at least until the situation was resolved.
The acrobat drove off again after making sure that his words and reassurances that everything would be all right had penetrated the children's heads. He continued to break every limit on the road -there were no cops anyway who could have stopped him and given him a ticket, Dick thought sarcastically- and began to reflect on the rather serious situation.
Apparently Klarion's spell was to make all the adults on Earth disappear, probably transporting them to another world. Perhaps the goal was to create as much chaos as possible or perhaps the Light had a specific goal to pursue and achieve. In any case, that was not important for the moment: the only thing that mattered was that Dick reached his little siblings, even if he had to physically force himself not to stop every time he saw numerous stopped and wrecked cars and many lost, distressed, frightened-looking kids.
The Talon carefully avoided thinking that at this moment all his family and friends were who knows where, if they were still alive-
No, Dick. Don't take that line of thought. They are all right. All of them.
The acrobat suddenly uttered a series of expletives -which would surely have made both Wintergreen and Alfred feel bad- when he remembered his fucking children.
He began to use the phone, absentmindedly thinking that his Uncle Billy would bite his head off if he ever learned that he was using the phone while driving, and put on the speakerphone, resting it on top of the dashboard of the vehicle. Anxiety began to claw at Dick's chest for each prolonged ringing that felt like an eternity to him when in fact it was only a few seconds of waiting.
"Dad?"
Dick had never been so relieved to hear his child's voice. "Hey Cass. I-"
"All gone."
The acrobat winced at the little girl's so small, faint and frightened voice but even so, he remained proud of his child's enormous effort in speaking.
Both he and Aunt Sandra were putting a lot of effort into getting Cass to learn to read, write and speak and although it had only been a short time, she had already shown small improvements, beginning to pronounce a few words which was a great achievement anyway, showing that she was a quick learner.
"I know, sweetheart. All the adults on Earth are gone because of the magic of a very strong sorcerer."
Dick swallowed at the mere thought of Cass and Dami completely alone in Nanda Parbat, seeing not only the entire army of ninja assassins they had grown fond of suddenly disappear before their eyes but also their parents.
The two of them were the only life forms inside a usually heavily populated giant castle and also in the surrounding area.
It must have been such a horrible experience for his children to experience and that squeezed the 17-year-old's chest painfully. His grip on the steering wheel tightened but he forced himself to relax or he would have broken it and besides the problem of how he would reach his little siblings, he certainly did not want to explain to Slade why the steering wheel of one of his cars had detached.
"Is Damian with you, sweetheart?"
"Yes."
The monosyllabic answer overwhelmed the Talon with relief and he let out a sigh he did not know he was holding. "Perfect. Make sure he never leaves your side even for a second. I know that Nanda Parbat is a virtually safe place for you but just in case someone hostile shows up, stay safe. Do your best to protect your little brother, okay?"
"Okay."
"You're the best, Cass." Dick smiled, although he knew his child could not see it but he could easily imagine the bright smile she had at that moment. "I'm checking on Joey and Rose now and after I make sure they're safe, I'll bring them to you so you're all together. Does that sound like a good plan?"
"Yes."
"Good. I'll see you soon, sweetheart. Love you."
"Love you too, dad."
Dick had a bright smile as he ended the call. His gaze momentarily shifted from the road back to his phone when it rang, briefly opening his eyes wide as he read his best friend's name. He quickly accepted the call and began speaking even before Conner could say anything.
"All the adults on Earth have disappeared because of the magic of a powerful sorcerer. Don't worry about your loved ones: I'm pretty sure they've all been transported to some kind of alternate world."
Dick willfully left out the fact that he was fiercely clinging to that idea as if it were the only possible option, not accepting anything else unless it would be positive and reassuring news.
He imagined that on the other end of the phone line his best friend was blinking, confused and surprised. "Where are you now?"
"Traveling to Rose and Joey and then take them to Nanda Parbat to Cass and Damian so that they are all together and to prevent myself from getting a brain aneurysm from excessive stress and worry."
"Oh."
The mercenary snorted in amusement. "What are you doing instead?"
"I'm trying to help as many kids as I can here in Metropolis."
The 17-year-old smiled in approval. "Good idea, Con. Keep on that path and remember not to show off your powers: act like you're just an ordinary boy."
A grunt.
"A word of advice: I know from personal experience how frustrating kids can be but don't let it overwhelm you: just stay whelmed."
"...I will never understand why you have to mangle the English language every time."
"Because it's fun."
"Only for you."
"Just because you have no sense of humor."
"Hn." Conner grunted in obvious disagreement but for his sanity he dropped the subject. "After you secure your siblings, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet." Dick admitted, tightening his lips into a frown. "However, I will do my best to make things go back to the way they were before, no matter what."
"If you need help, contact me."
Dick gave a small smile, not missing his best friend's protective tone. "I will. Don't worry."
Superman's clone grunted again. "Be careful, Dick."
"You too, pal."
Dick watched with a sweet smile as Joey and Rose ran toward Damian and Cass, all four children displaying excited and frantic attitudes about being all together, despite the delicate situation that had upset them.
The acrobat had spent about ten minutes in doing his best to reassure his little siblings with gentle, reassuring words and gestures and once they had calmed down, he proposed to them if it would be all right if he took them to Nanda Parbat to Cass and Damian. He was not at all surprised when they eagerly accepted his proposal, knowing very well how well the four children got along.
Dick laid the suitcase containing his Renegade armor on the ground and ran a hand over his face, taking a long, deep breath.
He had not felt this mentally and psychologically tired in a long time now and he would be lying if he said that he was not currently stressed.
How could he not be?
Every adult was gone, damn it!
Slade, Wintergreen, Aunt Talia, Aunt Sandra, Aunt Tatsu, Jade, Artemis, Louise, Adeline, Uncle Clark, Aunt Lois, Aunt Nyssa, other honorary uncles and aunts, the ninjas of the League of Assassins, Alfred, all the heroes, the other (ex) super-villains he had befriended, every civilian...
All disappeared.
He was suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that it was only a matter of months if he was still a minor and still in the same world as his little siblings and children. The thought of Rose, Joey, Damian and Cass completely alone, without even a point of reference, made his stomach churn nervously and it was only because of all his training that he did not vomit on the spot.
A small blessing.
He was diverted from his own thoughts when he heard quiet footsteps approaching and he stared at Cass's clearly concerned face. Are you okay, Dad?
Dick sent her a small smile. I'm fine. Just a little stressed.
His smile grew brighter as Cass latched onto his right leg and he patted her head a few times before starting to play with her hair. He snorted when he saw Damian running toward him with a gait that only a child of six could have. He grabbed him and held him close to his chest, filling his cheeks so perfectly plump with kisses.
The sound of Damian's childish giggles was one of the most beautiful sounds ever that the acrobat intended to memorize until the end of his days. His child in all but blood wrapped his arms around his neck and rested his head on his shoulder, rubbing his nose against it.
"Miss mom but I'm glad Baba is here." he murmured, pulling back to fix his huge green eyes on the 17-year-old's face with a huge bright smile.
Dick could not help but automatically return the smile, playfully rubbing his own nose with his child's and getting more giggles. He felt Cass climb up his back and he helped her with one hand until she wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself up, resting her chin on the top of his head as Damian snuggled on his chest.
His gaze fell on Rose and Joey, who approached him with adorable pouts. With an amused giggle he pulled them to his side with one hand, affectionately tousling their hair.
And I thought I couldn't love my children any more.
Dick knew that this was his children's way of cheering him up and getting him at least momentarily away from stress and he fully appreciated their attempt, absolutely enjoying it.
He spent the next twenty minutes with his children, playing and having fun and cuddling with them. Eventually, however, like all good things, this too had to end.
"I have to go. I have to fix this mess and find a way to get the adults back." he stated, absentmindedly running a hand through his hair.
Although the children had sad looks that broke his heart, they were also filled with awareness. "Good luck, big brother. Take care." said Rose, staring at him with huge worried blue eyes.
"I will be." Dick promised and specifically stared at Cass. "I know it might be a thankless task to give you but do your best to protect others and yourself in case of an attack, okay?"
She nodded with a determined and resolute look. I don't mind. No one will hurt them.
Dick gave her a grateful smile and with a huge grin on his face he spread his arms wide. "Group hug!"
He backed away a few steps as four masses launched themselves at him, distractedly surprising himself that he had not fallen. With an amused giggle he wrapped his arms around his children, placing a tender kiss on each of their foreheads.
They were his children and he would literally do anything for them.
Dick would not let anyone hurt his children.
Woe to those who would hurt them since Renegade would personally take care of them.
And he would have enjoyed torturing and killing in the worst possible ways those who would dare even think of hurting his children.