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

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Chapter 5: To Pale in Comparison

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He'd been told nothing much of the briefing. Slade only talked of the key, finding it at all costs while getting back at the archer for causing their luck to fade for a bit. Earlier than anticipated, Richard wondered if Slade was thinking in reverse; he had beef with the Archers, that was for sure. He stared into that image with eyes as a serpent's tongue, all flicker and not a fight yet. Planning his revenge was the word, as Robin would be trying to carefully lay a clue for Roy instead.

He had to tell him. To…to at least get inside. To find if Bruce really knew, or if Slade didn't know. If the Titans…would they? He'd end up in a place of witness protection. Slade would-

"Apprentice!"

Dick didn't see the bot swing out its weaponized stars as he twisted to dodge, nearly tripping from his boot as the thing cut just above his shoulder. The suit was given a small nick as Slade's growl had the boy turn and wallop the robot to right has one wrong.

"You faltered."

"Sir, I'm-

Dick was dragged by his wrist as Slade pulled at the small tear with adaptable fingers. The fabric never lasted, nor did the boy's shock. He didn't let go, the tear got larger and soon, the top part was left to expose his chest and sweat coated undershirt.

"Sla –

Dick didn't know what was wrong with him. He batted out, heart going mad until he was dropped. Like tissue paper in a gift bag, he was left with the debris of such a surprise.

"You'll not be going in this condition. Take a minute, then return to suit up. This suit was insufficient."

Wait…he meant to??

"You…you made me put it on, what other uniforms are there?? My Robin one –

"I got rid of it. Too many imperfections to call it ideal for a one man army such as you are, Dick."

That.

Dick didn't dare turn his head to sneer. The Titans were important, but being half naked on the ground was…was…

It was in his top, barely there since Slade had ripped a hole into that too. As if he wasn't human. Deathstroke, wasn't ever human.

"These things are not set in stone, dear boy. My suit has gone through changes; so has the bat."

"It…what do I do then?"

"Stop it." Slade snapped. "I gave you a minute to calm down. You're in no condition if you can't focus." Slade paused. "Hum, what were you thinking about, Dick? If you tell me, I'll gladly let you go and get changed quicker."

It was not a big deal. Still…the gears moved with steam, heat and dust in his hair and eyes. Fighting the robots meant oil spills, angry sparks from their now dead bodies.

He felt like he could bargain to lie a bit, and maybe to get a shower as payment for not staying truly silent.

"Starfire." He whispered barely. "I, was thinking about how she is."

"You realize you did that, made her sick by playing this game."

Dick shuddered at the comment. He was trying to get under Dick's skin. No big deal. No –

"What is it that you want. Besides that new suit, for your reward?"

"A, shower."

He didn't have to even pause as Dick could tell Slade was grinning a bit at his success.

Slade brought an arm out as Dick took it. "Go then, dress in what's in your room right after. Then, report back to the main room for a quick briefing on your next mission."

Dick nodded shakily as he felt a bit more composed. Slade wasn't going to drain him dry this time. He really wanted that element, more than he wanted the Titans to suffer. If that was all, then Dick could play nice for a bit longer. He had to.

Slade helped him to the bathroom door as he took his time shutting it, the man's mask was an impressive change over Wintergreen escorting the teen around the haunt. His trust was still lackluster. The boy was, questionably un-focused.

That had to be what Slade was thinking as he let Dick shower in peace.

/

His aching muscles screamed out happily as the hot spray drowned out the lies and agony of the day. Dick sighed as he let his hands climb over his scalp to massage it.

He didn't even see as he opened the glass stall, that some things had been left on top of the sink. A comb, some gel if he needed. A rare treat for playing nice.

He was after all going to be pissing off some old allies tonight, or tomorrow.

Butterflies clambered in his gullet as Dick tried to move quickly for the nearly folded towel beside his under shorts, a shirt and what looked to be two things he thought were overkill.

Highly…uncalled for.

An athletic cup and the under suit in all black as well as his underwear. It wasn't boxers, maybe to avoid bunching in his suit.

He imagined it being skin tight as a wet suit, the thickness being more lycra than Kevlar. Was this…built for his frame ahead of schedule?

He slipped over to the mirror and didn't see any instructions for the after; Slade wanted him to listen, to trust his new role here for their sake.

Dick had no choices other than playing Renegade until Slade was taken in. But, couldn't he be any less suggestive in knowing the boy's flipping privacy DID matter??

Dick gave up on that the second week of his captivity. He'd asked to change by himself and was forced to not have Slade watch, but the robots. They weren't people, yet they had camera eyes and Dick shut his the whole time. Slade had revealed himself again only after, telling the boy he was going to 'enjoy his time here.' Anyone would call that sick, because it was.

Now, he came and went. It seemed that to Dick's worry, Will was out. Maybe he'd finally thrown up his hands with a shout. Telling Slade off was a risky thing, so Wintergreen had to be more than just Slade's personal punching bag. No, wait…that was Robin. Robin was the punching bag, for sure.

How Richard envied that old fossil while the athletic cup went on to bother the boy with a mad blush in the long mirror. It took up the wall, letting him see his beaten and bruised body. His muscle tone was far thicker, his arms looked to have gained a pinch more muscle as well as his hips. That, made him wonder if he'd been malnourished in the tower after all… "Why…does it feel tight?" He turned to tug as it twisted. Shit. He readjusted the cup, thinking he wouldn't fit with his new mass change, rubbing his eyes in the mirror once he was done. "Tired…he wasn't wrong. I have to sleep soon."

Another thing was the militant style time frames in this hell hole. There was a clock, but not for him to read. Slade made his little world a puzzle that only he could solve. Dick was just there to stand and learn what he could in every event that, mindfully, if he could….

He couldn't solve this one. His arms dropped around to hug himself.

Dick sighed, went slack before he slipped on one arm of the under suit; the rest of his flesh prickling by how it was wicking so well. Maybe Slade knew that he was a sweaty teen boy that needed to get cooled off more than a brat with a perfect endocrine system. In fact, he had littered that thing with so much garbage since moving into the tower. It was no reason, just…a rebellious phase since Bruce was never going to tell him to stop. Staying up a little late for a movie. Eating pizza not on a Friday. Over exercising. All - nighter sessions for finding-

He nit his lip, chewing it badly. Angrily.

Slade. His lack of sleep was clear then.

His favorite sports team players nationally ate like twelve year olds and still brought home the gold. He wasn't aware either that like Alfred at the time, that Slade also was expecting military strictness in diet and habits around the haunt. His terribly strict intake and output plans were a culture shock all their own.

Shakes were rare. Dock was so used to grab abd go meals in the tower. Alfred had been wise to avoix them, even with master Bruce if they held no real purpose. He was fed very well for a reluctant apprentice to a madman, however. If he wanted meat, he got twice the serving to make up for his skinny frame. However, when he was punished, he was given something next to a strip of jerky and a cup of water. That, was why he never got to bulk, or because of his acrobatic genes. In the future, fifteen would feel like a twenty year old blur.

That…

Was why he also tried to be "better." Food fueled him. Slade wanted a winner and Dick hated losing that fight. He would get out. He had to go home, to fix what he'd done…

His suit piece was now on as he slipped through the door to the hall, seeing that Will was back to escort him, with a face so dry as toast again. Yet toast had way more character, Dick sighed. Dick frowned and walked in line before Wintergreen and he actually decided to "converse."

"So, were you out of the haunt –

"That is none of your business, young man."

Dick was not hurt by the reply. He knew Will was loyal to only Slade and his allies. Richard was a scoundrel that could cut his friend's throat if he so wished to. Good thing that Dick was Batman's kid and not the Joker's.

"Sorry, then…I'm, supposed to wear a new suit."

"The other was a simple prototype. You looked truly horrid in that thing. Like an unruly toddler, anyway."

Dick gawked, then shut his jaw. "It fit –

"For before. For tonight? Not a word about its construction. In." Will commanded the boy to go into his smaller room of cold grey, which he did.

The door shut as the latch to it blended and the security stayed tighter than a military sub.

All of the rooms had some sort of security switch to them. If Dick did poorly, he got locked in until someone came for him automatically. That included the bathroom, where he'd not had a problem in until Will spat in his face.

It was scary, being this much of a problem when, when the problem was his predicament.

Dick faced the bed as the rest of his gear lain out, looking too deadly.

Dark, silver, a slash of orange that diagonally went from the hip to the chest - like the tear he'd gotten earlier.

It was a tiger top. Fuck. Was this man a retro fanatic for these ugly prints??

Like Will had said, it may have been more useful than Dick had wanted to guess; not to speak about the design. If it was a gift, it had features. Ones that he'd earned out of adoration by that psycho.

He felt like a damned dress - up doll in a large manor without a single reason. The reason, going for the evil count's entertainment, Dick snorted.

"This…" He started to go after the boots. Straps of orange and black, steel toed and even narrowed toes

Sharper. For…

Knife placement, he swallowed.

He saw what that would do to his toes, damn. He wasn't an insect! Or a weed whacker, he groaned. Kr, an assassin.

Slade had plans to find the element and scoop up that pleasure of pissing off the Arrow clan. The bat clan would follow. Nothing could go wrong, so Dick had to get creative.

Dick saw the gloves and the little parts that reminded him of rougher gauntlets by the wrists. Was, was this good? It looked weighted for his build, yet as he adjusted himself into them his body got too warm all over again.

"No way, what is this material made of? Holy –

There came a click and a beep as Dick's last glove was adjusted.

He only had the belt left.

From behind, the door would not wait, as light sifted past the floor and onto those steely boots of another.

/

Cyborg waited for a response from anyone. Roy, especially, as Starfire had just taken her meal in and was testing normal for her condition. Thankfully since Star City, it was still controlled by the bots and not escalating, yet Beastboy even looked a lot better which meant a positive possibility for a cure from S.T.A.R labs. Cy however, his human eye had an abnormal glare to it, showing that he needed to use more medicine on the iris alone.

"Anything from the Justice League, Cyborg?"

Raven came in the room with a spell book; she had to be trying her own cure - all inside. "I might have to go off world….if there is a way to gain control over my powers. I might, even be able to cure us and save him. Turn back –

"Rae. Thanks, but…you'd be at risk, cause Slade would know about it. Just stick it out until –

"If we wait for Bruce Wayne, he won't be able to stop this."

~ Wrong, bae.~

The computer turned on as the red headed archer showed up on it. ~ B is working on the solution. I think I can do more, but it involves a key, and a crime being committed.~

"That…what are you talking about, Speedy."

~ I want to borrow the Pandora project and the key. The part we need before that though, is in Gotham city. ~

/

Slade pulled down the feed as Richard shut his ears, eyes wide - opened behind the spiked domino. "No…no, I …I'm not ready for that."

"Are you ready to lose them, then?"

Dick gasped as Slade let the footage go, the audio was crisp and a higher quality. Speedy was going to save them, and Slade wanted to send Renegade to take the parts, to never let that happen.

No, it…was a nightmare.

"You'll go, and Livewire will be backing you at every step."

"They can't go in, Wayne Enterprises is a fortress."

"You also know how to get in, don't you." Slade tilted his skull as Dick took a look at the screens. "I, he could have changed the codes. I –

"Try, for them."

Dick looked at his own hands, hands that would be at their most ruthless.

"Gotham will be locking up tight for today, so I'll ship you over to blend in. To get comfortable. A safe house will be your "haunt" until you have a blueprint on paper."

"You…you're sending me, alone??"

"Livewire is one way to prevent you from breaking our deal, so, no. Another, is what you are currently wearing." Said the criminal mind as he pulled out the trigger. "You infected yourself, saving them. Remember that? I saved that cracked mask as a trophy, like you. I can individually trigger a specific target as I need, if you didn't recall my last lesson on disobedience. If you disobey, you'll take their pain like you wanted. That is what you wanted, wasn't it, Apprentice?"

"I'll be useless to you then."

"It's a simple shock collar." Huffed the adult, not caring for a fight. "The setting isn't meant to kill. I want you to live, Renegade. I own that right, to seek out your end myself."

Slade tapped over to the boy as he dared not look away from his friend…

"What are you thinking about now, apprentice?" Slade hissed in the boy's ear.

"That, I'm not going to be here long enough to see them go free." Dick gritted his fists to add, "I made a promise. I messed up everything by following after you, as my enemy –

"You're testing my patience, Richard. You'll go, as I said." Slade pushed by his shoulder and was not interested in bickering at so late an hour. Dick could tell he wanted to put this bull to bed. "You'll head out tonight by copter. There, You'll swap modes of transport into Gotham airspace. An associate of mine will meet you, and after that, you are to not breathe a word of our plans to any other associates but her. Cover it up. Say you're going to school. Anything will do. This power source, this Pandora is not only sought by the underbelly's foulest of faces, but it is well desired by the most influential of any city on the globe that knows…the most about its origins. They've locked it up out of fear of its use. Why would any great big corporations want free electricity given to the people, or a way to give back what they might charge a fortune for later? You know it, so does Wayne. Though, I'd admit…why does HE even have the key in the first place? Why not the Watchtower? Or –

Slade stopped, seeing the kid getting his nerves pinched enough. "Enough of it, then. Renegade? I'm counting on you to put on an act. One that secures your loyalty to me, and to your friends; their trust in you is keeping them alive."

"Y…yes, sir…"

"What was that, again?" Slade moved a hand to his clad ear, mocking that Dick sounded as quiet as a fucking cockroach. "Was that something just now, couldn't really hear. You must want them to-

"Slade! M…master, I'm going! I will go!" Dick forced out with his lungs burning up angrily. That anger was redirected at Roy for trying to take…no, Roy was a hero with a bad rap in the past who wanted to help. He…he wouldn't take over the role. He'd even said –

~ What about Robin?~

Slade turned up the sound as Dick turned to the screens, with his eyes already stricken by the next snort of that red head's nostrils.

~ Leave him to me. You have bigger jerks to total. I wouldn't wanna see him hurt any of you.~

Slade couldn't stop his cackle as the boy tried to whip around and turn this into a "positive" stance. "You couldn't make me. So , I under-

"But you don't agree, and you're not a killer. Not yet. Just, a traitor. And a thief."

"I'm not –

"The thermal blaster is yours. That was a gift."

"I can't use it again."

Slade saw the boy shake his head and pullback his fist, his feet waiting to fly at the exit. Slade circled his apprentice as a hungry wolf, keeping him on his toes.

"You will, to defend yourself and to get that key. If you fail…Starfire, will lose her life –

"NO!" Dick sprang at the man, his gritted jaw as tight as his arms, as they struck only the man's shadow.

Too fast, he went down as Slade tugged the kid's suit and threw him without tearing it this time. His cheek was scraped, yet no blood came up as he spit out dust from the floor. He wiped his upper lip and washed he could taste the metal to keep him motivated. His life was less important right now, yet Slade knew better.

Slade walked over him, lording over as his own stance was of truest command. He had taken that respect and would never have it, never…

"You'll fight for only me, as you promised. If you don't, if you surrender and put yourself in cuffs to leave; to find a way out? I won't have her be the only one infected, damaged beyond repair, apprentice…now, know your place." Commanded the monster, as he walked off to his throne, to his dais.

"You never sit in the second one I had made just for you. Come. A quick rest…"

"N…"

Slade pulled out the trigger as quickly as a bullets stray shot, as Dick's legs walked , his body rising to fall into the second seat beside his master's throne. Ungratefully…

"You are to follow in my footsteps. And one day, Richard, you'll see things entirely my way."

Dick spine scrunched into the stone cold seat. It wasn't cozy under his lean suit, nor was he able to stop shaking out of pure anger. "Y…yes, m…master. M- master Slade." He relented and slumped, his whole body feeling too weighted.

"There, was that so hard?"

Slade…why…

Dick framed and felt his eyes water as he rubbed them.

Wait…was the seat coated in a toxin…?...he was so sleepy…

"Rest… good boy. By tomorrow, you'll be somewhere very familiar. Now, rest…"

It was no soothing song by his mother, not by the family he'd lost and gained, only…this last one, the one he was about to lose. If he failed to find the key, he'd be damaged goods and branded a murderer too.

Dick soon shut his eyes, he felt his whole body unconsciously turn into the shadows that surrounded them while within the haunt. He could, could have sworn..

That someone, something, was touching his hair…telling him, to go back to sleep….

/

Slade is s terrible motivator and Roy stabs him in the back – ONLY, because Slade never finished playing the rest of the audio! Classic torture.

As Oliver had said about the Pandora element in his facility's vault, " it was still being tested for safety concerns." Bruce may be holding the key so that no one can go after the two parts to the element. You can't open the box without the key, so it remains inside like a black box from Dr. Who, kind of.

If Slade utilizes its power? True mogul. Not good! And will the Titans hate Dick if he ends up succeeding? Find out!