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

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Chapter 8: Say You're Just Joking

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Dick made it up to the top as he watched from the side for the Titans. The bots were storm trooping themselves to death as Starfire whizzed by to set a bolt right through one bot before Bb had it sent into the water to explode into ten parts or more.

Dick bit his tongue as his hair stood right up, crouched by the steps while Livewire was rigging the ship to take them out without any real deaths. He'd made her promise it, Slade too. Dying by his hand would be Slade's apprentice's lesson.

The circuit of heat was quick as Dick had a hand to the floor at his feet. "Come on –

"Heads up!"

Dick rolled and dodged, his new gear staying together and put, while an arrow expanded to try and trap him in a net made of the second-best tech next to Bruce's

A Queen's could do that, as he looked around.

"Got it, or don't you have something to groan about to your rival?" Roy jumped off of his hiding spot also Dick waited for a signal to press what was on his person. "I dunno." Smirked the bat brat. "Should I be shaking in my boots…do I know you?" Dick made a head tilt. Feeling too much like Slade, he gave it his own spin as Livewire shot out her safe word to start.

~ Shocks, get out of there!~

Dick blinked, Roy not seeing in time as Livewire was on the ceiling below them, having Raven, Cy, Roy and Bb all electrocuted with a earning zzap to their knees. Dick had to cover his ears as Livewire speared through the net with her lightening precision arms. "You good, newbie?" She huffed, seeing the kid snap back as soon as she had an eye on his rival behind her

And Kori, who had evaded the hit. She went spinning after Livewire with a battle cry. Raven brushed off the jolt as she exhaled, seeing to her friends with hands glowing full of healing spells.

"Gotham is not on the map, Robin." Cy said across tge spray of gears, silt and waves. "You're gonna stop the boat, or –

"I'm not the one making it work." Dick muttered before diving behind a stray wave if bots that had layers of lasers. They popped up from the floor as Livewire had to be getting tired. Slade hadn't said to use her, just to wait and watch. Dick wasn't the type of person to do nothing at all, against his fri…friends. They…

They were trying to take him down.

"Raven! Look out!" Bb ran in to take the hit as a bot was thrown into the water. The laser cut across Bb's stop as her went to her, groaning after changing back.

"Wait…" Dick turned to ice as his body froze. "Not yet…"

They were set to a different level. Dick watched as the spray of water clouded his eyes up. The dizziness from the boat – moving.

He wasn'….-

His eyes went to the wheel up top at the controls, and then it hit.

Livewire was the working battery. She wasn't on his side to stop the gears anytime soon.

She wanted off. He'd messed up, big time if they landed and she was out if her test tube cell.

Slade…

Dick panicked, his eyes going wider under the mask as Roy got his arrow pointed back at Dick who was a sitting duck. Livewire tried again; this time, she super charged it to the radio antenna that was meant to keep them in connection with anyone they wanted to or had to. Slade was able to see it, Dick shook. His hands went up on instinct as Kori flew into his face, right beside Roy. "Robin…you are not –

The zzap next was a dome made of energy right over the boat. None if them could get out as the ship rocked out if balance. Livewire was at her limit. The extra juice wasn't going to cut it. "I'll go after the source a' this." Cy nodded to Raven as she handled trying to make a gap through the force field if electrical energy. It was stronger than her own, for now. They would reach Gotham harbor in half of twenty minutes. Dick's eyes were red from under the mask, maybe afraid pike the rest had tried nit ti be. All but Roy, who snarled out his rival's old title.

"Golden, best dressed…you knew how to stop a crowd. But you sink now? We can't get out of this –

"I'm not the one who can." Dick swallowed. "In not the one, Roy! I can't do it! Just….give up!" He begged. "He's ready at any time, one time. Please. Don't-

"We cannot allow this abusive man to hold your life in his grasp any longer, friend Robin." Kori swayed despite her body losing as much fuel by her dwindling hope. He was so scared, so rutha and…-

There was a sound, a sound as thin a silk which had the heroes cover their ears. It wasn't visible, yet the waves made the heroes sick, on their knees again they fell.

"No…no..nono!! I told them to stop! Please-

~ You know what to do, Apprentice. Knock them out. Throw them off the ship before they can move to touch you again.~ Slade sounded as much a possessive power hungry bastard as before. Envious even that the boy's city would be even more risky now that his cover was over. Done. He'd end up…

"I won't let them die, please…" Dick got up, wobbling as if his body weren't in his control. It made him as blurry eyed as Livewire got back enough power to see to the ship. The probes had not done this. It was a device on the ship or off it someplace. He didn't know, because Robin and Livewire were fine…why was that? Roy wasn't infected with the nanos. Only they were!

~ Do as you're told, Robin. Send them packing.~

Dick started to handle Bb first, his weight easier as he went to the side of the ship and looked into the grey abyss. Did Bb swim on instinct while half conscious…would he make it in time? Slade had promised, so Dick had no choice unless he wanted his friends dead by that trust being broken. He dropped Bb into the water as the waves sloshed hungrily to lap up the remaining Titan.

Raven dropped her head as she was next, easily handled as her Chakra gem was smothered by Dick's palm. He breathed out I'm sorry at least four times in parts before she was led to her so – called demise. Raven looked up, eyes not exactly seeing a whole picture, yet feeling something akin to salt on her cheek. Not her own, while she fell.

Dick swiped his face as the tears kept coming. Roy was next, as he struggled until the boy wonder took to using his own weapons to toe the other up. His face was painfully contorted as he was made to do this deed. Roy's own gasped up while he was dropped down, the water slicing at his lip, cutting his air off for a few seconds before he had been able to start floating. Bb was there too, weaker and unable to stay up without Raven's help.

Cy was next as Livewire helped to lift him, his body clanking down in a tidal was as the heroes looked up, their sighs as soundless as the waves. Rain started coming down, a lightening bolt was heavenly as recharge as Livewire let Dick pick Kori up lastly. Groggily, she was beckoning this not to be the end.

"R…Robin…you….must not –

"I'm not coming back, survive…please…all of you." He leg her drop as she cried out, the thunder making it hard to hear the growl he gave before falling to his knees in shame.

"I ….It's done…" He heaved. "Get going…move the boat!" He demanded of Livewire, who decided to see where they'd end up before she tricked the kid.

The boat made a huge rebounding wave as the Titans joined into Raven's force field. They found themselves adrift and to shore on the other side once the rain had stopped. This part of the docks was empty, the boat was gone and there was only one other person or two, watching out for the Teen Titans.

"They're breathing, Batman." Oliver told his old pal. "I…I know Roy hates me, but I'm here. This isn't…your kid –

"Isn't doing this alone. Never." Bruce grunted as he checked everyone's pulses. "Alive, we got here in time."

"Ro…b…" Cy sat up too soon and coughed out sea water as his body came back online. "We….Got em?"

"No, Cyborg." Ollie shook his head. "We lost em, long off."

"He's just laying low because Slade won't stand to see –

"Speedy, you must not." Starfire gripped her skull and looked to her friend's green eyes. "Robin is not trying to harm us, he is threatened to by Slade. So, he must."

"Blackmail. We know that about the probes." Raven was up, though the weakest besides Bb having still been unconscious. Bruce did his best to get the water out of the younger Titan's lungs. He was successful, yet Gar was quiet for a long time soon after.

"Titans. We've decided that this mission is too much –

"We almost got thrown off a boat." Roy snarled. "Are you saying we aren't allowed to get back on the boat because you wouldn't have done the same?? That thing, whatever it was…it came outta nowhere."

"Sonic resonance cannon. It sent a signal off that acted to disorient its target. The antenna let it hit the mark, and you …" Bruce stopped himself. "You were the targets. Slade must already be in my city." The bat rose to turn with his cowl flustering away in the wind of the pier side "Green Arrow, get the Titans back to their tower. This mission is now under League jurisdiction. You are all relieved as of today."

The heroes looked at the bat, even Bb as he coughed while trying to form what he thought of this mess. "Slade wins, then! Where will you be if he gets tested and decides to kill us?? Robin is doing all of that because…because Slade knew…" Gasped Bb. "He knew you'd be there to drag us out! He musta been in the air or…or…"

"That's…" Raven blinked. "Robin dropped us into the water, and in that moment there was a current strong enough…Slade determined we'd be saved." Her eyes couldn't stop popping out of her head at that. "He's….dangerously-

"Slade Wilson is a trained mercenary, a strategist and a criminal genius." Green Arrow told the teens. "As Deathstroke, he fought me and Bats' team and even tried to kill us…you were lucky he is probably holding back because of his code. Or, not."

"What are you talking about, not?" Roy raised an eye at his mentor's skepticism.

"Assassination codes do go stale. Everyone has a price. I think he's getting nasty, and this element he's after might be driving him to do whatever be can to be just that flexible."

"No." Starfire shook her head. "It is Robin, the forced apprenticeship allowed for us to live, thus there is no way to kill us."

"Cause one day…" Cy fought the feeling of dread as everyone got the memo.

"One day, Slade is gonna have the kid take you off the grid. Permanently."

"Ollie." Bruce snipped. "This is through. Send them back. We don't have any time left before Slade decides to trigger his weapon."

"Will he? Was that…like, we felt it, right?"

"You're forgetting about who else can amplify those waves to become physical blasts." Bruce corrected.. "Livewire at her best can disable vehicles, though think what would happen-

"Laser straight." Roy gawked. "Fuck! You need every thing you can get to stop it! We aren't moving an inch. Raven? Cyborg?"

"He's on the ball here, you gotta –

"NO." Ollie shook his head madly, pointing at Roy as he sputtered his very held back concerns aloud.

"NO! Roy….you ran your ass off with a damned , unclean criminal record and I don't want you endangering –

"I'M NOT THE THREAT!" Roy screamed. "I'm saving him, whether you can fucking deal on that, cause we weren't always at each other's throats…" Roy crumpled back. "Slade never should have shown his face. Robin was a good hero. This ...this is all wrong, and you know we can help."

"You're not getting what he's got." Ollie sighed... I can't. You either get your ass to rehab, or we put you in the big house until the courts follow through. Roy. Titans …you're just, all kids. Slade isn't the man you think he was as just "Slade."

"He's worse." Bb growled. "He's the single handed monster that took our best friend. And we want him back. Whatever we can do, then Slade…."

"Has got to pay for his crimes." Raven agreed ax Bruce hunched his shoulders with his gritted fists telling their own story.

"A warning. Where the League goes, you go. If you go off grid, if you go after Slade without us…" Bruce was not sure he could talk, but it had to be. "We might not save you the next time, in time. You know what he's capable of. Slade will tear at this city's criminal circle to drag the Dark Knight into the open, and to put you back on that ride home. Robin is powerless in his own and yet I trained him to see every opportunity, even in chains. Even bound to someone else's morals."

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Bruce is giving the Titans a tip. If they go off the mission entrusted to them as side kicks, they get shot. Wow….brutal. Will Dick be ok? This is where Slade treats him to a check up. Recall this is an abuse fic so, yeah.