peektuttut | [RL, Slade & Robin] Like a Whisper to the Dusk

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[RL, Slade & Robin] Like a Whisper to the Dusk

Tim was entirely aware that he should be talking this over with Dick. He knew that Wilsons were really Nightwing's territory - even Rose, who was Tim's generation, had only become one of his Titans because Dick asked it of him. Though he'd on occasion wished he had said no, Tim knew it was good for her, drunken midnight assaults aside. It was good for her like it had been good for Joey...till the guy went crazy, anyway.

He should really talk to Nightwing about this one.

But Wilson had run into him, and Tim took it damn seriously. Maybe too seriously. He was being too stubborn about this. Even knowing all this, Tim found himself requesting the world-hop, carefully keeping it under the radar. He didn't know Jump City. He had never heard of it before Grant's appearance, and was as suspicious of it as the man who first mentioned it.

It was a strange place, but no stranger than Gotham. It held a grid pattern, it was easy to navigate - and there were plenty of rooftops and alleys to hide in. Cakewalk. It seemed like a quiet town - though anything would seem like a quiet town, compared to Gotham now - but then a distant explosion caught his attention. Tim crouched on his ledge, squinting. In the distance, he could see - what the hell - a heavy duty truck lifting off the road, thrown away. Shit. He shouldn't get involved, he had a job to do, but...

It didn't take long to slip closer, but by the time he was near enough to see what was going on, there were other people on the scene. Other people he - he almost recognized...

Oh, fuck. The Teen Titans. Oh fuck, Titans he knew. And in the distance, he could see - what the hell - Titans Tower. It looked like the New York version.

Tim turned around and got the hell out of the area, fast and silent. They had things under control and he...well. He didn't want to deal with the insanity. What the hell were Titans doing in this ridiculously named city? And they looked like Dick's Titans only - well he hadn't seen Donna, or Wally. Roy and Garth were absent, but that wasn't entirely out of the ordinary. Still. Still.

They weren't the reason he was here. He was here to figure out if Grant Wilson was dead or not. Making his way to City Hall wasn't too difficult. Everything was...really clearly labeled here. Still, it wasn't a place he knew well. So Tim found a perch above, on an adjacent building, to scope the building out, searching for security, exits and entrances. There wasn't much going on, it wouldn't be hard to get in and out of. He was stalling. Why was the real question.

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He'd been watching the spectacle unfold from one of his many hideouts spread throughout the city, satisfied with it and yet not. It had been child's play to free Cinderblock from his prison, just like so many times before - so much so, in fact, that Slade wondered why they even bothered to put the creature back in jail at all. He always escaped, with or without Slade's assistance. Of course, it had been his doing this time around. There was business that needed attending to in another part of the city, and Cinderblock was usually the best way to distract the Teen Titans. Robin, at least, would probably expect his involvement, but there was no evidence - he'd made sure of that - so it was doubtful the boy would get very far with that.

Too bad, he thought, watching the limber teen flip around, attacking the giant blockhead as needed. Such wasted potential...

He paused, then, leaning forward a bit in the seat to stare intently at the screen. There was something there. Quickly, he zoomed in the video feed, scanning the rooftops, and sure enough, there he was.

The other Robin.

So he'd come actually come, Slade mused, watching as the red-and-yellow shape moved away from the scene. He hadn't been sure if he would, but it looked like Robins, regardless of the dimensional difference, all seemed to share the same compulsion to follow him wherever he went. Honestly, it was almost...endearing.

Still, he thought, he couldn't really leave things as they were. The older Robin was here for a reason, probably for one similar to his own, and that...well. It's wasn't unacceptable, per se, but Slade didn't particularly care to have his affairs looked into. Not if Robin intended to interfere.

That was why, not minutes later, he had ascended to the rooftops, the robotic army he'd rebuilt (mostly, anyway) since returning to the land of the living on stand-by. He was tracking Robin so already knew where the teen was headed. The only thing he had to do was catch up.

It didn't take long, his knowledge of the city's layout helping him navigate the fastest route to Robin's perch. His approach was silent, and when he finally revealed himself, it was in a very Batman-esque fashion, the shadows sliding off of him like a cloak as he stepped out of them behind the Robin who didn't belong.

"Quite the view, isn't it?"

The skin at the back of his neck, beneath the gorget, prickled. Something wasn't right. Tim's shoulders stiffened, and he turned just as Slade started speaking, rising into a crouch. His hand ducked beneath his cape to the back of his waist, pulling out his collapsed staff. Flicking his wrist, it extended, and Tim narrowed his eyes behind his mask.

He should have talked this over with Dick. Slade was his area of expertise.

Straightening slightly, holding his staff across his body, the Boy Wonder clenched his jaw. "Deathstroke." Grant Wilson, he felt like a damn idiot for believing it at all. How could he possibly have bought that? "Does Grant even exist here?"

Slade eyed the staff a moment - casual, bemused - before looking at Robin's face. Clearly, the boy wasn't pleased to see him. not that Slade really blamed him, of course. It seemed both himself and his counterpart had a habit of getting on the Titans' bad sides. Still, it was somewhat strange to hear the name 'Deathstroke' being spoken out loud, especially since he didn't do nearly as much mercenary work as he had years ago. The Titans of his world had never known him by that title - his first name alone had been more than enough to strike fear into the hearts of an unsuspecting populace so why bother with additional theatrics?

"After a fashion," he replied evenly, smooth and calm as ever. The question about Grant, though - that he didn't want to go into. His son was dead, and the other two were failures. "I would have hardly known 'Grant' was my first-born son's name if he didn't, now would I?"

Tim breathed out slowly, hands twisting over his staff. He'd never known Grant - that Wilson had died long before he was ever a Titan. So he felt surprisingly little shame in pushing the subject. "Is he dead here too? Did you get him killed again?"

He was lashing out, angry that he'd allowed himself to be fooled, even for a little bit. Angry that he'd let Slade work him over like this. The Boy Wonder moved slightly, exhaling again as he readied himself for a fight. "You were in Gotham," he said, and the statement sounded accusatory.

Behind the whiteout lenses of his mask, Tim shifted his gaze, staring at the shadows around Slade. Most likely, he was by himself - but after that Titans East crap, well. Tim didn't want to take chances. "Why?"

The Boy Wonder was trying to provoke him. It was obvious from his tone, as well as the questions itself, but Slade had no intention of rising to the bait. True, the matter of his family - particularly his son, since he'd actually been worth something - was a sore spot with him and always had been, to some extent. However, he'd long since divorced himself from such feelings so he didn't react externally, his voice just as smooth as before. "You're an intelligent boy, Robin. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out."

Seeing the direction Robin's eyes shifted, Slade almost smiled. So he thought he'd brought reinforcements, did he? It wasn't too far off base; his robotic minions were already taking their positions not too far away. He didn't think he'd need them, not for this, but it didn't hurt to take precautions. As for the 'accusation'...well.

"Curiosity," was the casual reply. "The multiverse is a fascinating place."

It was a dangerous place, but Tim had no room to talk about interfering in the multiverse. He was here, wasn't he? He went to Bruce's Gotham frequently. But that wasn't the danger. The danger was in letting people like Slade into his city - a city already on the brink of destroying itself. "Stay out," he warned, glowering.

Gotham didn't need doubles of Deathstroke. Tim had come here to do his own researching; now, he almost felt as if he didn't have to. Almost. But knowledge was power, and having details would illuminate everything. Or almost everything. And he was here already; to run home with his tail between his legs was almost too embarrassing an idea to entertain. Then again, the Boy Wonder was no idiot. It had been a long time since he'd fought Deathstroke last, and that with the Teen Titans and Titans at his side. Tim was good. He was good enough to beat Shiva - with planning. But like this, with almost no preparation, taken by surprise?

He didn't want a fight. Because he'd lose, and that was unacceptable. Still...he was angry. "My guess, by the way," he sneered, "is that the same thing happened here. You got Grant killed by letting him follow your footsteps. Have you fucked up Joe and Rose, yet?"

Slade raised an eyebrow at the warning, but said nothing. The boy had quite a bit of nerve coming here, to his city, and speaking to him as though he had the authority to order him to do anything. He couldn't honestly think Slade would take him, seriously - but then, his own Robin had often given out such threats, sometimes unnecessarily. In this case, it certainly was. Slade had no intention of interfering in the events of other worlds, especially not after seeing what had become of his own when Trigon had passed through the portal. Besides, this Robin's world already had a Deathstroke, and Slade had enough respect for his counterpart to not encroach upon that.

Not that he'd say that, of course.

The eyebrow went higher as Robin continued, still attempting to drag his family - as well as himself - through the mud. Still trying to provoke him. It was almost funny, really, and he suspected now that it had more to do with how Slade had snubbed him during their little chase through the other Gotham, perhaps something else. Either way, he was failing at what he was attempting to do. On all counts.

"You're not doing yourself any favors by attempting to provoke me," Slade answered softly, the slightest hint of an edge - a warning - tainting his voice. "I don't answer to children."

He heard that edge, and a part of him wanted to exploit it, push it farther until Slade snapped. But that would be a terrible idea, judging by what he'd seen in Gotham. Shelving his anger at the insult - it shouldn't be so hard, he'd grown up listening to it - Tim, straightened warily, holding onto his staff with one hand, settling its end against the ground.

"Don't come back to Gotham," he said coolly, ignoring what Slade said. He'd come here to do some digging on 'Grant.' Now it was unnecessary. It would be stupid to push things. "You won't enjoy the outcome."

What was it Shiva had come to kill him for? His presumption?

Yeah. Presumption. That wasn't going anywhere, not so long as Gotham was his to protect.

'Presumption' was the nice word that came to Slade's mind when the boy finished his spiel. He was warning him. Again. It was not only unnecessary and irritating, but also absurd. Did this boy - this Mi>child - honestly think he could prevent Slade from going anywhere or doing anything he wished?

The fool.

"And why is that?" he asked, just as cool as Tim, if not more so. "It seems like a rather choice vacation spot since your mentor passed away."

It was petty, perhaps, but if Tim wanted to make this personal, Slade could do that as well. He'd done his research, after all.

His hand tightened around the staff, face folding itself into hard lines. He should have stopped this son of a bitch from ever, ever coming into Gotham in the first place. "He isn't dead," Tim told him coolly. And he wasn't in denial.

"And while he's gone, Gotham is still protected." Yeah, damn fine job they were doing. Tim could practically feel his knuckles go white under the gauntlets as he squeezed the staff tighter.

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[RL, Slade & Robin] Like a Whisper to the Dusk

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