The Man Behind The Mask...
((It has happened again... Robin and I just can't stay out of the game. ^__^ I'm sure you're all bursting to know where they've run off to. No, not the Hamptons... *shakes head* Ah, just read it already... As always, everything Robin says/does was written by Robin, and vice versa...
As the mobile chamber ground to a halt, Slade turned his head to regard his sleeping passenger. He quashed the vaguely paternal feeling that rose in the back of his mind and unsnapped his restraining harness. He stood, looming over Robin...
The sleep that had eventually drifted over him had been Robin's temporary escape from reality...a thankfully dreamless sleep, surprisingly. His mind poked at him all of a sudden, as his body felt the room stop rattling underneath him; and for a fleeting second, he had almost forgotten where he had been before allowing himself to sleep. In fact, he was almost startled to see Slade standing over him, but it didn't take long for his expression to fall into a glare... He released himself from the chair and stood up, shifting away from the man a bit.
"Good morning, Robin... I trust you rested well?"
"Yeah, I would have rather stayed asleep..."
Slade's eye narrowed. "We could arrange for that, if you'd rather... I know some researchers who are this close," he held up one hand, his thumb and index finger almost touching... "to perfecting a cryogenic chamber. You could sleep until nothing ties you to this life..." There was an air of sadness about those words, but it was quickly dispelled.
A frown fell over his expression, an he turned his gaze away from Slade. It was not exactly the way he wanted his life to end. Not that he wanted it to. He had just enough confidence, just enough hope to keep the thought away... -but for how long?- Robin simply shook his head.
Slade tilted his head to the side. "No? Too bad, really... the unfreezing process that we currently use is rather... interesting. Painful, yes, and it does seem to effect the memory a bit. But it has the useful side-effect of binding the subject's genetic code to the person who supplies their unique serum..."
Robin suddenly glanced to Slade with a rather fierce look... "So is that what you did to Terra? How you brought her back, while messing with her memories?"
"Terra?" Slade chuckled, "What good would it do me to freeze a stone?"
"There has to be some way you brought her back. If we couldn't figure it out, how could you?"
"My methods are somewhat less... ethical than yours..."
Glaring coldly, Robin decided to quit trying to get the answers out of him... After a moment, he realized he wasn't even entirely sure where they were. "Where are we?"
"My little home away from home, Robin." He opened the door, revealing a well lit hallway, complete with carpeting and wallpaper... far from his norm. "Welcome to The Institute."
His eyes widened slowly after a second, surprised by the atmosphere he had hardly expected. Gazing down the hallway, he still remained unsure what to expect in this place. In fact, he wasn't even sure what to say...
"Come along, Robin... I'll give you the nickle tour."
His expression fell back into its grim look, tilting his head downward. Robin trailed behind Slade, trying to keep his distance just enough...
"It must be difficult for you. Seeing me in this setting." Slade glanced back at Robin. "Trust me, you had better get used to it." He pulled a key card from some hidden pocket on his outfit and swiped it through a panel next to a large wooden door. He lead Robin into a rather posh office. The name plate on the desk read 'Slade Wilson, PhD.' "Surprised?"
And Robin was, in fact, a little too surprised. By the surroundings... and not just that, but when his gaze had fallen upon the plate, a sudden pang of annoyance ricocheted through his mind as he repeated the name aloud to himself.
"Slade Wilson..." He whispered.
Slade hadn't been a codename, it had just been his first name. All of this time, Robin had tried to figure out who exactly Slade was, and now it was just being flashed in front of him like he should have known all along. He didn't bother answering to the comments or questions...instead his brows furrowed slowly, observing the office slowly, taking in the abrupt change in surroundings while he could.
He could practically hear the indignation brewing in Robin, and he could guess at the cause easily enough. "Yes, Robin... that is my name, though the degree is honorary. I have a Social Security number as well... want me to tell you what it is?"
Silent for a moment, he seemed to entirely avoid looking towards Slade, even as he bitterly uttered a 'No'. Finally ceasing in glancing about the office, he managed to keep his gaze locked elsewhere, practically leering at the floor...
Chuckling to himself, Slade gestured to a chair. "Feel free to have a seat... I'll be with you in a moment..." Without waiting for him to comply, Slade walked to the other end of the room and opened a door, stepping into a small adjoining room. He raised his voice to be sure that Robin could still hear him. "There are clothes for you in the sideboard. We have a meeting, so you'll need to hurry." He paused for a second... "Don't worry, I'm in too much of a hurry to do anything... untoward." He closed the door, content in the knowledge that Robin would not attempt escape. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to get through the door, let alone out of the complex.
Pacing into the room hesitantly, he didn't turn to watch Slade close the door behind him; he only stood there for a moment, before stepping forth towards the sideboard Slade had mentioned. He gazed over the oddly civilian outfit, feeling a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach again. Pulling the clothes from where they had resided, he began to change into them, with the thought if he would ever actually see his friends again lingering.
He knocked sharply on the inside of the door. "Are you decent?" His smile was plain in his tone.
Hesitation was eminent in his reply, but his voice came, none-the-less. "Yes..."
Slade opened the door with a sweep of his arm, reaching up with his other hand even as he did, and doing the one thing he had left 'til last... Before Robin could fully react, Slade removed his mask and quickly covered his right eye with a black patch.
Robin started to turn towards Slade, but he felt a lump get caught in his throat that he would have sworn was his heart. His jaw dropped, accompanied by the widening of his eyes... he had never been sure what to expect beneath the mask. He only 'saw underneath' the mask once before, and that wasn't even the true Slade. It was his undead face. Robin managed to force his jaw to clench shut, but barely... "So there actually is a man behind the mask..."
"Shocking, isn't it?" Slade asked, running a hand through his usually confined white hair. "It does take some of the mystery away with it, but I find that my business partners react better to me like this."
... tune in tomorrow for the shocking... continuation... ah, dammit...))
As the mobile chamber ground to a halt, Slade turned his head to regard his sleeping passenger. He quashed the vaguely paternal feeling that rose in the back of his mind and unsnapped his restraining harness. He stood, looming over Robin...
The sleep that had eventually drifted over him had been Robin's temporary escape from reality...a thankfully dreamless sleep, surprisingly. His mind poked at him all of a sudden, as his body felt the room stop rattling underneath him; and for a fleeting second, he had almost forgotten where he had been before allowing himself to sleep. In fact, he was almost startled to see Slade standing over him, but it didn't take long for his expression to fall into a glare... He released himself from the chair and stood up, shifting away from the man a bit.
"Good morning, Robin... I trust you rested well?"
"Yeah, I would have rather stayed asleep..."
Slade's eye narrowed. "We could arrange for that, if you'd rather... I know some researchers who are this close," he held up one hand, his thumb and index finger almost touching... "to perfecting a cryogenic chamber. You could sleep until nothing ties you to this life..." There was an air of sadness about those words, but it was quickly dispelled.
A frown fell over his expression, an he turned his gaze away from Slade. It was not exactly the way he wanted his life to end. Not that he wanted it to. He had just enough confidence, just enough hope to keep the thought away... -but for how long?- Robin simply shook his head.
Slade tilted his head to the side. "No? Too bad, really... the unfreezing process that we currently use is rather... interesting. Painful, yes, and it does seem to effect the memory a bit. But it has the useful side-effect of binding the subject's genetic code to the person who supplies their unique serum..."
Robin suddenly glanced to Slade with a rather fierce look... "So is that what you did to Terra? How you brought her back, while messing with her memories?"
"Terra?" Slade chuckled, "What good would it do me to freeze a stone?"
"There has to be some way you brought her back. If we couldn't figure it out, how could you?"
"My methods are somewhat less... ethical than yours..."
Glaring coldly, Robin decided to quit trying to get the answers out of him... After a moment, he realized he wasn't even entirely sure where they were. "Where are we?"
"My little home away from home, Robin." He opened the door, revealing a well lit hallway, complete with carpeting and wallpaper... far from his norm. "Welcome to The Institute."
His eyes widened slowly after a second, surprised by the atmosphere he had hardly expected. Gazing down the hallway, he still remained unsure what to expect in this place. In fact, he wasn't even sure what to say...
"Come along, Robin... I'll give you the nickle tour."
His expression fell back into its grim look, tilting his head downward. Robin trailed behind Slade, trying to keep his distance just enough...
"It must be difficult for you. Seeing me in this setting." Slade glanced back at Robin. "Trust me, you had better get used to it." He pulled a key card from some hidden pocket on his outfit and swiped it through a panel next to a large wooden door. He lead Robin into a rather posh office. The name plate on the desk read 'Slade Wilson, PhD.' "Surprised?"
And Robin was, in fact, a little too surprised. By the surroundings... and not just that, but when his gaze had fallen upon the plate, a sudden pang of annoyance ricocheted through his mind as he repeated the name aloud to himself.
"Slade Wilson..." He whispered.
Slade hadn't been a codename, it had just been his first name. All of this time, Robin had tried to figure out who exactly Slade was, and now it was just being flashed in front of him like he should have known all along. He didn't bother answering to the comments or questions...instead his brows furrowed slowly, observing the office slowly, taking in the abrupt change in surroundings while he could.
He could practically hear the indignation brewing in Robin, and he could guess at the cause easily enough. "Yes, Robin... that is my name, though the degree is honorary. I have a Social Security number as well... want me to tell you what it is?"
Silent for a moment, he seemed to entirely avoid looking towards Slade, even as he bitterly uttered a 'No'. Finally ceasing in glancing about the office, he managed to keep his gaze locked elsewhere, practically leering at the floor...
Chuckling to himself, Slade gestured to a chair. "Feel free to have a seat... I'll be with you in a moment..." Without waiting for him to comply, Slade walked to the other end of the room and opened a door, stepping into a small adjoining room. He raised his voice to be sure that Robin could still hear him. "There are clothes for you in the sideboard. We have a meeting, so you'll need to hurry." He paused for a second... "Don't worry, I'm in too much of a hurry to do anything... untoward." He closed the door, content in the knowledge that Robin would not attempt escape. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to get through the door, let alone out of the complex.
Pacing into the room hesitantly, he didn't turn to watch Slade close the door behind him; he only stood there for a moment, before stepping forth towards the sideboard Slade had mentioned. He gazed over the oddly civilian outfit, feeling a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach again. Pulling the clothes from where they had resided, he began to change into them, with the thought if he would ever actually see his friends again lingering.
He knocked sharply on the inside of the door. "Are you decent?" His smile was plain in his tone.
Hesitation was eminent in his reply, but his voice came, none-the-less. "Yes..."
Slade opened the door with a sweep of his arm, reaching up with his other hand even as he did, and doing the one thing he had left 'til last... Before Robin could fully react, Slade removed his mask and quickly covered his right eye with a black patch.
Robin started to turn towards Slade, but he felt a lump get caught in his throat that he would have sworn was his heart. His jaw dropped, accompanied by the widening of his eyes... he had never been sure what to expect beneath the mask. He only 'saw underneath' the mask once before, and that wasn't even the true Slade. It was his undead face. Robin managed to force his jaw to clench shut, but barely... "So there actually is a man behind the mask..."
"Shocking, isn't it?" Slade asked, running a hand through his usually confined white hair. "It does take some of the mystery away with it, but I find that my business partners react better to me like this."
... tune in tomorrow for the shocking... continuation... ah, dammit...))