My Father is Death

Chapter 25

Sorry guys this is up late. I had one hell of a migraine the other day. Writing the little I did was miserable because docs on my computer can't be switched to Black paper and White text.

Dick grinned, hopping from roof to roof. Slade kept his one good eye on his son and his senses on the rest of the area. He kept a slower pace for the boy to keep stride with. It wasn't suppose to be far from there drop point. Well not for Slade. It might be a long run for Dick and his small legs.

Slade paused on the roof opposite there target. Dick stopped beside him, taking a in a deep breath. He turned to look up at his father, "We there? You going to tell me what we're stealing?"

"You are learning."

Dick crossed his arms with a huff, "I can fight and sneak around."

"But you apparently you can't hack into a system."

"I was never taught."

"Like I said before; Learning."

"Fine."

Slade moved off to the side of the building and started down the fire exit. Dick followed every step for step exactly as Slade did. Dick glanced briefly over at the logo on the glass doors to the sky scraper. 'Queen industries.'

"Ok," Slade paused at a door, "Come here... Renegade."

Dick glared at Slade, "What have we talked about?"

Slade smirked, "Come here Runt."

"I will kick you."

"Get your tail end over here."

Dick trotted over begrudenly, pulling up the new holo glove he'd been given, "Ready."

Slade leaned over his shoulder, "Good. Now, just like we did at the Haunt."

Dick started typing away, "Why is this easy."

"Because I started it off easy, and I wanted to see how far you are along."

"You own me Ice Cream for this."

Slade sighed, "Fine. But only one scoop."

"Deal." Dick pressed a button and the door unlatched, "I think a scoop of cookie dough Ice Cream is in order."

"After the job. Now tell me what we're going to get."

"You never told me." Dick crossed his arms with a huff, "We're not stealing anything, are we?"

"No. You remember our meet point? And the way back to the haunt?"

Dick nodded with a frown.

"Good. Now go hide up there. Yes. In the vents." Dick opened his mouth to protest but Slade cut him off, "Stay there and don't made a sound. Just watch."

Dick did as told, placing the vent cover back just as a man dressed in green crashed through the glass doors. Alarms sounded and steel doors dropped down, but the vents stayed mercilessly open. There wasn't big talk or demanded questions. The green guy just shot arrow at Slade, and Slade dodged them all.

With theatrics and a lot of goading, Slade led the archer else where. Dick counted to a hundred and twenty before shimming his way through the vents and out into the open air. At first Dick didn't know if he should wait for Slade or leave. But in the end he got into his head it was a race to the meet point, and Dick was not being last. He made it to the roof top in only twently minutes with a whoop. 

"Your late."

Dick whirled around to see Slade already there examining his nails with fake interest, "It took me only five minuets to get the blueprints and ten to ditch little archer back there. It took you twenty just to get out of the vents and run here." Slade looked down at Dick, "We'll need to work on that."

Dick groaned, "Yeah, but you have longer legs! I might got the same distance but it takes more effort and time for me!"

"Yes but I'm a 'old man', and you are so young." Slade mocked with a grin.

Dick crossed his arms with a pout, "You still owe me ice cream."

"Oh? And with what money will you pay for this ice cream with?"

"Yours."

"Than you better catch me." Slade stepped off the roof and vanished.

~   ~   ~

Four hours. Four freaking hours. FOUR! And he still hadn't caught his adoptive father. Dick did on the other hand figure out Slade's first trick. The man had been tailing Dick as Dick tried to track Slade. It infuriated the young child. When Dick figured it out, he screamed aloud turned and rushed in the direction he knew Slade was. The man only laughed, turning tail and running. Walking into the haunt Dick slammed the front door and yelled again in furry. 

Wintergreen came running, "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is Slade hurt?"

"He's going to be hurt, when I get my hands on him!" Dick cried, "Four Fucking hours! And I still can't catch him!"

Wintergreen took a steading breath in, remembering the advanced game of tag Slade had used to train both Grant and Joey. Both boys doing exactly what Dick was doing now. He also remembered the rewards the boys got when they tagged Slade. Joey got a ten new sketch books and batches of colored pencils to boot and Grant one hell of a hunting rifle with accessories that took up a whole wall. Wintergreen wondered briefly what reward Slade promised Dick.

Dick flopped down at the table, bagging his head into the wood, "Why?" The boy whined, "I just want Ice Cream." A sniffle came from the boy, "He promised if I hacked though I'd get Ice Cream."

Wintergreen frowned reaching out to rub the boy's back, "It's alright Dickie. I don't got any Ice Cream but I have some frozen cake. Will that be alright?"

Dick nodded with a sniff, wiping at his eyes, "Why'd run? He promised."

Wintergreen sighed, "I think Slade's getting old, forgetting to tell you the rules of this game. Joey and Grant both played it with Slade." The man set the cake in front of Dick, "Don't worry Dick. It's not your fault. I'll talk with Slade."

"Thank you."

"Just eat up."

An hour later, Slade had a healing black eye and Dick had a bowl of four scoops of Ice Cream, each a different flavor.

"Dick, if I ever do something you don't understand again. Just sit down and don't move." Slade ordered, "Because I rather run around like an idiot than face Wintergreen again."

Dick nodded, plopping a spoon full of ice cream into his mouth, talking around it, "Did that archer guy give you the black eye? He get a good hit in?"

With a sigh Slade nodded, "Yes Dick. He got a lucky shot."