Luthor's Assassin

Remember

"You understand the conditions, apprentice?" Slade asked, staring at him calmly. Dick nodded.

"Keep quiet, stay away from any technological device, and under no circumstances am I to leave this room," Dick recited back to him, resisting the heavy urge to roll his eyes. Slade nodded, holding out his hand, and with a heavy sigh, Dick removed the holocomputer from his wrist and placed it in Slade's waiting hand.

They were back at Lexcorp, and Dick had to admit that it felt strange being back after so many weeks away. He wasn't entirely sure why they had returned, either- but he was rolling with it, mostly because he didn't have any other choice.

Lex suddenly spoke up from across the room, where he had been waiting.

"It's almost seven forty-five, Deathstroke."

Slade nodded, taking a moment to glare at Dick sternly.

"Do not disappoint us, Renegade," he said, and Dick nodded, steadily meeting his mentor's eyes. Slade was gone a moment later, following Luthor out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Sighing, Dick flopped down on his bed. He had no idea what was going on, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. All he had been told was that something was going to happen- something big, by the extreme way Slade had reacted, essentially locking him in his room- but that was it.

It was incredibly annoying.

Dick frowned and fidgeted anxiously in place. It had barely been two minutes, and Dick was already starting to get bored.

There was only one thing to do.

Sliding off his bed and onto the floor, Dick rolled into a neat handstand and stood there for a long moment, before raising his left hand so only his right was touching the floor. Then he began to count.

One, two, three, four...

_Line Break_

"This is a bad idea," Slade hissed, glaring at Luthor as the man casually signed a paper on his desk. Luthor glanced at him.

"The Light is aware of your opinion, Slade, you made it very clear at the last meeting. However, we need the distraction... and despite my concerns for Renegade as well, I doubt he'll attempt anything."

"It isn't him I'm worried about. It's those sidekicks," Slade grumbled, and Luthor gave him an amused look.

"Are you saying that you're worried about a group of mini-heroes?" he suggested slyly, and Slade narrowed his single eye in the billionaire's direction, effectively shutting him up.

"I don't have any interest in losing my apprentice to the Justice League," he snarled. "Klarion's plan is a good one, but if it costs us our assassin..."

Luthor leaned forward, sliding his fingers together under his jaw.

"The Light-"

He paused, and suddenly something unseen swept over Slade's body, passing him by and sending an odd shiver down his spine- something that could only be caused by one thing.

Magic.

"I'm assuming you felt that as well?" Luthor said, raising an eyebrow. Slade grunted an affirmation.

"Well then... it's too late now. With any luck, Renegade won't even notice anything is different. And the chances of the sidekicks finding him are slim, especially when they have the rest of the world to look after."

Slade glowered at him for a long moment before turning away.

"I don't believe in luck."

_Line Break_