Hey dudes and dudettes! Hope you like this, it's a songfic of the Apprentice series with the song Slow Fade, by Casting Crowns. It's not really like the show, 'cause I changed it around to fit the song, like, a lot. So it's more of my version. Just note that some of the section things connect directly, and some are awhile apart. Also, it's not just in a two day time period like in the show; it's pretty much as long as you want it to be.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans (I took some quotes from the show, though most of them are changed around, so they may not be in the same spot or sound the exact same) or Casting Crowns, though they are both AWE-MAZING. If you have time, most definitely go listen to the song, its sooooo cool! You'd like it, I'm positive. And if you don't like it I'll refund your money! Well ok, I really wouldn't, I'd just make a big deal about how you're too lame to like a super cool song, but you can pretend to get your money back.
P.S. I would like constructive criticism on this please! Actually, I don't care if you flame as long as you say WHY you don't like it. Oh, and if you see any grammar/spelling mistakes PLEASE TELL ME! I've randomly developed this weird, extreme OCD for that kind of stuff, so tell me about it!
GRAMMAR EDITED ('cause I'm OCD)
Slow Fade
Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
"Nanoscopic probes," Slade said. "With a push of the button, my probes will destroy your friends from the inside out."
"What?" He froze, unable to think clearly.
"You see, for some time now, I have been searching for... an apprentice. Someone to follow in my footsteps. And I've chosen you. Congratulations." No, this wasn't happening. He could never be this man's apprentice. He would never leave the Teen Titans.
"If you join me, if you swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends again, I will allow them to live. But, if you disobey, even the smallest request, I will annihilate them, and I'll make you watch. So do we have a deal?"
But he had to leave them. He had to save them. He had to join the criminal.
The boy put on the uniform Slade had given him. He wore the armor that Slade wanted to protect him with and saw a new mask that reminded him too much of Slade's eye for his own liking.
"I know it seems bad now, but trust me Robin. You'll learn to like it."
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow
His feet landed hard on the ground, sending a shock up his legs, but Robin kept running. He didn't want his friends to find him; he couldn't face them. The Titans' shouts could be heard behind him but he didn't take the time to understand; he just had to get away.
Starfire and Beast Boy stepped in front of him, and turning around, he saw Cyborg and Raven behind, none of them recognizing their friend in the shadows. Robin turned right, his blood running cold as he saw the dead end up ahead.
He was cornered.
He stopped.
He turned around.
His heart wrenched as he saw his friends' expressions at the shock of seeing him as a criminal…
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Kick, punch, swerve, and a leap to the next Titan. Kick, punch, swerve, on to the next. He never stayed on the same one for too long, somehow a brief greeting seemed to dull the pain better then a prolonged reunion.
This was how he dealt with betraying them, just lightly grazing each to wear them down, avoiding them as best as possible. But Slade would have none of that.
"Fight to win Robin, use the Thermal Blaster."
The boy was thrown onto a large, fluorescent 'A' and he began to run across the other letters, until he hit a dead end, with Starfire in front of him, aiming a starbolt at his head.
"Stop! Do. Not. Move"
"I thought I told you to use that thermo blaster. Attack! Or I will."
Robin pointed the gun at Starfire. They stood still, both afraid to move.
This seemed to be the marker for the boy, his first glimpse of insanity in his new life. His old life already fading away…
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
Her body moved gracefully as she dodged another punch and her eyes flashed green when starbolts flew towards Robin. He watched her when he rolled away from another attack and when he leapt towards her again and again. But Starfire didn't get out of the way fast enough and Robin threw her to the ground. A green light hit his stomach, blasting him away, the masked eyes never off her. They looked at each other for a split second before charging at the same time, anticipating each others' moves as Robin threw a punch and Starfire threw a bolt. They had practiced like this so many times at the Tower that it was a dance to them. They had memorized the others' moves so that Robin could tune out the fight and look into her eyes.
He felt at home.
He danced with Star on top of Wayne Industries, ignoring the other Titans, ignoring Slade's voice in his ear, and ignoring the stolen prototype in his pocket.
He danced.
But Starfire put a bolt to his head and he fell hard onto the ground. Robin stood up, wanting to walk to her, smiling; praising her excellent work for today's practice. Then he remembered. He wasn't Star's Robin, he was Slade's Robin. He had to fight her. He had to hurt her. He had to bring her down.
Because that was the price he had to pay to protect her.
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade,
It's a slow fade
Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
"Come on, man. The joke was funny, but now it's over. Come back home." Robin smacked Cyborg in the knees with a kick and as he fell, the apprentice grabbed his arm and twisted Cyborg around so that he fell on the ground with a loud thump. Robin couldn't deal with this right now. He didn't want to face the questions and the accusing stares. Right now he wanted to get back to Slade to get away from his friends; Slade wasn't as cruel as them.
"Dude, we'll give you whatever you want! Pensions, a raise, sick leave, maternity leave; you want it you got it!" but that earned Beast Boy a punch in the gut before he could defend himself.
"Robin, why do you not want to come back home? Why do you not want to be our friend anymore?" Robin tried his hardest not to turn around. He couldn't look into her eyes without breaking down.
But he looked at her. He broke down.
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray
"Why don't you get it?!" Robin ran towards the girl, unable to hold in his anger. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" He punched at Starfire, kicked at her, tried to get past her glowing hands to vent his frustration. "I'm not a Titan anymore! I'm not a hero, I'm a criminal. So just leave me alone!"
The world on the top of the building froze.
"Robin…"
"I-" his voice a whisper, "-I hate you all." That was it. Being said, Robin turned to run, not being Robin anymore, but Slade.
A hiss in his ear, "good job Robin. I did not know you had it in you. I am proud."
He could hear Starfire's cry.
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray.
Thoughts invade,
This was unbearable. This was torture. This was pain.
This was Slade.
Robin wanted to cry, to pound his fists, to demand freedom.
But he knew nothing would work.
The boy wanted the stabbing in his heart to stop, to be free from the chains his friends held him at. Robin didn't want to care anymore. He didn't want to love them so much. If there was a way to rip out his heart, he would have done it by now, but it was impossible.
Although he could still try.
He could forget the Teen Titans. He could fight them for real. He could truly eject them from his heart. Instead of denying them for Slade's satisfaction, Robin could turn against the Titans for his own liberation.
He could turn against the Heroes.
Turn towards the Villains.
But could he?
Choices are made,
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
"Cyborg?"
"Yeah, Star?"
"May I do the speaking with you?"
"Of course. What is it?"
Starfire walked into the garage and sat down on a chair next to the T-car as Cyborg got out from underneath it and wiped his hands.
"It is about…Robin…"
"Oh," she either didn't notice or ignored his darkened expression.
"I am afraid for him. I am afraid of what Slade might be doing to his mind. I fear he may soon never come back."
The boy sighed and got up to bring a chair next to Starfire. He put a hand on her shoulder and said kindly, "Star, I- I think Robin might already be at the point of no return. I don't think he could come back if he wanted to." The girl didn't fight like she used to, she didn't argue or protect Robin's honor, she simply slouched down, letting her eyes water and her head fall on Cyborg's shoulder.
"But he can not be gone…I think I am loving him."
"Starfire…"
"I do not know what I am to do."
"Star," he didn't know what to say, but somehow the boy had to convince her otherwise. "Robin betrayed us. He's working for Slade and he even said it himself. He's not one of us anymore. Starfire," He held her hands in his and looked straight at her, "I think it's time you moved on. You can't keep holding on to Robin. He's gone. You have to stop loving him now."
Tears began to freely fall down her face as she said, barely audible, "alright."
Cyborg gave her a strong hug and wiped her tears away before she walked back up the stairs to her room, her crying stopped.
***
"Do you see, Robin? Even the girl you were closest to has given up on you. Do you see how weak your 'friends' truly are? They don't need you anymore, just as you don't need them."
Robin clenched the edge of the table, unbelieving of what he had seen on Slade's spy cameras. His last link to Teen Titans had been broken, Starfire being the last of his friends who still believed in him. Was there anything to hold him up now? Anything to help him keep his sanity while locked up with Slade?
Robin had fed off his friends' hope for him for so long. What was keeping him from hell now?
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade,
It's a slow fade
The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
"Just do it Robin…He doesn't deserve to get away unscratched." The boy picked up a man many years older than himself with one hand and gave him a hard punch with the other. He punched his stomach, his face, his stomach again. His knee gave a hard shove upwards and the victim fell to the ground.
Robin looked into the wrinkled face, the graying hair…the bright blue eyes. His eyes? No, not his eyes, these man's were lighter, more alive…
Robin gave him one last kick, breaking a rib, before running away, the adrenaline taking over again as he now allowed it to every time he went out.
He hadn't even known who the man was, just some guy who never repaid Slade or something, though he had a feeling Slade was making it up. But Robin didn't care, he used up all his pent up anger on the poor soul, imagining it to be Slade then each of the Titans, having a personal, made-up vendetta against all four of them in gratitude for giving up on him.
Robin had left the man wheezing, suffering, never knowing what he had done wrong, never hesitating or faltering in the commands his master gave him.
He had kept stoic emotions behind a stoic face.
Until he let all out on an innocent man.
And it felt good.
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking
"Excellent work, Robin, I was not expecting such brutality from you so soon," the boy kept his face impassible. "As I told you before," Slade leaned his face close to Robin's, "we are so very much alike."
His face flinched, giving Slade what he wanted knowing he hit a nerve. "You are dismissed."
For a moment he didn't move. His master ignored him and started walking away.
"Slade…" did he want to know? "Who was that man?"
He stopped and turned around and Robin could swear his was grinning under his mask.
"Nobody."
That's what he was afraid of.
Robin walked as calmly to his room as possible but when he closed the door, he had to lean against the wall to stay up, his shaking legs unable to support him.
An innocent man had been hurt by him just because Slade had told him to do it. Without even being threatened, Robin had run off like a dog to blindly fulfill his Master's will, not even stopping to ask why. He slid down the wall until his head was resting on his knees and his arms wrapped tightly around his legs.
"I'm ok, I'm ok…I can get through this…for the Titans"
Was this it? Was he finally becoming Slade's perfect apprentice? Was he finally giving into the darkness he had fought against for so long?
Yes.
He ran to the bathroom and threw up.
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade,
Waking up on the bathroom floor with the smell of puke in the air, Robin knew he wouldn't be able to handle this much longer. Slade was finally breaking him and they both knew it.
There was only one thought circling Robin's mind; he had to kill Slade. Never before had murder seemed so right to the boy. This wasn't just blind anger leading him towards revenge; this was a fight for his life and his sanity. He felt like a cornered animal desperately striking out at whatever came towards him.
As he got up and staggered to the other room, he slowly began to plan what to do. Slade would never expect something like this from him, still believing Robin had enough sanity to hold pressure and Robin would use that to his advantage.
He quickly searched his belt, looking for something capable of what he had in mind.
In the back, he found a small knife. A smile flickered on his face.
Perfect.
Choices are made,
He walked into the main room, Slade sitting at the control table in front of the screens, his back to the boy.
"Sleep well, Apprentice?"
No comment. The bathroom floor had been hard.
Robin went to stand on Slade's right side, his blind side, his heart pounding so hard he was sure Slade would hear it.
"Today will be a training day; there is nothing to steal tonight." He looked up at Robin, seeing his nervous face and sweat forming. "Is something bothering you, Robin?"
Robin shook his head, teeth clenched, knowing Slade didn't believe him, but the man turned back around anyway. Slowly moving his hand to his back pocket, he grasped the handle of the knife and brought it to his side, trying to get it over with as soon as possible.
"Then go to the weight room and get started, I'll- ROBIN!" Slade had looked up just in time and grabbed the boy's wrist. It got twisted around painfully as Slade stood up and forced Robin to his knees by curling his arm towards him and pushing down. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that." He leaned closer to his face and whispered dangerously, "did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?" Slade grabbed the blade from Robin's loose hand and kicked him hard in the chest so that he fell on his back.
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
He knelt down on one knee next to the boy and put his hand, with the trigger in it, in his face, almost touching his nose.
"Sometimes, Robin, I think you don't really want your so called friends to live."
"Don't…"
Slade pushed his thumb down and immediately the screens lit up with images of the inside of Titan's Tower from the hidden cameras.
People never crumble in a day
"No! Slade stop! Please, I promise I'll be good, I promise!"
"You say that to me every time, Apprentice, but I never see any improvement from you."
He let the button go and for a second, Robin relaxed, but Slade pushed it again, screams rising up from the video on the wall.
"I can do this all day, Robin, killing them very slowly, and much more painfully."
"Slade don-" But he got a hard punch in the mouth and another dose of screams from the Titans.
Daddies never crumble in a day
The man stood up, pulling Robin, by the collar of his shirt, with him.
"From now on, I want you to call me Master."
"No."
Slade threw Robin across the room where he landed harshly on his face. Trying to get back up, Robin was kicked in the side then pinned down by a foot on his chest.
"Come now, Robin, you don't really want to go through this again? Like I said, I can do this all day…"
Families never crumble in a day
Days later. Multiple weapons and gadgets stolen. Working overtime for punishment because of what he had tried. Bruises everywhere. Open wounds bleeding freely.
Hope lost.
But they came.
They came barging through the door as Robin submitted to his Master for the last time. They came to save him. They came because they believed in him.
"Get out of here! Go! You don't know what those beams did to-"
"Dude-"
"We know-"
"And we don't care."
"We are your friends, Robin; we are not leaving without you."
But he had to fight them. He had to hurt them. He had to bring them down.
"Robin! You don't have to do what Slade says anymore! We got the probes out… you're free."
Free…
"What do you think took us so long to get here?"
As easy as that. As easy as friends coming to save him. Because that was all it took. All it took to defeat Slade.
And home again home again, friends at his side.
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
"I am… sorry."
"You're sorry? For what?" Robin sat on the couch next to Starfire, taking in the eyes that he loved, that a few days ago he had to fight.
"When things were bad, there was a moment where I truly believed that you were... like Slade. I doubted you, and for that, I am sorry."
"I doubted myself, Star. As much as I hate to admit it, he and I kind of are alike," memories flashed of Slade's face looming before him, saying those exact words that Robin hated so much. "But there's one big difference between me and Slade.
"He doesn't have any friends."
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
Ok, so yeah, it's a Christian song. But its schweet! So get over it. Anyways, hope you liked it; this took me a loooong time to write, like you wouldn't believe! Major writer's block, especially at the end. And I'm lazy too, so that had a big impact, hehe.
Man, I realized that I never actually mentioned Raven. Technically, the "We know-" at the end where they rescued him is her line, but I never said she said it. I feel kinda bad for her, sorry guys.