Author's Note: Here is the full summary:
Robin, leader of a group of crime-fighting heroes known as the Teen Titans, is lured to the lair of an enigmatic mercenary and criminal mastermind, Slade, where Slade blackmails Robin into betraying his friends and joining with him as an apprentice. During his captivity, Robin is taken on an emotional roller coaster as he slowly loses hope and comes to terms with his reality: he has no choice but to embrace the life that Slade creates for him. Soon enough, it is all he knows and Robin is changed in many ways. When the Teen Titans finally decipher Robin's predicament and arrive to fight to take him back, will it be too late for Robin to return to the life he once knew?
Rated T for now, but might change to M in the future (but no explicit sex). Rated for violence, suggestive themes, coarse language, substance abuse, and dark themes like abuse, self-harm, rape, and suicide.
Constructive criticism is welcome. This is basically my take on what happened during and after Robin's apprenticeship. It begins at the start of Season 1 Episode 12, Apprentice pt. I. Chapter 1 follows the show very closely, but a most of the rest of the content is my own additions / changes. Safe to read if you've only made it through season one, no spoilers from the rest of the show. :) Enjoy!
Robin gasped awake, cold sweat chilling his brow.
Another one about Slade, he noted, calming despite the unsettling nature of the dream. The smooth darkness fell away as a beam of light shot into his room. It was Cyborg at the door.
"It's him," he said grimly. "It's Slade."
Robin's heart raced once more.
"Good morning, Teen Titans," Slade's voice reverberated coolly through the living room. "I do hope I didn't wake you."
"What are you, an insomniac? Who calls at five in the m—" Beast Boy's sarcasm ended in a sharp grunt as Raven jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, effectively silencing him.
Robin gripped the edge of the computer interface so tightly his fingers hurt. "What do you want?" he growled.
"Well, that's precisely what you've been trying to find out, isn't it? And in spite of all your efforts, you're still in the dark about my intentions. Disappointing, Robin. I expected a little more from you." The metal of Slade's mask glinted in the moonlight.
Robin clenched his teeth. "Like I care what you—"
"But since you've been unable to discover my plan, I suppose I'll just have to reveal it myself." Slade motioned behind him, and the camera followed to where two of his robots began removing a tarp covering a massive structure. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept of a chronoton detonator." As he spoke, the uncovered detonator extended upwards and slits of red lit up on it like menacing eyes.
The room rung with an assortment of gasps and exclamations of dismay.
"No way!" cried Beast Boy. "Uhhm… What's a crouton detonator?"
Starfire clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest in apprehension. "It eradicates all chronotons within a localized area, utterly destroying the temporal component of the space-time continuum!"
Beast Boy shot Raven a confused look.
"It stops time. Permanently."
Cyborg's eyes narrowed. "If he triggers that thing downtown, it'll freeze-frame the entire city."
Robin leaned towards the screen, as if to try to intimidate his nemesis. "Tell me where!"
"You're a clever boy, Robin. I'm sure you and your little friends can figure it out. However… since I control the detonation…" Slade raised the detonator towards the camera, "…time is not on your side." The screen faded to snow.
Robin slammed his fist on the computer. His voice was low as he turned and walked past the Titans, "Fan out. Find it. Shut it down!"
Starfire looked at him worriedly. Suddenly Cyborg and Beast Boy blocked Robin's path, arms crossed.
"Hey, uh…" Beast Boy began, pulling at his collar nervously, "Maybe you should stay here and… coordinate the search."
"What?"
"Man, when it comes to Slade, you got issues," Cyborg said somewhat gently. "Might be better for the team if you sit this one out."
"No," Robin refused harshly, pushing past them, "There's too much at stake for me to—"
"Robin." Starfire's protest made Robin stop and turn around. "We have not forgotten the last time you faced—"
"I made a mistake, Starfire," he said, recalling the incidents caused by his creation, his alter ego, Red X. "It won't happen again. I can handle it," he assured them as he turned to go. "I promise."
"We'd at least like to know where to look," Raven said from the computer. All Titans turned back towards the huge screen. "Slade gave us more information than he realized."
On the computer was a screenshot of the chronoton detonator with its red glowing eyes. Raven zoomed in. "Here. In this reflection."
"Ooh, squiggly lines. Way informative," resounded Beast Boy's sarcasm.
Raven typed a bit, and the reflection was decoded:
"Pier 41!" Starfire exclaimed.
"The docks," Robin affirmed.
The abandoned warehouse on the docks loomed before the Titans, moonlight flashing on the wide metal doors. The Titans got in position, and Cyborg shot a sonic blast from his cannon, striking down the one of the doors. All five spilled inside through the smoke, weapons and powers prepared.
"Empty?" Starfire's voice was disbelieving.
"Oh, man!" Cyborg moaned dejectedly.
"I don't believe this—" Robin began, but then dark figures flooded the floors around them and the beams above them. Slade's robots. They also blocked the entrance the Titans had made.
No turning back now, Robin thought.
"Great, now what do we do?" Beast Boy asked, glancing about at the enemies that surrounded them.
"We fight," Robin answered in a low voice, extending his bo-staff to its full length in preparation.
The robots began closing in.
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted, effectively commencing the battle. Each Titan locked onto and sped towards their chosen targets.
The first bot dove towards Robin's legs, but he jumped, and kicked another in the metal face, casting it away from him. He threw the bo-staff as if it were a spear, and it lodged within the side of another's head. Retrieving his bo-staff, his peripheral vision caught the robot about to pounce upon him from above. It fell from the beam after a collision with the weapon, and Robin's lightning-fast eyes scanned the room for more.
Cyborg charged with a yell towards his bots, but before he could collide, Robin launched himself at them, effectively knocking them to the cement floor.
Starfire spiraled upwards, starbolts glowing in her hands, but before she could shoot them, Robin destroyed her enemies.
Beast Boy, cornered, transformed into a large horned bull, pushing away the metal figures, and kicked and snorted, about to charge, until Robin, again, wiped them out for him.
"Azarath Metrion Zinth—" Raven cut off her magic words with a gasp as Robin appeared before her, annihilating the robots around her.
Things continued on like so, until the other four Titans were against the wall, watching the devastation occur beneath Robin's wrath. He finished off the last one, pounding its face in with his bo-staff repeatedly.
"Uh… Robin? I think you got him."
"Yes, please!" Starfire pleaded, hands wringing together apprehensively, approaching her teammate. "We may stop now." She clutched his arm, stopping him. "We are victorious."
Robin rose, breathless. "Slade's got his finger on the button, and we've got nothing," he snarled, retracting his staff, "Does that sound like a victory to you?" He walked away, cape fluttering in the musty air.
The Titans cast each other wordless uneasy glances.
Back outside, the teammates regrouped in the moonlight.
"Okay, we know the chronoton detonator was here," Cyborg said, reading the small computer on his arm, "Now we just have to figure out where it went."
"No problem," Beast Boy declared, "We should split up and—"
"Waste hours searching only to come up empty-handed?" Raven countered.
"Well, when you say it like that…"
"Raven is right," Starfire acknowledged, "We must find some way to track the device."
Robin's eye caught a human shadow sliding against the next building, illuminated by fluorescent lights.
"Freeze!" he yelled, but the shadow ran back the way it came. Robin pursued immediately.
He nimbly climbed to the roof of a low building, and his bird-a-rang flashed and lodged in the ground in front of the fleeing man. Robin leapt and took him by the overalls, slamming him against the wall.
"Tell me everything you know about this!" he commanded, holding up Slade's black "S" badge for the man to see.
The man raised his palms, yielding. His voice almost squeaked with fear, but no words came.
"Answer me, now!" Robin pulled him forward and shoved him angrily back against the wall with a thump.
"I've never seen it before! I don't know anything! Honest!"
Suddenly a blackness eclipsed Robin's torso, binding his arms, and he flew back about twenty feet, colliding with the wall. When he looked down, he saw Raven approach.
"You said you could handle it," she said in disapproval, releasing him. The others joined her, their body language closed.
"You promised," Starfire pleaded, clasping her hands before her chest.
Robin slipped to the ground. "We're wasting time!" He pivoted on one foot and began to leave.
"You know," Beast Boy protested, "Just 'cause we're trying to catch Slade doesn't mean you have to act like him!"
Robin stopped. Something in the air changed.
"Don't you ever compare me to him," Robin fumed, turning around and closing in on his teammate so their faces were close. "He's trying to destroy the city; I'm trying to save it!"
Robin's voice echoed off the walls, and a sore silence filled the night.
"Ah-CHOO!" Starfire sneezed violently, filling the air with green light and then smoke. "Forgive me, I'm allergic to metallic chromium. There must be a source near—"
The Titans took hurried steps away from her. "Ah-CHOO!" She sniffed as the smoke cleared. "Ugh. Sorry."
"Interesting," Cyborg noted, approaching her while his gaze was fixed on his arm-computer, viewing the graph displayed.
"Uh, not really. In my world, chromium allergies are quite common."
"No," he said, "The key component of a chronoton detonator is a metallic chromium core, which means…"
"Starfire can track it," Beast Boy comprehended.
Starfire sniffled again.
The sewer walls were roomy, with a walkway on either side, but they were coated in sludge. It reeked.
"Ah-CHOO!" Starfire sniffled, wiping her nose, then pointed. "Ugh, I believe it is this way."
The five teens walked silently through the gloom, until Robin, who was trailing behind, spoke up.
"Look… guys, uh… about earlier…"
The Titans stopped. "It'll have to wait," Raven indicated in front of her, to a boat with one of Slade's robots. And a looming mass of shadow: the chronoton detonator.
The bot finally noticed their presence. Robin thought it odd its microphone didn't pick up their voices before now.
"Titans, go!"
The robot revved up the boat and put it in high gear, speeding away.
"Quick, we can't let it get aw—aah!" Something burst through the sewer wall and took Robin by the arm through the new opening.
"Robin!" Starfire cried. The teens gathered hurriedly to the hole in the wall, where they saw Robin dodging blows from a tall angular figure: Cinderblock.
"Get the detonator! Go!" he cried, jumping out of the way of the huge stone fist that put a hole in the ground where he was standing. The Titans obeyed, except Starfire, who lingered.
"Star! You heard the man!" Cyborg called. Reluctantly she sped to join them.
Robin cut away from punch after punch, each one utterly collapsing the stone columns in the room. Cinderblock growled incomprehensibly at him as he landed about thirty feet away.
"Only fair to warn you… you caught me on a bad day."
Cinderblock snarled in response, and the two charged at each other. Cinderblock pulled back to punch, and Robin leapt into the air to avoid it, tossing a bola like a lasso around his enemy's thick neck, before swinging a vicious kick at his red-eyed face.
Cinderblock stumbled backwards, and Robin landed in front of him, reached up, clutched him by the neck, and threw him over his head, causing the massive stone adversary to go limp.
Robin landed on Cinderblock's chest, ready to land a punch if necessary. "Where is he?! Where's—huh?"
A beeping noise emanated from his fallen opponent's hand. Robin went to it, crouching, examining the small screen of the device. It was a map. Of the city. And only a few blocks away, a small angular "S" blinked in yellow.
His mouth formed a triumphant grin.
Slade.
Robin stood behind the door, listening.
The calm, cool voice of Slade came through: "Hurry, young Titans. Your time is running out."
With that, Robin threw an explosive disc at the door, blowing it to pieces, throwing up dust into the dark air.
His voice was low when he spoke. "Actually… we just went into overtime."
"Robin. Welcome," Slade greeted him casually, without turning around from the large screen he was facing. "I've been expecting you for some time. I was beginning to wonder if Cinderblock was too much of a challenge."
Robin jumped down from the ledge to the floor upon which Slade stood. The screens depicted the Titans, still chasing the boat with the chronoton detonator. Countless gears and cogs clacked and creaked in the shadows. Looking up at Slade's figure, dark except for the edges illuminated by the screen, Robin forgot how large the man was.
"Looking for this?" Slade turned, waving the detonator's trigger in his hand. "Well, here it is." He placed it into a spotlight on the cement floor, stepping back. "If you want it, come and take it."
Robin glared into the man's only visible eye, which seemed to glow behind the spotlight. Clack, click. Clack, click. He decided to make the first move, to try and put Slade on the defensive. He charged with a roar.
This is it.
But Slade dodged his kick and pulled back to punch. Robin shielded his torso with his arms, and the force of the punch sent him flying backwards, but he landed mostly on his feet. He spotted the beam of light out of the corner of his eye, and decided to leap for the trigger—but a kick to his side knocked him away.
Slade landed before him. "Come, now, Robin," he said, moving towards him, "You'll have to do better than that. I haven't even broken a sweat."
With that he broke into a run towards Robin, who was barely able to shield himself from the fierce kick that sent him stumbling backwards. But Slade kept coming.
Punch. Roundhouse. It was all Robin could do to just dodge. Finally he saw an opening, and threw a hook, and it connected, but Slade recovered more quickly than he expected, kicking him in the chest. Robin staggered backwards again, snarling in frustration through gritted teeth. Only one hit.
Slade came at him again, and Robin cut away from the series of swift punches. Robin's roundhouse missed; Slade leaped over him. Their eyes locked again, and Slade's attack barely missed as Robin sprung away, landing on his hands and then flipping over to his feet.
Stop letting him put you on the defensive! He thought. Offense, offense! With an angry cry he hurdled towards his opponent with a strong right jab. Missed. Left jab, right hook, left uppercut, all missed. Slade's speed was astounding for his size.
Another right hook, this one Slade caught in his palm, his thick, gloved fingers curling over Robin's fist tightly. "Good technique," Slade noted. In a swift motion, he pulled the fist down and back, causing Robin to cry out in pain as the force made his elbow crackle.
Helpless, Robin struggled as Slade lifted him into the air and then threw him by his cape across the floor with such power that he didn't stop sliding until his back and head hit the far wall.
He got up. Too fast. Dizziness clouded his eyesight with black spots and he sank to his knees with a pained groan of protest. No!
Slade took a step towards him. "Good," he complimented, crossing his arms thoughtfully in front of his chest, "But not perfect."
Robin's vision swam with neon colors. Get up! At last he forced himself to his feet, the dizziness subsiding. He charged with an enraged roar, leaped into the air, ready to front-flip into a powerful kick.
Bad move. Slade's uppercut caught him square in the abdomen, knocking the breath out of him. Struggling to inhale, he descended to all fours. When he finally was able to take in breath, it came out of him with a strange pained sound. Spots marred his vision again.
Slade chuckled, waited a moment, and then kicked Robin again, watching him tumble across the floor.
Can't do this… Robin lay on his front, his breathing heavy and too fast. He slammed a fist on the floor as he powerlessly watched Slade approach.
Robin's nemesis looked down at him, arms behind his back. "I understand your frustration, Robin. You hate losing as much as I do. One of the many qualities we have in common."
At that, he felt something snap inside him. Before he knew it, his uppercut caught the chin of Slade's metal mask. A right hook to the face. A left one, and Slade flipped backwards away from him, landing deftly. Robin crouched before him, then attacked again.
Punch after punch. Why is he not retaliating? But he took the opportunity to land blows. Two kicks under the chin threw Slade onto his back.
Looking down, he was near the spotlight again. And the detonator. He picked it up, and then looked at the man on the floor. "It's over, Slade."
"On the contrary, Robin…" came the dark voice. The detonator suddenly began sparking in his hand before it burst in a tiny explosion of metal pieces.
Slade was up again. He walked towards Robin, his one eye seeming to glow in the gloom.
"…This is only the beginning."
Robin's brow furrowed. "Where's the real trigger?" he demanded.
"Trigger? There is no trigger. Because there is no detonator."
What?
Slade walked to the front of the huge room, where the screen was. But now it depicted what looked like… a microscopic view of blood vessels, with red blood cells flowing through them. Not just those, though; there were also small metallic-looking devices swimming along. This video was repeated four times, and at the top of each read the following: "Cyborg", "Starfire", "Raven", and "Beast Boy".
"Nanoscopic probes," Slade said coolly. "The chronoton detonator was merely the bait for a much larger trap." He turned around and from his wrist protruded a red button. "You see, with the push of a button, my probes will destroy your friends… from the inside… out."
"You can't control them," Robin declared. "No matter what you threaten, they'll never obey you."
"This isn't about your friends, Robin," Slade began, arms behind his back, making a path around Robin, "It's about you. It's always been about you."
"What?"
"Sending trouble your way. Leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel… I was testing you. For some time now, I've been searching for… an apprentice. Someone to follow in my footsteps," Slade came close to Robin and leaned in towards his face menacingly. "And Robin, I've chosen you. Congratulations."
Panic rose in Robin's throat. "No way would I ever work for—" He stopped as Slade poised a finger over the button on his wrist.
"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, Robin. And I'll make you watch," he hissed.
Robin swallowed, standing stoically, eyes unfocused as his mind spun.
"So. Do we have a deal?"
Interesting Facts and Insights About Lingering Demons:
I had to do research on Robin's specific weapons to figure out what they were. He has so many cool gadgets. So I checked out the Teen Titans Wikia. It's chock-full of cool information, but watch out for the spoilers!
This is only the first chapter, but already we see into Robin's thoughts, since Robin is the main character in this story. Only Robin's thoughts are revealed; therefore, I'm choosing to write this story in third-person limited.
When you're writing a scene with more than two people, you have to use a lot more dialogue tags. And there are five Titans, as you know. Writing tip: dialogue tags should be used as sparingly as possible. And try not to overuse 'said'! A thesaurus is your best friend while editing.