Title: Descent of No Return
Author: Naimeria
Warnings: Rated T for blood and description of injury.
Summary: Control finally within reach / hanging dangerously over a precipice / One ill move and all would be lost / this fragile whisper of hope silenced forever. Response to challenge posted by FantasyFan551 in which Robin is brainwashed into fighting his team.
Author's Notes: I have no beta (if you're interested, feel free to contact me, as I would love one), so all mistakes are mine. There are no pairings in this.
The challenge was thus: "No matter how hard people try to deny it, we all know that our favorite thing to happen to a good hero is to turn them bad. I am thinking kidnapped then brainwashed, but you can do it however you want. I really want robin to be the main character but you can do whatever you want." She also wanted League members included, a fight in which the rest of the team urges their comrade to "snap out of it," and no pairings.
This fic sticks to the challenge, but it might be a little different than requested. It kind of had a mind of its own. Hope you like it, FantastyFan551!
The poem in which the summary and title comes from is entitled Into the Crevice (Losing Control) by Scott Scherr.
Also, this is eerily related to my multi-chapter fic. I blame it on my love for a certain red-haired mistress. Okay, I'm done talking now, I promise. XD
Standard Disclaimer.
oOo
A deep, husky female laugh echoed through the mossy chamber, the sound ominous and menacing. What once was a paper mill was now more like a botanical garden; vines and bushes and flowers were everywhere, burying the old rusted mechanics with fresh and live greenery.
Two people were on one side of the room, doused in shadow. Four others were on the other, standing in a patch of floor that was lit by the moonlight above. They looked ruffled and tired, harsh panting coming from each form. The two in the shadows were silent.
"Let him go," Superboy growled, hand at a deep cut in his side. Blood oozed sluggishly from the gash, dripping in between his fingers and flowing down his side. He was covered in smaller scratches, his black shirt sliced up in numerous places. His surrogate father's trademark symbol was sliced in half, and blood stained the red logo making it a muddy brown.
Aqualad stepped forward next to him, his channelers held before him as he glared into the shadows. He had a bleeding gash above his left eye, forcing his eye half shut to prevent the red from blocking his vision completely. His posture radiated anger.
Kid Flash and Miss Martian were behind them, Miss Martian supporting the other as he half sagged to the ground. His arm hung at an awkward angle and his ankle was bent in the wrong direction. He was breathing heavily, eyes half-lidded behind his goggles. M'gann was watching him in worry, half of his weight leaning on her. Though he was clearly in pain, Wally was glaring for all he was worth at the shadows.
"I'm sorry, honey. I just can't do that," the sultry voice drifted from the dark. "Isn't that right, little bird?"
Poison Ivy stepped forward into the moonlight, Robin next to her and looking very worse for wear. Bleeding from various scrapes and cuts, his was favoring one leg and his cape was almost ripped to shreds. His leg was bleeding profusely, a small puddle forming beneath his foot at he stared blankly ahead. A tiny vine was draped over his neck, three leaves resting innocently on his shoulder. Ivy caressed his chin, looking smug. Robin did nothing.
Superboy let out another growl. Without warning he shouted and lunged at Ivy, but his fist, which would have made perfect contact, was blocked by a forearm. He tried to lunge around it, but was deflected yet again. Superboy shouted and kicked out at her, but the foot was grabbed and thrown to the side. Robin made no noise, but persisted in his defense. Ivy let out a shrill laugh.
"He's mine."
Kaldur jumped forward, tattoos glowing as he summoned what little water he had and formed it into a blade. "Robin! It's us!" He called as Robin dodged the blade and brought a kick up, which would have his Aqualad squarely in the jaw if he hadn't jumped back.
Ivy gave another laugh. "You've no idea how often I hear that. He can't hear you. He only knows love for me now."
"It's the…vine," Kid Flash called from where he and M'gann were standing, his words muffled by his clenched teeth. "Get it…off him."
Superboy turned with cold eyes and lunged for Robin, hand outstretched to grab the vine, but Robin had other plans. He jumped backward, landing sloppily as his right leg refused to support his full weight. Superboy lunged, but Robin dodged around him, flipping over him and landing in a crouch. He pulled out a short staff and brandished it at Superboy as he rose, teeth clenched. More blood sprinkled the concrete floor.
Kaldur rushed him, his distinct lack of injury making him quicker than either of the other two boys. Still Robin dodged, then swung out with his staff. Kaldur blocked it with a forearm, but was sent reeling. Superboy took up the barrage, icy eyes blazing.
"Robin! Damn it, snap out of it!" He screamed, throwing a hard punch at him, expecting him to dodge.
He didn't. The punch landed on his chest, and he was thrown backwards, hitting the floor with a thud and sliding across the concrete. Superboy rushed forward, shocked and worried at the same time.
"Robin! To me!" Ivy said, eyes narrowing.
Before Superboy reached him, Robin pulled himself to his feet and darted to Ivy's side, as fast as his injured leg would allow him. Kaldur and Superboy ran to them both and stood before the two, both watching Robin. Though he knew Aqualad couldn't hear it, Superboy heard the way Robin's breath sounded wrong and forced. Guilt leaked through him. Why hadn't he dodged?
"C'mon Rob," Wally said, voice growing fainter. Kaldur turned briefly to check up on their downed comrade, but Superboy kept watching Robin. He looked…fidgety. Like he knew what was going on but couldn't do anything to stop it.
Eyes narrowed, he darted forward. Robin jumped in front of Ivy, protecting her. And that was exactly what he wanted.
Superboy knew that the normal Robin wouldn't have fallen for such a weak bluff, but he wasn't himself. So Robin hadn't expect Superboy to change trajectory at the last second and snatch the small vine from around his neck.
The momentum of Superboy's lunge threw them both to the ground, Ivy's shouts of rage behind them echoing through the abandoned mill. Superboy crushed the vine in his fist, then looked to his left. Robin had landed on his back and was breathing as hard as he could with broken ribs, every other breath turning into a cough. Superboy grabbed the boy's shoulder as gently as possible.
"You okay?" he asked.
Robin nodded quickly, hand over his mouth as he tried to slow his breathing. He raised his other hand and gave him a shaky thumbs-up.
Kaldur moved to rush to them, with a breathy "are you two alright?" But before he could take more than two steps, he let out a shout of surprise as a vine grabbed his ankle. He raised his channeler and hacked at it with a blade, and it let go, only to be replaced by another. Ivy stepped forward, a plethora of different plants surrounding her. She looked much more menacing, her firey hair spilled about her bare shoulders and eyes narrowed.
"You'll pay for that."
As Superboy tried to pull Robin to his feet, a vine grabbed the two of them and yanked them in opposite directions. Robin let out a cry of pain and grabbed at the floor, but he was swept into the air. The vine had him around the neck. He clawed at the thing, his already smothered breaths cut off completely by the tight rope-like vine. Blood dripped sluggishly from his leg.
Superboy was pinned to the ground by numerous thick vines. Finding no leverage to break them, he struggled against the plants as he tried to come to the youngest's aid. He searched around frantically, looking for the rest of his team, wanting someone, anyone, to do what it seemed he could not. Aqualad was tied to a pillar, writhing against his bonds, eyes locked onto Robin's small form. M'gann and Kid Flash both were similarly pinned. The Martian was wrapped in flowering vines, unable to move, and Wally was being held to the floor, same as himself.
Ivy glared at Robin as he continued to claw at the vine, feet kicking weakly as he tried to break free. He looked feeble; broken. "If I can't have you, no one can."
Superboy let out a scream as he pushed harder against his bonds, but more vines rushed from the shadows and pinned him harder. "No!"
Robin's feet slowed, then stopped. His hands yanked feebly at the vine, but his strength was gone. The four watched as he ran out of energy and oxygen, as the life slowly bled from his body. An influx of emotion coursed through Superboy and he let out a pained sound, his eyes unable to break away from Robin's covered ones.
The youngest of them stopped moving.
Silence.
Then, a loud crash.
A battarang flew from seemingly nowhere and sliced through the vine. Robin fell to the concrete with a dull thud. He lay there, unmoving.
Another battarang landed at the vines right next to Superboy's left hand, and he grabbed it and sliced through half the vines in one motion. Somewhere he heard Ivy scream in rage and a whooshing next to him. "You get her," Superboy said before any argument could be made. He grabbed Robin gently and leaped through the large hole that Batman had created. A red blur rushed past him, and before he could blink, Superman was in front of him.
"Take him to Batman's jet," he said, eyes narrowed but shining with worry. Superboy nodded and ran toward the jet, making sure he wasn't holding his cargo too tightly. It was a constant effort, and he already felt smothered by guild. And he still couldn't hear Robin's breathing.
He jumped into the jet and looked around frantically for somewhere to place the boy. Right as he spotted what looked to be a small table, he heard Batman's line thud into the side of the jet. Seconds later, he was there, his bulking black mass a reassurance.
"Set him down," Batman ordered.
For once, Superboy obeyed quickly and without question. A few compressions to Robin's chest, then a mask was placed over his pale face. Superboy watched anxiously, mind flowing with worries and questions but mouth glued shut.
"Watch him. I'm flying us to my cave," Batman ordered again. Through the shock, Superboy digested that he was going somewhere he knew he would have never been invited under any other circumstances. He couldn't bring himself to care.
The jet lifted off the ground quickly and took off to the West. Superboy stared at Robin the whole flight, watching his damaged chest move up and down way too slowly for his liking. He was pale, and his leg was still sluggishly leaking blood. He remembered his own gash in his side, but didn't move to check it. He took off his shirt, which was already damaged past repair, and ripped a long strip out of it. He tied up Robin's leg in silence.
His eyes never left his teammate's form. Not through their quick pass through the Batcave, or when they entered some sort of rudimentary room that resembled a miniature emergency room, or when an old man began removing Robin's vest.
He stared at the cuts, the bruises, and the pale skin beneath them. He burned each mark into his memory. In his clenched fist, the little vine sat harmlessly.
oOo
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. They make my day. :D