Authors Note:
If I owned Teen Titans I wouldn't be writing this. I'm not doing this for profit either.
The plot I give credit to my dear friend, Feathers. We were brainstorming and I came up with this from the start of one of her plots by smashing it with a Batman episode. It's not terribly clever but it was fun to write.
Enjoy~
"Welcome champions of Earth!"
Robin woke with a start, his masked eyes widening as he realized he wasn't in Kansas anymore. Or even anything that resembled the tower. Or, y'know, anywhere near his team. He was behind a bar gate that reminded him suspiciously of the kind they used in horse racing and he didn't recognize the world beyond it either. It certainly looked like a jungle out there, no pun intended. It took him a moment to recognize the source of the sound, but then he realized there was a tiny television at the top of his gate. The Boy Wonder's masked eyes narrowed as he stared up at it.
"Today you will be racing for the fate of your planet." said a suspicious and foreign looking purple man that Robin easily surmised had to be alien in origin. Batman had done loads of these sorts of races before. They seemed to be pretty common intergalactic entertainment. " Anyone who refuses to participate will have their home city destroyed." Holy predictable, Batman! Robin rolled his eyes behind the mask.
"Because of the Tholorian mission to spread peace and understanding," the Boy Wonder had to do a double take on that one. Who were these dudes fooling? The expression on the alien's face made it look like an inside joke. They weren't fooling anybody. "Our racers will be paired up," Robin quickly whirled around to examine the rest of the room he was in for the familiar face of Batman, assuming it was that sort of a race. Instead, he felt his stomach drop at the sight of the person standing in the back of the pen.
"Slade!"
There was no recognition beyond the narrowing of the singular eye in that dual colored mask. The Titan's leader wasn't nearly as controlled about the whole thing. His masked eyes widened comically and he stared at his arch nemesis as the words of the announcer flew over his head.
There was something about the race being a two player sort of activity, where it would take their cooperation to complete it and get to the finish line. They mentioned proximity detectors and the boy's gaze dropped from Slade to the cuff on his wrist. A tiny blue light looked back at him in an unassuming fashion but the kid was pretty sure that if he tried to take it off bad things would happen. He caught something about the losers being sent somewhere and that the winners would get the ultimate reward- whatever that was. It almost sounded like they'd get to rule the planet, but that was preposterous.
"Hello, Robin," Slade's voice made whatever tiny part of the Boy Wonder's brain that had actually been paying attention to the announcer stop. The kid tensed and glared at his arch nemesis.
"Where are we? Whatare you doing here?" Robin asked.
"I'm here because you wanted me to be here," was Slade's cryptic response. He held up a hand to kill the protests before they left the boy's lips. "Unless you want them to destroy your city, then you're going to have to work with me for a while," Robin could almost hear the smirk in the man's voice. "It will be just like old times. Won't it?"
Apprentice.
Even though that dreaded word hadn't been spoken it echoed through Robin's skull. He froze, visibly, in abject horror. Slade chuckled, though whether it was at his reaction or at the sheer irony of the situation Robin would never be entirely sure. He jerked back a step and glared at the television as if the purple guy on the screen would be able see just how much this whole arrangement was being protested.
The only reaction was that the light on his cuff turned a bright red and started to flash. Robin felt his arm suddenly pulled in the direction where Slade stood. The mercenary had barely moved at all, curse him, and it was the boy's slighter frame that ended up jerking towards the man. The Titan leader couldn't fight the pull, though he tried with all his might, and he eventually ended up smacking right into Slade.
It was awkward contact and Robin pulled away quickly. He was unable to pull away from Slade. It seemed as though their cuffs were linked.
"They're going to release us soon."
Robin glanced up at the dual colored mask but it wasn't tilted in his direction. Slade's single, predatory eye was fixed on something else. Robin turned in the same direction to follow his gaze. There was a light flashing above the door. Even if he could haul Slade bodily over there, Robin wasn't sure that they'd be able to make it more than a few feet before being stopped by some sort of mysterious force.
"Then what?" the boy hazarded to ask.
"We win," Slade said with all the confidence in the world.
Then there was a loud noise, alien in nature, but as loud as an airhorn. The door in front of them burst open with a mechanical sound and Robin found himself being dragged forward as Slade ran. It was hard to keep up with Slade when he was forced to be so close to him. Their strides weren't at all similar and the boy had to take two for each one of the masked mastermind's.
The kid glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his mentor, or anybody he knew. He caught sight of a familiar red cape, and a heartbreakingly familiar shadow before the mercenary he was currently attached to dragged him through the bushes and out of sight of the other racers.
As soon as they were out of sight of the starting line there was a soft beeping and their cuffs unlinked from each other. The boy breathed a sigh of relief and sped up to outrun the mercenary only to find himself flying through the air. With the grace of a cat Robin twisted himself in midair and launched off of the tree he was headed for aiming for his enemies shoulders to take the man down.
It was over swiftly. A fast scuffle: Slade grabbed the kid mid flight, and threw him to the ground before he hauled him up by the arm, pinning it behind the kid's back. "Let's set some ground rules, Robin," Slade said.
The boy with the spiky hair narrowed his masked eyes and struggled to get free. "Let go of me," he said in a voice that was trying too hard to be threatening.
"You are going to listen to me," the man insisted. "And you are going to do what I say. I've let your little friends live this long. Show some gratitude," he shoved the boy away watching as the younger male stumbled but did not fall. "I warned you that they would die if you disobeyed me. I've been lenient."
Robin whirled around like a caged animal and glared at the man who had slid his arms behind his back like the boy wasn't enough of a threat to be in a ready stance for. The sound Robin made, a low growl, was nearing animalistic. "We defeated you." he insisted.
"Do I look defeated?" Slade asked mockingly.
The boy crouched, his masked eyes narrowed. "You will when I'm through with you," he said and charged forward with a battle cry. The masked villain, however, seemed less than amused. The boy flung himself at the man, aiming for an uppercut. He got a fist to the gut in retaliation. In all of two seconds Robin was on the ground with his arm bent painfully behind his back.
"You're wasting valuable time, boy," Slade warned the child in his grip, grabbing a fist full of dark, spiky hair. "We don't have time for your antics." he slammed the head into the dirt before hauling the smaller body up into a standing position. Robin was struggling, but all it did was strain the muscles of his arm. "Do you want them to destroy your precious city?" the voice was harsh.
Robin stilled instantly.
"Much better," Slade's voice was smooth as a cat's purr. "Let's make a deal. You will follow my orders, you will do exactly what I say, and Jump City won't be destroyed. Do you understand?"
The boy grit his teeth and gave a jerk of a nod. "Yes." Slade didn't seem satisfied with this answer, however. He twisted his grip on the boy's arm causing Robin to hiss in pain. "Yes, sir." the boy amended. Slade let him go and he pulled away quickly, rubbing at his sore arm.
"Let's go," the masked man ordered.
Bitter and sore Robin followed Slade deeper into the brush. The man looked perfectly at ease in such an environment. The Boy Wonder was a city dweller. He didn't enjoy being stuck in the middle of nowhere anymore than Snookie would. He didn't complain nearly as much, though.
They came across their first obstacle faster than the boy would have ever anticipated. It was a metallic seesaw that looked terribly out of place in the rugged confines of the jungle. Hovering a good ten feet above the seesaw was a key of sorts that glinted in the sunlight. On a similar trajectory was a platform that someone had actually bothered to camouflage. They didn't do a good enough job. Both masked men noticed it.
"Robin, I want you to-" Slade began to dole out orders to his temporary subordinate.
"I know how this works," Robin interrupted. The glare the masked villain gave him for interrupting was terrifying, but the boy tried his best not to look intimidated as he pushed past to stand on the end of the seesaw closest to them.
Robin gave Slade an impatient look but the larger man took his time as he moved a few feet away from the other side of the teeter-totter. The boy rolled his eyes behind the mask just as Slade raced forward and slammed down on the opposite end.
The boy was launched into the air without any warning. Luckily, Robin was an acrobat. He twisted gracefully in midair, snatching the key, before he continued his trajectory towards the platform. The makers of this particular challenge hadn't quite accounted for Slade's strength or Robin's slight weight. The Boy Wonder went sailing clear over the platform, twisting around mid flight so that he could snag onto the other edge of the platform before he continued his earthbound free fall.
The kid hung in the air for a moment before he pulled himself up onto the platform. He could see Slade from his higher vantage point. The man was staring at him expectantly. "There's a lever up here," he said. "And this," the boy held up a rucksack he found.
"Toss it to me," Slade ordered.
The boy hesitated.
"Now."
Robin tossed down the sack before Slade got the bright idea to climb up there and take it from him or something. Instead, the boy with the traffic light ensemble turned his attention to the lever. He wasn't sure if he should pull it or not. There could have been good things that came out of it. Alternatively, something awful could have happened.
He pulled the lever.
The young leader was instantly rewarded with a rumbling noise that nearly knocked him off the platform he was standing on. The wooden planks beneath his feet rattled.
"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Slade roared at him.
The answer came in the form of a rushing sound replying to Slade's words. The masked man made a leap for Robin's platform, grasping it deftly, and hauling himself up. The two men surveyed each other as the torrent of water rushed beneath them. Robin was crouched in front of the lever and Slade stood on the edge of the platform looking very much as though he were about to throttle Robin.
The boy wasn't taking any chances. He made a leap for the tree the platform was situated in hoping to get to higher, thinner branches that Slade's bulk could not traverse. He barely made it a foot. Robin was yanked backwards by his cape, his body snapping forward suddenly as his direction changed without warning.
A short scuffle ensued. Slade slammed Robin back, shoving his knee into the boy's diaphragm, and grabbing him by his gelled hair as he sunk to the ground. "What. Did. You. Do?" the masked mastermind didn't like to repeat himself.
"I.." Robin struggled in the man's grip, his green gloved hands twisting around to grasp at the hand in his hair. The villain took the opportunity to wrench the boy's arm behind his back. "I pulled the lever."
"Did I order you to pull the lever?" Slade's voice was right in his ear. He could feel the warm breath coming through the slits in the mask. Robin's head twitched in an effort to pull away.
"No," the kid replied swallowing thickly.
"Then why did you pull the lever."
"I..."
"Robin."
"I thought something else would happen!"
The masked man threw the boy away from him in disgust. Robin stumbled, catching himself on a branch before whirling around to face Slade. His chest was heaving from anxiety and his masked eyes were narrowed in obvious dislike. Slade swung a kick in the boy's direction. Robin dodged it, but the pole housing the lever was not so lucky. It snapped off and hurtled into the torrent below.
As quickly as the flood had arrived, Slade's anger seemed to recede. The masked man pull the rucksack off of the arm he had slung it over before digging through it. He found food, rope, knife, two cups, a pot, and some medical equipment. Robin eyed the equipment as Slade drew it out of the bag to examine it.
His traitorous stomach gave a growl when it saw Slade withdraw a pack of crackers. The boy tried to pretend he hadn't made any noise but already Slade had locked him in his singular, predatory gaze. "Hungry, boy?" he all but leered.
"No." Robin protested resolutely.
"Just as well." the mastermind said feigning indifference with a shrug. "Little boys who can't follow orders go to bed without supper."
Robin bristled at the comment. "I'm not a little kid, Slade!"
The resounding silence that followed that comment caused Robin to doubt. He didn't like that one bit. Instead, he decided to change the subject. His gaze slid to the key he had caught earlier. Robin had dropped it in the scuffle but it had, miraculously, managed to stay on the platform. The boy stooped to pick it up.
"What do you think this key is for?" the boy mused out loud.
"Give it to me," Slade held out his large hand, palm up.
The kid hesitated, eying Slade and then studying the key, until the man's fingers twitched impatiently and Robin hastily dropped the object into the man's hand. The mastermind said nothing, simply slipping the key into a compartment on his utility belt. Robin huffed at the unfairness of it all, turning his head away when Slade glanced at him in annoyance.
By this point in time the water had begun to recede. Slade glanced down at the now muddy ground before jumping and landing with a thick sucking sound. "Come along," he ordered the boy, as though calling to a dog. Robin's upper lip curled in dislike and he hesitated.
"Now, Robin."
Moments later there was the sound of another set of feet landing on the muddy ground. Slade didn't even glance at the boy as he continued along. "If we're lucky your little screw up will have knocked some of the other teams back."
The boy said nothing, simply following along behind Slade with a frown firmly etched across his face. They went without talking for quite a while. The mastermind would occasionally bark out an order, and the boy would occasionally follow it. The landscape had changed. The raging torrent had knocked back most of the underbrush leaving surprisingly clear, if muddy, patches around the trees. That wasn't to say that the going was easy.
Robin slipped in the mud for about the fifth time as they slowly picked their way up some incline that was either a hill or a mountain. The boy picked himself up, but not before the mastermind turned to glance back at him with a scathing look.
"What?" the disgruntled younger companion asked in typical teenage fashion.
The man shook his head causing the boy to scowl and pick up the pace so he was slightly ahead of Slade. He stopped and pivoted to face the man. Slade obliged, for some reason, perhaps because he found it amusing.
"I thought you wanted to save your city, Robin," the man said.
The boy bristled at that. "I do."
The man leaned forward as though he was about to tell a secret. Robin subconsciously mimicked the motion. "Then you're doing an awfully poor job."
A fist went flying as Robin lost his temper. The mastermind didn't look terribly impressed, grabbing the boy's arm and not letting go as he continued his way up the mountain.
"Hey!" the child protested as he was dragged up the slope.
"You're getting sloppy, Robin. I'm disappointed."
The boy's hand twitched into a fist at the statement. He wasn't sure why what the masked man said made any difference or even bothered him. "I don't care what you think."
"I'm sure you care what the citizens of Jump think. How you're not good enough to save them."
"SHUT UP!"
"You were never meant to play the hero, boy. What's why you keep failing at it. Your friends don't trust you anymore. You couldn't save your team from the apocalypse. You couldn't even save them from yourself. You gave the communicator to Madame Rogue that put your network in danger."
"I didn't-"
"Are you telling me that the protege of the world's greatest detective can't tell the difference between a mole and one of his own teammates?"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY LECTURES FROM YOU!"
"No, boy. You're living a fantasy. It hurts to hear the truth." Robin struggled in Slade's grip, flailing more like a small child then the teenage hero he was. "Calm down," the masked man ordered. "Robin, you can't win if you let your emotions rule you."
"NO."
"Robin."
The boy was flung forwards. He landed on the slope, skidding downwards back towards Slade before he simply scrambled back to his feet and ran. He didn't want to hear Slade's words. He didn't want to be reminded of how he had tried and failed to protect the people he loved time and time again. Most of all, he didn't like that Slade's jabs were actually affecting him.
Slade didn't follow and Robin felt like he was making some headway. He had managed to get a good thirty feet away from Slade and he felt like he was soaring. The boy's cuff gave a warning beep and suddenly he was soaring. Robin tumbled backwards, trying to regain his footing as his arm was suddenly jerked away from him and magnetically pulling him back towards Slade.
The mastermind had stopped to watch with amusement, or at least, Robin was pretty sure he had stopped. The rest of the world seemed to be spinning the same speed as Slade. The boy rolled to a stop, landing hard against the man's armored legs, before he was partially dragged upwards as the cuffs snapped back together.
"What did you do!?" it was hard for Robin to choke it out, because Slade's armor hurt, but he managed to put enough venom into his voice to sound accusational instead of whiny.
Slade surveyed the boy with his single eye before he grabbed the kid by the scruff and hauled him to his feet. "I did nothing, Robin," the masked man confessed with a hint of amusement in his voice. "You're the one who keeps coming back to me." he put a hand on the boy's head in a condescending fashion. "Perhaps you understand where you belong all too well." Robin could just hear the smirk in his voice as he added. "Good boy."
Robin bristled and fought as Slade pulled him up the slope by their attached cuffs. The boy's weight didn't seem to affect Slade at all when he ended up practically dragging the kid, and most of Robin's kicks and punches were met with blocks. It seemed Slade's amusement with the situation had ended and the Boy Wonder was going up the slope whether he liked it or not.
When the cuffs released ten minutes later Robin had accepted short term defeat and was following Slade quietly. He still made a huffing sound, pulling his hands back from Slade and rubbing at the wrist that had taken the brunt of the abuse. The pair stopped in front of a doorway that was set into the side of the mountain.
"What is it?" Robin asked, going forward to run a gloved hand along the side of it.
"Looks like a shortcut," Slade mused, glancing from the door up the slope. "Let's see if that key you got works."
If the boy was surprised by the acknowledgment of his skills he didn't show it. He frowned and watched as Slade pulled the key from one of the pouches on his utility belt and stuck it into the slot on the door. There was a moment when Robin doubted it was going to work at all. The key slid soundly into the slot, however, the the doors slid silently open.
Inside was like stepping into a poor mockery of an Indiana Jones set. Robin's masked eyes took in the mock "ancient" paintings and carvings on the walls.
"Stay close behind me," Slade ordered. "and watch for traps."
"Thank you herr Dock ter~" Robin replied thickly with a roll of his eyes and ducked the backhand Slade sent his way. Apparently the masked villain was too mature to continue the attack. Instead he moved forward into the dimness of the enclosure. As soon as they had passed through the doorway it slammed shut behind them. Robin jumped, glancing back towards what he had anticipated to be a stable exit.
"It's a fear tactic," Slade explained as he methodically made his way down the tunnel. "You make them panic, make them think they're trapped, they do something stupid." Robin frowned as the man turned to glance at him. That single eye scrutinized him as though discerning whether or not the boy would fall for the trap. The dismissive look he got in the end made Robin bristle. He had been trained for situations like this.
He followed behind Slade silently, his face set in a scowl, and his shoulder hunched forward in a brooding fashion. They continued down the dimly lit corridor for awhile. Robin was mildly impressed with the way the torches would light up only in the are they were in, the tunnels fading in to black ahead and behind them. It was quite the clever set up.
Robin was beginning to think that either there weren't any traps in the tunnel, or else Slade was doing a good job of evading them, and Robin was doing a good job of following the man's footsteps exactly. Of course, it would be that moment that something would happen. The masked villain's foot connected with the ground and caused an audible clicking noise.
"Run." was the only warning Robin was given before the masked man broke into a sprint.
The boy didn't hesitate. He raced after the man. Slade would have been probably pretty terrifying if he were running at Robin, but the boy was used to seeing the masked man's back as he ran. After all, Slade was always running away.
There was a rumbling noise behind them. Robin took the chance to glance behind them as he ran and his masked eyes widened comically. "You have got to be kidding me!" the young Titan's leader proclaimed and sped up.
Behind them was a giant rock. It was rolling down the tunnel with a smashing intent seen in every Indiana Jones spoof to date. It likely weighed a few tons and was probably rather deadly.
Robin suddenly felt something snag him by the back of his cape and haul him to the side of the tunnel. He hadn't noticed Slade finding a convenient alcove. The man put a hand on Robin's chest, pressing him back against the bars before trying to flatten himself into the small space. It probably would have been funny if they weren't about to be crushed by a bad trope.
The rock rolled past, snagging ever so slightly on Slade's bulk before it was shoved off down the tunnel. The two men were silent for a few moments, each breathing heavily, until Robin asked: "What's next? Poison darts?"
Slade shot the boy a scathing look as he turned to study the alcove that they had been pressed against. The recess actually led to another room. Robin could see though the bars the obscured shape of something that might have been a vehicle. The masked man was busy studying the sides of the alcove that the bars were set into. When he pressed one of them a door opened near the top of the wall and a rope ladder began to snake down the wall.
Robin's attention was caught by the rope ladder and he glanced up at it. It slithered down the wall, but the moment Slade released the button it began to creep back up. "You have to keep holding the button." Robin pointed out.
The masked man didn't look terribly pleased about the whole idea, but he pushed the button again and held down. Robin watched as the rope ladder snaked it's way to the ground. He grabbed a hold of it and gave a firm tug. It held fast to the wall. With a sharp inhale of a sigh the boy began to climb up.
When he made it to the top he slid into what was probably a bad air duct mock. He crawled through the tiny tunnel, half wishing he'd had Slade climb the ladder instead because that would have been entertaining, until he made his way to a grate and kicked through it.
Robin dropped to the ground with the grace of a cat and glanced around the room he was currently standing in. The lights had turned on as soon as he had crashed inside. The lights weren't the only thing he had activated, however.
Something that looked like a pod plopped out of the wall and unfolded itself as Robin was rising to his feet. The boy turned to glance at it, his eyes widening as what appeared to be arms and legs pulled out of the pod and allowed the robot to raise to it's...feet. Robin was suddenly caught in a red beam of light.
The boy froze for a fraction of a second but it was long enough for the robot to lunge at him. Robin instantly jumped away, using the wall as a springboard to flip over the back of the robot. Once he had established enough distance he checked his belt to make sure he still had his weapons. He did! He pulled out his bostaff, extending it to it's length and charging at the nearest robotic arm.
The kid didn't make his mark. The arm he'd not been planning to take on swung around and caught the boy midair, propelling him in a half circle and then letting go. Before Robin knew fully what was happening he was being propelled backwards through the air. He saw the wall coming, and like a cat, whirled about in the air to hit it feet feet. There was a thud as his shoes took the impact and barely a seconds worth of hesitation as gravity tried to figure out what to do with the young acrobat.
Gravity gave up as Robin bounced off the building like he was shot from a rubber band. Once more he rolled midair doing his acrobatic heritage justice before landing on the back of the freaking robot. There was barely any purchase and the kid scrabbled around like a wet dog on tile. It wasn't graceful, by any means, but the Boy Wonder managed to plant his explosive and run. He landed on the ground with an "Oof." and a roll as his targeted mini explosion hit the robot.
The robot smashed to the ground like the hunk of scrap metal it now was. Robin stood panting slightly, a winner's grin stretched across his face. "Very good, Robin," Slade said, reminding the boy that he wasn't alone. "But sloppy and inefficient."
Robin's masked eyes turned to glare at the man for the backhanded comment.
"I believe you have a door to open?"
The boy blew air out his nose in an exasperated huff but quickly scanned the room to see if he could find a panel that would allow him to open the door. He found a large red button on the ground and moved to stand on it. The gates between him and Slade slowly slid open. As soon as the masked villain was inside, Robin stepped off the button and moved to explore the area they had ended up in.
It was a surprisingly large space modeled after what looked like a car shop. There were a pair of cots in the corner, one of which Robin eyed with interest, before turning his attention to the really important thing in the room. There was a vehicle in there with them.
"Can we drive it out?" Robin asked.
"Perhaps," the masked man responded in an infuriatingly vague way.
Robin turned to glare st Slade. The man wasn't looking at the boy, however, he was studying the rest of the room. There was a counter, with cabinets, he perused through them to see if he could find anything usable. Next, Robin watched as he studied the robot that Robin had destroyed.
"What are you doing?"
"Seeing what can be salvaged. You can take the time to rest." The boy shrugged and sat down on one of the two cots. He watched Slade bustle around the robot with half curious eyes. Slade seemed to be working on something, though what it was, Robin didn't know.
The boy woke up to Slade shaking his shoulder. The young leader hadn't meant to fall asleep. It had just sort of...happened. He blinked blearily up at Slade. The man sat down on the cot across from his and pulled some items out of the bag they had acquired the same time as the key. He handed Robin half a stack of crackers and the larger half of the cheese hunk he'd had to break with his hands.
Robin took them hesitantly, his masked eyes narrowed as he looked at Slade. The man couldn't eat with his mask on. Could he? Unfortunately, Robin realized as he ate, Slade had eaten while Robin was asleep. Instead the masked man used the time the boy was quiet eating to explain what they were going to do.
"While you were sleeping," Robin grumbled something around a cracker that Slade chose to ignore at that comment. The kid didn't like feeling lazy or useless. "I took the time to modify the engine of the vehicle and also weaponize it using the spare parts from the robot you destroyed. It should give us an advantage."
The boy raised a brow as he chewed his food. Slade really wanted to win this race, didn't he. "I didn't know you cared so much about Jump City."
"I don't."
"Then why-?"
"Dear child," the boy bristled at that coupled with the condescending tone of Slade's voice. "We'll have to practice your listening skills."
Robin gave Slade his darkest glare. "I don't need listening skills to kick your butt."
Slade made an amused noise, as though he were humoring the child. "It will take a few more years of training before you even pose a threat." and with that the man got up from his seat and wandered back over to the vehicle in there with them, leaving Robin to eat in peace.
Silence rang uncomfortably through the room after Robin had finished chewing the last of his crackers. He still watched Slade distrustfully but his glare had lost some of it's force. Slade seemed to wait a few moments before he glanced over at the boy.
"Finished?"
Robin responded with a curt nod.
"Good." the man said, turning his attention to the door. "Are you able to get out the way you came in?"
The look Robin gave Slade for doubting his abilities was scathing, but the masked mastermind simply waited until the boy gave another curt nod.
If Slade was phased at all by the boy's silent treatment he didn't seem to show it. "Open the gate. I will meet you on the other side."
Robin scowled at the man but did as he was told, moving to stand on the button as the gates slowly opened. As soon as they were wide enough Slade rolled the vehicle through and stopped on the other side, waiting for the boy.
It didn't take a terribly long time for Robin to get back into the tunnel in the ceiling and tumble out the other side. By the impatient look in Slade's solitary eye and his posture, however, it seemed like it had taken the kid hours. As Robin got to his feet and walked over, the masked man gave him a curt nod and mounted the vehicle.
The boy made a distasteful face, not really wanting to ride behind Slade. The mastermind wasn't having any delay, however. "Get on," he ordered.
Robin inched up to the vehicle, which he'd decided had to be some sort of alien ATV, and clamored up onto the back half. He gripped the edges of it tightly because there was no way he was holding onto Slade.
With the roar of the engine starting, the pair shot down the tunnel. Robin gripped tightly to the seat, used to these sorts of breakneck speeds from years with Batman and his own reckless driving. Traps sprang as they went, darts flying a split second behind them across the tunnel, axes loosing to dive bomb right behind their back end.
It was kind of the best ride ever. Not that Robin would ever admit it after the fact.
The terrain changed as they drove, moving from mock-temple to actual cave. Slade weaved them through stalagmites and columns until Robin realized there really was a light at the end of the tunnel and it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him.
They burst out into the sunshine so quickly Robin was blinded. Slade seemed to be just fine, however, as he steered them along. Trees, bushes, flaming pillars, flowers, wait what?, flashed past Robin at faster speeds than he could process. Their vehicle made it's way down the path heading towards what the two men could only assume was their final destination.
There had to be a finish line around here somewhere.
Robin hadn't seen any sign of the other racers since the beginning. Now he was starting to. As he glanced backwards he could see people on the slope behind them. Some of them were racing down the slope, some were engaged in combat, and another pair were-
Something exploded to his right and he realized that Slade wasn't the only person who had decided wheels were the only way to travel.
"Cyborg?"
The other teen turned to glance at Robin before turning his attention back to the road. He and Brother Blood were on a vehicle together, and while Cyborg looked about as happy as Robin did, they seemed to have done alright for themselves.
"Yo! Robin!" the cybernetic teen greeted his friend.
That was when Slade rammed their vehicle into Cyborg's. "Hey!" Robin and Cyborg shouted unanimously.
"This is all rather touching," Slade drawled. "But we have a race to win, Robin. Say goodbye to your little friend. It may be the last you see of him."
"What-?" Robin didn't have time to process what Slade was telling him before a part of their vehicle launched itself at Cyborg's. His friend yelled as he lost control of his own vehicle and slammed into a tree.
"CYBORG!" Robin cried out in horror but there was nothing he could do for his friend when Slade was whisking them off at breakneck speeds.
"Turn around!" the boy demanded.
"I'm afraid you're not the one who gives the orders around here, boy," Slade replied pointedly.
"He could be dying!"
"Very soon, Robin, that will be the least of your problems."
The boy opened his mouth before closing it again, looking completely and utterly confused by Slade's cryptic threat. He'd been expecting Slade to remind him that Jump City was at stake and that the lives of the civilians were worth more to Robin then the lives of his friends.
He all but blinked and the landscape switched from hilly scrub land to suburbia. The boy was still mulling over Slade's words in his mind as he glanced over the silent houses. It was creepy not to see anyone about. The ride was smoother, though, now that they were on cement instead of dirt.
"Get ready," the man in front of him warned the boy.
Robin tensed, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to get ready for. Then about half of the garages they were passing exploded open and what appeared to be more robots shot out at them. Holy overkill, Batman! These race-makers didn't understand the concept of a race. But then again, it probably made for awesome television.
Explosions always upped the ratings.
"Can we outrun them?" Robin asked the man driving. "Watch that!" he added as a mailbox flopped forward and out rolled a bunch of what appeared to be smoke bombs. Slade effortlessly maneuvered around it.
"Here," Slade pulled something off the side of the vehicle and handed it back towards Robin. "It's the blaster off the robot you destroyed. Give them a taste of their own medicine instead of backseat driving."
It felt heavy in his hands, the power of that blaster. This wasn't, after all, the first time the masked villain had forced one on him. He was shooting robots. He wasn't shooting his friends. He could do this.
The boy lined up one of the robots on their tail in his sights and fired. A red ball of energy flew over the robot he'd been aiming for and slammed into a house with terrifying force. Okay, so maybe this thing had more kick than Robin had anticipated.
Now that he knew what he was doing shooting the robots was easier than beating Beast Boy at video games. A smirk spread across the boy's face and grew with each tiny victory. He almost lost his balance when Slade revved up the vehicle, swerving to avoid what he would later learn was some more smoke pellets.
There was a jolt and the pair were suddenly in the air. Slade managed to keep control of their vehicle and they landed with a few bumps not twenty feet from a gigantic purple ribbon.
"Here comes the finale!" Robin crowed as the pair roared towards the finish line. The ribbon broke around them easily, trailing behind their vehicle. The boy couldn't help but smile broadly as they were suddenly surrounded by lights and colors.
Suddenly there was nothing.
"Where am I?" the boy gaped at the vastness around him. This was like the time Larry had sent him to an alternate dimension of nothing. It was just brighter.
"The winners circle." Slade's voice came from behind him. Robin whirled around to face the man and crouched into a fighting stance. "It's a lonely place, isn't it Robin? But you and I were born for it."
"I'm nothing like you."
The man regarded him with a tilt of his head, his single eye narrowed in amusement. "So you keep repeating. You know, Robin. We really do make an excellent team. I couldn't have done this without you."
"What are you talking about, Slade?"
The man gave a vague gesture at their surroundings. The boy narrowed his eyes and looked unamused. He wasn't entirely sure what the masked villain meant, but he was sure he didn't like it.
"We won the race. Now you're going to jail." announced the little hero, confidence in his abilities clear in his posture. "Our partnership is terminated."
"Indeed," the man said, and charged at the boy. Robin hadn't entirely seen it coming, but he was certainly ready for it. He leaped up, flipping over the man as he moved forwards and spinning to kick at the villain's back. Slade was knocked forward, but not for long. He whirled around, charging again.
The boy kicked out at the man, flipping back at the last second to avoid a fist. Slade was too fast. He snagged the boy by the ankle, swinging him around in a circle with his face nearly grazing the floor before throwing the child away from him.
With the grace of a cat Robin twisted in midair. He landed skidding backwards before he moved forwards instead at a run. He wasn't going to let Slade push him around anymore. But in one on one combat with no terrain, the masked man had the clear advantage.
Robin hadn't expected Slade's move, but he certainly felt it, he doubled over grimacing at the sudden pain in his gut. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. The masked man had him immobilized before the child even knew what was happening. Suddenly Robin's arm was pinned behind his back and he was being shoved to the ground.
"Welcome to a glorious new era, boy," Slade said softly. His voice purred with victory.
"No," the boy's masked eyes widened in horror and suddenly everything went dark.
It was endless.
Vast.
The entirety of the universe swirled before him.
Opportunities were unfolding into infinity.
"Robin."
Everything retracted with startling speed. The boy gave a soft groan as light suddenly filtered through his mask and he was jolted to consciousness by a swift kick in the ribs. The boy rolled across the floor before sitting up to glare at whoever kicked him. Though, he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing sleeping on the floor.
"Slade!" he said the name like a curse as he bounced to his feet. "Whatever you're planning, I won't let you get away with it."
"My dear child," the masked man said with a shake of his head, as though Robin had said something terrible amusing. "I already have." his gloved hand gestured out the floor to ceiling window to their right and the boy's gaze followed.
It was like when Terra had helped Slade take over Jump City. Except, they weren't looking out over Jump City. He knew this skyline. It belonged to Gotham. He watched a robot army make it's way through the street below.
"No."
There was abject horror in the boy's voice.
"Oh, yes, Robin. And one day," the man glanced out the window before his single eye turned to fondly survey the boy in front of him who was staring out the window like he'd never seen one before. The boy now wearing his colors. "This will all be yours."
That's a wrap folks. Hope you enjoyed the journey more than Robin did. ;D