"This just in: Long known villain 'Slade' has once again made an appearance! Just moments ago, he and the notorious heroes Teen Titans battled throughout Downtown Jump City, leaving nothing but ruin behind them as they struggled against this vicious mastermind! Unfortunately for the city, and for the Titans, our heroes were left with nothing but the fresh, bleeding wounds to remember the Mad Man goodbye as he took off without a trace! We have yet to hear from the young heroes on whether they've managed to pick up a trail, but it isn't looking good! We now go to you live, where they're still struggling to pick themselves up, and bravely continue…"
"Turn it off, Alfred." The distant voice called over the worried voice of the televised reporter, seeming to reach out from the distinct shadows.
"Of course, sir…" Alfred, a frail old man wearing nothing but the finest of suits, said; his voice was nothing like the previous, laced with concern, as well as a faint quiver that grew worse in his later years. He let his gray eyes linger on the screen for a moment longer before reaching out to turn it off as requested, the light leaving his gaze as the last image on the screen faded away, leaving an odd buzzing to linger in his ears.
"Will you be needing anything else, sir?" He questioned, turning away from the screen and proceeding further into the shadows where he met a figure that was far taller, and far broader than he.
The dark figure turned, revealing a man wearing nothing but black armor, covering his entire body save his mouth and chin; his chest held a chiseled symbol of a bat, accompanying a helmet that shaped up into the way that the animal's head would. His shoulders were covered by a long and thick cape; and while nothing about his appearance was meant to be friendly, the small old man felt nothing but affection for the man, seeing him as no less than a son.
"I'm fine, Alfred. You go get some sleep." He answered, obviously wanting nothing to do with what was on the TV screen just moments ago.
Alfred nodded his head, smiling at him warmly. "Don't waste away, even Batman needs his rest." He said kindly, turning away to head for their home above the cold, wasteland of the Batcave.
The streets of Jump City were nothing short of destroyed; cars turned over, sewers revealed beneath the once strong asphalt, and to accompany the ruble, each young Titan lay strewn across the city, struggling to their feet.
"Damn it! Titans, we have to move!" A young man called out, his eyes hidden beneath a mask; his once neatly attired uniform now torn and matted in his own blood.
"Dude, Robin, we just got our asses kicked! There's no way we can take on Slade right now, let's—" one of the others began, now walking toward Robin on the streets. His skin was green, contrasting pleasantly with the black and purple uniform he wore; he was quickly interrupted, however, as his leader steadily met his weary gaze with a stern glare.
"We have to get moving now! A few cuts and bruises are nothing compared to what Slade has waiting for him." He murmured bitterly, running a hand over a bleeding cut, attempting to wipe away some of the rusty smelling liquid.
"Beast Boy's right, Robin; we can't continue in this condition. Slade will make himself known soon enough; we need to take care of our injuries." This time, the voice of reason came from a pale woman, her entire form hidden beneath a blue cloak, but the blood seeping through in various places made it obvious that she two was dangerously hurt. She lowered herself to the ground where the other two stood just as two other Titans joined, one a small and beautiful alien girl, the other a large man, though the majority of his body was mechanical; both injured to some extent.
"Please, Robin…we can continue our pursuit when we have regained our strength!" The other girl spoke, her voice light and airy as she kept a strong, whimsical atmosphere about her despite the swollen eye and busted lip she was now sporting.
Robin looked at her for a long moment, her strained eyes meeting his gaze in a hopeful way; he sighed slightly, looking about the rest of his team as he took in their injuries, suddenly realizing just how horribly they really had been beaten this time.
"Alright…we'll head back to the tower for now." He said in a low voice, his masked gaze lowering to the ground as the others nodded their head.
"I'll get the T-Car," the taller man said, smiling as he patted Robin a few times on the shoulder before heading off toward where they had begun their fight with Slade.
Robin ran a hand through his hair, clenching his jaw stubbornly.
"Something troubles you?" The girl asked, holding her arms loosely behind her back and she leaned down to meet his lowered gaze.
"It's nothing, Star…we just should have been able to beat him. I should have been able to beat him. He's Slade, we've fought him numerous times before, what was so different about today?" He spoke quickly, his words low and rushed, almost impossibly to be heard by the others.
"What's different is that today he won. But it was only temporary; we'll find him soon, and we'll defeat him." The other woman said in a low tone, her eyes seeming to glow from beneath the shadow of her hood.
"Yeah, we'll get him next time!" Beast Boy said with a grin, though his voice was strained as he tried to hold himself up straight against the pain.
"Yeah…next time" Robin murmured, trying to push the odd feeling he had into the back of his mind. Something was wrong, he knew it. Slade was growing more and more powerful, and he was stuck in the sidelines, watching it happen, just waiting to be defeated by his greatest enemy.
Things weren't looking good for the Titans, whether his teammates were willing to admit it or not.