Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, or anything you can recognise from the comics and television show.
A/N: Code Geass heavily influenced this chapter. Actually, there is a strong Code Geass-flavour in the entire fic. I did get the idea for this fic when I was watching Code Geass and I wondered what would happen if the comic book-equivalent of Geass happened to our favourite Titan.
Slade can provide all the mind-screw we need.
A beta-reader would be great. Also, I actually prefer reviews to C2 recommendations and/or story-author alerts. Seriously, direct feedback enriches my soul~
– CHAPTER ONE –
From the Ashes
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-X-X-X-
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-Titans Earth-
Melbourne, Australia
The moment the Phoenix entered this universe, a wave of raw, psychic energy pulsed through the globe. Immediately, certain individuals – candidates for the next avatar – gasped in pain.
In Melbourne, Australia, a young girl with blond pigtails collapsed in the middle of PE. Her friends dropped the basketball and rushed to her side.
"Lilith! Lilith Clay! Speak up!" the teacher said, touching the convulsing girl.
"My head hurts," the girl whimpered.
-Titans Earth-
Star City, California
Miles across the Pacific Ocean, a city of shimmering billboards and sawdust restaurants jostled. Throbbing with upscale casinos and backlit bars, Star City produced in the night sky a plume of flickering light from its hotels and skyscrapers. Perfumed and bejewelled, coiffured women floated on high heels bought on the purses of their husbands and benefactors. Smoky alleyways, adorned with drug dealers and promotional posters alike, weaved through the city, giving the impression of a capillary system of jazz and corruption. A memorial to Jeb Star, the city's founding father, stood in front of Town Hall. Streetlights, glimmering like mirages, illuminated the statue's marble smile down at laughing party-goers and listless homeless. Even with the protection of the night time vigilante, Green Arrow, Star City still could not escape the corruption and vice which brought it its economic fame.
Two green-skinned heroes flew against this ritzy backdrop.
The older of the two, a bald man, frowned.
"M'gann, could you please stop chewing your hair?" said the man.
M'gann had the decency to look embarrassed. She spat out the coil of red hair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."
"You never actually mean to. But it still happens. Please refrain in the future; hair mastication is not a very savoury habit."
"Right," said M'gann sheepishly.
Curious, she tilted her head towards her companion. "Uncle J'onn, what exactly are we doing, by the way?"
"Two hours ago, I sensed a minor psychic disturbance originating from the Star City area," replied J'onn. "The Justice League has decided that it would be best if two Martians such as ourselves investigate this strange phenomenon."
"Because we're telepaths?"
J'onn paused. "Yes. Among other things."
The two figures became silent again.
M'gann, a little uncomfortable with the quiet, piped in: "Uncle J'onn, what is the League like these days? Did you fight any interesting criminals recently?"
"Poison Ivy got out of Arkham again and succeeded in turning Gotham into a giant greenhouse," said J'onn the Martian Manhunter. He stopped at a murky alleyway to check a wall for any unusual, psycho-inductive residues. "The situation was getting so bad that Batman put aside his pride and requested additional assistance, which was an unusual event in itself."
"More unusual than Gotham turning into a miniature rainforest?" M'gann joked.
"Yes," J'onn deadpanned.
He's actually being serious, M'gann realised. She blinked. Wow, that's… sad.
"What about Jump City?" she asked, curious. "I heard that a teenage girl took over the city for a period of time, before turning into stone. Did the Justice League stop her?"
A spark of surprise jolted M'gann. Was J'onn actually looking uncomfortable?
"Batman forbids us from talking about that little disaster," J'onn said slowly, glancing at his feet. "But the short answer is, Miss Martian, no. Jump City is an atypical area which is outside the Justice League's jurisdiction, for an assortment of reasons.
M'gann donned a thoughtful face. 'Atypical area'? What on Mars was J'onn talking about?
She was about to ask J'onn more questions, when the older Martian abruptly stiffened. He clutched his forehead, as though in pain.
"Uncle J'onn, what's wrong?" M'gann asked quickly. She touched his arm. "Is something – ah!"
A psychic scream lashed in M'gann's mind, echoing like an explosion. It was as though all the telepathic voices in the world were speaking at once, in a brawl of cacophony.
"What's happening?" M'gann whispered, her voices coming in throaty, little gasps. "I have never felt anything like this before…"
Despite the great pain he felt, J'onn staggered over to M'gann and supported her against a wall.
"Neither have I. But be strong, M'gann. This pain cannot last forever," he assured her.
Flinching, M'gann squeezed her head. "I know, Uncle J'onn… Why does it feel like something terrible is about to happen, though?"
-Titans Earth-
The Bank of Pérez, New York City
Murakami Avenue was far from the picture of good health. On the surface, it was embellished with clean roads whose grey, even layers of cement displayed none of the tell-tale indentations that came from excess traffic and poor maintenance. A subway station, an indication of good infrastructure, stood at the left corner, while an impressive, sandstone building housed the hotel and the Manhattan branch of the Bank of Pérez. However, under this pretty patina, politicians locked their dirty secrets in the bank's many vaults, and salary men tousled giggly schoolgirls under the vigilant watch of the hotel staff, who pocketed their extra cash and said nothing.
However, even though Murakami was filthy, nobody denied its impressive wealth. Especially bank robbers.
Therefore, it was unsurprising that, on this darkened night, a gristly figure slunk around level three of Murakami's Bank of Pérez. This figure was a hunched man whose pinched face and dark attire emphasised an untrustworthy demeanour. The fact that translucent glass constituted the upper part of his head, revealing his brain, did not help.
The man sent a telepathic call. Idiots, have you deactivated the bank's security system?
He almost immediately regretted asking that question.
Hey, who is he calling an idiot?
Definitely not me, that's for sure!
If it's me 'cause yesterday I said that Sesame Street was educational, I don't normally say stuff like that!
Shut up, See-more. You're always stupid.
The man gritted his teeth. There was a reason why few bothered to hire the H.I.V.E. Five anymore. Imbecilic teenagers.
He concentrated his telepathic call on the leader of the five, Jinx: Can you hear me, girl?
Uh, yes, Jinx replied over the telepathic hive mind.
Child, I'm not impressed. If this is the best that the H.I.V.E. Five can do, perhaps we should terminate this mission.
The girl's thoughts became flustered. No! Psimon, I apologise for the behaviour of my team, but please don't fire us! The team's been restless ever since the Teen Titans trashed our home at Jump, and this is our first big job in weeks –
We'll discuss the minutiae of your angsty teenage existence later, Psimon growled. Just get Gizmo to jam the security cameras already.
Psimon's telepathic voice became darker. Hopefully this Bank of Pérez won't give you as much trouble as its sister bank back in Jump. You don't want to disappoint the H.I.V.E. Academy, do you?
Jinx grew nervous. Of course not.
Psimon scowled, as he ended the telepathic conversation with the girl. Children were too easy to scare. Just mention a couple of their past failures and hint at the possibility of punishment, and they were putty in your hands. Why Psimon's contractor imagined that the H.I.V.E. Five would be any less pathetic, Psimon did not understand. Perhaps the hooligans possessed an entertainment value? Maybe...
Psimon's train of thought didn't last very long, however. Suddenly, an immense psychic backlash struck his mind. Psimon had weathered telepathic forces in the past, but none were as coarse or potent as this bombardment.
Pity… I'll now have to entrust this bank heist to a bunch of useless children, realised Psimon, as he shuddered.
His last thought before fainting was that the H.I.V.E. Five were going to screw it up, as they did with all their past assignments...
-Titans Earth-
H.I.V.E. Academy, 25 Miles off the coast of Steel City
"Brother Blood! Are you okay?"
Bumblebee stood over Brother Blood, hoisting the H.I.V.E. Headmaster at the arms. The dark-skinned girl wore a concerned expression. Or at least what Blood thought was a concerned expression; these days, he wasn't so sure anymore. This year, all of his students seemed to be either traitors or spies.
How troublesome.
Shaking his head, Blood straightened his arms. He had more pressing matters to worry about than Bumblebee's loyalty, like the peculiar event which had occurred only minutes ago. He was finalising his plans to destroy Jump City, when a migraine struck him. Only this was no ordinary migraine. It was extreme, much more severe than Blood's run-of-the-mill headaches. Somehow, Blood was certain that a telepath was involved. A dangerous telepath, who could pose a serious threat.
"Brother Blood? Should I call the nurse?" asked Bumblebee.
Blood shook his head and stood up.
"No need," he said, returning his gaze to his computer. For now, he would concentrate on building the Sonic Resonator and flooding Jump City and Steel City. After the tidal waves, he would try to get to the bottom of this event.
"Bumblebee, fetch me a mechanic. I want to run a few more checks on the Resonator's power outputs," Brother Blood said to his protégé. "We want to ensure that Aqualad didn't sabotage it in his last little invasion attempt."
The girl nodded, before leaving the room.
Once he was sure that he was alone, Blood angrily slammed his fist against the wall. Nobody, especially telepaths, messes with Brother Blood's mind and gets away with it.
-Titans Earth-
Titans Tower, Jump City
In the medical bay of the Titans Tower, a young boy lay strapped to a hospital bed. Glowing dimly through a thunderstorm, the moon cast a silvery light across the boy's tautened body. Several cuts and bruises peeked through gnashes in his uniform. Even so, the boy was remarkably intact and in shape; although his stature was small, the muscles were lithe and compact, while his pale skin revealed numerous but minor scars. A thin, black mask covered a delicate face accented with high cheek bones and pink, pert lips that had been chapped from the boy's bad habit of constantly licking them. He was a remarkable specimen. Of course he was; he was Robin, the leader of the Teen Titans and protégé of the Dark Knight. Batman wouldn't train anyone who was less than special.
Robin gasped and thrashed against his restraints. His own teammates were imprisoning him, like he was some nutcase or criminal! How could they? After everything he had did for them, saving their butts time after time, going on that horrifying date with Kitten, even bowing to Slade's will and becoming his apprentice –
The Boy Wonder struggled. Slade! He was still out there! Nobody else knew what Slade could do! The man could accomplish things that only Robin's nightmares were made of. Robin had to stop him, before it was too late!
You would know what kind of things Slade is capable of, a sly little voice said in Robin's mind. He trained you to do the same things, remember? You were his apprentice. A perfect villain.
"I'm not – a villain," Robin said out loud, spitting out the last word.
Oh, you are, Robin. You're just like him, equally ruthless and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. You're dangerous.
"That's not true!" Robin shouted. His fingers curled in a fist.
"I'm a hero, one of the good guys. I swore to enact justice," he said to himself, almost as a mantra.
He took a deep breath and tried to relax his muscles. He needed to make a plan, get out of here and find Slade. Capture the villain and bring him to justice, before the seismic generators destroy the city.
If only it was as easy as it sounded.
Robin stopped moving. There was a low murmuring outside the medical bay. Itching as forward as his restraints would allow, Robin strained to hear the conversation.
"…but must we keep him restrained?" asked Starfire. Her silhouette appeared to wring her hands.
Despite his horrible surroundings, Robin couldn't help but smile. The warmth and concern in Starfire's voice made him feel welcome… loved.
"He threatened us, Star," Cyborg said flatly. "He's dangerous."
Robin's face returned to a scowl. So that's what Cyborg thinks, that I'm "dangerous". Nice to know where you stand, Cy.
The silhouette of Beast Boy pushed past Cyborg.
"Dangerous? Try totally flipped-out cuckoo-labanza!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
Sniffling, he made a wild gesture with his hands, as if to illustrate the depth of the Boy Wonder's lunacy. Then, he sneezed and crashed into some plates, which made Robin smirk. Even though the Titans' leader tried not to.
Beast Boy, that's what happens when you talk about people behind your back.
"We've got to run some tests on him," said Raven. She gave Beast Boy, who was still sneezing, a serious look. "Figure out what's going on."
The rest of the Titans nodded. As the Titans walked away to examine Robin's medical stats, a low voice drawled out.
"Alone again, Robin?"
Robin tensed. That voice!
His eyes widening, Robin thrashed against the bed and prayed that restraints would break. It was pointless; all his struggles did was increase the burning rashes on his wrists.
"As long as I'm around, you are never alone," whispered the voice.
Its owner stepped out from behind the hospital drapes. At that moment, a bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky and illuminated the shadow's face. A metal mask, with only one eye.
"Slade," Robin choked.
Slithering towards Robin's bed, Slade clapped his hands together, as though he was pleased to see the teenaged hero. Robin could only gasp when Slade pulled something sharp from his belt. The thing was long, with a metallic edge which curved in at keen, abrupt angles.
A scalpel.
"Relax, Robin," Slade purred. His voice was like blood and honey.
He drew closer to Robin, who thrashed harder and more desperately against the straps. For the first time in many years, fear – raw and hot – impaled Robin.
"No, don't," Robin said, gripping his hands into fists, tightly. So tightly that his nails began to bite into the flesh of his palms and draw blood.
Slade just chuckled and tapped the scalpel. Its razor-edge quivered with the added benefit of electricity.
"I promise you won't feel a thing," he said.
-Titans Earth-
Outside the Medical Bay, Titans Tower
Starfire stared at the door of the medical bay. She pressed her right hand on the door and leaned forward. If she concentrated, she could hear the sound of Robin thrashing against the restraints, gasping under invisible blows. Her green eyes watered a little. Robin looked so angry at the warehouse. His normally kind face was contorted with such revulsion and enmity, as though she and the Titans had betrayed him. And when he crumpled under a surprise attack from behind, Starfire knew that his eyes, even though hidden by his mask, would have been wide with shock and sorrow.
How could she have attacked him like that? Wasn't he her dearest Earth friend?
Shaking her head, Starfire turned to her friends.
"Please, you have uncovered the cause of his strange behaviour?" she asked.
Cyborg and Raven exchanged a look; they didn't miss the twinge of desperation in Starfire's tone.
"So far, everything looks normal," Raven said, checking the computer.
"But he is not normal," Starfire said. "Robin would not do these things. He would not threaten his friends, he would not shout at me, or – "
Trembling, Starfire gritted her teeth. "There is a cause! And you must find it!"
"Star, I'm sure there's a good explanation, okay?" Beast Boy reassured. He scratched his head. "Maybe Slade really is invisible and we just can't –"
Raven interrupted. She cried and clutched her head.
Cyborg leapt to his feet. "Raven!"
"There's something – terrible in the Tower," Raven said, short of breath. "Its voice is so loud, I want it to stop."
Her limbs felt weak. A wave of nausea slammed into her, throwing the air out of her lungs. In one, awful moment, she trembled and wobbled on the spot, as though her feet could no longer support the weight of her body. Stiffening in horror, Beast Boy caught Raven's eyes and watched as the spark fizzled behind them. She collapsed like a discarded rag doll.
Chaos descended. Cyborg caught Raven before she hit the floor, while Beast Boy dashed to the unconscious girl's side and repeatedly called out her name. His voice was thick with phlegm and emotion. Quavering, Starfire squeezed Raven's hand.
Nobody was unable to notice Robin's heart-rate changing.
-Titans Earth-
Medical Bay, Titans Tower
"I knew you liked it rough in bed," Slade said. His voice was a soft purr.
Robin panted and jerked against the straps, as sweat began to puddle around the blood from his thighs. Slade dug the scalpel deeper into Robin's legs. The veins in his calves bulged, as another soundless scream tore Robin's throat. With almost mocking gentleness, Slade touched the pale skin showing through tears in the teen's leg claddings.
"Such pretty white skin," Slade commented, running his fingers down Robin's legs. His tone became mocking. "It's surprisingly hairless. Do you shave your legs, Robin?"
"I hate you," Robin spat out.
Slade's response was to punch Robin in the stomach. The teen's small frame hunched and curled under the impact of the blow.
Robin felt his leg spasm when Slade pulled out the scalpel, slowly and agonisingly.
"Let's put that lovely mouth of yours to good use, shall we?" Slade said. He clicked the switch on the scalpel, which started to spark with electricity. "A little electroshock therapy should loosen a few secrets from that tongue."
Robin couldn't help but shudder.
"Who is Batman?" Slade asked, drawing the electric scalpel towards Robin's arms.
"Selina Kyle."
Slade chuckled. "Your sense of humour is endearing."
Robin clenched his teeth when Slade pressed the scalpel downwards. The masked man wasn't finished, however. Pushing through muscle, Slade forced the sparking metal towards solid bone, jolting Robin's ulna. Gripping the bed, Robin stared at the ceiling through hot, wet eyes. Why was this happening to him? What had he done wrong? The teen was sure that he wasn't a bad person; he dedicated his life to saving others, he stopped crime, he even made sure he ate all his greens and Brussels sprouts.
Then why?
Slade twisted the scalpel. Robin convulsed and flailed in the bed; his muscles clenched so hard that every joint screamed, as though his very bones were liquefying.
Where are your friends now, Robin? asked a small, dark voice in Robin's mind. They're right outside, yet they won't even come in. Even after everything you've done for them, they don't care.
"No," Robin whispered.
Beast Boy thinks you're dangerous, remember?
Sighing, Slade withdrew the scalpel.
"Robin, your strength is truly admirable," he said, twirling the scalpel. "But even you will buckle eventually."
As Slade sliced into his right forearm again, Robin closed his eyes. The memories your mind replayed while under great distress were amazing. The best and worst of his life flashed through a montage:
He was crying in Bruce's arms, after the billionaire had decided to adopt him. Two-Face's grotesque face hovered over him while the monster punched him over and over again. More memories.
"Your eyes are beautiful," said Barbara, leaning in towards his cheek.
Barbara's face disappeared, and the memory of the Joker materialised. When the maniac laughed, there was a single gunshot and Robin was bleeding. Just like how he was in this hospital bed, under Slade's ministrations.
Starfire was smiling at him and offering him a jar of mustard. Cyborg was calling him 'dangerous'. Beast Boy was laughing, showing him a new video game. Raven was cursing his name when he donned the Red X persona and threw a bomb at her. Starfire was kissing him.
Even though he was dangerous. Even though the others thought he was crazy.
But she blasted a starbolt in his back.
She blasted a starbolt in his back
She blasted a starbolt in his back.
Why? Am I not worth it?
Then, Robin felt his body writhe. His skin was melting in acid, and every nerve was burning, stretching, snapping. Then, a strange cool settled over him. Slade wasn't there anymore; only endless, eternal silence.
Then, a disembodied voice:
"Do you wish to live?"
-Titans Earth-
Outside the Medical Bay, Titans Tower
Raven had suffered psychic headaches before. Back in Azarath, her teachers incorporated them into her training schedule. Apparently, resisting telepathic onslaughts was a necessary skill that every magic user should know. At the time, Raven scoffed and called the instructors paranoid.
Now she knew why Azarath was so insistent that she learn that skill.
Mentally running through her training exercises, Raven tried to block the telepathic force. But it was too strong.
"What is happening to me?" Raven asked herself. She knew that she was currently unconscious from pain; there was no other reason why she was floating in her mindscape.
"Maybe a telepath is attacking the Titans Tower?" considered Raven.
She frowned. "Psimon, maybe?"
While Raven considered the reasons to why Psimon would attack the Titans Tower, a huge firebird materialised behind her. Cawing loudly, the creature wrapped its wings around the shocked Raven. Flames burst outwards, like a blossoming begonia.
She began to remember many things. Rescuing Starfire from the Gordanians. Her father Trigon and his plan to ransack the universe. Cyborg talking to her Emotions. Robin telling her that it was okay to feel. Beast Boy's lame jokes and his irritating infatuation with Terra. The sound of Robin laughing when he relaxes and plays video-games. Her mother's heartshaped face.
Beast Boy and his stupid, stupid smile.
"What – is – this!" Raven hissed, glaring at the firebird.
How dare this, this thing, go through her memories? Invade her privacy like that?
The creature soared upwards, sending skittering flames with every flap of a wing.
"Although you show great promise, like the Martians, your emotions are too inexpressive and incoherent for you to be my avatar," said the firebird. "Perhaps when you learn to feel more, we shall meet again."
The creature paused. "Wish luck on your friend."
When Raven tried to protest and demand the bird to clarify, the folds of her mindscape churned and Raven found herself waking to consciousness again.
"R-Raven!" cried Beast Boy, hugging her tightly. "You're okay! I was worried!"
Ignoring the heat in her cheeks, Raven pushed the sneezing, green-skinned boy away. "Mucous and phlegm. Everything a girl wants."
"Raven, how are you feeling?" Cyborg asked. "Do you remember anything?"
"Not much. I'll tell you more about later," Raven said. She stood up and dusted herself off. "Right now, we should concentrate on Robin and helping him out."
When Raven mentioned Robin's name, Starfire's face twisted in dawning horror. Cyborg and Beast Boy felt their eyes widen.
"Robin!" Starfire screamed, dashing to the computer monitoring Robin's heartbeat. She clutched the keyboard and started sobbing. "His heart rate is hyper-extreme, blood pressure and neural kinetics – "
Starfire choked, looking horrified. "Most humans cannot survive this kind of stress!"
Raven shot Beast Boy a dark stare. "Why weren't you guys checking on him? You should have been making sure he was okay!"
Biting his lip, Beast Boy sniffled and shuffled his legs. "You had collapsed so suddenly that we all got surprised and caught up in the moment – "
"There's no time to argue. We have to help Robin! Now!" Cyborg shouted.
When he started to run to the medical bay, however, a flash of fiery light erupted from behind the door.
-Titans Earth-
Medical Bay, Titans Tower
"Do you wish to live?"
The disembodied voice echoed around him, coming from everywhere with seemingly no actual source. Robin felt his world turn to white. Suddenly, he was floating in water. By the rules of logic, he should have been drowning… but then how was he breathing?
His clothes melted away, and strange memories faded in and out of the water. A redhaired woman kissed a man with darkened sunglasses. A dark man wielded a silver sword. Blond triplets shared a slice of pizza with a tired, injured boy.
"What is this?" Robin said.
Maybe he had truly gone mad. All those years of fighting Arkham inmates at Gotham and Slade's torture must have broken him. But if he was mad, then why did he feel so at peace?
"You show great potential," the voice echoed, as Robin turned around. "Such impressive latent power, suppressed by an unconscious, ingrained belief that you are unworthy, ordinary. Who knew that one could belittle oneself so much?"
An image of a bald, disabled man placing his hand on a redhaired girl. The man's eyes glowed for a moment.
"I wonder if that is the case…"
The man in the wheelchair and the redhaired girl disappeared in a swirl of white. New, more familiar images flashed in front of Robin's eyes.
He was ten again and sleeping at Wayne Manor. He was trashing and crying out nonsensical names, when Bruce and a tall, soft-faced woman, Dr Leslie Thompkins, entered the room. Both were wearing concerned expressions.
"Are you sure that this will help with his nightmares?" Bruce asked Dr Thompkins.
Frowning, the woman pulled out a syringe from her briefcase. She didn't look particularly comfortable with the whole situation.
"It's an experimental drug, Bruce," said Dr Thompkins. She approached Dick and cleaned the needle with some antiseptic. "Although clinical trials have been successful so far, you never know with these kinds of things."
Bruce didn't respond. Carefully, he restrained his ward with a few straps.
"I just want him to stop dreaming about his parents dying," Bruce said. He fixed the doctor with a hard look. "Among other things."
"Hope for the best, then," Dr Thompkins said.
She lowered the needle towards the boy –
"How fascinating," the voice said softly; Robin decided that it was distinctly feminine. "What other secrets do you have?"
His life flashed before his eyes.
One. He was an acrobatic kid prodigy at Haley's Circus. His mother stroked his cheek.
"My little Robin. Remember who you are," she said.
Two. He was hiding behind a corner and listening to a mobster threatening the safety of the circus performers, unless Haley paid insurance. This little boy didn't do anything about it.
Later that night, his parents fell and fell…
Three. He was chasing Zucco, that vile mobster, down an abandoned pier. Eventually, he had captured the monster and could have killed him on the spot. But Batman's words about justice over vengeance echoed in his ears. He threw a birdarang into the mobster, piercing the shoulder.
Later the police arrested the monster, and Batman congratulated him for his self-control. What Batman didn't know was that he really did try to kill the mobster.
He just missed. Pathetic, pathetic aim…
"I don't want this! Stop – reading my mind!" Robin cried at the disembodied voice. He drew his knees into his chest. "I don't want this…"
Four. He was pummelling a particularly disgusting pimp, who had his paws in all kinds of human trafficking. The righteous anger, exhilarating adrenaline, was surging. His hands were getting bloody, when Batgirl approached him from behind.
She stroked his cheek. "Remember who you are, Robin."
When Robin relented and released the pimp, Batgirl smiled in relief and reached for his lips –
Five. He was standing in front of Bruce, feeling like a kid. Bruce had taken off his Batman cowl, revealing that his eyes had hardened, like granite.
"I don't want you to fight crime anymore," he said.
Robin felt his world crumble. I need to prove myself more. Why am I so weak? A resolve to validate his existence solidified.
"STOP! NO, STOP IT!" Robin shouted. He clenched his hands, wiping the wetness off his face.
Six. He was Slade's Apprentice. The masked man whispered in his ear.
"I know it seems bad now. But trust me you'll learn to like it."
Robin glared at the man, feeling more hatred than a thousand fires. He dreamed of tearing that man apart, making him pay –
Seven. He was fighting Slade, as always. He needed to force the man to reveal the location of the seismic generators, he had to.
Now, Slade was hovering over him in the Titans' medical bay. That scalpel dug deeper and deeper into his flesh. He needed to stop this, be stronger, stop this.
Stop this.
Stop.
"STOP!"
"You don't want it to end here, do you?" whispered the voice. When Robin growled and defiantly lifted his head up, the voice chortled, as though it was amused.
"You appear to have a reason to live. Such rage, passion, self-loathing… yes, you shall do. I propose a contract."
The water around Robin vanished into a storm of fire. He fell to his knees, gasping as all his secrets, his memories, revolved around him in the blistering flames. Never before had he felt so vulnerable and exposed.
"I will grant you a power like no other. It will give you the strength to defeat Slade and prove yourself to this cruel world, but you will live a different life. You will become a lonely avatar, in a different time, a different existence, a different providence. But you will be able to fulfil some of your greatest wishes."
Robin stared into the blaze. It sounded like a good deal, actually. The strength to end Slade once and for all, and to protect his friends…
But nothing came free. Robin knew this.
"And what do you want in return for this power?" Robin asked.
"In exchange for my gift, you must grant me one of my wishes when the time comes. This is our contract."
From the flames, the translucent image of green-eyed woman emerged. She gazed at him and extended her hand.
"Do you agree to the terms of our contract?"
Robin remembered the trilling sound of Starfire's laugh, so safe and happy, and his wavering doubt stilled. He grabbed the woman's hand.
"Yes, I accept the terms of your contract!"
As soon as he shouted, the recoiling flames converged into the scorching form of a phoenix. With an echoing cry, the bird dove into him, and Robin felt himself thrust back into reality. He tried to move, but he quickly realised that he was still bound to the hospital bed. He tensed when Slade stroked his arms.
"Such firm muscles. You've been working out, Robin," Slade said. The masked man twirled the scalpel and lowered it towards the arm joint.
The cogs in Robin's mind turned, and a soft voice, much like the feminine one from his mindscape, spoke.
"This is not Slade. The real one is encased under a metric tonne of solid lava," the voice whispered, calming Robin's fears. "This Slade is a figment of your imagination. He's only in your mind. Dispel him with your gift."
Clenching his hands, Robin turned to Slade.
"You're only in my mind...only in the dark," he muttered, the realisation dawning upon him. Every time lightning struck outside, Slade's figure wavered out of existence. Starfire couldn't see him, Cyborg's radar couldn't sense him, Raven couldn't locate him or his seismic generators…
Now that the voice in his mind had clarified his thoughts, Robin could see it now. His eyes flashing with resolve, the teen raised his voice.
"My friends were right! You aren't real!"
Lightning struck again, and Slade's form flickered like a candle against the wind.
"I'm real enough to finish you!" Slade hissed.
The man lunged forward. As though in a trance, Robin raised his hands.
A fiery bolt of telepathic energy slammed into the phantasm. The figure howled and dropped the scalpel. Hot air billowed outwards from Slade's splayed form, as the medical bay spurted with shafts of golden light.
"Lights out, Slade," Robin said quietly.
There was a whooshing sound, and the apparition coiled, before vanishing with a flash. As it fell to the floor, the scalpel evaporated in thin air.
Relieved, Robin slumped into the bed. At this moment, Cyborg and Starfire dashed into the medical bay, with Beast Boy and Raven on their heels.
"Robin!" Starfire cried, latching onto the teen hero.
"It's okay, Starfire," Robin said wearily. He started to close his eyes. "It's okay. It's over now."
The alien girl wept and drew the boy closer into an embrace. Cyborg and Beast Boy gave out a sigh of relief, while Raven showed as much emotion as she could on her blank face. Judging from Robin's peaceful expression, it looked like the hallucination nightmare really was over.
"Finally," Raven murmured to herself. "Everything is going to return back to normal."
If Raven had only sought to peel off Robin's mask, she would have recanted that statement.
Under the tell-tale domino mask, Robin's blue eyes changed. Two orange sigils in the form of phoenixes appeared, before withdrawing, as the Boy Wonder finally fell asleep.
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