Disclaimer: DC Comics is such a klorbag for not letting me own Teen Titans.

Chapter 3: Robbery

-C-

Cyborg held his ground as his arm changed swiftly into a sonic cannon, his mouth set in a grimace as Johnny Rancid revved up his motorcycle threateningly. The Titans had him surrounded outside of the Bank of Perez. Money fluttered in the air as bank employees huddled behind the counters in a panic. Bags of money were tied to the back of Johnny Rancid's motorcycle.

"Hey, where's Bird Boy?" he asked, grinning wickedly as he jabbed a pride thumb to his chest. "Afraid to fight the Johnny Rancid?"

"When you talk in third person, maybe," Raven said dryly.

Johnny's smile turned into a frown as he revved up the motorcycle again. A challenge. Cyborg disliked Johnny's punk attitude, as though he owned this town. He was nothing but a low-rate criminal. Even Brother Blood…Cyborg shook the thought of the HIVE Headmaster out of his head. He guessed that he now understood what it was like to have an arch-nemesis. He could relate to Robin's obsession with Slade, but...

The annoying rev of the engine grated his mechanical ears.

"Let's just get this over with," he said quietly to the other Titans. "Rancid is not worth our time."

"You know, I was really hoping he'd show up," Rancid said. "But I guess I'll just have to make do."

The Titans tensed.

"Titans, go!" Cyborg yelled.

They clashed.

-R-

He told Bruce everything.

Robin didn't like it, but this was something that Bruce had to know. He would have preferred to tell Alfred, like he did mere minutes after coming home from Slade's haunt. That was something he couldn't tell Bruce in person, not even through the middleman of the webcam. So he had counted on Alfred to tell Bruce about his experience as Slade's apprentice. Robin still didn't know how Bruce felt about that.

The man was, after all, his adopted father.

Bruce listened with quiet determination, his expression hardening as Robin described how real Slade seemed. As Robin talked, he wondered vaguely what Bruce would see if he was zapped with Scarecrow's gas. His parents' murders? The Joker? What?

As Robin finished talking Bruce leaned forwards towards the webcam, resting his stubbled chin on folded hands.

"I'm not sure if I agree with your theory," he said. "Crane is locked up in Arkham. I don't believe that this lead will get you anywhere even if Crane admits that he created the dust for Deathstroke."

"Bruce, I will admit that I don't know what's going on," Robin said, growing steadily more irritated by the minute. "But I can solve this by myself!"

"Someone's targeting you because of me!" Bruce snapped. "Now I can't come to Jump because—"

"It's not always about you, Bruce!"

Ugh. He had forgotten how much the man could infuriate him. Bruce's lips set in a thin disapproving line at the outburst. Robin tensed, as though preparing for a physical fight with the Dark Knight. The last thing he wanted was a lecture on how to run his team.

"I know, but if Scarecrow really is behind this then—"

"Look, we've already got two leads. Either you send me Crane's files or you set me up an appointment with Jeremiah Arkham—"

"Arkham?" He sounded incredulous. "Dick, I'm not letting you go to Arkham. Especially not after last night."

"What am I supposed to do?" Robin's voice rose as he stood up angrily. "Wait for whoever it is to strike again?"

"You need to narrow down your search." Bruce's fingers tapped the keyboard impatiently. "Don't attack all the leads at once. Keep Scarecrow open as a possibility, but focus on the lead in Jump first before calling me back about Arkham."

The room darkened as the electricity went out. Even Bruce fell silent as Robin gazed around his bedroom. The only electronic thing still working was his laptop, which was now running on its batteries.

"Power outage," Robin said bluntly, putting his mask back over his eyes. "Bruce, I'll call you back."

-S-

Starfire increased her speed as Cyborg was thrown back into the air, intending to catch him and bring him back to safety. For the umpteenth time she wished that Robin was there to assist them. Whenever he was not among them she felt lonely. The team did not seem whole without their leader.

"Thanks, Star," Cyborg said.

Her eyes glowed green as she flew alongside Beast Boy, who had morphed into a cheetah and was running alongside Johnny's motorcycle. The ground seemed to roll away underneath her as she flew faster and faster, the wind whipping back her long red hair. Robin was always the one who chased the Johnny Rancid on the R-Cycle.

She twisted in the air as her fists glowed with power and aimed towards Johnny's tires.

"Please desist!" she said. "I do not wish to harm you!"

Rancid banked sharply towards her and cut off Beast Boy. To avoid being run over he transformed into an eagle, his wings flapping wildly as he struggled catch a wind current. Even though she honestly did not want to hurt the Johnny Rancid she knew that she had to. With a grunt of exertion she fired her starbolts from her clenched fists.

She threw her arms over her face to shield herself from the ensuing explosion. Her starbolts caused the motorcycle to flip over, its occupant still acting within the devious laws of physics as he hurtled through the air. His helmet skidded a few feet away from them. Bags of money tore open as they hit the ground. They would be a pain to clean up. Cyborg drew back his fist and punched Rancid out of the air, slamming the punk down into the street.

"Booya," Cyborg said, though unenthusiastically.

Starfire touched down to the ground. Police cars screeched to a halt as passerby clapped. Now that the battle was over she could hear the confused mutters of the surrounding crowd. Of course, people would notice if their team was short one member, especially if that missing member was Robin the Boy Wonder. She watched as Cyborg grabbed Rancid by the scruff of his muscle shirt and pulled him close to his snarling face.

"What do you know about dust, tough guy?"

"Dust?" Rancid echoed, sounding both confused and irate. "Why? Is that why Bird Boy isn't here?"

Raven landed next to Cyborg. "Don't waste your time. Rancid doesn't know anything."

Policemen came to handcuff Rancid and bring him to jail. Starfire stepped out of their way, but before she could levitate into the air she found a microphone in her face. A female news reporter with a dazzling smile grasped Starfire's wrist and pulled her in front a camera.

"Hi, Starfire," the woman said, her voice unnaturally cheerful. "Would you mind telling us why Robin isn't here?"

"I-" Starfire hesitated, unsure of what to say. "I do not wish to-"

"Hell," she heard Cyborg mumble as other reporters surrounded him. "We can't handle the media now."

Reporters clustered around Beast Boy, who somehow found things to say. Starfire did not wish to speak to any reporters. Their urgent tones reminded her of the time when Robin had disappeared to work for Slade. As she gazed around at the growing crowd she realized that they were in front of the P.I.Z.Z.A place, where she had first touched down in Jump in a murderous rage.

She closed her eyes.

Although she loved all of her friends Robin was the one who helped her first. He had dared to approach the crazy Tamaranean wreaking havoc around Jump City. If it wasn't for him, she might be on some faraway alien planet-to the Citadel-as a servant and a prize. With some embarrassment she remembered how she had pulled him into a quick kiss to learn English before shoving him to the ground. But despite all of the trouble they've been through-even when they stood-off on top of Wayne Enterprises-she still loved him. It had pained her so much to shoot him with her starbolts the night before, even though she knew that she did the right thing.

It was some comfort to her that he had agreed to stay behind. She was ashamed to admit it, but some part of her believed that he had actually lost his mind the night before.

She was so afraid of losing him and all of her friends.

-R-

Everything was down. Security, electricity, everything. His heart pumped madly as different scenarios played in his mind, each more worse than the last. Relax, he told himself, the storm last night must have caused powerlines to come down.

But they lived in the middle of the ocean.

He left his room and began to walk down the Tower, intending to go to the fuse box in the basement and turn the electricity back on. Then he may or may not call back Bruce. The Tower seemed oddly empty and dark without the Titans around, even in the daytime. Hopefully this time he wouldn't have another surprise visit from Larry, his acid-tripping twin from another demen—

Thump.

Robin paused.

He listened.

It must be my imagination, he thought, still listening for the sound. No one is here but me.

Something thumped from downstairs. His eyes roved around the common room suspiciously as his hand moved to the communicator hanging at his belt.

Suddenly a visit from Larry seemed like a very good idea.

"Titans," he said, snapping open the communicator. "Someone's in the Tower."

"What?" Cyborg asked.

"Security's been knocked down. Someone's here."

"Are you sure, man?" Cyborg looked worried, as though he thought that the dust had resurfaced like a creeping cancer. "You sure you're not—"

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Cyborg's eyes widened as Robin's head turned, trying to locate the source of the noise. It was slightly soothing to know that he wasn't just hearing things. But not by much.

"We're coming right now! Whoever messed with my security is gonna pay—"

Robin placed the communicator back into his belt. Someone was in the Tower. The best thing to do now was to get the Tower's security back online. To do that he would have to first go down to the basement, turn the electricity back on, and then reboot the system. After the events of last night he really didn't want to go back down to the basement. Come on, Grayson, he thought, Slade was part of your imagination. He isn't real.

Before going down to the basement he grabbed a flashlight, just in case.

He was sure that he could hear the footsteps again. The metal stairs creaked as he walked downstairs. None of the others had been down here since his imaginary confrontation with Slade.

"Alone again, Robin?" Slade's voice asked, his tone taunting. "As long as I'm around, you are never alone."

"You're not real," Robin said aloud. "Go away."

Of course, he hadn't actually heard Slade's voice. It was just the haunting memories. He turned on the flashlight. Robin was careful to avoid the evidence boxes in case the dust was still there. A beam of light fell upon the fuse box hanging on one of the steel support beams. He opened it and studied the controls. Cyborg knew the security system best, but Robin knew how to put the system back online-

SLAM!

His heart nearly jumped into his throat as the door slammed shut, leaving him in near-darkness. He spun around and pointed the flashlight towards the top of the staircase. It was cold down here. His breath misted and gooseflesh rose on his exposed skin. There weren't any windows open upstairs. Someone had slammed that door shut. Robin sprinted back up the stairs and almost threw himself upon the door, desperately afraid that it would be locked.

It wasn't.

He fell upon the floor in his haste to get out. His head snapped upward as he heard the thumping noise again. Robin sprang to his feet and assumed a fighting stance.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Robin bellowed.

Of course, the mysterious visitor didn't answer. Robin pressed himself against the wall and took out his bo-staff. Even though he wasn't in any condition to fight he would still have to try. He turned off the communicator. They were coming. He didn't want to give away his position.

Robin didn't have any sort of plan. All he knew was that he was going to sneak up on the intruder. He moved slowly against the wall, his ears listening intently for the thumping noises again. Who was here? What did he want? Did this have something to do with the dust?

He didn't know.

All this uncertainty made him edgy; more edgy than usual. His ears perked at the sound of a door creaking open. He practically hugged the wall as he moved closer to the sound of footsteps echoing in the main hall.

Someone was coming!

With a roar he leapt into the air and pounced upon the intruder. Together they rolled down the hallway as they fought, their fists and kicks becoming mere blurs. Robin fought with the ferocity of a cornered man.

"DUDE!" a strangled voice yelled. "It's me!"

The electricity came back on. The Tower surged back to life as the security system came back online. To Robin's surprise he found his gloved hands clutching Beast Boy's throat. An expression of complete terror crossed Beast Boy's face.

"Sorry," Robin said, backing away. "I got carried away."

Beast Boy frowned as he stood up. The others stared as Robin composed himself, ashamed that he attacked Beast Boy. The faint outline of a bruise was already blooming on Beast Boy's cheek. Robin turned his head away, slouching so that his cape covered his entire upper body. He was paranoid.

So paranoid.

"Security system is back online," Cyborg said. "The intruder is gone."

Robin's nostrils flared in anger. He still couldn't believe that someone had invaded the Tower-especially while he was home. Only one more reason not to call Bruce back.

"And Johnny Rancid?"

"In jail," Raven said.

Well, at least one thing went right.

"I've already swept the Tower for bugs," Cyborg said. "Whatever the invader meant to do, he didn't do it."

"We can't be sure," Robin replied. "You've checked the Tower before. You missed the cameras Slade installed."

"Say what?"

"I took them down after I came back from the haunt," Robin said. "He installed the cameras long before I worked for him."

Cyborg looked positively offended at the idea of someone getting past his security and the idea of foreign technology being installed in the Tower without his knowledge. But it was true that Slade had installed the cameras. Robin didn't tell them and took them down himself. He didn't need to give them another reason to panic. The looming darkness of Slade's haunt clouded his vision as he remembered watching his friends cope with his betrayal.

So close, yet so far away...

The bright flicker of the television screens cast light upon Robin's hunched figure. Instead of the usual footage of the nanoscopic probes footage of the Titans in the Tower played. His masked eyes watched them mope about the common room, although he said nothing to Slade. His hand reached out, as though he meant to touch them through the video screens. As soon as he realized what he was doing Robin let his hand fall to his side. Of course, this was exactly how Slade wanted him to feel. Alone. Alone except for the man he was forced to call master. He stiffened as Slade placed a hand on his shoulder.

"When did you put the cameras in the Tower?" Robin asked, moving to brush Slade's hand away from his shoulder.

In response Slade's grip on his shoulder tightened painfully.

"Why do you want to know, my apprentice?"

Despite himself, Robin felt fearful as Slade forced him to turn around. Goosebumps rose on his arms as his mouth went dry. Slade's fingers dug into the flesh of his arm. Robin glanced at the hand holding him steady before turning his head to look up at Slade.

It hurt.

"Never mind."

It was a safe answer. With Slade, there was no telling how far he could push the man. But it seemed as though Slade wanted to provoke Robin with footage of the Titans. It took most of Robin's self-control to just let it go. He wouldn't give the man the satisfaction of picking a fight that he knew he would lose. He glanced back at the television screens.

Judging from the position of the cameras, Robin knew exactly where they would be in the Tower.

Beast Boy spoke up first, his voice cutting through Robin's thoughts.

"Hey, what else are you not telling us?" he demanded. "First you don't tell us about Wintergreen, now the cameras—"

"Slade's dead!" Robin snarled, his anger rising. "What else do you want to know? What it was like living with a psychopath?"

At once he regretted his outburst. He dug a palm into his forehead and turned away, collapsing onto the couch. Why was he so afraid of telling them the truth? If he had told them everything about his time with Slade, would any of this had happened?

Oh, the man had worn him so thin…so fast…had it really been so long ago? It seemed like an eternity ago yet he could recall the memories as though they defeated Slade yesterday.

"Whoever is behind this," Raven said, "knows how to get under our skin."

"We don't know what the intruder meant to do," Robin said. "Maybe he counted on everyone being out of the Tower."

Robin's mind whirled with complex theories. Yes, there were things he didn't understand. But Batman was right: he had to narrow down his search. Information needed to be gathered. Wintergreen needed to be found. The perpetrator needed to be behind bars.

He had a plan.

A/N: MWAHAHAHA! Yeah, it's only going to get creepier from here on out. And I really just can't seem to not write about the Apprentice Arc. It's just so awesome!

Also have been re-reading the Batman: Knightfall series, so I actually know what Batman sees under Scarecrow's gas. But I can't really mention it here because it doesn't fit within the continuity.

So I'm experimenting with multiple POVs here. Hopefully they work out fine. If not, tell me.

Don't be a klorbag like DC Comics. Be awesome little bumgorfs and leave a review.