Raven. She was gone, something had happened, and she had betrayed them. And it had something to do with Slade. Robin scoured his brain, memorizing every detail of the horrible encounter, remembering her eyes, her tone, the terrified way she had screamed Slade's name.
His team was counting on him to come up with a solution, some sort of answer, but he had none. Robin looked back out the window, seeing the tiny dot on the horizon that was Raven, one of his closest friends. Slade, he caused this, somehow. Why was so obsessed with Raven? She had been the focus of his attacks three times now, once for her father, once for himself, and now... for what?
Robin walked past his team, going into his room, and locking the door. He had to put himself in Slade's place. He had to discover why Raven was acting like this, and how Slade was involved. Reaching into a drawer in his desk, robin took out a photo. It was of Raven, the day of the apocalypse. She was forcing a smile, for us, her friends. She had tried so hard to hide the truth, to save us from the harsh reality of the day the world would end.
But in the end, she had failed. Sh did what she thought was best, to save us, but not her. She had given us some of her power before she sacrificed herself in our stead. Then, the world became hell. Trigon, her father, had taken control of earth and transformed it into something not unlike his own hellish dimension.
Then, Robin had delved into that place, fighting horrible monsters and working with his worst enemy, all to save her. She had been a child when he found her, small, and helpless. But, a part of her was still there, and she defied everything, and defeated her father, returning to her normal self and saving the universe.
Robin realized he had been holding the photo too tightly, wrinkling the smooth surface. He felt the tears form, and couldn't hold it in anymore. He sat roughly on the ground and lost what he held so dear. The strong, confident leader felt so helpless in the wake of Slade's obsession with Raven. He let himself surrender to the tears, and cried.
But within minutes, he was back to himself. Raven hadn't given up on them when all hope seemed lost, and he wouldn't give up on her. He returned the now crinkled photo to it's drawer, and leaned over his desk as he so often had.
Slade had seen what Raven could do. Last time, he had taken her, trying to use her powers. But now, she had left on her own. She had seemed different, as if possessed. And her black eyes added to that theory. But the thought that anyone could break past her mental walls was inconceivable.
Something was wrong though. Raven would not attack her own friends, not like that. And the way she had screamed Slade... it was as if her life was on the line. Attacking her friends, running, the black eyes. Maybe she was trying to protect us.
But that didn't explain her comments and the way she had seemed to enjoy it. The pieces didn't fit. Robin paced the room, the gears turning, trying to come up with a theory, anything.
He walked to her room, looking for other clues. Nothing was out of place, everything was pristine. But she had screamed, as if she was being attacked the night before. no signs of struggle, or attack. Robin remembered when Slade had gotten into his mind, but raven was too strong for that, right?
Robin went over the facts again. She had seemed possessed, attacking everybody, and she looked crazed when Robin has taken her back to the tower. Then she screamed Slade, and flatlined. When she came back to life, her eyes were black, and she seemed possessed.
It seemed to add up, a mental attack, but, if Slade had taken control of her body, why wasn't he attacking now? Raven could defeat us all if she had to, but she wouldn't. Unless...
Slade couldn't control her completely now. She was still fighting, still trying to protect us. Of course she was. She always thought of us before herself, even when the world was ending. Why not now.
Robin ran for the living room, ready to hunt down Slade, even if Slade was on the opposite end of the world.
