When Robin entered the hall, Wilson was already far ahead of him. The mercenary had slowed his pace slightly but the boy still had to jog to catch up. He kept just out of arm's reach of the older man, still uncertain whether or not it was a good idea to be following him. Wilson had been cold for the most part towards the young clone but not overly harsh. If nothing else, it made him curious. They stopped before a solid steel door, Wilson turning to face him. "Behind this door, out of sight of Desmond and his lackeys, I can give you the tools to defend yourself from them," the man told him, voice low and dark. "But the memories will have to be suppressed to keep the Light from knowing."

Robin shuffled uncertainly from foot to foot, considering his options. The Light was using him for their own purposes and Wilson was offering him a chance to take matters into his own hands, to maybe choose his own fate. Doubtless it wasn't safe but what other option do I have. "Okay," he agreed softly.

"Are you certain?" The question was surprisingly gentle coming from the man that had been throwing him across a room as if he were truly weightless only a couple hours ago.

"Yes," Robin replied firmly.

"Then let's get started." Robin got the oddest feeling that Wilson was smirking beneath his mask.

Years of training with Robin had given Roy practice in figuring out what direction the small acrobat had gone. Batman's partner had a habit of disappearing into thin air and while Wally had never quite been able to figure out how to track the boy down, Roy had. It had taken a year and a half of practice, along with some advice from Ollie and Alfred Pennyworth, but it was paying off now. The archer shook off his shock and closed his eyes for a moment, listening for anything that could signal to him where the boy was. A moment later he was sprinting inland, hoping he could catch up to Robin before something bad happened, trusting Oliver to be right behind him.

His guess on which direction Robin had gone was confirmed when something flew through the air and almost smacked him in the head. Roy just managed to dodge, coming out of his roll and reaching for an arrow as he rose. He caught a brief flash of orange and black, knocked the arrow, and released on instinct, scrambling behind a tree for cover. That was when he caught sight of the mask. Deathstroke the Terminator.

Ollie and Slade Wilson had a history, although Roy wasn't entirely certain about what that history was, and it hadn't ended well. Most likely a confrontation between the two of them would end terribly. Even more worrying was the question of why a mercenary such as Deathstroke would be around Happy Harbor. The small California town wasn't exactly a haven for criminal activity, even though it did house the Junior Justice League, so it wasn't likely that Wilson was hear on a job. That left the more worrying possibility that Wilson was working for the Light.

Another projectile struck his hiding spot and Roy fired back, hoping his former mentor would arrive soon. Last time the younger archer had gone toe to toe with Slade Wilson, it hadn't ended well. Roy had spent a week in the hospital. An arrow with green fletching barely missed Roy's cheek but the younger archer didn't bother to be annoyed about the close call. Instead he was diving the opposite direction, trusting Ollie to cover for him as he scrambled towards the small body lying limp on the ground. Robin's chest was rising and falling slowly and when Roy knelt next to the small frame, his pulse was strong if not a little fast. "Come on, please wake up," Roy pleaded softly, then flinched when he heard a grunt of pain.

He turned in time to see Oliver reel back, hand rising up to cover an eye. Roy had known Slade to be nasty in a fight, but not to be downright dirty. The younger archer growled and knocked an arrow, firing. Wilson dodged smoothly and blocked Ollie's next blow, shattering the bow. Oliver wasn't fast enough to block the next hit and Roy rose to a crouch, firing off another arrow. That was apparently the last straw for Wilson. The man abandoned Oliver, who was painfully pulling himself up, and headed for Roy. He also caught the next arrow the young archer fired off in midair. Roy wasn't able to dodge quick enough and Wilson lashed out, striking him hard in the head. The last thing he saw as he toppled to the ground, Oliver yelling his name, was Wilson leaning over him to snatch up Robin.

"So you obviously like Robin, regardless of whether or not he actually likes you," Artemis said once Zatanna's breathing had calmed on the other end of the line. "Once the League has tracked him down, and you know Batman will, you can talk to him and you guys can sort everything out. It'll be fine."

"Yeah," Zatanna agreed, giggling a little. "Thanks Artemis. You're a good friend."

"I try," the blonde said, glad Zatanna was here so the other girl couldn't see her flush. Artemis had never really had friends. Having a father and sister who were both assassins and a mother who had spent years locked away didn't exactly endear her to anyone. Having friends now was a little overwhelming at times.

Something chirped across the room, startling the blonde. Her eyes fell on the communicator Ollie, Roy, and the members of so called Team Arrow used to send messages and she scrambled for it, mumbling a vague agreement to whatever Zatanna had just said. The message on the screen when she flipped the communicator made her brown eyes widen. "Sorry Z but something important has come up," she told the other girl, her words mashing together in her rush to spit them out. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" She hung up before she could hear the dark haired girl's confused agreement.

Robin woke up in a dark room. He was surprisingly comfortable considering the last thing he remembered was him back talking an infamous mercenary. Blindly he stretched out a hand, smacking nothing but softness. He was on a mattress of some kind. Wilson had bothered to lay him down on a bed then. Why? Mercenaries weren't really known for their cuddly behavior, after all. Robin rolled over cautiously and reached out again, repeating the action twice more until he could feel the edge of the bed. Then he slid off, bare feet landing on cold stone or tile. He made his way cautiously across the dark room, hoping he was head for a door. Instead he encountered a strangely smooth wall, probably made of the same material as the floor. His hands slid across it like a blind man trying to find his way through and unfamiliar room.

The boy flinched and scrambled back a few steps when part of the wall slid open, revealing a lighted hallway. After a moment, when nothing happened, the clone cautiously crept into the hall. The floor transitioned from smooth tile to rough stone and the door began to slide shut behind him. Robin spun around too late to stop it, sudden terror making his heart pound. He was shaking all over as he crumpled to the floor, fists pressed against the space where the door had been and tears pouring down his chest. He cried until he couldn't anymore, tears and snot making a mess of his face, and even after he was cried out he stayed hunched up on the floor, feeling too dead to move.

End Part One

Author's Note: So this is the end of the first part of this story (It will have three parts in total). The beginning of the second part will take place about six months after this first part so there is a time skip coming. Also, there will be no more flashbacks at the top for the second part of the story (although they may return for the third part). Thank you to TheAsterousAuthor (Zatanna and Robin won't actually be addressed for a while so, unfortunately, I'm going to leave you in suspense. Also, your rant to Slade made my day!), Guest 1(The tussle between Slade, Roy, and Oliver will have lasting effects in this story), and IndiaMoore (nothing good, that's for sure) for reviewing this chapter!