Disclaimer: I'm looking outside my window and I see the peacock that lives in my backyard. But I don't see anything that tells me that I own Teen Titans.

Chapter 9: Basics

-BB-

To his own surprise—and everyone else's—Beast Boy left Terra's tomb alone and allowed the police to search the area. Robin was right: he wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. He wasn't a trained detective like Robin was. The most he could do was pick up the scent of the vandals as a dog.

He spent most of his Saturday at the carnival where he and Terra had spent their date night. Since Slade's attack the carnival had been shut down, mostly because Terra wreaked it trying to save him. He knew that if he walked into the House of Mirrors that the mirrors would still be cracked and broken from his angry tirade against Slade.

He lay on Terra's bed as a bloodhound, his body curled around the heart-shaped box he had made for Terra. His long ears easily picked up the other Titans' conversations.

"And Beast Boy?" Starfire asked.

"He just needs some time," Robin replied.

A high-pitched whine filled the air as he curled himself into a tighter ball. Terra's scent still filled the air and enveloped him as he lay on her bed. He whined like a dog in physical pain, struggling to cope with her betrayal.

Everything in her room was exactly as she left it, save for the few items Robin took for filing purposes. Her laptop, for example. Even though Beast Boy wanted to deny that she had truly betrayed them, there was enough evidence in her room to convict her. Robin broke into her email account and found several messages between her and Slade.

He heard the others move around outside of his room, speaking to each other in low voices. How where the others handling this? Did they feel just as lost and confused and hurt as he did? Could they possibly understand?

He was so heartbroken.

Beast Boy stood up and morphed into a hawk. He flew into the air and followed the tracks of the roller coaster, pretending that he was riding the coaster again with Terra. Up and down. Bank left and bank right. Adrenaline rush. Little high. Little low.

Now that he saw the coaster in the daylight he wondered vaguely how he had trusted its rickety structure. The wood was old and untrustworthy, just like any other cheap carnival ride. But despite its flaws and the cheesiness of the entire carnival Terra had loved this place. Anything that made Terra happy Beast Boy vowed to love as well.

His communicator rang.

With a deep sigh Beast Boy took it out and flipped it open. It was probably Robin telling him to come back to the Tower.

"Garfield?"

He almost dropped the communicator in surprise. He recognized that voice. Rita's face stared back at him through the communicator, her face full of concern.

"Rita?" Beast Boy asked, surprised. "What are you doing?"

The Doom Patrol almost never called him. He knew that Steve didn't really approve of his new team, but Steve never said it out loud. Out of all of the members of the Doom Patrol, however, Rita was the nicest one. At times Beast Boy felt as though she understood him.

"I'm calling you," she replied, "or rather, I'm calling you on behalf of the Doom Patrol."

"Why?"

"We've just finished defeating the Brotherhood of Evil—for the time being. Now that we're home we've finally caught up on some news."

Oh no.

Beast Boy's heart began to pound wildly in his chest. Steve said they would never call unless it was an emergency.

"We heard the news about Terra."

Beast Boy shut his eyes tightly. The last thing he wanted now was a lecture from Mento. He thought briefly of hanging up on Rita, but he knew that he shouldn't. Her tone wasn't condescending. Rather, it sounded consoling. His ears drooped sadly.

"It seems as though everyone has."

No one outside of the Titans called to console him. Most of the other heroes—like the Doom Patrol and Justice League—could not forgive Terra for betraying the Titans. He thought it extremely unfair that they should label her as such, especially after the sacrifice that ended her life.

But her betrayal laid bare the naked reality: heroes are inherently trustworthy, and it is the impulse to do good and act good that is a hero's weakness. Anyone in the Justice League or Doom Patrol or even the Green Lantern Corps could infiltrate and betray. The older heroes just didn't like to admit it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said. "Were you close to her?"

"Very."

"I would come to visit you myself, but Steve won't have it. The Brotherhood is always planning something."

Yeah, and so are the rest of the villains out there. He knew that he was a hypocrite for making fun of Batman and Robin's relationship because it was the same with him and Steve. But at least Robin got to fight more battles alongside Batman. Steve never trusted him with anything.

"Garfield, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Rita. I'm fine."

He was glad that Steve didn't want to come. Sure, he loved the Doom Patrol. They were like his family, but he didn't want them barging in at a time like this.

But what did he want exactly? Did he want people to console him, to tell him that he was an awesome superhero and that Terra had been a true Teen Titan? Part of him said "yes." Was that what he wanted: praise, recognition for his work? Fame? He really didn't know.

I should probably get back to the Tower, he thought.

"Thanks for calling, Rita," he said. "But I have to go."

"I'll be calling you back. We're not finished talking."

"I know."

He shut his communicator, morphed into a bird, and flew away into the warm air.

-R-

Endless circles.

Robin found himself back in the evidence room. Flash had long ago gone back to Metropolis to deal with whatever crisis the JLA was dealing with. He was probably back in Central City by now. The Tower had been thoroughly searched, but nothing else appeared to have been stolen. This only increased Robin's uneasiness.

Robin's eyes fell upon newspaper clippings on the walls.

Although he wanted to believe that the vandalized tomb and the triggering of Slade's mask were two separate events, Robin had a sinking feeling in his stomach that they were somehow related. How so? They were personal attacks against the Titans. What if the reagent wasn't Slade's last trick?

Again, Batman was right. They were chasing leads all over the place. Scarecrow. Slade. Brother Blood. Back to Scarecrow again. At the end of the day they ended up back at the place where they began. Like a dog chasing its tail. To solve this, Robin had to get down to the bare basics:

Who benefits?

Well, a large number of people did. Whoever was doing this to them obviously wanted to split the Titans apart. With the Titans bickering or split up the villains in their rogue gallery would leap at the chance to attack and cause chaos in Jump. With no one to defend the Jump the city would become a veritable playground for the villains. If such a thing happened in Arkham….

If Slade was alive—Robin reasoned with the utmost care—then he didn't need a reason. The man had been a psychopath and always tried to take the Titans apart. He did that twice before during both Robin and Terra's apprenticeships. But Slade was dead.

The problem was Robin couldn't think of anyone else smart enough to do this.

"Sending trouble your way…leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel…I was testing you…"

Robin slammed his fist down on his desk. Would the man never leave him in peace?

Terra's apprenticeship had always puzzled Robin. It was obvious that Slade used Terra as a pawn, but he had picked Robin first. There were qualities the two shared, qualities that Terra had none of. In an odd way, Slade wanted to look upon him as a son. It seemed as though Slade had taken Terra on as an apprentice just to get revenge, but Robin knew that Slade never meant to have Terra follow him in his footsteps. She was just a pawn. Robin huffed impatiently as he considered his options again.

It would be like Slade to leave another string of clues for him to follow.

What if whoever triggered the reagent never meant to kill him? What if the perpetrator meant only to distract him? Or, as it was more likely, what if the dust was merely a…foreshadowing of things to come?

"Robin?"

Starfire again. He felt himself tense as she drew near, although he didn't quite know why. Robin vowed that he would never let his personal feelings get in the way of hero business. Oh how he had failed so hard in that department.

"What is it?" he asked. "Did the chief of police call?"

"Yes. They are having difficulty locating the vandals. There are none of the prints of the fingers to be found."

Hmm. Definitely not the work of highschool dropouts armed with spray paint.

"What about the shaving cream cans? Can't they trace it back to the store they came from?"

"They were unable to do that as well," she replied sadly. "The Chief of the Police said that they were not all bought at once. They were accumulated over time."

"Then someone….someone's been planning this."

No fingerprints. No trace. Nothing. The most they could do was analyze the handwriting on the walls, and even that would lead to a dead end.

"Robin, please take a break," she said, tugging gently at his arm. "This is most unhealthy."

She was right. Of course she was right. Alfred would have told him the same thing. Even though Robin didn't want to admit it he was acting more like Bruce than he realized. The moodiness. The obsessive habits.

He looked straight at her. Dick Grayson made a conscious choice to become Robin, so that he could fight crime and protect the people he loved. He and Beast Boy had already been targeted. What would stop the perpetrator from targeting the rest of his friends?

"I'm sorry, Star, but I have to work." His stomach squirmed as worry twisted her face. "I'll be out in a little bit. I promise."

Robin tried to smile, but Starfire had already left the room. His heart sank deeply in his chest as he turned back to his work. Promises, promises, broken promises. The only part of this job that he hated was the lying.

Now, back to the basics.

Who would be attacked next?

-S-

There was too much troubling her mind.

Starfire walked in agitation around Titans Tower as she tried to find something else to occupy her time. Robin was retreating back to his old habits, which she did not like at all. It reminded her too much of the time he was looking for Slade.

She went into the common room and found Raven hovering a few feet above the floor, chanting monotonously as she meditated.

"Friend Raven," Starfire said, approaching the empath's hovering figure. "May I speak to you?"

Raven opened her eyes slowly, obviously annoyed at the interruption. Starfire levitated into the air and crossed her legs Indian-fashion in imitation of her friend, her hands resting on her knees.

"About what?"

The Tamaranean hesitated, wondering how to word her troubles. What did she really wish to talk about? The fact that the boy she loved did not trust her? That he was retreating to his old habits? That she was afraid of many things?

"I…I do not know where to begin."

Raven sighed.

"I feel everyone's emotions, Starfire," she replied. "Whether I want to or not."

"What emotions can you feel from me?"

"Uneasiness. Uncertainty." Raven looked curiously at Starfire. "Why are you uncertain, Starfire?"

"Do you not feel uncertain yourself?"

Raven fell silent, although her face was expressionless.

"I am not uncertain about the future," Raven said, "but I feel a growing aura of evil."

A growing aura of evil. Was that what she felt? How could Raven control her emotions so well? Never once had Starfire seen her cry. It would be so tormenting to keep her emotions inside. Starfire felt that if she applied the same techniques Raven used to keep her powers under control that she would explode. Right now she had to talk to someone. Robin was out of the question. Although she was good friends with Cyborg she did not feel as though she could talk to him about these things. Beast Boy was of course dealing with his own issues.

"From what?" Starfire asked.

"I'm not sure. But we need to be extra careful."

"Hey cutie!"

With a screech of surprise Starfire spun around and found Red X standing right behind her. Her heart pounded madly in her chest. Her and Raven's quiet moment together had just been ruined. He stretched nonchalantly and threw himself upon the sofa. Starfire felt anger bubbling up inside her. What in X'hal's name was the thief doing here? Here in the Titans Tower? The thief pointed a finger at Starfire.

"Hey babe, how about you, me, and a movie tomorrow night?"

"There will be no such thing!" Starfire snarled.

How…how dare he! She had already rejected him once before, and his bold audacity only made her dislike him more. For some reason she felt as if the eyes behind that mask were roving up and down her body in obvious approval.

"Why? Is it because you're dating the Boy Blunder?" She was certain that Red X was smirking beneath the mask. Her ensuing silence said too much. "He's that much of a wuss? Funny, I thought he had more guts than that."

He flinched as she rose into the air, her fists glowing green with starbolts. As a warrior trained by the Warlord of Okaara she would not tolerate such insults to her friends. She may seem friendly and pleasant, but when she got angry there would be hell to pay.

"You will apologize!"

"Hey, it's just my opinion, sweetheart." Red X held up his hands. "Take it for what you will."

"What's going on?" Cyborg's voice called out. "Star? Raven?"

The hallway door slid open. Beast Boy and Cyborg walked into the room, but froze once they saw Red X. An expression of dumb shock crossed Beast Boy's face. Cyborg, however, curled his hands into fists.

"Wanna tell me how you got past my security?" Cyborg asked, his voice a low growl.

"For the right price, yeah I will."

"Why you little s—"

"It's alright, guys, he's here for a reason." Robin strode into the room. "How much are you asking for, X?"

Starfire felt her jaw drop in astonishment. What was Robin doing? What was he saying?

"Five hundred," Red X said, "for pointing out the flaws in Tin Man's security."

"Dude, we don't have that kind of money," Cyborg began. "You can't ju—"

"Deal." Everyone, even Red X, turned to look at the boy wonder in shock. Robin's brow was furrowed and his mouth set in a thin line. "I'll pay you myself."

"What, you just got hundred-dollar bills lying around?" X asked. "I didn't know that being a superhero paid so well. Maybe I should consider a change of profession."

"I'm not loaded, but my mentor is."

Blush faintly colored his cheeks as he said this, as though he was embarrassed to admit that he came from wealth. Why should he be ashamed? Starfire herself was a princess of Tamaran. Red X considered Robin for a moment.

"Huh. If Batman's so loaded then why did you leave Gotham?"

Robin shot Red X a cold glare.

"Don't push it."

His tone suggested that the conversation was done. Red X shifted in his seat and sniggered under his breath.

"Who's ruffled your feathers, kid?"

"The bird puns are old, X. Tell me what you know."

"Um, Robin," Starfire said, holding up a finger and pointing it at Red X. "What is going on?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy said. "I think you have some explaining to do."

Everyone looked at Robin.

"I hired Red X to gather some information. Information that I wouldn't be able to obtain without an insider to the criminal underground."

"And you hired Red X, why?" Beast Boy asked.

"Do you know anything else?"

That shut Beast Boy up.

"The HIVE's done some past work with Slade," Red X said, throwing down a picture of the previous Headmistress upon the table. "As you probably know, he hired Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo to eliminate you."

Starfire could tell that Robin looked and felt frustrated.

"What happened to the old Headmistress?" Robin asked.

"Now there's a mystery for you to solve," Red X replied, laughing a little. "Disappeared a few months ago and is still missing. No one really knows what happened to her."

"Must have been Brother Blood," Cyborg said. "All he wants is control."

"What else is new?" Robin cut-in.

"Brother Blood knows of Slade's connections with the HIVE Academy, but he never bothered to contact him."

"Probably because he knew he wouldn't be able to mind-control him," Cyborg said.

"As for your man Wintergreen, I think Beast Boy may be of some help," Red X said. "After snooping around I heard a rumor that he joined the Brotherhood of Evil. Why? I don't know."

"The Brotherhood of Evil?" Cyborg asked. "I think I've heard of them. The Monkey and the Brain, right?"

"Yeah. They're the Doom Patrol's arch-enemy," Beast Boy said, "I've fought them several times. They're way bad."

"Any reason why Wintergreen would want to join them?" Robin asked.

"No. I don't know why. Maybe he wanted protection from old enemies." Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest. "I haven't been keeping up with the Brotherhood, so I'm not sure."

Red X shrugged. "So, Robin, do I get my belt back?"

"No. Not until I see Wintergreen myself."

"You're a hard man to please."

"I'm just doing my job."

Starfire was sure that the thief was grinning under his mask.

"The man's hard to find, but I heard another rumor as well. From what I hear he's become a big-time bookie in the racetracks thirty miles outside of Jump."

"A bookie?" Robin echoed, his voice disbelieving. "Why would Wintergreen become a bookie?"

What was a bookie? Starfire pursed her lips as she racked her memory of English terms. She was pretty sure she had heard the term once or twice, but she did not know exactly what it meant. Star made a mental note to ask one of the others later.

Red X shrugged.

"Don't know and don't care. Maybe he just wants to keep a low profile. For the time being."

It seemed as though Red X had nothing more to say. Robin seemed to sense this as well.

"If you have nothing else to say, X, then go point out the Tower's security flaws to Cyborg."

"Now?"

"Yeah, now. I have the money. I'll pay you."

Cyborg and Red X strode up to the computer console to work out the security flaws, although Starfire did not wish to stay in the room with the thief any longer. It infuriated her that Robin trusted this man, but then again she supposed that she shouldn't be surprised at the risks he was willing to take.

"Okay, Tin Man, I see spots everywhere," Red X said, pointing at the schematics on screen. "No wonder your security's always breached. This is like trying to contain Plasmus with a fish net."

Raven had her book out and was now reading. Mediating here was now out of the question. If Red X and Cyborg's bickering continued Starfire was sure that the empathy would leave. Robin joined Red X and Cyborg to discuss the Tower's security. Beast Boy lay sprawled on the couch reading a comic book. Resigned to the fact that the others may need her assistance Starfire settled down on the couch and occupied herself with watching Robin.

"Hello Robin."

Tension filled the air as Slade's face appeared on the giant television screen. At once Robin went into a fighting stance. Cyborg held out an arm to Robin.

"Chill out, it's just a recording."

Even though Starfire knew that this was a recording, she still found herself angry and fearful.

"What's going on?" Robin demanded.

"Something was embedded within the main computer," Red X said. "This video message."

"What? Cyborg, how come you didn't catch this before?"

"It looks exactly like my technology, man, but I don't know…" Cyborg trailed off, looking at the screen. "I don't know…"

Everyone fell into silence as they listened to what Slade had to say.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would find this," Slade said, his tone smirking. "Terra was kind enough to plant this recording into the cyborg's security system before she left. I do hope the other Titans are watching this."

Robin stood rigid. Starfire knew that he had issues with Slade. Who didn't? Their rivalry was something Starfire knew she wouldn't quite understand. It was something he never talked about with her or the others. In a way he was like Raven, keeping his emotions to himself, but the difference was that her powers were based on emotions. Keeping her emotions in check was necessary, but not for Robin.

"While Terra is a fine apprentice, I must say that I miss you terribly. There is nothing more I would love to do than to chat with you about those good old days. As you very well know, Terra will strike again. You are very welcome to seek me out on your own. Even after your…rebelliousness I am still willing to welcome you back. You and Terra would make a fine team.

"But I am not trying to persuade you to join me again. I know you won't. I suppose I'm just being nostalgic. I merely wanted to say hello and to keep you on your feet. Here's a little reminder of our…pleasant time together as master and apprentice."

Slade's face disappeared and the screen went dark. However, it was obvious that there was still video playing. Metal gears cranked and creaked in the background. From what Starfire could tell, it looked like footage from a security camera. A faint light flickered on, revealing a dark-clad figure lying immobile and curled on the floor. As the camera zoomed in a little she could see that it was Robin, dressed in that hated apprentice uniform. His arms were flung over his head and his knees drawn up to his chin.

It was, undoubtedly, the posture of one who has been utterly and totally defeated.

"Turn it off!" Robin spat, moving towards the keyboard. "Now!"

Starfire could only watch in fascinating horror as Robin tried frantically to take the video down, but to no avail. Did she want to watch this? No, she did not. But something caused her feet to remain glued to the floor and her eyes fixed to the screen.

"I can't," Cyborg said, "it's messing with the whole system. It's taken over everything."

In the video Slade appeared from the shadows. His very gestures and presence were that of a predator stalking its prey. Robin's figure twitched into a tighter ball as Slade approached him. Slade bent down and pried Robin's arms away from his face. As Robin thrashed violently in Slade's grip his pale face hit the light. Blood flowed clearly from a cut in his forehead.

"Guys," Robin said, his breathing becoming shallow. "I…I don't want…"

His words were lost as he realized that nothing would stop them from watching. Tears prickled at the edges of her brilliant green eyes as she watched the horrifying events unfold.

"Slade…" Robin said, his voice sounding incredibly weak. "Please…don't…"

Slade kneed him in the chest and shoved him back to the floor. The boy wonder rolled to his side and whimpered.

"It's amusing, you know," Slade said, beginning to circle Robin's fallen figure. "How far you will go to protect your friends."

As Robin struggled to his feet Slade slammed a boot down on his back.

"The first thing you must learn, my apprentice, is self-preservation. It's basic."

Was Robin even listening? The expression on his face betrayed the fact that he was barely conscious.

"The Titans are holding you back. If I were in your situation I would allow them to die to stop the pain." Slade knelt down next to him and spoke in a lowered voice, just barely audible. "And I know that you want the pain to stop."

At first Robin didn't reply. He turned his head to look at Slade's face. A moment of silence crept between them, and it seemed as though each know how the other would respond. Robin would refuse and Slade would continue to beat him.

"Just…just…don't hurt them. Please…Slade…"

After considering his apprentice for a brief moment Slade continued to pound him into the floor.

What cut through Starfire's heart the most was the fact that Robin pleaded. On her home planet the closest word equivalent to the English word "nice" was "weak." But when is one considered weak? When he pleads for his life? When he pleads for his torturer to stop? Or when he pleads to be killed to end his suffering?

Starfire finally tore her gaze away from television screen to look at Robin. He stood completely still, except for his slight flinches every time his own voice screamed. The others stood with shocked and horrified expressions on their faces.

Even Red X had fallen silent. She was glad that the thief did not say anything degrading or mocking to Robin. The seriousness of the situation seemed to have hit him hard. Even though Starfire did not know the Red X very well, she understood that he thought everything was a game. But when it came to Slade the situation ceased to become a silly game of cops and robbers.

It became a matter of life and death.

The footage of Robin's beating ended abruptly. Slade's face came back on screen.

"Do I expect Terra to beat you in single combat? Perhaps. Perhaps not. And if your friends are watching this, then I would like to let them know that I know you better than they do," Slade leaned in closer to the camera, "and I am certain you would agree also, circus brat."

The video fizzled out of existence.

A/N: Phew! Longest chapter so far.

I just realized that I focused a lot on Robin in this chapter. Again. And look, I managed to have another flashback WITHOUT making it a flashback. I just really like the torture the poor kid. Beast Boy's POV is just so hard for me! Argh! Anyway, a shoutout to KaliAnn is in order: she suggested more time with the girls, so that little scene with Starfire and Raven is the result!

Also, what do you guys think of the last scene with the video? That was added-on last minute. I was just thinking about how Slade could be involved in this story EVEN THOUGH HE'S DEAD. Don't you think it would be like Slade to leave little "surprises" for Robin? He just loves to drive him crazy, after all.

As for Wintergreen joining the Brotherhood of Evil, seriously, did you guys notice that HE IS in the Brotherhood of Evil in "Titans Together"? He appears for like two seconds in the big battle.

Sorry this took a little longer than usual to post. I actually had to work (gasp! Work? What's that?) and I said that the chapters would be longer.

Please review. Reviews make me happy.