Robin grunted as the mechanized robots pushed him forward. Between the attack at the tower and having to watch Billy Numerous tickle-torture Starfire right under his nose, it was safe to say that the Boy Wonder was not in the best of spirits. Looking back at the other Titans, it was also safe to say that they weren't too happy about their predicament either.
The Titans continued to move forward towards the old abandoned warehouse. It was not of their own accord, however. Blood's Cyborg duplicates had them locked in their mental beams – the same ones that they had been locked in when they witnessed Blood try and destroy Cyborg. That had been one hell of a defeat for the crazed cult leader. Too bad he was in control of this situation. As for Cyborg, he was being rolled on a dolly at the back of the line. Blood had uploaded a virus into his mainframe that overrode the Titan's ability to control his own body, leaving him nothing more that a department store mannequin. To Blood's dismay, however, this was one mannequin with a mouth.
"Blood, what the hell are you doing?" the mechanical man yelled out as the Titans were herded into the building. "Where's BB?"
"Cyborg, just shut up!" the older man said, sighing heavily. He had wanted to kill all of them for quite some time, especially when he received the call from Logan on Adonis's phone. However, his client had wanted them to live. Soon, everything would become clear. Until then, he would have to bite his tongue.
Robin's eyes took in his surroundings as the team moved towards the freight elevator. Since they had been captured, the Titans had been locked in an armored car with about four of these robots – just enough to keep them under control. Nearly an hour sitting in an oven had not been too fun. Sweat stains were obvious on each of the heroes' uniforms. None of them smelled too good, either. The last fifteen minutes, however, had been a blur of motion. A call came through to Blood – one he apparently had been waiting for. The car had taken off at high speed, bringing them to this abandoned building not too far off the wharf. Something was going down here, and chances were it wasn't going to be pretty for the heroes.
The elevator had reached the upper floor. This one looked just like the one that had been on before…with one exception. A handful of the H.I.V.E. students were standing around, almost as if to welcome their guests of honor. Something else was wrong, too. Robin grimaced as he saw a figure tied down to an old office chair. This was not good. Not good at all…
Donna Troy, the Titan better known as Wonder Girl, slowly shook her head as her eyes came back into focus. The last thing she could remember was returning to her apartment to get cleaned up. She had nearly gagged as she stripped off her outfit, which had been covered in Adonis's blood and brain matter courtesy of her trigger-happy cousin. She always had hated what the Doom Patrol had done to him. Anyway, she had just stepped out of the shower when she heard a noise in the living room. Quickly, she pulled on a pair of panties and a camisole and grabbed her robe. She had stepped out into the hallway to see what had happened, and that was it. Now, she found herself tied down to a chair, her bare feet cringing as they touched the cold floor.
Looking up, she gasped in shock as she watched the Teen Titans be paraded right in front of her. As if on cue, the four heroes dropped down onto their knees. Despite the calm and collective motions, she could see their muscles bugling from strain. Whatever they were doing, they weren't in control. It was then that she saw him emerge from the shadows of the elevator.
"Brother Blood…" she whispered.
"Ah, so it is true," the cult leader said with a smile as he beheld the young girl in her predicament. "Looks like you are useful after all."
"Thank you, sir." The voice made Donna nauseated. It also made her feel foolish.
"Can't believe you got the drop on me," she said, directing her comments to the man standing right behind her.
"Oh, don't beat yourself up over this," Control Freak said, leaning his head over her shoulder. "We all have bad days. Just ask your cousin."
"Speaking of your cousin," Blood interjected, frowning, "I think it's time you…update him on the situation."
With a fell swoop, the razor-sharp talons of Blood's right hand came in, stopping mere inches from the girl's throat. Donna let out a scream that reverberated around the room.
"Blood, stop this!" Robin said, trying desperately to break the hold the mind control had on him. "Leave her out of it!"
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Grayson, but I have everything right where I want it," The H.I.V.E. leader said. Then he frowned. "Well, not everything. That's what little Miss Wonder Girl is going to help me with."
With the talons posed to strike, Blood held up a cell phone inches from Donna's tear-streaked face. "Call him," he hissed.
With fear gripping her heart, the young girl closed her eyes. There was only one thing to do.
"Gar," she whimpered to herself. "Please forgive me…"