A/N: Hey! I'm still here!
Alright so here's the next chapter. Lol I'm watching TV with my sister and it's distracting me from writing this... I just spelt like three words wrong in that sentence...
Alright. Recap: YJ Robin is back at Mount Justice. He brought his double with him. TT Robin finally tells Batman about Slade. The remaining Teen Titans join up with the team. The Batmen and Robins go off to fight Slade and Deathstroke. And Slade FINALLY Makes an apperance to Robin. YAY!
Alright now onto the story, this is one of my favorite chapters so far. Have fun!
Chapter 11: Just a child
-A dark alleyway in Gotham-
-Robin (Teen Titans)-
He knows that voice. Oh, how he knows it. He'd give anything for a change in destiny. To be wrong. For Bruce to come swinging by— not that Robin would be particularly happy about it. Dick looks from Robin to Deathstroke, then turns around towards Slade.
"Slade," Robin growls, gripping his bo-staff tight.
"Robin. Did you miss me? It's been a long time," Slade says, cocking his head to the side as if he's studying the boy. "When was the last time we saw each other, hmm? Oh, that's right. When we went to Hell and back together."
Robin looks at Dick out the corner of his eye; the younger boy looks thoroughly confused. Well, he isn't about to explain that whole mess to the kid right now. "I also remember you saying that the next time we met, it would be a fight." Robin adds, spitting out the words. He nods slightly to Dick and they stand back to back, Robin ready to take on Slade and Dick, Deathstroke.
"Well, what do you know? Here we are in an alleyway, about to have a fight," Slade says, nodding towards Deathstroke. Slade pulls out his staff and Deathstroke a katana.
"On the count of three," Dick mumbles. Robin nods.
"One..." Dick pulls out a fist full of explosion disks.
"Two…" Slade takes a step forwards, causing Robin to stiffen.
"Three!" Both boys jump apart, engaging their respective Slade in battle. The booms of Dick's explosives are drowned out by Robin's angry heartbeat.
"I thought you were gone for good!" he yells, aiming a strike at his opponent with his bo-staff.
"Well, you know me. I just can't bear to be away from you for too long," Slade says, his words chilling Robin to the core.
"You owe me. Pay me back by leaving me alone," Robin hisses, remembering how he helped the criminal in getting back his mortality.
"No, I don't. I precisely remember that when we parted ways, we each helped the other to get what he wanted. I got back my mortality, and you got back your friend." Slade aims a kick at Robin, and while he dodges the blow, he aims for Robin's head with his staff, Robin only just barely catching it with his bo-staff almost before it's too late. "I also recall that you owed me, as I helped you defeat Trigon." Slade adds, causing the Boy Wonder's anger to flare up.
"What do you want, Slade?" he roars. The man simply laughs, an amused look in his eye.
"Oh, you know what I want, child. You know it. You don't want it to be true, but I see it, Robin. You want to feel that thrill again. You can't stay away from me," Slade mocks, stoking Robin's rage.
"Duck!" a voice shouts, the word so completely out of place that at first, Robin thinks of the feathered animal instead of the true meaning. It takes Robin almost too long to respond, diving down as an explosive goes flying at Slade.
"Good job, kid," Robin says as he watches Slade stumble momentarily. Dick pulls him back.
"I know you have some unfinished business with that guy, but I think we might need to swap dance partners. Mine keeps stepping on my toes," Dick says, laughing as he twirls Robin around to face Deathstroke instead of Slade.
"Ha, ha," the teen says flatly before advancing towards his new opponent.
-The other side of Gotham-
-Batman (Young Justice Dimension)-
"Favorite coffee type," Bruce asks. Batman grunts, not enjoying this game, but grudgingly playing it anyway. It beats worrying about the two boy wonders.
"Double shot espresso," Batman says shortly, keeping the binoculars he holds pressed to his eyes. Bruce nods. "Cats or dogs?" He asks before handing the binoculars to him.
Bruce thinks for a moment. "Cats," he says and almost instantly regrets it as he sees a twitch at the side of Batman's mouth. "Don't you dare," he says.
"Selina?" Batman asks with a raised brow before jumping into a nearby alley to beat up two muggers.
Bruce groans. So what? Selina was nice!
"Dogs," Batman says when he comes back. "Cats tend to scratch my face; not really my thing," he grumbles, checking his locator for trouble— well, at least pretending to as Bruce peers over and sees two dots where the two Robins were supposed to be.
"They're alright," Bruce says. Batman sighs.
"I know; it's just that, though. He doesn't need me anymore," he says grumpily.
"How old is he?" Bruce asks.
"Sixteen," Batman replies, without pause.
"He's still a kid. He needs his father," Bruce says. A dark look clouds over Batman's cowl.
"I'm not his father. He made that perfectly clear." Batman grumbles. "I never adopted him," he adds almost sulkily.
"Yes, you are. It's not too late to adopt him now," Bruce says, "Just give him the chance. Ask him if that's what he wants. The kid needs some sort of affection. I was talking to him before. He needs a parent." The two Dark Knights stare off into the night, silence falling over the two. The still night wouldn't last long. Both of them knew that, but it didn't stop Batman from wishing it would. Bruce could see it in his face. He wanted to go back and talk things over with his kid.
Explosions ring out in the distance. Both men stand up. Bruce checks his locator. "It came from where the Robins are," he says, sharing a worried look with his double.
"Slade found them."
-Gotham alleyway with two madmen and an inter-dimensional double-
-Robin (The Team)-
"So, you're the guy Robin has told me so little about," Dick says, pulling out a couple more explosives.
"I believe so," Slade says, dodging each explosive with ease.
"What's all this talk about you owing Robin?" Dick asks as a staff aims at his chest.
"Robin hasn't told you?" he asks in a mocking yet almost sincere tone. Dick sends the man a sharp glare. "Well, I guess if he's keeping such important details from you, it's for a good reason," Slade says, his grey-blue eye taking on an amused tone.
"Oh man! Not you too!" Dick groans dodging another blow. Unlike the older Robin, Dick didn't favour his bo-staff, preferring hand-to-hand combat, mainly, it just seemed so strange. Since when do you see someone fighting with a metal pole? "Well, can you at least tell me what you want?" Dick asks, hoping to get sort of information out of the deranged maniac before having to drag him off to Arkham.
"Patience, boy. It seems you have the same problem as Robin. Always so curious. Always asking questions. Really, I'm quite shocked Robin hasn't told you. He already knows what I want. He's known from the very beginning. A little mistake told him." Dick almost loses his temper, but he calms down as confusion takes its toll on him. In his brief pause trying to collect his thoughts, Slade kicks him in the side, and Dick goes flying into the wall.
"Kid!" Robin shouts to him but is unable to help; Deathstroke is keeping him busy. Robin's opponent aims a slice with his sword, making him duck, bringing his bo-staff up to block.
Dick gets up, throwing another few explosives over at Slade. Where is Batman when you need him?
-Titans Tower-
-Cyborg (Teen Titans)-
"I thought I recognized you." Superboy says to Herald. Herald raises an eyebrow. "You're Malcolm Duncan." He explains.
"There's a me in your world, too?" Herald asks.
"Sure is. He goes to our high school; he doesn't really get along with Conner…" Miss Martian says, and Herald gives a short, almost scared laugh.
"Don't worry, you don't even look that much alike," Superboy grumbles holding a hand up to his height to show that Mal was in fact, a lot taller than Herald.
"Alright, y'all! We need to think up an action plan," Cyborg calls everyone over to the couch.
The couch, only used to holding five (seven at a squeeze), didn't, as one might guess, have room for fifteen teenage superheroes to all sit. So Beast Boy, Rocket, Miss Martian, Superboy, Starfire, and Herald sit themselves on it; Jericho seats himself on the floor in front of Herald, clutching his guitar tight; Zatanna and Raven stand to the left of the couch; the two speedsters sit on the floor beside each other near Jericho; Artemis and Jinx stand to the right of the couch; and Cyborg and Kaldur stand out to the front facing the rest of the group.
If either of the Robins were here, they'd probably make some sort of terrible joke about how strange it looked. But they aren't here, and that was the main problem at the moment. Not that they need a bigger couch, or that the floor could possibly cave in under their weight ("How many times do I have to tell you, Beastie? This floor could support a whole circus, so unless you wanna go and jump up and down as an elephant, you're gonna be fine!" – an angry Cyborg) or if they should take a photo or not (Which one of the two speedsters did anyway, much to Artemis and Superboy's annoyance), the biggest issue is that without their two boy wonders, they don't know how to cope. They need the two birds back first.
"Alright, we need a plan to get both Robins out of harm's way and Slade's influence. We need to know everything we have on Slade and Deathstroke," Cyborg says, looking at each hero in turn, his gaze stopping on Jericho for a moment, taking in the boy's scared expression.
"I have an idea. Let's do three teams. One team reserved for Slade, one for Deathstroke, and one for home base," Raven says, walking over to one of the computers and using a stylus drawing up three columns. "Kid Flashes… one of you on each Slade team." Raven gets one "Deathstroke," from the Teen Titans Kid Flash and one "Aw, man! I wanted him! Alright, fine. I'll do Slade." From the other Kid Flash. Cyborg, Kaldur and Raven take turns choosing people based on their abilities to go in whatever group.
Group one: Slade. Included Kid Flash, Jericho, Cyborg, Superboy and Zatanna. Group two: Deathstroke. Consisted of the other Kid Flash, Herald, Kaldur, Miss Martian and Artemis. The others had the last group, being their backup plan and staying back at the tower while the others got back the two Robins. The plan was simple: Rescue the Robins, kick Slade and Deathstroke's butts and then send them to Arkham and restore the two dimensions back to normal. Simple, except…
"Yo, Cy! I don't mean to burst your bubble or anything, but how exactly are we gonna find them? They're in a completely different location, and we have no way of getting to them," Beast Boy says, flopping onto the couch after an argument with Raven on why he is on backup with her. Raven won.
Raven, Cyborg and Aqualad share a look. They haven't thought about that.
-Gotham, in an alley-
-Robin (Teen Titans)-
"So you're the cheap knock-off of Slade, huh?" Robin asks, nimbly jumping over Deathstroke's sword.
"I'm about as much of a cheap knock off as you are," Deathstroke says, a dangerous light entering his eye. Robin tries not to show any fear as he aims a whack with his bo-staff and the sword and staff meet together with a grating clang. Deathstroke and Slade were almost as different as Robin and the kid, but it doesn't matter; he is just as much Slade as Slade is Deathstroke.
"I don't know if that's an insult of not," Robin says. His actions are becoming almost repetitive: Punch, dodge, kick, block, swing, jump. Over and over, just trying to get away from the man at this point.
"I never implied it was," Deathstroke says, throwing a pellet onto the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Slade do the same. Something's up.
"Why do you even want the kid? He's just that: a kid." Robin says, avoiding another swing from Deathstroke's sword.
"You are a child as well, are you not?" Deathstroke asks, his eye studying him carefully. "Just a child playing dress up, acting like the adult. You aren't an adult, yet you call Robin, someone only a few years younger than you, a kid." Robin's temper flares again.
"I'm not a kid," he hisses, bringing his staff down as hard as he can.
"So… you're an adult, then?" Deathstroke asks, tilting his head to the side.
"No," snaps Robin, kicking at the man.
"What are you, then?" Deathstroke asks.
"I dunno. You tell me if you know so much," Robin bites. Of course he knew who he was! He's Robin, a Teen Titan, a hero.
"What I see is a boy trying to live in a world full of danger and terrors trying to fit in, trying to hide. He wears a mask to hide his fears, and a cape to make him feel stronger, but you— you are only a child, a boy with so much potential. A boy who will die in the outside world. A boy who always comes crying to Daddy. So much potential. Do you really think a child like yourself will survive here much longer? We're giving you a chance to fulfil all that potential, yet you're as stubborn as a child because that's all you are," Deathstroke says, his words almost sounding like a smirk.
"That's not true!" Robin shouts, his temper finally breaking free. His vision blurs. All he can see is red. His actions are becoming muddled, but he doesn't care. This man, these men, he hates them. He is going to make them pay.
"Yes, it is," Deathstroke says calmly. A small explosion makes Robin jump, a second one ringing out not long after. The pellets!
A greenish smoke wafts through the alleyway: knock out gas. Robin fumbles with his utility belt, trying to find his air filter but to no avail. As the smoke nears him he holds his hands to his mouth and nose, trying not to inhale. A punch to his stomach makes him double over in pain. Using his left hand to cover his mouth and nose, he uses his right to attack and block.
"Stop trying to fight. You've lost. There's no point in continuing to tire yourself out," Deathstroke says, knocking Robin's bo-staff away and out of his reach, continuing to attack the helpless boy.
Eventually Robin takes the hand away from his mouth to block yet another attack when Deathstroke uses the handle of the sword to jab at Robin, winding him. Robin gasps for breath, realizing a moment too late that the action was exactly what Deathstroke wanted him to do. Robin groans as the knock out gas enters his systems, his vision blurring.
"Face it, boy. No one's coming for you." Deathstroke kicks him hard, keeping Robin on the ground.
-In an alleyway: Too late-
-Batman (Teen Titans dimension)-
"They were here," Batman says, searching around. There are traces of the two boys everywhere: a broken birdarang here and there, cracked explosive disks, etc. Bruce spies something gleaming in the moonlight, he goes over to investigate: it's Dick's bo-staff.
"Oh, Dick," he murmurs quietly. The boy may have been gone before Bruce appeared back in his life but having him ripped cruelly away from him again just doesn't sit right with him. It never did.
What happened to that smiling eight year old? The one who was always there when he got home, always eager to please him, always causing trouble, showing off to impress him, swinging from the chandeliers and cackling, scaring the life out of him, giving Alfred heart attacks when he slid down the balustrades on his skateboard or sometimes his bike? What happened to the child who would slip into his bed, the nightmares plaguing his mind, so he could be comforted? Or the boy who he last saw with grief, pain and heartache written across his face? What happened to his boy?
A/N: Well, did ya like it? Btw I am starting to hate total drama island... one season ends, the next starts... and I am forced to watch every. Single. Episode. Back. To. Back! Lol. Alright what did you all think? I already have the next few chapters drafted out. Now onto reviews.
PandakaiLove
Thanks! I'm glad I'm not leaving this story too. I thought they might be a little over the top. I actually had a whole part were Bruce and TT Robin were shouting... I changed the ending so there was a less angry ending. I think everyone's opinion counts so thanks for telling me!
Red Blaze 16
Yep, Deathstroke is Young Justice, Slade is Teen Titans. The Batman that corresponds with the main Robin in each part is called Bruce and the other Batman. Same with when one of the Batmans are the main character, the main one goes as Bruce and their Robin as Dick. All your questions will be answered. ;P
Fangy
Indeed. Yeah sometimes it takes me AGES to write a chapter only to realize it's short. I will thanks.
The next chapter is gonna be fun. I'm excited and I hope you all are too. Don't forget to Follow and Favourite so you stay up to date with the new chapters! TTFN!
Top Hat Elephant out!
Byyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeee!