"So leave, Robin," Slade continued, kicking Robin on the stomach and sending him flying through the air to land painfully on his back. "Go back to your worthless friends, knowing that it was you who injured them. Pretend as if nothing happened, but know, in the back of your mind, that the next time you become angry and lose control of your emotions, it might your friends' last day alive."

"Then I won't!" Robin yelled with a groan, pressing a hand to his stomach. "I won't lose control of my emotions!"

"Really, Robin?" Slade said calmly. "You're already shouting. You nearly killed your friends and me just by losing control. Do you think it's something you can manage on your own? Do you think your anger, so second nature to you, Robin, can be controlled that easily?"

"No," Robin groaned. "I-I can do it, Slade."

"You can't," Slade hissed. "On the contrary, Robin, it would be like telling the sun not to rise in the morning."

Robin looked up at Slade in defeat. "I can't hurt them again," he whispered. "What am I supposed to do?" Robin looked back down to the floor, still on his hands and knees and recovering from Slade's blows to his body. He hit the ground in frustration. Suddenly, Robin felt it dawn on him. He couldn't leave. He couldn't return to the Titans unless he wanted to risk killing them again. There was only one thing he could do.

Pressing his head to the floor, Robin heard something fall to the floor in front of him. He looked up, hoping that it wouldn't be what he feared it was. No. Not this.

"Welcome home, Apprentice."

S

"What was that dude's problem?" Beastboy asked. "Why did he go berserk and attack us like that?"

"I fear that Slade may have gotten to Robin," Starfire said sadly as Raven continued to heal the injury to her head.

"Either that, or it's that injection that Slade gave him," Cyborg said, reattaching his mechanical arm. He slammed both fists into the wall in frustration. "I should've known. I should've sensed that something was off and I should've run a diagnosis before it was too late."

"Don't blame yourself, Cyborg. I didn't sense anything wrong either," Raven said. "Just a large amount of anger. But when Robin lost control like that . . . " her voice trailed off.

"What did you sense, Raven?" Cyborg asked.

"Freaky mind control," Beastboy muttered, receiving a furious look from Raven.

"It felt like Slade," Raven finished.

Cyborg's eyes widened. "What do you think Slade did to him?"

"Whatever Slade injected him with, it's not good," Raven said. "But first things first: we need to find Robin and figure out what's wrong with him."

"The dude's probably working for Slade as we speak," Beastboy muttered.

"That is only because he is trying to protect us!" Starfire said.

"But how are we going to find him?" Raven asked. "Slade's last hideout got destroyed, and Robin's tracker is turned off. If Robin really is with Slade, he could be anywhere."

"Let's go to the old hideout and look around," Cyborg suggested. "At least then we might be able to find some clues."

"Hopefully we won't get attacked again," Beastboy said.

"We'll just keep our guard up," Raven said.

"Come friends; let us find Robin!" Starfire shouted, leading the charge out of the Tower.