Disclaimer: I don't own the Titans or JLA characters, and yes that quote is from Star Wars, with the little green troll called Yoda saying that and no I do not own him either.
A/N: Ok, I know that Robin is 'dead' and Seir is running around now, but as you'll see I'll keep writing Robin just for sake of it easier to stay constant. Hope that clears it up. And yes, poor poor Batman. I'm like a huge Batman fan here, and if I could I would bash Superman even more but since the big S man is not in this story a lot, I decided to make Bats suffer. sends a big heart box of goodies and apology letters over to the Batcave. Forgive me! I have a twisted mind that likes to see her favorite characters suffer, heads up, but I love them all the same.
And wow, all your reviews were great. I was surprised at how many of you wanted Robin to come back. You almost, ALMOST made me try to think of a way to redeem him, with all this guilt going around. But, no, I must put my foot down. Sorry! ducks behind the sofa, holding a white flag
But at least be happy that I updated so soon! I'm trying to finish this story before I start my internship because I don't know when I'll be able to post anything and I don't want to leave you guys hanging. I'm evil but not THAT evil.
Ch. 28 Begun, it hasHeavy breathing bounced off the walls, pouring out from shaking lips. A black cowl forehead rested against the icy metal wall. On top of the stairs, on the doorframe to leave the basement, Batman allowed himself a minute to break. A fist slammed slightly above his head, fingers slowly spreading out and clawing at the smooth surface. His whole body was shaking and for once he was glad that the darkness hid his feeble state. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried not to remember Dick's fingers rubbing gently against his wrist, washing away his rage. Even now, his wrist could feel the phantom touches through the kelvar. He should be happy that the boy still remembered, still had some compassion.
Then why, oh why did it feel so wrong?
He felt his knees give out and collapsed on the floor. Hugging the corner, Batman tried to figure out what the hell was happening to him. He should be stronger than this!
Zenari's voice followed, "You see, little bird boy has got it in his head that since he is now an apprentice to Deathstroke, that he is all high and mighty." The conman had called Robin a villain, said his new name was Seir. He thought that maybe it was a bluff, a way for Slade to regain control over Robin. But, what if Robin willingly let his name be changed, willingly became a new person…a new villain. He choked back a groan and could feel his stomach tightening.
"It's because you know the truth."
Bruce's voice sounded just as broken, if not worse. Ever since he found about Robin's disappearance and discovered him once more in the presence of Deathstroke, he had fought against the fatherly fear and worry, knowing it would do nothing in getting Robin back. He had to rescue his son, had to get him back. And bring back Robin he did, but was it too late? He had to know, for his own sanity and thus began the persecution. All Robin had to do was show an ounce of loyalty to the Titans and reprimand Deathstroke, and Batman would have cleared him of any charges. But he did neither and his worst nightmare was coming true. All the emotional stress had broken out of his box and now ravaged his body.
One arm hugged around his upper chest, trying to soothe the aching heart that seemed to be bleeding. How could he have been so foolish! When he saw Robin there, so young and fragile looking at the journal in front of him, he thought that they finally made a breakthrough, that his Robin was somewhere still in that lost child. But then Raven…
How could he attack his friend like that? How could Robin bluntly use his own emotions against him? His wrist twitched feeling once more Robin's fingers. The wave of grief eased into a still lake as he remembered a time when he did the same thing—
His eyes snapped opened as he heard Deathstroke's voice purr in his head. "You've got to be better, got to be stronger, have to become your enemy…mind, body and soul." Another part sprung to life, "Just trying to keep a dangerous criminal off the streets." "Does that include your little bird as well?"
Deathstroke doesn't give up easily, he wouldn't just hand them Robin. His breathing increased as he peered over his shoulder down into the basement, towards the small hallway where Robin was sitting on the floor. Their conversations bounced in his head, everything Robin did pointed to a flaw the superhero community had. He had coaxed them to revealing the flaws and attacked with savage vengeance. It was something he would do when questioning villains on leads, something he knew from experience that Deathstroke loved to do. It was a way to catch your opponent, pin them in a corner with no way out.
"Become your enemy…mind, body and soul"
Batman had thought that back then that Deathstroke was referring to himself, telling Robin that to beat him he had to become just like the assassin. But now, a darker truth was being unveiled behind the white lens. He was the enemy. That Robin…he stared down at his wrist, Robin had become just like Batman to get to him and it had worked.
The older man would have done the same thing if he were in Robin's situation, if the enemy captured him. He would point out flaws, make them question their position followed by pitting them against each other and then slip out of the mayhem. Robin had already done most of it. Starfire and Cyborg were on his side, Robin brought up the issues of the role of the superhero and lastly he had created a distraction with Raven.
But one thing didn't fit. It was the journal. Why where there two contradictory stories? How did that play to Robin's advantage? How—"Don't speak the truth, it's unbecoming of you" spoke Robin's voice with icy clarity.
"…No…" The soft voice floated into the air, as the pieces all fell into the puzzle. Raven's bloody body flashed in his mind, Batgirl's battered form, and the envelope that was being transported with their identities. Somehow it was all connected, but it went beyond Robin. This was more up Deathstroke or Lex's level; Robin was only here to get something.
"Truth." This whole thing was about truth, all about perspective. But what was the purpose? Was this some sick method of Deathstroke to make Robin see things his way, to make the boy see the superhero community as flawed. Robin did say he had become critical of everything? If so then why did he seem to follow Deathstroke blindly, protect the man from all the accusations?
"Because he is your master. That is the truth isn't it?" Something settled over his heart, the stone blanket of grief stopping the ache in his heart. Turning, he rose to his feet and placed a hand on the wall to balance himself. "You outright said that you showed Raven your memories, meaning that you attacked her. And knowing you, you did it for a reason, Robin. You're causing a distraction, meaning you're going to make your move soon or Deathstroke will get you out of the Tower. But I won't let you. I won't let you destroy yourself or your friends." Straightening his back, Batman took a step away from the wall, regaining his composure, "Hopefully my secret has made you rethink your actions…and has bought me some time to stop you from doing something you'll regret forever."
Stepping through the threshold, Batman picked up his speed and bolted up to the medical center. He would have to act quickly now if he wanted to make sure his actions with Raven were not for nothing. There was still a slim chance to save Robin and he would take it without protest.
-Medical room-
Starfire heard Cyborg yelling at Beastboy. Floating into the medical room, her green eyes widened with the sight of Raven lying on the bed. Cyborg had taken off the Goth's cloak, revealing her single piece violet leotard underneath. Her pale arms and legs had multitude of cuts. In some places it looked like huge bruises were blossoming to life.
"Friend Cyborg?"
Cyborg glanced up and took in Star's worried look. "Not right now, Star."
Beastboy dashed past her, arms full of medical supplies, "Dude, what do we need this all for?"
The robot grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting her leotard, "From the scanners there is major internal bleeding going on. With as much blood she lost from all these cuts, I'm more worried about the internal bleeding. Some of them are close to organs and she looks like she even cracked some ribs and her lower spine seems cracked as well. I don't know this might be waaaaay out of our league."
Starfire watched as Cyborg tenderly touched the massive purple blotches on her stomach. "What happened?"
Beastboy's grip on supplies tightened that one of the bags of cotton balls popped open sending white snowballs raining down. "Robin did this."
"What?"
Dark green eyes snapped at her, narrowing into slits of predatory anger. "Didn't you hear me the last time, Star! Robin did this to her, she was keeping a surveillance on his mind and he didn't want her finding the truth so he hurt her!"
"If Robin did this then how the hell did she end up like this?" Cyborg snapped, his shaking hands spreading out gesturing to Raven's form. His distress was getting to him, "How the hell did she get these wounds? Robin was preoccupied with the journal and us. He couldn't fight the two of us separately without some strain!"
"What so you on his side too?" accused Beastboy. Throwing the supplies on the ground, the changeling pointed at Raven, "He did this to her, there's no OTHER EXPLANATION!"
"FRIENDS PLEASE STOP!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
The three Titans gasped and stared at Green Arrow, Canary and Mikhail standing at the door. Arrow shook his head, "Answer me! Why the hell are you fighting?" And then he saw Raven's battered form. "Oh my god. Canary!"
The blond woman rushed to Raven's side and took a quick survey of Raven's body, "Did you do any scanners?"
Remembering the situation at hand, Cyborg nodded, "Internal bleeding near organs, numerous cuts, loss of blood…"
"What was she doing before hand?"
"Mind probing on Robin."
Canary flashed her eyes, "Did you do a brain scan?"
The same thing clicked in Cyborg's mind. He quickly ran over to the consol and typed in a code. A scanner lowered down; cover Raven's head with a red glow. "Says here…she not's brain dead." A sigh of relief came from his lips.
Canary frowned, "Check her physic pattern."
Cyborg typed in a command and his relieved expression vanished. Beastboy sensed the change, "What?"
"Says that her soul self isn't present."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning Raven's soul is floating somewhere."
Canary shot Arrow a look. Arrow hit his ear mic, "Tower this is Arrow, come in." Pause, "Get Martian down here now! I don't care if he's meditating right now, get his green butt over to the transporter and beam him right here. Yes I know it's Titan's Tower, but it's an EMERGENCY so get Martian down here prompt!" With that he cut communication and turned to Mikhail, "Look, um, just go chill in the lounge."
Mikhail nodded and disappeared. Arrow grabbed Starfire, "Where is Batman?"
"I do not know."
"He went to see Robin," sneered Beastboy, "Because Robin did this."
Cyborg stomped over to Raven once again, "He. Did. Not!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
Canary shot her green eyes up at Arrow and he saw the worry in there. The Titans were falling apart and that was not a good sign. What had happened while they were gone?
"Starfire, try and calm down the guys, I'm gonna go get Batman." With that Arrow turned and was halfway out the door when the Dark Knight in question appeared before him. "Batman! What the hell-"
The green-clad man immediately stopped and felt his insides shakes with fear. He could feel the cold determination in Batman like hell had frozen over. This was not good. Batman stared down at his companion, "Good, you're here. We need to act fast if we want to beat Deathstroke."
"Deathstroke?"
"Yes, he is coming for Robin and we need to be prepared. How is Raven?"
Canary brushed purple hair out of Raven's face while Cyborg shook his head, "Not good."
The female continued, "We called for-"
A bright flash of light lit the room and a tall green, bald Martian stood in the room. But he was not alone. Another man with a red bellowing cape and a black curl of hair draped perfectly on his forehead appeared. Fisted hands were posed on his hip, making the massive S stand out against the blue background.
Superman eyed each Titan and Justice League member, "May I ask why the transporter has been used so many times today, all ending here at Titans Tower?"
Green Arrow rolled his eyes. Black smiled weakly. Batman curled his fingers into fits. Beastboy gulped and stared starry-eyed at his idol. "Dude…Superman…!"
Martian Manhunter, his blue high collar cloak with a large red X on his chest whistling on the ground, walked over to Raven's conscience form. "What happened?"
Cyborg fought to keep his nervousness down, "She was attacked mentally. We need to stabilize her internal bleeding."
Martian nodded, "I will-"
"You can't do it now," added the half-robotic human.
"Huh?"
Canary turned and faced her companion, "Her soul self has not returned to her body. She is floating somewhere in the Tower…if we separate her body from her soul…"
The Martian nodded, "I understand." He walked up to the headboard of the bed and bowed hand, placing both hands next to Raven's small head. Closing his eyes, Martian fell into deep meditation, searching the Tower for Raven's soul self.
Batman narrowed his focus on Green Arrow, totally ignoring Superman, "I want Black Canary and you to take some of the Titan's mode of transportation and go into Jump City and look for Deathstroke. Start with the docks and move inward."
Arrow nodded and the two jogged out of the room. Batman collected himself before shifting his cold on Superman, choosing his words carefully. "We don't have much time, so here is the short version. Deathstroke is after Robin, who in turned stole, the Disk for Lex. Therefore, I want you to go and pay Luther a visit, asking him questions regarding Deathstroke or Reaper."
Superman cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean Robin stole? What is going on here?"
"Like I said," hissed Batman through clenched teeth, "I don't have time to explain so why don't you make yourself useful and go."
The Titans took five steps back, feeling the tension between Batman and Superman escalate as two of the most famous superheroes stared each other down. Superman was the first to break, "Fine, considering the urgency you seem to be stressing. But after this visit, I want a full update." Flashing a stern expression, Superman flew out the room and sped towards Jump City.
Batman glanced behind him, mumbling, "Boy scout."
Martian's eyes snapped open and yanked himself away, screaming. Raven's violet flashed opened, her back arching up the table, her own screams overpowering Martian's. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Master!!!!!!!!!!" Collapsing, her eyes rolled back into her head, her mouth forming the last word, "Seir."
Beastboy darted forward, grabbing her pale hand, "RAVEN!"
Cyborg ran over to the consol and uploaded the scanner, "It's ok, Beastboy, Raven's soul self has returned to her body."
Starfire sighed with relief, "Thank goodness. Thank you friend…" Glancing up at Manhunter, she stopped taking in his shaking form. "Are you not well?"
Manhunter leaned on the wall for support, taking in deep breaths. Before his eyes, images of Raven tied up on the ground, a small knife, and fists flying flashed before him. But that was not all; he caught images of dead bodies, the dying strewn across a barren landscape. War weary soldiers looked at him for guidance. A single eye dominated his vision, confusion, fear, loneliness, a dark calmness and anger, but it was blue fire anger not that of the red flames. Peering through his fingers, Martian took in the blank look of Batman, but he could sense the questioning gaze of the man.
"Bat…?"
The Dark Knight tensed slightly, "Did you see?"
"Some. From what I can make out this Seir was the person who attacked Raven not just with mental torture but forced his memories on her. Seir has a master, who it is I don't know but he does have one eye." Feeling himself regain composure, he walked back over to Raven. "Seir forced himself into her mind, searching for something. I would be careful when engaging him."
Batman nodded, the final solid proof of what he believed had happened. From the Martian's voice, he knew that the alien had made the connection. Why else would he be concerned about Robin, why the need to find Deathstroke was so urgent. But thankfully, the green man knew Batman long enough not to ask any further or dispel the information.
Martian closed his eyes and touched Raven's damp face. She moaned softly. There was one image that he did not wish to disclose to anyone. It was that of a black hair boy, with a splat of blood dripping down his cheek and piercing blue eyes staring down at him with no emotions. A mask flashed over those eyes and he knew who Seir was. Sorrow for his friend rose in him. The Titans would take it hard, but he knew that they would still open themselves up and ask for help. Not Batman, he would go and retreat into the dark corners of the Batcave, dealing with his suffering alone.
Sighing, the alien tapped his earpiece, "It's safe to transport Raven. I'll transport us up to the medical bay and we'll take care of her. Tower, two to beam to the medical center." And like that the two were gone.
The Titans glanced over Batman. Cyborg let his eyes show his concern, "What now?"
Batman turned, "We make sure Robin doesn't escape."
-Meanwhile, while all this action was happening upstairs-
Mikhail used to be the perfect soldier. No questioning orders, supportive of his higher officers and always loyal to the cause. But since Verdna, he changed his colors. Turning traitor, fighting against his once close friends and now he was in no mood following the superheroes' orders of telling him to stay in the lounge. Like hell was he staying here when the man who sent his commander to jail was just below. And so, Mikhail felt no remorse as he wandered the Tower, finding the stairs to the basement and lastly standing before the iron bars.
It felt like being in a zoo, the caged animal peering up at him through black locks, crouched behind the sink, dark blue eyes bordering on black. Mikhail frowned, speaking in his native tongue, "I would have opted for execution but I guess seeing you behind bars will have to serve for now."
No response.
"Do you really think that prison will hold the General for long. He has connections that you lack," stated Mikhail, adjusting the buttons on his uniform. "You probably wondering why I am here for, but then again not. They need me to conform some things, particularly things concerning a journal on the events of the war…that and to see how you would react in seeing me." Gazing down he took in the small form of his once friend. The man had gained some weight on his skeletal form but otherwise nothing changed, except the dry tear trails down his cheeks and the dead look on his eyes. "Guess they're getting to you, more than that crowd ever did. Just to let you know, Ex-Captain Dimitry, I will bring you down."
Robin sat in the cell absorbing Mikhail's words, closing his eyes and letting the familiar presence of his ex-friend sink into him. For once he did not have to put on a front. His mind was falling into two separate identities: Robin and Seir. He was whole when he entered this mess, but with being so close to the Titans and Batman, he had to force himself to be Robin once more. Slade had told him to act and act he did. But there was a fine line between acting and becoming the character and he had crossed that line. In his mind, Seir was pacing and Robin was off in the corner still trying to figure out why Batman broke his oath, beyond the reason he had given him. This was bad. He wanted to avoid splint personalities at all cost; he didn't want to end up like Bruce. And it didn't help that emotions were still a factor in him, weakening him with guilt and the wound of Batman's confession hindering him. But it still was the early stages and this whole mess with Batman's confession was still fixable.
One might wonder who was this presence that watched Seir and Robin. This presence that made sure balance was maintained, the last part of his rational mind that was able to withstand all the pressures, acting and surprises. The closest description would be to say that it was Robin's true soul stripped of all its' names and titles, the one that Raven encountered in the depths of his mind—that heard Mikhail's voice. Strength flooded his body and his soul grabbed Seir by the collar of his back shirt and dragged Robin from the corner, smashing the two identities together. He had told Slade that he was master of his own self and he would prove it. He was not going to stand here and wait for the man to come save him. He would not be this weak. With no trace of the cracks or mental strain, Seir and Robin, for now the two were once again one, heard Mikhail's footsteps begin to walk away.
Mikhail was finished here and as he started to walk a couple of steps reaching the doorway, he heard a familiar stern voice that had drilled lessons into his head back in the camp. "Mikhail."
Mikhail straightened his back and turned. Robin now had both arms draped through the bars, his head tilted, black eyes staring straight at him. With a flawless accent and mastery of the foreign language, he spoke "You do anything of the sort, Mikhail, I will kill Pavel."
Fear flashed in Mikhail's eyes. Robin narrowed his eyes, "I know where he is, Mikhail. And no I'm not bluffing." He paused, making sure he had the man's attention, "Now, be that good friend you used to be and go to that pin pad over here." Pointing to the pad in question, he waited patiently.
Mikhail chewed on his tongue, debating where his loyalty lied. In the end, he figured that he couldn't live with the guilt of Pavel's death on his mind and the General would be pleased to know that he could still hunt Robin down. Besides, he didn't much care for superheroes.
Hovering in front of the pad, he raised a slightly shaking hand. "What's the code?"
Mikhail felt Robin's tiny smirk, "After this, I want you to go and wait for me by the Titan's boat. I'll be there momentarily and then we'll get off the island."
"What. Is. The. Code?"
"If you try anything stupid, I'll kill him and make you watch."
"…"
Robin closed his eyes. He knew that the Titans had changed the code when he was imprisoned. Thankfully, Raven had graciously informed him of the update and if he had been wrong, well no harm done. But he was right and was about to pick up a piece of the plate to help punch in the codes, when Mikhail came waltzing in. It seemed that Lady Luck was on his side, even though he did not believe much in luck.
"The code is 5,9,6,33,86."
Mikhail watched as a green light came on and a small part of the wall slide back revealing a key inside. Grabbing the key, he placed the key in the lock but halted in turning it when Robin's pale hand grabbed his wrist. He locked eyes with Robin's own and waited for more emphasis on how Pavel's life hung in the balance. But there was nothing, instead Robin nodded and let go, stepping back, waiting to be set free.
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A/N: Dang, another chapter all done. Can you believe it only a couple more left! Crazy, but like I said before I'm trying to finish up and don't want to leave you guys on a cliffie. But still, wow.
