Robin looked at his teammates, then gave a loud shout of victory. "We did it!"
"We are victorious!" Starfire said.
"Boo-yah!" Cyborg said.
"That was cool," Raven said.
"Yeah, dude!" Beast Boy said.
The Titans all gathered in the middle of the street, and Slade walked over to them.
"We won!" Robin said, surpassing even Starfire's joy at finally defeating one of the toughest villains they'd ever faced.
"All we've got to do now is get these criminals in prison," Cyborg said.
"Once that's done, we'll come back to your lair and give you your gadgets back," Raven said, facing Slade.
Slade nodded. "I will be waiting."
The six separated, and within minutes all the villains were placed behind bars.
"Man, I'm gonna miss my light cannon," Cyborg said as they walked through the hallway that
led to Slade's lair.
"At least we'll be able to get the Tower back," Beast Boy said.
"I still can't believe that he helped us," Robin said.
"Me, neither," Cyborg said.
"It certainly wasn't something I expected," Raven said.
Robin nodded and opened the door at the end of the hall, entering into Slade's lair and turning
to see the man standing near the gears at the end of the room. He still couldn't believe it. Not that they had won, which was incredible in itself, but that Slade had actually helped them. Maybe things really were changing. Maybe, one day soon, Slade really could become a Titan. It would be nice, Robin thought. Having someone to spar and plan with. Imagine. One of Robin's greatest enemies becoming one of his closest allies. Robin laughed at the thought.
"A celebration is in order!" Starfire said. "We have beaten our foe! Would Slade like to join in on our celebration?"
Robin looked first at Slade, then to the Titans. He sighed, then shrugged. "Thanks," he said. "You helped a lot."
All the other Titans were nodding. No one wanted to admit it, but they wouldn't have been able to defeat Malchus without Slade's help.
"So we'll just give you back your gadgets and—" Robin tugged on the glove of his uniform, surprised when it wouldn't come off. Frowning, he tried harder to pull it off. It still refused to give. The Titans seemed to be having the same trouble.
"Twenty-four hours," Slade said silkily.
Instantly, Robin's blood froze, and he looked up at Slade. Something was very wrong.
"That is how long it takes . . . for a neural-interface suit to bond with its host."
Robin choked, his eyes wide. "What did you—"
"Gaining your trust was surprisingly easy," Slade said. "As was creating a powerful villain and waiting for you to require my assistance."
Robin blinked, barely understanding. "No," he whispered.
"You used the Brain?" Cyborg asked.
"What makes you think that a villain is above manipulating the foes of his enemy?"
"How did you get him to use that fusion reactor?" Raven asked.
"Accidentally allowing my plans to fall into another's hands was quite easy," Slade said. "All it required was causing him to believe it was," here Slade glanced over at Robin, "his idea."
Robin shook himself back to an aware state, blinking hard. "Everything you said, it was—"
"And you believed it all, Robin. Heroes are so naïve," Slade whispered. "The instant any assistance is required, they will do anything — trust anyone — in order to succeed. Their trust is their downfall. You even allowed your Tower to be destroyed."
"It was you," Cyborg said, blinking and glaring up at Slade. "You were the one who disabled our security system!"
"And you never saw the bombs I planted," Slade said.
Robin beat his fist on the ground, hardly able to believe it. Why hadn't he known? Why hadn't he seen the danger? Why had he trusted Slade? Feeling anger consume him, Robin rose and gritted his teeth. "We won't let you win," he growled. "Titans, go!"
"Dear boy," Slade said, laughing slightly. "I already have."
Robin had barely moved before the suit took control of his body. It wasn't electricity, but it felt similar to his time in the training room with Slade. It felt as though every fiber of his being were on fire, that he were being slowly torn apart. Robin, on his face now, looked over and saw the Titans in similar positions. They were unable to attack. Unable to use the powers that had been made both stronger and unusable by Slade himself.
"A mental link," Slade said, and Robin winced when he remembered the feeling of the suit on his skin the first time he'd put it on. "After scanning your bodies when you first arrived in my lair, I set to work forming devices created specifically for your powers."
Robin was shaking his head, remembering the strange blue aura that had surrounded the team the first time they'd been here. Why hadn't he —
"You mean to suppress them!" Raven snarled, then she was on her knees in pain again.
"That confidential hallway," Beast Boy muttered.
"A control room to observe as well as a place to test the effectiveness of your suits before I gifted them to you," Slade said.
Robin felt anger consume him a second time and he wanted nothing more than to tear Slade apart. Suddenly, the suit seemed to react to his rage and forced him onto his face.
"Your own thoughts will betray you," Slade said. "If you even think about killing or disobeying me, if you try to use your powers in any way, shape, or form against me, if you try to escape or even think of each other, my technology will know. And I will know."
"We'll never work for—" Beast Boy was brought to his knees as the suit reacted.
"Look."
Robin glanced down at his suit, horrified to see that it was peeling away from his skin and revealing black fabric underneath. Looking over, he saw Slade's own insignia pulsing on Raven's gloves, Beast Boy's ring, Cyborg's armor, and Starfire's wrists. He gritted his teeth as he felt his cloak disconnect and fall from his shoulders. The green fabric on his arms and legs evaporated to be replaced with black, and the yellow on his body faded to be replaced with the color of orange. He hated this, but his own uniform changing to Slade's didn't matter. They were the Titans, and soon, Slade would be defeated — Robin screamed as the pain brought him down again.
"Get up."
Robin, not wanting to obey the man, tried to stay down. But the suit itself reacted for Robin, and soon all the Titans were standing before him, their heads forcefully bowed in submission.
"It seems that the Titans are no longer heroes."
