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Episode X: A New Divide, Part IV

There's nothing quite like a life-or-death situation which can spur someone on to do things even they didn't believe they can do, and Robin is certainly sure he's defying the odds just by surviving this long under attack from a very large group of military-trained Atlanteans. Most superheroes would wipe the floor with this group, but unlike most heroes, Robin only has his agility and gadgets to rely on to keep himself away from the Atlanteans.

Not that his gadgets have been much use at this point anyway. Their armour has been bouncing his weapons off as though it was a dud waterbomb, Robin's been counting on his ability to not get smashed into a thousand pieces to figure out how to survive this fight.

As usual, Kaldur stands in the background of the fight, watching like Black Canary would do as Robin and Aqualad would do battle.

Even though Kaldur more often than not came out on top of those encounters, Robin is still very enthusiastic about his chances this final time. He's got the tools he needs to beat Kaldur, but the main problem facing him is to actually reach the traitor.

Although he is leaping around and causing the soldiers trouble, every time Robin attempts to close the distance between himself and Robin, they swap tactics and prevent him from reaching the traitor, as though under specific instruction to do so.

Faltering for but a moment, one of the soldiers manages to grab onto Robin's cape, yanking him back and choking him with his own costume in the process. Escaping was as simple as cutting off the cape, but the moment he took to do so left him vulnerable.

A powerful boot crashes into his stomach, sending him skidding across the floor back towards where the symbols are still lying. He's not sure which of the soldiers hit him, but nevertheless he swears revenge on him.

No-one is going to bully the Boy Wonder into submission.

"Hitting a kid? That's low." Robin chuckles to himself, reaching into his pocket and dropping a few smoke pellets onto the ground in front of him.

Standing tall as the smoke envelops them, he swiftly places his breathing apparatus into his mouth and sets to work, dancing around the soldiers as they splutter and choke on the gas. His hands, feet, knees and elbows become weapons in themselves as he strikes out at every single weak point he spots, focusing on the soldiers further away from him first and working his way back. The ones at the back always expect to be taken out last, so it usually makes sense to target them first.

As Batman teaches, confusion is the greatest weapon they possess. If someone stops even for a moment to wonder what just happened, it presents an opportunity to remove their chess piece from the game - even taking grunts out is a good move in the long-game.

Surprisingly, Robin isn't the worlds greatest fan of chess. Bruce always states he needs to focus more of the game behind the game, but in the end, Bruce is playing his game right in front of Robin's nose. Distracting the Boy Wonder by making him ponder on a greater lesson, Bruce usually steals his chance when Robin expects it the least and takes the game.

The next time they played, Robin won by pretending to fall for the trap once more, hitting Bruce hard and fast in the early game.

Confusion is a weapon, but so is clarity.

As the smoke clears after it's given up clinging onto the air, Robin is dismayed by the lack of real damage done to his opponents. The vast majority of them are still standing or making their way back to their feet, leaving Robin with one less trick up his sleeve.

"Atlanteans and their thick skin," he mutters to himself, shaking his head.

Once more, Robin's complete lack of superpowers comes back to bite him, and it couldn't have happened at a worst time. But then again, how can he expect a teenage boy to inflict any significant damage onto super-durable sea dwellers. Being both his age and having no superpowers completely sucks.

A yellow streak blazes past Robin's head, causing his hair to fly into an even deeper than usual state of disarray. The streak rams into two Atlanteans before they could react, sending them into the walls with a thundering crack as the brick splinters.

"How you doing partner?" Kid Flash asks, returning back to his normal self as he speeds back to the Boy Wonder. "You had a rough time in there like me?"

"Whelming," Robin snorts, causing him to receive a casual slap to the back.

"Step aside Robin."

Turning around, the Boy Wonder's eyes widen and a grin soon forms on his face as a particular Kryptonian cracks his knuckles and rolls his head around his neck. Finally, Robin not only has the firepower to take on the group in front of them but also the firepower to create a gap to Kaldur.

Behind Conner is also M'gann, Zatanna and Artemis, who seem to be ecstatic at the chance to see Conner clean house like the rest of them. "We'll get these goons - Kaldur is all yours," Conner states, nodding to Robin in recognition, his voice a lot more calmer than normally. "Just make sure he doesn't get out of here."

"Covering fire?" Artemis arrives behind Robin, tightening an arrow on her string.

"Hell yeah," the Boy Wonder answers, ensuring his secret weapon is prepped for action and the magical collar Zatanna gave him is still inside of it's assigned pouch. "You know guys.. I think it's time to give Kaldur his severance package."

"Hope it comes with health insurance," Wally cracks a smile at the group, taking a ready stance himself.

With that final quip, the groups clash. The room explodes with the booming power of Conner as he smashes more than one Atlantean through the walls of the building with relative ease, causing the others to hesitate and falter. Those who did soon found themselves being taken out by either a speeding teenager or a teenage Martian, with Artemis firing into anyone daring to try and intercept Robin on his collision course with Kaldur.

She does a tremendous job and Robin finally makes some headway towards the traitor, gauntlets charging as he goes. A few Atlanteans slip past Artemis' arrows, but they fail to stop Robin for more than a moment as he temporarily incapacitates them before carrying on.

His movements grow more erratic and energetic as he closes the distance between them, eyes purely focused on his goal with pure determination behind them. They entered the warehouse swearing to each other Kaldur will not leave without the greatest fight he has ever faced, and Robin will go down in the history books as the ultimate coward if he didn't at least make the fight half of that.

Although he clearly sees Robin's intentions, the villain formerly knows as Aqualad refuses to move from his observing position, arms crossed and eyes examination the scene as though it was only a small commotion. Despite his figurative turn to the dark side of Atlantis, Aqualad certainly hasn't lost the calm composure which got him elected as leader of the team.

Once, the Boy Wonder watched as Aqualad led the team with both admiration and understanding. Now, he only sees the shell of someone who could have accomplished so much as a hero, both good and great.

He had the choice between two legacies to fill - he chose the wrong one.

If words cannot get this through to the traitor, maybe Robin's fists will make the same point just as effectively. Getting his chance as he comes within striking range of the Atlantean, he leaps forwards and turns at the last moment before reaching the traitor, bending directly over him and landing behind Aqualad, batons already in his hands.

"It's about time your actions caught up with you Kaldur," Robin smirks at his enemy, twitching at the thought of using his new weapon to finally capture Kaldur. "You've been running for far too long."

Smirking in return, the traitor shakes his head as he pulls out his own weapons of choice. "I never run Robin. I've just been waiting for the right time, and I believed now would be that time... turns out I was wrong about the team again. I thought they would crumble under the pressure of me leaving, but here you are, as though nothing had ever happened."

"That's just the thing Kaldur, we are only here because of the things which have happened over the past few months, and maybe we will prove you right today."

"Prove me right?" the Atlantean grunts, circling around the Boy Wonder.

"Don't you remember that time we were suspending for failing a mission to an extent Batman even thought about dumping me? You came to all of us and said that our failures only make us stronger," Robin explains, adding on, "our failure this time was much more complex, but I think you were right when you said it would make us stronger."

"Let's see how much stronger," Kaldur mutters under his breath, charging forward at the Boy Wonder and missing the boys head with a hastily made sword by a few mere inches.

Silently thanking his parents for gifting their son with incredible agility, Robin throws the last smoke pellets he has inside his compartments onto the ground. Even though he only uses the smoke to dance around the Atlantean for a brief time, it's true intention was to mask Robin's attempt to check whether his new weapon was fully operational.

Fully charged at least, the Boy Wonder thinks.

Weaponised water slices through the air as Kaldur attempts to catch Robin unaware, and as the smoke clears, he is directly facing Robin with a confident smile on his face. "I know all of your tricks Robin," he states, flicking one of the crushed pellets at Robin with his toe. "They will only be a mild distraction."

"You should be paying attention to even mild distractions," Robin corrects him as he spots Superboy leaping up behind Kaldur.

Grabbing the Atlantean by the arm and dragging them behind Kaldur's head, Kaldur's magical water conductors are seized from his hands by M'gann's telekenisis, pinning them to the ceiling. Struggling against Conner's grip, Kaldur's face turns from struggle to bemusement as Robin begins pressing a series of numbers on his gauntlet.

Kaldur doesn't manage to ask what Robin is doing before the Boy Wonder suddenly smashes him in the face with an electrified fist, even Kaldur's incredibly durable body taking a severe beating from the hit. Although not fully unconscious, he isn't given a chance to react as Conner picks him up and drives him into the ground by the throat.

Quickly slipping Zatanna's collar onto Kaldur, Robin expects for a moment of triumph to wash over the group and celebrations to break out. Instead, he is greeted by the sound of silent contemplation. No-one dares make a sound as they watch their fallen comrade with emotions ranging from hate to pity.

After a few moments go by - and Kaldur hasn't been mystically transported away - Kid Flash strolls up and throws a banana peel onto Kaldur's unmoving body.

"Trashcan."

"Definitely."

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