Teen Titans Haunted - An Analysis in Red and Orange

by Inkblot24

A deeper look and in - depth feel for Haunted, which is also missing some pieces in its later end plot...Can the wriiter put these pieces back together? The reagent's trigger. The true plan behind the events before and after which will follow. A darker take - no slash. And a single analysis of the PTSD of one hero and his near defeat at the hands of a living boogeyman.

3. Chapter 3

Teen Titans; Haunted - An Analysis in Red and Orange – Chapter 3: Affliction

/

On the dreariest of nights, thunder rocked the sky.

A howling torrent made the city look as if it were under attack by some force of nature.

A god among men, perhaps? A bad omen?

But, no.

X's cape fluttered about him in tatters as it should; his eyes peering off to search for an old friend, hiding away in the darkness. Trying to find a place to dry his bones.

October. October, sucked.

It was looking like these winter winds had gotten him down, but the pouring rain would start at any second. That, and he wasn't even close to his safe house yet…what a bust…

He placed one foot onto the next ledge of the landing and made his way down a fire escape towards the back-alley ground.

There, waiting for him, was his payment.

"You got here just in the nick of time, old man."

The male in the shadows came out; he was balding and had a rather drooping, angular face. X had know before that this man was British, while he had on a suit of grey and green, making him look distinguished despite the dreary atmosphere darkening his suit's shade, right over it and into shadow. He wasn't smiling at all as X grinned below his mask, before letting his eyes scan the streets for any new tattle tales.

X raised a brow. "So, did I get what he wanted out of the way, old timer –

"The master does not need to remind you, that there is no true need for a common thief to be in his way. I am only meant to present you with your, gadgets that you so carelessly lost in the fight with the Teen Titans." Hoarsely, the old male reprimanded X, allowing some old and bitter memories to resurface all to quickly for Red's tastes.

"Sure, well... If I can just have –

Reaching out closer towards the gent, X saw a gleam show from beyond the dark of the shadowy male's grasp. A metallic one that matched X's own flashy get up.

"Holding out on us, is he?"

"You'll have what you want, only once the current task has been completed." The older man said this almost robotically, and with a toss to the thief, he'd allowed the belt with a built-in tracer to be returned to the ne're do well's lanky teenaged arms. X caught the device and refused to let it fall. The tech was unstable. One wrong move and, kaboom.

"As long as we have this task completed by the end of this month, neither of us need fret over the issue. I won't remind you, yet the master thinks very highly of your abilities." Looking up at the man with his eyes clearly arched in question, X wasn't so sure he could just play the messenger for an extra charge. This sounded like a sketchy "master" he was making plans to help out. A con man or….

"I got my gift from you, but that doesn't –

"You'll do this job or your entire "funding" will be cut, bone dry. We'll return you to the streets where you shall cease to remain anything BUT a low – level, common thief."

A threat,. Oh, the old timer WAS the messenger after all. X had never felt so low, since…

"After this, consider our services with you taken care of, your contract will be terminated. Does that sound like a fairer bargain to you, young man?"

"Whatever gets me paid and away from your dirty money faster." X's eyes narrowed as the suit wearing man smiled a crack and then turned to leave, "Very well. We shall be monitoring your performance. Good evening to you, then. Mr. Red X."

The sound of an SUV and the tires going, the motor ran and he was no more. For now.

The man had come to X when he'd been kicked out of his last place. He'd promised to help the thief live his life as he wanted, for a price. X had come to Jump City searching for that face, but found only this corny British guy who took orders from a poster.

A shadow, or…

A dead man? Missing ?

He tried out the belt and turned it around in his hands. It was fully charged with Xenothium and ready to go, just like he had to be for his next hands on "gig." As if he'd wanted this more than ever, why was the cost such a weight against his chest? X groaned behind the mask and furrowed his brow.

"I have a job to do that even my old man would call insane…. Might have to rethink what to put on my next resume." Shrouded in shadow, the thief took off back to his flat in this bustling city. He'd have to try a bit harder to keep on his toes. Something stunk, and it wasn't this back ally or its contents that nudged him the wrong way.

/

Robin's worst dreams couldn't let him rest. It wasn't Halloween. He could watch Wicked Scary later and pass out, but something else took him away from his thoughts.

He'd been monitoring the month of October's latest events over the course of several days, making his teamstart to wirry about his "mental" health. Unofficially for tonight though, he was let out to go on patrol. Cy had just missed the hero's big speech as he'd told his "captain" to get some fresh air once the rain had stopped a few hours prior.

Now, while out in the night air, puddles lined the streets. Robin had other plans as his R – Cycle took to pounding those puddles back with the fiercest of intensities he'd only seen in himself since the fabled apprenticeship under a mad man.

Fabled. If you could call it fated, maybe...

He'd go there, to reflect and to look for more clues. It was too much with being perstered by his team inside the tower every night, and Cy was letting Robin have his freedom for now.

Off into the dreary night he rode, looking for the exact same man - hole cover that would lead our hero to the center of his dark little world again, once more.

A world he only visited when his answers had come up dry. Unlike the rain that was plastered to his cape right now. It had started to drizzle. Great night for getting that fresh air, Cy...

/

The footfalls of the hero's boots were anything but silent. He shoved open two disheveled metal doors and walked farther underground to where his answers might be waiting for him.

The sound of creaking and croaking metal parts lay strewn about , broken to bits with silent gears mixed as well about the wreckage as a reminder of his time here, as they lay scattered along the floor as bones to this...catacomb of Robin's deaded memories.

A stray memory resurfaced as Robin saw himself clad in armor and the malice that nearly impaled his features; as he'd felt back then…How it had almost changed him, into –

Another slow creak, then a shuffle.

That was odd…Robin pulled out his C.OM.M unit and shone it with flashlight setting onto the floor in front of him. It trailed as he walked gingerly ahead. There, by the lost dais; the throne of a dead king, was a darkly clad figure on its hand and knees, scrounging over the dirty ground. Searching through this room's decimated contents for something to take…

In other, words?

"Hey!" Robin hollered out to the off - figure as it turned its head to look back into the hero's angry masked eyes.

Robin nearly put down the unit, yet refrained. The face looking back and made Robin gasp. He choked. That, was X marks the spot.

A Red "X," to be exact.

/

X nervously chuckled and waved to his rival of the cowl, "Good to see you again, Chuckles! Just doing some late-night browsing. Ah, hope you don't –

"I do mind X, and I want you to leave. Now –

"Why?" The thief cocked his head to ask, "Why are you so serious about this, dump –

"It's evidence, from a crime that was never properly solved." Robin gritted his fists, feeling a lump grow in the back of his throat.

"Uh - huh…. I'm not familiar with Jump City politics. You'll have to clue me in sometime -

"Leave, X . Just go and don't touch anything that doesn't belong to you. This place isn't safe. Even though my coming down here, was a mistake…" Sullen faced, Robin narrowed his eyes at the floor by the dreadful throne.

"Ooh, so serious. Then, can I ask you a kind of…. personal question, if you don't me sayin?" X stood and dusted off his costumed arms. He'd already gotten the switch, he just needed to send this kid his memo and scram before the other heroes caught a whiff of Mr. Brightside's performance.

"Why do you always come back here?"

Robin blinked up at the question, but X just kept right on talking.

"I mean, I heard from a guy who told me in the "Jump City underworld" that you seem to like to frequent this spot a lot lately. I mean, like an addict "a lot." That kind of –

"It's to find a criminal that was never captured. I don't need to explain anything to a low – level thief like yourself." Venomous words flickered in the kid's voice, while X had almost had goosebumps form on his covered arms by that serious stare the hero gave him.

X's eyes widened, then turned to slits. Oh then he knew when he'd been dissed. The gray – suited old man, he could take. Chuckles though, needed to seriously chill. Red had what he came for, but this place was a goldmine of spare parts he could sell for a quick buck. No harm in recycling, right? And the evidence bull? Oh, right…. like that had to be why this poet among them pondered the wonders of the universe under his team's noses.

Robin, was a terrible little liar.

"What? Are you thinking I'm here to make this place my new evil lair or –

" Hyaa!"

That did it.

X dodged the hero's fists as they came, trying to keep his prize inside of a smaller hidden compartment on his suit, as the two duked it out beneath the room's perfect cover of darkness. X was forced to take some precaution and hid behind the destroyed dais once Robin's fury had reached an all - time high. Funny thing was, Robin wouldn't come near it. As if a pool of bubbling lava, he avoided the spot most of all. This place...which meant that Chuckles had some beef on the criminal who used to run this happy haunt, was the only place the lil demon wouldn't smack him upside the head. Ah, it all made sense. Sort of.

"Come out, X. I'm not going to say it again." Robin held up his red and black birdarangs in both hands and squinted into the darkness at the seat he so loathed. The cruel punishments, the tormenting of the lives of his dear friends, as he started to pant. His grip shaken a bit from his flashbacks trying to resurface.

Near - infrared soon fueled his vision.

X had trigged the stages of denial and grief inside of Robin. The bull was getting ready to charge.

First, an understanding of the five stages of grief. And later, the four stages of PTSD a well. These steps would be for the mind to overcome periods of defeat and desperation, so then? We can get started on the analysis right away;

For Grief:

1.) Denial

2.) Anger

3.) Depression

4.) Acceptance

Now, for PTSD, which our hero suffers through as we dive right into his subconscious and within reason…And, the two other phases we can reveal as this take progresses.

The Impact Phase : which includes having to cope with:

1.) Shock

2.) Fear

3.) Helplessness

4.) Guilt

5.) Anxiety

6.) Hypervigilance

Our hero right now is stuck in the second phase known as;

The Rescue Phase:

Including, not only:

1.) Denial

2.) Confusion

3.) Anxiety

4.) Flashbacks

5.) Nightmares

6.) Despair

7.) Hopelessness

8.) Sadness

9.) Anger

10.) Numbness

Can you guess where he has landed himself on both the Grief and PTSD stages?

/

………….

The thief was beaten into a corner.

Robin had gotten his full retribution for being humiliated in their last fight. Thing was…X had let him win. He didn't even throw a real punch.

He couldn't.

Robin had been…the one to punish, Red X.

That wave of nausea from before had returned, leading the hero to park his bike and seek out a city trash unit to vomit directly into.

Oh, that's what it was? Wiping his lower lip, he just shrugged off the ache in his stomach.

It was hunger. He'd not taken his supper in much that night. It was, just hunger.

Yet, it was ten - thirty P.M and he'd found that the door was left unlocked to the tower upon his return.

Never a good sign -

"Dude! Cy is so bugging out that you didn't call! What's your deal?"

Wide eyed and too energetic for him tonight, Robin felt taken aback by Beastboy's enthusiasm. He was clearly annoyed, but he didn't know how to properly show how much. Both boys stared each other down, while Robin was the first to speak up and reciprocate the changeling's behavior.

"I'm not feeling too well. Let me rest, Cy can bug me all he wants when I'm better rested uupin my -

"You never seem to want to be any better though."

Robin turned to see Raven and Cy in the entrance. They'd been waiting to amvush him, or Bb had been loud enough to wake up half the tower's occupants.

"I got attacked. X was…. robbing a safe and I was –

"You look more than a' lil scraped up. So, did you stop em?"

"Why didn't you call, then?" Raven wasn't buying it. Bb crossed his arms, on her side as well for his own personal reasons.

"I did, but it was too late. The reception was fried somehow… and, he got away." Robin let free a performer's yawn. "I'm tired, guys. I just want to lay down for a bit…. then I can check on the live feed. I just –

"You didn't eat much tonight. Are you sure you can handle watching over the city, this late?" Raven asked, with her words hanging thick in the night air.

"I wasn't hungry then. And, Batman taught me how to control my sleep patterns when I've needed to." Robin defended himself, lying to his friends. Slade had shoved that corrupted logic into his brain, mostly. Heroes got more sleep than killer clowns. So, untrue. Villains like Slade didn't rest. Then again, neither could he.

"He sure smells like Red X……" Bb sniffed at ttheback of hero's cape as Robin tugged it back, trying to have his privacy tonight.

"Sorry, but I need some extra time to…. wash the stench out of my hair. See you guys later. I'll be sure to report anything I find useful, promise.." He shuffled off, seeing now her eyes beaming back from around the corner nnextto steal his attention.

"Did you have a proper sleep, friend Robin?" Her eye were alert, yet they were actually wearing bags of their own. She was still a person with feelings. Alien or not, Starfire got up early every morning, and even made sure that none of her friends overslept past nine. This behavior, wasn't good for any of them...

"Can't talk now, Star. Excuse me. I need to get back to work." He receded into the darkened hallways of the tower, and tried to ignore that gnawing feeling at the back of his mind.

/

X was probably limping away somewhere. He'd just kept hitting him, and…he'd never…

Robin slammed* the door to his room to slide further shut. He didn't wait for it. The Anxiety kept building. He ran to the side room's sink and shut that door as well. Having only the desire to know what was going on, he ripped off the mask; the domino one looking back at him, to reveal his naked face the mirror, and gulped at the fear that was still etched clearly upon his features.

Richard Grayson. The prodigal ward, the kid in a colorful costume…. The runaway side – kick.

It was already becoming too much. Yes, this state was so far dipping into stage; part six.

Despair. His brow was aching from being tied in such a tough knot that was incapable of coming undone. His anger was more so the stage of hypervigilance and the denial he'd felt when X had pried at his past like that…It had been the straw to send him into the fight, with his knuckles still as raw with a wince from the pain he'd inflicted upon himself... for starting that fight so recklessly...

The ache to finish off his enemies….Ruthless, just like him.

A therapy session could fix him?? Was Raven hoping to use him as her guinea pig?? He was already cracking, breaking down onto his knees as he retched back into the toilet once more. Sleep meant the nightmares, the pain of remembering. He needed to stay awake, it was the only safety net he had…

Robin dragged himself to his feet moments later once the spell had passed, and got a glass of water from the cabinet to have some fluids back in him.

Another pill to pop, but it was useless. His head was hurting so much that he finally relented and went to the kitchen. Now close to eleven thirty at night, he'd fix himself a little something for his nerves.

A microwavable container of soup and a single ding* later, he was ready to start with the next step - on his search for a looming threat to come. It was going to continue, even if he just needed to take a shower after all. He did, kind of stink like sewer drain water. Yuck.

After a quick change, he came back to the main room, hoping he'd be a little more composed than before. Five minutes to midnight. Great. He was an insomniac...How fitting for his position.

The computer screens shown back in the main room of the tower, beckoning him to seek out their artificial presence. A warm glow against his clammy flesh was, comforting. The intensity, to be needed, to be challenged and to…

Thrilling? This was terrible on his mental status! Had Alfred not told him to be kinder to his body all of those years? Robin groaned and ran a free hand through his now dry hair. The other held onto the cup of cold soup that he downed in next to three gulps.

Coffee. That's what was missing.

Now the central nervous system could only take so much. Bruce had preferred coffee, while Alfred took very strict precautions to ensure a decent tea time was to be had…

Tea. Robin tried to sigh at the memory of a steaming hot cuppa in his face. When was the last time Earl Grey or Darjeeling had touched those lips? He pursed them and let the screens win over his full attention. He didn't have time to ask himself if Bruce's new Robin was an adequate replacement. He'd wanted this, and now, it was time to prove something more.

Except for that villain, not all criminals refused to go down in a blaze of glory.

And neither would he, as the only hero to solve this case for good was still clicking away at the keyboard with much precision all night long. After all, this was his job. It was what he did best.

/

Every step felt like he'd lose both his legs. His arms were busy clutching at the wound that was etched straight against his suit. Against his skin, and it burned to think that he'd won anyway. It would patch up. He had to give it, a sec…

A lackey's calling wasn't X's forte. He was out of this deal once the mean old shadow – boxer boxed his ears enough to have what was coming…

First the league, the Bat, and now?

The rabid hawk. That night owl Robin, had another thing coming…but, for now X was just glad to be out of there and in one piece.

The switch.

Said - device was something you'd think a mad scientist might have come up with. He searched for something he could read on the trigger's metallic surface. No insignia. X frowned below the mask. Was it really an important plot "device" to this super – creeper inside the manor?

He ran his fingers over the cracked plexi – and - metal that protected the rest of this single needle in a haystack – the gem guarded by ransacked robotic parts and rusty gears. Shiny, yet this crow had been quieted rather quickly. Maybe this daddy – long legs of X's could fill in the missing pieces as to WHY the HELL Robin had Jet Lee-d his hind- quarters to death in that dirty smack down??

Oh, well. He'd get his juicy intel from the underground in Jump. Here. He was...

The mystery manor stood stony and tall as a mythological castle. This? He looked up and whistled at the size of that, turret.

Not his first run in. X recalled a similar image a month ago. Right. X shook his skull - masked head. When he'd gotten the X suit and gear replaced after Chuckles had snbatched his Xenothium belt, he'd been invited in out of the cold and with an undeniably generous offer.

That one time.

Blindfolded, practically.

An intercom, good. He rung it and waited for a face to show up on the screen in front of him.

A cracckkle, then a responnse came via the intercom. ~ Ah, Mr. X. ~

It was the British dude from the alleyway. At least he'd not gotten a robot to chat with this time.

"I got the prize. Just like you wanted." X tried to be a goood saleman. Door to door? He didn't have that luxury.

The older man looked at the image; he stared down from the screen at X's palm as it was displayed outward – a Pandora's box of woe to be as it were was within the thief's gloved grip. The other trigger for the late master of the manor.

Aha. Very good news, indeed.

As requested by the master of this dastardly manor, X was to be trusted. Until he opened his yap out of turn.

~Very good. I shall unlock the gates for you without haste, immediately. ~ The screen went to black as the thief heard a distinct CLICK and tug of the gates in front of him. He was going in, and to be honest….this place gave him more goosebumps than the first time had, or the last ever might.

/

The halls weren't Wayne manor style - medieval. No, more so new modern but with a sense of elegance that shown through by way of its patron's contemporary ingenuity. Or, perhaps it was inspired by the man's work?

Not ranch style or a manor as big as the Bat's - not that he'd not been invited to any of Wayne's swanky parties, but this looked far too new to be a good thing.

Stolen, maybe?

Red saw the pictures up on the wall, of a man in a portrait above a fire place in the next room with a dead animal in his grip. And a gun, a long one.

A Safari lover. The vibe was pretty clear so, X had to stay on his toes, even so. He clutched the exposd wound tighter at his breast to see that it was already starting to mend. Good, no pools of blood on the carpet or mud, wait…

"Welcome, young Red X." The old man stood before the picture and the fireplace, with his hands clasped behind him and then to his sides.

X pointed up to the other male in the portrait. The model's beard was razor sharp, no kidding! A goatee?

"This is, him?" X was stupidly going to ask, but the British man simply ignored the question and put out his palm. "The device, and then I may be obliged to answer your many questions to the best of my abilities."

X blinked and nodded in response, "Oh, sure, then… Here, you go?"

X tossed the "device" over to the older man as the elder grunted* to take the fall. The device needed to be tested, and the master of this home had instructed the gent with the utmost caution in mind, to take care of his master's belongings. By someone willing to pull the trigger, he'd wanted nothing less than perfection from his dear ally...

"This device was created as one out of many that can be activated and also de - activated on an instant. Do be careful. I'd be shocked to hear about our dear thief turning into roadkill without a plausible explanation," The old man rolled his eyes metaphorically at the thief, hoping his master's peon's pea - brain would catch up with him eventually. It was most unfortunate, if it did not.

"Hey! I got thrashed by a demon out there! You guys got your dues, so what about –

"Your payment has been wired to your account, and I assume you recall with the agreement still in place, that none are to know of the business transaction we've established together. Am I being clear enough, then?"

X's jaw fell, open. "Wait! I do have one question. What was that "haunt" whatever I dug through to pull out this old fossil? I was jumped by te Titan Robin - who was going ballistic, when I said the word lair he just...snapped. Crazy, right?" X nervously chuckled at the picture, but then refrained when he was the only one doing so.

" I wanna know what set him off. If he comes after me –

"You've gotten your say in this deal, X. I suggest you leave before you wake the master of the house –

"Let me talk to him, then –

"X." The man stopped the thief with a palm up. He needed to stay quiet. It was imperative for tonight.

"My master is not in the most, perfect health at the moment," The male paused before continuing. "You need to go, please. We will keep your contract information valid if you're services are ever needed –

"Wait!" X's eyes popped. "You said you'd rip it up! I'm nobody's paper boy!" Holding himself up as he did, X felt betrayed. Pointing the finger at the Brit, he had the decent right to complain about his treatment here. He was not a lackey, and certainly not a hit man fir hire. X was only in this for X. For himself .

The one who'd given him so much had now chained him to this reality by a flimsy piece of paper, and he was soo starting to sound like real piece of work to the thief...that "master of the house."

"You knew about the risks." The butler reminded the teen. "You, knew and yet you stayed for whatever was worth your while. You are forever an accomplice, and my master cannot have any loose ends undone in his grand scheme of things. Consider this an honor. He is protecting you."

X raised a brow. " What does that have to do w -

"It doesn't. Now, you'll graciously leave this manor at once and not come here again - unless the end of the world depends on our assistance, I suggest you find new work while you are freed from being a part of anymore odd - jobs my master has to give to you, thief." The man half spat out that last part and pointed dirextly to the front entrance. X lowered his gaze and took his chances.

"Nice doing business with you too, Mr. Green." He muttered and felt cheated. By this new life and by X just wanting to survive and live in comfort. He was the victim here! What was his problem?

/

Red skulked out of the den and almost wanted to throw a punch at the door as it slammed shut behind him. Thing was, ttat old guy could take a hit. He was a fighter, and with the army looker in that photo, this master was more a mastermind to X than he'd recalled from their first pow - wow. He dreaded being called "one fine day" to meet his death by the hands of some strange boogeyman holding that rifle to his back...

Why? Why was this guy on his mind now?? Was this man connected to the Titans, somehow?

The tall gates shut, and the manor was lost in the fog to any such visitors on that dreary October night. X slunk on home to his apartment to lick his wounds, trying to forget what he'd done.

As if he'd come a 'callin for anymore looney – birds.

They'd have to kill him all over again for THAT to ever happen. He was nobody's whipping boy. Nobody told him what to do.

Unless...

/

Robin had stayed up until he'd finally lost the connection between himself and the bright screens. His searches were all coming up empty. All but one thought leaked into his mind as he leaned onto the keyboard to check once more –

"You still up?"

/

Cy was there, still working on his tech plans probably for the next day…

"I've got work to do." Was all Robin could reply before he turned back towards the screens again. Too many distractions.

Cy looks at the "work" that Robin was currently scanning over.

That, crazy...

The pier, the amusement park, the museum and the Jump city bay area among other places. His friend's brain was more computerized than his mind felt right now. And he was part machine! How was that any better?

"Well, whatever you're looking for is probably asleep, like you should be." The clock on the screens read midnight, twelve on the dot. Insomniac Robin was back to stay. Cy couldn't stop him. He'd keep the tower safe before, right while that was his first priority as well. The Bat's kid could call his big bro Cy if he caught the flu from a lack of sleep later. He was beat as it already was.

Cy went over to a glowing panel by the door and didn't hesitate to make well on that promise. "Lockdown initiated. Good night." A palm against the grid and his own metal handprint print was ready to keep the tower safe until the sun came up. The incryption was better than his last tampering with it. After Terra's betrayal, he'd had to build it all back up from scratc, including Titans Tower.

Yawning with his leg now one step through the door, Cy left Robin to his longest all – all nighter.

Robin made a huff through his nose, finally alone. Good, he was finally able to think.

/

Robin was feeling restless, even so. He decided to take his detective skills elsewhere or they'd end up too rusty to be of any use to him. There was still time, and he'd not had a single dizzy spell all night so far.

/

Tip - toing down into the basement, he needed to be sure. If his hunch was correct, then Slade was no fool. He was too crafty, too paranoid to not leave behind a trace to where his whereabouts might still be. Or who lay behind the mask.

There, the evidence from years past had been collecting up into multiple boxes and piles. Filed under codes, numbers and names, Robin knew almost every box and the purpose of each of Jump City's villains tricks, the specific content within each of the files and units that stored such goodies from the past to present day.

From Mad Mod's cane, to Mumbo's hat. It was his job, after all. Part secretary in the cave at one time. He enjoyed the thrill of doscovery that came with being organized.

Robin didn't bother to grab at the light switch. If anyone found out that his butt was still up past the hour, he'd be yanked by his tights and kicked back into his room with the door barred shut like the last time. He shuddered but shrugged off the still annoying memory. Raven's powers were pretty spooky at times.

The one box that caught his attention the most was the one he seemed to ponder a lot more since Terra's "the end."

Speaking of pondering...

Fin, but he wasn't finished with this old face staring back –

Robin got to work.

A grip on the fated box's one lid and he tugged it off, to reveal a mask; black and orange, nearly red if you used the right lighting. A horrible empty face that was completed only by an empty eye socket on the left side that could choke the life right out of you by how it was positioned. Robin placed the box's lid to the side, then plucked up the two - toned mask from the box with some ease. With both gloved hands, a layer of unsterilized dust came up with the mask as he had to cough back, just to clear it all from his lungs.

Dust, that was what he'd gotten. He'd never even –

Robin looked up wise - eyed as a definite CLACK* resounded. Someone had flipped on the lights, that being Cy as he stood behind Robin with a hand to the light switch.

"He's not coming back, you know. That's all that's left of him. Nothing but dust."

Looking at the mask in his hands, narrowing his gaze, Robin wanted to shake his head to that "nonsensical" accusation.

"We can't be sure. He was never captured, never found." He was hell bent on believing that after Terra's demise, only the criminal's mask had unhappily looked back up from that pit of lava at the heroic leader and his team.

Just as he'd escaped explosions, earthquakes and far more, the mad man Slade's tactics weren't to be taken lightly. Robin wanted answers and again, nothing came up. Nothing but dust? Was that…

Not even this many tricks could hide what the mad man had left bbehind.Bruises. Misery. Defeat. The hero squinted at the mask in his grip. He couldn't break it, not here. Robin had gotten close to Slade; yet he didn't learn all of his priceless secrets when he'd been blackmailed as the mastemind's apprentice, though Terra wouldn't spill anyway due to her false devotion - with her case being far more depressing to surmise than Robin's own "abuses."

So, where did that leave them? Defenseless. Hopelessness, the next stages into his little corner of depression. And if he grew to realize –

Cy broke apart the moment.

"It's over, Robin. Slade's gone."

The tower's sirens had the heroes distracted from this obsession instead, to force the leader of the Titans to finally blurt out, "Trouble!" from his own lips. The eerie double toned mask was left in the box, the rest was set aside for later. Pandora's box however had not been shut as it seemed to become the metaphor for more, small changes that were just bound to arise from a romp in the rain.

The lights in the basement flickered, as the ominous realm of possible and impossible had widened to wake to such a feast of one's unyielding misery.

/

X was kicked, but he didn't like that. In fact, his "healing up" made him very sure he wanted to find out what that old coot was keeping from him. It all started with the device. The device? Was this an international expose'? Was he just shopping from an exclusive catalog on his nights off as his second part - time job??

"Forget this, I'm not taking this crap lying down, not to watch him make me look like a loser." X sneaked in through the back window to seek out the garage. The one place with the least security...

His feet never even landed with a plop. Hey, if you needed the best, he was top dog in the stealth department.

Sure. But...for a millionaire's garage, it looked bare. No cars. No anything, but walls for tools …

There weren't!

He put his hands over the baren walls and moved them to slide across. Yes. A fake. An old trick from his last Pappy. At least he had the prior skills to deduce a ruse wgen he spotted one. One for the master thief in the making.

X used his "X - cutting blades" within his gloves to hack back the metal to this stupid chrome - dome's supposed secret base. It was full – proofed. He clicked his tongue.

Now, he KNEW that this crappy guy was up to no good. He searched for a way in, cloaking himself when he heard a faint set of footsteps from the other end of the room.

Ah, wow. So, it wasn't all abandoned then?

"Wintergreen, bring over the key card."

Men were talking. Two, one sounded calmer, and the other…

"Very good, sir."

Wintergreen. The old dude. X tried to stay out of the way, to hide like the chicken that he was.

He was sure now, that this was a very ugly business, indeed.

Ah! He almost jumped. One...eye...was he hallucinating? The other dude...

Stupid! He was working for, crazy crooks? Wh - Wait? Why was that so… -

The wall collapsed back as X was safely far from the two males to see only just enough, as the two men made their way into what looked to be an armory, or -

Computers?? An intel station? What?

"Is everything ready to go then, sir?"

"I should think that our little test subject has taken the bait."

The man beside this "Wintergreen" did sound confident. He radiated it, even.

In the dark shadow, X spotted something he did recognize. A faint click from the Device he'd stolen for the older rude dude, and the "confident" man's grip soon let go. A beeping, a red light then blinked back, meaning... operational. That red eye beaming back made X's stomach sink. It worked. Shoot.

The shadow clad, one eyed man; by the expression he gave off, was pleased. His age, was hard to place. Fourty? Younger?

Nopera? No face?

The younger - ish shadowy looking male let a smile slip across his face. Toothy.

That, had X shiver from within the shadows.

The one - eyed man turned to his "Wintergreen," his companion in this white collar crime and was even more so excited to be returning to his prior role.

For nostagia sake, there was nothing to do but watch for the ineviable outcome to unfold.

"Now, we wait." Was all this one - eyed - wonder - boy said.

The device was still in his hand. A gloved one? No, he had skin. And…

It was not whole….X peered over to see.

He saw the burned flesh and bone, and the eye wasn't just missing. The man wore a robe of fine fabrics and seemed to have risen from his bed in the night. Skeletal. Dead, or undead.

Wait...The...tufts of white hair...that wasn't, and…..the picture! Above the fire place!?

So, then...It all clicked.

And then, X was astounded by the picture of a mask; an emblem of someone he'd seen once in his time as a Shadow, as an assassin gone loose, from tampering with his mind. The screens lit up to show a scene that X was filled with questions galore about.

Titans tower, the main rooms and Jump. ALL OF FRICKIN' JUMP CITY! UNDER HIS WATCH!

X, KNEW that emblem. It had somehow jogged his memory as he held his breath below the tech's cloaking time - limit.

Ra's had prided this guy...Holy –

X dove out of there. He was gone. It was a miracle he'd gotten lucky, as the one eyed man had almost turned his head to peer out where a light breeze had come in from one window latch, up top. The "once" white haired, one-eyed man narrowed his gaze as the gent Wintergreen, while seated in the control seat with his feet up, knew that he had work to complete. His own bony arse feet could wait to have time off tomorrow, then. Wintergreen apologized and went to shut the latch up tighter than a submarine, as he deemed the room safe to frequent only then to his weary and broken diwn master.

X held his breathing, not releasing any ounce of it until he was long gone from beyond those black gates. His cloaked suit was useless. The belt, then? Was that even safe to wear?? The suit would need a recharge later, he wouldn't wait to see it flicker like the last time. He'd check it. Had to be bugged, just like the Tower! He had to get out of town. Get himself a new name. A passport to China? Stay out of the back alleys! Find a lawyer! A really, really easy to bribe one! No, what? Wait! That wasn't the point here…

"Death..." He panted. DEATH was back and it couldn't have been a worse enough call for our enigmatic thief, as he set off to pack his bags for the next ride back to anywhere but here.

He'd just aided the world's finest known killer. And, he'd also sold his loyalty away for a damn monkey- suit! What's the worst thing that could happen, right? Ah, heck! The yuppy Titans could take care of this guy. This was so not his kind of work. Back to scrounging for scraps...Again.

/

So, the fireplace is from Teen Titans #49 Return of Slade comic, not TTG to be clear. Rose is revealed as Slade's kid IN that issue, and so these points stick to the script pretty well. Also, Slade is into the spy game. He wears disguises in past and present comics as out Anti - Batman. Trigon, if any didn't officially give Slade back his real body in this so he can still appear...like as in The End part 2. I can ceryainly find this to be more fun to use anway, Have to follow the fire! Where there is smoke, next chapter!

ALSO. THE INFRARED EYE SOCKET AT THE END OF THE EPISODE. Eh, we can say it was a way to A: spy, B: record any specific findings, and C: it was to forewarn of Trigon's influence, duh. That Slade was out there and getting rid of Robin was a pet project of his to help the demon king Trigon along with HIS PLAN. To eliminate a threat, plain dasterdly. The staff at CN AND WB AND DC probably came up with this plot way before and so you never know, right? Still, the stages of PTSD will be revealed as we go into the rest of the "analysis." Mind the writer, you'll see plenty of commentary as things heat up a bit into later chapters. Well, it's rated T, I did change it, so don't forget to ask questions and review! It's a fun series and with limitless possibilities aside, I cannot wait to see how this all plays out! Read on and stay curious! Hope for new season to EVER come out of their merger - kick. Right now, fingers crossed…