Teen Titans – Haunted – An Analysis in Red and Orange; Chapter 6: Coming Apart at the Seams
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We can open; with this chapter depicting the fight of a lifetime, or we can place it into a noir style background outside of Gotham city into the mix of cut aways from a good quarter inch of this senseless violence.
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Right now, our dear hero is seeking out a "deeper" part of his painful past as Slade's unwilling apprentice. And out in the dark of the night, knowing who will be watching his performance, he cannot stop until the looming threat hanging overhead has conceded with his own wants for what is just and right in this known world. To him, vengeance isn't the answer he yearns for, yet his demons have other plans….
Let's move on ahead now with the story.
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"Said" desperation; as it drags on throughout and up and down the PTSD scale…
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Raven's heart and head are in a far better place than she guesses, yet that isn't the whole of it.
There is something outside of the Titans' broad scope of things; a far more sinister plot being planned out around the bend, and just in time for a late-night guest–
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"Will?"
A call from the next room had the other, older man groaning. Wintergreen put down his newspaper. He'd be up all night after a crying child, or cat. It made no difference, as William Wintergreen headed directly to the next room and opened the door, slightly ajar. There, his "friend" could be spotted monitoring a scene of what looked to be a brutal brawl in the rain and mud, via his old lap top. Having walked towards this scope, he saw what another could only turn their head to with an upturned nose. This late-night intel viewing was in some way of this person's better interest. Will sighed and didn't want to play the antagonist here.
"The demon said it was enough. That I could detect him, but this is a problem." Slade broke the silence as the boy, Robin was put to test with a growl into the night. He was on his bike and running off, deciding that there was an answer in the dark of that boy's peculiar circumstance.
"How so?" Wintergreen leaned in the doorway with his hands crossed over his chest. "Humor me, then."
Slade snorted, unlike him to seem fed up this soon in the game.
"I'm supposed to take him out of the picture. To make sure that my earlier promise to that "monster" stays firmly in place. But there is an issue. One small factor that will not allow me to rest."
"You're speaking of –
"Not, him. I don't know how to place it." Slade set the cover of his laptop down and sighed. "I feel like I'm questioning if he's worth killing at this point. It feels like I'm just playing the Joker. Maybe we should –
"Are you pitying the boy, Slade Wilson? And who is this, We? Hmm?"
The half - reborn skeletal man nodded and scratched his chin, embarrassed that he'd brought up such a thing. A brush of light hit the side of his face that still had a tuft or two of white hair to it. "Perhaps I'm just trying not to think about much else…"
"You'll have your body back for the sake of a few children; those same teenage children that tried to bloody, kill you! They are just as dangerous, and yet how do you think this will effect your losses, hm? I certainly don't want to be sacrificed to your new "partner." Will huffed back, vehemently speaking of the man Slade was killing for. "You made a choice. Pulling out now would be purely, suicide!"
Slade eyed down Wintergreen as his one socket narrowed a bit.
Slade grunted and eyed the window across from his bed. "It would be to such dire consequences. We made a plan, Will. X won't speak of this. He can't."
"Can't he?" Wintergreen wondered, "If he is whom we had previously assumed of the thief behind the mask, then wouldn't you think he'd still have the heart to talk to someone about his experiences?"
"No, I wouldn't." Slade frowned at the question. Will shook his head in disapproval. "Honestly, what am I to do with the messes you've caused?"
Slade ignored the question. One's ambitious undertakings was never without its failures and victories. He'd had both, and had learned enough about the heroes to put them in the ground where he had lain for months. Screaming, trudging through the dirt, and trying to survive. He owed Robin that much by their time apart.
"Now, unless you need a pillow or a hard shot of whiskey, then do not call me again unless we are forced to flee from one of your long time rivals coming to the door. I doubt they will want to in this storm... That, would be more like the Slade I know."
"Will, it wasn't that I needed you to –
"You wanted my word that I'd stay with you while you'd returned to recover only half of your human body parts. I did as you requested, and as far as death is concerned for either of us, I'd rather just live out my days until I'm told that there is no other option to go back to the past for either of us. We were soldiers once that did as we were instructed to." Wintergreen told the AWOL assassin.
"If I had a nickel for every time you've brought up that speech –
"You've been busy investing in a new set of armor, specialized equipment. Gambling away the time that you have left – going after that…. Robin, fellow." He was discouraged as well with the result of Slade's prior conquests and yet, Wintergreen had "stuck it out." Robin's blackmail had been a challenge, a thrill. And yet, he had Stuck it out. Terra had been an even bigger job than she was ever worth, and yet "he'd stuck it out."
That's what a soldier did. They showed up, to grow up.
Like Slade should be doing. Staying away from a greater obsession than his own. That, boy wonder was going to put him back in the ground under solid rock, next to his last ex – apprentice.
"Think about how your life could be, right now. Once our demon is done and buried, you could move on to better –
"I'll think about it, then. For now, we wait and hope that the Titans stay out of my way this time." Slade laid himself back against the headboard of his master bed and lazily shut his remaining one eye. "I need to rest. Come wake me if you notice anything strange on the monitors."
"Besides the fact I'm catering to a skeleton – man, on hand and foot within his own home, then of course." Wintergreen nodded and with a snarky reply, he left to shut the door a light, as Slade rested in his cat - napping phase before he'd rise to see to his next to last mission Hopefully, while nearly back on his feet.
Skin and bone, but he wanted more than what could be granted to this undead, walking corpse 9f an apology assassin and criminal mind.
So very much, more.
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In the city, the grey had only fluctuated and taken over all of the sky, and as if an omen, it did not let up its hold over the senses of the heroes to this fair dwelling.
Incoming! A bird fell into the rainy puddles as a sneeze roared out of the one to crash land into its dirtied waters onto his tush.
"I've looked everywhere. I think sent us on a …."
Right beside Bb, the heroes braced themselves for another snot – filled onslaught.
One giraffe, armadillo, and goose out of irony to the question after –
Raven could not help but finish her teammate's prior sentence, "Wild goose chase?" She asked sarcastically with a frown, while Bb reverted to his snot – dripping human self.
"Can I please go lie down now?" half – begged the morphing Titan.
Cy checked his arm as something made his senses return to the chase by Bb's comment.
"I've run a complete sweep of the city's seismic faults. They're all clean." He said, "I'm thinking, this all this "seismic – generator" stuff is just another one of Slade's tricks." It sounded like a thought, but Raven wasn't all too convinced as she wasn't the only one to believe this night's outcome to be any less surreal. From the air, they'd seen another fly over to join in this puzzling deduction of the return of a mad man.
Starfire came to land just behind Cy, as she wasn't looking any less restless than her other teammates. Something had happened. Raven could sense a growing discontent and waited to have the alien tell them about her findings.
"I am not so certain that Slade is behind this."
Cyborg defensively spoke up, "What happened? Where's Robin?" The last time, he'd ended up not coming back. This was a problem. Cy was a big bro to all the heroes. Robin, included. This had to be why Star was so downtrodden. And why he was now interrogating her for the sake of the spikey haired brat.
"Robin…has elected to search on his own."
The heroes looked taken aback. For the confession from Star's wobbling lips was a terrible omen to come across.
Raven furrowed her brow.
~ Bad move, Starfire. He probably talked you into letting him hunt after his own shadow, again. ~
Bb gawked and craned his neck a bit, "Huh? Why?"
Robin was stubborn, and that was the only reason any soldier would march to their death without a plan b…. or, any back - up.
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Raven watched from her end as Starfire's oldest concerns had come to light in the midst of their current debacle.
She tried to watch Starfire as the alien said her side. It didn't fit, but with Slade that was a common misconception.
"He said he saw Slade. I tried to see him, I truly did, but...I could not." She sounded defeated. Completely pushed away, just as the very time with Robin prancing around in that Red X suit and mask.
"I have never seen Robin so angry...so angry at me…"
Cy came up to put an assuring hand onto Star's shaken shoulder blade.
Raven bit her lip and Bb just kept his mouth shut.
"Let's go find Robin," Was what the eldest Titan put onto the table. That gut feeling was intense.
Robin and Slade…Of course, the fact that he'd ever still been as obsessed as during Slade's first run in with the heroes…
She had no choice but to wish for some common ground. They cared for Robin, they wanted him to snap out of whatever Starfire had spoken about him committing.
Was he hurt? Should they worry?
Was he, dangerous?
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A part of this is defending detachment and apathy. However, Robin is deathly afraid of not only hurting his friends by his actions, but by his life being put in danger because of the same person he'd gone to find.
So, will this justify the means? Why not try to pull over to Gotham City for now for a quick view of a certain Red X…
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We pan forth into the week, as the trip with X might need some clearing up. So, Robin is back in his hour, while X's story will be later in the same week… To the reader, it is a cut – away. So, do keep watching to see where this misery of theirs may lead the two. X hero and still functioning hero are currently in denial.
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X wasn't going to need an invitation as his persona wearing self. Leslie relented and he got in sooner, running out to nab the perfect disguise.
As of today, he wondered how long this would take up to. An hour, tops?
He took out his fake I.D and walked up to the steps towards a weathered office building in the gloomy city of Gotham, downtown.
Dr. Leslie. She had talked to Bruce about the Joker and Ra's….But, what about the nemesis of someone else's?
He wanted to be sure she'd keep her end.
Leslie, was a friend to fan and foe of the hero and villain game. She didn't see them as being total bad guys until the gavel fell.
And for sure. He didn't want that shrink to poke around in his mind for too long. The train ride had ripped up his budget and he'd be eating take out for a month if this kept up.
When that wasn't the worst part, either.
Losing your business and street cred to a returned – from - the - dead -mastermind. Yeah, that took the cake.
He had to get it out, find out what could come out…of his mouth within getting put onto DS's naughty list.
The door opened as "Mr. Jackson" walked in with a set of shades over his green eyes, and a rather large brown coat over his shoulders.
October, once again ladies and gents.
It blew chunks.
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He sat in the waiting room and had only a little bit of paperwork to complete. Guessing the stolen credit was what got him in with Les, she'd be the judge of his permanent record AFTER their session. By tonight, he could have room to finally breathe again.
"Mr. Jackson? You can go in; Dr. Leslie will be with you shortly."
"Thank you." Red got up and adjusted his things.
He had to act as if he had little to hide.
Well, it was in his stance. He was still asking for the door to freedom. Slade could gut him wide open for this…
He took a breath. That's it. Just, breathe.
Wishing he could have said the same for Chuckles, who was already getting into as much trouble as the thief already had on that, one stormy night.
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Taking you back to the scene that has spanned a decade in regards to mental health, we cut now over to Robin and his discovery.
With this in mind, please try to understand how this dramatization of PTSD can confuse and not to take it as strongly to heart.
As for the hero's predicament?
Walking into this dark mirror of a half – life, Robin tried to be brave.
He couldn't stop thinking about the past. Of the miserable man and his master plans.
How he'd hated everything the crook stood for, and had almost lost far more for disobeying the criminal.
His life.
Friends.
Loyalty.
His future –
And it was done, forever no more.
Why? Why? Why was it so hard…
Robin came upon the loathsome dais; a throne made for a fallen king. For his time searching for clues, coming back to the scene of the crime always ate away at him whenever the urge returned…
The nausea was there, but dim as an ember. His gut was telling him to sleep it off, to try and move on.
He wouldn't listen and with a swipe of his finger over the dust that coated the evil man's throne, a blur passed from behind to again steal away his breath.
Around him the reflection of his own form, bruised and unable to take in much more as the glass monitors no longer posed a threat, but a blur took him from his memories in this house of mirrors he'd wandered into.
Only one person had such a miraculous ability to steal the spotlight from the boy wonder. Robin gaped up, then gritted his fists.
Slade.
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Above him on the catwalk.
Only cowards knew where to run and hide. He had to try. The city and his team were both at stake if Slade won this time.
Robin sought after the shadows that danced across his sights. The grappling hook held closest to his hip, the hero waits for the mad man to make his next move.
A broken set of giant gears; turning on a teetering axel. They were still broken, but pivoting to and fro as a working pendulum, creaking loudly in Robin's ears… Most would call this a bad omen, but you can be the judge.
Above him? In the rafters? No, up on the catwalk. The hero decided to check out his supposed hunch to be sure... There was no sky down here to find. Only darkness, and dust.
" So, here we are again. The old haunt. Just the two of us."
The man would be smiling by the way he'd clearly purred out his words to the teen, who was waiting to finish his nemesis off – right into the hard ground. Still standing, Robin stiffened at the sound of that drawl. He'd tried to stay attentive, to be brave like Batman could only hope to be.
He isn't the dark knight, and this isn't the joker he's chasing to his –
"Slade! Show yourself! Come out and fight!" Robin angrily goaded the villain on; his heart ramped up to maximum as it beat away. The heat of this hollow; encasing his skin, allowed his hidden rage to set in.
He couldn't help that he wanted to win this fight so badly. Batman would never –
Slade was there, atop a mountain of large, tossed away and rotting gears – his new tower to topple as Robin instantly was drawn to that mound.
As if an absolutely perfect being, Slade nearly held out his arms as if to greet the hero, to make him feel welcomed within this tainted room of past beatings and foul tactics meant only to break him.
"Relax, Robin. I'm not going anywhere."
Those evil words choked Robin's resolve, brushed him in all of the wrong ways as many dozens of cords round his voice box grew to be ten times as taught as before. All to whittle him down into nothing but what Slade had wanted. He wouldn't give in. Not yet, not while he was still here, fighting.
Robin relented and went for the tower of broken gears; he climbed up the steep mound, until –
At the very tip of the mountain, it finally gave way. Slade had already gotten farther away from his eyes, but Robin could tell that he wasn't alone.
He was almost never, alone as he felt himself falling.
With no one to catch him, not anyone.
Not even Slade.
As he tried not to let out a scream.
For down below, he'd certainly find his answers to this mystery that he'd been searching for.
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Not the end! We still have a med bay and the basement. Cut! So, if this is to any degree ok, please review! I got to becoming…. a bit poetic into the last few parts but I hope it flows at least.
Next chapter – stay curious and read on as always!