Chapter 3
The Titans ran for the Tower, hoping against hope that Slade hadn't activated the defense grid, but willing to deal with it if he had.
However, they reached the front door without mishap.
"We need something to block us in case of laser fire." Star commanded, falling into the roll of leader so quickly it bothered her. Without speaking, Raven summoned a glowing black shield. She extended it to the exact width and height of the door, before entering first.
Laser fire ricocheted off the shield, slamming against the walls and sides of the hallway, but none passing the shimmering black to hit any of the Titans. Raven dropped the shield allowing the others to open fire and fell back as blasts from Cyborg's cannon and a barrage of starbolts caught the robots directly, blowing them apart.
The Titans proceeded through the hall, destroying the army of robots that came toward them. Although they no longer had Robin, the Titans knew the Towe'rs every corridor and hallway. Information Slade didn't have. They also knew the best way to approach the main room- the room they hoped Robin was being held in.
Star opted for the in-your-face tactic, hoping it would take Slade by surprise, although not much did. She blasted the door open, the other Titans rushing through in her wake.
The room was silent for a moment. The Titans looked around astonished. Hundreds of robots filled the room, climbing on the ceilings, the walls, the floor. Each robot seemed frozen for a moment, before turning to regard the intruders with their robotic eyes.
The view screen on the far wall flickered to life, Slade's face appearing like a bad dream.
"Ah, Titans. I thought you would come back. And Starfire too this time. We missed you last time my dear."
"Where is Robin?" She said furiously, her eyes glowing an angry green.
"With me of course. So noble of him to sacrifice himself so you could all run like cowards."
"Don't listen to him." Raven said quietly. "He's just trying to mess with us."
"But if you'd like him back, you'll have to come and get him."
The view screen flickered off, and, like a switch had been thrown, the robots all began to attack.
All the Titans would have been destroyed in the initial attack, so unexpected was it, but Raven threw a glowing orb around them all, sheltering them from the lasers.
When the firing stopped, the Titans emerged blasting before the robots had time to reload and recover.
Starbolts seemed to pour from Star's hands as she summoned and threw them as quickly as she could manage, hardly stopping for an instant. Cyborg forgot about hand-to-hand fighting and used every weapon he had, lasers and cannon fire raining down. Raven was weaker than the others, but she continued to fight, dodging laser blasts, blocking those she couldn't, destroying robots at every opportunity. Despite her insistence that she didn't need him, Beast Boy continued to fight at her side, changing so rapidly, he looked like a blur of green.
So intent on protecting themselves, that for several minutes after, they didn't realize the robots were all destroyed. Breathing heavily, Starfire returned to the view screen, summoning up Slade's image.
"Anyone have any idea where he is?" She demanded, her voice edged with ice.
Raven stepped up to the keyboard, manipulating a few knobs. The image extended, until a single spot was visible.
"I think that's a window." She twisted the dial once more bringing the image into sharper focus. It was a window, barely visible in the overall picture, but obvious when spotted.
"You can see the Tower through it." She pointed out, though it was hardly necessary anymore. "If you take the angle it's at, in addition to the placement of the stars around it..." Typing busily, she didn't react when Beast Boy stepped up beside her.
"A warehouse on the west side." She said finally. "I can't pinpoint the location any better than that."
"There's about seven." Beast Boy said, looking at the map Raven had brought up on the screen. "We'll have to search them all."
Without another word, the Titans took off, leaving behind the wreckage of the robots and the Tower.
They arrived at the warehouses, landing silently on the docks near them.
Star set her fingers to her lips, though it was hardly necessary, and opened the first door with barely a whisper of sound. She glanced inside, her eyes glowing a light green, then shoved open the door.
"Empty." She told the others, rejoining them.
They nodded and moved on to the next, searching each before venturing to the next.
They stood silently in front of the last. Star spread out her arm, indicating where they should position themselves. She set her hand on the knob, then retracted it. Summoning a starbolt, she slammed the door with everything she had, blowing it off it's hinges and into the darkness inside.
The Titans rushed forward, each prepared for the worst. Star first, the others close behind her, she raced into the darkness. An explosion made the ground shudder as she turned back to realize a second door had slammed into place, trapping the other Titans outside. Rage threatened to overtake her. Trembling with anger, she turned to face what awaited her.
Slade stood alone. Holding Robin's limp body in his arms. Silently, he set Robin down on the floor. Then, dropping into a defensive crouch, he motioned at her.
Starfire leapt over Robin's prone body and attacked Slade head-on. Dodging her volley of starbolts, he was caught off guard by the punch she aimed at his stomach. Packed with the destructive power of a starbolt, it blew him off his feet and into the far wall. Flipping in mid-air he struck the wall feet-first, flipping back to land in front of her. He struck out in a punch, but when she ducked to dodge, he caught her with a kick. Skidding across the floor, she came to rest near Robin. She pushed herself to her knees, her eyes aglow with hatred.
He was closer than she thought. Yanking her head up by the hair, his eyes froze her inside and out. "Pathetic." He slammed with fist into her face, causing her to cry out and hover into the air to escape him. Her nose bled freely, the crimson blood flowing down to stain her clothing.
"Pathetic." He repeated again, laughing with malice. "I do not know why Robin fights for you. You are beneath him. It demeans him to be seen with you pathetic creatures."
"That's not true." Slade twitched and whirled on Robin as he picked himself up from the floor unsteadily. "They're my friends."
Star slammed into Slade from behind, throwing him into the shadows near the back of the warehouse.
"This isn't over!" He yelled, as he turned and ran into the shadows.
Star turned to follow him, but stopped when Robin sank to his knees on the floor. She instantly floated down to him, gingerly helping him to his feet.
"Are you injured?" She asked worriedly, her eyes wide.
"Nothing too bad. Where are the others?"
"Slade locked them out... I only hope nothing has happened to them..."
Star raised one hand keeping the other around Robin's waist, a glowing starbolt encasing her fist. She threw it at the metal door, that, with an extraordinary explosion, blasted open.
Coughing from the dust, Star led Robin outside to see her friends finishing off the last of a group of robots.
"Robin! Star!" Cyborg ran over as soon as he caught sight of them. "Damn Star! When that door closed on us we thought... We were trying to get in but the robots attacked, man, if Raven hadn't blocked us... Where's Slade? What happened in there?"
Supporting Robin still, Star remained silent for a moment after the barrage of questions. "Slade was alone. We fought, but he got away."
"Star, are you hurt?" Robin asked, finally noting the blood stains on her outfit, the darkness having concealed them earlier.
"It is nothing." She told him, ignoring her injuries. Beast Boy walked over, supporting an exhausted Raven.
"It's good to see you." She told Robin with a small smile.
"And you." He responded, "I'm glad you're all right."
"So where do we go from here?" Star said, wiping blood from her face with her free hand.
"Back to the Tower." Robin said. "We'll have to start over."
OOOOO
They've fallen straight into my trap, the naive fools.
They have no idea what I have in store for them.
And they won't. Not until it's too late.
OOOOO
Author's Note: My next section of this story will begin two years later. After Slade has had time to form his master plan. I'll start again when the Titans get attacked and continue from there. Keep R&Ring! Thanks!
MysteryMaiden7
The Titans ran for the Tower, hoping against hope that Slade hadn't activated the defense grid, but willing to deal with it if he had.
However, they reached the front door without mishap.
"We need something to block us in case of laser fire." Star commanded, falling into the roll of leader so quickly it bothered her. Without speaking, Raven summoned a glowing black shield. She extended it to the exact width and height of the door, before entering first.
Laser fire ricocheted off the shield, slamming against the walls and sides of the hallway, but none passing the shimmering black to hit any of the Titans. Raven dropped the shield allowing the others to open fire and fell back as blasts from Cyborg's cannon and a barrage of starbolts caught the robots directly, blowing them apart.
The Titans proceeded through the hall, destroying the army of robots that came toward them. Although they no longer had Robin, the Titans knew the Towe'rs every corridor and hallway. Information Slade didn't have. They also knew the best way to approach the main room- the room they hoped Robin was being held in.
Star opted for the in-your-face tactic, hoping it would take Slade by surprise, although not much did. She blasted the door open, the other Titans rushing through in her wake.
The room was silent for a moment. The Titans looked around astonished. Hundreds of robots filled the room, climbing on the ceilings, the walls, the floor. Each robot seemed frozen for a moment, before turning to regard the intruders with their robotic eyes.
The view screen on the far wall flickered to life, Slade's face appearing like a bad dream.
"Ah, Titans. I thought you would come back. And Starfire too this time. We missed you last time my dear."
"Where is Robin?" She said furiously, her eyes glowing an angry green.
"With me of course. So noble of him to sacrifice himself so you could all run like cowards."
"Don't listen to him." Raven said quietly. "He's just trying to mess with us."
"But if you'd like him back, you'll have to come and get him."
The view screen flickered off, and, like a switch had been thrown, the robots all began to attack.
All the Titans would have been destroyed in the initial attack, so unexpected was it, but Raven threw a glowing orb around them all, sheltering them from the lasers.
When the firing stopped, the Titans emerged blasting before the robots had time to reload and recover.
Starbolts seemed to pour from Star's hands as she summoned and threw them as quickly as she could manage, hardly stopping for an instant. Cyborg forgot about hand-to-hand fighting and used every weapon he had, lasers and cannon fire raining down. Raven was weaker than the others, but she continued to fight, dodging laser blasts, blocking those she couldn't, destroying robots at every opportunity. Despite her insistence that she didn't need him, Beast Boy continued to fight at her side, changing so rapidly, he looked like a blur of green.
So intent on protecting themselves, that for several minutes after, they didn't realize the robots were all destroyed. Breathing heavily, Starfire returned to the view screen, summoning up Slade's image.
"Anyone have any idea where he is?" She demanded, her voice edged with ice.
Raven stepped up to the keyboard, manipulating a few knobs. The image extended, until a single spot was visible.
"I think that's a window." She twisted the dial once more bringing the image into sharper focus. It was a window, barely visible in the overall picture, but obvious when spotted.
"You can see the Tower through it." She pointed out, though it was hardly necessary anymore. "If you take the angle it's at, in addition to the placement of the stars around it..." Typing busily, she didn't react when Beast Boy stepped up beside her.
"A warehouse on the west side." She said finally. "I can't pinpoint the location any better than that."
"There's about seven." Beast Boy said, looking at the map Raven had brought up on the screen. "We'll have to search them all."
Without another word, the Titans took off, leaving behind the wreckage of the robots and the Tower.
They arrived at the warehouses, landing silently on the docks near them.
Star set her fingers to her lips, though it was hardly necessary, and opened the first door with barely a whisper of sound. She glanced inside, her eyes glowing a light green, then shoved open the door.
"Empty." She told the others, rejoining them.
They nodded and moved on to the next, searching each before venturing to the next.
They stood silently in front of the last. Star spread out her arm, indicating where they should position themselves. She set her hand on the knob, then retracted it. Summoning a starbolt, she slammed the door with everything she had, blowing it off it's hinges and into the darkness inside.
The Titans rushed forward, each prepared for the worst. Star first, the others close behind her, she raced into the darkness. An explosion made the ground shudder as she turned back to realize a second door had slammed into place, trapping the other Titans outside. Rage threatened to overtake her. Trembling with anger, she turned to face what awaited her.
Slade stood alone. Holding Robin's limp body in his arms. Silently, he set Robin down on the floor. Then, dropping into a defensive crouch, he motioned at her.
Starfire leapt over Robin's prone body and attacked Slade head-on. Dodging her volley of starbolts, he was caught off guard by the punch she aimed at his stomach. Packed with the destructive power of a starbolt, it blew him off his feet and into the far wall. Flipping in mid-air he struck the wall feet-first, flipping back to land in front of her. He struck out in a punch, but when she ducked to dodge, he caught her with a kick. Skidding across the floor, she came to rest near Robin. She pushed herself to her knees, her eyes aglow with hatred.
He was closer than she thought. Yanking her head up by the hair, his eyes froze her inside and out. "Pathetic." He slammed with fist into her face, causing her to cry out and hover into the air to escape him. Her nose bled freely, the crimson blood flowing down to stain her clothing.
"Pathetic." He repeated again, laughing with malice. "I do not know why Robin fights for you. You are beneath him. It demeans him to be seen with you pathetic creatures."
"That's not true." Slade twitched and whirled on Robin as he picked himself up from the floor unsteadily. "They're my friends."
Star slammed into Slade from behind, throwing him into the shadows near the back of the warehouse.
"This isn't over!" He yelled, as he turned and ran into the shadows.
Star turned to follow him, but stopped when Robin sank to his knees on the floor. She instantly floated down to him, gingerly helping him to his feet.
"Are you injured?" She asked worriedly, her eyes wide.
"Nothing too bad. Where are the others?"
"Slade locked them out... I only hope nothing has happened to them..."
Star raised one hand keeping the other around Robin's waist, a glowing starbolt encasing her fist. She threw it at the metal door, that, with an extraordinary explosion, blasted open.
Coughing from the dust, Star led Robin outside to see her friends finishing off the last of a group of robots.
"Robin! Star!" Cyborg ran over as soon as he caught sight of them. "Damn Star! When that door closed on us we thought... We were trying to get in but the robots attacked, man, if Raven hadn't blocked us... Where's Slade? What happened in there?"
Supporting Robin still, Star remained silent for a moment after the barrage of questions. "Slade was alone. We fought, but he got away."
"Star, are you hurt?" Robin asked, finally noting the blood stains on her outfit, the darkness having concealed them earlier.
"It is nothing." She told him, ignoring her injuries. Beast Boy walked over, supporting an exhausted Raven.
"It's good to see you." She told Robin with a small smile.
"And you." He responded, "I'm glad you're all right."
"So where do we go from here?" Star said, wiping blood from her face with her free hand.
"Back to the Tower." Robin said. "We'll have to start over."
OOOOO
They've fallen straight into my trap, the naive fools.
They have no idea what I have in store for them.
And they won't. Not until it's too late.
OOOOO
Author's Note: My next section of this story will begin two years later. After Slade has had time to form his master plan. I'll start again when the Titans get attacked and continue from there. Keep R&Ring! Thanks!
MysteryMaiden7