Chapter 5
The Titans assembled in the main room, each wearing an expression of intense worry.
Robin paced in front of them, muttering to himself as he strode around the room. Raven finally entered, and he looked up impatiently.
"It's Slade." He told them unnecessarily. "He's launching a major attack against the bridge. Robots are breaking through the cables, soon the whole thing is going to go under, with a whole bunch of people on it."
"We have to stop him!" Beast Boy piped up, "We can't let those people get hurt!"
"Yes, we must keep Slade from doing harm to innocent people." Starfire chimed in.
"And we can finally kick his ass!" Cyborg yelled, punching a fist into the air.
"We have to be careful though," Raven said, the group turning to look at her, "This is probably a trap."
"It doesn't matter, we have to try and rescue them!" Robin shot back.
Raven flipped up her hood, covering her eyes. "Fine."
"Let's go!" Cyborg yelled from his position near the door.
The other Titans raced out the door, leaving Raven to her thoughts.
A gentle hand on her arm made her look up for a moment.
"I know you're worried." Beast Boy told her, with an uncharacteristic seriousness, "But if we look out for each other, we should be safe."
"I hope so. I don't think the team could take another blow after what we've already been through."
OOOOO
The Titans raced to the bridge, seeing the chaos Slade had caused almost immediately.
Robots swarmed over the entire thing, covering nearly every inch. Terrified people, trapped on the bridge during the attack, sat huddled on the tops of their cars, menaced by robots if they even though about escape.
"Teen Titans! Go!" Robin yelled, leaping into the fray.
Starfire and Raven hovered up over the mess below to attack the robots that were busy demolishing the bridge.
"Boo yah!" Cyborg yelled, powering up his cannon. He aimed it at a robot and fired, the blast forcing him back a step. He grinned as the smoke cleared, then stepped back with an expression of shock, as the very same robot reared out of the carnage and attacked him. Grappling with it, he stumbled, going down under it's assault.
Starfire became separated from Raven, blasting the robots with starbolts to no avail. A swarming mass of robots rose off the bridge and flew toward her, firing laser blasts. She ducked and dodged, performing a nearly impossible array of twists and dives to avoid each of their blasts. She fired at them several times when the opportunity presented itself, but the starbolts bounced harmlessly away.
Raven summoned her powers and surrounded herself in a protective bubble to keep herself safe from the robots assaults. How does he know?! Her mind screamed. Her attacks were useless, deflected by protective shields the instant she unleashed them.
Her mind was in an uproar as she watched Starfire manage to destroy a single robot, a tiny dent when compared with the multitudes attacking them. Cyborg had disappeared a while ago, save for the angry screams that echoed around the bridge. Beast Boy was trying desperately to avoid a single large robot, which seemed intent on crushing him, despite his efforts to evade it. Robin fought off the robots from a small family, a husband, wife and daughter. Never managing to destroy the creatures, just deflect their shots so they didn't injure the terrified people. Raven hovered down and surrounded the family in a protective shield of her power.
"We're losing! We need to pull back and figure out what to do!"
Robin glared at her, his mask concealing the expression in his eyes. "If we leave now Slade wins! We're not going anywhere!"
"Do you think it will matter who wins if we're all dead!" She screamed at him, her anger getting the better of her for a moment and shattering her concentration.
"Just get the family out of here!" He ordered angrily.
She hoisted the bubble, concentrating on setting it outside the range of the laser fire. Sweat poured down her face. It was so hard to concentrate... All the noise, the screams, the laser fire... Her concentration slipped and the bubble plunged. She managed to grab it at the last minute, hoisting it to safety. She let her power flow away, visibly shaking from the strain.
A desperate scream cut through the air, causing her to look up. Star plunged into the water below, the water turning crimson from the blood pouring out of a laser wound in her side.
"Star! No!" Raven cried out, unable to do anything as a robot swooped down, scooping her from the water and carried her away.
"Star!" Robin leapt over a few robots, but the others surrounded him, keeping him from rescuing her.
As exhausted as she was, Raven managed to fend off a few attacks from the oncoming robots. The final shot caught her unaware, she could only watch as it sped toward her, too late to summon a barrier between her and it.
Beast Boy leaped toward her, shoving her off the car and to safety as the beam hit him instead.
"Beast Boy!" She screamed, pulling herself over to his still form.
She grabbed his hand, squeezing it desperately. "Please don't be dead..."
His eyes fluttered open and he grinned weakly. "Would you miss me if I was?"
She choked on a sob, forcing herself to check him over for wounds. The shot had caught him in the shoulder, burning a single hole directly through his arm. Without thinking, she ripped a strip of cloth off her cape and bandaged his arm, the same as he had done for her years ago.
He winced, but remained silent as she pressed her palm to the wound to stop the bleeding.
"We're not going to make it out of here, are we?" He whispered to her, the hopelessness of the situation weighing down on him.
"Sure we will..." She murmured, trying not to cry. "We'll be fine... We just-"
He ignored her stuttering explanation, knowing she was only trying to make him feel better. "Just listen..." She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
"We're not getting out of here. We're all probably going to die. But I want-" He broke off, unsure of what to say, but it didn't matter, she already understood.
She leaned in and kissed him, holding him as if she was afraid of losing him. He kissed her back, allowing himself for the briefest second to relax and forget everything except the feel of her lips on his.
They separated and she smiled weakly. "Beast Boy... I... I-"
A robot threw the car away from them, revealing their hiding place at last. The monstrous machine reached down and grabbed Raven, throwing her away, before leaning down to grab Beast Boy, who by now, was struggling desperately to get away.
Raven didn't even have to worry about hitting the ground. She was picked up by a machine and it carried her away, unconscious, leaving the boys to face the onslaught alone.
"Raven!" Beast Boy yelled as he squirmed futilely against the grip of a robot as it lifted off and carried him away.
Cyborg was not far behind as his hard-drive crashed and the robots swarmed over him to carry him away as well.
Leaving Robin to face the robots alone. Low laughter interrupted him as he fought off the advances of the robots. The robots immediately stopped moving, all eyes trained on a point just behind Robin.
"You're the last I see. Although I expected no less of you Robin."
Breathing heavily, he turned to face the man that had haunted his dreams for so long. "Slade..."
"I suppose you're wondering how I managed to defeat you so easily. It was quite simple really. And actually, I have you to thank for it."
"What are you talking about?" Robin asked angrily.
"You know... When I captured you two years ago. I took your memories Robin, everything about you. Your likes, dislikes, feelings, emotions. But most importantly I took your memories. Everything you had ever learned about your friends, the Tower, your own weapons. And then I let your friends take you back. Because I didn't need you any more. Then I waited, planned for so long. Until today. I was finally ready. And so my planning comes to fruition. Your friends are captured, about to die, my robots are overrunning the city as we speak and Robin? It's all thanks to you."
Robin wanted to deny it, wanted to smash Slade's mask apart and pummel him until he begged for mercy. But the worst part was... He was right. Robin had sentenced his friends to death. And there was nothing he could do about it.
The robots surrounded Robin, who gave in without a fight, dropping his staff as they secured him and dragged him away.
OOOOO
Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update. Family trip to Wisconsin for a Great Aunt's memorial. (VERY LONG DRIVE!) Oh well. I hope you like the newest chapter. The next will start with... Well, you'll just have to read and find out. Suffice to say it will be long. And it should be good. Although I'm starting to wonder if I've lost my flair...?
MysteryMaiden7
The Titans assembled in the main room, each wearing an expression of intense worry.
Robin paced in front of them, muttering to himself as he strode around the room. Raven finally entered, and he looked up impatiently.
"It's Slade." He told them unnecessarily. "He's launching a major attack against the bridge. Robots are breaking through the cables, soon the whole thing is going to go under, with a whole bunch of people on it."
"We have to stop him!" Beast Boy piped up, "We can't let those people get hurt!"
"Yes, we must keep Slade from doing harm to innocent people." Starfire chimed in.
"And we can finally kick his ass!" Cyborg yelled, punching a fist into the air.
"We have to be careful though," Raven said, the group turning to look at her, "This is probably a trap."
"It doesn't matter, we have to try and rescue them!" Robin shot back.
Raven flipped up her hood, covering her eyes. "Fine."
"Let's go!" Cyborg yelled from his position near the door.
The other Titans raced out the door, leaving Raven to her thoughts.
A gentle hand on her arm made her look up for a moment.
"I know you're worried." Beast Boy told her, with an uncharacteristic seriousness, "But if we look out for each other, we should be safe."
"I hope so. I don't think the team could take another blow after what we've already been through."
OOOOO
The Titans raced to the bridge, seeing the chaos Slade had caused almost immediately.
Robots swarmed over the entire thing, covering nearly every inch. Terrified people, trapped on the bridge during the attack, sat huddled on the tops of their cars, menaced by robots if they even though about escape.
"Teen Titans! Go!" Robin yelled, leaping into the fray.
Starfire and Raven hovered up over the mess below to attack the robots that were busy demolishing the bridge.
"Boo yah!" Cyborg yelled, powering up his cannon. He aimed it at a robot and fired, the blast forcing him back a step. He grinned as the smoke cleared, then stepped back with an expression of shock, as the very same robot reared out of the carnage and attacked him. Grappling with it, he stumbled, going down under it's assault.
Starfire became separated from Raven, blasting the robots with starbolts to no avail. A swarming mass of robots rose off the bridge and flew toward her, firing laser blasts. She ducked and dodged, performing a nearly impossible array of twists and dives to avoid each of their blasts. She fired at them several times when the opportunity presented itself, but the starbolts bounced harmlessly away.
Raven summoned her powers and surrounded herself in a protective bubble to keep herself safe from the robots assaults. How does he know?! Her mind screamed. Her attacks were useless, deflected by protective shields the instant she unleashed them.
Her mind was in an uproar as she watched Starfire manage to destroy a single robot, a tiny dent when compared with the multitudes attacking them. Cyborg had disappeared a while ago, save for the angry screams that echoed around the bridge. Beast Boy was trying desperately to avoid a single large robot, which seemed intent on crushing him, despite his efforts to evade it. Robin fought off the robots from a small family, a husband, wife and daughter. Never managing to destroy the creatures, just deflect their shots so they didn't injure the terrified people. Raven hovered down and surrounded the family in a protective shield of her power.
"We're losing! We need to pull back and figure out what to do!"
Robin glared at her, his mask concealing the expression in his eyes. "If we leave now Slade wins! We're not going anywhere!"
"Do you think it will matter who wins if we're all dead!" She screamed at him, her anger getting the better of her for a moment and shattering her concentration.
"Just get the family out of here!" He ordered angrily.
She hoisted the bubble, concentrating on setting it outside the range of the laser fire. Sweat poured down her face. It was so hard to concentrate... All the noise, the screams, the laser fire... Her concentration slipped and the bubble plunged. She managed to grab it at the last minute, hoisting it to safety. She let her power flow away, visibly shaking from the strain.
A desperate scream cut through the air, causing her to look up. Star plunged into the water below, the water turning crimson from the blood pouring out of a laser wound in her side.
"Star! No!" Raven cried out, unable to do anything as a robot swooped down, scooping her from the water and carried her away.
"Star!" Robin leapt over a few robots, but the others surrounded him, keeping him from rescuing her.
As exhausted as she was, Raven managed to fend off a few attacks from the oncoming robots. The final shot caught her unaware, she could only watch as it sped toward her, too late to summon a barrier between her and it.
Beast Boy leaped toward her, shoving her off the car and to safety as the beam hit him instead.
"Beast Boy!" She screamed, pulling herself over to his still form.
She grabbed his hand, squeezing it desperately. "Please don't be dead..."
His eyes fluttered open and he grinned weakly. "Would you miss me if I was?"
She choked on a sob, forcing herself to check him over for wounds. The shot had caught him in the shoulder, burning a single hole directly through his arm. Without thinking, she ripped a strip of cloth off her cape and bandaged his arm, the same as he had done for her years ago.
He winced, but remained silent as she pressed her palm to the wound to stop the bleeding.
"We're not going to make it out of here, are we?" He whispered to her, the hopelessness of the situation weighing down on him.
"Sure we will..." She murmured, trying not to cry. "We'll be fine... We just-"
He ignored her stuttering explanation, knowing she was only trying to make him feel better. "Just listen..." She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
"We're not getting out of here. We're all probably going to die. But I want-" He broke off, unsure of what to say, but it didn't matter, she already understood.
She leaned in and kissed him, holding him as if she was afraid of losing him. He kissed her back, allowing himself for the briefest second to relax and forget everything except the feel of her lips on his.
They separated and she smiled weakly. "Beast Boy... I... I-"
A robot threw the car away from them, revealing their hiding place at last. The monstrous machine reached down and grabbed Raven, throwing her away, before leaning down to grab Beast Boy, who by now, was struggling desperately to get away.
Raven didn't even have to worry about hitting the ground. She was picked up by a machine and it carried her away, unconscious, leaving the boys to face the onslaught alone.
"Raven!" Beast Boy yelled as he squirmed futilely against the grip of a robot as it lifted off and carried him away.
Cyborg was not far behind as his hard-drive crashed and the robots swarmed over him to carry him away as well.
Leaving Robin to face the robots alone. Low laughter interrupted him as he fought off the advances of the robots. The robots immediately stopped moving, all eyes trained on a point just behind Robin.
"You're the last I see. Although I expected no less of you Robin."
Breathing heavily, he turned to face the man that had haunted his dreams for so long. "Slade..."
"I suppose you're wondering how I managed to defeat you so easily. It was quite simple really. And actually, I have you to thank for it."
"What are you talking about?" Robin asked angrily.
"You know... When I captured you two years ago. I took your memories Robin, everything about you. Your likes, dislikes, feelings, emotions. But most importantly I took your memories. Everything you had ever learned about your friends, the Tower, your own weapons. And then I let your friends take you back. Because I didn't need you any more. Then I waited, planned for so long. Until today. I was finally ready. And so my planning comes to fruition. Your friends are captured, about to die, my robots are overrunning the city as we speak and Robin? It's all thanks to you."
Robin wanted to deny it, wanted to smash Slade's mask apart and pummel him until he begged for mercy. But the worst part was... He was right. Robin had sentenced his friends to death. And there was nothing he could do about it.
The robots surrounded Robin, who gave in without a fight, dropping his staff as they secured him and dragged him away.
OOOOO
Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update. Family trip to Wisconsin for a Great Aunt's memorial. (VERY LONG DRIVE!) Oh well. I hope you like the newest chapter. The next will start with... Well, you'll just have to read and find out. Suffice to say it will be long. And it should be good. Although I'm starting to wonder if I've lost my flair...?
MysteryMaiden7