Summary: When the Titans go on a quest for Slade, they manage to bring him down, but the man behind the mask is not who Robin expected, and certainly not who he wanted it to be... One-shot Robin's P.O.V.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Teen Titans or any other characters in this fic, but the idea of Slade's true identity, though not the person himself, is mine. #
Unmasked
The alarm, again. Or should I say finally? I must say I've been waiting. I check the coordinates on my crime-alert device, secretly wishing it to be our arch-nemesis. It is. Slade. I have been attempting to take this villain down since the day Gizmo uttered his name as I clenched his forest-green collar within my grasp. I was so close, yet miles from the truth.
"Slade." I said to myself, though my 4 comrades heard me, and rushed off as fast as they'd arrived behind me, unnoticed. That name had pierced the darkness of my room as I slept so many times. That name had rung in my ears like the bells of Notre Dame. That 5-letter word had brought about the near destruction of the Titans, the city, and countless lives throughout the town. The man they called Slade.
I realized I was alone with my thoughts and took off to the shore where Starfire was awaiting to escort me across the large body of water, which separated our tower from Jump City. She gave me her usual beaming, candy-coated smile as she lifted me into the air, being sure to set me down gently next to my R-Cycle. As she flew off silently, I revved the engine and sped off. Our target was Slade.
I followed the coordinates on my R-Cycle's built-in navigational system. We had a lock on him. This was surprising, I admitted to myself, mentally coming to the conclusion that it was most likely a trap, as always. I almost wished he would just confront us head-on, but our enemy was smart and cunning. I knew that, and so did he.
Cyborg's T-car came into view up ahead, as did Starfire and Beast Boy, who'd taken the form of a green eagle. Raven had to have been riding with Cyborg. Without warning, the ground in front of his car burst up in a flurry of dirt and cement and I managed to hit my brakes and skid to a stop before hitting the T-car. The cause of the explosion was apparently Cinderblock, one of Slade's "minions".
"You guys take care of him, I'll track down Slade!" I called to my fellow Titans as they began to do battle with the creature, taking off on my R-Cycle without waiting for a reply. I wanted to go to him. I needed to go to him. He was mine to deal with, and mine alone. I knew the Titans would object; that's why I took off so quickly. I knew they could handle that oaf of a villain, it was Slade that was the mastermind.
I followed the signal into an abandoned single-floor parking garage. I hopped off my R-Cycle and engaged its security feature, staring into the dark, stone structure. The sun was setting behind me as I entered the place, crouching under the flimsy yellow rusted metal of the gate. Rubble and dirt littered the floor of the forsaken building and I found myself coughing from the contaminated air.
"Robin, Robin, Robin." My name echoed off the stone walls in the voice of my arch-nemesis. "I thought I taught you better than to walk strait into a trap."
The voice seemed to come from everywhere, I couldn't located the source.
"Slade!" I growled, "Show yourself!"
Silence, then a menacing and quiet chuckle rang throughout the building.
"Patience, Robin, patience." His voice was calm and malicious as ever. "I will show myself when the time is right."
"I'm sick of waiting, I demand you fight me, man to man, NOW!" I found it difficult to control the rage that was boiling to the surface, threatening to take over my actions. I was unable to stop myself from throwing an explosive disk into the dark abyss in front of me, and soon regretted in when I was thrown back by the force of the blast. I stood, coughing once more.
"More like man to boy, you are still a child, Robin." His words were nothing but poison, meant to fuel my rage. I knew that, but even that knowledge could not suppress the anger swelling up inside of me. I knew that if I even saw a glint of his orange and black mask that I would start lashing out at him like a bloodthirsty animal.
"I am no child and I will prove it; I've defeated you before!" I growled loudly, getting into a battle stance. I felt myself itching to fight him.
"Have you, now?" Then I saw it, the single eye on the orange side, the left side of his face. His metal-clad body soon came into view as he strode out of the darkness, fists clenched at his side. "Well the, Robin, let us see if you can do it 'again'."
I couldn't restrain myself any longer; I lunged at Slade with a battle cry and swung at him with a flurry of kicks and punches, giving no strategy or names to the moves. I didn't feel in control of my actions. He swung furiously and I blocked automatically. I would win! He was blocking quickly and frantically, as if surprised by my anger. He caused it, and he would feel its wrath!
Slade growled in pain when I managed to surpass his block and land a hooked punch on his masked cheek. A slight crack formed near the grate of a mouth hole and my enemy rubbed the area.
"Not bad, Robin, your skills are improving." He managed an approving tone.
"I could care less about your opinion, Slade. I'm not here for your praise, I'm here for answers." I spat, totally confident within myself. I felt invincible. I knew I could defeat him this time.
"To what questions, may I ask?" He kept his calm and chilling tone, though it ceased to phase me; I knew he was just buying time.
"Who are you?" I yelled, giving my voice its turn to echo across the large expanse of darkness and concrete.
"I am Slade." His voice was chilling once more, but my sheer irritation kept me from faltering.
"Who's the man behind the mask." I tried again, more specifically. His mind games could be treacherous.
"Now, Robin, you should know..." I noticed him put his arm behind his back. "...that curiosity killed the CAT!"
He threw what I assumed were explosive devices at me, at which I brandished my retractable bo-staff and whacked them in his direction. They exploded mid-air in front of him. I coughed as the dust kicked up, waving my hand in front of me to help it clear.
"You should know that a Robin is a bird, Slade." I couldn't help allowing that comment to slip off my tongue. Cocky though it was, it felt great to say. After a bit of searching, I found my enemy. What I saw, though, was horrific. He'd been thrown back into a pile of rubble, and a long, metal pole now stuck out from his chest. I never meant to kill him, never in my life. I knelt by him to see he was still breathing.
"Hn. This is why I needed to stop you, Robin." He grunted softly, then his head dropped. He was dead. Now was the moment I had waited for, worked for, killed for. I reached up to grasp the bottom of his mask, sweat beading down my forehead and cheeks. I had gone through so much to get to this point. I had betrayed my friends and disguised myself as a villain, Red X, to gain his trust, though I failed. I had put my friends in danger and became his apprentice to save them. I had seen him corrupt the mind of our powerful friend Terra, and even watched as he brought about her demise. This was my reward. My long awaited reward.
I nearly hesitated as I pulled back the article, tossing it to the side before gazing upon the lifeless face. As I did, I froze. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. It was my father figure, it was my mentor, my hero, my savior, my life. It was Batman. It was Bruce Wayne.
I slowly rose to my feet, my body shaking furiously, the realization racking my body with intense tremors. I had to get away, for now I knew. I staggered out of the building and placed a bomb above the door, detonating it when I was a safe distance away. That would be his grave, and his secret he would take to his grave. His secret I would take to my grave. I left to go find my friends. They were all that mattered now, but they could never know.
"Yo dude, where's Slade?" Cyborg asked me as the others instructed the police to arrest Cinderblock.
"He got away." I muttered, walking past him.
He can't know.
No one can ever know...