He wished there was an easier way out. He wanted the pain of his suffering to be over with as painless as possible. After all, if taking a magic pill created all of the nightmares then wasn't there an equally decent antidote?
He guessed not. For the first time in his life, Speedy could not be speedy. He had to slow down and accept responsibilities for his errors.
No one else in the rehabilitation room paid attention to the lanky teenager leaning against the door. He would have looked handsome if not for the heavy bags under his eyes hinting to more than just a little bit of restless frustration.
His fingers went into the pocket of his tan leather jacket but did not find what he was looking for. He could feel his stomach turning over uneasily No, I just had it right here. I'm not losing my head!
His eyes panned up and down the hallway but he couldn't find it. His knees began to tremble. The old nerves were whispering for some "magic" relief that he had sworn never to touch again. It was taking Speedy tremendous strength not to rush out of the room, down the corridor, and back to his needle-injected escapes.
"Hold on a minute, they haven't even gotten started yet".
The voice came from a smiling brown-haired man who had just put a hand on Speedy's shaking shoulder. He looked up at the newcommer uneasily.
"Lose something?" The man opened his hand revealing the little turquoise eagle. Then he tipped it into Speedy's palm. "I figured you looked like you had a hole burning in your pocket. Good thing I found this before turning around the corner."
"Thanks," the teen stammered. "Mister..."
"Palmer. Ray Palmer."
Speedy almost yelled out the name. No wonder it rang a bell with him. "You're Doctor Palmer? The Atom?" he whispered so as not to attract too much attention.
Dr. Palmer nodded. "At your service, Roy Harper."
"What's a physics teacher doing here?"
Dr. Palmer sat down on a nearby bench and motioned for Speedy to sit next to him. Skeptically and slowly, he accepted the offer. Dr. Palmer crossed his hands over the back of his head and leaned back casually.
"As a scientist, I've studied a lot of things. And as a League member, I'm used to being 'on duty' with or without the costume".
"Thanks but I don't need anyone to rescue me."
"Who said anything about rescuing? I'm just here as a friend."
It was frank and somewhat awkward on Speedy's part, but Dr. Palmer's calm voice was having a positive effect on him and he didn't want to run off yet, especially on a superhero that could shrink himself down into a tiny speck.
Speedy shrugged his shoulders. "There's not much to talk about. I thought no one cared about me so I didn't care about myself. And I've made myself sick with things instead of people."
"Do you want to stay sick?" Dr. Palmer asked.
"Hell no. But its hard trying to change after so long. I can hardly remember what I was like before the doping began".
Dr. Palmer lowered his hands and leaned forward, holding his chin with his thumb and index finger and looking at Speedy up and down for a moment. Finally, he dropped his arms and said, "You look like a smart kid. Know a little bit about motion and action, right?"
Speedy nodded.
"Then tell me something about inertia."
"Like what?"
"Whatever comes to your mind".
"Okay. Well, uh...whatever stays going stays going. And whatever stays still will stay still."
"Well said." Dr. Palmer nodded approvingly. "You feel immobilized right now. And you'll stay that way if you keep letting your mistakes get to you. But if you dare to start changing your ways and get those wheels rolling, you'll be feeling better with every passing day".
Dr. Palmer checked his watch. "Its time for the meeting to start. We'd better go inside."
Speedy followed him but before they could pass through those doors to the recovery meeting, Dr. Palmer turned back to him, put his hands firmly on Speedy's shoulders, and gave him a few last words of reassurance.
"I know it seems hard now, Roy. But things will get better when you have confidence in yourself."
Speedy didn't remember much else about that day. The words that everyone spoke folded into each other, the people in the room were all a blur of colors and shapes. All he remembered was an eerie feeling of standing in a room full of people and without his mask or costume. He had felt bare and vulnerable, yet somehow calm and more relieved inside than he had felt all year.
He remembered seeing Dr. Palmer in the back of the room as he watched Speedy's moves. He remembered the dryness in his throat when he got to his feet and faced the rehab group.
And he remembered the words that thundered inside before coming out and saying, "My name is Roy Harper. I am sixteen years old. I am a drug addict and I want to stop."
A-A-A
Eight months:
Back on track and badder than ever, Speedy was ready to kick some tail. He watched one dark figure run out of the warehouse before signaling for another to follow.
He had just gotten the signal from Robin that the HIVE had been pulling its strings more and more often. They were now hitting closer to home and S.T.A.R Maexon's alarm had gone off. Since the laboratory was closer to Star City than Jump City, would Speedy mind pulling this one off?
"One takeout arrest coming right up!" Speedy had said into the communicator with glee. Now that they had straightened a few things out he felt obligated, if not honored, that Robin was trusting him with some of the Titan's cases.
"Hey, hey!" Speedy yelled, chasing the two figures down the alleyway. They were scrambling as fast as they could, holding capsules of valuable liquids stolen from the S.T.A.R Laboratory.
Speedy pulled out two of his heat seeking arrows and pulled back his bow. Behind his mask, his eyes narrowed keenly and began to calculate the right moment and angle to attack. This was going to be a little tricky: he'd have to pinpoint the goons down without breaking those capsules.
But he was always good at being a little faster than his rivals.
He released the heat seekers and let them soar down the alleyway, screeching with a whiney hissing sound towards the bandits. They turned around and Speedy was stunned: their eyes were glowing bright red against the darkness of the night. He recovered quickly and realized what he had to do.
Sprinting on the concrete, he ran faster then he had ever done before and jumped into the air. His hands caught hold of an iron bar on the fire escape and he pulled his body up before twisting into a summersault. The heat seekers were just inches from their targets.
BOOM!
There was an explosion as the arrows burst into flames upon colliding with the goons. They weren't that lethal: the fire couldn't burn a person up on contact, not unless you ran around yelling and screaming for a few minutes. But the heat was still enough to stun the goons and sizzle their bodies for a good thirty seconds.
They both shrieked and their arms and legs went flaying out, causing one of them to release his grip on a capsule full of blue gel. Speedy let go and jumped down from the fire escape. His right hand extended out and grabbed the capsule in midair like catching a baseball. He landed on the ground safely and turned back to see the goons had fallen to the ground in two black heaps.
"What's wrong with you guys anyway?" he said as he stood up and walked over to their unconscious bodies.
"Why the red eyes, contacts bugging you?"
"They've been mindwiped," came a clear feminine voice. Speedy glanced up to see a young woman hovering over his head looking down on him keenly.
Shiny wings protruded from her back and beating in the air sharply to keep herself afloat. The girl's wings slowed down a bit as she lowered herself to the ground. Black boots made a finely heard clicking sound against the concrete. She put her tanned hands on her hips and looked at Speedy.
"They were HIVE students, subjected into doing Brother Blood's bidding. And you caught them doing some bad after school activities."
"And you are?"
She twirled two gold B shaped weapons around her index fingers. "I'm Bumblebee."
"Of course. Any girl who can pull off wearing that much leather is sweet as honey yet sharp as a tack."
Speedy was beginning to feel like his old self and he relaxed a bit. "So, what's a Sugar Queen like you doing in a place like this?" he smiled, trying to act utterly amusing.
She only snapped her fingers sharply in his face. "Don't try pulling any of your cupid crap on me."
"Half sweet and half acid." "Oooh, tough girl," he said.
"It was hard enough infiltrating into the HIVE. Goodness knows how many boys kept trying to grab my backside." The girl groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"You've been infiltrating?" he asked her.
"Along with Aqualad."
"Hahaha! Tuna Boy's been hanging out with you?
"The same guy who got his butt kicked in the Tournament of Champions. And by the way, he wants a rematch with you."
The discussion was interrupted by two musical beeps that sang the same number simultaneously. Speedy took out his compact but Bumblebee already had hers out.
"Robin, its Bee. I've got a ego-inflated redhead here. Does he check out clean?" she demanded.
"Speedy's no HIVE agent. He's a good friend of mine," Robin's face answered back in the tiny screen. Speedy glanced over Bumblebee's shoulder and peered into the small face. Robin waved back as Speedy.
"I saw your stunt on the camera monitors. Good job Robin said. Speedy wanted to savor the compliment but his concerns were coming up.
"Y'know Rob, if thing are going to get any tougher with this psycho school for dummies then you'd better have a Plan B," Speedy warned him.
"Actually, I already have," Robin's voice spoke into the communicator. "Now that the HIVE is rebuilding and regrouping, it'll be easier for them to hunt us down one by one. That's too risky. Especially with you three moving at free range between the cities."
"Five," she said calmly.
"Five?" Speedy asked curiously.
"Five," she repeated. "The League's little operation in South America worked and they've sent me two more of the victims for protection."
"But are they all right?" Robin said skeptically.
"These two boys are the best thing ever," she smirked. "Prepare to get your fancy tights knocked off, Wonder Boy."
"Hey, hey, don't leave me out of this," Speedy reminded her. "What's going on? What's plan B? Who's going knock Robin's Christmas pants off?"
"Hold on to your boots, Little John," Bee chided him. "Because Robin's been having an idea so crazy, that it just might work."
Speedy noticed that Robin had that same ingenuous smile on his face when he was cooking up a brilliant plan. And now that he had started to find the inner circle of his target with the Teen Titans, he wanted to be as focused as possible. What Robin did, he wanted to be a part of.
"Fine, Rob. I'm all ears. What's the plan?"
"The question is, how'd you like to team up?" Robin said.
A-A-A
Two weeks later, Speedy was getting second thoughts about being a Titan.
He didn't know who to start hollering at first: Robin or Brother Blood.
Robin for suggesting they set up a headquarters in Steel City on the Eastern Bay.
Or Brother Blood for actually heading eastward so they'd have to go out and find him.
The place, Speedy had decided, was a dump. The T-shaped tower was no small fry, but it was lodged into part of the hill where a lighthouse once stood. Nobody had lived there for years since ships stopped coming into the harbor and the city was focused on mining metals. Usually the days were cloudy with smoke from factories mingling into the watery pale skies. The weather was disgustingly cold and icy.
Why on earth did they have to put up with this instead of the sunny beaches of California? There were no babes in bikinis here, not even babes in fur coats!
So with the combination of a leaky malfunctioning building, foul weather, and no lead on Brother Blood, everyone was in a grouchy mood. Aqualad hadn't brought up his defeat at the tournament but he was still just as much of a whiner.
"Fish tacos? What were you thinking?" he nearly screamed at the top of his lungs.
"I was thinking of protein," Speedy retorted. He unwrapped the waxed paper from a thick heavy sandwich and breathed in the greasy salty scent of his meal. Ahhh, junkfood. . .
"I'm from the ocean! These were probably friends of mine," Aqualad said with nearly tears in his eyes. Speedy just waved a taco in the air and rolled his eyes.
"Ya said get lunch, I got lunch. Chow down!" He bit into the thick juicy taco full of hot fresh fish.
VROOOM!
A flash of red and white light whizzed by before a grinding halt announced the arrival of Mas and Menos.
"Mmm! Tacos el pescado!"
Mas and Menos proceeded to wolf down lunch with glee. Speedy suspected that the pint sized troublemakers from South America were ready to trip him up at any moment. At least they had gotten their appetites back.
He proceeded to take out a mirror and glance at his hair. It was getting frizzy. What's the point of being a dashing crime fighter if you don't look decent in public?
"Well, don't you fellas look comfy," came a somewhat irritated voice.
Bee marched in with a screwdriver just as Speedy had managed to flatten his hair. "Come on, guys, this Tower isn't going to build itself," she said in a commander officer voice. Her shining dark eyes fell on Speedy and immediately, she began to chastise him.
"That's a super computer. It's not a footstool," she added, pointing to his feet which were comfortably propped up on the large metal box.
"Thanks mom," he muttered under his breath. "Why don't you bother Tuna Boy here instead?"
"Can't work. Tacos..." Aqualad started to moan. Mas and Menos offered him of their lunch. Aqualad covered his mouth and rushed out.
"Four idiots. At this rate, Blood will be probably knocking on our door any minute." Speedy put down his mirror and glared at her. Bee wasn't just bossy. She was downright annoying! And he had decided that it was high time to push this girl's buttons.
"So tell me, who died and made you queen anyhow?" he said sarcastically. "And are you always this grouchy as this time of the month, or is your bra on too tight?"
ZAP!
He was blasted off of the couch and across the room before being smashed into the wall. Plaster crumbled off the beams along with Speedy until he finally sank into the ground.
"Ow! That hurt, Bee," he growled at her.
"You're nothing more than a lazy slob," she shot back at him. "I don't know why Robin recruited you as a Titan or even why he trusts you."
"Maybe its because I don't go around acting like a drill sergeant," he said to her. "Instead of trying to call all the shots like you do 24/7."
"Well, maybe you could call the shots if you spent more time working," she snapped back. The girl snatched his comb away. "And LESS time messing with your hair!"
The twins ruffled up their own hair and blew kisses into the air. "Mirame! Soy Pelo Grande! A la orilla cede y adora mío pelo hermoso!" they laughed gleefully.
"What did you just call me?"
"They just said, 'Look at me. I'm Big Hair. Relax and adore my beautiful hair," Bee smirked.
That did it. He grabbed a drill and brandished it at the pint sized monsters. "You're lucky I don't understand that, you little brats," he growled.
Bee had already positioned herself between the archer and the Tornado Twins. "Take a chill pill, Speedy. They're just kids."
"You're telling me to chill? Don't start that up again," he snapped at her.
That's how bad things were just before help arrived. Bee wouldn't stop bitching at him, Mas and Menos were making fun of his hair, Aqualad was throwing up in the bathroom, and well. . . maybe being a Titan wasn't the easiest thing in the world. But it would be nice for some dammed help once in a while!
A-A-A
Thank goodness Cyborg showed up. He knew a about everything from roomate trouble to leaky toilets. Give and take that he was usually caught between the commanding orders of Robin and the stink-ball creator Beast Boy, he had steady balance of work and playtime.
Several hours passed as they followed Cyborg's instructions to repair things. It would've stayed all right until Mas and Menos "accidentally" dropped a bucket of blue paint right onto Speedy's head. The rivet gun in his hand went bezerk with rage, stapeling dozens of nails into the wall.
He yanked bucket off his head. "Now look what you made me do," he snapped at the twins. If this stuff was going to permanently ruin his hair then he'd hang them upside down by their toes for a week. They made another funny comment in Spanish just before the same exploding apocalypse began all over again.
"ENOUGH!" Cyborg finally roared out. Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened to him. "The problem isn't your tower," he explained, trying to be as patient as possible. "Its your team."
The brief rebuke was all they needed to get themselves in gear. Everone tried again and worked hard not to step on each other's toes.
By the time the Titans East first battle came around, Speedy and Aqualad were making an impressive pair of fighters. Even the little monster twins gave him a great hand at puling apart the robots. And when the real Brother Blood showed up, he didn't stand much of a chance against Cyborg's preparations. Victory would be sweet, indeed.
And they all needed some chilling out time. Cyborg filled in the job perfectly. Nah, he wasn't anything like Robin, and that made things ten times better for Speedy. Yes, a focused guy in the fight, but no where along the lines of the drill sergeant. Whip the robots? In the bag. Disco ball? Sure! Take out Brother Blood? Why not!
Lead the Titans East? Cyborg actually accepted.
"Robin isn't going to be happy about it," Cyborg had said privately to Speedy in the hallway. "Y'know, he can be kind of-"
"Bossy," Speedy finished up. The half metal teenager laughed and knocked a fist against the archer's shoulder.
"Yeah, Robin isn't exactly 'normal' like the rest of us," Speedy said. "To him, a good time is flash cards and sit-ups."
Cyborg laughed at that one. "Too true. But you're cool, Speed. You know how to chill."
Maybe things were going to be all right. Maybe being part of Titans East would really set the record straight.
A-A-A
Exhausted after a long day, Speedy returned to his new room. Many cardboard boxes were still scattered on the floor, but he was too worn out to unpack now. The archer lazily flopped onto his bed and spread out his arms.
Aaaaah, to finally get a break. He removed his mask and began to massage his temples, relaxing and listening to the quiet humming sound of the heater.
His relaxation was short lived.
A loud crashing sound was heard out in the corridor. Speedy snapped up at once and grabbed his mask and arrows.
Quickly fitting the black cloth over his face, he stepped out into the hallways with an arrow already poised and ready to fire. But no one was there in those long blue corridors.
"Hello? Who's there?" he called out. His voice echoed in the long lonely room. Speedy slowly lowered his bow and shrugged. Maybe Cyborg was moving something, or else Mas and Menos were pulling a practical joke. He put the arrow back in its compartment and hooked the bow onto his utility belt.
Speedy was about to go back inside when the hairs on the back of his neck began to prickle up. He whirled around just in time to see a shadow sprinting down the corridor. He ran after it and came to a screeching halt.
He found himself face to face with Aqualad. Burning red eyes glared at him in place of his usual brilliant dark orbs.
"What's wrong with your-"
SHOOM!
Speedy's breath was knocked out when a tidal wave of water had materialized and snaked around his body. Unable to grab behind his back for an arrow, he found himself totally encompassed inside of the water that was pouring into his lungs at a painfully quick pace.
His eyes strained through the aquatic attack to find a way out, but the waters dropped at once, releasing a soaking wet and very shocked Speedy back onto the tiles.
Coughing and sputtering up water, he looked back at Aqualad.
"What's gotten into you, Water Boy? You suddenly backstabbing me?"
"The headmaster will speak to you now," Aqualad said in a cold and controlled voice that was not at all like his usual tone. Speedy had barely gotten to his feet when he felt an invisible force smash into his chest, nailing the archer against the wall. His arms and legs were immobilized as well.
He heard a faint chuckle and noticed a tall slim figure in the shadows. Slowly, the figure came forward and the harsh lights threw a sadistic look onto his face.
"Show yourself, jerk!" Speedy shouted.
Cold blue eyes rimmed with black malevolence gazed at Speedy and nodded. The archer shook his head in frustration, refusing to believe what had just happened. "No way! We kicked you out hours ago!"
"You assume things too soon," Brother Blood smirked. He nodded to Aqualad and Mas and Menos, who had suddenly zipped over. The twins' usual chubby smiles were also replaced with glowing red eyes and frozen faces.
"You crazy freak," Speedy glared at him. "What did you do my friends?"
"They are under my surveillance now. And very soon, the same fate will belong to the girl and to yours," he said with a very smug look on his face.
"Although I have to admit, the formation of a Titans East did seem to threaten my plans for the expansion of the school," Blood drawled out as he paced the floor, holding his chin in thought. "But when I noticed how efficient all of you were, I realized you would all be far more worth my time fighting by my side instead of dying in battle."
"Us? Fight with a psychopath teacher like you? You can take that idea and shove it up your butt, Blood."
The Headmaster's entire face darkened like a storm cloud. "How DARE you speak to me like that, you foolish boy!"
A bony hand grabbed Speedy's scalp with the fingers gripping tightly onto his red hair.
Blood muttered something under his breath. Sparks of white-hot pain shot through Speedy's internal systems. He ground his teeth to control the agony but refused to beg for his life.
"Must I discipline you as well, Mr. Harper?" Blood hissed. His furious face suddenly melted into one of calmness and almost tranquility when he saw the stunned look on Speedy's face. "Oh, I know everything about you, Roy. Every single terrible thing that you've been trying to scrub out of your conscience."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Speedy snarled.
"Am I?" Brother Blood intensified his power as Speedy thrashed in pain. He could feel the madman's power infesting his mind, crawling into every dark corner of his being.
"No," he hissed. "Do't go in there."
The drugs. The sickness. The coughing and heachaces every lonely night.
Speedy tried to catch his ragged breath, but it was a losing battle. He could feel himself sinking in deeper and deeper into the inky black well of darkness that Blood was creating inside of his head.
"You. . . you're just brainwashing us," he struggled to say.
"I hardly thing it is necessary or even civilized to replace a person's thoughts," Blood said. "As a teacher, one finds more control by exposing a student's greatest weaknesses. But don't worry. I can give you salvation from the demons that plagues your mind."
"What is this, a confession booth?" Speedy suddenly snapped. "You have no damned business to go into my mind!" An eerie chuckle answered him.
"My my, Mr. Harper. You seem to be the very bad boy indeed," Brother Blood murmured. He knew that he had needled Speedy in the wrong place and planned to exploit the truth to use to his advantage.
"Oh, there's no need to be ashamed of yourself, dear boy. These things do happen. But what. . what's this?" he nearly gloated with glee. He pressed a finger harshly against Speedy's skull. The memories poured over him, burning and scorching like lava.
It was the memory of Robin first meeting Speedy. The annoying neurotic little jerk who just had to be a Boy Scout and win all the trophies.
"What would he think if he knew the truth about you? The Boy Wonder is such a perfectionist. He would never ally himself with anyone who is less than the best. If he knew about your drug problem then he'd turn his back on you."
"LIAR!" Speedy shouted.
Brother Blood only chuckled in amusement. He formed an image of Starfire inside of Speedy's mind, making the teenager's heart began to beat much faster.
"You know you want her," Blood urged him. "Why don't you go for the gold, Roy? Take what you desire and you deserve."
He was tumbling back into the darkness. A vicious desire was growling in him like a hungry beast. He wanted revenge and he wanted lust. He wanted to get back at that silly spiky-haired Robin and take his girl.
Slowly, the powers began to eat into Speedy's conscience. He blinked and tried to say something, but his mouth was locked tight. His eyes refused to look in any other direction but into the glowing red ones of Brother Blood.
"You are now under my control," he announced in a droning voice. "You will obey my every command and wish."
"Every command and wish," Speedy heard himself repeat. No! How could he be saying that? But his head was nodding woodenly and he felt his limbs move not of their own accord, but to the bidding of the headmaster. Speedy slowly got to his feet, rejoining the other manipulated boys.
"Excellent," Blood laughed aloud.
Speedy screamed and thrashed inside but it was all in vain. His mind, his body, and his soul were not his to control. I, .. I'm no longer a Titan a tiny voice yelled out bitterly. I'm his minion.
"Come, my new students," Blood said with a flourish of his hand. "We have yet to find the others."
A-A-A
Insanity. Pure genius gone to insanity was all that Brother Blood was. When Cyborg was attacked by his own team members, it was the bitterest thing of all for Speedy. It was just like being back on drugs: he didn't want to, but he had to. Blood told him to fight, and he fought. Blood told the Titans to hurt Cyborg, and they did.
Its like being on drugs again. I have no choice in the matter. My body isn't listening to my conscience at all. Its hopeless. Not even the other Titans can save us now.
He told them they had no friends, and they listened upon command. Now, with their arms and legs bound to the metal plates of the upright tables, they were lying there helplessly as Blood raved about his plan to make his new students into imitations of Cyborg.
"As Socrates once said, 'If you can't beat them, join them'," Blood drawled out. He drifted past the locked up members of Titans East, their eyes frozen into red orbs and their faces cold as steel."Oh, what an exciting time this will be for all of you," he added with a cruel smile.
Brother Blood held up a razor sharp scalpel. Titans East did not budge and inch. "True, not all of you will survive the experimental phase. ."
What experimental phase? Speedy thought to himself. He didn't like the sound of that at all.
"An excellent question, Roy," Blood laughed out loud. He snapped his fingers just as a wrinkly pale looking old man in a jumpsuit came in, wheeling a cart full of menacing looking mechanical objects. His eyes as well were also red, indicating that he too was under the hypnotic power.
"Those of you that develop resistance like Cyborg will be deactivated and studied," Blood warned in a nasty tone of gleeful delight. He pulled a sheet off the cart revealing various gadgets and wires. "But I doubt you will all be that foolish. Once the process is finished, you will all be unstoppable."
"And you will never break free from my control," he added softly. "Ever again."
Speedy heard a faint moaning from the room. He couldn't so much as flick his eyes, but his ears heard Bumblebee straining to resist as well.
"No, you cant. ." he heard her voice plead faintly.
I don't give Karen enough credit. She's really got guts, that girl. Enough to bail an old boyfriend out of trouble, and enough to stand up to this monster.
"I'm sorry, what was that, my dear?" Blood drawled out. His eyes flashed and Bumblebee's own orbs flickered red as well, driving out the intolerance.
"Nothing Headmaster," she said in her controlled voice.
The lights overhead began to flash red, announcing the arrival of intruders. Speedy knew this could only mean one thing, and it would indicate the approach of a certain threat to his friends.
Robin, you shouldn't have come. I can face you in a game, but I could never face you on the battle field.
This was exactly what Brother Blood was hoping for: to see the Titans unity be imploding from the inside out. The only way to do that was to take them apart, one by one, and make the teens fight each until hatred would pull them down and into his hands.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Take care of them, my children."
"Yes, Headmaster," five voices said in a hypnotic voice of obedience. The shackles on their bodies opened up and the Titans East went in pursue of their new adversaries.
A-A-A
How long had Blood kept them going? It seemed like an eternity to Speedy. Bumblebee was pursing a very reluctant Starfire who was still fighting like a warrior, but kept apologizing for every blasting starbolt that she thrust at the winged girl.
Speedy realized that his body was acting of its own accord, but even better than before. And he could still hear Blood's voice taunting in his head as he leaped all over the room, dodging Robin's batterangs and firing arrows at his former friend.
"Don't you see, Roy? I'm giving you exactly what you wanted: to be even better than Robin. Now you have the chance to squelch his inflated dreams," he cackled inside of Speedy's head.
Robin's bo staff collided with the bow but this time, it did not snap. Speedy thrust the tip upward, causing Robin's head to jerk back painfully. His arms moved like lighting and allowed the sonic blaster arrow to land at Robin's feet perfectly. A loud bang exploded, making the tiles rip up under his feet. Robin had fallen back against the wall and now, his leg was nailed down under a heavy pile of metal cans.
"Speedy, stop! I'm you're friend," Robin begged. He tugged at his leg in vain.
"I don't need friends."
"Robin!" Starfire cried from overhead. She wanted to fly down, but Bumblebee's blasts kept the alien girl fluttering in the air away from her attacker. Bee was going after her like a pursued hawk.
Speedy walked up to Robin. His mind-controlled body pointed an arrow at Robin, aiming directly at his heart. Robin, I don't want to kill you! The voice was beating back madly.
"Excellent, Speedy. You're finally listening to your innermost instinct," Brother Blood said. "Now finish him off! I wouldn't have anyone else do it. Not even Cyborg gets the privilege that I specifically bestowed onto you."
Beads of sweat began to stain Speedy's forehead and run down his face. His teeth were locked tightly together in a fierce snarl, the bow quivering slightly in his tense arms. His mind was still listening to the command, but his body hadn't yet bowed to it.
For a fleeting moment, something swift and bright had pierced the darkness. Just like an arrow. Speedy felt it inside and clung to the sharp thought, subduing Brother Blood's orders and his robot-like body.
It's never too late to turn back. I learned the hard way but I'll never go back to that life again.
His index finger was now shaking as it held the arrow back tightly against his bow. His body was bracing to release the arrow.
"Destroy false lying scheming leader of the Titans!" commanded Brother Blood.
"Roy! I trust you!" Robin yelled at the top of his lungs.
Trying to drive back the taunting words of Brother Blood, Speedy's temples were throbbing from the mind control. His head was reeling in agony. Starfire watched Speedy's jaw unclench and he released his arrow. Unable to look, she closed her eyes and screamed, "ROBIN!"
ZANG!
There was an explosion and a bust of gray smoke in the air. When it cleared, she saw the arrow had struck off target. Speedy had blasted apart some of the laser cannons that were some yards off. Robin was still on the ground and breathing hard.
The archer had dropped his bow and was on his knees, writhing in pain. He pressed his balled-up fists against his head, fighting Brother Blood as hard as he could.
"Insolent boy! How dare you do that, after all the effort I put in for you."
You're a lousy mentor Speedy thought back. You just want your students to do your bidding. You don't deserve to run a school and you'll never be a real teacher-or my teacher ever. That's my choice.
"There IS no such thing as a choice," Brother Blood hissed in his head. "Fate rules us all, Roy Harper. You know that more than anyone. Prepare for your final examination!"
BOOM!
The relief was short lived by the sound of a sonic explosion. They were all being projected into the air and onto the roof. Brother Blood was standing there across from Cyborg. The half-metal teen gasped to see all of his friend suspended in the air with Brother Blood's red aura keeping them immobilized in place.
"You know, my dear children, I really don't want to have to destroy you," Brother Blood said with a mock look of sadness on his face.
"You Titans are all brilliant, to tell the truth. In my entire career with the HIVE, never have I seen such enthusiastic creative energy. I congratulate you all, every one of you."
"Let 'em go," Cyborg begged, panting as he was on one knee. "Its me that you want, Blood,"
Speedy's entire body was stiff as a wooden doll and he strained to turn his head to the right, despite the intense pain that was shooting up his neck.
Brother Blood must have sense the resistance because he glanced at Speedy locked into the slave-like state.
"Well, in time you will all come to know the meaning of respect and authority. That is why all teenagers must be taught a lesson. You have no respect for anyone older or more experience than yourselves."
"Not true," Robin was struggling to say between his teeth. Brother Blood flicked a finger and made his lips zip up automatically.
"Is anyone next?" he smirked. "If not, I'd like to finish today's lesson."
His hand began to glow red and as he created a ball of glowing blood colored light, his eyes flashed cruelly. "And here it is: you have no choice!". His voice rang out with maniac laughter.
Speedy realized Brother Blood would seal their fate in a matter of seconds. We are all going to die.
Blood thrust a finger into the ground and the concrete started to smash itself up into fractured chunks of flaming rock. Cyborg attacked by with a flick of his hand, Blood had sliced off the teenager's metal arm. Speedy heard Cyborg's voice boom out and there was a sickening sound to hear the joint fall to the ground with a clunk.
Blood continued to laugh out loud and lunge right and left, slicing off another arm and Cyborg's leg. The rest of the Titans could do nothing but gaze down and see their friend suffering a slow and painful death.
Finally, the injured Cyborg was on his knees, panting and sweating before Blood. "Tell me, Cyborg," the Headmaster murmured as he grabbed the metal man and held his body up in the air. "What is it about you that makes you so stubborn? What lurks in those wires and bolts to keep your system-and your team-resist me!" he cried out.
"Its not in the machine," Cyborg said at last. Suddenly, voice sounded surprisingly stronger and more assertive. His head was lifted up and a strange smile of delight was on his face. Slowly, his entire body was started to glow with new shining blue light.
"What!" Blood sputtered.
"It's in the spirit!" Cyborg shouted at him.
There was a crackling sound followed by a deep grumbling blast like that of an earthquake. Blood's right hand was beginning to deteriorate from the mere contact of Cyborg's own aura. "I don't need you to make me a man, I already am one!" he yelled to the crumbling teacher.
Yeah, you tell him, Cyborg.
"What? No!" the criminal teacher howled out, fumbling to re-gather his power. But it was too late: the bolts and nuts from his motorized arms and legs were popping out and causing his body parts to collapse on him. It was now his own turn to cry out in agony when his limbs dissolved into nothing and his unconscious body fell down, totally devoid of any more power.
The ring of power that had been sucking out the Titans was suddenly repelled and their bodies were released from the control. One by one, they all fell on faces. Speedy felt a cool swift wind on his skin and took deep breaths of the air. It felt good to be back in control of himself again.
"We are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are."
-Tobias Wolff