Infamous One (on chapter 5)- Yeah, I hoped that chapter would perk your interest. We all know and love Red X, the anti-Robin of sorts, and it's even more interesting when things are hinted at, and what his intentions are. I always have a fun time writing for him, because of his mystery and snappy comebacks. I actually did look up Slade on the net, thanks for reminding me of that... Yeah, he's pretty screwed up, and that only gives me that much more to work with when I write for him. Thanks for the review!

(on chapter 6)- And you don't know how I'm going to twist that sucker! I'm literally taking the continuity of the entire comic book and twisting it on end, into this wonderful thing called insanity. It's a fun ride, and I can't wait until you guys see the ending to this fic! And yeah, I agree: Slade does look like an older version of Ollie. And about Robin's reactions after he's cured: I think it'll be a bit of both, to be honest. He'll be sickened with how Slade screwed with his mind, but I think he'll be even more disgusted with himself for allowing him to DO IT. It's a sign of weakness for Robin, and he'll hate himself for it even more, and thus, try and overcome it and drive himself more towards that "Nightwing" part of his growth. He can't fully hate Slade: he himself can identify with being lonely, and needing company. He can't condone with the way Slade carried it out, but he can understand the primal nature behind it. Anyway, thanks for the review!

Ravenrocs4eva- LOL I think you did mention cool a couple times... Thanks for reviewing!

Aeris-Raven- In a basic sense, yes. When she dies, her spirit gets reborn into a child, lives long enough to experience an ultimate tragedy before she gets killed off again, and then the cycle repeats. And yes, it REALLY SUCKS. Imagine if you had to live a painful life over and over and over again... forget going to hell when you die: living IS hell! And I won't have to do a flashback chapter: Troia will explain everything at the end of chapter 10. And Red X's ID will be revealed one chapter after this one, so stay tuned! Thanks for the review!

Darth Nat- I'm sure your Robin/Slade fic is just fine! To be honest, I was completely stuck in my plotline in the last chapter. I was looking at where I was going and what I was going to do, and I realized I backed myself into a corner. I, literally, had NO IDEA what to do for Chapter 6! I had planned it out so well, that this, this, and this would happen at this time... but I realized, "CRAP! I have one more chapter in there that I need to write! I don't know what to put there!" Then I realized: here, we've been focusing on the Titans, Red X, Slade and Robin. Who were we missing? Oh yeah: TROIA! So I had a bit of a background scene in there, where you see just how much she hates Slade, and their "chemistry". Add in a little bit of Red X being the "hero", and I had my chapter, although, at first, I didn't like it. To me, it felt too much like just filler, you know? All bulk, and nothing good. But it served a purpose in the end, and you guys seemed to really enjoy it... And like I told everybody else: Red X's ID will be in the next chapter. It'll be one of those "d'oh!" moments, because you'll look back and realize that it couldn't have been anyone else. I will post a list at the end of chapter 10, revealing the clues I've sprinkled here and there about Red X's ID, and you'll want to kick yourselves for not seeing it sooner! Also, about the Robin/Titans fight: not so in this fic. I know full well that he can take down the Titans with both hands tied behind his back. Trust me, I know: he was trained by the most deadliest and most cunning crime fighter ever to live, who could take down the entirety of the Justice League in a single night, including Superman. As Batman's partner, I have no doubt Robin could take every single one of the Titans down. Now, in the Apprentice duo, he didn't, because he was under his own free will. But in this fic, he still doesn't remember his friends. He knows not to fully trust Slade, but he can't trust the Titans either. The objects of TRUST and FRIENDSHIP is what determines whether or not he'd ever attack them. He's got neither, which makes him a very, VERY deadly enemy. He literally has nothing to lose by killing any of the Titans or X for that matter. He kills them, and he can shake it off, going, "Ok, what's next?" without a second thought. This fight is going to be a very, intricate and complex thing, and I hope I can live up to your expectations when it comes to written fights! Thanks for the review!

Closetwriter, aka maroonedpirate11- I know, I do too. In a way, I suppose he does consider them kids: he can be more mature than they can, and he tends to act like the makeshift leader more than Raven does. And yeah, Darkstar, which shall be interesting to unfold... oh, the possibilities! Thanks for reviewing!

Insanity for Dummies- Don't worry: this next chapter will pretty much be entirely in Robin's point of view. You'll see more of Robin than you ever have before, and the start of an entirely creepy/insane one at that. And is X a girl? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not going to tell. You'll have to keep your eyes peeled! Thanks for the review!

KaliAnn- Oh, you have absolutely NO IDEA how much Troia hates Slade. You'll find out exactly why in chapter 9. And you're entirely right: they do thrive on each other. In a way, Troia is like Robin is like Slade. It's a triad that comes into play in the future, and will cement Troia and Robin's friendship, just like in the comic books. You'll see how that happens in the chapters to come. And this chapter: all Robin. Don't worry: you're getting our favorite Boy Wonder. Thanks for reviewing!

Well, it's time for chapter 7! Enjoy!


It was getting too hard to think. The withdrawal from his adrenaline shots was starting to take his toll, and he fell, exhausted, listless and lifeless on his medical bed. God, he hated this weakness, this exhaustion of the worst kind, and at the moment, he could've killed himself for waiting this long to figure things out. Those shots were like drugs, drugs of the addicting kind, and his body was shutting down, too tired to do anything but sleep. His head was dizzy and his body was like lead, drawing him closer and closer downward to the pillow before it touched...

He was out before he could cry out in warning to his "father".


The wind howled in the trees and leaves were picked up by the gusts with relative ease, crackling and crunching underneath his footsteps like dried crackers. Outlines of blackened, shadows that passed for trees sealed him in, crows mounted on every branch and cawing a cruel, almost vicious squawking that made his ears hurt from listening to it. The skyline vanished like it had never been, swallowed by the massive forest while the moon's light was fading, a lunar eclipse slowly making its way over it like a hellish halo. It chilled Robin to the bone, watching the moon slowly vanish into thin air...

He looked downward and noticed he was still wearing his usual Slade uniform, and he felt a bit better, comfortable in his own skin for once. No freaky green gloves, no billowing black and yellow cape; just him, with orange, black, and metal.

He was safe, for now.

Muffled clapping alerted his senses, and he whirled around in circles, trying to locate it. "Who's there?"

"Nobody important," called back a voice eerily familiar, and he almost didn't recognize it to be his own. "Just a figment of your imagination."

"If you're a figment, then why are you talking to me?"

"No reason," it said, sneering. "Just to say that you're a failure, Robbo. How does it feel to betray the one person who actually gave a damn about you?"

Wide eyed, he looked up, and watched as a figure dropped into view. Within seconds, he gasped, face to face with a disturbing version of himself, older, and snarling behind an even more fierce mask than his own. What surprised Robin the most was his attire: an eerie mixture of cloth costume and metallic armor drastically like his own, and yet... so different. The shoulder plates he wore were golden monstrosities, and gauntlets of the same type adorned his wrists, two sets of raking talon-like claws extended. His hair wasn't gelled like Robin normally had it, his bangs flowing down over his eyes. Shin guards and knee guards of the same gleaming bullion adorned his legs, along with a set for his elbows, but what really set off the look was the ocean blue bird adorning his chest, its wingspan stretching from shoulder to shoulder and clutching a curved letter "S" in its talons.

A name came to his lips, but he couldn't deliberately recall what it had been, or who told him. The figure in front of him just peered down at him and snickered. "What's the matter, Robin? Afraid of what you'll become?"

"Who are you?" he asked, perplexed as anything.

"You, in a manner of speaking," replied the man, grinning. "You can call me Nightwing, if you can wrap your brain around the concept. But enough about me: I'm not here to personally indulge you on who you'll become. What I'm here for is to prevent you from screwing it up."

Screwing up his future? This was getting confusing. "What do you mean, screw it up? My future's fine! I can deal with what comes-"

"BZZZZZT. Wrong. You see, I know you Rob. I know what you know, and I know what you're thinking right now because, guess what? I've been there. I've been there, right in your shoes, and you know what? I'm going to give you the same piece of advice Slade told me when I started questioning him."

"I don't quest-"

"Sure you do. I can see it in your eyes. But you want to know the real secret?" he bent down a bit and leaned in, leveling his eyes to Robin's face. "You want to know the secret to dealing with Slade?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

SLAP! A swift, ruthless strike whipped The Boy Wonder's face to the side, and Nightwing laughed aloud, roaring. "You don't! Slade deals with you!"

The clout stung and throbbed, bringing tears to his eyes. "What was that for?"

"You idiot. You stupid, senseless, idiot! Do you really believe the lies that your own mind is telling you? An active imagination can get you killed. Do you want to die? Do you want to face a fate worse than death?"

"Not... particularly..."

"Then shut up, follow orders, and don't question Slade. You could have the golden opportunity, Robin. You could be somebody, and everyone would know your name. You could make something of yourself if you only stayed at his side like a true son. It's what I would do. It's what I've done. Now," he gestured grandly to the space around him, "Gotham is mine to command. It's my castle and my home, now that I've broken the Batman, shattered his spine in two and tossed him into the garbage, where all the vermin belong. I can do anything I want, whenever I want it, because I stayed on the winning team. Don't you want to win, Robin? Don't you want to be the champ?"

His words were confusing him even more, twisting his thoughts into pretzels. "Yeah, I want to win, but there's something-"

"Maybe we can clear things up," snarled a voice behind him, and he jumped, eyes wider than ever at the sight of an emerald lion coming into the clearing. The big cat roared, and pranced in front of Nightwing like a trained cat before it morphed into a creature unlike anything Robin had ever seen before. His hair was spring green, splayed in all directions while hands with claw-like nails gripped the forest floor below. Canines extended into pointed fangs, and he walked on all four of his limbs like a quadruped. A hyena's laugh erupted from his lips, and a feral, predatory look crossed his face. "Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in, a little lost birdy. Can I eat it, Nightwing? I love fresh meat before brunch. I get the munchies."

The older man patted the creature's head, and sneered. "Beast Boy here loves a snack, anytime, any day, anywhere, especially if it's got meat on its bones. After Father broke him of his veggie habit, he's been eating like there's no tomorrow since day one."

"Gar isn't the only thing that's changed," cackled a voice from the left, and horrified, Robin watched a slim, catlike figure stalk out of the shadows, her ruby red skin striking against her four sets of bright yellow eyes. Her hair was long and knotted, purple and dark, while the robes she once wore were replaced with a revealing, skimpy outfit full of leather, straps and metallic rings. Her long legs were encased in boots too small for her feet, and she seemed to enjoy the agony they created. She was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a monster of the ninth level in hell, and she relished every moment of it. The words she spoke came out more fluidly, clipped and precise, with malice lacing every syllable and cruelty with every sentence. "Some of us have had a lot worse happen."

"Ah, Raven," greeted Nightwing, holding out his hand to catch hers within his grasp and kissing every digit, "I always love it when you drop by. Chaos and destruction always follows."

She bared her teeth and grinned vivaciously, her canines pointy and sharp. "Nightwing, beloved, always a pleasure. I hope I'll be seeing you later tonight at my place."

"Is it going to be just you and me?"

"You, and whoever you want me to be," she corrected, a dark, seductive look crossing her every feature. "You can have me anytime."

Sickened, Robin took a step back from the scene and bumped into another figure, who promptly gripped his arm and wrenched it back. "Where do you think you're going, whelp? Backing out, I see? Away from your future? Pathetic."

He had backed into a horror beyond purgatory, every spare part and place filled to the brim with weaponry and machinery he had never even seen before. Every single part of Cyborg's body was fit with weaponry close to that of a nuclear bomb, cruel pickaxes and laser weapons permanently raised and ready to fire. Any semblance of goodness in him was now blank impassiveness, a grim look of neutrality marking what was once a bright and happy smile. His movements were stilted, as if the weight of his body drug him down, but he didn't mind; he was too busy watching the Boy Wonder cringing in fear of him.

"I'm sure you remember Cyborg," quipped the future incarnation of Robin, a little bit preoccupied with Raven's lips to even glance in his former self's direction. "I should warn you though, his personality files have been wiped clean, so he's not very friendly."

"But I can be friendly," another voice hauntingly said, and a burst of fire scorched a set of trees as an alien set them aflame, making her way towards the group with rank and authority. Her attire was that of a vixen, black leather bustier tied loosely at the top over red leather short shorts that clung to her waist. Her boots came all the way to mid thigh, a golden belt Robin thought he recognized slung over one hip and down the next. Her fingernails were painted bright green while the fingers themselves crackled with unused energy, giving off sparks of green lightning here and there for incalculable periods of time. Her hair was gathered into a messy bun, and she laughed evilly at Robin's bewilderment. "What? Cat got your tongue? Or maybe a Glendersnarch decided to bite it off for you."

She swaggered confidently to Nightwing's side and pulled his face towards hers, kissing it deeply with enough passion to light the forest around them on fire. "I missed you, honey."

"I missed you even more," cooed Raven, drawing his face back in her direction and licking his lips. "Just wait until after we finish this one off, and then we can go wherever you like."

"And here I thought your attitude was just trying to make me jealous," quipped Beast Boy, laughing like a hyena.

"Well what can I say? I love a man behind a mask. And birds of a feather..."

"...Flock together," finished Nightwing, and smooched her once before swinging to Starfire and locked lips with her too, devouring her with his kissing. "As long as my Starfire lights the way."

Oh God, this was enough... He stumbled away from Cyborg and threw up in a bush nearby, sickened by this display. "Stop it! What the hell are you-"

"This is what you get, Robin. This is what you get for turning away from Slade. You want things to turn out this way? Then keep resisting. Keep questioning Father's orders, and you'll end up like this!"

"No..." No, it couldn't be true! This was a dream! It's a dream, it's a nightmare, it's a-

"Beast Boy, sick 'em," whispered Starfire, and giggled as the beast complied, morphing into a Tyrannosaurus Rex and, with bright beady eyes, snapped up the Boy Wonder in his jaws before he could utter a word.


Screaming, Robin woke up, shaken,letting the dimly lit medical lab draw him back to his senses. He was sweating profusely, and his heart raced a mile a minute. Oh God, that was evil. It was sick, evil, cruel-

"Robin," said a voice, drowning out his chaotic thoughts. "It's time. The Titans will be here any minute. Do you think you're ready to stand up to them?"

"Yes." The word was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "I can."

"Will you be able to kill them?"

"Yes." He had no doubt about it now: even if he was still suspicious of his father, what the future held for him was ten times as worse than his wrath. If resisting Slade meant he was going to be that... that... thing... The very thought of his nightmare sickened him further.

He'd take his chances with his father.

"Then come along then. It's time to face your fears."

"Yes, Father," he replied, and hopped off the bed without another word.


Slade could see them in the distance, five figures headed in this direction, and he smiled behind his mask. "Here they come," he said, an arm around the young boy's shoulders. "Are you ready?"

"Yes Father."

Whatever had transpired in that medical lab before he got there had made all the difference. His previous questions aside, the boy looked more ready than ever to be free of his past burdens, and Slade was proud of him for being so: after all these years, months, and days, Robin would finally be his, with no interference.

The Titans would fall today.

Wait... five. Slade had counted five. Making a quick head count, he confirmed his numbers and stood, surprised, at an uncalculated fifth character, decked out in a black, white, and red uniform that he had only seen on one other occasion. No, it couldn't be: Robin was right here! So who could that be?

Red X? What was he doing here? Who was behind the mask?

"Now it gets interesting," he said to himself, and watched as each Titan took up a defensive stance, doing their best in anticipation. They were ready to fight; he could see it in their eyes.

But then again, so were his apprentice and himself.

"Let the games begin," he called out, and charged into the fray.