Well, this chapter, I am pleased to say, which has not taken as long as my last one, just as I have promised. And you probably didn't believe me…
Okay, I didn't get as many reviews as I hoped for, but hey, I'm a relatively new author, so whatever. I'm just hoping you'll like this one, as I going to attempt to bring the darkness from the first three chapters back to this one, just I have no idea how this will go, so tell me in your review. So here it is, hope ya like it.
Disclaimer- You know the drill, I don't own the Teen Titans. If I did, this would have been a series of episodes, and I would have been fired for taking so long to write it.
The doors to the medic room inside Titans Tower opened with a whoosh, as Cyborg and Beast Boy ran into the room. Beast Boy stopped suddenly, causing Cyborg to trip over him, both ending up in a pile on the floor. "Man, I don't think I've ever ran so fast in my LIFE!" Beast Boy exclaimed, pulling himself off of the ground.
Cyborg just gave him a look that clearly said, 'Shut Up', and for once, Beast Boy got the message. Both looked to where Raven was settling in her seat, then to where Starfire sat, next to their fallen leader.
"Is he…?" Cyborg asked, with a gulp. Starfire slowly shook her head.
"He is still comatose." Raven said in her usual monotone, "He has multiple wounds, including slash-like wounds dangerously close to his spine, a fractured skull, shrapnel in both of his legs, and a very possible concussion. With my healing, I have been able to heal his skull, and shallow his back wounds. With that, morphine, and many other drugs, he will be fine in a week. But he will also be out for about two days straight." Throughout her little speech, she never looked at any of her fellow Titans.
"Any idea at all on who could have caused this?" Cyborg asked, knowing what the answer was, but asking anyways.
Starfire shook her head once again. "We have no leads…" She said, her face a mask of sadness. Her face brightened, if only a little, with her next words. "But, we are hopeful, that once Robin awakens, he will be able to tell us who has put him in such a state."
It was Raven's turn to shake her head. "With the added concussion, and where I believe it is located, it is more than likely that the Boy Wonder won't be able to remember much of the fight."
"Damn it!" Cyborg yelled, punching the wall.
"So… you mean there's nothing that we can do?" Beast Boy asked quietly.
Starfire and Raven answered at the same time. "The only thing we can do is wait for him to awaken." The fact that they both spoke the same words, at the same time bothered no one.
All of the Titans stood silent. Beast Boy was the first to speak, after what seemed a lifetime had passed. "Um, well it's late… Today has been one long day..." He said, his hand rubbing his neck.
Cyborg nodded his agreement. "Well, night ya'll. I'll turn on the security system the second I'm out of the room." Then, his gaze turned back to Starfire and Raven. "Are you both staying in here with him?"
As he thought she would, Starfire viciously nodded her head. Raven, on the other hand, stood up, smoothing her cloak as she did so. "I am going to bed." Her eyes turned to Starfire. "Starfire, if Robin's condition changes, for better or worse, wake me up immediately." Starfire just nodded.
As the Titans slowly walked out of the room, each giving one last look at Robin, before going their separate ways to get to their rooms, Starfire's first thought was about what Raven said. "…If Robin's condition changes, for better or worse, wake me up immediately." Her thoughts then turned to jealousy. A few minutes passed, before she realized that she was acting absurd. Raven does not like Robin… She just knows the most about the equipment here, and can help Robin the most if anything happens…She thought.
Her thoughts and eyes then returned to Robin's unconscious form. "Please rest easy… and recover soon…" She whispered to his form, laying a hand on his chest, as she settled down to go to sleep.
"ARGH!" Robin yelled, pounding on the glass he was currently being imprisoned in. Trapped inside a bulletproof, tempered glass prison, his weapons and communicator gone, he saw no way to escape. Outside, the city he strived to protect, was in flames, his friends fighting… someone, but who was still a mystery to him.
A kick from the figure sent Cyborg flying, landing just a short way from Robin's see-though cell. "Cyborg, get me out of here!" He yelled, pounding his fist against the glass. The mechanical man did not hear, even though he was looking right at Robin. He just pulled himself back up, and charging at the figure, which was laughing manically. The laugh sent realization and chills at the same time, as Robin snarled one simple word. "Slade…"
The Boy Wonder quickly turned his attention to his prison, looking for any possible weakness. "No seals or seams…how the hell did I get in here in the first place?" he muttered, "And why didn't Cyborg help me? He looked right at me!" He started to scan the bottom of his prison.
As he did, there was an explosion. Robin's head whipped up, to see that his team was… gone. They had just disappeared. The only thing still there was the laughing madman that was Slade, holding up a violet cloak in one hand, and a green gem in the other.
"ARGH!" Robin yelled his fury elevated to a height that it had never reached, far beyond his control. He lashed out a vicious punch at the glass, and it, and reality, shattered, plunging the Boy Wonder into black nothingness.
"Friend Raven!" A very startled Starfire yelled. As she did, a black hole appeared in the floor beside her, and Raven's form appeared, the hole disappearing afterwards, as quickly as it had appeared.
Raven scanned the monitors, before looking down at Robin. His fist was bleeding, from what like shattered pieces of glass imbedded in his hand. "His mental activity is steadily rising… If it continues, he could blow a blood vessel in his brain. The consequence of that would not be pretty… His body is under more stress by the minute…"
"What should we do?"
As the darkness steadily turned into twilight, Robin knew that the end of his fall was nearing. He flipped, so that his feet were beneath him, then he flailed out his cape, to slow him down a little at least.
He landed hard, his one knee buckling so that it was on the ground, his other leg bent in front of him, his hand out in front so as to stop him from falling over. Over all, he looked as if he was bowing down to someone.
He flipped backwards, as a staff smashed into the ground that he was previously occupying. Robin reached into his utility belt, and in finding that his weapons had somehow returned, pulled out his two half sized staffs.
"Still as quick as ever… aren't we Robin?" Slade asked, his own staff in his hands, as his one eye examined Robin.
"Slade…" Robin growled, his eyes narrowed. He quickly scanned the area, for anything that could help him in his fight. It turns out that he did not have too many options, as it looked like he was in a Salvador Dolly painting, the one with the melted watches. "What have you done with my friends?" Robin yelled.
"Let's just say that you will be seeing them, soon enough." And with that, Slade charged.
"His pulse is rising… There's too much strain on his heart…" Cyborg said. He had been awakened by Starfire's yelled, had grabbed Beast Boy, and had come to check out what was up, said.
Beast Boy, who was taping up Robin's fist, noticed something strange. "Dude, his mouth's moving!" The other Titans just stared at him. Raven walked over and leaned over Robin, so that her ear was above his lips. Turns out, she did not need to do that to here his next words.
"What have you done with my friend?" Robin's body, which should not have been able to yell, yelled.
"What the hell…?" A very confused Cyborg asked no one imparticular.
Raven knew, but she was not about to tell anyone. Even though Robin had not told her not to tell anyone, though she knew he did not want any of the other Titans to know about his strange dreams.
As more cuts appeared on Robin's body, his uniform ripping to expose beat up and bloody flesh, his mask starting to peel and tear, Raven decided that she must do the insane. "I am going into his subconscious…" She said, her voice still monotone.
"Say WHAT!" Beast Boy yelled, arms flailing.
"Yeah, you don't even know what's going on. What do you wanna do, go and get yourself killed?" Cyborg yelled, worry filling his human eye.
Raven just ignored them. She could not lose her nerve now. "Starfire, you are in charge, of Robin, until I return, got it?" She asked. Starfire just nodded, her attention still held by Robin. "If I am not back in fifteen minutes, shake my body, hard. It should bring me back… " And with that, she sat on the floor, her legs crossed, her eyes closed, as she started to chant. "Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS…"and with that, her body went slack.
Robin skidded to a stop, dust kicking up behind him. He brought up a hand to wipe the blood from his face, and then he ran back at Slade, his staffs spinning in his hands.
Slade blocked Robin's attack, as he spoke with what sounded like evil glee in his voice. "Yes Robin. Attack me with the newly awakened hatred inside of you. It will consume you, turning you into what it was that brought about that hate… Only then will you have a chance in defeating me."
Robin stopped attacking, his eyes narrowed. "I'll never turn into you," He said coldly, before jumping back, turning his body so that his head faced the ground, landed on his hand, and launched a kick at the side of Slade's mask. It cracked, broke, and landed onto the ground. Robin righted himself, and looked up at Slade's face, and saw… the face that Starfire described as his in the future.
"No…" was all he could say, as Slade aimed a laser at him, and smirked.
"Surprised Robin? I believe your friend is too…" Slade said, firing the laser past Robin.
Robin turned, his gaze trying to find out what Slade could possibly be talking about, and saw Raven. "Raven, NO!" he yelled. The Boy wonder could not see any of his teammate die again.
Raven was too horrified at Slade's face to move. She knew that she should, but her body couldn't. The ray hit her in her chest. Her eyes widened, as she flew backwards, hit the ground, and disappeared.
Slade just threw back his head and laughed. "Do you really think I would show you my face?" He asked Robin, as there was a faint clicking sound. Robin looked back at Slade to see he now had Mad Mod's face. Another click, and he had Jinx's. He finally settled on an average looking Caucasian face and black hair. The only strange part was the eyes… They were yellow with a blood red outline.
Robin snarled, as his fury started to cloud his judgment. "ARGH!" he yelled, as he pulled out his Bo staff with one hand, his exploding disks in his other. He threw the disks at Slade, and as the smoke enveloped him, the Boy Wonder jumped into the air, his staff above his head. As he brought it downward to where he guess Slade's head was, a snarling, "Die," escaped his lips.
A laser pointed out of the smoke, and was aimed at Robin's chest. "Not today…" Slade replied coldly, firing the ray.
Robin did not attempt to move or block the laser, as he knew it was useless. He was just angry that it would end like this. "No, NOT LIKE THIS!" He screamed, as the beam hit his chest, darkening his world.
Raven's eyes shot open, as she fell over gasping for air. Beast Boy, who was standing nearest to her, ran over and caught her.
"What's going on with him?" he asked, noticing Raven holding her chest.
"Something terrible…" she whispered. Cyborg rushed over, and helped Beast Boy pick her up. All three looked to the screen monitoring Robin.
"His heart and mind are under too much stress… Too much more of this and…" Cyborg said, shaking his head sadly.
Starfire brought her hand up to stroke Robin's cheek. "Dear Robin…" She muttered, a tear escaping her eye.
"No, NOT LIKE THIS!" Robin screamed, his body jerking up, his eyes flying open. Starfire fell out of her chair with a startled, eak, as the rest of the Titans quickly looked to their leader, each with a startled expression on their face.
Robin's eyes scanned the room, as realization finally hit him. He cursed, as he swung his legs around to get out of his bed. His eyes widened, finding himself too weak to do so. Cyborg walked over, and put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into his bed.
"You ain't getting up, not after that scare that you just gave us." Cyborg said. Robin didn't argue, felling that he wouldn't be able to get up if he tried.
Beast Boy scooted towards Raven. "I thought that you said that he'd be out for two days?" he whispered. Raven just shrugged.
"I was wrong…" was all she said.
Starfire jumped off of the floor, and started to hug Robin. "You have awakened! We were so worried!" She said happily, squeezing him too hard. When she let go, Robin's face was a deep blue.
"Yeah… I'm alright Star…" he said quietly, sitting up again. "But, can you guys leave? I'm pretty confused right now… and I need some time to sort things out, time alone." he said, with an emphasis on alone.
All of the Titans nodded, except for Starfire, who had to be dragged out by Cyborg and Beast Boy.
But before Cyborg left, he looked back towards Robin. "Tomorrow, we need to know what went down with your fight, okay?" He asked. Robin nodded. Satisfied, Cyborg left.
Robin noticed that Raven had not left the room, and that she was massaging her chest. "What happe-" he stopped, as realization once again hit him. "You went into my dream?" he asked, eyes wide. "Why did you? You know what happens…"
"I will tell you, but first answer me one question…" she said, walking closer to where Robin sat. "Do you have any idea at all what could be causing your dream?"
Sadly, his eyes downcast, Robin replied, "No…" as a drop of blood ran down his cheek like a teardrop. He looked up at her, finally deciding. "Can you help me though?"
Well, that's it for today! I hope you all enjoyed it. Worked all night, and most of the next day, to write it and type it up, so that you'd have it sooner than I promised.
Now, I want you to remember, REVIEW! I got two reviews on the last chapter so far, and I am hoping to get my old audience, which was only about two more than it is now, back. Hey, review, tell me if it's good, not, or if you just want to say you read it. Just tell me what you think
This is TGwtD, saying see ya till next chapter!
