Chapter 19

Slade woke with his head feeling as if a brick were resting on top of it. When he saw the Titans gathered around him, he thought that he was dreaming, but when one of them spoke, he was certain he was awake.

"I think he's come to," Cyborg said, looking at him. "You sure this is Slade? He's not wearing the mask or body armor."

"I'm positive," he heard a voice--not a teenager's--say. "Why else would he be there at the school where Slade had placed Robin? Besides, the old man we found with him is Slade's servant. Why would he be accompanying this man if he were not Slade?"

"Okay, point taken," Raven said, slipping back her hood. "Now what?"

The older man who had been speaking came into Slade's view. He was nothing remarkable to look at, but Slade had the feeling that this was a formidable foe.

"We find out how much he knows about Robin, and if he knows who it was that has taken him now," the man said grimly.

"What do you mean?" Slade demanded, trying in vain against the bonds that held him still. "Robin has disappeared?"

"As if you didn't know," Cyborg snapped. "Which one of your cronies snatched him?"

"Why would I have one of my people take him when I was there to get him myself?" Slade demanded, trying yet again to get loose. The room was dark, and he was in some sort of chair. "Where are we?" he asked, perplexed.

"The office of a friend of mine," the mysterious man answered. "He's a dentist, so this place is especially useful for keeping you restrained. Now talk."

Slade considered the tension in the room and realized something. "You don't know where he is either, do you?"

None of them wanted to admit it to Slade, but Beast Boy's signal had disappeared, and now there was no way of finding where the changeling and Robin were.

Slade started laughing. "So you've lost him, and you expect me to know, right?" he chuckled. "Sorry, I don't."

"What, something the all-powerful Slade doesn't know?" Cyborg said as his right arm changed into a cannon. "You seem to be telling us that there's no longer any use for you."

"Cyborg," the strange man said warningly. Cyborg acquiesced with the man's tacit request that he not hurt their captive.

"So who are you?" Slade asked, coolly observing his host. "Robin's father? Grandfather? Uncle? His mentor, Batman, perhaps?"

The man just looked at him. "I'm not Batman--after all, do you see a pointy-eared cape on me?--but I am someone who is very concerned for Robin, since I know the boy. Batman is unable to search for him, so he sent me. Call me a silent partner, if you will."

"Very well, then," Slade said, smiling the slightest bit. "What do you want with me? I've already told you I don't know who it was that took Robin."

"You can still be useful," the man said, crossing his arms. "And who said you weren't going to be imprisoned? Batman has a way of doing so without the inconvenience of your being awake and plotting."

Slade considered this, and began to be just the slightest bit worried.

Space

Randall, at the moment, was trying to take a little nap. He never slept for very long if he could help it, but that usually meant that he had to take several naps a day when he wasn't on duty or in the field. He remembered that one time where he had been constantly pursued by some of Slade's henchmen and he hadn't gotten a chance to sleep for an entire week. Once he had eluded his hunters and reached the nearest Haven house, he slept for almost twenty-four hours and spent about two hours eating after he had woken up.

A headache started, and Randall gave up on trying to sleep. He could never sleep with a headache, so he left his bed and headed downstairs, looking for something to occupy himself with. "Upstairs" had placed him on the inactive list, effective immediately, for the next two weeks so that he would get some rest, but they didn't realize that he became so awfully bored when he was inactive. He'd tried any number of things to occupy his time: learning another language, studying music since he'd been meaning to, reading, or writing his journal, but none of those occupations kept him satisfied for long. Usually he ended up outside going through forms or doing sword work, but the energy he used there was nervous energy, and it did little to alleviate his feeling of uselessness. Here he was, taking a break, and Slade was still out in the world, ruining people's lives. He couldn't make his superiors understand this.

He went into the front study and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the boy sitting in one of the armchairs. It was the one called Robin, and the boy looked worried about something.

"Hi," Randall said, trying to regain his composure. "I didn't see you there. How are you?" Oh, real smooth, he thought to himself. You sound like an idiot.

"Physically or emotionally?" the boy asked as Randall took a seat next to him.

"Both."

"I've got a headache, and I'm worried," Robin said, massaging the left side of his head. "Why aren't these people letting me go home? I'm no longer stuck with Slade and he doesn't know where I am, so I'm all right."

"Ah," Randall said, understanding the boy's problem. "They're trying to neutralize Slade before they let you out of protection. I mean, it would be pretty pointless if you were to get home only to be kidnapped again, right?"

"I guess so," Robin said, still not sounding convinced. "Why are you here?"

"I've been placed on 'inactive duty'," Randall explained. "My superiors wanted me to rest a little, but usually I'm bored."

Robin nodded, and Randall noticed that he still looked a little anxious. He made a decision.

"If I were to tell you something, would you promise to keep it to yourself?" he asked.

"Yes," Robin promised, intrigued.

"Well, I know what you're going through. I'm officially under protection myself since Slade is looking for me."

"Why is he looking for you?"

Randall laughed the slightest bit, as if surprised at the irony. "I was the first kid he tried to make into his apprentice. He got hold of me when I was a lot younger, though, and by the time I got away, I'd been with him for seven years. As you probably already know from Mike, I was twelve when I came here."

Robin stared at him, dumbfounded. "How did you survive? My first time was only a matter of days, and I could barely take it!"

"Well, I was used to it. You see, he didn't steal me from home or my friends, I didn't have anyone. He had a group of nannies take care of me, and then when I was five he began to be a more overt presence in my life. By the time I was twelve, I realized that I had to get out or become as heartless as he was. It wasn't easy--I was watched most of the time, you know--but I managed. I'd heard him speak of an organization that was working against him, so I made it my business to find them and offer my services. It took a while, but I found my way to Haven and I've been here ever since."

Robin thought about this. "Amazing. Does Slade know you're working here?"

"I think he has an idea," Randall said, playing with a sofa pillow absentmindedly, "but I have never allowed myself to be seen by him, so he can only speculate."

Robin nodded. "I think I understand why they're still keeping me here," he said. "You've told them a lot about Slade, and they want to keep me safe from him and keep the same stuff that happened to you from happening to me."

"You're sharp," Randall complimented. "Yes, I told them all about how Slade treated me, and I wouldn't wish such treatment on another human being. It's amazing that I stayed sane, now that I think about it."

Robin wasn't going to say it, but he felt the same way.

Space

Beast Boy was outside in a tree, hidden from the people of the house by the branches. He swore as much as he could at his communicator, but it was still broken. How could the stupid thing break? How??? Just when he needed it the most, it decided to break! What he needed was Robin or Cyborg here to fix it, but Cyborg was who knew where and he'd been told to keep his presence here secret, so how could he bug Robin? Beast Boy sighed. Why did all this stuff happen to him?