Author's Note: Kudos to all who reviewed!

Samasii—I'm glad it's your favorite, and thanks for reading.

SaturnMax—Buddy, this is Slade we're dealing with! Batman and Robin are both dealing with his diabolical mind, and it's awfully hard to think dispassionately when someone you care about is threatened—ie, you can screw up, just as Bruce Wayne is doing. Don't worry. One last thing—I can't see Batman breaking down in hysterics.

JPotter—I'm glad you like it so much, pal. Keep reading!

Infamous One—By all means, dear man, keep reviewing! (You sounded like Slade when you wrote 'dear girl.') Any feedback is good feedback for an aspiring writer. You and my sister would get along, she's a Star Wars nut, too, but she tends to question Jedi philosophy. Biting your tongue will only make it hurt.

Blaze-firestorm—I'm glad you enjoy it. You spelled 'phenomenal' correctly, just fyi.

KaliAnn—Read and find out where we're headed next. Oooh, you're going to hate Slade.

Alexandru Van Gordan—I'm happy that you think it's "sweet." That is a high bit of praise. Please keep reviewing.

J752572—Don't worry, I don't think you're weird for liking it when Slade has Robin. It's always a little more tense and exciting when Robin has to survive Slade's insidious presence.

Chapter 26

Once the fire was out and a head count was finished, people realized that Slade and Robin were missing. It wasn't until Batman explained that every person in the boarding house felt the need for Slade's blood. Robin was a great kid, and Slade had no right to kidnap him or lock him up or…The possibilities of what Slade might do to him went on and on until the other Titans began to feel and look distinctly sick.

"I should have watched him more closely," Randall said, sinking down to the ground, his knees no longer able to hold him. "I knew what Slade was capable of, but did I make sure he couldn't do anything? NO! Like an idiot, I felt that everything was just fine! How could I let this happen?"

Batman glared at him. "I should have guarded Robin more closely," he snarled. "I should have taken Slade directly to Arkham instead of waiting. Why are you kicking yourself?"

Randall looked at the older man and counted to ten before answering. "I know everything that Slade is capable of, but I did nothing to prevent him from doing any of it. I knew that he had been in tougher situations, but I did nothing to ensure that he was completely powerless. Being unconscious has never kept him from thinking before, and I knew it, but I did nothing to stop him. Why shouldn't I kick myself?"

"Because it's a waste of time and energy," Raven said, walking up to the two. "Arguing and feeling sorry for yourselves will not help us find Robin any more quickly. Both are very human reactions, but I doubt Slade suffers any such limitations. We must begin searching if we are to help Robin."

Randall nodded. "She's right. I have a list of Slade's hideouts; where they are, and how to find them. Interested?"

"Very," Batman said, shaking Randall's hand. "If you'd be so kind?"

Randall nodded and fetched his knapsack, which held all of his most precious belongings and Slade information. Inside were a Bible, a copy each of C.S. Lewis' Malacandra and Ende's Neverending Story, his journal, and a hardback journal that held all of his Slade information. Disks were too easily broken or lost, USBs could hold a great deal of information but were easily lost as well, and the hard drive of a computer wasn't reliable or safe. He depended on good old paper and ink. Drafting classes and cartography helped him draw floor plans and maps of Slade's properties, and computer courses and foreign language courses helped him enter Slade's computer systems. All of Slade's information was at his disposal.

"These are all of his places in England," Randall said, flipping open to the correct page.

"Is there any chance that he'd try to take Robin out of the country?" Cyborg asked, studying the list.

"Not likely," Randall said, looking at the list as well. "At least not tonight. If we don't find him in England, then we'll look for him abroad, but it's likely that he's still in the country until tomorrow."

"Great," Beast Boy muttered sarcastically. "A whole country to look through and plenty of time to do it in! A whole night! And I thought we were gonna be rushed!"

Raven stomped on his foot to shut him up. "That's not helping."

"It's logical that he'd take Robin somewhere close by, so we should check the closest places first. They're all a few hours away by car," Randall said, jotting them down on a sheet of loose paper and ignoring Beast Boy's comments. "These are the addresses and how to fool the security systems. I'll take the first one, and all of you can check the rest by yourselves or as a group if you want."

"We'll split up; it will be faster that way but we'll keep in contact by coms, all right?" Batman said, studying the list himself. "Does everyone have a com?"

Everyone did, and they set off after quickly telling Haven and the boarding house residents where they were going. They were wished luck, and they headed off amid cries of "An' give that bastard one fer us!"

Space

Randall reached the house he'd chosen around three that morning. Slade was most likely resting, and Karlton was probably asleep. Randall couldn't say what Robin was doing, but it was most likely that he was sitting up worrying about tomorrow. Randall knew that he'd done plenty of that while he'd been with Slade.

Running through the blind spots of the security cameras and checking their times against his watch, Randall scooted through the yard and pressed himself flat against the wall of the house. He had to wait a few minutes before moving again, the cameras had to make a sweep of the yard and he would be seen if he moved before then. Once it was safe, he crept to a window, pulled out a lockpick and an enema bulb that held oil. Using the oil on the hinges and the pick on the lock, Randall eased the window shutters back only by an inch and three quarters before sliding a knife between the shutters at the top and bottom to cut the security wires. Now it was safe to open the shutters the rest of the way and push up the window.

Falling to the floor inside with the silence of a cat, Randall crept through the house, checking rooms. There was one good thing about Slade: he had his habits. He preferred the same rooms at each house, so they were the only ones he used. Karlton always slept in the servant's quarters near Slade, so he didn't have to worry about them. No, the person that Randall was looking for was Robin. He could always find Slade later, what he had to do now was make sure that Robin was safe.

He opened a door and saw a curled up form in the bed. Since this was not Slade's or Karlton's room, the person sleeping there had to be Robin. He crept over and reached for the boy's shoulder to wake him, but the next second saw him pelting away from the bed and jumping behind a heavy wood and metal screen for safety since he was unable to make it out the door. The form in the bed was not a boy, but what resembled a bomb, and a countdown had been displayed on its screen with only a few seconds left.

The expected explosion never came.

"Whoever you are, I must congratulate you on getting this far within my home," Slade's image said from the screen. Randall peeked around the screen to stare at it. "Well done, I'm impressed. Pressure pads in the floor cued this recording, I had Karlton install them for me while I was given such wonderful hospitality at that hovel. Robin, as you may have guessed, is not here. No, he and I are off together, and I have found some people willing to take care of him for me. Give up your search for him, for it is as futile as your hope of imprisoning me."

That was when the real countdown started. Randall ran for the windows and jumped through the glass, not bothering to open the window first. A somersault down to the ground helped him land on his feet, and he started running, praying that he would get far enough away before-

BOOM!

Randall dropped, covering the back of his head with his hands. Once the debris had stopped falling, he slowly got to his feet, thankful that the wall or even the house hadn't fallen on him. Shrapnel of wood, glass, and stone had embedded themselves in his skin, but they would have to wait until he had help to get them out. He had to report to Batman and the Titans. Swearing at the little stabs of pain from moving, Randall fished out his com and swore silently that he would manage to find Robin and Slade.