Me. Update. Now.
King Cheetah: Yeah, it was.
Majestical: No prob.
Darkofthenight: Okie dokie.
jambey: LOL yeah I had fun writing that bit. That might be a bit dangerous... Nope, but good guess. -sigh- What can I say? I'm addicted to writing.
CloudsHalo: Ok, as I have said before, I know basically nothing about the Teen Titans that is not revealed in the cartoon. I haven't the foggiest where Gotham and Jump City are, so for my purposes (since this is fanfiction, after all) they are at least relatively close to eachother. As for that, you'll see in a bit.
Cheerin4danny: Nope. Yeah, that part was unpleasant... You'll find out all that soon.
Raven of the Night676: Nope and nope. Glad it was good.
antiterra: Nope, nope, and NO WAY IN THIS UNIVERSE OR THE NEXT! Mina is NOT TERRA! -breathes heavily, regains control- Well, I'm about to write the climax...don't know if that qualifies for your exciting list...Glad you liked it.
Dark-Magic67: Yeah, sorry about that. Thanks!
Cheerin4danny: Well, I've only seen a couple episodes, so I don't really know all the facts...Thanks!
Umbro Draco: Yeah, it spazzes...seems to like to pick on me. DUN DUN DUN, AND THE WINNER IS...UMBRO DRACO! -cast cheers- LOL you were the only person to guess it, congrats my friend. And yes, I planted that to give you guys a hint. Ooh...you are too sharp, way too sharp.
CelticHeiressFiona: Hmm...in a way yes it is him...but in another way, no it's not.Glad you like it!
Mina: I've been wanting to do that for ages...LOL I hoped you would. Hmm...your name is dorito! Lol...not really, but I can't think of any others. Nope...though it would be funny if my name was Barbara...lol.
Mystyre: Yeah, that is it in a nutshell. Nope. Don't feel stupid, you'll soon see. Yes she does. Yeah, but not if the gun was aimed at her head and Slade was holding her still...Yes indeed.
Aeris-Raven: Nope and nope. I looked at that...it does fit quite well.
Rebel-Aquarius: Thanks, and your story is awesome so far.
Insaneiac The Maniac: Aw, a new reader. Nothing better than that. Handcuffs...I'll explain later. If I don't explain later, you can kick me and make me explain later. Cyborg is my least favorite character...as you probably guessed. Yeah, they finally grew some backbones. Why, thank you! LOL! It's all just fun and games...to get some of the thoughts out of my head so I can sleep. Exactly, and trust Slade to hit the nail on the head. Well, you will definitely see how it rounds out quite soon. Thanks...that was one of my more risky plot twists. Great to hear from you:)
ON WITH THE STORY!
Kill. Slade said it so matter-of-factly, as though waltzing into a crowd of people and shooting someone was a perfectly normal and appealing activity. His stomach lurched, and he heaved, clutching the wall for support. Nothing there...there hadn't been anything in his stomach for quite some time now, though he knew Slade had managed to get around that suicide attempt. When he passed out in his "room", he was slightly hopeful that death was claiming him. But after Slade was through with him, he felt a certain artificial strength flow back into his muscles, and the stabbing pains in his stomach had subsided to a dull ache. Most importantly, he could use his leg with only a relatively small twinge of pain. That was the big mystery; how had Slade managed to steal his last protection from a life of crime?
When his stomach had calmed somewhat, Robin pushed away from the wall, approaching the door with some trepidation. Half of him suspected that this was all a trap, just another way Slade had invented to bend him to his will. The other half wondered what it would be like to see the sun again after what felt like a thousand years of darkness. He had almost forgotten it, but then, he had forgotten a lot of things since he ended up in this prison.
Robin almost smiled; it was just too ironic. All the hours he had spent vainly plotting, wanting with every fiber of his being to get out of this hell-hole, and now, he was afraid to leave it. If you kick a dog every time it tries to come in the house, the memory of that pain will linger and it will always hesitate at the door, even if you invite it in.
The handle creaked, making him jump and automatically glance over his shoulder. No one was there. Why would Slade try to stop him? He wanted Robin to leave...if only for a short time.
"Forty minutes, Robin."
He jumped, his heart racing as the cold voice sounded in his ear. Just the headphones...
With renewed determination, Robin reached out a hand and shoved the door open. White-hot light pierced his eyes, penetrating through his eyelids as they squeezed shut in pain. It took several minutes to adjust to the dramatic change in light, and even then colorspots danced across his vision.
"It doesn't matter, cuz in about five seconds, you won't remember anyway!"
Robin's eyes widened. Cyborg?
"This is not good."
Beast Boy?
Moving as soundlessly as any self-respecting shadow, Robin crept through the door, headed towards the voices... He recieved an immediate shock as he stared at the building and saw...nothing. Nothing but an empty lot...at least, to the untrained eye. The Boy Wonder reached out and ran a hand along the wall...definitely there. Slade must be cloaking his hideout, to keep anyone that might possibly be looking for Robin off his trail. How nice of him. Peeking around the corner of the "invisible" building, he had to cover his mouth to stifle a gasp of surprise. Barely two feet away from him was Starfire, facing, thankfully, away from him and toward...
"It's true, even tiny can pack a punch, but not for long!" Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at Starfire, but she dodged it, soaring up over his head and raining him with starbolts. The half-robot avoided them easily, firing first at Starfire, then at Beast Boy, who was charging him in the form of a bull. The blast caught the changeling by surprise, sending him flying backwards a few feet.
"Beast Boy!" Star plumetted back to Earth, landing in front of Cyborg. "Friend, why do you do these--" The alien gave a small grunt of surprise as another blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon slammed into her chest, knocking her backwards...and straight into Robin.
They rolled head over heels, finally coming to a stop with Starfire on top of him. For a moment, she merely blinked in shock. Then reality sunk in. "R...Robin? You are safe?"
"I'm..." Fine. He had never been less fine in his life. Remembering his disgraceful clothing, Robin looked away, gently moving Star off of him so he could stand.
Her emerald eyes bored holes in him, taking in the mask, and the razor-sharp "S" over his heart. Her relief died quickly, to be replaced by horror and uncertainty. "Robin...I..."
Some unpleasant memory drifted to the surface, and Robin changed before her very eyes. "What? Were you expecting someone else? A lot has changed since you kicked me out, Starfire." The bitterness in his voice pierced her to the core.
"Robin, please! Please just listen--"
His fists were clenched. "Did you listen to me?"
Star's eyes widened, and her feet touched Earth with a small thump as tears welled up in her eyes.
The Boy Wonder saw him first, sneaking around the corner, sonic cannon at the ready and leveled at Starfire's back. "Star, loo--"
"Ooph!" The blast lifted the Tamaranian off her feet and slammed her into the invisible wall, where she sank to the ground and lay still, blood oozing down the side of her face. Robin knelt beside her, his heart aching as he wiped away the blood and checked her pulse. "Star..."
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."
Robin jerked his head up, only to lock eyes with someone he had hoped never to speak to again. "You hurt Starfire," he hissed, glaring at the half-robot.
"Not as much as you did. Nice suit, makes you look just like Sl--"
"Shut up!" Robin yelled, leaping forward and sweeping his legs along the ground, hoping to trip the hybrid up. Cyborg jumped it easily, sending a heavy metal fist flying at Robin's face. He ducked it, though he could still feel it whistle past his ear. "Thirty minutes, Robin."
Cyborg fired off a long blast from his cannon, grazing Robin's arm and sending him spinning through the air with the sheer force of it. "Hey, I'm sorry man. Did that hurt? Here, let me help you up." He offered his hand, a look of concern in his human eye, but Robin was far from convinced. He feigned gratitude as he accepted Cyborg's hand, then planted both his feet into the teen's metal chest, successfully flipping him onto his back. In the next instant, Cyborg thrust his foot upward and a small rocket exploded from its base, smashing into Robin's chest and detonating on impact. The shock wave sent him flying backwards to be intercepted by a brick wall, harsh and unforgiving. Stars winked before his eyes as his head collided with the solid surface, knocking the wind out of him as he slid to the ground. Had to get up...Raven...
Cyborg made that decision for him. A huge metal fist gripped the back of his uniform, jerking him to his feet as its twin drew back and aimed for his face. Automatically, Robin lifted his arm and deflected the blow, somewhat painfully -it was metal, after all- and sent his own punch into Cyborg's face. It connected, whipping his head back and stunning him enough to make him drop Robin. Boy Wonder's legs wobbled for a moment, but he ignored it, leaping into the air and flip-kicking his former best friend in the metal cranium. That brought a stabbing pain shooting up his leg, but he didn't care. This felt a lot better than it should have; making Cyborg pay, taking back what was stolen from him...proving them right. With a shake of his head, Robin pushed that thought out of his mind, just in time to avoid another kick from Cyborg. That last hit was a fire at the base of his skull; a cold reminder of his friend's betrayal. Cyborg would beat him to a pulp without batting an eye. Well, Robin sure as heck was not going to give him the pleasure.
Slade's apprentice lashed out furiously, kicking and punching his teammate, his friend, his big brother, with all the strength he possessed, his face pale and cold sweat standing out on his forehead. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered how it had come to this.
"Nice of you to play, Robin, but ya know I'm gonna win," teased Cyborg, punching the smaller boy lightly.
"Well, let's just play and see what happens," grinned Robin. They solemnly bowed to each other, then picked up their paddles and turned on the Game Station.
On your mark...Get set...
"Booya!" yelled Cyborg, racing full speed ahead.
A light punch to his chest sent Robin stumbling back slightly, giving Cyborg just enough room to raise his sonic cannon. Before he could duck, before he could do anything to save himself, Cyborg fired.
Blue energy collided with his chest, sending a jolt of pain through his entire body as he left the ground behind, his ears ringing, his eyes blurring, and his heart beating unnaturally slow.
"So...are we cool?" asked Robin cautiously.
"Frosty."
"Say goodnight, Robin."
Mina watched in horror as Cyborg and Robin fought furiously. Starfire and Beast Boy were already down, taken out by bright blue blasts from Cyborg's arm gun. She screamed as a rocket shot from the robot's foot, colliding with Robin's chest and exploding in a burst of blue flame. She had to do something...had to help him...but what could she do? She was just an average teenager; she couldn't fly or shoot lasers from her eyes or transform into a T-rex; what could she possibly do againt a half-metal fighting machine?
As Robin dodged yet another blow from Cyborg, one fact clicked into place in her mind. Robin couldn't do any of those things, either. He was just as human as she was, but he was standing up to Cyborg. What did he have that she didn't? Courage. Bravery. Determination.
With a deep breath, Mina focused hard on the robot's metal back as he stood over Robin, an odd buzzing noise filling the air, almost like a...chainsaw. Her stomach turned as images of Robin after Cyborg was through with him flashed before her eyes. No more time for doubts. It was now or never.
Mina wasn't sure what she was looking for, or how it could help Robin, but this was the best plan she had. Her eyes scoured Cyborg's back, moving from his feet to his skull, focusing so hard on it that her head began to ache and it seemed her eyes were burning holes in the metal...
One second, she was glaring at the metal casing, and the next...she was staring inside Cyborg's head, glaring into a mess of wires and ciruits...but somehow that didn't seem unnatural in the least. She was looking for something, desperately searching... There! A blue wire, at least three times as thick as all the others; that was the one. Her eyes zoomed in one the wire until it filled her entire field of vision. Electricity sparked through her, building pressure, filling her entire being with energy, and still she kept her eyes on the wire. Inexplicably, she knew what to do. Slowly, little by little, she forced that energy into the wire, filling it, waiting... The wire pulsed with a light not its own, brighter and brighter...Wait...
"Say goodnight, Robin."
NOW! Mina released all of the remaining energy at once, allowing it to burst from her and into the wire, cutting it in one clean stroke. The job was done.
Cyborg instantly froze, the chainsaw whirring to a hault as he turned gray, the light in his synthetic eye dying out as he swayed and fell forward. She had done it; Mina didn't know how, but she had done it.
Robin groaned, wriggling out from under two hundred pounds of metal with no small amount of difficulty. His head was still spinning from that last blast from the sonic cannon. What had shut Cyborg down so suddenly? Both Starfire and Beast Boy were unconscious...who could have possibly--
"Uh...Robin?" The face of a girl swam into view...familiar. Of course, the one who took him to the warehouse...what was her name?
"I'm Mina, remember?" The girl stretched out her hand to help him stand. "Are you all right?"
"Ten minutes, Robin." All the color drained from his face as the voice of Slade echoed in his ears. Ten...ten minutes? "No...let me go!" "Raven!" Robin swore breathlessly, scrambling to his feet, his hand darting to his utility belt...and the pistol Slade had given him. Robin was a master of wriggling out of the tightest of places, but thist time, he could see no escape. Someone...Mina, would have to die to keep Raven alive. And he would have to kill her.
"R...Robin, what are you...?" Mina stared, wide-eyed and slightly fearful as he withdrew the gun from its compartment. No! He couldn't do this...her green eyes bored into him, silently asking why. The gun shook in his hand, his breath coming in short, irregular bursts. No...
"Seven minutes, Robin." The words turned his blood to ice as faint screaming echoed in his ear. Slade was hurting Raven. "No...Robin!"
He swallowed hard against the golf ball in his throat, his hands so slick with sweat that he could hardly grip the pistol. To kill...to take a life. Such a crime was utterly unforgivable, unimaginable. Murder. That word would carry him well over the line between good and evil, drag him into Slade's domain, never to return. A living, breathing, perfect human being, beautiful, young. Extinguished at his hand.
"Five minutes, Robin." "ROBIN!"
Mina stared at the gun, panic rising in her chest as the barrel darted from her head to her heart, shaking violently. His face was as white as chalk, his eyes wide behind the mask...but he was determined, too. "Focus! Focus on the gun...let it fill your mind..." Nothing. She could not see inside it as she had done with Cyborg. There was no wave of electricity. She couldn't do it, and now she was going to die.
"Three minutes, Robin." Her screams rang in his ears, desperate, pleading. Slade was killing her. The girl was trembling slightly, all color gone from her pixie-ish features, fear in her wide eyes. It was the same fear he felt in the presence of his Master. His stomach turning in disgust, his mind screaming in panic, Robin leveled the gun at Mina's chest.
"One minute, Robin." The screams were silenced, an eerie quiet in their wake. He would do anything for Raven...anything at all.
"Robin..." Mina choked, all the air stolen from her body as though the bullet was already lodged in her heart.
Robin clicked back the safety. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion as his finger tightened around the trigger...
Oh wow. I think that was THE MEANEST cliff hanger I have ever written! Strangle me if you wish, I'm prepared. I'll try to update soon so as not to leave you hanging too long. Time to get ready for school! -Dusty