Chapter 19- Something Wicked This Way Come

There he stood; on the scaffold high above him with his hands behind his back peering down at him as though he were a higher power. He wore the long white robe that Robin was accustomed to seeing him in with sleeves that were loose and baggy that almost made him look like a holy man or someone of a greater majesty. His face, however, dictated his far more sinister intentions with his metallic plating and robotic eye on the right side and on the left, an expression that rivaled that of the devil's.

Robin couldn't believe it was him. He knew Brother Blood was a little off the wall, but he would have never suspected him of being Deathstroke after all the things he had carried out. It just…didn't seem like his style.

"Brother…Blood," Robin said in a quiet confused voice. "But…how?"

"What," said Brother Blood. "You look so surprised to see me. Were you expecting someone else?

In the back of his mind, Robin had the impression that Deathstroke may have been Slade. The mask, his appearance at the restaurant and the dance, the androids, the city, his friends; all the evidence pointed to Slade, yet here was Brother Blood, standing before him. He couldn't let this madman see his uneasiness of it all.

"You shouldn't be here," Robin shouted up to him. "You're supposed to be in jail!"

"Please Robin," Brother Blood said sarcastically. "Did you really think that little birdcage of a cell could keep me locked away forever?"

"No…I don't believe this…I don't believe any of this!" Robin's face scrunched up in anger and he took in a deep breath before shouting, "WHERE ARE YOU SLADE! SHOW YOURSELF!"

"He's not coming back," Brother Blood said down to him casually. "He was destroyed in that volcano and you witnessed it yourself. I'm sorry Robin, but he won't be joining us this evening."

"But I saw him! He's here, I know he is!"

"You mean at the restaurant, or the dance, or how about during your little training session at Titan's Tower?"

Robin looked up at him as if seeing him for the first time. How could he have known about that?

"In reality Slade's never been there," Brother Blood explained, "like I said earlier, Slade's gone and he's never coming back. The things you saw were merely illusions I created in your mind."

Robin's head dropped slightly after being told this. It was the only logical explanation for it all; Blood was the one behind all of this whether he wanted to believe it or not.

"Disappointed, are we," Brother Blood asked.

Robin looked up at him with a grin on his face and said, "In a lot of ways, yes. For a while there I truly believed Slade was back."

"But Robin, I open handedly admitted to being Deathstroke so long ago. Did you perhaps forget about that little gift I sent you?"

"Of course I didn't!" How could he, it scared the living daylights out of him. "Now enough of your games Blood! What are you planning!"

Brother Blood chuckled at him and said, "Do you like it Robin?"

"Like what," Robin said with a scolding look on his face.

Brother Blood smiled at him and said, "I guess I should probably break the news to you then." He raised his arms up as if presenting him with something. "Welcome…to my new school."

"New school," Robin asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yes…Jump City of course. It'll be my new headquarters to start educating 'all' of my new students." Brother Blood put his hands behind his back and leaned down to shoot Robin an evil gaze. "And guess who I've chosen to be my first student," he asked as though it were life and death.

"I don't know, the muffin man?"

Brother Blood growled in anger and yelled, "YOU, FOOLISH CHILD!"

Robin was dumbfounded by this. His fight, his…vendetta was with Slade, and Cyborg's was with Blood, but now he was after him; why?

"What," he said with a confused look on his face. "I thought you're score was with Cyborg. What do you want from me?"

"Well young grasshopper," Brother Blood said with frowning eyes and a smile on his face. "Since your insolent friend Cyborg was not quite as…persuadable as I had hoped he would be, I knew I had to find a much more…manageable tyro. So once I realized he was out of the question, I made my way down the totem pole and saw much potential in you. After all—"he leaned over again and gazed at Robin with evil eyes. "Slade did…"

"Ha," Robin chuckled sarcastically. "My reputation precedes me."

He paused for a moment and thought about what he had just said. What did he know about the rivalry he had with Slade?

"Since when have you and Slade crossed paths," Robin asked hiding his uncertainty.

"Oh it is quite the bed time story, if I may say so myself. You see, before our dear friend was met with his 'tragic misfortune,' he entitled me to all his assets in case anything were to happen to him. So once he was gone and I had procession of all the wonderful things he bestowed upon me, I was able to easily take control of the H.I.V.E. and become its' new headmaster. After all…don't we all have to start somewhere?"

With an angry grunt Robin leapt into the air and onto the scaffold in which Brother Blood was standing on.

"Indeed we do," he said resting the end of his Bo-Staff on the ground next to him, "but what about the virus and Red X, and the missing chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons!"

Brother Blood remained silent, because he honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

"ANSWER ME," Robin shouted in an angry voice.

"Why Robin, whatever do you mean. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Robin growled and said, "Fine…" He picked up his Bo-staff, twirled it in his hands and got in a fighting stance. "I didn't come here for small talk anyway."

He raised the opposite hand and pointed a condemning finger at the crazed man and said, "Brother Blood you're under arrest for the crimes you've committed against this city including robbery, massacre, and destruction of city property!"

"Is that all," Brother Blood interrupted.

"I'm not finished…you're also under arrest for attempted murder against the Justice League," his voice grew deep and his eyes narrowed with anger, "and for the murders of Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire."

"Is that so," Brother Blood said.

"I'm here to take you down Blood…and I've got nothing left to lose."

Brother Blood smiled at him and said, "Well then…if that is what you're here for, so be it."

He grasped the soft velvety cloth over his shoulder and ripped the robe he was wearing off his robotic body and threw it over the edge of the scaffold.

Robin watched as the flapping material fell into the pit of molten steel then returned his gaze to Brother Blood. He had come to the conclusion that this psychotic villain could no longer be categorized as a human being for how much circuitry and metal was running through his body. At his wrists were hands of cold steel with finger tips as sharp as razors, and at his forearms and shoulders was a hard plastic that glow an eerie blood red. His chest and midsection were red and silver and covered in armor plating accompanied by the depraved symbol he wore so proudly. This was a man, no…a machine of chaos and destruction, and had to be stopped at all costs no matter what.

"Pity you couldn't have just gone out with your friends," he said as he spaced his footing and leaned into a fighter's stance. "But I guess maybe that's why Slade liked you so much…because you were a survivor."

"That's an understatement," Robin chuckled with frowning eyes and a grin on his face.

"It's only fair to worn you Robin, you don't know what you're dealing with."

"It's only fair to worn you," Robin mocked. "Neither do you. I think it's you who's at the disadvantage here! You've never seen me fight before and you don't know what I'm capable of! You might as well lie down and pretend to be dead!"

"Hahaha," Brother Blood chuckled in a seductive voice with an evil grin on his face. "I can see we both carry a lot of pride, but what makes you so confident you can even defeat me?"

Robin smiled and said, "I'm nothing compared to Cyborg. I'm meaner, faster, smarter…and I don't think I have any blueprints for you to read up on."

He laughed again and said, "I see…Ya know Robin, it would be much easier for me to just brain wash you and make you my pupil…but I have a tradition of reasoning with my first students through…aggressive negotiations."

"Well I'd offer you some tea," Robin said sarcastically, "but I've been trying to avoid the caffeine…my physician feels I'm 'high strung' as it is!"

Brother Blood chuckled and said, "I can't imagine."

With that Robin charged forward and leapt into the air. He came down on Brother Blood with his Bo-staff cocked behind him, but the evil madman quickly evaded the attack as he swung down on him. Robin was quick to strike again and swung the end of his Bo-staff at him again and again, but hit nothing but air. Brother Blood moved to the side of another one of Robin's attacks and came at him with a high-kick, but Robin leaned back, nearly touching his shoulders to the ground, and evaded. Brother Blood put his foot back down and that was Robin's next chance to strike. Still leaned all the way back, he reached down behind him and did a back-flip, kicking Brother Blood in the jaw at the same time and landed on his feet in a new fighting stance.

"Impressive," said Brother Blood rubbing his jaw. "Too bad I didn't feel that though, EEEEEEERRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

He shot forward and came at Robin; this time on the offensive. He met Robin's stomach with an iron fist and the Boy Wonder keeled over in pain then elbowed him in the face, sending him flying back.

Robin stumbled to his feet and whipped the spit from the corner of his mouth. "Not bad Blood," he said with a mischievous grin on his face. "But you're going to have to do better than that."

"Mark my words Robin," Brother Blood said; his eyes glowing red with anger. "You 'ain't' seen nothing yet!"

Brother Blood growled and shot at him again. He swung punch after punch at the vengeful teenager but he dodged every attack with a smile on his face, not realizing he was falling into a trap. Robin continued dodging his onslaught as if it were fun, but was unexpectedly met with a kick and sent flying onto a conveyor belt. He opened his eyes after hitting the hard surface to see a huge mechanical press about to squash him like a bug, but quickly rolled out of the way and was nearly crushed by another. He got to his feet finally with his Bo-staff in hand as Brother Blood came after him with a jump kick.

Robin Blocked the attack with his staff then quickly went back on the offensive; jabbing and swiping at him with all his fury and might. Brother Blood was hit in the gut and immediately keeled over and clenched his stomach in pain but was met by the other end of Robin's Bo-Staff in the face. Brother Blood went flying off the side of the conveyor belt and landed on the hard paved floor of the factory. Robin gave him no chance to recover and immediately jumped off the side after him, coming down on him with the end of his staff in a very loud echoing battle cry.

Blood looked up to see what was coming at him before quickly rolling out of the way as Robin made a huge crater in the ground where he once was. He got back to his feet and waited for more attacks, but the two just starred each other down while Blood tried to catch his breath.

"Come on old man," Robin said. "Is that all you got!"

"NNNOOOO, EEEERRRRAAAAHHHH!" Blood's eyes glowed red and in a mighty roar he slammed his hand into the ground and sent a shock wave of energy trailing towards the Boy Wonder, destroying the ground underneath him and sending him flying back.

After hitting the floor and sliding to a halt, Robin leaned on his elbow in an attempt to get back on his feet, but was quickly kicked in the chest and sent flying back again. He was thrown into a column of steam pipes and hit them with a loud DONK! Hot steam vented out of the indentations and created a cloudy haze around him lying on the ground.

"Let some steam off," Brother Blood said as he drew nearer to him with an evil grin on his face.

He put his hands behind his back and stood there waiting for the fog to clear so he could see his prey, but once it settled, the Boy Wonder was gone. Blood now wore a look of bewilderment and turned around in search of the elusive teenager but could not find him. He spun around after hearing another machine venting steam behind him but suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned slowly to see who it was, and there was Robin standing there with a mischievous look on his face.

"Boo," said Robin before he raised his arm and backhanded Brother Blood across the face.

Blood stumbled back and regained his footing. He put his hand up to his face and felt the area of warm skin that stung like a beast where he had been slapped. He looked at Robin who starred back at him with a huge taunting smile on his face, taking pleasure in knowing Brother Blood felt like he had just been branded. The crazed madman became furious and his blood boiled inside his artificial veins as he shot Robin a scolding look. He let out a raging battle cry then held his arms out to the sides as if he were reaching for something and began grunting.

Robin had no idea what he was doing, until finally he saw a red glowing aura around a huge machine next to Brother Blood that he yanked out of the ground like a turnip. Robin wore a horrified look on his face and gasped, prior to having the huge mechanism thrown at him like baseball. He was quick to react and jumped over it before it could hit him, but was blind sided by another one as he landed on his feet. He was thrown back like a rag doll as soon the machine exploded on him and slid to a halt after landing on the ground. He tried to get up but Brother Blood was already standing over him and grabbed him by his hair and flung him back again. Robin hit the floor hard again and slid to a halt. He struggled to his feet but suddenly looked over his shoulder after hearing a roar behind him and saw Brother Blood leaping through the air and coming down on him with his foot. Robin rolled out of the way before he landed on top of him as a huge crater was formed in the spot where he was once. The tired Boy Wonder knelt on one knee trying to catch his breath, but his resting period was short lived as Brother Blood's eye glowed red again and another blunt object was sent soaring towards him. He was able to evade but not until another one came at him and struck him across the face. He stumbled backwards when suddenly something else socked him in the back. Robin let out an agonizing wail of pain as he kept getting hit over and over again by huge masses of debris till he was thrown backwards into a pile of wooden crates.

Brother Blood turned back to a normal state and placed his hands behind his back and slowly walked over to the pile of splintered crates and wood that Robin was lying under. He wasn't though, however, he was gone. Brother Blood wore an aggravated look on his face and spun around after feeling something run past him. He put his hands at his side and followed the sounds of the running foot steps around him until he came to a new section of the factory which was a narrow passage way surrounded by huge lines of twisting steaming pipes. He surveyed the area before proceeding any further then sauntered his way in. He was in here, Brother Blood could sense his presence, hiding somewhere amongst the pipelines.

"You can't hide forever Robin," Brother Blood said to his hidden foe.

He did not answer.

Brother Blood looked to his right after the pipe next to him suddenly vented a huge puff of steam. He looked back and continued on his slow paced route as he said, "You know you cannot defeat me child."

"I'll find a way," said a shaky voice somewhere around him.

"Join me. It's the only way you can save yourself." He turned slowly to the side and scanned the conduits above him before continuing. "What do you think the future holds for you Robin? Your friends are gone…the city is lost, and soon the world will be mine."

He thought he heard something behind him and slowly turned to face it. "What are you holding on to Robin? What makes you so willing to fight when you know you've lost everything? Is it hope, no…it's something far deeper than that isn't it?"

An evil grin shot across his face as he straightened his posture and gazed at everything around him. "Perhaps we should have a look inside your head. Shall we?" He slowly inhaled and exhaled a deep breathe, pointing his head towards the ceiling as he inhaled, and back down towards the floor as he exhaled. He opened his eyes which now glow a transparent red and starred off into space.

"Mr. Grayson," Brother Blood said in a sinister voice, "Mr. Dick, Grayson…a very strong, bold name if I do say so myself."

Behind the conduit in which Robin was hiding, a look of dread came across his face after hearing his name called out by Brother Blood. He was reading his mind, and there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening.

"Ah," Brother Blood said in a satisfying voice. "You used to be the sidekick of the legendary caped crusader. Batman; my what an honor that must've been….let's see what else we can find."

Robin felt something weird in his head. It was almost like something was moving around in his skull, absorbing into his brain, but he knew it was Brother Blood probing his mind like a brain surgeon.

"The Flying Grayson's; so you were with the circus before you dawned the mask and cape, huh Dick?"

Robin squinted his eyes and balled his hands into a fist, trying not to think about anything in a feeble attempt to keep the crazed madman out of his head.

"Tragic you had to witness the death of your own parents my…what a pity that must have been."

Robin's bottom lip began to quiver and he felt his emotions rising inside his chest.

"But…you've been able to cope with it, accept it. You've moved on and now the death of your parents is a distant memory. However, that's not what really makes you tick, is it? Still, it's something more than that."

There was a long pause from Brother Blood as he probed deeper into Robin's mind.

"Your friends," he said in a slow deep voice. "You're fighting for your friends, even in death. NO! That sill isn't it." He paused again for a long while before continuing. "I can…taste your feelings Robin," he said with an evil smile on his face. "Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, you care dearly for them…"

Brother Blood stopped and a sinister grin came across his face as he looked over his shoulder. "But not dearly as—"he turned his head to the side and probed deeper into Robin's mind. "Starfire…"

Robin slowly opened his eyes and a look of severity came across his face at the sound of her name.

"It seems to me like you two were more than just friends," said Brother Blood as he picked up his pace and continued his search. "Far more than friends…" Brother Blood let out a slight gasp at the thought of his new discovery and put on another evil grin. "That's it," he said. "I found it."

Robin was beginning to break.

"Love," said Brother Blood in a satisfied voice. "You're fighting because deep down inside, no matter how much you deny it even to yourself…you love her."

Robin squinted his eyes again and clenched his fists, trying to keep himself from exploding and giving away his position.

"Ya know Robin, when this is all said and done. Maybe I'll go back and find whatever remains I can of your precious Starfire and…rebuild her. That's right. I'll pump her with wires, cross every vein in her body with circuits and metal. I will make her my slave!

His pulse quickened, his eyes dilated, and his breathing became heavy and shallow as the rage and anger boiled over inside Robin.

"If I can not make you my pupil…perhaps I'll make her instead!

"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Robin dashed out from his hiding spot and came at Brother Blood with a birderang and stabbed him in his metallic ribcage, thrusting upward with all his might.

Brother Blood let out a wail and pushed the crazed Robin off of him while he tried to take out the contraption. Robin slid back but came at him again with an angry roar and began mercilessly beating down on him with an onslaught of punches and kicks to the face. Brother Bloods head swung from side to side with each fist and heal Robin landed on him, spit shooting out of his mouth, until finally the Boy Wonder landed an uppercut on his chin and sent him flying back against a huge vent in the ground.

Brother Blood immediately got to his feet and finally yanked out the birderang lodged in his chest and crumpled it in his hand.

"You'll pay for that," he said in a voice crackling with anger.

Robin did not respond, instead he answered by pulling out another birderang from one his utility belts and sent it twirling at him with incredible speed.

Brother Blood ducked and the sharp gadget stuck into the vent behind him. "You missed," he said in a taunting voice.

Robin pulled out another one and threw it at him with no remorse but Blood ducked again and it impacted behind him. Brother Blood smiled at him then stuck out his tongue as Robin pulled out another birderang, this time a different one, and threw it at him.

"HA," he yelled with a smile on his face as he stood up and caught it.

In the corner of his eye Brother Blood noticed a blinking light that was beeping faster in faster on the device in his hand. He looked at it as if seeing it for the first time when suddenly,

KABOOM!

The birderang exploded in the unsuspecting Brother Blood's grasp and blew his arm completely off. The smoke cleared and now the psychotic villain fumbled backwards cradling the empty socket of loose sparking wires and twisted charred metal that once was his arm. Unbeknownst to him, Robin had leapt over and was now standing behind him with a grappling hook in hand. Brother Blood bumped into the Boy Wonder and looked over his shoulder at him. Robin pointed the grappling hook at the weary villain's head at first, but then shot it up at the ceiling. Without warning, he wrapped the cord around Brother Blood's neck and started choking him before pressing the retract button on the device and sent him soaring upwards.

Brother Blood dangled helplessly from the wire, kicking his legs and trying as hard as he could to dig his fingers between his neck and the rope in a feeble attempt to gasp for air. He started to feel dizzy and looked down at Robin for a brief moment that starred up at him with pitiless eyes, before reaching up and cutting the line with his sharp fingertips. The cable snapped and his half limp body fell onto a catwalk high up over a column of rotating gears. He landed hard on the metal walkway and immediately pulled the cord off around his neck and felt the sweat sensation of air rush into his lungs. He coughed vigorously and rolled on to his side, cradling the spot where his arm once was until a large steel tipped boot slammed down in front of his face with a loud CLANK! He looked up, and there was Robin, starring down at him with a furious gaze on his face and clenched fists at his sides. Brother Blood struggled to his feet, but Robin kneed him in the face, and as his body flew upwards, elbowed him in the chest. Brother Blood stumbled back and grabbed the railing to keep him from falling off the edge.

"I'll…show…you," Brother Blood said trying to catch his breath.

He came at him again with a weakly battle cry but Robin effortlessly flipped over him and placed something on Brother Blood's back. He stopped and tried to reach for the device but couldn't get to it when suddenly it beeped and he felt thousands of volts of electricity pass through his body (think of it as that thing Robin put on that, Cinderblock, Plasmus, Overload monster in "Aftershock"). Brother Blood wailed out in agony as he was being electrocuted and Robin stood there watching him with no remorse. The electrocution stopped and Brother Blood fell lifelessly to the ground with smoke rising from his body. The circuits under the transparent plastic over his body were no longer glowing red, and he only moaned as he body began to spark. Robin had fried a circuit somewhere in his motherboard and now he couldn't move his legs. Battered and broken, Blood tried to drag himself away with his one good arm in an attempt to gain as much distance as he could, but Robin came up behind him and flopped him over on his back like a fish.

"No," Brother Blood said in a weakly voice.

Robin didn't answer. He knelt down on top of him and straddled his waist before wrapping an iron grip around his neck and squeezed down on his throat. He brought the helpless Brother Blood closer to his face and looked deep into his eyes. The preyed villain, in a feeble attempt, tried to punch Robin off his chest, but the crazed Boy Wonder grabbed his fist with the other hand and snapped his arm in an unnatural position. Brother Blood tried to scream, but only a squeak came at for the hand around his neck had nearly cut off his airway.

He was completely defenseless, and now at the mercy of the insane Robin.

"YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME," Robin yelled into his face, "MY FRIENDS, MY HOME. MY WHOLE LIFE YOU STUPID MANIAC!

"O…okay," Brother Blood was barely and to say. "I…I'm…s-s-sorry."

"No," Robin said in a sick evil voice. "It's too late for apologies now Blood!"

Robin's right eye began to twitch and Brother Blood could see a vein bulging out on the side of his forehead. Brother Blood's eye became red and he tried to brainwash him, but his attempts were in vain. He could only control the weak minded or those whose minds were clear. Robin, on the other hand, had lost his. He had completely gone insane.

"Okay Blood," he said in voice crackling with immorality. "You had a chance to see inside of me, and what makes me tick. Now…"

At that moment, Robin did something that struck fear into the heart of Brother Blood. He began smiling; an evil smile that rivaled even that of his own depraved intentions as the deranged boy pulled out a birderang and flipped open the sides like a pocket knife in front of his face.

"Let's see what's inside of you and what makes you tick!"

Robin could handle stress, but like everyone else, he had reached his breaking point and finally, had snapped. He carelessly let go of his grip around Brother Blood's neck and placed one of the sharp edges of the birderang over the top of his chest and starred into Brother Blood's eyes.

"What…what are you doing," Brother Blood asked in an unsoundly voice. "Please…NO…ROBIN NO, PLEASE!"

He didn't listen to his desperate cries of mercy but instead dug the honed edge of the birderang into his breast plate and began slicing his hollow metal chest open like a cheap can of soup.

"ROBIN NO, ROBIN! NNNNOOOOOOOOO AAAAHHHHH! AAAAHHHHH AHHHHHH AHHHHA AHHHHHHHH!"

He had made an incision all the way down his chest then discarded his cutting utensil like it was nothing and began prying his chest open until he could see everything inside Brother Blood. The evil smile on his face grew bigger and he placed his hand over his power cell; his heart, and gripped it very tightly then began to slowly pull on it.

"You took my life away from me," said Robin in an angry voice, spit shooting out of his mouth. "And now…I'M GOING TO TAKE YOURS!"

He tugged harder, and harder, and harder, until the cell started to give. A crack went down the side of it and part of it snapped, causing Brother Blood's legs twitch as he continued pulling. Brother Blood shut his eyes and waited to be deactivated as he felt another part of his power cell break.

Suddenly Robin found himself thinking about everything Batman had told him prior to leaving the Watch Tower. "But Dick," Batman's voice echoed in his mind. "As was I, you will be met with a decision when you confront Deathstroke and I want you to remember something." Then he saw Batman completely turn his entire figure around to face Robin and looked straight into his eyes and said, "It's always easier to take life…than it is to give life…"

The choice…this was it. This is what Batman was talking about. He had the choice of either taking Brother Blood's life to serve his own revenge, or save a life by giving it back to him. Robin flinched as if snapping out of a trance, wearing a face of uncertainty and looked around as if seeing everything for the first time. He looked down at Brother Blood, now realizing that he was about to kill this man, and took his hand off his power cell.

Brother Blood opened his eyes then gazed at his open chest and then back up at Robin.

"I knew you wouldn't do it," he said trying to regain whatever pride he had left after begging him for mercy. "You don't have the guts!"

"That's enough from you," Robin shouted as he grabbed his collar and pulled him closer to his face. "I'm not going to take your life Blood, but I will take your freedom instead. I will spare you but you're going back to jail! I'll put you under Watch Tower surveillance, and I'll make sure you never EVER GET BACK OUT! I want you to remember something Blood! Although you never granted it to my friends, you were at the mercy of 'child,' NO, a man that was about to take your life, but instead spared it! Your plans have failed 'Deathstroke,' it's over!"

Suddenly, as Robin finished his speech, Brother Blood began making strange noises and his eye began to twitch. His head jerked from side to side and then…he started convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Robin got off of him and stood back as he watched Brother Blood break out into what looked like a violent seizure. Sparks shot out from his chest and the strange gurgling noises he made grew louder and louder until finally, he stopped. His body went limp and he lay there lifelessly on the ground in front of him.

"What…the—"

Robin knelt down and looked him over, trying to figure out what had happened. Then, he heard something he thought he'd never have to listen to again.

"On the contrary Robin," said a sinister but familiar voice.

Robin turned to his right, and out from the shadows emerged another figure in the darkness. Someone he had only seen again in his dreams; someone that struck fear in his heart, and dread in his soul. Someone he had thought was gone and never coming back.

"This…is only the beginning."

That someone was Slade…

A/N:

HA…HA, HA……….HA HA…HA…………HAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAAH! AHAH AHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, no really………HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I FOOLED YOU, AGAIN HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE MADE A FOOL OF…AGAIN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE ALL OF IT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA... Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, I think I just coughed up a lung there. SO, it was Slade, yep, you thought it was Brother Blood but actually it was Slade. Come on guys, give me some credit here! Brother Blood, sucks, a! I hate him; he's the worst villain ever, not at all like Slade! So, Slade's back alright and it looks like in fact he was the one pulling all the strings. Sorry this one took so long everybody, but I'll be honest with you this hasn't exactly been a top priority of mine and I've kind of had to play last minute catch up with some things I've put off, but now that those are all out of the way I can get back to this. So, come on guys, come on, you know you didn't see that coming, I KNOW YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING, AND DON'T ACT LIKE YOU DID CAUSE YOU KNOW YOU DIDN'T! But anyway, so what did you guys think about Robin snapping and like going totally crazy like that? It was a lot of fun to portray that darker side of Robin, and I hope that in my last chapter you saw the connection between Robin wearing his old apprentice outfit, and that he would be steering to a darker path, so to speak. Once again, sorry for the delay, please don't kill me and Van Gordan…I know you've probably put a new magazine in your C7 and have dawned the war paint, but please spare me just this once…please? Next chapter: The Fury of the Puppeteer. (YES EVERYTHING GETS EXPLAINED…AGAIN!)

Infamous One- Don't worry, everything will be made clear in the next chapter. Told ya you'd be surprised!

Whiterose- So you weren't expecting Blood before, but now…were you expecting it to be Slade after all? I'm glad you liked the flashbacks I had a lot of fun with those, but I kinda felt like I didn't raise enough anticipation prior to introducing Brother Blood. Thanks for the comment.

DD or Courage- Thanks for not leavin' me in the dust after finding out it was Brother Blood…BUT THEN IT WAS SLADE, SO THE IRONY OF IT ALL IS OUTSTANDING DON'T YOU THINKG! Sorry, got a little carried away there. That part where they celebrated the establishment of the Teen Titans was fun to write, and although maybe now Raven would have joined them, I had to think backwards and look at how here character developed and changed over the course of my story, and the T.V. show. So what horrific thing did you think I was going to do? Did you ever think Robin would attempt to kill Blood? Anyway, thanks for the review.

Snowfeather- Yeah sorry this took so long, but I hope you enjoyed all the action packed scenes in this and are antsy for the next one with that cliffhanger I left you with. That flashback where Bruce tells Robin to go form his own team was fun to write, but I did have to do some research on the Justice League's history and how they formed. If you want a pic of Robin in his battle outfit, just look for one of his apprentice uniform, throw his cape over it, put the R medallion on the right side of his chest, two utility belts across his chest and there you have his…battle outfit…I guess?

KaliAnn- Thanks for going back and rereading chapter one, keep everything that happened in mind in that chapter because I'll be alluding to it a lot more in these next upcoming chapters. I'm glad you liked my last chapter so much, but what did you think of this one though? So since you "really thought," hehehehe, that it was Brother Blood all along, how does it feel to know that it was actually SLADE all along? Hehehehe, yes riding around the city was freaky but I wanted the readers to understand the severity of the situation and that no one, and I mean ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, would come to help him. Well thanks for the comment!

Aries-Raven- So…still disappointed? Hehehehehehe, oh these mind games are killing me inside! LOL, anyway, don't worry Robin and Slade will have another dual of the fates thing and will beat the ever-loving crap out of each other until one of them gives…who do you think it'll be? You mentioned something about how Slade could joke about how Robin's already ready to be his apprentice, well…mind if I use that? It's your idea, and I'd like to use it, may I? Indeed I do know where I'm going with this, and I think you're in for a wild ride! Thanks for the comment.

Lance Arkel- Like I've told everyone else, I'm really sorry this took so long! But anycrap, so you were shocked it was Brother Blood, now…are you even more shocked it was ACTUALLY SLADE this whole time? No, I actually didn't send you an email, sorry about that but I pretty much said everything I wanted to in my last review. Anyway, figuring out how I'd separate Batman and Robin was a bit of a challenge, but when you know how the JLU and the TT formed it was a little bit easier to make something up. What you said about the moments where Robin had sort of an intimate moment with each team member at their doors was very true, and like always you mention things that I subconsciously do that are really awesome. One of the things I was shooting for when he was saying his own little goodbye and letting go of each one of his teammates was that he in turn was also letting go of his humanity and preparing himself to turn to a darker route. The way I looked at it was, each member represented something. Raven represented respect and honor, Cyborg humility and care, Beast Boy I guess the qualities that allow him to be care free and have a good time (can't really think of the words for it), and Starfire represented emotion. That's why Robin didn't say anything when he got to her room, he expressed it bug hugging and kissing the bear. Also, I don't know if you picked this up or not, but that's why I had his name melted on his door. He was leaving the name Robin behind and shedding the identity of someone who does good things. I never really thought of the burning fire in Starfire's room could be a connection to their…everlasting love I guess, but when you think about it, it ties very well into this chapter (ya know the whole aspect that Robin wasn't giving up cause he was fighting for "love" thing). So did I meet your expectations of Robin doing something really, really BAD? I mean, come on, he nearly killed Brother Blood, and I'm so glad you picked up that the R medallion and the cape were a way of him clinging onto what little humanity he had left in him, THANK YOU SO MUCH! The scene where they throw the piece of paper in the fire with their pasts on it, was merely a way for me to explain why none of them go by their actual names like Dick, Victor, Garfield, and Koriand'r, but still I'm very glad that you liked it. Yeah sorry that all of a sudden I went from a flash back to Robin suddenly being on a motorcycle on his way to the factory. I write these in Microsoft Word, and I was creeping up on I think 24 pages so I was like, "dude, if I want to post this by today I need to close this up soon," so I kinda cut a few parts out sorry about that. Ya know I gotta be honest with you Arkel, you're just too smart for me. It's seems like no matter how much I tried to persuade you into thinking Deathstroke wasn't Slade when it really was, you always caught onto my little schemes. I also must say thank you so much for reading between the lines. I hope no one else reads this review, but you're the only one who looks deeper into my story and comments on the symbolism and hidden meanings of my plots. I really feel like my writing is being appreciated and I thank you for doing so. Well thanks for the great review, and sorry Deathstroke wasn't in fact…Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Van Gordan- (Straps Kevlar vest over chest, puts hand through riot shield, and snaps buckles on helmet on head…slowly creeps forward with frightened look on his face)

Um…sorry this…took so long…(slowly backs away) I really hope I didn't give it away that Slade in fact would show up in that email I sent you. If I did, then I feel like a total dunce. Where you surprised though, I mean…even just a little bit? I hope you're no longer confused, and I explained everything to the fullest. Don't worry, the biological and nuclear weapons will be explained, everything will be explained…again…But did you at least feel that the motives behind Brother Blood's choosing over Robin were legitimate? He couldn't have Cyborg, so he went after Robin…BUT NOW SLADE'S HERE AND WHO KNOWS WHAT HE'LL BE DOING! Sorry, anyway, I don't know if I said this in my email, but MAN are you Canadians missing out on a lot with only being at "Can I Keep Him," Season four is so much cool, and rumor has it that there is soon to be a season five. So did you go insane when you found out it was Slade all along? Yes, I have been fooling with your mind, and I'm not done yet. Thanks for still being a loyal reader, and once again, sorry I took so long to post this. If you…want now you can…unload your…C7…Please? Thanks for the review!