A/N: Yeah, writer's block. Love it. No. I was being sarcastic there. I really do hate it so bad! It is one of the worst things that can happen to me. I really have no idea what to write now, so I'm sorry if the chapter sucks and is really lame. Sometimes I just have to force it out of my system. I hate writer's block.
Disclaimer: Let me see if I can do this differently. I'm getting quite bored. I need therapy…but bubble wrap is so much cheaper. Wow. Can you say random? Okay, you need therapy if you think I own the Teen Titans. But you could just buy bubble wrap instead because that stuff sure is fun!
Chapter 10 Bumping Into Friends
"When do we get there?" Prosper asked into the speaker on Beast Boy's headset.
"Dude!" all Titans and Batman could hear the changeling yell. "Get off me!"
"But I want to know," Prosper said while sitting back down in his squished seat next to Beast Boy. "This is deathly boring! Why can't I use my laptop?"
"Because Cyborg says so," Beast Boy said with a shrug. He looked up from where he sat in his small bubble in the T-sub. They had decided to take the T-sub because in the air they could be a target if John knew they were coming. Beast Boy spotted Cyborg through the glass and water and frowned at him. "Cy, why can't Prosper use his laptop?"
"Shut up, Beast Boy," Raven demanded as she glared at him through her bubble.
"Fine," Beast Boy muttered while crossing his arms in front of him.
"Oh, I do wish Robin is okay," Starfire said with worry. "I am sorry to ask the same annoying question as Prosper. When do we get there?"
"We are pretty close, Star," Cyborg answered. He looked out of his window and saw Prosper banging his head against the glass of his window out of boredom. Beast Boy was watching him with little interest. Cyborg was starting to question his own intelligence by putting the two together in the same seat.
"Hey, kid, stop doing that!" Cyborg finally ordered. "You'll hurt yourself." Prosper gave a long sigh then rested his forehead on the glass and stared out the window silently. Cyborg could see Batman in Robin's seat shaking his head in what Cyborg guessed as amusement.
"We're here," Raven said. "We better ascend." All the Titans and Batman started to press different buttons on control panels. They finally reached the surface and stopped on a beach. It looked to be morning on the island. The sun was up and shining brightly on the superheroes that slowly got out of the sub. The island was beautiful, and Starfire kept looking around at the new setting with a smile on her face. For a moment she had forgotten about Robin somehow.
"Should we split up?" Cyborg asked Batman as they all jumped over to the beach and stretched their legs out from the long ride. Beast Boy turned into a tiny kitten and gave a yawn while stretching like the cute animal would waking from a catnap. Prosper watched him with a smile.
"I think we should split up in two groups," Batman said. "Remember that the guy is immortal and will not go down without a fight. If you find Robin come back here and call the other group. I'll pick the groups," Batman added while watching the others take in their surroundings. Cyborg gave him a guilty smile from his last mistake. Prosper and Beast Boy together had not been the best thing for the trip there.
Batman gave a sigh while walking up to the group. He would rather do this alone, but he could not leave this team here to do nothing. He had noticed that they were constantly trying to prove their worth when he was there. He might as well do something with them. Plus, they were just kids! He could not leave them alone with nothing to do. That would be stupid on his part as an adult.
"Two groups," Batman ordered. "Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy, go that way and search the beach. I'll take Starfire and Prosper and search the jungle. Keep in touch."
"Um…" Raven started while she raised her communicator. "I think that might be a problem."
"Those will not work unless you're in John's house," Prosper said while folding his arms in front of him. "I think a group should head for his house. I could…"
"Nice try, kid," Batman cut him off. "If my team finds something I'll send Starfire. If you do then…use your imagination." With that said, he walked off on his own. Starfire said a short goodbye to the rest of the team and then flew after Batman with Prosper on her tail.
"What's his problem?" Beast Boy asked Raven and Cyborg. "That guy is even stricter than Robin! No wonder Robin is always serious and never wants to do anything fun."
"Robin likes to do things fun," Cyborg tried to back up his leader. "He just has a team to control, and it is hard to do that. I know how it feels."
"We have work to do," Raven said while glaring at the two. Cyborg and Beast Boy shrugged and they started to search.
"Please keep up," Batman said over his shoulder to Starfire. She gave him a small smile and flew up to them gracefully. She landed next to Prosper and started to walk with them.
"How will we find Robin in this thick jungle?" Prosper asked Batman. "I'm getting hungry."
"Shh!" Batman said quickly while stopping. Prosper and Starfire put on the brakes. "This way!" he whispered to them. "Keep quiet!" He took off into the bushes and almost lost Starfire and Prosper right then and there. They ran after him quickly, wondering what he had seen.
Batman had seen someone running in the jungle. He was quickly catching up with this someone. The person glanced behind his shoulder and saw Batman. He picked up the pace and tried to lose the Dark Knight.
Batman wasted no time at all. He took out one of his gadgets and threw it at the person. A net popped out of it and quickly captured the person. He could hear a sharp yell from the person as he went down. Batman ran up to the person and saw Robin cutting his way out as fast as he could with a pocketknife. Robin spotted him and stopped with a stunned expression on his face.
"Why were you running away from me?" Batman asked him while bending down and helping Robin out.
"I thought you were John," Robin said quietly. He had fallen into sidekick mode again.
"Robin!" Starfire said with joy in her voice as she saw him. Robin was quickly in a tight hug that was preventing him to breathe. He let the girl go, though. He missed her so much that he did not care. "Are you undamaged?" she asked him while helping Robin up.
"I would be lying if I said no," Robin said while backing away from her to stand on his own. He was a total mess. He had small cuts and bruises covering his whole body. His clothes were torn and muddy. His feet were covered with mud and sand. Dry bloodstains were at some places on his clothes. A long cut was on Robin's left arm right below the elbow. He also had one on his calve, but he had ripped off some of his pants to wrap around it to stop the bleeding.
"You look awful," Batman stated while looking Robin up and down. "Time to take you home."
Robin stiffened. He backed away from the two and Prosper with his face showing pain for what he was about to say. "I need to do something before I go," he said. "I'm real sorry for leaving you right now."
"Robin," Starfire said with worry. "You can't go."
"I'm sorry, Star, but I have to do something," Robin said. "You see, I need to help John. He might seem crazy at first, but I know there is some good in him. I know how to help him, though. I'll come back, Star. I promise."
"Robin," Batman said while pinning the teen with a stern look. "You might have gone insane from the hunt. This is nonsense. We have to take you back to Jump City and fix you up. You might even have to come back with me to Gotham till you're better."
"You're wrong," Robin said while shaking his head. "I really know how to change him. You just have to give me…"
"No, Robin," Batman said while taking a step toward the boy. He noticed that Robin took a step back. "You're coming home. You can't do this to your team. John is insane. Let's just leave him here for now and come back later. We need to get you some help."
"No," Robin said in a whisper as if in disbelief. "It is my duty as a superhero to help John. I would never be able to forgive myself if I left him here. It seems so right to me!"
"To you, Robin," Starfire said quietly. "But it is all too confusing for me. I'm sorry, Robin, but I agree with Batman. You are not making any sense."
"But he is," Prosper finally spoke up. "John is a cool guy."
"You have no right to speak right now," Batman snapped at him.
"Yes he does," Robin said. "He spent a whole week with John. He knows the guy more than anyone at the moment. You can't just ignore him because he is a kid. You can't ignore my plea just because I'm considered a kid. And I'm not crazy! You…you just don't get it!" Now Robin was just mad. How could they be so blind? Or maybe he was going crazy. He quickly denied the thought.
"Starfire, go tell the others we found Robin," Batman said to the alien girl. He then added, "Take Prosper with you." Starfire nodded while giving Robin a worried look. She was just going to leave him alone? He could not believe it! How could she do this to him?
Once she was gone it was only Batman and Robin. The teen backed up some more as if he was ready to run away. Batman hated to see him like this. What had John done to his son? Well, Bruce knew if Robin was not going to come back to the US by himself that he would take Robin back by force. The sooner Robin was back in the city the better.
"You don't understand, Bruce," Robin said with his face showing so much pain and emotion.
"This is nonsense, Richard," Batman said while taking a step toward his son. "I'm taking you back."
"No," Robin said. "I'm saving John." With that said, Robin took off in a sprint. Batman grumbled something about kids under his breath before running after the teen. He knew Robin had to be worn out, so it was easy to catch up with him. But the kid knew how to make the chase hard. He kept stopping suddenly and changing direction. Robin had been forced to get to know the jungle. He silently ran over the ground with light steps as if he had grown up there. For Batman it was all new, and he was stumbling every so often.
"Robin, stop!" Batman demanded while coming close to grabbing the teen.
Robin said nothing. He just kept on running as fast as he could even though he would get caught in the end. He would never be as good as his mentor. Suddenly Batman came flying out of nowhere with his grappling hook in one hand. Robin tried to quickly switch directions, but it was pointless. With a small yell, Robin was swooped up in Batman's strong arms.
They landed on a branch big enough to hold both of them. Batman turned Robin around to face him and tightly held onto the boy's shoulders to stop him from escaping again. Robin looked down with a small frown planted on his face.
"What has gotten into you?" Batman yelled at him. "You just don't run off like that! Do you understand me?" Robin said nothing and kept looking down. Batman gritted his teeth together in deep frustration. "Answer me, Robin," he said while trying to make eye contact with his son.
"I'm not crazy!" Robin yelled loudly with anger and sadness in his voice.
"I never said that," Batman tried to defend himself but was cut off.
"But you're thinking it!" Robin shouted the words into his father's face. "What difference does it make?" When Batman said nothing, the teen went on. "You think that if I'm acting differently than what you want me to act then there must be something wrong with me. News flash! I'm not that stupid little kid anymore, Bruce. I'm a teen."
"Yes, a teen. But you're still a kid when you look at it," Batman said. "Still under my control. End of conversation."
"But you just can't…" Robin said while struggling in the strong grip on his shoulders.
"I don't want to hear another word out of you, Robin," Batman ordered. "No more buts."
"But…"
Batman pulled Robin up close to his face and gave him one of his stern looks. Robin shut his mouth in defeat and looked back down. In his head he was really forming a plan of escape from Batman. One simple adult could not make him stop from doing what he was knew was right.
"This is seriously boring," Beast Boy stated while lagging behind the two other Titans.
"It has only been five minutes, Beast Boy," Cyborg said over his shoulder to the green teen behind him. "Don't start complaining so soon."
"How are we going find Robin if he is already hiding from that John dude?" Beast Boy asked them.
"I hate to say that he is right," Raven said with a sigh. "Robin is smart. If he were running from John he would have to hide. Sitting on the beach out in the open is not something he would do."
"But three confused Titans would," someone said from behind. They all turned around with surprise and saw a man standing there looking at them with a cocky smile spreading over his face. "What are you three fine teens doing out here on my beach? Looking for Robin is my best guess. But the boy is dead."
"We don't believe you!" Raven said through clenched teeth. Her eyes turned into deep, black pits of darkness as she narrowed them on the man. Just seeing the man she could feel the evil side of him. He was triggering different emotions in her, and it was hard for the girl to keep in control.
"So what if you don't believe me," John said with a shrug. "A fight is sure to come, so give me all you got." He gave them a smile while motioning for them to come and get him.
"You're going to regret ever touching Robin when we're through with you, man," Cyborg said while taking out his sonic cannon. "Titans, GO!" he shouted while aiming at the man. The others wasted no time in attacking John too.
John ducked from the sonic cannon and quickly took note of each of the three's attack style. Beast Boy charged head on while throwing caution into the wind as he transformed into a tiger. He leaped into the air at John with a growl of anger escaping his mouth. John jumped over Beast Boy as if he had been just a log in the middle of the forest.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven yelled while sticking her hand out at a palm tree. As quick as lightning, the tree flew at John. He dodged the first attack from it by jumping. He then ducked while it came up from behind him. He knew the girl must have been angry. She then made her tree spin around and this time she hit her target.
With a sharp yell of surprise rather than pain, John fell to his hands and knees in the sand. He rolled out of the way as another shot from a sonic cannon came at him. Cyborg was good at his aim and was close to getting the man. John ran up to Raven, and the girl tried to get a hold on another object with her powers.
Raven started to levitate in the air to get away from John. "Oh, no you don't," he said while grabbing her ankle and flinging her into the sand. She winced while getting her face shoved into the ground. She held her hand out at another palm tree, but John quickly stepped on her wrist. She cried out in pain as he dug his heel into her bone.
"Hang on, Raven!" Beast Boy shouted while running up to them to rescue his friend. He morphed into a monkey and landed on John's head while screeching in anger. John grabbed Beast Boy's throat and held him up as Cyborg came in for a punch. He stopped when he saw that it would be Beast Boy he would hit instead of John.
"Get off me!" Raven roared in total anger. Suddenly John flew into the air by her powers going out of control. Cyborg and Beast Boy smiled at her as she got up. She winced while holding onto her wrist. She quickly healed it as John landed on the ground a few yards away from them.
"Had enough?" Cyborg asked John while waiting for the man to respond.
"Robin gave me more of challenge," John said while getting up and brushing himself off. "With powers you always have many weaknesses that you can ignore. When you don't have powers you always have to make all weaknesses perfect. I can see your weaknesses. But don't disappoint me by giving up now. Show me what a team Robin has created."
"Don't worry," Cyborg said while aiming again. "You'll get what you want." He started to shoot the man with no mercy. John skillfully dodged each shot. Beast Boy suddenly came in as a ram and ran into John, as the guy was distracted with Cyborg's sonic cannon. John was knocked into the water, but got up quickly and took Beast Boy by the horns and threw him at Cyborg. The two landed on the sand with heads spinning.
"Where is the challenge?" John asked them. He looked around and noticed that Raven was gone. "That can't be good," he muttered to himself. Then the sun was blocked off behind him, and he looked over his shoulder with a smile. "Now you're using your head," he said while backing up from the giant, black wave towering over him like some monster ready to eat him.
Raven levitated above her wave with her body burning with black fire. She pored all her anger into the wave. She still had control, though. She gritted her teeth together because she was putting so much into the wave. She then used the last bit of her strength to move the wave toward John. He would pay!
John closed his eyes while covering his head with his hands. He was knocked off his feet with the force of the wave. He slammed into a tree and hit the back of his head against it. He sat on the sand for a few seconds while coughing up salt water and trying to regain clear vision. Cyborg was sitting on the beach with a dizzy expression on his face. Beast Boy was hovering around Raven because she had passed out from using so much emotion and still being able to control it.
John smiled. The girl had damaged only her team. He was soaked to the core, but he felt fine. He got up and walked into the jungle while glancing behind him to the three teens. There was another teen that had not been there. She must have stayed at the Tower to take care of the city. If he only had to deal with these three then it would be too easy after Robin was really gone for good.
Knowing that Robin was not found yet made John happy. The boy had been foolish enough to try to win the game. What he did not know was that John had changed the rules to his game. When he got to the third destination he will think that he won. He would never see the real danger there.
A/N: I like cliffhangers…yet I don't sometimes. I'm sorry if the chapter was kind of lame in the beginning. I was up at two in the morning when I wrote it. And I had writer's block for the first part of the chapter. The fighting at the end had been planned, but I just did not know how to get to that point. Please give a review! Thanks!