1A/N: This should have been out sooner so I shall apologize for that. This chapter is only about 2000 words and really is just showing exactly what the plan that Slade so intricately crafted is. No win situation for Raven so far. Oh well. I've been putting quite a bit of information in my profile about when I'll probably update stories or exactly what I'm currently writing or will write. It's the easiest way to convey my intentions to everyone who reads and is fairly easy to do it. Hope this chapter goes well. It's a little creepy even to me and probably not my best work. Mostly expositionish. Thats not a word.
And to my reviewers which as one reviewer told me may get my story removed, oh well, time to challenge fate a little bit:
evilsangle: Yeah it was wrong but Slade had to make sure she wasn't too resistant and that sure as heck would work. I wonder if she'll ever be whole again. I don't even know that one.
DeathsLastBreath: Yeah it was a bit twisted and creepy on my part but I'm glad you enjoyed it. I like trying different things and I think it worked here. Thanks for the warning but I just have to respond to people. I have to show my appreciation to reviewers plus tempting fate is always a plus. Lets hope nothing happens but if it does, I'll find a way to still get my story out. I'm good like that.
Alex: Thanks for the compliments and that is the general direction I'm going with the story. I like the older more mature versions too of the two but there is still something very appealing to writing with the younger characters. I think the best fit really depends on what the story is but writing Nightwing in what ever form is always fun.
Tecna: Thanks for the review and the compliment.
MyChemSweetie: Thanks for all the kind words and its always a compliment when a writer is told their words have an effect on the reader, crying, laughing, shivering in your case. It means I conveyed what I wanted to. I make no promises on things working out but I can promise it won't take a month for me to update again. Peace.
Cherry Jade: Sorry for making you miss me and my writing but it was not my fault at all but I've explained that I think...stupid computer problems. Glad you liked the update and Richard's return but I wonder if he will be able to keep control with everything happening. Of course that's another thing I really don't know.
mysti-eyed: Yeah Slade is one evil guy but not mindless evil. Everything he does has a reason. Yeah Richard won but I always say, better late than never.
DarkAngelImogen: Yeah I'll admit, that was real gross but it did have its reason for happening. Hope you enjoy the update.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans so lets not try and sue me since I don't have anything to sue for.
Finding Hope Again
Chapter 9
By: Finalitylife
Robin had no idea how long he sat there in the darkened room of the tower though it felt like more than an hour.. His mind was once again locked in complete and utter turmoil with itself. He could not get the strong scent of blood, Raven's blood, out of his nose and the sight of her tongue lying on the ground was almost causing him to vomit however, he could not force himself to look away. This was the price Raven had to pay because of him, this was exactly what Nightwing had warned him about though he had not listened, had refused to believe that he had to remain in the darkness that shrouded his entire existence. Nightwing continued to insanely giggle in his mind, a laughter that reminded him so much of The Joker back in Gotham City. It was a laugh of pure madness and evil.
"You remember all those wonderful and kind things she said to you. Do you remember how her words helped make you have hope and faith again? Do you Richard? Well I highly doubt you'll be hearing even a damn hello from her any time soon." Nightwing's laughter was like a knife stabbing directly into his heart, mind, and soul all at the same time.
"Oh well. I'm sure you're starting to realize that pretty much everything she said was complete and total bullshit. There is no second chance for you anymore. It is too late for you, it is too late to try and rekindle your old life and relationships. You are a walking time bomb. Anyone who cares about you will only suffer terribly. We all know what happened to our little angel Starfire and now we can only imagine what is going to happen to Raven. You know just how sadistic Slade can be. She is going to suffer beyond description... all...because...of you." Richard gripped his head again, clenching his blue eyes tightly shut as he stood up fiercely.
"Shut up Shut up Shut up! I'll find a way to save her. I'll find a way to bring her back safely. She won't have to suffer like I did at the hands of Slade. She won't have to suffer because of me." Richard's voice was full of desperation and confusion. He still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, only was positive that Slade had Raven and had already hurt her terribly, all because of him. He was trying to calm himself down, trying to think rationally about the situation. He had fought so hard to finally claim back himself, he needed to figure out what to do now, needed to get back his Raven.
The words he had just thought caused Richard to stop for a few seconds...His Raven...why had it sounded so right? The emotions that had flowed through him as he had spoken those words were so foreign to him, reminded him of a time that felt like ages ago. They were feelings of a past life that worked to revisit itself and Richard so desperately wanted to feel that way, even if for only a little while.
"Raven..." The name was spoken quietly into the air, hanging in front of him, in his ears, in his heart. As if knowing how fragile his sanity truly was at this exact moment, Slade's masked visage appeared ominously on the Titan's main screen across the room.
"Hello Robin, I hope I'm not interrupting anything important though I hardly doubt I am. Without me around, you really have nothing else to do with your life." Richard did not immediately turn around, but rather slow pressed his mask back to his face. Slade had never forced the issue of him removing his mask even when he had been captured by him the second time and he still had no right to see what only a few living people had ever seen. With his mask firmly in place, Richard slowly turned around strongly resisting the urge from his darker side to hurl explosives at his mortal enemy's picture. However, he was not able to resist the dark growl that emerged from deep within him. Slade only laughed at his former "apprentice".
"I guess taking your little dark bird has made you quite angry with me Robin. That only confirms what I already suspected. You do still truly care for that little bitch of a half-demon." Richard could feel both his metal and human hand clench into fists so tightly that he was sure he was going to break his own hands but managed to calm down just enough to speak.
"It doesn't matter whether I care for Raven or not. All that matters is she has nothing to do with this. This has and always will be between me and you Slade, lets keep it that way. Let Raven go and lets settle this like we always have."
"I did not come to speak to you so that you could try to find some way of your own to free Raven. I've come to speak to you to tell you exactly how you can free Raven and exactly what will happen if you don't comply with my wishes." Richard simply stared quietly at the screen, waiting for Slade to speak. Meanwhile, Nightwing continued to scream and growl like some type of ravenous animal, desiring nothing but Slade's blood, wanting nothing but his dead and broken body beneath his feet. Richard was having a hard time arguing with the twisted desires of Nightwing.
"As I am sure you are quite aware of, Raven is now a personal guest of mine. She shall remain one until you do as I ask."
"Maybe I should just kill you and take her back on my own accord." Richard was shocked when the words came out of his mouth. What bothered him the most was that it was he who had said it, not Nightwing. Again Slade only laughed.
"Robin, Robin, Robin. Killing me would be terrible for little Raven. You see the only one who knows where she is at and where to find her is me and only me. The location is not in any of my computers or in any of my notes, it is only within my mind. If you kill me, Raven will be lost to you completely. Of course the best part of it is that her death will be so very slow. Thanks to the demon blood that flows through her, she is not like normal people like you or I. She will not quickly fall to dehydration or starvation after only a short time, it will take months, maybe even more than a year. Her demon blood will sustain her for a very long time but no one will ever find her to save her, to free her from her dark prison.. She will suffer, all alone chained to a wall in a pitch black room with no food, no water and no hope. What do you think all that time would do to that poor girl? If I was a betting man I would say it would only take 6 months before she went insane begging for a death that would not speedily come for her." Richard took all the information in and couldn't help but feel his heart wrench. Killing Slade would not help Raven.
"Of course another alternative Robin is that you could simply walk away, return to the solitude lifestyle you've lived for so long. Of course that would mean leaving Raven with me and I promise you that I would have so much fun breaking her mind, body and soul. You've experienced some of the torture I can inflict and I only used a small portion of what I know on you. If you choose to run away from me now Robin, that small piece of Raven on the ground will only be the first piece of her that you find being sent to you and I promise her suffering will go on as long as I possibly can make it, and you know just how creative and resourceful I can be." Richard could feel the pain in his heart spread to the rest of his body. Every cell in his body felt like it was on fire yet by simply hearing the terrible fate that could befall Raven, the kind, gentle beautiful Raven that had only wanted to save him from his own torment.
"All right Slade, since you seem to know exactly what I'm going to do, why don't you inform me of what I'm going to do." Richard's voice was laced with so many underlying emotions from both him and Nightwing who continued to chant 'Kill Slade' over and over again. The chant was starting to mesmerize Richard and he could feel himself slipping again. Richard could tell Slade smiled under his mask before he spoke his next words.
"Simple Robin. You will become my apprentice as I have always wanted, as you were always meant to be." Richard couldn't help but realize how stupid Slade was sounding. Obviously he would never become Slade's apprentice again. The second Raven was safe, Slade would pay for everything.
"I'm sure your thinking about how exactly you would stab me in the back the second Raven was safe but to honestly believe I would allow that to be a possibility is idiocy Robin. It has taken me years but I have finally created a specific set of nanobots that have made it possible for me to have what I desire. Once injected into you, these nanobots which were created specifically for you, will begin reprogramming your mind, turning all your strength, all your darkness and hatred into my apprentice. The only flaw in this technology is that it will take many injections over a few months and the injections must be closely monitored to ensure that your body doesn't resist them. This brings me to our deal Robin. You will come to me willingly. You will allow me to inject you with these nanobots for as long as I need, and you will finally become my perfect apprentice."
"And you honestly want me to believe that you'll just let Raven go after you've performed all your experiments on me. Never once in the entire time I've fought against you have you ever done anything that would even remotely lead me to believe that Raven wouldn't be simply killed once I was your created servant."
"You really don't have any choice but to trust me Robin. You will never find Raven. You will never find me unless I want you to. You cooperate, and there is a chance Raven will not have to suffer, and maybe will even walk away from this, you don't cooperate, well then that changes really nothing between us. Raven will be the only one to be changed in all of this." Richard could feel the ruthlessness of Slade's words. He was in control of everything right now. Nightwing had stopped yelling for Slade's blood and began screaming at me, telling me that Raven was nothing, that we should simply continue our hunt, let Raven fade away. Never once for a second did Richard even think about following those words.
"Well Robin, I'm sure that this is not an easy decision for you so you shall have 8 hours to make a decision. If you choose as I know you will, then meet me at your fallen Titan's memorial. I don't know what it is about that place but I find it to be most comforting. There's nothing like being in the lingering presence of dead hope. I expect you to come quietly or maybe even possibly attack me on sight.. Either way I shall be prepared. If you don't show up, I shall assume you don't care and will simply have to find ways to amuse myself with Raven's body," and with that the screen simply went blank leaving a very angry and a very frightened Richard in the dark of his old home.
