Haven't got much to say this time, either. Huh. Interesting…
Alexnandru: (Sighs with relief.) Thank God…I thought I'd be killed for being too dramatic. But, based off what the reviews say, it looks like I'm going to be alive for a little while longer…longer meaning that I'll be able to breathe until the end of this chapter. Then I'll be killed—Major cliffhanger; you know, that kind of thing. You're right though, last chapter was a minor break from the action, to give the audience a bit of a rest…well, break's over. And the villains? Everything regarding those two is unexpected; when you read what happens in the later chapters though, your mind's gonna explode. Happy readings!
Insanity 101: First, I would just like to state a major apology! I didn't respond to your review last chapter because I posted, and it was only right after I posted that I noticed you had written a review. I'm so sorry! (BTW, thank you for all the good movie suggestions. That's gonna help me a lot…) Secondly, thank you for not flaming me to no end. I'm actually really glad that a lot of people enjoyed the change in the last chapter—it was actually happy, for once! And Slade? Ha! You think I could forget about him? No way! He's one of my favorite characters! A little clue: In this chapter, Slade gets to be really bad. Bwa-ha-ha—cough, cough…
Kazzy103: Yeah…I thought you were a girl…anyway. It seems that a lot of people enjoyed reading the interaction between Robin and Batman. Hurrah! No flames! I was scared, because, just between you and me, happy stuff's not really….well, me. Whatever. Well, the father/son bonding is, in this chapter (to put it simply) ended. Very, VERY quickly. BTW: Extra long chapter, since you said you like to keep reading!
Azarathangel: Yay! You like it! You really, really like it! I'd have to agree with you though, crimson dawns are incredibly beautiful, in a mystic, slightly sinister sort of way. I like the way that you described Robin and Batman in your review, though… "an ashamed son and a father who hasn't had the best of times with his son…" Nice way of putting it. I appreciate the long review—I've been so bored, lately…Ah! Before I forget! I've putting a lot of thought into it, and I've finally come up with the perfect Rob/Rae fic for you! To be posted very, VERY soon! -A-
Jewel-Gurl73: (Blushes.) Yes, I have seen the Two Towers…about forty bazillion times. LOTR is one of my favorite movie series ever! Why do you ask? Anyway—yes! Holocaust did strike again! Wait and see! I'm so glad you like my story!
Remix17: Yay! You liked it too! Hurrah! I was so nervous when I posted, but it turns out a lot of people enjoyed it. But: I can't tell you what's coming next! It would ruin it all! However, when you get to the REALLY good parts later on (this chapter being one of them) your eyes are going to bug out of your head! ….I think.
Longer chapter than usual today. Unfortunately, it's very dark. What can I say? Dark is my… "specialty." Enjoy…
Chapter Twelve: Entangled
Holocaust-
Small crimson streams trickled across the cold, concrete floor of the warehouse to gather in small puddles beside the dead bodies sprawled about the place. Holocaust strolled casually along, checking each of the shelves for the chemical Slade had asked for. But even though he was instantly excited by the mere smell of blood—so close, he could already taste it—the demon couldn't help feeling a slight pang of annoyance at the thought of the masked villain. Even if Slade was going to destroy this place—and the only way to do that was for Holocaust to steal for him—it didn't automatically give him the right to boss him around.
For as long as he had lived, the fire-thrower took orders from only one person: Himself. He wasn't used to this type of work.
Maybe, after Jump City was destroyed, and Holocaust had had his fun and all, he'd pay Slade a final visit. The criminal smirked at the thought; it was an extremely appealing idea. That crazed mastermind needed to be taken down a few notches…
Or several. Lucky for him, Holocaust was good at that kind of thing.
"Francium, francium…where is it?"
He reached the end of the shelves, without any success. Apparently, Slade had been wrong about the element being here. It was about time too; the man never seemed to make a mistake with what he did, no matter what it was. Holocaust respected perfectionism, but for some reason…the way Slade did things was strangely unnerving. And that was saying something.
The thief shrugged and, with a smile, turned to the pile of bodies. Stupid employees…did they actually think that machine guns could stop him that easily? Wouldn't the owner get a surprise when he walked in and found their corpses…
That is, if Holocaust decided not to light the whole building on fire.
He crossed over to where they lay, and began on one body, digging his nails into the pale flesh—
"Hey…w-what are y-y-you d-doing…?"
Holocaust looked up, curious, to face a single security guard, hanging onto life even on the brink of death. How amusing.
He didn't mind being caught. More than anything, Holocaust loved to horrify civilians in their final moments, right before he killed them. Quite simply, it was what he lived for…
Literally.
"W-w-what a-are you…?" The man grunted, struggling to talk through the mist gathering at the corners of his eyes. The stranger's eyes glowed a deep orange, before he said in a twisted, mechanical voice:
"Your worst nightmare."
A dark hand reached up and pulled off the black mask concealing his face…
The man's screams of terror echoed through the night…and then were silenced.
Slade-
They were gone. He didn't know how, he didn't know where, he didn't know when, despite all his cameras. They had just…disappeared. Needless to say, he wasn't pleased.
Slade intently eyed each of his view screens with his cold, gray eye, waiting for even the slightest sign of the three remaining Titans. Nothing.
"Dammit!" He hissed, slamming a black fist into a nearby computer's keyboard, crushing several of the keys in the process. Somehow…somehow they had slipped through his fingers without him even knowing. Everything had definitely become a bit more complicated than he had hoped for…He had to give Robin credit, though, organizing the perfect escape plan right in front of his face and then just quietly vanishing…
And leaving his injured friends behind. Oddly apathetic on his part. He could work this to his advantage…Now, if only he could find that boy—
The answer came to him instantly; it was so obvious and Slade, if he wasn't so focused on be emotionally restrained, could have hit himself in the forehead.
"Idiot…"
Slade reached into a compartment of his belt and pulled out a familiar, wrist band, turning it on; a small, red dot pulsed gently on part of the miniature screen. The villain quickly transferred the tracker's information onto the computer, maneuvering around the keys he had broken. The video windows shrank and placed themselves at the bottom of the large screen, making way for another aerial map…of Gotham city.
Slade raised an eyebrow as he took this news in, the gears in his mind clicking together…and then he began to laugh, the sound devoid of any mirth or human joy. Just a cold chuckle that would send shivers up anyone's spine.
"Running to Batman, eh Robin?" The man jeered, mouth twisted in a cruel smirk. "You think that your 'father' can protect you from me? I beg to differ…"
Slade returned the band to his wrist, programming it to beep and alert him when Robin was on the move again, before he whispered quietly, to no one in particular:
"It will never work out…he made a mistake…and it will cost him dearly."
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The young nurse yawned widely as she strolled down the white, clean hallways of the hospital, heading for room 207. Morning light was creeping in through the windows, creating golden patterns on the tile floor.
"Emily?"
The woman called Emily turned to face a doctor, approaching her with a stern expression on his face.
"Yes, doctor?"
"This patient, you've been assigned to see to?"
"Yes, sir? What about it?"
The crease in his forehead deepened, when he next spoke.
"Please be careful. She's been through a terrible ordeal…if she doesn't speak, I wouldn't be surprised."
Emily nodded and continued her walk down the hall, but—
"Emily? One last thing; please be careful around her oxygen cords. She needs those, more than anything else."
The nurse nodded and, reaching into her pocket, pulled out a ring of keys, inserting one into 207's lock.
The room was dark, the windows pulled shut; the only light came from a small table lamp left on by whoever had last visited. Emily approached the bed, carefully avoiding the air cords her boss had mentioned, before she gazed sympathetically at the broken form on the bed. The patient was young, probably only fifteen at the most. Her orange skin was cracked in a lot of places, most likely damage from severe heat, and only a little red hair remained on her burnt scalp; one of the doctors from early last night had been required to shave most of it, to stop the roots from burning completely.
"You poor kid," The woman whispered, even though she was positive that the girl wasn't conscious to hear it. "Someone like you doesn't deserve this…"
Emily turned away to open the windows and straighten the room up a bit, when a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.
"AHHHHHH!"
Batman-
Robin picked at the food on his plate without much enthusiasm, while Bruce looked on, frowning slightly.
"What's the matter? Don't you eat anymore?"
Robin paused in the task of heaping sausages on top of one another to give his father a tight grin.
"Very funny."
Bruce hid a smile by interlocking his hands in front of his face. Richard was always stubborn, no matter what it was about; from eating vegetables, to what time he was going to bed, to following bad guys obsessively for hours and hours non-stop. Speaking of which…
"I hear some guy's been giving you a hard time back in your city," Bruce commented lightly, waiting to see what his son's reaction would be. It was as he expected: The boy froze all activity, staring with slightly wide eyes as his plate.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on by yourself, or do I have to force it out of you with a grounding?"
Robin stifled a snort of laughter; Bruce knew perfectly well that he could break out and be gone for hours before it was discovered that he was missing. However, a slight worry frown still curved his mask, leading Bruce to suspect that there was a bigger problem at hand than Robin was letting on about.
"Well?"
Robin sighed.
"It's just this guy…his name is—is—"
The teen gnawed the inside of his cheek. Should he tell Bruce the truth? It was hard to talk about, but—but—
"His name is Slade!" Robin blurted out, before he could think twice. "He's been following me and my friends, and—and—" He broke off weakly, wondering how he'd be able to explain the next part.
"Yes? Go on, what happened?"
"You remember that break-in at your building a year or two ago?" Robin whispered shamefully.
"What about it?"
"That—that was…me…"
"WHAT!"
"I'm sorry! But—Slade, he—he made me his 'apprentice'! He blackmailed me by threatening my friends' lives, and if I hadn't agreed, he would have…have…"
Robin didn't finish the sentence; he only winced, and waited for Bruce to explode. It didn't come. The boy glanced up at his father; Bruce's face was stony, but he managed to say quietly:
"What else has this man done?"
"He's—he's sent robots and monsters after us—to test us for his amusement, I believe—and…"
"And what?"
"Awhile ago, he sent a girl to us, named Terra. She was our friend and, to Beast Boy, she was…she was more…he manipulated her and corrupted her mind, and had her betray us. In the end, her own powers killed her…when she tried to save us…"
"Anything else?"
Robin wouldn't meet his father's stare as he described the incident with the dust and seeing Slade everywhere he went. Bruce took it all in with an impassive expression, but the Boy Wonder could see from the rigid way he sat in his chair, and the way his knuckles were turning white as he gripped the table, that the Dark Knight was enraged.
And then:
"Is this why you came to see me? Do you need help with him? And—" Batman nodded toward upstairs where Beast Boy and Raven were sleeping. "—I thought there were more members on your team, no?"
Robin couldn't hold it back any longer; though he was disgusted at the tears falling freely down his face once more, he explained everything to Batman, from the late nights of obsession, to the new stranger and partner of Slade's, to the attack on Cyborg.
When was done, Bruce sighed wearily and placed his head in his hands, taking this information in, before he got up, walked over to his adopted son, and—
Robin blinked with shock as Bruce wrapped his arms around him in a gentle hug, one of the few signs of affection that the man had ever shown him.
"I'm so sorry, Richard…there is nobody on Earth who deserves this kind of treatment, especially you…it isn't fair, I know…first your parents, now your friends…But—and I know it's hard when it's personal—sometimes we just have to accept the way things go…"
But, at these soothing words, Bruce felt Robin stiffen.
-----------------------
Blood-shot, emerald eyes met the nurse's brown ones, as Starfire stared blankly up at her, looking even more beaten now that she was awake.
The nurse, surprised by the sudden movement, had now gathered herself back together again, and, trying to be friendly, said politely:
"Hello. You're Starfire, from the Teen Titans, right? Are you okay?"
The alien girl did nothing for a minute, and the nurse—Emily—thought that maybe she hadn't heard. But, slowly, the teen's dry lips moved silently.
"What was that?"
Starfire tried again, but her throat was as rough as sand paper. The nurse turned to retrieve a water pitcher from another room but was stopped again by the girl's hand.
"P-p-please…" The alien whispered. "D-d-do…not…leave…me…"
Emily returned to the side of the bed, pulling up a chair.
"Are you okay?" She repeated.
Starfire shook her head.
"N-n-not…matter…"
"Well, what does?"
Silence. And then:
"S-S-S-" She coughed, hacking up some blood on the sheets, and spoke again. "S-Sla…de…"
"Sla-de..? Slade? What's this got to do with him?" Emily asked, afraid. To her, Slade was a mysterious shadow who created chaos and destruction in Jump.
"I—I—I—Robin—"
A sequence of frenzied beeping interrupted their conversation, and Emily glanced at her wrist.
"Oh no…I have to be somewhere right now, okay? But I'll be back. Will you tell me when I get back?"
Starfire didn't respond, having drifted off into unconsciousness once again.
Raven-
Everywhere she turned, there was nothing…Jump City was gone. The buildings and homes of civilians, even Titans Tower had vanished. The only thing left was the blackened, dead ground below, and the blood colored sky above. She was suspended in time, between heaven and earth, caught in a trap of unbreakable silence—
And then the weightlessness was gone, the hazy feeling passing over her brain like a brief wave on the sand, and she hit the ground with a thud, cracking her head against the hardened soil. Bright lights danced before her eyes, nearly blinding her with flashing lights. All the while, as she fought to remain conscious, noises echoed in her ears: Screams of terror, someone sobbing uncontrollably (Was that her?), an unknown voice pleading to be released, begging for someone "not to do this."
…These sounds, however, were all drowned out by the same, repetitive click…click…click…
Footsteps, drawing ever closer to her body as she lay, sprawled on the dirt…but when she glanced to the sky, it had disappeared, replaced by dull silver objects, whirring and clacking together in a single, monotonous pattern. Gears…Where had she seen these before?
"Pathetic," She heard a man sneer…a man, who's voice she knew only too well.
Slade stood over her, staring down at her, a look of contempt and yet vicious amusement glittering in his soulless gray eye.
"Get up."
Raven didn't have the energy to respond, and even if she did, she wasn't sure her voice would hold; it would've cracked with fear if she had spoken.
When she didn't immediately obey, Slade drew his foot back and kicked her in the stomach. Hard. Raven nearly threw up from the force behind the blow. She tried to turn over, to protect herself from a repeat of that attack, noticing in the process that her usual outfit had been replaced with black gloves and sleeves, clinging tightly to her body…
A cracked piece of glass lay nearby, and, with a quivering hand, she grabbed it and gazed at her reflection in horror.
Robin's face stared back her, bloodied and bruised, his normal mask replaced by another; the ends of this new one curved up in a menacing fashion…like Slade's…Orange and black filled her gaze, blocking everything else out, and when she tried to scream the sound only bounced back off the walls and returned to her, shattering her ear drums. Her body blazed, as if it were on fire, and she couldn't move…all she felt was the cold, metal 'S' positioned over her heart—
"NOOOOOOO!"
Raven shot up, face drenched in a cold sweat as she looked around wildly, searching for Slade. No one was there. She was back in her room in Gotham City. The Goth demon quickly got out of her bed, swathing her blue cloak around her once more, before crossing to the window, dark eyes squinting; it was still there. The tips of skyscrapers in Jump City still peered over the distant horizon.
It was just a dream…just a dream…so why did it feel so real?
Raven shook her head uncertainly and left her room; the nightmare was still repeating itself over and over again in her mind, and she was half-afraid that if she stayed alone any longer, Slade would reappear within the shadows…
She was so immersed in her thoughts, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going.
"OW!"
Beast Boy rubbed the area on his scalp where their heads had collided, while Raven moaned on the floor, touching the new bruise that was forming on the side of her face.
"Watch where you're going, huh?" He said crossly, offering her his hand despite his bad mood. She took it gratefully.
"What are you doing up?" She asked, curious. "I would have thought you'd sleep in more or something?"
"Hey! You can't talk! What are you doing up so early?" He demanded, shooting her question right back at her. Raven blushed lightly and muttered:
"I had a nightmare…"
Beast Boy nodded seriously.
"Can't blame you there…"
There was a pause.
"So…why are you up?"
Beast Boy gave her an unbelieving look.
"Uh…can't you hear that?"
Raven listened carefully. From downstairs, she could hear two people yelling at each other…oddly enough, one of them sounded a lot like Robin…
-----------------------
The nurse had left the windows covered as well as turning off the bedside lamp. She had wanted the stupid girl to sleep, and left her…such a fool…but it would make his job all the more easier…
Slade slipped out from the shadows, towering over the sleeping girl on the hospital bed. She would be the perfect way to make his apprentice pay attention to what he had to say…
An evil smile crept over his face as he walked slowly to the other side of the bed. Why not? He had all the time in the world…
Let us see, Robin, if you get it now…
And with that, Slade leaned forward…towards Starfire's oxygen cords…
To be Continued…
(Smiles innocently.) I told you it was dark. Please review.
Over and Out:
Rebel-Aquarius