Blast to the Supposed Past
Alexnandru Van Gordon
Ooooooooh… One of my friends read my story and sent me an e-mail—boy is he smart! He knew what I was going to do to Grayson with simply noticing one small smidgen of a clue…sooooooooo tiny… But anyhow, I gave my opinions of the apprentice episode and explained myself in the last chapter (SORRY AGAIN for the long paragraphs), and I left you a couple of clues…or are they red herrings? You'll have to read to find out…
DISCLAIMER: I repeat—I do not own the Teen Titans, the JLA, any of the villains from either shows, or the heroes/heroines from Titans East (points—Speedy—who is currently annoying the hell out of Batman, while old Batboy waits for Robin, etc…). The plot and character ???—who will receive a name in due time, I promise—are entirely my own.
CHAPTER SEVEN: How?
-S-
Slade pulled the trigger.
Click!
He tried again—Click!
He swore under his breathe and moved a few of the items on the table around in search of bullets. He had some before and he thought he'd loaded the gun. No…he was going to it when his imposter self came along. He had planned to shoot anyone who followed the Boy Wonder as he lured him into the trap, but got sidetracked.
Stupid man…
Slade glanced quickly over his shoulder at the blood-smeared spot on the floor leading off into the darkness. The room was once more quiet save for whatever noises he made—and right now he was looking for those confounded bullets!
The older Robin made a soft groan and his head turned ever so slightly to one side, one hand twitching in reflex. It didn't surprise Slade, though, that the young man would grow somewhat immune to the serum after years of enduring it. That reminded him that he would have to advance the serum ever so often once he got into the habit of using it on his new apprentice. It was working well on him now, but Robin was tough. How long would he be able to use the current sedative?
The older Robin moved again, a small frown played on his face before he relaxed again. He was coming to and Slade wanted him dead before he could ruin anything else.
There!
Slade picked up the bullet and loaded the gun, staring at the older Robin with something of regret. He wanted Robin to be his apprentice and really didn't want to kill him—even if this wasn't his Robin. He had his apprentice and besides, this young man didn't belong in their world.
With a heavy sigh, he took aim once more and…
—went flying over the table onto the opposite side from a blow to his back. The blast carried him far but he flipped in the air and landed gracefully, spinning around on his heel to glare at the second nuisance.
The young alien girl called Starfire stood proud, her hands and eyes aglow with a brilliant green light. The look on her face told him that she was furious and her stance suggested that she actually wanted to fight. How foolish! As powerful as she might be, she was stupid and had no idea how to fight against someone like Slade. She was not the only person in the room that was not entirely human.
With the table between them, they circled. Eyes locked, ready to attack, both waited to defend. The girl, though she did appear menacing, was quite afraid—Slade could sense it. Staring at her hard enough, he could see that she shivered beneath his gaze. Robin shook too when Slade had given him the look, but all those times he had shivered in fury and worry for things he deemed that possessed a greater worth than his own life.
Love was such a fatal thing.
Slade stopped his circling and so did the girl.
Love.
—She came alone—
"You will be the first to die." Slade announced and he noticed how the girl flinched, her fury turning to worry. "Once you're gone, there will not be much of anything left to fight for… He will be broken completely."
"Why do you wish to break Robin?" She asked innocently. Slade was aware of how little she comprehended on earth. "Do you not want him to fight for you? How can he fight if his body is broken?"
"Not his body." He corrected in his usual tone of voice. "His soul…the corner of his mind that gives birth to the disloyalty he has for me. He will listen to me if he is broken in that sense."
The girl blinked. "How can someone not listen? Robin is not deaf."
"Your time flies and the end draws near to your life. You will never have the opportunity to understand."
Just then, Grayson shot up into a sitting position gasping for air. The action surprised both Slade and the girl and the two of them paused as they watched Grayson slowly calm.
-St-
"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed, tempted to run up to her friend and hug him. But then she remembered Slade and stood her ground. "Are you well, friend Grayson?"
"Star…fire…" Grayson shook his head slowly and turned to face her. "What….? Where…?" Then his eyes widened as he turned to face the opposite way where Starfire's eyes were fixed. "Slade…"
Starfire hated the man more than anyone she had ever hated before.
When she left Grayson, she left to search for Robin. She succeeded in finding this room, and none of Slade robots noticed her—neither did Slade or Robin. They were discussing matters, which Starfire didn't want to think back to, and it pained her deeply to see Robin struggle uselessly as Slade injected him with the serum. She wanted so badly to help him, but a voice in the back of her mind said wait…wait and see…
Now she was glad she did.
Seeing Grayson brought in unconscious was enough to drive her insane. She decided then to attack. But how? Robin had told her once that victory was best won when a desirable plan was devised beforehand. So she levitated up there in the air, surrounded by the darkness of the old rafters, the gears in her head working madly. She was too worried to think straight and so she then decided to have a listen in on what the two Slade's were up to. Whatever it was, the voice in the back of her head warned her to stay back and wait.
Bang!
She covered her mouth with a shaky hand and almost fell, her happy thought gone momentarily from her mind. It had been of the time she and Robin watched the fireworks at the fair and ate the edible version of cotton, but even that couldn't keep her mind focused. The blood… The betrayal… Robin's new future.
No! Robin would not become Slade's apprentice. She just needed more time to think, to plan…
Then Slade spoke to Grayson and lifted the gun. She panicked in that one instant and shut her eyes tight when he said. "Farewell, Mr. Grayson…". She had failed her friends and the one person she loved most in that one instant. It was over…
Click! Pause. Click!
She opened one eye first and then the other. Slade was rummaging through the items on his desk in search of more projectiles. This was her second—and last—chance to save him—the final moment to do something rather than hover above the scenario in fear and absent-mindlessness. There was really only one logical thing left to do.
Attack.
Slade loaded the weapon and took aim, this time certain to kill Grayson if fate permitted him to pull the trigger. Starfire had otherwise to say. She dived toward the mastermind criminal, eyes and hands glowing, and sent a bolt of her wondrous green light toward his back. The blow did the trick and knocked him head first over the table—to land with a grace Starfire had only known Robin to possess. It sometimes scared her how right Slade was in saying that he and Robin were alike. It pained her even more to remember that she herself had once voiced the same comparison to the one it hurt the most. Was she a monster too?
The beeping noise brought her back to the current time from her slight flashback. No one spoke until Grayson suddenly appeared shocked and stared at his right wrist. Starfire hadn't noticed it before, but Grayson wore something that resembled (what Robin would call) a digital watch.
"Oh no!" He gasped.
"What's wrong?" Slade asked, but Starfire was confused. Didn't people usually ask that question when they were concerned—Slade did not sound concerned. "Low on batteries?"
Grayson glared at the enemy and jumped off the table, landing in his angelic style. "Everyone has a time limit." Then he turned to Starfire. "The others are taking me back in five minutes—the serum with the red liquid should wake Robin up."
Starfire looked to where he pointed. On the table was a small briefcase—and in it could only be the serums Grayson said the future Slade created.
Now was her chance to save another life.
-G-
Grayson grabbed three explosives from his belt held between each finger. These he threw at Slade and dashed forward, surrounded in a cloud of smoke. He might not be as powerful as the Slade from his time, but he caught on to his tricks fairly quick and used them against him whenever he could. He couldn't, though, remember whether or not the Slade of Robin's time had tried this trick yet.
Fists clenched tightly until his knuckles were white beneath the gloves, Grayson dived headlong into the last battle he would fight before he left. This was his last chance to change everything…to save himself and the world…
-R-
He jerked awake abruptly, head spinning like last time. But this time was different… He had been woken up by someone else and he found that his strength was suddenly returning. His heart raced and his limbs were no longer as heavy as lead. Mind finally cleared, his vision was focused in a few brief moments, revealing to him a sight he had wished to see for quite some time.
"Starfire…"
She smiled at him kindly and started untying the ropes holding him down to the chair.
Was he dreaming? She was here and he felt so much better… How… Why? Was it some sort of trick from Slade? But it was so realistic and wonderful. God—he hoped it wasn't just some cruel dream. He wanted Starfire to be real.
Starfire finished with the ropes and knelt before him when he did not move. "Is something wrong, Robin? Are you hurt?" Her eyes grew wide and she placed a hand on each of his. "Please tell me what is wrong! We must leave before Grayson can fight Slade no longer."
Her hands…they were so gentle… There was no way this could be a dream. Her voice, her face, her attitude toward him… It had to be the real her.
There was a crash and Robin stared straight ahead. A cloud of smoke was settling and he could see two figures quarreling—Grayson and Robin's Slade. Starfire was with him and…where was the second Slade?
"Starfire!" He stood and grabbed her hands as she jerked away startled. "There's another Slade. He's—"
"Dead…"
It took him a moment to register the words in his head. "Dead? Grayson killed him?"
"Slade killed him, Robin." Starfire whispered, staring off in the direction of the fight with worry in her eyes. "Grayson and his own Slade are from the future of one of the many parallel dimensions that tie with this one. Slade shot him and would have shot Grayson had I not intervened—but Grayson has been called with a beeping noise by the Titan's of his home—much as our communicators simply beep sometimes. He leaves in five minutes and I doubt he will be able to stay past that time limit."
He blinked. "But that's not nearly enough time to defeat Slade!"
"Then we must flee!"
"No!" He barked, not meaning to sound as harsh as he did. "Starfire…it's either now or never. We have to stop Slade before it's too late…we have to…"
He was practically pleading her. It was their duty to save and protect any innocent life ever threatened, and Slade was going to threaten a ton of lives if he wasn't eliminated soon. Slade was a menace the world could most certainly do without, and the Teen Titans were the ones that were going to take him down.
"We need the others." Robin said, not exactly wanting to take Slade down on his own in such as state as he was currently in. "Call them up now."
Starfire took out her communicator without questioning his plan (sorry, but I don't know where she keeps hers on herself). She turned the screen on and waited, the little red light flashing in time with the annoying beep.
-TT-
The three of them ran to the screen in an instant and Cyborg pressed a button on the motherboard. "Ya?" He asked, trying hard to sound calm. Starfire's face appeared enlarged before them, the background completely dark. It sounded like fighting was going on behind her, but none of them cold see exactly what was happening.
"Starfire!" Beast Boy exclaimed in glee. "Where have you been?"
"Please, friends! You must come down to pier 21 immediately!"
Raven and Cyborg exchanged worried glances.
Raven stepped forward. "Does this have anything to do with Robin?"
"Yes. He is in trouble and requires our help as a team."
"I bet he does." Cyborg whispered, thinking back to his hallucination of Slade. Batman wasn't going to be the least bit pleased when he arrived to discover there was something wrong with Robin again. There goes their leader, trapped in Gotham until who-knows-when with Mr. Dark-and-evil… Adults! Particularly parents were control freaks when it came to kids. Cyborg felt pretty sorry that that Robin was adopted by Batman…why not someone normal.
Then again, even though Robin told them he knew how to do back flips since he learned how to walk, Robin would have never become Robin without Batman's training.
"We'll be there in a flash!" Beast Boy assured the pale-faced girl. "Tell Robin to calm down, okay?"
"Robin is not—"
Whatever she was going to say was interrupted suddenly when she was hit from behind and suddenly the scene showed static.
-G-
Grayson knelt on the ground with one hand placed in front for support, his other hand over his stomach were a long gash was newly made. It hurt so much…he hurt all over. This Slade…this Slade was not like the Slade he knew—he was somehow stronger, and knew moves Grayson had never seen before. That was saying something. This Slade couldn't be his Slade… They were different in a small, secret way…
He lifted his head and gazed in the direction of the two teens. Slade abandoned Grayson the moment he knew the slash across his stomach had done the trick, running and jumping to slam a brutal sidekick into Starfire's back. He watched helplessly, attempting to stand to no avail. And here he was now…bleeding to death as he watched this world fall into the hands of a man darker than demons themselves.
It was then that he realized this couldn't be his world. The machine had simply brought him somewhere different.
"Star…fire…" He breathed through practically parted lips. They were dry and so was his mouth. He wanted to see his Starfire…the Starfire he had planned to marry once the whole ordeal was over.
His watch beeped a second time before the digital scene switched to show an older, more mature Cyborg.
"Hey, man! We need to take you back before it's too late." The tin man explained. "What's the news on Slade?"
"Our Slade is…dead…" This caused a small smile to grow on Cyborg's face, but Grayson wasn't finished yet. "But…the younger Slade is…alive…"
He coughed, a small amount of blood pouring from his lips. Cyborg caught sight of this.
"Robin, were taking you back now."
"No—"
"Five, ten, fifteen years—it doesn't matter to us, Robin. You saved us, and now we can save the world once more."
"But—"
"No buts, Boy Wonder. We're sending you back now…"
The watch began to glow.
But Cyborg didn't understand! He couldn't just leave this…dimension! The future of this place was still undecided and it wouldn't meet the same fate his dimension did due to the death of Slade. Robin's Slade might still survive. He might still get Robin…
"NO!!!"
But it was too late. His whole figure froze and glowed. And as the glow faded, so did Grayson, one of the few people who could have saved this world…
-A-
Now, one of the clues that I put down that suggested Grayson wouldn't die was...(drum roll…)…THE TITLE! Blast to the Supposed Past—Grayson! But, no, Robin—young Robin—is still the main character. Yes, you will see the other Titans later, and you'll have to read the sequel when I post it to see if Grayson returns—BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I'M DONE THIS ONE YET! I wanted to put more scenes down from Robin's point of view in third person, but I had to wake him up and add in all these other little initial incidents to set up the ending of this one and the problem in the Sequel. But wow…I think this story is going to take me a while to finish.
(Door creaks open slowly…)
Alex: (typing…)
(A hand rests on his shoulder—)
Alex: Ahhh! (Spins around) What are you—of all people—doing in here? And at this time in the night?
Robin: You should be in bed, Mr. Insomniac. (Glances at what is typed on the computer) And I came to—as you would say—"dictate" your story (frowning).
Alex: (O.o) I'm Mr. Insomniac? I'm not the only one here with that disorder, kid. And why do you want to take over my story?
Robin: Kid? I'm—what—one or two years younger than you? But besides that—I read your rough draft of the next chapter and I don't like where this is going…
Alex: That's why there's a sequel.
Robin: Give me the rough drafts to the final chapters of this story. There isn't going to be a sequel.
Alex: (Awe-struck) But why!
Robin: Hello! I hate Slade—the sooner I get rid of him, the better. Besides, if I have to deal with him one last time I think I'm going to start hallucinating again, regardless of whether or not it will be due to Slade's dust. I seriously hate being his apprentice… Makes me want to scream…
Alex: (Rolls eyes and continues typing) Oh, pleeeaaaasssseee! Like I'm going to let you do that! Now get back into the story so I can finish it.
Robin: Ch! Stop tying. I'm writing something different.
Alex: No way!
(A fight begins over the computer, Robin seeming to win. Something sounds of in the dark hallway and both pause, unsure of what—or who—it is…)
Robin: (Turns around and pulls out Bo-staff)
Alex: Eek! Put that thing away before my mom wakes up! And if you don't get back into the story I'll write it so that Slade kills Starfire in the next chap!
Robin: (Wide-eyed) You wouldn't dare! She's the sweetest person in the world!
Alex: (Points to computer screen) Then get back in there, Boy Wonder. And don't think I won't forget this little meeting.
Robin: (Shoulders slouching, obeys).
(Robin Exits)
Alex: Ooooooh…(Fuming). I'm not going to forget this meeting, alright…(Glances over shoulder at the door as it creaks open further, a new guest standing in the doorway) You should be more careful. He's smart. (Turns back toward the computer) You can come in now, Slade…
-Mischievous Grin
-Alexnandru Van Gordon