Blast to the Supposed Past
Alexnandru Van Gordon
Hello, duckies! I think I'm as crazy as Mad Mod or Mumbo right now because I have a really sore throat. I was sick yesterday too, but I was stuck in bed asleep the whole time. Heck—I'm still in bed, I just can't sleep. I have my laptop on my lap and I've been trying to get onto the homepage—but all I get is "HTTP Sever Error 503…" or something like that, so I'm sorry if it has been happening to you too.
(Alex: (Says to self) I guess that's what I get for letting a criminal mastermind in the house through a window when its minus 45 degrees Celsius outside…should have remembered to close it when he left… Oh! You're still here (Clears throat. Eyes shifty) Well…ahem…ON TO THE STORY!...)
DISCLAIMER: Wish I did…that would be so cool…
CHAPTER EIGHT: A Missing Star
-R-
Robin watched in horror as Starfire went flying, pinned to the ground when Slade landed on top of her. The kick would have broken the back of a normal human, but Starfire was different. Still…it would be amazing if she got away without any serious damage from that hit…
"NO!!!"
That startled Robin and forced him to stop when he headed toward Starfire. Over on the other side of the room, something glowed bright enough to blind him momentarily, dimming in an instant. And when it was gone…so was Grayson. He wasn't anywhere else in sight.
Did Slade kill him with a new invention?
"Ahhh!" Starfire cried out in agony. She had landed on her stomach and now Slade was pinning an arm behind her back painfully, pulling it higher than it should go without breaking.
"Let go of her!" Robin roared, running forward. He took flight just as Slade turned his head to see him and planted a knife-edge kick to his face. The force took him off of Starfire and sent him flying a good distance away, ramming into a wall.
Robin knelt beside Starfire and helped her to sit up. There was a small tear rolling down her cheek from the pain, and she moved her arm back into its rightful position gingerly. Rubbing her arm, she rotated the shoulder and cringed in pain.
"How is it you stand such injuries without inhuman strength?" She asked. The first time Robin had been captured, Starfire requested he tell her everything that happened, move for move, so that she would be prepared in a small way to fight Slade. Robin remembered mentioning the take down Slade did on Robin before the rest of the Titans arrived to save him, his arm almost dislocated. Just thinking about it made his shoulder sting with an almost forgotten pain.
"You have to get out of here." Robin said, assisting her to stand. "Wait outside for the others and lead them here when they arrive. I doubt they know they're way around in the place already."
"But—"
Fwhip!
Robin waited for her to continue, not liking that sound. It was the sound of something whipping through air at a dangerous speed.
Starfire's face was pale and she leaned heavily on Robin's shoulders with her hands. Robin held her by her waist, trying to help her stand as she fainted in his arms. Her eyes shut slowly and her head hung freely—she was either asleep or dying.
Then he saw it. A small dart on her left shoulder—one of the darts the older Slade had created.
At least she was just asleep.
"Ha ha ha…" Slade laughed softly, standing slowly. He had a second dart in his hand and gave no warning when he threw this one at Robin. But Robin was prepared. He fell back with Starfire in his arms, the dart missing his neck by an inch. He gave a small grunt, forgetting he had another person falling on him, but continued to glare at Slade. Had he really been aiming for Robin last time?
Slade stepped forward. "Now it's just you and me." Then he stopped, his one eye pinned on Starfire. "Are you going to come quietly, Robin? Or do I have to motivate you yet again?"
"This is far from over…" Robin muttered, gently pulling Starfire off of him and lying her on her back before standing. He faced Slade, shoulders and body relaxed. Grayson told him to relax—everyone told him to relax. Maybe if he were calmer he would have a better chance…
"Indeed." Slade went on, arms behind his back as usual. "Foolish child. Did you think this would ever be over? Tell me—when you saw my mask in the lava, were glad I was dead….or were you upset? I know how much you want to be the one to kill me…"
"I was upset." Robin answered honestly. He knew Slade hadn't expected that answer. "But now it doesn't matter to me. You and I aren't the only two people who suffer in this world, and I'm not the only one who wants to cut off a piece of you. Beast Boy, Terra…and anyone else you might have crossed paths with before. Now you tell me—were you upset or happy that you lost the last time we were in this predicament? You could have killed me and my friends, free of the Teen Titans forever! Then why didn't you? It was obvious you forgot about me being your apprentice when Terra showed up—and yet you punished her for not being able to kill us. Did you kill her because you both failed—because you were equal to a kid?"
Slade's eye narrowed—there was no way you could miss it no matter how dark it was inside the room. Robin could see his fists clench tightly, knuckles cracking as he did, and his shoulders stiffen. It was Robin's turn to hit a few sore spots, and he sure wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.
"Well?!" Robin shouted, pressing for an answer.
"You will learn…" Slade growled, advancing slowly. Robin found himself taking a few steps back, a pinch of fear growing in his chest. "You will learn to be the perfect apprentice if it is the last thing I do…You will be loyal and thankful. When I ask you to steal you will steal, when I ask you to destroy you will destroy, when I ask you to kill you will kill—and anything else I ask you to do, you will do it with gratitude that I chose you of all possible people…And you will watch your friends die…"
"You're welcome to try." Robin said, and took up his fighting position.
-B-
Batman landed on the T-tower with his jet. Speedy sat to his left, the trainee in the back. He had done everything he could to get there on time and even sooner, but he had to slow down halfway there, Speedy still looking green in the face.
"Geeze!" Speedy exclaimed, a hand on his stomach. "I'm glad we didn't take your wheels—I think you would have killed more people on the highway today than you had ever saved in your entire life!"
"I agree…" HW undid her seatbelt in the back and stood with shaky knees. With a hand on her head, Batman could tell the sixteen-year-old girl was dizzy.
Kids these days. Robin would have asked if they could fly that fast a second time.
HW stood for Halloween, a nickname she had never intended to pick up. Speedy gave it to her because of the way she dressed, bits and pieces of her costume made up from one of Robin's spares in the mansion. She came from Canada about six months ago, reported to the Justice League when she stopped a robbery on her own. Batman and Superman came to see her the next day they heard the news—visiting her in the hospital.
"Why did you do that?" Batman asked the girl lying on the hospital bed, arms crossed. "You could have been killed."
The girl opened her mouth to speak, but a spark flashed on her right hand and suddenly she was electrocuted. Sighing once it stopped, she closed her eyes. "I'm going to kill myself one day or another with the lack of control I have over my powers." She answered sarcastically. "I either learn how to use these or people are going to get hurt. If I fight with them, at least I'm making the world a better place."
Both Superman and Batman stood in silence—from shock of the little electrocution act and in consideration.
"You heard of the Teen Titans?" Superman asked after Batman and him exchanged secret eye messages.
"Yah." She answered, eyes still closed from exhaustion. "I hear no one can beat that Robin guy. He's supposed to be the best."
A smile escaped Batman's lips, but not before he could hide it from Superman.
Batman cleared his throat. "If anyone can teach you, they can. Who knows—if you're good enough, you might even join either them or Titans East."
Her eyes opened slowly, a frown of thought on her face.
Two days later, she was taken from the hospital. Batman and Superman had already talked with her parents and they agreed that it would be for the best. So, with a sad smile and a small wave goodbye, HW left her family behind in Canada and moved to Gotham with Bruce Wayne. There, she had to complete the fast track high school program on the computer (something Batman made Robin take before he was allowed to go out every night with him for crime fighting) and trained under the supervision of Batman and eventually Speedy.
Staring at the costumes in the Batcave, HW pointed to the one of Robin's. "His mask is kinda cool."
Speedy was sitting on the stairs leading up to the main room, his elbows on his knees in boredom. Batman sat at his desk, researching on the Joker yet again. The man had escaped for the third time that month from Arkham. HW hadn't gone out to fight any crime just yet, due to the fact that she didn't have a costume. She wasn't the best fighter, but no one was when they were just getting started.
It was her sixteenth birthday.
"Maybe you should use pieces of Robin's costume to make your own." Speedy suggested with a grin, obviously getting excited that there would finally be something interesting to do. "He's got more than one spare and I can help you."
Batman turned around just then and saw them both staring at him, asking in silent permission. HW pulled a strand of long black hair (dyed) out of her eyes and adjusted her glasses.
"If you use his mask, the lenses will have to be fixed to your glass' prescription."
He could remember how she looked too. She had made her own body suit—tight black material similar to the stuff Robin used on his costume—with long black gloves and long black (no heel) boots that buckled up in the front. She wore one of Robin's cape, black on the outside but changed to orange on the inside. There was a belt around her waist that held no weapons, and her glasses were replaced with one of Robin's masks.
"Nice." Batman commented. If he didn't know any better, he would have said she was a twin of Robin's.
"HW." Speedy nodded.
She raised an eyebrow—well, the mask indicated she raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean? Good or bad?"
"It stands for Halloween." The teen explained. "Because your choice of colours reminds me of that day."
"No way! I'm not going to have that name! Besides, it's only the inside of this short cape that's orange."
"Sorry—too late."
Batman let them argue about it because they argued anyway whenever they could. But the name stuck, especially when Alfred accidentally called her HW. There was no going back.
"Let's go before I vomit again." Speedy said, jumping out as the latch opened. "Where did you get your license, Batboy?"
"Who said I had one?"
-BB-
"Beast Boy!"
"I'm coming!" He yelled, racing from his room toward Raven and Cyborg. They had to go.
They all paused.
Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Why does it sound like someone's landing on our roof?"
They all paused a second time before exclaiming in unison. "Batman!"
Beast Boy grabbed his hair, just about ready to pull it all out. "What!? He can't be here this early. Unless he has about a zillion airway tickets for crazy driving, there's no way he could have gotten here so soon!"
"And he isn't going to be happy when he hears the news about Robin." Raven added in her monotone voice. "You two go to the docks—I'll keep him busy."
And she floated down the hallway at top speed toward the elevator doors, leaving them stunned and shocked.
"Eek!" Beast Boy squeaked. "There is no way Batman's ever going to let him stay now! He's going to tie Robin up and throw him in the trunk and he'll suffocate and then he'll have a heart attack and then he'll—"
"Whoa…" Cyborg motioned with his hands for him to calm down. "Since when has he ever had a heart attack? Besides, you're over exaggerating. Batman's not going to lock Robin in the trunk. Jets don't have trunks."
"But he'll tie him up! It took a blast from Starfire to knock that guy out, and even then he got out of all the restraints on the medical bed. What makes you think he won't go loco on the jet?"
"We'll find out later—we have to go!"
Beast Boy glanced over his shoulder at the elevator. It was on again, humming down to the main floor. Then he dashed after Cyborg toward the entrance hall, shouting a "Wait for me!" just before the front door was slammed in his face.
-S-
A powerful punch in the gut, and the former Boy Wonder was sent flying back, knocking over the table with all Slade's little inventions on it. He landed on the opposite side behind the new barricade, but Slade wouldn't wait. He ran toward the table, leaping over it and landing directing beside Robin as he turned around in mid-air. The boy was still winded, slowly getting up—Slade helped him. He grabbed him by the scuff of his shirt and threw him back over the table.
"Ugh!" Robin yelped as he landed awkwardly on his left wrist. He was exhausted—even though the serum had returned some strength, you had to wait a while until you were fully healed.
Slade calmed for a moment, and walked casually around the table with his hands behind his back. "Tired? Are you ready to leave yet, or are you still going to refuse my offer? What's your answer now?"
He waited, stopping beside the boy who lay on his side, propping himself up on an elbow.
"No."
Slade kicked him in the stomach and he slid even further away, gasping for air once his diaphragm would allow him to. It was just like the fight Robin had with the hallucination—he was beaten beyond belief and still holding on. The Boy Wonder didn't know it, but Slade was quite proud of his endurance. Terra barely had any.
Then there was a noise—and echoing bang. Slade's robots had orders not to move and that could only mean there was an intruder.
"Robin!"
It was that annoying little green changeling.
"Consider yourself lucky." Slade muttered just loud enough for Robin to hear. "I'll see you soon, apprentice."
Then he turned away and strode toward the alien girl.
"No!" Robin exclaimed, his plea barely audible due to the beating he received. "Please…leave her alone…"
"She'll be alone alright. And imagine how she'll feel once she wakes up to find that you left her with me."
"Don't!"
"Then I trust we'll see sooner than expected."
He picked the girl up and hoisted her over his shoulder. Then he walked over toward the table and picked up the briefcase containing all the different serums in the. Robin was trying to no avail to stand, but he was far enough away to stay alive from what Slade was about to do next.
Walking a good twenty paces away from the table, he dropped the briefcase gently to the ground and reached into a compartment of his belt. Pulling out a small, marble sized, black sphere, he tossed it at the table and hit it with great accuracy. It exploded upon impact and splinters of wood went flying. The Boy Wonder was pushed further away slightly from the blast, but remained mostly unharmed save for a small burn or two.
"Move out." He commanded then into the communicator on his wrist. His robots knew where to go.
Now there would be no evidence to prove the true story Robin would tell his friends.
Things were working exactly as planned.
-A-
(Sniff-sniff-tear-tear) This is the end of the first story—BUT! I've decide to keep the two stories on the same link . So when you look at the list of chapter titles in the top right hand screen, the next time I update it should say the name of the sequel after chapter eight. Then it will say chapter one… And don't worry! I will try to write and submit the first chapter of the sequel tomorrow, if not later. I don't know what to call it yet, but I'll think of something tonight…
Alex: (Wipes brow) Thank goodness that's over…
HW: (Standing behind him) But Slade can't be winning at the end of the first story!
Alex: (Startled, turns around) How do you guys keep getting in here! O.O I thought…
HW: Answer my question, please. It's been nagging at me ever since I read this chapter.
Alex: -.- It has to be that way so that there's a sequel. Ever watch Star Wars or anything like that? The bad guys weren't losing very much until the very end.
HW: Oh…what's Star Wars?
Alex: (Mouth drops open) We have you been all your life.
HW: (ZAP!) -.- In the hospital…
Alex: Aren't you happy you're Canadian like me. Free health care.
HW: (Narrow eyes) Yay—whoopee… You don't electrocute yourself at least once a week. The hospital isn't like a second home to you.
Alex: You'd be surprised.
HW: Oh?
Alex: I'm an honour student and I'm not allowed in the kitchen. Whatever I cook catches on fire. I've ruined numerous pots, almost exploded the microwave, and even somehow set the dishwasher on fire.
HW: O.O You're kidding me!
Alex: Nope.
-Speaking the truth
-Alexnandru Van Gordon