Pieces of the Puzzle

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hello, people. Nice to see you again…in a manner of speaking, of course. Anyhow, I have everything fixed and now I have the rest of this story and the beginning of the Fourth Book planned out. I warned you earlier that someone was going to die, so prepare for a morbid ending—and no; Robin isn't going to be the dead one. Not only do I want to keep him alive, but how else would I connect another story if I did kill him. Your favorite character is safe (assuming that he is your favorite character).

Thanks for the reviews! I got more than last time and that is a satisfying thing. So I guess I can't bug you about that anymore…but I wonder why I'm so happy…Must be the bleach…

Anyhow—here's what you came for—

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Teen Titans, the Justice League, Slade, any other villains, Gotham, Jump City…and so on—and so on…

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Depression

Jacob leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, head tilted forward as he tried to rest. Boy Wonder had nodded-off a short while ago, but he kept suddenly pulling on the ropes as if he were having a nightmare. Probably. Who wouldn't have a nightmare if they were Slade's prisoner?

Speaking of which, where was the guy anyway.

Robin jerked again and made a small choking noise. Jacob turned his eyes on the kid immediately—just as he woke up and started spitting up blood. Whatever had caused that was beyond his knowledge. Perhaps Slade had beaten him badly before he called Jacob to pick the kid up. Slade was one hell of a strong guy.

"Hey, HW!" He called, kneeling before Robin as he continued to cough up blood. "A little help!"

"Coming!" She called and dashed into the room, sliding to a halt when she saw the blood on Jacob and Robin. Her wide eyes fixed on Robin and she waved a hand to Jacob toward the door. "Go and tell Wintergreen. Slade's gotta have some sort of serum for this type of situation."

He nodded and jumped up, taking a look at the blood dripping down his chest before running out to tell Wintergreen. He thought the man was in the main room with HW, but he must have left…

-R-

Finally he stopped and his stomach no longer lurched. The tense pain and tightness of his gut remained, a fire burning where it hurt the most, but somehow he found he could breathe again in slow, steady breaths. HW whipped out a small white handkerchief form someone and wiped the blood for his face gently, giving him the saddest look he ever saw. When she finished, she folded up the cloth neatly and pocketed it before pushing Robin back to sit up straight.

"What was that all about?" She asked in a whisper, almost afraid he would tell her he was dying. He didn't know. Maybe he was.

"Just a nightmare." He said; surprised at how hard it was to speak. His voice sounded hoarse. "That's all…"

HW stood, putting her hands on her hips while slowly shaking her head. "Just a nightmare? What could be worse than the situation you're in now?"

"I worry about what he's going to do to the world, to everyone I care about, and to me…I heard you talking about something a while ago—one of the serums. What's that for?"

She leaned against the wall where Jacob once stood and looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "He has so many, it's hard to keep track. He's got ones to heal, ones to poison, some sort of berserker serum, a sleeping douse…the list goes on. But there are two that really have me worried. One is almost like a drug. Basically, it absolutely destroys your sense to say "No" and you are victim to do whatever you are ordered to."

"Great." He muttered. Why hadn't he seen that one coming?

"But it's not for you." She explained and that caught him by surprise. "Slade wants the real you and that is what the second serum is all about."

"And what does it do?" He asked, somewhat afraid to know the answer.

Her gaze fell from the ceiling to the floor and her shoulders sagged visibly. "It's a modified version of what Slade took to give himself his strength, speed, agility—his everlasting life and all that jazz. It's weaker so that you can never beat him, but it will practically do to you what it did to him. It's been changed in other ways so I suppose it will affect you at a different rate or something like that…but he hasn't tested it out yet. You might not live forever and…"

He wasn't listening anymore. He didn't want to live forever—he wanted a shot at the afterlife. Heaven was better than earth and that was something he looked forward to. That was his up to being a hero…

If he died he could be with them again.

Mom…dad…

The sight before him made him sick and he could never forget it. It was molded into his mind no matter what he thought of, and even Bruce Wayne couldn't seem to interest him in anything when he first cam to live with the man. The fact was—he didn't want anyone's pity.

He simply did not want to live.

So, one day when it was around lunch time, Alfred left to look for him in his room while he snuck outside. Richard went out into the 'yard' of Wayne Manor and climbed one of the tallest trees he could find. He actually found himself sitting on the top branch for a long time until he decided how he would fall. It was then that Alfred came outside and yelled out to Richard to stop before he could jump.

"Why can't I?" Was all Richard could ask as Alfred stood directly below him. "I want to see my parents again."

"They're in heaven now." Alfred said, worry evident in his voice. Richard wasn't worried—he was going to see his parents. "If you kill yourself you'll never get into heaven—and you'll never see them!"

Well wasn't that just great!

"How do I get into heaven, then?"

Alfred sighed, looking around as though the answer would simply present itself. Finally he looked back up at the boy with a smile, sure of his answer. "You do everything you most possibly can in life for the better of mankind."

Instead of standing on the branch, he sat down and thought about it. "Like saving lives?"

Alfred paused. "Yes…"

"Then I'd better get started." He said—and jumped.

He swore he never saw Alfred so surprised when Richard fell halfway, grabbed hold of a branch, swung around it, and landed gracefully before the kind old man. Alfred had to tell Bruce of course when he got home from work, and then Bruce told Richard he gave the poor guy a heart attack.

But that event made Robin.

"Are you listening?"

He raised his head and shook it. "Sorry. I stopped when you told me about his serums. I just had a flashback."

"Oh? Of what?"

"When I almost killed myself."

Her eyes widened and she looked as though see was about to say something when Jacob came strolling in with a syringe. It was filled with a pale liquid, something, Robin guessed, Slade had recently invented.

"Wintergreen said it was this one."

"Hand it over." HW said, snatching it away from her cousin before he could near to Robin. "Go and watch the Dark Knight."

"But—"

"Get moving!" She barked and suddenly turned calmed. He must have passed the odd behavior aside as insanity because he left without another word, leaving the two to continue talking in the dark.

Flicking the glass of the needle with her finger gently and turning it upside-down to get rid of any air, she knelt before Robin once more and untied his arms before injecting the needle point into a vein of his left arm. It took only a couple of seconds and then she left to put the empty syringe away before returning shortly after.

"Feeling any better?" She asked, kneeling behind him to retie his hands.

"I feel really tired…" He whispered, trying hard to keep his eyes open. Every limb felt as heavy as lead before a cool sensation flowed throughout his entire body. He shivered slightly as all pain seemed to leave him and finally allowed his weary eyes to close to the warmth that followed. Finally, his body began to numb and he found himself at peace as he drifted off into sleep…

-S-

He pushed the door to the main room opened and strolled in with Red-X over his shoulder. Jacob was standing by the Dark Knight, helping him to look at something, and Wintergreen was looking at some files at the other table. Upon entering, Slade came over to the table and threw Red-X down on top of it, dusting off his hands as everyone but Batman looked at him in surprise.

"That was awfully quick." Wintergreen breathed and stood it look at the unconscious figure. "I thought you were going to kill him?"

"I am." He grumbled, striding over toward the other table and picked up a syringe. It was filled with the same chemicals he used on Batman. "But not now. I have something special planned for the JL."

He turned around and tossed the syringe to Wintergreen who caught it and looked down at the thief. "Get that done with him and take him somewhere until he wakes up." Slade instructed, and then turned to Jacob. "Where is he?"

Jacob nodded toward a door on the other side of the room, but didn't look too happy. "We had to put him to sleep, so I don't know if you'll be able to talk to him right now."

"You put him to sleep?" He asked, quite upset that he'd have to wait longer to talk with Robin. "How many times did he try to get away? Can't be that many."

"Quiet a few." Jacob said in a small voice. "But the main reason was because he was spitting up blood. He isn't exactly in tip-top shape."

Enraged, he slammed his fist into the table and stared daggers at the door. He almost forgot about that the last time he fought the Boy Wonder. It was when his self from another dimension came over to help him catch Robin. Robin spat up blood a couple of times, now that he remembered, and that meant he would have to go easy on the kid for the time being. That is, of course, when he woke.

"And where's the witch?" He asked, just noticing now that she wasn't around.

"She's watching the kid." Wintergreen replied as he carried Red-X over to a corner of the room and laid him there. "She switched shifts with Jacob just before you came."

That got him thinking. The girl did prove herself to him, but he wondered if she even knew how many people she killed in that little episode downtown—if she knew she killed anyone in the first place.

"I'll be back." He said and strolled over toward the door. He paused before it and opened it slowly. True to Jacobs' word, Robin was out cold from Slade's serum and still tied up in the corner. HW stood against the wall beside the boy and jumped with a small gasp when she saw Slade. Then she placed a hand over her heart and sighed with a worried look.

"Damn, you scared the hell out of me." She said, sighing a second time. It made him wonder why she was so jumpy—as though she was guilty of something… "You need me for something?"

He smiled behind his mask and stepped inside, closing the door halfway behind him before he stood in front of her, sparing a glance at his unconscious apprentice. "Oh…not for much…" He said and returned his gaze to her. "I only came to congratulate you."

She frowned in confusion and crossed her arms. "For what? I've been here the whole time watching him and that doesn't take much effort when he's out cold."

"For freeing Overload." He exclaimed. "Twenty-one deaths is quite a number…"

She froze for a moment and she frowned harder. "It killed twenty-one people?"

"No…" He turned around and started for the door. "You did at the exact moment you released him. Like I said before…congratulations…"

He paused to glance at her over his shoulder and saw her mouth open slowly to speak words she couldn't find. Then she was silent, staring at the ground as if she was ashamed. Why should she be ashamed?

He knew why.

"Rest now." He said as he opened the door. "I have another killing spree planned for you and a few other's later. The Justice League will get a taste of their own medicine."

He was about to step into the main room when he felt a hand touch his arm. He turned around, somewhat surprised she had moved so quietly.

Her arm dropped to her side and her worried look left her face, once more covered in confusion. "What exactly do you have in plan?"

Smiling behind his mask, he left the room, but not before answering. "I've always wondered if the JL would be willing to kill members of their team or if they would die trying to not hurt them. You'll see."

The door closed and she did not follow. He would leave her to think things over and see if she was really going to stick on his side or if she was going to betray him like she had betrayed her friends.

Friends…such a stupid thing for children. It was alright to have a friend or two when you were older for sake of allies, but children shouldn't waste their time worrying about friends. It could be better sent on training and learning, doing all they can to become the best they can. But they don't and that was why some children were so stupid…

-HW-

She walked back into the corner of the room and slid down into the corner to hug her knees. He didn't just say what she thought he said…did he…Did she rally kill twenty-one people when she released Overload. Well, she didn't bother to check when she was there and she hadn't seen the news in a while. But what if he was just doing it to be cruel, trying to test her…but Slade wasn't one to joke. He only knew how to be cruel, conniving, and mysterious.

But how? She only released enough energy to release him and she made sure to do it in the center of the road…She didn't even use enough energy to electrocute that guy in the car. Maybe Slade was pulling her leg.

'Ignore it.' A little voice said in the back of her head. 'If their dead—they're dead. It's all in the past now.'

"But I killed someone…" She whispered to the voice. "I killed more than just someone."

'One, two, three, four—eight—nineteen—twenty—who cares? A number is just a number, and a life is just a life. So what if they're dead? They would have died sooner or later!'

"I guess…" It still didn't make any sense to her. "It still doesn't make killing right."

'Then why did you do it?'

"Slade asked me to because…"

'Because "he asked you" and you didn't want to get caught.' It replied in a mocking tone. 'It's no one's fault but your own that they're all dead. They would have died one day or another—you just delivered them to heaven or hell sooner.'

"I guess…" But that's all she could do—guess. She couldn't convince herself whether it was right or wrong because she couldn't tell what was right or wrong. It all suddenly seemed the same to her like there was never really a difference at all in the first place.

But that she knew was wrong.

"I need my medicine…" She whimpered quietly to herself. She had it a short while when she was younger because she started thinking the wrong way when she was nervous or too curious for her own good. She had the right to be nervous now—who wouldn't be if they were trying to trick Slade. "Someone…please…"

'Quit it, fool. You don't need your medication. Besides, who's going to bring it to you? Not Jacob, Slade, or Wintergreen because they agree that you're better this way, not the Dark Knight because he's under Slade's control, not your friends or family because they can't reach you—and not Boy Wonder here because he isn't in the right position to do much of anything right now! Just relax, kid, before you start spitting up blood like Robin. You want to bleed to death?'

"I know I'm going to die of electrocution so let me worry." She snapped and frowned at the being she couldn't see.

'I'm glad we can agree on something…not like when you were younger and kept telling me that we were going to die of old age. Us? Old age? That's a laugh!'

"Leave me alone…" She muttered and shut her eyes tight. "I want to be alone."

'I'll teach you to push me away…'

Suddenly her powers went haywire and she was consumed in electricity, long streaks of lightning circling her whole form and plunging her into a pit of utter pain and agony. She crimpled under the shock and arched her back backwards as the suffering continued. But then, after what seemed like forever, it was done and she lay gasping on the floor of the dark room.

"Why...? How...?" She choked; her voice too low or even her to hear.

'Why? Because I'm you silly. You can't control your powers and that's why you're right to say you'll die of electrocution—or that we will die of electrocution. I'll see to it myself…'

"Kid?" Jacob came running into the room, kneeling next to her as she attempted to push herself up. "What the hell happened in here?"

"My powers…" She choked and allowed him to embrace her. "I can't…I can't…"

"Just relax, kid….I know…"

Everyone knew—everyone knew that she wasn't going to last much longer. It was a known fact that she produced more energy each year and that she didn't have much control over it. It was being quite a task to keep it stored.

-S-

Everyone heard the scream and at first they thought it was because she had gone entirely insane. It was then that they saw the flash of light and heard the cackling of electricity as her screams were drowned out. Jacob was the one to enter, shortly coming out alone after staying inside for a long time. He assured Slade Robin was fine and that his cousin was just…well, she just wanted to be alone for a moment, but would continue her shift of watching over Robin in case he woke or if someone came to save him.

"She'll be gone soon." Wintergreen said to Slade once Jacob left the room. He was about to leave too when he turned around and continued. "You should take a look at the cameras. It seems we have some visitors from the future of that other dimension you spoke of."

Slade scowled behind his mask and sighed. That would mean Grayson was back—but Wintergreen said visitors. That meant that he wasn't alone, but who had he brought with him?

He'd find that out later. Right now there was something he needed to prepare for…

-A-

Ah, yes. Yet another chapter put into place. Things are settling in because I'm taking far too long to get to the ending. It seems that there is so much I have to write about since I have so many characters and so many little events that I have to set up. Wow…this is going to take some serious planning, but no worries—I promise to make my chapters the least bit boring possible! Right now I have to work on my next chapter to "Not Again" seeing that so many people are reading it. I seriously didn't believe one too many people would like it so much. I'm shocked…

See you guys later,

Alexnandru Van Gordon