PART 2
It was two nights later when their sensors picked up an aircraft headed directly for them. In nervous anticipation, they headed for the roof of the Tower and watched as the infamous Batwing melted from the clouds and descended, landing gently on the roof. Cyborg stepped forward, watching as the cockpit opened and a dark shadow slipped out, making only a whisper of sound as it landed on the ground.
"Batman," the teen greeted, taking another step forward, aware of his nervous friends behind him.
The Batman stared at him for a few very long seconds before asking, "Where's Robin?"
Cyborg hesitated, then replied, "Well sir, maybe you'd better come inside. We have a lot to talk about." He could see the Bat's eyes narrow and wondered if he would force them to tell him what was going on right then and there but, after a full minute, he nodded and Cyborg immediately turned and led the way back inside, his friends darting ahead of him.
They went into the conference room, he and the Titans taking seats while the Bat instantly took up a spot in a shadowy corner. Without waiting to be asked again, Cyborg launched into the story of Slade and everything that had happened up until Starfire's late night encounter two nights earlier. Through the whole story, Batman didn't move so much as an inch and Beast Boy wondered if he was even breathing.
Though nothing at all seemed to change, Raven could easily sense the anger steadily making its way through the Dark Knight's mind. As Beast Boy had put it when Cyborg had pressed the button two nights earlier, the Bat was pissed.
"I didn't know what else to do. Then I remembered the signal device Robin gave me so...we called you," Cyborg finished.
It was a long time before Batman spoke, carefully absorbing everything he had been told. Finally, he asked, "Where is all the info Robin had on this Slade?"
"In his room," Cyborg answered, standing. "This way." He led the way to Robin's room in silence. Entering the access code, he stepped aside to allow Batman entrance. The door slid shut behind the detective and Cyborg stared at it for a few seconds, understanding suddenly where Robin had picked up his...blunt side from. Turning, he went to rejoin his friends and allow the Bat to work.
Batman gazed silently around his son's room, taking in all the various information on Slade plastered all over the walls and on the desk and table. Activating the lights, he began at the walls, working his way to the table and then the desk and the boy's computer. He studied every bit of information Robin had collected and read the journals the boy had been keeping. While reading about his experiment with Red X, a knock on the door interrupted him.
"Yes?" he called, turning to watch the door slide open and one of the girls,
Raven, he recalled, glided in with a tray of food.
"Thought you may want some breakfast," she stated, setting the tray down on the table. "It's morning," she explained, turning to look at him. "You've been working all night."
Turning his gaze to the clock, he was a little surprised to discover it was almost nine-thirty. He nodded his thanks to the girl, turning back to the computer.
There was a moment of silence and then Raven said, "You should eat and get some rest. Slade is a little easier to handle with a fresh mind."
Batman didn't answer and, after another few seconds Raven added, "I see where he gets his determination from. It's a good and bad trait at the same time."
Batman turned to stare at her and Raven stared back, unintimidated. "Robin was obsessed with Slade. He often went days without sleep. When it came to that monster, he was reckless. I suspect it was the obsession that helped Slade get to him."
Batman frowned. He was well aware of how persistent his son could be but not to the point where an enemy could trap him like this...seduce him. No, it was entrapment pure and simple. There was no way Robin would willingly join the other side. Not with him around. That left only two options. Turning his attention back to Raven, he asked, "Did you rule out mind control?"
Raven nodded. "His mind was his own."
Batman nodded, muttering, "Blackmail."
"Pardon?"
"Blackmail," he repeated. "Slade has something on him. Something that Robin felt gave him no choice but to join him."
"Blackmail him with what?" a new voice asked.
The pair turned their attention to one wall in time to see the green fly morph into Beast Boy. Raven shot him a look of annoyance for spying while Batman simply regarded him for a few seconds before saying, "There's only one thing he could possibly hold over Robin to gain his compliance."
Beast Boy stared in confusion while Raven's eyes filled with realization. "Us."
Batman nodded, suddenly recognizing the game that Robin had unknowingly been playing. It was a game he himself had been playing for years with the Joker. From everything the Titans had told him and from everything he had learned in Robin's files, the boy had not only been obsessed with Slade, but Slade had been obsessed with him. Slade had been after Robin the whole time. His son had been played and played well. The question was, what had Slade done or threatened to do to gain control over Robin?
Standing, Batman swept past the two teens and to the door. "Conference room. Now," he ordered.
Less than ten minutes later, with the group gathered together, Batman ordered them to tell him everything that had happened the night Robin disappeared. "Every detail you can remember, no matter how small."
The Titans looked at each other, then once more launched into the story. "I thought I had disabled it but it seemed to have backup power or something. It went off on us...hit us all point blank with some kind of laser but didn't actually hurt us. It was a dud."
Batman raised a hand to stop Cyborg and sat thoughtfully. After a moment, he turned his gaze on the half man and asked, "How long will it take you to perform full blood analysis on everyone?"
A surprised look crossed Cyborg's eye at the question. "On everyone? Two or three hours."
"Do it. Call me the second you have the results."
"What am I looking for?"
"You'll know when you see it."
Cyborg nodded and Batman left to the sounds of Beast Boy protesting having a needle stuck in him. He returned to Robin's room, ate the food Raven had brought him and then lay down to get some sleep, content in the knowledge that he was making progress.
He was awakened three and half hours later and summoned to the lab where a worried Cyborg said, "Looks like your hunch was right. There's something strange in our blood."
He pulled up the results on the display screen, showing hundreds of anomalies swimming around in the blood stream. "I ain't never seen anything like this before," the teen said. "They must be how Robin managed to do that painful glowing trick on us."
"So that's how Slade got him," Raven murmured. "He injected us with that stuff and told Robin if he didn't cooperate, he'd use it to kill us."
Batman moved to the computer and made a copy of the results. "Where are you going?" Beast Boy asked as the Dark Knight moved toward the door.
"To have this further analyzed," Batman replied. "I'll be back later. In the meantime, sit tight." It was an order they all knew they had best obey.
END SCENE
Robin felt surprisingly good. It had been five days since his mission to the Tower and since then, he had been fully immersed in Slade's training program. The program was both brutal and thrilling at the same time, pushing Robin to new levels in his fighting techniques. As it turned out, this was not without some help. The pain killers Robin had been taking to help with his injuries were not, Slade later revealed, normal pain killers. While they did, indeed, kill the pain, they were also responsible for his amazingly fast healing as well as his new found, sickening desire to please Slade at every turn.
A side effect, he quickly discovered, was that not only did they take away physical pain but emotional as well. His heart and soul were not aching like they had been. Not surprisingly, they were also very addictive which was just one more reason on Robin's long list to one day kill the bastard.
Currently, he was engaged with two dozen of Slade's androids plus several weapons firing at him from around the room. He was bleeding from several wounds, some quite heavily, but he refused to stop until every threat was eliminated. Even when Slade offered him the choice to stop, he refused and fought on fiercely. Finally, when every last threat had been overcome, he dropped to one knee, breathing hard and holding his right arm.
"Excellent, Robin," Slade purred in approval as he stepped out of the shadows. He knelt down in front of Robin, who's head was down and reached out, gently tipping his head up so Robin would look him in the eye. "You are badly wounded in places, I see. Why did you not stop when I gave you the option?"
"Because I wasn't finished. My mission was to destroy all the threats and at that time, it wasn't done. The only time I will ever abandon a mission is by your order. You gave me a choice, not an order, therefore, I continued."
It was easy to tell that Slade was smiling beneath his mask. "Excellent. You are doing me proud."
He produced two of those wonderful, cursed pills of his and offered them to him. Robin immediately snatched them and was certain that Slade's smile grew wider, the bastard. "Go get some rest, my child. I will have dinner brought to you."
As Slade disappeared back into the shadows, Robin forced himself to his feet and headed to the infirmary and then to his room. Once there, he took one of the pills and hide the second among a handful of others he had secreted away. He got the feeling that if Slade ever decided to punish him for something, it would be withholding his magic pills. He hated himself for his swiftly growing dependance on the drug but it kept the pain away...
With a soft groan, Robin sank down on the bed and slipped into a merciful, dreamless sleep.
END SCENE
It was another three days before Slade, satisfied with Robin's performance in training, sent him out into the field. This time, the target was a new stealth projector prototype from LexCorp that had caught Slade's eye. Part of him hoped he wouldn't run into the Titans while the other part screamed for the fight they would provide him. In the end, the latter part got its wish.
As he was emerging from the building, his prize tucked safely away, he sensed the ambush before it actually happened. As a result, he was several feet away from where he had been standing when Cyborg's sonic cannon struck.
"Missed me!" he called with a smirk, watching as they emerged from their hiding places. He was a little surprised when they didn't immediately attack like last time.
"We don't want to fight you, Robin!" Cyborg called and Robin raised a brow.
"Oh?" he questioned with a snort. "What would you rather do, have a tea party?"
"Robin please," Starfire pleaded, "We only wish to talk."
'Something's up,' Robin thought, eyes darting around the area in an attempt to spot the trap they had set for him. "Nothing to talk about!" he answered, turning his eyes back to them. "Slade?" he questioned in a whisper, knowing he was being monitored.
"As you said, Robin, there's nothing to talk about," came the answer and the silent order to attack. Robin nodded slightly and threw the flash pellets he had palmed, prompting cries of surprise from his opponents as he launched himself at them.
As they fought, he couldn't help but notice they didn't seem as determined as the last time, which once again had him wondering what kind of trap they had set and when it was going to be sprung. The sound of sirens caught his attention as the cops finally responded to the disturbance. Air support could be heard rapidly approaching as well. Playtime was over. He had what he came for, the mission was over. It was time to go.
He tossed an unconscious Beast Boy into Raven, knocking the pair back to where Cyborg was trying to recover from an earlier blow. He turned to make his exit and froze when he caught Starfire's eyes. There was such a remorseful look in their green depths that it was all he could do not to go to her. Forcing himself to turn away, he made his escape just before the helicopter search light lit up the roof.
When he was only a block from home, he stopped, unable to get that look of Starfire's out of his mind. Something had changed between their last encounter and tonight, but what? Had they discovered the nanomachines? No, knowing them they would have told him outright if that had been the case. They had to be up to something.
"Slade," he murmured, activating the communications line.
"Yes Robin, why have you stopped?"
"There's something funny going on. You picking up any trackers on me?"
There was a moment of silence and then Slade answered, "Negative. But just in case, brace yourself."
Robin barely had time to do so before a small, electrical current raced through his body. He grit his teeth and dropped to one knee, gasping when it stopped. "If there was anything there, that will have taken care of it," Slade said. "Come home now."
Robin took a few more seconds to recover, then got to his feet and continued on, arriving home five minutes later. He could tell Slade was smiling as he handed over the prototype and struggled against the elation he felt at having pleased his master. "You will be well rewarded for your performance tonight, Robin," he said, secreting the prize away somewhere and reaching for where Robin knew he kept those pills.
Slade paused, eyes moving over Robin from head to toe. "Hmm, only minor injuries tonight. I think one will suffice."
He tossed the tablet to him, Robin snatching it from the air and dropping it in a compartment for later. He then stood and waited for either more orders or a dismissal. Slade regarded him for a few seconds then said, "Your time is your own. Do as you wish."
Robin bowed his head, murmured, "Thank you, Master," then turned and left the room, heading for the roof, feeling the need for air and meditation.
END SCENE
When they had received the tip that a LexCorp building was being targeted for a heist, Batman knew it was an invitation, especially after discovering what the building contained. Obviously, Slade had something he wanted to show the Titans. He was close to coming up with something that would counteract the nanomachines but as nothing was certain, he had ordered the Titans not to reveal what they knew to Robin. He also told them that when they fought Robin, to make him suspicious...to make him think they had something planned. He would be concealed nearby, observing.
He watched Robin closely in the moments before the fight. He was putting on a good show, acting like he rather enjoyed being on the wrong side. He was probably being monitored. The Titans did a good job of making their wayward leader suspicious. Despite the fact he suspected a trap, however, he did not flee, which aroused Batman's curiosity. Robin was usually a lot more cautious than that.
When he attacked, it was fast and vicious. If he hadn't known it was his son he was watching, he never would have recognized him. The fact that the Titans weren't fighting like they normally would have seemed to anger the teen and made him fight with even more determination.
There was a pause in the battle when the approaching police caught the boy's attention. Obviously deciding it was time to go, he tossed an unconscious Beast Boy into Raven and turned to leave, stopping when he caught sight of Starfire. The pair stared at each other and Batman caught the very subtle changed in body language that made it obvious, at least to him, that whatever Robin saw in the girl's eyes was hurting him. Then he turned and made his escape, Batman giving him a short head start before following.
He followed until Robin stopped and looked back the way he had come. For a moment, Batman wondered if he'd been spotted until he heard the boy ask about tracking devices. Ah, he was worried that someone may have planted a tracker on him during the fight. Smart of him to consider that. He was startled when Robin was suddenly zapped with an electrical current, but knew the reason. That didn't stop the anger from coursing through him and adding one more grievance to the growing list he had against Slade.
Within a couple of minutes, Robin was on the move again and led Batman to what looked like some kind of factory. As Robin disappeared inside, Batman found his own way in, mindful of the security precautions, and followed the echo of voices to the large room Robin and Slade were in. Robin was down on one knee in front of the man Batman knew to be Slade, who was examining the prototype Robin had stolen with the air of a man who was very, very pleased.
"You will be well rewarded for your performance tonight, Robin," he said, tucking the device away and reaching into a compartment on his uniform.
Robin stood, a look of expectation on his face that Batman wondered about. The Villain studied Robin for a moment before saying, "Hmm, only minor injuries tonight. I think one will suffice."
He tossed something to Robin, who put it in his own compartment, then stood, watching Slade until the man dismissed him. "Your time is your own. Do as you wish."
Robin bowed his head and rage flooded Batman when he heard his son say, "Thank you, Master," before turning and leaving the room.
Batman watched Slade head for a different room, wanting nothing more than to swoop down and tear the bastard's throat out. Instead, he turned and made his way out, discovering Robin up on the roof, and forced himself to remain hidden.
As much as he wanted his son to know he was there...that he had not been abandoned, he couldn't risk Slade getting trigger happy and frying the kids.
'Hang on, son,' he thought. 'You won't be here much longer.' As he turned and disappeared into the night, he found he was really looking forward to showing Slade what it meant to mess with the son of the Bat.
END SCENE
The Titans were, to say the least, ecstatic when they learned that Batman had found where Slade and Robin were. They had all argued loudly with him about raiding the place immediately, not caring what Slade had done to them, only wanting to free Robin. He had finally scared them into submission with a look that even cowed Superman on occasion.
"We will move only when an acceptable solution to your condition has been reached. That is the final word, understood?"
The teens nodded mutely, each understanding the need for caution but not liking it just the same. Batman retreated to the training room where he proceeded to pound the stuffing out of anything he could get his hands on. He had been through some pretty bad situations before but this...this went beyond his worst nightmare. His son was in the hands of a lunatic and he had to wait to do anything about it. He couldn't imagine what Robin was going through, especially with the belief that his friends had abandoned him.
He had warned the boy about the potential hazards of open friendship. All it took was one maniac using them against you to destroy everything. Hence why he openly close to anyone in the League.
No, that did it. Once this was over, Robin was coming back to Gotham if he had to drag the boy kicking and screaming the whole way...