Disclaimer: Well, this is it. This will be the last chapter before the four part ending to this story. Expect chapters to be longer, much more important, and hopefully the best work I've ever done. When TTAC is finished, I'll finally put some much needed attention into RC. People love it, and although I find myself yelling at me for not writing it, I can't get away from this.

Reviews

Alexnandru Van Gordon: Not a drinker are we? Well then, don't worry. I'll bring some non-alcoholic stuff, just for you… and for your cousin… I don't know. I'll give him a Gatorade or something. And as for the fact that Blink is still alive I have this to say. He has some pivotal points in the road ahead, and I need him alive for them.

Infamous One: Oh… I was hoping you were. I'm still all alone in this silly Cyborg hating world then…oh well. Yes, you are right. Slade does hate to lose, which is why he must be in such a good mood as of late.

Chapter 12: The Final Sunset

It had been a week since the incident known formerly as the Air-Riser incident. Although the military have tried, nothing could get near the floating mass without being dealt with harshly. Causalities in the military had skyrocketed. Hundreds of thousands of civilians still on top of the floating city found themselves under the cruelest rule they have ever faced. Be it an old man, or a small child, none were spared if they even crossed a street without officially asking the new master for permission.

Slade ruled like a vengeful Greek God up here, and if ever one even so much as glanced at his feet in the wrong way, he had his 'son' deal with them. Some began to believe that Robin was even more ruthless than the man he had been forced to call father. Some believe that Robin was always this bad and that he had always hid his true intentions until now, and the precious little in between wondered where the Boy Wonder went wrong.

Slade just watched as the torment was waged. Sometimes he would treat Robin like a son, while other times he'd treat him like a dog. The point was simple and strong. This was Slade's city, and you will die trying to take it away from him. Whether you crossed Slade, Robin, or any of his three prime minions, you were as good as dead when you challenge Slade. It took only a day after the incident for people to realize that the Titans could do nothing to fight him. It was useless to try and stop the fiend.

And soon, it would be time for the rest of the world to know just how powerful Slade truly was. Stage one of his plan was complete, and now everyone knew just what he could do, to an extent. Stage two would shatter their beliefs, and prove that, without a doubt, Slade was unstoppable. And when it is all said and done, Slade would stand in victory, his son and apprentice beside him.

All that was left was for Robin to truly detach himself from his so called friends. All Slade was waiting for was the miserable Titans to show up and try and stop him. When they failed, when Robin had finished killing his former allies and friends, he would end civilization on the planet as people knew it. And from the ashes of what was once, Slade would rule. The masses that do survive the coming judgment would bow to him and his apprentice, and no one would be left to challenge him ever again.

His greatest victory's only obstacle was now time. He needed the Titans to die before he would finish it.

"Robin, come here." Slade beckoned, looking down a long street. The city had become ugly and ruined, something that Slade found more appealing than the bustling metropolis that it had once been. Robin quickly came at his call, and stopped just behind him, looking up at the man who he called 'father', and the man he understood to be 'master'.

"Yes master?" Robin replied obediently.

"The Titans will come soon. When they do, you will destroy them. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes master!"

Slowly, Slade turned his head towards Robin, and looked down at him. It had been barely a month ago since his torture had started, and the results it had warranted were far better than his first attempt to turn him to his true path. "Make your father proud Robin." Slade muttered, before walking off.

'Yes, it is only a matter of time now. Isn't it?'

Titan Tower ------

"Speedy, pass me the turbo wrench." Cyborg commanded, with the former member of Titans East following orders immediately. For a steady week now, Cyborg, Speedy, and Aqualad had been at work repairing and re-equipping the T-Ship to not only get onto the floating city, but also withstand the barrage of defenses Slade had more than likely set up. Cyborg saw with his own two eyes what had happened to the F-18's as they attempted to blow up the island. The resulting fire fight was both brief and deathly one sided, as Slade's defense system wiped each Hornet from the sky with relative ease.

"Okay, hand me the shield accelerator." Cyborg hollered, his hand held out towards Speedy.

"And this is going to do what?" Speedy replied dryly, handing over the large metallic component

"It will turn the T-Ship into a flying force field. It'll suck the juice clean though. Nothing will get through the shield, but ten minutes from activation and the ship will be out of energy."

"Sounds like a suicide mission…" Aqualad muttered, looking towards the hull of the ship. "Something one time that we won't have a chance to redo if we mess this up."

Cyborg slowly looked up from the ship, and sighed. "Raven's still out, so Aqualad, you're staying here to watch her. If something happens to Speedy, Starfire and myself, I'll need you to take charge until she comes back." Cyborg stated openly, before turning to the two.

"What do you mean Cyborg?" Speedy inquired, looking towards the now grimacing face of Cyborg.

"Speedy, I have no clue what we are going into. For all I know, Aqualad there is right, and this is a suicide mission. For effectively the first time ever, we are fighting completely on Slade's terms. He still has that teleporting creep doing his dirty work, and he still has Robin. We aren't fighting him on level ground. This is going to be the hardest fight we've ever had."

"Harder than Brother Blood?" Aqualad piped up, looking towards Cyborg.

"Much harder." Cyborg put bluntly, before looking back towards the ship. "And for all it's worth, we are really short handed. We have no Raven, BB is still MIA, and for all we know, Robin could be dead."

"So, in a matter of speaking, this is almost like the last flight of the Titans?" Speedy muttered under his breath, looking away now from Cyborg. "This is the day the Titans go to sleep, knowing fully that the next day will come, and we will not see the end. We'll be joining Bumble Bee soon I suppose."

A loud slam snapped Speedy out of the defeatist tone he had adopted. His eyes shifted towards Cyborg, and his arm. His arm which was now embedded in the wall of the Tower. "Speedy. Shut up. We are the Teen Titans. We don't go off to die, we go off to win. We've beat that sociopath before, and we can… better yet. WE WILL beat him again. With Robin, without Robin, or if it comes to it, against Robin. We will beat Slade."

"What do you mean against Robin, friend Cyborg…?" Starfire murmured, catching the final line of the conversation. "Why would we have to engage Robin in battle?"

Cyborg looked down, cursing himself mentally for even saying those words. "Star, what I meant to say…" Cyborg began, struggling with his wording. "is that… is that Robin may end up our enemy here. This is Slade we're talking about. He's always wanted Robin, maybe he has…"

"NO!" Starfire yelled, interrupting and effectively cutting off Cyborg. She had heard enough. "Robin is our friend. He would not attack us. He would not!"

"Starfire…" Cyborg muttered, looking away.

"Listen Star. What Cyborg is trying to say that if push comes to shove, we have to be ready to fight Robin."

"And what of the teleporting bandit. Has Robin just replaced him as a concern? Do you no longer care about Robin at all?"

"STARFIRE!" Cyborg yelled, startling the Tamarian. "Of course we care about Robin! That's why we have to be ready to fight him! If we can't, Slade wins!"

"But…" Starfire muttered, her voice pathetically weak. "But this is Robin we are talking about. He would never give in to Slade. NEVER!"

"And I bet none of us thought Beast Boy would desert us like this." Aqualad commented, getting the coldest glare Cyborg had ever let loose in his life.

"Take…that…back!" Cyborg growled menacingly. "BB is no coward!"

"Oh really? Then where is he?" Speedy retorted, looking at the suffering Starfire, and the now ballistic Cyborg. "I can't find him anywhere."

"He's probably stuck in the City."

"He's probably dead Cyborg."

"Shut it fish boy!" Cyborg yelled. Before he knew what he was doing, his sonic cannon was out and aimed at the head of Aqualad. "Don't you EVER say something like that about Beast Boy!"

Silence had swept over the room, as all four members of the Titans stood silently. The only sound in the entire room being the slow and constant hum from Cyborg's sonic cannon. No one moved even the slightest of an inch for the longest time, as tension firmly gripped the room.

"Friend Cyborg… are you aware that you are threatening Aqualad." Starfire croaked out, in barely a whisper. The words seemed to have the sought after effect, as soon after Cyborg lowered his gun, and his entire body just seemed to go into a slouch.

"I'm sorry Aqualad. I'm real sorry."

"Hey, it's not a problem. We're all a little more than stressed right now." Speedy replied, as Aqualad finally came back to his senses.

"The ship is ready to leave. We leave tomorrow afternoon. Starfire and Speedy are with me, Aqualad is staying to watch after Raven." Cyborg spoke, in a just barely audible whisper. "This might just be the last time we ever go off like this." Cyborg finished, his voice cracking at the end, as he walked off to his room.

"So then. Tomorrow it is." Speedy muttered, as he went off to his room. Aqualad slowly nodded his approval, and walked off towards his own room as well, leaving Starfire to her lonesome.

"Robin…" She muttered silently, as a tear slowly trailed down her face.

Seaside Cave ------

"So, all better than?" Terra asked, as Blink continued his air boxing.

"Yup mate. I guess some of Slade's teachins rubbed off on mah. I feel like a brand new boy." Blink gloated, turning up the tempo of his punches. He had to be ready to fight this time. It wasn't just about his pride anymore. This was about protecting people he cared about. He had just found his sister after seven years, and finally had a real friend he could rely on. This wasn't about him anymore; this was about his family, and his friends.

"Damian, what happened to you?" Terra inquired, as she sat watching on a rock. The cave itself was pretty simple, being mostly one large room connected to the outside world by a tunnel. "You use to be so care free, so reckless."

"Terra, there is a time for fun and games. Then there is a time where you drop the gloves and put up your fists. Slade has gone too far this time." Blink growled, unleashing a charge of energy at the end of a punching combo, and blowing off chunks of the cave wall. The fact that Blink still had use of his energy was mind boggling. Yet there were things he could no longer do. He could no longer create clones of himself, and he could no longer create shockwaves of energy.

But he was alive, and he was still capable of turning his energy into weapons, and using his energy to make "things go boom". And best of all, Slade still must believe that he is dead.

"Slade's going to be in for a big surprise when he sees me again." Blink mocked, turning from punches to kicks. "Then again mate, I guess he isn't the only one that can come back from the dead."

"I guess not." Terra said with a grin.

"Tara, why did you team up with that madman in the first place?" Blink muttered, almost out of nowhere. It was a question that caught her completely off guard, and alas, left her stunned.

"He made me an offer I could not refuse. He promised me control."

"So you trusted a man in a sinister mask with a promise? Tara, you're smarter than that!" Blink yelled, back flipping after scoring a double roundhouse on his invisible target.

"So speaks the one that almost dies as a result of serving him."

"I think we are both guilty of that one mate." Damian retorted, finally stopping his training to turn and talk with Terra. "Where's Beast Boy?"

"Probably on his way back from Steel City with supplies." Terra muttered, before snapping back to reality. "Hey, no changing the subject. This is about how stupid you were! Do you know what hell you've put Beast Boy through?"

Damian cringed gracelessly. He knew exactly what he had done to his friend. Had the roles been switched, Damian would have never forgiven him. "I know. I played with him like he was a toy. Used and abused him."

"And cost him his role with the Titans."

Damian's eyes shot open. "What…?"

"According to Beast Boy, the Titans consider him a class A threat. All because you had him bring you that book."

Damian wanted to sit down, but he couldn't move in the slightest. He wanted to say something, but his throat had gone deathly dry. He knew he had tortured the kid's trust, but he had no clue that he had turned the Titans against him. Terra watched silently, knowing that the effects of her words were taking their toll on her brother. As good as he was at almost anything, he was slow at registering certain things. This was not one of those cases.

"I… I…" Damian struggled, before finally sitting down, and bringing a hand to his face, rubbing it slowly in concentration. "Oh dear god, what have I done?" He choked out, eyes still wide from a combination of surprise and realization. And then, in one fluid motion, every feature on Damian's face turned sinister. Hatred replaced the surprise in his eyes, and his entire body tightened.

"Slade… He'll pay for this." Damian growled, his accent absent. It was the single most serious thing he had ever said in his life.

"Wassup dudes! I'm back!" Beast Boy yelled, walking into the room. The sight that befell him was stunning. Terra had turned to smile at Beast Boy, but all Damian did was continue to stare at the ground. "What's wrong with Blink?"

Terra opened her mouth to try and say something, when Damian stood up suddenly, and walked over to the changeling. They stood eye to eye, and slowly, Damian placed both hands on Beast Boy's shoulders. "I'm so sorry mate. I had no clue…" Damian muttered, before walking out of the cave. "I want to be alone."

Slowly, Beast Boy felt his hands wall to his sides, the bag on his back slip off, and his mind go almost blank. Damian had never mentioned what he was apologizing for, but it didn't take a genius, or even a bright child, to realize what it was. Slowly, Beast Boy walked towards Terra, and sat down beside her. His face had gone inexplicably vacant, and for the longest time, there wasn't a sound. Then, ever so slowly, Beast Boy put his head on Terra's shoulder, and stared out into the room.

"Terra… Don't ever go away again." Beast Boy muttered, wrapping his arms around her.

"Beast Boy?"

"Don't you ever get turned to stone again, or leave, or whatever it is that might happen. I never want to lose you again." Beast Boy whispered barely, a single tear landing on her shoulder.

"Beast Boy…" She spoke softly, caressing the side of his face with her hand.

He stopped at the entrance into the room, and in the shadows of the cave, Damian watched. When he first talked to Beast Boy in the tomb, he would have never expected the petrified girl, the one he loved, to also be his sister. Seven long years will change faces, and voices, and almost everything else. Time is a constant cycle of change. 'Treat her well Beast Boy.'

"Terra…" Beast Boy muttered again, before raising his head to her. Their eyes met, and the few tears in Beast Boy's eyes still loomed. The two had left such a tiny space in-between their faces, and for a longer time than most could stand, their eyes just stared into each others.

"We strike tomorrow." Damian said out of the blue, startling the two lovebirds out of their trance. Damian couldn't help but grin as the two almost freaked out when they saw him.

"How…How long have you been watching?" Beast Boy choked out, still a little shocked from the sudden reality wake up call.

"Long enough." Damian cracked, before looking back towards the entrance. "Tomorrow, we make for the Island."

"Why?" Terra asked, still a little dazed.

"Tomorrow is D-Day for Slade mate. Tomorrow morning, we take out Slade, Robin, and his whole operation. Before it's too late."

"Too late…" Terra muttered, looking back at Beast Boy, then at Damian. A puzzled look had become pasted on her face, and when she spoke again, confusion danced within her voice. "What aren't you telling us Damian?"

"Slade's plan goes a little deeper than creating a flying city. Inside the city, down in the scumbag's lair, there is a pressure activated sonic generator. Put two and two together."

For all the reasons left unknown, it was Beast Boy who the realization struck first. His eyes went wide as plates, and an icy cold shiver shot up his spine. "He's going to drop the city, and create the biggest earthquake ever, in the history of ever." Beast Boy muttered in a bare whisper, looking towards Terra and Damian.

"Bingo mate. And since the Titans haven't done anything yet, I guess we will have too." Damian muttered. "But for now, sleep. Tomorrow we leave early, and everyone will need their energy for this."

"Why Damian? What's going to happen?" Terra asked.

"This little dance me and Slade have been sharing is about to hit its dramatic finale. And it just so happens that I have me a soundproof plan to pull it all off. Come here." Damian demanded, as the Terra and Beast Boy huddled in together with Damian. "So, we'll start by getting up there. We'll…"

(------------)

While outside, on the very edge of the City floating high above the now insignificantly petit Titan Tower, Slade stared down. The world looked pathetically tiny from this high up, and soon, that tiny little insignificant world would be nothing more than a destroyed collection of civilizations and shattered dreams.

D-Day was coming, and there would be no way to stop it. All that was left was for Robin to kill the miserable Titans, and there would be nothing left to stop him. All in all, this sunset marked the end of one miserable day on the way to one grand showdown.

(------------)

And from Titan Tower, Starfire stared up towards the heavens, eying the floating metropolis with hatred. She knew that some where up there was Robin, Blink, Slade, and the biggest confrontation that ever awaited the Titans. No more was this just about saving the day, and going for burgers afterwards. Tomorrow was going to be the fight of their lives.

'Robin… you will not be our enemy…will you?' The Tamarian wondered, as she finally turned to go back in. The night would be long, and then the morning would follow. After that, all the cards would be thrown down, and the deciding fight for Jump City would be waged. And nothing on this planet would keep Starfire from her Robin. She stared out at the sun, watching it set into the horizon, knowing that the next day there would be chaos.

The stage is set, the players in position, and the entire world is watching. The end is nigh.

Insaneiac: Do I sound giddy? I am giddy. I am real giddy. Anyways, this chapter was…the last official chapter of the series. The next TTAC update will be the beginning of the end for this story. So sit back, enjoy the light fluffiness, and be prepared for the showdown.