A/N: Consider yourselves lucky….

I realized this storyline is going to be incredibly hard to follow if I do it with only information that Robin and Slade know, because then I'll just be sitting here weaving storylines and cackling maniacally while you poor readers wrack your brains to attempt to wrest some sort of explanation out of an extremely demented narrative. Therefore, I have decided to let you, the reader, in on things that Slade and Robin do not know. That way, you can sit there saying "God damn you two, can't you even figure one simple little thing out?" And everyone knows that that is much more entertaining than ripping out your hair. Because though we all love the good people at Rogaine, they really should not be on the receiving end of your cash. Also, you need to understand what happened to know what the heck is going on.

I am also going to make my chapters :gasp: longer than usual. It'll be the ultimate test for me, to not end every time a cliffhanger presents itself, but I will find a way to persevere anyhow.

This is the four week check-up for dlsky's challenge. So everyone reading this needs to send an e-mail to dlsky listing the most entertaining challenge story to least entertaining challenge story. This is part of the judging process for the challenge stories, so be sure to e-mail her.

Alright everyone, let's get on with this!

Disclaimer: I get no benefit from writing this, except for a warm fuzzy feeling when I read reviews, so sueing me would be ridiculous.

Doing the Right Thing

Chapter 3: Unmasked

"St… Starfire!" Robin gasped as he took in the image of the girl before him. She was so unlike Starfire, the shredded clothes, matted hair, and the boils…. Oh God, the horrific lesions on her skin were disgusting to look at. The girl who must be Starfire stared at him listlessly, her usual green eyes having taken on a yellowish hue. The golden skin on her face was graying and sagging. "Starfire… is that you?" Robin asked, almost hoping the answer would be 'no,' he could not stand to think of what must have happened to her to bring her to her current state.

"Who are you?" she asked feebly. He began walking towards her. She looked him over for a moment and then fiery green power enveloped her hands. "STAY AWAY!" she screamed. She aimed a starbolt at him and it hit him square in the chest. Robin was thrown back further into the alley while Starfire ran in the other direction.

Confused and angry, Robin picked himself off of the ground, and inspected the damage to his suit. The front outer layer had ripped, revealing the green cloth beneath it. He was about to go after her when he suddenly noticed that there were more people in the alley now than before.

The young man he had spoken to earlier stood in front of him, a gun in his hands. A group of teenagers formed around him, dressed in thuggish attire and wearing sunglasses, brandishing bats, crowbars, and one of them, a nail gun. "So, you're friends with that bitch, huh?" the man asked, pointing the gun at Robin's chest.

"Look, I don't know what's going on here, but--" Robin began; he stopped short when he realized that no one was listening to him.

"I figured one of you guys would be back to get her eventually. She didn't want to go with you though, did she?" the man chuckled. Then his eyes took on the hollowed look from earlier, and his voice filled with contempt. "So was it fun for you, asking me what happened? Did you 'get off' on hearing about how this city was destroyed? You thought it was funny, didn't you? Just admit it."

"I don't--"

"ADMIT IT! ADMIT IT YOU BASTARD!" the man shouted, his finger squeezing the trigger.

Bang!

As the shot went off, Robin launched his body into the air. He evaded the bullet and somersaulted once in the air before releasing a kick to the man's arm. Robin landed cleanly on his feet as a resounding 'crack' filled the air. Screaming, the man clutched his now broken arm, the gun lying uselessly at his feet.

The rest of the gang moved in for the attack, shouting epithets and promising payback for breaking their friend's arm. They were no match for Robin. A few roundhouses and uppercuts later, and the gang members were sprawled across the alleyway.

Robin walked past them, intent on finding Starfire. A slight movement from behind him caught his attention.

Bang!

The bullet just missed Robin's left arm as he dodged. He cursed silently, and then turned, leaping as he did so. He kicked the man's neck from above, just hard enough to knock him out.

Robin headed back out into the open destruction, intent on hunting her down.

Starfire leaned back against the bent metal pole of a 'Stop' sign, catching her breath. Her body protested her every movement, and her brief use of starbolts had resulted in a whole new set of lesions to open up on her hands.

She hurt so badly.

She just wanted it all to go away, the angry faces, the jeering, the taunting, the violence….

She slid down to the ground, her arms around her knees. When she fled her home planet and her sister's machinations, she had no idea what kind of Hell was awaiting her. She only wanted to find nice people, to make friends, to escape the torment of her past. She never wanted to think of the time she spent as a slave, or test subject, not any of it. She came to Earth for change, for a new life.

When she met the man with the beard, she had no idea what he would do to her. Even now, looking back on it, she found it still hurt. He told her that his group was going to change the world, make it a wonderful place where everyone would be happy. He wanted her help, and she gave it. She allowed them to hook her up to those machines of torture, machines that filled her body with more solar energy than she could hold. Her body was aflame, there was only one way to rid herself of it. And so she did as he asked, she flew into the sky over the city and released the sum of her powers upon it.

He said she would be helping people.

However, when she saw what she had done, the people she killed, the destruction… she wanted to die. She wanted to die so badly. Because of that machine her body broke out in boils, because of the machine her movements were slow and painful. And because of that man, she had killed scores of innocent people.

She released her hold on her legs, allowing them to relax out in front of her. Her body ached, her muscles burned, and she felt the first glimmer of happiness wash over her.

She was dying.

Finally.

Just before her, the water in the river moved calmly through the wreckage. The sight of the water caught her eye, and she knew what she had to do. Crawling across the ground, she pulled herself to the cliff top above the river. "I am sorry," she whispered. "I never wanted to hurt anyone. X'Hal, please forgive me." With a sigh of relief for her burning-hot body, she slid over the edge, landing in the water. She sank to the bottom and did not come back up. The water sizzled as she made contact, and then it was over.

Robin raced across the open field. The grass had been burned, so now it covered in dust. "Starfire!" Robin shouted, searching for her. "Starfire! Where are you!"

He heard familiar footsteps behind him, and ignored them, calling for the alien again. "Stop that, you'll only attract attention to us," Slade snapped.

"I'm looking for my friend," Robin said, his words sounding hollow as he remembered how Starfire did not recognize him, how she had attacked him. No, something was not right – she was not his Starfire. Robin stopped shouting, getting his hysterics under control. He gave Slade a cold stare.

"Have you figured out where we are yet?" Slade asked.

'Another test, huh?' Robin thought, his anger increasing again.

"Why are you asking me when you already know where we are?" Robin asked; his voice hard. He turned with hatred in his eyes and stared at his foe. "It's your fault we're here in the first place!"

"My fault?" Slade asked with mock-innocence.

"What exactly were you doing in that lab Slade? What were you stealing?" Robin asked.

Moment of truth time, Robin was glaring at Slade fit to kill. "I was stealing chemicals, the same ones that run the machine we activated."

"And what does that machine do!" Robin demanded.

"I think you could probably figure that out on your own…"

"Dammit Slade, enough games! Where are we!"

"Well, it's possible that we're in a different dimension."

"Just great," Robin muttered, Slade validating what he already knew to be true. "Do you have any idea how to get back?"

"Our best chance is to find a machine similar to that one, any ideas?" Slade asked, amused at Robin's fury.

"Actually yeah…" Robin said, his anger coming under control. "If Jump City Labs was working on it, then S.T.A.R. labs is probably making one too… We need to go to Gotham."

"Well then, we'll need a change of clothes. We'll want to fit in."

A few moments later, Robin and Slade had 'borrowed' some clothes off of Robin's attackers. Clad in indigo jeans, a blue T-shirt, a black leather jacket that hid his utility belt, and his own boots, the only item that would prevent Robin from blending into a crowd was his mask. The same could be said for Slade, the orange and black mask making his jeans and denim jacket look awkward.

Realizing the problem, Slade decided that it was necessary for both of them to remove their masks. His survival was more important than keeping up his image, and besides, he did not rely on a 'secret identity' like Robin did.

"Remove your mask," Slade ordered, curious to see what the boy looked like without it.

"What?" Robin asked, balking at the superior tone Slade used with him. "I don't know what happened to make you think that I'll take orders from you, but…"

"You are too conspicuous with it on, so remove it," Slade interrupted.

"And what? You'll blend right in with yours on?" Robin questioned.

"I will be removing mine as well," Slade responded curtly. The boy was exasperating.

Robin pushed past Slade and stood over one of the fallen gang members. With his back to Slade, he quickly swapped his mask for a pair of sunglasses. He turned back to the villain with a smug smile on his face.

Slade stared down at him for a moment before removing his mask. Robin raised his eyebrows at the sight that greeted him. Disheveled blonde hair lay on Slade's head, and a goatee stuck out from his chin. The black line of his eye patch cut across his face.

"I always pictured you bald," Robin said, feeling strangely unaffected at finally seeing the face of Slade. After all of that time of being haunted by the thought of what lay underneath the mask, now he knew. Slade was just human after all.

"Enjoying yourself?" Slade asked, fury rising at having Robin mock him and refuse to reveal his appearance to him. The boy would pay.

"Not particularly. That could be because you got us trapped in an alternate dimension where the whole city has been destroyed by one of my teammates…"

Slade smirked at Robin, receiving an angry glare in return. "Well you said we should go to Gotham, so lead the way Robin. I assume you will know how to navigate the city much better than I," Slade said. Robin's gaze darted to Slade, catching the undertones of what he said. "Are you perhaps hoping that your father will help you?" Slade asked mockingly.

"How would you know?" Robin demanded.

Slade walked past him, and then stopped just in front of Robin. "I suggest you be ready for anything. You have no idea what the Bat will be like in this dimension. I wouldn't want you being disappointed…"

Robin and Slade walked in silence for a long while as the sun descended. The entire time Robin's mind played over the scenes of his battle at the labs, his discovery of the destroyed Jump City, the gang, Starfire, all of it.

A pervading anger continued to rise within him, his hands forming fists. It was all Slade's fault that they were in this mess in the first place. And there Slade was – ordering him. If this was another scheme of Slade's then… well, Robin had no idea what he would do. All he could hope for was that Batman would believe his ridiculous-sounding story and help him find a way to get back to his own dimension, with or without Slade.

The pair continued by the endless path of destruction. The macabre scenes before them did little to unnerve Slade. His main concern stayed on how he would return to his world. No one who could help him knew what happened, and the Titans were so pathetic that they would end up mourning Robin's death before figuring out where he was or how to get him back. Slade shook his head. Robin's idea to find a comparable machine was a good one, but the chances were narrow.

However, Slade did not let that affect him. He could enjoy himself in this dimension. For one thing, Robin would have to reveal Batman's lair, and possibly his alter ego to Slade. That would give Slade much power when he returned. To know who Batman was – he was the main reason Robin refused to switch sides, and Slade knew it. Without the Bat, everything would be easier. And if they never found a way back, and were forced to stay – well, how bad could it be? If Jump City was a preview for the rest of the world, then Slade felt satisfied that someone with his skills could be accepted here. Robin as well, depending on Batman of course…

They reached the outskirts of the city, having not discovered another living soul along the way. What they did discover posed quite a problem. Constructed of cheap materials, a large wall had been erected around the city's perimeter. Robin and Slade took in the details. Razor wire lined the top, spikes protruded from the side at varying intervals, and, of course, they could hear the sounds of armed guards standing on the other side.

The pair glanced briefly at each other, both coming up with a similar conclusion. Together they could easily get over the wall and past the guards, but that would require some teamwork…

Slade studied Robin's cautious expression. "Oh come on Robin, we have worked together before. Remember that little fight with Trigon? Our fighting styles complemented each other quite nicely," Slade smirked. And now Robin could see the smirk, and that just made him angrier.

"Fine," Robin spat.

"All right. You go first. With your acrobatics, scaling the wall will be easy, unfortunately, I will need a diversion," Slade smiled. Even though the words sounded self-deprecating, the tone definitely did not reflect it. Robin screwed up his face in annoyance, knowing that Slade's plan meant Robin would be in more danger. "Want to go to Gotham to see Daddy, Robin? Then we have to get over this wall."

Without a word to Slade, Robin turned to the wall and jumped. One foot connected with the wall and he pushed off, somersaulting in the air and using the spikes on the wall for leverage. At the top, he flipped over it twice, before descending on the surprised guards. They opened fire on him, and Robin tucked his body into a ball, speeding up his descent. Just before he landed, he kicked out, knocking two of the guards down. He spun and took down two more guards, while dodging bullets shot by the others. It was the kind of adrenaline-rushing experience he only ever received in Gotham.

With the guards focused on Robin, Slade found it quite easy to climb over the wall and jump down. He took two guards by surprise and easily knocked them out as Robin finished off the last one.

"This way," Robin said, leading Slade towards the hill that separated Gotham and Jump City.

When they reached the top of the hill the sky had become completely dark. The heavily wooded trail they followed kept their pace slow as they felt around them for trees. However, there was a clearing at the top. Robin looked down towards the city he grew up in, half-hoping to see the Bat-signal lighting up the sky.

Of course, as is the way in life, Robin was disappointed. The darkened sky that covered Gotham harbored no sign of the city's protector, and the city itself resounded with the screams of its citizens.

Robin only quickened his pace, wanting badly to reach the city and find out what had happened. For some reason, the thought of Gotham in a horrific state ripped at his heart even worse than Jump's plight, and he knew why. There was no way Batman would let his city go to hell…

A/N: So how was that? Yes, yes, I killed Starfire, and I am sorry, but she existed only to make Robin realize what was going on, and since this is an alternate dimension, no harm done. Can anyone guess who the bearded man was yet?

Keep your eyes open for the next chapter, when Robin and Slade arrivein Gotham.

Anyway, let me know what you think, and be sure to e-mail dlsky!