A/N: I have so much hits on this fic it is not even funny! But very little reviews. I have little to say right now. I just have my day off from work and I have writer's block for my Jak and Daxter fic once again. I'm still working out the ending of this fic and trying to get Robin's plot right. He is not going to stay in Jump City for too long and will be all over the place, so I'm getting some research for those places he will be. But enjoy the chapter! R&R, please! Thanks!
Disclaimer: Don't and never will own them!
Chapter 4 Waking Up to a Nightmare
Waking up was dreaded and miserable as hell. His world seemed to be spinning and he could not hear anything at first. Suddenly he was sick to his stomach. It was a feeling that Robin rarely ever had in his life. Only when he got sick one time as a kid he had the stomachache. But this was just too much for his strong stomach.
Robin rolled to the side of the table he was laying on and threw up anything that was left in his stomach. The smell was disgusting and almost overwhelming for his nose. His throat burned as the acid from his stomach came up with all his dinner. It was a totally weak feeling. He hated it.
"I see that you're awake," Slade said. He stood next to Robin with his hands placed behind his back in his normal relaxed stance that just made him extra creepy to some. He smiled under his mask as he saw Robin wince.
"What did you do to me?" Robin asked Slade with his voice barely above a whisper and shaking dramatically. He then threw up again.
Slade shook his head with a small chuckle that made a shiver go down Robin's spine. "Just something I made. It was in that gas that knocked you out. It should shut down your whole body for today and tomorrow. But until then, you can't do anything. You might not even be able to stand at this moment."
Robin was breathing hard when he rested his back against the cold, metal table again. He could not think. He was still trying to understand what Slade had just said. He knew it had been a few simple sentences, but for some reason his brain was working so slow that he could not piece them together properly. It scared him.
"What do you want with me?" he finally asked Slade in that same weak voice. At least he could still talk like he should. He was thankful for that.
Slade frowned. "Maybe I put a little bit too much of that stuff into that gas," he said to Robin with his voice cold and harsh. "You know what I want, Robin. You." Not again, was the only thing Robin could think at this point. (A/N: Ha! That's the name of another fic. Good fan fiction. Sorry to use your title here, Alex!)
Robin winced as he tried to move his legs. His ankle gave him a burst of pain and he almost yelled out. His brain finally computed what Slade had said after a few silent seconds. It was getting harder to think straight because a migraine was starting to pound away at his head.
Slade accepted Robin's silence. He knew that the boy must be having a hard time thinking things through. He would give him a few hours of peace. The information needed to sink into the teen's head before he could do anything productive with him. He noticed that Robin was moving one foot around, but was ignoring the other. He must have sprained or fractured it.
The villain walked to the end of the table and touched Robin's bad ankle. He smiled when Robin made a small kick at him with his other foot. It had been slow, but that was only because of the stuff in his system. Slade just liked the idea that Robin was still quick in some ways.
Slade caught Robin's foot with one hand and pulled it toward him. He slid Robin's body across the table and this made the boy give a small cry of alarm. Slade grabbed Robin's hand and forced him to sit up. Robin gave a small moan as his head protested. Stars danced across his vision for a few seconds.
"I'm checking your ankle," Slade said simply. "Any small pain in your body can be amplified by a lot. Just a sprained ankle could hurt more than one that is broken."
There was a long pause. "I guess you're expecting a thank you," Robin mumbled. He glared coldly at Slade. "You won't ever get one from me, though."
"Really, I wasn't expecting one from you just yet," Slade said. He quickly pulled off Robin's shoe and this made the teen yell out in pain. "But you will soon respect me enough to say it."
Another long pause from Robin. Boy, was his brain going slow! "Only in your dreams, Slade," he spat out at his enemy. "I'm not doing anything for you."
"Oh, but my dreams are about to come true," Slade said while leaning his face close to Robin's. He then went back to checking Robin's ankle. It was only sprained, so he wrapped some bandage around it to keep it in place. He was in the middle of doing this when he glanced up to Robin. The boy was swaying slightly with a dazed expression on his pale face.
"Shi…" Robin muttered right before leaning over the edge of the table again to vomit. When he was finished Slade was already done. Robin looked up at Slade with anger burning in his eyes. The man's back was to him because he was messing with some gadget on a different table, and it was the perfect time to attack. Robin did not care that he was weak. He would beat Slade to a pulp.
With what little energy Robin had in his body, he pushed off the table he was on. "Whoa!" he shouted as he stumbled. Slade turned around to see Robin barely standing up and looking like a drunk man. He came in just in time to prevent Robin from falling onto his butt. The boy was extremely underweight for his age. He was as light as a feather. Slade wondered how he could ever deliver such strong kicks and punches with such little body weight.
"Put me down!" Robin yelled at him as he was easily thrown over the man's shoulder. Slade ignored his plea and forced him down on the table again. He silently started to strap Robin to it with thick leather straps that he knew the Boy Wonder would not ever get out of in his current condition. Maybe if his body was working correctly he could, but never now.
Robin caught on right away. "You can't keep me here, Slade!" he shouted loudly as he strained against the straps. His protests were useless, though. Robin tried with all his might to get out, but he was just hurting himself.
"Calm down, Robin," Slade ordered him. He lightly placed his hand on the boy's chest. After a few seconds Robin stopped trying to get loose. His chest rose and fell to his deep breathing. Everything was finally sinking into his head and he was realizing what big of a mess he was in.
"I'm leaving for a few hours," Slade said to Robin calmly. "The slowness might wear off by then, so that is why I have you strapped down. I don't like to take too many chances, especially with my new prize." Robin pulled one more time at the straps to give a hint to Slade that he did not like the idea. Slade tilted Robin's head to the side by using an index finger. "You are mine, Robin. You belong to no one else anymore. Get used to it."
- Jake -
Jake woke up with a small smile on his lips. He thought that he was waking up in his crummy apartment with his little sister sleeping beside him. Then the past events hit him and he frowned while opening his eyes to see if it was all true. Sadly, it was. He was tangled up in the sheets of Robin's bed. He wondered how the real leader was waking up that day. It had to be worse. This thought only made Jake guilty and depressed.
"Good morning," Slade said from the end of the bed. He smiled wickedly under his mask as he saw Jake jump from surprise with his eyes wide with horror in them. The kid was on his feet in only the matter of seconds. He only had Robin's pants on. He did not wear much to sleep at night.
"What are you doing here?" Jake hissed at him. "How did you get in the Tower without setting off all the alarms? I closed all the doors behind me last night."
Slade took a step toward the boy and noticed that Jake took an unsure step back. So he was a little bit of afraid of Slade. It put the man into a good mood to have people fearing him. "I came in the easy way," Slade said while nodding his head slightly toward the open window in the room. "Quite easy, really. If you really want me out, then get a better security system in your room."
"There is a camera in this room," Jake said with his voice with more confidence now. The shock of the surprise visit was wearing off.
Slade shrugged while putting his hands behind his back in a cool and relaxed manner. "Do you really think any of the other Titans will be checking the security cameras to your room at eight in the morning? I know them more than you know them, Jake. Some are not even up at this time. Expect to only see Raven and Cyborg in the main room when you go down there in a while."
"I know them as much as you do, Slade," Jake said angrily at him.
Slade frowned and walked up to the teen. Jake stood his ground with a rebellious scowl planted on his face. He looked so much like Robin right now. "You still don't know your place, do you?" Slade asked him with a hint of anger slipping into his steady voice.
"My place is right here," Jake said. "I'm not moving."
"I'll have to show it to you, then," Slade said. As quick as a striking snake, Slade had Jake's wrist in one hand. Jake reacted quickly. He flung his fist back and got ready for a punch. Slade caught his fist and twisted both of the teen's arms behind him. He shoved the kid onto the bed and pinned him there with his knee on his back.
Jake was in shock. He had looked like a fool trying to fight Slade. He had never seen somebody that fast except Robin sometimes. He was way outmatched here. Was this how Robin felt all the time? It was an awful and sick feeling.
"You obey my every command," Slade whispered into Jake's ear. He had a deathly tone to his voice and it made Jake shudder. "I could kill you or your sister in only the matter of seconds. You listen to me and only me for now on. You are mine to control. You gave yourself up that other day. Keep to your promise, Jake, and you will be safe."
"I get it, okay?" Jake snapped back at him. He struggled in the vice grip around his wrist. He cried out when Slade tightened his grip and shoved his knee harder onto Jake's back.
"I don't want that attitude, Jake," Slade said harshly. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes!" Jake yelled out as Slade twisted his arm some more.
"Good," Slade said while letting go of the teen and shoving him into the bed with his one eye narrowing dangerously at him. Jake winced while rubbing his wrist. A big red mark showed him exactly where Slade's hand had been.
Jake stayed silent as Slade observed him. He did not feel like talking to this man anymore. He did not feel like doing anything. So he just started to get ready for the dreaded day ahead. He pulled on a shirt and started to get into his metal bottom shoes when Slade finally spoke again.
"Stay away from Raven," he said suddenly. Jake looked up at him with a quizzical look on his face. Slade answered the question going through his mind. "She can read minds. She can also feel your vibes and moods. I don't want you around her much. She might figure it out. Keep your mind focused. If you do that then it will be harder for her to read your thoughts. Don't let her do that."
"She already knows something is up," Jake said. He pulled on his shoes then started with his gloves. Everything was very similar to his old suit. "Last night she kept asking me questions. I think she is testing me to see if I'm the real Robin."
"Then give her what she wants," Slade said simply. "I don't want her to know or suspect anything. If she does then you could be found out in the next few days. Don't mess this up!"
"Hey, I made a promise," Jake said with a frown coming to his face. "If I mess up Val gets it. I'm not going to let that happen." He paused then finally asked the question on his mind. "How long will I have to be clone boy?"
Slade folded his arms in front of him and said, "As long as it takes."
"And how long will that be?" Jake asked him. Slade narrowed his eye at him and Jake smiled while saying, "Kidding. Can't you take a joke?" Slade did not answer. Jake finally lowered his eyes and muttered a small sorry for his attitude.
"One last thing I need from you," Slade said. Jake looked up at him with much dread on his face and the light in his eyes slowly fading away. "I want you to keep being Red X."
There was silence till Jake freaked out. "Are you crazy!" he exploded loudly. "Well, yeah, you are crazy. But I can't be Red X and Robin at the same time! It might be possible for the Boy Wonder, here. But for cone boy it is too much!"
"Just find out how Robin did it the first time," Slade said with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. Jake was just a pest in his eyes. He was too cocky for his own good. Slade would dispose of him once everything was finished. But right now he had to trust in this small teen for the future of his plan was really in Jake's hands. Jake had no clue how important he was.
Jake calmed down quickly and rubbed his forehead just like Robin did when frustrated. Another headache was sure to come. It almost made Slade laugh at how the two were so much alike. "Sure, fine," Jake said while closing his eyes. "Juggling one more identity is fine with me. Let's see how much you can make me go!"
Slade ignored his last sentence. Some people were just sarcastic and you could never change that in that person. Jake was one of those. "I'll be keeping a sharp eye on you," Slade said while walking over to the window. "If I see anything I don't like I'll give you another visit. And destroy this recording of our conversation. I don't take as many chances as you think I do. Understand?"
"Yes," Jake said with a stiff nod. Slade then left as quickly as he had arrived. Jake let out a small sigh then ran a gloved hand through his hair. "Ouch," he muttered while rubbing his sore wrist. Boy, Slade was strong. Jake put on his mask and walked out of the room. Time to be Robin.
The alarm went off at midnight. Jake grumbled something into his pillow then turned it off in the darkness. The only time to snoop around the Tower was at the dead of night. If he wanted to pull off being a great superhero and a talented thief at the same time like Slade wanted, he better know what he was doing before plunging into the deep end. The places he would go just for his little sister! She better thank him after this!
Jake pulled on a sleeveless shirt and baggy jeans. He grabbed his mask and put it on as an after thought. He did not dare put on any shoes. Waking up any of the other Titans would bring his whole cover to shambles. Or maybe Robin stayed up this late. He kept the mask on just to be on the safe side. No chances this time.
The teen quietly crept down the hall as silently as he could muster. He went down the stairs to the main room with the giant computer system. He smiled while typing in a few things. After a bit of some good computer hacking skills, Jake was into the few files there. He finally found the one about Red X that Cyborg had started. The half robot had ended it when he found out Robin was Red X. It had a little bit more about when Jake had showed up as the new Red X.
Jake read the file and realized that Robin must have used holograms. His heart sank. He was not that smart! He had no idea how to program one or how he could use them like Robin had. He would have to do it the hard way. Or did he? Jake smiled slyly as the plan hit him. If he played his cards right, he could be both and not even break a sweat.
Suddenly there was a sound from the elevator. Jake froze then clicked out of the file as quickly as he could. He crouched down behind the couch right when the door to the elevator opened. Beast Boy came into the dark room with a yawn.
"Man! I gotta stop having dreams about salt eating contests," Beast Boy mumbled randomly as he stumbled across the room to the kitchen for something to drink. Jake breathed a sigh of relief for the darkness of the room. It had been stupid to put on a white shirt to sneak around in.
Beast Boy came out of the kitchen with a glass of milk. He glanced over to the computer and noticed that Robin was not up for once. He smiled slightly. He did worry about his leader. Robin could be serious and so focused sometimes, but he was never demanding or mean. Beast Boy liked him for that. Robin never used his power over the Titans to his own benefit.
Then the changeling caught the sent of some other person in the room. That was weird. No one else was here. "Robin?" he asked and was only returned with silence. Now he felt like an idiot. No surprise there. He sniffed the air again and knew for sure that someone was there hiding from him.
"Who ever you are, come out!" Beast Boy said as serious as he could.
"It's just me, Beast Boy," Jake said while standing up. Beast Boy knew he was there. If he did not say anything and got caught it would not end well. "I was just looking for um…the remote."
"Oh," Beast Boy said with surprise in his voice. "Are you okay? You smell funny."
"I'm fine," Jake responded while sounding annoyed. "What are you doing up so late?"
"I wanted milk," Beast Boy said while shoving the glass of milk into his friend's face. "Is that a sin? What were you doing?"
"Research," Jake said while folding his arms in front of him.
"Hey! I'm wide-awake now. Want to play a video game?" Beast Boy said as the random thought popped into his head. Jake was starting to see that the kid did that often. Random could be Beast Boy's middle name. Beast Boy's ears perked up as he waited for Robin to answer.
"Um…" Jake started while scratching the back of his neck. "I need…sure." Why not?
"Sweet!" Beast Boy said while jumping over the couch without spilling any of his milk. He took out two controllers and handed one to Jake while booting up his game with a big smile on his face. Jake sat down on the couch. Good thing he knew how to play one of these things. Beast Boy sat cross-legged next to him wearing that same smile.
They started to play Need For Speed 3 and had police cars chasing after them. Both started to get competitive with their cars and started to make each other crash into trees and stuff. They had played for around an hour nonstop till Jake finally realized what he was doing. He felt so guilty. It kept eating away at him. He was taking the place of Robin.
"Dude, you okay?" Beast Boy asked him suddenly. "You just got another ticket and I heard no protest."
"I'm okay," Jake answered quickly with a weak smile. "Just thinking," he said quietly as an afterthought.
"Yeah, that's what makes you never do this with me," Beast Boy said while pausing the game. "You think way too much. Just give the stupid Red X case to Raven."
"How do you know about that?" Jake asked him.
"I over heard you two arguing over the thing a few times," Beast Boy said with a shrug. "But, dude, we don't care that you were Red X. Get over it and let Raven research the thief. After you helped her save the world she has been looking to pay you back."
Jake had no idea what he was talking about, but decided to go along with it. "But I think I'm getting somewhere. Red X has to come back for his belt. We just need to be ready with a trap for when he does come. Easy as that."
Beast Boy's eyebrows rose with surprise. "Never thought about that," he said with a smile. "I guess that is why you're the leader. But seriously, Robin, you need to lay off the whole Red X thing. I say it was really Slade's fault."
Robin should be listening to this and not me, Jake thought while looking down. I can't do this. I can't take Robin's spot. These aren't my friends.
"What are you two doing down here?" Raven asked the boys from behind. Both guys jumped into the air. Jake gave a gasp as Beast Boy screamed loudly out of fright. They looked over their shoulders to see Raven sanding there with her hands on her hips and a cold look in her eyes.
"Racing," Beast Boy answered. He lifted up the controller into the air and waved it around to get his point across. Raven stared at him like he was a boring slug. She then looked over to Jake with a raised eyebrow of wonderment. He forced a weak smile and gave a shrug.
"Okay," she finally said while folding her hands in front of her. "I'm not convinced. I heard you two talking. And I know how Beast Boy plays. He can't talk and play a game at the same time."
"Tell her!" Beast Boy whispered loudly at Jake.
"What?" Jake whispered back while glaring at the green teen.
"Don't be stupid, Robin," Beast Boy said with frustration in his voice. "Tell her!" He started to elbow Jake with a mischievous smile on his face. Raven watched them with a confused expression.
"Fine," Jake said finally with a small laugh at Beast Boy. He took a deep breath then said in a rush to Raven, "I'm giving you the case we were talking about last night."
There was a long silence as Raven stared at Jake with surprise. Jake did not know what to do. This must have been too much out of character for him. Slade was going to give him another painful visit that was for sure.
"Are you feeling okay, Robin?" Raven asked him with a smile playing at he corner of her lips.
"Forget it!" Jake said while turning his back to her. "If you don't want it then I will gladly keep the case."
"No, I'm sorry, Robin," Raven said while dropping the smile right away.
There was that long silence again. Beast Boy looked from one friend to the other with confusion. He then smiled and said with cheer in his voice, "Let's have some left over pizza! Leftovers are always good!"
"I have to get some sleep," Jake said quickly. He got up in a hurry and walked toward the stairs without saying a goodnight. He did want to talk more with Beast Boy, but not with Raven. He had to stay away from her. One slip up and she could figure him out in an instant. He could not take that chance.
"How 'bout you, Rae?" Beast Boy tried weakly while turning toward her.
"No," she snapped at him. He jumped a little with surprise at how harsh her voice had been. His ears dropped when he watched her take the elevator while mumbling something under her breath. She never said a sorry for her rude actions.
"Yeah," Beast Boy said to himself. "The two have problems." His ears then perked up as a thought hit him. "Maybe I can fix that!"
A/N: Okay, I need to work on my J&D fic right now before I leave for New York early Saturday morning. They say I will have lots of time on the subway to read or something, so I will spend a lot of time working on later chapters. So when I come back I can update quickly. But how did you like this chapter? Sorry if it was boring with no action. Nothing else to say but that I'm hungry. When is my mom coming back with the food? Oh, well. Just please give a review! Thanks!
