A/N: I finally reached my goal of 100 reviews before my 20th chapter! It makes me happy somewhat. But besides that I have nothing else to say. Enjoy the chapter and please give a review when you're done!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Teen Titans.
Chapter 20 Failed Escape
At first Robin's brain was in a lock as he stared out from the balcony of the second floor onto the first one. He was in disbelief for a few seconds. There was just so many Slade-bots looking for him that it didn't seem possible that he could even get one step out of the airport without them finding him. But the superhero quickly bounced back and already had a plan forming in his head.
"Go to the bathroom and change into a Peruvian," Robin whispered down to Sam. "Meet me outside at a taxi. Give me some money before you leave, though." Sam glanced up to him, but did what he said silently. She then headed to a bathroom nearby. She knew that she had to fully trust Robin for now on. The girl only hoped that he knew what he was doing.
Robin adjusted his dark sunglasses before walking into the crowd heading for the escalators to the first floor. He kept his head up straight and his ears alert. His heart pounded loudly whenever he brushed past a Slade-bot as casually as he could. Hope flittered into his heart as he was only a few feet away from the doors heading to the outside. He was going to make it.
The heat of Lima swarmed around his body once he stepped outside. He silently observed the different people running around with suitcases and backpacks coming and going from the airport. Taxies lined the sidewalk for as far as his eyes could see. The Spanish language flew from every tongue so smoothly that Robin was tempted to use it as well to blend in. But he reminded himself who he was trying to portray for the time being.
It was now or never. He had to stand out from the crowd even though it was so risky. "Um…taxi!" Robin yelled as loudly as he could in English. "Some help here!" He noticed the people around him were giving him some looks while little kids pointed to him with smiles. Robin saw in the corner of his eye that two Slade-bots were staring at him.
A taxi driver ran up to him with a smile and said a few things in Spanish to Robin. The teen had picked up the language pretty quickly and knew most of what the guy had said to him, but to a good tourist he had to pretend he had no idea what he was saying.
"I…I don't know what you're saying, dude," Robin said while shrugging his shoulders. A flash of pain racked his brain when getting some memories of Beast Boy saying dude flew into his mind. These memory flashes were starting to really annoy the teen. He rubbed his forehead and tried to get over the pain while asking the taxi driver, "Do you speak English?"
Suddenly someone bumped into him from behind and made him pitch forward a little as his balance left him for a few seconds. He regained posture and glared at whoever had shoved their elbow into his back like that. Robin felt his heart skip a beat while seeing Slade himself walking away with his one eye boring down at him with silent interest in it. "Jeez!" Robin muttered to him while turning back to the taxi driver in front of him. He tried to ignore the mad man watching him. Did he know that the stupid tourist was Robin or not?
"Sir, I know English," a voice said from behind him. Robin turned around with a fake smile on his lips. He saw that it was Sam as a Peruvian woman. He knew it was her only because of her eyes. She had said that the hardest thing to change was the gender and the eyes when morphing into someone else. That was why she only stuck with being a woman and didn't change her eye color when changing.
"Great!" Robin said. He gave the taxi driver the money Sam had given to him earlier while saying to Sam, "Tell him that I want to go to my hotel."
"Si," she said with a small nod. She told the taxi driver a few things in Spanish flawlessly. Robin watched her while feeling the stare of Slade on his back. He realized that the man was only watching him because he had some thoughts that he was Robin but wasn't sure enough to go after him. So far the teen was acting just like a normal tourist and didn't seem like Robin.
A relieved sigh escaped Robin as he got into the taxi with Sam following right behind him. He didn't bother to buckle up as he rolled down his window to get some cool air. He avoided looking at Slade who was still watching him from the airport doors. At the corner of his eye, Robin saw Slade have second thoughts about him and leave after listening to something in his ear. The man gave Robin one last glance before walking back into the airport.
Robin gave Sam a wide grin while leaning back in his seat. Sam shot him a confused look before making conversation with the taxi driver. The taxi started up and quickly picked up speed once they got on the road leading into the city. It had worked! His plan had worked!
Maybe I do have some leadership skills somewhere in me, Robin thought confidently to himself while closing his eyes and letting his body finally relax for the car ride to their destination.
-Sam-
"Gracias," Sam muttered to the lady at the counter of the small open store. She took the bag of breakfast bars and left the store at a slow pace. She adjusted her glasses while stopping at an intersection and waited for cars to go by. She hoped Robin was okay where she had left him. He was acting more serious and quiet lately. The girl knew he was acting more like himself when being so focused on their mission, but she kind of missed that wry or goofy smile he used to always give her.
The girl gave a heavy sigh while realizing that she had let her emotions take a toll on her. She mentally kicked herself for letting herself develop a crush on the leader. She just couldn't help it. He was strong looking and lithe. But his handsome looks were only half of it. He was thoughtful and caring somewhat, even though she knew he didn't mean to be because that was what leaders were just trained to be like. He was careful yet so daring.
But it was just a simple crush, she knew. It wouldn't go anywhere. It was just annoying to her that whenever she looked at Robin she would get nervous. Boy, Abe would have a hay day if he ever knew what she was thinking.
But now that she thought about it, she had so many reasons to be so deeply annoyed with the leader. He kept all of his emotions inside of him and nowadays wouldn't even give her a smile or a hint of one. She really didn't like him because of that. What was he trying to prove with those kinds of actions? And with half of his memory still gone, it seemed like he was making things up on the spot. He needed to pull himself together already and think things through.
Sam walked into an alleyway and climbed up a fire escape to the top of a six story building. They couldn't afford a hotel room, so they were stuck with a roof. She was just thankful that it never rained in Lima. She gasped when seeing the teen sitting crossed-legged and messing with her computer equipment that she had specifically told him not to touch until she was able to put it together.
"I thought I would put it together for you," Robin said while staring at the laptop computer screen in front of him. "I was kind of surprised that I knew how to work computers, though. When did I learn how too, I wonder."
"Batman," Sam answered for him while throwing a breakfast bar at him sharply with full intentions in hurting him somehow. She smiled wickedly while seeing it whack into the back of his head and made him give a small shout of surprise. He turned around sharply while rubbing his head. He cast a glare of annoyance and confusion at her before getting up and walking to the other side of the roof with his food.
Sam sat down at her computer but couldn't get started without an apology to the leader for her spastic actions. She gave a heavy sigh before saying, "Sorry for hitting you. I…"
"No problem," he cut her off while sitting on the edge of the roof. "I was the one who messed with your computer. Don't worry about it." He gave a small shrug while biting into his bar. Sam could tell that with his nerves he wasn't too hungry and was making himself eat. He then looked up to her and randomly said, "I think I know how to stall some time for your brother and us."
Sam gave him a puzzled look of half confusion and irritation at his random thoughts. "You're way ahead of me, Robin," she told him. "Come back down to earth and tell me what you're thinking. You're brain has been in overdrive all day long. Slow it down."
Robin ran a hand through his hair while pondering the thought of telling her the things in his mind. He looked at his hand and saw some blonde die on it. He gave a disgusted look at his hand while wiping it off on his khaki shorts. "You and I already know that Abe and James are with Slade," he started while getting up and pacing.
"James?" Sam asked. "Oh, you mean my dad. Sorry!" She blushed for her stupid mix up. Robin didn't seem to notice her confusion and was picking his words carefully for once. She watched him with concern on her face. He didn't look okay anymore. He looked tiered and even defeated somewhat. But at least he was still pushing through his rough time.
"You said this morning that you didn't want to take the bus all the way to Lima because it would take a few days to get here," Robin said while stopping and making eye contact with Sam. "Slade only uses people if he needs them somehow. He's keeping both of them alive because we have to call them again. He still thinks that maybe we don't know what's going on. What if we tell Abe and Slade we are really taking the bus to Lima? It could buy us a lot of time."
Sam locked eyes with the Boy Wonder as her mind thought over the idea. She caught a glimpse of that old Robin when he gave her his trademark wry smile and said, "Not a bad idea, huh?"
"No," she said with a smile of her own. "Not bad at all. Maybe your brain being in overdrive isn't such a terrible thing after all. Keep thinking like that and we might just pull through."
"I hope so," Robin mumbled to himself while looking away. Even though he had said it to himself, the girl still heard him clearly. He was still unsure of himself.
-Abe-
"Its noon," Abe announced to Valentine after a glance at his watch. "And all we've accomplished is being able to untie ourselves."
"Maybe if we don't eat for days we could fit into that small vent," Val said wearily while pointing upwards. They were both sitting across from each other and leaning against the walls with defeat. They had been working at a way to get out of the room since two or three in the morning. They were tiered, hungry, thirsty, and hot. Super hot! They had nothing to cool themselves down.
"Is this how Slade takes care of his slaves?" Abe asked the girl while wiping off his muddy sweat from his forehead. He only was able to smear the crusty mud with more sweat. "Jeez! It's hot!"
"This is better than Italy," Val said with an exhausted sigh. "That place was cold and wet and I didn't see anyone for a few weeks except Slade or his robots when they fed me. Speaking of food, when do we get some? I'm starving!"
"And hot!" Abe added. Valentine gave a giggle that ended with another small sigh. Abe smiled to himself while noticing that the girl was coming out her shell around him. While they had been searching for a way out, they had talked about their lives and how they ended up where they now were. The two kids shared a small bond. Abe was so thankful to have this girl around right now. Without her he just knew he would be a royal mess by at the moment.
"Once we get back to the States, what is the first thing you want to eat?" she suddenly asked him randomly.
Abe couldn't help but laugh from her randomness. He thought for a few seconds before answering, "I would love to just get a whole pizza from that pizza shop on the corner a block away from my house in New York. With a Coke and their awesome bread sticks! And I would like a big fan blowing on me! That would be nice."
"Aw! Now you're making me droll, idiot!" Val said with a laugh.
"You're the one who asked me," Abe said with a chuckle. "Now, same question."
"Ice cream!" Val said like it was the best thing in the world, "With every kind of topping on it! Now, that would be heaven."
"Just add a fan," Abe added once again.
"But ice cream is cold and would cool you down enough," Val said. "You wouldn't need a fan."
"True," Abe said with a nod.
Without any warning whatsoever, the door slammed open and in came two Slade-bots. Valentine gave a sharp scream of surprise, while Abe shot to his feet with his eyes going wide in fright. The two robots grabbed Abe roughly and pulled him out of the room. The door was slammed shut and Valentine was left alone once again. Abe could hear her pound the door and scream. She thought he was going to die! Was he? That thought only made Abe panic.
Abe was forced down the stairs to the first floor. His ankle was still giving him a lot of grief and he couldn't help but wince a few times. In the hot room the temperature had taken his mind off his ankle, now the pain was back again. He struggled fruitlessly against the two robots and yelled a few things just to get his anger and fright out of his system.
The kid stumbled into the living room and right away spotted Slade sitting on the couch waiting for him. Abe was escorted to the couch across from the man and tried his best to hide his fright. He wasn't doing a good job with it, though. He didn't want to admit that he was utterly petrified. He had a sick feeling that this was going to be the place he was going to die.
"Sit," Slade ordered him and right away the two robots on each side of him shoved him into the couch. Abe could barely breathe as he felt like his heart was going to bust out of his chest at the rate it was going. The only thing he could hear was the beating of it as it pounded away inside of him. But he stayed silent as he waited for his life to be taken.
Then he spotted the cell phone on the coffee table between them. His fright was calmed down a little as a look of curiosity came to his face. It was attached to some wires that lead to a computer tracking device. He glanced back to Slade with a mix of anger and awareness washing over his face. Slade just kept staring at him silently.
The ring of the cell phone suddenly echoed out into the room loudly. They must have called a few minutes ago and was calling for a second time. Abe knew what he had to do next. He slowly reached for the cell phone. He hesitated for a second with regrets flying into the back of his head. The kid then pressed his lips together and grabbed the cell phone off the table, opened it, and then quickly put it on speaker phone for the whole room to hear the conversation soon to come.
"Abe?" Robin's voice came out from the little device now sitting back on the coffee table. Slade glanced to a robot standing near the computer and gave it a nod. Abe saw it push a button and quickly the computer tried to track the phone call to see where it was coming from.
"Hey, Robin," Abe said as normally as he could. "Sorry for not picking up the last time you called. I was a bit busy." Abe glanced up to Slade to see if he was saying the right thing and was approved with a single nod. "So what's the call for? Are you in Lima yet?"
"Well, no," Robin answered with a frustrated sigh. "We searched all night for some way to get to Lima for cheap because we don't have enough money, but the only way possible was to take the bus."
Abe saw Slade's eye narrow a little from either anger or annoyance. The kid leaned forward while rubbing his chin as if in thought. This would buy him and Val so much more time now! The thought made Abe's heart jump for joy. But he didn't let any of those emotions out and played it cool.
"Not the bus," he said with a wince. "That takes at least two days to get to Lima! Are you sure?"
Abe heard Robin sigh on the other end. "So far it is the only way," Robin said. "Sam and I don't want to split up. Plus, we need to save our money for when we get to Lima. We are on a food shortage also."
"Well, do you have a plan so far?" Abe asked. If Robin was smart, he wouldn't tell him it on the phone. But maybe he would if he knew that he really had been captured by Slade.
"Yeah, but not much," Robin answered. "We'll plot once we meet in Lima in a few days. We'll call you once we get there. Be careful, okay?"
"You too," Abe said. He then heard Robin hang up and so he did the same thing. Abe noticed that they hadn't talked long enough to let them track the call. They had only needed two more seconds, but Slade didn't seem to care because it seemed like Robin was still in Pucallpa.
There was silence as Slade thought over the conversation for a few seconds. Abe stared up at him with mixed feelings in him. Was the man pondering over his life? Abe didn't want to stick around to find out. He suddenly kicked the coffee table with one foot and knocked into the back of the couch. The piece of furniture was so unstable that it tipped over just like Abe predicted.
The kid rolled to his feet swiftly and then bolted out of the room. He stopped at the stairs and pushed through the pain in his ankle as he took them two at a time. The robot standing guard for Valentine's room didn't know what was going on till it was too late and a giant dent was in its head.
"Val!" Abe yelled while kicking the lock off the door and flinging it open. The girl gave a sharp gasp while looking up at him with surprise in her big, green eyes. She had been crying. But now she dried up her tears and ran to Abe. He grabbed her hand and started back the way he had come with the girl following faithfully behind him.
Slade-bots were already racing up the stairs toward them. Abe thought for a second then spotted a window straight ahead. "C'mon!" he yelled to Val while sprinting toward the window. He smashed the window with a fist and Val gave a small scream while jumping backwards to avoid getting hit by a piece of glass. "You first," he told her while pointing to the window.
"Okay," Valentine said weakly with a small nod. Abe helped her out of the window and slowly lowered her down by her hands. She then let go of his hands and fell to the ground with a short scream of fright. She had a wobbly landing, but was okay. "Abe!" she yelled while pointing behind him.
The boy ducked just as a robot behind him threw a punch. The kid swiped a foot under the robot and managed to trip it. He stood back up and gave a sharp yell while jumping up to the window sill to avoid getting hit by another robot. He was knocked off guard when the same robot suddenly lunged at him and forced both of them out of the window of the second story.
The impact was hard and painful on Abe's part because he was on the bottom of the tangle. The crash forced the boy and robot to separate and roll different ways. Abe slid to a final stop with a wince. His whole body ached as he forced himself to sit up. He squeezed his eyes shut to try and block out the pain pulsing throughout his body.
When he opened his eyes, Slade was right in front of him. "No," Abe said quietly in defeat. He looked to his side and saw two robots dragging the struggling Valentine back to the house. He looked back to Slade and gulped down some of his fright. "W…what are you going to do to me?" he asked him with his voice shaking a little.
Slade's eye narrowed in annoyance as he grabbed the front of Abe's shirt and pulled the boy to his feet. His voice was cold and sharp as he said, "You're just valuable enough to keep alive. But you're pushing the last of your luck with your actions. One more stunt like this and your value to me will go out the window. This is your last warning."
He then threw Abe into the arms of two other robots and ordered, "Put handcuffs on both of captives and gag them." He grabbed a fist full of Abe's hair and whispered harshly into his ear, "You're punishment is no food or water for the day. It would have been a waste anyways." He then let go and lead the way back to the house.
After a painful trip up the steps again, Abe was handcuffed and gagged before being thrown into the small, hot room again. Val was handcuffed and gagged as well. She watched silently as Abe leaned his back against a wall and slid down with his eyes squeezed shut as pain and despair racked his body. Valentine tried her hardest to not cry again, but after a few useless minutes of fighting the tears she let a few go.
Abe let out a few deep breaths while trying to keep his head above the ocean of defeat swarming around him. Things just looked dim for him. He didn't even know where his father was. Was he dead? Was that why Slade wanted him to stay on the roof this morning? At this, the boy finally broke down and sobbed quietly to himself. He didn't care that Val was watching him anymore. He just needed to get all his emotions out. For every sob it was his despair or feeling of defeat coming out of him. He pored it all out till there was nothing left.
A/N: Okay, that last paragraph even made me want to cry. I'm just happy that I finally pulled myself together and managed to make this chapter great. I had such a big problem of not knowing how to get this chapter into words. You see, I view my writing as like a movie in my head. I then put that movie into words. But for the past week I lost my touch and couldn't do it. But today I finally sat down and told myself to just go at it. Oh, and that crush Sam has on Robin is not going to go anywhere! I just wanted to put that in to be realistic. Don't think I'm trying to pull some stupid OCxRobin thing on you guys! Please don't think that! Other than that, I'm here to tell you guys to give a review! Thanks!
