*I don't own Young Justice, but I might own the inside of Robin's head, maybe?*

Thoughts

"Talking"

Hey, Guys~ I'm glad that so many people like my story. It makes me all giggly and happy, so Thank you so much! Here's the next chapter, hope you guys and gals like it~

Chapter 4 – Jail Break

Zatanna was about to respond when an alarm sounded. Red lights flashed and a siren began to wail.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Artemis shouted over the noise.

"NO TIME! STAY HERE AND KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN!" Robin shouted back. Then he jerked his head to Richard and the both sprinted down the hall and out of sight. Seconds after the two Masks had left the siren stopped as suddenly as it had started.

Before poked his head into view from the other side and said "Îmi pare rău de zgomot, but I had to get rid of those two."[ Sorry about the noise, but I had to get rid of those two ]

"Does that mean you sounded the alarm? And why do you want to get rid of Richard and Robin?" Wally questioned, still rubbing his ringing ears.

"I-We needed them to go because they would disapprove of what we want to do…" Before said as he watched his feet shuffle forward.

"We? Whose we?" M'gann asked as she moved closer to the bars.

"…me and After…" Before mumbled, shifting his gaze back the way he came. "Haide După."

"Nu am nevoie pentru a le testa mai întâi. Spune-le că mi-e teamă că vei fi supărat." [ No I need to test them first. Tell them I'm afraid they'll be upset. ] A similar voice responds in more hushed tones.

"After says you guys can't get upset, kay?" Before said as he looked back to the teens.

"Sure, why would we be upset?" Wally said with a shrug.

"Fă-i promit."[ Make them promise ] the voice said.

Before rolled his eyes "He says you guys got to promise."

Choruses of promises came from the captured teens. After a few moments they heard movement and After came into view. He looked like an older version of Before. He was slightly taller and slightly older, but he wore the same white and gold leotard and had the same hair style. This information was only recorded by some minor thought process because the two jarring differences between After and Before were at the forefront of their minds.

First, the eyes. Before had bright beautiful blue eyes that shinned and shimmered with joy and life. After's eyes were a cold flat blue. They hid soul crushing despair and blood boiling fury just under the surface.

Second, and the most disturbing difference, was the blood. After's white leotard was smeared with congealing blood.

The team stood there in absolute shock. None of them could find the will to speak, to ask, to cry out in horror. Once After reached Before he turned to look at the group "Some promise…" After said as he crossed his arms.

"After, you said that you would help me, not criticize them." Before said as he crossed his arms as well.

"No I said we need help, not that we have to get help from them." After said coolly as he jerked his head to the heroes.

Zatanna seemed to find her voice first "Help? What's wrong?"

After turned as said "Antrenament is losing to Spaimă."

"Um… What does that mean?" Wally asked as he moved closer to the bars.

After snorted "These guys cannot be our only option."

Before ignored After "You guys don't know their true names, but he meant Guard is losing to Prisoner."

"Is this Prisoner another Influence?" Artemis questioned.

"Yes both Guard and Prisoner are Influences, but they are in a constant battle." After replied.

"And why do you need our help?" M'gann asked cautiously.

"Guard is losing the battle, and if Prisoner wins…" Before trailed off.

"We all die." After said bluntly "No sugar coating, the person you know as Robin ceases to exist. His mind breaks and he gets to invent his own brand of insanity."

"What?!" Wally shouts. The rest of the team is stunned into silence.

"Before, you can't honestly believe they can help?" After says, irritation dripping from his words.

"Don't be stupid! You know they're heroes. You know that they're your friends! They can and will help. That's what family does-" Before shouts but After interrupts him.

"No." his voice ice cold "I don't have a family. And I don't need one."

"Liar. You have just been trapped by Spaimă for so long that you don't want to suffer anymore! Well, news flash, Life. Is. Pain." Before shouts back. "But it's also happiness, and love and smiles and the warmth of the sun and friends and family. Life needs to be lived, with others." Before said his voice soothing.

"How?" Wally asked.

"What?" After questioned.

"How can we help?" Zatanna said. Behind her stood the rest of the team faces set. They stood together, ready to fight, like always. While the two Influences had argued the team did what they did best, rallied together and prepared to fight for those who couldn't. They were heroes after all.

After just stared at them. "Why would you help me? The things that you will have to witness… They will haunt you for the rest of your life. Every time you close your eyes, this will play over and over inside your own heads. Do you still want to help me?" After questioned.

"Yeah, duh." Wally replied with a grin "Has years of friendship meant nothing to you?"

"Seriously, kid. We are your team, your friends, and your family. And this family means more to me than anything." Artemis said.

"Besides we are heroes. Helping is our job." Connor said with a small smile. M'gann hugged his arm in agreement.

"I told you." Before said sticking his tongue out at After.

After shook his head "Fine, Come on, grab the bars." he said. Before rushed over to the center bars and grabbed one. After walked over and grabbed a bar next to Before. Then they both pulled back as if they were siding open a glass door. Slowly but surely the bars began to pull away from each other, as the other metal bars slid into a hidden alcove in the wall. The two kids, however, could only seem to pull the doors open just enough for the team to slip out.

Both kids panted but After said "Quick… We have to go…"

The teens quickly filed out and into the hall, Before and After began moving down the apparently endless hallway. "Come on, let's go!" Before shouted with glee.

"We can't give you back your power, but I can tell you what's going to happen and I can try to answer some your questions." After said as they walked.

"Okay, let's start with Guard and Prisoner. What are they exactly?" Zatanna asked.

"Guard is all of his training. He is the skills and the rules and the practice that Batman taught him. While, Prisoner is his fear." After said calmly.

"His fear?" Artemis asked "But, Robin doesn't get scared, like Ever."

"Wrong. He gets scared, but his training kicks in and he ignores it. But that's the problem, ignoring the fear lets it fester and grow. If this keeps up he'll start to change… and none of us really like the possible outcomes." After said in an icy tone.

They others were silent for a long time. Until Zatanna spoke "Why didn't he just talk to us?"

"Well, he kinda is now. I mean you guys are still inside his head." Before said with a shrug.

"But, Guard and I wouldn't let him. Until recently I felt that, I don't need others to help me. I can solve problems on my own; I don't need to let people in." After said quietly.

"But, you're a kid. Kid's should ask for help, especially when they're scared." Connor said bluntly.

After spun around and stopped the team. As he faced the team his cold eyes burned with anger "I haven't been a kid since I was eight years old.* And don't you ever tell me what I should and should not do." After's voice was low and hate filled every word. Suddenly Before grabbed After and spun him back.

"El nu a vrut, nu asa oricum. Calmează-te, el a fost doar încercarea de a privi afară pentru tine." [ He didn't mean that, and you know it. Calm down, he was just trying to look out for you. ]Before said in a soothing tone. After just shook out of his grip and trudged ahead of the group.

Before just sighed "Come on, we have to keep walking…" and continued after After.

"What did Connor say that made After so upset?" M'gann asked.

Before sighed again, but said "After doesn't like being looked down upon by others, especially when the others have super powers. He is sick of being the weak one, or the one who needs to be helped or saved. So it took a lot of convincing to even get him to admit that we need help."

"I didn't mean to insult him." Connor said.

"Yeah, he knows that. He's just throwing a fit!" Before said, but the last part he shouted down the hall to After.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Wally "Hey, why didn't you tell Batman?"

"What do you mean?" Before questioned cautiously.

"I mean, Why didn't you tell Batman that you were- are scared?" Wally asked slightly annoyed. Before didn't say anything, by now the group had caught up with After.

"Because he has a lot on his plate right now and I didn't want to add my mess to that." After said.

"BS!" Wally shouted "The both of you know better, Batman would literally drop everything and help you. He loves you and you know it."

"But that's why we can't tell him!" Before shouted back "He's got a lot of time sensitive stuff going on and we don't want to pull him away from it, just because of some nightmares."

After put a hand on Before's shoulder and they continued to walk in silence. After a few minutes the hallway came to an abrupt end. There was a stainless steel door in front of them. The door looked sickly clean and it was the only thing that they had seen the entire time they had walked down the hall.

"Once you go through this door you can't come back." After began "This door will lead you to the two worst memories he has. One from being Robin and the one that caused us." When After said this Before grabbed his hand as they turned to face the team.

"First you will witness a memory, once you have you will go through another door just like this one. Now you guys will be inside Spaimă's domain, just run through it as fast as you can. There will be another door like this one there. That will lead you to the second memory." After said.

"Aren't you guys going with us?" Artemis asked.

They both shook their heads "No we can't enter memories. Anymore questions?" Before said.

"How will this help, Robin?" Zatanna asked.

"Once you know what he is afraid of you can help him fight that fear, from outside of his head." Before replied.

"Are you ready?" After asked. The team nodded grimly. Before and After placed their hands on the door and the click of the lock filled the silent hallway. Both children moved away from the door to give the teen heroes room.

Wally reached for the knob and opened the door. The second the rubber seal broke on the door, it swung open and sucked them into its black depths.

That's the end of this chapter. I'm sorry for the late update! I have had total writer's block, but I think it's mostly gone. It however is the reason for the short chapter; hopefully next chapter will be longer to make up for it. *I'm making a reference. Do you get it?*

Also I want to see if you guys can guess what Robin's Fear is. The one thing he is truly afraid of. I don't want to make it too obvious, but if you guys aren't starting to get it after next chapter then I'm not doing this right. Message me with questions or with the answer and Don't forget to review.

P.S. No, it's not Owls. But props for reading 52