*I don't own Young Justice, but I might own the inside of Robin's head, maybe?*
"Talking"
College + painting my house + driving test = BUSY! Sorry this took a while, I haven't been entirely sure on how I wanted this chapter to go, so I rewrote it a couple of times and I defined Robin's fear a little differently than I had originally planned… Hopefully it still flows. Oh, and if you didn't see the edit for Chapter 5, yes Robin is currently 14, sorry for the confusion. But on with the story
- Warning Chapters 5-7 are Rated Teen for Violence and Terror -
Chapter 6 – Hide-and-Seek
The group stumbled out of the doorway and into a mirror maze. As the door vanished behind them, the young heroes got a good look around. The maze appeared to have been abandoned many years ago. Almost every mirror was fractured in some way, reflecting distorted images of the team. The florescent lights seemed to flicker the moment they stopped looking at them.
"Well, this is new…" Robin muttered.
"…and creepy." Zatanna finished as she squeezed the mask's hand tighter. Then she noticed something really alarming "Robin! L-look at your reflection!"
The group looked into the mirror that Zatanna was pointing at and saw Robin, their Robin. He was standing right there with a body and everything.
"What the hell…" Artemis muttered in growing irritation.
"… I… This is the first time something like this has happened…" Robin said as he moved towards the mirror.
"Well that can't be good…" Connor said flatly as he pulled M'gann away from the mirrors.
Robin reached out to touch the mirror when the lights flickered too brightly causing all of the mirrors to have a glare. As the second of illumination passed the image of Robin had changed.
This new reflection was no longer holding Zatanna's hand. It stood all alone as he watched the group, a sense of cold calculation in his gaunt features; eyes hidden behind a jagged shaped mask. Blood covered him. His black Kevlar lined shirt had a red, distorted version of bird that had been on both Before and After's leotards. His tattered black cape billowed to reveal its red interior. He had one tattered black glove reaching out to them, mirroring the Mask's out stretch hand, while the other was behind his back.
"…I though Antrenament told you not to come here…alone" The mirror image said with his voice frighteningly clam. Then without warning the image's hand shot out of the mirror and yanked Robin free of Zatanna's hold as he pulled the Mask in. The hand behind the image's back moved forward revealing a gun, the image pulled the trigger.
*BANG* *CRASH*
And the mirror crashed to the ground shattered into hundreds of pieces, revealing the back of another mirror.
"ROBIN!" The team shouted. The heroes were stunned by what they just witnessed.
"N-now what?" M'gann asked her voice shaking slightly.
Wally looked around at the group and said "We do what the kids told us to do. We run." With that, the team began to run through the maze. It was easier than they had thought, because all they had to do was look for the gap without a crack distorting the image.
However the team stilled bumped into mirrors as they ran. Sometimes they just bounced off and fell down like Wally kept doing. Or they destroyed the mirror when they hit, like Connor. But for the person at the end of the line, well, Zatanna just moved into the mirror.
*shplop*
Then Artemis, when she stopped to look for Zatanna. She put her hand on a mirror expecting it to hold her up, instead she slipped through.
*shplop*
The next mirror Connor hit didn't break. The mirror just parted like he hit a wall of water.
*shplop*
M'gann tried to make the same sharp turn as Wally, but she just couldn't run like Wally.
*shplop*
Wally paused to catch his breath and turned to make a witty remark about how he was still fastest, even without powers. Then he realized he was alone, trapped in fact. The path he had just come through was now filled by a massive mirror, it was almost three times larger than any of other mirrors and it was flawless. The mirrors surface was free of scratches, of spider web fractures, and of grime. "Guys?"
"Hey! Anyone! M'gann! Connor! Zatanna! ARTEMIS!" Wally began shouting as he moved around the mirrored room searching for an exit. After several minutes of searching, shouting, and smashing, nothing about Wally's predicament changed. Wally slumped and slid to the floor as he sat across the room from the massive mirror.
"This so sucks! Just run through it as fast as you can." Wally mimicked "Damn it, I can't believe I was this stupid. Let's look at Rob's memories!" Wally paused to scrub his hands over his face "…there's no possible way for this to go wrong…"
Wally was about to continue his ranting when the mirror across from him flickered to black. Suddenly a red cursor began to blink in the center of, the now, wall monitor. Then these words were typed out:
'Tower of Babel
Case File: KID FLASH'
The screen flicked black again, only to come back on as a video scenario began to play. Wally could only watch in horror.
Artemis in Danger…
Running Out of Time…
Have to Move Quicker…
Vibrate Faster…
*BLAM*
Didn't Move Fast Enough
Everything Hurts
Shredded Flesh
Blood is Everywhere
ATOMIZATION.
The massive mirror flicked back to black and more red letters appeared.
'Threat: KID FLASH
ELIMINATED'
M'gann watched in terror as the monitor began playing its warped reality.
'Tower of Babel
Case File: MISS MARTIAN'
Help her…
That's what Hero's Do…
She's Just a Lost Little Girl…
Just a Little Closer…
*FOOWSH*
Not a Little Girl
Yellow gas Everywhere
Help Me, PLEASE
Why Can No one See It
FIRE.
Then the screen flickered black, and the red writing spelled out:
'Threat: MISS MARTIAN
ELIMINATED'
No matter how hard Connor punched the monitor the video kept playing.
'Tower of Babel
Case File: SUPERBOY'
Powerless to Help…
I Can't Control my Anger…
Dubbilex Gave me Shields…
To Help my Team…
Control…
*GROAN*
Not Shields, too Green
Can't Move
In Complete Agony
KRYPTONITE.
Superboy glared at the red letters as the appeared.
'Threat: SUPERBOY
ELIMINATED'
Artemis shouted and screamed in defiance as the video played on the monitor.
'Tower of Babel
Case File: ARTEMIS'
He Has my Mom…
This is About Revenge On Sportsmaster…
Oh God I Can't Stop the Bleeding…
I Will Kill him…
*THWANG*
I'm Sorry Guys
Mom, You're Not Dead
No No No What Did I Do
Please Forgive Me
MURDERER.
Artemis read the red letters as they appeared on the newly black screen:
'Threat: ARTEMIS
ELIMINATED'
Tears dripped down Zatanna's face as she watched in open mouthed horror.
'Tower of Babel
Case File: ZATANNA'
Daddy I will Save You…
Fate, He Can't be Dying…
Only I can Save Him…
I'm so Sorry Guys, But I Have To Save Him…
*SLUMP*
Not Fate's Helmet
Weird Circuitry
I Can't Move
No One Knows I'm Here
ISOLATION.
Tears streamed down Zatanna's face as the red letters appeared.
'Threat: ZATANNA
ELIMINATED'
Suddenly, they weren't alone. The whole team was in the same room each facing their own mirror. As the heroes realized they were no longer trapped by themselves, they ran to each other. Wails of sorrow and joy mixed as Wally and Artemis hugged. Connor showed one of his rare smiles as he twirled a sobbing M'gann.
While the couples crooned, Zatanna stood up slowly wiping the tears off of her face. Just as Zatanna was about to move towards the others, M'gann broke away from Connor and tackled Zatanna with a hug, Artemis in tow. After everyone calmed down enough to get a grip on what was going on they looked around the room they were now trapped in.
The room's walls were seven of these large mirror screens and each one held similar captions. 'Threat: AQUALAD ELIMINATED', 'Threat: ROCKET ELIMINATED', 'Threat: ZATANNA
ELIMINATED', 'Threat: MISS MARTIAN ELIMINATED', 'Threat: KID FLASH ELIMINATED', 'Threat: SUPERBOY ELIMINATED', and 'Threat: ARTEMIS ELIMINATED'.
"What the hell is all of this?" Artemis said as she looked around, terror in the pity of her stomach.
"Contingency Plans" an eerily cold voice replied. Then the blackness of each mirror oozed and collected at one side of the room.
The ooze formed the Robin they had seen in the beginning. His features were just as emotionless and gaunt as before, and his very presence made the room feel colder.
"What did you do with the Robin!?" Zatanna shouted at him despite the fear she felt.
Prisoner seemed to stare blankly at her; then it turned, sticking its hand into one of the mirrors and pulled out a gasping Robin. "Here is your guide." He said flatly and tossed him to the ground in front of the heroes.
"Robin!" Zatanna shouted as she leapt to his side to help pull him up and into a hug. After the Mask seemed to get his bearings he hugged Zatanna back.
"Zee…" was all he managed to mumble out between ragged breathes. Zatanna helped him limp over to the rest of the team.
"Pathetic" Prisoner scoffed.
"Who are you?" Connor growled at the figure.
"I'm Robin." Prisoner replied coolly.
"No your not-" Wally started to say but Prisoner silenced him with a look.
"I am Robin. The real Robin, not that stupid thing" Prisoner said voice icy cold as he gestured to the mask. "I am what Robin is on the inside."
"No" the Mask croaked out "You aren't him and you never will be. You are what he is afraid of becoming, nothing more. His team, his friends, his family-"
"I have no friends. I have no family." Prisoner interrupted.
"Of course you do!" Wally shouted "We are your friends and your family! The Leaguers are your Aunts and Uncles and we are your brothers and sisters. You were the one to tell me that!"
"No, those Masks' told you that. You, the team, the League are all pieces on a chess board. You are to be moved and controlled as I see fit." Prisoner said and with a wave of his hand the mirrors now held silhouettes of the team. "And what he is afraid of is that, the team will find out that this is who he really is, thus preventing me from completing my mission. And failure is Unacceptable."
"What mission?" M'gann questioned.
"I was tasked by Batman to formulate Contingency Plans for each member of my team in case you became a threats. Threats are to be eliminated, immediately. " Prisoner replied ice in his every word.
"No, there's no way Robin would just kill us!" Zatanna said defiantly.
"Oh, but he already has. Remember back in the mental simulation Miss Martian created." Prisoner said "We all believed that it was real, that we all would really die. Yet I distinctly remember sending my teammates to their deaths without batting an eye. I knew that all of you would die, but it didn't matter as long as I won. Everyone knows you have to sacrifice a few pawns in order to win a chess game. Just like Batman taught me."
"…what? What is he talking about guys?" Zatanna said as she looked over to her team. None of them could look at her. "Robin?" she asked the mask fear in her eyes. The mask looked at her then looked away. "No, No, NO! Robin-He would never treat it so matter-o-factly, so ruthlessly…" Zatanna petered off into silent sobs.
Prisoner shook his head and said "You sidekicks are very pathetic excuses for heroes. None of you have the guts to make the tough calls, because you all get so hung up on your feelings and emotions. It's disgusting. People are sacrificed every day, simply because that's how this game is played."
While he had been talking he had pulled out a gun. He moved systematically around the room shooting each mirror where the silhouette's head was. Before the mirrors shattered and fell to the floor the heroes watched as their silhouettes collapsed from the fatal gunshot wounds. Behind each mirror was a gray stone wall, except behind the last mirror. After Zatanna's outline fell and her mirror broke the immaculate steel door remained.
"That is a lesson all of you needed to learn." Prisoner said as he holstered his gun and walked over to a large piece of shattered mirror. He melted into it, leaving the team alone with the next door.
No one moved for a long time. Zatanna, tears still streaming down her face, marched over to the door and yanked it open not caring what happened next.
So yeah…
I'm almost done with chapter 7, and I think this fic will go to 10 or 11 so we're mostly done.
R&R please