Chapter 3-Broken Bird

"You're where?" said Robin in complete surprise and disbelief to the fact that Slade was where he and the other Titans all lived.

"Do be careful flying back here Robin. The weather is less then...hospitable," said Slade as the screen went blank.

"DAMN IT!" said Robin slammed his fist into the laptop smashing it into hundreds of pieces and realized what the enemy did by luring him away from home.

He gave him access to it.

Robin ran back down the flight of stairs and got on his flight suit. Sure enough, Slade was right and found the once beautiful day turn into a nasty one with heavy storm clouds and rain to match. He ignored the fact that flying in such weather was dangerous and did so anyway to get at Slade.

He especially ignored his wounds from fighting all of Slade bots in the building and the blood loss because of it. Robin knew if any of the Titans returned before him they would never be able to stop Slade in their weakened condition. Especially after fighting all of Slade's hired help like Cinderblock, Plasmus, Overload, or Dr. Light. Only HE could fight Slade because HE knew how Slade fought, manipulated, and squirmed his way to victory over his enemies.

The closer he got to the tower the more the storm seemed to intensify as he landed on the roof and immediately discarded the flight gear as if it were garbage. Despite his injuries, he ran to the elevator to the main common room where they all ate, talked, played video games, and other fun things. He had been trained to have tolerance when it came to receiving pain and he had the scars to prove it if anyone question it otherwise.

When he entered the lights were not on, but he could sense someone was in the room despite the lack of sight. He turned on the lights to illuminate the room only to reveal the intruder before him sitting on the couch that watching the storm that was brewing outside as Robin had expected...Slade. "Welcome home Robin. I was just doing what I consider to be some very...interesting reading that I found. You know something to tide me over when I was...exploring my surroundings," said Slade as he got up from his spot on the Titans couch putting away his reading material that was too far away for Robin to see.

"How did you get in here?" said Robin angrily as he stared at Slade with a look that told his enemy he had every intent on harming him.

"Same way you did just now Robin. The roof is the pivotal weak spot of the whole tower with least amount of security. I've been here for some time before you even arrived at the construction site that I sent you to originally," said Slade as he walked around the couch and stopped only fifteen feet away from Robin.

"What? What have you been doing here the entire time?" said Robin in disbelief and anger that he let this man get so far into his home and life.

"Oh it's nothing much mind you. Everyone's room was little to less then what I would consider...interesting. Except for YOUR room Robin, which was different from all the others, with all those newspaper clippings of villains you have stopped countless times in the past. THAT...my dear boy I did catch with my eye when I walked in. To be honest Robin...I'm actually kind of flattered that you would dedicate a whole side of your wall to me. Thank you," said Slade as saw Robin's rage increase considerably when he said that.

"Thank THIS!" said Robin who at that angered moment had reached its climax and he attacked Slade with everything he had as he charged his enemy using his bo-staff.

However, Robin was already exhausted from the fight with Slade's robots and his wounds along with the lack of energy proved to make things worse. The fresh and ready to fight Slade dodged Robin's attacks with ease due to his experience and Robin's predictability. The master criminal delivered his own moves to the Boy Wonder and further increasing damage to his already injured body. Now Robin had two cracked ribs, four broken ones, a bloodied temple, a concussion, and cuts on his arms that were bleeding freely like a river. "You should really take better care of yourself Robin. Your current actions have made you become...unhealthy looking," said Slade to the tired youth.

"SHUTUP!" said Robin right before Slade dodged a round house kick and deliver a massive punch to Robin's most damaged side of his ribs.

After that, he grabbed the boy's leg and threw him across the room into the kitchen area forcing the boy to drop his bo-staff when he hit the ground breaking his left leg. Robin struggled to get up passed the kitchen counter, but as got up from it Slade grabbed his hair and threw him once more. This time it was in the direction of the U-shaped sofa that now was all disoriented from the boy's impact with it.

Lighting flashed now and the lights in the room flickered on and off as Slade hit Robin with another blow to the ribs with a hard swift kick to them causing Robin to spew out more blood from his mouth as he now rolled several time till he was on his back. "Would you think it rude of me to ask you a simple question Robin?" said Slade as he sat on the sofa with a solid metal covered boot pressing somewhat hard on Robin's chest.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" said Robin in pain as the pressure hurt more then helped as he felt two ribs on the opposite side break.

"I take that as a yes since you can't really say anything else right now. My question is this...do know what love is Robin?" said Slade who lightened the pressure just a small fraction so Robin could breathe just a little easier (though not by much).

"What...ack?" said Robin as he struggled to survive under Slade's siege to his chest area.

"Love Robin. The love one feels between a man and a woman, male and female, or in your case my boy...you and Raven," said Slade as he pulled out the book he was reading earlier.

"What are...you...ack...me...Raven?" said Robin whose lose of blood was making him some what disoriented.

"I see the blood loss you've suffered is taking its toll on you Robin so I'll get right to the heart of the matter. Regardless of your...so called 'relationship' with the alien girl I think you and Raven are a much better pair then either of you would like to admit. You see Robin I went into Raven's room right after I left yours. From what I understand from what Terra, who at the time of her information when she was spying on all of you, told me that Raven writes down things when she's not meditating or reading a book. It is something like...a diary if you will, but Raven's diary is different from that of a normal diary Robin. You want to know how and why? This diary...contains information written down from each one of her emotions from a different night when its their turn for them to say something or rather...write something. And boy did they say a lot in here I think that you might find to be interesting Robin. Considering that most of what they right about...is you!" said Slade who was grinning behind the mask at Robin's disbelief.

"You...lie," said Robin as he mustered up some strength and spit some blood on Slade's mask as an act of defiance.

Slade however, just gave a little laugh as if Robin had told a minor joke. "You don't believe me. Do you Robin? Well let me read passage to you from one of the pages of Raven's diary," said Slade as he opened the diary and flipped several pages till he found one of interest.

"Slade...don't...ack" said Robin only to be silence by an increase in pressure from Slade boot.

"This one is from the emotion...Brave!" said Slade as he began to read it aloud for Robin to hear.

"Dear Diary,

Today Robin asked me if I could spar with him so he could hone his skills more and to better prepare me for when I wouldn't be able to use my powers in close combat. I said yes because I can't say no to a good sparing with that spiky haired hunk. When he engaged me in the sparing match he defeated me a few times a first, but after a while, I think I gave him a run for his money when I almost beat him by performing a submissive pin on him. 'Almost', being the key word as Robin got out of the hold and reversed it putting me in a position that I couldn't get out of. He was so close to me at the moment I nearly kissed him, but Timid Raven got in the way, preventing me from doing so. Then the alarm blared and we had to cut our 'sparing' session short.

Signed

Brave Raven," said Slade as he flipped another page before staring at Robin.

"So...what? It's just one...emotion out...out of...many," said Robin defiantly though deep down he had wanted to kiss her that day too.

Nevertheless, he was not going to admit that, especially to someone like Slade.

"I see we still need to make a believer out of you. Lets see...how about...Intelligence!" said Slade as he looked back from Robin to the page he had just turned to.

"Dear Diary,

Today I saw Robin fixing up his R-cycle and giving it a required upgrade to improve its already perfect performance. Later after he got cleaned up, he saw me beat Cyborg at chess and wanted to play me in a game. He beat me in less then six moves in almost all of the seven straight games with strategies I had never contemplated before. When I tried to use the same tactics on him however, my plan backfired and he beat me regardless. Clearly the boy has a mind that is of a vast intellect and of strategy that a girl or rather an emotion like myself can get used too when your surrounded by nitwits like Beast Boy. Sometimes I also wonder as well as question what color his eyes are when I stare at that mask when he's not looking in my direction. Are they brown like the earth? Black like his hair? Green like his gloves? Or are they something else? I have studied this question for so long and I have yet to find an answer to it. Hopefully one day I will solve the riddle of what color that are the eyes behind the mask of Robin,"

Signed

Intelligent Raven" said Slade as he looked down at Robin who he found smiled at that.

"That...means nothing. She's just curious...about what's...behind my...my mask like everyone else...is," said Robin as some blood dripped down the side of his mouth.

"I must admit it does seem like a poor example, but the others I find that are much more...loose in the tongue or rather...their writing when it comes to you. But this next one I think you'll find will strengthen my claim about you and Raven being an item. THIS one was written by Raven herself," said Slade who had turned three more pages to the next bit of reading.

"Dear diary,

It's been sometime since I entered Robin's mind when he was hallucinating about Slade that one stormy night. I saw and felt what he felt during certain moments in his life that only a very selective few know about. His pain though different from mine is similar to my own when it comes to my childhood. He has a strong darkness inside himself that he channels into light by trying to use it for good like I do with my powers. I can see why Slade wanted him as his apprentice and why he acts the way he does to capture Slade using his obsessive habit of finishing things that he starts. One day I secretly saw him training without a shirt on and I mentally gasped when I saw the countless battle scars on his body. Each one told their own tale of the countless wars he had fought and raged back in Gotham City as well as here. I checked the medical records of his wounds and found that each one was from a different battle more terrifying then the last. Most people would not walk away from such fights, but somehow he keeps pushing himself until he reaches his limit or falls when there is no ground left to walk on. How can someone like him keep fighting against all odds against those psycho's back in Gotham? I've read about Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and the Joker along with some of the things they've pulled that would have driven a normal person insane. But he keeps going. Why? Why do I ask myself this? Why do I care? I think I know. I'm in love. I'm in love with Robin. My leader, my teacher, my secret love.

Signed

Raven," said Slade as he closed the book and released his boots hold on Robin's chest only to pick him up by his throat and slammed him onto the table next to them.

"I...never...knew...she...ack," said Robin, but was interrupted by a sudden coughing of blood from trying to speak.

"You've become very narrow-minded for someone who usually very perceptive Robin. Especially when it comes to your friends feelings for you. Of course, that problem runs both ways between you and Raven. Frankly it's not surprising to me Robin in the least since I know you care about Raven a great deal then you let the others let on. Ever since Trigon you've become more worried about her then any of the other Titans and though you won't admit it I think you know why," said Slade as he looked down at Robin who was hurt pretty badly.

"Because...I...ack...love...her," said Robin as he finally realized it himself as he had a revelation about himself and Raven being an item.

"Good. Now that you've had your little revelation from within we can continue," said Slade as he put the now closed diary down next to Robin's arm only to slam his arm on the boy's arm shattering the bone in several places.

"AAAAAAH!" said Robin whose scream became gurgled by the blood that once more crept into his mouth as the punishment continued.

"Don't worry Robin I'm not going to kill you if that's what you're thinking. I'm just going...to break you in body, mind, and spirit!" said Slade as walked over to the boy's left arm and broke it with the same attack that he used on Robin's other arm.

"Why?" Robin said in a blood gurgled voice.

"Because Robin...I want you to suffer. I want you to suffer the way I suffered at he hands of your master...the Batman!" said Slade as he saw the shock on Robin's face.

"You...know...him? Ho...How?" Robin said barely as he stared into Slade's one eye with his blood stained mask.

"Remember when went deep into the fiery river of lava to save Raven and my mask fell off reveling my scared along the lines of where my right eye used to be. Who do you think gave me that scar? Who do you think took my eye from its socket? Your teacher; your master; your father did! I'm just returning the favor on a more...devastating level. If you had just become my apprentice it would have made this all the more sweeter to me Robin, but I guess...it won't hurt me to go for the silver medal this time," said Slade as he picked up Robin communicator from his belt and turned in on.

Robin barely saw Slade press some buttons on his wrist and did not understand what was happening. Of course, what Slade was doing wasn't exactly the only thing going through his mind as his distorted mind thought of Raven and what he felt for her. 'I love her. I never thought I did, but...I see now what Slade said...was true," thought Robin as he saw Slade put something over the lower half of his metal mouth and activated Robin's Titan communicator.

"Titans! Can you read me?" said Slade whose voice sounded like Robin's when he spoke into it.

It was then that Robin realized that Slade was using voice-altering technology to make his voice sound like his. "Yeah, but I can't get a visual on my screen. I think Slade is using jammers on our communicators. What's up?" said Cyborg.

"Did you defeat Cinderblock yet?" said the disguised Slade who had watched the fighting earlier with what Titan fought whom in this little trap of his.

"Yeah I was just about done when you called. BB, Raven, and Starfire called shortly before you did telling me they just finished with their guys too. But it was weird they said it seemed like Slade's hired help were holding back as if to draw out the fight. Same with the others too. I gotta be honest with you Robin I do NOT like this one bit," said Cyborg with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Don't look too much into Cyborg or else you're going to miss the big picture and only see the small screen of what Slade has planned. Call the others back here to the tower I have a surprise waiting for all of you when you return," said Slade as he turned of the communicator and placed next to Robin.

"I...don't...understand?" said Robin as Slade starting walking away only to stop when he heard those words from him.

"When you see HIM again ask him to his face about me and remind him of the scar on my face and the loss of my eye that he took from me. He can tell you more about me then I care to share with you right now. Before I do go however…" Slade said as he took two fingers together and dipped the tip of them in the blood that dripped from Robin's body and started writing something that started with a big S-shape next to Robin's head before finally leaving.

Before he left the room however, he stopped and turned off the light to continue on as if what he had done was a casual thing leaving Robin alone in the darkness in a growing pool of his blood. His only thought was about one person as he stared into the infinite darkness that was pierced by the lighting that flashed across the tower every so often. 'Raven,' thought Robin as he finally lost consciousness.

(About 15 minutes later)

A drenched Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven made their way to the main room to see Robin with Starfire in the lead hoping to see 'her boy' again as she called him. Cyborg and Beast Boy came up second wondering what surprise Robin had for them and were debating it. Raven who last however, seemed the most concerned as she recalled the feelings that surface when she was fighting Dr. Light. Every so often she felt emotional things inside her that were not her own.

She had felt anger, rage, despair, suffering, and pain. All of which originated from only one source...Robin. She finally picked up the pace realizing she should speak to him about it, but was cut short when she heard the flick of the lights being turned on and the scream from Starfire from what she saw. Every lay in shock as they saw the main room trashed like the storm had hit the inside of the tower. Of course, that shock paled in comparison when the sight of Robin blooded, bruised, and broken on the table passed the U-shape sofa. Written next to him in blood that they knew had to be Robin's was a three worded message: "Slade was here!"