Quetzalcoatl and the Wolf

Chapter 87: Collapse

A/

"So, how is it that our new guests have not a clue on what they're getting themselves into?" Robin was just about to pick up his teacup when the old teacher had asked him that. Yoko simply gave them both looks of carelessness. She didn't seem to notice at the least, or perhaps she was his accomplice in some type of scheme to have the whole team go home, but Robin. And why was the clothing and the figure wearing them familiar somehow?

"Did you hear what I said, young one?" Robin sat up straight on his cushion on the floor of the room. "Yes." He said quickly. The man asked Yoko to pour another cup for herself. " What did I say then. Tell me. " Robin circled the top part of his cup so that it formed a ring. "I…You said that we shouldn't be here." He stated. The man only stared at the boy and woman with a face full of flashing something or what…

"Go? Why would you say that? Our home is certainly your home." Yoko quietly took a sip of her tea without speaking or choosing to join in on the conversation. "Your homeworld is lightyears away from this one, my friend…but perhaps there is a way to send all of you back." Robin was instatly alert as he'd heard those words. "Wha —

Wait! We can't go! Roku still has all those people from the desert held captive, and he wants me to join if as I'm his right hand!" As the old teacher was sipping his cup his eyes suddenly buldged from their sockets. Coughing slightly, the old sensei put his cup to the table and spoke. "Of course he does, and without the proper training you will fail to survive against him. You and your friends…" Robin gulped as he took his cup to his lips. Almost choking in the process.

"Yoko, get him a cloth." The woman bowed her body forwardd in and got up off of her knees. " Yes sire —

Robin winced from the pain of the coughing in his chest. " What…did she…ah —

Nothing, it was a confusion between persons." The man behind the mask no more only coughed again. "But she…nevermind…" Looking down at the table with a sigh, Robin only hoped that this was not going to go somewhere he didn't want it to. Slade's only message to him was that he would not escape this horrible place…

The old man picked up his tea. "So my question to you would be; would you rather stay and train here or should I send asomeone back with you, to your world." Robin thought long and hard on the supposed subject. "Would it really matter if I went back?" He asked plainly. The old man began to stand up from his cushion seat on the floor. Yoko rushed to help him retrieve his staff.

"Let us go find the others." She said as the old man refuused her assistance. All three nodded and decided it was best for now. And as they climbed the streps to the next floor, the boy was curious to wonder.

"What's so different about this, world?" The old man chuckled under his beard. "There are many ancient things that wander about, you should not only know who not to trust here, but whom to trust as well…" Robin pondered at the thought as Yoko helped her master down the steps. "We should gather your friends for the next meeting of the elders by noon." The old man requested. And then at least something will become clear to you.

Robin glanced at the doors of the room. "Which way are we going?" he reminded the old timer. He'd remembered that the door was down another hall. And that they had gone up instead of down somehow…

"We're going the wrong way." Yoko did not answer and neither did the old man. Robin gasped aloud. "You…You're the spies that your assistant mentioned to me…You work for, uh! —

The old man turn his face to Robin stuffing his astaff in to the boy's chest. "More than you know…apprentice."

B/

Kana barely made an attempt as she flew from side to side. As her body flipped and twirled in midair from the fight. Starfire blasted at the books in her blind rage of a battle while Beastboy tried to slow down one of her cats that had come to help only the priestess.

"Why is she betraying us? She was the one to help us find Robin!" Verra looked at Kayumon as he became his fox form in a flash. The girl began to gasp as she fled for the tumble down door. "Don't let her go!" Cyber told the team after she'd left most of the room. Beastboy became a bat that wished to act as a tracker by tangling in Kana's hair. When he'd caught up with her he became a small bug that help on to her sash. The girl ran for her life as the team entered the training hall for dancers. As if they were under a spell, the girls only danced without watching the group pass by them.

"They were like this?" asked Verra as he looked at the dark haired teen. "Hey! Where's Alice?" He was right, she had been left behind from the confusion of the group. Trying to catch a bad guy was something, but a retreating girl bad guy? Yeah right!

"I think she went outside." One of the Titans turned to the dancers but could not find the small voice that had spoken. "Down here." The voice spoke again. "Oh!" Starfire knew who it was. It was the small raccoon from before that had led them to this strange and aweful place…

"Small creature, have you seen our leader?" The little raccoon stood on its toes and said;

"No, but I do know where your master of evil went." She gasped and turned to Raven and Cyborg. Her mouth turned to a shaking one. "You do not believe that…" Raven frowned. "I do."

Cyber finished for her. "Slade was already here and we just didn't know it, I'm sorry Star." Stafire became angered as she pounded at the floor. "He will be sorry that he EVER took my Robin away…" she seethed. The others watched as she floated up the steps to the very top of the building.

"Star, I don't know if you should —

But then she saw Kana and the chase was on. "Hyaaa!" Throwing herself at the cat girl she blasted at a strange emblem on the girl's attire. The ears soon became dust as did the tail and claws. The alien Titan soon lefted her up to show to the others. She, was crying…

"Sob….sniff….I- I…..I wasn't really this way….sniff…" Beastboy got back into his own shoes as he transformed into his former self. "What happened?" He asked befuddled. Kana was now as human as human got, and she could never be influenced like that again.

Raven stepped out from behind the others. "Kana was under a spell, she was turned into a spirit to help with Rokuro's plans." Kana whispered into Starifre's ear. Starifre turned now to Raven, wide-eyed. "Slade has him! Slade has taken Robin!"

/C

Soon you will begin to feel very weak. And because of the tea's ingredients, you may not feel the need to walk away. The old man…Slade, was smiling. Robin grunted as he began to feel terribly odd with his legs bucking under him. Falling to the floor with a mask not to show his eyes closing. Slade had taken care of that. Poking at the boy's body with his staff, the old man watched as the last bit of strength was vanquished from the boy entirely. Transforming back to her original form, Yoko or Veronica took hold of young Richard and began to hoist him up over her shoulder. "Let's get out of here before they begin to tell the difference." She said cruely. Slade started to take off his attire and under it was the villain's own uniform. On his belt was a part of his only mask attached to each side.

Veronica giggled simply. "I knew it! The grates come out." She reminded him of the times he'd had to let air peak through so that the mouth grates were useless for a moment's worth of time. He nodded and sighed. Lifting up the staff he made them all, disappear in a blinding light.