A/N: Wow chapter 30...how far we've come...another month and it will be a year since I've started this story...that's just crazy...let's hope one day it actually ends...and the second part of this story will definitely not be as long as the first...so maybe its actually getting close. I don't know. Well enjoy...this chapter is a bit twisted. Thanks to those few reviews I got...always pleasant to read.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, but hey, I think we all knew that already

Trying to Do the Right Thing

Chapter 30: Taken

By: Finalitylife

3 months later...

Run...Run...that was all the man could think about. Get as far away from that...that thing as humanly possible. It seemed to come right out of the night itself...living shadow, and those eyes...especially those eyes...burning crimson of hell. He needed to get out of here. He ducked into a nearby alleyway hoping that whatever was chasing after him would not be able to find him though he sincerely doubted it...he could feel those eyes still upon him, ready to set his very soul ablaze.

The only sound was his panicked breathe and the occasionally drop of rain coming from a heavily overcast sky. He struggled to quiet his breathing as a result of exhaustion from funning so far so fast as well as near hyperventilation from fear.

That's when he heard it.

"Did you really think you could run from me? Foolish human." Demonic yet feminine at the same time... terrifying all the same.

"Please don't hurt me...please just leave me alone...I didn't do anything wrong." Dark laughter.

"Oh you've done plenty wrong...all those petty crimes you commit, all the people you hurt...you've only brought this on yourself."

"Oh God...Oh God..."

"God will not help you now..." The darkness seemed to be swirling around him, inching ever closer, two burning eyes the only visible thing around him, focused completely on him. It almost sounded like hisses and growls were coming from the very air all around him.

"Please...please don't kill me...I'll do anything..."

"Indeed...now tell me...what do you know about the name Rose...and I will know if you are lying...you will pay severely if you are lying..."

"Oh god...Rose... I don't know any Rose..." The walls of the alleyway started shaking and cracking, as a growl worsened.

"Liar...liars must suffer..."

"I don't know any Rose I swear but I've heard of a Rose...she just came to the city but nobody messes with her...somewhere on the East side of town...please that's all I know...please don't kill me." The ground and walls started shaking harder, the sound becoming almost deafening to the frightened man, him losing control of his bodily functions.

"Now that wasn't so hard...its too bad this was the easy part...your death shall take days...never ending blood and pain..." The eyes suddenly sped forward at the man and he simply couldn't take anymore, finally succumbing to unconsciousness, the sheer terror overwhelming him entirely. His body fell quietly to the ground...the dark of the night becoming completely still again except for the small form of Raven floating just above the ground with a blank expression on her face as her eyes slowly faded from red back to their normal color. Not that long later, the three other Titans approached the alleyway, finally catching up to Raven and the one she pursued. Cyborg lead the three.

"Raven?"

"I'm right here Cyborg." The three finally saw her floating motionlessly in the air, not even the wind seemingly affecting her.

"Did you catch him?"

"Yes...he's unconscious right over there." Cyborg walked toward the prone form of the man they had been chasing.

"Any one else smell piss?"

"I believe he wet himself from fright." Cyborg grimly shook his head.

"Not another one Raven. You have got to stop this. You're going to end up really hurting someone one of these times with that shit. Do you have any idea how truly terrifying you can be with your powers when you want to?"

"I do." Cyborg growled slightly.

"Then you understand my point." Raven barely paid any attention, almost dismissing Cyborg with silence which annoyed him further.

"Did you hear me Raven?" Raven turned her head almost in a bored manner.

"Can you tell me an easier way to extract information from these thugs this quickly? Rose is in the city...east side of the city. We should concentrate our efforts there." Cyborg nodded at the new information, not pushing any further on the previous topic of conversation with Raven...she looked like she was in one of her moods...moods that were becoming more frequent as of late.

Cyborg checked the vitals of the unconscious man just to make sure he was okay before walking out of the alleyway back toward the other Titans who had gathered there. Three months...three months they had searched for Rose since the first attempt at finding her and never once had they actually encountered her...never once seen this elusive person. She truly was a ghost though they think they had discovered why.

There were plenty of rumors everywhere about Slade or his daughter and sometimes the ones about Slade were completely ridiculous though it was assumed all the misinformation was created by the madman himself to hide the real truths. His daughter herself had quite a name out there as well though nothing truly malevolent seemed to be attached to it. People feared her but the true reasons always seemed to be elusive though one thing seemed to be clear: Rose was not completely human it would seem or at the very least had meta human abilities.

It seemed that she was notorious for always knowing when things would happen, knowing about attacks before they would happen, knowing about threats before they even presented itself...some type of physic ability that made her truly formidable...and impossible to catch. That was why she always seemed to be a step ahead of them all...because she always knew when they would come and simply disappear before the Titans arrived. It was beyond frustrating to the Titans though they never once relented in their pursuit of the ghost that was Rose. They had to find her...they had no choice.

Three months had passed and everyday all they could think about was Robin and what could be happening to him in all this time. This was far longer than he had been gone last time Slade had made him his apprentice and even then, Slade had made Robin rather public in his purpose. This time, there were no clues and no attacks...there was nothing, absolutely nothing.

Despite the time taking its toll on everyone, it by far was affecting Raven the most. She was becoming more withdrawn despite spending so much time with her friends, becoming quicker to anger and upset, and rarely did she say anything that did not warrant necessity. It truly reminded them all of the Raven of old and no one wanted to see her build that wall back up again around herself though no one was sure how to stop her. Robin would have known exactly what to do but Robin was gone...nowhere to be found. Sometimes Cyborg believed it was all just a result of Raven's new total freedom of emotions...freedom from her father for the first time, and that as things became more emotionally severe, she just couldn't handle it. One almost forgot that it was not that long ago the world had in fact ended, that Trigon had fallen...it really felt like years ago...so very long ago.

Raven's patient had long run out with this pursuit yet it showed no signs of ever relenting. How do you catch someone who always knows your coming? You can't, its that simple. The Titans had almost pondered taking a break, heading back to Jump City for a little while to rest, especially with the condition Raven was deteriorating into, but then they knew stopping would probably only make things worse and would only increase the time that Slade had Robin which was already far too long already.

The Titans silently, in a single file line like some weary funeral procession, made their way back to the T-car to further their pursuit. They had a general vicinity now which meant the search had to begin immediately which in turn meant probably no sleep tonight. The Titans were tired, so very tired, but it had to be done. Maybe tonight would be different...maybe...

--

Robin stared at himself in a half broken mirror, studying the newly formed scars on his body from his time with Slade. Each one was a mark of weakness in Slade's eyes and in Robin's eyes...they were simply a reminder that Slade was still utterly and completely in charge. Robin easily noticed that he had spurted up about two inches in height, maybe finally hitting a growth spurt. Of course it could all just be residual effect from the various drugs and substances Slade seemed to randomly inject into him. It was like he had become a human lab rat for Slade along with being Slade's punching bag and apprentice. It was all very draining though even Robin had to admit, he was becoming stronger, tougher, and more focused than he had ever been before...rising above what he had been as a titan.

Robin shook his head, clearing the near treacherous thoughts from the surface of his mind. He couldn't think like that...couldn't...the Titans were still out there, still searching for him undoubtably. A darker voice whispered that they had given up by now, left him for dead, but really how long had it been? Robin had no idea...time was irrelevant as sleep...and pain. This simply was...undeniably so...

Robin pulled on the rest of his uniform, leaving off much of the armored plating as Slade told him he would not need it for awhile. Slade had something planned, this much Robin knew, and his instincts told him this would be the worst yet to come. Things had been mild...mild by Slade's standards lately which meant something was on the horizon...more blood to be spilled.

Slade's smooth voice erupted from the intercom system, echoing the entire complex that was truly massive in its entirety, probably able to house an entire army on its own, and from Robin knew, there was indeed an army within his home of robotic minions, ready to carry out their master's plans just as Robin had no choice but too.

"Apprentice...come to the infirmary immediately." Robin could hear the communication click off, the orders made clear to him. Robin took one more look at himself in the mirror, before slamming his fist into the already broken mirror, shattering it completely. His own appearance truly disgusted him...such a weakling still.

Robin walked toward his destination and a perfectly tuned pace of a soldier, the echo of his boots with each step carrying down the empty hallways. The rhythmic sound was soothing...probably the only thing that had been soothing for him in a long, long time. Weeks? Months? Years? Did it even matter anymore? A day was too much to be under the control of this madman, and it surely had been far longer than that.

In his time here, Slade still remained almost a complete mystery. The man was never seen eating, sleeping, or doing anything a normal human would do though Robin knew in his gut he did these things...just never in front of prying eyes. Slade was found of sitting on his 'throne', preaching philosophy or some strange sociology view to Robin, explaining why things are the way they are, and how one must adapt to these undeniable truths. Robin despised to admit it, but Slade did make a lot of sense...much of his logic impossible to argue with, so easy to agree with. It was what it was.

Robin finally arrived at his destination, the smooth, metallic door sliding open almost silently, revealing the low lit sterile room that served as the place where Robin was healed and experimented on. Slade stood in the middle of the room, next to a hospital bed, numerous tables of equipment surrounding him filled with various tools and many things Robin could not recognize.

"What do you want Slade?" Robin could tell he was grinning.

"I've decided to impart on to you a gift to aid you in becoming stronger. You are going to undergo a procedure that will help increase your abilities."

"What type of procedure?" Robin felt his stomach grow heavy at this conversation, wanting to flee as fast as he could from this place but he knew he could not.

"Quite simple my boy. I am going to replace your eyes with special ocular implants that will provide you with tremendously increased vision as well as the ability to see in several spectrums that normal humans never could. Consider it a gift if you will."

"You sick, twisted..."

"Silence apprentice." Slade's stern order is immediately followed, Robin's body seizing up at his command as the unseen burning flames anew within his very soul. Robin clutched his hands into fists at the pain knowing it will not go away.

"Now lie down on the bed so I can begin. This will take time and careful work on my part. Though I loath to admit it, I have failed one in this procedure though that was more of a test than anything. I can ensure you, I would not attempt it on my greatest apprentice unless I knew it would work. You are far too valuable to waste a possibly flawed attempt on." Robin's body moves almost on its own accord settling on his back on the bed, realizing that these are the last moments he will ever see with human eyes...his eyes. Robin tried to force his body to move, but every movement defied the orders set down by Slade, causing flare ups of extreme pain, quickly sapping his strength and will, leaving him slightly disoriented...slightly more accepting of his Master's gift. Robin fought against the final thought but it things just weren't as clear as they had been only moments ago.

Slade stared down with his one, cold gray eye, removing Robin's coveted mask from his face, revealing two cold, blue eyes that stared defiantly up even as his body provided no resistance.

"There will be no anesthesia used. You are stronger than that. However, just in case, do not scream...that is an order." Pain...only more pain. There was no sanctuary, no peace, no hope. Robin looked up as a sharp, metal tool came closer to his eyes with Slade lording over him in the background...this would be the last thing Robin would ever see with his human eyes...eyes that were perfect replicas of his long dead mother's beautiful eyes...eyes that would never gaze upon the beauty that was Raven ever again. Robin never once screamed.

--

Raven awoke to find herself in her bed in the tower, her home. How? This wasn't possible. They had been searching for Robin in some far off city, this she was sure of. They had just finished up their latest lead and taken a few hours to rest. She quickly got out of bed grabbing her nearby cloak to cover herself. Something was wrong, this much she knew...this much her powers told her as they seemed chaotic at best at this moment. She pushed her communicator to contact Cyborg but found nothing happening. She pushed it again and again, but received no response from the piece of electronic. Something was indeed wrong.

She phased through her door out into the hallway, no lights being found on in the hallway...no sounds... eeriness at its most complete. Raven didn't want to admit it but she was scared. She floated carefully down the hallway, expecting almost anything. What she found she had not been expecting at all.

Raven passed by Robin's door to find it open completely. No one should be in there...no one. Raven growled to herself as she floated menacing into Robin's room, quietly asking for forgiveness in the back of her mind for invading his privacy again. However, all her threatening anger was gone when she found a young man in a familiar red, green, and yellow uniform standing within the room with his back to her, her heart coming to a dead stop.

"Robin..." It barely sounded like her own voice, so quiet, disbelieving, and pleading all at the same time. Robin did not respond, did not move.

"Robin...please tell me its you...please tell me I'm not dreaming...please tell me the last three months have been nothing but a nightmare?" Raven watched with hopeful eyes as Robin slowly turned around, realizing that his mask was in fact not in. Raven waited to be greeted by Robin's handsome face and his perfect, blue eyes but instead, her breathe was caught in her throat in absolute horror.

There were no eyes...nothing except empty sockets staring back at her, yet somehow still staring right into her.

"No...no...no..." The emptiness continued to bore into her as pain started wracking her body, causing her to collapse. Terrible emotions of pure hatred and rage, reminders of her father poured into her but this time she knew...she this was from Robin. Raven screamed...it was all she could do.

For the second time since the search for Robin began, Raven awoke screaming in the night, quickly gathering her friends to her side. This time was far worse than they remembered, and they all instantly knew she had somehow connected to Robin again, and Robin had been suffering terribly. Her body was near convulsing, siezuring, and they did their best to try and get her body to relax to no avail. Raven could not hear their voices, could not see their concerned faces. All Raven could see was those empty sockets and knew, she would never see those blue eyes she loved so much ever again. Her stomach contents were soon emptied on to the floor.