A/N: This is a long one, but lots of good stuff in it I think. I really don't have anything of relevance to say...so enjoy.

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

Trying to Do the Right Thing

Chapter 36: That Of No Value

By: Finalitylife

Rose had not disappointed, and had been completely ready for the Titans when they had arrived the next morning. She had been sitting on the ground in the middle of the room, smiling her usual smile, with a small bag next to her. She seemed overly eager to get this 'quest' going, a visible excitement in her eye as she laid eyes upon the Titans when they arrived, though had only greeted Beast Boy with any enthusiasm, only provoking a slight blush and nervous fidgeting from the green young man.

The Titans however in no way matched the mood of Rose, a sense of total seriousness within each of them as they knew that Rose's help would either bring them right to Robin or would simply prove that in all likely, they would never see Robin again...as one of their own. Everyone did their best not to think about such things. No one wanted to think about failure, and no one especially wanted to think about having to fight Robin again.

Raven hovered quietly a few inches from the ground, appearing as if her eyes were firmly locked on the bouncing form of Rose though only she knew a part of her mind was far, far away from the direct situation at hand. She had barely remembered sleeping last night, probably no more than an hour, but she had dreamed again...nothing she wanted to think about.

Raven was not one to trust in fate, not one to believe that the cosmo's would ever fully align for her benefit despite the final defeat of her father, yet she knew that she was putting her absolute faith in the possibility of fate providing her the situation she needed to rescue Robin. Truly Raven's biggest fear was not the possibility of not finding Robin, but rather that what she needed to happen actually happeninh so that Robin could be freed. It was an almost impossibility, but from all her research, she knew there was absolutely no other way. She was putting her trust into the cruel entity that was fate to provide a situation for her that was beyond terrifying to her, to perform an act that made her absolutely weak and sick to her stomach. Raven couldn't help but think that fate owed her, but never naive enough to believe that debt would ever be paid.

"So are we ready to take off? I want to get this roadtrip under way. Its going to be so much fun." Raven made a dismissive sound toward Rose which the girl completely ignored, her attention on Cyborg waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I guess its time to get moving, though I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we actually knew where we were going."

"Oh not that far away. A few hours North of your home city. To be honest, it's the last place I saw my father at though that was several years ago...when I still was 'with' him." Rose's face darkened at her last words, though brightened up almost immediately.

"So can we go? Can we...can we can we?" Again Rose was bouncing up and down, her one hand lightly on Cyborg's arm, eagerness replaced by child-like enthusiasm as if this was a family, and they were going on vacation to an amusement park. Raven felt slightly sick again seeing this display as it truly looked like Rose was a six year old girl begging a father the way she spoke and interacted with Cyborg who had a look on his face that he wasn't sure what to exactly say or do. Raven shook her head slightly. Slade had truly warped this girl into something that really didn't seem to follow any type of reason. Again Raven couldn't help but think that the Titans might be able to help her, though at the same time she felt a barely tangible fear in her stomach every time she looked upon this white-haired girl. Raven knew it was always best to fear that which defied reason, and Rose was certainly good at doing that...unpredictable and seemingly illogical, though Raven knew there was probably so much more to this girl lying just underneath.

"Let's go Cyborg. We've wasted enough time here." Raven did not say anything else, spinning soundlessly in the air, floating toward the door leaving the Titans momentarily motionless though Rose instantly grabbed her bag and bounded after the dark empath with gleeful laughter.

--

The sun was shining, not a single cloud in the sky, and the T-car was filled with near crippling tension as it drove down the road. Of course things had been just as tense when Rose had called 'shotgun' right before leaving, drawing a standoff between her and Raven who had always sat in the passenger seat, something that had started long ago after she had made it explicitly clear she would NOT ever again sit in the backseat with Beast Boy. It also worked out that Cyborg preferred to more often that not keep Beast Boy away from the front seat where his curiosity always caused him to push buttons that shouldn't be pressed or beg to be able to drive. In the end, things settled in to the way they were, and when Rose had infringed on the status quo, Raven had not been too happy.

Rose didn't put up much of an argument, though still to this moment she was visibly pouting like she had been scolded for doing something bad, a slightly vacant look in her eye as she swung her feet back and forth sitting in between Starfire and Beast Boy who were both reluctant to say anything to the girl between them. Of course everyone was a bit reluctant to say anything to anyone which was the reason the tension remained.

The drive wouldn't be that far to the coordinates Rose had given to Cyborg, the Titans having already been close to Jump City when they had found Rose. The destination was a small mining town a few hours north of Jump City, and the Titans all felt like shivering when they thought about Slade, mines, and underground lairs, most especially Beast Boy. It only caused him to think more and more about Terra, and he really didn't want to at the moment. It just made him depressed, and less alert to what could be coming.

It was only a matter of time before Rose started perking up again which seemed to be directly connected to the fact that they were getting closer to their destination.

"Are we there yet?" Raven snapped her head around with a slight growl, clearly not wanting this game to start. Rose laughed.

"Oh I'm just kidding Rae-Rae. I'm not going to be THAT person." Raven let out a barely audible sigh of relief as she turned her head back toward the front of the car.

"And lets be honest, I'm the only one who actually knows where we're going. If I remember correctly, our destination is right over there near that mountain." Rose stood slightly and leaned forward pointing her finger at where she was talking about. She put her chest right in front of Beast Boy's face who had very little room to maneuver in his position to not look at what was right in front of him.

"Do you see it?" Beast Boy slowly nodded his head, his hormones taking a more obvious control of his mind, hat was in front of him far more important that looking off into the distance. Rose smiled as a bump hit, landing herself ever so conveniently into Beast Boy's lap.

"Oops...sorry about that Beast Boy. Hehehe...not all that sorry though, you are so very comfortable." Beast Boy felt his mouth go dry as once again he found Rose looking down upon him with sexuality radiating off of her. Again, Raven broke the strange trance she seemed to be able to put him in.

"Rose..." It was low, and almost growled out, but Raven made her demand rather clear. Rose turned to look at Raven, pouting again.

"Oh alright, I'll behave." She plopped herself back in her seat, starting to hum some tune, Beast Boy smiling at Raven slightly as a thank you. Raven worked to reign her frustration back in, something that had become constant with Rose. Raven knew that Rose enjoyed getting reactions out of people and more than likely all her 'playful' actions were to do just that. Rose had to make herself the center of attention, had to be noticed when she wanted to be...needed to be noticed...just signs of a daughter that had been neglected by her father as she grew up...been abandoned.

Again silence took over the atmosphere of the car, moving ever closer to the destination, a subtle nervousness taking over. This was it...the first time in months they were truly taking a step forward...they hoped.

Eventually, a small, rundown town came into view, cold, lifeless, and truly barren of any seemingly life, typical of mining towns where the mines had long ago run empty, no longer supporting the people of the town, leaving nothing but a broken shell of life, and the fading memories of dreams once dreamt. It was hard to tell truly if anyone even lived here anymore.

The town itself was not the destination, as the T-car passed quickly through the dead place toward the mountain that loomed above casting its shadow across the town. It simply added to the eeriness of the environment...a place that truly would be suited for Slade's tastes and purposes. The Titans knew they would have never looked to a place like this for the madman.

"Over there...there should still be an entrance there." Rose pointed, seriousness in her tone.

"I don't see anything." Beast Boy's words were mirrored within each of the Titan's head though not said.

"You're not supposed to see it. It's a secret hideout remember." Everyone nodded slightly as the T-car came to a slow stop on the rocky ground, far enough away from where Rose had pointed to not alert any security that might be active though the Titans knew if Slade was truly here, he would already know they were here. Any car passing through this area would seem strange and easily noticed, probably a reason Slade chose such a place.

There was a brief hesitation before everyone got out of the car, everyone gathering in a group with a slight uncertainty on what to do.

"So what's the plan Raven?"

"We need to be careful here. Whether Slade is here or not, this is still very dangerous. I think we should run some scans from here first to see if..."

"That will take too long. I think I have a better plan...direct approach is always more fun." Rose turned form the group and started running toward the side of the mountain, clearly sure where she was going.

"Crap...hey get back here! We need to do this carefully!" Cyborg's yell was not acknowledged by Rose who continued on her direction.

"Nothing but trouble..." grumbled Raven. "Let's follow her. At the very least, if she goes first, any traps will hit her and not us. And I imagine she knows the layout of this place. Just keep attention to everything." Everyone nodded.

The Titans made their way after Rose who seemed to be heading toward a very isolated and covered part of the mountain side that seemed to be forever in the dark. She stood there, moving her hand on a seemingly normal looking rock before a barely audible click was heard, revealing a slowly opening doorway in the mountainside. No one would have ever found that if they hadn't know it was there...well perhaps Robin, Raven thought because he always had a knack for finding things.

The Titans now stood quietly a few feet behind Rose who was completely immobile in front of the revealed doorway, not even movement of breathing. She just stood there, facing the darkness of the place beyond the doorway. Beast Boy was the one to speak.

"Rose? Are you okay?" A few seconds passed before Rose turned her head, and Raven saw the faintest trace of fear in her eye as she looked at them though it was covered up quickly.

"Fine...just waiting for you guys." Nothing else was said on the matter.

"I'll go in first. I know this place...there really shouldn't be any traps anywhere because my Father felt this place was hidden well enough to never be found. He believed it would be a waste of time and resources to booby trap this place heavily. Of course I could be wrong and the place could blow up the second we enter, but I imagine if I was truly in any danger, my powers would warn me of it. Hell of a survival mechanism." Rose's smile returned with her light mood, her somberness only moments ago truly now gone.

Rose turned back toward the opening and hesitated for just a brief second before entering. The Titans followed carefully a few seconds later.

"Man this place is dark. Cy...how about a little more light?" Cyborg answered Beast Boy's plea by turning on his shoulder mounted light, providing some illumination to the dark hallway. It was long, dark, and gently sloping down going farther into the ground, and the Titans followed Rose as she walked ahead, only glancing back occasionally.

"It's a bit of a ways down to the main compound. Maybe another 200 yards or so." The Titans followed, eventually coming to another door that seemed to be electronically locked. Rose punched in a numbered sequence into a small keypad and the door opened.

"My father isn't here." Everyone stopped for a second at Rose's slightly disappointed tone.

"How do you know that?"

"The code for this door was never changed. If he was still here, he would have changed it. My father would never be that careless. He's not here, and he doesn't value anything here still." Rose had a dark tone to her voice, with something truly unidentifiable there also. It was unnerving. However, the Titans were more concerned with the fact that Rose's logic that lead her to say what she said made perfect sense when it came to Slade. He wasn't here...they wouldn't find Robin today.

"We still need to look around. Slade may be good but he's still human...he can make mistakes. Maybe he left something here that could help us locate more of his bases, something to lead us to our next destination."

"Unlikely, but you're right, we should still look around." Everyone followed Rose through the next door, the area opening up into something more inclined to be one of Slade's hideouts with a wide open main area and various hallways and doors leading to other places.

"Cyborg...you, Starfire and Beast Boy search over that way...check the main computer over there. I'll go with Rose to the other side."

"You sure about that Raven?" Raven knew what Cyborg was truly asking wasn't if they really should split up, but rather, did she really want to be alone with Rose.

"Yeah I'm sure Cyborg. It will move things quicker."

"Aw thanks Rae-Rae. I'm flattered you'd pick me to walk around with." Raven did not take the bait, and simply brushed past Rose toward a nearby hallway.

"Let's go. I don't want to be here all day." Rose nodded, seemingly taking on Raven's seriousness as she followed.

--

Raven and Rose searched a few empty rooms that had once probably been used for storage, or housing of a sadistic madman's murderous mechanical army. Everything was now gone though...Slade wasn't here, and Raven felt a bit of anger inside of her wanting to bubble to the surface. Anger at not finding Slade, anger at the futility of everything they were doing, and anger at herself for failing Robin once again. Rose seemed to sense this and didn't bait Raven into any argument, almost not saying anything at all.

The two young women came to another door, this one different in that it was also electronically locked. Rose punched in another code and the door opened, a decent amount of light still on in this room. This place had power still though Raven didn't really know where it was coming from. What Raven immediately noticed about this room before even entering was the smell of it...blood was in the air as well as a few other smells she associated with the Titans infirmary or a hospital. It was not a smell that Raven liked at all, cringing slightly as the stale air hit her in the face.

Raven slowly stepped into the room, though Rose did not seem to follow right away. There were various machines around the room though none of them were on, and in the middle of the room was a hospital bed that had blood stains on it along with a table of menacing, blood stained surgical tools. Seeing them gave Raven a sick feeling in her stomach, brief flashes of an eyeless Robin in her head.

"What happened here?" Raven asked the question softly to herself, not really expecting an answer though she did receive one.

"Slade performed an experimental procedure to replace a person's normal eyes with cybernetic implants to enhance their vision greatly. On one of the rare instances, Slade botched the experiment, though in no way did he care. This was merely a test to fine tune the procedure so if it failed, he didn't truly care. The 'test subject' however lost her right eye in the process with no successful replacement leaving her with only one functioning eye. Slade deemed this an acceptable loss as the test subject was no longer of relevance to him. She was soon after left for dead on the streets of a nearby city, abandoned like a piece of trash."

Raven found herself holding her breath as Rose's detached, almost robotic tone of voice told her this information, talking as if what happened, hadn't happened to her, almost like she was simply reading a news article in the paper. She had called Slade by his name rather than father...never saying father as she spoke, and the complete lack of any identifiable emotion was far more unsettling than if she had been angry, or hateful, or at least upset. It was terribly unnatural. Raven slowly found her breathing again, and turned to look at Rose who had disappeared from the room without Raven having noticed. Of course she couldn't blame her for not wanting to be in this room...horrifying memories indeed.

It was then that Raven noticed the smallest of blinking lights across the room on a television monitor. It appeared to be the only light on any of the machines active. Raven floated over toward the monitor, pushing a button and the television came to life, the chilling visage of Slade staring back at her, and Raven barely stopped herself from flinching back at his sudden appearance. Soon Slade's smooth voice was heard as he began speaking, though it was also noticed that there was a young girl screaming in the background of this recording, a familiar voice screaming in terrible pain and almost madness.

"The experiment though I hate to admit it was a failure, but I have learned enough from the surgery to be able to be successful next time I perform it. It was an acceptable failure, nothing of value lost in the process. The test subject has lost the use of its right eye, only furthering its uselessness to me."

Slade could be seen turning slightly, allowing whatever was recording to see a younger version of Rose sitting on the ground, her one hand covering her right eye socket as blood continued to seep out despite her trying to stop it. Her normally white pristine hair was bloody as well, her body convulsing as she screamed in pain, a nearly animalistic quality to her screams as her other hand thrashed around in front of her, screaming barely understandable for her father to help her. Slade did not seem to be concerned at all by this. He turned back toward the recording device with no emotion in his eye.

"The unpredictability of the test subject's power continues to make it worthless to me as it still is unable to summon it at will nor all the time. It is a total failure in almost all regards, and I will rid myself of its unnecessary presence soon enough. I would be more bothered by the failure of it had I not expected it from the beginning, this one far inferior to my two sons who also were failures. However, I do not think I will kill it...it would be a waste of a bullet I think."

Raven felt herself clenching her fists in rage as Slade's horrible words continued. This man...this thing...how could he do that to his own daughter! Nothing but a test subject, referring to her as it rather than daughter, Rose or even she. Showing no concern as she lied on the floor bleeding begging for his help. It was at this moment that Raven truly knew she could kill Slade, and probably not hesitate...he was not a man...he was only a monster that needed to be stopped.

"Tomorrow I prepare the arduous process of move my operations from this place to Jump City. Establishing a new base will take time, but it will be worth it I think. I've discovered a potential new subject, and I believe this one is very special despite having no powers. I believe I have found the one I have been searching for...the one who can truly follow in my footsteps. I just need to show him what his true potential is." Rose's screams continued as Raven could tell Slade was smiling underneath his mask at that moment, as the scream turned itself off as there was no more recording.

So that was when Slade came to Jump City and started his quest for Robin...that was how it all began. And Rose...the poor girl...the poor girl. Raven truly felt like crying for her just as she wanted to cry for Robin, but she kept her emotions in check. Crying would accomplish nothing...defeating Slade would.

One of Raven's most horrifying thoughts was that she knew why Slade had left this one recording to be found here despite taking everything else. He left it to be found by Rose, a final insult to the person he didn't even truly see as a human...Slade would pay...how a human being could truly be such a cruel bastard was almost beyond Raven's understanding, and she tended to understand everything. Raven's communicator came to life, Cyborg asking her to come back to the main room. Raven turned and floated out of the room, not being able to move fast enough to get away from this horrible place. She would not tell Rose about the recording.

--

Meanwhile Rose walked quietly farther down the hallway, complete familiarity with this place...this was her home...this was where she spent a majority of her life growing up...this is where her father...Rose stopped herself from her thoughts. She didn't want to think about it. Rose finally came to her destination, stopping at a metal door she knew all too well. She opened it up and stepped in, a rush of so many emotions hitting her instantly as she saw her room...her room. The place was barely distinguishable as the room of a young girl, Slade having felt anything that wasn't absolutely necessary would not be given to her, but it had been her room, and the only place she ever truly felt safe when she lived here...as everyone she ever cared about 'left' her just like her mother had after she had been born.

She walked slowly over toward her bed and sat down on the harsh mattress, truly wanting to just curl up in a ball, but an object on the bed drew all her attention. It was a small teddy bear, an object her brother Jericho had given to her in secret with clear instructions to never let their father know she had it. Rose whimpered slightly as she picked up the small bear, a tear rolling down her cheek as she hugged it tightly to her chest, for a moment, reverting to an 8 year old child alone in the world. Her brother's act of kindness...another tear rolled down her cheek...Rose feared that act of weakness is what inevitably doomed her brother in the eye of Slade...cost him his life. He was gone...all because of her...and him. Rose squeezed the bear even tighter, this place was her home...this place was her past...and as Rose had said before, there was nothing here that was any value to Slade...there was nothing...

--

Raven came back to the main room finding the other three Titans but not Rose. She wasn't exactly sure where she was at the moment though she doubted it truly was important. She would appear soon enough. Cyborg had a grim look on his face.

"Did you find anything?" Cyborg shook his head angrily.

"Absolutely nothing. The whole system has been wiped clean, and there's no backups or anything. This was nothing but a waste of time. There's absolutely nothing here...no proof Slade or anybody ever was here." Raven felt her shoulders sag slightly. Nothing...there was nothing.

"And here I thought Rose actually knew what she was doing. She's just leading us to another dead end. Dammit! I thought we had something this time. We haven't gotten anywhere." Raven nodded thought kept completely quiet, a dull pain in her heart that once again her hopes had been high only to have nothing to show for it. It was becoming harder and harder to deal with it all.

"Don't worry Cyborg. I'm sure Rose has more information for us. Let's not lose hope yet." Even Raven struggled to believe the validity of her words. It was at this moment that a very downcasted Rose came in to the room, immediately gaining everyone's attention. She looked down at the ground, not looking at any of them.

"Sorry I disappeared Raven. There was something I had to look at." Her voice was empty as she continued walking, still not looking up, and Raven realized she was just going to walk right past all of them. Raven grabbed her arm carefully to stop her, and that's when it happened. Raven felt something flow through her at the contact and quickly broke the contact falling back a few steps away from Rose, and Rose's head snapped up with a strange look on her face, but most startling was the fact her one eye had turned completely white.

"What the?" Raven was the one to figure it out.

"I think its her powers...I think she's having a vision." Beast Boy rushed over catching Rose before she could fall over, holding her as she shook for a few seconds before her body relaxed. Her one eye returned to normal and focused on Beast Boy. Rose smiled as she raised her slightly shaky hand and gently caressed Beast Boy's cheek which caused him to blush.

"Thank you..." It was soft, kind and genuine and Beast Boy despite being nervous couldn't help but smile.

"Um...you're welcome." Beast Boy slowly helped Rose to her feet, her movements still shaky.

"Did you just have a vision Rose?" Rose nodded.

"Oh yeah...I only rarely get ones like that...one's where I'm just hit out of nowhere with something that doesn't directly involve me. Its like when you touched me Raven, I was suddenly connected to someone else, but not you." Raven felt her heart skip slightly at the reality that somehow Rose had entered in to the remnants of her and Robin's bond. What had she seen?.

"It must beRobin...what did you see... please tell us what you have seen?" Starfire voiced everyone's thoughts, her voice soft and pleading.

"Alright...just give me a second." Rose took a deep breath, clearly processing what she had seen.

"I get the impression that its something that will happen very soon. Slade...he was sending his apprentice out...on his first mission...but I get the feeling it was something Robin chose to do...he's going after someone...he wants to hurt someone... but I don't know who...its all very vague but there's anger, a lot of anger on Robin's face" Everyone listened intently, trying to make sense of it.

"What did Slade do to him? What did Slade twist him into? He is going to pay...he is so going to pay for this." Cyborg's fist slammed into the wall, denting the metal easily with his frustration while Raven stood there quietly contemplating.

"Rose...you know how your father's mind works...what type of mission would he truly allow Robin to venture out on for his first." Rose took a second to think.

"Well for one, my father would never let him out until he was sure he was almost completely ready. The first mission would be a final test...to see if Robin could truly hurt someone that was once on his side." Rose's voice seemed to quiver slightly though none of the Titans knew why, unaware that she again was thinking about her brother, and how he had been unable to hurt her when he had been ordered to.

"Now I don't think it would be any of you...Slade wouldn't take the chance, despite all the power and control he holds, wouldn't take the chance that his closest friends would be able to reach him somehow or know of someway to break the magic that binds him. No...he wouldn't make that mistake again. It would be someone close but not too close...someone skilled but not too powerful...someone Robin would consider a rival...someone Robin would want to test his training and strength against..."

The Titans thought about the words carefully, but one word had rung like a warning bell in Raven's head the second she heard it...rival...

"I know who he's going after..." Everyone turned toward Raven who looked very unnerved, something that only set everyone else on edge except for Rose who seemed to be calming down and becoming her usual self.

"How far are we from Jump City?"

"Um about four hours...why Raven...what's going on?"

"We have to get moving now!" Everyone immediately reacted to the raise in Raven's normally neutral voice, chasing after her as she flew back toward the surface.

"We need to get there as soon as we can."

"No problem Raven. Just leave that to me and my baby."

"How about you let me drive Mr. Cyborg?" Cyborg looked down at Rose with a look of complete shock on his face that anyone would dare as to drive his baby.

"And why the hell should I let you of all people drive my car?" Rose smiled a cocky smile.

"Because when your going as fast as we probably need to be going, it really helps to be able to see into the future...it's a great heads up on oncoming traffic." Beast Boy commented to Cyborg.

"She's got a point Cyborg." Cyborg went to argue, but really couldn't, even his cybernetics couldn't match up against that talent, and from the tone of Raven's voice, he knew just how urgent this all was. For Robin, he would even let someone drive his baby.

"You even scratch my baby, I'll hurt you."

"No you won't. You're one of the good guys." Rose doing her best to wink at Cyborg as she got into the drivers seat, leaving a slightly stunned Cyborg for a moment.

"Nothing but trouble..." The race was on to Jump City.

--

Three hours later, a happy tune was whistled casually yet flawlessly as the feet proceeded down the street, a bounce to his step, his bow hanging over his back. Speedy had met the most gorgeous girl tonight, blonde, blue eyes, curves in all the right places with the longest legs he had seen in awhile. He had saved her from a mugger, the guy had run screaming the second he had seen Speedy, obviously not the highest caliber of criminal.

Once the criminal had gone, Speedy had turned on the charm to the still frightened girl as she clung to his arm with never-ending gratitude and affection. A few choice words, some reassurance, and Speedy had yet another date for the weekend. He couldn't even really keep track of how many he had but this new girl...he might just have to cancel half of them to make more time for her...she was something special. Speedy could tell just by looking at her body.

He continued to whistle his happy tune completely oblivious to two glowing red cybernetic eyes watching him from underneath a very familiar mask on a very familiar face. The figure resisted the urge to growl upon seeing Speedy, refusing to make any sound or movement. Speedy would pay for what he did...him and Raven...Robin's hand began to shake slightly, Robin calming his warring emotions within the best he could. He needed to be in complete control...just as Slade had taught him...it would give him greater strength...for vengeance. The back of his mind told him to stop, but he just couldn't. Someone had to pay...had to...he had to...Robin slowly disappeared back into the shadows with a smile on his face.

Speedy continued his leisurely pace when suddenly he heard a young woman's scream from a nearby alleyway. Speedy smiled.

"She sounds hot...time to go to work." Speedy raced over toward the alleyway, grabbing a bow almost instantaneously notching one of his energy arrows. He raced with absolute confidence into the very dark alleyway, looking for any sign of movement not finding any. Another scream echoed from the very end of the alleyway, and Speedy moved farther in, making a startling discovery when he finally hit the dead end. Attached to the wall was a device that was artificially making the woman's scream...to draw him in.

"Ah crap..." Speedy with his keen senses could hear someone drop from high above to the ground a few feet behind him with a threatening aura, and Speedy immediately spun around letting loose his arrow dead on the target only for the arrow to be caught between the middle and index finger on the assailants right hand only inches from meetings it target with seemingly no effort at all. Speedy could only stare wide-eyed at the amazing feat considering how close they were but also because he recognized who was standing in front of him.

"Robin..."