Chapter 12: How Many Deaths Tonight?
As I read on with what I used to have, there's less and less to actually correct (thank god my writing got better as I went), but more and more I just want to change and play with. Which is making the process slow because resisting those urges means pausing and doing something else for a while. Oops.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on electricity and shocks and the plausibility of rings of metal around wrists that make ouch.
Thanks for reading! This is the longest chapter yet, full of action and cheesy goodness.
Robin studied the wall with great care, and after many long minutes, his efforts were finally rewarded. He traced the thin crack in the concrete and saw the door was indeed tiny. It was about a head smaller than him, and Robin was short to begin with. He was about to open the door when three figures appeared behind him.
"Shh," Robin whispered to the others, motioning towards the door. They nodded and Robin slowly inched the door open. There they were. He bit his tongue and tried to remain calm, but it was difficult to swallow the urge to run in, guns blazing, and run a sword through Slade. If he were the only one here, Robin thought, he probably would do that. If it were a year ago, he definitely would have done that. But he couldn't put any other members of his team in danger, not until they could assess the situation. He lowered his head a bit so the others could see the room, too. They would move soon.
Slade was saying something, it seemed. His back was turned to them, but Raven looked to be very focused on the villain. Her arms were above her, bound to a wall by a pair of metal bands around her wrists. She sat cross-legged on the floor and her eyes were closed tightly. Robin could see her lips move ever so slightly in what he assumed was her mantra. What was Slade saying? Robin looked at Cyborg, who shrugged before continuing his infrared scan of the room. Clear, Cyborg motioned. Robin turned his attention back to the scene in front of them. Slade had moved closer to Raven and was whispering in her ear. Robin's hand twitched towards his utility belt, and just before the four moved, the scene exploded.
Raven was straining against her bonds, eyes blazing as she tried to pull away from the wall. Dark magic crackled through the air as objects flew at Slade, who dodged them with some difficulty. Robin could see electrical charges running through the wires on the ceiling and wall into the bands around Raven's wrists, but they seemed to have no effect on her. The spark of both the magic and electricity intensified, and finally Raven pulled her powers back in. Robin watched as a final, powerful shock sparked, and Raven's body convulsed with a shout of pain. Her body slammed back against the wall and her body went limp.
"Slade!" Robin yelled, the surge of anger coursing through his body like the shocks that had rushed through Raven. The other three were close behind, cannons and starbolts and fangs at the ready. Robin slammed the bird-a-rangs in his hands together to form a sword. The four stopped ten yards from Slade, their formation ready and waiting for the signal to attack.
"Of course, trying to play the knight in shining armor and save the princess. Well, Robin, I hate to disappoint you, but this is a different kind of fairytale," Slade said as he slowly took out his bo staff. He took a few steps backwards towards Raven, now standing next to her against the wall.
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted, and they all sprung into action.
"Patience, Titans," Slade said as he took a remote from his belt and pushed a button. The wall began to turn, taking Slade and Raven with it.
"No!" Robin pushed off the ground, adrenaline coursing through his muscles. With an extra step, he lunged into the air and slipped through the concrete just as the wall closed all the way.
"Robin!" Starfire called, rushing at the wall as Cyborg and Beast Boy skidded to a halt behind her.
"Stand back, y'all," Cyborg said, readying his cannon. As soon as the words left his mouth, an explosion rocked the other end of the room. A chain reaction started, and the three remaining Titans' eyes went wide.
"Run!" Beast Boy cried. Starfire zoomed back the way they came with the others close behind. She blasted the door with her starbolts, widening the opening, and they all shot through it. Starfire again sent a starbolt into the air, this time aimed at the manhole above them, making an opening big enough for a green pterodactyl holding a cyborg to fly out after her. One final explosion from the ground beneath the manhole sent the three flying across the street.
"It is most fortunate that we have taken the minutes to excavate the people of these buildings," Starfire commented, brushing asphalt out of her hair. Cyborg sat up with a groan.
"Speaking of excavation…" he grumbled, looking back at the sinkhole. "That was close. Slade wouldn't have set off those bombs if it affected them, too, so we have to get back down there. And fast."
"Is there an easier way back there?" Beast Boy asked, rubbing his head. Cyborg checked the city plan and shook his head.
"Start digging," he replied, jumping down. Starfire began blasting through the broken concrete while Beast Boy's gorilla form threw the loose chunks up out of the way. Cyborg set to work with his cannon.
…
Raven opened her eyes slowly; Slade was standing in front of her. She moved a little, but was met by a new wave of pain unrelated to the strain in her arms. A small groan escaped her lips and she swore Slade smiled.
"I see the aftereffects of the shocks are still affecting you. That tends to happen when you activate voltage of that magnitude," Slade commented, studying her as she winced. She saw a movement in the shadows beyond Slade and froze. Did someone get through? It had to be Robin. She could feel the worry, agitation, and anger rolling across the room in waves. The shadow dove behind a crate and she looked back up at Slade, who seemed to have heard something.
Raven took a deep breath and hauled herself back towards the wall, relieving some of the pressure on her shoulders but sending pain screaming through the rest of her body. She couldn't stifle the small cry, and Slade turned his attention back on you. She could feel the skin under the metal was burned, and as she moved her wrists, the rub of the metal bit into her flesh and she bit her lip.
"Nice try," Slade said dryly, turning around. "Let's see, which Titan is asking for an early death. My money is on Robin. Come out and play." Slade walked back towards the pile of crates Raven could make out in the shadows. Before she could give a warning call, Slade flew back out of the corner and slammed into the wall next to her. Raven's teeth rattled from the impact of Slade's body and a new pain coursed through her back.
Robin emerged from the shadows, the anger openly splayed across his face. He gave the sword a twirl before locking eyes with the winded Slade. And he charged.
Slade's eyes went wide and he dodged the sword just as it flew into the concrete, Robin's warrior cry close behind. The metal stuck in the wall, cutting clean into the solid material. Robin gave it one tug before abandoning it and pulling his staff from his belt, once again charging at Slade.
Caught in a retreat, Slade barely had time to bring his staff up to block the first blow. Robin followed with a swift kick that caught Slade's elbow, knocking the staff to the floor. Kicking Slade's weapon away, Robin tore into him, combining kicks with thrusts and swings of his own bo staff. Slade blocked some hits, but he was no match for Robin's unbridled adrenaline-fueled assault. He fell to his knees, trying to block Robin, but the teen sent a swift kick to the villain's gut and Slade rolled sideways, breathing heavily and not making a move to get up.
"Light's out, Slade," Robin growled, taking out a bird-a-rang. He stood over Slade and raised the weapon above his head, but before he could bring it down, Slade spun and hit Robin's legs out from under him, bringing his fist crashing up into Robin's chest as the boy fell.
Robin flew sideways with a gasping breath and scrambled to find his feet again, wheezing. Slade slowly stood up and grabbed Robin's cape, using his size to whip the hero around and fling him back towards Raven. Her eyes widened at the sight of Robin flying towards her, and just as his back was about to slam into her, he flipped around and caught himself on the wall around her. Slade was still recovering from the onslaught. Robin slid to the ground, kneeling in front of Raven.
"We will make it through this," Robin said fiercely. He glanced back over his shoulder at Slade, who was leaning heavily on his recovered staff.
"Robin," Raven started. Robin brought his lips crashing down on hers in a deep kiss, his passion and love pouring into her.
"I love you, Raven." And with that, Robin turned and sprung towards a charging Slade. His sudden action threw Slade off balance, giving Robin the opportunity to throw a punch at his face. Slade stumbled backwards, twisting away, and Robin slashed upwards with the bird-a-rang. Slade's back arched in pain as his uniform tore, blood beginning to seep through.
Raven sat helplessly on the ground, a fire burning inside her as she struggled to tear herself away from the wall. Robin was strong, and right now he was angry, but oftentimes that brash determination was his downfall. He didn't pace himself, and Raven could see the beginning of exhaustion in the set of his shoulders as he stood over Slade.
Slade swung around with a small knife in his hand and Robin managed to evade a much worse injury by leaping backwards. Only the front of his uniform was torn, Raven noticed with relief. But the relief was shortlived. Slade continued swinging and Robin continued jumping back until he met the wall. Slade pulled back to drive the knife forwards, but Robin managed to twist sideways to avoid most of the blade. The knife clattered to the floor, but there was blood on it. Robin's shoulder was slowly turning red, and he clutched it in pain as he scrambled backwards onto the pile of crates. He flung a handful of bird-a-rangs at Slade and put some distance between the two of them as one projectile buried itself in Slade's abdomen and the other in his mask. While Slade was distracted, Robin whipped a piece of cloth from his belt and tied it around his shoulder.
Slade jerked the red metal out of his cracked mask and threw it back at Robin. Executing a backflip to avoid the sharp edges, Robin landed just as Slade hurled the second one towards him. He rolled a second too late. Robin grunted in pain as the curve of the bird-a-rang tore into his leg. Raven noticed another blade had slid into Slade's hand.
"Slade!" Raven shouted, drawing his attention away from Robin for a second. Slade sneered and turned back to Robin.
"No distractions, girl," he growled, flinging the blade back towards her. It hit far off target and clattered to the floor, but it gave Robin enough time to regain his stance. The two fighters faced each other, five yards between them as they circled. The dirty ground now had smears of rusty liquid across it. Slade was bent over a bit and balancing on one leg, his hidden bruises sending pain through each movement. Robin's injuries were more visible, blood standing out more against his pale skin and bright uniform than it did on Slade's black suit. Raven saw Slade's hand twitch before Robin did, and as she yelled out, Slade threw a disc at Robin before charging the distracted teen with his staff. Robin blocked the first three blows, but the fourth plowed into his head. Robin crumpled to the ground and Raven choked back a sob. Her breaths were coming fast and hard, each one catching in her throat.
Slade bent down to grab Robin's cape, and he dragged him across the ground to drop him in front of Raven.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen," he hissed as he kneeled to pick up the knife he had thrown at Raven earlier.
"Don't touch him," Raven warned, feeling Anger straining to escape, all her other emotions cheering her on.
"I'll do whatever I please," Slade sneered. He pressed the blade against Robin's neck and droplets of blood started to leak.
"I'm warning you," Raven said, her voice dropping an octave as her eyes flashed.
"You can't do anything to help your precious boyfriend now."
A primal yell ripped through the air as Raven's eyes flickered between red and white. Anything untethered rose into the air in a maelstrom of dark energy. Slade looked around in terror and dropped Robin and the knife to the floor. The electricity shooting into Raven's body only fueled her rage, and demon strength surged through her. Raven rose from the floor and tore away from the wall, the metal bands still intact with bits of concrete and wire poking out of the backs of them. She crushed her hands together and watched as everything in the room plowed into Slade. He stumbled from the wreckage and she sent him flying backwards, sideways, down, and up into the ceiling, relentless in her attack. He fell in front of her and didn't move. With one final kick to the head, she left him and tripped back towards Robin.
"Please, please, please," she muttered as her hands glowed blue, the energy sparking a bit as she gathered all of her strength. He had more injuries than she thought. With a groan, his eyes flickered open.
"I love you," she gasped as she fell onto his chest, clutching his arms. "I love you and you almost didn't let me tell you. I thought Slade was going to kill you," she choked out.
"Are you crying?" Robin murmured, sitting up and pulling her into his lap. There was no pain: he would never get used to the magic of her healing powers.
"Yes, you jerk," Raven replied, hitting his chest with her fist. Robin kissed her.
"I'm not going anywhere, Raven," he whispered, hugging her close to his body. "I love you. I love you and I'm so sorry it took this long to tell you, that it took this long to realize."
"No," Raven said. "I'm sorry." She pressed a kiss to his lips, one hand wiping blood from his face. He pulled her back into his chest, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to be as close to him as possible. Robin buried his face in the crook of her neck, eyes closed tight, happy to have the petite girl encircled in his arms. Neither noticed the body stirring on the floor a few yards behind them.
'It really is always the quiet ones,' Slade thought as pain rippled through him. "Peek-a-boo," he said aloud. Robin and Raven whirled around and Slade grabbed Raven by the hood of her cloak and threw her back towards the wall she had recently escaped. She had no time to react, and the long hours stuck sitting in the same position had made her sluggish. She slammed into the wall with the full force of the throw and crashed to the ground, landing on hands and knees.
"Raven!" Robin cried. He leapt up with a growl, his healed body ready to battle Slade's injured one. He sent a kick at Slade's gut, but Slade somehow caught his foot and used the force of the kick to send Robin across the room. Healed didn't necessarily mean reenergized. Robin looked up to see Slade kick Raven back into the wall again, his boot connecting solidly with her abdomen with a grunt. She slowly got up and raised her head to see Slade's fist flying at her. Dropping to the floor, she ducked the punch and swung a foot around to try and knock Slade over. He easily stepped backwards out of the way.
Robin was back on his feet, muscles quivering with exhaustion. Slade knelt down to Raven and dragged her up, hands around her neck as he pressed her against the wall. Raven's hands clawed at the gloved ones around her throat, her magic spent on healing Robin.
"You really thought you could beat me?" Slade hissed. Raven weakly kicked at him. Suddenly she dropped to the floor as Robin flew into Slade's side, sending him crashing to the ground. Robin yanked his sword from the wall and helped Raven to her feet beside him.
"There will only be one death tonight, Slade. Yours," Robin said with finality. He stood tall next to Raven, sword at the ready in one hand and the other keeping Raven steady against him. Just as he expected, Slade charged towards them. Robin took one step forward and wrapped both hands around the handle of the sword.
"Go to hell," Robin said as he thrust the sword forward into Slade's chest. Slade's forward movement came to a grinding halt as he coughed blood up, stumbling. Robin twisted the weapon sideways, sending it and Slade to the ground.
"You again underestimate me. There will be," Slade gasped out, "two deaths." His shaking hand took out the remote from earlier and he pressed one last button before falling to the ground, finally still. Robin heard a spark and he turned back in horror at Raven, her mouth open in silent pain as she convulsed against the shocks running through her system. The bands around her wrists crackled and burned as she shook. A second later, the energy dissipated and Raven stood still for a moment longer, swaying and barely conscious. Then she collapsed.
"No!" Robin cried, jumping forward and catching her small body before her head hit the ground. He pried the metal bands off her wrists, the charred metal breaking easily now. There were ugly burns where they once rested.
"Raven, wake up. Listen to me, Raven, open your eyes!" Robin gently shook her, lightly tapping her face as he tried to revive her. Her breathing was slow and shallow.
"Robin," she whispered. Unwanted tears leaked from Robin's eyes as he felt her hand weakly grasp at his. She couldn't die now, not after all they made it through. Her body went limp in Robin's arms. He shouted and his hand flew to the communicator on his belt, cursing when there was no signal.
"Wake up!" Robin shook her again, pressing an ear to her chest, looking for a heartbeat. He couldn't find one over the pounding in his own chest. "Raven!"
An explosion rocked the ceiling ten yards away from where Robin knelt with Raven, and Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy dropped into the room.
"Oh god," Cyborg said. Robin held Raven up a bit towards Cyborg, an unsaid plea in his eyes. He just needed to hear she was still alive. Starfire gasped in shock and Beast Boy's face went white as they looked around the room, taking it all in. Slade's body with Robin's sword still in it, the destroyed surroundings, Robin in a torn uniform with a very still Raven in his arms…
"She has a pulse, but I don't know how much longer she can hold on," Cyborg said, his voice tight.
"We must return to the tower immediately," Starfire said as she stepped up to them, her voice steeled with resolve. "I am fastest." She knelt next to Robin, one hand on his shoulder as she looked into his eyes. "Please, friend." He stood and Starfire gently took Raven from him, turning and speeding back out of the hole. Robin followed her, his movements automatic, and Beast Boy lifted both him and Cyborg out of the hole. They left Slade facedown in a pool of blood, none caring to check the masked man, only desperate to save their friend.
Ermerhgerd!