Disclaimer: If I could I would. But I don't.

A/N: Haha…wow, guys. You've officially set a record for the most reviews for a chapter EVER. You all did exactly what my roomie predicted: that you would all weep like small children (her exact words) and flail madly.

You set off a terrific blast to my 4-day weekend with all of the reviews. Thanks a bunch!

So…who's figured out what Bruce's problem is? I know some people have it already figured out. Even if you don't get it now things will be explained.

I will attempt to finish this story before November, since NaNoWriMo is coming up and I want to focus on that (even though I have NO time). If you're participating in the madness you should add me as a writing buddy (I'm under the name "crazymistborn") so that we can all suffer together.

"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."

-T.S Eliot

The Waste Lands (The Burial of the Dead)

Part 5: Trigon's Daughter, The Empath's Tale

Chapter 23: Dust

-BW-

10:28pm

Gotham City

Arkham Asylum

Batman stared at the road ahead, his gloved hands gripping the steering wheel of the Batmobile tightly. His boot pressed the gas pedal to the floor as he sped along the curvy dirt path to the legendary asylum where nearly all of his incarcerated arch-enemies resided.

Truth be told, he hated going there. One could almost smell the insanity wafting through the cold hallways of Arkham. It practically seeped through the cement walls and permeated everything and everyone with its soft caresses. It crept up on the unsuspecting and struck even the most level-headed people in Gotham. Even the doctors who worked there could go insane. The Scarecrow and Harley Quinn were good examples. Crane was simply insane and Harley…well, anyone would have to be unstable to start with to fall in love with a madman like the Joker.

That was Gotham for you.

It was a little late, to be sure, but Dr. Arkham would just have to suck it up and let him in at this late hour. It wasn't as if he expected the Dark Knight to show up for the afternoon visitation hours. Besides, the safety of Gotham City was at stake. If the Joker was behind all this then Batman had to make sure that Black Mask still believed Batman to be oblivious about his drug ring.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said through the radio. "Tune into the news."

"I'm a little busy, Alfred."

"Sir, I think this is something you want to hear."

Batman didn't like the sound of Alfred's voice. It reminded him too much of the time Alfred told him he had to see the footage of the break-in at Wayne Enterprises. Baffled, Batman tuned to the radio until the static changed smoothly into a female reporter's voice.

"And in other news, the Jump City Police Department is completely baffled as to why there has been a massive blackout in Jump City. All backup generators were fried when the criminal known as Overload wrecked the generators. The Teen Titans, last seen battling Overloard, are nowhere to be found. The Jump City Police Department urges anyone with information about the Titans' whereabouts to come forward."

What?

Batman eased his foot off of the gas pedal. His first instinct was to head straight back to Wayne Manor to the Batcave so that he might investigate this matter further. Of course, he was on the other side of the country and couldn't do anything physically to help Dick and his team. What if he contacted the Justice League? He put a hand to his belt and found that his JLA communicator was gone. What the hell? Where did it go? He must have forgotten it back in Crime Ally.

Never mind.

Arkham Asylum was right there, just a few minutes away from where he was now. Here he was, so close to his destination. So close to the thing that had been bothering him since last night. Yet again, Batman found himself at a standstill. He was torn between finishing this business with Clayface and helping Robin. Maybe he should have hopped on a flight to Jump that afternoon. Maybe he should have—

Something caught his eye.

Someone dressed in bright orange darted out from behind a tree and back into the darkness. Batman slammed hard on the brakes. The slight drizzle wetted the road just enough for the Batmobile to hydroplane. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he swerved to a halt.

Whoa! Bruce thought. What the hell was that?

Smoke curled above the Batmobile as Batman stepped out into the cold dark night. The only lights around was the bright headlights of the Batmobile and the faint lights from the small windows of Arkham. Even if there was a moon the clouds covered the night sky completely.

Utter darkness.

"Master Bruce? Master Bruce!" Alfred said over the Bat communicator. "The entire Justice League is waiting outside the door."

Alfred's words went over Batman's head. If the Justice League wanted to see him, then they would have to drag him back to Wayne Manor. Even with all of their powers at their disposal Batman knew them well enough to evade them if he wanted to. But never mind them.

There was only one kind of person who would be out and about wearing bright orange: an escaped criminal. Batman glanced at the ominous jagged outline of Arkham Asylum. Did they know that one of their convicts had escaped? The alarms weren't ringing. There were no search parties out. Still, maybe this was a criminal known for being ultra-sneaky. Perhaps no one knew that someone had escaped.

Batman put the Batmobile on lockdown and turned off the headlights. He placed a finger to his cowl and turned on his night vision. He scanned the surrounding area, waiting for the mysterious figure to appear again. After a moment Batman advanced towards the tree line.

His boots squished into the muddy ground as he walked forward. Who could have escaped? He heard someone laughing softly, the noise echoing all around him. Batman whipped his head around, looking for the source of the noise. He knew that laugh anywhere.

"The Joker."

As though in response, an orange-clad Joker stepped out from behind a tree. A wicked smile spread across his face as he waved at Batman joyfully. Before Batman could respond the Joker turned tail and disappeared back into the trees.

Batman's eyes narrowed. What would Alfred and Dick and the rest of the League say now? Here was solid proof that the Joker was out wrecking havoc. Batman wasn't crazy. Here was the reason why he had to be obsessive about the Joker. Batman's hands formed fists. How did the Joker get out?

He began to chase him.

-AK-

9:11pm

Jump City, California

Kane Residence

Adeline stood next to the window and stared out into the darkness, smoke curling out of the cigarette hanging from her lips. Behind her Joey bustled around the living room, lighting candles and setting them in strategic places.

A blackout wasn't the most curious thing to have happened to her or Joey.

Sighing, she took out the cigarette and smashed it into an ashtray. She really needed to quit. It was just…ever since divorcing Slade she just smoked more and more. For a long time she managed to forget about her husband for a while…until that boy showed up at her front door.

"Is this enough?" Joey asked, tapping her on the shoulder to catch her attention. "Or should I light some more?"

"No, that's plenty."

Adeline brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She tracked Slade to Jump City, but never confronted him. Neither of them could probably handle a confrontation. What she told the boy about Slade was true.

As a civilian she never cared much for the superhero world. Batman always swung between a successful and well-trained vigilante and a first-class nut job. His kid was such a pleasant contrast to Gotham's gruff Dark Knight. Robin didn't do anything to deserve what Slade did to him.

"I wonder when the power will come back on," Joey mused.

"Maybe they'll be broadcasting on the radio," Adeline said, turning around and heading towards the bookshelf. "It looks as if the whole city is out."

She took down a radio resting on the bookshelf and checked to see if it had batteries in it.

Too bad the powerlines were down. It wasn't as if she couldn't function without electricity—Adeline was a military woman after all—but it was merely inconvenient. Ever since Robin mentioned that he contacted Wintergreen, Adeline had been meaning to contact the man herself. Like Robin, she held nothing against Wintergreen and cared for his well-being.

Slade caused so many people so much pain. If only he hadn't volunteered for that medical experiment then everything could have been normal. Grant wouldn't be dead. Joey wouldn't be mute or a Metahuman. And that poor boy wonder…

Not until after Robin went missing did Adeline suspect that something was amiss in Jump City. Perhaps she was one of the few who knew what was happening. As his former wife, Adeline understood Slade better than anyone. That medical experiment that gave him his powers messed with his head, making him more dangerous and intelligent than before.

What on earth made him think that he needed an apprentice?

Was it because Grant was dead? Because Adeline made sure that he never saw or touched Joey again? Since he couldn't have access to his own sons—especially Grant—he went after the Bat's kid instead? Like everyone else in Jump City, she watched the news with baited breath during that month Robin went missing. People suspected that Slade might be behind it (he was the Titans' greatest foe after all) but only Adeline could guess at the truth.

She didn't need to ask Robin to know that Slade knew his secret identity. Robin betrayed that fact alone through the way he talked and acted about Slade. Why else would he be so frightened? She wouldn't expect anything less from Slade. And if Slade knew Robin's secret identity then it was only natural that Slade probably knew Batman's identity.

But knowing what Slade planned to do wasn't enough to stop him from doing it. Although she did not allow Robin's comment about not helping him jar her, she did feel guilty all the same.

While she neither approved nor disapproved of this superhero vigilante business at least the Titans were trying to do good in this world. She glanced at Joey, who was reading a book by candlelight. Even though he was a Metahuman he didn't feel the need to become a costumed vigilante.

At least not yet.

This whole dust business seemed to have sent shockwaves throughout the superhero community. Just the other day she thought she saw a red-and-gold blur streaking through town. That must have been the Flash. And every time she turned on the news there was always a story about what the Justice League was up to. Everyone was connected.

Like a family.

Slade had ruined her family. Because of Slade's influence Grant was dead. It wasn't fair to drag Robin into this mess when he obviously had his own problems with the Batman to deal with. Before Robin appeared at her front door Adeline had tried to put Slade behind her. But she just couldn't, not when Slade was still out there hurting other people.

"—Stay tuned for more information on the power outage, which was not planned by the city. The Chief of Police advises everyone to stay inside their homes, for the power outage has allowed criminals within the Jump City Maximum Security Prison to escape. Do not approach these persons or contact them in any way. If you have any information regarding the location of the Teen Titans, please contact the JCPD at once."

Adeline exchanged wide-eyed glances with her son. A massive breakout from the Jump City Maximum Security Prison? Where were the Titans? What the hell was going on?

"The Teen Titans will fix this, won't they?" Joey asked.

Adeline's fingers scrambled for the box of cigarettes deep within her pants pocket. Joey watched her with wide-eyes as she took out a cigarette and lit it. The addicting nicotine helped her calm down somewhat. She really should stop.

What to do?

"Joey, put on your uniform," she said, crushing her cigarette out in an ashtray. "Do it now."

As Joey scurried out of the room Adeline went to her own bedroom. Inside the closet was a box full of guns. Ever since she retired from active duty she hadn't been keeping up with guns. Just because she birthed two children, however, didn't mean that she couldn't still kick butt.

Adeline put a gun in its holster hanging on her hips. Without the Titans to assist them the JCPD must be running around the city like idiots. Joey came into the room, dressed in a purple-and-white uniform with golden gauntlets. No longer was he Joseph Wilson, the silent son of Slade Wilson, but a hero named Jericho.

"What's going on, Mom?" Joey asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied, cocking her pistol, "but I'm sure that your father has something to do with this."

She knew that she could be going deep into this superhero business by just jumping into the fray. But if any of this was Slade's doing, then Adeline felt a need to help fix this mess. Chaos was consuming Jump City. It was surprising that no one had yet called in the military for help. Probably because the citizens of Jump City still believed that the Teen Titans were coming to save them all.

Together, mother and son sprinted out of the front door. Adeline didn't know what was going to happen next or what she planned to do even when she got to Jump City. All she knew was that the Titans were in trouble. She had every right not to get involved, but after seeing what her…former husband…had done to the kid she felt obliged to help him. She glanced down at her son. Adeline knew that he wanted to put his powers to good use by joining a group like the Titans. Robin had every right not to trust her or Joey because of their connection with Slade. But if they helped the Titans this once...maybe, just maybe, they would trust her son.

All hell was breaking loose.

-Rae-

9:19pm

Jump City, California

Jump City Power Plant

She fought off the last of her attackers.

Even in the darkness she could still sense them all around her. From what she could tell, they were not human and definitely robots. Her hood flew back as she was thrown back against a wall. She sensed one of her attackers preparing to punch her in the face. The darkness of her magic was indistinguishable from the darkness surrounding her.

"Get away!" she snapped. "Or I'll—"

Her words were cut short as another robot grabbed the back of her cloak, choking her words away. The robot that attacked her first took the opportunity to take a jab at her stomach. The room glowed red as one of the robots raised a gun and shot it towards her.

Dodging things in the dark wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Raven gasped as a laser seared through her sleeve and burned her arm. More and more robots surrounded her, threatening to drown her in numbers as each one held her down.

The sound of her friends' screams grew softer as several robots dragged them away. She sensed their minds drifting away into unconsciousness. Raven struggled fruitlessly against her attackers. There were far too many for her to fight alone.

Too many.

Slowly, Raven stopped struggling. She couldn't see anything. Her friends were unconscious or gone completely from the room. There were far too many robots for her to fight off. If this was supposed to be the final attack, then maybe they wouldn't get hurt if she stopped struggling. She was just…so…tired. A reddish glow cast her in a dull light as one of the robots stood over her, aiming his gun towards her head.

A sudden hope surged through her.

This wasn't how she was going to die. Ever since she was a child Raven knew that one day she was to become the portal that Trigon needed to enter this dimension. Only when her body was destroyed in that process would she die. It was slim, morbid hope, but hope nevertheless.

"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" Raven shouted, her voice echoing loudly in the room.

A shield of black magic surrounded her as she called upon the forces of Azarath to help her, using all of the skills that the monks of Azarath taught her. It pushed away her attackers and slammed them against the walls as she pushed outward, screaming words as her frustration took over her. Dark swirls of energy circled around her as all of her frustration and worry manifested itself in power.

Bodies slammed against the wall as four red eyes appeared on her face. No one was going to take her captive. No one was going to hurt her or her friends. No one was going to die.

Not on her watch.

A gasp escaped her lips as Raven regained control of her powers, as though someone had just thrown ice-cold water over her. Bits and pieces of robots clattered to the floor as she let them go.

She fell to her knees and held a hand to her head, sweat pouring down her forehead as her eyes turned back to normal. That had taken a lot out of her. Now that no one was attacking her she realized that one of the robots shot her in the arm. A nasty burn seared the skin on her upper arm, but she didn't mind. Right now all that mattered was her and her friends.

Clutching her aching arm, Raven called out into the darkness.

"Guys?"

No one answered back.

The last thing she remembered anyone else saying was Robin's terrified shouts. What had he been trying to say? Did he understand what was happening?

For once she wished she had Robin's detective skills. While Raven wasn't stupid she couldn't figure things out like he could. Her heart began to pound madly against her ribcage. Closing her eyes, she tried to reach out and sense her friends around her. She felt nothing. She was all alone.

This was the worst feeling in the world.

Coughing, Raven put her hands along the wall and began to feel for the door. Raven pushed open the door and rushed out into the cool night. The stars above twinkled merrily as she gazed all around her. There was not a single light on in Jump City. Even the moon was gone.

She hung her head as she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, trying to hold back tears. For some reason, it was unfair that everyone else had been captured or killed while she survived. If they knew the truth about her and the end of the world, then they would realize that she shouldn't even be alive.

But there was nothing she could do now except fight back.

But why fight back? Trigon's voice purred in her mind. Your friends will die anyway when I enter through the portal to rule this universe.

"SHUT UP!" she spat, her voice sounding odd in the silent air. "You can't control me."

Raven stood on top of the building. Even though the power was out she could still hear the terrified thoughts of the thousands of civilians living in Jump. Whatever she did, she couldn't allow her fears to choke her, especially when they concerned her father.

She glanced down and frowned. A reddish glow emanated from underneath her cloak. A gasp escaped from her lips as she saw that flaming symbols covered every inch of bare skin.

"No…" she whispered, gazing at her hands in horror. "It can't be…it shouldn't be…"

"The gem was born of evil's fire…the gem shall be his portal…"

"No!" Raven screamed, shutting her eyes to shut out the noise.

What was going on? The prophesized day wouldn't happen for another year. The monks said that she would be seeing visions…but now? It didn't make sense. And to have these visions at this time…when she was the only Titan who escaped the wrath of whoever was behind this—

Then it hit her like a two-ton brick. Raven knew exactly what had happened when the power went out. She collapsed to her knees in desperation. That hissing noise—that had been dust leaking in from the ventilation systems. All of them had been infected with the dust and were all battling with their own worst fears. Her hands clenched into fists as hopelessness and desperation washed over her. Those personal attacks were deliberately slow. For the past week the perpetrator ran them all ragged and planted the seed of fear and doubt into each of the Titans.

Only Robin realized that they were infected with the dust. That was what he had been trying to say before someone knocked him out. Since Overload knocked the city's power out there was no way any of them could access any sort of light, which left everybody vulnerable to the horrors of their minds.

Flames flickered across the rooftop as her father's laughter boomed through the night, the flames outlining the mark of Scath. Raven stood and pulled her hood up. She may be infected with the dust, but whoever the perpetrator was didn't figure this part out through enough. Those robots were meant to kill her. She was right when she thought that whoever triggered the reagent wouldn't be able to attack her. No one knew her personal history. So instead of messing with her mind they decided to mess with her friends.

She knew that the day would come and she accepted that. It was the only thing holding her to reality. Robin was the only one who knew that everyone was infected with the dust, and hopefully he would have enough sense not to destroy himself before the sun rose. She couldn't count on the fact that everyone else would be able to figure it out in time.

Where had her friends gone?

-CK-

10:46pm

Gotham City

Wayne Manor

Clark landed in front of Wayne Manor with a thud, his scarlet boots sinking slightly in the wet ground. Three other JLA members caught up with him: Wonder Woman in her invisible jet, Flash (why was he always late? Why?) and Green Arrow. Several others were going to join them in a few minutes.

Right now Clark didn't care how odd they looked standing in front of Wayne Manor. With the full might of the Justice League evil wouldn't stand a chance tonight. But right now Clark was downright pissed at Bruce, who had evidently dropped his communicator on the pavement.

"Do you want me to try to contact him?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"Not until we know what's going on," Clark said, lifting a hand. "Nothing may be wrong yet."

For some reason, dread filled the pit of Clark's stomach. Although he wasn't psychic something told him that whatever Bruce was up to was bad business. Perhaps it had been because of the man's cold attitude all day towards everyone. If anything, Bruce shouldn't be out fighting crime in the mood that he was in.

Lifting a huge fist to the large double doors of Wayne Manor, Clark knocked. A few moments later Alfred opened the door. He took one glance at all of them before stepping aside to let them inside. As they entered Wayne Manor Alfred lifted a Bat-communicator to his lips.

"Master Bruce? Master Bruce! The entire Justice League is waiting outside the front door."

Alfred lifted a finger from the communicator and waited for a response. Everyone else waited in silence as well. Bruce did not respond. Something really was wrong with Bruce. If Bruce wasn't even responding back to Alfred…then the man might be in even deeper trouble than Clark realized.

"Alfred," Clark said, "where's Bruce? He's locator is offline and we have no idea where he is."

"Master Bruce went out to apprehend Clayface. The last time I checked in on him he was on his way to Arkham Asylum."

Clark felt uneasy about this. Why wouldn't Bruce see sense? Everyone knew that the Joker was locked up in Arkham. There was no proof that the Joker had escaped. If he had, everyone in the superhero business would already know. And even if the Joker did escape Bruce had given none of them reason to trust him. All day Bruce talked irrationally, acting even colder than usual to those close to him. Normally Clark wouldn't question Batman, but now he believed that he had good reason to.

"Look, we need to find him now. We have to go to Jump—"

"Did you hear the news? Jump is experiencing a mass power outage and the Titans are missing."

"What?"

Clark felt his stomach drop. That first part about the power outage didn't concern him, but the Titans were missing? He exchanged bewildered glances with the other JLA members. Was this the final attack on the Titans?

"How did this happen?"

"I've been listening to the news for the past hour. The Titans responded to a distress call from the JCPD. Overload was attacking the city's power supply. About ten minutes later the entire city powers down. The police went to look for them, but everyone is gone."

Everyone looked to Superman.

Superman struggled to make a decision. What were they to do? He could only assume that the final attack on the Titans had just been carried out. But now that Bruce was missing—what should he do? Jump was all the way on the other end of the continent. By the time he or anyone else got to California it may already be too late.

Well then, he shouldn't be wasting time.

"Split up," Clark said, "Zatanna and Flash, go to Jump City and help locate the Titans. Green Arrow, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter go help the GCPD apprehend Clayface. Wonder Woman and I will try to go after Bruce."

Both of them nodded. Flash took a hold of Zatanna's hand and the pair of them zoomed away. Clark heard them break the sound barrier as they raced towards Jump City. The other Justice League members moved, splitting themselves up into smaller teams to tackle the other problems at hand. There was Clayface to worry about, since he was now beating the crap out of the poor GCPD because Batman didn't confront Clayface. Several other members went off to deal with other villains in Central City and Ivy Town.

Clark hated spreading out the JLA members like this, but what else could he do? The only person who could help solve the mystery of the dust was now running around Arkham chasing ghosts. Clark knew that he was the only person Bruce was legitimately afraid of. Only Clark and Diana would be able to either talk some sense into Bruce or drag him back to the JLA Watchtower to see what the hell was wrong with him.

"Don't worry, Alfred," Clark said, "everything will be fine."

The old butler merely looked at Clark. "I certainly hope so, Mr. Kent."

Clark ran out of the door and launched himself into the air. Wonder Woman leapt into her invisible jet and the both of them ascended into the air, heading towards Arkham Asylum. The slight drizzle turned into rain, splattering his face as he flew faster than a speeding locomotive. To save Bruce and the Titans Clark just might have to fly faster than the speed of light.

"Oh Bruce," he murmured. "What is wrong with you?"

-R-

9:36pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Robin awoke.

However, he wasn't sure if he was awake. When he opened his eyes he saw only darkness. Robin was aware that he was lying on his back on cold, concrete floor. He groaned and pushed himself to his knees. Where were the others? The last thing he remembered was the blackout…Overload… the strong scent of chloroform….the dust…

The dust.

Something was wrong.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he realized that he was in a small room. He felt the metal arm and leg guards clamped to his uniform. Funny…there weren't any metal parts to his uniform…Robin's eyes widened in astonishment as he realized what was wrong.

He was wearing his apprentice uniform.

He felt as though he couldn't breathe. At once his fingers caught the edges of his upper chest plate. It needed to come off…if anything it felt like a metal collar around his neck…

Robin went to his knees as he struggled to take it off. He began to feel dizzy…dirty…just the feel of the black leather made his skin crawl. After his fingers slipped on the cold metal a few times he finally managed to take it off. He then proceeded to unclasp the arm and leg guards and utility belt, throwing them hard against the walls of his prison. Metal echoed against metal. With a grimace he peeled away his gloves and scrunched them into a ball. He put his naked fingers to his face and felt the spiked mask plastered on his face.

Cold fear ran through him. Someone had done this to him while he was unconscious. Someone had taken off the mask Batman gave him and put this new one on him. Whoever did this knew his identity or at the very least knew his face.

What the hell was going on?

"I see that my little bird is awake," a cool, menacing voice said. "Excellent."

Oh, God, not again…

Panic filled every pore of his body as he gazed around, trying to locate the source of Slade's voice. Robin scrambled to his feet and pressed himself against the metal wall, trying to mentally reassure himself that Slade was dead. He ran his hands over the walls, trying to find an exit or a light switch. His hands only found smooth metal, just like the walls of his room in Slade's haunt. Was that where he was now?

No…it couldn't be. There was no furniture in the room. And something in Robin's gut told him that this was only a replica meant to scare him. If he wasn't in Slade's old haunt, then where was he?

The darkness pressed in on him. To his disgust he found himself holding back tears as he began to pound his fists helplessly against the walls. His shoulders shook uncontrollably as he leaned forward, his sweaty forehead touching the floor as his hands slid down the walls. This was worse than before. At least he had the comfort of the Tower…the basement…to experience his nightmares.

"It really is a joy to see you in my colors again. It brings back so many memories."

The apprentice uniform felt constricting on him. Who could have put it on him? Was Slade really alive? Of course not. Robin watched him fall into the pit of lava when Terra rebelled. Yes, Robin doubted before, but all of his doubts about Slade…about himself…

"You're not real," Robin said as fiercely as he could. "You're only in my mind."

Someone was obviously trying to scare him by forcing him to inhale the dust again and trying to make him paranoid by putting him in this uniform. His hands touched the smooth walls, trying to find a doorway or a light switch.

"I beg to differ."

The voice sounded like it was coming closer. Robin's eyes widened as Slade appeared from the darkness. He forced his head to turn the other way. All he needed was a little light to stop the hallucinations. All of this was in his mind. As long as he didn't interact with the hallucination then he would be fine.

Slade's imaginary figure strode closer and closer as Robin backed into a corner. He shut his eyes and clenched his fists. Slade wasn't real. All those bruises he received were from his own fists. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice by fighting his own imagination.

"The more you fought Slade," Starfire said, "the more harm it did to you."

Robin gasped as Slade's hand encircled his neck. His breathing became shallow and ragged as he opened his eyes. He flexed and fingers experimentally. They were still at his sides.

"Did you honestly believe that the dust in my mask was the end?" Slade asked. "This was all a trap, dear boy."

Don't fight, Robin thought, for the love of God don't fight! It'll only get worse…

"I'm so very real," Slade whispered, tightening his hold on Robin's neck. "And now that I've got you all to myself, I think you'll find that we have much to talk about."

Abandoning all rationality, Robin began to thrash and squirm in an attempt to escape Slade's grip. He didn't care if this was real or not. To him, this was very real. His hands tugged uselessly at Slade's arms as his legs kicked empty air.

"Oh God, please no!" he exclaimed. "You're supposed to be dead…DEAD!"

However, just like before, his struggles did nothing. Robin was perfectly aware that he was shouting at himself, to a figment of his imagination. But sheer, bloody panic overtook him. He did everything in his power to free himself, but just like before Slade grew stronger and stronger as Robin's mind slowly began to destroy itself.

Tears finally trickled down his cheeks as Slade pinned him against the walls by the wrists, reminding Robin eerily of the time when he mentioned Bruce to him. His fingers twitched into weak fists as his face flushed an embarrassed shade of scarlet. He was embarrassed that he began to cry in front of Slade, even if this Slade was a figment of his imagination.

He was frightened.

He was scared.

He was humiliated.

"Why can't you just go away?" Robin asked, struggling to control his gulping breaths. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

That was all he wanted. He wanted Slade to be gone. Why had he been obsessing the night the dust overtook him? Because he wanted Slade to truly be dead. He wanted that scumbag to be locked away forever or dead so that he wouldn't hurt him or anyone else anymore.

But Slade didn't let him go. Was he so paralyzed by his own fear that he was allowing it to destroy his mind? A part of him said yes. Stars popped in front of his eyes as Slade hit him hard across the face.

"Do you realize that you contradict yourself, Richard?" Slade asked, his voice nearly a purr. "You obsessed over me. This is your fault. Why would I leave you alone now, when you have come so far to meet me face-to-face?"

Instead of replying, Robin swallowed. One side of his face felt numb. That hit hurt so bad that it brought tears to his eyes. His breathing became shallow as he considered his sanity. Robin wanted so badly to believe that this was all in his mind…but that slap felt real.

In a way, this version of Slade was more terrifying than the actual thing. The real Slade did a dammed good job of scaring the crap out of him, but there were those slight personality flaws that made him human: such as his unwillingness to kill Robin and his love for a son. That was the only reason Robin realized that he was imagining Slade. In his mind, Slade was terrifying enough to kill. But in reality Slade would never kill him.

A light flickered on. Both Robin and Slade turned towards the source of light, and Robin fell heavily to the floor as the light washed Slade out. He blinked a few times in the sudden light before raising his head to look for the source. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Hello Robin."

A/N: I KNOW! I KNOW! I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON FOR ENDING THE CHAPTER LIKE THIS!

Um…I didn't even realize how creepy it was to have someone dress Robin in the apprentice uniform until after I posted chapter 3…and by then it was too late 'cause I already set it up…but I'M NOT A SLASH WRITER! REALLY!

And yes, there is a reason why I saved Raven for last. Another thing: YES I messed up on the time. I am not a mathematically-oriented person. Just a dumb English major. But oh well, it's getting a little complicated anyway because everything is supposed to be happening simultaneously. I'm sure most of you don't care about the time anyway.

I do believe the T.S Eliot quote was very appropriate for this chapter. I was proud of myself for coming up with that one.

You know the protocol: review.