Disclaimer: Dear Santa: I want Teen Titans and DC comics for Christmas. Love, aessedai343
A/N: Guess who got an "A" on her Brit Lit Midterm? That's right, beyotches, aessedai343 got an A on her Brit Lit Before 1800 midterm. Sorry, I just had to gloat. These chapters are coming out so fast that I don't know what to put in the author's notes. Onward to the story!
"Can't you see that you're smothering me?
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control
'cause everything that you thought I would be
Is falling apart right in front of you."
-Linkin Park, "Numb"
Chapter 27: Determination
-AK-
11:04pm
Jump City, California
Circus Yard
She shivered as she stepped out of Raven's soul-self. Adeline had never traveled by magic before and she wasn't certain whether she wanted to do it again. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she stepped through the darkness.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," Raven replied, "I just followed his conscience."
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw the dark outlines of brightly-colored caravans and cages. Several of the animals inside of these cages stirred at the sound of their voices. As the slight wind picked up the scent of hay and old popcorn drifted to her nostrils.
Suddenly Adeline knew exactly where they were. She remembered taking Joey here once for the annual fair. The traveling circus performers usually came at this time of the year. Wasn't there a circus in town now?
There was.
"We're on circus grounds," Adeline said. "Where is he?"
After a moment Raven turned towards the large, colorful circus tent. Without the lights or people it looked lonely. Was this their last night in town? From what Adeline could remember from their commercials, they had a performance on Friday night.
They stepped inside the circus tent. The empty bleachers loomed all around them as they walked into the wide circus ring. Adeline watched in curiosity as Raven closed her eyes. She had always been confused as to what the empath's powers were. They seemed to be a mix of telekinesis and telepathy in the form of dark energy.
"He's here."
If Slade was behind this, then why would he decide to place Robin here? In a circus tent? Or rather, underneath a circus tent. They walked to the center of the circus ring. Since it was late there was no one here. Adeline let her eyes drift upward towards the trapeze bars hanging above them.
"Where?"
Raven stooped to her knees and placed her hands upon the ground, which was littered with hay, dried remnants of elephant poop and sawdust.
"Underneath the ground."
This puzzled Adeline even further. Why would whoever was behind this go to all of the trouble of building an underground room? Adeline knelt down next to Raven. Together the two of them pushed the ringmaster's stand away. To Adeline's astonishment the entrance to a trapdoor lay underneath. Did the circus people know that this was here? Someone had to. Adeline reached out and pulled open the trapdoor.
Both women leapt into the darkness and pulled out their flashlights. It was cold down here. Adeline's breath misted in front of her face.
She heard it coming long before it came.
Adeline spun around and dropped her flashlight, her hands reaching for the guns at her hips. Two searing red beams of light sizzled through the air, burning Adeline's hair as they nearly hit her head. At once Raven turned her flashlights towards their visitors. Adrenaline pumped through Adeline as she lifted up the guns. With the precision born of her extensive training in the US military she fired two shots straight into the chest of their attackers.
One.
Two.
She blew a strand of hair out of her face as she placed the guns back in the holster. Although she didn't really want to admit it, it felt good to shoot something again. Adeline felt as though she was getting a little rusty.
"Sladebots," Raven said, looking down at the remnants.
Exposed wires sparked blue light. Adeline looked down in disgust at the Sladebot. So Slade had a few of these things still around. Another thing she didn't know about her husband was the fact that he knew a great deal about robotics.
"They must have brought Robin down here," Adeline said.
"I thought we destroyed them all when we last fought him," Raven said, her voice worried. "They must have kidnapped all of us at the power plant."
A strange sense of foreboding overcame Adeline. As far as she could tell, the information was all pointing towards Slade as the perpetrator of these attacks. Was the perpetrator using the Sladebots because he was too lazy to make his own or because he wanted them to think that Slade was behind this?
Out of the corner of her eye Adeline saw Raven pause and put a hand to her stomach, the expression on her face looking as if she might throw up at any minute.
"Are you okay?"
At first Raven began to nod, but then she slowly shook her head. Just how badly was Raven affected by her hallucinations?
"I…" Raven said, trailing off. "They're getting worse. I don't want to use my powers unless I have to." She looked up at Adeline. "If I start going crazy I want you to knock me out."
"What?"
Despite herself, Adeline was startled by the request. "Why?"
"Because my powers are based on my emotions," Raven replied. "There's no telling what would happen if I began to lose my mind."
Adeline followed Raven to a door bolted shut, concern etched on her face. A number pad was plastered to the door, obviously a combination was needed to open it. As they neared the door Adeline heard hoarse shouting, although she couldn't understand the words.
Well, Robin was definitely here.
-R-
11:08pm
Jump City, California
Circus Tent
Robin was winning.
He charged forward, yelling incomprehensible war cries as he pummeled Slade to the ground. The mercenary wasn't fighting back. Every punch that Robin threw landed on him and made him stumble backwards. A swell of hope filled his chest and warmed him, giving him strength he didn't know that he had. As he fought on the offensive thoughts and memories of Slade went through his mind, electrifying him and only making him stronger.
"If you disobey even the smallest request—"
Blackmail. Coercion. What kind of master would blackmail his apprentice? Slade held Robin too tightly. If he had honestly wanted Robin to join him he wouldn't have pushed him so far. How did ever he expect Robin to respect him if he constantly threatened to kill his friends? Bruce never demanded so much of him, never made threats to his life or to the people he loved.
"Excellent work, Robin. I think your skills are improving."
Improving? Under his tutelage? Robin already learned from the best. Bruce took him under his wing and protected him. He trained Robin to protect himself, never for the sole purpose of becoming his sidekick. The reason Robin left Bruce in the first place was because he wanted the opportunity to prove himself. Perhaps it was a subconscious way to prove to Bruce that he could be his own man. But he didn't need Slade to do it. He didn't need to prove himself to anyone.
"The first thing you need to learn is gratitude—"
Gratitude for what, Slade? For being able to learn under a madman like yourself? Perhaps in his twisted logic, but not Robin's. If Slade really wanted respect and gratitude then he would have picked someone else to be his apprentice. Someone willing for the opportunity to train underneath him. Besides, Robin already had gratitude for someone else. He held gratitude for Bruce, for Alfred, for everyone who ever encouraged him. For his friends, who were more good to him than Slade ever was.
"Who knows? I might even become like a father to you."
A father? No, Slade would never become anything like his father. He could never replace the man who trained the daring young man who flew on the trapezes. He could never replace the man who was his father now, the man who did everything he could to protect him. Nothing Slade ever said or did would ever make Robin think of him as a father.
"All you care about is your WORTHLESS, LITTLE FRIENDS—"
And all you care about is yourself, Slade. Did he bully others to feel good about himself? Force others to do his bidding because he couldn't do it any other way? Bruce didn't adopt him just so he could train him as a sidekick. He adopted him out of the goodness of his heart and did nothing to force Dick to become Robin. After losing the family he lost to Tony Zucco Robin formed another family of his own, first with Bruce and Alfred and then with the Titans. He protected them because he had experienced horrible loss before and never wished to experience it again.
"I am the thing that keeps you up at night…the evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind—"
Robin had had enough. He couldn't live in fear all of his life. Why did he act so obsessive? Was it because of his upbringing with Bruce? He was determined, yes, but at the same time he could be a fun-loving kid. Slade didn't understand that. He had never known the young Robin who used to work with Batman, the young Robin who made witty comments whenever they beat up the bad guys.
For far too long he had allowed this man to haunt his nightmares. Even tonight he had allowed the dust to infiltrate his mind. Robin was sick of waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, wondering when Slade would plan his next attack. He was sick of remembering the way he lost to Slade every time they fought. He admitted openly to the others that he was afraid of Slade. Admitting he was afraid was one thing, but there was more Robin needed to do. He needed to admit it to himself. And then he needed to punch that fear in its ugly face.
"I. Am. Not. AFRAID!"
He emphasized every single word with a punch to Slade's face. All of the frustration and worry and fear bottled up inside of him exploded in this single fistfight within his mind. To anyone else watching, he would appear to be some crazed mental patient jabbing at the air before him. But he didn't care. Everything horrible that Slade had ever done to him bubbled to his mind as he shouted. With a new spring in his step Robin launched himself into the air and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick directly at Slade's face.
Metal cracked as Robin's foot connected with the side of Slade's head. He heard the older man grunt as he backed away, his mask cracked down the middle. Robin's legs shook as he landed on the floor, the pain in his chest flaring up as he gulped down huge breaths of air.
Slade crumpled into a heap on the floor. Robin stopped fighting and breathed heavily, leaning forward with his hands on his shaking knees. Sweat and blood poured down his face, but Robin didn't care. He could tell from Slade's posture that he had beaten him. The man pushed himself to a sitting position and turned his single eye up to Robin.
For the longest time Robin always wondered what it would feel like to be in control like this. To have Slade be at his mercy for once instead of on the receiving end of the man's wrath. Robin always imagined that he would be older when it happened, more powerful, perhaps an equal to Batman. He knew that he couldn't physically defeat Slade without some help. Sometimes he wished for the day when he would become just as strong as Bruce. After all, the apprentice must always overcome the master.
And here, for the first time, Robin was looking down on Slade.
Slade looked up at him with his single eye. Was that mockery he saw, or merely amusement? Robin didn't know and he didn't care. He bent down and picked up Slade's bo-staff, grimacing a little as he wiped away the blood on the pants of his uniform. Robin gripped the bo-staff tightly, wondering what to do now that Slade was down. Slade's figure flickered a little.
"Well done," Slade said. "You've beaten me."
Robin's grip on the bloody bo-staff tightened. He wanted to beat Slade until he begged for mercy. A pity this wasn't the real man lying at his feet. If Slade was alive Robin would take off that stupid mask that haunted his nightmares. He had hurt so many people aside from Robin. Adeline. The Titans. Terra. Now Bruce. Even when the man was friggin' dead he could cause mayhem.
"So what are you going to do now?" Slade shrugged his shoulders. "You're still locked in this room, Robin. You can't escape me."
He looked down at the mercenary and wondered what to do. Adrenaline still pumped through his system, fueling his anger that made his blood boil. Robin stepped forward and raised the bo-staff a little, as though he meant to hit Slade. At this, Slade shifted his position and rubbed his injured arm.
"You're not going to kill me," Slade said. "I know you too well."
Kill?
Although Robin never wanted to admit it, the thought had crossed his mind once or twice. When he stayed with Slade he always wondered what it would take to bring Slade down. If he had to take a life to save the lives of four others, would he be able to do it? Would he be able to put a knife in Slade's back or a bullet in his head? Would it be the right thing to do?
No.
He let the bo-staff drop from his hands. It clattered noisily to the floor as he backed away from Slade. Robin wasn't sure what would happen next. Would Slade get up and start terrorizing him again? A sigh of defeat escaped from Robin's lips.
Slade was right: Robin wouldn't kill him.
"You're so predictable," Slade said, pushing himself to his feet. "That's always been a weakness of yours, Dick."
Once again Slade towered over him. Robin wondered whether or not he just made a mistake. He looked up at Slade. Slade's figure flickered again. A frown crossed Robin's lips.
"You're already dead," Robin replied, "I don't need to kill you. I just need to let you go."
The events of the past week had made Robin realize that he simply needed to let this grudge go. For the past year he fought his internal fears, allowing it to build up inside him while he drifted through life in a kind of haze. All he needed was one little push over the edge. A little nudge or hint that Slade was back. In the daylight he could deny his fear. When he wasn't confronted with anything related to Slade he could deny his fear. But now…physically confronting the thing that haunted his nightmares…
Robin sat down Indian-style on the floor. He studied himself carefully before peeling back the uniform. He glimpsed the bright red tunic of his original uniform underneath the black leather. His shoes were also the same. Whatever Sladebot put this on him just removed his cape and gloves. Now that Robin thought about it, Sladebots probably did everything. It was a Sladebot who broke into TItans Tower. Sladebots who attacked them in the power plant. A Sladebot that dressed him in this stupid uniform. Even though he was dressed in this accursed apprentice uniform he was still Robin the Boy Wonder. Still Richard Grayson, the circus boy who lived under the guardianship of the billionaire Bruce Wayne.
Never Slade's apprentice.
"You have the ability to kill me," Slade said. "So why don't you?"
Robin sighed. Not in annoyance, but in pity.
"Because I'm better than that, Slade. Good and evil aren't complete opposites. Evil is parasitic on good. No matter what you say, evil cannot exist without good but good can exist on its own." Robin lifted his head. He thought of his insatiable need for an arch-enemy to defeat to prove himself to Batman that he was a true hero. "That's why I chose to become a hero, Slade. I don't need to kill others to earn a living. I don't need you."
He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly and deeply.
When he opened them he found no one there. Robin was completely alone. He looked around the darkness and waited for something to happen, his muscles tensing as he tried to control his terrified breathing. Although he wasn't sure if the visions would come back or not he breathed a sigh of relief.
Robin lifted his head and saw Slade's cracked mask hanging on the wall. That was all that was left of him: a husk, an empty mask that hid the nothingness underneath. He stood shakily to his feet and took the mask off of the wall. After a moment he drew back his arm and chucked it against the metal wall. It bounced off the wall noisily and landed back at his feet.
"Stay dead, Slade."
-Rae-
11:13pm
Jump City, California
Circus Tent
"ROBIN!"
Both women shouted as they pounded their fists against the metal door. They could hear Robin shouting in return. It irritated Raven that Robin was so close to her yet so far away. She could sense his mind screaming out in frustration.
"Slade!" Robin's mind shouted mentally to her. "Slade's behind this!"
"It's no use!" Adeline said, letting her hands fall to her side. "Damn it." She looked at the combination lock. "We won't be able to get this open in time unless we have the combination."
Raven's knees began to shake as flames erupted around her. The fires crept towards Adeline, but she shook her head madly to get rid of the visions. She knew that as long as she didn't interact with Trigon that she would be fine. But her powers were growing steadily more unstable. The demon part of her wanted to take control.
She placed a hand on the metal door and felt something vibrating beneath her fingertips. Whoever built this place built something around the room to prevent teleporters like Raven from entering the room. Fantastic.
"I'm sorry…" Raven murmured. "I can't use my powers…"
She placed her forehead against the cool steel door. It felt good against her hot forehead. The fact of the matter was that she couldn't use her powers (because she certainly could) but because she was afraid of what would be released if she did. With her mind in such an unstable and vulnerable state Trigon could attack at any moment and take over. They needed six numbers to unlock the door. Great. Raven didn't need to be a mathematician to understand that there were thousands if not millions of different combinations that could be used.
"Doesn't Robin know that he's infected with the dust?" Adeline asked.
"Yes, but he's still hallucinating. It will give him more time, but…"
But what? There were still three others to consider, not including Batman. There was nothing that she could for Gotham's Dark Knight. She just had to hope that Batman—like Robin did last week—would be able to figure out that he was hallucinating before it was too late. And from what Raven could tell Robin still suffered from his hallucinations.
A sudden thought crossed her mind.
No way, she thought, Slade wouldn't be that stupid.
Would he?
It was a long shot that it would work. Perhaps he was cocky enough to not use the same numbers. Then again, Slade was a brilliant tactician. If he thought this far ahead…of course, this was assuming that Robin was correct in assuming that Slade was behind this.
15-39-28.
That was the combination Robin used to unlock the box to Slade's message. That was the number that Slade so kindly left on the main computer. It was a long shot that those numbers would work, since Raven didn't know if Slade was behind this, but they had nothing else to work with. They had nothing to lose.
Raven punched in the numbers.
Both of them waited. At first Raven thought that it didn't work. Did she expect it to? No. Then, to her astonishment the door slid open. Adeline and Raven shone their flashlights inside of the room.
A young man dressed in a black-and-tan outfit rushed out of the room, tripping over objects as he ran away from the room. Both Raven and Adeline watched him almost run into the wall opposite the cell. After a moment he stopped and stood quite still, his back still turned towards them. Adeline lifted her flashlight towards him.
"Robin?" Raven asked, her voice cautious.
Despite the lack of a mask, Raven knew instantly who it was. His frightened azure eyes stared straight into her violet ones, betraying more emotion than his mask could ever express. His face was covered with ugly bruises and blood trickled down his face. Raven couldn't help but let a gasp fall from her lips. This was the face he had been hiding ever since they met. The face that Slade knew while the Titans were left in the dark. Although she knew that Robin would eventually show his face one day this was not the way she expected it to go.
Without warning Robin threw his arms around her. Normally Raven disdained hugs, but for once she hugged him back. As she wrapped his arms around him she noticed that he was trembling.
"You're safe," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. He broke apart from her. "Where are the others?"
"I don't know. I wanted to find you first. Flash and Zatanna are here. They're rounding up all of the criminals who escaped because of the power outage."
Robin ran a hand through his hair as he began to think. Despite herself, Raven couldn't help but stare at his face. For years she had known Robin the Boy Wonder, not the civilian underneath the mask. She didn't recognize the face underneath, but the voice and mannerisms were exactly the same.
"Your uniform—" she began.
"I know, I know," Robin replied hastily. "I woke up in it. Sladebots attacked us, drugged us, and dragged us away. Mine put me in this uniform, but over my old uniform."
He pulled back the collar of his shirt to reveal the bright red underneath. Raven shot a sidelong glance to Adeline, who was also staring at the unmasked Boy Wonder. As Robin turned to face Adeline the older woman averted her eyes. Nothing about this encounter was obscene, so why was she acting like that? Did she feel like she was intruding by looking on his real face? Robin didn't seem to care.
"So you did contact Adeline…" he murmured.
"Do you know who's behind this?" Raven asked.
Robin looked at her sadly, pondering his words. A pained expression crossed his face as he struggled to find the words necessary to explain. She sensed a mixture of strong emotions emanating from him, from confusion to bitter self-blame. After a minute of silence he spoke.
"Slade was behind this," Robin said, "but he set up everything before he died. I accidentally tripped this whole plan into motion by picking up his mask."
Raven and Adeline exchanged strange looks.
"But Slade's dead," Adeline said, "so how—"
"You even said it yourself, Adeline," Robin replied, "Slade was a master tactician. He's always one step ahead of everyone else, including Batman." He looked up at both of them. "This is all my fault."
Although it technically was his fault, Raven could not find the words to accuse him. It wouldn't do anyone any good to blame Robin for all of this. Yet he was so quick to judge…so quick to judge himself for things that were out of his control.
"No," Adeline said sharply, "it's not your fault."
The older woman put a hand on his shoulder. Raven sensed a sort of motherly affection emanating from Adeline as she squeezed his shoulder. Why would she care about him so much? As far as Raven knew, they only met two days ago.
"You have to stop beating yourself up," Adeline said. "He's gone."
Robin's eyes flickered past Adeline's shoulder. Was he still hallucinating, or was he just nervous? Slowly, he nodded before turning away.
"There's nothing else to do but find the others before they kill themselves."
"But we don't even know where to look—"
"I do." Robin lifted his arms and placed his hands against the trapdoor. He pushed the trapdoor open. "Everyone is—what?"
Robin's brow furrowed as he pushed himself above ground. He stood in the center of the circus ring and looked around at the dark empty trapezes hanging above him. Against the backdrop of the colorful tent, Robin looked out-of-place in his apprentice uniform.
"Robin, are you all right?"
He turned at the sound of his name. Instantly a memory of two people flying on the trapezes went through Raven's mind. She felt a sense of nostalgia overcome him as well as a sense of fear. Now that Raven thought about it, she knew that this location wasn't chosen at random.
"I'm fine." He did look a little shaken. Raven could feel his uneasiness. "What I was going to say is this: those attacks made on us during the past week will give us clues as to where everyone is. The dust is like Scarecrow's gas—it makes them see their worst fears. Only the dust will eventually drive you insane and kill you if you give it the chance."
"Where are the others?" Raven asked.
"I'm not sure."
"So what do we do?" Adeline asked.
"We're going to split up. Raven, as long as the dust isn't messing with you too badly I want you to go after Cyborg. He was hacked, but he also obsessed over Brother Blood. Look in the ruins of the old HIVE Academy.
"Adeline, I told Beast Boy who you are. I want you to find him. Wolfman decided to target Terra's tomb. Beast Boy's either there or at the run-down carnival Terra destroyed some time ago. Find them and bring them to main street. We don't have enough time to bring them to Titans Tower. As for me, I'll go after Starfire."
"Aren't you infected with the dust also?" Raven asked. "Aren't you still hallucinating?"
Robin froze. He turned slowly towards Raven. "I had a face-to-face chat with Slade. He doesn't bother me anymore."
Raven was worried about a lot of things, especially Robin's relationship with his dead arch-nemesis. He had developed a habit of lying about his obsession with Slade. While Raven knew that trusted Robin on a lot of matters, he hadn't given her or the other Titans reason not to trust him when it came to Slade.
"So you won't be beating yourself up anymore?"
"It's a work in progress."
She looked at him steadily. That wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for. Did that mean that he could still see Slade, but that he could stop the hallucinations at will?
"What about your mask?"
Robin was always strict about keeping his identity a secret, even more so after he escaped from Slade's haunt. He didn't want to make the same mistake again.
"Well, it is pretty dark out." He glanced towards the trapezes again. "The escaped criminals may be looking for a Titan to beat up. No one will know who I am."
He jabbed a finger to the circus tent flap.
"Let's go."
-BW-
12:13am
Gotham City
Wayne Tower
The room filled with light.
Batman scrambled to his feet and glanced wildly around. Momentarily disorientated from the sudden light, Batman stumbled as he looked for the Joker. He was aware of how tired he felt, of how much pain he was in because of the Joker's beating. His heart pumped madly in his chest, his eyes darting around the room. It looked exactly as it normally did. There was no blood on the walls. No terrified, half-dead Robin laying on the floor.
No Joker.
"Hey Batman," a familiar voice said. "Catch."
Something whizzed past him and tore through his cape as Batman twisted out of the way of the speeding object. An arrow buried itself in the wall behind him, quivering from the force of the sudden stop. Bruce whipped his head around to look at his attacker, a scowl set in his face as bat-a-rangs appeared in his hands.
What?
Three Justice League members stood before him: Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern. Were they here to help him? He took a second glance at the three and frowned. If they were coming to help him catch the Joker, then why did they look so serious? Green Arrow stepped forward, his hands still holding his bow taut.
"Hey, you know what bothers me the most?" Green Arrow asked, his tone mocking. "Cleaning up your crap."
Bruce found himself in a defensive position. While he knew that he could handle the Justice League he didn't want to be forced into taking them down. He also didn't know what Green Arrow was talking about and honestly didn't care. He stumbled around the room like a drunk, his eyes searching for Robin and the Joker. Where had they gone? They were just here!
"What are you doing here?"
"We're here to talk some sense into you," Green Lantern replied. "Everything you've been seeing is an illusion. It's all in your head."
All in his head? That wasn't possible! He saw the Joker. The blood running down his face was real. How could any of this be in his head? For a split second he thought about the night's events. The Joker's escape from Arkham…the revelation of his nefarious plot…his beating of Robin…
"Come on," Green Arrow said, "you're the greatest detective in the world. Surely you can figure this out."
An illusion? Batman paused in the act of snapping something back. He struggled to comprehend the night's events. What was reality and—if they were right—what was hallucination? Bruce didn't know what to think. Everything that had happened during the past few hours felt so real. But if he had been hallucinating, then he would have been able to figure it out.
Wouldn't he?
For a moment Bruce struggled to make a decision. If he was hallucinating, then were they hallucinations as well? The images of a dying Robin was almost too much for Bruce to bear. The evidence that the Joker escaped from Arkham just seemed too true to be faked. Bruce found himself gripping the sharp bat-a-rangs tightly. What should he do? What was going on? Even though he couldn't see anything he could still hear Dick's pleading voice...his screams as the Joker beat him to death with a crowbar. Bruce shut his eyes tightly. After losing his own parents he vowed never to let anyone else he loved die.
He raised his arm threateningly.
"Green Lantern, take him out!" Green Arrow yelled, nocking another arrow to his bow.
Batman threw his own bat-a-rang in response to another arrow flying towards him. As expected, Green Arrow managed to block the bat-a-rang with another round of arrows.
"Bruce!" Martian Manhunter said telepathically. "We're only trying to help you!"
Green Lantern formed a glowing green box around Batman. At once a sense of claustrophobia overcame Bruce, although he wasn't sure why he felt so claustrophobic. This was just Green Lantern trapping him with the ring's power. Why should he be worried? They were on his side, right? The sudden sense of claustrophobia re-triggered his desperation to find the Joker.
"You don't understand!" Batman shouted, pounding his fists against the wall. "I need to find the Joker!"
"You don't need to do anything," Green Arrow said. "I'm sorry, but you needed to be taken down."
"DON'T YOU GET IT?" Batman roared. "THE JOKER HAS ROBIN! THE JOKER IS KILLING HIM! THE JOKER IS—"
"Oh my god, will you just shut up?" Green Arrow snapped.
As he spoke several more Justice League members crowded around him, including Superman and Wonder Woman. All of them surrounded the box and glared at him like a monster in a cage. There was nothing in his utility belt that could break through the most powerful weapon in the universe. Bruce let his hands fall to his side. Yes, he could defeat each JLA member individually when he wanted to, but with all of them against him there was nothing he could do to win.
"What the hell are you doing?" Batman demanded. "Release me at once!"
Green Arrow snorted as he adjusted his hat. "After what you did? I don't think so, buddy."
"You attacked me with Kryptonite," Clark said. "Care to explain why?"
Bruce didn't say anything. There was no denying the fact that he attacked Clark with Kryptonite. Yes, he considered the Kryptonian his friend, but he had gotten in the way of his work. Bruce couldn't afford to have the Man of Steel interfere.
"Let him go, Lantern," Wonder Woman ordered.
After the briefest glance Green Lantern nodded and made the box disappear. Before Batman could move to attack Wonder Woman threw her lasso over him and pulled it tight. Batman crumpled to the ground as she yanked it forward.
"First thing's first, Batman," Superman said, his arms crossed over his great chest. "We have good reason to believe that you've been infected with the same dust Robin was infected with."
"What? How?"
"Think about it," Wonder Woman said. "Someone must have dusted you."
Batman merely glared at her.
Then it dawned on him: last night, when he was chasing the jewel thief. The kid must have gotten the tip-off from that morning's edition of the Daily Planet. Then he pulled that heist to get Batman's attention, all the while using it to conceal the true nature of his intentions: the infect Batman with the dust. How…could he be so blind?
"I…" he trailed off. "My god…"
He was infected with the dust. Bruce thought that he had it rough when he got zapped with Scarecrow's gas. But at least back then he knew from the very beginning that he was gassed with a hallucinogen. Batman could act accordingly. This whole time he had been acting like a raving lunatic. A little warily, Wonder Woman loosened the lasso and placed it back upon her waist. Batman stood up slowly.
"I could have figured it out myself."
"Raven told us her suspicions after calling us." Superman grimaced. "And I'm sorry to say that she was right."
But why, though? As a detective, Batman always asked these questions. Why did the jewel thief bother to infect only him instead of the rest of the League? It bothered him that he couldn't figure this out himself.
"We're going to Jump City," Wonder Woman said.
"I'm sorry, but we're going to have to keep you restrained until all of the dust has left your system," Superman said. "The rest of us are going to head to Jump City."
Superman turned towards the other members of the Justice League. "I'd like at least one of you to stay behind to keep an eye on Bruce."
Bruce's eyes narrowed. He wasn't some little kid who needed a babysitter. The others exchanged nervous glances. This must have been Clark's idea. Of course it was Clark's idea.
To his surprise Captain Atom raised his hand. Superman nodded. Well, at least J'onn or Dianna weren't going to stay with him. Bruce didn't know if he could stand having them around.
"If you really need me I'll come via the telephone lines," Ray said.
"Then that's settled," Superman said. "If you want, Bruce, you can stay in contact with us. Take my communicator."
Superman handed Bruce his JLA communicator. Bruce took it without looking at the other superhero and placed it in his utility belt. It bothered him that no one was going to let him go to Jump City after that fiasco. He knew that it was for the best, though. It just irritated him that this was Robin's problem and he couldn't do anything to help.
"We'll stay in touch," Clark said.
Superman launched himself into the air.
-JW-
10:20pm
Jump City, California
Main Street
Jericho ran through the streets of Jump City with a squad of policemen following him. It had taken them a while to relay his idea on how to bring light into the city, since he was mute. While he wanted to help Flash and Zatanna fight the criminals he knew that they didn't have time to think of a plan to bring in light.
Initially, the police didn't even trust him. Jericho understood. He hadn't given them a reason to them to trust him. Why should they trust him? If he told them the truth about his father, then no one would trust him. Jericho didn't like that. He hated being connected to his mercenary father, although he wished for nothing more than his father to repent his ways.
It was because of his father that he was a mute. Yet despite his mother's hatred for the man Slade Wilson was still his father. Jericho knew that deep down he still loved his father and—he believed this to be true also—that his father loved him back.
They skidded to a halt as Jericho caught sight of a young man in a yellow-and-red uniform. He stood on top of a truck and held a bow-and-arrow in his hands. Jericho thought that the young man seemed familiar—he had definitely seen that kid around somewhere. Then he remembered watching the national news with his mother: of course, this was Green Arrow's former sidekick Speedy.
"Greetings from Star City," Speedy said, tipping his hat towards the policemen. "I got a distress call from Raven."
"Good," a cop said. "Then you're here to help?"
"I guess so," Speedy replied. "Got a call from my mentor too. He'll kick my ass if I don't help you guys out."
His arm became a blur as he shot an arrow towards a would-be thief. A shriek of surprise came from the thief's lips as he found himself pinned to the wall. The young hero smirked a little as he surveyed his vanquished foe.
"Speedy!"
Jericho felt someone speed past him in a red-and-gold blur. The Flash ran straight up to the younger hero with Zatanna following closely behind. The two JLA members ignored the quiet blond boy standing awkwardly next to the JCPD. He wondered how he was going to speak with them. Did they have a plan aside from rounding up all of the criminals in Jump?
An idea crossed his mind. Of course…it was perfect. Once his mother and the other Titans were found then Jericho could bring light to this city like a beacon of hope. Then everything would be well again. He turned to the three heroes, intending to tell them of his plan. They were sure to approve. And with the JCPD's help, anything was possible.
He smiled.
-BB-
10:22pm
Jump City, California
Location Unknown
Beast Boy couldn't fight anymore.
He rolled on his back and breathed deeply, trying to ignore the immense pain he was in. Beast Boy hardly had the strength to shape-shift. Honestly, though, he didn't have the mental will to fight anymore.
Thoughts of the Doom Patrol ran through his mind. The Brain always called him the little green one, never by his actual name. Even in the Titans he knew that he was the weakest member. At least, that's what he always thought.
"What's the matter, Logan?" Slade asked. "Can't fight anymore?"
He didn't move as Slade towered over him. Why should he keep fighting? He knew that he was going to lose anyway. Everyone always lost when they fought Slade. The man was just too strong. Too intelligent. It would be pointless.
Morbid thoughts infused his mind. If he died then at least he would be able to see his parents again. He would see Terra again.
Beast Boy never thought that it would end this way.
Like everyone else, Beast Boy always thought that he would die as a happy old man. His choice of profession made that dream less likely to happen. Heroes weren't infallible. Every once in a while someone would die. Someone would mess up. Someone would turn to the other side.
"What's the point?" he asked dully. "You're going to kill me anyway."
What would Steve say? Or the other Doom Patrol members for that matter? Would Steve accuse him of weakness? That he wasn't brave enough? Or big enough? What?
Slade began to circle him again, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. Why did this man's actions always seem so…predatory?
"You've always been the weakest one," Slade said, "you know, when I was searching for an apprentice I considered all of the Titans. But not you."
What was Slade trying to do now? Get into his head? Beast Boy rolled to his side and curled up into a ball. This wasn't real. He knew that. But all of the swirling emotions deep inside him confused him, and this hallucination just made everything else more confusing. What was reality and what was a hallucination?
Did he want Slade to hurt him? Did he want Slade to hurt him because Beast Boy couldn't figure out any other way to express the pain inside over Terra's death? Even after those weeks following her death Beast Boy still felt a great deal of loss.
And the Doom Patrol…why did Steve treat him so unkindly? Beast Boy always cracked jokes and pulled pranks because he could never do those things while he worked with the Doom Patrol. At the same time he told lame jokes to help release some of the tension he felt inside…the tension that Steve did nothing to help with. Rita somewhat and the others…well…the others were more indifferent to the little green kid.
"You're nothing."
Beast Boy turned his head to look up at Slade. While he was used to people talking down to him he wasn't sure if he agreed. Did Slade really believe that he was so much better than the Teen Titans? If he really was so great, then why did he feel a need to exploit others?
"So…if you're so great Slade, then why did you need an apprentice?"
Slade could talk down to Beast Boy all he wanted. He didn't care. He was used to it. What really bothered Beast Boy was the fact that—while Slade was alive—he always hurt other people. He always used other people to meet his own ends. First he used Robin to work for him. Then he manipulated Terra into joining him before using that suit to control her every movement. The sudden question made Slade pause in confusion.
"For a legacy, but that's not the point of this conversation Lo—"
"Why did you feel the need to control others?" Beast Boy snapped, getting to his feet. "Why did you hurt Terra?"
That was what angered Beast Boy the most. Because of Slade Terra could have been a great Teen Titan. Because of Slade Robin was frightened out of his wits and acted irrationally whenever the man's name was mentioned. Because of Slade Terra was dead and hundreds of others were hurt by his actions.
"That was her choice," Slade replied, "she decided to betray me."
"What kind of person do you think you are?" Beast Boy demanded, now striding right up to Slade. "Pushing people around to feel better about yourself…"
All at once Beast Boy remembered the things that Robin said to him two nights ago when they discussed Slade and Adeline Kane. Slade even hurt people before he met the Titans. The mercenary had no one except his butler, and even Wintergreen had had enough of Slade. The man was alone. And the only way he could feel good about himself was to push people around.
"That's where true power lies, Logan," Slade said.
"No, that's not true." Beast Boy puffed out his chest. "You're weak. You're weaker than I am. Your power comes from bullying others."
Who was stronger: the servant who brings the bread or the master ordering the servant? Obviously it was the former. Slade's figure flickered as Beast Boy cracked his knuckles.
A/N: There: I made the whole uniform thing less creepy. Also, we've been talking about the nature of good and evil in philosophy class, so I added some philosophy stuff…because I can.
And I tried so very hard to make Robin's section as EPIC AS POSSIBLE. What I was trying to do with his section is pull together many—if not all—of the flashbacks Robin had and tie them together.
Adeline…why do you have to be so badass? You're awesome, woman.
Also, I think it's appropriate to have Robin and Beast Boy make the same conclusions about Slade's character. While Slade did terrorize Raven in season 4 I think that Beast Boy and Robin were affected the most by Slade. For an example of Beast Boy's hatred towards Slade just watch "Things Change" (an episode I absolutely DESPISE because Cartoon Network canceled the show and never resolved anything…grr…).
Feel free to rant at me in a review.