Disclaimer: Ha, at least I stake a claim on Durin but alas not the others, they belong to DC.
A/N: Yay another chapter! I did a bit more adding of fuel to the flames here in this chapter before the big action chapter next week. So hang in there! And let me tell ya writing this chapter was fun to write. A little more dash of physiological drama and then a pinch of action and I feel that I'm becoming quite pleased with this story. Well enough of mine babbling, let's get going!
Ch. 13 Of bonds
Whispers of footsteps were the only thing that marked his coming. The stride was confident, nothing betraying the hard duty fallen on his shoulders. Stopping in front of bland hotel door, Robin raised his hand and knocked softly. The door flung open a mere second after to reveal a distressed tiny Durin, tears running down his cheeks.
"What the heck happened, Seir? The last thing I received was a sound of a gunshot and then a big explosion." The words spilled out of the young man's voice, his eyes wide with fear. Jerking his head into the hall, Durin looked around like a wild, scared animal. Slowly, he turned his head, blond bangs shading his eyes, "Where's Kumi?"
The two-word question spoke volumes. It seemed to encompass a grief that no child should feel. For a split second, Robin found himself at Durin's age screaming at the cops to let him see his dead parents one more time. He wanted to run his hand through his mother's hair and hold his father's large hand. Little Richard only wished to tell his parents one more time how much he loved them. Taking in a deep breath, Robin locked away memories and straightened his back.
"He is dead."
The simple statement echoed in the hall. Innocent eyes widened like saucers. "You…you're…lying…"
Robin frowned, "No I am not lying. I do not lie about death. Earlier tonight, Kumi was shot in the heart, point-blank range by an assassin. I could nothing to save him."
Durin surprised Robin with how fast his shock gave way to anger. Lunging at the older boy, Durin punched his tiny fists onto Robin's chest, "ITS ALL YOUR FAULT. You could have done something! You could have saved Kumi!"
Robin knew perfectly well what Durin was going through, but he would not let this young hacker have his way with him. Grabbing Durin's shoulders, he jerked the boy off of him. Robin slammed Durin into the wall next to the open door. His fingers clenched around Durin's throat as he pulled the boy off of the ground, the other hand pinning the boy to the wall.
"Don't you dare accuse me of Kumi's death," Robin's voice hissed out of his mouth. The harsh statement froze Durin's shaking figure. Seir emerged before his captive audience, "Do you think I knew of the assassin? Do you think I planned it? I would have saved Kumi if I could. I wanted to avenge his death, but Superman stopped me. I know you want revenge, Durin." Something flickered in those pale green eyes. "I…miss Kumi as much as you do. If I could go back in time, I would make sure he lived. But I can't do that."
Releasing his grip, Robin took a step backwards while Durin slide onto the floor, his arms falling limp at his side. Conjuring up tiny wisps of guilt to darken his expression, Robin knelt down to face Durin. He needed to keep the boy on his side. "If you want someone to blame, blame Zenari."
"Zenari? Kumi's master?" whispered Durin, his eyes fixated on something between them.
Robin nodded and licked his lips slightly. It was time for a little lie; then again could he consider it a lie when Kumi thought the same thing? It was truth, from a certain point of view. "Yes, Kumi's ex-master, Durin. He didn't like it how Kumi was excelling, surpassing even his own master. Zenari got jealous and hired an assassin to kill Kumi."
Durin looked into Robin's eyes for the first time, "But isn't the apprentice supposed to surpass the master?"
"Yes, we are, but Zenari didn't like the idea," Robin narrowed his eyes, pinpointing Durin's fear. Would his master do the same? "We're lucky you and I because our masters are pushing us to surpass them. If we don't, then we have failed as apprentices and death would be a just punishment."
Durin frowned slightly. Robin snaked his arm around the boy's frame and hauled both of them up on their feet. Staring down at Durin with a stern gaze, Robin continued, "Now, get yourself together, Durin. We still have a mission to complete?"
The hacker's body jerked straight, "What?"
Robin stepped into the middle of the hall and folded his arms across his chest, "Kumi would want us to finish the mission. I'm going to retrieve the object but I will need your help."
Determination pushed away the grief on the boy's face, "What do you want me to do?"
"I'm going to drop off my belongings with you; you can hang on it for me till I'm done with all these missions. Also, I need you to create a disturbance in Jump City to distract any superheroes, while I go and send the object to the meeting place."
"Right!" Durin turned to go but Robin's voice halted him.
"Durin."
"Yes?"
"Afterwards, I want you to go back home. You knew Kumi the longest, so you can have revenge on Zenari."
Durin turned and glanced at Robin before a smile broke out on his face, "Thanks, Seir."
Durin entered his room and closed it leaving a stunned Robin in his wake. The ex-Boy Wonder kept seeing the younger boy's eyes full of trust before him. It was a look that a child gives to his parents: pure, innocent, undying trust. Robin had gained a loyal ally during a time of grief. He had manipulated not only Durin but Pavel as well without any second thoughts. The night's activities had finally caught up with him and now registered in his mind. Robin's stomach began to churn. Sprinting towards his room, Robin slammed the door open and closed, reaching the bathroom just in time as the contents of his stomach emptied themselves in the toilet.
His small frame shuddered as three more heaves brought reality crashing down once more. Rising slowly, he made his way to the sink. Splashing water on his face, he carefully removed the black contact lenses and stared at himself in the mirror.
Truly, for the first time, he stared at the monster he was becoming.
"Hey, it's Batboy!"
"You're Batman's kid."
"Dude, you're Robin! You're like Batman's sidekick!'
He moved to Jump City to break free from Batman's shadow, to become his own man instead of a miniature Batman. He was free but now he had fallen into Slade's shadow. Only Slade would pounce at the chance to manipulate people towards his cause during a tragic time. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Robin realized that he was becoming the man's clone: walking in the exact footsteps of a supervillain.
His light blue eyes took in the blood that was on his shirt. His heart ached with the lose Kumi. But it wasn't just the chipper conman's death, on those spots of blood; he saw the faces of each man he didn't save, each man he killed, and each man he tortured. Every drop of blood shed had brought forth the realization that he was meant to be a villain. A villain in his own right and that could not be produced if he followed as Slade's clone.
Clenching his teeth, Robin slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering it. The white agony of shards of glass biting into his skin sealed his dark desire of breaking free from Slade. But he mustn't get carried away. Oh no, he had to stay focused and he still needed training in this new life. Besides, he had to accomplish his first goal.
"You're getting too slow."
Through the jagged remaining pieces, he saw an angry sneer that made his once childish face sharper and evil, a face that belonged to a villain. The Titans didn't save him, they only ignored him. Well, he can do the same thing. Gnarkk and his little girlfriend could have prevented the League of Shadows from invading, but they just left them like sheep in a slaughter pin. And the Justice League…Batman…they would no longer hold him back, trying to impose their will on others when the war wasn't even theirs.
Taking a step back, Robin withdrew his fist from the mirror and eyed his injured hand. Memorized by the deep red crevices on his knuckles, he lavished in the pain. It made him feel alive, human. His injured hand shook with shock as he bended his fingers in and out of a fist. Up until Kumi's death, the war and everything in between was about surviving, about protecting others and the General. All of it was selfless, even killing the General became a way to revenge the lives lost and prevent another supervillain to gain power. The whole issue about him being played was a bonus. Robin had tried to reason with himself with this logic, but not any more.
Now, oh, it was all about him and his needs. It just had transpired onto another level of personal vendetta and everything he did from now on would be to benefit his desire. Call it revenge if you must and on some level it was just that. Yet, Robin's mind poisoned with horrid past experiences coupled with Slade's twisted truth, smeared right and wrong into a strange, scary logic, making revenge only part of the shift from others being the center of the galaxy to Robin being the center. His motivation was creating order out of chaos, much like before, but before it was through creating fear. Now, it was about complete and absolute control. Slade taught him many things, but the General reminded him of one absolute truth. Death was sound, concrete. Nobody questioned it. Whomever controlled death was like a miniature god. Sure fear was power, but declaring who lived or died; now that was absolute power because one cannot rise from the dead to challenge you, while with fear people can break from it.
Watching precious blood drip down the sink, leaving a pink stain in its wake, Robin pondered from whom he could learn how to control death. His eyes widened when a gloved hand took hold of his injured hand. Tilting his head, he watched Slade shake his orange/black mask. With his other hand, the man pulled out a pair of tweezers and began to pull out the glass shards. Robin just watched him with a daze, realizing with numb clarity who Slade truly was. Slade was not just a criminal mastermind. Being Deathstroke, the man was death itself, swinging his blade, choosing who died or lived. And Robin being Reaper, he harvested those lost souls. Try as he might break free from Slade, he could never be his own man. The two were irrevocable linked. His hope of forever breaking free from Slade began to diminish but he clung to it like oxygen.
"I heard rumors of something big happening. I thought it would be unwise to disrupt you when you were on your mission, so I flew over here to see what was going on. Guess I was too late," whispered Slade as he bandaged Robin's hand.
A lie. He could see them now. Slade came here to take advantage of Robin's weaken state. Just like he did: apprentice like master. Seir narrowed his eyes and smiled tightly, "You came here to sway me, Slade. I did the same thing with Durin."
"Oh?"
"Yes. So you can stop now."
Slade chuckled deeply, "How else is an apprentice to learn, if the master stops teaching."
Robin frowned, "By experience." Yanking his hand away, Robin glared at Slade, his eyes taking on a dark blue shade. "I'm done with training for now. I'm coming out of hiding and doing what I have been planning to do these past months."
Slade folded his arms, "You're going after the General."
"Yes. It's because of my lack of action that Kumi's dead."
"The General will be expecting such a response from you. You'll be playing right into his hands. And if I recall, you swore never to be played a fool again." Slade left the small bathroom and back into the main room.
Robin walked behind him, resentment lacing his words. "So what do you have in mind? That I deal with the General later?"
"It is up to you how you handle things, Apprentice," hissed Slade, facing Robin's face fully. "Just remember you still have Kumi's mission to fulfill, the meeting with the informant tomorrow, as well as the mission I assigned to you to look for new recruiting stations."
"All taken care of," barked Robin back.
Slade took a pause, his mind taking in what Robin had just said, "Is that so?"
Robin smirked as he turned and began to gather his things on the bed, "Yes."
Folding his hands behind his back, Slade just watched Robin lay out his uniform and begin checking his weapons. "It's good to see you have gained control."
Pulling out one of his metal blades with three sixes lying on top of each other and ran his thumb along the sharp edge, careful not to break skin. "Have I really?"
Slade narrowed his eye.
Robin turned his gaze on Slade, "I want to control death itself, to have absolute control."
A dark amusement shimmered in Slade's eyes, "You want that form of control?"
"Yes."
"You want me to teach you how to deal death's hand?"
"Yes, master."
"Then fulfill this mission and I will meet you in Jump City. We'll discuss this change in training there."
With that Slade made his way to the door. Stepping out into the hall, Slade glanced once more at his apprentice, looking at him yet beyond him. "I will leave with this advice, Seir. Before you kill a person, you must take into consideration what will happen when this person dies. Each person is linked to something and you must be careful when cutting a thread or the whole tapestry might fall apart." Blinking slowly, the man nodded before closing the door.
Robin waited a couple minutes, musing over the statement before resuming his task. Changing into his uniform, he peered at the clock and noticed he still has some time to take a break and gather his thoughts. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he opened a pocket on his backpack and pulled out a worn-out journal. Turning the cover over, he watched as the fragile newspaper clipping of the Titans picture fluttered out onto the floor. Picking it up, he brought it up to his nose. He could still smell blood, soil and gunpowder on it. Lowering it down, he brought his attention to the journal, reading the entries with the entrancement of a poet reading Shakespeare. All the while, his thumb ran across the picture. But no longer did it go in the familiar circle of longing around the Titans; it went across the picture, smudging the ink lightly, until by the end of night, one could see the outline of an x over the Titans.
-Near the outskirts of Gotham City-
Batman materialized inside the Batcave. Breaking into a long stride, he marched up to the computer counsel. Meeting him there was an elderly man with white hair, standing alert.
"Welcome back, Master Bruce, I hope the trip was informative."
Batman jerked off his cowl and scowled, "No it wasn't Alfred. I barely gained information and if anything else this whole ordeal with Robin has just gotten more confusing. What's worse is that he is here."
Alfred's eyes widened and his hand shot to his mouth, "Dear God, Master Dick here in Gotham. Do you think he will try and contact you?"
"I don't know." Fingers flying over the counsel, he finally reached Batgirl, "Batgirl."
"Right here, Batman."
"Good, I want you to leave the investigation of the bombing alone for now and trace down any leads on the whereabouts of the man whom Superman had to restrain."
"What? These people need us now, Batman-"
Batman clenched his teeth, "Don't argue with me. We don't have time. I want you to search the streets and also keep a look for a Well's Fargo bank truck that is heading down to Jump City. When you find it, contact me and disengage it at all costs."
"Ok, Batman. Batgirl out."
Alfred shot Batman a confused look, "Sir?"
"Not now, Alfred. I need you contact the robot Robin and the Titans down in Jump City and tell them to keep an eye on the truck if Batgirl should miss it." With that said, Batman turned and ran towards the Batmobile.
Alfred yelled after Batman, "What are you going to do sir?"
Batman jumped into the Batmobile and revved up the engine, "Going to track down my son."
With that said, the Dark Knight drove out of the cave, leaving Alfred coughing up the exhaust, worry aging him even more.
"I'm getting too old for this."
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A/N: Well there ya go! Enjoy!!
