"At least now I don't have to be kind nor good. I'll be cruel and I'll be obscene, tear out my tongue 'cause I've been redeemed."~Florence Welch
Titans Phantom
Chapter 13: The Apprentice's Weapon
Robin was so close, running through the cannon casing the dark shadow that was Slade, this time he'd get him, this time he'd know why. The teen launched himself sky high, he momentarily wondered, what did he need to know? His feet hit solid rock and Robin rolled, allowing his weight to spread evenly and not snap any of his bones. Slade moved from behind a giant stone rock.
"Dangerous behavior, Robin, you must be very eager to see me. I'm flattered," Slade said. Robin felt his anger burn.
"I'm not here to see you; I'm here to stop you."
"Humm, but how can you stop me when you don't even know what I'm planning," the man said moving behind the rock, the two circling each other like animals.
"Like this," Robin replied running forward throwing punches. Slade dodged, the teen's fists connecting with the stone pillars. Robin jumped over the man and countered, but his fist was easily caught. Slade sent him flying into another rock. The teen quickly stood, but no matter how many times he tried, he always hit the rocks and never the man. Slade turned and kicked Robin in the chest sending him twenty feet back, he jumped to his feet and threw two boomerangs, and Slade deflected, sending them crashing into two stone pillars and just like that the giant rocks came crashing down, taking down the others surrounding them. Coughing Robin moved through the smoke looking for Slade.
"Excellent, Robin, we appear to be evenly matched and equally ruthless not surprising," the man said his voice echoing around the cannon, Robin stiffened. Slade's voice sounded right behind him, "you and I are so very much alike." The Titan spun and punched Slade in the face.
"I am Nothing like You!" Robin yelled dragging the man forward staring him down.
"You're a criminal, a psychopath; all you care about is destruction," Robin said. Slade merely turned, his grey black eye boring into the teen.
"And all you care about you destroy," he said motioning to the rock pillars, the shattered bodies of his friends carved in stone.
"No. Who are you?" Robin yelled ripping the mask away to reveal…himself. Slade laughed through his voice, Robin bolted backwards. The hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, the Titan turned away but stumbled back when he saw Danny standing next to him, his green eyes blazing, black bangs falling like rain around his face.
"Why?" Danny spoke looking at Robin in pure hatred.
"What?" Robin asked shaking, looking to the mixed halfa. Danny's eyes changed blue, his hair now snow white.
"Why Can't You SEE!" The blue eyes held a look of pure desperation.
Robin screamed as fire engulfed him. The Titan jolted awake in his seat, sweat pouring down his face. His nerves felt like they'd been dragged across a razor, and it took several moments before he could catch his breath. The door opened and Cyborg entered, his face grim.
"It's him. It's Slade."
Robin felt like the world just disappeared beneath his feet. Silently, he stood, and the two teens headed to the main room where Slade looked down at them on the massive computer screen.
"Good morning, Teen Titans, I do hope I didn't wake you," Slade said. Beast Boy let out a soft growl.
"What are you an insomniac, who calls at five in the mor…ow!" BB gasped, Raven elbowing him in the chest, her powers a breath away from destroying something. All of the Titans were like that, Beast Boy's gloves had flecks of red showing from where his fists pounded into the wall, Starfire's eyes were lined in red, and Cyborg couldn't seem to get the twitch out of his right eye. And Robin didn't even want to think about how he must look right now. Slade was very pleased at this, who knew that a string of harsh words and a threat from a teen they barely even knew could do this much damage.
"What do you want?" Robin asked his hands curling into fists at his sides.
"Well that's precisely what you've been trying to find out isn't it, and despite all your efforts, you're still in the dark about my intentions," Slade said. Robin had to turn away.
"Disappointing, Robin, I expected a little more from you."
"Like I care what you…"
"But, since you've been unable to discover my plan, I suppose I'll just have to reveal it myself," Slade said, the camera moving away from him to a device covered in a tarp two robots pulled the cloth away.
"I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept of a Chronoton Detonator." The device opened into four sections humming, a blood red glow surrounding each level, every one of the Teen Titans gasped.
"Um, what's a crouton detonator?" Beast Boy asked getting the name wrong and looking to Starfire, whose eyes were panicked.
"It eradicates all Chronoton's within a localized area, utterly destroying the space time continuum," she said.
"Huh?"
"It stops time, permanently," Raven clarified. Beast Boy felt his jaw hit the floor.
"If he triggers that thing downtown, it'll freeze frame the entire city," Cyborg said leaning forward his hands clenched into fists.
"Tell me where!" Robin yelled at Slade, who was now back on the screen.
"You're a clever boy, Robin. I'm sure you and your little friends can figure it out. However, since I control the detonation, time, is not on your side," and that said Slade logged off the small square device still in his hand, that sent every nerve in Robin on edge. The leader growled.
"Fan out. Find it. Shut it down!" Robin said turning to stalk away. Beast Boy and Cyborg were suddenly standing in his way, arms crossed over their chests.
"Hey, uh, maybe you should stay here and coordinate the search," BB said nervously. Robin stared at him in shock not understanding where this was going.
"What?" Robin asked, Cyborg sighed and spoke,
"Man, when it comes to Slade, you got issues. Might be better for the team if you sit this one out," he said.
"No. There's too much at stake for me to…"
"Robin," Starfire said her voice sounding tired and beaten down. Robin turned to met her eyes, his heart clenching painfully in his chest from the look on her face.
"We have not forgotten the last time you have faced…"
"I made a Mistake, Starfire. It won't happen again. I can handle it. I promise," he said turning back around and headed for the door
"Would you at least like to know where to look?" Raven said at the computer going over the video feed frame by frame stopping at the image of the Cronoton Detonator.
"Slade gave us more information than he realized," she said the team approaching and watched as she highlighted a certain area in a green grid.
"Here, in this reflection," Raven said pointing out the faint shimmer of lines.
"Oh, squiggly lines, way informative," Beast Boy said sarcastically.
"If you use the lines as the starting point, you can create negative space and shade it in," Raven replied, her fingers moving across the keyboard: a word and numbers became visible, and she then flipped the reflection over to reveal.
"Pier 41," Starfire said.
"The docks," Robin answered as Beast Boy blushed and apologized to Raven, who was giving him an I-told-you-so look. The Teen Titans set out.
Danny watched silently while Slade spoke to the Titans, giving up on his eyes ever being blue again, the teen shifted into his ghost form, the camera turned off and the device was lowered in the ground onto a boat. Slade passed him never sparing a backwards glance.
"Follow."
The teen let out a growl but did as instructed. It was when they entered Slade's lair that Danny truly shuttered for the clocks and gears reminded him to much of Clockwork. The halfa felt his shoulders slump at the thought of the time ghost. How long had it been since he last visited? But Danny pushed that thought aside, choosing instead to take in his surroundings. The gears took up most of the space they turned in a broken repeating cycle, the pendulums swinging on the off beats, it was loud and utterly disorienting to look at. Turning away from the clocks, Danny noticed Slade watching him, his masked face unreadable. The halfa growled.
"Wonderful decorations, no doubt you have issues on proper time management," Danny smirked at his comment, but Slade never countered instead he marched forward, his metal combat boots making no sound on the cement floor. The teen screamed when Slade grabbed him by the throat and threw him hard into the far wall. Staggering and boiling with anger, Danny tried to stand, but two strong arms pinned him to the wall.
"You will not speak until spoken to. You will not do, until ordered to. You are to be nothing more than my weapon, if I order you to attack you will, if I order you to die you will," Slade said and with this Slade let Danny fall to the floor. The halfa stared up at the man in shock, eyes glowing with defiance. Slade motioned to the other wall where the five Titans' vitals were being displayed, the nanoscopic probes floating in their blood.
"Do you understand?"
Danny bowed his head to hide the desperation in his eyes. "Yes."
"Good, your new uniform is in the other room. You will stay there until I order you elsewhere," Slade said the screens flipping over to a live feed of Pier forty-one, the Titans all approaching the building. Danny stood while Slade had his back towards him, both knowing the halfa wouldn't attack.
"Dismissed."
And Danny left for the other room. It was hard getting the other uniform to fit over his hazmat suit. After all, ghosts could only layer their clothes; never change what you died in. That is unless they were born in the Ghost Zone, and since Danny hadn't, he was currently struggling with the tight black and bronze shirt and finally after much yanking, cussing, and straightening, the halfa got it over his head. It was a long sleeved turtle neck, the two colors splitting over his heart so that his entire neck and right side were bronze and his left side black. Slade's emblem replacing his over the center of his chest, its colors inverted across the dividing line. Sighing, Danny reached over and tugged on the combat boots over his pure white ones. And he clicked on the sliver armor until his shoulders, wrists, and legs were covered, and he snapped on the belt. Danny looked over to his appearance in the mirror and recoiled at the sight, for the metal added bulk to his lean muscled frame, reminding the halfa too much of Dan. Memories began to cloud his mind, dragging the teen down in their forcefulness, until Danny gripped his head pulling at the snow white locks.
"No, not right now," he whispered and forcing the memories back, Danny groaned, he needed to concentrate; he needed to know what Slade was planning. Hovering in the air, the halfa crossed his legs and tried to stretch his heightened sense of hearing beyond its breaking point. It was painful, but Danny began to hear Slade as he paced the main floor, the nosy clocks did nothing to help the teen focus, instead they were giving him a horrible headache, but Danny didn't stop. Pushing past the disharmonious noise, the teen began to hear the Titans on the screen, Star's voice ringing like a soft bell.
"Robin, we are victorious," she said, her voice filled with worry.
Robin stood panting heavily, "Slade's got his finger on the button, and we've got nothing. Does that sound like a victory to you?" Robin spat turning away and leaving his friends behind.
Once outside Cyborg activated his sensors, Beast Boy standing next to him,
"Okay we know the Chronoton Detonator was here, now we just have to figure out where it went," Cy said trying to focus his sensors.
"No problem we should split up and…"
"Waste hours searching only to come up empty handed," Raven said joining the two.
"Well, when you put it that way," Beast Boy said blushing slightly, Starfire landing next to them. Robin staring off into the dark waters of the harbor.
"Raven is right, we must find some way to track the device," Star said. The boy wonder turned when he saw a shadow move, a worker emerging behind one of the buildings.
"Freeze!" Robin yelled taking off when the man bolted around the corner, the team was momentarily stunned before they raced after their leader.
Danny gasped when he felt his senses snap back in, his strength no longer being able to hold. Uncurling his feet the halfa touched the ground breathing heavily, he'd managed to hear some of the Titans conversation. Although, he had no idea how close they were to finding the Cronoton Detonator.
"Interesting, you're more powerful than I imagined," Slade said causing Danny to spin and face him. How had he not heard the man? Mentally slapping himself, the halfa answered his own question, he'd been so focused on hearing the Teen Titans he drowned out all other noises.
"Well what can I say, old habits die hard," Danny said. The halfa should have known the punch would come.
Robin slammed the dock worker into the wall and held up Slade's symbol.
"Tell me everything you know about this!" He demanded, the man could only stutter, his eyes wide in fear, Robin slammed him into the wall once more.
"Answer me, Now!"
"I-I d-don't know; I've never seen it before!" The man stuttered, black energy encompassed Robin's torso and flung him back into the opposite wall. The worker quickly ran away as the Titans approached their leader. Raven dissipating the energy.
"You said you could handle it," Raven stated as Robin's feet touched the ground. He glared at his team and walked forward.
"You promised," Starfire said. The actions Robin was taking dragged knives across her injured heart.
"We're wasting time," Robin spat turning to walk ahead of the group.
"You know, just because we're trying to catch Slade doesn't mean you have to act like him!" Beast Boy snapped glaring at his leader. Robin stopped dead in his tracks, whirling around he marched back to his team and glared down at the changeling.
"Don't you ever compare me to him! Slade's trying to destroy the city; I'm trying to save it!" Robin yelled his voice echoing off the walls making all of Beast Boy's worries and pent up anger explode around him.
"If you're trying to save the city, why can't you see that your actions say otherwise!" BB yelled his tone bordering on a snarl. Robin recoiled, the words searing into his mind.
"Why can't you see?"Danny screamed.
What was he not seeing? And why did Beast Boy's words remind Robin of Danny's threat, had the halfa really meant it?
Robin felt his head beginning to spin, his anger disappearing, watching Beast Boy pant, his fists trembling at his sides, stained blood growing bigger on the gloves. Oh god, he really was beginning to act like Slade. Robin stepped forward, his palms outstretched to the green changeling in apology… when Starfire inhaled and sneezed, sending a giant unfocused star-bolt from her, mouth? The Teen Titans all stood in shock and slightly smoking, while Starfire rubbed her nose.
"Gesundheit," Raven said.
"Forgive me; I am allergic to metallic chromium there must be a source nearby," Star stuttered. Her breath hitching, and all of the Titans ran for cover as she let out another exploding star-bolt sneeze.
"Ugh, sorry," Star said looking absolutely miserable, the team emerging from their hiding places.
"Interesting," Cy said looking at his sensors then to Starfire who sniffled.
"Ugh, not really, on my world Chromium allergies are quite common."
"No, the key component of a Chronoton Detonator is a metallic Chromium core which means…" Cy said.
"Starfire can track it," Beast Boy finished, and all of the Titans looked to the Tamaranean girl who sniffled once more.
Danny spat out a mouthful of mixed colored blood and stared at it like a bad Christmas present. Laughing a little at the memories that thought brought up, the halfa sat up wincing slightly from the throb of broken ribs. Not that that really bothered him, he'd taken far worse injuries than Slade could ever hope to dish out, but still, that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. And yeah, it hurt. Swaying slightly as his head started to spin, Danny stood and pressed his back against the wall trying to keep the bile down. Once he was sure he wouldn't puke, the halfa gripped his left shoulder, took a shallow breath and pushed, feeling the pop of his joint returning to the socket. Danny let out a soft cry before he began rolling his shoulder back, making sure no permanent damage had been done. But despite all of his physical injuries, nothing could compare to his injured pride.
It had taken a lot of Danny's will power to not fight back, to let Slade speak to him like he was nothing more than a weapon and not a person. Of course, four years of being screwed mentally by Vlad made Danny pretty impervious to any mental trick this psychopath was saying. Still it didn't mean that those words didn't burn through Danny's emotions making the halfa want to scream and be the weapon Slade wanted him to be. Although, the man would be shocked, when his so called 'weapon' unleashed all of his power back in that smug masked face of his.
Danny growled, he needed to focus and think of a way to free the Teen Titans. Overshadowing might work, but Danny didn't have the power to search through the person's mind. Plus overshadowing could only last so long before the halfa was completely drained or Slade decided to resist, and he only had a limited amount of time to locate the trigger. Danny shuddered, and if he failed, Slade would destroy the Titans, the halfa felt his heart constrict in his chest…he couldn't let them die. The only possibility was to wait and let Slade reveal where the trigger was. It would also mean he'd have to suck it up and be the weapon. Sighing, Danny let his head fall back against the wall with a soft thunk, his green eyes closing. For now he'd wait, and Slade's little beat down wasn't going to stop the halfa from eves dropping. Stretching his senses once more, the halfa began to listen to the sounds of water and weapon's fire.
"I will not be havin' attitude from a boat!" Cy yelled, causing Danny to grin, well looks like they found the detonator.
The Titans were deep in the sewers. Starfire holding Cyborg up as he activated his sonic cannon, Raven and Beast Boy right behind them. The robotic teen felt worry at the thought of Robin going up against Cinderblock alone, for right before this boat chase started their leader had gotten yanked out by the giant rock and was forced to fight in another part of the sewers in a giant cavern, and the Teen Titans were about to help him, letting the Slade bot get away with the Chronoton Detonator, when Robin screamed at them to go. Starfire had wanted to stay behind, but Cy told her to follow their leader's orders, so now they were here, and Cyborg couldn't get the nagging feeling that Cinderblock had been purposefully waiting for Robin. Starfire dodged another electric yellow bullet, and Cyborg took aim pushing his worries out of his mind, he fired.
Slade was watching the whole thing play out on screen, his arms crossed behind his back.
"Hurry, young Titans, your time is running out." The upstairs door exploded Robin's silhouette standing in the light.
"Actually, we just went into overtime," Robin said.
Danny's eyes snapped open in shock and panic. How was Robin here? The teen pushed off from the wall, his mind racing.
"Robin, welcome. I've been expecting you for some time. I was beginning to wonder if Cinderblock was too much of a challenge."
Robin leapt onto the floor, Slade never turning away from the screen. Danny felt his blood run cold, that psycho separated Robin from his team; he was purposely using Robin's desire to catch him to lure the Titan in. Why? Danny thought his green eyes flashing in the light his aura turning a deadlier white. Unless…
"Looking for this?" Slade asked facing the teen and holding up the square trigger, "Well, here it is," he said placing it on the ground and taking four steps back.
"If you want it, come and take it," Slade finished. Silently, Robin charged, and the fight began.
Cyborg destroyed the boats weapons system and looked up to Starfire.
"Thanks for the lift!" Cy said as she dropped him on the boat. The Slade robot quickly typed something into the computer before the Titan tapped him on the shoulder and threw him overboard. Cy looked at the screen which read 'autopilot engaged'. He tried to steer, but the wheel snapped off, staring at it in shock, Starfire landed and approached him. Cy tried typing in a code, both teens screamed when the boat began zooming back and forth screeching that it was an invalid code until Cy ripped the dash off and the boat came to a stop in a great reservoir. Raven and Beast Boy landed.
"Please, tell me that's not how you're planning on stopping the detonator?" Raven asked looking at the crude way Cyborg stopped the boat. He smiled sheepishly and tossed the dash into the water.
"Uh…"
"You do know how to stop it don't cha?" Beast Boy asked looking warily at his friend.
"How hard could it be?" Cy replied walking over to the device, with barely the press of a button it opened menacingly.
"Oh," Cyborg said, very hard.
Robin hit the concrete floor and rolled, he ran for the trigger once more and lunged, but Slade was faster and kicked him in the side sending the teen twenty feet back once more, further into the darkness of the turning gears.
"Come now, Robin, you'll have to do better than that. I haven't even broken a sweat," Slade said. Running forward, kicking the teen in the chest; Robin felt his body slowing down as he tried to dodge the elder's attacks, which seemed to only grow in power. Anger boiled over, and Robin let out a snarl charging forward, his attacks becoming more predictable, he threw a punch, and Slade caught hold of the teen's fist wrenching him forward. Robin screamed when Slade forced his elbow to bend painfully and threw him over his shoulder.
Robin hit the floor and slammed painfully into the wall, forcing all the wind out of his lungs. Gasping for air, the Titan tried to stand, his vision blurring, the sound of metallic boots hitting the ground racing forward. Robin tensed for the punch, his black cape falling over his shoulders when something else attacked and looking up Robin saw a flash of white, and Slade being sent forty feet back into the depths of the gears.
"D-Danny?" Robin stuttered and momentarily forgetting everything that was happening, the Titan could only stare as the halfa turned to him, and suddenly he was at Robin's throat his green eyes filled with thousands of emotions.
"Run," it was the only word Danny managed to say before he let out a scream and fell to the floor withering in agony, his suit electrocuting him.
"Danny!" Robin screamed bending down as the volts stopped, and the teen simply lay there, his body twitching ever so slightly, Slade emerged from the darkness.
"What a shame, when a weapon decides to malfunction. Although, I must give him credit he's stronger than he appears," Slade said pocketing a small device. Robin saw red, and blindly, he charged, for all he wanted was to hurt the man who caused his friend pain. A fist connected with Robin's chest and the teen felt something crack. His body went slack, and he fell forward clutching his heart.
"Good technique. Good, but not perfect," Slade said speaking as if he hadn't just tortured Danny, Robin slammed his fist down in pure hatred.
"I understand you're frustration, you hate losing as much as I do. One of the many qualities we have in common." Slade said looking down at the teen. Robin snapped, and in a burst of power, he jumped nailing the man in his face. The Titan continued punching Slade, taking everything out on him until the man no longer looked like he could get up. Robin was so angered he never noticed how Slade never resisted. Walking away, the masked teen retrieved the trigger and went to stand next to his unconscious friend.
"It's over, Slade," Robin said.
"On the contrary, Robin, this is only the beginning," Slade said emerging from the shadows, the trigger in the Titan's hand disintegrating.
"Where's the real trigger?" Robin asked panic filling his stomach.
"Trigger, there is no trigger. Because there is no detonator," Slade answered. Robin froze in shock.
There were only three wires left to cut, the Chronoton core swirling in the center of the device glowing an angry red.
"Moment of truth ya'll, everybody ready?" Cy asked holding up one finger which had a small flame shooting from it.
"I can't watch!" BB whispered, although he couldn't turn away, Cy bent forward and sliced through the wire, the red core turned a calm cool blue. Everyone sighed. The device became the blood color once more, and everyone screamed as it began to spread throughout the machine.
"We blew it, we'll be frozen in time forever!" BB screamed right when the device collapsed and fell in on itself.
"Um, why aren't we frozen in time forever?" He asked.
"Because this wasn't a Chronoton Detonator, it was a fake," Cyborg stated all of the Titans looking at the device none of them noticing the gun raising up from the other end of the boat, it fired red bullets at them sending all of the Titans into the water.
"Ugh, So aside from the nasty taste of sewer water in my mouth, I think I'm okay," Beast Boy said, Cyborg studied his sensors.
"Dynastic sensors say I'm fine."
"Whatever that beam was supposed to do, it didn't do it," Raven said while Starfire smiled at her friends.
"So, we are victorious?" She asked.
Robin watched in horror as the events played out on the screen before him, the vitals of his friends appeared on screen something coursing through their blood.
"Nanoscopic probes, the Chronoton Detonator was merely a decoy for a much larger trap. It's funny, Daniel had a similar reaction, however the bullets I fired at the Titans the first time were nothing more than blanks, these on the other hand, have the full capacity to eradicate your friends," Slade said gazing back to Robin who snarled.
"You can't control them; no matter what you threaten, they'll never obey you," Robin stated.
"This isn't about your friends, Robin. It's about Daniel. And it's about you," Slade said beginning to circle Robin who felt panic and fear setting in.
"What?" He said his voice sounded to quiet.
"Sending trouble your way, leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel, I was testing you. For some time now I've been searching for an apprentice, someone to follow in my footsteps, and, Robin, I've chosen you. Congratulations," Slade said his grey eye smirking.
"No way would I ever work for you!" Robin said in disbelief and disgust.
"Really? Because Daniel gave in quite easily; after all, if he lets his friends die again, well let's just say I don't think he'd make it. So tell me, Robin, will you survive if you murder your friends?" Slade asked holding up his hand where a small device rested, a red button glistening in the dark light. Robin took a step back, Slade's thumb resting on the trigger, the teen's eyes filled with horror.
"If you join me, if you swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends again, I will allow them to live. But, if you disobey even the smallest request, I will annihilate them, Robin, and I'll make you watch. So, do we have a deal?"
Robin could only glare; he knew perfectly how Danny must have felt. For the choice was obvious.
"Robin? Robin? Please respond," Starfire said through the communicator, the rest of the team emerging from the sewers.
"Why does he not answer?" She asked.
"His locators been deactivated; we have no way to find him," Cy stated, his gut clenching with worry.
"Not good," BB said.
"Robin, please you must answer. Robin? Robin where are you? First friend Danny and now you, please answer me? Robin?" Starfire kept asking, but the boy wonder ignored her, snapping on the last piece of metal. His uniform was identical to Danny's, only the dividing line ran straight down the middle. Slade's emblem blazing across the left part of his chest. Slade entered the room, Danny by his side, green eyes burning through everything; silently, the halfa came to stand next to Robin. His unearthly presence comforting, and yet added the fuel to Robin's already blazing fire. He'd get them out of here, he'd save his friends, and he'd defiantly save Danny. Robin swore in his head glaring defiantly at Slade the entire time. The man merely took on a fatherly tone.
"I know it seems bad now, but trust me, you'll learn to like it. After all, with your ruthlessness and Daniel's merciless, you will both be unstoppable."
Slade left the teens, and in that moment Robin called the man every dishonorable word possible in any language he'd picked up over the years. While Danny just named him a psycho-loop.
"Robin? Robin? Please where are you?" The girl said through the communicator as she flew high over the dark city.
"Starfire, enough, you've been calling for forty-five minutes," Raven said speaking through the small speaker.
"Perhaps if I just try one more…"
"Come on, Star, if he's gonna pick up, he'd have done it by now," Beast Boy said exasperated, "'sides you're kinda giving me a headache."
"But why does he not respond? Where could he be?" She asked. And deep down in the sewers Cyborg was examining the damage done by Cinderblock, his anger and guilt beginning to eat at him.
"Robin and Cinderblock definitely went a few rounds but I can't tell who won…or where they went."
"No sign of him here either," Raven replied looking at the layout of the city back at Titan's Tower, all her friends' locators flashing on the map, all except Robin's.
"I've been monitoring all the frequencies, but he hasn't checked in," Raven said frustrated.
"Oh, we're bad friends, we should never have let Robin do battle alone," Star spoke the wind whipping around her red hair.
Beast Boy leapt from a building and transformed out of his monkey form.
"Yeah 'specially since Slade's big do da was a dud," he snapped, running onward.
"The Chronoton Detonator wasn't a dud, it was a decoy to lure us away from Robin, and we fell for it," Raven stated, the sound of crushing rocks filled the speaker, Cyborg destroying part of the sewers.
"Argh, shoulda known that thing was a fake if I just trusted…" He yelled stopping just short.
"But why? Why did Slade wish to separate us from Robin?" Star asked.
"And if the detonator was a decoy…" BB said.
"What was Slade's real plan?" Raven finished her eyes narrowing, the red alarm went off.
"Titans trouble!" Cyborg yelled.
Danny let go of Robin and watched as the former Titan fell from the sky and onto the skyscraper building and broke in.
Robin jumped into the lab and threw his boomerang, Slade's emblem now on it. The device exploded and the security case holding FoxTech's newest weapon opened with ease. The former Titan grabbed the device, the sound of the security force thundering his way.
"He's stolen the thermal blaster! Stop him!" The security chief screamed.
Robin ran out onto the giant circular balcony that surrounded the entire building, dodging the bullets, the Titan dove up into the shadows and leapt down when the police force disappeared around the corner. Now to go meet up with Danny, heading for the corner Robin froze when Teen Titans surrounded him.
"Freeze!" Cyborg yelled not able to see the thief. Robin dashed across the bridge, he'd have to jump and pray Danny would catch him.
He was nearing the edge when doubt filled him, he needed his friends to know who they were chasing, and he needed them to see Danny as well. Praying this didn't blow up in his face, Robin skidded to a stop and turned, the lights illuminating who he was, and the former Titan watched as his friends skid to a stop and look at him in pure shock.
"Robin?" Beast Boy said his eyes wide as saucers.
"Whoa," Cy said.
"Robin, why are you…" Star tried to ask. Robin growled and threw a boomerang which exploded in green light from an ecto blast before it could reach his friends and cause serious harm. Robin felt so much relief at that, when he felt Danny's presence land beside him. Even though Danny was imprisoned, it hadn't meant that he didn't know how to play the game. Once more the Titans were in shock. Beast Boy couldn't understand Robin and now Danny, who BB had started looking up to like a brother, were standing there glaring at them. The Teen Titans charged, and Robin drew the thermal blaster and destroyed the bridge, catching it on fire, Danny grabbed the former Titan and disappeared into the night.
Leaving their friends behind, Robin and Danny handed over the two weapons they were asked to steal. Slade taking them from their hands.
"Excellent, Robin, Daniel, I'm pleased, you're already proving to be the perfect apprentices,"
"This deal can't last forever," Robin spat, his temper flaring, Danny tensed at his side.
"It can and it will. The probes can remain undetected for years, that is unless you two decide to disobey me, and I in return, destroy your, former friends," Slade said walking up to them, his tone nothing more than stating the facts. Robin returned that sentiment.
"Sooner or later you'll let your guard down, and I will get that controller, and the instant they're out of danger," Robin said his eyes flickering over to Danny, "you will pay."
"That sounds like a threat, young man, quite a good threat actually," Slade said walking past the teens. He paused looking back to see what would happen next.
"Betrayal, destruction, revenge, we really do think alike."
Robin spun faster than Danny could anticipate and watched as the teen lunged for Slade's arm, but the man was quicker and he soon had Robin on his knees, his arm twisted back behind him. Danny charged an ecto-blast and held it to Slade's chest.
"You're wrong," Danny growled out, the psycho merely laughed and looked at the halfa and then to the Titan.
"Am I?" Slade asked releasing Robin who scrambled to his feet, Danny placing himself slightly in front of the Titan, warning him not to attack. Slade turned away, his voice cutting through the darkness.
"For you see, I monitored Robin's vital signs during the mission, elevated heart rate, adrenaline, endorphins, you won't admit it, but on some level you enjoyed stealing. It was a thrill wasn't it, Robin?"
The Titan glared rubbing circles across his arm, Slade working at the table combining the two weapons, and Danny watched as Robin held the look of self doubt on his face. The halfa felt pure fury at Slade, who instantly reminded him of Vlad. Although, the fruitloop still had him beat on the whole let's mess with Danny's head, Slade obviously was Robin's Vlad. And in some twisted way it made sense. Vlad was half human like Danny, and Slade was just as human as Robin was. Oh why the hell did fruitloops and psychopaths always want apprentices as sons? Danny thought. And somehow, the way Slade was talking to Robin; he obviously wanted to include the son idea in his plan.
"You're going to keep stealing, and you're going to keep getting that thrill, and sooner or later, you will see things my way," Slade said turning around and snapping the newly designed weapon on the former Titans arm.
"Who knows, I might even become like a father to both of you."
Oh great, Danny mentally groaned, now he was included in the psycho's delusion, not that he already wasn't but hey, he wasn't looking for another fruitloop. Slade left the room and for a long time Robin could only stare at the new weapon hooked to his arm, when he finally spoke up, his voice was strong.
"I already have a father."
In that moment, Danny couldn't have been happier and so utterly sad; the halfa heard something fluttering high above the bunker, and it sounding like… bats?
Beast Boy was pacing the floor, he knew his friends would need an explanation to why their friends had betrayed them, so the changeling did the only thing he could think of, fall back into the world of comic books, where the lines of good and evil were clearly drawn. After all, maybe it would cheer them up.
"O.k. the way I see it, there are only two logical explanations. One, Robin and Danny have been replaced by evil robot doubles, two, they're innocent victims of zombie mind control," BB finished closing the two comic books. Raven and Cyborg were sitting on the couch, not amused.
"As logical as that sounds, if anything was controlling their minds, I would have sensed it," Raven said looking downhearted.
"And my scanners confirm their biometrics, that was the real Robin and Danny. Those were our friends," he said both teens closed their eyes accepting fate.
"Lies!" Starfire yelled standing by the kitchen, "That was not Robin or Danny, your scanners are wrong, their our friends and nothing could ever make them betray us!"Star said her eyes brimming with tears, for she couldn't believe it. That Danny would threaten them, that Robin would join Slade, that they would use all of Star's emotions against her. To hurt her.
"But something did," Raven answered her own eyes starting to water; Cyborg and Beast Boy closed their eyes.
"And," Raven said taking a deep breath to steady her heart, "no matter how much we wish it weren't true. Robin and Danny are criminals now and just like any other criminals…"
"The Teen Titans have to bring them down," Cy finished, tears fell down Star's sun creamed skin and Beast Boy let out a soft whimper. The Tower alarm went off; there was trouble in the city.
Robin was instructed to steal from Wayne Tower located in the center of Jump City's technology industry, and the teen tried to ignore the irony of it. Destroying the doors, the former Titan walked up to the device when Cyborg's voice filled the silence.
"You're not walking out of here, Robin."Robin spun to face his friends, "not without a fight, Titans Go!" Cy yelled and they charged. The former Titan let out a scream in rage; he had to remind himself he couldn't speak. Robin vaulted over Cyborg and escaped through the air vent, his heart beating frantically in his chest. He needed to get away.
"Danny, come in?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm on the roof, I need you to…" Robin was cut off, Slade snarling through the headset.
"Not so fast, Robin, you have yet to achieve your objective."
"The device was to heavily guarded, I'll have to steal it another time."
"NO!" Slade yelled making Robin stop on the roof, the giant letters humming behind him. The former Titan tried not to think of the name they spelled.
"Go back, unless you want me to destroy them, go back and fight."
"Robin!" Cyborg said on the other side of the roof. Robin looked up to see his friends standing defensively, none of them wanting to fight.
"Look, I don't know what's going on, but we don't want to fight you or Danny, we just want to talk."
Great, the one thing he couldn't do, Robin leapt into the air and kicked Cyborg in the chest; Beast Boy looked to his friend and let his pained heart turn to anger.
"I guess there's nothing to talk about," he said and with this he let his form shift to a giant gorilla and attacked. Robin dodged, flipping onto the giant 'A' managing to trap Beast Boy in it to prevent the changeling from crushing him. He leapt back onto the roof and ran past Starfire to attack Raven, after all, she was the only one who could stop him in his tracks and make him disobey. Robin continued to fight Raven, the girl shielding herself with black magic, but refusing to use it on her friend. Cyborg charged his sonic cannon and took aim, he had a perfect shot, growling in frustration at himself, he deactivated his weapon and charged. Beast Boy broke loose and transformed into a ram hitting Robin in his side and sending him rolling to the edge of the sixty story building, where he remained unmoving.
"Dude, are you o.k.?" Beast Boy asked running over to Robin in fear. He was almost there when Danny shot up from the edge and punched the changeling back. He landed on the roof, Robin recovered jumping to his feet. Slade spoke in both their earpieces.
"Fight to win," then separately in Robin's ear, Slade instructed him to use the modified thermal blaster. Both teens charged forward, the former Titan throwing a flash grenade when Danny was caught in Raven's black magic.
"Can't see!" She screamed as the halfa crashed to the ground and ran at Cyborg who only blocked Danny's punches.
"C'mon man don't make me do this, I don't want to do this!" Cy yelled before blasting Danny back with his cannon. Beast Boy and Raven surrounded him eyes weary, still hesitating to fight, and the halfa felt hate and guilt pool in his stomach. For he was in an impossible situation, just like when Vlad had forced him and Jazz to fight, only this was different. For the Teen Titans had no idea what was going on, that if this battle didn't look convicting, Slade would kill them. And that was something the halfa could never go through again. Steeling himself, Danny met their eyes with defiance, not directed at them. The four teens never noticed that Robin was up on the giant letter aiming his thermal blaster at Starfire, who held one glowing fist at his heart, her eyes pure green in anger.
"Do not move," Starfire ordered, her star-bolt almost pure white in the center of her palm.
"I thought I told you to use that thermal blaster. Attack!" Slade yelled through Robin's earpiece. The former Titan winced, but charged the device. Star's eyes widened, she now knew her answer to who Robin truly was.
"Robin, you are my best friend. I cannot be in a world where we must fight. If you are truly evil then go ahead, do what you must," she said the star-bolt dying in her hand, forest green eyes closing in acceptance. The Tamaranean girl refused to cry. Robin deactivated his weapon, his eyes widening in horror.
"Starfire, no I…ah!" He gasped when Slade's voice filled his ear.
"Robin, I gave you an order, if you won't attack, my probes will," Slade yelled and with the click of a button the nanoscopic probes moving through the Teen Titan's blood and interlaced with their clothes began to activate. Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg screamed as their bodies and clothes began to glow a florescent orange and red, their eyes a blinding white.
"NO!" Danny and Robin screamed. The Titans withered in pain, Robin caught Starfire and held her close, but she gave no indication that she knew he was here.
"Stop, please!" Robin begged looking down to his friends. Danny in the middle of them, his eyes wide in panic.
"Attack, Robin, it's the only way to save them. Attack with everything you got," Slade said, and setting Starfire down he apologized to her, she called his name. The former Titan raised his weapon and fired, the blast bouncing off a small green shield inches above her chest.
Starfire groaned slowly, opening her eyes she sat up on the letters and looked down to her friends who were also recovering, confusion on each of their faces.
"Okay, weirdness, what just…" Beast Boy dodged when he heard the fire of the thermal gun above him, and Robin landed in the middle of them, throwing the changeling towards Raven while Danny took out her legs, sending her to the ground. The halfa turned to Cyborg, the boy wonder going after Starfire both of them carefully aiming their blasts to miss their friends by inches. The Titans regrouped, and Danny and Robin backed up to the edge of the roof. In that moment, the former Titan knew what needed to be done, throwing three exploding disks at Wayne's name, Robin leapt from the roof and tore out his earplugs free falling, waiting for Danny to do the same. Free of any listening devices, the halfa grabbed onto Robin's arm and the Titan said one word.
"Teleport."
The Teen Titans stood on the roof of the now destroyed Wayne tower.
"They're gone," Raven said landing next to Star, Cy and BB coming to stand next to them.
"Everybody okay?" Cy asked to this Beast Boy raised his question.
"Ugh, I know where Robin picked up that heat ray. But where did he and Danny learn that little hurty glowy trick?"
"I do not think that was Robin or Danny, perhaps it is Slade who has learned a new trick," Starfire said looking out over the city.
Slade kept rewinding the tapes, re-watching them, observing his two apprentices.
"Thrilling, their progressing faster than I had hoped, all they needed was a little motivation," Slade said. Robin's fist came out of nowhere.
"Motivate This!" And he aimed his punch at the man's face. Slade threw him off, Robin landing on the ground, a few feet back from the elevated throne chair next to Danny, whose eyes held nothing but livid anger. The man stood and made his way down the stone steps.
"Robin, that was viscous, dishonorable, and ruthless. Excellent, you're becoming more like me every second."
Robin took a step back horrified, Danny let out a growl.
"He's nothing like you, you deranged psycho," Danny said. The former Titan could only stare as Slade looked Danny dead in the eyes, the halfa showing none of his fear, memories flashing behind his green eyes trying to suck him in.
"Is that disobedience?" Slade asked.
Danny smirked, "no just facts. This is disobedience." Turning intangible the suit and armor clattered to the floor revealing Danny's black and white hazmat suit. Slade's eye widened in shock, Robin charged.
"I think I found something! The enhanced sensors are picking up radio interference on the nanoscopic scale," Cyborg said. Beast Boy strapped to a chair in the living room of Titan's Tower, cords and wires ribboning out and feeding into a machine. The monitor showing the changeling's blood with tiny metallic probes attached to the red blood cells. Beast Boy shivered.
"Those things are inside me? Ewww!"
"There inside all of us, billions of them!" Cyborg stated.
"With this technology at his hands, Slade can destroy us whenever he wants," Starfire said.
"Unless Robin and Danny do whatever he says," Raven replied looking at the screen. Beast Boy crossed his arms and snorted.
"And you guys said my zombie idea was crazy," But in his heart, BB was sighing in relief for his friends hadn't become villains.
"We need to find them!" Starfire exclaimed in fear.
"If I can track the probes signal, I should be able to…got it!" Cyborg said, and with this the Titans took off after their friends.
Robin skidded across one of the black gears and dodged when he heard Slade lunging at him, his fist capable of breaking through steel. Danny caught the man's fist and flung him backwards into the shadows, both teens backed up, not knowing where he was, and both dodging the out of sync machinery. The man appeared behind a moving rod and the former Titan jumped, spinning the forceful roundhouse kick sent Slade to the ground next to the large screens displaying their friends' vitals. Slade turned, the bronze side of his mask cracked.
"You're going to wish you hadn't done that."
"I only wish I'd done it sooner," Robin spat throwing Slade's emblem next to the man.
Slade let out a roar and attacked. Danny prepared to defend Robin charging a green ecto-blast, but at the last second the man wrenched to the side and grabbed the halfa on his upper right arm, the bone snapped and an old scar resurfaced. Danny screamed as Jazz flooded his mind.
"I'll always be here little brother," she said smiling, the specter speeder warm and smelt like faint vanilla from Jazz's shampoo.
Vlad laughed manically in the stands holding the remote that could destroy his sister from the inside out.
As Danny went down and Slade turned to Robin, the halfa began to remember a conversation he'd had with Vlad that now seemed truer than ever.
"The first thing you need to learn is gratitude," Slade growled out, Robin rolled onto his side and away from Slade having been thrown down in the fight. Danny pushed himself up into a sitting position and glared.
"But the only thing you two seemed worried about are your worthless friends!" Slade turned his one eye to Danny. "Perhaps you didn't believe me, after all what's wrong with five more deaths?"
Danny suddenly couldn't breathe; Slade looked to Robin, "maybe I should just get rid of them." Robin shrunk back in defeat.
"Don't, we'll do whatever you say," the former Titan said his mind reeling in questions for Danny, the boy wonder knew the halfa's family had been killed, but the newspaper only said it was an explosion. Just what had happened? Slade turned and smirked as Danny and Robin stood next to one another.
"Good boys, and from now on, I want you to call me Master," he said. A star-bolt slammed into Slade and sent him flying. Both teens looked over to see their friends, Starfire's eyes a violent electric green her fists glowing in power almost concealing the other Titans who looked equally pissed.
"Leave Them Alone," Star demanded her bell like voice dark with fury.
Danny felt his mind swirl, everything beginning to crash down around him. There was a roaring in his ears, his body exhausted from too many sleepless nights, and his emotions were pushed far past his breaking point. And now the people he was trying to protect had willingly run into danger.
"We have to get out of here!" Sam yelled.
"What, why?" His mother asked. Danny had seen the entire event play out as he was traveling through the time stream which was compressed around him, trying to throw him back and forward all at the same time.
"Because the Nasty Burger is going to explode! And we're three feet from it!" Tucker exclaimed to Jack, Maddie, and Mr. Lancer, the thing dressed up in his skin glowered at his two best friends.
"Attack!" Slade yelled. Danny watched in a fog as Robin ran forward pleading to his friends.
"Get out of here, go! You don't know what those beams did to…"
"Dude," Beast Boy said,
"We know," Raven deadpanned.
"And we don't care," Cyborg stated.
"We are your friends, Robin and Danny. We are not leaving without you," Starfire finished the Titans all agreeing with her.
"How very touching."
"I'll tell you why, because that's not Danny!" Jazz screamed in the Fenton peeler suit firing at her brother, revealing the monster beneath.
"Where's our boy?" Danny's parents screamed before the thing laughed.
"I am your boy!" It screamed.
"What kind of parents are you? The world's leading ghost experts and you didn't even realize that your own son was half ghost! C'mon, Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom, ever notice the similarities, Jazz did."
"Don't move!"Jack demanded pointing his charged ecto weapon at the ghost.
"Actually, no one's going anywhere, not until it's time for you to be blown everywhere," it said trapping them to the boiler in ecto rope and gags. Jazz attacked, but soon she too was trapped on the boiler. Danny was almost there, he needed to stop him. Save them.
"But Robin and Danny don't need any friends," Slade said and with this the man pressed the red trigger attached to the hidden under part of his wrist, and a separate red machine began to glow a sickening electric red. Memories and reality no longer seemed different from one another, and Danny screamed unsure of who to save, something inside his core, began to spark and tear through Danny's skin, but he didn't know who to attack. Robin panicked watching as his friends screamed in agony their skin orange and red. Danny could see them, both of them.
"I won't turn into that ever. I promise."
Slade was saying something about disobedience, but neither teen was listening, while the world spun Danny met Robin's eyes, and a silent message was sent between them. One that would tear the halfa apart, but he none the less accepted. Vlad's voice broke through his conciseness.
"…You'll always be put in the impossible situation."
Robin spun and ran to the strange device. Slade screamed when he realized what his apprentice was going to do, the man needed to stop him, but he was met by Danny whose powers crackled around him. He released lighting directly into Slade just as Robin's hands slammed down onto the device. The teen screamed in pain, nanoscopic probes forcing their way into his system. Danny sank onto his knees when Robin's vitals appeared on screen.
"You're too late to save them," Dan said
Danny had just condemned Robin and the Titans to death. He couldn't save them. The halfa couldn't understand the incoherence of the words in his mind, and now more than ever he wished for everything to stop. In a dream like state, the halfa watched Robin stand, even when his body tried to wither and contort in pain, but the Titan forced himself to move until he was standing in front of Slade.
"New deal, Slade, if I lose my friends, you lose an apprentice. And I know how you hate to lose," he said and Robin fell to the ground, the pain too much, and he screamed, the sound ripping Danny apart as an explosion danced across his vision, slamming him down onto the quaking ground. Fire. He was on fire. Slade gazed down to Robin in pure loathing, everything was falling apart, left with no choice he tore the device from his wrist, the small trigger self destructing. The Titans recovered, and Robin smirked, he wasn't aware the sacrifice he just paid. Robin looked up as Slade moved to kick him. The Titan caught it and threw him.
"Titans Go!" Beast Boy tore through Slade's armor with his tiger claws, Starfire and Cyborg blasting him back while Raven grabbed his feet in black magic, twisting in the air the same moment Robin kicked Slade in the face and the mask shattered revealing part of his shadowed face. Shocked, Slade retreated, pulling down a lever but before he disappeared, the man turned, maliciousness in his voice.
"Another day, Robin, but you've already lost one close friend," he said, the room turned red and began to explode. The Teen Titans froze in horror, and for the first time they noticed Danny laying on the ground in pain, his hands clenching his head, trying to drown out the noise around him.
"Titans, move!" Robin yelled Cyborg ran forward and scooped Danny up in his arms, Starfire ripping out the nanoscopic device as the building exploded around them. They emerged in the sewers and continued to run, all of them confused and afraid.
"What's wrong with Danny?" Robin yelled heading back to the Tower.
"I don't know!" Cy screamed all of them couldn't understand.
Danny's mind was fractured, he knew he wasn't lost, but he couldn't find the exit. It was loud; Vlad's voice wouldn't go away. He let them die. He let Robin put his life on the line. The halfa suddenly felt very tired, he didn't want this. He didn't want the responsibility, the guilt, the pain; Danny didn't want to be a hero anymore. But what did he want? In his haze, he felt his body being laid on a bed, people moving around him, there were five of them. Suddenly, Danny knew and in a moment of hating how truly weak he'd become, he knew what he wanted, even if it meant breaking a promise.
The halfa opened his eyes which were distant and lost, the Teen Titans surrounding him.
"Danny, are you o.k. what's wrong?" Beast Boy asked next to him.
"Danny, please, we need to help you," Robin begged. Danny smiled, he felt the sting of betrayal, but who betrayed him did the Titans? Or was he betraying himself? The teen felt the dream beginning to pull him in, he just wanted to stop, to truly end.
"Sorry," he whispered and Danny closed his eyes and fell into blackness. He planned on going to the dream, the place that would cease his existence, but as he was falling, the wind whipping around his face Sam's voice suddenly howled at him.
"Danny, you promised! Please don't go there!"
"Sam?" Danny whispered.
"Danny!"
"Sam!"Danny opened his eyes he couldn't go there, it was the promise he was intending to break, but in trying to escape, the halfa felt tendrils of darkness wrap around him. He be began to struggle, he needed to go back to the Teen Titans regardless of the pain. But his body was too weak, his mind too tired to fight the onslaught of his torrential emotions, and suddenly, Danny didn't know what to do.
The Titans were frozen in fear while two blue rings formed and changed their friend human.
"W-why did he apologize?" Beast Boy stuttered.
"Danny, please tell us what is wrong?" Starfire pleaded, but the halfa was locked in his mind, fighting to try and come back. Suddenly, Robin's communicator went off and answering he saw Fixit.
"Fixit, how did you?"
"I hacked into your computer system. Where is Danny?" He asked, but the leader couldn't answer, and Cyborg was forced to take the device.
"He's here, but something's wrong. He won't wake up. We don't know what to do."
"I know someone who does. Can you open your doors?" Cyborg looked to Robin who nodded. The Titans waited in silence when they heard the light padding of feet and looking up, the team was shocked when a girl no more than twelve or thirteen entered and ran over to Danny's bed, clamoring up on it like a little kid. Fixit floated in and stood next to the Titans.
"Who are you?" Robin asked shocked at her resemblance to Danny. The little girl looked up, her raven black hair falling down her face, flicking it over to the side with one hand revealed identical crystalline blue eyes.
"Dani, with an 'I' and I'm his cousin… sort of," she said, looking back down to her other self and placed her fragile hands over his heart. Slowly, they began to glow ice blue and her eyes turned a glowing green, she closed them in concentration.
As the little girl focused, Starfire couldn't believe what she was seeing. For her and Blackfire looked identical, but even then it was only because they were sisters and still Starfire had red hair and her sister had liquid black. So how did Danny's cousin look more like a sister or daughter? She wore a baggy blue sweater, with red pants and a red knit hat that covered her head, long black hair falling out in a ponytail reaching past her shoulders. But the Titan's questions could wait; right now they prayed Dani could save their friend.
Danny struggled. " Sam!" He yelled his voice breaking.
"Danny! Fight!" Sam screamed sounding far away through the roar of the wind.
"I'm trying Sam!" It was getting harder, the dream was forcing him downward in an out of control spiral, he was failing. The halfa couldn't hold out any longer.
"Danny!" A little girl screamed and opening his eyes to nothingness, the halfa felt something cold in his chest, trying desperately to pull him back.
"D-Dani?" The halfa said. Why was she here?
"Danny, please come on, fight cousin! I can't pull you back all by myself! You're heavy!" Dani said through the wind, and despite himself, Danny chuckled at her antics. Slowly, the bonds of darkness were retreating as the teen felt his core and two hands over his heart. Danny opened his eyes to meet identical blue, one hand covering her two.
"D-Dani? Am I awake? Am I here?" He asked. To this the little girl nodded and for the first time Danny saw her burst into tears and grab him in a death hug. Startled and unsure of what to do, the halfa merely hugged her back.
It was still hard to breath, and Danny could feel his memories trying to drown him, but at the moment Dani needed him. He wasn't going to betray his promises. Or even question how she found him. Looking up over her head, Danny smiled to the Teen Titans who relaxed, and almost instantly, Beast Boy transformed into a small puppy and jumped in between the cousins' arms, Starfire joined them, crying as well. Raven sat down on the bed, her hands on the little girl's back, Cyborg and Robin merely placed their hands on Danny's shoulders, while Fixit merely guarded over them. No one commented when tears pricked Danny's eyes but never fell. Because even though he was back, he was far from okay.
Slade ran through the night, he felt anger and hate boiling in his veins. But sick satisfaction at Danny's demise, even if it meant him losing a valuable apprentice. Arriving at his destination, the man entered his safe house, his mind already planning his next ten moves. But first he needed a new mask. The villain never noticed the red eyes watching him or the way the creature smiled showing his white fangs.
"Interesting," Vlad Plasmius said he could us this.
Season 1 Finale: To Be Continued...
AN: I know Dani just suddenly disappears but that's why I'm writing the next chapter people to explain where she's been all this time and how she finds Danny. I'll try and update her storyline in a month. Until then please, enjoy and review!