The following morning, everyone woke and entered the common room sleepily, yet refreshed- anxious to commence with the intense mission they had planned for the day. "Alright! Whose ready to kick some butt!" shouted Beast Boy enthusiastically as she bounced around jabbing and shadow-boxing with the air.
"I expect you to be," answered Apollo as she closed the door to the refrigerator and stood before the team. "Come on," she continued as she finished a cool glass of juice. "It's time to give Slade a surprise he'll never forget…" A feral spark in her eye, instantly it was clear that her mind was set and her intentions fixed solely on revenge. Concerned for his friend's emotional attachment to the mission, Robin stepped forward and looked Apollo in the eye; exchanging a reassuring stare, signaling that everything would work out for the best.
"Alright, let's get this started," said Cyborg as he and the other titans all stared at their leader. However, instead of barking orders and hyping up his team as usual, Robin looked at his friends in confusion.
"Don't look at me," he replied as he backed towards the newest member. "This is Apollo's mission; we'll be following her lead." He said calmly as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Shocked, the others all stared at Robin- their mouths agape. 'We're taking orders from who!' they all thought simultaneously. 'Apollo?' Cyborg subconsciously exclaimed. 'Since when does she call the shots!' She just became a titan and- as far as he was concerned- was still the enemy. 'Left hook my foot! We're setting out to take Slade down, and we're being led by his daughter? SAY WAH!'
"Okay," started Apollo, instantly taking the role of leader. "First we have to get there; until then, I'll let you keep your role," she said to Robin, clearly trying her best not to sound too commanding.
"Alright, we'll take the T-car," he started. "With Apollo's map to guide us, that should get us there in no time."
"Should get us there? Try will get us there!" shouted Cyborg, insulted by Robin's comment. "Let's go," he shouted as everyone raced to the garage. As they raced down the hall, Cyborg paused to brag to Apollo about his ride, "It's about time you get to see my baby in action," he smiled proudly as he waved the keys in her face.
At first, Apollo didn't know how to respond to the boy's friendly remark. As far as she was concerned his kind gestures, were simply him trying his beat to ignore her past- which she knew still bothered everyone else just as much as it annoyed her. 'Too nice,' she grumbled subconsciously. Her mind still fixed on the mission and what lied ahead for the team; she stared at the smiling titan for a moment, then rolled her eyes and pulled up the map on her wristlet. "Ugh, come on," she sighed as she brushed past the driver. There was business to be taken care of; she had no time for humor; but as she approached the car, she realized that such actions were common amongst her new… friends, and that she'd have to get used to it. With a irritable sigh, she turned back to the driver and waved the map, "Hey," she shouted to Cyborg. "I've got shotgun." She said, trying her best to sound friendly and adding a flirty wink as she turned back to the others and got into the car.
After what seemed like a matter of seconds, the team reached their destination. Swiftly, Robin leapt off of his R-cycle as the others filed out of the T-car. "So far so good," sighed Apollo as she looked at the hologram on her wrist, comparing it to the actual building. "This is the place."
"Titans Go!" shouted Robin as he and the others started to rush towards the building.
"Wait!" shouted Apollo as she jumped in front of the clueless heroes.
"Uh, I thought you wanted to get to work?" asked Beast Boy.
"Yes," added Starfire. "Why are you stopping us?"
"Because," said Apollo. "This isn't how it's done." Confused, the others all paused and stared at her. "Let's not forget who we're dealing with; have you guys ever wondered why your attempts at surprising Slade never work?" asked Apollo in a scolding manner. "It's because you'd rather run in and scream a bunch of stupid punch lines (which I happened to write down)," she said mockingly looking at the boys. "If we're going to beat Slade, we have to think like Slade… and that's why you have me." She continued confidently, "Last time I checked, this was my mission?" She said matter-of-factly as she nodded to Robin. Immediately he nodded back- just as they had during their past time as partners; slowly the others followed suit. "Ok, now obviously we have to get in before we can do anything else," Apollo dictated as she pulled up the holographic map and pictures of the building. If this map is correct, then there should be an access point around the back of the building that leads to the ventilation system. Once we get in through there, then we'll really be able to get to work."
"Alright," said Robin before being interrupted by Raven.
"So you mean we're going to be crawling through the ventilation? ...of an abandoned building?" she asked unenthusiastically.
"If it means being undetected," answered Apollo calmly. "Come on, let's just get in and get it over with; we've got bigger things to discuss inside."
Inside the vents, Apollo managed to lead the team to the center of the building. Once there, Cyborg managed to open the ventilation shaft, allowing everyone to officially enter the building. "Good work Apollo," praised Robin as everyone got their bearings and embraced their surroundings. While it was clear from the outside that they were entering an abandoned building, what the team experienced on the inside further confirmed the destination. The area was dark and cold, the slightly flooded ground was damp and soggy- omitting faint sounds of splashing with every step; the stale air was malodorous and induced tearing among the entire group; it was so horrid that it even stung the nose and throat when inhaled deliberately.
"Dude," groaned Beast Boy as he tried his best to endure the foul atmosphere. "You think Slade would've picked a fresher spot to hide!"
"Shh!" hissed Raven as she irritably stared at her complaining teammate.
"I know it sucks," agreed Apollo. "But until we can find Slade, we'll just have to bare it. Okay," she sighed deliberately. "Here's how it works," she began as she projected the hologram against a nearby wall, keeping an eye out for any of her father's guards. "As we have seen, this building remains unchanged for the most part; there are only several rooms which Slade has occupied. Of these rooms there are only three that seem promising in that they hold Slade." She continued to speak as she pulled up images of the three rooms. "Now to check all three of the rooms together would be too long and too risky, therefore, our best bet is to split up and check them simultaneously; then if anyone manages to find anything we can contact one another and regroup to form an ambush." Apollo continued to explain her plan, the rest of the team listening closely- entranced by her smooth and charismatic, yet stern manner of giving orders. "Beat Boy, you and Raven head east and check the armory," she directed calmly. "Robin, you-"
"I'm coming with you," he interrupted firmly.
"No. You and Starfire will go to the west wing and search the control room," countered Apollo.
"No," snapped Robin. "I'm not letting you go alone; what if you do find Slade? You'll be alone with no one to help you."
"Robin no!" shouted Apollo irritably. "First of all, I'm not going alone, Cyborg will be with me when I go to check the main observatory. Second, I'm not helpless. I can take care of myself; I'm pretty sure I can hold my own against my 'old man'. And third, you and I together is too risky; like you said, 'what if I do find Slade?' catching both of us at once could be just what he wants; and I know you don't want that any more than I do." She said to her overly protective friend in a commanding- yet caring- tone. "Now come on, we have to get moving before someone shows up and catches us." She urged one last time before giving a final nod to everyone and running ahead before Cyborg could catch up.
Starfire and Robin soon followed suit and broke for their destination, leaving Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy to stand in the stale atmosphere, musing over what had just happened. "Great," sighed Raven as she cautiously floated over the soggy ground. "Another Robin..."
"Worse," moaned Beast Boy, slouching as he walked forward looking at Cyborg who finished the statement.
"This one's a girl…"