Hope you're still with me!
It all began the night before, not far from Titan Tower. They were trying to help, to save lives. But it had all been a set up. The bomb was a fake, but a fake with a purpose. Separate Robin from his friends, and leave said friends defenceless to the whims of a madman.
While his friends searched desperately for him, Robin stood in a pool of light, surrounded by darkness. He slowly, despondently, divested himself of his garish costume. He hung it gently on a pipe nearby, ignoring the pleading calls from his communicator.
"Robin, Robin, please respond." Starfire's pained voice came. "Robin, you must answer. Please!"
He sighed.
Slade smirked from where he stood watching in the shadows. He examined every inch of the Boy Wonder as he removed the brightly coloured outfit. Slade decided he'd have it burned.
Robin turned to the black and gold uniform. It hung over one of the pipes, and he lifted it, shaking his head. He pulled it on, his face screwed up in distaste. He doesn't want to wear it, but Slade's already made it clear he has no choice. Robin touched the tender spot on his side from the beating he'd gotten when he'd tried to fight. He snapped on the metallic wrist guards over his plain black gloves, tightened his new utility belt and screwed on the upper chest plate. Slade steps out of the dark behind him, his skull-like mask glinting black and gold.
"I know it seems bad now, but trust me, you'll learn to like it." Slade's sinister voice emerged form the four vertical slits in his mask as a black gloved hand came to rest on Robin's shoulder.
The boy couldn't contain the shudder, and couldn't meet Slade's one red eye.
Batman's black gloved hand came to rest on Oracle's shoulder.
She couldn't contain the small smile at the comforting gesture, and avoided his eyes, lest he see her emotion.
"Barbara, we'll figure it out. He'll be alright," he said.
"Yes, miss Oracle. We will save him." Alfred knew that any other outcome was unacceptable.
"I still think you should have stayed behind." Bruce told them, a frown on his face.
"Do not begin that again, master Bruce. He is as much my family as yours." Alfred answered as he pushed Barbara's wheelchair up to the base of Titan's Tower. Batman walked alongside, leaving the Bat-copter on the rocks behind them. They were admitted by Cyborg and were led up to the main area where the Titans spent most of their time. They were gathered there, still trying to track Robin down. Oracle grinned as she looked around.
"Wow! He keeps the Tower a lot tidier than he kept his room back home!" she said. The Titans who had remained upstairs turned at the sound of her voice and hurried over to greet their guests.
"Sir, Batman, Sir!" Beastboy snapped a salute. "Beastboy reporting, Sir!"
"I'm Cyborg Mr Batman. I'm in charge whilst Robin's away. This is Raven…"
"Hey," Raven said dryly.
"… and Starfire."
"Joyous greetings friends!" Starfire exclaimed. "With you here Robin shall soon be rescued!"
"Pleasure to meet you kids. I'm Batman, not Sir or Mr Batman. This is Alfred and Oracle."
"Charmed." Alfred said.
"Good to know you." Oracle added. Star studied the girl, noticing all their similarities, both redheads of similar size and build.
"Please," Starfire asked Raven, "Why is the Oracle in the chariot? Ah! Is she royalty?"
"Starfire!" Raven gasped. "Hush. It's not polite!"
"Sorry, Miss Oracle. Star isn't from around here," Cyborg said as it was obvious everyone had heard. "She doesn't understand Earth customs."
"I am sorry to have caused offence." Star said, eyes downcast, "I did not intend to."
"It's okay." Oracle smiled slightly. "It's kind of refreshing actually. I was shot by the Joker. The bullet severed my spinal column and my legs don't work anymore."
"Dude! You went up against the Joker?" Beastboy exclaimed.
"We all did." Barbara replied with a sad, nostalgic smile.
A few moments later everyone was galvanised into motion. They all wanted robin back where he belongs. Batman was with Cyborg at the computer whilst Raven meditated on Robin's spirit. Beastboy was looking through the mission log for the mission they'd lost Robin on with Alfred. Starfire and Oracle were looking at a map, trying to pinpoint possible targets.
"You have known Robin a long time, have you not?" Starfire asked.
"Since we were just children." Oracle replied.
"It is hard to imagine Robin as a young one; he is so serious and adult."
"He wasn't always. We used to go into battle laughing. He was only a child, and he'd been through so much already when I met him. Yes he was serious and driven, but that didn't stop him from having fun."
"You care for him a great deal."
"Of course. I love him." Oracle smiled as she said it.
"Oh, I see." Starfire's face fell.
"Not like that! Not really. We're more like brother and sister than anything."
"How was it that he came to leave you and his mentor?"
"He hasn't told you? No, I guess he wouldn't, would he? He's old enough to take care of himself. He felt he needed some time apart, out of the Batman's shadow, but Batman didn't understand. He still sees Robin as the little boy he took in. He gave Robin an ultimatum, either fight at his side or stop fighting. They got into a big argument. Batman didn't mean anything bad; he was just trying to protect his boy. But Robin, Robin thought that Batman meant he wasn't good enough and so he left."
"Did the Batman not know that Robin is a strong fighter?"
"Yeah, he knows. But Batman raised Robin from when he was really young. It's hard for him to accept that he's grown up." Oracle sighed. "Bad things happen. We know this better than most. Batman doesn't want Robin to suffer because he wasn't there."
Suddenly there was a chime from the computer. At almost the same instant Batman's phone rang. He moved away to take the call.
"It's him!" Beastboy said, starring at the screen.
"Titans go!" Cyborg cried and then they were gone, leaving Alfred, Oracle and Batman behind them.
Bruce hung up and turned to face his friends.
"There has been a break in at a Wayne enterprises facility near by." He said.
"Let's go!" Oracle said.
"Wait. I don't want him to know we're here yet. We'll go but don't get involved unless we're needed." Bats replied. They moved out after the Titans.