It's been WAY too long, I know. And I apologize. I've tried my hand at a lot of things, including real world hobbies. I've been busy, and I've been ill through it all. But I am back now, and I hope to improve upon my writing skills.

{Chapter Beginning}

It was a bright, sunny morning in Jump City as the sun reflected in the bay by Titan Tower. The mood inside the tower was not as cheerful however, as Robin sat in front of the computer terminal, reviewing what information he could glean from the network on Taskmaster. This network included information from several other crime-fighting factions, including the Justice League, the ever vigilant Oracle, and hopefully the Avengers, as they had the most information on the criminal. Robin sighed in frustration as he waited for a response from their database. The last he had heard, security for these files was tight, and Titan Tower had not yet been given access to them.

"Come on…" Robin spoke to the computer, out of irritation mostly.

"Hey, come on and cool off with the rest of us Robin. You've been waiting on here since before the rest of us got up. Being mad like this ain't helping us train to fight that guy." Said Cyborg, concerned for Robin's well-being, seeing the brooding their leader was doing, "You're even gloomier than Raven usually is."

Robin just sighed. He knew Cyborg was unaware of what really bothered Robin about their new foe, that he somehow had intimate knowledge that was only shared between himself and his adoptive father. Under the mask, Richard Grayson was confused, burning inside. Was Taskmaster an old enemy of Batman who studied his moves? Was he the "Phantasm" that Batman would never speak of to him? Did this man train with Bruce?

"I'm sorry Cyborg, this guy just threw me off when he started using my fighting style against me."

"So? Maybe he trained under the same guy you did." Cyborg noted, not aware of the exact nature of Robin's training, "Like that creep who tried to beat you to the Old Master person."

Robin, in his somber mood, was struck by this remark, making him angry at himself, at Bruce…

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Robin shouted as he got up to face Cyborg.

Cyborg stepped back, yelping in surprise at the sudden aggression. Outside the main room, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy all heard the shouting, and were making their way to look in on them.

"Whoa! Chill! I didn't mean anything bad or anything! I was just sayin'…" Cyborg stammered out, still shocked by the rage from Robin.

"…I know…I'm sorry." Robin noted, turning back to the computer, "But that's not possible. Batman trained me personally, and he learned his style from many masters and took their teachings and fused them into one. It's not possible for Taskmaster to know the style. What worries me is that he does know it."

Cyborg had no answer for that. His computer part of his brain was calculating the odds of the two forming the same style independently. They were ridiculous, even worse than the odds of Beast Boy cleaning his room without being made to or having to do so because he lost something. Cyborg tried to keep in mind, however, that didn't mean it couldn't happen.

"Well the odds are bad, but he might've made it by coincidence or something. You DID say he had other moves too."

"I said other styles. He's got more than one, like I do from training under both Batman and the True Master. He willingly chose that style to use against me. He knew what it was just by seeing it." Robin replied to Cyborg's comment.

By now, the other three Titans were peeking in slowly and quietly to watch, wondering about their leader. The conversation was interrupted by a beep from the computer. Robin quickly turned to it to check it out. It was an attack by an unknown assailant on a Waynetech building. Robin glared at the screen, focused on the word "unknown".

"Titans, GO!"

{Story Divide}

When they arrived at the building, they saw no signs of damage on the outside of it. That ruled out some of their less cunning villains, such as Dr. Light. They wouldn't bother with an effort at stealth. Robin knew this as they got onto the roof, looking for where the crook got in. The five split up to look for how they got in, Robin distracted by his thoughts of the Taskmaster. That was when he saw the flash of a white cape from behind one of the letters on top of the building, fleeing. Robin clenched his fists, scowling. He knew he should call the others to this. He knew it was the safe thing to do. He knew this even as he gave chase quietly, following the bounding white cloaked man from building to building, and down a fire escape towards the alleyways. During this, the Titans still at the Waynetech building were regrouping, having failed to find any sign of a break in.

"There's nothing here. No windows broken or open, no vents, no holes, we've got BUPKIS!" Ranted Beast Boy, "We've been cranked!"

"Where's Robin?" Starfire mused, noting his absence.

Before anyone else could comment, no less than three dozen of Slade's robot warriors landed on the roof and came out of hiding, circling the Teen Titans. The teens quickly got into fighting positions.

"We've got Slade Bots!" Cyborg shouted out.

"It's a trap!" Raven noted, "Fight them off, we have to find Robin!"

{Story Divide}

Back with Robin and Taskmaster, they both land gracefully on the ground in an alley, facing each other now, before slowly standing up, keeping their eyes on their opponent.

"Who are you? How do you know my fighting style!?" Robin demanded from his white caped adversary.

"Now, that would be tellin', kid." Taskmaster responded, taking on a fighting stance different from Robin.

"You're going down, and then I'm going to get the truth from you." Robin stated, glaring, bracing himself.

"Seems you didn't learn the first time. Time t' give you the next lesson in pain." Taskmaster taunted, and charged at Robin.

Robin quickly drew and extended his collapsible bo staff, deftly moving it in time to block a strike from a broadsword, struggling to push the attack back and throw Taskmaster off balance, barely managing and lunging forward to strike, only to be deflected by the shield on his foe's left arm. Taskmaster quickly swung his left arm to the side to try to force Robin's weapon out of his hands or create an opening, succeeding in only the latter, before using his foot to kick the younger fighter squarely in the chest and push him back. Robin grunted from the blow, moving a hand to his chest briefly. Unfortunately, this was not brief enough to prevent Taskmaster from charging in and slashing across Robin's stomach with the sword, but Robin manages to leap back and receive only a wide gash opposed to being cleaved in two. Yet Taskmaster grinned at this, leaping back, then taking a limber style before leaping at Robin.

Robin ducked the attack, avoiding a strong kick to the face, the older warrior leaping cleanly over Robin and landing, before twirling back and tripping Robin, who fell on his back. Robin quickly rolled back to avoid being kicked in the side, getting back on his feet, but not quite standing, and unable to dodge being rammed shield first by Taskmaster, bashed between the shield and a concrete wall. He yelled out, feeling something break in his jaw, before he kicked Taskmaster away with both feet, Taskmaster's back hitting the opposite wall now.

"Argh! Good follow-through, runt. But I seem t' be better off than ye are now." Taskmaster chided.

Robin knew he was right. Robin has a break in his jaw and an open cut across his body, and Taskmaster only had a sore back. He was in a losing battle, but he didn't dare give up, getting to his feet, and preparing his staff. Taskmaster charged again, but Robin leapt over him and heard the shield crash into the wall, before he turned to kick Taskmaster in the base of the back. Taskmaster grunted from this, stumbling briefly, before turning back and retaliating with a strong punch to the stomach to make Robin back away. Robin backed closer to the wall behind him, raising his staff for a large swing, only to strike the wall behind him and throw himself off. Taskmaster used the error to deftly fire a mass from his web-shooter, trapping Robin's right hand to his own staff.

"Ngh! Darnit!"

"Kid, yer in more trouble than ye know what t' do with."

Taskmaster followed his remark with another clean kick, this time at Robin's right knee, another break heard, Robin yelling out and collapsing. Robin grunted, trying to stand back up, only to feet a heavy foot pressed on his stomach, pinning him down, as Taskmaster switched to his bow and arrow, aiming down at Robin's prone body.

"I'd kill ye, but that ain't what I'm bein' paid t' do."

Robin grunted, infuriated that he lost so easily to Taskmaster. He tried to raise his left hand to grab Taskmaster's ankle, only to cry out as the arrow pierced the palm of his hand, pinning it to the ground with a sturdy metal arrowhead.

"I have a message from Slade. The pain ends when ye give up an' become his apprentice."

"Never…" Robin gasped out, trying to resist the pain.

"Then I have a message from me. Kid, ye kin never beat me. Tryin' t' do so is only going t' hurt more. And I am a lot of things, but I ain't a child killer." Taskmaster stated, using his web shooter to further restrict Robin's right hand by webbing it to the ground in addition to the staff.

"You're still a criminal….nnghh…I WILL bring you down!"

"Rookie, with that attitude, ye ain't got a chance. If ye ain't Slade's new trainin' boy, then ye need t' give up fer yer own good. I've fought the entire Avengers team solo an' not lose. I might not have braggin' rights that I whipped their behinds, but I have the next best thing. I, without super powers, fought a team of super humans to a stand-still. I'm the best in the world at this without powers. Ye never had a chance."

Taskmaster removed his foot from Robin, no longer needing it to keep him trapped against the ground. With a broken and injured knee, only one leg was useful to fight with now, and Taskmaster knew the boy had to admit defeat now.

"Who ARE you!? How do you know my fighting style!? No one should know that but-" Robin shouted.

"Batman." Taskmaster tersely replied, "It's from Batman, just like ye figure. I'll give ye this tip free fer being too damned stubborn fer yer own good. I can copy any physical action I see done. It ain't a power, just something I was born with. That means I only need t' see ye fight once, even on TV, and I can fight just like ye. Can't copy powers either. And whine all ye like, ye brat, about it being unfair. I don't care. Life's not fair. Now shut up and either join Deathstroke, or Slade as ye might know him, or crawl to a hospital and lay low from now on."

With that, Taskmaster scowled, and walked off, leaving Robin trapped for about an hour, as that was the time it would take the webbing to harmlessly dissolve away. In that time, Robin had time to think about a lot of things. One thing put him at ease. Taskmaster was not connected with Batman. He wasn't an old foe, nor someone from Bruce's past. He was just a man, who had a talent and used it for crime. And with that thought in mind, even as Robin was later being carried back to Titan Tower by the other Titans, he was formulating a plan to beat Taskmaster.