By: Jessica Dooley
CHAPTER 2
Robin quickly scooped up all the papers and rushed over to the fax machine, feeding them in one by one. He looked at the clock and sighed at the luminescent glare of the 11:53. When all the papers had been faxed, he sat down in his chair and closed his eyes.
After a moment of resting, he heard a "click" behind him, causing him to spin around, wearily scanning the room. He pulled out his communicator and was about to call Cyborg when something soft covered his nose and mouth. He struggled weakly for a moment and barely had the time to realize that it was a rag with a terrifyingly familiar scent on it before his head became light and his vision faded black.
Starfire flew back and forth behind Cyborg, who was clicking away at his computer.
"Aha!" Cyborg yelled, making everyone jump. "Slade doesn't know about the tracking devices we had implanted inside all of us after BB and Raven disappeared before…"
"So we know where he is?" Beast Boy said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Yup! He's in… Gotham. Hmm." Cyborg's brows furrowed.
"Is there a problem friend Cyborg?" Starfire asked worriedly.
Well, I just thought, maybe we could… ya know, ask for a little help from an old friend of Robin's…" He grinned mischievously.
"No way…" Beast Boy gawked, "Do you think he would?"
"It's worth a-" Cyborg began to reply but was cut off when the "incoming call" alarm sounded. He quickly accepted the call request.
"SLADE!" Starfire shrieked as the black and orange masked figure popped up on the screen.
"Still at home?" Slade started maliciously, "Not out looking for Robin? I'm disappointed… and I'm sure that he would be too. The little birdy just woke up, would you like to say hello?" The camera swiveled around and there was Robin, strapped to a lab table and breathing heavily and stripped of all of his clothing and gadgets save for his green tights.
"Robin!" Starfire cried.
"Starfire? STARFIRE!" Robin screamed, wrenching his hands against their restraints. Suddenly, the restraints burned white-hot and he screeched in pain, laying still again and breathing even more heavily as sweat trickled down his face.
"Robin! Do not move! We will find you!" Starfire promised with tears pouring down her cheeks.
"I highly doubt that." Slade stated, amused.
"What do you want with him?" Cyborg spoke, voice steely and cold. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing," Slade simply stated, "Nothing at all."
"What?" Beast Boy asked, confused.
"I don't want you, or him, or anyone for that matter to do anything…" Slade replied, pausing to allow the confusion to spread, then walking over to a pole and bringing it to Robin's side. "I hate this child…" He glared down, his mask to Robin's sweating face with one visible eye narrowed, "I have no secret, ingenious plans…" He lifted the pole to reveal a white-hot brand, "but to watch you SCREAM!" He rammed the brand onto Robin's chest right over his heart, and Robin screamed out in a blood-curdling cry of pain. His cry was incredibly loud, but was drowned out by Slade's maniacal laughter.
"NOO!" Starfire cried, sobbing.
Slade picked up the brand after a painfully long moment, revealing an angry, red sear and the same symbol as the one on the disc the Titans had found previously. Then the video call ended.
"We must - find him - NOW!" Starfire gasped between sobs and spun around to view into the horrified faces of her friends. "And the Batman WILL help us!"