Before anyone suspects that I come up with ways to torture people in my spare time, I don't. Most of the inspiration I get is from nightmares. More frequently I have nightmares about being chased, which you will see in this chapter (oh I spoiled it! GRR) but don't worry, I'm not out to get anyone. :)

"What are you going to do?" Robin asked, his voice wavering ever so slightly. Slade had approached the table and was doing something with the tools he had on the table beside him. There was some clinking, cranking, and crunching.

"Well Richie, I just don't know. Too many choices. There is some acid here...I could pour that in your eyes."

Robin screwed his eyes shut.

"Or I could make you drink it and burn a hole in your throat."

He bit his lip. Slade took the opportunity to send an uppercut to his jaw, making Robin pierce his lip. He tasted iron.

Slade casually held Robin's hand and ran his fingertips over Robin's fingernails, like he was studying them. "I could also peel your fingernails off."

Robin quickly recoiled his hand. (I'll bet you five bucks, you did too) Slade chuckled darkly. "Skittish aren't we?"

He moved to the end of the table, "I have a lighter, and I can burn the bottom of your feet."

His feet curled in instinct. Slade stepped away from Robin and got something from his tools. "Are you still thirsty?"

Robin swallowed at the sound of water, realizing that he was indeed very thirsty. But he didn't need to say anything.

"Open wide." He didn't want to, he figured it was going to be the acid that Slade had promised.

The older man grabbed his jaw and forced it open, then popped it. No matter how hard he tried, Robin couldn't close it. Slade forced a tube down his throat that made him gag a bit. Then the faucet overhead turned on and water flowed right down his throat. For a moment, he was elated, his thirst momentarily quenched. Then the water kept coming and he began to feel sick. He started choking and realized he would either drown or vomit.

Slade removed the tube just in time. The liquid sat heavily in his stomach and he wished that he could relieve himself. Slade had a solution for that problem too. His fist connected to Robin's abdomen and elicited a hack from him. Again, and another horrible noise. Once more, Slade made contact and the result was Robin vomiting on himself. He felt embarrassed and disgusted.

"Repulsive," his tormentor hissed, then turned the faucet on high and doused Robin in ice water, leaving him shivering. "Much better, hmm?...Now for that hair of yours." Robin saw a pair of shears in Slade's hand as he raised it over his head. He tugged on a lock.

Snip.

Snip.

Snip.

This wasn't some nice barber shop haircut. Robin could feel the blades touch his scalp at some turns, and then let the hair long in others. His perfect hair that he had strived for, ruined! He was going to look so stupid when he got out…if he got out.

Slade turned out the light above his head. "I've got to run out for something. Stay put." He joked. And Robin heard the sweet sound of the door slamming. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Soon he realized why Slade turned the light off, it was freezing in there! He felt his teeth chatter and the table chilling his skin like ice. He rubbed his sore back against the table, trying to build up friction, but only irritating his shoulder blades. There was nothing to do, but wait.

Soon Slade returned with a robot commando holding a video camera. He pressed a button on a remote in his hand. "Hello again Titans." A small screen off to the side of Slade showed his friends that he was missing so much. Beast Boy and Starfire had paper by them, looking as if he was teaching her origami. Cyborg was next to Starfire, remote in hand, and Raven was next to Beast Boy, and book closed on the lap.

"To-day, I have a little game. Richard and I are going to play hide and go seek." He pushed another button on his remote. At the Tower, the screen split eight ways and showed different rooms in each. "These are all cameras I have placed over my facility. You will be able to watch where we go, and sit in anxiety while I find him. Rest assured, I can't see them, so I won't be cheating." The screen switched back to Robin, where Slade addressed him. "I'll let you go, but you have to find your way out. You have ten minutes to escape before I come after you. And I would spend that time running, if I were you. You are too weak to fight me." He clicked another button and his restraints opened and released him. He rolled off the table onto the floor.

He tried to stand up, but going from horizontal to vertical so fast made his head spin. He sauntered until he got the bearings and ran to the other side of the room. Looking frantically, he moved across the wall. There was a door here, he knew it…but his eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness.

"Tick Tock, little bird."

He blinked rapidly and made out a door handle. Bingo! He gave a hard yank and slipped through the opening. On he ran, down hallways, staircases, and passageways. As he moved, he heard footsteps following, but when he turned, no one was there. It wasn't a mind trick was it? He wouldn't have doubted it though, his mental state was sketchy.

The building was dark, Robin figured the only lighting was in the room where he was kept. All other light filtered through foggy glass and vents. Vents! That was it! His perfect escape route. He found a pillar that lead to a support beam, from the beam, he could swing and grab hold of the edge of the vent. He climbed weakly, frustrated at the strain on his fingers. He was starving, he should be lighter, not heavier! He launched out and grabbed the ledge and kicked out the vent, prepared to climb through, but a robot commando blocked the way and held up a laser beam.

Pow!

He skidded across the ground. He looked out the windows to see figures moving around mechanically. The building was surrounded. There was no way out.

Now panicking, he raced down corridor after corridor, trying to find a hiding place. One that would take a very long time to find, and an even longer time for someone Slade's size to maneuver. That's when he found it. Perfect, hiding in plain sight, Slade wouldn't even consider it. In the middle of a large room stood a rusty, broken machine. At one time it looked like it spit something out onto a conveyer belt. Robin clamored up into the machine, twisting his raw and sore body ways it naturally shouldn't go. The sharp gears reopened the some of wounds on his arms. He hit a place where he could sit comfortably (albeit a bit cramped) on a metal ledge, while he was surrounded by cogs on all sides. The only way to get to him was through a slim crevasse, that couldn't be seen from the opening. There he waited. His heart pounded in his ears and his breath was erratic. He swallowed a few times to calm down. His eyes closed and let the silence take him.

It turned out it wasn't such a silent place after all. He had listened to see if he could hear some kind of clue to where he was, and he had heard singing. Soulful singing. It must be Sunday, he mused. If he strained his ears, he could hear the spiritual they were preaching.

"I wish I knew how it would feel to be free. I wish I could break all the chains holding me."

How ironic. He wanted to stop listening, but something about the choir's voices just made him keep listening.

"I wish I could say, all the things that I should say. Say 'em loud say 'em clear, for the whole round world to hear."

If I ever get out of this, that's a good idea to start with.

"I wish I could share all the love that's in my heart, remove all the bars that keep us apart."

That one he had enough trouble with even without being chained to a table. That's going to change too. If...I survive this.

"I wish you could know how it feels to be me, then you'd see and agree that every man should be free."

Amen.

"I wish I could give, all I'm longing to give. I wish I could live like I'm longing to live."

Without fear. Doing everything to the fullest…living with no regrets.

"I wish I could do, all the things that I can do. And though I'm way over due, I'd be starting a new."

No laziness or pride getting in the way...hold nothing back.

"Well, I wish I could be like a bird in the sky, how sweet it would be, if I found that I could fly. Oh, I'd soar to sun and look down at the sea then I'd sing cos I know- yea! I would know how it feels to be free! To be free!"

Freedom...was I truly ever free to begin with?

"My vision would be unclouded, my eyes wide open. New hands, new feet, new smile on my new face. The Bible says, OH the Bible says, be transformed by the renewal of your mind! Don't let it things get in the way! It's hard, but you would know! For one moment you would know, how it would feel to be free!"

Robin paused for a moment. A renewal of the mind? What does that even mean?

"Praise the lord, and bless my soul it is a beautiful day outside!" The preacher was up and beginning a sermon. Robin smiled, finally something to help his troubled mind. He stopped all the religious stuff after his parents died. How a God could let something like that happen was beyond him. But he always respected those who did believe, like his mother did. But being tied here, maybe it was a good opportunity to look to God for a change. "Praise the lord that we can be free in him from our sins! Amen?"

"AMEN!" They responded.

"Have you felt chained recently?"

Yes.

"Felt like there's no hope? That this may just be the end?"

Is this guy a preacher or a mind reader?

"Sometimes our Father puts us through pain to teach us a lesson. To make us stronger, better leaders. The trick is to look to him for strength, and stay positive, he will deliver, and you'll be amazed at how transformed you become afterwards! How free you will feel!"

He heard a chorus of 'Amen's.

Be positive? How? How could he possibly say that! He sighed.

"We may doubt him, and some may even fall away. But we have to stick with it. No matter how impossible the situation seems! That's the beauty of it! If there was no suffering to be delivered from, do you think you would be grateful for his love? For his forgiveness? If there was no suffering, we wouldn't need him, it'd be a perfect world. And you and I both know that this ain't no perfect world."

Robin nodded at that.

"Outside this very church, who knows what crime is going on? Who knows the poor soul being tortured next door!"

Holy Crap.

"But we have hope in the Lord. And we can have him as our shepherd. He is our saving Grace! Hallelujah!"

"What a savior!" The congregation replied.

Maybe there was a reason for him hearing this message. His hope was running low. He put all of his faith in this last prayer. "God...if you can hear me...down in this hell hole. Send someone to help me...send me...my saving grace." His whispered.

The choir struck up another song, and he listened heartily. It was a brief escape from what was coming. He realized he had been shaking in fear, fear of what would happen if Slade found him. If he didn't, Robin would die in there. Both endings were saturnine. "I need a miracle."

Suddenly, the machine started to rattle. Oh Crap! This thing still works! He hoped that if he stayed in the same place, he would be okay. The gears weren't moving, but the metal was creaking. What is that? Light peeled in ever so slightly, and he realized that the side of the machine was being peeled off. The cog opposing him spun and two hands gripped the sides. It was moved off of its axis and Robin became exposed to the outside. There was nowhere to run.

"Good job, it took me longer than I thought it would to find you." The hated man stood looking into Robin's hiding place. He cowered back. "Come here!"

Slade grabbed his arm and retched him onto the floor. "How in the world did you find me?"

"Easy, my dear Watson." A blinking red light came to his attention from across the room.

A camera, why didn't I see that before? "I thought you couldn't see the screens!"

"Not the eight I showed your friends, but there are sixteen in the building total. Now they can see us though."

Everyone was watching. He didn't want to let them down, he would try his best, he would be strong…no matter how weak he was. He stood at his full height and stood in a back stance.

"You're going to fight me?"

Robin gulped. But nodded his head. He was basically naked, injured, and had no weapons to rely on, but he wasn't giving up without a fight. "I'm not attacking first." He could at least chance that. Slade stood straight, unmoving, waiting to strike. Robin felt a bead of sweat trail down his brow as he swallowed lucidly.

In a split second, Slade shot out his leg and aimed it to kick out Robin's knee. He jumped, bringing his knees up to his chest. While in the air, Robin shot one leg out in a snapkick while the other landed on the ground. Slade caught his foot in his hand, and twisted. Robin didn't flinch, but instead turned his hips away from Slade so his foot was in a natural position. From there, he turned his torso to wind up and used Slade's grip as leverage. His other foot left the ground and almost careened across his opponents face. Almost.

Slade had both feet, and before gravity could have its way, Slade threw Robin like a discus. He barely cushioned his fall. Robin wiped the sweat from his face and coughed as the asbestos dust settled around him. He was shaking from adrenaline, and his heart rate was off the charts. His energy came from his anger. If he was going to fight, he would fight hard and make it count. All the while, Slade was waltzing up, happier than a five year old with a brand new comic book.

"Oh no Robin, are you losing your touch?"

Robin rocked on his back and kicked forward, pushing himself to stand. He grit his teeth and growled.

"My my…I shouldn't like you when you're angry."

Robin sprinted in a zig-zag and threw a punch.

Block. Grab. Punch.

Block. Twist. Drop and punch.

Dodge. Grab. Kick.

Jump. Spin. Sidekick.

Catch. Kick. Knife strike.

Block. Parry. Slap.

Slade caught his hand and bent his fingers back to face him. Robin's arm was in a bracket shape. He recognized this move, the three levels of pain. It was designed to confuse the brain. On the first move, Slade pushed his fingers farther back. The pain was momentary as the brain adjusted to it. The second move twisted the hand slightly, so that the brain had to choose which pain to compensate. The last move forced the hand downward, making the signal in the brain travel between the three, unable to compensate for them all. The result was Robin falling to his knees. All done in a split second. Slade kicked him while he was down.

Robin rolled and jumped back to his feet, his wrist throbbing. He waited for Slade to come closer, and blocked the oncoming punch with his rear arm. This left Slade's side open, where Robin turned and delivered a back fist to his ribs, with the drop of his heel. That was the only hit Robin landed.

Slade rolled his fist that was blocked so that he could grab Robin's arm. With precision, he threw Robin's elbow into a joint lock and cranked him over. Robin felt his feet leave the ground and watched in horror as his legs came soaring above him, but not at a speed fast enough to catch him. Slade helped him down by pushing on the back of his head.

His skull hit cement with a sickening smack. Slade kept him down with his hand. "You cannot get up. You have to give up, before you regret making that stance. Everyone's watching…don't make that girl of yours cry."

Don't tell me what to do! You don't know what I'm capable of! He placed his hands firmly on the ground and pressed. His triceps, deltoids, and trapezius muscles burned as he lifted himself. Slade was slightly impressed. The kid had determination…that was something he would need to destroy. He let off of him, only to stomp on his back, right between the shoulder blades. Robin struggled, resolve scrawled all over his face.

Slade was bored at this point, and his boot met the side of Robin's head. He let out a cry of pain.

"I told you, you would regret it."

Pressure was applied to his temples and he felt like his head would explode. His teeth grinded together, his jaw clenched.

Soon enough, it was over. Slade removed his foot, but Robin stayed on the ground, angry at himself for not being strong enough. He felt like he had failed his team, and wanted to curl up into a ball and die. Most of all, the only thing he had to look forward to was more pain from Slade.

Slade didn't disappoint either. In front of the Titans, he torched Robin's back to a second degree burn, and then followed it with a brief flogging. Robin had never been so thankful for that metal table to numb his battered skin. But he had nothing to nurse his wounded pride.

Four days had passed since Robin's disappearance, and the only clue they had was the calls that Slade had made. The Titans had retired early to bed, being they had quite a few villains out. That is, everyone except Star, who knew of someone that could help in this situation. She was terrified to call him, being that she had never met the man before, but she had heard good things and he, of all people, should be clued in on this situation. She found his contact in Robin's personal phone book and waited on baited breath. A man with dark eyes answered the call and looked at her in question.

"Pardon me for bothering you, but there is something important I wish to discuss with you." She said shyly.

"You are Starfire, correct?"

"Yes sir...a few days ago, Robin was...taken from us, by a villain with a grudge. He has contacted us, only to say he would stay in touch and showed us Robin, being tortured in some form...Truth is, we have no leads, and I fear something even worse could befall him."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Raven said there wasn't anything we could do, and they didn't want me to get involved much..."

"Why?"

"I am extremely upset about his disappearance. And it's clouding my judgment."

"Calling me was a good idea Starfire. I'll help you as much as I can. Just fill me in on the evidence you have right now."

"Thank you Mr. Batman."

"And don't worry about him too much." Bruce winked.

A few more things to clear up:

1. Yes I am a Christian and proud of it. I've read stories where they present religion and it's obnoxious, so I try my best to put the gospel in, but more as an underlying tone.

2. I am a Red Belt in Tae Kwon Do (One belt away from black!) and those are real moves, and they do work. (The three levels of pain is exactly that.) I recommend that you don't do these at home, since I didn't include enough detail to actually perform it.

Hope you guys are enjoying it! Thanks for the reviews, I love hearing from you guys even if you have nothing more to say then "This is great!" :D And sorry I'm a day late, I when to an antique show with my parents yesterday (and found a Tim Drake Plushie FTW) and my best friend came back from vacation and I had to go see her. So there's my excuse.