Chapter 2

Mute, burning up and scared out of his mind for his teammates, Robin had little room in his thoughts for what Klarion had promised them was to come. But whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"Hell" was Klarion's home, a sprawling mass of hallways, rooms and stairways all made from large blocks of stone. It was cold, airless and horrible.

To Robin's relief, his other teammates were already there, trussed up with ropes that weren't burning and silenced as the other three had been. Had he been allowed to move, he would have run to them. But Klarion was not allowing them any freedom at all. They had to content themselves with communicating through the mindlink as Klarion arranged the Team members to his heart's content.

"Is everyone all right?" Kaldur asked

"Fine," Artemis said.

"I'm good," M'gann answered. "But he seems to have found a way to dampen my powers. I can't move."

"Same here," Wally said. "Robin?"

"Ticked off, partially deaf," Robin said honestly, "but otherwise good."

""How is he blocking our powers," Superboy fumed as Klarion stood him up in between M'gann and Kid Flash.

"This is his home dimension. I think he is at his greatest power here," Kaldur said calmly. "But surely we will see a weakness at some point. Kid Flash?"

"I'm killing that cat first chance I get," Wally spat. "But I'm fine."

"Yes, let us remember that Klarion is linked to his familiar, Teekl. That is his only true weakness."

"Well, that, and the fact that he's a spoiled brat. It's easy to manipulate his emotions."

"True, Robin, but he is angry enough my friend. For now, we should lie low and wait until we see an opportunity to change the situation."

"Stop mind-talking again! So rude! Now," the Witch Boy said, clasping his hands together with a satisfied air. "Now that we're all here, let me just finish my lesson before the punishments begin." Robin exchanged a glance with Wally, who had been placed beside him. Wally's face was dark with anger. But Robin was relieved to find everyone mostly okay, and glad that his ropes had slowly cooled down now, probably because Klarion's focus was divided.

"Let's see, where was I? Oh, right. You, bird boy, somehow managed to defeat your mentor and to help defeat Superman, without which I would have become a Lord of Earth. I was promised one-seventh of the Earth to rule! I would have had slaves, continents of riches and amusement enough for decades. Decades!" He paused and walked closer to Robin. "Maybe you don't understand what that means to me, since you've only lived, at most, one decade yourself. I've lived hundreds of them, some passed in complete and utter boredom. BOREDOM!"

Spittle landed on Robin's face, but he didn't even flinch.

"In fact, I think you need a sample of the mental anguish I felt for those decades because you really don't seem to understand me! It felt something like this!" Klarion conjured a ball of red light and flung it at Robin, where it enveloped him.

Excruciating pain attacked Robin all over his body. Was it fire? Ice? Psychic? He couldn't tell and he couldn't fight it and couldn't scream and there was no way to stop from projecting his pain through the mindlink. The whole team went rigid.

"Oh, I like this! I hurt him and it hurts all of you, especially you," Klarion said, considering how Wally was struggling with his ropes. "You-Kid Flash. You are a pathetic waste of skin. But your friendship with bird boy intrigues me. Yet it won't save him. Or you. I have a special, special room waiting just for you."

Klarion laughed for a few moments and then frowned. "This is boring. Let's get to the room assignments. This way, please."

The six teenagers were lifted and floated down a long hallway, helpless to do more than watch.

Robin are you all right? M'gann asked.

Yes, Robin managed. Sorry about that. Though echoes of pain were still cycling through his system, it was no longer excruciating.

Not your fault, Conner growled.

Their reassurances were nice, but Robin's stomach was cramping with dread. What would Klarion's version of hell for Wally be? Or for Miss M?

"And here we are! This is a special room I've prepared for the leader of your little tribe. Leaders should always go first, shouldn't they?" Klarion gestured and the featureless steel door slid back to reveal an enormous, waterless fish tank. "I'm afraid it's rather dry in there, and will probably sap the moisture from your body in just a few hours."

"No!" Miss M cried out. "Kaldur, you'll die."

"I have no choice," their leader said calmly as Klarion floated him forward and dumped him in the gravel lining the tank. His ropes disappeared and Kaldur began stretching as soon as he was released. "I will be fine," he encouraged the others aloud. "Stay strong."

"Oh, dry up," Klarion snapped, then giggled as he shut the door behind the Atlantean. "That was amusing."

The teammates' horrified conversation revolved around revenge plots and cursing as the Witch Boy floated them farther down the hallway. Robin felt himself growing desperate.

"Now, here's a fun one." The next door on the other side of the hallway revealed an empty stone room. The teammates all looked at each other. M'gann's eyes were full of tears.

"It's okay, Miss M," Robin said. "He just wants to punish us, not kill us."

"I know, I know," she said hopelessly. "But I feel so helpless!"

"I hate this," Artemis muttered.

"This room is for the Martian Girl. Negates all her powers. Well, almost all." The Witch Boy giggled. "In you go." She floated in, the ropes disappearing and her mouth released as soon as she reached the center.

"Please don't do this," she said tearfully.

"I am not a merciful lord, so STOP ASKING for mercy!" Klarion twisted one hand and flames shot out of the walls. Megan cried out and ran to the other side of the room. But then the flames switched sides and she had to run again.

"Oh my god," Artemis muttered. "Are you sure he's not trying to kill us?"

Robin's eyes were open wide.

"I'll kill him!" Superboy screamed. "I'll kill him!"

"Oh. Are you angry, Superboy? I can see that. But you know, I think if you saw things from my point of view, you'd understand. Let's see if we can't change your mind." And with a flourish of his hands, Klarion reached toward Superboy's head, then into and through his head. Superboy's expression went from rage to instant blankness. His mental link disappeared.

"Supes?" Wally asked hesitantly.

There was no answer.

"He's mine now. Mine to control. Which is, for a clone, his own kind of hell. Right?" Klarion smiled. "Superboy, fix me a mocha latte. And dance like Michael Flatley on the way."

Conner turned and immediately began dancing an Irish jig all the way down the hallway.

The three teammates watched him with horror, knowing how much the clone would absolutely hate this loss of control and independence.

"He's evil," Artemis said, so angry now that she was actually crying a little.

"Now, on to the next room. Here is where we place our archer," Klarion said, turning to face Artemis. "It's a room...of nothing. I have to admit that I don't really know much about you, nor do I care enough to research what you deserve. But I imagine that being helpless and able to hear the misery of the others might just be enough to push you over the edge. I hope so."

Artemis was dropped in the center of the room, and as soon as her mouth was released, she let loose a scorching diatribe that left Klarion, briefly, silenced.

The door slid shut. "My, my, what an angry girl. Someone needs to take her to counseling. Well, onward and upwards."

Only Wally and Robin were left now. Robin was trembling, half with anger, half with growing dread as to what was coming for him. Klarion obviously hated him. Robin forced the worry from his mind and began to breathe slow and easy.

"It's okay, Rob," Wally told him through the mind-link. "I'll get out and come find you. Just stay combobulated!"

"I'm afraid I'm a little heavy on the dis right now," Rob gave him a half-smile.

"No! No smiling!" Klarion spat and threw out an energy pulse at Robin. Unable to dodge, the boy took the burning shot to the gut and collapsed. The force that kept him immobile also kept him upright and silent as the pain took over his senses.

"-bin! Robin! Are you okay?" Wally was frantic over the mindlink.

Robin slowly opened his eyes, wincing. This time, the burning pain had left a melted patch on the stomach of his uniform and the skin beneath felt scorched. "Hurts," he told Wally, "but its manageable."

Klarion was staring at Robin through narrowed eyes. "Every time I think my hatred for you has hit full stride, then you do something else that makes it worse. I really don't think I can tolerate your existence any further. Or...well, fine. First let's see your friend dropped off in his little bungalow."

The final door opened and behind was a white room nearly covered in sugary foods-doughnuts, cookies, cakes and ice cream. It looked more like Wally's heaven than Wally's hell.

"You can eat all you want, and with that high metabolism, you'll have to eat a lot. But...no water. No protein. Just sugar." Wally was being sent in floating, helpless.

Robin was just beginning to see the evil behind the room, the way Wally would be forced to eat nothing but sugar to help stop his hunger pangs, which would make him thirsty and hungry again too soon. All that sugar would make him hyper, and eventually, sick.

"Oh, and I'm tripling the gravity in there," Klarion added. "Just for fun."

When Wally was released, he fell to the floor, groaning and cursing Klarion liberally.

"I don't think I've ever been called that before," the Witch Boy said. "No matter. You'll just be eating yourself to death, worried about your little friend here." Klarion gestured to Robin, still standing there, frozen, watching helplessly.

"I'm so sorry," Robin said to him.

"But don't worry too much. He's not going to be around nearly as long as you are. When we get to his room, he dies. Buh-bye!"

Wally's eyes grew wide and as the door closed, he shouted. "No! You can't kill him! NO!" Then the door shut and all sound was cut off.

Robin once again sagged, horrified. It was hopeless. Klarion wasn't giving them the chance to save each other, or escape. He was being led to his death...

No. He would not give up hope. Batman had trained him not to panic, not to give in. Think and plan all the way through to the end. Find a weakness, find a chink, a crack. There had to be one somewhere.

Shakily, he opened his mind and checked the link to his friends. Guys?

Don't give up, Rob! I'll find a way out soon, Wally told him.

I am fine as well, just conserving my strength, Kaldur projected.

Artemis? Wally asked.

I'm FINE! There's nothing even in here to hurt me. That's how little he thinks of me, a puny human! Her bitterness was palpable. But I will be fine. Robin, stay traught.

He had to laugh at that. His gaze roamed the halls as Klarion floated him forward. I will. Miss M? Robin asked.

Busy. Sorry, she answered, and Robin had the horrible feeling she was still dodging flames.

Stay strong, my friends, Kaldur said to them all, before pulling out of the mindlink.

Klarion was practically giddy. "I should have done this years ago. Did you see his face when I said you were going to die? And don't worry, you aren't going to suffer too much. I mean, I don't think so. I have this spell I'm dying to try on you. It will basically turn you into an inanimate object. So you'll be dead-no heartbeat, no brain to think with. So, dead...forever. But I don't think it'll really hurt. Are you ready?"

Robin was struck dumb, his mind still grappling with the impossibility of being an object, forever.

Klarion was watching his face carefully. "Is that fear? I think it is. Hard to tell. You're so stupidly stoic. Here, let's take off the mask. Ooooooo, really pretty eyes. I can see why those got covered up. But it's so much easier to see the fear now. There. Ready to die?"

Robin took a deep breath and tried to settle his mind, Batman will save me. Batman will get Dr. Fate and they'll come and help me.

"Robin, what's wrong?" Wally called to him. "Robin! What's he doing?"

The others chimed in, proving that the mindlink was still there, even if no one wanted to talk at the moment.

But Robin didn't want them to know what was going to happen to him, plus...he didn't even know how to say it. Then the Witch Boy began his incantation and Robin felt himself pierced through, like a bolt of lightning had just struck inside him. The pain spread from his center outward, and he feared it also spread through the mindlink. Everyone was feeling his agony.

Who are you? Who are you? The question thundered through his mind and he found answers rising up without his approval. Memories of joy, of loss, of accomplishment and pain streamed forth, as if someone were taking a careful reading of his entire life. After a long time, the questions seemed to be answered and for a moment, just a moment, there was peace.

Then Robin felt his body struck with an invisible force, once, twice, three times and then, his whole body seemed to shake loose and fall slack. He was himself, but shrinking...shrinking and softening...

...slowly unbecoming himself...

...slowly losing his hands and feet...

...his arms and legs...

...horrified...silently screaming with no mouth...

...losing his mind...

...Who am I....

and then...

then.

He was not there anymore.