Author's Note:
Okay, as promised, here is part one of the two part season finale. I hope you're all ready for this because I tried my best to get this out to you as an apology for making you all wait so long for updates. Hopefully I did a good enough job, and you all feel entertained once you finish reading it.
On to the things I normally say in the beginning. Remember to write a review if you want to, and to follow and favorite if you deem the story good enough. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I love hearing your thoughts. To those of you joining us on this journey, let me just say, "How are you doing?" To those returning, thank you you're all the best.
Whew! Okay let's get on with this thing!
Robin chased Slade across a rocky landscape under the starry night sky. During the pursuit, the masked villain leapt across a deep crevasse, then leapt to a rock formation in an attempt to evade the young Titan. With Robin still close behind him, Slade hurdled over another fissure and dropped over the edge of a mesa before making a beeline for a high, flat peninsula studded with several tower-like formations. There was a narrow path leading to it, but he forwent this in favor of a single long, high jump. The Boy Wonder did likewise, landing in a crouch, before coming up for a wary look around.
"Dangerous behavior, Robin." Slade taunted as he stepped out from behind a rock, "You must be very eager to see me. I'm flattered."
"I'm not here to see you." The young Titan stated evenly, "I'm here to stop you." He and his opponent stepped closer and circled each other.
"Hmm. But how can you stop me, when you don't even know what I'm planning?" The villainous mercenary asked, in a rather teasing manner.
"Like this." Robin rushed in with a savage kick.
The masked villain easily dodged the attack as well as the follow-up punch that smashed a chunk of rock from one of the towers. The two sparred a bit, after which Robin found himself on the defensive and tried a charging punch. Slade caught his fist and hurled him against another pillar, but Robin rebounded quickly and tried a punch that pulverized more rock. One strike after another missed its mark but kicked up clouds of stone dust. The mercenary's eye glowed briefly during this string of attacks; at the end of it, he landed a powerful kick that sent the Titan tumbling across the ground. He quickly picked himself up and fought back, but each punch was blocked. After deflecting a punch, Slade delivered a blow with enough force that sent the spiky-haired teen skidding across the ground.
Once Robin collected his bearings, he stood up with a birdarang in each hand and quickly threw them at his target. Slade stood his ground with arms crossed in front of himself. In a quick flash, the villain deflected each of the projectiles, sending them to smash into two separate towers. The formations began crumbling, and, one by one, all of the rock towers toppled over in a cloud of dust that covered the entire area. Inside the haze, Robin stepped through to survey the place. His eyes popped when he looked off to his right before he quickly sidled off.
"Excellent, Robin." The Boy Wonder heard Slade's voice call out to him as he passed some of the crumbled formations. "We appear to be evenly matched and equally ruthless." Robin continued searching for his enemy, struggling to see anything through the thick cloud. "Not surprising. You and I are very much alike."
At the end of his line, the dust cleared, revealing the villain to be standing directly behind the masked Titan. Robin quickly whirled around to face him, "I'm nothing like you!" The boy barked as he threw an uppercut that connected squarely with his opponents' metal-covered jaw.
"Ugh!" Slade grunted as he crashed to the ground.
"You're a criminal, a psychopath!" Robin growled as he pulled his beaten foe up to his face, "All you care about is destruction!"
"And all you care about, you destroy." Slade returned, gesturing off to his left. The victorious fighter looked in the direction and saw the shattered debris left from the brawl. The base of one smashed pinnacle resembled that of Cyborg's head. He then scanned the rest of the shattered remains and saw the broken likenesses of the other four Titans.
"No!" Robin cried; horrified at the destruction he committed. "Who are you?!" He screamed as he tore the mask from Slade's face and threw it behind him. Once the mask was gone, he stared in bug-eyed shock at the revelation.
The face behind that smooth expanse of steel was his. The duplicate laughed heartily in the villain's voice, haunting the young teen as he released his grip on the villain and backed away.
0-0
"*GASP*" Robin bolted upright with a gasp of terror. He quickly scanned his surrounding area and found himself seated at his worktable in his room. The entire proceedings that had just occurred were just a very bad dream. Having realized that there was nothing to worry about, he tried catching his breath as sweat ran down his face. Just as he softened is breathing, he heard the door slide open. He turned around and saw his chromatic friend standing there.
"It's him." Cyborg told him. "It's Slade."
0-0
It was just before daybreak. The Titans were gathered in the Operations Center before the window screen, watching a video feed of Slade's face. Robin was standing behind a console that probably controlled the screen while his teammates stood at his sides. In the video, the heroes noticed that the villain was standing in some sort of industrial area.
"Good morning, Teen Titans." The smooth voice of their nemesis greeted them, "I do hope I didn't wake you."
"What are you, an insomniac?" Beast Boy yawned deeply as he asked, "Who calls at five in the morning-ow!" He cried as Raven elbowed him in the side to cut him off.
"What do you want?" The angry leader demanded.
"Well, that's precisely what you've been trying to find out, isn't it?" Slade responded through the screen, "And in spite of all your efforts, you're still in the dark about my intentions. Disappointing, Robin, I expected a little more from you." The villain mocked in his incredibly chilling voice.
Robin's eyes narrowed at the words, "Like I care what you-"
"But since you've been unable to discover my plan," The mastermind interjected, "I suppose I'll just have to reveal it myself." He gestured to his right. The video feed panned away from him and showed two of his commando robots standing next to a large object covered by a tarp. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept of a chronoton detonator." The tarp was pulled away as Slade said this, revealing a large, egg-like piece of machinery with a couple of red lights set into its surface. The upper portion telescoped toward the ceiling, giving a view of the circuitry inside and more sets of lights.
"No!" Cyborg cried as Starfire gasped in shock.
"Uh-oh." Raven muttered worriedly.
"No way!" Beast Boy exclaimed. Realizing he had no idea what was going on, the changeling turned to the brunette who happened to be standing next to him. "Um, what's a crouton detonator?" He asked.
"It eradicates all chronotons within a localized area, utterly destroying the temporal component of the space-time continuum." Kylar explained.
Despite his best efforts, the entire explanation flew right over the green teens' head as a question mark popped up above him, "Hmm?" Beast Boy groaned quizzically.
"It stops time. Permanently." The blue mage simplified, causing the shape-shifter to cry out before fainting.
"If he triggers that thing downtown, it'll freeze-frame the entire city." The titanium African teen explained.
"Tell me where!" The Boy Wonder growled as he slammed his fists into the panel.
"You're a clever boy, Robin. I'm sure you and your little friends can figure it out." Slade affirmed as he held up a transmitter, "However, since I control the detonation, time is not on your side." At the end of his sentence, the screen filled with static, cutting the feed.
The masked Titan slammed his right fist down on the computer keyboard with a frustrated grunt. "Fan out! Find it! Shut it down!" He barked the orders as he stormed toward the door. Before he got anywhere, however, Beast Boy and Cyborg moved in front of him, blocking his path.
Hesitant at what he was about to say, the green teen tugged on his collar, "Hey, uh, maybe you should stay here and… coordinate the search." He suggested as a big drop of sweat rolled down his temple.
"What?" Robin asked flatly.
"Man, when it comes to Slade, you've got issues." Cyborg indicated as he pointed a finger at the leaders' temple and twirled it in the classic 'this guy has a screw loose' gesture. "Might be better for the team if you sit this one out."
"No." Robin asserted as he brushed past the two guards, "There's too much at stake for me to-"
"Robin…" Starfire called out softly, stopping the Boy Wonder in his tracks. "We have not forgotten the last time you faced-"
"I made a mistake, Starfire. It won't happen again" The Titan in question confirmed as he turned to leave again, "I can handle it. I promise."
"Would you at least like to know where to look?" The four Titans heard the voice of their magical teammate ask. They turned back and saw Raven and Kylar standing by the keyboard, staring at a freeze frame of the robots and the detonator on the screen.
"Looks like Slade gave us more information than he realized." The brunette said as he tapped on the keyboard. The screen zoomed in on a patch of the detonator as a set of gridlines superimposed on the image; the team noticed a small blurry image on the metal surface when it got closer. "Here, in this reflection."
"Ooh, squiggly lines. Way informative." Beast Boy quipped as he stood next to the taller Titan.
A vein popped out of the brunettes' forehead as he continued typing away. The blurry reflection refined into clearer backwards text. Once it was flipped around, it read-
"Pier Forty-One!" The Tamaranean exclaimed.
"The docks!" Robin stated as he turned to leave the room. Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven soon followed.
"You're right, B." Kylar grinned as he rustled the green teens' hair, "Way informative." He joked as he also departed.
Beast Boy only grinned and chuckled nervously at having been shown up before he ran to catch up with the rest of his team.
0-0
Dawn began rearing its' head as the Titans reached their destination. After locating Pier 41, and the same warehouse that matched the one from Slade's video, each team member approached the grated door. Cyborg whipped out his sonic cannon and unleashed a beam. The doors were blasted away, and Robin dashed in with his fighting staff in hand. He extended it as the others followed him, ready to throw down.
However, what greeted the six teenagers was something none of them expected.
"Empty?" Starfire cried.
"Oh, man!" The metallic teen groaned at the realization that absolutely no traces of Slade or the detonator were inside the warehouse.
"I don't believe this!" The spiky-haired teen growled.
To add insult to injury, Slade's robotic strongmen leapt down from the ceiling, landing on the overhead beams as well as all over the floor. A few more even slid across behind them and blocked the exit.
"Well, they just came out of nowhere." The black-jacketed Titan stated as he examined the enemies.
"Now what do we do?" The shape-shifter asked.
"We fight." Robin answered as the opposing forces started closing in. "Titans! GO!" The leader ordered as the others complied, charging into the large group of enemies. The Boy Wonder moved so fast that he almost seemed to be everywhere at once, knocking out one robot after another before they even had time to react.
A couple of commandos backed up before Cyborg's headlong dash, his right arm cocked for a punch. Before he could deliver his devastating haymaker, Robin moved in first and dispatched the two robots quickly. "Hey! I was gonna do that!" The metallic Titan protested as his shorter teammate leapt off to attack another group.
Elsewhere, Starfire primed a few starbolts in her hands, rose into the air, and performed a spinning strafe as more of the metallic musclemen surrounded her. However, the spiky-haired traffic light zipped in and wiped out the entire lot. She just stared incredulously after him once he moved on to the next group.
Next up, Kylar found himself being charged by three of the cybernetic minions. He summoned his aura around his arms and readied himself in a fighting stance. But just as his three opponents got close enough, two birdarangs flew through the air and crashed into the faces of two of the commandos, effectively dispatching them. The third one soon found its' face struck by a steel-toed boot before crashing into the ground. The aura manipulator gave his leader a bemused stare as he watched the shorter teen run off to fight more robots.
Beast Boy was hemmed in and gave a surprised little yelp before the enemies dog-piled on him. Soon after, the changeling morphed into a bull and bucked the overpowering enemies away. He snorted in preparation to charge, but just as with the three previous teens, Robin swooped into the fray and put them all down for the count without breaking a sweat. The green bull shot the Boy Wonder a startled look as he left.
In midair, Raven began her chant, about to destroy a group of minions with a single attack. "Azarath Metrion Zin-" She had no chance to finish the spell since the overactive Titan was there in a flash and blew the living circuits out of the commandos menacing her. Having no need to continue her chant, the mage just looked around, deadpan but slightly bewildered, and watched him leap across the warehouse to engage another group.
The rest of the team just watched in sheer confusion, standing against one of the buildings' walls, as their leader effortlessly disarming the enemies. A piece of a commandos' head tumbled past them, followed by a beaten attacker and Robin himself, causing the five to wince as the sound of pounding grew louder.
The Boy Wonder jumped onto the fallen robot, whose head was partially smashed away, and started bashing the remains of the metal skull with his staff.
"Uh, Robin?" Cyborg called out to their leader as he and the other Titans approached, "I think you got him."
"Yes, please. You may stop now." Starfire pleaded as she walked over to her enraged friend. It wasn't until she put her hands on his that his walloping ceased. "We are victorious."
"Slade's got his finger on the button, and we've got nothing!" The masked vigilante growled as he stood up and retracted his staff. "Does that sound like a victory to you?" He added before stalking away, leaving the others staring after him worriedly.
0-0
Outside the warehouse, the sun slowly rose over the horizon as the sea air blew over the docks. After dispatching all the robots, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kylar stood in front of the doors the titanium bruiser blew out, trying to figure out their next move.
"Okay. We know the chronoton detonator was here." The bionic teen said as he examined a panel on his right forearm, "Now we just have to figure out where it went."
"How are we going to do that?" The brunette asked as he scratched his chin.
"That's easy." The greenling grinned, "We should split up and-"
"Waste hours searching only to come up empty-handed?" Raven interjected flatly as she approached the trio.
"Well, when you say it like that…" Beast Boy trailed off as he scratched the back of his head.
"Raven is right. We must find some way to track the device." The auburn-haired teen said as she touched down next to the group.
Robin approached the rest of the team on the end of the Tamaraneans' words, and then cocked an eyebrow quizzically at the sound of echoing footsteps. In the distance, a man was walking between two of the warehouses; a large shadow was cast on the wall behind him.
"FREEZE!" The fervid Titan shouted as he chased the possible suspect with the other Titans quickly chasing after him. This spooked the poor man as he shot off in the opposite direction. Before he could escape, a birdarang flashed into view and embedded itself in the concrete. Robin followed the projectile down, landing in front of the man, and threw him against the wall. "Tell me everything you know about this!" He snarled as he held up a small crest with Slade's S insignia on it.
"I… I…" The frightened chap could only stutter and mumble inarticulately.
"Answer me! NOW!" The Boy Wonder shouted as he shoved the man into the wall, harder.
"I've never seen it before!" The terrified man cried, "I don't know anything! Honest!"
Once he finished saying this, two hands grabbed Robin by the shoulders, pried him away from the innocent bystander, and threw him on the ground. Before he could get up, the masked teen felt his right arm get pinned behind him as a weight rested itself on his back. "You said you could handle it." He recognized the voice to be Kylar's and noticed the others approaching.
"I am handling it." The pinned Titan growled as he struggled to get free.
He then felt a hand grab the back of his head and forcibly turn it to see the terrified man slumped over on the ground with Starfire kneeling next to him, trying to comfort him. "Is that what 'handling it' looks like?" Kylar asked angrily.
The leader had no response as the aura manipulator eased his grip to let the teen up. "We're wasting time." Robin growled as he strode away from the brunette. The innocent man quickly stood up and fled the scene before the spiky-haired Titan could harm him again.
"You know, just 'cause we're trying to catch Slade doesn't mean you have to act like him!" Beast Boy shouted angrily after him.
This hit the Boy Wonder in the worst possible spot as he stopped dead in his tracks. "Don't you ever compare me to him!" He shouted as he whirled around and walked back to the group, "He's trying to destroy the city. I'm trying to save it!"
His words lingered in the air as the other five Titans stared blankly at him, not at all convinced of his reasoning for overreacting. That moment was then shot and burned when Starfire let off a violent sneeze, accompanied by a starbolt that shot from her nose. When her sneeze finished, all five of the others were stunned and smoking from the blast.
"Gesundheit." The cloaked mage muttered.
"Forgive me. I am allergic to metallic chromium." The alien teen apologized, her face flush and her voice sounding a bit congested. "There must be a source near- AH!" She got ready to sneeze again. This time everyone bailed before the shot was let off. "CHOO!" She let the nasal starbolt free, causing a gigantic mushroom cloud of dust to engulf the area. "Sorry." The sick Titan groaned as the smoke cleared.
The other five soon returned; Beast Boy from behind a trash can, Kylar popping out of a wooden crate, Robin rappelling down from the warehouse roof, and Raven passing through the wall. Cyborg was the only one who simply walked up to her.
"Interesting." The bionic awed as he looked down at a screen on his forearm. On it, there was a graphical readout on his panel.
"Not really." Starfire sniffed as she wiped her nose, "On my world, chromium allergies are quite common."
"No. The key component of the chronoton detonator is a metallic chromium chore, which means-" Cyborg explained as he closed the panel on his arm.
"Starfire can track it!" Beast Boy grinned at the realization. The other Titans gave her a confident stare while she just sniffled at the thought of having to subject herself to her allergies.
0-0
Finally having their tracking device, Starfire led the group underground, leading them through a dark and moist sewer tunnel. Before passing around a bend, the Tamaranean unloaded another high-powered sneeze.
"I believe it is this way." She groaned, her voice congested. The others were behind her and threw up their arms to protect themselves from the blast. After a moment, they continued slogging through the water.
At the back of the group, Robin looked uneasy as he gave his friends a worried look. "Look, guys, uh-about earlier." He called out to them.
They turned around to face him, but before he could continue speaking, Raven cut him off, "It'll have to wait." She said as she pointed ahead of them. Once they faced in the direction she was pointing in, they noticed a small speedboat in the tunnel, with the detonator, back in its original compact form, loaded in the back. A commando guarding the rig caught sight of the group and quickly moved to work a panel on the dash.
"Titans! GO!" The Boy Wonder shouted as he ran to intercept the boat. Beast Boy transformed into a hawk as they charged.
Before they could reach the device, the robotic minion pressed on the throttle, causing the boat to speed off down the tunnel.
"Quick! We can't let him get away!" Robin called out. To everyone's surprise, a section of the wall smashed out next to him, and a large stone hand reached through and dragged him away.
"Robin!" Starfire cried worriedly as the group peered into the hole. Inside, they saw a very large and blocky villain they hadn't seen in a while: Cinderblock was the one who grabbed their leader.
"Get the detonator! GO!" Robin shouted as he leapt over the hulking stone behemoth and delivered a few kicks to its head.
All but Starfire and Kylar followed his order, they watched worriedly at the fighting. "Star! Ky! You heard the man!" Cyborg called back to them.
"End it quickly and catch up!" The brunette shouted before he and his orange-skinned teammate reluctantly set off after the rest of the group.
The masked Titan leapt from one support column to another and stayed just ahead of Cinderblock, who destroyed each one with a single blow.
"Only fair to warn you-you caught me on a bad day!" The Boy Wonder threatened as he touched down on the ground. With a growl, the stone behemoth charged the much smaller teen as he did the same. Before the two collided, Robin vaulted high over his opponent and hurled a pair of bolas-weighted balls connected with a rope. These landed on the head and tangled up around it. Dazed by the projectile, Cinderblock struggled to remove it while the spiky-haired Titan took advantage of the situation and delivered a devastating flying spin kick.
0-0
Further inside the tunnel, the speedboat zoomed ahead, staying just ahead of a flying Starfire, who was carrying Cyborg, with Raven, Kylar, and Beast Boy flying right behind her. The robot pressed one of a row of buttons on the control panel after glancing back at his pursuers.
"Defense mode activated." A computerized voice confirmed as the words appeared on a small screen above the buttons. As a result, two lasers on the stern opened up with a barrage of shots that forced everyone to swerve back and forth. The chase moved around a junction as Starfire kept dodging the shots.
"I will not be having attitude from a boat!" Cyborg yelled as he broke out his sonic cannon. However, the fusillade of bullets never let up, causing the flying team to continue weaving through the air to keep from getting blasted.
0-0
Back to the leaders' fight, Robin landed in a crouch, and then pushed off from the ground for a flying roundhouse kick that staggered the rock villain. Another kick, a crushing left hook, and Robin touched down in front of the dazed enemy and seized him. Cinderblock was then thrown down onto his back.
"Where is he!?" He demanded as he climbed atop the monsters' chest. "Where's-huh?" A beeping from his opponents' right hand drew the victorious teens' attention. He quickly glanced over to the source and saw a small tracking device in Cinderblock's open hand. Robin climbed off the villain and picked up the item. The screen showed a map of the area with two flashing dots. Upon closer inspection, the masked Titan noticed one dot as an arrow pointing to another dot in the shape of a stylized S. Realizing what the flashing mark represented, a cold smile stretched across his face, now knowing exactly where to find his archenemy.
0-0
Deep inside an underground lair, far away from any fighting, Slade watched on a large monitor as the Titans continued their pursuit of the speedboat. He was surrounded by large machinery that worked continuously without rest, releasing sounds of clanking metal throughout the room.
"Hurry, young Titans. Your time is running out." He advised to no one in particular. On a high catwalk behind him, a door blew out in a giant explosion, sending a large cloud of smoke into the room. Slade didn't even flinch at the explosion.
"Actually," A voice came from inside the smoke, "we just went into overtime." The smoke cleared to reveal Robin as he entered the lair.
"Robin. Welcome. I've been expecting you for some time." The chilling mercenary greeted as the young Titan dropped to his level. "I was beginning to wonder if Cinderblock was too much of a challenge." He turned around to face the boy and held up the transmitter to the detonator. "Looking for this?" He asked as he made his approach. "Well…" He placed the device on a spotlighted patch of floor, "…here it is." He backed away and stood on the opposite side of the transmitter. "If you want it, come and take it."
Each contender stared at each other with a determined look. Robin bore his teeth in a silent snarl as he charged straight for the device and went into a mighty somersaulting leap. As he sailed closer, he pulled his right fist back and unleashed a cry of pure rage.
He didn't even attempt to grab the transmitter, instead opting for the chance to take the menacing mercenary down once and for all. However, before he could connect with his flying right hook, a figure swooped down and struck him in the side, sending him flying across the room and crashing into some of the larger machinery.
After collecting himself, Robin looked back at the villain and saw another figure approaching him. The figure was smaller and thinner in frame, but sported similar armor as his archenemy. The figure also looked much more womanly and around his age, with long, flowing white hair and an orange and black bandana covering the top half of her head, only revealing the right eye. Two katanas were sheathed on her back.
As the girl approached, she drew the two swords and readied herself for an attack. "Of course, I wasn't going to make it easy." Slade provoked, standing behind the younger, female version of himself.
With a growl, the infuriated Boy Wonder picked himself up and charged the girl for another attack.
0-0
Racing down the sewer tunnel, the speedboat unleashed another burst of laser shots at the pursuing heroes. Cyborg returned fire with his cannon, but was whisked off by Starfire as she dodged another fusillade of bullets. One shot from the boat sent the green hawk tumbling out of the air for a bit, before it righted itself and fell in behind a passing Kylar and Raven. Now, the sonic cannon was blazing steadily, putting both of the speedboat's guns out of action in short order.
The commando at the helm opened up the throttle and zoomed ahead, but failed to evade his pursuers as the flying Tamaranean gradually pulled even to hold her bionic friend over the deck.
"Thanks for the lift!" Cyborg grinned in determination as he gave his mode of transportation a 'thumbs-up.' She let go of him and trailed behind the speeding vessel. As soon as the bionics' feet touched the deck, he bolted toward the commando, who started punching buttons furiously.
"Autopilot engaged." The computer on the dash confirmed as the words appeared on the small screen.
As soon as the commando finished punching the buttons, Cyborg clamped his right hand on the robot's shoulder. The minion shot the bulking African a surprised glance before he found himself launched over the stern and sent splashing into the water.
On the deck, the wheel was turning itself under the control of the automatic pilot program. Cyborg seized it and tried to steer manually, but only succeeded in tearing it away from its base. Starfire then landed on the deck and stared wide-eyed at the damage. Tossing the wheel aside, the titanium Titan began hammering several buttons in an attempt to stop the watercraft.
"Invalid code." The computer stated as it displayed the two words on the small screen. After a moment, the speedboat began swerving back and forth, giving the two yelling Titans a radical ride.
"How does one halt this vehicle?!" The auburn-haired teen cried under Cyborg's constant yelling.
Thinking quickly, the genius, semi-robotic teen seized the computer panel and ripped it from the dashboard entirely. Surprisingly, this proved to be effective as the speedboat came to a stop once it emerged into a large open chamber. Starfire smiled placidly as Cyborg regarded the ruined hardware. Soon after, Kylar and Raven landed on the deck, followed by the green hawk that reverted back to his human form.
"Please tell me that's not how you're planning to stop the detonator." The mage deadpanned as she noticed the separated panel in her friends' hand.
Surprised, the bionic in question blushed a bit as a big drop of sweat rolled down his temple, "Uh…"
"You do know how to stop it, don't you?" Beast Boy asked, presumably knowing what his answer would be.
"How hard could it be?" Cyborg questioned as he threw the panel overboard and crossed the deck to the detonator. Kneeling next to it, he reached toward the surface and was surprised when the housing telescoped upward. The surprise caused the bionic to fall backwards with a grunt. "Ooh." He groaned, realizing just how far he was in over his head.
"What are we gonna do?" The aura manipulator asked as he walked forward and knelt next to his friend.
"Whatever we do, we should do it before Slade decides to trigger this thing." Raven cautioned the two boys.
0-0
Robin tumbled across the ground after being sent by a forceful attack. Getting himself upright, he noticed the transmitter still sitting under the spotlight and ran towards it. A huge leap carried him closer, but the female assailant struck him broadside with a flying kick. Once he landed, the masked teen turned to face his opponent.
"You disappoint me, Robin." Slade sighed as he walked behind the girl, "I thought you would do better than this."
With a growl, Robin drew two birdarangs from a pouch on his belt and threw them at the girl. She quickly deflected the projectiles with her swords, but this left her distracted for a brief moment. The Boy Wonder threw another bolas that tangled itself around the female fighter, pinning her arms to her sides. He then followed up with a swift roundhouse kick to her face, knocking her swords from her hands and sending her skidding across the ground.
"Much better. You're even starting to fight like me." The mastermind congratulated. The girl quickly freed herself of her binds and readied herself to attack again. "Ravager." She heard the mercenary call out. "That's enough." He stated firmly as he approached the girl.
"But I can still-"
"Allow me to entertain myself." Slade interrupted icily as he glared at her.
"As you wish." Ravager reluctantly agreed as she backed away from her master.
Finding it insulting being referred to as nothing more than entertainment, Robin rushed toward the armored villain, but soon found himself on the receiving end of a roundhouse kick that sent him reeling. The melee moved across the floor, with each landing blows in turn. Finding an opening, Slade planted another steel boot across the Boy Wonder's chest that sent him skidding across the ground. Snarling in rage, the Titan got his head clear and the two continued their spar… that is until the masked villain caught one of his attackers' fists.
"Good technique." The criminal complimented before bending the spiky-haired Titans' arm sharply at the elbow. The sound of bones grinding against each other echoed through the chamber as Robin yelled in pain. The hold quickly turned into a throw that sent the hero skidding across the floor, slamming into a wall at the end of it. As he woozily got to his feet, he heard Slade's footsteps stepping closer and closer to him. "Good, but not perfect."
His head clear again, Robin charged across the floor as he released another yell of pure fury from his throat. He launched himself into the air, but one of those steel-gloved fists whistled out and punched him squarely in the breadbasket, knocking all the air out of his lungs. The young man hung in the air for a moment, supported by the fist that stopped him cold, before slowly collapsing.
Seeing the poor teen beaten and lying in a heap was enough to make Slade chuckle.
0-0
Very cautiously, the Titans gathered around the detonator. After locating a small square panel, Raven removed the screws holding it in place via her telekinesis. Once those were gone, Cyborg slowly reached over and removed the panel. Behind it was a rotating, glowing red sphere.
"The chromium core." The metallic teen whispered, so as to not alarm anyone. "Very unstable. No sudden moves." He then held up the removed panel where Beast Boy transformed into an octopus, reached over, and took it from him before setting it aside gingerly and turning back into his human form.
As the bionic reached toward the machinery, Starfire got ready to sneeze-her allergy exacerbated by being this close to that much chromium-and threw everyone into a panic. Thinking quickly, the blue-cloaked Titan created a shield around the Tamaranean's head in an effort to contain the force of the coming blast. Luckily, it held, and the result of the blast blew her hair wildly out of place.
"Please continue." The alien sniffed as she shook her hair back into place. Everyone gave her a worried look, but she returned the stares with a wide grin and an embarrassed little giggle, signifying that she was better.
Returning his attention to the detonator, Cyborg held up his forearm, which now showed a panel with a circuit diagram of the device. Underneath the screen, three lights began flashing. "Okay." He said as he extended an acetylene torch from his left forefinger, "Now all we have to do is decouple the-"
"Cy, wait!" Kylar voiced. But it was too late, as the chromatic Titan used the torch to sever one of the cables running to the core. Once it was severed, the core began beeping and rotating very quickly.
"Well that doesn't sound good." Beast Boy identified as they all stared at the core with shocked expressions.
0-0
Back inside Slade's lair, Robin tumbled across the floor, lying there for a few seconds as he tried to catch his breath. Once he did, he slammed his left fist against the tiles with a loud groan.
"I understand your frustration, Robin." The overpowering menace sympathized as he approached the down Titan, "You hate losing as much as I do. One of the many qualities we have in common."
Once again, the masked teens' sorest spot had been poked too hard, and he leapt off the ground into an uppercut that lifted his opponent clear off his feet. Two more punches sent the armored criminal genius to the floor, but he caught himself in midair and landed in a crouch before running off. Giving him no quarter, Robin landed a string of savage blows that dropped him flat on his back.
Ravager was about to charge the Boy Wonder, but a hand up from her master stopped her right in her tracks.
Victorious, the Titan stepped over to the transmitter and picked it up. "It's over, Slade!" He declared as he looked at the device.
"On the contrary, Robin." The mercenary voiced from the shadows as the small device sparked.
"Huh?" Robin uttered as he stared down in total confusion; the transmitter broke apart in his hand with a small crackle of electricity.
"This is only the beginning." Slade eerily affirmed as he stepped out from a dark recess among the machinery.
"Where's the real trigger?!" The Boy Wonder demanded.
"Trigger? There is no trigger-because there is no detonator." The villain revealed. Robin's eyes widened with shock at his words, his mind filling with thoughts about the safety of his friends.
0-0
Back to the rest of the team, the detonator core was still beeping and spinning wildly. Beast Boy's teeth were chattering a mile a minute as the three other teens stared over Cyborg's shoulders.
"Moment of truth, y'all." The designated bomb disarmer whispered as he held up a finger torch. "Everybody ready?"
"I can't watch!" The greenling cried as he covered his eyes. Even though he was scared, he still parted his fingers to give his left eye a clear field of vision.
Before the metallic Titan could rake his flame across a couple of other cables, Kylar placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him, "Wait." He called out. "What if Slade predicted this and switched the cables?" This suggestion just made everyone worry even more. "Try that one." The brunette offered as he pointed to a cable on the far end of the core.
Holding his breath, Cyborg followed his teammates' instructions and severed the far end cable. Once it was detached, the core stopped its activity entirely. The red glow faded and left the sphere looking like an ordinary metal ball.
Beast Boy, Raven, Kylar, and Cyborg sighed loudly and visibly with relief as Starfire smiled happily. The moment was short lived, however, as a loud, urgent alarm went off and elicited gasps and wide-eyed stares from all five. The core started spinning and glowing again, and red lights flowed from the ball through the cables that were not cut.
The alarm slowed down a bit as the red lights on the detonator's housing started pulsating. The topmost section retracted slightly as a result.
"We blew it!" The shape-shifting Titan screeched loudly. "We'll be frozen in time forever!"
The alarm gave way to a steady drone, and the whole device shorted out and crumbled into a pile of junk. Beast Boy was just about ready to throw a fit, but stopped when the rig fell silent.
"Um… why are we not frozen in time forever?" The scared green teen asked.
"Because this wasn't a chronoton detonator." Cyborg responded as he examined the device, "It was a fake!"
As the team tried figuring out what exactly was going on, a mounted gun popped out behind them at the prow, and swept back and forth, strafing all five Titans and knocking them overboard. One by one, their heads broke the surface, showing no apparent damage from the assault.
"BLEEH!" Beast Boy shook off the water from his head with a cry of revulsion. "So aside from the nasty taste of sewer water in my mouth, I think I'm okay." He explained as his tongue hung out of his mouth.
"Diagnostic sensors say I'm just fine." Cyborg confirmed as he checked his forearm panel before knocking water out of his ears.
"I don't feel any different either." Kylar added.
"Whatever that beam was supposed to do, it didn't do it." Raven chimed as she wrung water out of her hair.
"Then… we are victorious?" Starfire asked happily as she brought her hands together above the water.
0-0
Unbeknownst to the entire group, deep inside their tissue cells, inside their very veins, tiny metal spheres, marked with Slade's S, attached themselves to their blood cells-deposited by the beam that hit each one of them.
0-0
In a completely different area of the city, a hulking figure watched on a bank of monitors as the tiny metal orbs flowed through the veins of his unsuspecting targets.
"Nanoscopic probes, courtesy of a good friend of mine." Slade explained as he approached the row of five monitors, each marked with the name of one of the Titans. The screens showed a picture of the blood vessels and readouts of their vital signs. "The chronoton detonator was merely the bait for a much larger trap." As he continued explaining, a small push-button device extended itself from the inside on his wrist and settled in his hand. "You see, with the push of a button," he teased the button with his thumb as Robin glared at him, "my probes will destroy your friends from the inside out." Ravager stood at his side, arms behind her back, as he continued speaking.
"You can't control them." The defiant Titan defended, "No matter what you threaten, they'll never obey you."
"This isn't about your friends, Robin. It's about you." Slade admitted as he began circling the young Titan, "It's always been about you."
"What?" Robin voiced his confusion as he watched the criminal walk.
"Sending trouble your way. Leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel." Slade listed, "I was testing you. For some time now, I have been searching for… apprentices. Capable people to follow in my footsteps." He said as he leaned into the Boy Wonder's face, "And, Robin, I've chosen you. Congratulations."
The masked Titan was disgusted at the thought, "No way would I ever work for-" However; his bravado fell silent when the manipulative genius held up the button, his thumb just barely clearing it.
"If you join me, if you swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends again," Slade frigidly stated, "I will allow them to live." Robin stared in mute fear at this ultimatum. "But… if you disobey even the smallest request, I will annihilate them, Robin. And I'll make you watch." The terrified Titan gaped at the villains' words. "So, do we have a deal?"
0-0
Finally free of the sewers, the other five Titans emerged from a manhole into the streets of Jump City. The events of the day lasted for so long, that the sun had set long ago, giving way to the nightlife.
"Robin?" Starfire spoke into her communicator as Cyborg helped beast Boy up onto the street. "Robin, please respond!" After a moment of silence, she lowered it from her face and turned toward the others, "Why does he not answer?"
"His locator's been deactivated. We have no way to find him." The African Titan explained.
"Not good." The changeling stated as he brushed himself off.
"You don't think Cinderblock got the better of him, do you?" Kylar asked.
"Robin, please. You must answer." The worried Tamaranean said into the communicator again. Still not getting a response, she tried again, "Robin!"
0-0
"Please respond!" Starfire's voice called out through a communicator on Robin's belt.
His normal outfit had been abandoned and draped over a pipe in Slade's darkened lair. Piercing the darkness, a pool of light gleamed from above, silhouetting a figure in the harsh glare. Inside the light, a black glove was pulled on; a steel wrist guard was snapped into place; a belt was buckled under a chest that was orange on the left side and black on the right, with a silver S emblazoned over the heart; a neck piece fastened under the figure's chin with the help of another figure standing behind him. Upon closer inspection, the silhouette resolved into Robin, with Ravager being the one who helped him with the collar. With the outfit complete, the ex-Titan resembled a smaller version of Slade.
The normally defiant and calculated Boy Wonder had no words for his predicament. He had no plan, no tactic; nothing that he could think of to save his friends came to him. With that in mind, his countenance portrayed that of a sullen, defeated look.
"I know it seems bad now." The victorious villain said as he stepped into the light behind his new apprentice, next to Ravager. "But trust me, you'll learn to like it." He added as he passed the young teen, stepping back into the shadows.
The veteran apprentice soon followed, leaving Robin alone, standing motionless in the white light from overhead. His expression did not change one bit. The only thoughts running through his mind were those of worry and fear of the wellbeing of his friends as the light shut off above him, surrendering the entire area to the darkness.
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
-Henry David Thoreau
Author's Note:
Oh no! It's starting to look grim for our hero as Slade was finally able to bring him over to the dark side, albeit forcibly and against his will, but he succeeded in having our Boy Wonder betray his friends. What will happen? Will the Teen Titans cease to be? Will Slade succeed in much grander sinister plans now that he has one more capable helper?
Pfft, if any of you know anything about this show, then you know the answer.
Anyway, that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it and will return to find out what happens next. Again, if you liked the chapter, remember to write a review if you want to, I'm certainly not forcing anyone. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, again I love hearing your thoughts.
I want to thank each and every one of you who favorited and followed the story. I know I'm a rather new writer on the site compared to some other people, but having you all liking the story brings warm feelings to my heart. So, I can't thank you all enough, I can only continue releasing chapters and hope you like them.
Well, that's it for now. Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again i own nothing.