Author's Note:
Hello and welcome, my beautiful people, to the Season 1 finale of Teen Titans: The Bonds We Share. It's been a fun journey and I am so happy that you all could join me.
I know I may not be the best writer, since this is my only story on the site and I am simply a humble beginner, but your support and love of the story kept me going because this was just so much fun to write.
With that said, remember to write a review if you want, and to follow and favorite if you so choose. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I love hearing your thoughts.
And... yeah, let's go!
A whole day had passed since Robin disappeared. After successfully disarming the chronoton detonator and realizing it was a fake, the Titans escaped the sewers and tried contacting their leader. Unfortunately, they found that he had fallen off the grid and couldn't be tracked at all. They all tried searching for their missing friend, but every attempt at combing the city led to a dead end. They had assumed the worst, but never gave up looking.
"Robin? Robin! Please, Robin, where are you?" Starfire called out desperately into her communicator as she flew over Jump City. Despite not finding their friend, the team continued their search well into the next day as the sun began setting.
"Starfire, enough. You've been calling for forty-five minutes." Raven spoke through the yellow and black talking device.
"Perhaps if I just try one more-"
"Come on, Star. If he's gonna pick up, he'd have done it by now." Beast Boy cut her off. "'Sides, you're kinda giving me a headache."
"But why does he not respond? Where could he be?" The disheartened Tamaranean asked as she continued flying over the city.
Deep underground, Cyborg and Kylar tried their luck by searching in the sewers again to see if he was still there, since it was the last place they saw Robin before his disappearance.
"Robin and Cinderblock definitely went a few rounds, but I can't tell who won, or where they went." The metal Titan said as he and his partner examined the site of where two combatants battled. A lot of the area had been destroyed, with debris thrown about the place, but no sign of either the Titan or the rock monster was apparent.
"This isn't good. We're coming up empty handed everywhere." Kylar sighed; annoyed at the fact that everywhere they turned gave them nothing to go on. "Any luck on your end, Rae?"
Raven returned to the Tower while the others searched the city. Using the computers in the Ops Center, she typed on a console that showed a map of Jump City. On it, four spots were flashing; one showed a C, one a B, one an S, and one a K. "No sign of him here, either." The mage replied, disappointed in her findings. "His locator is offline. I've been monitoring all the frequencies, but he hasn't checked in."
"Oh, we are bad friends!" The auburn-haired teen cried as she flew over more buildings in the city. "We should never have left Robin to do battle alone."
Next to the distressed alien, a green monkey had caught up to her and jumped from roof to roof to help with her search. After a while, though, the monkey stopped and transformed into its' human form. "Yeah, especially since Slade's big doodad was a dud." Beast Boy voiced his displeasure before jumping to a new building.
Back at the Tower, Raven was now studying the schematics of the fake detonator on the console she was currently using. "The chronoton detonator wasn't a dud. It was a decoy to lure us away from Robin. And we fell for it." She explained.
"He played us like a fiddle, and now Sparrow's missing." The annoyed aura manipulator growled as he and his bionic teammate started making their way out of the sewer tunnels.
After hearing Kylar's thoughts, Cyborg slammed his fist against the wall, "I shoulda known that thing was a fake!" He groaned, knowing what the brunette said was true.
"But why? Why did Slade wish to separate us from Robin?" Starfire asked, completely lost in trying to understand the villains' plan.
The changeling also had a hard time following, "And if the detonator was a decoy…"
"What was Slade's real plan?" The cloaked Titan asked. However, before any of them could create a hypothesis, an urgent alarm started ringing throughout the Tower.
"Titans! Trouble!" The titanium teen shouted as he and the brunette ran through the sewer.
0-0
The sun had finally set, leaving the night sky to be claimed by the moon and shrouding the land with darkness. In Jump City, a tall, circular building, with an observation deck set a story or two below its roof, found itself visited by an unexpected guest. Using the shadows for cover, a mysterious figure broke through a panel from the ceiling and dropped into the top floor, recognizing the place to be a darkened laboratory. After scanning the room, the silhouette laid its' eyes upon a glass storage vessel that held a piece of equipment and threw a small sphere with two short arms sticking out from opposite sides at it. Each arm ended in a curved blade, so that the entire device looked like a backwards letter S. Once the projectile connected with its' target, lights winked around the center logo and formed a ring, exploding in a brilliant flash after they were all illuminated. Once the smoke from the blast cleared, the mysterious thief seized the encased item.
"He's stolen the thermal blaster!" The thief heard a voice shout from outside the room. In an adjoining tunnel, several guards ran into the room with weapons at the ready.
Not wanting to find out how excess the force was going to be, the mysterious silhouette sprinted out of the laboratory. "Stop him!" Another guard shouted as they gave chase.
On the observation deck, the guards opened fire against the fleeing thief. However, before they could land a solid hit on the intruder, he quickly scaled up the wall and disappeared into the darkness.
"Where'd he go?" One guard asked as they stopped to look around for their target. Finding no trace of the thief, the guards continued running through the observatory.
After the guards left the area, the silhouette dropped from the roof and made a break for it in the other direction. But before he could escape, Starfire and Beast Boy slid around the corner and blocked him while Cyborg, Raven, and Kylar appeared behind him, effectively surrounding the burglar.
"Freeze!" The African bionic man shouted.
Instead of complying, the mysterious figure sprinted off along a branching walkway while the Titans gave chase. He soon found himself nearing the end of the line, with nothing between him and a very long drop to the street. The figure stopped and turned to face the team. Once he did, the light from the building came up fully on him for the first time, giving the others a clear view of just whom they were chasing. They were so paralyzed with shock and confusion; it was as though their feet had been nailed to the ground.
Beast Boy was the first to break their silence. "That's not Slade, that's…"
"Robin." Starfire gasped.
"Whoa!"
"No way!"
"When did he…?"
"Robin," The Tamaranean began as she tried approaching the now villainous Boy Wonder, "why are you-"
Before she could finish her question, the ex-leader threw a Slade-styled flyer that exploded in her face, driving her back along the walkway toward the others.
"Yo!" The metallic second in command yelled.
"What is your deal?" The shape-shifting Titan shouted.
"Not a word, Robin. They're not your friends anymore." Slade said via small radio receiver that was inside the spiky-haired teens left ear. He wanted to say something, he really did. But no matter what, he knew that if he did anything that went against his new boss' orders, it would be the end for his friends.
As the other five heroes closed in, Robin raised the blaster he just stole and fired at the stretch of walkway between him and them. The resulting explosion brought the team up short and forced a scared yell from Beast Boy.
"What are you doing?" Cyborg asked angrily.
Angry at his former teammates' sudden change in allegiance, Kylar rushed the smoke and leapt through it, hoping to catch the masked teen. "Ky!" The greenling cried as the brunette disappeared.
Once the haze cleared, it revealed the aura manipulator standing alone on the other side of the walkway, facing away from the team. "He's gone." Kylar stated as he hung his head dejectedly.
"Robin…" Starfire murmured, completely crushed at the thought of her friend being evil.
0-0
Deep within the recesses of complete darkness, a single pool of light pierced through. From the shadows, Robin stepped forth and stood in that lone well-lit spot, holding the blaster he just stole.
"Excellent, Robin. I'm pleased." The new apprentice heard the voice of his new master say to him from the dark obscurity. "You're already proving to be the perfect apprentice."
"This deal can't last forever." The resentful teen growled.
"It can. And it will." Slade returned before a row of monitors came to life, all showing blank white screens and illuminating the darkness to reveal the lair of the villainous mercenary. Robin turned to face the screens just as the image of the decoy detonator was shown. "The Titans still have no idea that my chronoton detonator was more than a decoy." The mastermind said as clips of the detonator shorting out and the other five Titans staring at the smoking remains flashed across the screen. "Now that my probes are inside their bodies, they could remain undetected for years-decades." Clips of the weapon emerging from the prow and strafing the team as they flew off the boat played on the monitors before their probe-laden bloodstreams were displayed. "Unless, of course, you disobey me and I decide to destroy your former friends with the push of the button." Slade threatened as he emerged from the darkness, holding up his hand with the button nestled in it.
The Boy Wonder glared holes through his archenemy, trying to find a way to get that device from him. "Sooner or later, you'll let your guard down. I will get that controller, and the instant they're out of danger, you will pay." The irritated youth threatened.
"That sounded like a threat, young man. Quite a good threat, actually." The masked villain complimented as he approached his new apprentice and took the blaster, "Betrayal, destruction, revenge. We really do think alike."
Robin gritted his teeth in a quite snarl that quickly grew in intensity before throwing himself at the imposing man. However, the charge went south quickly; Slade grabbed the teens' left wrist and bent his arm back sharply. From the sound of things, one or more bones were within an inch of breaking.
"I monitored your vital signs during the mission. Elevated heart rate, adrenaline, endorphins." Slade listed while adding more strain to the boys' wrist. "You won't admit it, but at some level you enjoyed stealing for me. It was a thrill, wasn't it?" He asked as he released his hold, resulting in Robin stumbling away and rubbing his overstressed arm. "You're going to keep stealing, Robin." The master ordered as he removed the blaster muzzle, "And you're going to keep getting that thrill. And sooner or later, you will see things my way." He went on to say as he put the weapon back together. The villain then walked over to the mercenary-in-training and seized his left arm, "Who knows? I might even become like a father to you." Slade suggested as he clamped the modified weapon onto Robins' wrist, so that the muzzle pointed out along his arm.
"I already have a father." Robin declared softly as a few bats flew out through an opening between the blades of an enormous blower through the ceiling before disappearing into the night.
0-0
After receiving his new orders, the resentful apprentice left his master alone in the shadows. Once he was gone, the veteran trainee appeared and knelt before her father. "Is everything in place?"
"Yes, father." Ravager replied, "The device is primed and only needs to be activated."
"Good." Slade said coolly, his chilling voice having a tone of maliciousness. He turned away from his student and walked over to a table cluttered with papers and odd gadgets, grabbing something amid the items. "I have something that needs to be delivered." The armored villain admitted as he handed his apprentice a flash drive. "Something invaluable."
0-0
Later that night, the team had returned to the Tower after their botched attempt at stopping their former leader from committing a crime.
Trying to make sense of the whole situation, Beast Boy had donned a cap and long coat similar to those often worn by Sherlock Holmes, as well as holding the sort of pipe smoked by the great sleuth.
"Okay. The way I see it…" The green detective began as he paced back and forth across the Ops Center. "…there are only two logical explanations." He said as he stopped and faced Cyborg, Raven, and Kylar, who were seated on the couch. He held up a comic book titled Weird Shock, whose cover depicted a colossal robot in Robin's very approximate likeness. "One, Robin's been replaced by an evil robot double." He then flipped the book open to the first page that showed a horde of the undead led by a spiky-haired zombie. "Two, he's another innocent victim of zombie mind control."
The faces of his three teammates seated on the couch indicated just how ridiculous they thought the shape-shifters' theories were. With a sigh, Kylar stood up and stalked away from the couch, not really in the mood for his friends' crazy antics.
"As logical as that sounds, if anything was controlling his mind, I would have sensed it." Raven explained, quickly debunking the mind control theory.
"And my scanners confirmed his biometrics." Cyborg added as he examined a panel on his left forearm. "That was the real Robin-our Robin." He sighed as he and the mage hung their heads.
"Lies! That was not Robin! Your scanners are wrong!" Starfire shouted in their friends' defense. The team faced her and noticed she was standing by the kitchen tables. "Robin is our friend, and nothing could ever make him betray us!" As much as she wanted to believe her words, there was doubt in her mind, "Nothing." She added as she too hung her head, sadness very apparent in her voice.
"But something did." The cloaked girl sighed before returning to her sullen mood.
To break the depressing atmosphere, the would-be gumshoe with the overactive imagination slid in between his friends, "Three words: disgruntled radioactive clone." He said before Cyborg yanked him off the ground.
Annoyed at Beast Boys' stupidity, Raven delivered a spin kick that sent him flying toward the kitchen, where he crashed into a stack of dishes that was placed on the counter. "No matter what the reason, no matter how much we wish it wasn't true, Robin's a criminal now." The Goth explained after landing on the ground, "And just like any other criminal-"
"The Teen Titans have to bring him down." The metallic African finished. This response from her friends caused the disheartened Tamaranean to stifle a sob and turn away, clapping her hands against her face.
Before she could do anything else, an alarm blared. "Guys." The teens heard Kylar call out to them. They turned around and saw him seated at a computer console, "It's him."
0-0
Inside a large open space within a building, a set of doors, marked with a large W, was blown inward off the hinges, allowing a large smokescreen to feed into the room. From the haze, Robin stepped in and advanced across the floor where he reached a device suspended within a force field at the center. But before he could seize the item, something caused him to freeze in his tracks.
"You're not walking outta here, Robin!" The new thief heard a voice call out to him from behind. He turned around and saw his former team standing by the wrecked door. "Not without a fight." Cyborg added.
"RRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Robin yelled as he charged the group.
"Titans! GO!" The bionic teen shouted as they bolted across the floor, Beast Boy transforming into a tiger as he moved.
As the two opposing sides hurtled toward one another, the masked apprentice dodged both punches thrown by his cybernetic friend as well as his animalistic friends' lunge; the latter returned to human form as the new felon vaulted overhead. He sailed neatly between the three flyers of the team, tore away a ceiling panel, and escaped the room before any of them could react.
0-0
Outside the building, a panel popped open before Robin sprang out and raced across the rooftop. A large lighted sign identified the building as the headquarters of Jump City's Wayne Enterprises.
"Not so fast, Robin. You have yet to achieve your objective." The fleeing apprentice heard his new master's voice say to him through his earpiece.
"The device was too heavily guarded." Robin rationalized as he continued running. "I'll have to steal it another-"
"NO!" The usually calm and calculated villain shouted angrily, causing the Boy Wonder to stop in his tracks. "Go back. Unless you want me to destroy them, go back and fight."
"Robin!" Cyborg called out to the ex-Titan. Said teen turned to the source and faced the group standing at the other end of the roof. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but we don't want to fight. We just want to talk." He explained as he approached his shorter friend.
Unfortunately for the hopeful bionic, Robin let his feet do the conversing, in the form of a highflying kick that drove Cyborg back past the other four.
"Guess there's nothing to talk about." Beast Boy stated as he cracked his knuckles and transformed into an enormous gorilla, bringing both fists down on the rooftop. Robin leapt back to evade the hit and a couple of grabs before perching at the center of the A in WAYNE. A huge green hand shot up after him; he leapt to the A's peak, then down again as the massive simian climbed up after him. In midair, he pulled out another of Slade's flying weapons, the curved blades extended from the central orb. He shot the projectile off and it wound itself around one of the gorillas' thick wrists. Dropping down from the top of the giant letter, Robin threaded the line through the center, pulled taut, and yanked his opponent halfway through, leaving him stuck inside. The force of the animals' struggles caused the A to crackle and flash as pieces of glass fell to the roof.
Turning to intercept the others, Robin made a mad dash toward his next opponent. In front of him, Starfire watched as he came for her. "Please…" She murmured as she reached out to him. However, she couldn't say anything else as her friend rushed past her, leapt very high, and came down with a kick and a flurry of other strikes aimed at Raven.
The mage shielded herself from the offensive, able to keep up with her former leader. He soon was able to get the better of her by sweeping her legs, knocking her off the ground, and kicking her away from him. Just before Robin could get away, Kylar ran over and bowled into him with his shoulder, knocking the former Titan across the rooftop. The apprentice caught himself in midair and landed in a crouch on the ground, but soon found himself rolling to the side to dodge a follow-up stomp from the brunette.
Robin then lunged at his former friend with a right hook, but the aura manipulator ducked as he swept his leaders' feet from under him. Catching his opponent in midair by his legs, Kylar spun around and threw him toward the large letters that occupied the roof. However, the spiky-haired righted himself and landed on the ground. He pulled out more spheres marked with the S and threw them at his brown-haired friend. The projectiles exploded, creating a smokescreen that blocked the brunettes' field of view, and soon found a steel glove shooting out of the fog and connecting with the underside of his chin.
The force of the hit caused Kylar to bend backwards, but instead of falling over, he swung his entire body forward and landed a full-blown head-butt against his opponents' forehead. Following up with more punches and kicks, the two former teammates continued their brawl.
On the other side of the rooftop, Cyborg broke out his sonic cannon. Even though the weapon was fully charged, his face betrayed his extreme uneasiness and reluctance at the prospect of using it in this situation. "Don't make me…" He groaned as he steadied his aim. Giving up the attempt to get a clear shot, he disarmed and ran into to fray to do things the old-fashioned way. The punch he threw, however, missed Robin and went straight for Kylar, who blocked the attack with his arms.
High above the rooftop, Beast Boy was still struggling to extricate himself from the sign's A. He finally succeeded by changing into a snake and slithering down; once he was back on the roof, he assumed the form of a bighorn sheep and charged. His curved horns slammed into Robin's back and sent him rolling away, stopping just short of the edge.
"Dude! Are you okay?" Beast Boy cried as he rushed over to help him, turning back into human form before doing so. His answer came in the form of his former leader quickly turning over on the ground and striking him with a small explosive that sent him crashing into the bulky bionic.
Getting back up, the Boy Wonder glared at his remaining two opponents, "Fight to win, Robin." He heard Slade order him through his earpiece. "Use the thermal blaster."
Before he could refuse the order, Raven was on him with an attack. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She chanted as she released a wave of telekinesis. The attack formed energy around the Boy Wonder and lifted him off the ground, binding his torso and pinning his left arm to his side. However, he still had his right arm free, and with it, he threw a disk that struck the large N, blinding her. "Ah! Can't see!" The mage cried as she released her bind and fell to the ground.
"No!" Starfire cried as she watched her friend fall.
"Raven!" Kylar shouted as he flew over and caught her before she hit the ground.
On the other side of the roof, Robin had engaged the much larger and stronger semi-robotic teen. "Come on man, don't make me do this!" Cyborg said as he blocked each of his former leaders' punches and broke out his sonic cannon. "I don't wanna do this!" He added as he grabbed his attackers' arm and primed his weapon. Before he could fire, one of the apprentices' feet swept under him and dropped him onto his back, causing the blast to go off and miss its' intended target.
Escaping the bionic Titan, Robin leapt atop the giant A and made his way quickly across the rest of the letters. Once he reached the giant E, however, someone was there to greet him.
"Stop!" A furious orange-skinned alien demanded as she held out her right hand, primed with a starbolt. "Do not move." The masked thief obeyed and stared at his former friend.
"I thought I told you to use that blaster." Robin heard Slade command via the earpiece. "Attack! Now!" Knowing what his new master would do if he disobeyed, the Boy Wonder raised his weapon and pointed it at the Tamaranean.
As the two faced off against each other, Starfire's expression became cold while Robin's remained emotionless, trying hard to hide the pain he was feeling at having to attack his friends.
Internally, the usually cheerful alien was conflicted between her feelings of friendship and duty before one of them won out. "Robin, you are my best friend. I cannot live in a world where we must fight." She said as her eyes saddened and her voice trembled, "If you are truly evil-" she said as she dispelled her powers and lowered her arm, "-then go ahead. Do what you must."
Shocked at his friends' decision, Robin powered down the blaster and lowered it, "Starfire, no, I-" But before he could explain what was happening, a shrill shriek of feedback sounded from his earpiece, causing him to recoil and cusp his ear.
"ROBIN! I gave you an order." The villainous blackmailer shouted. "If you won't attack, my probes will!" Slade stated. On his end of the line, he pressed the button that activated the probes inside the five other Titans.
After a few seconds, the team began groaning in agony, unable to move as an immense amount of pain coursed through their entire beings. The effects of the probes caused each of the Titans to glow orange with red spots along with a white haze emitting from their bodies.
Finally succumbing to the pain, Starfire fell from the sky, and would've hit the rooftop had Robin not caught her before she passed him. "Starfire!" The spiky-haired teen cried as the others began collapsing to the ground. "Stop! Please, stop!" The teen begged desperately.
"Attack, Robin. It's the only way to save them." Slade hissed. "Attack with everything you've got."
Finding no other alternative, the apprentice acknowledged his orders and laid the dying girl in his arms on the ground. "Robin…" Starfire muttered as she tried reaching up to him.
He held up the blaster and primed it for an attack. "I'm sorry." But before he could fire the weapon, a flying mass of glowing orange and red slammed into his side, sending both of them falling from the giant E and crashing onto the rooftop.
Robin sat up and placed his right hand on his head as he tried clearing his head. Once he reoriented himself, he looked over and saw Kylar standing over him, the effects of the probes still evident on his body. "Is this what you wanted!?" The aura manipulator snarled as he grabbed his former friend by the collar and hurled him across the roof. He caught himself as he skid across the ground, but soon had to dodge a barrage of punches. He caught one of the glowing Titans' fists, but was hit again by a head-butt, forcing him to lose his grip and stumble backwards. "We forgave you for that Red-X stunt, yet you betrayed us to work for Slade?" Kylar growled through labored breaths, the destruction of his cells taking its' toll on his body.
Robin wanted to say something. He wanted to explain everything that was happening, to let them know why, "Kylar, I-" But before he could continue, the brunette charged him with whatever strength he had left, seized the apprentice by the neck, and pinned him against one of the legs of the giant N.
"SHUT UP!" The infuriated teen shouted as he squeezed his hands around the thief's neck. "Was this your plan all along? To join him and have the rest of us die?" He lifted the choking boy up higher against the wall, "IS THAT HOW MUCH WE MEANT TO YOU?!"
Under the grip of his enraged friend, Robin was having a hard time breathing and felt himself slowly losing consciousness. "The blaster, Robin. NOW!" Slade yelled through the earpiece. With no other option, the desperate teen pressed the muzzle of his weapon against the brunettes' chest and discharged a blast. The force of the attack sent the choker tumbling across the roof before landing face down, just short of the edge. Gasping for air, Robin rubbed his throat before looking over at the downed Titan. "That's my boy." His new master congratulated.
0-0
Atop the huge lighted letters, Starfire moaned weakly as she sat up. "Huh?" She mumbled as she looked down and saw Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy come around, with Kylar slowly walking toward them from behind the Y; they were no longer suffering the effects of the probes.
"Okay. Weirdness." The green Titan stated as the Tamaranean floated down to regroup with her friends. "What just-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Robin plunged toward them with a yell and a fresh blast. It traced a short distance between the fivesome as he landed in the middle and slung Beast Boy into Raven's face. A low kick knocked Cyborg away and a jump kick landed on Kylars' chest. Starfire found herself trying to hit a moving midair target with her starbolts as the villainous trainee somersaulted across the roof and trained his blaster on her. With a gasp, she realized that he had her bracketed, but the Boy Wonder shifted his aim and fired past her, hitting the large Y. The next beams came at Beast Boy and Raven; the latter forming a shield to protect herself while the former transformed into a monkey and scampered away.
A moment later, the little green primate darted across the ground and climbed all over the armored arms and legs of his former leader. It took a moment, but Robin was finally able to get a hold of the little pest and threw him aside. As he did so, though, the magical Titan exerted her powers over his left arm, focused on the blaster, and caused the thing to dismantle itself. For her trouble, the masked teen seized her by the wrist and shoved her across the roof. Kylar then flew over and tried to tackle the apprentice just as Cyborg tried coming up behind him to grab him. At the last second, the Boy Wonder ducked away, causing the brunette to crash into the metallic teen.
Swiveling through his attackers, Robin found himself at the edge of the rooftop, cornered by the other Titans. As they began their approach, Beast Boy morphed into a bear, Cyborg prepped his cannon for an attack, and the three flyers had their respective powers warmed up. Gritting his teeth, the spiky-haired trainee whipped out four discs and threw them at the group. Once the projectiles flew past the five crime fighters, they detonated at the bases of the A.
"Titans! Move!" The titanium African teen shouted as the giant letters began toppling over. They followed the order and cleared out, Beast Boy transforming into a bat, as the Y toppled forward with the A not far behind. When the smoke cleared, Cyborg was in one piece and on his feet, standing perfectly in the gap of the fallen A.
After the chaos died down, Starfire looked around fearfully as Raven landed near her. "He's gone." The mage said.
"Everybody okay?" The bionic asked as he stepped over the fallen letter.
"Yeah, I think so." The black-jacketed teen replied as he rubbed his chest with his right hand.
"Uh, I know where Robin picked up that heat ray, but where did he learn that little glow-y hurt-y trick?" The changeling asked, his eyes briefly turning orange with red spots.
"I do not think that was Robin." Starfire stated, piecing a few clues together that explained their friends' behavior. "Perhaps it is Slade who has learned a new trick."
0-0
"Thrilling." Deep underground, amid large monitors that covered the wall, Slade observed the confrontation between Kylar and Robin, amazed at the brutal behavior displayed on the screen. He then switched screens and watched when the spiky-haired youths' thermal blaster ray came down from overhead among the Titans and when he threw each of his former friends around like toys. "My apprentice is progressing even faster than I had hoped." The masked mercenary praised as he reclined in his chair, "All he needed was a little motivation." To his surprise, a steel-gloved hand reached in front of him and grabbed his left wrist.
"Motivate THIS!" Robin shouted as he threw a punch at the villain. However, years of training, and nerves of steel, allowed Slade to catch the attack easily, without flinching, and wrench the arm to one side. He then flung his new apprentice toward a set of overhead gears; Robin came down in a crouch across the floor.
Standing up, the villainous mastermind left his chair and flexed the fingers in his left hand. "Robin. That was vicious, dishonorable, and ruthless." Slade stated as he crossed the floor. "Excellent work. You're becoming more like me every second." He congratulated as he turned away.
To the rebellious apprentices' surprise, the villain then whirled around to attack his new student with a string of blows, missing Robin each time, as he was able to dodge. Slade was then able to grapple the youth, place him in a headlock, and lift him of his feet. Thinking quickly, the bound teen swung his left leg around and kicked him in the face, forcing the armored man to break his hold. Both fighters retreated a bit, trying to catch their breath and clear their heads.
0-0
Inside the Tower's Operations Center, each Titan was gathered around the couch; Beast Boy was seated on a chair with an assortment of devices wiring him to the computers.
"Think I found something." Cyborg said as he examined a readout of the changelings' vital signs that were shown on the window screen. "The enhanced sensors are picking up radio interference on the nanoscopic scale." He did a bit of typing on the console and up came the image of Beast Boy's blood stream, with Slade's probes attached to his cells in fine detail.
"Whoa." Raven awed while Starfire gasped.
"That's not good." Kylar gaped at the discovery.
The test subjected looked toward the screen, and his eyes popped wide open in horror. "Those things are inside me? EWWW!" He cried as the various tubes and wires disconnected from his face.
"They're inside all of us." The genius scientist corrected, "Billions of 'em!"
"With such technology at his command, Slade can destroy us whenever he wants." The redhead stated.
"Unless Robin does whatever he says." The mage added.
"And you guys thought my zombie idea was crazy." Beast Boy pouted with his arms crossed.
"He's not a zombie." The black-jacketed brunette sighed. A beeping from inside his jacket pocket caught everyone's attention. Pulling out his communicator and examining it, Kylar quickly rushed over to the console Cyborg was standing at and did some typing.
"Something up?" The bionic teen asked, confused at his teammates sudden burst of action.
"I caught a signal from the bug I placed on Sparrow." Kylar answered as he connected his communicator to the computer. "It should show us where he ran off to."
"When did you do that?" Raven asked.
"When we were… fighting." The aura manipulator confessed. The other Titans looked at each other confusingly before looking back at the brunette. "Found him." He announced as a map of Jump City appeared on the screen with a red dot flashing just outside the city limits.
0-0
Back inside Slade's lair, teacher and student were still trying to collect themselves after the previous skirmish. Robin then initiated the next brawl, propelling himself in a high backward jump that carried him toward the metal face. However, said metal face grabbed his legs, swung the poor teen low, scraping him against the floor, and hurled him toward the overhead machinery. The screaming Boy Wonder hooked a crankshaft to stop himself from flying into the gears and lowered himself back onto a different platform.
From the darkness, Robin advanced across the chamber, peering warily from one spot to another. He made his way to a bank of levers near the edge of the elevated platform before stopping for a good look around. Steam boiled up as a stationary gear began turning, carrying Slade onto the platform to meet his disobedient student.
"Good, Robin. You're doing much better than last time." The masked villain commended as he approached the angry youth. "A few more years of training, and you might actually pose a threat."
Robin backed away from his foe and reached some levers that controlled one of the large mechanical gears. Breaking one loose, he twirled it back and forth before holding it in front of him to attack. Slade merely pulled out a fighting staff just like the one the Boy Wonder used to use and extended it to full length. More steam rolled around the two enemies before the rebellious youth charge in. The mercenary parried his attacks, and the two leaned in toward each other with their full weight. Slowly but surely, the masked villain overpowered the masked teen and forced him back, then caught him with a high swing that drove him back against a pipe.
Robin quickly leapt away, avoiding a jabbing strike that punctured the pipe and released a flood of steam that enveloped both combatants. With the staff lodged into the metal, the younger fighter perched on it and delivered a blind swing with his makeshift club. The sound of metal crashing against metal confirmed that the strike hit its' target. The masked teen waited for his opponent to make another move but nothing happened.
"Huh?" Robin gasped as Slade emerged from the steam and delivered a karate chop. He quickly leapt from the staff and landed on a bend in the damaged pipe just in time as the attack broke off the end of the metal pole. A camshaft swung back and forth in front of the Boy Wonder like a pendulum; he took a few cautious steps backwards, and Slade appeared suddenly before him like a ghost.
After another couple of cycles of the large rotating machinery, the mercenary disappeared again. Robin's eyes went wide in disbelief. But before he could fully comprehend what happened, Slade barreled across and struck him broadside. The young man fetched up on a stationary gear mounted horizontally and, dazed a bit, struggled to lift his head. He snapped back to full consciousness in a hurry once he saw the hulking armored man coming straight down toward him. One of those armored fists slammed into the platform, just missing its' target thanks to a last second dodge.
Withdrawing his hand from the hole he smashed in the deck plate, Slade stood up and cracked his knuckles. Robin's eyes narrowed in pure hatred before he ran across the gears for a leap. Instead of aiming directly at the criminal, though, he jumped past one shoulder and brought his leg up for a crashing spin kick that staggered the man. A second blow knocked the dual-colored masked soldier over the edge, sending him tumbling down in front of the monitors, which once again showed the five Titans' bloodstreams.
Robin leapt down to face him and noticed the left side of Slade's mask had cracked from the force of his kick. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that." The downed villain threatened as he knelt on the ground.
"I only wish I'd done it sooner." The vengeful youth growled as he tore the silver S from his chest. He then threw it down, where it pierced the ground just in front of the still-kneeling Slade. The angered teacher voiced a low growl and let it build into a full roar before charging his student.
The charge forced Robin to go on the defensive against a sequence of attacks. He went into a handstand, attempting to kick his antagonist in the face, but found this to be ineffective as Slade caught the approaching foot and rendered him immobile. After an incurious look back and forth, he threw the Boy Wonder across the ground.
"I have much to teach you." The menacing criminal hissed as he approached the struggling former Titan. "But the first thing you need to learn is gratitude."
Robin wiped his face as he finally got to his feet while Slade merely stood there. Eyeing the activity on the monitors, the rebellious apprentice yelled in fury and moved in for another round. Unfortunately the ominous master seized his arm and bent it cruelly past his shoulder before dumping the boy onto his back.
"I made you my apprentice." Slade stated as he released his hold. Robin clutched his pained arm and rolled onto his back, trying to get away from the menacing villain. "All my knowledge, all my power, all for you." He growled as he knelt next to his student and clenched a fistful of spiky hair. "But the only thing you care about is your worthless-little-friends!" He shouted angrily as he released the struggling teens hair. Standing up and walking away from the boy, Slade looked at the button on his wrist, "If the Titans are so distracting, maybe I should just get rid of them." He suggested as he brought a finger over the button.
The Boy Wonder quickly stood up and steeled himself for another charge, but soon lost his resolve. "Don't. I'll do whatever you say." Robin surrendered; knowing what another act of defiance would bring to his friends.
"Good boy." Slade said, "And, from now on, I'd like you to call me Master."
The next moment surprised both teacher and student as a starbolt flashed from the side and blasted the villain away, sending him tumbling in front of the monitors. Quickly looking to the source, Robin saw the other five Titans gathered in front of the dark throne, with Starfire priming a starbolt in both hands.
"Leave-him-alone!" The alien demanded, eyes glowing green with the intensity of the sun.
"Robin! Attack!" Slade ordered as he tried getting up from the blast.
"Get out of here! Go!" The apprentice warned as he gestured to a piece of equipment that was the same device that implanted the probes in the other five Titans. "You don't know what those beams did to-"
"Dude…"
"…we know…"
"…and we don't care."
"We are your friends, Robin. We are not leaving without you."
"So let's finish up here and go home." Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, and Kylar all reassured their friend before tensing for battle.
"How very touching." The heartless villain mocked as he stepped forward, finally shaking off the damage of the blast. "But Robin doesn't need any friends." He stated as he pressed the button on his wrist.
Once it was activated, the apparatus that Robin gestured to earlier sparked to life; red energy bolts blazed across the chamber as a result. Soon after activating, the probes inside the Titans did what they did best and began destroying their cells. Cyborg and Starfire were the first to collapse on the ground before Raven dropped to the ground with Beast Boy buckling his knees. Kylar made an incredible effort to take a few steps, but the pain in his body proved to be too much as he also succumbed to the effects of the probes, finally dropping to the floor.
"This is the price for your disobedience, Robin." Slade faulted his young ward. "Now do as I command. Attack!"
With a Herculean effort, Starfire lifted her head and aimed a pleading gaze at the former Titan. Even though her eyes were whited out by the glare of the energy surging through her body, they, and the tears running down her cheeks, broadcasted the quintet's agony loud and clear. Robin's jaw dropped open as he gasped softly. He then looked off in the direction of the red apparatus. Internally, he knew what he had to do as he eyes narrowed in pure, righteous determination.
"No." The Boy Wonder rebelled before dashing toward the strange device.
"Robin!" The villain shouted as he reached out to him, but it was too late.
A few more steps and a great leap carried the roaring apprentice over the last few yards, where he planted his left hand on the rig after reaching it. Now bathed in its' glow, he brought his other palm around to touch it as well. The groans that escaped through his tight-locked teeth betrayed the unendurable physical strain he put himself in. Inside his very being, the devices latched onto his blood cells, just like they did to the rest of his friends. Once they were in place, he was thrown backwards as the entire rig exploded.
With the device destroyed, Slade watched the Titans' bloodstreams with great surprise-and, as he did, a sixth screen popped up with Robins' name in it. Groaning at the pain, this new victim hauled himself to his feet. The villain regarded his control button with some trepidation while the orange-glowing boy advanced toward him with labored steps.
"New deal, Slade. If I lose my friends, you lose an apprentice." The defiant Titan stated through strained groans, "And I know how you hate to lose." He added before collapsing.
Slade gave this proposition a long moment's thought, his thumb ready to bring the troublesome teens' existence to a grinding halt. But instead of ridding the world of this super powered team, he tore the controller off his wrist and tossed it away. A few sparks flashed from the device, after which the probes ceased their destructive work on the team. Not about to let the matter drop so easily, Slade raised one foot to stomp the spiky-haired teen flat. But before he could bring it down, Robin stood up and grabbed it, rendering his archenemy immobile for a moment. With a smirk, the newly determined Titan smashed a punch into the masked face of his former master, sending the evil genius flying to the end of the chamber.
"Titans! GO!" The leader shouted as he regrouped with his friends, who were back in good health. As they charged Slade, Beast Boy transformed into a tiger and swiped a claw across his targets' chest with enough strength to pierce the armor. Cyborg and Starfire moved in next, starbolts and cannon going full throttle, blasting the overpowered criminal backwards. With his aura surrounding his arms, Kylar slid up and delivered a powerful uppercut that sent his opponent flying upward. Raven then directed a spell that bound the airborne targets' feet and flung him hard onto the ground. Now, Robin went for an attack, delivering a flying kick that pasted a boot sole across that masked face. The force of the kick caused the crack to fracture even more, spreading to the back of his head.
Falling to his knees, he quickly held up his right hand to cover the exposed portion of his visage as Robin landed in a crouch. Nothing could be seen but a fringe of unruly hair above his fingers, and his eye looked as if it would pop out of his head. The Boy Wonder charged for another attack, but three shurikens stabbing the ground in front of him stopped him in his tracks. The next moment, Ravager landed in between the two opposing forces with her swords drawn, having returned from her mission just in time to save her father.
In the moment of confusion, Slade ran off and fiddled briefly with a large piece of equipment, with his loyal apprentice following. "Another day, Robin." He warned as he slotted his fingers into holes on a dial on the device. With a turn, lines of red light emanated along the surface of the device with rings of light flicking down the body of the rig. "Another day." He repeated as he and Ravager disappeared into the darkness.
All six Titans stood dumbfounded near the monitors, which have all gone blank. The lights inside the lair began flashing red, apparently signifying a self-destruct sequence. Gears started falling off their axles around the chamber and forced the team to scatter. A large gear tumbled toward Robin, who ran at top speed to stay ahead as it rolled along and tore up the platform. Before he could be crushed by the threatening piece of metal, Starfire flew past and carried him to safety. Cyborg strained at the core of the probe system and tore it lose before making a mad dash across the crumbling deck plates. Overhead, Raven and Kylar weaved around falling debris, with Beast Boy as a monkey clinging onto the latters' back.
Finally reaching the exit, Robin opened the door and let white light pour in from outside. "Let's go home."
0-0
After escaping the collapsing lair, and returning to the safety of the Tower, the Titans gathered in the Ops Center the following morning. The place had been stuffed with wires connecting the core of Slade's probe system to a computer console. Along with the massive amount of wiring, Beast Boy was sitting in a chair with tubes and cables hooked to every square inch of him.
"Am I done yet?" The annoyed changeling asked; his voiced muffled by a mask that was clamped over his face.
"That's it, y'all. The Teen Titans are officially probe-free." Cyborg announced happily.
Upon hearing the good news, the green test subject jumped out of the chair with a boisterous laugh and began dancing, assorted hardware still connected to his body. "Go, Beast Boy! You're probe-less! No probes now! Go, Beast Boy! Go, Beast Boy! Get fun-kay! Uh! Yeah! Uh, uh, that's right." He sang as he moonwalked past Cyborg, Raven, Kylar, and Robin, now dressed in his proper outfit.
"He's ridiculous." The brunette chuckled as he watched the green goofball shed off the excess hardware.
"Um… I know this isn't my style, but we just kicked Slade's butt. Shouldn't we… celebrate or something?" The normally stoic mage suggested, a little nervous at the response she might receive.
The three boys stared incredulously at her before Beast Boy jumped onto the bionics' shoulders. "Yeah!" He cheered as he leaned forward and stared at Cyborg's face upside-down.
"All-you-can-eat…"
"…free-form…"
"…breakfast explosion!" The two energetic Titans traded of speaking before cheering simultaneously at the suggestion.
"Sorry I asked." Raven deadpanned, immediately regretting ever mentioning the word 'celebrate' around the immature pair.
The two laughing cooks ran past and hauled her toward the kitchen. Soon after, Kylar followed. But before he did, he placed a hand on Robins' shoulder, getting his attention. No words were spoken between the two. Only trading a smile and a nod, both understood fully what the other wanted to say; that they were sorry. With just Robin and Starfire left, the masked Titan saw that something was bothering her.
"Everything okay?" He asked as he took a seat next to his Tamaranean friend.
"I am sorry." She apologized, unable to raise her eyes to meet him.
"You're sorry? For what?"
"When things were bad, there was a moment where I truly believed that you were… like Slade." She admitted as she turned away from him. "I doubted you. And for that, I am sorry."
"I doubted myself, Star." Robin confessed as Starfire lifted her head to look at him, "Focused, serious, determined… as much as I hate to admit it, he and I are kind of alike. But there's one big difference between me and Slade." He said with a smile, "He doesn't have any friends."
This lifted her spirits in an instant as both looked toward the kitchen. They noticed an amused Kylar and a truly irked Raven seated at the counter with various foods flying in every direction.
"Who wants tofu waffles?" The green chef asked as he held up two waffles with a crab claw and a tentacle.
"Man, nobody wants tofu waffles." Cyborg argued as he leaned toward the shape-shifters' face, a vein throbbing on his temple.
"I do." Beast Boy returned, dropping the waffles and returning his hands to normal, "Pass me the soy milk." He demanded as he jumped after the metallic cook.
A scuffle broke out between the opposing chefs as Robin and Starfire crossed the room to join the other couple. "I'm telling you, you're not getting anywhere near the soy milk." The titanium teen asserted.
"Man, pass me the soy milk!"
"Is there any meat in the tofu?"
"No, there's no meat in the tofu, it's tofu!"
"Nobody wants it." The two Titans bickered as they tried deciding what to cook for breakfast.
Even pushed to incredible limits, the team held their loyalty to each other and succeeded in defeating their archenemy. It didn't matter that Slade escaped, they were just happy to be reunited. Looking to the future, they would face whatever problems they encountered, together. Nothing could break the bonds they shared.
Nothing…
"I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, don't take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff."
-Jon Katz
Author's Note:
And with that ends the Season 1 finale. Oh how I feel like singing a song that expresses my happiness right now. And again, thank you all so much for joining me on this adventure. For those just joining us, how're you doing? For those returning, you're all the greatest.
Hey! Next season comes someone special! Guess who! I wonder how that's going to play out now that Kylar is in the picture. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Repeating what I said at the beginning, write a review if you want to, and if you enjoyed the story, tell all your friends! (*Snicker*)
That's about it. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me. Hearing your thoughts are always fun and the input is always welcome.
Until next chapter, 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.