I have become an updating junkie. Seriously, guys, you are awesome reviewers. A special shout out to AryaTindomiel for her beautifully lengthy review (those are my favorite!) and for the feedback she gave the story. Thank you for taking the time to do so and I don't mind if you don't constantly review because your review was so helpful and amazing. I will take your ideas into consideration as I do with all my reviewers and again I am thankful for your interest! Here is the next chapter, where the true action of the story takes place. It won't be training sessions and patrolling anymore.
Eight
Raven ran behind Robin, her eyes following the brisk swish of his black and yellow cape. He hadn't spoken since finding out Slade was back and when he hung up with Cyborg, ordering him to hurry to the scene, Raven was worried. Robin had almost forgotten about the psychotic villain that had helped precipitate the end of the world with Trigon. Raven still had the occasional nightmare involving her death and subsequent resurrection as well as the two evil beings that had led her to that point, but it was nothing of concern. Still, she had hoped with all she had she'd never have to lay eyes on Slade's malicious smirk, evident on the mask he wore. She had hoped so more for Robin than for herself.
Robin stopped ahead of her and she raised herself to levitate by his side, watching him scan the perimeter for the hidden Slade.
"Where is he?" he growled and she knew he wasn't speaking to her but to himself.
And so it begins, she thought to herself.
"Robin, we should wait for the others. The combined strength of Titans West and East will be enough to entrap him, I'm sure."
"I don't need the team to take Slade down."
"I don't remember you taking him down solo, so that can't be right."
Robin turned to her with a glare but was stopped from any retort by the arrogant lilt of the villain himself coming from behind them.
"Hello again, Robin. Ah, Raven, nice to see you alive again. Though I must admit the white robe was a better look for you. It brought focus to your eyes, gave you a heavenly glow. If demons could be heavenly, of course."
Raven felt chills up her back at his words and wasted no time throwing a nearby car at his head. He dodged the object easily and leered at the two Titans.
"I've been waiting to see you again." Robin said in the lethally low voice he reserved for his arch nemesis, releasing the length of his Bo staff in his right hand and moving to charge Slade.
Raven flew up above the battle, ready to assist Robin when needed but mostly to examine the villain for his actual plan. Slade was a demented, sickening man but sloppy and impulsive he was not. Why would he blow up a random building and then stand calmly at the scene? Yes, he was trying to draw the Titans to him and enrage Robin to the point of combat, but then what? He wouldn't risk his own safety against the Titans even if he didn't know of the additional Titans East who would join the fight.
Raven took a breath to calm herself and began to release her empathy to touch the edges of Slade's malevolent aura. If she could see a glimpse of his thoughts, she might be able to stay a step ahead of him. She had just reached the outer recesses of his mind when she realized something was wrong.
"Azar." She breathed fearfully before contacting Robin telepathically.
Robin! It's a distraction!
What are you talking about? You're the one distracting me, his response was gruff in her mind but she pressed on.
You're fighting a robot! The real Slade is already at his destination.
And where would that be?
Titan Tower.
The T-Car with Cyborg at the helm was minutes away from Robin and Raven's coordinates when Raven appeared in the car's communication screen. Her features were twisted in dread as she asked him where he was.
"A minute away from you. Why?"
Her eyes shut in defeat.
"We weren't fighting Slade. He sent a decoy to get us all out of the Tower."
"What? Why would he want that?" Bumblebee cut in from the passenger seat.
"He's taken control of the Tower. I tried to teleport back but he's blocked my astral projection and teleportation somehow."
Cyborg checked the sensors in his arm and cursed colorfully.
"I can't access the Tower either. Why does he want control of the Tower?"
"Think of the most dangerous room in the Tower. The place where we keep weapons and classified information that could potentially be used against us."
Cyborg thought about it and his eyes widened.
"The Evidence Room."
Robin couldn't believe he hadn't anticipated this. He had foolishly left the Tower unprotected and sent the entire team out for something he could have taken care of himself. Now Slade had control of an armory of weapons, including the Puppet Master's controller which would release the Puppet Master himself as well as Control Freak's remote which could bend reality. And it had all been due to Robin's fallibility.
Don't do that to yourself.
The carefully measured voice in his head caused him to sigh. He knew this was coming. The priority may have been Slade but his team, specifically Raven, weren't oblivious to the effect the man had on Robin, especially based on prior experiences.
Reading my thoughts, Raven? That's a major invasion of my privacy. I thought you didn't take advantage of your powers like that.
The voice turned acidic in its response.
I didn't have to pry the thoughts from your bloated, hair gel infused head because you were projecting them quite strongly. I was going to try to help you so you could focus on our next action instead of brooding and pouting that you made a mistake like an unhappy child. I suppose I'm just wasting my time, aren't I?
Robin felt her aura pull away from his and he jumped to maintain the contact.
Wait! Don't go.
What? She asked gruffly.
I'm sorry. I'm being an ass, I know. It's just that…
Slade brings out the worst in you. I get it, Robin. I don't judge you for it. He brings out the worst in me too, but I believe our best plan is staying calm right now. He's infiltrated our Tower and taken possession of a vast array of dangerous weaponry but so what? We've faced the end of the world and come back swinging. Are you doubting the ability of the Titans?
Robin, in the midst of his anger and disturbance over Slade, almost smiled.
I told you once you were the most hopeful person I'd ever met, right?
… What's your point?
I was as right then as I am now. Thank you, Raven.
You're welcome.
Robin brought his attention back to the heated discussion occurring between Cyborg and Bumblebee, who for all their love and mushy interactions, were extremely hard-headed and competitive with each other. Cyborg planned to storm the Tower, guns a blazing, but Bumblebee wanted to create a distraction, like Slade had, and regain the Tower more stealthily. Their faces were red from the exertion of the argument and the other Titans simply stood around mouths wide as the couple yelled. Raven gave Robin a look that clearly said "Fix this" and he licked his dry lips, preparing to take over.
"Quiet." He declared with a firm finality that instantly overpowered the other two. "We can't afford infighting when our target is Slade and our resources should be exhausted on stopping him."
"What will we do, Robin? The situation seems most grave." Starfire said gently.
She was walking on eggshells as she had always done around Robin when it came to Slade. That was what all the team (except raven) did, believing Robin could snap if they acted differently. That excessive cautiousness was one of the main reasons Starfire was incompatible with Robin. The alien girl was a tender spirit that sought protection and warmth and joy. It was a beautiful quality but one that proved fruitless when it came to Robin. He was deceptively light with the bright colors of his uniform. In reality, Robin had a darkness that rivaled Raven's and his secrets were as endless as his mistrusts about the world. Robin didn't need soft words to skirt around the issue, like his obsession with hunting down Slade, he needed someone to save him from himself and bring him back to sanity on occasion. He didn't have to be coddled but understood. And it seemed like Raven was the only one who could.
"We have to regain our Tower. It won't be easy."
"With Slade, it never is." Beast Boy pointed out with uncharacteristic severity.
The changeling had his own struggles with Slade. He blamed the villain for the loss of the only girl he'd ever loved. Terra was gone and all Beast Boy had recovered was a strangely withdrawn girl named Tara Markov that refused to believe he had once known her and once cared for her. It hurt more than thinking Terra was dead because he had seen the girl walking and breathing and choosing to push him away. Beast Boy felt this pain and carried it with him every day, so yes he hated Slade and yes he wanted him permanently stopped.
"Both of you had good ideas, but the best would be a middle ground. We can't just run at the Tower and expect to make it anywhere close to Slade. We also have no time to make a distraction and sneak our way in. Chances are Slade wants a bloody battle and he's not hiding in the Tower waiting for us to find him. He will make the battle a big one and he won't be alone."
"What do you mean?" Speedy asked.
Titans East had learned of Slade and his evil, but they hadn't faced him head on and weren't there when the Titans had faced Trigon and the Armageddon of Raven's prophecy. This put them at a slight disadvantage.
"Slade never works alone. He has backup plans for his backup plans." Cyborg explained and gave them a brief account of the fight with the Frankenstein-esque monster comprised of Cinderblock, Plasmus, and Overload.
"That's disgusting." The archer remarked.
"It was worse close up." Cyborg said.
"The first thing we have to do is list the weapons and devices we had in the Evidence Room."
"Control Freak's remote." Raven said.
"The Puppet Master's controller." Beast Boy added.
"The lost clock I recovered from the villain of time travel Warp." Starfire put in.
"One of Mumbo's magic wands." Cyborg said.
"That weird guitar guy's killing guitar." Beast Boy remembered.
"One of Gizmo's laser guns." Raven said.
"And Brother Blood's sonic generator." Cyborg added.
"Jesus, why didn't you just offer the guy your powers on a lavishly decorated plate?" Speedy commented sardonically.
"Watch it, man." Cyborg stared him down. "Titans Tower is supposed to be near impenetrable. I control everything from my arm."
"Yet, Slade still managed to get in. Any idea how?" Aqualad challenged and Cyborg was restrained from punching him in the face by Starfire's strong grip.
"It doesn't matter how. He did and there's nothing we can about it now. You don't know Slade and you don't understand how he works. We do so you're going to have to shove your criticisms down your throat because we aren't interested in them. If you want to help, shut up and listen. If not, you're welcome to go home. In case you haven't noticed, we aren't on a training course anymore. This is a serious crisis and we have to deal with it accordingly." Raven's words were sharp but precise as always and Aqualad glared at her but nodded and stepped back without further comment.
Speedy gave a low whistle of appreciation and Cyborg shot her a look of appreciation. This time Robin did smile at his second-in-command.
"Well said. Now that we know what we're facing, we're better prepared. We're going to divide into two groups of four and take this threat on from two fronts. I will lead one group and Raven will lead the other group. I will go with Cyborg, Aqualad, and Speedy from the ground and take on the primary threats while Raven, Starfire, Bumblebee, and Beast Boy will serve as the air strike team. Do no enter the Tower on your own. We don't know what to expect and the only one who can reset the system anyway is Cyborg. Our objective is to recover the weapons from the Evidence Room and take Slade down. Do not try to be the big shot that leaves the team to take on anything alone. Remember that we are the Titans not Titan One and Titan Two and so on. Does everyone understand their objective?"
There were seven nods.
"Okay. Then protect each other and good luck. You four will be flying so you'll get there first. Stay vigilant." Robin commanded and as his teammates entered the car or took to the air he sent a thought to Raven.
Do you trust me?
With my life. She replied without hesitation.
Is this the right move?
It is. You were wise about your strategy and remained controlled even though Slade has the tendency to change your state of mind.
Thanks to you. I don't know what I'd do without you, you know.
I do. I shudder to picture it. You, wandering around with one boot on and your hair gel nowhere to be found, slowly losing sanity as Beast Boy suffocates you with bad jokes, Starfire gives you food poisoning, and Cyborg lives in his constantly upgrading car, forgetting about everything else. You'd be a mess without me.
That's a descriptive scenario. I can see you've put a lot of thought into it.
Eh. My mind wanders.
Raven. He returned to seriousness. Be careful.
You too, Robin. You too.
He felt her presence leave him, not only as she flew away but as she pushed the bond to the dormant part of her mind. When he was sure she wasn't listening he whispered the four words he hadn't been able to share with the dark sorceress yet.
I love you, Raven.
Cyborg called him from the car, the engine already whirring, and Robin jumped into the passenger seat in the fluid movements he'd been trained to do from birth.