A.N. Chapter 3 everybody! I'm on a roll here!
Now then, answering some reviews:
To King Devil Bringer: Yep! Naruto is a killer here!
To WindyCitySlayer: Yeah, even the most lethal of teenagers can be awkward around their crushes lol.
To eniox27: That's true, though Blood already has mind control powers.
To Whatif-inator: Not quite, but great guess! It has to do with the goal of the Ootsutsuki. As for the Rinnegan, it'll be revealed in time.
To Djberneman: He definitely has multiple bloodlines inside him, with few of them being natural. I honestly meant for the three of them to be his sisters in a found family kind of way.
Anyways, let's see somebody get tortured psychologically! Yay! Oh, and Hydra does some stuff too.
Let'sgetiton!
Disclaimer: OCMixmaster27 does not own any of the franchises represented in this story. This work is made for nonprofit entertainment purposes only.
"Hello there!": Speech.
'This is gonna be fun': Thoughts.
{My English can use some work.}: Foreign Language
[All systems are go!]: Mechanical/TV/Phone Speech
"How Dare You!": Monster/Demon Speech, Technique
Lonely Together
Chapter 3: Haunted
Location: Robin's Room, Titans Tower
Time: Midnight
It's been several days since the debacle on the Fourth of July. Everyone in Jump City has been talking about the newest villain in town known as Hydra, especially after the massive bright explosion he let loose during his heist of Wayne Tech. Some citizens expressed concern that a teenager with that much power was running around and committing crimes while the Teen Titans have been utterly powerless to stop him. Other people, however, have strangely been idolizing Hydra, finding his magic and looks oddly appealing.
It's not just Jump City that's taken notice. People and groups nationwide – even worldwide – have turned their attention towards the young villain.
This is why Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, is currently in the middle of a very frustrating Zoom call in the middle of the night.
"I'm telling you that we'll handle this!" Robin loudly insists. "There's no need for you and the others to get involved!"
The person on screen is the last person Robin wishes to talk to right now. He's an older man in a gray bodysuit with a yellow belt, black scalloped gloves, black boots, black underoos, and a black bat symbol on his chest. The most prominent feature of his outfit is the cape/cowl with pointy 'ears' and white featureless eyes.
This is the Caped Crusader. The Dark Knight of Gotham City. The Batman.
"Everyone saw what happened that night, Robin. That explosion had enough size and force to turn Jump City into a crater," Batman recounts. "Even disregarding that particular power, he can summon giant snakes, bend the elements, withstand significant blunt force trauma, and slice off people's metal limbs with his sword. This is exactly what the Justice League gets involved with."
"This is our city, Batman," Robin asserts. "Hydra's our enemy, meaning he's our responsibility. I hoped you would have understood this."
"I do understand," Batman says. "There have been times when I've wanted to deal with my nemeses my own way all by myself, and I nearly died because of it. I've learned the hard way to swallow my pride and accept help from others to achieve victory, even from those I've considered total strangers in the past."
"This isn't about pride! It's…," Robin tries to explain, only to stop and look away.
Batman decides to take a more aggressive approach. "You know, we almost had this discussion when Slade used Terra to take over Jump City."
Robin swiftly glares at his teacher. "We handled that. We beat Slade."
"Wrong. Terra beat Slade," Batman corrects, "at the cost of her own life after she defeated you and your teammates one by one. Hydra is more powerful than Terra, and appears to be more devious than Slade. How exactly are you planning to stop him?"
"Everyone has a weakness. Once we find it, we'll use it against him," Robin explains. "I'm personally combing through both of our fights with Hydra to look for any vulnerabilities we can exploit, and Raven's learning new spells from Malchior that might give us an edge."
Batman raises an eyebrow under his mask. "Malchior?"
Robin sighs, remembering the other new development that everyone else has largely looked over. "He's a wizard from the 11th century that apparently got trapped in a book after fighting an evil dragon. Raven released him a few days ago, and he's been teaching her magic ever since. Also, they're dating."
This information sets off countless alarms in Batman's brain. "You're telling me that the most powerful and volatile member of the Titans is in a romantic relationship with a total stranger who's been trapped in a book since the Dark Ages for unconfirmed reasons? That doesn't bother you?"
"Raven's not as volatile as you think, Batman," Robin defends his teammate, before rubbing his chin in thought, "but yes, it does bother me. Honestly, their relationship feels familiar for some reason, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I've searched for historical references to the wizard Malchior of Nol and the Dread Dragon Rorek, but nothing's popped up. I haven't been making it my priority because of Hydra, but…"
"If you want, I can do some digging of my own," Batman offers. "It can help you focus more on Hydra."
"You don't have to do that," Robin says. "You're probably busy with stuff in Gotham."
"It's alright. After everything that's happened between us, it's the least I can do," Batman insists. "Besides, things have quieted down since Salvatore Maroni's criminal empire was destroyed."
An alarm suddenly goes off on Batman's end, making the Dark Knight look off to the side.
"Spoke too soon. Looks like The Penguin and Black Mask are fighting over some territory," Batman states before facing Robin. "I have to go. Good luck and stay safe. Don't hesitate to call for help."
With that, the call ends, leaving Robin alone in his dark room.
'Call for help? Does he really have that little faith in me?' Robin muses. 'I know he's not the trusting type, but our history of working together should have counted for something. The team's taken down plenty of villains without any support needed from the Justice League. And why did he have to bring up Slade? Just because we never truly captured him…'
Robin's thoughts continue to haunt him as his mind focuses on the masked mercenary-turned-supervillain. The one who caused so much pain and torment for Robin and his team. The one who escaped capture countless times before seemingly drowning in lava.
The one that got away.
Location: Basement, Titans Tower
A sole overhead light flickers in the expansive darkened basement of Titans Tower that's filled with descending staircases, old broken machinery, and stacks upon stacks of cardboard storage boxes. Robin is at one of the stacks, taking down a box and setting it on the ground. Opening it, he sees an assortment of broken tools, weapons, and machinery.
His focus, however, is on a cracked mask that's bronze on the left and black on the right, with no eyehole on the right side and slots at the bottom for breathing. This is the closest thing Robin has to the face of Slade.
Robin picks up the mask to examine it closer, inadvertently kicking up a plume of dust from inside the mask that makes him cough.
The rest of the lights suddenly turn on, startling Robin as he turns to see Cyborg standing at the switch.
"He's not coming back, you know," Cyborg states. "That's all that's left of him. Nothing but dust."
"We can't be sure. His body was never recovered," Robin points out. "For all we know, it could have been a robotic double that fell into the lava."
"It's over, Robin," Cyborg calmly insists. "Slade's gone."
Red lights suddenly flash as alarms blare throughout the tower, getting both Titans' attention.
"Trouble!" Robin calls out as Cyborg's arm computer pops up.
Cyborg reads what's on the display. "Hydra's back, and he's fighting Cinderblock!"
"Let's go!" Robin orders as he and Cyborg rush out of the room, leaving behind the open box.
The red flashing lights give the exposed mask of Slade a sinister look.
Location: Highway 1, San Paulo Highlands
An explosion goes off on the windy cliffside road underneath the cloudy night sky. The Jump City Police Department have set up a human barricade on the street after responding to an alert of a superpowered fight near a road maintenance site.
None of the officers are confident that their riot shields will be much help against the blocky stone giant known as Cinderblock, who's currently engaged in a duel against the leather-clad Hydra.
Cinderblock slams both of his fists into the ground, creating an earth-ripping fissure heading right for Hydra. Hydra simply jumps and lets the fissure run right under him. Unfortunately for the police, the attack hits their barricade, sending officers flying in all directions and crashing down in heaps.
Hydra lands softly on the jagged ground and smiles calmly at Cinderblock. "We were hoping for a pleasant conversation, but we can play around with you for a bit beforehand."
Cinderblock roars as he lifts up a construction crane and hurls it at the other villain. Hydra leaps forward, uses the incoming vehicle as a springboard, and launches himself at the golem, allowing the crane to crash behind him. Hydra lands right in front of his opponent, just as a pair of stone hands reaches out for him.
Cinderblock smirks as he appears to have captured his enemy, only for his eyes to widen in surprise as his hands are empty.
"Ahem."
Cinderblock looks behind him and just barely glimpses Hydra easily standing on his stone back as if the teen was on the ground. Cinderblock growls as he spins around and tries reaching behind himself to grab Hydra, to no avail. Cinderblock then tries throwing himself onto his back to crush the boy, but Hydra simply rolls onto Cinderblock's head and jumps off the giant's forehead.
Mid-air, Hydra weaves through handsigns as he watches Cinderblock crash to the upturned ground.
"Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!"
Just as Cinderblock gets back onto his feet, a torrent of water shoots out from Hydra's mouth and hits the golem. Cinderblock staggers backwards onto the side of the road, with the excessive water turning the dirt below into mud.
Hydra lands, weaves more handsigns, and slams his hands onto the ground. "Earth Style: Swamp Trap!"
The muddy ground Cinderblock is standing on turns into a near-liquid muck, making the giant sink quickly into the trap. Cinderblock struggles to free himself, which only makes him sink faster.
Having recovered somewhat from the fissure, the police watch from the sidelines as Hydra calmly approaches Cinderblock, who's now elbow deep in the muck. Hydra stops right in front of the thrashing giant, standing on top of the fluid mud as if it was solid ground.
"Cinderblock!" Hydra calls out.
Cinderblock stops thrashing and looks right at the other villain.
"Promising," Hydra mutters. "Nod if you can understand us."
After a moment of looking the teen over, Cinderblock nods.
"We are Hydra of the Hive Academy," Hydra introduces himself. "On behalf of our headmaster, Brother Blood, we cordially invite you to join our school as a faculty member. Do you accept?"
Cinderblock grumbles unintelligibly.
"Pardon?" Hydra asks.
Cinderblock grumbles louder, though still unclear.
Hydra hums before saying, "Nod twice for 'yes'. Roar for 'no'."
Cinderblock roars loudly in Hydra's face, making the teen's coat flap.
Hydra continues smiling despite the rejection. "A shame. We would have loved working with you."
The white-haired teen makes some more handsigns before sticking his hand inside Cinderblock's open mouth.
"Crystal Style: Crystal Tomb."
The policemen watch in horror as Cinderblock's stone form appears to bulge out before several red diamond crystal spires burst out of his body, with one coming out of his forehead. The golem only has a moment to groan in pain before the red crystal covers his body entirely and grows larger. It takes little time for a large pillar of red diamond to emerge from the earth, with torn up bits of Cinderblock's body encased inside.
Hydra's smile doesn't waver as he watches the red light leave Cinderblock's eyes for the last time.
"Quite an exquisite work of art." Hydra says loudly before looking past the pillar, "Wouldn't you agree, Titans?"
Sure enough, the Teen Titans are on the embankment ready for a fight.
"You've caused enough damage for one night, Hydra!" Robin declares.
Hydra chuckles as he adjusts his cap. "Oh, we're just getting started," he says before flicking the crystal pillar.
The Titans watch in shock as the diamond pillar – and Cinderblock's remains – shatters and disperses into dust.
"Shall we?" Hydra asks with a grin.
"Titans! GO!" Robin shouts as he and the rest of the Titans charge forward, with Robin having his bo staff out and Beast Boy turned into a triceratops.
Hydra simply unseals his Kusanagi sword and waits for his opponents to arrive.
Starfire launches several starbolts at the villain, who casually moves to avoid them. Robin leaps up and shouts as he swings his staff down, but Hydra nonchalantly lifts up his sword and lets the staff slice itself cleanly on his blade. Robin just lands on his feet before Hydra grabs him by the throat and lifts him up off the ground. Robin tries punching Hydra off, but hits have no effect on the villain once again.
"Didn't you try this before?" Hydra asks in amusement. "And they call us insane."
Hydra then notices a green triceratops charging right for him, which he responds to by holding Robin in front of him and pointing his sword right at the dinosaur. Beast Boy, to his credit, sees the human shield along with the deadly weapon and skids to a halt, stopping just before the blade can pierce his head.
"Wise decision," Hydra states right before he casually slices off the triceratops's two big horns with his sword.
Beast Boy quickly shifts back into a human form, bends forward, and clutches his head in agony. "AAAGH! DUDE! WHAT THE HELL!"
POW!
A casual kick sends the shapeshifter flying across the street with a yell.
Hydra sighs and sets his sword blade-down into the ground, with Robin still in his clutches. "Honestly, you guys are starting to get a bit boring."
Robin suddenly slaps a circular device on Hydra's chest and triggers it, sending a high dosage of electricity into the villain's body. The Boy Wonder smirks as Hydra convulses, glad to finally hurt the bad guy a bit.
Robin's smirk falls as Hydra grins and straightens up, toughening out through the pain.
"Better," Hydra critiques as the electricity fades, "but not by much."
A more powerful electrical surge enters Robin's body through Hydra's grip, engulfing the hero's body with pain and making him shout.
"As they say here on Earth, 'don't dish out what you can't take'," Hydra says cheekily before releasing Robin and hitting him with a high kick, sending the hero flying over the cliff.
"Robin!" Starfire yells in concern as she makes to fly out and catch her comrade.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Her plans are halted as a giant fireball is sent flying right for her. Seeing no option to flee, Starfire powers up a massive starbolt and launches it at the fireball with a yell. The two attacks collide, creating an explosion that makes Starfire shield her eyes.
"Crystal Style: Crystal Lance!"
With her sight diminished, Starfire's unprepared for the orange sapphire lance that's thrown right at her. The crystal lance crashes into Starfire's midsection, not forceful enough to pierce her, but painful enough to send her crashing down to the ground.
Cyborg finally makes his move as he leaps into the air towards Hydra. Lightning flashes behind the hero, who powers up his sonic cannon and descends towards the hero for a sonic-powered punch. In response, Hydra pulls out his sword and throws it right into the cannon with enough force to pierce Cyborg's elbow. Cyborg watches in shock as sonic energy builds up uncontrollably in his arm, before–
KABOOM!
The explosion tears apart Cyborg's arm and sends him flying off to the side, making a crater when he lands.
Hydra catches his sword before taking stock of Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg laying on the ground in pain.
"Honestly, didn't you all learn anything from our time together?" the villain questions.
Hydra suddenly finds himself in the grip of a dismembered claw from the ruined crane, with the claw covered in black magic.
"I learned plenty," Raven states before slamming Hydra into the ground several times and tossing him down the street.
The other three Titans take their time getting up as Raven hovers protectively in front of her friends. Down the street, Hydra quickly rises to his feet and brushes dirt off of his shoulders.
"Now, that's more like it," Hydra says as a flash of lightning shows an excited grin. "Ready to impress us, Raven?"
"Oh, yes," Raven replies with a smirk. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
A massive black circle forms underneath Hydra, who only has a moment to register it before several black tendrils grab his body from below. The villain struggles to wrench himself free as the tendrils start pulling him down into the magical abyss. Fortunately for him, he has enough movement to weave some handsigns.
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
A compressed burst of wind shoots out of Hydra's mouth and into the black mass below. The high-pressure winds coalesce into a dome, destroy the tendrils, and launch Hydra into the air, where he's illuminated by another flash of lightning. Now out of that situation, Hydra looks ahead and sees a multitude of vehicle parts coated in black magic being launched towards him by Raven.
More handsigns. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Several fireballs shoot out of Hydra's mouth and intercept the oncoming debris, making them explode in the air.
Hydra lands on the ground and rushes towards Raven, who charges up a plasma ball and fires it at the villain. Hydra dodges the attack and continues forward. Raven launches several more plasma balls at Hydra, who avoids each attack and gets closer to the sorceress. Raven scowls as she prepares a larger plasma attack and fires it at the villain, who she sees is too close to dodge it this time. Hydra responds by forming a sizable ball of yellow chakra in his hand.
"Wind Style: Rasengan!"
The two orbs collide and absorb each other, creating an explosion of magical power that sends both Raven and Hydra flying away from each other. When the blast dies down, a massive crater has formed at the epicenter.
Another bolt of lightning streaks through the cloudy sky, which unleashes a deluge of rain on the battlefield. Both chakra-wielders recover quickly, and Raven notes that Hydra still has an excited smile on his face.
'Of course, he's having fun right now. I'm trying to prove myself to Malchior, my friends have been beaten once again, and he's treating it all like it's some fun little competition,' Raven gripes internally. 'Well then, let's see how he likes this!'
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
Everyone else – including Hydra – watches in amazement as a colossal bird made of green fire emerges out of Raven's hands and hovers in the air with its wings spread wide. The magical fire bird is unaffected by the pouring rain as it appears to glare right at the villain.
Hydra's grin grows at the sight. "You've definitely impressed us tonight, Raven! You're incredible!"
Raven's cheeks turn pink at the praise from the whisker-faced boy.
Hydra slams his hands together in a prayer. "Allow us to respond in kind! Foxfire!"
Ethereal light-blue fire suddenly erupts from Hydra's body before flying off of him. The fire floats in the air and grows in size before coalescing into a shape. Raven looks on in shock as a massive nine-tailed fox made of blue fire roars at her, equally immune to the rain.
'How is that possible?! Is his patron a kitsune?!' Raven shouts in her mind. 'How many powers does this boy have?! How many spells do I have to learn in order to trump him?!'
"Let's go, Raven!" Hydra shouts as he commands the fox to charge at the sorceress.
"RAAGH!" Raven yells in frustration as she commands the bird to intercept the fox.
Both fiery beasts collide mid-air before appearing to swirl with one another, creating a spiral of green and blue fire. The spiral condenses into itself before bursting, creating a shower of small multicolored flames that falls harmlessly down from the sky and dazzles the audience.
"Neat," a nearby policeman says before snapping a picture.
Even Raven takes a moment to gaze in amazement at the blue and green fire descending from the heavens, which Hydra takes note of.
Hydra gives Raven a cheeky smile. "So, you do like fireworks."
Raven is startled back to reality by the comment and sees her opponent's smile. She pouts with a blush and looks away.
"Shut up," Raven mutters.
Hydra's cheeks go pink as well at seeing Raven's pout. "You're cute when you pout, you know?"
Raven's entire face turns red, which she tries to hide with her hood.
"We'd love to play some more, but we've got some other things to take care of tonight," Hydra says before throwing some smoke bombs onto the ground.
Just as Raven prepares some magic again, the smoke clears with no sign of the villain.
Raven breathes out in frustration as her magic forms a raven-shaped umbrella above her, shielding her from the rain.
'This guy!' Raven yells in her mind. 'Why does he have to tease me all the time? And why am I reacting like this? I'm already with Malchior, so I shouldn't feel anything for Hydra. Besides, it's not as if he actually has feelings for me…does he?'
Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire regroup with Raven, with Cyborg having replaced his missing arm with a spare.
"So, we get our butts handed to us on a platter while you enjoy a nice little play-fight with your second boyfriend?" Beast Boy complains, only to cower away from Raven's glowing-red glare.
"C'mon, Rae. You got to admit it; the guy's got a real soft spot for you," Cyborg states with a teasing grin, making Raven's eyebrow twitch.
"Can we move on?" Raven asks annoyedly.
"Raven is correct. We must change the topics from her multiple romances," Starfire says innocently, making steam erupt from Raven's head. "I believe the most pressing one is this; where is Robin?"
Cyborg looks around in confusion. "That's a good point, Star. Where'd he go?"
Location: Nearby Forest
Several Minutes Earlier
As explosions erupt from the magical battle on the road above, Robin groans in pain as he raises himself off the forest floor.
'I've got to get some armor padding in my suit,' Robin thinks to himself.
Suddenly, something blurs past right in front of him, making him gasp as he leaps back onto his feet. The Boy Wonder looks around for whatever it was as lightning flashes above. When the flash clears, his eyes go wide as he spots an armored figure wearing a familiar mask lurking behind a tree.
Robin's eyes narrow in anger. "Slade!" he calls out before rushing towards his nemesis.
Slade runs away from his hiding spot and flips into the trees, with Robin in hot pursuit. Slade effortlessly leaps from branch to branch, the foliage undisturbed by his landings. Robin, meanwhile, struggles to keep up with the villain, his footsteps shaking each branch.
"Stop!" Robin demands before throwing a birdarang at Slade.
The masked man seemingly obliges as he stops on a branch and turns to face the incoming projectile.
Kra-koom!
Only for the villain to disappear as lightning flashes again, making the birdarang sink into a tree.
Robin's eyes widen in shock. 'How…'
The hero moves to the tree and retrieves his weapon. The rain begins falling on him as he searches the tree line for his foe.
"Too slow, Robin."
Robin looks up and sees Slade standing on a branch above him.
"You always were," Slade taunts.
"I knew you'd come back!" Robin yells as he pulls out a grappling hook.
The hero shoots out a line and pulls himself up to kick Slade, only for the villain to easily dodge the attack. Robin lands on the branch and goes for another kick, but Slade leaps up onto a higher branch. Another chase ensues through the trees, with Robin swinging kick after kick at Slade, who easily avoids each attack. The two of them stop on a branch, with Robin trying to catch his breath while Slade isn't the least bit winded.
"Already out of breath? Don't tell me you've gotten soft," Slade chastises.
Robin growls and goes to attack, only for Slade to hold up his hand.
"Save your energy. You're going to need it," Slade warns. "I merely freed Cinderblock to get your attention…," Slade then rubs his chin in thought. "although, I didn't expect him to be destroyed so easily. This 'Hydra' is extremely skilled and equally ruthless. Perhaps with the right tutelage..."
Robin's eyes widen in horror. Slade always wanted an apprentice. The madman tried making Robin and Terra his weapons, but ultimately failed. If Slade got his hands on Hydra…
"Don't even think about it!" Robin demands. "Hydra's going to get what's coming to him, and so will you!"
"Oh, I doubt that," Slade mocks. "You couldn't capture me before, and you'll likely be too busy to try and catch me now."
Robin pulls out a new bo staff. "What are you planning?!"
"Seismic generators, Robin," Slade explains as he pulls out a device from his pouch. "Three of them placed on fault lines all over the city, and in three short hours, they'll trigger an earthquake so magnificent, it'll break your city in two."
Robin's horror grows before his eyes narrow in determination. "Not if I break you first!"
Robin charges Slade and swings his staff, but the masked villain dodges the attacks before leaping off the branch towards the ground below. Robin jumps to follow Slade, who gracefully and silently lands on the soaked earth. Still falling, Robin throws his staff at Slade.
Kra-koom!
Only for lightning to flash once again and Slade to disappear just before the staff hits him.
Robin catches a low branch and swings off it before landing with a grunt. He looks around and finds no sign of Slade anywhere. Frustration fills him as he retrieves his staff.
'I knew it was too good to be true that he was really gone!' Robin laments internally. 'Slade's haunted me for long enough! I have to stop him once and for all!'
"Uh, sorry to interrupt your little nature hike, but WHERE WERE YOU?!" Beast Boy yells as he and the other Titans rejoin Robin. "We got humiliated by Hydra for the third time in a row! I'm soaked, I have a migraine that's fit to kill me, and – ACHOO!"
The shapeshifter suddenly sneezes, making him inadvertently turn into an elephant.
Beast Boy shifts back. "Great. Now I have a cold," he complains nasally.
"Slade. He's back," Robin reports as he puts his staff away and approaches the group.
"Are you sure it was him?" Cyborg questions. "I mean, you kinda got Slade on the brain lately. Maybe–"
"It was him!" Robin insists. "He's going to create a massive earthquake, and we have three hours to stop it!"
"I don't get it," Cyborg says in disbelief. "The dude fell into a pit of lava. Who lives through something like that?"
"Apparently, Slade," Raven responds.
"Perhaps it was not the real Slade that fell into the pit," Starfire suggests.
"Yeah, he's pretty…pretty…" Beast Boy tries to say, only to sneeze several times, turning into a capybara, a velociraptor, and a goldfish, "…slippery."
"We'll worry about how Slade survived later. Right now, all that matters is how we stop him!" Robin asserts. "Cyborg, check out the bridge! Raven, take the park! Beast Boy, the pier! Starfire, we're going after Slade!"
"I hate to cut you off mid-planning," Raven interrupts, "but what about Hydra? He said he had other things to take care of tonight. Shouldn't we be going after him too?"
"If Hydra wanted to destroy the city, he would have done it by now," Robin responds. "Whatever Hydra's up to, we'll take care of it after we stop Slade!"
Location: Rooftop, Downtown Jump City
Hydra stands on a high rooftop overlooking the brightly lit city while holding a Hive-themed umbrella to block the rain. He currently has his communicator open.
"And once we had our fun with the Titans, we left to get out of the rain and report our progress so far," Hydra reports.
[I see,] Brother Blood says on the other side of the call. [As for your interactions with the Titans, try not to get too carried away with revealing your abilities. If you're not careful, they could find a weakness and use it against you.]
Hydra chuckles. "Headmaster, the Titans have absolutely no idea of what we're truly capable of."
[For your sake, I hope so,] Brother Blood says. [As for Cinderblock, his death is unfortunate yet not unexpected. His loyalty to his late master Slade is commendable. I was hoping that that loyalty could be transferred to me, but…]
"We're surprised that you didn't want us to capture him so you could use your powers to control him," Hydra notes.
Brother Blood groans. [If only it were that simple. Even my magnificent powers can be stretched too thin when controlling so many people, especially a colossal brute like Cinderblock. Perhaps once I have the amplifier…,] Blood shrugs. [Oh well. Nothing we can do about it. Now then, I believe you have two more of Slade's associates to visit.]
Hydra nods. "We're on our way to Plasmus now. We'll report again soon."
Brother Blood smiles. [Best of luck to you, my student. Happy hunting!]
The communicator shuts off, leaving Hydra alone on the rooftop surrounded by rain.
'I think Raven would love this weather,' Hydra muses. 'I wonder what she's up to right now.'
Location: Forest
Robin and Starfire walk through the dense forest, ignoring the rain as they try to pick up Slade's trail.
"Fear not, Robin. We will stop him," Starfire assures her friend.
"We have no other choice," Robin says somberly before getting an alert from his communicator, which he quickly answers.
[Robin. I'm at the bridge,] Cyborg reports.
"Did you find the seismic generator?" Robin asks.
[Man, I ain't found shit,] Cyborg answers. [No signs of anything unusual.]
[Nothing here either,] Raven states from her location.
[I got bupkis,] Beast Boy says before going into a round of sneezing shapeshifting.
"They're there. Keep searching," Robin orders before angrily throwing his communicator to the ground, scaring Starfire in the process. "I told them exactly where Slade put the generators. I should have gone to find them myself."
"They will be found, Robin," Starfire insists as she picks up the discarded communicator. "You must have faith in your…"
Starfire trails off as she notices Robin look wide-eyed out in front of him just as lightning flashes above. Her confusion grows as Robin runs out ahead of her.
"Robin?!" Starfire questions loudly, getting no response from the rapidly fleeing Boy Wonder.
Robin pays no attention to his comrade as he dashes through the trees and into a clearing…where Slade is waiting for him.
"Tick tock, Robin. This is going to be easier than I thought," Slade mocks. "You've gotten sloppy while I was away."
Robin roars as he throws several explosive disks at Slade's feet, which detonate yet apparently do no damage to the villain. Robin charges at Slade with a punch, but Slade easily avoids it. Robin throws another punch, which is caught in Slade's grip before the villain hits the hero's ribs with a clawed palm strike.
Robin collapses to the ground as he clutches his pained ribs that were already injured from Hydra's kick. His instincts flaring, Robin leaps back onto his feet to avoid Slade's stomp. Robin ducks down and goes for a leg sweep, but Slade leaps over the attack. Robin gets back up and searches for his opponent, only to find no one around him as lighting continues rocking the sky.
Until he spots Slade right behind him just before an armored fist heads his way.
Pow!
The punch sends Robin flipping across the muddy ground before collapsing on his stomach. He looks up and growls in frustration as Slade approaches him.
"Robin!"
The shout gets both fighters' attention as they see Starfire looking down from a nearby hill.
"Starfire! Stop him!" Robin yells as Slade runs in her direction.
The masked villain simply runs past Starfire, who's looking around in confusion. Robin runs to try and catch Slade himself, only for his nemesis to be nowhere in sight when Robin reaches Starfire's position.
Robin huffs and snarls in anger at his enemy escaping once again before roughly grabbing Starfire's arm, getting a pained gasp from the girl.
"What happened?!" Robin demands as he clenches tightly on Starfire's arm.
"You are hurting me!" Starfire says with a scared look.
"Slade ran right by you!" Robin shouts, paying no mind to Starfire's pain. "How could you let him get away?!"
"But Robin…there was no one there," Starfire says with tears in her eyes, shocking Robin to his core.
Location: Jump City Penitentiary
Multiple guards groan in pain as they strewn around the hallway in defeat. Hydra pays them no mind as he approaches a cell door, sword in hand. A couple of slashes turns toe door into scrap, allowing Hydra to walk casually into the cell.
Inside, he sees a bald middle-aged man wearing only boxers floating in a tank of fluid, sound asleep.
'I can't help but wonder if he ever truly got to have a life,' Hydra muses.
"Probably best to just put him out of his misery," Kurama says bluntly.
'We still have a job to do,' Hydra points out before slashing the tube open.
As the fluid pours out of the opening, the man is slowly roused awake, which immediately sets him into a panic.
"I'm awake?! Not again!" the man cries out in despair.
"Greetings! We are Hydra of the Hive Academy!" Hydra introduces cheerfully. "How would you like to join our prestigious – oh shit."
Hydra stops talking and leaps away as the man in front of him explodes into purple ooze, which expands and spreads out of the tube. The ooze forms itself into a large hunched humanoid shape with a large mouth and multiple green eyes on its head and shoulders.
"We don't suppose you'd be willing to join the Hive, Plasmus?" Hydra asks in a hopeful tone.
Plasmus roars in response before spitting out a torrent of gunk, which Hydra jumps away from.
Hydra sighs. "We figured you'd say that," he says before flashing through hand signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu."
With several puffs of smoke, Plasmus soon finds himself surrounded by a dozen Hydras. As the monster tries to figure out which Hydra to attack, all of his opponents weave identical handsigns.
"Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!" x12.
Plasmus suddenly gets soaked by twelve pressurized fountains of water that mix into his oozing body, making him disperse into a blobby mess on the floor.
As Plasmus tries to reform, the Hydras make more handsigns. "Lightning Style: Thunderbolt!" x12.
The Hydras extend their hands and unleash a barrage of lighting that impacts the blob. The water mixed into the ooze increases the lightning's power, making Plasmus scream in agony. After several moments of electrocution, Plasmus's gooey form dissolves completely, leaving behind the sleeping naked man from before.
The original Hydra's footsteps are near-silent as he approaches the sleeping man, sword in hand.
"Zero for two," Hydra mutters in annoyance before swinging his sword.
Location: Ruins of Slade's Lair
Starfire leads the charge as she, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy rush through the ruined hallway in pursuit of their leader. Robin hadn't taken Starfire's earlier explanation well, so he left her behind in the forest to find Slade himself. Dejected by Robin's actions, Starfire regrouped with the other three Titans, who still found no signs of the seismic generators. Out of concern for their leader, the other Titans have tracked him down to Slade's first lair, which was destroyed by the madman himself.
The heroes stop as Cyborg's arm starts beeping.
"Robin's locator signal! He's close!" Cyborg reports.
The group pales as they hear clanging of metal and a familiar voice screaming in agony.
"Very close," Raven states as she and the other Titans double-time it.
They eventually reach the dimly lit lair, which is littered with rusted pipes, giant gears, and half-broken walkways. Amidst the clutter, they spot their friend grunting and moving between the few lights shining down from above.
"Robin!" Starfire calls out in concern as Cyborg activates his shoulder-light.
With the added light, the Titans can clearly see a bruised and battered Robin in a tattered uniform fighting…nothing?
"Um, since when is Robin into mime?" Beast Boy asks in confusion.
"Slade!" Robin suddenly shouts, making the other Titans gasp in shock.
Starfire quickly powers up a starbolt bright enough to fill the entire chamber with emerald light. As the light reaches Robin, he suddenly looks around bewildered, as if his "enemy" had somehow disappeared.
The Boy Wonder then spots the others. "What are you doing here?!" he demands. "You're supposed to be finding the generators!"
"I don't think there are any generators, man," Cyborg says. "We looked everywhere."
"Slade must be cloaking them, just like he's cloaking himself!" Robin suggests as he approaches his skeptical teammates. "That's why you couldn't see him!"
"But if I could not see him, why could you?" Starfire questions.
Robin starts to panic as he's unable to give a reasonable answer. "W-What are you trying to say?"
Raven floats in front of the Boy Wonder. "Robin, are you sure you saw Slade?"
"Saw him? I fought him! You think I did this to myself?!" Robin argues, gesturing to his ruined uniform and beaten body.
"Dude, this is the only way out, and we were standing here the whole time," Beast Boy says, still nasally from his cold. "No one got past us."
"No one was here but us," Cyborg adds.
"I don't have time for this," Robin says as he heads for the exit. "I have to stop those generators."
Cyborg gets in Robin's way. "There are no generators!" he firmly asserts. "There is no Slade!"
"I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" Robin shouts angrily. "I have to stop him!" he then backs away and pulls out a birdarang threateningly. "I'm the only one who can, and I'll take down anyone who gets in my way!"
Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all go wide-eyed in shock at Robin's declaration.
Zap! "UGH!"
A green blast hits Robin from behind, sending him to the ground. Starfire powers down with a somber expression as she and the other Titans watch Robin go into unblissful unconsciousness.
Location: Special Research, STAR Labs, Jump City
"GAAAAH! Where's Samuel L. Jackson when you need him?!" a security guard yells as he's assaulted by a large pit viper.
All across the facility, various scientists and engineers try to escape the massive swarm of snakes that have infiltrated the building. The security guards try their best to fight back against the swarm, but the snakes are numerous, well-coordinated, and surprisingly ingenious.
The only person perfectly calm in this situation is Hydra, who casually walks down the hall towards a door that says "Restricted".
Two slices of his sword destroys the door, allowing Hydra to enter the room and leave the chaotic mess behind him.
Inside the room, he sees a gray computer circuit card with red glowing lines and a red glowing lens floating in a clear tube. The expansive circular room is completely bare of anything else.
Hydra smiles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Overload. We are–"
[Hydra of the Hive,] Overload interrupts knowingly.
Hydra blinks in surprise. "You've heard of us?"
[Overload hears plenty of news from the outside world, meat-bag,] Overload explains. [Overload knows of how you've defeated and humiliated the Teen Titans. Most amusing. Overload also knows of the deaths of Cinderblock and Plasmus. The meat-bags here in this lab increased security to protect Overload from you. It seems their plans were useless. So, have you come to destroy Overload, Hydra of the Hive?]
"We're hoping we won't have to. You've been invited to join the Hive," the teen offers. "Our headmaster Brother Blood has plans for the takeover of Jump City, and you would be of great use to those plans."
[Overload assumes that Cinderblock and Plasmus received those same offers?] Overload asks.
"They sure did," Hydra replies, still smiling.
[And their refusals led to their destruction,] Overload concludes.
Hydra's smile turns sinister. "Indeed."
[Not much of a choice for Overload then, is it?] Overload questions.
"But it's a choice nonetheless," Hydra states as he points his sword at the circuit card. "So, do you accept?"
[…]
Location: Medical Room, Titans Tower
Timeskip: Later
Robin awakens to find himself hooked up to medical equipment and strapped to the patient bed with several belts. He struggles to free himself, but the belts are tightly secured around his body.
"But must we keep him restrained?" Starfire's muffled voice asks from outside the room.
Robin stops struggling and sees the other Titans standing on the other side of the door, in the observation room.
"He threatened us, Star," Cyborg states. "He's dangerous."
"Dangerous?! Try totally flipped out Cuckoo La Banzai!" Beast Boy yells before sneezing himself out of view.
"We've got to run some tests on him, figure out what's going on," Raven says, getting nods of agreement from the others.
"Alone again, Robin?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Robin struggles again as he searches for his nemesis.
Only for the masked man to walk out casually from behind a nearby curtain.
"As long as I'm around, you are never alone," Slade says in chilling amusement.
Location: Observation Room, Titans Tower
"Please. You have uncovered the source of his strange behavior?" Starfire asks hopefully as she and the other Titans look at Robin's vitals on the computer screen – except for Beast Boy, who's sitting on a chair and nursing his headache with an icebag.
"So far, everything looks normal," Raven responds.
"But he is not normal!" Starfire insists. "Robin would not do these things! He would not threaten his friends! He would not shout at me, or…"
Starfire trails off as she rubs her arm, which still has a bruise from where Robin painfully grabbed her. Seeing this, Raven unconsciously rubs her own arms as she remembers when Malchior roughly shook her the night he was freed after the encounter with Hydra.
'Don't think like that, Raven. He loves you. Malchior loves you,' Raven chants inside her mind, her white cloak flickering back to indigo-blue for a bit.
"There is a cause, and you must find it!" Starfire yells.
"Star, I'm sure there's a good explanation, okay?" Beast Boy says calmly despite a pounding headache. "Maybe Slade really is invisible, and we can't–"
"No!" Cyborg insists. "He still woulda shown up on my radar. I'm telling you, he wasn't–"
The entrance to the Medical Wing opens, and the Titans see Malchior walk in with an upset look on his face.
"Raven! There you are! You were supposed to return for your lessons ages ago!" Malchior states loudly as he approaches Raven.
"Malchior, this isn't the time. There's a – unh!" Raven tries to explain before grunting as Malchior grabs her hand.
"Raven, we had an agreement. No distractions until Hydra has been defeated, remember?" Malchior reminds her.
"Yo! Read the room, man! We're dealing with an emergency here!" Cyborg loudly interjects in annoyance.
Malchior blinks as he looks around the room, taking note of Robin's absence, Starfire's worried expression, Beast Boy's zombie-like state, and Cyborg's glare.
'Oh bollocks.' Malchior quickly releases Raven with a sheepish expression. "My sincerest apologies! I got a bit concerned when Raven didn't show up. Clearly, my emotions got the better of me. I hope you can forgive me, my dear."
Raven rubs her hand and looks away. "It's okay. I should have messaged you what was happening."
Cyborg gives Malchior a suspicious look.
"What is this emergency?" Malchior asks, changing the subject. "Where's Robin?"
"Robin is the emergency," Starfire explains. "He is convinced that the villain Slade has returned from death and is threatening the city, but none of us have seen Slade or his seismic generators."
"So far, we haven't seen anything in the scans that suggests something's affecting him, yet he somehow got bruises and other combat injuries," Cyborg adds, shelving Malchior's behavior for now.
"So, either Slade's pulled some kinda invisibility trick, or Robin's jumped off the deep end," Beast Boy finishes before sneeze-shifting into a fish.
"Maybe there's something magical affecting him," Raven suggests before turning to her mentor. "Do you have any ideas, Malchior?"
Malchior adopts a thinking pose. "Well, there are certainly plenty of magics that affect the mind. There's plenty of confusion spells…potions that cause hallucinations…there's also pixie dust…oh, there's this one artifact–"
"Hold up!" Cyborg interrupts as he recalls something. "What did you say about dust?"
"Pixie dust," Malchior explains. "It's a natural defense mechanism that pixies use against enemies. It causes those affected to see strange and sometimes horrific illusions. Unfortunately, it became so popular as a hallucinogenic that it led to a mass hunting of pixies back in my time."
Cyborg rubs his chin in thought. "I just remembered something. Right before we left to fight Hydra, Robin was–"
BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!
The sudden rapid beeping makes everyone turn to see the medical computer, which shows Robin's vitals going crazy.
"Robin's heart rate is off the charts!" Raven reports in a panicked tone.
Cyborg reads Robin's stats. "Blood pressure! Neural networks! Most people can't survive this level of stress!"
Robin's heart monitor suddenly flatlines, making dread fill everybody (except Malchior).
"ROBIN!" Starfire shouts in horror as she and the others rush into the medical room to help Robin.
Only to gasp as Robin is nowhere in sight and the room is trashed.
"Woah, and I thought I didn't like going to the doctor," Beast Boy quips.
"But where is Robin?" Starfire asks as she inspects the bed.
A banging sound from above gets Cyborg's attention. "There!" he shouts while pointing to the open ventilation shaft.
Despite his sickened state, Beast Boy quickly shifts into a hummingbird and flies up to enter the shaft.
Only to be painfully blocked by a metal door that shuts off the shaft.
Alarms blare as more metal doors close over the windows and the door leading out of the room, trapping all of the current occupants inside.
"What sorcery is this?!" Malchior demands while Raven goes to a nearby computer.
"Robin's activated the Quarantine Protocol," Raven reports. "Nothing can get in or out."
"We shall see about that!" Starfire challenges as she fires a starbolt at the door.
The starbolt ricochets off of the door like a bullet before bouncing around the room, making everyone dodge away from the blast.
"Careful, Star!" Cyborg warns.
Starfire barely registers Cyborg's words as she bangs on the door, trying to break free.
"We must find Robin!" Starfire declares before hanging her head in frustration.
Cyborg gently pushes her aside as an energy-bladed chainsaw deploys out of his arm, which he uses to try and cut through the door. Meanwhile, Malchior and beast Boy watch Raven sit in a meditative position.
"What are you doing?" Beast Boy asks.
"Finding Robin," Raven answers simply.
A look of recognition forms on Malchior's face. "Ah! The Astral Projection spell! Good thinking, Raven!"
Raven smiles at the praise before closing her eyes and focusing. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."
Raven's eyes glow white as her spirit exits her body in the form of a black raven. Her spirit shoots up into the shaft above and zooms through the vent system. Eventually, she finds who she's looking for.
Location: Ventilation Shaft, Titans Tower
'Robin. I'm here to help you,' Raven communicates telepathically.
Bursts of memories zoom by through The Drift connection. The first is of the computer in the main room that has a multitude of Slade's photos flashing through the screen.
'Raven! What are you…stop! You have to get out!' Robin warns in a panicked tone as his heart rate surges. 'Slade! He'll destroy you!'
'Robin. Your heart. You're in danger,' Raven warns back. 'You have to trust me.'
The next memory takes place in the tower's basement, where an evidence box is open, and a sinister red light glows out of a broken mask.
'Slade isn't here. He's not in the tower,' Raven states calmly.
Another memory flashes, this one of Robin swearing an oath on a uniform being held by Batman.
'No! He's here! He's real!' Robin insists. 'I've seen him!'
The last memory is of a man and a woman falling to their doom in the middle of a circus show.
'Then let me see him through your eyes,' Raven offers.
Raven and Robin begin breathing in sync, allowing the latter to slow down his heart. With one last gasp, Robin opens his eyes, revealing Raven's indigo irises that have replaced Robin's whited-out mask.
'See, Robin? There's no one here. There never was,' Raven says as she uses Robin's vision to scan the empty shaft.
Until Slade's fist enters their sight.
Pow!
Location: Medical Room, Titans Tower
"Agh!"
Everyone stops what they're doing and watches as Raven suddenly flies backwards onto the ground.
"Raven?! Are you alright?!" Malchior questions in false concern.
Raven quickly bolts upright. "SLADE!"
"You saw him?!" Cyborg asks in shock.
Raven takes a breath to center herself. "I don't know if he's real or not, but he's real to Robin and that's all that matters. The stress on his brain is destroying his body. Robin truly believes he's fighting Slade…and Slade is winning."
Starfire's eyes tear up in fear.
Location: Basement, Titans Tower
Robin charges at Slade with a punch, but Slade simply catches the punch and flips Robin down the stairs into the basement. Robin slowly recovers from the flip, only to have his gut punched by Slade. Robin throws several more punches, which Slade easily dodges before grabbing Robin's hand and bending it painfully behind the boy's back. Robin screams in pain before yelping as he's thrown off the staircase. Robin lands on another staircase and searches for his opponent, only to be blindsided by the masked villain, who gets in several good hits before throwing Robin down the stairs and onto the ground below.
Robin struggles to rise as Slade casually walks down the stairs. The villain's form phases in and out of existence as the lights flicker above.
"You always knew it was going to end this way," Slade says as he picks up Robin battered form.
"No…" Robin groans.
Location: Medical Room, Titans Tower
"Robin!" Raven exclaims in worry as she keeps her connection to Robin active. "I can feel him! He's not gonna make it!"
"Then let us end this NOW!" Starfire declares angrily, having enough of not helping. She reaches into the ground below her and tears off a chunk of the floor itself before flying into the hole after her precious Robin.
Location: Basement, Titans Tower
"Slade…stop…" Robin begs, only to be kicked away by his opponent.
"No, Robin. I won't stop," Slade states sinisterly, his form still flickering under the flashing light. "Not now. Not ever." Slade picks up Robin and brings the two of them face to face. "I am the thing that keeps you up at night. The evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind. I will never rest, and neither will you."
"My friends say…you're not real," Robin groans.
"Oh, I'm very real," Slade assures the boy before tossing him into a pillar next to the light switch. "Could you have gotten all of those bruises from someone who wasn't there?"
Slade's form flickers once again, but this time Robin notices it.
"You can't even touch me," Slade taunts.
'He's…he's right,' Robin thinks to himself, his detective skills finally kicking in. "All these bruises…but you don't have a scratch."
Slade's eye narrows as information flows through Robin's brain.
'There was no one there.'
'There are no generators! There is no Slade!'
'I am the thing that keeps you up at night. The evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind.'
Slade's form flickers in and out as the lights flicker on and off. Robin raises himself up onto his feet, his hand near the light switch.
"Every dark corner," Robin mutters as the pieces all fall into place. "You're only in my mind…only in the dark. My friends are right. You're not real!"
The apparition of Slade goes wide-eyed at the ruse being discovered.
"I'm real enough to finish you!" the specter declares as he charges forward to end Robin.
Only for Robin to flip the switch.
"Lights out, Slade," Robin says as the apparition is swallowed up by the light and disappears.
Starfire flies into the room. "Robin!"
"It's okay, Starfire. It's okay," Robin says with a smile before passing out in her arms.
Starfire looks over to the other Titans, who all breathe sighs of relief.
Location: Medical Room, Titans Tower
Robin is awake and back on the bed (unrestrained) as Cyborg finishes up some scans on the Boy Wonder's body. Starfire, Raven, and Malchior look on, while Beast Boy is seemingly absent. The windows are open, the Quarantine Protocol being lifted.
"Looks like Slade pulled off one last trick," Cyborg reports. "His mask contained a chemical reagent that infiltrated your central nervous system."
"A chemical what-now?" Malchior asks in confusion.
"The dust," Robin clarifies. "It made me see, hear, and feel Slade even though he wasn't there."
"And the more you fought, the more harm it did to you," Starfire says.
"And anybody else who got in the way," Raven adds.
Malchior rubs his chin in thought. 'To think that someone could create something more potent and dangerous than pixie dust…this science is quite frightening. I might have underestimated these non-magical modern humans. Just another thing to be wary of.'
Cyborg smiles. "Scan says you're all clear now, though."
"Yeah," Robin says as he gets off the bed, "but, just to be sure…"
Robin walks over to the light switch and flicks it off. He looks around the darkened room and takes stock of all of his friends – and Raven's boyfriend. After several moments of no Slade, Robin sighs and flicks the lights back on.
"I've been fighting Slade for so long, it's almost hard to let him go," Robin says tiredly, "but sometimes it feels like I'm the only one still looking for him. The only one who can stop him."
"I've felt the same about Rorek," Malchior says in an "understanding" tone. "Believe me, it's a terrible feeling to have follow you around."
"Robin, you are never alone," Starfire assures her precious person.
"And if Slade really does ever return, we'll be ready," Cyborg swears. "We've got things covered here. Why don't you get some rest."
Robin smiles. "Sounds like a good idea," he says in relief before exiting the room to get some much-needed sleep.
The silhouette of Beast Boy suddenly appears from behind the nearby curtain.
"Okay. He's better," Beast Boy says before pulling back the curtain. "NOW WHAT ABOUT ME?! I'M DYING OVER HERE! ACHOO!"
Beast Boy shifts into a hamster.
"ACHOO!"
Beast Boy shifts into a koala.
"ACHOO!"
Beast Boy shifts into a frog.
"…crrrrroak…"
Starfire and Raven both go into a laughing fit at their clown-friend's antics.
Even Malchior laughs a bit. "How amusing."
Raven stops laughing as she notices Cyborg looking at a map on a nearby computer screen. "What is it?"
"The reagent in Slade's mask didn't trigger itself. There was a signal," Cyborg states ominously. "Somebody triggered it…from outside the tower."
Raven and Starfire both pale at the implication. 'Who?'
"There's more," Cyborg continues. "I didn't want to tell Robin just yet, but I've been tracking Hydra's whereabouts all night. Cinderblock wasn't the only one of Slade's old goons that Hydra visited. He went to Plasmus and Overload too." A somber look falls on Cyborg's face. "Plasmus is dead. His human head got split open by a sword."
Starfire gasps in her hands as Raven and Malchior both gulp.
"And…Overload?" Raven asks tentatively.
Location: Headmaster's Office, Hive Academy
"I must say, it was a wise decision for you to join our faculty, Overload," Brother Blood says with a smug smile as he stands behind his desk.
In front of him stands Hydra and Overload, the latter hovering above the ground using electrokinesis.
[Like Overload said to your student, it wasn't much of a choice,] Overload states.
"Now don't be so pessimistic," Brother Blood says. "I think you'll be excited to be part of our class project."
The door to the office suddenly opens, and Gizmo flies in holding a device in his hand.
"Speaking of which, Gizmo here has the data for our grand scheme in his hands," Brother Blood states, gesturing to the device.
[Does he, now?] Overload says before quickly flying into the device.
"Hey! A little warning!" Gizmo yells.
Overload's "face" appears on the device's screen as it mutters to itself, [Hmmm…robotic minions…superpowered soldiers…an ionic amplifier, eh? That's interesting. This isn't too complicated of a plan. It gives Overload some ideas…]
In the midst of their muttering, Overload doesn't notice Gizmo grin evilly as he places another device on the first, making sparks arch between both. Overload's face glitches on the screen.
[Wait! What is this?!] Overload demands in a panicked tone. [What have you done?!]
"Just a little alteration to your programming," Brother Blood answers calmly as he approaches Gizmo. "Can't have you running free and taking over our technology, after all."
"You're working for us, rust-head! Deal with it!" Gizmo gloats.
[You deceived Overload! Used Overload!] the trapped villain complains.
"Yes, I do tend to do that from time to time," Brother Blood says with a cheeky grin. "It's almost as if I'm an evil headmaster of a school for villains!"
Brother Blood and Gizmo laugh evilly at this, not noticing Hydra scowl nearby.
[Overload will fry you for this!] Overload threatens.
"Oh, come now; did you honestly expect me to believe that you didn't plan on betraying us?" Brother Blood argues.
Overload doesn't respond.
"That's what I thought," Brother Blood says in a knowing tone. "Never trust a villain."
"C'mon, pit-sniffer! We've got work to do!" Gizmo says before flying off with his new prisoner.
Brother Blood approaches Hydra with a proud smile and offers his hand. "Excellent work, my student!"
Hydra quickly makes a convincing smile and accepts the hand. "We're happy to make you proud, Headmaster."
"Off you go, then. Best to get some rest," Brother Blood says in a warm tone.
Hydra bows before exiting the office.
Brother Blood chuckles evilly. "Soon, this city will be mine."
Outside of the office, Hydra heads back to his room, his scowl returned.
'Never trust a villain indeed,' Hydra muses.
"What's the plan?" Kurama asks.
Hydra has a determined look. 'We prepare for a premature graduation.'
Location: Raven's Room, Titans Tower
Malchior stands in the middle of an intricate magical circle drawn by chalk in the dimly lit room. Nearby, Raven places a large clear sphere in a smaller magical circle.
"It's rather fortunate that you had a Scrying Orb in your collection, Raven," Malchior says.
"I feel bad about using this for the ritual," Raven admits sadly. "It was a parting gift from Azar."
"Trust that it will be put to good use, my sweet Raven," Malchior says softly.
Raven still feels unsure about this, but nods in acceptance as she stands between the two circles.
"Now then, let us begin," Malchior says, his foot tapping quickly in anticipation.
Raven takes a deep breath before waving through hand gestures, her hands glowing with power.
"Transfer Magicae," she chants as both magic circles start glowing, "Transfer Magicae…Transfer Magicae!"
Magical energy rises out of the orb and travels towards the other magical circle, guided by Raven's arm motions. The stream of magic then enters Malchior's body, making the fake-wizard lock up and his eyes glow with power. Despite the gritting of his teeth, Malchior smiles as he feels his well of magical power fill up again.
After several moments, the magic fully enters his body and the magical circles dim, signaling the end of the ritual. Malchior collapses to his knees, breathing heavily as his body gets adjusted to having some magic again.
Raven stops waving her arms and takes a moment to catch her breath. She then glances over at her Scrying Orb…only to gasp as she sees the once clear ball is now pitch black and has cracked in half.
"No," Raven mutters in horror as she rushes over to her artifact.
Meanwhile, Malchior grins as he rises to his feet and inspects himself. His joy rises as black lighting arches between his hands, despite the amount of exertion needed for this magical act.
'It's a long way from my old power, but it's an excellent start!' Malchior thinks.
"Outstanding work, Raven!" Malchior praises as he looks over to his student.
Only for his smile to drop as he sees Raven with tears in her eyes while holding her ruined bauble in her hands.
Malchior subtly rolls his eyes before plastering a fake calming smile on his face and approaching Raven.
"Don't despair, my sweet Raven," Malchior says soothingly as he kneels down and gives Raven a one-armed hug. "This sacrifice will be worth it. This is all so that we can have our happy life together. This is all to make sure you won't be lonely ever again."
Raven takes a moment to dry her tears. "Y-You mean it?"
"Of course, my darling," Malchior responds while internally retching. "You'll see the rewards soon enough."
A weak smile forms on Raven's face. 'This is what I want. This is all so I won't be alone. It'll be worth it.'
Malchior rises as black lightning crackles in his hands.
"Now then, my sweet Raven, the real training begins," Malchior says with a real and somewhat unnerving grin.
Location: Unknown
The landscape is hellish in every sense of the word, with nothing but barren rocky plains as far as the eye can see and wide rivers of lava flowing across the area. Dotting the land are the ruins of buildings, remnants of a civilization long destroyed. Ghoulish beings made of elemental fire glide across the black smoky sky.
In the midst of this, a colossal bipedal figure with antlers sits on a throne made of obsidian, his features hidden in darkness.
"You took a great risk with your actions, my herald," the figure says in a deep demonic voice. "You were supposed to merely observe."
Another figure stands on the giant's arm. An armored man wearing a very familiar mask.
"My apologies, Master," Slade speaks. "I simply wanted to tie up some loose ends before I fully committed myself to your cause. A shame that my reagent couldn't finish off Robin."
"It was…entertaining seeing that mortal suffer," the giant admits. "Still, he was not my main focus."
"Of course," Slade responds. "Your daughter appears to have grown stronger than anticipated. It seems she's found herself a teacher."
"Indeed. It almost makes me proud," the giant says with little fondness. "Her efforts are useless, though. No amount of magic can allow her to escape her destiny."
"Master, there's also the other one," Slade points out. "The boy called 'Hydra'. It seems his power over chakra eclipses your daughter's."
The giant hums in thought. "A mortal with sizable amounts of chakra, and he's not mine. The only other place he could have acquired that power would be…" The giant laughs lowly. "It seems there's been a rebellion in the clan since I was away."
"A problem, Master?" Slade asks.
"None. This Hydra will either bend to my will or break under my power," the giant declares as for red eyes glow out of his head, "as will all things mortal."
"By your will, Master," Slade says as an ornate red 'S' glows sinisterly on his forehead.
Chapter End
AN: Dun dun duuuun! Darkness is spreading, ladies and gentlemen!
So, Robin's mental torment happens similar to canon, except Hydra knocks him off the cliff instead of Cinderblock. The Boy Wonder fighting his demons seems to have distracted the Titans enough for Hydra to work largely uninterrupted.
Speaking of; Hydra's been busy tonight! Cinderblock and Plasmus have been removed, while Overload is a slave to the Hive. Brother Blood is making sure that his organization is the only one in town. Although, Hydra's now considering branching out on his own very soon.
Also, some of Malchior's true nature has been unintentionally leaked to the team, which will be a problem for everyone down the road. Raven definitely still wants the relationship to work, though she's starting to have some doubts deep in her mind.
Lastly, there's a more sinister force moving behind the scenes. This one has a surprising connection to Naruto's world – specifically the Ootsutsuki Clan.
Next time, Raven has a surprising encounter with her new nemesis out of uniform, leading to revelations and some trouble.
Thanks for reading!
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