A/N: Ok here is chapter 9! Sorry for being so late, I've just had a lot of stuff come up in the past month or so that needed my attention. So emm yea... Robin gets lectured... by someone! You'll see. Anywho let me know what you think.

BTW if anyone ever needs to write about adventurous adventures in the desert, I highly recommend Uncharted 3's OST. I mean the music is great in the game but it's faboo when writing about that part of the world.

Also just so you guys know, there is now a link to a charrie sheet of Sariel on my profile. In case ya wanna see what she looks like.

Disclaimer: Robin, Slade is (c) to DC Comics yo! The Rub'al Khali belongs to itself, and Sariel is mine! No Stealies!

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Another five days in the desert is what it took for the heat to totally drain the boy of any energy. Robin always told himself he was resilient. Stronger then the rest when it came down to the final battle. But this desert had beaten him to a pulp. His mind didn't scream at him to not do it, to not fall. Instead it told him to give in, like it had been doing the entire time he'd been out here, but he always ignored its pleading call to give in. Now however, he couldn't help it. His knees gave in and he collapsed into the hot sand.

The sand itself burned, but it didn't matter. The relief from just laying there, with no motion at all... after walking so far was worth all the pain in the world at this moment. But he told himself he'd get back up in a few minutes, he'd continue the journey. But he didn't.

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Cold. But dry. He heard someone speaking in a tongue he didn't understand. His hand twitched a little. A sign he was waking up. The people seemed close by. It was a man in blue that sat above him. Robin could barely open his eyes with the sun being as bright as it was. But he noticed the concern the man had for him.

He began to cough, it hurt since his throat was dry. He briefly wondered how long he'd been out before the man rolled him over and started to speak to him again. His words making no sense to the boy wonder, but he was able to get across to the stranger that he was okay for the most part. The men were locals of the area it seemed, probably crossed this desert a thousand times. And here he was passed out in the middle of The Empty Quarter.

Robin shook his head, the man had given him some water and didn't realize it until he drank something just how much his throat burned. Coughing a bit more the men around him were talking amongst themselves. A few, about four of them mounted on horses. But one stood out. She dismounted her horse and walked over to the boy. "My my, what do we have here?"

Robin nearly spat his water at the mere sight of her. "Shit." he thought. "If she's here then Slade will know my whereabouts in no time." Sariel must of read his mind when she bent down and threw a smirk in his direction. "You need not worry about Slade. He won't be getting any help from me."

"I'm so sure about that. Unlike two weeks ago."

"That was different."

He coughed. "Really?" he replied as sarcastically as he could.

Sariel handed him another canteen of water, Robin taking it gingerly this time. Already having quenched his thirst for the most part. But water was water. "How the hell did you end up here of all places?"

"I could ask you the same." Robin glared, then a look of shock passed through his eyes. His mask! He didn't have it on.. then how did Sariel know it was him? Robin shook his head, and told himself at the moment it didn't matter. He could sort things out later.

She was talking to the men in their language. She seemed to speak it fluently. She did say she was a operative of sorts... but out here? What was going on way out here? Unless he was closer to Yemen then he thought.

He was stuck in his thoughts when she disturbed him. "Alright, we're taking you with us. Got a nice little outlook in a much more civilized town."

"I'll need to call the Titans from there, if that's ok?" His tone came out a lot more snarkier then he intended. If it at all bothered Sariel, she didn't show it. "It will take us two days to get there. I warn you, we're entering into Yemen. Civil war is at an unrest there. Your hero friends may not be welcomed."

"Why not!?" He spat out with the little energy he had, making him sound weaker then he wanted. With his little outburst he was unsure now how the young women would react. Instead of answering however she helped him up onto his feet, gave a few orders in that foreign language of hers and then proceeded to help him up onto the back of her horse. Only for her to follow and take the reigns.

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They had set up camp for the night. Sariel and her little crew of people were far more prepared then he ever could of been. She must of had at least ten men with her, all of them in military garb in some form or another. It didn't seem that they stood for any nation. Perhaps they were a mercenary group, or part of a vigilante private military. Sariel to, she was part of all this. Things about her made a little more sense now. How she was able to shoot the robot right in the head in a single shot. Her idea of survival. even her grandmother... albeit Jillain was a mystery still to him but seeing Sariel here in some military get up with a bunch of guys with guns... something just clicked. Still she wasn't someone he could trust. This women mostly likely killed people.

"You should get some sleep." she said as she came down by the fire one of her men had made. The camp consisted of three tents. Two for sleeping, one for lounging, or battle planning maybe? "Not tired." was his answer.

"When your stuck out in the desert one should always get as much rest as possible."

Nothing. She sighed. "What you going to do when you call your friends. Last I heard you were declared dead."

This news shocked him. "What?" he said as he spun around to meet her. "They think I'm dead?"

Sariel shrugged. "Yea, everyone thinks your dead after the whole Brotherhood of Evil ordeal. Someone made it official. So it may be a big surprise to them to find out your actually alive. I wouldn't worry to much about them thought. Last I heard the Titans were doing just fine without you."

"Well that's supportive."

She looked to the stars and told him in a hush voice. "I meant what I said earlier. They won't be welcome."

He looked at her in a different light this time, she had said the words so softly as she looked to the sky. The stars loomed over them, enveloping them. "You never answered my question as to why? They are heros. They-"

"Are not welcome in a land that is consistently torn apart by war. America has it's hero's, it has its soldiers, it has its Supermans and Batmans. But here, out here we have nothing but the shirts on our backs. The Justice League could come out here, do some work around these parts. Help out the innocent and all that righteous stuff. Kids are dying out there and they do nothing. They stay in their cities protecting only the few. When there is millions more out here everyday that need help, that could use it ya know?"

She sighed. "But nothing is ever done to help these people."

Robin narrowed his eyes at the girl. He wanted to sneer at her in disdain, but he settled for a more disgruntled look. "Maybe because no one ever gave us a chance out here. Or maybe we're just not welcome." He smirked at his last comment.

"Oh please. You've had many chances to make a stand out here, but word for help has always gone silent."

"I doubt that."

"Robin, do you honestly think a bunch of kids want to arm themselves with guns to protect their families? Do you think it's right that they should have to sacrifice themselves to save others? To you it might be ok for you to do it. But you were trained in a city that gave you everything you could ever desire. You had a choice. Think of it, these kids didn't even have a childhood. Many of them grew up wielding a gun. This world is harsh and cruel and your so called heros see this every day on the news and yet they do nothing."

She sighed again, "And so we have to do it ourselves."

Silence. It was there again. The two sat apart from one another looking into the fire until Robin spoke up. "You don't even look like your from here. But you speak the language. I think you suited the cabin more." His eyes never once left the fire that danced before him.

"One could say that." she murmured. "But..." a little louder this time. "My heart belongs out here. I was an American like you once. My childhood was pretty good, until one summer my parents wanted to do some traveling. Jerusalem seemed to them like a interesting spot to take a six year old. We went on a trip to some of the surrounding ruins. Shit happened, it all went downhill and I got front row seats. I was then beaten and sold off to the highest bidder. It was a man that took me to Iraq..."

"So you were saved?"

"No, this man used me and about thirty other kids around my age. Over the course of a year he trained us, and then let us loose in a full battleground filled with adult soldiers. We were unexpected to say the least. Out of the thirty kids, four survived. And I was one of them." She shook her head a little to shake away some of the nightmarish memories. "After that I simply survived... Like I always have."

Robin was a bit shocked to say the least. What happened to this women was monstrous. Sariel was a survivor of being a child soldier."That's how I know Robin, that you gotta do it yourself, no ones ever going to come save you here. There isn't any heros in a war. Just victims. It's a different world here and that's why they won't be welcomed." She looked at the young hero with a smile on her face. One day he'd understand. "Get some rest, we got a long day tomorrow."

Without another word Sariel got up and left him with his thoughts.

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The plane was headed to Yemen. Finally after a lot of research he found his apprentices cargo plane. This was not good at all. Yemen was in a state of civil war. Literally being torn apart. However, it did fall into place with the secondary plan. Robin would learn of the world and it's wars. That its kill or be killed out here. It was risky. A little to risky. Knowing Robin he rather be shot at then pick up a gun and shoot down his enemy.

With this in mind Slade made arrangements to travel to Sanaa, and then move from there. If anything he'd keep and eye on the boy. To do this he may have to use a disguise or two.

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A/N: Sanaa is the capital of Yemen in case your wondering. Sorry if it's kinda short. But I promise a bit more action and less talking next time!

Pls pls Review guys and Thank you! Keep in mind I will be going over it again probably and fixing any typos and errors but I think I got them all.

-Fangs