First off I know, it's filler, I know, I know... but I'm building up to something. Have patience with me! I swears it will get better. XD

Anywho not entirely better, back is still outta shape but... better then I was last week so hey. That's good I suppose

Also I've edited this thing like ten fucking times now...and there is mistakes... I know there is still mistakes. Also I edited chapter 25... because omg the mistakes. So yea the last chapter is better now and not so riddled with typos. I need a editor I swears.

Anywho thanks to all you lovely folks that have been following this story and have faved omg that means so much to me and OMG you reviewers are just the best!

I promise another chapter in the next few days to, been in the process of switching jobs and omgs it's been a hassle but an ok one.

Anyways I love you all and thank you and let's get on with this story!

EDIT: 01/23/2022 Fixed up some typos and transferring this over from FFnet to Ao3

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He couldn't think on the man he left behind. No, he had to keep going... He couldn't think on how he may of left a man to die. All he could think of was how he had to survive, how he had to get to Sariel. She was the reason why he came back to the flames in first place. All around him reminded him that this damn place was a warzone and it wanted him dead. But Robin refused to give in. He would survive. And so would Sariel, he just had to find the woman.

The people here didn't have much to begin with, but they did have a life, and now that life was burning away and being turned to ash. The buildings were homes and shops to many of the locals he had walked amongst the past few weeks that he had been here. They didn't deserve this. And Robin couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt rise up in him. They only came to torch the place down because of Sariel and himself. He couldn't take himself out of the blame although he really knew Sariel had been a cause of a lot of the problems. Although it was not her intention. But in the end he got involved, and now he was as much a part of this mess as Sariel was.

With a new eagerness to find the mysterious woman, he now called a friend, Robin began to pick up the pace. In his haste, he found a few other armed men along the way but kept to the darker corners and back alleys as much as he could. Although the fires were bright, they also cast dancing shadows along the streets and onto the buildings across the torn up road. The men didn't see him. Which made his travels easier.

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Slade started rummaging through the jeep itself soon after Robin had left. The boys absence was a strange feeling. He had for awhile now been standing at Robins side slowly directing him towards the right path, but it was cut much shorter then he had intended. It mattered little however. Robin was already well on his way to where he truly belonged. He knew the boy at this moment, still believed himself free from the masterminds grasp. They were working together for now, but as soon as this was all over he'd be going back to the Titans. But Slade knew better. Robin would see the truth sooner or later, if not already, and when that happened the boy would see things his way.

The mercenary had nearly pulled the jeep apart in looking to retrieve any type of weaponry, of course what he needed would be in the last place he would look. Under the seat he found a couple assault rifles. Slade grabbed one and slid it over his shoulders so the gun itself rested upon his back. Looking again under the seat he reached even further back to feel something familiar. Grabbing onto what appeared to be a handle of some sort Slade pulled the weapon out from under the seat to be thankfully surprised with a handheld missile launcher. The perfect way to cause a distraction. All he would have to do is drive the vehicle into position and then create some distance between himself and the jeep and then a nice little explosion.

Simple.

Slade looked into the flames, in the same direct Robin had wondered off into. A feeling of tension took hold of the man. Almost as if he was worried for the boy. "Perhaps" Slade freely admitted to himself. The boy was much more then a tool to him. He did indeed admire the boy for his talent, but that wasn't all of it. The boys attitude was one of a winner, a survivor. Someone that would endure. Which is what brought him to his attention the first time.

"No." Slade mused. The boy would be fine. If the Robin could handle anything he threw at him in the past, albeit he wasn't going all out on the boy back in Jump, but surely Robin would endure this. Slade nodded to himself and then began to prepare for the inevitable attack.

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More military personnel and vehicles meant he was getting closer.

There was six ahead of him. He knew he had little time and he would have to act fast. Sticking to the shadows Robin put himself behind two of the armed men. Narrowing his eyes at the soldiers backs, he knew they wouldn't know what was about to hit them. Robin had the element of surprise and he wasn't going to waste it. Within seconds he leapt out of the shadows and klunked the two men's heads together, flipping over them he darted to an abandoned truck which cast a brilliant shadow for him to meld with.

It wasn't long before another soldier spotted his two comrades seemingly sleeping on the job. Curious, the man wandered over to the two men and began to jostle them with his foot. Now confused he began to look for any intruders. He was about to radio in for help but before he could do so he felt a sharp thud at the back of his head and then he to fell to the ground and joined his friends.

"Three down, three more to go." Robin bent down and looked the men over. All where breathing, all would wake up, eventually. With a nod Robin melded with the shadows once more.

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There was no sign of Robin, not yet. The boy was probably having more fun then he was at the moment. It took a bit of working, but Slade had found the perfect spot to literally blow up the jeep that would cause as much of a disturbance as one could with a RPG and a jeep in-between two buildings on fire. He had only hoped Robin would get here soon and find Jillian's troublesome granddaughter.

This was a pretty sticky situation, even for him.

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"Where is it!? Who did you give it to?" Another slap graced her dirty bloody face.

"Not telling." Sariel let out with a smirk. "Torture me all you want, you won't get anything out of me."

"Did you give it to Robin? I could find him you know. He's probably coming for you."

"I doubt it, kid probably thinks I'm dead."

"Really now? He's one of those dreadful American heros, the idiotic things they do to save the people of their cities. Pathetic really. They nearly die themselves to save a small handful of people and yet they let the world go to waste. Typical American. Thinking only of themselves."

The younger woman laughed. "There is Russian super heros to you know... albeit they're not as popular." she giggled at Madaline's frown as the older looked down on the younger. She would of laughed more if not for the kick in the ribs.

"Hey... that's pretty low."

"I will not ask again Sariel, if you do not have it then who does?"

Sariel laughed, the blood dripped from her lips, her blue eyes sparkled from the tears that wanted to grace her face from the horrible pain she was in. Her body told her to give in. But her mind... Her mouth parted. "Not telling you anything." A smile took it's form on her lips before a fist pummeled it's way across her face.

Darkness wanted to take her, but she wouldn't let it. Not yet, she would fight it for as long as she could. She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. Sariel moved her head and Madaline's fist hit the cold cement instead of the younger woman's head. Using her legs as leverage Sariel was able to kick the woman off of her. Madaline landed on her back and let out a heavy grunt.

As quickly as she could Sariel scrambled to her feet, She was wobbly but she walked over to the woman who was getting up herself before she received a sharp pain in her stomach from Sariels boot.

"Doesn't feel nice does it?"

Another kick. and another. Before Madaline caught her boot and quickly yanked it back and Sariel fell off her feet and onto her back as well.

"You bitch."

"Takes one to know one moya kroshka."

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Robin knew he had to get moving once again, every second mattered, as well as every action. Every moment he told himself to move. The six men he had taken down were of no difficulty. And with a few more that lay unconscious under his belt Robin moved along the blackened streets at a steady pace and soon he quickly found himself in what seemed to be a courtyard of some sort, or maybe it was a marketplace? He couldn't tell now since the place was up in flames and literally crumbling into itself. It seemed there was a lot of men just hanging around, but there was no sign of that Russian woman.

That wasn't a good sign. Or maybe it was. If Sariel had survived then maybe she was with this Madaline character? Robin frowned. He was going have to find out what was going on. All the men seemed as if they were waiting for someone. And he could bet it was for Madaline. The other thing that bothered him was that they were just waiting in this place, no one dared to leave. The area was crumbling around them and they seemed content to sit here and wait.

If the Russian woman was here... was she in one of the burning buildings? Why? It seemed the most logical... well actually illogical. But at the same time there was no where else for the woman to go. Maybe Sariel was a live and maybe she was fighting in one of these buildings against the Russian.

Robin frowned. This was not going to end well.

The boy wondered if Slade was actually nearby, and he quickly noted the jeep in an alley, it's front headlights catching the orange light. "Oh course." Robin looked up to the opposite side that the car was parked on and had almost hoped to catch the man standing there, but nothing. If Slade was up there he'd be hiding out. Or maybe he was in one of the alleys. He didn't know, but the bait was parked and ready to go. He would have to trust the man for now. Robin sighed. This wasn't going to end well at all.

Taking a mental note as to where Slade had left the jeep Robin carried on.

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I know I know, it's filler, but I'm setting up for something, Bare with me! Please don't throw bricks at me! *hides*

Anywho please please review! Let me know what you think. SInce I'm not so happy over all with this chapter... to be honest sometimes I think my writing skills have been lacking as of late. Maybe it's just me. *shrugs*

Anywho love you all and have a good night!

-Fangs