Ok Guys... I know... *sheepishly comes back into the room* I'm late... by a lot.

But to be honest, as I'm sure all you guys have felt it as well, this pandemic is painful. I'm an essential service and honestly, I'm just tired most of the time.

I hope everyone is doing well. I really hope all my regular readers are ok, that your safe and healthy, and I'm sorry this has taken me awhile to get out there. But I guess better late then never. I really want to push out more chapters, but yea, I'll try, but it may be another month before the next. But when I started this one I told myself I really wanted to dish out a little bit more, but we'll see.

Anyways thank you so much guys, all of you. To all my new and old readers, thank you. To my reviewers, you guys are amazing, gold stars all around and thank you. You are all literally the reason why I'm still writing this and am GOING TO FINISH IT! Also thanks to Asilla for being an amazing editor.

Anyways thank you all and ON WITH THE STORY!

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Another rumble. The ceiling shuddered, particles of it coming down on them as dust. This structure wouldn't hold for much longer. "I'm leaving. This is goodbye."

"Robin!"

The boy had already turned his back on his former mentor only to look to his master. Slade looked down towards his apprentice, his posture was ever the same. It was a staple that was known for the ever-threatening mercenary. He could only nod to him as the boys masked eyes looked to where his master had come from. Robin was leaving the Bat in the dust. He was saying goodbye. And since they would never stand side by side as allies ever again, it would seem that this was the official end of the dynamic duo.

Another rumble, it seemed gentle at first, and then it took a violent turn. It felt as if the entire cathedral was going to collapse. This wasn't far from the truth as one of the interior pillars became unhinged and tumbled down between the Mercenary and the Bat. Its fall shattered the pillar, the floor rumbled again, the ground beneath them was no longer safe. Slade stood still regardless of the centuries old delicate marble floor crumbling beneath him. He looked to Robin already making his way up to the mercenary's original path. The Mastermind was about to follow when the Bat called out to him. "This is far from over Slade." Batman knew that in this moment there was nothing he could do. He too, would have to get out of this area alive.

The mercenary smirked under his mask. "I would be disappointed if it was."

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Deep Breaths. In and out. In and out... He narrowed his eyes as he watched Slade leave with his son. He couldn't start something here and now. The place was falling apart, he could already hear the creaking of the other pillars that threatened to fall down upon him.

Deep Breaths.

He'd deal with this later.

That's what he told himself as he watched Robin effortlessly make his way up to an upper level. The doorway was dark and when he walked through it, the boy vanished.

Deep Breaths...

He would get his son back. He had come so far. Robin was within his grasp. Yet, within seconds he was gone.

Another rumble and the ground began to give way.

Deathstroke was gone.

As was Robin...

Deep Breaths.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Meeting Bruce again after all this, Richard didn't know what to say other than goodbye. He was actually somewhat surprised that it took him so long to find him. Was it because he had gotten derailed from the path? Or simply because in some small way he didn't want to find Richard, afraid that the mercenary had won-over his son? Was Bruce already so aware of Richard's darker side that he worried he would betray them all? If Bruce thought as much, he was not wrong. It didn't matter now though. He would have to figure out what to do next. Sariel was gone. Sariel would want him to finish this. Sariel... she... his friend. She deserved some sort of reprisal, didn't she? Sariel and Gus... their deaths would not be in vain.

That damn woman, what was she thinking? Jumping out in front of him. She probably didn't think it would cost her her life. She probably thought she could deflect... whatever that was. Thought she could whisk them out of harms reach. But she was wrong and it got her in the end, that wasn't how she was supposed to go. She was supposed to go back to the desert after all of this. She had plans; Gus had plans. Slade and him were eventually supposed to separate from Sariel and her team... but now... His heart wrenched.

"Asif is outside waiting for an helicopter I called in."

The boy nodded. His fist tightened. He wanted revenge.

The two didn't have much time to think however as the building began to shift under another terrible quake.

"We need to get out of here." the mastermind spoke. "And now."

Robin nodded. "Yea."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Another rumble and another pillar crumbled to the ground, shattering as it landed on the floor which gave way to the mausoleum below. Batman darted for secure ground as more of the structure around him seemed to fold in on itself and the floor began to give way.

It seemed everything was now coming apart. He looked briefly to the bodies laid out before him in that room. The same room his son had committed those murders in. And he wondered for a moment where he had gone wrong with the boy?

Another wretched creak.

And another pillar tumbled to the floor. It fell apart before it could even hit the ground below. The floor had become a crippling mess alongside the gaping hole in the middle. He couldn't waste any more time.

A few jumps, a few flips, and after breaking down a door he found himself outside. Dust filled up the area around him creating a haze as the building began to fully collapse. Hundreds of years of history, gone in a single night.

Carefully, the Bat backed away from the building. He took pause for a moment before he stepped back into the shadows of Berlin's streets.

"Richard..." He didn't know what to tell Alfred. That man had raised Richard just as much as he had, and probably had done a better job at it. Alfred and Richard were close, just as the three of them were. They were family. Or they used to be. But now... No, he couldn't tell Alfred now. Not tonight.

It didn't matter if he told Alfred or not, really. He was going to get his son back. Slade would pay for this transgression against his family.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It didn't take long for Robin and Slade to exit the building, they turned around just in time to watch it turn into a heap of relics. The two seemed disinterested. Robin looked more distraught than he had in a while, which was understandable. He heard the helicopter in the distance, it wasn't far.

"It wasn't your fault."

Robin looked away.

"Casualties happen." Slade continued.

The boy crossed his arms. "It shouldn't have happened to them."

"Perhaps not... but life doesn't always go as it should. You can prepare for a lifetime, thinking you have the correct keys and the right answers. But life has a way of showing you that no matter how prepared we are, we can always still lose the game."

Robin sighed. "I want revenge."

Aahhhh there it was. Slade smirked behind his mask. However, his voice never showed any hints of his amusement. "In time Robin."

"She controls them."

"She who?"

"Aurora, she controls them all, even Batman, although they don't know it. They don't know that they're all a part of something bigger, something they can't control, something they would all probably fight against if they knew and probably lose to." Robin sighed and shook his head. "They fight to protect their foolish cities and their people, but all the while they are just goddamn pawns in her game."

Batman? As far as Slade knew the Bat never worked for anymore. Who were the 'they'? What extensions of power did this society wield and what had this woman spilled to his apprentice?

The helicopter was close now.

"The Justice League is a giant cover-up for everything she does. We take them out, we can get to her."

"And then you can have your revenge?" it was an amused question from the mastermind. The boy shrugged. "It would take time."

The boy nodded. "A lot of time."

"Call it a personal project then."

The boy looked up to the man. "Huh?"

"I'll always be willing to help you in regards to your endeavors Robin. However, there are some things I have to check up on. And for now, it's probably in our best interest to get as far away from Berlin as possible."

Robin scoffed. "Like she'd stay here anyways."

Slade narrowed his singular eye. "I know you want payback, but recklessly scouring a city much larger than Jump and Gotham put together, not knowing the local language, or much about the city, isn't the best idea."

Robin narrowed his eyes in return and Slade could feel the rage emitting from the boy. His anger was once a small and well hidden flame that had built up over the years. But it had become much more dangerous in the last few months. It had become a bonfire and it was that same flame that killed those men. The flame held the boy up and urged him to keep going forward, to survive, to win the fight regardless of any and all odds. The flame was from the same spark he had witnessed every time he fought the boy as a Titan. It was still there, greater then a spark now and Slade knew that Robin would find a way to avenge his friends and kill that women in cold blood. The fire was a flicker of murderous beauty in his eyes, deadly to the touch.

There was no going back for this boy now. Nor did he think Robin would even feel comfortable in the skin of a Titan ever again. Robin was his now, and each step into the dark the boy took, the more he would belong to the mastermind. All for him to mold, train, teach and then release onto the world.

Robin looked from his master to the helicopter, as he could see it in the sky above him. A ladder was dropped for the duo. "It seems our ride has arrived. Up you go."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Asif looked to the newcomers with a smile on his face, Robin was the first to climb up, next came Slade. However, when the mercenary had his two feet settled onto the floor of the helicopter, he began to lift up the ladder. Asif was confused by this.

"Wait what about the others?"

Robin looked to the young man, no emotion on his face. Just a blank canvas. "Asif..." The name slipped from his mouth... but that was all for the moment. Not even Robin wanted to say what had happened. But Asif deserved to know.

"What is going on? Where are Sariel and Gus? They should be right behind you, we can't leave without them."

"Asif."

"Look I know you and I haven't had too many kind interactions in the past few days, but..." Asif looked into Robin's blue eyes as the boy took the mask off. Something was off, even Asif knew that much. Robin just didn't look the same. "Are we meeting them elsewhere? Sariel, she..."

"Asif... Sairel, she's dead."

"What?" He really shouldn't have been shocked, they all knew what it meant by going after the Ben Elohim. They all knew they could die. But she was... Sariel was always so careful. How could this have happened?

"Yea... she, stepped in the way. It should have been me..." The image played over and over again in Robin's mind as he kept asking himself why? Why would she do that?

Asif sighed; he knew she'd try to save the blasted kid if it came down to it. "She would of done it for anyone." he mentally reminded himself. Probably didn't think she would get herself killed though. Unless... He sighed. No, she wouldn't do that. He pushed the thought from his mind and asked the next dreaded question.

"And Gus?"

Robin frowned. "She got him to."

Asif's face turned from sorrow to anger. "That fucking bitch!" He buried his face into his hands, not wanting to face the reality of the situation. This wouldn't end would it?

His world had turned upside down so unexpectedly that he didn't feel Robin's hand on his shoulder at first, however when he realized, it was not unwelcome. "We'll get them. I promise."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Beast Boy had crawled out of bed a bit earlier than the others. Which was shocking really. He, out of all of the Titans, loved to sleep in. But after the whole Brotherhood fiasco, he just hadn't been the same. Something always got him out of bed at an early time these days. Was it grief? Fear? Pain of loss? He didn't know. The team still hadn't gotten over Robin. They all knew he was alive... somewhere out there. But other than their talks with Batman, the team had been left with nothing. It was a waiting game and they were all a bit tired of waiting. There weren't any answers to any of their questions. It was getting difficult between the four of them as they tried to protect their city and search for any clues in the meantime.

Raven had been trying to contact their leader and she came to the dreaded conclusion that while he might be alive, he was ignoring her and shutting down the link between them. Meaning he was somewhere or with someone he didn't want them to know about. Or perhaps he didn't want them to worry about him. Which gave all of them the impression of Slade being involved. The whole thing reeked of the man. And to be honest, Beast Boy wasn't cool with Batman literally telling them he'd deal with it and then ignoring them. Didn't the Bat know that they all knew Robin as well? He was their leader, their friend. He meant something to each of them.

After grabbing his bowl of cereal, Garfield sat himself in front of the living room's rather large television and flicked it on. He frowned when he realized it was the news.

"We have an aerial view of the Berliner Dom, a historical church in Berlin, now in complete ruin. Again, we have no idea how this has happened, but it is clear that the building has collapsed. Authorities are investigating whether or not the collapse is connected to a violent fight that took place last night in a pub across town. Locals are saying that the people from that fight somehow ended up within the church... could they be the ones responsible for this horrible outcome? Officials are currently looking into the details. Now as you can see here, we have some footage from the pub fight, that show very clearly the suspects that were reported in and around the church-"

"Dude... I don't need this in the morning! Uugghhhhh!"

Beast Boy was about to flip the channel when the footage from the pub played. When he saw a familiar figure, clear as day, Garfield's eyes went wide. His mouth agape, he stood up. The bowl of cereal and its contents spilled onto the floor. "No way!"

"No way..." He repeated as his breath became heavy before he realized he should wake up the rest of the team. They would want to know that he had just found Robin.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

So what you all think? What is Robin gonna do? Where is Slade taking him. What is Asif gonna do? Ya know some of you were right as to what Aurora is. Mwahahaha!

Anyways PLS PLS Review, I have cake! *offers cake* Let me know what you thought on this chapter.

Take care of yourselves out there! SOCIAL DISTANCING! WEAR A MASK! and BE GOOD! and overall guys, Stay safe ok!?

-Fangy