Titans: Elemental

Chapter 20: Apprentice, Part 2

TiransIt is sunset over Jump City.

Starfire is flying over the city, trying to call Dick. Blackfire is flying beside her.

Starfire called out, "Richard? Richard! Please, Richard, where are you?"

Raven said, "Starfire, enough. You've been calling for forty-five minutes."

Starfire said, "perhaps if I just try one more-"

BB said, "come on, Star. If he's gonna pick up, he'd have done it by now. 'Sides, you're kinda giving me a headache."

Blackfire said, "me too sis. And I'm right next to ya!"

Starfire asked, "but why does he not respond? Where could he be?"

….

We see Vic and Rose in the sewers.

Vic said, "Dick and Cinderblock definitely went a few rounds, but I can't tell who won, or where they went."

Rose said, "although I'm guessing Dick, since he took down like a million of my dad's robots."

….

Raven is sitting at the computer in the main room with Jack.

Raven said, "no sign of him here, either."

Jack said, "not even any footage from across the city. I tried calling some of our friends, see if they saw him. Garth hasn't, Jinx was busy with a friend of hers named Karen, and even Batman hasn't caught wind of him in Gotham."

Night has fallen by now.

Raven said, "his locator is still offline. I've been monitoring all the frequencies, but he hasn't checked in."

….

We see Starfire with Blackfire beside her, "oh, we are bad friends! We should never have left Dick to do battle alone."

BB, as a monkey, jumps onto a roof and takes human form.

BB said, "yeah, especially since Slade's big doodad was a dud."

Rose groaned, "don't get me started on that!"

BB jumps away again.

….

Raven looks at the computer schematic of the fake detonator.

Raven said, "the Chroniton Detonator wasn't a dud. It was a decoy to lure us away from Dick, and we fell for it."

Jack looks ticked off as he picks Percy up and pets him.

….

Vic groans loudly and slams a fist against the wall of the sewer tunnel.

Vic said, "I shoulda known that thing was a fake!"

Rose said, "it figures my dad would have pulled this kind of thing."

….

Starfire asked, "but why? Why did Slade wish to separate us from Richard?"

Blackfire asked, "and what did he shoot us with?"

BB said, "and if the detonator was a decoy…."

Raven asked, "… What was Slade's real plan?"

Jack said, "nothing good, I'm sure."

….

An urgent alarm starts up as we see Vic, now running through the sewer with Rose right behind him.

Vic exclaimed, "Titans! Trouble!"

….

We see a tall, circular building with an observation deck set a story or two below its roof; a walkway leads away from this. Someone drops into view, free-falling toward the structure. Inside, the top floor is seen to be a darkened laboratory. A panel falls from the ceiling, and the silhouette drops in after it. Something is hurled across the room toward a glass storage vessel that holds a piece of equipment.

We see it sticking in the framework; it is a small sphere with two short arms sticking out from opposite sites. Each arm ends in a curved blade, so that the entire device looks like a backwards letter S. Slade's insignia is embossed on the sphere, this is one of his toys, given for the person's use. One by one, lights wink around the center logo to form a ring; after they are all illuminated, the thing explodes in a brilliant flash. The blast spreads outward from those upper stories. When it clears, we see the figure's form holding the item that was in the vessel.

"He's stolen the Thermal Blaster!"

The speaker is one of several prison guards who run in with weapons at the ready.

One guard yelled, "stop him!"

They reach the lab, then the observation deck, and open fire against the fleeing thief. The figure somersaults away; they stop for a look around.

Another guard asked, "where'd he go?"

The figure is hanging upside down from the roof. After the guards have left the area, he drops down and makes a break for it, but Starfire, Blackfire and BB pull out to block him and Vic's lands to cut off any retreat.

Vic yelled, "freeze!"

Raven, Jack and Rose are there with him.

The figure sprints off along the walkway; they give chase, and they soon find themselves nearing the end of the line, with nothing between them and a very long drop to the street. They stop and turn to face them, and the light comes up fully on them for the first time, giving the others a clear view of Dick in his new outfit. They are so paralyzed with shock and confusion, it is as if their feet have been nailed to the floor.

BB said, "that's not Slade, that's…."

Starfire said, "… Nightwing."

Jack asked, "what the heck?"

BB yelled, "no way!"

Rose asked, "how could you-?"

Starfire asked, "Nightwing, why are you-?"

He cuts her off with the throw of a Slade-styled flier that explodes in her face, driving her back along the walkway toward the others.

Vic yelled, "yo!"

BB asked, "what is your deal?!"

Dick turns his head. A small radio receiver, marked with Slade's insignia, is plugged into his left ear, and the new boss' voice is heard from it.

Slade said, "not a word, Nightwing. They're not your friends anymore."

The seven close in; he raises the blaster he just stole and fires at the stretch of walkway between him and them. The resulting explosion brings them up short and forces a yell from BB.

Vic asked, "what are you doing?"

Rose yelled, "and why are you dressed like that?!"

The smoke begins to clear, revealing that a section has been blown apart entirely. Dick's outline is visible through the haze, but it fades away after a few seconds, he is gone.

Starfire said, "Richard…."

Blackfire asked, "what the heck is going on?"

….

We see Dick stepping forth from the darkness to hold up the blaster.

He is standing in a single spot of light.

Slade said, "excellent, Nightwing. I'm pleased. You're already proving to be the perfect apprentice."

Dick growled, "this deal can't last forever."

Slade said, "it can. And it will."

Behind Dick, a row of monitors comes to life, all showing blank white screens. He turns to face them; one shows static, then an image of the decoy detonator.

Slade said, "the Titans still have no idea that my Chroniton Detonator was more than a decoy. Now that my probes are inside their bodies, they could remain undetected for years, decades. I admit, it saddens me to do this to my own daughter, but I couldn't hold back."

The monitors go white again.

Slade said, "unless, of course, you disobey me, and I decide to destroy your former friends with a push of the button?"

He holds up his hand on the end of this; said button is nestled in it.

Dick growled, "sooner or later, you'll let your guard down. I will get that controller, and the instant they're out of danger, you will pay."

Slade steps toward him.

Slade said, "that sounds like a threat, young man", he takes the blaster from Dick and continues, "quite a good threat, actually. Betrayal, destruction, revenge. We really do think alike."

Dick grits his teeth in a quiet snarl that quickly builds in intensity before he throws himself at Slade. The charge goes bad in a hurry; Slade grabs Dick's wrist and bends his arm back sharply. From the sound of things, one or more bones are within an inch of breaking.

Slade said, "I monitored your vital signs during the mission. Elevated heart rate, adrenaline, endorphins. You won't admit it, but at some level, you enjoyed stealing for me. It was a thrill, wasn't it?"

He releases his hold; Dick stumbles away and rubs his overstressed arm.

Slade said, "you're going to keep stealing", he removed his blaster muzzle, "and you're going to keep getting that thrill. And sooner or later, you will see things my way."

He has put the weapon back together now. Dick is still holding up his right arm.

Slade said, "who knows? I might even become like a father to you."

He clasps the blaster onto Dick's fist, so that the muzzle points out along Dick's arm.

As Slade walks away, a single tear goes down Dick's face.

Dick muttered in sadness, "I already have a father."

A few bats fly out through the openings between the blades of an enormous blower and disappear into the night.

Dick is obviously thinking of Bruce; Batman. Heck, he even started to see Diana, Wonder Woman, as a mother figure.

He only hoped his friends would one day be out of danger….

….

Back at the tower…

BB said, "okay. The way I see it…."

In the living room, he has donned a cap and long coat similar to those often worn by Sherlock Holmes, and he paces in front of Vic, Jack, Blackfire, Rose and Raven. After a couple of passes, he stops and turns to them, holding up the sort of pipe smoked by the great sleuth.

BB said, "… there are only two logical explanations. One…."

He holds up a comic book, Weird Shock, whose cover depicts a colossal robot in Dick's very approximate likeness. It is destroying a city.

BB said, "… Dick's been replaced by an evil robot double."

The book opens to its first page, showing a close-up of one panel, a spiky-haired silhouette, it's back to us, facing a horde of undead corpses. In the second panel, the figure has turned around to show itself as a Nightwing zombie.

BB said, "two…. He's another innocent victim of zombie mind control."

The background changes to a black and white spiral, then restores itself before the book closes again.

The others' faces indicate just how far round the bend they think BB has gone.

Raven said, "as logical as that sounds, if anything was controlling his mind, I would have sensed it."

Jack said, "same here. My magic prevents mind control, and senses it."

Vic checks his forearm panel, "and my scanners confirmed his biometrics. That was the real Dick, our friend."

Rose said, "I still can't believe he would join my dad…"

Blackfire said, "I don't think any of us could."

All of them hang their heads.

Starfire said, "lies! That was not Richard! Your scanners are wrong! Richard is our friend, and nothing could ever make him betray us! Nothing."

Raven said, "but something did."

The would-be gumshoe with the overactive imagination pops up.

BB said, "three words, 'disgruntled radioactive clone.'"

Vic yanks him away.

BB yelled, "ow!"

Raven delivers a spin kick that sends him flying toward the kitchen; a crash of glass is heard from that direction.

Raven said, "no matter what the reason, no matter how much we wish it wasn't true, Dick's a criminal now. And just like any other criminal-"

Vic said, "-The Titans have to bring him down."

Starfire stifled a sob and turned away, clapping her hands to her face.

Jack said, "if there is any way he's still on our side, I'm praying for it to show itself."

Blackfire said, "I think we all do."

An alarm blared out before Starfire could do anything else; we see BB at a computer console.

BB said, "it's him!"

….

We see a large open space within a building. A set of doors, marked with a large W, is blown inward off the hinges, and Dick steps in as the smoke swirls around his ankles. He advances across the floor; behind him, the room is empty save for a device suspended within a force field at the center. He approaches it. He reaches out to seize the item, but the next words freeze him in his tracks.

Vic said, "you're not walking outta here, Nightwing!"

He turns; the other Titans are at the wrecked door.

Vic said, "not without a fight."

Dick yells and charges.

Jack and Vic yelled, "Titans! Go!"

They bolt across the floor, BB becoming a tiger as he moves. They all hurtle towards one another.

Dick dodges both Vic's punch and BB's lunge; the latter returns to human form as the new felon vaults overhead. He sails neatly between Starfire, Blackfire and Raven, tears away a ceiling panel, and is away through it before any of them can react. We see just inside the hole as the seven stare flabbergasted up after him.

….

We head up to the roof. A large lighted sign identifies this as the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises. A panel pops open, and Dick springs out and races across, his silhouette tiny in the glare from the huge white letters. Dick has tears stinging his eyes as he steals from his mentor.

Slade said, "not so fast, Nightwing. You have yet to achieve your objective."

Dick tried to explain, "the device was too heavily guarded. I'll have to steal it another-"

Slade ordered, "no", Dick stopped, "go back. Unless you want me to destroy them, go back and fight."

Vic yelled, "Nightwing!"

He and the others are at one end of the roof. Dick turns to face them.

Vic said, "look, I don't know what's going on, but we don't want to fight."

Jack asked, "stealing from Wayne? Working with Slade? This isn't you!"

Vic said, "we just want to talk."

Dick lets his feet do the conversing, in the form of a high flying kick that drives Vic back past the others.

BB growled, "guess there's nothing to talk about."

BB cracks his knuckles and turns into an enormous gorilla, bringing both fists down on the rooftop. Dick leaps back to evade the hit and a couple of grabs before perching at the center of the A in WAYNE. A huge green hand shoots up after him; he leaps to the A's peak, then down again as BB climbs up after him. In midair, he pulls out another of Slade's flying weapons, the curved blades extending from the central orb. A line whistles down from Dick's direction, and winds itself around one thick wrist of the green gorilla. Dick drops down and threads the line through the A's center. It is pulled taut, yanking BB halfway through to make him stick fast.

Starfire then stands before Dick.

Starfire tried to say, "please-"

She is cut off as he rushes past her, leaps very high, and comes down with a kick and a flurry of other strikes aimed at Raven! She shields herself from the offensive.

We see Vic's sonic cannon and tilt up to his face behind it. Even though the weapon is fully charged up, his face betrays his extreme uneasiness and reluctance at the prospect of using it in this situation.

His perspective of the two duelists; a low groan is heard as he steadies his aim.

Vic said, "don't make me…."

Giving up the attempt to get a clear shot, he disarms and runs in to do things the old-fashioned way. The punch he throws misses Dick, but connects against Raven's shield. High above the roof, BB is still struggling to extricate himself from the sign's A. He finally succeeds by changing into a snake and slithering down; once he is back on the roof, he assumes the form of a bighorn sheep and charges. Those curved horns slam into Dick's back and send him rolling away to stop just short of the edge.

BB returns to human form and runs to the edge, where Dick lies prone.

BB exclaimed, "dude! Are you okay?"

His answer comes in the form of a savage kick that knocks him into Vic; both go down, and Dick sits up.

Slade said, "fight to win, Nightwing. Use the thermal blaster."

Rose runs forward with her, trying to hit Dick, but he keeps dodging before sending a high kick at her, which sends her into a nearby air duct sticking out of the roof, dazing her as Raven rises into the air.

Raven chanted, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

The spell lifts Dick up and binds him from neck to knees. His right arm is free, however, and he scales a disc at her. It explodes in her face with a blinding flash, breaking her hold.

Raven groaned, "I…. Can't…. See!"

She tumbles down as Starfire watches.

Starfire yelled, "no!"

Jack starts sending shards of ice and rock at Dick, who managed to dodge all of them before grabbing Jack's staff and hitting him with it, sending him to the ground in a daze

Jack muttered, "again, I gotta build that strap."

Vic backs into view, blocking Dick's punches.

Vic said, "come on, man, don't make me do this! I don't want to do this!"

He grabs one arm and gets ready to fire his cannon, but a low foot sweep gets in under his guard and dumps him onto his back. The blast goes off when he falls.

Blackfire starts shooting star bolts at Dick and yells, "how could you do this to us?!"

Dick dodged and threw several disks at her, tying her up when they launched lines of rope around her.

Dick leaps away and ends up atop the sign's A. As Vic, Jack and Raven sit up, rubbing their heads, and BB gets to his feet, the former Titan hops from one letter to the next. When he reaches the E, he finds a supremely furious Starfire floating just past its edge, with a starbolt ready to go in her outstretched hand.

Starfire yelled, "stop! Do. Not. Move."

Slade yelled, "I thought I told you to use that blaster. Attack! Now!"

Dick raises the weapon and trains it on Starfire; its muzzle glows red.

The green radiance from her palm throws an unearthly hue onto her icy expression as she steels herself to fire. Starfire's eyes widen, showing the struggle between friendship and duty raging in her mind.

Starfire said, "Richard, you are my best friend. I cannot be in a world where we must fight. If you are truly evil", she drops her head, cooling down her starbolt, "then go ahead. Do what you must."

Dick still has her in his sights, but her words have touched off his own inner conflict. After a tense moment, he de-energizes the blaster and lowers his arm.

Dick tried to say, "Starfire, no! I-"

There is a squeal of shrill feedback from the receiver; he claps a hand to his ear in pain.

….

Slade stands up, "Nightwing! I gave you an order. If you won't attack, my probes will."

His thumb comes down, and he stands watching the other seven Titans' blood vessels on his monitors. As the probes begin their work, flashes of red light play across one after another of the figures on the vital-sign readouts. The last one seen is Starfire, whose readout changes to an orange-glowing, red-flecked silhouette of her.

….

Starfire is still floating just past its edge, groaning in agony and unable to move. Dick runs as close to her as he can without going overboard. She is now twitching and flailing uncontrollably; she starts to fall, but Dick catches her.

Dick yelled, "Starfire!"

Dick has tears streaming down his face as he looks down toward the roof. One by one, the other Titans are similarly afflicted and collapse in unbearable pain.

Dick begged, "stop! Please stop!"

Slade growled, "attack, Nightwing. It's the only way to save them. Attack with everything you've got."

Dick mulls over the predicament, and gently sets Starfire down.

Starfire said, "Richard…."

He points the blaster down at her.

Dick muttered, "I'm sorry."

He fires as smoke drifts up from the muzzle.

….

Slade said as he sat at his chair, "that's my boy."

….

We see Starfire, knocked out on the sign. She is no longer suffering the effects of Slade's probes. She moans weakly and sits up atop the huge lighted letters.

Starfire said in confusion, "huh?"

The others are too free of the probes' onslaught and have begun to come around.

BB said, "okay. Weirdness. What just-?"

Before he can finish the sentence, Dick plunges toward them with a yell and a fresh blast ready to go. It traces a short distance between the scene; he lands in the middle and slings BB into Raven's face. A low kick knocks Vic away, and Starfire and Blackfire find themselves trying to hit a moving midair target with their star bolts. He somersaults across the roof and trains his blaster on them. They gasp, realizing that he has them bracketed, but he shifts his aim and fires past them, hitting the Y. The next beams come at BB and Raven; he becomes a monkey and scampers away, while she puts up a shield in front of herself.

Jack forms a wall of ice around himself and Rose.

Now the little green primate darts in and climbs all over the armored arms and legs; it takes a moment for Dick to get hold and throw him aside. As he does so, though, Raven exerts her powers over the arm with the blaster and causes the thing to dismantle itself. What she gets for her trouble is a shove that sends her careening across the roof. Next up is Vic, who comes up from behind and tries to grab him. Dick ducks away and sees that all of the Titans had regrouped.

BB becomes a bear, Vic has his cannon locked and loaded, and the girls have their respective powers warmed up, Rose holds her staff at the ready, and Jack swings his staff around.

Dick looks over his shoulder and finds that he is at the roof's edge.

He whips out a handful of discs and throws them at the group. Vic, Blackfire and Starfire duck as the projectiles hurtle past, BB, Rose, Jack and Raven do the same as they explode. They detonate at the bases of the A.

Vic exclaimed, "Titans! Move!"

They clear out, BB transforming to bat form, just in time, as the Y topples forward with the A not far behind. When the smoke clears, Vic is seen in one piece and on his feet; standing in the center of the fallen A, the right place at the right time to keep from being crushed.

Starfire looks around fearfully as Raven and Blackfire land near her.

Jack and Rose help one another up.

Raven said, "he's gone."

Vic asked, "everybody okay?"

BB said, "uh, I know where Dick picked up that heat ray, but where did he learn that little glowy hurty trick?"

Starfire said, "I do not think that was Richard. Perhaps it is Slade who has learned a new trick?"

Rose shouted, "I knew it!"

….

Slade is watching the footage of the fight between Dick and the Titans.

Slade said, "thrilling. My apprentice is progressing even faster than I had hoped. All he needed was a little motivation."

Dick reaches into view and grabs a wrist. His fist is cocked back.

Dick yelled, "MOTIVATE THIS!"

He throws the punch, but Slade catches it easily without flinching and wrenches the arm to one side Dick is flung toward a set of overhead gears, but he comes down in a crouch across the floor. He stands up; Slade leaves his chair and flexes a handful of fingers.

Slade said, "Nightwing", he crossed the floor, "that was vicious, dishonorable, and ruthless. Excellent work. You're becoming more like me every second."

He turns away, then whirls to face his apprentice with a sudden string of blows; Dick dodges and tries a few counterattacks, but Slade gets him in a headlock and lifts him off his feet. Dick swings his leg straight ahead and up to kick him in the face, forcing him to break the hold. Both retreat a bit, trying to catch their breath and clear their heads.

….

We see Vic in the Tower's main room. He straightens up.

Vic said, "I think I found something."

The other Titans are gathered around the couch; BB wears an assortment of devices wired up to the computers. On the window/screen is a readout of his vital signs.

Vic said, "the enhanced sensors are picking up radio interference on the nanoscopic scale."

He does a bit of typing; now the screen shows Slade's probes in fine detail, attached to BB's red blood cells.

Starfire gasps as Raven says, "whoa."

Rose said, "of all the evil things my dad has done, this is a new low."

The test subject looks toward the screen, and his eyes pop wide open for a moment.

BB groaned, "those things are inside me? EWWW!"

Vic said, "they're inside all of us. Billions of 'em!"

Starfire said, "with such technology at his command, Slade can destroy us whenever he wants."

Raven said, "unless Dick does whatever he says."

BB said, "and you guys thought my zombie idea was crazy."

Blackfire said, "now we know why Dick would do such terrible things!"

Jack said, "we've gotta help him!"

….

We go back to Slade and Dick, still trying to collect themselves after the previous skirmish. Dick strikes first, propelling himself in a high backward jump that carries him toward the metal face, but Slade grabs his legs, swings him low to scrape the floor, and ends by hurling him toward the overhead machinery. The screaming hero hooks a crankshaft to stop himself from flying into the gears.

From here to a section of the machine room, the blackness was just a darkened corner, as Dick advances into view and peers warily from one spot to another. He makes his way to a bank of levers near the edge of this elevated platform and stops for a good look around. Steam boils up as a stationary gear begins to turn. Slade's feet are carried down from the platform's edge onto it from the rotating wheel.

Slade said, "good, Nightwing. You're doing much better than last time. A few more years of training, and you might actually pose a threat. You know, you were my prime candidate. Another was the magic boy. But, I already had his brother in that role."

Dick was surprised.

Slade said, "that's right. Your little friend's brother was my apprentice. I took him when he wasn't looking and controlled his mind. Unfortunately, he escaped me, and I have no idea where he is… But, that's all in the past. And I believe we have your punishment to deal with!"

Dick has started to back up by this point; he reaches the levers and brakes one loose to use as a club. He twirls it back and forth and gets ready to swing, but Slade merely pulls out a fighting staff just like the one Dick used to use and extends it to full length. More steam roils around the two enemies before Dick charges in. Slade parries his attacks, and the two lean in at each other with their full weight. Slowly but surely, Slade overpowers Dick and forces him back, then catches him with a high swing to drive him back against a pipe.

Dick leaps away, just barely missing Slade's jabbing strike that punctures the pipe to release a flood of steam that envelops both of them. The staff has lodged in the metal, and Dick jumps onto it for a blind swing of his makeshift club. The sound of metal crashing against metal tells that the strike hit its target, but after a moment, Slade stands up.

Dick yelled in shock, "huh?"

The villain delivers a karate chop that breaks the end off his own staff. Dick jumps away and high overhead, landing on a bend in the damaged pipe. A camshaft swings back and forth in front of him like a pendulum; he takes a few cautious steps backward, and Slade appears suddenly before him once the next swing has gone through.

Another couple of cycles, and he is gone again. Dick's eyes go wide in disbelief; an instant later, Slade barrels across and hits him broadside. The young man fetches up on a stationary gear mounted horizontally and, dazed a bit, struggles to lift his head. He snaps back to full consciousness in a hurry once he sees Slade coming straight down toward him. One of those armored fists slams into the platform, just missing Dick thanks to his last-second dodge.

Withdrawing his hand from the hole he has smashed in the deck plate, Slade stands up and cracks his knuckles. Dick's eyes narrow in pure hatred, and he runs across for a leap; instead of aiming directly at Slade, though, he goes past one shoulder and brings his leg up for a crashing spin kick that staggers the man. A second blow knocks Slade over the edge; he tumbles down in front of the monitors, which once again show the Titans' bloodstreams. The left side of his mask has cracked from the force of the kick. Dick jumps down to face him.

Slade said, "you're going to wish you hadn't done that."

Dick steps closer and says, "I only wish I'd done it sooner."

As he says this, he tears the silver badge of Slade's emblem from his chest and throws it down to stick just in front of the still-kneeling Slade. Enraged from this insubordinate act, Slade stands up and charges at Dick. Now Dick is forced to go on the defensive against a sequence of attacks. He goes into a handstand, attempting to kick Slade in the face, but the latter only catches the approaching foot to immobilize him. After an incurious look back and forth, Slade throws Dick across the way.

Dick struggles to stand as Slade stands before him.

Slade said, "I have much to teach you. But the first thing you need to learn is gratitude."

Dick wipes his face, and Slade merely stands there and eyes the activity on the monitors. The rebellious apprentice yells in fury and moves in for another go, but Slade seizes his arm and bends it back cruelly past the shoulder before dumping him onto his back. The hold is released, and he starts to roll away.

Slade growled, "I made you my apprentice. All my knowledge, all my power, all for you", he leans into view and grabs Dick's hair, "I even gave you more free will then my last apprentice. But the only thing you care about are your: WORTHLESS…. LITTLE…. FRIENDS!"

Slade lets go of the hair and takes a couple of steps away before Dick stands.

Slade growled, "if the Titans are so distracting, maybe I should just get rid of them."

As casually as if he were looking at a wristwatch, he brings up the button and gets ready to set the probes off again. Dick steels himself for another charge, then loses his resolve, knowing what another act of defiance could bring down on his friends.

Dick begged, "don't. I'll do whatever you say."

Slade said, "good boy. And, from now on, I'd like you to call me master."

A starbolt flashes across the area and blasts him away to land right in front of the monitors.

We see the other Titans, now in the lair and gathered in front of his favorite chair.

Rose commented, "that sounded really creepy. Anyone else think so?"

Jack and Blackfire nodded.

Starfire has a double-barreled blast all ready to go with his name on it.

Starfire growled, "leave. Him. Alone!"

Slade is getting up from the shot Starfire laid on him.

Slade yelled, "Nightwing! Attack!"

Dick is now close to a piece of equipment at one end of the row of monitors. It is the same device that blasted the other Titans off the speedboat and implanted the probes. As he speaks, he gestures toward it.

Dick yelled, "get out of here! Go! You don't know what those beams did to-"

BB said, "dude…."

Jack said, "… Nightwing…."

Raven said, "… We know…."

Blackfire said, "… Everything…."

Rose said, "… That he did…."

Vic said, "… And we don't care."

Starfire said, "we are your friends, Nightwing. We are not leaving without you."

They tense for battle; Slade steps up.

Slade said as he put his finger on the button, "how very touching, but Nightwing doesn't need any friends."

He presses it, bringing the apparatus to life; red energy bolts blaze out across the space. They all start collapsing in utter pain!

Slade said, "this is the price for your disobedience, Nightwing. Now do as I command. Attack!"

With great effort, Starfire lifts her head and aims a pleading gaze at Dick. Even though her eyes are whited out by the glare of the energy surging through her body, they and the tears running down her cheeks broadcast the group's agony loud and clear. Dick's jaw drops open as he gasps softly; he looks off in the direction of the device.

His eyes narrow in pure, righteous determination.

Dick growled defiantly, "no."

He dashes off.

Slade yelled, "Nightwing!"

A few more steps and a great leap carry the roaring apprentice over the last few yards, and he plants his hand on the rig. Now bathed in its glow, he brings his other palm around to touch it as well. The groans that escape through his tight-locked teeth betray the unendurable physical strain he has put on himself.

Dick is thrown backward as the entire rig explodes; and the glare dies away.

Smoke billows into the air.

Slade, watching the Titans' bloodstreams with great surprise, and, as he does, an eighth screen pops up with "NightWing" on it. Groaning with the strain, this new victim hauls himself to his feet; Slade regards his control button with some trepidation now, and the orange-glowing boots advance toward him, step by labored step.

Dick stands before Slade.

Dick growled, "new deal, Slade. If I lose my friends, you lose your apprentice! Again! And I know how you hate to lose."

He collapses. Slade gives this proposition a long moment's thought, his thumb ready to bring Dick's existence to a grinding halt, and then tears the controller off his wrist and tosses it away. A few sparks flash up from it, after which the probes cease their destructive work on Dick. Not about to let the matter drop so easily, Slade raises one foot to stomp the spiky-haired head flat; before he can bring it down, though, Dick is up and grabbing at it. He smirks at Slade, whose eye goes very wide, and a smashing punch sends the evil genius flying to the other end of the platform.

Dick exclaimed, "Titans! Go!"

The others, also back in good health, charge at Slade. BB, now a tiger, is first to do damage with a clawed swipe that pierces the armor. Vic, Blackfire and Starfire move in next, star bolts and cannon going full throttle to blast Slade backward. As he tumbles, Raven casts a spell to bind his feet and sling him hard onto the platform.

Jack shoots a violent strike of lightning that sends Slade into a wall as Rose jumps in and begins hitting him with her staff over and over again as she says, "you! Are! The! Worst! Father! Ever!"

She hits him so hard one last time, cracking the armor on his chest!

Only now does Dick go on the attack, delivering a flying kick that pastes a boot sole across that masked face. The steel mask cracks like a China doll from the attack!

Dick lands in a crouch as Slade falls to his knees nearby, the left side of his face turned to them. The right half of his mask drops away and skids across the floor, and he now stands up with one big hand covering the exposed portion of his visage. Nothing can be seen but a fringe of unruly white hair above the fingers, and his eye looks as if it might pop out of his head. He turns and runs off, dropping his hand as he does so.

He runs into view and fiddles briefly with a large piece of equipment.

The light does not shine on the exposed side.

Slade said, "another day, Nightwing."

He has slotted his fingers into holes bored for a better grip, similar to a bowling ball, and he turns it. Lines of red light emanate along the surface of the device, and we pull back to show rings of light flicking on down the body of the rig.

Slade said, "another day."

All eight Titans stand dumbfounded near the monitors, which have all gone blank. The light goes red and begins to fade in and out, blacking out the area every time it goes. Dick runs forward as the entire place starts to shake and crumble, Slade has set off a self-destruct sequence. Gears start to fall off their axles, first one and then many more. The biggest tumbles toward Dick. He runs at top speed to stay ahead as it rolls along and tears up the platform; finally, Starfire flies past and carries him off. Vic strains at the core of the probe system and tears it loose. Raven, Blackfire and Jack fly up, towing BB and Rose, as Vic makes a mad dash along the crumbling deck plates and is thrown into the air when one flips.

After the area blacks out following this last shot, a door opens and white light pours in from outside. Dick is there, having opened it.

Dick said, "let's go home."

A gear wheel falls into view near them as they escape.

….

We return to the tower the following morning….

We see the team gathered in the main room. On its screen, a bar graph is quickly filling up. The core of Slade's probe system has been wired up. BB is seated, tubes and cables hooked to every square inch of him, a mask clamped over his face.

BB asked, "am I done yet?"

Dick, dressed in his proper outfit, and the other Titans are watching a magnified view of BB's blood on the window/screen. Not a probe in sight.

Vic said, "that's it, y'all. The Titans are officially probe-free."

BB jumps out of the chair with a boisterous laugh and starts to dance, with assorted hardware still connected to his body.

BB cheered, "go, Beast Boy! You're probe-less! No probes now! Go, Beast Boy! Go, Beast Boy! Get fun-kay! Uh! Yeah! Uh, uh, that's right."

He moonwalks on the end of this.

Raven said, "um…. I know this isn't my style, but we just kicked Slade's butt. Shouldn't we celebrate or something?"

Jack has a huge dumb grin as he stares at his girlfriend.

Dick and Vic stare incredulously at her, but BB jumps into view and lands on Vic's shoulders. The green goofball has shed all the equipment he pulled along with him.

BB cheered, "yeah!"

He leans forward to stare Vic upside-down in the face.

Vic said, "all-you-can-eat…."

BB continued, "… Free-form…."

Rose joins in as all three Titans yell out, "… Breakfast explosion!"

Raven said, "sorry I asked."

The three laughing cooks run past and haul her toward the kitchen with Blackfire and Jack quickly joining in, leaving Dick and Starfire alone at the couch. Some bacon and a couple of eggs fly back into view. Dick sits down next to her; she cannot raise her eyes to him.

Dick asked, "everything okay?"

Starfire said, "I am sorry."

Dick asked, "you're sorry? For what?"

Starfire said, "when things were bad, there was a moment where I truly believed that you were…. Like Slade. I doubted you. And for that, I am sorry."

Dick said, "I doubted myself, Star. Focused, serious, determined…. As much as I hate to admit it, he and I are kind of alike. But there's one big difference between me and Slade…. He doesn't have any friends."

This lifts her spirits in an instant. Both look toward the kitchen.

Raven sits with Jack at the counter. Behind her, on its other side, Vic is flinging food every which way. BB pops up; one hand a crab claw and the other a tentacle, with a waffle in each.

BB asked, "who wants tofu waffles?"

Vic stops throwing and leans in his face; throbbing vein on temple.

BB drops the waffles and returns his hands to normal.

Vic said, "man, nobody wants tofu waffles."

BB growled, "I do. Pass me the soy milk!"

Blackfire is cooking a large creature in a pot, and beating it with a stick to get it to stay in as Rose simply starts grabbing every cereal box they had.

A scuffle breaks out as Dick and Starfire cross to Raven and Jack.

Vic said, "I'm telling you, you're not getting anywhere near the soy milk."

BB yelled, "man, pass me the soy milk!"

Vic asked, "is there any meat in the tofu?"

BB shouted, "no, there's no meat in the tofu, it's tofu!"

Vic yelled, "nobody wants it!"

….

Later, after breakfast, as Jack is sitting outside, practicing his skills with water, Dick approaches.

Dick asked, "Jack?"

Jack asked, "yeah? What's up?"

Dick explained, "when I was Slade's apprentice, he told me he had another one before me. One he mind controlled before they broke free."

Jack asked, "oh? And who were they?"

Dick said, "Jack…. He told me it was your brother."

Jack immediately dropped his staff and said, "my brother? Bryan?!"

Dick nodded.

Jack said urgently, "we have to find him! He could be anywhere in the city right now! He needs us!"

Dick said, "we will. I promise."

Jack smiled and said, "thanks man."

Dick smiled back and said, "homies help homies."

And with that, the two headed inside….

….

Reviews:

Canadude2029: yeo. One of the most intense finales for a season. Glad you're so excited.

SuperSentai199: agreed. Such an amazing villain.

ZeroTheOne: indeed.

….

And thus we wrap up season 1... Again... Cause this is a rewrite and all that. Hope you're all enjoying the story. I'll start season 2 very soon.