INNER DEMONS

by The Mighty One

Chapter 44 has been completed! Blackfire struggles to claim her prize outside The Jump City Observatory. The elemental wielders of ice and earth, are evenly matched at Titans Tower; Raven formulates a strategy with Avatar and The Squadron heroes, as the contest for Cyborg, reaches an unpleasant dilemma of its own. Meanwhile, Falcon and Elizabeth make their move.

10. Shattered Hearts

Disclaimer: By this means, I rightfully claim ownership to this fanfiction story and my original character within it, by my trademark signature T.M.O at the conclusion of every update. Any other characters that may appear in this work and are new, these are the rightful properties by their creators as well and cannot be reproduced, or duplicated without their individual consent. I do not own anything within the DC Universe, from Warner Brothers, or on Cartoon Network. The only original character and the name that I created for him; that I accept half ownership on is Falcon from this telling. Scififanfreak222 owns the second half of him as well, for drawing him upon a collaboration of various new designs and sketches within the year of 2010; and cannot be knowingly placed into another literary document, writing community, comic book series, and or televised broadcast without either of our written or verbal consent in front of legal consultants. TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne, Scififanfreak222, xSaffire55x, Novus Ordo Seclorum, and RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose; each of these fellow writers have helped me to press onwards with this story, every-time I have come across writers block. Without their outstanding guidance, the updates would have taken me even longer to complete.

Chapter 10 is ready! Beast Boy faces his toughest challenge yet, Robin duels Red X and his own past, while a young nurse rises to the occasion. "Our desires are the cause of our suffering and pain in life." –Old Buddhist Saying–

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Chapter 10 - Shattered Hearts

Beast Boy's entire body began to quiver, in both shock from his recent wounds, and to the tremendous blood loss, caused from the two tapered bullets, that had crashed into him. They had torn clear through his right shoulder, and his left knee, like his flesh was made butter or jelly, and there was nothing to stop the destructive blasts, from knocking him down.

The changeling was finding it hard to move on either side, his cracked rib made the burning pain truly unbearable, to think clearly, yet he breathed a little faster, as panic started to cloud his brain.

The master villain stayed where he was, just barely out of the shadows, standing over the wounded Titan. It appeared as though, he was marveling over his handy-work, like an artist was done with a painting, and he would let the colors and textures on the background set, to show a full picture of what the artist had formed with his own tools.

Only this was a madman, and if he were an artist, the paint he would use, would be the young hero's blood, and the twisted villain, was going to enjoy working with that dark color.

His singular eye, from behind the mask of cold steel; glanced from the changeling's leg, to his abdomen, and then to his shoulder, as Beast Boy's chest rose and set, in an uneven pattern.

The brawl with Cinderblock, it had proven tiresome, effective, and it had distracted the teenager long enough, where Slade could finish his task, of putting the ultimate crescendo of a plan into effect, at his own leisure.

He could now reveal himself, without a counter-attack from anything else, that the boy could potentially throw his way, but something unknown, still kept the criminal on his toes.

This unknown power, managed to drive Beast Boy to stay and fight, when most would run in the opposite direction. Beast Boy glared with tremendous hatred, where this gesture of rage, was proof enough, that he was not giving up.

Slade was very rapt in those deadly bullet holes, as the wounds caused the changeling's red blood, to seep out of his broken body, as he lay upon the cold hard ground. It oozed outwards, and the scarlet liquid began to expand across the floor, where Slade slowly stepped aside, avoiding the spreading mixture.

Beast Boy's eyes dashed about the ground, searching aimlessly for the hand-held phone to alert his allies. Slade, who saw this frantic attempt to search for the device, he was able to locate the T-Communicator, where he bent down and picked it up.

"Looking for this?" Slade waved the yellow and black transmitter in his hand. Then, he let it drop to the floor, where he stomped it to oblivion! Beast Boy felt his heart jump, as utter hopelessness crashed over him.

"Nobody is going to save you now." Slade walked forwards. "It's just you and me."

There was nothing further that the hero could do, and although things felt terrible, the Titan could merely dread, more destruction being unleashed upon him. If the two had swapped places, where Beast Boy was the one, standing over Slade as he bled, the shapeshifter would only raise the bar to the next level.

Slade had earned that much.

This caused only more shock to grip the teenager, for he had an idea, of just how extensive he could go, in that dark area of thinking, but Slade was not known for his boundaries, and he dared not to dwell, over the madman's twisted mind.

In realizing his options of late, were rather bitter, he was still trying to find another way out, of the unexpected pain, soon to be unleashed. That sense of fear, only forced his heart to beat faster, where as he looked about his surroundings, everything became a sloppy blur.

The communicator had been destroyed, his left knee was too badly injured to stand upon, and his right arm was strong, but even Rambo would not be able to use it, after suffering such a knock out blow to his side.

His chest felt as though, it was on fire, he was loosing too much blood to fight at his normal level, and upon each sluggish gasp for air, it only fueled the burning within his lungs. Beast Boy scowled for a few lingering seconds, as the dull silence, felt like an eternity of endless pain.

"I must say Beast Boy, you always find new ways to impress me." Slade spoke, in his low motionless voice, suddenly ending the lengthy pause, of the two looking from the remnants of the device, and back to each-other.

"What do you want with me?" The changeling slowly asked, after clenching his fists, as he gave a brief shudder of discomfort. He wanted to stand and fight, to punch or kick, even the opportunity to morph into a bear or wolf, but his body was deeply injured, and he was trying to slow his heart-rate down.

The masked criminal tilted his head, from being half bent forwards, back to the full upright position. He remained standing in front of the poor boy, just looking at the wounded hero.

"My my." The madman replied, "Were you always so quick, to jump straight to the questions? I do like that curious, and very perceptive trait about you." Slade stopped, as he pointed a finger towards the Teen Titan, slumped upon the ground. "Only Robin has shown a drive of such devotion, such straight forwardness that it does make me wonder; what fully causes him, to tick?"

Beast Boy squinted his eyes, he hated this, and he could tell that Slade was greatly enjoying his agony.

"What the hell do you want! Why don't you just finish me off?"

The master deceiver, quickly gave a short chuckle while he nodded his head. The villain was very pleased that the changeling, wanted to keep things moving along. For his time was short, and now, he could continue onward with his main intentions.

"You are very perceptive in cutting to the chase Beast Boy, but, if I really wanted to kill you, you would already be dead." Slade began a steady walk around the hero, with his dark boots pattering across the concrete. "We all know the reasons behind a hero's work, but, the path of doing the right thing, that can just as easily be considered reckless and wrong, to anybody else."

Slade halted as his back was turned, and he twisted his head, by his right shoulder. This caused his dreadful shadow, to arch over the far wall. "Do you know who, you truly are? Of the power that is within you?"

Beast Boy gradually shook his head, as the look of anger mixed with pain, clouded his facial expression. "What are you talking about? A hero knows right from wrong, you are only monster!"

The one eyed foe, bent down to a knee, looking directly into both the tired and sunken eyes of the changeling. Beast Boy in return, kept his green emerald eyes fixed, upon the dark mask of steel.

"Come now, there is no need to hide, what is inside all of us."

The young hero clutched his shoulder tightly, as the blood seeped across his skin tight shirt, and it continued to pool around him. He blinked, as another brief lull, gripped both of them once more.

"I have NOTHING to fear!"

"We shall see."

Slade inched himself closer, and his towering figure only built the suspense of the moment. What was he planning to do? The answer was swift, brutal, and everything that moved from a normal sensation, it instantly slowed in speed.

The villain placed his right boot, directly onto the green hero's chest, turning the teenager onto his back, as his foot kept pressure upon the broken rib. The Teen Titan shut his eyes, as the burn intensified within his torso. A great flame, one that stung the hero when he was tossed, into the generator from Cinderblock, it blazed hot within the boy again; and he gasped, unable to breathe.

"You have much to fear, I can see it in your eyes."

The villain then pressed down harder, keeping his steel-toed-boot, over the upper right side of Beast Boy's chest, forcing the poor lad to pass out, for a moment.

"For every good person, every hero, we all have darkness, weaknesses of the mind, body and soul. Just look at yourself, even now I have you beaten. Your body is broken, lost in a haze of both pain and confusion, where you cannot think clearly. All that is building, is the rage deep within, the loathing to get revenge, to fight back, to strike for the kill."

Beast Boy grunted loudly, as his entire being ached. The pressure was like a vice-grip, and he felt smaller and smaller, as the foot pinned his chest, while the floor had his back, squishing his body.

As the powerful villain, brought the hero's chest back down, Beast Boy's lungs rose under his chest cavity, trying to refill with oxygen, only Slade caused it to seep out faster. The light in the room became darker in his eyes, while the excruciating sting, intensified.

"You must fight to survive Beast Boy. It is the law of nature, where in order to see another day, one must be willing, to cross that line."

"No." Beast Boy gasped. "That is … not … who … I … am-"

"But even the creatures you turn into, even they know this very fundamental law."

"Shut-up … Slade!"

The mad deceiver leaned in a little closer. "Think what you will, but there is no denying this fact."

Slade stepped off of the changeling's chest, and Beast Boy inhaled a long, and heavy breath of oxygen, into his lungs. He wheezed, and then coughed, trying to regain his sore voice.

"There was a time, long ago, when I believed there could be potential in you. There still is that ember of passion, even now." Slade clasped his hands behind his back. "You remember, don't you? When you entered the Hall Of Mirrors, searching for answers. When Terra had come back, into your life."

"What of it?"

"It was a test Beast Boy."

"A test?"

"Yes, and for all your struggles, through all your anger and hate, your resolve only revealed more about your desires, than you care to admit."

"I-I don't understand." Beast Boy winced. "It's in the past Slade, and I've moved on!"

"Have you?" Slade slightly turned. "There was much darkness in your tone that night, the raw temper, the fierce power you taped into. You will not admit it, but, you found it enjoyable turning to the darkness, didn't you?"

Beast Boy glanced away, the details being exposed, they were difficult to swallow.

"I was enraged to see you then." Beast Boy squeezed his right hand, but he could feel nothing. "You, you came out of the shadows and I was sick of your games. I was tired of your elaborate schemes, and I wanted to end you!"

"And yet, you failed."

"No."

Slade walked over, and he slammed his steel-toed boots into the changeling's hip! The green hero moaned in anguish, as countless other kicks were delivered, and all the poor lad could do, was to curl himself into a ball, blocking his head and knees, from the battering assault.

"I want you to feel endless torment Beast Boy." Slade said, as he leaned his mask, just above the boy's nose. "This terrible horror that has become a reality, I want you to remember, that it does not fade with time, rather, it grows."

"I am not afraid."

"You continue to blind yourself with a false hope." Slade squeezed his hand around the hero's throat. "You are very afraid."

Beast Boy felt his entire body, being lifted up from the floor. The blood was dripping down his leg and arm, as everything around him began to spin, like a merry-go-round.

"I'm not afraid. Not. Of. You." Beast Boy squinted his eyes, into the mask.

The cruel villain tossed the lad back to the ground, slamming him against the concrete, as the answer that was given, was not satisfactory to his tastes.

"You may have developed strength against me, but there is something that does terrify you. A horrible truth that only recently, I have unleashed. It is the fear, over the loss of your friends."

Beast Boy quickly became wide awake, and he tried to conceal his emotions, but the look he expressed, suddenly gave away everything.

"What a pathetic fool you are, but, there is even more to this fear, than meets the eye." Slade implied.

Beast Boy remained mute.

"Falcon, is dead."

"No."

"Even if Robin, or one of the others chose to do something about his current … situation, we both know, that he has already decided that the best course of action, is to stop the other explosives from detonating."

"..."

"I take it, that by your silence, I am on the right track." Slade sighed. "You Titans are always so predictable, and that is why, even if your latest companion may be breathing right now, do you honestly think with the injuries he has sustained, that he has the luxury of time?"

"They will get to him!" A tear rolled down Beast Boy's cheek.

"You are so confident, again, it is admirable to have courage and faith in others, but what happens to that mantle, what happens when that fundamental ideology you hoist so high above your heads, comes crashing down?"

"I won't break, even against you-"

"But you already have." Slade's menacing silhouette stretched over the hero's body. "The seams that you have constructed with your friends, it has already splintered apart. There is doubt, fear, hostility towards one another, and at last, you are angry over the actions Robin has taken."

"You know nothing about us!"

"Oh Beast Boy, I know everything about you." Slade knelt down again, and he stared at the wounded teenager. "It has been getting more and more difficult, ever since the Brotherhood Of Evil's collapse. After the decision, to abandon your friend to save the city, there is no denying that the very foundation, you once stood so proudly upon, it is crumbling before your very eyes."

"Your words are poison."

"I only speak the truth." Slade exhaled slowly. "You and your friends, refuse to acknowledge it."

The shapeshifter remained mute, while he bit his lower lip. This humiliating pause, allowed Slade to finish his monologue.

"Hmmm, it's always the comedic ones, who prove time and again, that it is they who suffer the most, so you divert the focus away, thus alleviating the spotlight on your terrible pain."

"You really have lost it this time, haven't you Slade?" Beast Boy choked back a bit of laughter.

"I may not know you completely, but I know enough, and it has all led to this moment now." Slade squinted his eye, as the defiance he was confronting, was staggering.

An arduous hush had fallen between both parties. With enough of a stalemate, the crafty criminal picked up Beast Boy by his collar, and he slammed the beaten boy, against the far wall. The changeling cried out in pain, and he slumped down, as his voice was briefly lost.

Beast Boy lazily opened his eyes, to stare at the menace that continued to berate him.

"You still haven't changed one bit, eh Slade." Beast Boy tilted his head against the wall; "You always try to break me and my friends, but you are the one who fails. We grow stronger, and you … you need to know why this is."

This time, it was Slade who refused to respond, allowing the hero to continue.

"It's so … simple really." Beast Boy coughed; "We fight, because we chose to. We refuse to give in, and even now, I refuse."

"Pity." Slade retorted. "You still are content with being a lost cause, just as my previous, ungrateful apprentices were."

Beast Boy clenched his gray gloved hands, and once Slade took a step, the hero pulled his left arm over his right shoulder. A lump was noticed moving in the boy's throat, as the faces of Robin and Terra, crashed over him. "Whatever your offer may be, I could care less."

"Terra saw differently." Slade deadpanned.

"What?"

"Terra became lost within herself, of her own nature, and destructive powers. So, I helped her to control, what was uncontrollable."

"Liar!" Beast Boy frowned. "You manipulated the situation against her, forcing her against us, to turn things in your favor. That's all you ever did!"

"You don't have to put up a false front against me, I can see right through you." Slade took a step closer. "There is a thorn in your heart, and it has been there since Terra left you."

Beast Boy turned his head. Again, he said nothing.

"You still mourn her." Slade concluded.

The faint memory came swirling back, and the contours within the Hall Of Mirrors, were suddenly creeping around the generator room. The sparkling shattered glass, the scent of popcorn, and the sounds of metal clanking against wood, from the rides in operation gradually appeared about him.

"Slade was right, you don't have any friends."

Beast Boy shook his head, his rasping voice brought a chill to his bones, as the light within the dam played tricks with his memory. He held a hand to his bowed forehead, where trying to decipher the past, was not an easy or joyful thing.

"You have no right. No right to bring Terra back into this!" Beast Boy's fists were trembling with a palpable ire. "If this quarrel has to deal with me, then deal with me!"

"Have I struck a nerve?" Slade chuckled. "I knew that Terra was a touchy subject for you, but after all this time, I must admit that I never realized you were this … heartbroken."

"I can see now, that you really are intent on certain issues." Beast Boy mocked him. "I take it, that this has all been leading me somewhere, that this entire conversation is building to something … where now, the climax has been met, and you are ready to finish the job."

Slade was directly over the wounded hero, and Beast Boy was forced to tilt his head up even further.

"Yes." Slade punctiliously replied.

The animal side within the hero growled, where the sound of a bear or tiger, flashing its teeth forced a bit of space between the two.

"Perhaps my words are not enough, but if you can only see for yourself, then you will break."

"What are young going on about now?"

Slade crossed his arms over his chest, and as leaned his body to the side, his head turned back to the balcony, that he had taken the sniper shots from. Beast Boy followed his movements with his eyes, where the outline of a person, emerged from a corner.

Beast Boy's heart began to thump faster, and louder. His eardrums cancelled out the echo of footsteps, now approaching him and his adversary, on the generator floor. Behind Slade, a great behemoth walked forwards, coming into the light and revealing his entire form.

It was a massive monster, where the slime and mud-like goop, slowly dripped to the floor, with each step taken. The bright neon green rocks, they stuck out of his back, as a solid pair were noticed to be his eyes, on the front of his hideous face.

"Plasmus?" Beast Boy's eyes bulged for a stint, as he gasped. "From one monster to another, this really is quiet the day. Cyborg won't believe me, when I tell him this."

"Indeed, it has been an eventful hour, but he is not the real threat." Slade turned back. "Only a part of the plan, to destroy Jump City."

"Dude, I've heard it all before." Beast Boy ran his left hand through his spiked hair. "You may have the upper hand now, but in the end, you won't win."

"You are surprisingly optimistic, that's good." Slade stepped backwards, as another echo of footsteps, bounced across the hall. "But it will only lead, to you and your teammates very demise."

Beast Boy leaned his head to the side, where the terrible and disgusting blob-like creature, moved away as well, and a third mysterious figure, began to come into the light.

The smooth and slender tan legs were spotted first, where the changeling's emerald colored eyes, caught the black skirt with a school uniform, against a svelte female figure. She walked methodically, where the shapeshifter calculated every perilous second, for his memory, as her long straight blond hair, covered her face.

She unhurriedly looked up, standing in front of the criminal mastermind and his deadly henchman, where Beast Boy's heart felt to have skipped a beat, and everything around him, was beginning to fade.

Despite the loss of blood, or the shock to his body by broken bones, and aching muscles, he struggled but somehow managed, to get a second wind. He could only stare in awe, at who was before him now.

The young female slowly parted half of her hair, by her left ear, where her deep blue eyes captured the total focus, of the bewildered changeling. There was no mistaking it, everything was building to some terrible finale, and this awful ploy unleashed by Slade, it was a strike worse than death.

Beast Boy's hands were shaking, some salty beads of sweat traveled down his forehead, and he only clutched at his right shoulder even harder, while his voice became choked up.

"Terra?"

---

Meanwhile, Robin was still in his dogged pursuit of the mischievous Red X. The quick thinking criminal had allowed the bombs to be defused, and he even revealed the direction which he was fleeing the airport; it appeared as though, he deliberately intended to be chased.

The leader of the Teen Titans, was already on his crimson painted R-Cycle, and he wasted no time in speeding after the illusive, and highly skilled adversary. Where the black armored mercenary, may have had a great head-start on the Boy Wonder, yet Robin was accustomed to following any minor details, for leads.

The scanner on his bike was picking up a faint trace of the exhaust, from the Nitrous Oxide or NOS, coming from Red X's speed bike. While it may have given the escaping criminal, a much more powerful edge in speed, the computer console that was built into the R-Cycle, from Wayne Enterprises, was able to pin-point where exactly, the vehicle was headed.

A thin red line on the computer, surrounded by the buildings and roads in blue, formed a three dimensional map on the from panel. It guided Robin as he looked up, to avoid the cars and trucks on the open high-way.

The Jump City Airways was getting more and more distant, the further he drove on the expressway. He did not care to check what the time was, but as he looked to the east, beyond a crest of a few hills and tall trees, the orange and bright yellow glow, of the sun was slowly seen rising.

The reddish orange hue, slowly began to mix against the purplish blue atmosphere of the west coast, and it only made the hero dwell over another night, long ago.

"Where is he going?" Robin asked himself, as his helmet muffled part of his voice.

Red X was traveling at an alarming speed, and with the new day about to be upon everyone, that could only entail countless pedestrians, would be strolling about. The sophisticated computer was informing Robin, to get off the highway at the next exit, and to head into the city.

Robin had to catch Red X, he needed to end this pursuit before somebody got hurt.

"He's heading for the financial district!" Robin shook his head, as the skyscrapers were almost overlapping one another, in this critical area of the metropolis.

Banks, insurance offices, government run buildings and even, parts of the technological entities, such as Wayne and S.T.A.R. Industries were located here. The off-ramp to the highway led to a main street, and it linked to an area with numerous traffic lights, street signs, and it branched all about the eastern part of the city.

Multiple traffic lights were red, but they did not deter Robin. He pushed his right foot down even harder, and he revved the grips upon the handlebars, sending the bike into a much higher gear, where he caused a vaporizing red glow, from his taillight to ignite a captivating streak from behind.

He weaved in between a massive semi-tractor trailer, and a stopped newspaper delivery van, in the middle of the road, where on the opposite lane of the street, an oncoming car followed the bend, and the headlights suddenly blinded Robin!

Robin's quick thinking actions, from years in the circus aided him now, as he swerved around the sidewalk, past the benches, lamp-posts and other obstructions in his much narrower route. He did not have time to slow down, he just keep going.

His long black cape fluttered against the wind, as the cool wisp of air, whipped around him, where the driver who almost hit the local hero, slammed on his brakes, honking his horn and shouting obscenities from his window. Robin paid the driver no heed.

The faint beeping noise within his helmet's ear-piece, continued to chirp, and it only revealed that the chase was still on, and there was no way of knowing, what destination he was going to end up at.

He stayed focused on his driving, allowing himself to become slightly mesmerized, from the bright headlight his powerful machine was giving off.

A few crumpled papers were swiftly scattered, from his spinning tires, yet he ignored the litter about. He rounded a sharp curve in the road, cutting back on the throttle to regain control of the crotch rocket, as the high tuned beeping, suddenly went dead, and the trail had come to a halt.

"He's turned off his NOS. I cannot get a lock on his trail." The Boy Wonder slowed down considerably, as he parked his bike near an abandoned warehouse. "Damn it! He must have realized, I was tracking him!"

Robin tilted his defeated gaze from the road, to a nearby abandoned building. It was in complete disrepair, and it had become an eyesore for many people, in the downtown area.

The towering letters, formed the impressive label, BANK OF PEREZ, where the new facility had been relocated to a more secure, and a much better section of the city, following the rash of thefts and misguided attempts, from any of Jump City's criminals.

The long and mighty pillars that held the roof were in shambles, yet much of the pathway leading to the entrance, was still in miraculous condition. There would be no alternate way out of the old bank, yet the trail stopped here.

Robin curled his lips behind the helmet, it was a mistake for Red X to reveal what path he was fleeing, but it was an even greater error, to hide in an empty bank with no way out. What was the attacker thinking?

It most certainly felt like a trap, yet The Boy Wonder needed to bring the swift hammer of justice down. Robin turned off his motorcycle, and he popped the kick-stand out. The hum and rumble of the vibrating engine, quickly went silent, where Robin removed the helmet, and he breathed in a sigh of relief.

He was rather pleased, that the high-speed chase was over, the hero was glad that he was going to get a second opportunity, at capturing an old adversary, one whom he never thought would show himself again, and he had come back this night.

Still, an unnerving sensation of dread, began to work against Robin. He had no clear idea, about what was going on with the rest of his comrades, he was in a sense, totally alone, just as they all were.

He began to walk up the long marble steps, the same pathway he and his teammates had rushed up so many times before, in order to capture the bad guys and to save the day. While most of the outside appeared to be the same building, there was something drastically altered, as he neared the entrance.

His footsteps caused a ripple, within a nearby puddle, where the reflection of his face bounced back to him, in the slowly rising light. The quivering water only made him dwell over the conflicting thoughts, of his turmoil and anger.

There had been tense moments, when the thief worked alongside the team leader. From their last encounter, Red X demanded that they were square, when Ding Dong Daddy's race brought the two to a head.

It puzzled the Boy Wonder to no avail, as he tried to rationalize, what purpose they were fighting each-other again. Red X even gave off hints, as to the two being somehow related. From either his tenacious fighting skills, or his ever persistent efforts to win, and to prove a point, but above all the things that linked the two young men, they were very driven, in their ideals.

-Flashback-

Late one night in Gotham, after foiling a plot made by The Joker, three figures of various sizes and muscle mass, remained standing alongside the balcony. They were overlooking the edge, of one of the tallest buildings about their city.

Two of the characters were young teenagers, where one had long orange hair flowing behind her cowl and mask, as the purple outfit and the golden bat emblem, across her chest revealed that she was Batgirl.

The second and smaller figure, had his black hair parted in the middle. The crisp red and green colors about his outfit, were partially cloaked behind the black and golden cape, flowing against his legs. This revealed Robin, standing farthest from the group, as their tall and dark armored leader, kept his back to these two.

There were countless low-lives and schemers, too many that thrived off of the misery and misfortune of the residents of Gotham. As well as the criminally insane, the outrageously violent psychopaths, and schizophrenic monsters, that were either fortunate enough, to be locked up in Blackgate Penitentiary, or Arkham Asylum.

Robin was fifteen years of age, while Batgirl was slightly older, and taller. The main difference from The Boy Wonder's past self, was that he was smaller, his hair was not spiked, and he still had yet, to increase his muscles.

*Do be careful Master Bruce, we don't know what other dastardly tricks that The Joker, has up his sleeves.*

"Keep me posted Alfred, and let me know when the analysis is finished." The Dark Knight cut-out the communication, and he shut his eyes, before turning to join his two associates. He returned the communicator to his belt, and walked forwards, where his looming shadow crept ever closer, to his apprentices.

Robin kept his prolonged gaze, fixated about the various structures below them. All of the buildings and parking garages were noticed in every direction, and the residential and financial districts, were intermingled about the ancient, Gothic city.

Wayne Enterprises stuck out of the very heart, of the concrete metropolis, with all its bright lights glowing against the darkness, as the iconic -W- logo, protruded out along every face, near the top of the building.

The dynamic duo were together for a few years, but already the allegiance was wearing thin. Batgirl was now in the mix, and with her, came the unwarranted divulging about everything, in order to gain the others total trust.

The two younger partner's working together, it took many months to build trust, but once it was established, they became almost inseparable.

While Robin and Batgirl may have appeared, to have had a brother/sister type of bond, based loosely on Batman watching over them each, for them, they tended to flirt on occasion. Their relationship did blossom, out of that awkward "friend-zone" and into a much more serious stage, but only for a time.

Batman and Robin on the other hand, had been at each-other's throats. The Dark Knight was not fully giving his protege, enough encouragement to venture forth on his own terms, where Batgirl would watch on the sidelines, as the young boy she adorned, and quietly fawned over, was getting more and more restless.

While looking at the master detective, it was through Bruce that was she was able follow her dreams, without upsetting her father. By keeping duel personas of herself, one version everybody knew, of the Barbara that studied for school and helped local charities by day, and at night, to become a powerful symbol and crime fighter.

"We can't keep doing this Bruce." Robin found his voice at last. "The Joker has been giving us the slip, since day one of our partnership, and while you may catch him, while you may bring him down … he somehow gets more chances, to do greater harm."

"By your implications against me, I take it, that you think you know the proper way, to handle a delicate situation like this?" Batman asked.

Robin slowly turned, and he observed the much taller and darker shadow, overlapping his own.

"I don't have all the answers, how could I?" Robin's face wrinkled slightly. "I just hate being considered as a mere pawn to you, and then you drag her into this … thinking-"

"Robin, I came on my own terms." Batgirl responded, while stepping forwards.

"You think you did, but I know him better than that."

"It wasn't my place to decide." Batman spoke up finally, and he interlocked his arms. "I asked for your help, and you refused. Naturally I would have been fine on my own, but Alfred-"

"Please, don't drag Alfred into this." Robin squinted his eyes in frustration. "This has always been about The Joker and you, admit it!"

"Robin, please." Batgirl placed a hand onto The Boy Wonder's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "He's telling the truth, Alfred contacted me when you ignored his call, and in knowing that the city was in jeopardy, that Bruce couldn't be at two places at once, I refused to sit by, and do nothing."

"So that's why you cancelled our plans." Robin shook his head, as he gestured towards Batman. "It doesn't matter anyway, The Joker escaped, and worse, he put you in danger just like he's done to me, countless times!"

Batgirl kept her entrancing eyes, behind her cowl fixated into the mask of Robin, where in turn, he slowly pulled her away, and he approached their fervent leader. It was becoming all to obvious, that Robin was getting exhausted of the lap-dog routine, to be expected to go to every beck-and-call, that the World's Greatest Detective needed his sidekick for.

Then to be treated on a lesser level that an equal, the father & son relationship was ever changing, and becoming less placid, and more like an active volcano bound to erupt. The tempers for both parties was heating up, and the right of passage Robin had been so adamantly chasing after, was only denied him at every challenge, that the dynamic duo came across.

In laymen's terms, Robin wanted to grow and expand, to fully encompass his prowess as an individual crime fighter, and to start out in Bludhaven. Batman, the boy's mentor, teacher, and step-father, refused to grant this basic blessing. Where he even allowed their third ally, to have more freedom and maneuverability, than was granted to others.

"You think I put on this costume, for a mere fashion statement Robin?" Batgirl criss-crossed her arms over her bust, and she side stepped closer to their captain. "I know the risks, just as you do."

"That's not what I meant." Robin retorted. "I know you can handle yourself just fine, you don't need me, to ride in on a white horse after you."

"Then what are you so upset over?"

"I'm upset because you refuse to see, what is already happening!"

"Don't do this." Batgirl pleaded. "Not after everything we've been through." Her tone became softer, gentler as the captivating gleam in her eyes, reflected her feminine side. "We talked about this, about … us."

"We did." Robin sheepishly responded. "But this, he-" Robin nodded at their mentor; "has pushed the limit beyond bearable."

"I'm sorry you feel this way." Batman's voice caught the two off guard, and they instantly spun around. "It was never my intention, to get between the two of you."

"But you always do!" Robin stomped forwards, brushing his shoulder past his female teammate. "Every time I took on a mission, brought down a criminal, pushed myself harder, cut my plans short and gave you backup, it was because I thought, that I was part of a team. That you would respect my wishes, as I do yours, but it was never about the mission, or me learning, was it?"

"If you think I stepped out of line, you're mistaken."

"No Bruce, you're wrong. It was always about the next mission, always you held me back just far enough, so I would be unable to get out from beneath your shadow. Admit it, you feared me going off on my own, and because of that, you did the one thing, the ONE thing I told you not to do."

"Perhaps we should discuss this, back home." Batman's eyes squinted, causing the white shades on the mask, to do the same.

"No." Robin said firmly. "This has been a long time coming, and it needs to be done."

"Robin." Batman replied. "If others wanted to step up, and take your place, who am I to deny them that right?"

The renowned duo looked at one another, for a very long time. Batman kept his frown and uncompromising glare fixated onto his protege's face, where Robin could not break his scowl, at his mentor.

"How could you keep something like this from me?" Robin asked his female teammate.

Batgirl spoke up. "You weren't so honest with me, either."

"Stop defending him Barbara! This has been a long time coming, and every chance we get, you constantly side with him. With The Joker's plot undone tonight, the city has been saved, but at what cost?"

"People change Robin." Batgirl held her hands out, "If the cost of saving lives, means our own privet occupations are to be disrupted, then isn't that sacrifice, worth it?"

The Boy Wonder turned, to glance at the busy streets below.

"While it is true, that the code we heroes live by, means we must put the needs of the many over ourselves." Robin held his breath, "But I refuse to just blindly go along, with someone in our group, when I know I can do so much more, outside of his or anyone else's boundaries. With you not willing to understand my perspective, it only reveals a darker notion."

"What would that be?"

Robin expelled the stale air in his lungs. "I cannot do this forever. I am done with this routine of being pulled along, and I'm done with seeing you, being dragged into it also."

"It wasn't like that."

"This is different." Robin tossed his arms out by his sides. "He manipulates, pulls strings … anything to get what he wants!"

"I thought we had the same goals." Batman said in his baritone, soothing voice.

Robin glanced up from the floor. "Things change, I've changed!" He pointed to his chest. "The game is over Batman," he spread his arms out, "I quit."

The Boy Wonder furiously turned away from his allies, and he began to walk with unfathomable hatred, of being lied to, from his mentor/step-father, and the girl he admired and hoped more could possibly happen. There was no hiding the fuming ire, across his face.

Batman stepped forwards, and held a hand out.

"Robin, wait-"

Robin said nothing, he turned and sucker-punched Batman square in the jaw, knocking his leader flat on his back! The Dark Knight collapsed harshly against the cold rooftop, and he tilted his head up, slowly.

Batgirl gasped in total horror, at how the dynamic duo had fallen to pieces, and her relationship with the strapping lad, was now forever in question, as she and Bruce could only watch, as their family shattered like a broken vase.

The white lenses over the eye-holes, across Batman's famed cowl, widened for a second, only to narrow back to their normal look. As Batgirl approached The Dark Knight, Robin took out his Bat-Communicator, and he tossed it to the feet of his ex-teacher.

They all looked at the spinning device, and then slowly, they all glanced up. They knew what this meant, and now, there would be no turning back.

The Boy Wonder walked to the edge, and with his head partially turned, he spoke; "You guys will do fine without me."

As the orange haired companion tried to speak, Batman pulled her back, and he shook his head. The two could only watch, as one of their own, shot his grappling hook to a far-away building, and he leaped off the edge.

-End Of Flashback-

The Titan Leader's reflection, against the dirty glass teller window, it immediately phased-out the images, of long ago. That powerful break-up of the dynamic duo, it had haunted Robin for two long years.

He was trying to prove that he could make it on his own, that Jump City was his mark, and he would only return to Gotham, once he had established himself as a successful crime fighter, and detective first.

It was his trial, a right-of-passage. Batman may not have said anything, but their falling out was a blessing in disguise; and besides, what more could be said after the apprentice, punched his teacher? The total silence in their break-away, spoke volumes, about how far the boy's apprenticeship had come.

The pitter-pattering of feet, running against the damp cement floor revealed someone was waiting for him, and Robin was suddenly drawn back to his current mission. The Boy Wonder, raised his arms into a higher form, of a Taekwando fighting tier.

The stance and flexibility of his legs revealed, he was well beyond a blackbelt, but what was even more surprising, was that while it took most people an average of 12 or more years, to get to the level of master, the Boy Wonder had managed to do it all, in less than one.

Batman may have taught his apprentices countless things, but when he was not around, Alfred, who was well into his sixties, took on that role quiet well. The old British gentleman, was more than just a house warmer, who cooked and cleaned for the residents of Wayne Manor.

Alfred Pennyworth, was actually in the British Secret Service, and even earlier, he worked as an agent in the OSS, alongside the Americans, during the Second World War. Through here, he actually met Thomas Wayne's father, as a medical surgeon during the Blitz, as the rest of the world was slowly being pulled, into the European conflict.

Through everything, he was most interested in The Preforming Arts in London on stage, and after a short career that had little promise, from the roles he once preformed before the war, Thomas Wayne's father offered him a new job. Alfred had injured his leg, following a V1 rocket attack, which also hampered his career options.

With his future in London uncertain, and his acting career having come and gone, Alfred headed for Gotham, to take a chance at a new path, as silent majordomo of the Wayne Family. He watched over Thomas and Martha, and helped to guide the family, following the passing of his dear friend, Thomas's father. Then to become the primary legal guardian, following the murder of Bruce's parents.

While The Batman was an impressive role model, a determined detective, and a fierce fighter, Robin considered Alfred to be an even greater influence and grand-master, when it came to doing his detective homework.

Through the shadows and darkness of the open room, a pair of white lenses squinted. The unseen threat, was counting every second to make his bold strike, he had led the chase to this place, to further taunt his enemy.

"Come on out Red X!" Robin spoke, after spinning in place; "There is nowhere for you to go, this time."

"You are quiet quick, on picking up a trail." The devious synthesized voice echoed back, "Tell me, how did you find me in here?"

Robin grinned. "Now, now, that isn't very fair. Do you tell me, all of your little tricks?"

A sudden hush befell both parties. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

"Alright." The robotic tone rasped. "If you tell me how you got here so quickly, then I'll reveal the message that Slade wanted me, to give you."

Robin lowered his fighting stance. "You haven't finished Slade's task he gave, well, I can only imagine that he won't be too happy to hear this."

"If you think I'm afraid of some one-eyed, over-hyped criminal, then you clearly never met me before."

During this lingering pause, Robin sighed heavily, as he decided to play along.

"Alright, if this is how it's going to be, once I tell you what you want, then as a code of honor, between us, you shall come out of hiding. Agreed?"

"Fair is fair." Red X answered.

"Once you took off from the airport heading East, it wasn't too difficult to decipher, what direction you were going."

"But how did you track me?"

"You took off in quiet a hurry, I assumed you were using a highly illegal, and frequently used chemical compound, found among the notorious street racers, to propel your bike. My bike just so happens, to have some pretty savvy equipment, allowing me to locate the chemical components, for Nitrous Oxide in the atmosphere, before it fully evaporates."

"Meaning, what exactly?"

"Meaning," Robin concluded, "the getaway vehicle you may feel is a prize and undaunted, that excels to incredible speeds, it can in fact be tracked by someone with the means, and the equipment, to follow the trail."

"That's pretty impressive." The hidden foe replied. "But not as impressive as me!"

The skull masked criminal, dove out from behind the ginormous door to the safe, hurling ninja stars and smoke bombs all around Robin! The leader of the Teen Titans tucked and rolled, out of harms way, and he quickly unleashed a barrage of Bird-A-Rangs from his belt, to deflect the incoming fire.

The deadly weapons ricocheted off from each-other, the smoke bombs exploded, and a heavy fog enveloped the very center of the bank. Red X twirled and kicked, Robin deflected these sudden blows, and retorted with his own spinning moves, where the two combatants, parry off their adversaries advances, with both skill and grace.

Every so often, a new opening would find itself in the defenses of either opponent, and for barely a second or two, the attacker would unleash any number of their gadgets. Red X lobbed his sticky red goo grenade at the left knee of Robin, where The Boy Wonder noticed this immediate projectile, and he leap-frogged over the criminal!

The crimson slop smeared onto the floor, missing the target, and Red X glanced over his shoulder, only to find that he was leaving an opening, for reprisals.

Before landing back onto his feet, Robin twirled in mid-air, and he let loose a cluster of freeze bomb grenades at the floor. The gun-for-hire darted out of the spot, in split seconds before the devices detonated, creating a sudden flash of white, and a blue stalagmite structure was erected.

"Not bad kid. Not bad." Red X kept up his sharp quip. "But I'm afraid, you're no match against me." He unleashed his wrist mounted X-Blades, and he pulled back into a fighting stance like Robin had done, when he first entered.

The heroic Titan's Leader reached back, and he pulled out his silver staff. He clicked a hidden button in the middle, and the short baton, it quickly became a long, deadly weapon.

Robin preformed an arrogant showmanship of martial arts skill, by spinning the light bo-staff over his head and back, mimicking a helicopter propeller. Then he too, drew back into a fierce pose, determined to deflect or strike, the next crushing blow.

"I'm sorry to keep disappointing you." Robin answered. "But this time, you lose."

Red X and Robin peered at one another, their masks squinted as the fog was slowly lifting. In the blink of an eye, both combatants used a free hand, that was hidden behind their backs to grab another smoke bomb, then they lobbed them at the floor, at the exact same moment, and rushed into each other, with their deadly weapons raised.

The metal clanged against sharp steel, echoing about the emptied vault, and the adversaries circled and traded blow for blow, hit for hit, strike for strike. Robin had his shirt torn just below his symbol of the R, where Red X had his right shoulder bashed in, and the two dueling parties quickly hopped backwards, to re-evaluate their moves.

"You really know, how to handle yourself in a fight." Red X commented, as he rubbed his sore shoulder. "I'll give you credit."

"I admire an opponent, who holds nothing back." Robin said, as he tugged at the rip in his shirt. "Now then, what is the message, that Slade wanted you to give me?"

The black armored assassin stood in total silence, except for his heavy breathing, while Robin observed his surroundings and found that, they had battled into a forebodingly deeper part, of the interior of the vault.

It was to be accounted for after all, Red X had led the hero in. Behind and around every corner, the walls with boxes and safety deposit holders were strewn open, nothing of value was inside, for the building was scheduled, to be demolished.

Red X understood, that this plan would only buy him some time, but he had not accounted on the incredible speed, in which The Boy Wonder tracked him. The chase was over, but Red X still had a few unaccounted maneuvers, to pull yet.

"It is true, that money is a key factor in the things I do." Red X leaned in, as he picked up a single dollar bill, and flapped it in front of him. "After all, money is what makes the world go round."

"Willing to hurt, or even murder innocent civilians isn't a good way about getting paid." Robin responded.

"People have done worse, for far less."

"You sound no different from any other criminal." Robin stood upright. "But then, Xenothium was far more precious to you, and judging by your intent, I can only guess that Slade is offering you, something big."

"So what they say about you, is true after all." Red X stepped to the side. "You truly are, one of the greatest detectives of our time."

Robin did not flinch.

"If we weren't enemies, I would probably thank you for the compliment."

Red X squinted his eyes, before answering. He had managed to lead Robin with his back to the smaller room, the only way out, was now in his favor again, and all he needed to do, was to give the slip and lock the exit.

Robin also sensed the urgency of the moment, and the two combatants stopped moving, fearful that any sudden motion, would trigger the other, to pounce for the door. The mood between the two was growing fouler, like the stagnant air within the vault.

"Now we get down to it, don't we Boy Blunder. The match has been set, the trials have all led to this moment of time, for we all could have taken different routs, various seconds to alter where we would go, decisions in life, who we could have been, but alas, everything has led to this very moment." Red X stroked where his chin was, beneath the helmet. "It is all so fascinating, how everything transpires."

"Enough of this!" The hero said back. His patience was running thin. "What is it, that you were sent to deliver?"

Red X suddenly chuckled, breaking apart the awkwardness about them, where Robin moved his left leg back slightly, to prepare for another assault bound to come. But, it never came.

"He is really quiet interested in you, and after all this time, you are still such a fixated point of a crucial crutch, something that always gets in the way." Red X spoke calmly. "But now, everything is going to change."

"What do you mean?"

The mercenary had secretly moved a handful of smoke grenades into his palm, and he held them over his belt. He had the perfect opportunity to blind his foe, where Robin was conflicted with these toying words.

"Keep your friends close Robin. It's always the ones that you love, whom you end up hurting in the end."

Without any warning, Red X unleashed the smoke grenades, while he also tossed out more ninja stars, as he sprinted for the exit!

Robin tucked behind his long cape, the fine material was also a flexible metallic polymer, that absorbed each blast and concussion in the room. The silver shurikens bounced off harmlessly to the sides of the impressive fabric, acting as a shield, but the diversion had occurred, and Robin already knew, what the next plan against him was.

While he crouched, he hurled the staff towards the big round door, only to have his heart skip a few beats, as a crunching and snapping sound, echoed from the very direction he tossed his famed weapon!

In a flash, The Boy Wonder jumped up, after he heard the massive door slamming shut, trapping him. The cogs and bolts were felt rotating into their final, resting positions, with the gears and fittings clicking into place, where it only brought a new horror to the Teen Titan's ears. He was locked in!

The emergency lights turned on, and Robin was thankful to the city planners, that not all the power was cut, to this building's most critical functions.

The lifting smoke enshrouded him, and Robin slammed his free hands against the door, unable to make it budge. Then, as an act of submission to his dire situation, he felt his legs buckle and give out, where he collapsed onto the floor, and held the shattered staff.

He retrieved his Titans Communicator, only to notice he had no service, he could not contact the others inside the vault, which was not even the worst part.

Robin knew that there was only a limited number of hours, before the oxygen in the room would shut off, while the vents and fans were running for now, but the old bank was in terrible disrepair, and the heightened sense of fear, that gripped him so tightly, only clung tighter, as three of the lights along the floor panels burned out, leaving the last two on a dim setting.

"Don't think you can get away with this!" Robin shouted to the tiny grates above his head, secretly praying to keep his own, unpleasant fear in check. "This isn't over!"

"It is for me." The crafty robotic voice, cooed from across the impressive barrier. "I delivered the message, and better yet, I managed to keep you contained. Slade is going to be most pleased with this, I reckon."

"If you think for a second, that he is going to give you what you want, you're dead wrong." Robin peered at his feet in the looming dark. He could not believe that he fell for this old bait and trap ploy, now, he needed to get out, and check on his friends.

The image of Falcon came rushing into his thoughts, and how he was failing, to save him.

"Oh don't worry about me, but I'll take your concern anyway." Red X rapped his fingers, against the impregnable barrier he had closed. "You on the other hand, should probably consider your situation."

Robin stepped closer to the tap-tap-tapping, on the door.

"I've been in worse."

"Oh, while you may think that this is just like any other problem, that you can simply overcome, there is something I forgot to mention, something you may have overlooked yourself."

"And what exactly, would that be?" Robin angrily asked.

"Now, I'm sure that you have noticed, the complete security of the vault you are currently locked within. No phone-calls in or out, the barrier of the ceiling and walls are of a sophisticated material, that most companies are only improving upon every year."

"Meaning what?" Robin asked again, he felt like he was a broken record.

"Meaning that no matter the gadgets in that famed belt of yours, or the skills as a crime fighter, or master detective, regardless of your title as leader of the Teen Titans, or famed protege of The Dark Knight, for all intense purposes of this vault, to keep things locked up for good, you my friend, are not going to be getting out, any time soon."

"I can wait." Robin hissed. "I will get out, and when I do, you are going to be the first person I bring to justice!"

"A threat without any real power of action, is just a veiled threat."

"Trust me Red X. I am a man of my word, and I will bring you in, to pay for your crimes!"

Red X stepped back a few feet, as his left hand was the last, to pull away from the frame.

"Regardless of my own fate, yours is pretty much set."

"You sure like to boast, but just you wait. I will get out!"

"And I hope that you do. In the meantime, this building has been scheduled to be demolished as you know, a few weeks from today. However … the timetable has been suddenly moved up to today's date, and the demolition crew should be arriving … within the hour."

"They would check to see, that the building is cleared first." Robin replied confidently, as he crossed his arms.

"Oh, but that is where you're wrong again." Red X stepped backwards, from the giant door a few feet, and he looked at the vent above his head. "You see, the only reason we are able to talk, and listen to each-other, is because the sound from within the vault, is coming from the little slits of the duct, above your head, and for all intensive purposes, I am going to seal it shut."

The leader of the Teen Titans remained deathly quiet, allowing the horrifying details, to gradually trickle across his brain.

An excruciatingly long hush filled the void, and then, an explosion with dust, floated out from the small grates above the door, by the Boy Wonder's noggin. There was no way of talking to the outside world now, Robin was completely sealed in!

The Boy Wonder allowed the disturbing massage, to play over and over. How could he hope to protect and save anybody, if he was locked away?

Robin suddenly shot up again, out of his slumped posture, to bang his fists violently against the metal barrier. He was hoping, that it was only another decoy, a lie, or just a really bad dream. Unfortunately, the truth was not so kind, where the hero's only confirmation, to be returned, was made by the terrible echo of his own banging, and nothing further.

---

Within the destroyed train station, the pair of unlikely pedestrians slowly walked, and fumbled, and grunted their way, through the narrow openings, beneath the enormous debris field, trying to narrow down their search, for the ever weakening sounds, of a human being's labored breathing.

John had managed to bring his cellular phone, to act as a torch. It's glow bounced against the shadows, bringing a bright beam of illumination, to the searching parties weary eyes.

"This way." The nurse said, audible above a whisper.

A broken moan from a young man, rang out unexpectedly, and then, there was only silence.

"Down there." John whispered. "It sounded pretty bad, but, I can hardly see us getting beyond that point."

The girl followed his fingers, as he pointed to a rather narrow passageway, beneath dozens of crushed pillars. The two would have to crawl on their bellies, beneath a toppled section of the roof. She tilted her head, to listen for anything.

"I don't think we have a choice in this."

"Maybe there's another way round."

"We haven't got any time to delay." The determined nurse blinked her eyes. She let a heavy sigh out of her body, and she glanced back, for only a second.

"I'm going in. Whether you want to follow me, that is your call."

"Oh alright." said John. "But take it slow. From as far as I can tell, the ground is covered in broken glass."

"Hmm-hmm."

John mumbled something totally inaudible, but it sounded like self pity. "Oh man," he then said aloud. "I don't know how I got talked, into coming into this one."

The pair ducked their heads lower, they arched their backs until before long, they had found themselves crawling, on their hands and knees as they knew they would. The nurse led the way, taking out her own phone and lighting the path, where she would turn back once in a while, to check on her reluctant helper, and to readjust her black bag, that constantly swished alongside her hips, and buttocks.

"Ouch!" John cried out, as he banged his head against an overturned I-Beam. "That hurt!"

"Shhhh!" The determined school girl scolded him, as they stopped in their tracks. "There it is again. Listen."

"I don't know, how much farther I can squeeze my body through this." John said, as lines on his face expressed a wrinkled scowl. His breathing was growing heavier, as the sweat trickled across his eyes and lips.

"We're almost there." She reassured his faltering willpower. "I think I can see a way through, just … a little … further."

She had squirmed and jostled her slender figure, through the very tight squeeze, and after a good struggle to break through, she found herself able to kneel, and then slowly stand up. John looked on helplessly, like an overweight adult, stuck in a slide tube, at a fast-food play-pen.

If the petite, and nimble teenage girl of fourteen, could barely worm her way through, then for her companion, more than twice her age and size, it must have been a disastrous nightmare.

She bent her head down, and reached a hand inside the tunnel. She could sense his panic, as the claustrophobic atmosphere became even smaller.

"Come on, take my hand."

"This is NOT what I had in mind, to start my morning!" He huffed, as his wheezing voice was raspy. "This … this is just … too much."

"Come on John, you're almost there. Just reach for my hand."

He could feel a delightful breeze across his face, as the realization, of nearing a new portion of the station, was filling him with hope once more. He surged himself forwards, inch by inch, and dragged his cumbersome seven foot, two hundred-forty something pound stature, through the narrow mole hole they had burrowed through.

John reached up, felt the delicate and smooth fingers of the young girl clasp his left forearm, and the two pulled their way to the other side. The older man brushed himself clean of the dust, and dampness, that stuck to his clothing.

"Well, we've made it through, now what?"

Another soft moan, reached the pair's ears once more, and the two looked ahead, to notice a crater in the middle of the room.

"He's close." She whispered.

Again, the similar faint moan echoed in the dark.

"Real close." He said back.

"Come on, I think I know where he is!" She bolted forwards, after tugging his sleeve, where the lump to the back of his noggin reminded him, that racing head-long into the unknown, was not always the best idea.

"I'm going to regret this." he again whispered to himself, as he hurried along.

"Look, down there!"

"I think I see something … hang on a minute." He raised the cellphone above his head, and they both quickly gasped. "Is that a-"

"JOHN!" She turned and grabbed his collar. "We've got to get him out of there!"

"Well, shoot." The older man tossed his hands up. "From the looks of things, he's leg appears to be pinned, and the approach down, won't be easy."

"Look at this, is that …"

"Blood?" John took a knee alongside the cliff, and he waved the phone to illuminate the crime scene. "Yeah, and it's smeared all along the drop. He must've fallen down there, unable to fully escape the blast. Poor kid."

"I think I see a ledge we can follow, to get to him." She nodded in a new direction, along the precipice. "This way."

"Hold on little lady." John's voice picked up, forcing her to turn once more. "Now that we know somebody is down there, perhaps we can tell the proper authorities where to get him, I mean … we could stay here and-"

"And what?" The fourteen-year-old fired back. "We're here now, and I work with the proper authorities! His wounds are severe, maybe fatal. I need to get to him, and instead of second guessing everything I do, just, help me to help him. ALRIGHT!"

The middle aged bank teller, could not break her out of her determined mind-set. She had dragged him into this endeavor, for whatever purpose he thought he could help, and now, he felt like he was biting off more than he could chew.

"Okay, okay." He eased the tension away. "Let's do this one step at a time, or the wrong slip-up, and we'll be in the same boat, as our injured friend down there."

She said nothing, but turned from him, and scanned the crater for the best way down. She brushed aside a few strands of dark blue hair, that dangled by her left eye, and after a little time had passed, allowing her to refocus on her mission, she found a suitable way to reach the unknown stranger.

The two hugged closely to the side of the wide chasm, as they gradually made their decent closer, and closer to the bloodied and broken body.

"Hang on!" The nurse called out. "We're going to get you out of there."

The young man, he no longer moaned, or coughed harshly, he was very still and silent. This immediately sent warning bells and whistles, off in the nurse's noggin. He was unconscious, and the nearer she drew to him, the worse his injuries appeared.

A long blackish red, deep gash was noticed, over his forehead and left eye, while his right, had an even older battle wound. Some of the blood was already crusting and drying against his skin, as a fresh and heavy amount of the scarlet liquid, was continuing to expand about his body.

A piece of sharp metal, was embedded in his upper left breast, as though it were a javelin, while his right ankle was wedged beneath a massive vending machine, that sporadically brought a throbbing light on and off, in the background.

The nurse knelt alongside the seventeen-year-old, who's red cloak was tattered and bloodied. John ducked his head, and he sat on the opposite side of her. As they looked at one another, the blinking light made the world around them, feel of complete darkness and despair.

"Hey, kid;" She spoke while reaching a hand forwards, and lightly touching his chest. "Can you hear me?"

The slow up and down movement, and the uncomfortable responses in his broken inhaling, and exhaling, this only brought a terrifying chill, up the nurse's backside.

She leaned in and pressed her left ear, to the stranger's chest, to get a more clear idea of his internal organs, and to get a better understanding, of the shape he was in. She lifted up the boy's wrist, and tapped his right arm, then she pressed her index finger against his radial artery, to check on his heart rate.

"I've got a pulse, it's faint but he's still alive, and breathing!" She looked up and her entrancing blue eyes, met with John's brown pair.

John scratched the back of his head, as he studied the broken figure, where the girl took off her heavy purple hooded sweatshirt, and she covered the young man's chest with it, to keep him warm.

"He's lost a lot of blood." said John, as he put his phone, into his bathrobe side pocket. "I don't know what more you think we can do for him, aren't we not, supposed to move him anyway?"

"We've got to get him out of here." The nurse replied. "I know we could try, to keep him sustained for now, but his situation is gradually worsening. He needs a blood transfusion, he requires a hospital staff, to readjust the damage done to his vital organs, he needs antibiotics, and the best care he can get, right now, is going to come too late I fear."

"So, what your saying is-"

"We're his last hope."

John's adams apple bulged, while the heroic and unbreakable nurse, blinked her eyes in silence.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that." John rubbed the stubble on his chin. "If that's the case, then I can carry him without a gurney or stretcher. But, we'll have to get that soda machine, off from his leg."

"I know." she answered, where her voice slowly trailed off. "But that's not the main issue, I'm worried about."

John followed her frozen gaze at the rebar wire, that was impaled into his body. He clasped her left wrist, and nodded his head, to ease away the increasing conflict.

"I'm worried about that too, but, you're a smart kid. You seem like you know what you're doing. You've led us this far, so, just tell me what needs to be done, and I'll try my best to help."

"Right." She pulled her body back, John's tone was soothing and it helped, to bring her to a calm state once more. "First, we'll have to close off the other wounds, to stop the blood flow. John, give me your belt."

"What for?"

"I need a tourniquet." She swung her satchel around, and she began to pull out an extra belt, a white t-shirt to wipe off the blood. "His right arm, tie your belt around it, and keep the pressure taut."

He did as he was instructed.

"Okay, now what?"

"See if you can find anything that we can use as a lever, or a way to pry off that vending machine from his leg." She continued to swipe away the blood, from his face. "With the amount of rubble around here, you're bound to find something. Now go."

"I'm on it!"

The nurse stroked a thin strand of hair, out of her face, and she seated herself into a more comfortable position. While her companion scoured the area, searching for something to wedge between the boy's leg and the machine, pinning him; the girl looked at her hands and noticed, the smear of blood was like dark black paint.

When she did have some light, as she glanced to the palms of her hands, the blackness turned red. There was no doubt about it now, it was his blood. It was warm, it was sticky, and it was getting everywhere.

"Hey kid-" She rolled her eyes, as she thought back to what limited training she had. "Kid, can you hear me?"

There was no response.

"Kid … just, um … listen to my voice. I know you're probably scared right now, and for whatever reason you decided to come in here, just … just know, that we're going to get you out of here."

She smiled, as the broken body slowly rose upwards, and a quivering gasp was suddenly let out from his lungs. He was fighting, to stay alive. She tightened the make-shift bandage around his right bicep, and she used the last of her water, she brought with her lunch, to douse her spare shirt, to clean his face.

The blood continued to trickle and ooze out, but it was not as thick as before.

"Hey … you seem awfully familiar. I know your face from somewhere. Don't I?" She tilted her gaze, and she stroked his hair. "I could have sworn, that I saw you from-"

"Little Lady!" John called from above her. "I think I found something that can help!"

"Good. Get it, and come back here now!" she answered. "We don't have much time."

His running footsteps grew fainter, but only for a moment. Then, they became louder as he raced back down the pathway he had left from. As the young, fourteen-year-old intern nurse, checked the other limbs of the battered boy, the bank teller dropped a long and solid bar down next to her.

It gave out a familiar clanging sound, that all metal against steel made, when suddenly hit. She turned her beautifully sparkling, sapphire eyes down, at the bar, and then back at him.

He asked, "Do you think this will work?"

She paused, to allow an aggravated notion carry over first. He could have placed it down more gently. "It's crude, but it seems effective."

"Has anything changed, did he say his name, or why he was here?" John rambled off his questions quickly.

"No." The always serious teenager replied. "He hasn't said a single thing."

"Oh."

"But there is something about him, I … I just can't put a finger, on what it is yet."

The noises of creaking metal, of part of the roof bending at a far away section, it quickly drew their attention, from their surroundings, back to the seventeen-year-old.

"I don't mean to break up your precious reunion now, but this building is still in pretty bad shape." John spoke, as he tapped her on the shoulder. "Maybe you're right, and we should focus on getting out of here, before the rest of the building caves in."

"Well, I'm not comfortable enough, about touching that piece of rebar wire, sticking out of his chest."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if we were to pull it out, it could kill him right on the spot!" She sighed. "The only thing we can do, is to get that vending machine off his leg, and work our way back to the entrance."

A glowing fire, gradually began to get a little brighter in the corner of the room, as a gas line was ruptured, and what was left of the roof, began to creak slightly louder, with every passing second.

"John." The teenager said. "We're going to make it out of here, all of us."

He smiled, after swiping away a steady trickle of sweat, off from his brow. "Good. I'm getting a little anxious, just sitting around here anyway."

She briefly smirked back.

"Okay, while I was searching around for that bar, I also happened to notice another possible exit for us. Much easier than that crawlspace, we came to get here." He reported.

"Now the only problem left, is trying to move him." She slowly moved herself to a corner of the side, that the broken stranger rested in. "John, see if you can get around that end, over there. I've got an idea."

"What do you want me to do with this?" he asked, while holding up the long metal bar.

"Pass it through that hole, and together, with our body weight, we should be able to lift that thing off from him." She tucked her head low, and she re-scanned the area, then she triple-checked it once more, to observe that she was not missing anything. "Okay kid … we're going to get you out of here, just hold on a little longer." she whispered to his ear.

John moved himself into place, as the two strangers maneuvered the solid bar, beneath the rubble, wedging it between the crumpled vending machine, and onto a pile of bricks, near the teenager's crushed ankle.

"You sure about this?" John asked.

Her blue eyes were fixated on the unknown figure, laying perfectly still. She said not a word.

This was a matter of life and death, to not try this, was totally unacceptable. She had done, what any medical responder would have, and the code she lived up to, that her father had taught her, it made her determined to save as many lives as she could.

The loss of blood was staggering, his life was ebbing, teetering on the brink of no return. She could sense it, his eyes were closed, his labored breathing was slowing, as the last of his harsh coughing, had ceased.

Every moment built an increased pressure, and time felt to be standing still.

John was standing, hunched over but keeping a firm grip upon the lever.

"When I push down, you should be able to pull him free." John scratched his nose. "We just need a little bit of wiggle-room, and we should be okay."

"I'm not a math professor, but this crude device has proven through the ages, that even something as basic as this, with enough force applied, should be able to cause some lift." The nurse answered. "Alright, on the count of three."

"One …" John said, as he gripped as tightly as he could, flexing his legs in the process, to bend at the knees.

"Two …" She counted, where she wrapped both of her arms beneath the seventeen-year-old's armpits, causing him to sit upright.

"Three!"

The next moments became a steady blur for Falcon. Everything was happening, where the sights and sounds around him, nauseated his senses. His long red cloak was lost, somewhere inside, he felt the two strangers removing it, as it became tangled in the debris.

From one instant of lazily opening his eyes, he noticed he was trapped, deep in the ruins of the famed building, ready to face certain death; where the next moment he blinked, he found himself being hoisted into a medical helicopter.

As his vision came and went, the image of his body laying flat on a gurney, became a little clearer, followed by the stinging of his entire right arm. The rotating propeller blades whooshed heavily outside, and strange voices echoed about him. He had been rescued, but he did not know by who?

He could not move, and it was getting almost impossible to breathe. The last image he could visualize, was of a young girl, with captivating blue eyes looking down at him, and her black spaghetti tank-top shirt, that was smeared in blood.

---

Deep within the bowls, of the Jump City Hydroelectric Dam, Beast Boy felt like he was grasping at straws. He was in very rough shape, as the sight before him, was bone chilling. A girl just like the Geomancer was there, her long blond hair was draped across her face, her school uniform was slightly wrinkled, and she just stood there, with her head bowed down.

The shapeshifter's heart was pounding even louder now, his entire body shook, as he gradually pulled himself upright. There was something unnerving about her, just standing there, like she was in a sleep deprived state, stuck between being awake, and in the middle of REM.

This was out of place, nothing made sense as all the terrible memories, came swirling back to him. Beast Boy was sure, positive that this was yet another devilish ploy, a horrid mind-game that Slade had conjured up, or was it?

"Terra?" Beast Boy asked again, his voice was slightly shaken. Could this be her?

Upon hearing the name, the girl slowly tilted her head, to lock eyes with Beast Boy. She brushed aside some of her straight blond hair, but said nothing.

"Terra … it's me. Beast Boy." The changeling grimaced, as an appalling shot of pain, ran up his hip, and down his battered left knee. He began to massage the wounds, while light bounced off of their bodies. "Don't you remember me?"

Slade stepped right next to her, as the girl turned away, from the shapeshifter's green eyes. They were filling with tears, where the awful sight, was too much to witness.

"Quiet the reunion, isn't it?" Slade's rasping tone, carried a cheerful tune. One of his hands draped over the girl's shoulder, and the hero squeezed his fists in rage. "Go on girl, tell him it's alright."

"Everything is fine." her pleasing voice echoed around them.

Beast Boy's jaw nearly hit the floor. Something sinister was afoot, and Slade had all of the cards, where his real motives were still a great mystery.

"What have you done to her?" Beast Boy shouted, with his nostrils flaring.

"Ah, you always had a keen sense of the little things. It must be your animal instincts then."

"Just. Tell. Me!"

Slade clasped both hands behind his back, and he knelt in front of the Teen Titan. Their eyes were locked in a cold stare, yet everything began to spin widely out of focus, before the changeling.

"Again, you amuse me Beast Boy, for I was sure that once you saw her again, you would grovel at her feet." He turned, and glanced behind him. "But now I see, something else entirely."

"What would that be?"

"Rage, hatred, disgust." The destructive villain glanced forwards, at his prey. "It is written all over your face."

"What have you done to her?"

Slade stood up, and at a calm pace, he approached the girl.

"The mind can be a tricky thing Beast Boy, it controls our every emotion, desire, and action." Deathstroke paced around her. "To control the body, to master a martial art form, to hone a certain skill, to acquire knowledge and use it for your own ends, one must fist conquer, the mind."

"Terra would never submit to you!"

"Oh, but you forget green one, that she has capitulated before." Slade halted, and he began to toy with her silk blond hair. "She was my apprentice, remember?"

"Terra, TERRA! Listen to me, you need to fight it! Whatever he did to you, you can beat it. Hear my voice, wake up!"

"It is pointless." Slade partially was hidden by the shadows. "As I have said, to overcome your opponents, you must first overcome the mind."

"This isn't at all like you Slade." Beast Boy hissed. "You never seemed the type, to go through the extent of things, like this."

"I am highly adaptable. After Trigon's defeat, I realized then, that I needed to refocus my efforts, in ulterior areas. In the more subtle approaches, to reach you and your friends."

Beast Boy growled, and then he blinked, as his brain was hit with new facts, all at once.

"So then, you are only keeping me alive, to be a witness. To tell the others of a new plan?" questioned Beast Boy.

"Good, so you've finally come to it." Slade's body, was getting deeper into the darkness, where only his mask could be viewed clearly. "There are countless ways, to manipulate a person, and sometimes brute force, is not the best approach. I have tried it before, only to be thwarted in un-calculated ways."

"This." Beast Boy said. "This is different. That is Terra, this is real, and not a nightmare."

"So far, so good."

"What did you do to her?"

"Did you know that at a chemical level, in the tiniest forms of molecules, our every action can in fact … be manipulated, and controlled."

Beast Boy remained silent, as his own injuries, became increasingly more potent.

"The government had been testing this theory for decades, with subliminal messaging, hypnosis across the radio and television waves, and even so far, as to inoculate the population with a flue vaccine, that slowly corrupts certain chemicals, to ultimately alter how a person, or a group of people, think."

"You are so full of it Slade. The government would never-"

"Believe in the government, trust in your leaders, for those in power can influence the masses to their own bidding." Slade sighed. "You still do not see, what is already before your very eyes, because you have been living, in a fantasy world."

"I don't believe that."

"You will believe this, when you witness it for yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"There is a chemical concoction I have obtained." Slade started speaking; "Though it is of a small scale, and not very effective in large quantities, yet, this testing ground has given me positive results."

"You mean to say … that you have a mind controlling drug, and that this was only another test?"

Slade waited briefly, before answering. "It is only in the rough stages, where I have yet, to fully expand upon its capabilities. Terra, come here my dear."

The Geomancer lifted her head, and she began to walk into the shadows.

"Terra … listen to me, fight this! I know you can beat this. Terra, TERRA!" Beast Boy pleaded, and he tried to stall her, but he only collapsed onto the cold ground, clutching her ankles, and watching her, as she continued her gradual walk.

As the horrifying silence abated, the sound of dripping water from a broken pipe, caused Beast Boy to turn away.

"What has taken decades for some to obtain, I have mastered, these few months during the void of my short absence." Slade's voice bounced across the walls, where his echo, gave his boasting a more sinister vibe. "There is something I have been longing to achieve, and now, it is soon to pass."

"Bring it on then." Beast Boy rasped. "Me and my friends, we'll take on whatever challenge you throw at us!"

Slade began to chuckle. "I thought you would say as much; but, you will not succeed this time. Not with my latest weapon."

Beast Boy's scowl quickly broke, into a stare of utter horror as he glanced from the infamous villain, to the girl he had his heart, still on hold for. With her back in the picture, a piece of him thought that he could salvage something, as another side cautioned him, over the pain she had inflicted.

"Ah, now you notice what is at stake." said Slade, "But you do not yet see the entire picture." He reached behind his belt, and pulled out a long and sharp knife. The metal was glimmering, in the still rising sunlight.

Beast Boy's eyes were immediately drawn to the deadly weapon, as the tool was some type of ex-military, Green Barrett folding knife. The dark olive handle, was tossed into the air from the madman's icy grip, while the shaft of the sturdy blade, appeared to have an equal weight.

"You have the eyes, of a killer." Slade continued speaking, "But, with the amount of blood you have lost, from the wounds you've sustained, the beating you have taken, there is still an unknown factor, that keeps you awake."

"I always was …" Beast Boy's face wrinkled from pain. "Stubborn."

Slade caught the blade in mid-air between two fingers, and he slightly walked forwards once more.

"Indeed." Slade replied, "As well as the rest of your friends."

Beast Boy could not help but partially grin. He could account for every moment, every battle and fight that his teammates had come in, working together to solve a common problem. Slade was a terrifying enemy, he worked on various levels of deceit and evil, that it was always a group effort, to stop him.

"Brashness and stubbornness, while optimistic in moments of peril, they can be blinding qualities, to the real threats going on before you." Slade finished speaking.

The villain turned to look at a far away window, where the light from outside was only getting brighter. All that remained, was his secret weapon's demonstration, and the final threat would be all too real. He would have preferred Robin, to have been the one to witness this, but with Beast Boy, the act would be even more powerful.

"You never did ask me, why Terra is here, did you?" Slade refocused his attention onto the girl.

Beast Boy felt his eyelids growing heavier, and that it was getting harder to keep awake. He suddenly shook himself at the sound of her name, being spoken.

"No, why?" asked Beast Boy.

"Terra my dear, take this knife." Slade held the weapon, and the skinny attractive girl, quickly looked up from the floor.

"Terra!" Beast Boy called out. "Listen to my voi-"

"It won't work." Slade cut-in. "She has breathed in a very potent gas, of a highly concentrated dosage, where her will and control, is under my every command."

"No!"

"Terra, take this knife." Slade repeated the order, and his only eye appeared like it was grinning. "And stab yourself in the heart."

Beast Boy's quickly became wide awake. "Terra don't do this! You can fight this." He battled another shot, of searing pain across his entire arm. "Terra, TERRA!"

She could do nothing, her very beautiful ocean blue eyes, that sparkled in the light, were hazy and there were dark bags of sleep deprivation, set below them. She was in a powerful trance, of a numbing state, that could not be fractured apart.

The minutes feel like hours, the seconds, like years, and Beast Boy stretched his left arm out to grab her, to hold her, to then somehow attack the menace, that has plagued him and his allies, from the very first confrontation.

Beast Boy screamed, the knife had been raised and in one sudden motion, Terra brought the blade into her chest!

She collapsed onto the floor, in front of the wounded Teen Titan. The handle was sticking out, just above her left breast, and a smudge of crimson began to form around her white shirt. It was blood, and the scarlet pool, gradually trickled down her arm, and across the floor.

"NO!" Beast Boy cried again, as the moment passed. His vision began to darken into a purplish hue like state, and he coughed violently, as a broken rib, rubbed against his lungs.

The shapeshifter suddenly felt a wave of energy, coursing through him. His legs had power, his arms were rising, and before he could conjure up any rational thought, the boy lunged into Slade, in the form of a monstrous adult Grizzly Bear!

He slapped a massive paw at his foe's chest, then the left side of his helmet, causing four claw marks to generate cracks in the frame! Slade moaned in pain, as his only eye was briefly cut!

The bear snapped and snarled, his entire 600 pounds of brute muscle forced Slade onto his back, to briefly bring his staff out, and block the deadly claws and frightful maw of teeth, ready to eviscerate him! Drool slowly trickled down from Beast Boy's animal form, he was in no mood to talk, he just wanted to end his foe.

There was no sign of the boy, it was purely the beast.

An opponent, who had given the slip one too many times before, an enemy that only brought about destruction and misery, everywhere he went, a villain who deserved the worst possibly fate, after all of the heartache he had caused Beast Boy, his family, and the residents of Jump City.

"There it is!" Slade badgered the hero, his eye slowly blinked. "There, I knew you had it in you. Come on boy, finish me off! Then try to face your friends … ufgh … with the truth!"

The massive, green fur covered bear growled, and he peered his burning eyes into the mask. He was being toyed with, for far too long, and his wounds, his battered arm and leg continued to copiously bleed.

"Do it!" Slade repeated the command. "Do what Robin could never have done, avenge Terra, avenge your teammates and … this city!"

The massive beast raised his left paw, with one deadly strike, he could snap the armored villain's neck.

"Beast Boy …" The voice of the beautiful blond girl, suddenly called out.

The bear's ears twitched, and he slowly moved his furious stare, away from his prize, to the Geomancer laying helplessly on the ground. His unbreakable trance quickly folded, as the mighty animal observed the girl, he felt like he was abandoning, to a worse fate.

An explosion of white light, emerged from Slade's right hand, as a flash grenade was detonated and the foreboding North American Grizzly Bear, was quickly blinded! The crafty super villain scooted away, and he spun his bo-staff into the snout of the creature!

The animal took a horrifying beating, Slade did not let up in his assault, as the unexpected brawl that caught Beast Boy off guard, was bringing excitement to Slade. The green bear tried to block and roar, but the criminal mastermind was quicker, more agile, and he exhausted Beast Boy out.

The changeling switched his form again, back into his normal skinny, fifteen-year-old self, and he panted heavily. He could not move or crawl, and a splitting headache crashed over him. He was done, and there was nothing further he could achieve.

"Impressive Beast Boy, but again, pointless." Slade used his silver staff, to tilt his bloodied opponent's face, to look up. "With everything in your power, even with that last bout of superhuman strength, and catching me off-guard, you could have done it. You could have ended this, and saved countless more lives."

Beast Boy's eyelids blinked, his face was puffy and swollen, and his lungs burned with total fire. He said nothing, he could not speak, as he was out of breath.

"You could have saved her." Slade gestured towards the second broken figure in the room, unresponsive. "All you had to do, was one simple thing, and you both could have made it. Instead, you have chosen the harder path, and it will only lead to your deaths."

Slade studied him, and he pressed the middle button to collapse his weapon, and return it to its holster. Beast Boy's face slumped back down, and the dauntless enemy knelt in front of him, to gloat.

"You have come so far, you knew that it was in your grasp to end me, but you still could not bring yourself, to do what must be done." Slade stood up, and he methodically stroked the outer portion, to the left side of his mask. The crooked lightning streaks were new scars, that he carried. "Even with nothing left to lose, you still chose this stubborn path. Such a pity."

Deathstroke walked into the darkness, but he suddenly stopped and partially turned his head.

"It's almost poetic that the two of you, should find each other again. Only to meet your fate, broken and alone."

The footsteps drew farther and farther away, Beast Boy had managed to stop the destruction of the dam, but he was too weak and battered to try anything else. Terra was there, with him, yet Slade had sent doubts and fear, into his soul once more.

The city was saved, he had accomplished his task, but what good was any of that, if he could not protect one single person. How was he supposed to stop true evil, if he did not have the courage to truly snuff it out, like Slade had suggested?

The pounding within his skull was growing fainter, as his heart rate, felt to be sporadic.

"Terra …" Beast Boy called out. "Terra, can you hear me?" He looked up and noticed her chest was moving up and down, but she said nothing. His own injuries suddenly came spinning back to him, and the unwanted hurting, that accompanied it.

With his communicator destroyed, and his ability to morph into any animal, now far out of the question, perhaps it was possible, that Raven's mind-melding process, would save them. The link they shared was weak, but it was his last and best hope, to salvage the situation.

He had to get Terra to a hospital, he required medical attention also, but Slade had appeared, and he revealed a new and awful weapon. If unleashed in a bold strike, there would be no telling what horrific terrors, would be unleashed onto the populous of Jump City, or anywhere else for that matter.

"Raven …"

Beast Boy's face contorted, trying to focus on that night they had spent together. On that exact instant, he had found tranquility.

His heartbeat began to thump slower, the dripping water from the busted pipe splashed softer, and the warmth of the spreading sunbeams, soothed his sore face. He rose his head once more, to study the shadows where Slade had stood, moments prior to vanishing, and all around him, the world was getting colder.

"I don't know what else to do." Beast Boy felt his body slumping forwards, he had lost too much blood, and what little ounces of strength he could muster, that was quickly being depleted, for this mind-link to work.

His eyelids shut, and he felt that he should say something, before passing out.

"Raven … hurry."

{{ End Of Scene }}

---

Hit Meter-1,496

Mail Bag Time:

Scififanfreak222: "WOW! BB and Raven's conversation: WOW! Saffire's introduction: WOW! Cyborg standing up to Robin like he did: WOW! Falcon surviving: WOW! The fight with Cinderblock: EPIC! O.o sorry for breaking the cycle there ; THIS WAS JUST SOOOOO GOOD! Great job! Hopefully I'll calm down sometime and stop using exclamation points!"

~~Well, I did have your help in some places, so thanks as always. ;-) I felt a strain between Cyborg and Robin was needed, as they did tend to butt-heads in the show a few times, for rightful leader of the team. Cinderblock was always a fierce enemy, and for Beast Boy to go toe-to-toe with him, I felt it could prove that the shapeshifter could take on anybody. As for the intro to Deathstroke, the original idea was too long for me, so with this, it kept things heightened to a much greater degree. I'm glad you enjoyed it.~~

Dcfan100: "Suspense really is your speciality! Please update soon! I'm loving this story!"

~~Thanks for the comments. I never really thought, that I could go far enough with the telling, and yet, here we are. ;-)~~

Linzerj: "Oh. My. Gosh. MAJOR CLIFFHANGER OF DOM! NO! Wow, great job on this story and this chapter... it's so intense! I NEED MORE SON! UPDATE ASAP! PLEASE? :D GREAT JOB!"

~~As Threepio said in Return Of The Jedi, "Here we go again."~~

Wolvmbm: "A truly entertaining chapter. I mean the team deciding on whether to save Falcon or save the city from Slade truly felt like a powerful moment to me. To me, Robin had the right idea on the team continuing with helping the people, even though it was a tough decision on his part. :( Also great moments within Beast Boy part of the chapter, as it shows him being clever and witty within his powers at outwitting Cinderblock, not once but twice, and also defusing the bomb by sheer luck. Although now Slade is targeting him and within his last moments he was still thinking of his relationship/friendship with Raven. :D I truly do hope that Raven and Beast boy can survive this encounter with Slade as it seem that he got the two of them in a tough spot (Please do keep up the good work upon such a great storyline like this one. ;)"

~~You know something Wolvmbm, you truly leave, some of the best reviews on here. Thank you so much buddy! {:-D] I'm just glad, that my story is of some interest to anybody, but to read your comments, it all makes my struggles worth it in the end. Thank you.~~

X: "That was so long and good. Oh, so very long and good!"

~~Most of my chapters are a mind-crunching, hair pulling, and an eye straining process, to read through. I don't really know what I intended, when I first set out, on this writing journey, for FanFiction? I guess you could say, that I wanted to prove to myself, that all I really wanted, was to try to leave some kind of mark, worthy of something. At least, I am giving it my all. Now ten chapters are done, can you believe it?~~

bk00: "Okay, I love the beginning, but sadly I can't read the rest of the chapter today for two reasons. 1) I have a KILLER headache and 2 separate the paragraphs! Them being so clumped together like this meshes everything together and makes it hard to read. please bro, separate the paragraphs more, even if it makes it longer, it'll make it more worth the read.7 sentences is my own personal limit to a paragraph."

~~The true mark of a great writer, is not by how much he churns out, but by how creative he can be, in forming the structure of his own masterpieces. Every bit helps bk00, all of the tidbits and things that are corrections, they do aid me a great deal. When I post to the site, the sentence structure at first appears to be a little bit more even, however, after clicking 'submit to site', most of my paragraphs that were of some decent length, are quickly bunched together. I'm still working on things, but, I will put in my best efforts, to enhance my skills.~~

Saffire55: "Ok, I am getting quicker at reading these chapters. So yea! i am happy! :) Well, for now. :P Make another chapter soon!"

~~ I can only do so so much, but I will try, to keep cranking these updates out, as fast as humanly possible. This also goes out to other fans of I.D. (Inner Demons). Working a full-time job, then this, it does take a toll. So please, remember that I am a single person, and not just a mindless drone who can sit down and write, every second of the day.~~

~~ T.M.O ~~