Clank CLANK

What in the world? Robin sat up and peered out the door, trying to find the source of the sound.

Slade was probably back. He saw a figure in the shadows. Quickly walking out the door he slid into the shadows.

"Come on out Robin." A voice spoke from the void. "Don't be a coward."

Robin narrowed his eyes and softly let go of the breath he had been holding.

Very Ninja like, he rounded the corner and edged toward Slade hoping to sneak up on him. He was right behind Slade. A foot or two away...Slade still had his back turned. Almost there...

"Aughh!"

Robin's arm started to feel like jelly. He turned to face the figure holding him up by his arm.

Slade shook his head slowly in disapproval. "You never could sneak up me."

Slade threw him to the floor. Robin's clothes were starting to get dirty from being thrown on the floor so much.

Quickly getting back up he regained his stance. "You'll never get away with this!"

Slade apparently amused responded. "And how are you going to stop me?"

"The Titans will-"

"The Titans don't care about you." Slade interrupted. "Would you like to see what their doing instead of looking for you? Sure they've noticed your missing but what have they done about it?" Slade walked a few feet toward Robin.

"Wha...what are you talking about?!" Robin went from confused to angry in a matter of seconds.

Slade didn't respond only smiled slightly behind his metal mask.

Robin narrowed his eyes when he didn't respond.

The seconds ticked by. There they stood it was like they were frozen in time. No sudden movements. It was like Slade was trying to take things slow just to make him explode inside.

Finally Slade reached inside his utility belt for a remote.

Screens lit up behind Robin. Robin swiftly turned forgetting Slade was standing right behind him...

"Starfire!"

A voice yelled. The screens lit up and a girl stood in the middle of a familiar kitchen.

"Yes Friend?" Robin narrowed his eyes to many times today. Slade still had access to Titans Tower security cameras!

"Have you seen my other glove?" The green teen walked over to the couch and slumped in its seats.

"No I haven't." Starfire reached into the fridge and pulled out a pickle.

"Hmp. Whatcha doing Star?" Beastboy reached out for the remote sitting on the table.

"I am trying to make my sea cucumber and glorfna tail soup, but the closest thing I have to a sea cucumber, is this sour cucumber." Starfire sighed and added it to the brew.

"Oookkayyy..." Beastboy turned to the T.V and flipped through the channels.

The screens switched to a darker room and Robin was barley able to make out anything.

A girl in a caped hood sprawled out on her bed fast asleep. A stack of books sat next to her, one on her chest with her hand on it.

The screens switched to a brighter room where a half metal man laid on his metal tilted platform he called a bed, snoring. Robin could make something white out on his lip...

The screens went black.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Robin spat out furious.

"Oh? What about Batman?" Slade said slyly. "He's probably wondering why you never showed. But he did nothing about it."

"Yeah right. I'm sure he's on it rig-" Robin was cut off by the screens flickering back on.

"Alfred." A man behind a chair spoke.

"Yes sir?" A elderly man came up behind him.

The chair turned and Batman turned to look at him.

"It's been a Quiet night, how bout some of your cookies?" The corners of their mouths turned up slightly.

"Of course sir." Alfred extended his hand to the door. Alfred paused as Batman got up from his seat. "Do you think Master Jason will fair well?"

"I believe so." Batman started to walk up the stairs with Alfred.

"Who's Jason?!" Robin looked at Slade suspiciously as the screens terminated.

"Oh you don't know yet?" Robin could almost see Slade smirking. "Let me show you."

The screens lit up once more. A figure stood in the middle of a training platform, aiming Batarangs at the target standing of to the side of the platform.

Someone off to the side watched him.

Without warning Batman withdrew a Batarang and aimed it at the target. Hitting it straight in the middle of the target. Jason froze in amazement and guilt.

"You have to throw it with your arm further back."

Robin's mouth dropped. There was no way he was training someone else! Did he want to replace him?!

Slade noticed Robin's surprise. This was going to be easier than he thought.

Jason smirked in determination. He tossed the last few Batarnags in his hand, following Batman's instructions.

One landed quite close to Batman's, the other in the same place as Batman's almost knocking it down.

Robin narrowed his eyes in jealousy, even though he wouldn't admit it.

Batman turned his head to look at something, while Jason jumped up and down in victory.

The screens went blank.

Robin could hide it no longer. He couldn't believe it! Batman had a new trainee!

"I guess Batman doesn't care you didn't show. He's making The Joker The Titans problem, and he might just kill them all."

Robin was speechless. He just took in every word Slade said without thinking about it.

"He's trying to replace you As Robin. Can't you see it? Batman hates you so much, he wants to replace you. I'm just trying to help you see it."

Robin's legs felt like jello. They would collapse at any moment. The air was getting heavy, his eyes watered...what was happening to him?

"What's wrong Robin? No threat? No witty comeback? Have I finally won?" Robin could hear Slade smirking.

"No..." His eye sight was wavering. It felt like there was poison in the air.

Slade stepped toward him. "Join me Robin, and you can get revenge on Batman for all he's done to you." Slade offered.

It was to much. He snapped. His vision darkened and he fell to the floor unconscious.

Slade watched him fall to the floor. It was about time. The gas in the air should have knocked him out several minutes ago. Slade took a heavy breath through his air filter in his mask.

He was slowly failing. He would fall right into my trap soon. But he just needs a little push. And that push? I have right here.

Slade pulled out two sliver pieces from his utility belt. He turned them over in His hands. It was hard to believe that these two pieces was all it took to make Robin fall in.

_______________________________________

"Did you have a good drive Master Bruce?" Alfred opened the door for me.

"It was fine. Remember when I told you about Robin being missing?" I asked as we made our way to the cave.

"Yes, have you found him yet?" Alfred worried.

"No, I've been a little busy with Jason." I paused as Alfred shot me a look. "The Titans are on it though." I added quickly.

"What does Slade want Robin for?" Alfred prodded

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm going to call the Titans again, to try and figure this out." I pulled the lever and pushed the clock out of the way.

"And if they don't have the answers you seek?" Alfred questioned.

"Not a positive thinker are you?" I grumbled at him.

"I try my best." Alfred's sarcasm was getting to me.

I sat down in my chair and called up the Titans, while Alfred grabbed a towel he left and went back up stairs.

The Titans hadn't answered and it had already rung several times. My mind wondered off to Jason...I wonder what happened to his mother...

Meanwhile

Beastboy held his nose. The smell of her soup made him gag, And seeing Starfire gobble it up made him want to throw up.

"Would you like some friend Beastboy?" Starfire offered

Beastboy fell over in response.

She shrugged and continued to gobble it up till it was gone.

Beastboy picked himself up as Starfire washed her dish.

"Slow day huh?" Beastboy asked as Starfire sat next to him.

"Yes it has been the slow day. I've had time to give silky a bath, make my favorite soup and even look at some magazines Raven gave me."

"Why would Raven give you Magazines?" Beastboy slumped down on the couch.

"Well, a few days ago I asked her to go the mall of shopping..." Starfire didn't need to continue.

"Huh, well Rae likes to be alone all the time for some reason." Beastboy sighed.

"I have made the note." Starfire responded.

"What?" Beastboy asked confused.

"In Your English language, you say "I noted." Correct?" Starfire continued to slaughter the English Language.

"Uh..okay...I guess so..." Beastboy itched his head.

They sat in an awkward silence. Beastboy twiddled his thumbs while Starfire ran a finger through her hair.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The Titans computer buzzed, breaking the silence.

INCOMING CALL CALLER: BATMAN

Beastboy and Starfire jumped up. "The, Batman is calling us!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Go get Rae! I'll get Cy!" Beastboy told her as he raced off. Starfire flew off in the other direction to get Raven.

Beastboy turned Into a cheetah and Raced to Cyborgs room.

He didn't waste a minute when he got there.

Turning back into his human form, he banged on Cyborg's door. "Cy! Yo Cyborg! Batman's calling us, wake up!"

The door slid open, and Cyborg glared at Beastboy. "Whoa, slow down I'm up!"

Cyborg wiped the mustache of his face and then they raced back to the main room.

Meanwhile, Starfire raced towards Raven's room. But as Starfire rounded the corner, she nearly bumped into Raven!

Raven stepped to the side at the last moment, having already sensed Starfire was there.

"Excuse me Raven! I have to go get Rav-" Starfire stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh! Let's us quickly go, The, Batman has called us!"

"I know, I could sense the commotion." Raven explained.

They both flew back to the main room, to meet Cyborg and Beastboy.

Cyborg answered the call. Batman's face appeared on the screen.

"Titans, have you found anything?" Batman wasted no time getting to the point.

Cyborg sighed. "We did find something." Cyborg paused taking a breath. "When we looked in his old lair we found an address in a newspaper had been circled, it's a lair on the other side of town that's underground."

"Did you check it out yet?" Batman prodded.

"No, we were gonna wait to consult you first." Cyborg said smartly.

"Good. You'll need a back up plan if Something goes wrong." Batman advised.

"We thought of that." Cyborg confirmed.

"Now, I wanted to ask you about Slade." Batman changed the subject.

"Yes?" Cyborg responded, glancing at the other Titans that were standing silently in the corner.

"Do you know why Slade captured Robin? Has this happened before?" Batman questioned.

The Titans all grimaced. Batman seeing their discomfort he spoke again.

"What happened between Robin and Slade?" Batman demanded.

Cyborg, being leader finally spoke up. "It's a long story. Robin has always been...obsessed with Finding out who Slade really Is and taking him down."

Batman inwardly grimaced. "I wonder where he got that..." Batman thought.

"I'll give you the short version." Cyborg continued. "When he started to attack Jump city, Robin was obsessed right away. Little did we know, so was Slade. Robin even posed as a villain to try and take him down that way. His plan back fired though. Some time later Slade black mailed him to be his apprentice. We-"

"What did Slade blackmail him with?" Batman interrupted.

"Our lives..."Cyborg trailed off not continuing.

Batman narrowed his eyes. He understood now. Robin would never let anyone die because of him. Especially his friends.

"Go on." Batman prodded once more.

"Robin found a way out though and we beat Slade, but he got away. Much later we met a girl named Terra. She became our friend but We later learned that she was working for Slade, in exchange for him helping her control her powers. We defeated Slade and Terra eventually, Terra saved us in the end from a volcano, but Slade fell into it. Later we learned he was resurrected by Trigon, to do his bidding. We defeated Trigon, and Slade got away. Apparently he hasn't given up on Robin. And still wants him as an apprentice. We think, he might black mail Robin again to become his apprentice." Cyborg finished taking a breath.

Batman listened carefully. It made sense now. If that what to come, they had a real problem on their hands.