Nobody's P.O.V

Wayne Manor was quiet. Too quiet - Oh, who am I kidding?! It's 4am and the Batfamily are always quiet. Whenever they aren't arguing that is.

But as it is, the remaining members were buried deep within the Batcave. More hours were put into this cave as they desperately tried to search for their little brother. Batman was forced to go to his room and sleep as he had been keeping himself up for days, leaving his other sons to take over his work.

Jason slammed his fists down onto the top of the Batcomputer.

"Urgh! Where is he?!" Jason shouted.

"Calm down. Getting mad about it won't help anyone." Tim instructed.

"-tt-. I unfortunately agree with Drake. However, that does not mean I am not beyond annoyed. Because I want to break someone's skull."

"Nice... Stuck with two people who want to break someone's skull... That's exactly how my life should be." Tim groaned.

"Anything?" Jason asked, calming down.

"Not on my end." Tim said.

"Dead end. Again." Damian sighed.

"If only we knew exactly what Dick was trying to say... Then we'd have a much bigger chance. In the video feed before he was beamed off, he said something like Death Strike or something. Does that mean he thought he was going to die?" Tim wondered out loud.

"It's driving me nuts!" Damian shouted.

"It's driving us all nuts." Tim stated.

"No, the Death Strike thing! It sounds so familiar, but I just can't remember how! I just can't put my finger on it!" Damian groaned.

"Well, can you hurry up and figure out what the fuck it is?!" Jason shouted.

"If I could, don't you think I would?! -tt-"

"Any luck?" Alfred asked, suddenly appearing.

"Not since the last time you asked." Jason snapped.

"Stop being so rude." Tim said.

"Stop being so annoying."

"Stop coming back to life."

"That is quite enough, young masters." Alfred interrupted, frowning at the two. "If you keep arguing like this, I wouldn't be surprised if I had a stroke."

Damian froze, his face turning pale. "Stroke..."

"It's not that big of a deal." Alfred frowned. "Although I supposed you just figured something out."

"He wasn't trying to say Death strike. He was trying to say Deathstroke." Damian said.

"Deathstroke? What's that?" Tim asked.

"It's not a thing. It's a person."

"Then that must mean he was trying to tell us who it was." Tim said.

"Deathstroke the Terminator. He's a mercenary. He used to be around a lot when I lived with my mother."

"Talia? Does that mean we have to go see her? Or do you already know what to do?"

"I should already know enough. Deathstroke is... I suppose his skills could match mother's, he may even be slightly more powerful. He left because he was in need of a..." Damian started. His face paled even more.  "That can't be why... Please tell me that's not the reason why..."

"What?!" Jason asked, suddenly getting worried for his adopted little brother.

"Deathstroke left because he was in need of an apprentice. No one at our base had the skill set he was looking for. They were all lacking something. But Dick must have had whatever he was looking for."

"A soul? Personality? Life? A will?" Tim asked, trying to lighten the mood slightly. He was rewarded with Bat-glares.

"Do you even know how serious this is?!" Damian shouted.

"Of course I know how serious this! I'm just trying not to make it any worse than it is then it already is!"

"But that's the thing! It's even worse than it seems! Deathstroke was the one who took down my grandfather! He was the one who destroyed our base! He was the reason I came here and met father in the first place!"

"Hold on. Deathstroke was the person who took down Ra Al Ghoul and killed all those assassins?!" Jason asked.

"Pretty much."

"So, he's that big of a threat?"

"For all I know, he could be stronger than before."

"Wait. Didn't you take him down?" Tim asked.

"Yes, but that was a few years back. I suffered from quite a few injuries in that fight and I may not have been able to defeat him if I hadn't been able to trick him. I hate to admit it, but I may have just gotten lucky that time. I don't even want to think about how much stronger he must have gotten since then."

"So... We're dealing with a guy you barely managed to take out last time and is probably even more stronger this time?" Jason asked.

"Unfortunately so."

"I'll go get my guns!" Jason grinned.

"No. We don't know where he is yet."

"You don't know?" Tim asked.

"Never did." 

"Great. Now what?"

"We know who we're dealing with this time so we'll of a chance finding him then before."

"I guess so..."

--------------------------

--------------------------

--------------------------

--------------------------

--------------------------

--------------------------

--------------------------

--------------------------

--------------------------

----------I enjoy doing this.--------------------

---------------------------

---------------------------

---------------------------

---------------------------

---------------------------

---------------------------

---------------------------

(Robin's P.O.V)

My heart beated loudly in my chest, as if it was trying to make itself explode.

What was I doing?

I couldn't listen to Slade. I couldn't. 

But yet, here I am. Outside of Slade's base.

I wish I could say its because I escaped. But then I'd be lying. Slade had given me a mission.

I had to kill someone.

Of course, I refused. 

Two torture sessions later and lots of convincing words fulled with threats and screams in the background, here I am, with a shock collar around my neck and a tracking device.

My body was still stiff and sore but I wasn't willing to stop because of exhaustion, knowing what would happen if I did. The shock collar had already been tested on me before. I had a - What Slade would call - a rebellious stage. The collar kept in line during that time and the first time he used it I screamed for an hour at even the simplest of movements. The aftereffects were horrible as well. I was blind for a day when he first used it.

I jumped to another rooftop before I arrived at my destination. I snuck into the old warehouse, rolling my eyes. Warehouses. Always the warehouses. What a surprise.

I stuck to the shadows with newfound skill that Batman was unable to teach me. I couldn't hear my own breathing. It almost seemed like the shadows itself couldn't see me.

"What do you mean they failed?!" Someone shouted. I looked down to see the exact person I had to kill.

"We're sorry, Sir! The Bats got in the way! You know how pissed they are at something! Our men was severely injured." One of the lackeys said. I scanned the room counting the amount of men and exits. I reached for the gun and quietly placed the silencer on it without making a sound. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. Was I really doing this?

Was I really about to kill Tony Zucco? The man who had killed my parents?

"I don't care about the Bat, you morons!" Idiot. If you faced him yourself, you'd run. "I want my shipment and I want it now! We've been avoiding this for as long as possible, but I want that shipment! I don't care if some men have to die, bring me that shipment! Or I'll kill you myself!" Zucco shouted. I grit my teeth, and aimed at his heart. My aims shook as I took aim. I couldn't do this... I couldn't...

"Renegade. Shoot him. You have a clear shot, do not waste it!" Slade growled in my ear through the comm. Luckily, it couldn't be heard from here. I didn't answer him. Different thoughts raced through my mind before I could even understand what they were about.

Slade. Batman. Zucco. Death. Smiles. Peanut. Circus. Team. Death. Life. Some guy named John. Deathstroke. Assassin. Damian. League. Jason. Tim. Elephants. Shocker. School. Kidnapping. Joker.

I didn't know what I was doing, what I was thinking. My entire body was numb and shaking as my heart thudded painfully due to the fear spiking it. Why? My thoughts muddled together into nothing, not making any sense or logic until one certain thought popped up.

Criminal.

Was that what I was becoming? Could I not just turn my head the other way and pretend none of it happened?

No. 

This is real. This is serious. Once someone dies, you cannot bring them back again. Its impossible. I was about to do that to Zucco. Would anyone miss him? No. He was a criminal. Did he deserve death? I don't know. Did anyone deserve death for their crimes? Joker. Did he? Maybe. I didn't know.

I didn't know anything anymore. I was too confused. Somebody tell me what to do. I don't know anymore.

"Renegade! Shoot him!" Slade shouted. So I did. Someone told me what to do. So I did it.

Had I become mindless? No... I was just confused.

Somebody... Tell me what to do. I don't know anymore.

A red spot appeared on Zucco's shirt before he fell to the floor, dead.

Somebody, Please... Save me.