Forever an Apprentice

Slade Returns

"What? How did that happen?" Cyborg looked at the smashed communicator confused.

"I do not know." Starfire bit her lip in worry.

"Try and look around and see if you can find him. He must be close by." Cyborg suggested as he closed the communicator and turned back to the bomb.

"Oh Robin, where are you?" Starfire asked softly knowing he couldn't hear her.
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Nightwing ran along the rooftops, jumping from building to building with ease.

He had to get there before Slade changed his mind.

He was so close to his destination. He should of known this is where Slade's hideout was. How could he have been so stupid! It was so obvious. In the woods, in a old house, and underground. He was a bit uneasy about going for, this was the exact place he was held before.

One particular building was further away from the one he was standing on then the rest. Nightwing skidded to a stop and took a few steps backwards. There was no where he could use his grappling hook. With a running start, Nightwing jumped.

When he almost reached the edge of the next building, his leg snagged on loose wires and the skin tight fabric ripped, leaving a piece of fabric and a drips of blood behind. Nightwing barley noticed and continued on.
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"Any ideas?" Cyborg asked for the umpteenth time as he circled the bomb as the hostages uneasily stared back at him begging for their lives.

BeastBoy shook his head and watched Raven try to calm down the hostages in case their movements triggered the bomb.

"Please remain calm. We will get you out." Raven told them calmly. "Alive." She added.

"Maybe I could bury underground and-"

"And do what? When you reached the surface, the bomb would blow." Cyborg interrupted BeastBoy.

"Hey, I'm just throwing around ideas." BeastBoy glared at Cyborg.

"I told you Nightwing wouldn't just stay at home and do nothing." BeastBoy changed the subject.

"No you didn't!" Cyborg argued, his pacing coming to a stop.

"I was thinking it!" BeastBoy sat on the grass. "We should of handcuffed him to the wall or something."

"He would probably get out of that. I don't think there is a way we can keep him contained once you think about it. Remember when we had him all strapped down in the med bay when he inhaled the dust from Slade's mask and went all crazy? He got out of that pretty quickly." Cyborg frowned.

"I guess so. That's what you get when your trained by Batman." BeastBoy sighed and turned back to the bomb. The hostages were becoming restless.

"Greetings Titans." A voice came from the bomb that didn't belong to the hostages.

Cyborg wiped around to see a small screen had come out of the bomb.

"How do we shut of the bomb?!" Cyborg demanded.

"You don't." Slade replied as the bomb powered down.

Cyborg looked at him confused.

"It was merely a distraction. And now that I have distracted you, this bomb has served its purpose." Slade held up the detonator and crushed it.

"Distract us from what?!" Cyborg, slightly relived the hostages were safe, still worried what Slade's plan really was.

"Robin of course. What else?" Slade answered as if it was obvious.

"What have you done with him?!" Cyborg demanded slightly worried.

"Nothing really. At least not yet. He's on his way here, to try and bring me down. He'll fail of course. We all know he'll fail. And after he fails, what I do with him is my business." Slade savored every word.

"When you mess with him, you mess with all of us!" Cyborg seethed.

"If you want it to be your business, make it your business. But only if you can find me in time." Slade, hearing a sound behind him, turned his head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a visitor." Slade chuckled as they faintly heard Nightwing's muffled voice as the screen blackened.

"Nightwing! That little...he should of told us! Why didn't the tell us he knew where Slade's hideout was! Why did he just go by himself!" Cyborg exclaimed slightly mad.

"He probably had his reasons. Slade might of told him if he didn't come alone the bomb would blow." Raven suggested.

"Maybe. Or maybe he was just to prideful to ask for help." Cyborg grumbled as he watched BeastBoy untie the hostages.

"We need to find him. Now." Raven frowned. But how would they find him?

"I could try and track him!" BeastBoy bounded up and changed into a beagle.

"Maybe. Have you heard from Starfire yet?" Raven looked at Cyborg.

"No. I'll check in on her now." Cyborg replied. He hoped she had found something by now.
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Starfire flew through the cold air in search of Nightwing. She realized he would be harder to spot now, since he ditched his bright colors. A strong breeze threw her hair back, and strands of hair blew in her face.

She landed on a rooftop and brushed hair from her face. She dragged her feet along the rooftop as she went. Where was he?

Starfire became close to giving up hope. But that's when she saw something.