I'm so nervous and excited to post this. Hope it's good.
I'm jolted awake by the sound of my name being called, and I look at the door to see Cyborg standing there, worry written all over his face. "Slade's calling," he says, and my eyes widen in horror. Luckily, I'm already dressed, and so I follow Cyborg to Robin's room.
Robin lies in his bead, soaked in his own sweat, and I mask my concern quickly when he awakens. "It's him," Cyborg explains, just like he did with me. "It's Slade." Robin's eyes simply narrow and he follows us to the main quarters, where Slade's waiting for us on the screen. Starfire and Raven are already there, no doubt glaring at the villain.
"Good morning, Teen Titans. I do hope I didn't wake you," he says, faking sincerity. He stands in what appears to be a run down warehouse, but there's nothing behind him.
"Don't get your hopes up," I mutter, glaring at the screen.
Beast Boy yawns as he makes his way over. "What are you, an insomniac? Who calls at five in the morning—?" Raven elbows the shapeshifter, effectively cutting him off.
"What do you want?" Robin holds his fist up for the criminal mastermind to see.
"Well, that's precisely what you've been trying to find out, isn't it? And in spite of all your efforts, you're still in the dark about my intentions." Slade shakes his head. "Disappointing, Robin. I expected a little more from you.
"Like I care what you—"
"But since you've been unable to discover my plan, I suppose I'll just have to reveal it myself." The camera rotates to reveal two Slade bots unveiling a machine of some description. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept of a Chronoton Generator."
This revelation triggers a series of reactions from the other Titans, but I watch Slade instead. "No!" I hear Cyborg shout, along with Starfire's gasp of horror.
"Uh-oh," Raven comments.
"No way!" Beast Boy exclaims, then turns to the rest of us. "Um, what's a crouton generator?"
"Chronoton Generator," I correct.
"It eradicates all chronotons within a localised area, utterly destroying the temporal component of the space-time continuum," Starfire explains, only further confusing the green Titan.
"Hmm?"
"It stops time," Raven states. "Permanently."
"If he triggers that thing downtown, it'll freeze-frame the entire city."
"But why would he want to do that?" I ask, already sceptical of Slade's supposed plan.
"Tell me where," Robin demands.
"You're a clever boy, Robin," Slade replies, vague as always. "I'm sure you and your little friends can figure it out. However, since I control the detonation, time is not on your side." He holds up the trigger for the Chronoton Detonator to back up his words, and the screen flickers before disappearing completely.
The instant he's gone, Robin smacks his hand down on the control. "Fan out! Find it! Shut it down!"
He moves to leave but Beast Boy and Cyborg block his way out. "Hey, uh, maybe you should stay here and coordinate the search," Beast Boy says.
"What?"
"Man, when it comes to Slade, you've got issues," Cyborg points out. "Might be better for the team if you sit this one out."
"No. There's too much at stake for me to—"
"Robin... We have not forgotten the last time you faced—"
"I made a mistake, Starfire. It won't happen again. I can handle it. I promise." Robin looks around, his gaze settling on me. "Ember?"
I don't look up, and nervously trace a circle with my left foot. "Robin, I know how much you want to take down Slade, but you have the tendency to get obsessive. Too obsessive." I sigh, look away and gesture for the other boys to make way. "However, we do need all hands on deck for this one."
"Would you at least like to know where to look?" Raven asks us as we're about to leave. "Slade gave us more information than he realised. Here, in this reflection." The computer zooms in on the reflection that's on the detonator, and Beast Boy crosses his arms.
"Ooh, squiggly lines. Way informative," he comments sarcastically. Raven ignores him and flips the image, revealing it to read 'Pier 41.'
"Pier Forty-One!" Starfire exclaims, having read it off the screen.
Robin steps forward. "The docks!"
"Let's go!" I shout, and we all rush to the location, not before Raven looks at Beast Boy, causing him to blush profusely.
~~~
We blast our way into Pier Forty-One, only to find no one and nothing there. There's not even a speck of dust to suggest a Chronoton Detonator was here minutes ago. "Empty?" Starfire asks.
"Oh, man!" Cyborg exclaims, still looking for the Chronoton Detonator.
"I don't believe this!" Robin says, just as several Slade bots jump down from the roof in front of us.
"Great. Now what do we do?" Beast Boy asks.
"We fight," Robin replies. "Titans! Go!" We pan out throughout the warehouse, each of us readying ourselves to fight several of the bots. I kick one, square in the chest, and throw it into another. It never makes it, because Robin kicks it in another direction and takes over completely. I huff in exasperation and move to the side, allowing him to let out his anger.
He does the same to the others, and in no time at all, he's the only one still fighting. The one man army violently defeats all the bots whilst we stand as a viewing party, Beast Boy seeking Raven's comfort whilst the rest of us watch, frozen. Once they're all defeated, we make our way to the leader cautiously as he continuously whacks the last bot.
"Uh, Robin?" Cyborg says. "I think you got him."
"Yes, please," Starfire adds as she and I walk over to Robin and I catch his hand. "You may stop now. We are victorious."
"Slade's got his finger on the button, and we've got nothing!" He retorts, panting. He pulls his hand away from mine, retracts his staff, and turns away. "Does that sound like a victory to you?"
He storms out of the building, leaving us to follow. "Okay," Cyborg says to Beast Boy and I. "We know the Chronoton Detonator was here. Now we just have to figure out where it went."
"No problem," Beast Boy says. "We should split up and—"
"—Waste hours searching only to come up empty-handed?" Raven asks pointedly as she makes her way over.
"Well, when you say it like that..."
"Raven is right," Starfire points out as she lands on the ground. "We must find some way to track the device."
Through the corner of my eye, I watch as Robin spots a man walking in between the warehouses. "Freeze!" He shouts as he runs at him, causing the man to run away. In no time at all, Robin's pinned him against a wall and is interrogating him. "Tell me everything you know about this!" He holds up one of Slade's gadgets, showcasing the S imprinted on it. "Answer me! Now!"
"I've never seen it before! I don't know anything!" The man replies quickly as I gather the wind and pull Robin back, into the air, and he struggles and glares at the rest of us. "Honest!"
"You said you could handle it," Raven states.
"You promised," Starfire says as I let Robin down.
"We're wasting time," he responds curtly and I pull him back up into the air.
"No, we're not," I spit as I rise into the air in order to meet his eye level. "You need to get your act together, Robin."
"You know, just 'cause we're trying to catch Slade doesn't mean you have to act like him!" Beast Boy adds, and I let Robin down once again at the sight of his anger. Before I do, however, I shoot him a warning look, which he promptly ignores.
"Don't you ever compare me to him! He's trying to destroy the city. I'm trying to save it!"
"But you're turning into him in the process. Robin, don't you see what—" I'm cut off by Starfire's loud sneeze, which rocks through all of us.
"Gesundheit," Raven mutters, and I look at her quizzically before we all turn to Starfire.
"Forgive me. I am allergic to metallic chromium. There must be a source near—" she sneezes again, and we all dive out of the way. I spot the blush in her cheeks as we all make our way back to where we stood. "Sorry."
"Interesting," Cyborg notes as he looks at some data in his systems.
"Not really," Starfire replies. "On my world, chromium allergies are quite common."
"No. The key component of a Chronoton Detonator is a metallic chromium core, which means—"
"—Starfire can track it!" Beast Boy exclaims. The alien girl sniffles quietly and tries to smile at this news.
~~~
Another sneeze echoes through the sewers as I look in pity at the girl well in front of the rest of us. "I believe it is this way," she says.
"Look, guys, uh—about earlier," Robin begins, but Raven stops him.
"It'll have to wait." She points to a motorboat in front of us with a Slade bot on it, and his eyes widen when he sees us.
"Titans! Go!" Robin shouts as we speed towards the motorboat, which starts quickly and flies away. "Quick! We can't let him get away!" Suddenly, an all too familiar hand grabs Robin and pulls him through the wall, causing me to growl. Cinderblock.
"Robin!" Starfire and I call in unison as we run over to the hole in the wall.
"Get the detonator! Go!" Robin says as he avoids Cinderblock's hits. The others waste no time before following his orders, but Star and I watch him in concern.
"Star! Ember! You heard the man!" Cyborg's shouts bring us back to life, and Starfire flies off. I shake my head at Cyborg before running into the battle. Robin jumps from pillar to pillar, and Cinderblock smashes them all. Eventually, Robin lands on the ground, one fist raised to fight.
"Only fair to warn you: you caught me on a bad day!" He says, and the two charge at each other. Before they can collide, I bring up a chunk from the ground and hold it at Cinderblock's legs, tripping him. Robin jumps up, throwing one of his many gadgets at the villain, and then sends a kick to his face.
I gather small rocks to protect my fists, jump on Cinderblock's head, and punch him over and over. Robin sends several more kicks at the villain and throws him on the ground. "Where is he? Where's—huh?" He spots a communication device in Cinderblock's hand and looks at it.
"Is that—?" I ask, grinning.
Robin's grin is malicious enough for the both of us. "Yep. He's going down."
~~~
"Hurry, young Titans," Slade says from inside the building. "Your time is running out." I glance at Robin, my eyes red, and shoot a gaping hole through the metal door, which we step through.
"Actually... we just went into overtime," the Boy Wonder says.
"Robin. Ember. Welcome," Slade says, apparently unfazed at our surprise entrance. "I've been expecting you for some time. I was beginning to wonder if Cinderblock was too much of a challenge." He turns around, holding up the trigger for the Chronoton Detonator. "Looking for this? Well... here it is." He places it in the ground, right between us and him. "If you want it, come and take it."
"If you insist," I say, and with one movement of my fingers, the trigger lands in my hands. "Game over, Slade."
"Ember," Slade scolds. "You and your friends know me well enough to know that the game is never over." He turns to Robin, who's about to run at him. "Matter of fact, it's only just beginning."
Robin does what we both expect — lunges towards the villain. He dodges, and the two engage in a skilled fist fight. I swoop Slade up into the air, and Robin kicks him back. He stands over the villain, who turns around and kicks him away. I fumble with the detonator in my hands and end up placing it by the door.
"Come now, Robin. You'll have to do better than that. I haven't even broken a sweat," I hear Slade say to Robin, who's laying on the ground. Robin's an excellent martial artist, but Slade makes it look easy to beat him. Slade prepares a kick and before I know it, I'm standing in the way. The kick sends me back and I clutch my stomach, heaving loudly.
When I look up, Slade's caught Robin's fist, and he bends his arm back. "Good technique." He lifts him up and throws him to the other side of the room. "Good, but not perfect."
Robin launches himself at Slade once again, but Slade sends a punch to his stomach, knocking the wind out of Robin just like his kick did with me. He laughs maniacally and I feel the sensation of fire through my veins, something that only happens when anger gets the better of me and I lose control of my powers.
I scream as all my energy is directed at Slade, but when I look up, he's in front of me. "Did you really expect me to come to a fight against you unprepared?" It clicks that his clothes are fireproof whilst I'm avoiding his next blow. His second hit lands on the side of my head, and my eyes start to close. I fight the urge to drift into unconsciousness and stand up as Robin slams his fist on the ground in anger.
"I understand your frustration, Robin," Slade notes as he walks up to the leader. "You hate losing as much as I do. One of the many qualities we have in common." This comment seems to only further anger the boy as he uppercuts the villain. He lands two more punches and the last one sends Slade falling. Robin seems to have lost control as well and he keeps punching, just like he did in the warehouse. When he's done, I fly the trigger into his hands.
"It's over, Slade!" Robin spits.
"On the contrary, Robin," Slade replies as the trigger starts to buzz with overloaded electricity. "This is only the beginning."
"Where's the real trigger?" Robin demands.
"Trigger?" Slade asks as Robin and I stare dumbfounded by his next few words. "There is no trigger, because there is no detonator." The villain presses a button and four columns appear. At the top is the names of each of the other four Titans, and below is a diagram showing their blood cells and several small devices hidden inside their bodies.
"Oh no..." I mumble, my hand over my mouth in shock.
"Nanoscopic probes. The Chronoton Detonator was merely the bait for a much larger trap. You see, with the push of a button... my probes will destroy your friends from the inside out." He shows us the button, and I growl.
"You can't control them," Robin replies. "No matter what you threaten, they'll never obey you."
"This isn't about your friends, Robin." Slade makes his way to the two of us. "It's about you. It's always been about you."
"What?"
"Sending trouble your way. Leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel. I was testing you. For some time now, I have been searching for an apprentice." I feel a pit form in the bottom of my stomach as I begin to work out what he's saying. "Someone to follow in my footsteps. And, Robin, I've chosen you. Congratulations."
"No way would I ever work for—" Robin clamps his mouth shut at the mere sight of the button.
"If you join me, if you swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends again, I will allow them to live." Robin's eyes widen, as do mine. "But... if you disobey even the smallest request, I will annihilate them, Robin. And I'll make you watch. So, do we have a deal?"
"And what about Ember?" Robin asks, eyeing me. Slade's eyes wander to me too, but because of the mask, I can't tell what he's thinking.
"I won't inject her with the probes," Slade replies, not giving it much thought. This alone leads me to believe that he anticipated my arrival. "But she will stay here with you, to make sure you don't leave. Who knows? Perhaps one day, she may become my next apprentice. She does have quite some skill." I scowl, despite the compliment, and watch as Robin nods slowly in agreement of these terms.
~~~
"Robin? Robin? Robin, please respond! Why does he not answer?" Starfire's voice fills my ears and my spirits are lifted at the voice of someone other than Slade. I've not been able to talk to Robin, for Slade fears that we will conspire against him. He's not wrong.
"Robin, please. You must answer. Robin! Please respond! Robin, where are you?" I watch from afar as Robin slips on a glove and clips on his belt. The singular light in the room falls right where Robin stands, and so he can't see what Slade has done to me. Said villain walks over to him when he's done.
"I know it seems bad now," Slade says. "But trust me, you'll learn to like it." The villain walks off and I get a good look at Robin's new gear. It seems to be what he'll be wearing for a while, anyway. His torso piece is split vertically, half black and half bronze, the bronze side having a grey S carved into it.
Next, I look down at my restraints. Like Mad Mod's chair, they stop me from using my powers, which only makes me want to use them more. They're attached to a mechanism that moves, forcing me along with it.
I hang my head in desperation, only hoping that Robin and I can find a way out of this mess.
Sorry about the lacklustre ending... I just hope that overall, the chapter was good. Can't wait to post Part Two!