Fan Fiction ❯ Three Way Mirror ❯ Chapter 6

Three Way Mirror

Written By: Teno Hikari

email: teno_hikari@yahoo.com / tenohikari@cs.com

Summary: Takes place in the 'Aftershock' episodes. Slade has taken over the city, and all the Teen Titans, except Robin, has fallen. Can the boy wonder stop Slade alone? Or will Terra clip his wings? (Slade/Robin)

Disclaimer: Well you know what I'm gonna say, I own nothing. That includes the Teen Titans. ::walks off to go sulk in the corner::

Warning: Spoilers for the show - at least for the 2 seasons.

Slash, Yaoi, M/M pairings. Adult situations. Mature readers only.

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Chapter Six

"I gave you everything..."

[ But without my friends, I had nothing... ]

"All my knowledge..."

[ All those deadly techniques I never to perform on any living being... ]

"All my power..."

[ The power to strike fear into the hearts of men... ]

"All for you..."

[ I never wanted anything. Especially not from the likes of you. ]

"But all you seem to care about is your worthless, little, friends!"

What had Slade expected? It was because of he cared for friends, that he had given himself over in the first place. Finally released from the masked man's cruel grip, Robin remained on his hands and knees. He tried to catch his breath, frowning at another thwarted attempt to strike down his nemesis. His arm still felt numb. Briefly, he wondered if Slade had pulled the appendage loose from it's socket.

Ignoring his body's protests, the unruly apprentice forced himself up. With his back to Robin, hands clasped behind him as if in reflection, stood Slade. The very man, who literally held the lives of his teammates, in his hand.

Nanoprobes. Billions of little nanoscopic killers swarmed within the bloodstream of his friends, just waiting to attack. Robin eyed the large six-panel screen of their invasion, and scowled at them. He despised his situation even more. Here was a battle he was powerless to fight. Doomed to lose his friends, one way or another.

"If the Titans are so distracting, maybe I should get rid of them?"

Robin stopped himself from attacking, as watching the mask man pull out the detonator from the hidden gauntlet compartment. Fear paralyzed him from making any sudden movements. Fear for his friends.

"D-Don't..." he replied softly. "I... I'll do whatever you say."

Those had been the words Slade had longed to hear. Complete submission. From the moment he heard the teenager say his name.

"Good boy, and from now on, I'd like you to call me 'master'."

Robin's stomach twisted, he opened his mouth to respond to his "master's" request. Until the he heard Slade let out a shout of pain and surprise as a emerald star bolt hit him from behind. Much to the young man's horror and relief, he saw his friends standing at the entrance of the enemy's lair.

"Robin, attack!"

He couldn't do it. Not when they've probably heard so much. He stepped forward and warned them. Run. Get out. They had no idea what those beams did to them...

They knew? But how? And why would they still be here, provoking Slade who could kill them in an instant?

"We are your friends, Robin. We are not leaving without you."

Starfire's answer had shook him to his core. If they knew their leader had betrayed his team, and their ideals, why are they putting him in the awkward situation? He couldn't fight them... not now when they knew. But Robin couldn't very well just stand there, as the enemy picked himself up and began to approach.

"How very touching," Slade purred. His single eye narrowed angrily at his apprentice for his insubordination. "But Robin doesn't need any friends."

* CLICK *

All he could do was watch as his team mates fell to the ground. Glowing a hideous red and orange, as they writhed helplessly, groaning in agony. As their bodies flailed violently, Robin moved toward them, forcing himself to think of anything to cease their pain. But what could he do? How could he help them?

An arm encircled Robin's waist, pulling the boy back against the solid body behind him. "This is the price of disobedience, my apprentice," Slade purred into his ear. "The price you chose to pay."

"No... I didn't want this!" he sobbed helplessly. "Please let them go! Stop it!"

There was a long silence, before Slade spoke again.

"It has stopped."

What? Slowly his eyes moved to the still bodies of his teammates. They had stopped moaning. Stopped moving altogether. No. Oh please, God, no...

He was then released from his master's, and staggered forward. Their bodies were cold and lifeless. In their vacant eyes, he saw the remains of tears.

'Why?' they seemed to accuse him with their deathly pale faces. 'Why did you let us die?'

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He awoke with a start, a scream trapped within his throat. What had happened? Where were his friends? Was... was it all just a dream?

Robin didn't remember what happened after he stepped into the elevator, but when he woke he found himself in bed. One he didn't remember getting into. Though it was a welcome change than sleeping slumped in a chair. He had almost forgotten how good it felt to lay down and stare at the ceiling... that strangely seemed a few feet from his face.

Realization dawned quickly as he turned his head and surveyed one of the bedrooms in Sanctuary. Resting on the top bunk and beneath him he could Mammoth's makeshift bed and the simple furniture that had been in the room. Though he didn't recall the mess of wires, tools, and metal pieces that lay on the desk.

Or the luxurious satin pillows on the floor, apart of Mammoth's bed.

Or the small collection of CDs, DVDs, and games piled high beside the bunk bed.

Or the game system and the wide screen television in the corner.

The teenager frowned and rolled over to face the wall, away from the - obviously stolen - merchandise. He'd deal with them and those little thieves later, right now he just wanted to go back to sleep. Maybe just let himself rest for the day. Or a month.

Stretching, Robin winced at the small aches and pains coming from his limbs. Complaining for the hell he had put them through. He was lucky he could still function, let alone dealing with Slade and his robot underlings. Really, what had he been thinking? Fighting an android army with no food and no rest.

Oh right, food. There was none left thanks to the ungrateful H.I.V.E criminals. He knew they must have been starving, but didn't they know he only had a limited supply. Well, maybe not, but still...

Wait a second. If all the food was gone, what was that smell? It smelled like... like...

"Hey, bird boy!" he heard Gizmo behind him. "You awake?"

Robin grunted as he felt someone poke him hard in the shoulder. He ignored it, hoping the little brat would go away. Poke. Why wasn't he going away? Poke. Poke. Poke. Snarling, the older teen turned over and bared his teeth.

"What is it?!" he hissed. Sitting up again, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Well tried to anyway, seeing that his mask was still on. He didn't know why that surprised him. Maybe because he expected those former mercenaries would sink low enough to take it off.

"Jinx made me go ask if you wanted anything to eat," Gizmo said in his defense as he began climbing down the ladder. "You've been out of it for a couple of days ever since we found you in the elevator."

Robin squinted as he pulled out his deactivated Titan communicator and looked at the date. Two days? It certainly didn't feel that long.

"You coming, or what?"

Stomach growling, Robin nodded.

"Be there in fifteen..."

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It felt good being clean again. Not that he was that dirty. The Boy Wonder had been used to going on days without bathing. He had fought with all kinds of villains and places that normal people would wretch over. Like fighting with Clayface back in Gotham, or knee deep in sewer water chasing down thieves.

But the shower was refreshing, and it immediately got him to wake up more than a reheated cup of coffee. Also, it was a rare moment when he had a chance to remove his mask. A high risk, Robin knew. One the crime fighter was willing to take just so he could feel the slap of cold water against face.

After drying off, Robin caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. No it wasn't the leader of the Teen Titans. It was him: the boy who lived behind that title. How long had it been since he saw himself without the cape, the uniform, and the mask?

Toweling his hair dry, he walked over to inspect his reflection.

Milky blue eyes ensnared his attention. They were like ice, able to freeze anyone looking directly into them in place. The boy in the mirror was transfixed, perhaps wondering: 'Who this person was staring back at him?'

Facing the mirror, Robin winced. The other boy looked so fragile looking. He was too skinny, too short, too pale. How was it possible that this same body could perform complex and dangerous moves? How was it fast and strong enough to take on almost any opponent? How did it not fall to pieces when he fell over?

The former Titan continued to stare at this mysterious young man. A familiar stranger. Could this really be him? No... It wasn't him, not anymore. The youth changed quickly into a spare costume, setting his mask in place.

His mirror image changed as well. There was no normal looking teenager facing him now. Those blue, blue eyes were concealed once again. Never to be seen by anyone else.

Without the mask, he was an ordinary boy without a future.

With it, he was Robin: a mysterious crime fighter without a past.

'But...'

Slade's voice suddenly filled his head. He could actually picture the hateful man in the mirror.

[ You're becoming more like me every second. ]

No! He would never be like that bastard! NEVER!

[ Never is a long time, dear boy. But it could also be tomorrow. ]

Growling lowly, he raised his fist to smash the mental image of Slade. But his punch halted before shattering the glass. Looking at him now, was an enraged Robin glaring back at him. It was as if his reflection were shouting back: "If you do become like him, I'll kill you!"

Slowly, Robin stepped back and lowered his arm. His anger suppressed for now. He would unleash it some training later on. But not now. He glanced once more at his image. This was him, now and forever. No one could change that. Not even Slade. The other masked hero gave him a small confident smile.

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The sorceress was sitting on the counter, waiting for English muffins to pop out of the toaster. Jinx glanced up from her fashion magazine she had picked up, cat-like eyes passed over the Teen Titan who stepped into the room. Watching him scan the new improvements they put into the kitchen, she hid her smile, turning the next page.

While Robin had been asleep, they had expanded the kitchen using Mammoth's strength and Gizmo's intellect and technology. It was now wide enough for them to have a decent size refrigerator, several more outlets for extra appliances, and the room was big enough for Mammoth to move around even with a large breakfast table.

A table Gizmo had practically dominated, fixing up his system. Enormous metal spider legs were hanging off the edges. The boy genius was mumbling curses under his breath, nothing unusual. As he typed in codes on his mini laptop with one hand, and eat a spoonful of cereal with the other. Well he was trying to, anyway. It must have been hard muttering obscenities while your mouth was full of Lucky Charms.

At the stove Mammoth was humming away to the digital radio on the counter, while making stacks of waffles. With a stolen waffle iron, because Robin knew the Titans had lost theirs almost a year ago. The giant didn't even notice the Boy Wonder twitching behind him.

Both Jinx and Gizmo looked at their rescuer and regarded him quietly. While the other H.I.V.E member unknowingly almost gauged out Robin's eye out with a butter knife. He managed to duck out of the way, fuming at the larger teen who was slathering butter on the top of one of his waffle towers. It was only when Robin cleared his throat, did Mammoth turn around and acknowledge the Titan's presence.

"Whoa! You're awake!"

Gizmo snorted, finally giving up on his hard drive and began gobbling down his breakfast. "Brilliant observation skills you have there, Captain Obvious."

Mammoth's face turned as red from anger and embarrassment.

"Shut your face, Private Pain-in-the-ass," the giant shot back with a glare. After setting some dirty dishes in the sink, he turned to face Robin and offered another stack he had been keeping warm on the stove. "Um... want some?"

Robin eyed the leaning tower of waffles and decided he wasn't that hungry. Or that desperate to get his stomach pumped. He shook his head and walked over to the huge refrigerator and found it packed. It was more food he had ever seen, organized, but squished together.

"No thanks, and did you guys rob a grocery store?"

"We didn't rob anything," Jinx said defensively as she placed her breakfast on a plate. She hesitated for a moment, drizzling honey over the English muffins. "When everyone evacuated, they took what they wanted and abandoned the rest. I mean it was all going to go to waste anyway, and we're still here, and we needed food so..."

She trailed off, taking a bite when Robin turned his back to her. The Boy Wonder didn't look like he cared all that much. Her point had gotten through as he trimmed down one of the waffle towers. He sat down at the table when Gizmo finally got disgusted with his lack of progress and shoved his invention to the floor.

"Got milk?" he asked hopefully. He folded the waffles in his hands like a taco and began to eat. Glancing over to the giant who had been mixing waffle batter, Robin saw him sweat-drop nervously. 'Should have known...'

"Sorry, think I used it all..."

"WHAT?!"

Gizmo, who was about finished with his cereal, began to sputter with his mouth wide open. Half eaten marshmallow charms were flung left and right. Robin backed away to avoid the onslaught, but continued to eat his breakfast undisturbed. He had been exposed to nastier things. Like the time Beast Boy hurled when Cyborg had slipped in a tiny piece of pepperoni on the changeling's slice of cheese pizza. That had been gross.

"How could you use all freaking milk?!" the midget inventor demanded. "I need my freaking milk! How the hell else am I gonna grow up to be big and strong?!"

Both Jinx and Mammoth ducked their heads, and sniggered at the idea of Gizmo growing up to be: 'big' and 'strong'. The Boy Wonder remained silent, as he finished his waffles and walked back to pour himself some orange juice. Having breakfast with his old foes. The situation was all too weird.

Still... it was definitely better than being alone.

'They are not your friends,' he reminded himself, leaving the lively kitchen without a word. Anyone who got too close would suffer. Slade was right, he didn't need any friends. Robin didn't need...

He stopped dead in his tracks, standing alone in the shadows. Eyes wide in shock, he paled, while his lithe body began to tremble in realization. 'Oh... Oh God...'

Did he just admit that Slade was right?!

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A few hours after lunch that day, the team gathered in the control room to comply with Robin's request. Five o'clock sharp he had told them. They had been too caught up in their own activities to notice the time. Mammoth had been weight lifting. Gizmo was again trying to repair the damage to his inventions. Jinx was busy practicing some back flips without putting too much weight on her sprang. When they finally remembered, it was now five-thirty, and the group wondered if Robin was going to hold up to his 'obey my orders or die' threat.

They didn't have to wonder long as they saw him sitting in his chair, working on an arm blastor. The Boy Wonder's brow knitted in concentration, finally finishing up just when he saw the tardy freeloaders at the entrance. Turning towards them, Robin aimed the weapon in their direction.

"I don't suppose any of you managed to steal a clock that works in your shop-lifting spree?"

Both Jinx and Gizmo quickly took cover. Shielding themselves from Robin's view, and the weapon that could probably do serious bodily harm. Unfortunately, for Mammoth, he had been code named: 'cover', back in their mercenary days.

"We got your back, big guy!" Gizmo tried to sound brave, clinging to the larger teen's shoulder. "Friggen' hell! My system is still down!"

"And my ankle is still sprained," the Sorceress added.

Twitching nervously, the giant's eyes never left the blastor pointed at him.

"You guys suck."

Robin lowered his arm, much to the group's relief. Turning his chair, he pulled up the data on the computer. While enjoying the scenic view from a few nights ago, he had managed to record a lot of it on his R-Cycle's hidden camera. Some grainy footage of the Jump City bridge appeared on the wall size large screen.

"This is the only way in or out of the city," he told them. From between the behemoth's muscled arms, Jinx and Gizmo popped out their heads to see. Neither H.I.V.E members made a step forward into the room as Robin enlarged a picture of the bridge.

"It's heavily guarded, but I think we can get through their blockade."

Jinx finally stepped around her 'cover'. "Huh? We're leaving the city?" For some reason this surprised and disturbed the girl and her team mates.

"Just the three of you," Robin answered, eyeing the explosives he had set up on his workstation. "Once you're off the bridge, I intend to blow it up."

This was going to be between him and Slade now. He would take care of the androids and the man's annoying subordinates in time. The Boy Wonder would figure out all their weaknesses. They won't be able to stand in the way for long.

"No one will enter or leave the city..."

'Not until one of us is dead.'

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Author's Notes:

Poor Mammoth gets picked on a lot, doesn't he? Okay for the 'mirror' scene, I almost mentioned 'Dick Grayson' (Batman sidekick #1). It's obvious that's who he is in the Teen Titan series so far.

+ "How long is forever?" - Robin grows up to become Nightwing.

+ "Date With Destiny" - small little clip scenes of Robin's change of hairstyle.

+ "Fractured" - Robin's double from another reality: Nosyargdick, is Dick Grayson spelled backwards.

However, a close friend, Sorcerer Hunter fanfic partner, and DC comic information source: Lady Douji, has made me consider Robin's identity. This could very well be Tim Drake (Batman sidekick #3), because of their personalities. Also, Tim was the only Robin who practiced with a bo staff.

::Sigh:: Sorry for the rambling. I guess I'm going to steer clear of Robin's identity for awhile. Until I can make a decision. Oh, also I couldn't help but mention Clayface, Ron Perlman (Slade) also does his voice in the 'Batman: The Animated Series'. Yeah... I'm a geek =P

Feedback Responses:

(fanfiction.net)

Emerald Star - You can find "Without Reprive" in the Teentitanslash YAHOO mailing list message archives. The list seems to be dead right now though ~_~

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/teentitansslash/

Alena has continued (but not finished) it in her fan fiction journal

http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/fire_tears/

TheDudeLordOfFantasy - Heh, you read my mind ^_^; I know it seems kind of soon for them to start bonding. Please note, that there are no loyalties formed yet. Robin had saved the once HIVE mercenaries when he took them in. Therefore, they were inclined to return the favor. So now they're sort of even. Also, please stop with the "Kill Terra" remarks. I know you and a good potion of Teen Titans viewers want her dead, but in this story she's a story character. Her fate is determined by how the plot progresses in the future chapters.

Teekoness - Yes, that was what I was going for, for Wintergreen's character. ["Be careful, my dear," Wintergreen nodded toward her sloshing tea cup. "Or you'll burn yourself."] - Hmm... I guess I should have made some note that he was trying to warn Terra. Not just about the hot tea. But controlling her emotions, and not letting her guilty conscience get to her. I also agree it would have been too soon for Slade to show up in person. A good predator knows when to strike, and now is not the time.

Amethyst Wind - Chai tea (which is a spicy, milky, kind of tea) ... as far as I know, has nothing to do with Tai chi. It's usually just called "Chai" which means "Tea" in many languages (in Chinese it is "Cha", and Japanese "Ocha").

Flick-chan - To make Terra totally evil without remorse, would have been out of character. Considering she does have guilty regrets in her 2nd season episodes. I admit that I don't care much for Terra. Yet, I feel in order to make the story believable, is to try and write the characters from an unbiased point of view.

Thanks for reviewing guys! ::Hugs all her reviewers::