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Take your Medicine	By : Imaginary Category: DC Verse Cartoons - Teen Titans > Slash - Male/Male > Robin/Slade Views: 8215 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, nor the characters of the series, nor do I make any money or profit from this story.

Chapter List
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AN: Look! We ARE maintianing weekly updates! Or at least we try : P

So let's feed the fans and post this chapter... OH! and mention that I finished writing TYM. all 28 chapters are written and done, only editing is left.

He seemed to fall for what seemed like forever. He felt the blood in every vein rush to his head, making his ears ring, stomach churn, and cause him to get goosebumps. As if on reflex, he already had his limbs spread, his arms flapping in the air in attempts to keep his body in a somewhat upright position. He also tried reaching for anything that might stop him from falling. He could feel the air blowing on him momentarily and making his hair stand on end. He felt so insecure and he was afraid that the moment he landed, he would break his legs. The fall must be enormous, he had been so high when he jumped. He had climbed upward the whole time, so the fall had to be worth at least thirty feet, though only god knew if it was even more.

Straightening his legs, Robin would be ready when he finally did hit the ground. Hopefully then he could keep his balance. Once the ground finally came to, he couldn't expect it, no matter how prepared he was. The moment his feet came in contact with the ground, they gave away. He felt his ankle sprain, causing him to crash to his knees. He hadn't had time to properly break the fall with his hands, but he managed to just barely stop himself from hitting his head on the ground. He was now on all fours on the floor. He was panting with shock, even if he wouldn't admit it. Now that he re-estimated the fall, he came to the conclusion that it had been somewhere around one or two feet. How pathetic. He was pathetic.

"You did admirably well, Robin. To be quite honest, I didn't think you would be able to make it."

Slade walked up to him. Robin only knew this because of hearing the footsteps. He was still wearing the blindfold and all he could see was black, so his vision wasn't any help. At first, when he felt Slade's hand on his shoulder lifting him up to stand, he flinched out of reflex, but allowed him to pull him up anyway.

"I want my vision back!" Robin growled, feeling like hitting Slade or at least kicking him, but he was still feeling a little dazed from the fall.

At least he didn't look like a complete wimp. He held Slade's wrist in a firm enough hold to refrain him from moving. Slade's answer was to laugh and twist his arm around to make him lose his grip.

"Right away, Robin." And at the very next moment, Robin could feel the hand, which he had just held down, was ruffling his hair, giving his neck goosebumps. Robin only relaxed his shoulders when he felt Slade's hand undo the knot that held the blindfold in place. It didn't take him long to get the thing off and Robin could feel his hand wander from the back of his neck and over his shoulder, before it returned to rest on the top of his head. He had no idea why he did this and would have wanted to pull his head away from his touch. But, to be honest, the firm hand felt good against his scalp. "Open your eyes, boy, and take a look."

Robin wasn't aware that he had been holding his eyes shut the whole time, but now that he was reminded of it, he opened them. At first he didn't see anything, only black and a faint purple color. Soon, however, the purple seemed to expand and even get brighter in places. Soon his vision was only tainted by a couple of purple spots here and there, which wandered like ants, bouncing left and right on his vision like a game of ping pong. With enough blinking, he got them to settle down. Now he could see clearly. The white room even hurt his eyes a little, seeing as how bright it was. He had to squint to see better without being blinded again. He soon got used to the brightness. The room seemed to be as it was before, Slade was standing next to him, and they were both staring at a wall.

"What's going on?" Robin mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Slade turned his hand on his head, making him turn with him to avoid snapping his neck. And there he saw it, the whole track course. The thing was built into what seemed like a hole and all of those "possibly fatal falls" were barely six feet deep and were filled with water. Yes, it seemed that on the ground there was some kind of pool, so he couldn't have hurt himself even if he had fallen. He could see the small platform that he had thought was a tower just moments ago in front of him. He could also see the small round room, where he thought he had heard his friends, and every part of the course. It wasn't even dangerous. It even looked safe for a kid. The fire effects from the start were far away enough to not have been able to hurt him and the pendulums looked like theater props or some kind of toy. It had a wooden handle, but the blade was simply made of acrylic glass with soft edges that couldn't harm anyone. Then what explained the sound?

Robin had to walk along the edge of the training course to have a better look, leaving Slade behind, his hand falling from his head. The sound of the metal screeching on the floor came from a speaker and a fabric of Slade's making, which made the friction from the blade heat up the floor. It also slowed down the pendulum and created a loud noise. What kind of trick was this?

"As you can see, the test, as I said, wasn't actually difficult. It was all a matter of cooperation. I wanted to see if I could trust you and if you could trust me in return," Slade explained, stepping up beside Robin. "I wanted to know if you could follow my instructions when I gave you an order. The fact that we are where we are now speaks for itself, Robin."

Robin looked outraged at Slade, feeling frustrated. He had been blinded, blinded for Christ's sake, for this? And in the end, he hadn't even been blind at all!

"You…you cheated! You tricked me! This was…a scam! A scam all along!"

Slade held his hands behind his back as he looked at the training field that was now slowly reverting to its original, bare form. "I didn't cheat. You just didn't know what to expect. In the end, I got what I wanted. I know that in the end, you will listen to me, if need be."

"But you…you blinded me! I don't even…! You just…you tricked me! You made me believe I was actually blind!"

Slade seemed perfectly calm about all this. "I needed you to be blind for this one, Robin. It would be easier for you to judge the commands if you couldn't be misguided by what you saw. I wanted to know what your subconscious was telling you. Besides, I know well enough that I couldn't just ask to blind you. You wouldn't have let me."

"Damn right I wouldn't!" Robin cut in. "Couldn't you still have…! I fell for that one! I really thought that you were…! It's not fair!"

Robin had trusted Slade on the marble, thinking it was just some kind of gadget or something. How can he trust him now?

"Robin, think. Would you even imagine yourself saying yes if I asked, 'Robin, could you please let me blindfold you? Or, better yet, blind you for a while so you won't cheat?'" Slade had sounded as sarcastic as he could be and looked at Robin through his mask, making him think he was raising his eyebrow at him. Not that he could really tell… "Besides, this was the better solution because, as you have witnessed, the effect of the marble was only temporary. I was somewhat curious to see whether you would try to remove the blindfold or not. I'm glad you didn't."

With the room back to normal, Slade started to walk towards the middle of it. The room was once again perfectly still and exactly the way Robin remembered it. Then a small pillar, possibly a really small table that barely reached Slade's navel, appeared in the middle of the room. Robin was still angry and a little upset. He couldn't really say what he wanted out of this situation. He was mad at Slade for what he had done, but he was right about not letting his sight be tainted, by any means. Also, this had been a test to judge whether he could go on a mission outside this base…

Missions outside the base? That would mean he could sneak out and maybe even get to see his friends! He was sick of having to stay in these rooms, where everything looked the same, yet nothing was what it seemed to be. For example, this room! One moment it was an open field, then it was a training room for him. Breaking from his thoughts, Robin saw Slade pick something up from the pillar that came out of the floor moments before. Putting his anger on the back burner for now, he was curious to know what it was.

"What have you got there, Slade?"

Slade returned to standing in front of him. "This, Robin, is a chip. A small tracker, to put it another way. With this, I can see where you are, what your pulse rate is, and the condition you're in. Nothing major, just a chip to keep track of you," Slade explained, loading the chip into a pistol-like device, which was supposed to shoot the chip under one's skin. "Not that this will be enough for you, once I send you out. I will also equip you with an earpiece and microphone, so we can communicate. Don't worry, it can be turned off, but you will still hear me at all times. I warn you, I do not tolerate being ignored."

He was kidding, right? Robin was not okay with this. He didn't want Slade, of all people, to put a tracking device, of all things, under his skin! Robin's anger came back full force.

"No, you will not put that in me! I am not a dog in which you can just tag your ownership to. I will not allow it! I won't bear the thought that once I leave this place, I'll have something in me that would tell you, my number one enemy, my location! That is very classified information and you can't have it!" Robin started walking away, but Slade wrapped his arm around his waist and pinned him against his body, effectively holding him in place. Robin began kicking the air uselessly. "Hey, release me this instant!" Robin now tried to kick Slade anywhere he could reach, but it was ineffective.

"Just so you know, Robin, I have all my trust and faith in you. Once the deal is over, the chip will be removed."

Slade's breath wafted on his ear and his hair when he spoke. Robin could feel his strongly built chest against his back and something on his belt was pressing against his lower back uncomfortably.

"Really? And how much trust could that be exactly? As far as I know, you don't trust anyone except yourself!"

Robin tried to squirm his way out. He barely managed moving even an inch. He felt the side of Slade's cold mask against his cheek and jaw then.

"Precisely, so I hope that you see my reason for doing this."

Robin could smell Slade's breath and the musk that came from him, but he couldn't dwell on it for long as he pushed his head to the side, almost hurting his neck. He then felt something cold and pointed being pressed against the place just below his left ear. No, he wasn't going to inject him! He wasn't allowed to! He couldn't! All chances of having some room to do as he pleased would be thwarted if he couldn't fight back. But dammit, he couldn't even move for Christ sakes! And then Robin felt it. It came with a wheeze of air and a loud psssh sound as it was injected. It also hurt slightly, making him wince. The chip inside him felt cold and foreign. It almost felt like it was sticking against his neck uncomfortably. It itched and smarted like a real bitch. He also knew that the infected area was now probably as red as a tomato. He seriously hoped that the swelling would go down soon. The feeling wasn't pleasant.

Almost as soon as it was over, Robin was released. Now that he got his hands back, he swung around, one hand on his neck to hold the place where the chip was while the other was pointed at Slade, ready to claw his eye out.

"You bastard! I told you to not to do it! I hate you!"

Robin raged, but Slade remained calm and only pulled a small vial of green liquid from his belt and held it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Robin, I know that the chip will be of use later on. I wouldn't want to lose you in the middle of everything, now would I?" Slade held the vial closer to Robin. "The chip will be removed, as I said, but until then I recommend you drink this. You are to drink one vial every morning for as long as that chip is inside you, if you want to avoid the rejection. I know that your body would be as displeased to have a foul piece of metal inside of it as your mind is. It's either the medicine or you can watch as your body starts to reject it, first getting inflamed and infected, and then trying to push it out on its own accord. Trust me, it won't be pretty. The human body isn't all that adaptive like cats are."

Robin was reluctant to take it. He knew that he had to. He knew the risks, but he had been cheated on so many times today that he really didn't want to. First going blind, then getting tagged of all things, and now this? He bet that just like an animal, one could just scan the chip inside him and see "Property of Slade". It almost made him sick to his stomach. Slade took Robin's balled fist into his hands, then proceeded in forcing it open. He pushed the small vial into Robin's palm and then forced his fingers to close around it.

"Your daily doses will be located in the cabinet above the sink in your bathroom from now on. For now, take the medicine and meet me in here in half an hour. I will give you a general description of the missions and give you the rules that you must always follow. After that, I will hand you your equipment and in two hours you should be on your way." Slade walked to the exit of the room, leaving an angry, fuming Robin to stand right where he was, staring a hole into the back of Slade's head with squinted, loathing eyes. "Maybe by then you will have managed to get rid of your—" Slade paused to take a moment to consider his words. "—pent up frustration and anger." Slade stopped within the doorway and looked back at Robin. "Congratulations on gaining my trust and the authority to attend quests outside this base. You have done well."

Slade then exited the room, the doors closing behind him. At first, Robin would have wanted to throw the vile against the wall or perhaps even the floor with as much strength as he could. Instead, he tore the cork off, threw it at the door, then drank the liquid in one gulp, grimacing at the foul taste. He heard a satisfying crash as the vial shattered against the door, which opened automatically as it registered the movement and impact.

Darn Slade and his ways. He never could leave room for an argument.

It took Robin a while to fume out his ire. Yes, he was still slightly annoyed, but he believed that he wouldn't snap the moment he saw Slade's mask again. The first thing he did during his half hour of cooling down, he had gone to Slade's medical bay. The same one he had been to two days ago. It took him about fifteen minutes to disinfect his newly made wounds. He had to use bandages on his sides and pelvis. Of course it hurt something fierce and was now itching slightly, but at least they wouldn't get infected. Before he met Slade again, Robin decided to get a small bite of something. He had no idea what the mission would be, but he decided it was best to be prepared. Then, after half an hour sharp, he was back in the room, where Slade already stood waiting.

"So what's it going to be then?" Robin asked.

Yes, he still felt that small buzzing sound at the back of his brain, nagging at him to just nail Slade for what he did earlier. For once, he decided to humor the small voice. Once he found something to annoy Slade with, he would grab the first chance he got. He couldn't trick him or take his sight from him without consequences.

"The rules are simple. For every mission, you will have a deadline. In the set time, you are to complete the mission and return here, where you will get a prize. Be late for even a second and I shall punish you instead," Slade explained.

Slade pushed a few buttons on a small remote control that he had that rearranged the room. It wasn't a huge change, but now there was a fairly good-sized monitor on a table with two seats in front of it. The monitor had a map of Jump City open and, in the middle of the screen, were many spots on the map. They were in green, red, pink, black, blue, yellow, brown, purple, and many more. Robin thought that they were either to mark different places or people. The red dots seemed to be moving steadily on the screen, so he guessed that those were people. Slade sat in a chair near him and then pulled out a small file. He set it on the table and then began to read a report that he took out of it.

"I can live with that. But—" Slade didn't look at him as he continued reading. "—there shall be no assassination quests."

Robin had a tone of finalization in his voice. He would not murder anyone. At least not on command.

"We'll see," Slade said, taking another piece of paper to read.

Robin stared hard at him. "There will be no assassination quests, Slade. That cannot be bargained. I'm here because of a contract and this goes both ways. On my behalf, I am not going on any assassination quests. So far you have been the only one to have all the cards while I've been forced to stay here. So my word is final."

Slade finally looked at him. Robin continue to stare at him, almost as if he was trying to will his opinion into him. They stared each other down, like they were in a match of wits. The first to break eye contact would lose the argument.

"Is that so?" Slade finally asked.

"Yes."

"So you are implying that in the last three days, today included, has taught you nothing?"

Robin was slightly taken aback, but he didn't break eye contact. Had he learned anything? To say that he hadn't would be a lie. He had learned to cope inside small places, at least to some degree; learned to take orders as well as give them, as seen today; knew how to wield different guns because of the training; and the simulator had been an interesting experience. He had shot a man in that simulator.

Robin didn't know what to say, but it seemed that he didn't have to because Slade kept going.

"Do you think I haven't made any sacrifices for this? I haven't been able to step outside my own base because I have been forced to look after you. I decided not to force this on you, nor force you to stay with a death penalty in place. I have been patient Robin. Believe me, I have. I let you wander on your own and I let you use my base freely. Now you're saying I'm actually gaining something from all of this? I could have murdered you in your sleep while you were weak and unconscious to the word, withering with illness."

Robin suddenly cut in, before Slade could make him out to be the victim in all of this. They both knew he damn well wasn't. "Then why didn't you? One problem less for you, right? There has to be something underneath all of this, that proceeds the benefit of simply killing your enemy from the field for good. Why didn't you kill me?"

Robin leaned forward and tried to read him. It was difficult because his face was covered and he could only stare at the visible eye. He would have loved to look at Slade's body language, but he dared not break eye contact. He felt the urge to just look to see if the man was flexing his fingers or doing anything that would indicate what he was thinking. But he didn't let anything slip or be seen in his eye. The gaze was almost unsettlingly intense. They both tried to stare the other down and it seemed Slade took his sweet ass time thinking. Maybe he didn't know what to say? Soon Slade withdrew and blinked. Robin felt a small linger of victory, seeing as he dropped the case.

"There will be no assassination quests," he finally agreed, before going back to reading his papers.

To Robin, even if it was just a small victory, he cherished it. Slade had accepted his rules and that was all that mattered. And, now that he once again got to aim his sights wherever he wished, he found himself looking at Slade's body. It was almost as if he was looking for any telltale signs of the man's previous thought. If he was uncomfortable with the question, he'd still have some tension on him, wouldn't he? Hopefully?

To be honest, Robin didn't see anything. Slade seemed to be comfortable, almost relaxed. His shoulders weren't tense in any way; more like resting. He even sat down so that he was leaning against the back of the chair with his legs straight out in front, the heels on the floor, the tips of his toes pointing towards the ceiling, and legs crossed at the ankles. He held the paper with his fingers from the lower edges and read the text carefully without hurry. He seemed to breathe evenly, his chest rising with every inhale. Slade didn't let any part of him give a hint of emotion to anyone. It was admirable, to be honest. Robin still had some small lingering hints that could only be found if people knew him well enough and looked close enough. In anger, his finger or a muscle in his arm would twitch just so slightly; in confusion, his eyebrow would faintly scrunch; in annoyance or disgust his nostril would flare only so slightly. Bruce had pointed out all of these flaws to him one day after he was being interrogated. Robin had tried his best to grow out of his bad habits, he really had. Now he believed that he had gotten rid of them completely. Or at least he hoped he had.

Slade sure had a lot of muscle to cover, but he seemed to be in perfect control. A strong body with a sharp mind, that's what he was. Robin found himself lost in thought and taking in the man's broad built, like a drug he had been craving for. It took him a while to notice that he really had been staring at him like a child would a cookie jar on the top shelf. He quickly tore his eyes away from his broad chest and shoulders and, at that moment, managed to take in a small hint of confusion or annoyance from Slade. His eye twitched. He must have been in deep thought because he even stopped reading the report for a short while until he resumed what he was doing and then finally putting the paper down.

"On with the mission." Slade folded his arms over his chest and then turned to Robin. "All of the equipment you will need will be provided for you. You will wear an earpiece with a mic at all times, that's mandatory, and also a gun, just to be sure. Even if you won't be sent on assassination quests specifically, I hope that you'd be ready to take down someone for good if the situation calls for it. Unless stated otherwise, you can equip yourself as you wish for the mission." Robin nodded in understanding. He wasn't completely happy with the thought of carrying a gun, but at least he didn't have to fire it unless absolutely necessary. "All types of communicating with your friends is forbidden. You are not to reveal this place to anyone and you will keep everything you know thus far a secret."

Robin frowned. He didn't want to be completely isolated from his friends, even if he could understand the reason why. If there was a crime being committed, the Teen Titans would be there to stop it. It would only be great luck, or in his case a curse, if he didn't meet them at all.

"What if I encounter them somewhere along the way?"

"You are not to talk to them," Slade replied matter-of-factly. "Act as if they were any other possible passerby or some hindrance on your mission. Lose them and make sure they don't follow you, then proceed with the mission. If you do try talking to them, I will first take you down and then bring you back here, where you will stay. Don't even think for a second that your friends will be so lucky." Something in his cold, deep tone told Robin that he shouldn't even try figuring out what his friends would face if he dared break that rule. "If not talking to them is completely unavoidable, we will see by the end of the mission what the consequences will be. So I warn you now: any unrequited contact with the team and it will be everyone's hide on the line."

"Sure, sure, whatever. Is it okay to talk to anyone else then?" Robin asked, testing his luck or just to annoy him, he wasn't completely sure. Might have been a bit of both.

"If you must. I know that there will always be at least someone interrupting you at any given time. Don't make it a habit and don't tell them anything important. Remember, the door you come in and out of is a one person passageway. No one is to know about this place."

Slade placed the papers back into the folder. To be honest, Robin felt excitement creeping up his legs and into his chest. He faintly tapped his legs under the table. Slade wasn't only letting him out, but he just said that he could talk to people, as long as they weren't the Titans and that he didn't say anything about Slade or what was going on.

"Okay, so what do I do with my spare time. If the mission lasts for, let's say, two hours, and I can finish it in half the time, what then?"

"It depends. You may ask over the earpiece if you have an idea. Remember, I have that chip in you and I'm always aware of your location." Slade paused, seemingly wondering about something. "Let's raise the bar: you have free time left and you don't tell me about it. You are not to leave the center of Jump, talk to your teammates, or enter any shops without permission. Once you get back, you are required to give me, in full detail, what you have done and where you have gone. If you lie, I will know, so don't even try it. If you get back fast, I will add to your prize for completing a mission. I trust you to get back here within the set time, but don't let down mine."

Slade stared at Robin with his eye holding such an intense look that made his skin get goosebumps and made a cold chill travel up his frame. It dared him to break the rule, promising pain and suffering if he did.

"Anything else?" Robin asked, hiding the effect of the stare behind firm words.

"You are not to leave Jump City or get caught. There is no room for failure here." Robin nodded again, knowing full well that failure was never an option with Slade. "Shall we see see the equipment, then?"

Slade stood and then rounded the table, waiting for Robin to do the same. He did so without question. He was starting to feel better about this. He had pretty much just received the freedom to roam around the city, with only a few downsides. It was really generous and trustful of Slade. Robin knew that he shouldn't take it for granted. Still, he couldn't wait for some adventure in the city he knew and loved so much. Slade escorted Robin in front of the wall that was right next to the entryway into the very same room they had been staying in a lot.

"This wall is touch sensitive and will react to your touch, along with mine and mine alone. All your equipment will be stored here. So from here, you will gather them and bring them back. Notice that the storage space that has been built into the wall keeps track of every weapon. By evening, everything that was inside is to be returned. In other words, you take a weapon and don't return it, it will make a report for me." Slade stood facing Robin from the side. "Try yourself," Slade encouraged, spreading his hand to address the wall.

At first, Robin was wary to touch it. He had just been shown that stuffing your nose where Slade wanted wasn't a good idea. The thought of losing his sight was still fresh on his mind. Not wanting to look like a weakling or delay the possibility of actually leaving the base, even for the smallest amount of time, gave Robin enough courage to finally touch it. He wasn't really one hundred percent sure how he should though. Would his finger be enough or should he press his whole palm to it? He decided with the latter. The wall began to transform itself immediately, so he retracted his arm to make sure it didn't do anything weird. It was interesting to watch it open, that was for sure. It seemed to be made out of small cubes that disassembled themselves before fixing themselves back together in a different shape and location. It actually created small stairs to the storage cabinet on the wall, along with small frames on the side.

"That's actually kind of cool, the way this closet works. How exactly does it work?" Robin questioned, unable to hold back his interest.

"Magnets and electrical charges," Slade put it simply, probably not trusting Robin with the information. To be honest, Robin wouldn't either; let Slade know something such as this. "Here is your earpiece." Slade handed it over. Robin took it and noticed how handy the small thing was. It was the kind you placed directly into the ear and could be used as a microphone. In Robin's opinion it was handy; small, but could stay on, even if he was in the middle of a fight. It wasn't even heavy. Since it was only in his left ear, his right ear was free to listen to his surroundings. "You don't need to return the earpiece to the storage, but you will need to take care of it from now on. Do not break it."

Slade pressed his own hand to the wall and, from within, seemed to be clicking buttons that weren't visible to Robin, no thanks to his poor angle. Though it seemed like it wasn't mandatory for him to see the buttons, even if he was curious still, because the wall started to reform itself again, opening up a medium-sized screen on the wall.

"I will give you a briefing of today's mission and then I shall escort you to the door," Slade informed.

Robin took a closer look at the screen. It seemed to be touch sensitive, seeing as Slade was sliding his fingers along the screen to open folders and browse around. It was really fascinating how smooth his fingers danced along the screen, along with tapping, curling, and, at times, pinching and releasing the screen in order to zoom. It was mesmerizing. Robin actually had to shake his head and tear his sight from the screen and the fingers for one second because the thoughts that came weren't something he wished for when thinking. How could he even refer to Slade's movements on the screen as almost caress-like. The man didn't do caress.

"Because it's your first mission, I'll let you have something simple, yet challenging, so you won't get bored." Slade opened another file. In it, there was a small chip, probably a memory card or something. There was also a logo on it. Robin decided that it was probably a military's security ward slogan. This was easy? Yeah, right. "The chip on the screen is your objective. It's the master security. So far, all of their security measures and codes are saved in that one memory card. You'll need to get it for me. To be quite honest, I have deemed it practical and useful enough to want it for myself. That will keep any unwelcome visitors away."

Slade mumbled the last part, but Robin heard it and, without noticing it himself at first, commented on it.

"I couldn't agree more. Red X comes and goes as he pleases."

Robin turned slightly red for some reason. Why wasn't he more conscious around the man? He shouldn't have let Slade know that, ever. Now he knew that Red X had been in the tower and was now probably assuming that Cyborg's security sucked. Thankfully, Slade acted like nothing had happened.

"The security on the place is going to be a tricky one, but I think you can do it. If I were you, I'd use the ventilators." Robin turned pale this time. If Slade had had anymore malice in his voice, he would say that he was trying to either be sarcastic, annoying, or downright evil for bringing his hate of ventilator shafts up. Robin only hummed as an answer. "I will print out a copy of the blueprint, including where the guards are. I will also give you a small piece of paper, explaining what kind of security is in every room and on every level." Slade pointed out small hints and locations from the screen and even showed a possible route for Robin to take. It seemed like he had been planning this one carefully beforehand, probably had planned on going himself, but now that Robin was here, he decided to give the kid a chance. "I also recommend the belt with some extra pockets in them so you can take these papers with you. You may equip yourself."

The papers were printed and Slade received them from a slot on the wall. It seemed that this room was made out to be some kind of logic center with an adaptable environment for every purpose. It confused Robin, yet it made him curious and almost excited. He was so interested in the room, wondering how it worked and how Slade had obtained it. He would love to have a room like this in Titans Tower.

Silently, Robin took the papers from Slade and went to the storage. He took the belt Slade recommended, knowing that he was usually right. Besides, carrying paper around was an inconvenience if it wasn't stored properly. He also placed the earpiece in and grabbed a gun that he had already become familiar with thanks to the gun handling studies earlier. The storage seemed to be filled with all kinds of different guns, tools, and equipment, everything that would come to mind, and more. Even if Robin wanted to wield them all, or at least the ones he could carry, he decided to go with the essentials. It was, after all, a sneak in-sneak out mission. With good luck, he wouldn't actually need to harm anyone. If he was going in by way of the ventilators, he didn't even dare think about bringing something massive or bulky with him, in fear of getting stuck because of it. He also grabbed some light, pebble-sized bombs, only so he could be fully prepared if something did manage to go wrong. Who knew when one would need a good old smoke bomb anyway.

Slade noticed that Robin seemed to be ready, except for the earpiece volume and belt adjustments. "I guess that's a plausible choice of equipment. Shall we go then?"

"Yeah," Robin confirmed, not daring to show how eager he truly was.

He took steps wider than he normally did and almost seemed to hang onto Slade's side, not daring to walk in front of him and blow his cover. Slade had told him not to talk to the Titans, but maybe he could take a look, at least, to see how they were doing. Even if Robin was almost completely in his own mind, seeing his friends at their usual pizza place, arguing over the topping, he still kept his mind on the route they took in the hallways. He wanted to know where the exit was for future reference. The slightest, smallest thought that still lingered around him told him that he should escape and that this was the perfect opportunity. Soon they reached the doors. Slade opened them by pressing his hand on a hand reader that recognized a user's prints. They opened with a hiss. Once the bright light cleared, Robin saw the sea. And Titans Tower. Where they stood faced the backyard. It was far away, but was still close enough to see it. It was frustrating to know that he had been this close all along. He could have been able to swim there. Go figure. Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Sounded like Slade all right. Robin dared not say anything though.

"You are now free to go. But hear me out first." Slade pulled out a small, flat iPhone-like object from his pocket, showing the screen to him. Robin saw the exact same map from the previous room, including all of its many colored dots on it. "You are the yellow one. I'll be watching. Your friends are these dots here." Slade pointed at the dots that he was referring to. "If I see you go anywhere near them, prepare to face the consequences."

There were still plenty more dots to cover, but Robin didn't ask for them since he was too busy fuming. Why did Slade have his friends on that damned tracking device as well?

"Now look here, Slade, this is going too far-"

Robin didn't get to finish his sentence as Slade took a firm hold of his neck. He unsuccessfully tried to cover up the retort as he felt the touch on his neck, but Slade pressed his thumb to the chip that had been shot into him only a while ago. Since the skin around it was very sensitive at the moment, he had to bite his tongue real hard to avoid letting out a grunt from the inflicted pain.

"And don't forget this chip here. This little sweetheart will make sure that you don't do anything too foolish."

Closing his eyes, Robin shot his hand out at Slade's wrist, trying to tear his hand off his neck. "What do you mean?"

Robin grunted and even let out a small hiss of pain as he spoke. The grip on his neck was making his legs tremble, but he fought against it with all his might.

"If you disobey me in any way, the chip will make a high pitched sound that no human ear can handle, making them bleed. Soon, the headache will be so bad, you will start to see things, your balance will be off, and, then, you should be unconscious. Also, this happens automatically if you cross the borders of Jump City."

Slade finally let go of the chip and shoved Robin away. He stumbled a couple of steps due to the sudden lack of the firm hand keeping him upright. He managed to regain his balance before turning to Slade.

"You bastard! I thought I gained your trust!"

Robin was even madder, now that he knew, once again, he had something in him that totally didn't belong and that it was from Slade. He wanted nothing of his inside of him. No tech, no nothing. By now, he would be at Slade's throat, trying to choke him, if he hadn't stepped inside the base, the doors closing between them. Robin couldn't even yell at him before the doors were closed. Slade did manage to get in the last word though.

"Have fun on your mission. I'll see you in three hours sharp. Don't be late."
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Take your Medicine