Chapter 4

The sewer again. The Titans continue their pursuit of the speedboat. On the next line, pull back to show this as the view on one of the large monitors in Slade's lair, he is watching the chase from different angles.

"Hurry, young Titans. Your time is running out." Slade laughs in his lair.

On a high catwalk behind him, a door is blown out but he does not even flinch. The smoke clears to show Robin's silhouette in the light from outside.

"Actually-" Robin closes up. "-We just went into overtime."

"Robin. Welcome. I've been expecting you for some time." Slade smirks as Robin drops to the platform. "I was beginning to wonder if Cinderblock was too much of a challenge."

He turns around and holds up the transmitter seen during his earlier message.

"Looking for this?"

Just behind and to one side, he holds the device at Robin's eye level and waves it around.

"Well..." Slade spotlighted patch of floor; he sets it down. "...here it is."

To frame both, on opposite sides of the transmitter.

"If you want it, come and take it." Slade laughs.

Across each determined face-first Robin's, then Slade's-then back to Robin. His teeth bared in a silent snarl, he charges straight and goes into a mighty somersaulting leap. As he sails closer, he pulls his right fist back and lets out one cry of pure rage.

Elsewhere

The wake of the speedboat. The sewer tunnel, unleashing a burst of laser shots at the other four Titans. Cyborg returns fire with his cannon, then is whisked off by Starfire, one shot from the boat sends Beast Boy tumbling for a moment. He rights himself and falls in behind Raven. Now that cannon is blazing steadily away, and it puts both of the speedboat's guns out of action in short order. The commando at the helm opens up the throttle and zooms ahead-but Starfire gradually pulls even to hold Cyborg over the deck.

"Thanks for the lift!" Cyborg takes a deep breath.

She lets go of him and backs off. As soon as his feet hit the deck, he is running toward the commando, who starts punching buttons furiously.

"Auto pilot engaged." The computer says.

These words appear. Cyborg's hand clamps onto the robot's shoulder, it looks that way at the grinning Titan. As the others fly after the watercraft, a punch lands and the driver is flung over the stern. On the deck, the wheel is turning itself under the control of the automatic pilot program; Cyborg seizes it and tries to steer manually, but only succeeds in tearing it out. Starfire lands on the deck as he stares popeyed at it. Now he hammers several buttons.

"Invalid code." The computer starts to spark up.

The display changes to show these two words. The speedboat begins to swerve back and forth, giving the two yelling Titans quite a ride.

"How does one halt this vehicle?" Starfire yells under Cyborg yells.

By seizing the computer panel and ripping it out entirely. The speedboat emerges into a large open chamber and comes to a stop. Starfire smiles placidly as Cyborg regards the ruined hardware, and Raven and Beast Boy land on the deck. The green hawk returns to human form.

"Please tell me that's not how you're planning to stop the detonator." Raven asks.

Surprised, he blushes a bit as a big drop of sweat rolls down his temple.

"Uh..."

"You do know how to stop it, don't you?" Beastboy asks.

"How hard could it be?" Cyborg laughs.

He throws the panel overboard and crosses the deck to the detonator. Kneeling next it, he reaches toward the surface and is surprised when the housing telescopes upward as it did in Slade's message. He falls backward with a grunt, entire device, then close-up of its red lights and tilt down slowly to the central area. Cyborg looks as if he has just realized how far he is in over his head.

"Ooh." Cyborg rolls his eyes.

"Whatever we're gonna do, we should do it before Slade decides to trigger this thing." Raven tells out.

A set of overhead gears in Slade's lair and tilt down to the ground. The transmitter sits near Slade table. Robin tumbles into view at a distance, gets himself upright, and runs toward it. A huge leap carries him closer, but Slade hits him broadside with a flying kick. The two land facing each other.

"Come now, Robin. You'll have to do better than that. I haven't even broken a sweat." Slade raised his fist.

He rushes, leaps, and does a midair backflip leading into a roundhouse kick that sends Robin reeling. The melee moves across the floor, with each landing blows in turn, and Slade plants another steel boot across Robin's chest. Snarling in rage, the Titan gets his head clear, and the two spar again until Slade catches Robin's fist.

"Good technique." Slade compliments him.

He bends the arm sharply at the elbow, the  sound of bones grinding against each other as Robin yells in pain. The hold turns into a throw that sends the hero skidding across the floor to slam into a wall. As he gets woozily to his feet, seen from ground level, Slade's foot steps into view.