Chapter 6

"Where's the real trigger?" Robin asks.

"Trigger? There is no trigger-because there is no detonator." Slade laughs.

Robin's eyes widen even more. The detonator core, still beeping and spinning like mad. Beast Boy's teeth are chattering a mile a minute as the two girls stare over Cyborg's shoulders.

"Moment of truth, y'all." Cyborg whispering holding up finger torch. "Everybody ready?"

"I can't watch!" Beastboy closes his eyes.

But parts his fingers to give one of them a clear field of vision. Cyborg rakes his flame across a couple of other cables to cut them-and the core stops its activity entirely. The red glow fades to leave the sphere looking like an ordinary metal ball. Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven sigh loudly and visibly with relief as Starfire smiles; the moment is short-lived, though, as a loud, urgent alarm goes off and elicits gasps and wide-eyed stares from all four. The core starts to spin and glow again, and red light spreads from it along the cables that have not been broken. Now the alarm slows down a bit as the red lights on the detonator's housing start to pulsate, and the topmost section retracts slightly. Beast Boy screams shrilly.

"We blew it! We'll be frozen in time forever!" Beastboy smears.

The alarm gives way to a steady drone, and the whole device shorts out and crumbles into a pile of junk. Beast Boy is ready to have a fit, but stops when the rig falls silent.

"Um...why are we not frozen in time forever?" Beastboy lowed his voice.

"Because this wasn't a crhronoton detonator. It was a fake!" Cyborg shots back.

Behind them, at the prow, a weapon pops out and sweeps back and forth, strafing all four Titans and knocking them overboard. One by one, their heads break the surface; no apparent damage from the assault. Beast Boy shakes off the water with a cry of revulsion.

"So aside from the nasty taste of sewer water in my mouth, I think I'm okay." Cyborg checks his forearm panel. "Diagnostic sensors say I'm just fine." He knocks water out of his ears.

"Whatever that beam was supposed to do, it didn't do it." Raven scoffed.

"Then...we are victorious?" Starfire jumps.

First we see the tissues within her body, then a closer view of these, then individual blood cells moving in an artery. The next transition shows tiny metal spheres, marked with Slade's S, attaching themselves to these cells-deposited by the beam that hit the Titans. One final dissolve shows a row of four monitors, each marked with the name of one of these four Titans, showing a picture of the blood vessels and a readout of vital signs. Every cell is carrying a device along with it. Tilt down slightly as Slade steps into view,

***

And these are his monitors.

"Nanoscopic probes. The chronoton detonator was merely the bait for a much larger trap." Slade laughs as he continues, a small push-button device extends itself from the inside of his wrist and settles in his hand. "You see, with the push of a button-"

His thumb poised above, and pan slightly to show Robin glaring at it. "-my probes will destroy your friends from the inside out." Slade continues.

"You can't control them. No matter what you threaten, they'll never obey you." Slade paces around Robin.

"This isn't about your friends, Robin. It's about you. It's always been about you." Slade walks around him and looked away.

"What?" Robin gasped.

"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. Someone to follow in my footsteps." leaning into Robin's face. "And, Robin, I've chosen you. Congratulations."

"No way would I ever work for-" Robin scoffed.

Slade holds up the button, thumb just barely clearing it, and he falls silent. "If you join me, if you swear to serve me-" Robin gasped. "If you never speak to your friends again-" Slade continues. "-I will allow them to live." Robin eyes widen.

Robin felt fear and anger. Now, he had to make a choose will he join Slade or let his friends die in the hands of Slade.

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