A Madman's Apprentice

Khronoton

(Part 2 of The Apprentice Part 1)

Robin and Cyborg rushed back into the living room, Slade's presence on the screen making everyone uneasy. They crowded the screen, and Robin pushed his way to the front.

"Good morning, Teen Titans. I do hope I didn't wake you." Slade said. The Titans were annoyed. Beast Boy yawned. "What are you, an insomniac? Who calls at 5 a.m. in the morni-" Raven elbowed him in the arm. "Ow!" He yelped momentarily, then quickly hushed.

"What do you want!?" Robin growled, clenching his fists. "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. Disappointing Robin. I expected a little more from you." Slade mocked, as Robin turned away.

"Like I care what you-" Robin defended, whipping around back towards the screen before being cut off by Slade. "But since you've been unable to discover my plan, I'll have to reveal it to you." Slade said, gesturing to a machine being uncovered by two of his minions as the camera pans.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept of a Khronoton Detonator..." Slade taunted as the machine powered up. "No!" Cyborg remarked, taken back. Robin gritted his teeth. Starfire gasped. "Uh-oh..." Raven muttered. "No way!" Beast Boy shouted. It took him a second before realizing he had absolutely no idea what a Khronoton Detonator even was. "Um...what's a Crouton Detonator?" He leaned over to Starfire to ask. "It eradicates all Khronotons within a localized area, utterly destroying the temporal component of the space-time continuum." Starfire said, uncharacteristically serious. "Huh?" Beast Boy asked, still confused. "It stops time. Permanently." Raven cleared up. Beast Boy screamed.

"If he triggers that thing downtown, it'll freeze frame the entire city!" Cyborg chimed in. Robin was getting nervous, but in turn expressed it as anger. "Tell me where!" He demanded to Slade. "You're a clever boy, Robin. I'm sure you and your little friends can figure it out," Slade replied, annoying Robin. Slade held up the trigger to the detonator. "However, since I control the detonation, time is not on your side," Slade said before the feed was cut. The screen was filled with static.

Robin slammed his fist on the keyboard with a frustrated grunt and stormed off to the door. "Fan out. Find it. Shut it down." He commanded, trying not to show as much anger in his voice as he had. Beast Boy and Cyborg blocked his path. "Hey, uh, maybe you should stay here and coordinate the search..." Beast Boy suggested nervously, tugging at his own shirt collar, sweat forming on his face. "What?" Robin asked, utterly confused and annoyed. They had no time to waste. "Man, when it comes to Slade, you've got issues," Cyborg stated. His words were true. "Might be better for the team if you sit this one out."

"No." Robin grumbled, pushing past and advancing to the door. "There's too much at stake for me to-" "Robin..." Starfire called softly, cutting him off. Robin stopped. "We have not forgotten the last time you faced-" "I made a mistake, Starfire. It won't happen again," He cut her off, walking into the doorway, the turning his head to look at his team. "I can handle it, I promise."

"Would you at least like to know where to look?" Raven asked, pulling the call back up on the screen. Everyone walked back and crowded the screen again as Raven zoomed in on the Khronoton Detonator. "Slade gave us more information than he realized. Here, in this reflection," she said, zooming in on some words. The words were very blurry. "Ooo, squiggly lines. Waaay informative." Beast Boy said sarcastically as he crossed his arms. Raven focused the picture, causing the words to be clear, then flipping the image. The words read "PIER 41."

"Pier 41!" Starfire read. "The docks." Robin dully said. Beast Boy chuckled nervously, knowing he was wrong.

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Pier 41, the Titans blasted their way through the door at the warehouse by the waterfront. Each of them were ready for battle. They were disappointed to find the building was empty.

"Empty?" Starfire asked, hovering above the team. "Aw, man!" Cyborg whined. "I don't believe this." Robin growled.

All of a sudden, Slade's robot minions jumped out from behind the metal pillars, ready to attack the Titans. "Great. Now what do we do?" Beast Boy groaned. Robin replied, "We fight."