What?

Chapter Twenty-One

I wake up to the feeling of wet cold sheets from the melted ice packs. Strangely, I feel well rested. My jaw still hurts although only when I touch it now. I slowly remove the brace. The door opens and I see the bathroom door also open in the hallway. Quickly, I take a shower and run back into my room once I'm done.

I walk over to the dresser where my clothes are laid out. I see that it's the same uniform from the first day. I'm almost done but find that the chest plate, belt, and arm guards are missing. The door opens with Wintergreen in the doorway. He nods and I realize that I'm meant to follow. I know that he knows that I'm missing pieces of my uniform and I feel certain that he knows where they are.

We walk and right before the entrance to the main room, he stops and stands aside. Wintergreen gestures to the door. I look at him and then at the door. Slowly, I push open the door. In the main room, Slade's watching the monitors which show full-screen images of the nano-scopic probes in my friends. My gut tightens up with a sick worry. It was like a snake coiling up in my stomach. I remain silent. Then he turns and breaks the silence that so often comes when we're the only ones in the room.

"Well, how did you sleep, my apprentice?"

I respond, "Fine, but Slade... please, I didn't mean yesterday for any of this to..."

"Don't worry about yesterday, Robin," Slade walks up to me. Now, I'm worried. I notice that his tone is very authoritarian and almost controlling. It was like he was saying something very, very important... A lot like the night he made me his apprentice...

"Look, Slade, I'm sorry for yelling and..." He hasn't shown the monitors for about a week now.

"What did I say, Robin?" I'm quiet, "I said not to worry about it."

"Then why..." I start.

"The monitors?" He asks and I nod, "Just a little reminder for this evening."

"Evening?" I ask.

"It's 9:30 PM, Robin," I don't get any of this. How could I have slept... "I hope you don't mind. I gave you a sedative while you were sleeping so you'd be well rested."

I don't even have time to respond before he continues, "Tonight, you will have your first mission, my apprentice, which will commence in fifteen minutes."

I'm flabbergasted. First mission? Fifteen minutes? Sedative? Tonight?

"What?!"

"You will be stealing a Thermal Blaster from the Needle," Slade walks over to his desk as he says this, "You already know the route."

"I, I do?" Where is this coming from?

Slade answers, "The Cube. The first route yesterday is the Needle's layout and your objective is this."

In the center of the screen the blaster appears. I'm partially mesmerized until I notice that Slade has walked in front of me with my arm guards. He stares at me and I realize that I'm supposed to hold out my arms. Slade begins to put them on, tight and snug.

As he does so he says, "You will most likely end up seeing the Titans, Robin. And I trust that you will act accordingly. Right?"

I nod as I switch arms. I'm still too shocked to really say anything. It's like my body is there, present, but my mind is elsewhere, in a realm of thought. I'm going to see them? After two or three weeks?

"We will be receiving their incoming signals so we will know their positions. I'll be telling you what to do. Just listen and don't mess up," He finishes putting on my arm guards and goes over to his desk, where he picks up my chest plate.