The Ink Titans

ch 12 Apprentice pt 2

The Titans couldn't believe what they were seeing. Robin was stealing for Slade.

"Whoa!" Cyborg said.

"No way!" Beastboy said.

"It can't be..." Bendy said.

"Robin! Why are you..."

Robin threw an exploding disc, knocking Starfire out of the air.

"I gotcha!" Bendy said catching Starfire.

"Robin! What are you doing!?" Penn asked.

Inside Robin's ear was a comlink.

"Not a word, Robin. They're not your friends anymore" Slade said over the com.

The Titans raced for Robin but he blasted the bridge that connected them. Beastboy yelped as the Titans backed away. Robin disappeared in the smoke.

"Robin!" Starfire said.

Meanwhile, Robin presented the stolen blaster to Slade.

"Excellent, Robin. I'm pleased. You're already proving to be the perfect apprentice" Slade said.

"This deal can't last forever" Robin said.

"It can, and it will" Slade said.

The monitors showed a video of the Titans being blasted by the chronoton trap thus implanting nanobots into their bodies.

"The Titans still have no idea that my Chronoton Detonator was more than a decoy. Now that my probes are inside their bodies, they could remain undetected for years, decades... unless, of course, you disobey me... and I decide to destroy your... former friends with a push of the button" Slade said holding up the trigger.

"Sooner or later, you'll let your guard down. I will get that controller and the instant they're out of danger, you will pay" Robin said.

"That sounds like a threat, young man. Quite a good threat, actually. Betrayal, destruction, revenge. We really do think alike" Slade said taking the blaster and walking past Robin.

Robin growled before lunging at Slade. Robin reached for the trigger but Slade grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

"I monitored your vital signs during the mission. Elevated heart rate, adrenaline, endorphins. You won't admit it, but at some level you enjoyed stealing for me. It was a thrill, wasn't it?" Slade asked letting go of Robin.

Robin glared as he rubbed his shoulder.

"You're going to keep stealing, Robin. And you're going to keep getting that thrill. And sooner or later, you will see things my way"

Slade tinkered with the blaster before attaching it to Robin's wrist.

"Who knows? I might even become like a father to you"

"I already have a father" Robin said as bats flew overhead.

Meanwhile, at Titans' Tower, the Titans were trying to figure out why Robin switched sides.

"Ok, the way I see it..." Beastboy said dressed as Sherlock.

"...There are only two logical explanations. One, Robin's been replaced by an evil robot devil. Two, he's another innocent victim of Zombie mind control" Beastboy said holding up two comic books.

The Titans glared at him unimpressed.

"As logical as that sounds... if anything was controlling his mind I would've sensed it" Raven said.

"And my scanners confirmed his biometrics. That was the real Robin... our Robin" Cyborg said solemnly.

"Lies!" Starfire exclaimed.