Freedom

9

ROBIN
Cyborg keeps me on medical assistance for a few days, checking my vitals hourly. I become stronger once again, with the hope of defeating Slade.
Raven and I converse sometimes, telepathically. I accepted that she was in my mind, and accepted the bond that we have because of her saving me. I try to be calm with her, and every now and then try to go into her mind, but some darkness blocks me from entering.
I know Raven has seen the horrors in my mind, but she doesn't act different. She may not act different, but we're closer. Closer than before. No one else on the team knows about the telepathy, but we don't intend on mentioning it until it is absolutely imperative.
I sit at my desk, reviewing each intricate plan I have drawn. Music with a heavy pulse blares in my room. I have drawn up maps, I have collected reports, I have made my room into a crime scene. Slade needs to be destroyed. I will destroy Slade. I will be the one to destroy him. I will be the one to...
Robin!
Raven, why must you always intervene?
Robin! Come here, Beast Boy and Cyborg want to play cards!
I sit back in annoyance. Anytime Slade would cross my mind, Raven would intervene, trying to keep my mind off of him. I turn off the music and walk down to the common room. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire are sitting around the table with a deck of cards.
"Glad you could join us, Robin," Starfire says happily. "We are about to play the game of cards!"
"And I'm about to win!" Cyborg says proudly.
"Yea right," I say, sitting down beside Beast Boy. Beast Boy begins to pass out the cards, giving everyone two. He places five cards on the table and we being to place our bets.
I smirk at the vision of my cards. Two queens, an already pair that would surely be unbeatable. I see Raven on the other side of the table give a small laugh. I raise my eyebrow, but she leaves it be.
Beast Boy reveals the first three cards, and to my luck, another queen is within the three cards. Sweet, three of a kind. I raise my bets completely.
Robin, don't do that. Raven's voice warns.
Raven? What the hell?
Raven, what are you doing?
Just giving you a piece of advice.
Or are you just trying to psych me out? I slightly laugh, feeling a little more confident.
No. I'm telling you not to raise.
I scoff and add another few dollars to the bet.
Beast Boy reveals the next cards which are irrelevant, except that I now have a full house. Cyborg folds and so does Starfire, leaving Beast Boy, Raven and I.
"Time for the reveal," Beast Boy says. He places his cards down. "Two pair.
I place down my cards. "Full house, baby!"
"Awe man!" Beast Boy whines. "Raven, your turn. Tell me you have something better."
"Well," she says quietly, looking bashful. She places her first card down, which is an ace. There is two aces in the group of five revealed cards. That's already a three of a kind that beats mine. She then puts down another ace. "Four of a kind." Her voice is monotonous, but I can sense a little bit of pride in her tone.
"What?!" I shout with disbelief.
"How?!" Beast Boy asks as she uses her telekinetic energy to shuffle the cards.
Told you to fold. She says to me. I stare at her with scepticism. She was telling the truth.
I thought you were only in my head when I thought of Slade.
You always think of Slade, Robin.
So, when can I go into your head?
Just focus on the card game. You're losing money as it is.

Beast Boy, Cyborg and I sit around a table with one pizza in the middle. The guys thought it would be a good idea to get a bite to eat. Plus, Starfire took Raven to the mall after hours of whining and convincing.
I drink my beer whole-heartedly. Gods, I haven't had a break like this in so long. Ever since Slade's attack, I've been trying to remember everything that might give me a lead. Although, all I remember is running into the morgue and then everything just goes black. There's no piece to the puzzle I haven't tried yet. And this is what drives me insane every night.
"Robin, going off to lala land again?" Cyborg asks, taking a sip of his beer.
"No, just thinking about how to defeat Slade," I say honestly. No point in lying.
"Lies, he's probably thinking about Starfire," Beast Boy says teasingly.
"Probably," Cyborg says. "I mean, you two are a thing, right?"
"No," I say, taking the olives off the pizza. "Well, I don't know. She called me her friend, not her boyfriend or anything like that."
"Raven's so hot, though," Beast Boy says, immediately changing the topic. I try to hide a creeping blush. My imagination getting the better of my mind, thinking of Raven's legs, her petite height.
"And she's super powerful too," Cyborg adds on.
"But, I mean, she's really hot," Beast Boy restates. "Like in that dark sort of way."
"Is that all you care about?" Cyborg asks with a grin.
"You have to agree with me because I'm right!" Beast Boy exclaims. "Robin, you agree, right?"
Heat. Fuck. Heat.
"Like Cyborg said, she's powerful," I say, sweat cumulating.
"Oh come on, Robin!" Beast Boy whines. "She's smoking hot! Maybe even hotter than Starfire!"
"BB, relax, Robin is too professional to admit these things," Cyborg says. "Besides, Robin couldn't tell the difference, he's too distracted with being a superhero."
Unfortunately, I can. And even more unfortunately, I care.
"Girls aside," Cyborg says. "Do you think that if I made a bet on today's game, I would win?"
"Depends your team," Beast Boy says. "Team Raven or Team Starfire?" They both laugh except me.
Team Raven or Team Starfire?

"Brother Blood!" I shout, opening the communicator. "He's on the attack again!"
We rush out of the pub. I get on my motorcycle and rush past the T-Car. I alert the rest of the team, Starfire giving me a little sass for cutting off their mall experience.
I go down the road to find a giant machine in shape of a spider. A large window to where Brother Blood sits and watches. An attack of caped villains march down the street, destroying cars and pushing people away.
Raven and Starfire emerge from the other street, the team together.
"Ah, Titans," a voice booms out of a loudspeaker to address not just us, but all of Jump City.
"Brother Blood," Cyborg greets angrily. Ever since Brother Blood stole all of Cyborg's plans and used them against him, Cyborg hated him and holds Brother Blood as a personal enemy.
"Cyborg, pleasure to meet again," Brother Blood says grudgingly. "I hope you enjoy my army!"
The cloaked villains, or cloaks, rush in, using strong martial arts skills. I pull out my staff, trying to fight off the first five villains. I hit directly in the face and stomach, giving them the most damage possible. Starfire uses her starbolts to shoot the others into the sky. Raven attacks them by crushing several under the weight of cars and buildings. Beast Boy turns into a t-rex, chomping at the people. Throwing cloaks around with his jaw.
I get a sharp hit from the man on the right. I retaliate immediately by throwing an explosive nitride gas into the air. I plug my nose and duck, waiting ten seconds before getting up to find all the cloaks on the floor.
I watch as Cyborg runs up to the spider machine. He quickly clambers onto the steel, opening his own door with his laser. I hit another cloaked man in the gut, pushing him onto the ground. I look around, seeing Raven become tense.
Slade. Slade. Slade.
He's here. He's here. He's here.
I look around frantically, until I catch a glimpse of Slade in his metal suit. I kick another cloak down and run to him. He sees me, smirks, and disappears around a corner of a building. I follow him quickly, forgetting everything else.
He's running. I'm following.
Buildings are in my way. I need to find him. I need to destroy him.
Robin! Where are you? Raven's voice shouts, but I block her out.
Slade. Slade. Slade.
I run past the trash cans and over the cars, trying to follow the man who destroyed me. My legs burn in unattainable anger and fatigue. I reach the edge of a busy street, and he's gone. Gone like everything else in my life. I kick over a trash can out of extreme anger.
He will be mine.
I will destroy him.
I look down and find a note. A note pinned to the bottom of the sidewalk.
Oh, Robin. Cute that you think you could catch me, but you can't. Soon enough your petty life and the lives of your friends will be destroyed. And therefore, I win. With Love, Slade.