The Apprentice

Nothing's Changed

An alarm screams the Titans awake. Starfire and Beastboy tumble off the couch in surprise, tangled in blankets and candy bar wrappers after a night of binge watching comedies.

"Where's the fire??" Beastboy cries, blinking his drowsiness away.

"I am here!" Starfire replies, shaking the last wrapper off her foot. She turns to the supercomputer, the DVD menu screen replaced with the big white letters 'INCOMING TRANSMISSION'

She studies the letters carefully, her eyebrows furrowed. "Who is calling us?"

Beastboy checks his watch in disgust. "More importantly, who's calling us at five in the morning?"

As the other two Titans rush into the room, Beastboy's shoulders drop. "It's not... Slade is it?"

The Titans freeze instinctively at the name, their eyes darting from Beastboy to the computer.

"He called at five..." Beastboy continues quietly, eyes staring blankly at the screen.

Starfire shudders, Cyborg gulps, and Raven rolls her eyes.

"Let's just check." She grumbles, floating towards the console system in front of them. Raven scans the smaller screen embedded in the console, and her posture relaxes slightly.

"It's Batman."

That took a moment to sink in. It was like their minds had all collectively agreed that it was going to be Slade, and his grip was difficult to shake off.

"Well," Cyborg finally says, "Answer it!"

Raven pushes a button and the dark knight's frown appears on the screen in HD. He fills the room with his presence, and the Titans fall silent in respect. Behind him is the tired smile of Superman, which takes them completely by surprise. Whether it's the distance from the camera, or the Man of Steel's gentle air, next to the Batman... he looks small.

"Uh, hey Batman!" Beastboy chirps, giving him a nervous grin, "What's up?"

Batman's strict look doesn't waver, and the little green shapeshifter feels sweat against his brow.

"Business." He eventually replies. "Is this line secure?"

"Uh— what?" Beastboy stutters, looking to the others for support. Cyborg steps forward, raising his arm to access the computer encased in it.

"Yeah, this should be good."

"Should?"

Cyborg looks up, suddenly caught in the full weight of Batman's stare. He blinks.

"I mean, yeah, we just talked to you yesterday, nothing's changed! It should be..." He mutters, typing quickly into the keyboard on his left arm. He starts to take a few steps towards the supercomputer, and when he's done typing he rushes the rest of the distance. "I'll just double check real quick."

He types furiously, tosses screws, and opens panels. Starfire coughs.

"So, um, how are you doing, Mr. Batman?"

Batman's frown twitches downwards, but he does not reply.

"Ahaha... yes I suppose I should expect that." She adds, scratching her neck and looking away. She coughs again, glancing at Cyborg. He pushes a few more buttons triumphantly, then stares at the little screen in the console.

"Ok, so," he starts, keeping his eyes fixed on the Titans rather than Batman. "Everything looks fine. Nothing's changed."

The other Titans want to believe him. They want to so badly that they start to smile and nod their heads, but they're not the ones he has to convince. The Titans turn to the screen and watch the Batman's reaction. He knits his fingers together, and rests them on the console.

"...Good."

The Titans sigh in relief. Batman just sighs.

"Alright," He continues, getting straight to the point. "One hour ago, Robin robbed Metropolis Central Bank."

He waves his hand impatiently at their protests of surprise, his facade cracking to reveal exhaustion. When they quiet down, he resumes. "Robin and Slade have set their sights beyond Jump City. This situation is outside your control, and your jurisdiction. It's time to discuss his future."

It was as if the oxygen had been sucked from the room in Titan's tower. At first, the only responses were quiet struggles for air. Starfire trembles, her feet gently touching the ground as her elevation and confidence drop. During this time, Batman remains perfectly still. Superman opens his mouth as if to say something reassuring, but the dark knight raises a hand to silence him without turning around.

"What the hell..." Beastboy murmurs, his voice cracking. "Come on, Bats!" He cries, clenching his fists. "This is Robin we're talking about, not some bug in the bathroom! He's our friend, we can't just... discuss him!"

"P-please," Starfire whispers, looking up with big tear-filled eyes. "Please give us one more chance! We will bring him home, we will not rest!"

Batman softens slightly, his shoulders slacking. His voice implies otherwise though, coming out strong and stoic.

"It's best to address this in person. Report to the Batcave..." he watches their strained expressions and pauses. "...when convenient. That is all."

They remain silent as his hand moves across the console, and the screen changes back to the DVD menu screen for the movie Parent Trap.