Changeling peered in the mirror, and smiled at the green face in front of him. Maybe he was officially fifty-six, and sure he was getting close to sixty as Cyborg was apt to remind him. But he was still as handsome as he'd been during the days he'd called himself Beast Boy.
He smiled at the thought – Teen Titans…he remembered those days – happy days, or at least they had been.
Robin – thinking of the brave teen was always painful, he'd betrayed them – and then when they finally did catch him, he escaped days later, and was never seen again.
Changeling shook his head, he was only thinking of Robin because of what had happened only a day ago. Slade – didn't the man ever die? Apparently not because he had revealed himself only days ago, stealing away a young teen – a boy who was only known as Rain. The boy apparently had amazing fighting skills, his blows falling as quickly as the rain he was named for.
I frowned down at the boy, he was becoming frustrating, he was prone to bouts of anger, and he almost never listened to my words. He reminded me of another teen, Robin. The only difference was that this boy's hair was a shock of white, and his skin a tone darker than Robins had been. Perhaps the face was different – but I couldn't tell anymore.
I bent and lifted the boy by the front of his clothing – "Ah Rain, you really are so much like me," I said remembering how much that had goaded…Robin.
"You…you're crazy, I'm nothing like you!" He kicked trying to gain freedom and I caught his foot with my other hand and tossed him to the ground.
I laughed, it was hard not to, the look on the boys face was so bewildered even when he was angry, "Nothing?" I asked in the most mocking tone I could manage, "Oh I think you'll find you are quite a bit like myself."
It was then that he slumped on the floor, like some demented form of Jell-O he simply flopped over, "Fine," he said sullenly, "I'll get your stupid chip – just give it a rest already…"
I almost rolled my eyes but I caught myself before I could, standing I strode across to my chair and sat down – so much like me…and so much like Robin.
The boy, Rain – he continued that way for quite some time, a few years in fact. That was when the Titan's found me, not him – just me.
It wasn't the new titan's either – it was the old ones – Robin's ex-partners…perhaps they felt honor bound at this point to find…Slade.
We fought, I fought – they could not beat me though – instead we fought an endless battle.
"Who are you?" Raven suddenly asked halting in the middle of the battle frowning at myself, her stark purple eyes were the same as I remembered them so long ago – the only difference being the tightening and lining of the skin around them.
I smiled beneath my mask, "You already know, you just have to search for the answer Raven," my mechanical voice hissed.
Her eyes widened and I had the time to strike a sharp blow to her head, one down – three to go, and they were in my world – my place, they would not escape it this time.
Rain frowned at me; his frown was not so severe as when I'd first brought him here. It was more of a puzzled frown now, he stared up at me, "Who are you?" he finally asked after several minutes of staring.
I frowned and then finally after another space of endless silent time, I spoke – "Someday, I will tell you."
He nodded accepting the explanation a blank look on his face revealing nothing to me. "You killed the titans Master," it was a statement not a question.
I nodded anyway, "the old titans are all dead – all five of them."
"Five?" the boy questioned, "There were only four…"
I shook my head with a tint of distain, was Robin forgotten already?
"Five…" the boy repeated curiosity growing on his face.
"Yes boy, Five – there was Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Robin," I paused in my speech, "I killed them all." For the most part. The last bit went unspoken.
Rain stood there, his eyes were filled with emotion now, confusion, loss, and a tinge of madness. He slid onto his knees and dropped the small chip to the ground; it clattered across the floor and rested at my feet.
"Bring it to me," I spoke in a cold tone.
Disjointedly he came to his feet and stumbled across the floor, falling twice in the process of trying to reach the chip. He fell to his knees again upon reaching it – picking it up with the mechanical motion of someone who isn't really aware of what they are doing.
Holding it up to me I took it from his hand and studied it – the boy had fallen to his knees again – his eyes becoming wilder by the second.
A howl of misery escaped the boy's mouth, but more importantly it was a last howl, the howl of a man who knows he has given in.
My name is Robin, and I am a villain.
The boy on the ground shuddered and collapsed demented Jell-O on my floor once again.
"Kill him," Slade's voice came through the set of earphones."Kill her," I'd told the boy, and he'd done it – put his hand right through the woman's eye and into her brain.
The boy moaned softly, the tail end of his howl.
I killed him.
"I killed her," the boy whispered.
He accepted the item and then as his hand brushed mine, I broke down right there sobbing into the metal floor, and he just watched in that same uncaring way he always watched me.
The boy stared up at me as if expecting a reaction but I said nothing, merely watched – observed – it was interesting how similar and yet how different the boy was.
"I killed her," he said it louder now more steady – as if he were understanding it finally.
"I'm aware," I spoke in a cold tone as if I had no idea, and further – no care about what went on below the boy's gray eyes.
That was the day I gave myself to the dark eternally and forever – because you see there is no escaping true darkness once you've accepted it, no escaping that it is you just as you are the darkness.
The boy shuddered again, would he never cease with that? It seemed as if he'd been shuddering there on my floor for hours rather than a few minutes.
"You see Robin – we are the same."
"We are the same, you see it now – don't you Rain."
The boy slumped on the ground again and nodded, not miserable though – just understanding.
Nothing but understanding now – the boy had been torn clean – and understanding was what was left.
Rain continued down his path, the same path I was on, the path that I had set him on, it was nearly time – but one last thing left to do before I could finally bow out on the final act.
Turning I walked down the metallic halls – reaching a sealed room I pressed my hand to the pad and the door slid open with a hiss.
Stepping into the room I walked down the room until reaching the metal box, finally I could do this.
Gas slid out of the box as I opened it, perfect – still coated in ice – I smiled for the last time beneath my mask and defrosted the being in the box.
Batman gasped as he breathed air for the first time in thirty six years.
I waited until he could see again, "Where…where am I."
"A…cave of a sort," I stood.
"Cave?" the Man shuddered, confusion clear on his face.
Then I ran I jumped past him slamming him in the head one last time with my boot and running away – and he just stood there, like his world had been shattered into a million pieces.
"Yes, a cave – do you remember me?"
"Slade," The name hissed from him – then he halted peering up at me, "Or not…"
"I thought you might remember," I was disappointed I admit, Raven knew, but not this man…well perhaps we were disconnected now.
"Robin," the word grated against my ears – against my very mind, "Robin."
"Thank you," I murmured words I hadn't spoken or even heard in years.
A sad look filled the mans face, heartache.
He just stared at me; like I was mad.
The sad eyes, the seemed to fill everything around me, and for a brief and flickering moment I wasn't Slade, I was Robin – plain old Robin…and then it passed.
"Goodbye," I whispered finally.
The man looked at me for a long time then – a good long time, and then finally face hardening into a mask as impenetrable as my own – he spoke, "So it would seem."
Then…the man died.
I never did tell the boy, who I had been once, that I had been the long dead Robin. No, I never was going to tell him in the first place, I just left one day – left the outfit that was Slade sitting there in that chair, and I walked away.
I walked, simply an old nameless man in black long robes. It was a long time before I found it – and then I sat, I sat down in the middle of the dark trees, and I died there.
A/N: I wrote this because first of all the idea for this was always in the back of my mind, and second I believe there was a request for the continuation of the story. I believe that this finishes it off rather nicely. Thank you to my reviewers and to whomever else does review this. That is all, that's the end folks.
- I'd also like to thank A.F.I. because the music of their CD DecemberUnderground was very inspirational for this second chapter.