Warnings:
Spoilers for the episode "Masks"; includes dialogue from "Masks."
Couple of swearing
Possible OOC
It is HIGHLY recommended that you watch "Masks" before reading this, obviously because of spoilers and also because I have assumed that the reader will know the situations that occurred to smoothly transition from scene to scene in this story.
Also, if I decide to continue on with this story, there is a possibility that this story may take the yaoi/slash road, without the sex...then I should say shounen ai shouldn't I? Bah, I just can't write hot steamin' action or else I'd probably go into giggle-fits. That and I find that if you don't do it right, sex will utterly destroy a story.
Marked
By Cloud Ishida
Act I: Absolute
"They were merely the messengers. And the message has been received."
- Slade, Final Exam
Who is Slade?
The million dollar question; the mystery of mysteries.
Who. Is. Slade.
The question.
It rolls off the tongue like the porcelain liquid rolling down a fine whisker of a cat, furiously lapping cold milk to quench its thirst.
Like the song of a morning bird chirping its tune in fluid notes before it takes flight for its daily routine.
In this case, a Robin.
His first encounter with this, Slade, left much to be desired for. The detective in him would not, could not, let anything go unanswered.
Who is Slade.
It has become more of a statement then a question now. That day the Titans were battling the giant fire-demon, that man who manipulated the two elemental brothers... The memory of the face behind the mask of the old man, and his aging shell of an exterior chipping away to reveal the young, sleek metal underneath; its eye was looking straight at him, piercing into him.
Wanting him.
Of course, that last was labelled as a trick of his imagination in his mind; a misinterpretation that our imperfect memory is plagued with. But something was there. And the detective in him demanded to know what that something is.
If Slade thinks he can take down the Titans as easily as he thought in that last battle, he was sorely mistaken. Robin will make sure he'll be mistaken. He'll discover the motive, the means, the goal, everything--the way he was raised to analyze, research, conclude, justice.
All these thoughts, all these questions, danced around his head as he walked unconsciously down the hallway to the grand gathering area of the Tower. The kitchen, living room, communications all compacted together in the spacious room.
Robin arrived in time to catch Raven standing at the doorway, just taking a step forward as the doors slid open in its quiet hiss. Noticing that her team-mate and leader walking towards her, she stood at the doorway, forcing the doors to stay opened. As Robin approached, he glanced through the door to see that Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg were already assembled and waiting for the last two Titans to join them. Star's unyielding cheer in her voice and Beast Boy's resounding laughter rebounded off the interior walls. Cyborg was standing before the giant window screen, with what looked like random maps flashing by on its glaring surface.
"...pre-occupied?"
An emotionless stir of sound invaded his ears. "Huh?"
His eyes shot towards the source of the voice. Raven, hood down and arms crossed, waited for Robin to enter through the still-opened doors.
Slighting shaking his head and without another word, Robin walked along side Raven, through the doors, down the stairs, and joined the rest of the Titans.
Starfire greeted Raven with her usual delightful cheer, a personality that the normally pale lady had gotten used to and accepted since that Puppet King fiasco. The brightest Star on the team spurred her optimistic smile on the young leader, "Good evening to you Robin. I have not seen you all day." No one but Robin caught it, but the subtle expression of disappointment mixed within her last words.
Confronted with such innocence, Robin could do nothing but smile back, "Had some work that's been piling up that I needed to take care of. But since I've finished up loose ends, I'll be having more free time." His smile earned him a larger grin from Starfire.
"So, what's the word, Cy?" Beast Boy initiated the meeting to the question at hand. "I was about to make my famous tofu-loaf and salad for dinner." Amusement gathered on his face as he watched Cyborg's contort to disgust, and a slight shade of green.
The cybernetic teen shook the thought of the dreaded simulated white jell-o from his mind. "Before I barf from that nasty image in my head," A quick glance at Beast Boy was returned with, as Starfire put it, "razzing of the berries." Cyborg push of a button on the control panel, stopping the flashing screen to the city map of the downtown area nearest to the town lake and continued with his debriefing, "I got a lead that a big robbery is about to take place tonight." He turned his attention to the rest of the Titans. "Slade is supposedly behind it."
Immediately Robin stepped forward to stand beside Cyborg, eyes behind the mask burrowing deep into the screen. "Where?"
Another click and the map now held a blinking red dot marking a building closest to the lake. "It's an electronics lab specializing in computer technology." Cyborg added.
"Wonderful!" Starfire chimed in, "Maybe we will now be able to decipher Slade's motives!"
"I don't think it'll be that easy." Raven contradicted in her calm demeanour emanating maturity. "He sent the HIVE before, and most likely Plasmus as well."
"AND manipulated both Thunder and Lightning." Beast Boy caught on to Raven's line of thought. "Not exactly big on the hands-on approach, is he? "
"Most likely he won't be there in person." Cyborg concluded for the two. "But that can