Long ago, Batman laid down the rules of crimefighting: do not kill. When Robin crosses the line, he puts Slade on a hospital bed and one of the World's Finest comes to pay the Boy Killer a visit. Some Robin/Raven. Rated for language. COMPLETE

Chapter One: The Line is Crossed

Robin had spent the past two weeks hunting down Slade. The villain had launched another scheme to throw the city into disarray and panic, even as he simultaneously sent his robot minions to seize the vaults of the city's banks. But like any caper involving Slade, the plot was more than it seemed. Robin was not entirely sure what else his nemesis had in store, had only a bare-bones inkling of what Slade's real motive was…but it was enough to fuel the Boy Wonder into action.

Now Robin was only meters behind Slade himself, running the villain ragged across the rooftops of a city in turmoil. On the streets below, Starfire and Raven ran crowd control, using their powers to protect innocent bystanders from falling debris as Slade's robots flagrantly destroyed buildings in a haze of rampant carnage. Leaping around those robots were Cyborg and Beast Boy, tearing through the enemy ranks one minion at a time.

Robin kept a mental eye on his comrades and their progress even as he focused his conscious attention on Slade. The villain's distinctive armor was so familiar to him now, so sickeningly, frighteningly familiar. Robin could have molded every contour on a piece of clay if he wanted to, so well did he know Slade's figure and form. It made him want to throw up.

"Slade!" Robin shouted, drawing a birdarang from his belt, "you're under arrest!" He threw the weapon in a tight arc, but Slade simply batted the object out of the air with a gauntleted fist—as Robin expected. He did not bother to curse. Slade was as skilled a warrior as he was. As skilled a detective. As skilled a mastermind. Perfect equals, two halves of the same coin.

The villain stopped and turned suddenly. "Robin, Robin," he crowed in that silky, condescending voice of his, "I'm disappointed in you. Only one? Where are the other five you keep in that miraculous belt of yours?" Robin did not grit his teeth as he would have if anyone else had said those words. As Robin knew Slade, so did Slade know Robin—every move, every thought, every nuance. The contents of a utility belt were a pittance mystery compared to all else.

Slade made a gesture. "Come, come. Show me what you really can do." With that, the villain turned away and resumed his run. Robin burst into movement, throwing two more birdarangs, which his quarry simply dodged. Then he drew forth another tool and pulled the trigger. The grappling gun screamed as it sent its decel line ahead with the speed of a bullet. The cord wrapped around Slade's legs. Robin tugged.

From where he lay, Slade grunted with respect, "An interesting gambit."

The Boy Wonder placed a booted foot on the fallen villain's armored chest. "Got you, scumball," he growled.

Somehow—from that strange empathy he shared with this dark-hearted mastermind—Robin knew that Slade was smiling behind his mask. Indeed, his voice held a subtle amusement when he replied, "Do you really, Robin?" The armored head tilted toward an armored gauntlet. Robin followed with his own gaze. Slade's once-empty fingers suddenly held a high-caliber pistol, drawn from some secret compartment. Slade turned the firearm at Robin and pulled the trigger.

Robin didn't have the chance to dodge; a cry escaped his lips as the slug slammed into his shoulder full-force. He fell on his back, his hand going to the wound. Uncharacteristic panic flooded his senses—he had never been shot before! His mind whirled. He had been shot at before, sure, Oh, God, it hurt! He had never been hit before. Oh, God!

Robin grunted, brought himself back under control. Calm down, he reminded himself sternly. Remember your training. Remember what Batman taught you. Batman…when was the last time he thought about his mentor? No, Dick! Concentrate! Think about the wound. It was a hollow point slug—that was why it hurt so much. Expansion upon impact. God, it hurt. Think about it, Dick. Hollow points. They're all about stopping power, not penetration. This wound isn't as bad as it could be. Come, on, Dick, stand up.

Robin stood up. He did not hold his wound anymore; the blood trickled down his arm unheeded. Slade was getting away and that was all that mattered to him.

He quickly closed the gap between him and Slade, tackling the armored villain to the ground. They wrestled, they grappled, they punched, and they struggled, but neither could gain the upper hand. Rolling on their backs in such close quarters limited their fighting prowess. And then Slade slid a hand under Robin's leading thigh. Robin, well-versed in unarmed combat, knew immediately what was coming. But he was too light and Slade too heavy. He knew with sickening certainty that he could not hope to defeat Slade's reversal. Robin sailed head over heels, crashing onto his back.

And saw the muzzle of the gun in his face.

"I would have wanted a more memorable way to end this," Slade said apologetically. The hammer cocked back with the grim snick of metal. "But I'm playing for higher stakes right now and I can't afford to be stopped. Goodbye, Robin."

For the first time in his life, Robin was afraid. He had faced death before: many times at Batman's side as the other half of the Dynamic Duo, and many more as leader of the Teen Titans. But every time was an encounter he knew he could walk away from. Never before had a gun, that beautifully deadly gun, been so close to his eye.

Desperation spurred his movements. He kicked out, his foot striking a pressure point in Slade's wrist. Instead of knocking the gun clear out of the villain's hand, the kick simply made Slade let go. The weapon fell into Robin's hand.

And suddenly, Robin was pulling the trigger.

The blast was deafening. Even more deafening was the sound of a slug entering a metal helmet.

Robin gasped and panted, adrenaline leaking out of his system once the ringing sound of gunfire had left his ears. Then he saw Slade's motionless body. And then he saw Slade's eyes. Cold, frightened…gone.

And Robin screamed.