Author's notes: okay, UBER UBER sorry for taking so long to post this, but I have lost interest in my own story, which comes with my pseudo-ADD and changing interests too quickly! But this is the FINAL CHAPTER! I hope my need to finally end this story hasn't made the last chapter too rushed.. but I wrote this and realised, there was no need to write more.. the story ended as I always like to end stories.. simple, with a smile on the reader's dial.
A sidenote: there's been a lot of reviews! So here's me trying 2 answer all your questions at once:
I've never ever ever read any of the TT, or batman comics! I've seen only the TT cartoon and the batman movies (both new and the 90s ones). Any past history of robin's or Batmans, im basing off the old 90s
movies. (Eg. Poison Ivy, Chase Meridian (Nicole kidman), Robin's old short haircut). Etc etc. Anything to do with Jason Todd, I made up off the top of my head. I actually pulled the name from a TT episode where BB starts thinking Robin's a robot zombie!
But enough with the smalltalk.. on with the SHOW!
p.s I've made the final transition from Robin to Nightwing! WHOOHOO!
Ch18: is this the end??
"There are no rules," Red X said confidently. "Not anymore"
Slade, always the strategist, wasted no time with small talk and swung his legs around in an attempt to kick out Red X and Nightwing's legs off the ground.
Robin/Nightwing and Red X both sprung into action and flipped backwards twice each, and landed next to each other in similar stances. Nightwing pulled out his bo staff from his back pocket and it expanded to full length. Red X held out 4 red crosses, ready to throw at Slade.
Slade took his time standing up. He knew the duo would wait to see what he did next. "I must say, Robin, this is quite an unlikely alliance you've formed here." He then turned to Red X. "And what do you get out of all this?"
Red X scoffed in amusement. "I get to have fun kicking your ass, of course. Who wouldn't want to be known as the one to bring down Slade."
Nightwing could see on the far side of the room, his friends were slowly starting to move in their cryo chambers. He needed to buy some time until they woke up fully. He looked back at Slade and suddenly felt a wave of hate for the man before him. Slade had brought nothing but pain, suffering and pure evil to the Titans and Jump city. He needed to be stopped. 'Slade has to die..' Nightwing thought to himself.
"Enough talk," Nightwing growled and he lunged into action. Red X threw two red crosses ahead of Nightwing, but Slade dodged them.
On the far side of the room, Raven felt like she was waking from a deep sleep. Her body felt lethargic, and stiff. She felt her body slump down onto the floor, and realised she was encased in a fibreglass cylinder. Wondering how she got there, Raven tried to remember what had happened. She remembered talking to Robin via the communicator, and then darkness. She looked up and saw across the room, Red X and Slade were fighting each other. There was also a third person fighting Slade. Raven blinked a few times to clear her vision in the hopes of finding out who it was.
The third man was dressed all in black, and looked familiar. She felt her heart flutter as she realised that it was Robin in a new suit.
"It is Nightwing!" Raven heard someone say. She looked to her left and saw Starfire flying around in her cylinder, looking out at Robin. Raven remembered when Starfire told them about how she went to the future and met Nightwing. Raven looked back out at the fight across the room. She looked back at her friends, all waking up from their slumber.
"Are you all alright?!" Raven yelled out to her comrades. Five faces looked back at her and nodded.
Cy swung his arm back and then punched the cylinder as hard as he could. The cylinder cracked but didn't break. Starfire took a swing at her cylinder and it smashed open. She then flew over to the others to help them break free from their prisons. Raven used her magic and created a door through the cylinder.
Nightwing saw in the corner of his eye that his team mates were waking and freeing themselves. He was relieved. He looked back over at Slade, who was getting up from the kick Red X just gave him. Red X looked at Nightwing. "You want to finish him off or should I?"
Nightwing was taken back by the question. He knew that Slade had to die. Nightwing knew that it would come to this when he and Red X made their way to the warehouse. But what Nightwing didn't realise was that he was not prepared to take a life in cold blood. His idol and mentor, Batman, had lived by one rule; to never take a life. Nightwing was sure that Batman continued to stand by this rule, even though over the years, a few bad guys had plummeted to their own deaths through their own sheer stupidity, greed and general psychoticness. Nightwing didn't know how to respond to Red X's question. Was he ready for this? Was he ready to be someone he never thought he'd be?
Red X grew impatient. Slade saw the hesitation. "He knows he can't do it," Slade said to Red X. "Robin is weak. He has always been weak. He values human life so much that he wont do what needs to be done to win the game. So much for rules going out the window.."
Red X and Nightwing looked over at Slade. Nightwing was mad. Slade always rubbed him the wrong way. Nightwing charged Slade. A stupid mistake, and Nightwing knew it. But he was so fuelled by rage, that he felt his legs moving of their own accord. He could see Red X running next to him as they both began their tag-team assault on Slade again.
The rest of the Titans had freed themselves from their cylindric prisons. Beast boy commented in awe, "Whoah, look at them go!"
"We have to help them!" Starfire squealed as she began to fly over.
But Cyborg grabbed her leg and stopped her. "Wait. This is their fight. Let's see if they need our help first".
Raven stood silently watching the fight like a hawk, just in case Nightwing needed her help.
Red X blocked Slade's punch as Nightwing kicked Slade in the ribs. Slade was quick. He grabbed Nightwing's leg and swung around, throwing Nightwing into Red X and the duo went skidding across the room.
They both stood up, and Red X grumbled. "That's IT! WE END THIS NOW!" and he charged at Slade. Nightwing was still on the ground and threw his batterangs over Red X's shoulder, at Slade to back up his friend. Red X continued to run at Slade, also throwing red crosses at Slade.
The force of the exploding batterangs and the red crosses expanding and wrapping themselves over Slade's body had overpowered the older man. Slade, now wrapped in Red crosses, couldn't move his arms and legs, and was forced to the ground by one final exploding batterang. Red X jumped into the air and was about to land on Slade. In mid air, during his descent onto Slade, Red X pulled out a dagger from over his shoulder. It had previously been concealed until now.
"Hey!"Nightwing called out when he saw the dagger. Red X was going for the kill. Slade's eye grew larger, seeing what was coming towards him and he was powerless to stop it.
The Titans watched from across the room. Raven gasped when she was that Red X was about to stab and kill Slade. Her instincts kicked into overdrive and she stretched her hand out towards Slade. She whispered an incantation, while watching Red X's descent as if it were in slow motion.
Just a moment before Red X was meant to land on Slade, Slade's body was engulfed in a black bubble, and he was sucked into the ground, like a shadow disappearing from the light. Red X landed on the ground and tumbled away. He and Nightwing stood, looking around for Slade.
"Where'd he go?" Red X yelled, furiously looking around the room.
"I sent him away," Raven called out. The duo ran over to Raven and the rest of the Titans.
"What do you mean by away?" Nightwing asked.
Raven explained that she'd sent Slade to her home world via a portal. She assured the others that Slade was not going to cause any more trouble, as her home world is in another dimension and the last time she went to it, she found that the planet was in ruins and so he'd be living out the rest of his days alone with no way home.
"Well good riddance to bad poo poo!" Starfire exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips and nodding once for good measure.
Red X put his dagger away and began to walk away. Nightwing turned and called out, "Where are you going?"
Red X turned to him, "I don't do this hero debriefing thing. I'm going back to Gotham city. Catcha round!" And with that, Red X left. Nightwing was sure he'd be seeing Red X/Jason Todd again.
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Back at the Tower, the Titans sat around the dinner table, eating pizza. It was almost 3am, and they were talking about the recent Slade saga. Nightwing explained to the Titans, and Bumblebee and Speedy, about how he'd called Red X to help, how he put on the new suit Alfred had given him, and about how he had the full intention of killing Slade, but in the end he couldn't do it.
"Well, I'm glad you couldn't do it," Bumblebee said. "Because once you take a life, then you're no better than the bad guys we fight every day!"
Cy smiled at Bumblebee. "That's my girl".
Bumblebee and Speedy had agreed to stay the night, so they don't head back to Steel city in the middle of the night.
"I don't know about you all, but I'm totally exhausted!" BB yawned. He raised his arms in the air, and then brought one arm around Starfire's shoulders.
Nightwing looked around the table, taking in how much things have changed in the last couple of months. Who'd have thought that a broken leg could change things so much?
"Time to hit the sack," Cy stated, standing up. He held his hand out to Bumblebee. "May I show you to your room, M'Lady?" He said in the most old-English gentlemanly way possible. Bumblebee giggled and took Cyborg's hand. They wished everyone a goodnight and left the rec room. Speedy left next, commenting under his breath about being a 3rd wheel all of a sudden. BB and Star excused themselves and Nightwing was left, staring across the table at Raven.
Feeling completely comfortable in the tower, Nightwing took his mask off. He saw Raven smiling at him. Nightwing didn't know what to say next, but Raven seemed to say it all. "Time for bed?"
Nightwing smiled back at Raven and said in perfect agreement, "Time for bed".
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THE END
Author's notes: don't forget to tell me what you think! I may not write again for a while, so I wish you all the best in everything, and if all else fails, Make love not war.