The narrow, floor-to-ceiling windows were in themselves divided by thick beams, like overlarge mosaics, each panel of glass stained with varying shades of autumn. The afternoon sun slanted through them and shattered the light across the floor to cast everything into an early, glowing sunset. Shadows manned this place as prison guards with the intent to beat the fiery light into submission, and they were doing their jobs well. The air felt like the only thing that sat stale and still; this building must have been abandoned decades ago. The smell of rust permeated the area, and its likeness to blood could easily make one's stomach churn.

"You have had doubts in the past...made mistakes. But all that is behind you, isn't it?"

Shadows may have guarded this place, but Slade was the warden, and his word was law. He spoke a question, yet the intent behind it was anything but. No, it was a call to order: he was demanding something from the teenager standing within the slip of light. The wrong answer would result in nothing less than punishment without mercy.

"Yes."

One syllable was a savior.

"You belong to me now, don't you?"

There was a long stretch as the options were considered...and yet, there were no other options left. "I do." That "something" was allegiance.

"From this day forward, will you serve me, and me only?" Unending, unquestioning, ever sacrificing allegiance.

This pause was shorter. "I will."

"Will you obey my every command?"

"I will." The silence was becoming less and less.

"Will you fight, at my side, forever?" Here, the intimidating man showed what sat in his hand, hidden away until now: a round metal disk, the top of which emblazoned copper with a sharp, black 'S' slicing through. Though the emblem looked simple enough, anyone who knew Slade would know that it wasn't: advanced hardware surely rested within, tracking the wearer's movements and, most likely, delivering electrical punishments should failure or disobedience ever arise from the teen.

Despite the threat the little thing held, it was accepted, and promptly affixed to the breastplate of the strange new uniform. The outfit would take a while to get used to, but if it meant working with Slade, learning from him, fighting with him...then it would be taken, with everything else, in stride.

"I will." The words were whispered, but the devotion was clear as a bell.

"...And will you destroy the Teen Titans?"

The room itself seemed to be holding its breath in wait for the answer.

Pieces of memories came unbidden at the mention of the team. Words that didn't want to be relived screamed in dissonance; faces shrouded in shock, confusion, hurt surged forth. All their joys, all their anger, all their sorrows, all of it put on display in Robin's mind at the thought of them and their betrayal.

The room didn't have to wait for long.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Author's Note: I basically rewrote everything about this drabble. The original is so sparse compared to this one...! I'll keep the original up for maybe another six months to a year, just so we can all see the differences between the two – the difference time can make.

I should also mention that I am no longer replacing Terra here as I was in the original. My hatred for her has dwindled as my understanding of her character has grown. Lying to and betraying those who care the most about you will always be unforgivable sins in my book, but I do understand the need for Terra's character in the Slade-versus-Titans plotline now. She's no longer a bitchy, back-stabbing Mary Sue to me, but a weak-willed person who was manipulated as a pawn into doing wrong...for whom I now just feel pity rather than anger. It is because of this that this version of the drabble should be read as a future-if-certain-events-happened fic, set after both Robin's (first) apprenticeship and Terra's, instead of an alternate version to the opening of "Aftershock, Part 1" as the original drabble was...despite the fact that I used the same dialogue.

Anyway, thanks for reading. :)