Robins True Allegiance 2

Spellbound

An alert broke me from my meditation practice. The others had been wondering why I'd been so closed off over the past week, it was because of this. I needed to increase my defence against Blood. But I couldn't let them know how easy it was for him to manipulate me, to control me. I ran to the control room to see what it was, Cardiac at the park.

We arrived just as he was sucking a boy into his pipe and I threw three Birdarangs at him, glad I'd sharpened the design as they cut through. But even as I threw them I wondered had it been my idea to make some of them lethal, or had it been Blood's. I threw the thought from my head as I caught them again, "Cardiac, you're under arrest," That was good, come on.
But unfortunately he couldn't react as he just reattached his cut off limb, pipe thing and moved to an attack, "Titan's go."
I placed my Birdarangs back in their pack and pulled out my Bo Staff, glad to find that in my pack rather then the sword I'd taken to storing in my room.
"Starfire, launch."
I felt her hands around my ankle as she threw me at Cardiac and I hit him down into the ground. But he reacted, using his pipe's to throw me back up and into Starfire.
She gently placed me back down the ground as we moved in for another attack, but he just flicked me away again. By the time I was running back at him again he was encased in Raven's magic and being ripped limb from limb. He didn't get back up.
"Dude, way to take him apart," Beast Boy commented.
"Can we go now?" And then I looked over to see Raven already sat back in the T-Car, but I wasn't going to argue, I needed to build up my defence and we were done here.

As soon as we were back Raven sped off to her room, unusual behaviour for her to rush anywhere unless there was an emergency. Maybe Blood had contacted her too.
I went straight to her room, knocking on the door and waiting for her to answer. But she only opened it a crack anyway, better than no reply.
"Hey. When we got home you kind of ran to your room and locked the door," I said, "Anything you wanna talk about?"
"No," And she closed the door again.
I'd have to find another way to keep an eye on her. Or she was fine and just being Raven. Maybe I'd have to leave her to it. It was where she was happy.

I spent the next four weeks trying to test the waters of my mind, trying to separate what was me and what wasn't. But even as I did that, I noticed more and more things I shouldn't have. The guns I'd requested from Jason that I'd been keeping in the false bottom of my wardrobe, the access codes neatly folded in a letter with the Hive Academy address on that I instantly burned when I realised what I was doing, but then I had to think, how many had I sent without knowing? How much danger was I causing just by being human, by being a weaker species than the others. I needed a break from all this thinking. I didn't question that the sword had returned to it's place next to my door after I'd removed it for the thousandth time as I headed out to breakfast and met Starfire at the bar.
"Robin, hello," She called as I headed over, "You have almost been as absent as Raven. Is everything the okay?"
"Everything's just fine Star," I lied, "You cooking?"
She didn't have a chance to answer and the door opened as Raven walked in. Normally I'd only give her one second look, but today we all stared. She was dressed in white, and humming. And smiling.
"Um, hey Raven," I greeted as she munched on an apple from the fridge.
"Yeah, because she hasn't left her room in a week" Beast Boy snarked.
"I, uh, like your new look," Cyborg covered as he shoved BB out the way.
"Thanks," She replied before going back to hovering.
"So, when do we get to meet this friend of yours?" I asked and she smiled even wider.
"Soon."
"I am unable to wait," Star came past me and grabbed Raven by the shoulders, "Beast Boy has told us much about the Malchior and how he remains trapped within a book, but-"
"And how would Beast Boy know something like that?" Raven cut her off as we all turned to the green boy.
"I may have kinda, been a fly on the wall in your room," He said as he turned into a fly.
"Funny," Raven smirked, "You look more like a rat to me," And then he turned into a rat, landing on his head.
"You morphed me," Beast Boy said after a moment," How did you do that?"
She didn't have time to respond as the alarm went off and I ran over to the computer, Cardiac was back, "Titan's move."

I hopped on my R Cycle, we didn't have time to all load into the car as we raced towards the location that had set off our alert. A house with a hole in the wall. I bet there was a kid in there, and Cardiac was trying to get it. I primed three explosives, another change had been the intensity of these but I needed to use up the lethal ones, may as well do it on something I knew could take it. But we were too late, Cardiac had already got the kid.
"Oh man," Cyborg said as I suddenly regretted choosing the lethal ones.
"Hand to hand," I said as I put them away, "We don't wanna hurt her."
We all leapt out the way as the pipes came down at us, but only Beast Boy moved in. He was soon thrown back and away to us as Raven transported in between us.
"This time when I break you, stay broken," She said, "Necronom hezbarek mortyx."
That was a new one, "Raven careful," I called out, "The girl."
But her attack didn't slow as she swallowed Cardiac in her power.
"Raven, stop!" Beast Boy called up.
"I can't," She got out as he power increased.
This wasn't good. I didn't think as I grabbed the dagger in my belt, I didn't care that it was there right now, I had to get that girl out, and leapt at Cardiac, stabbing to create a hole, and as Raven's power retreated it broke him open and I got the girl out, quickly sheathing my weapon before anyone noticed.
"What is wrong with you?" I quickly whirled around at BB's voice to see he wasn't talking to me.
The subject of his question instead retreated into one of her portals, and I assumed, headed home.

I was awoken from my slumber by what felt like an earthquake, but the fact it seemed to be coming from Raven's room probably meant it was magical. I suited up, grabbing my weapons as I ran towards her room, kicking the door down as the others came in behind me.
"Raven!"
Was that a dragon tail? Please tell me I'm still dreaming. The smoke from the attack cleared to reveal Raven sat the other side of the room. She was muttering to herself, and whilst I wanted to be there for her, I knew that would only make her feel worse at the moment.
"Come on," I ordered as I reached out and Star lifted me and Cy after the Dragon.
She launched Cyborg at it first, but his ray attacks were useless. I was launched next, and I pulled out my sword from my belt, guess this Blood influence was going to have it's use, and thankfully I was almost an expert at handling the weapon due to Slade. I landed a solid strike across his face, pulling out some of my lethal level explosives and throwing them at the creature as well, but he just raised a massive clawed hand and batted me across the roof into the tables. And fricking hell that hurt. I think I broke my back, it sure feels like it.
Slade would just call me a drama queen.
I managed to crack open my eyes just in time to see the dragon being sucked into a book and Raven fall back onto the roof. I got up and moved over to her as her suit changed back to their normal colours and the sun began to rise.

I headed back to my room alone once everyone had calmed back down, but I hadn't even managed to sit down before there was a knock at the door.
I went over to answer it, expecting to see Star or someone but was surprised when it was someone else.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as he stepped into my room and I closed the door.
"You've been being weird," Jason replied as he sat down on my bed, "Where are the pistols?"
"False bottom of my wardrobe, why?" I asked.
"Why did you order a refill for the bullets?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid," Jason said as he pulled out the guns, "You phoned me up last night, said you'd run out and that you needed more. I know you don't use lethal force, it was strange enough when you asked for the pistols. But refills, what's going on?" His eyes caught on what was in my hand then, "And why do you have a sword with blood on it?"
"Dragon," I explained "Why I have a sword in the first place, don't ask me. Look," I sat down on the bed and he came back over, "Just over a month ago I had a run in with Brother Blood. He got into my head, I thought Slade was back. But not my Slade, we hated each other. We fought and I almost died before we figured it out. I threatened my team that day, I debated the use of lethal force so many times. And ever since I've been finding everything is lethal. Sword, guns, daggers, stronger explosives, sharpened the edges of my Birdarangs. He's still in my head, still influencing me. I had to burn a letter with all our security codes on the other day that I was going to send to him. I don't know what I've done, what I'm going to do. Like he said, I'm only human. I'm weak."
"Dick," I hadn't realised I was crying until he wiped away a tear, "You're stronger than you think. And I won't send you any more bullets, I'll trace the ones you had. See if they've been used anywhere. And, just for you, I'll install a camera in your room and keep an eye on you? Make you feel better?"
"I'll patch you into the tower network as well," I said, "More eyes the better."
"You'll be just fine," He said, "I promise."