Aromantic_Satan requested this one and I fully delivered since this is over 4000 words

EDIT: TW BLOOD

On the day of them setting off for their mission, Robin was on his best behaviour. He made sure to maintain the ten-second rule and try to make conversation as lively as possible to make them more comfortable with him. They honestly found it a little creepy but aired on the side of caution by not telling him. Who knows, if they said the wrong thing to him he might just turn on them when they least expect it. Miss Martian had tried to dissuade them from thinking that way but found even herself was a little too tempted to follow that belief. They got on the Bio-ship with a simple intelligence mission. A building was set up almost overnight with no personnel hired in the area yet it worked at all hours. Whoever was running it didn't want outsiders inside and that made it incredibly suspicious. What company would just start-up just outside of Gotham and not even think about hiring locals? A company that didn't mean well. "So does anyone have any theories on this place?" Robin asked awkwardly. He was trying his best to make conversation but he was really struggling. All he needed was for someone to throw him a bone but they were all much too antsy to do so. There was a long silence before he decided to fill it. "Uh, Batman and I thought it could be connected to erm, Bane or maybe Lex considering he's been planning to expand into Gotham. That's just our opinion though," he added, mumbling the end sentence. He looked around for any confirmation, getting the odd nod in agreement, then cast his eyes to the floor. That went down like a lead balloon. "You're not gonna get all Talony right?" Kid Flash asked. He hadn't intended for it to come out so insensitive but he didn't do anything to fix it either. Robin's mouth went dry as he choked on the breath he was drawing in. "Uh no. I don't intend to." The ginger hummed and looked away, making him shrivel in on himself. He knew they were suspicious of him but he didn't think it went this far. Maybe he should've just stayed at home. "Good. We shouldn't have a problem then."

"Yeah, guess not."

They landed soon after that conversation ended and Robin remained silent. He thought it was for the best considering they didn't trust him. One wrong move and he could be taken off the team. "Miss Martian and Superboy take the east. Artemis and Kid Flash take the west whilst I take the south. We remain covert unless we're caught," Aqualad ordered. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, what about me?" Robin asked. He tried not to overthink why he'd been left out of the lineup but it proved rather difficult. The older looked down with him, suddenly remembering there was a sixth member of their little team. Robin hoped he was just used to only planning for five. "Oh, you'll take the north then. Miss Martian, set up the mind link." Robin watched as they all nodded in unison, their eyes darting between each other. 

"You left me out again," he said, now getting a little frustrated. She must've known he was there. He spoke not moments ago! Were they trying to make him uncomfortable? They could be trying to push him off the team. "Sorry, Robin but it's better off you stay on comms. If you do go full Talon, so to speak, you could jeopardise the link," she explained. He narrowed his eyes at her. That sounded a lot like he was a liability. He couldn't believe them. Their whole thing was acceptance but here they were just pushing him onto the sidelines. "Whatever. Not like I needed you lot in my head anyway," Robin muttered. He scuffed the ground with his combat boots, digging a hole with his heel as they talked in their minds. This was ridiculous. "I'm not sticking around just to be ignored. I'll circle back in an hour," he stated. He did what he did best and disappeared into the shadows without a trace.

"I know you said this was necessary but don't you think this is a little unfair?" Artemis asked, watching the younger fade into the darkness. She couldn't help but sympathise with him. They both came from less than heroic backgrounds but that didn't mean they couldn't be trusted. Even if she found herself distrusting him, it wasn't Robin she was actually distrusting. It was The Court she distrusted. What network would let their best fighter walk away and be a hero if there wasn't some underlying motive? Who knows who could take over Robin's mind when they least expected it? "It's what we have to do to keep us all safe. Him included," Aqualad assured her. "Now let's take after him and get a move on."

Unfortunately, it seemed whoever owned the building found out about their plans. One by one they were taken by masked dark figures and knocked out before being dragged inside the stone walls. All were taken except for one. Robin did what he said he would. He circled his area then came back in an hours time. No one was there to meet him which he didn't know if he was mad or relieved about. Their actions prior still had him more miffed than Bruce at parents evening when a teacher dared to utter a bad word about his ward. However, like Bruce, he knew how to keep it cool to maintain a professional appearance. He might not come on the next mission until they followed suit and acted like professionals towards him. It was honestly disrespectful how they acted. For heroes, they certainly liked to indulge in biases. Whoever said anyone could be a hero was clearly lying in their books judging by how they treated him. He was in his right mind to complain to their mentors about their behaviours. Though, like bullies, telling on them would only make them act worse. Robin could think up an excuse to not come on another mission with the team. He was the best at lying so he'd get away with it no problem. It was just a bit of a shame considering how nice they'd been before him coming along on a mission with them was put on the table. Robin glanced at the time and grumbled to himself. They were twenty minutes late. Turns out they were unprofessional in more ways than one. "Come in Aqualad, status on group whereabouts." Static met him which made him suspicious. They were rude, that was true, but they wouldn't be rude enough to risk a mission's success. He tried again but got the same answer. He'd have to look for them.

Robin searched each of the posts given to the members of the team but found there was no one there. They were left unmanned. This only caused his suspicions to grow. He found signs of abductions which he had to admit made him laugh. Here they were so worried he'd ruin the mission when they were the ones to be found out and caught. He was half tempted to call up Batman and tell him all about it but he had to keep in mind his professionalism. If he saved them then they had to trust him. They'd be forced to see that he was indeed a hero and not some liability to the team. The only problem was he had to find them first. He didn't doubt that the people who owned this place had multiple levels to the building. It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack so he'd have to get a little creative. Kid Flash had the best tracker since he had a nasty habit of overshooting places he was running to accidentally end up two cities over with no idea of where he was. Robin found a place in the shadows to hide whilst he pulled up a hologram screen and did a search for the tracker. It was about 30 feet under the ground, confirming the idea the building had more levels than those shown. He made a map to the dot and studied the building for incognito entry points. This would be tricky but he was sure as hell he was going to prove himself.

Groaning, Kid Flash opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was chatting with Artemis about the pros and cons of marshmallow squares so why were his feet wet. He looked down, finding a green thin liquid slowly trickling in through pipes. Upon seeing this, he noticed that his limbs were clamped down with metal straps. He felt something chunky around his neck and mumbled a slew of curses. He knew it was the collars that prevented his meta abilities. Just what he needed. "Everyone up?" Miss Martian asked timidly, unsure if there was anyone around her. They all replied with a tired yes. "Where are we?" she added.

"Inside the building?" Aqualad proposed.

"Welp, someone start thinking up a plan before this green stuff gets too high for my liking," Artemis stated. There was some silence which discouraged her more than anything. They didn't even know where they were so if they did somehow get out of their current problem, they wouldn't know where to go next. "We're screwed," she mumbled on behalf of the team. 

"Maybe not," Miss Martian began.

"Got a plan green cheeks?" Kid Flash asked as an optimistic grin grew on his face.

"Nope but Robin just might. I can't sense him which means he wasn't captured with us," she explained. 

"Who's to say he wasn't just taken someplace else?" Superboy suggested. It was a grim thought but it had to be brought up if they were talking about hypothetical situations. 

"I don't know but let's think positively." They sat in silence, taking in their surrounding. In front of them were rows and columns of capsules that looked oddly reminiscent of Buzz Lightyear's packaging. In the glass of those, they could see their own reflections showing that they were trapped within the same capsules. It was eerie to watch the liquid rise further in the reflection. They wondered what would happen when it reached past their mouths and noses but none chose to go much further with that idea. "What if the last thing we did to Robin was alienate him?" Artemis asked.

"I pray that isn't the case," Aqualad responded. They agreed.

It took a lot of manoeuvring and a few knockout moves on a couple of guards before Robin reached the floor his team were being held captive on. He stepped out of the vents he'd crawled through and sent a virus out to all security cameras in the area, causing the picture to pause and for him to easily sneak around. It wasn't until he took a moment to get his bearings that he realised what he was seeing. The room was completely filled with hundreds of capsules. Capsules that he knew only belonged to one group. The Court of Owls. His heart leapt to his throat as did burning bile that he only just managed to swallow. He promised himself that he'd never see the capsules again but he shouldn't have made a promise he couldn't keep. With a shaky breath, Robin kept his eyes on the prize and try to ignore the sudden weakness in his knees. He could have a breakdown about this later. For now, he could keep his emotions repressed for just long enough. There were hundred's of capsules but most were empty so he had a good chance of finding the teams. Not to mention Kid Flash's bright yellow suit should stick out like a sore thumb in this place. He looked at the tracker and carefully followed it around the weaving walkways that wound around the room. Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him along with something dragging along the floor. He ducked for cover and watched silently as two men passed. Between them, they carried an unconscious adult male. Clearly the Talons continued with their lack of a MO. As they walked, they stopped at the end of the hallway and pressed a button that was on a small box connected to their belts that opened the door to the capsules. Not that far from where the men were stood, Robin heard taunts coming from the very ginger he'd been tracking. He knew the system used to keep the doors locked and was aware that hacking each door would cost him precious time. Not only that but simply stealing the button wouldn't do much good. The guards needed to think that they had the upper hand and there was only one way he could do that. He'd have to swallow his fears and get caught.

Terrified yet putting on a cool persona, Robin crept up to one of the guards and snatched one of the boxes off his belt. He slipped the device into a secret pocket of his glove before slipping back into the shadows. He needed his capture to be organic so he'd have to put his acting skills combined with his genuine fear to the test. He crept back behind a few capsules then ran out loudly to catch their attention. They snapped their heads towards him, their eyes glowing a faint yellow like his own. He'd unexpectedly frozen at the sight of their steely glare. Talons shouldn't be doing just manual jobs but here they were. Their model forms and expressionless faces were sure to bring new life to his haunting memories. All the air had been knocked from his lungs but, in the long run, his shocked exterior only sold the act. He turned on his heel to run away but both his arms were restrained within an instant. The men moved scarily fast and near silently. Though the silence could be due to his deafening heartbeat in his ears. They picked him up off the ground and the helplessness overtook him. He kicked and struggled against their grip a little more than he had intended to do as the anxiety of being thrown back into the capsules that had restrained him for so long. Robin kept forgetting that this was all part of the plan, the panic proving too powerful for his reason to compete with. They threw him inside the capsule and metal clamps snapped over his limbs just as they had when he was younger. The slushing sound of green liquid was all too familiar and sent him spiralling. Why did he risk it? He should've just left them here and let Batman deal with it. No, he couldn't do that. He had to prove himself. Yet he could already remember the feeling of the liquid moving in and out of his lungs. It was such an odd burning feeling. You feel as though you're drowning yet you can still breathe. Robin thought about the days and weeks he spent in these things. Soon he got used to the feeling. He wrote it off as just being a part of his life but now he'd tasted freedom. There was no way he could go back. The torture, the training, the testing. He couldn't do it again. He didn't want to. He wanted to go home. He wanted his Dad.

A distant call of his name thrust him back into reality. Robin blinked a few times to get rid of the hallucination that his capsule was full. The green liquid has hardly made it to his shins let alone filled the whole thing. "Robin?" Miss Martian asked. Concern was weaved through her tone. He hadn't expected that considering the cold beginning he'd had that night but he enjoyed it. He needed that voice of concern right now to remind him how things had changed. "Give me a second and I'll get us out of here," he replied. The hitching in his voice was hardly noticeable which he was thankful for.

 "Dude, thank God you're here. Really though we were dead meat," Kid Flash sighed in relief. Robin manoeuvred the box out of his secret pocket and dropped it into his hand. One quick push opened one capsule so, logically, a longer one would open more. He pressed his thumb against it for six seconds, releasing six doors. The metal clamps around his limbs gave way and he scrambled out of the metal tomb. It wasn't until now he realised his breathing was all kinds of wrong. Just being in there for a little while was way too long in his books. He'd never ever do that again. Well, not voluntarily and if the situation wasn't dependent on it. He was a hero after all so he had to throw some fears out of the window in the name of justice. He glanced over to his teammates who were wiping off the liquid and ridding themselves of their power inabilitating collars. For a brief second, he forgot why he was angry with them in the first place. Then that second ended and he remembered exactly why. "Not bad for a liability huh?" Robin stated smugly, though his dishevelled demeanour took the real wind out of his statement. They looked at him, their eyes going up and down as they took in the sight of him. "Wha-"

"Thank you," Miss Martian said, wrapping him up in a warm hug.

"Uh, no problem," he replied, patting her on the back awkwardly. "How come you're being nice to me now?"

"We didn't mean to. We really did have your best interest at heart. It just so happened that we all looked like dicks doing it," Artemis assured him. In all honesty, he wasn't completely convinced by the reason. Had it not been for the traumatising memories being dragged up through being locked behind the glass, he would've fought a bit more. However, that did happen and he decided to leave things at that. Emotions and events caused by them were still confusing from time to time so he'd have to get a second opinion on whether this was an accurate excuse for their behaviour.

"You're shaking. What's wrong?" Miss Martian asked, pulling away. He pursed his lips to prevent an answer he hadn't thought about then replied. 

"Nothing. Let's get out of here." He walked away with his teammates closely following.

"You only panic when it's Talon related," Superboy pointed out.

"I didn't panic! Just shut up about it," he snapped back. Was this their way of saying thank you because it sure did suck if it was. 

"You can tell us," Miss Martian assured him. He rolled his eyes frustratedly. 

"First you act like I'm not even there and now you're asking me personal questions? It's like you're trying to send mixed signals. I'd rather you just minded your damn business and stopped asking about why I hate this hell hole!" he shouted. Robin clamped a hand over his mouth, hoping he hadn't just ruined his own plan. 

"You know this place don't you?" the Martian pointed out. He sighed and nodded. They weren't going to give up and he couldn't deal with any more emotional strain today. 

"This is how they make Talons. We get put in these things and the green liquid gives us the right chemicals that give us the basics of what we need. I spent too long on these things and I'm shaken up, alright?"

"But surely you would have the skills to avoid being put in one of those things?" Kid Flash suggested. 

"I do but if I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to buy us enough time to get out of here. There was a price and I paid it," he put simply.

They smiled at him as they got to the elevator. There was no way they were going to fit in the vents. Well maybe the girls would but he'd be surprised if Superboy could fit even a leg in there. The elevator would be hardly covert but it would do for now. He pressed the button and ushered them to hide by the side just in case someone was inside. Once he peeked inside and found no one there, he knocked out any cameras that could catch them inside then walked in before waving for the team to follow. He pressed the button to take them to the ground floor. "We take this up to the ground floor. I'll take out as much as I can but there will still be security up there," Robin began, already beginning to hack into the database. It seemed the Talon's training was backfiring considering only a Talon could hack a Talon. He made sure the doors stayed closed until they wanted them to open. "Whatever you do, don't pull their daggers out. It's a two-person job to get it out," he explained as they slowly got closer and closer to freedom.

"Erm, Robin, I know this is kinda touchy but is that green stuff going to...you know?" Kid Flash asked. He shook his head. 

"You don't have the activator. It probably didn't even penetrate your skin so you don't have to worry about being like me."

"That's not what I meant-"

"But it's what you wanted to know," he replied. He turned to the ginger. "You had no problem being direct in the Bio-ship so my hypothesis was correct." The group tilted his head and since they had a few minutes before hitting their level, he saw no point in forcing everyone to sit in confused awkward silence. "Once I saved you, your behaviour changed as well as your opinion of me. You no longer consider me a secret threat as shown by your new reluctance to hurt my feelings whilst asking questions."

"But we gave you a reason for it," Artemis defended.

"Yet I'm not well adverse enough to know that it's a valid one. Until I can get a second opinion, I won't accept it as an excuse for your actions." He studied their faces for a moment then sighed. They were talking through the mind link. Typical. Perhaps he didn't need a second opinion. His opinion seemed to be in the right if their actions were anything to go off. "You're not the only ones to think I could turn. Why do you think I try so hard to be good? I don't know the entirety of the Court's agenda. It could be that I'm some sort of guinea pig." Robin's shoulder slumped as he looked at where they were. Two floors to go. He wouldn't have time to explain everything but he could give them the brief needed. "But I don't let that get in the way of my mission. Unlike you. You put yourselves and me in danger by not including me in the mind link. You put yourselves and me in danger when you allowed for Aqualad and myself to go alone." He readied himself for the fight that was bound to await them. "So just remember that when you have the nerve to think so little of me."

The elevator doors opened to reveal thirty men patrolling the area. Robin knocked out the cameras and threw a smoke bomb out to give them some cover. Through the smoke, the team escaped into the hallway and attacked. Kid Flash knocked out five and began tying them up, managing to move just fast enough to avoid any daggers thrown. Artemis took out five more with one of her special arrows. Miss Martain and Superboy collectively took out ten with only Superboy being hit once with the daggers that would be hell to get out. As he was about to rip it out, Robin suddenly appeared and smacked him on the hand. "No touching," he stated before disappearing back into the smoke. Aqualad took out six, receiving minor scratches from the daggers being thrown their way. As the smoke dissipated, they looked around. The final four were nowhere to be seen along with Robin. They looked around frantically until he ran out from behind a corner. Three draggers stuck out of his arm and two were stuck in his torso. "What happened to the final four?" Superboy inquired. 

"They're with the reinforcements. Had to be about ten more and there should be more to come so let's get out of here," Robin announced, running towards the exit. 

"Did he just-"

"Let's just get out of here," Artemis interrupted.

Once they got to the safety of the ship, they set off immediately then tended to their wounds. Robin went over to Superboy and inspected the dagger in his bicep. "It's pretty far in there. Better bite down on something," he stated.

"I'll be fine." The younger shrugged at the answer. If he wanted to bite through his tongue, then he'd bite through it and remember to take Robin's advice later on. 

"Aqualad, pull the skin around the wound apart." The leader did do and he gently manoeuvred the dagger out. Superboy cringed and almost bit through his bottom lip trying to keep in the whimpers. All in the name of being macho. He sighed in relief once he felt the metal leave his body then hissed at the sting of the antiseptic. As Aqualad stitched him up, Robin returned to his own seat. He gripped the handle of the dagger that had been the highest up on his arm and was about to take it out when Miss Martian gripped his wrist to make him stop. "You said not to pull them out," she pointed out.

"For pain reasons," he replied. He shook off her hand and wiggled out the dagger, placing it on the desk once he was done. Not once did his face twinge in a grimace at the pain. It set an uncomfortable tension to the room. He couldn't blame them for it. The strongest guy in the room was whining through gritted teeth yet here he was not showing the slightest emotion. "I can't feel pain so I can take them out unaided."

"The jagged edge can still cause damage, whether you feel it or not," Artemis argued. 

"Maybe so." She moved forward and nodded to Miss Martian, presumably using the mind link, and took hold of one of the dagger's handle. Miss Martian pulled the skin apart and the archer pulled out the dagger to place it beside the one previously taken out. "This is unneeded," Robin said.

"It is when your safety is put in danger. We've made that mistake twice today and we'd rather not make it a hattrick," the blonde answered. Robin stared at her. He couldn't help but feel surprised that they actually took his comments on board. "It's kinda cool you don't feel pain," Kid Flash commented. He guessed this was his way of apologizing for previous actions without saying sorry. "Aside from the checks I have to do, I suppose it is. It makes torture rather dull though." They let out low chuckles at the joke. It wasn't the best but he was trying. They could appreciate that.

It took some finagling but they managed to get out all his daggers and patch him up before he bled out too much. Since they'd tended to the obvious wounds, they had to tend to the internal ones. "After our behaviour tonight, it wouldn't be surprising if you wanted to be off the team but I'd like to dissuade you from doing so. This is new to us as it is for you and we can change what we do in order to make this up to you," Aqualad announced. Robin hummed, fiddling with the daggers that were sticky with his blood. 

"But you only think that because I saved you. How am I supposed to know this is genuine?" he asked.

"Because I'm not speaking," he answered. The acrobat glanced up to him, about to argue against him when he heard his leader speak. "Actions speak louder than words." His mouth didn't move. Robin glanced to Miss Martian who gave him a warm smile. 

"I'm in the mind link?" he asked, this time in his head.

"It's only fair you have to suffer through hearing Wally's puns with the rest of us," she answered. 

"Oh hush you love them and he'll love them too. Ain't that right?"

"I do enjoy puns."

"Oh great, now you've encouraged him."