This isn't what it looks like!

"Ok, I swear this isn't what it looks like" you begin placing your hands over the monitor, futilely trying to shield it from your father's gaze.

"It appears to be the Tamaranean and the half demon engaged in a romantic tryst."

"...Ok then it's exactly what it looks like."

"An interesting if sophomoric piece of ****."

You stiffen a bit as he mentions that. It could be used that way couldn't it. Honestly you weren't thinking of using it like that. The potential was there of course, but after all the effort you put in into getting that it just seemed...off?

"What other information have you obtained."

You snap back into your familiar ready position. Hands clasped behind your back. Legs shoulder width apart, eyes forward as you recite your assessment. "The towers security is more lax than I initially assessed. A brute **** attack should meet with much higher odds of success. The basement tunnels lack the technology needed to detect sufficiently packaged plastic explosive. Internal defenses are largely inactive and require a clear and present threat to activate. Unfortunately the surrounding ward structure remains a mystery to me. I will need to educate myself further in occult sciences if I wish to understand them."

Father waves his hand "Your education is sufficient in that domain my son. Tell me, what of the titans individually?"

Typing on the keyboard, you bring up your files and display an image of Cyborg trying to eat a comically oversized pizza in one bite. "Cyborg is perhaps the most easily trusting of them after the tamaranean. He is enamored with social media personalities, in part because of his failed attempts to become a staying **** in their community. This may be exploited using encouragement from a sufficiently large ghosted fanbase to induce behaviors detrimental to the titans overall health and cohesion."

You type a few quick keys on your keyboard and an image of beastboy doing a keg-stand pops up next. "Beastboy maintains a juvenile persona, but he possesses a degree of agility and adaptability that is unexpected. Clearly his training with the other titans has pushed him above his previous limitations in all domains. I believe he holds more information than he lets on as he consistently deflects when topics of a personal nature emerge. Applying sufficient social pressure however should allow for an easy acquisition."

Another keystroke "Raven has let down her guard considerably since the defeat of her father. She no longer feels the need to control her emotions as tightly as she has. In at least one instance, she is now capable of harnessing them to increase her power. The sensations are still knew to her and have resulted in a number of social faux-pas. In a combat however she is easily capable of switching back to a default emotionless state so exploiting her emotions in direct confrontation is a poor idea. It may however lead her to be malleable to actions with greater odds of detriment."

Once more and Starfire's image is displayed. "Starfire has shown symptoms of cultural attachment and homesickness, seeking familiarity in actions and behaviors reminiscent of her home planets. While exploitation of this is minimal, third party social pressures may be applied to encourage a return to her home planet. I was also able to confirm the suspected weakness of the tamaranean DNA. It's soporific effects seem to be even stronger on proper Tamaranean's, though I doubt this will be useful in direct confrontation."

A final tap and Robin appears "Robin was not present and his whereabouts are currently unknown. I believe Robin to be in a state of emotional turmoil. Recent inter-group politics have resulted in the deterioration of his relationship with the team mates Raven and Starfire. That Cyborg and Beastboy were unable to pick up on this tension indicates the social and emotional distance he has placed from his team. The only key to his location is a single hand written message indicating a return trip to the grand master. Given Robin's profile, he will likely have greater emotional control of himself upon his return."

Father examined your findings thoughtfully. Always thoughtfully. Never rushing.

"I note that there is little information about the digital security of titans tower."

"I was unable to compromise the system at the time. I prioritized obtaining strong enough relations for re-entry over immediate information."

"Oh?" you felt yourself shudder at your father's soft spoken question. He always spoke softly. That was what made him so terrifying to his enemies.

"Why did you feel that you required a re-entry?" It was only a somewhat loaded question. Re-entry carried a greater risk of being caught. Of falling into worse traps. Of being lead on. It was generally a poor tactical choice, but still you felt it to be the right one.

"The titan's greatest strength and weakness remains their unfounded trust of other powered individuals in their age bracket. I believe the addition of the former villainous Jinx to their honorary roster has only further cemented this belief. The system remains **** to internal sabotage from traitorous elements in spite of Terra's obvious lesson."

Father was unimpressed. "Do you mean to recreate the failure of my previous apprentice?"

"No father. Though elements are required for my ultimate objective."

Father paused, quizzically "It has shifted?"

"Yes. I now believe it possible to dismantle the entirety of the titans extended branches in addition to the main team."

"Like the brotherhood of evil" it was not a question and you could hear the smallest twinge of disappointment in his voice.

"No. The brotherhood were foolish in that they sought to annihilate every aspiring hero at once. Their over reliance on superior numbers and technology left them **** to a sudden counter attack. Not to mention their ridiculous trophy taking allowed an army in through their front door. I will improve on these faults, but in order to succeed, I require trust from many of the titans already."

"You have my attention" father responded coolly.

You take a breath before starting "A hero only remains a hero if they uphold certain standards. Morally, physically, emotionally. My recent experiences have revealed that upholding these standards is exhausting to the young hero's and they have been using these same high standards as a means to engage in breaking numerous lesser standards. What they call "blowing off steam."

"And you intend to **** them with this information? Expose them to the public's inquiry and ridicule?"

You shake your head. "No. I intend to encourage it. One poor choice leading to the next and the next. A series of small bad decisions ultimately leading to worse ones. Along the way, the one's who fall will encourage others to follow in their footsteps. Simple peer pressure and the ethos of "work hard, play hard" should result in a net decline in the titans performance against unforeseen threats and ultimately discourage future enrollment."

"I cannot imagine all will succumb to your ploy."

"No...but they do not have to. Those who do not fall will instead form a reactionary party. Hero's are naturally high strung and they will seek to tighten their standards even as more and more are lax in them. They in turn will increase the standards to unreasonable levels until ultimately they too break under the strain of their own moral codes. Through the simple creation and maintenance of extremes the organization will turn on itself, falling to pieces in a civil war. The only things required for this to succeed, are a neutral third party with a high degree of trust invested in them, and a lack of external threats."

"Hm. How do you plan to achieve the later?"

"By handling them myself. I am strong enough to deal with most villains and even extraneous forces by my power alone. Without major threats to handle, they will be not unlike hamsters trapped in a cage without a wheel to spin. In the process of dealing with these threats, I may also acquire their technology and resources to fuel my own eventual gains."

Father nodded once. "I understand now. It is a usable plan. Well reasoned and with the promise of removing the next generation of hero's from the board all at once." You feel a bit of pride swell up as he praises you. And then a mild bitterness as you recognize what is coming next.

"Unfortunately" he continues picking up your phone "It is a plan that is far too slow. Too ponderous. Too many moving parts" he punctuates the last word by crushing your phone and letting the pieces fall to the ground.

"I know it seems that you have all the time in the world right now my son, but I assure you it goes far faster than one might expect. Do you understand?"

"Yes father."

"Good" he begins typing at your computer and you gaze up at the screen, eyes widening. The footage is live, at the jump-city airport. A teenager with slicked black hair and a too-steady gate walks off of a boarding terminal looking dower and stoic.

"I have been keeping track of Robin's whereabouts since he left the city." Something you should have been doing, goes unsaid. "I noticed that in your briefing you did not mention a means by which to handle him or turn his weakness to your advantage. You will defeat him. Utterly and then you will bring him to me."

"Yes father."

Your father's words are absolute. You stride into the armory and take a moment to look at your armor. It is modeled after the red X suit, a weapon specifically designed by a titan to defeat the titans. However it has been modified, taking on the aesthetic properties of your father's colors. It is equipped with but a small fraction of gadgets that the original red X suit contained but comes equipped with the same power enhancing technology used in the Terra suit. The rest of it has been reinforced, making the armor as strong as possible. A point of compensation given your relative physical frailty.

You are determined. You will not fail in your mission. Tonight is the night that Robin ends.