RR76: Hello all of you. I am, as you may or may not know, writing another thing to fill the void that Past Tense left when nobody ever read it again. So this is my big project for the future. May it fair better... Anyway, if anyone read Pre Teen Titans, you probably already know that I've been advertising a charecter named Carson. This is the story that I'm featuring him in. I have big plans for this- if it does well, I'll write the sequel (yes, I said the sequel, I told you, big plans). This takes place between "Terra" and "Titan Rising", evidenced by the first scene. So read now, I've delayed long enough.
Massive, head-splitting pain was the first thing the warrior noticed when he awoke. His next thought was asperin. Then 'Where am I?' Maybe his priorities were a bit off, but that was to be expected, after having a boulder crash into his skull. Most people wouldn't survive that, but then again, he wasn't most people.
His vision returning, he quickly appraised the situaion. He was in a chamber, perhaps underground, surrounded by moniters. Orange light shone through the windows ('They are windows... aren't they?' he thought), framing the figure standing in front of him that he just noticed. Wait- figure?
He got to his feet and instinctivly reached to where his favorite weapon was kept holstered. Nothing. "I believe you are looking for these?" the figure said calmly, holding in front of him a bandolier, a metallic object hanging loosely from it's holster. The warrior froze, now realizing the severity of his situation. He moved into a combat stance, intent on going out fighting. The figure spoke again, his voice containing a hint of amusement. "You don't want to try anything. I happen to have several years of experience on you. I could take you down in an instant."
"Then why don't you?" another voice said, heavy with irritation. The warrior turned to see a teenage girl standing, arms folded, staring at him with a look that, even with all his training, made his blood freeze. He recognized her instantly as his attacker.
"Patience, Terra," the figure said, his voice calm as ever. He turned to face his prisoner for the first time, though stayed in the shadows. "I assume you know my apprentice?"
The warrior kept his gaze on Terra, but replied "We'd met." His captor gave a short laugh, and stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, and wore light metal armor around his shouldars, legs and arms. He wore an eerie mask, one side was black, the other was copper, with a single eyehole and slits at the bottom for breathing. The warrior recognized him from a newspaper article he'd read when he first arrived in the city. "You're Slade, aren't you?" he asked.
Slade was unfazed, though he did seem surprised when he said, "Heard of me, have you?" From the corner of his eye, the warrior could see Terra roll her eyes slightly, a sign that she was yet unimpressed by the prisoner. "Then I suppose you also know about the Teen Titans?" Terra shifted slightly at their mention, though the warrior could not tell if it was from contempt or familiarity- or perhaps both?
"Maybe. What of it?" he asked casually, not wanting to appear weak to his captor. Slade was, after all, the major crime figure in the city.
"Because, my young friend," Slade said, "they are the focus of our meeting. I've heard of you, through some... connections... I have in Gotham city. Rumor has it you're quite the mercenary there. Though you may be nothing more than a local figure to my young apprentice," he said, flustering Terra slightly, "to me, you are a deadly weapon, one that I would very much appriciate having in my arsenal."
"Should I be flattered?" the warrior said, "'cause I'm not, if you're wondering."
"While I have much enjoyed our verbal sparring," Slade said, irritated, "I would very much like to focus on the topic at hand." He walked to one of his moniters and pushed a button, calling up images of five teenagers, each one immersed in combat with a villian. The warrior recognized them as the Teen Titans. They had quite a reptutation- one of the images was a clipping from a newspaper describing their battle against the HIVE academy, and another showing the one called Cyborg facing off against a robot nearly twice his size.
"These five have been a thorn in my side for long enough," Slade said menacingly. "Your job is to kill them in any way you see fit. While I would much appreciate some information on them- how they think, their interests, their weaknesses- if you opt to just kill them on the spot, that would do.
"And what, pray tell, is the payment for this task?" he asked skepticaly.
Slade tossed a bag at his hired hand's feet, containing a few dollar bills, most of them singles. The mercenary looked his payment over for a few moments before being appearing satisfied. He nodded his approval. "One more thing," Slade said to him. He picked the bandolier up off his keyboard and tossed it to the warrior, who put it around his waist immediatly. He didn't bother to say anything about the ridiculousness about a crime lord telling an assasin to give him information on the assasin's next victim. It was all the same to him.
As he turned to leave, Slade went to stand next to his apprentice. "Now then, Terra," he began, "the lesson begins."
RR76: Whew. That was long. So what did ya think? Review!