TARTARUS
Paris, France, was known to many as the City of Love. At night, the lights cascaded and if you looked from the top of the Eiffel Tower, you'd swear you were looking at the stars in the sky when looking down, feeling as if you were at the top of the world. There were many attractions in this beautiful city like the Louvre, the famous art museum or the Seine rider.
However, one such 'tourist' was not interested in all of those. This 'tourist' was interested in a much more different attraction, one that wasn't in the travel guides and for good reason.
Located under the city, just like the catacombs, was the headquarters of the infamous Brotherhood of Evil. Unfortunately, after the Brotherhood of Evil failed and were defeated by the combined strength of the Teen Titans and their allies/friends, they fell and became frozen ice statues together with all the villains they had recruited to their cause.
The entrance of the underground HQ was heavily guarded as two guards stood stationary on opposite sides of the large doors. No unauthorized personnel were allowed in or out. After the Titans submitted a report to the Justice League, the area was considered off limits ever since. None of them wanted the villains to be free. It seemed a little cruel to just leave them in the re frozen solid but they were still criminals and they deserved this after what they tried to do to the young heroes they captured.
The guards heard footsteps coming towards them. They gripped their rifles at the ready. The sound continued and one of them spoke in French which translated to: "Halt and identify yourself!"
The footsteps then seemed to come faster and the two guards aimed their rifles, ready to fire. The hallway was quite dark and the only light they had was at their post. The footsteps grew louder and faster and then…silence.
The guards narrowed their eyes and one of them cocked his head to the side. "Go check it out," he said to his partner in French. The other guard nodded and went to investigate while the first one stood at his post, ever vigilant.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
He panicked as he heard his partner's scream. He then heard a strange ringing sound. The wall behind him began to ripple like water when a black armored hand grabbed his shoulder suddenly. He grabbed at the hand, struggling, shouting and then another hand shot out and grabbed his other shoulder. He turned his head around sharply and the last thing he saw was a white metal mask staring at him before he was pulled, literally, through the wall.
Two figures walked into the light. Actually, it was two human figures and one that looked like a large and armored bipedalled cat. The two human figures were Slade, also known as Deathstroke the Terminator and his apprentice, Zodiac Knight Copycat. The monster with them was Copycat's Zodiac Beast, Techno Panther and it was licking its claws clean. Apparently, it had eaten the guard that had screamed.
Copycat took out a white and blue cell phone and slid it open before pushing the top half down to the side and at an angle and then holding it like a gun. She pointed it up at the ceiling and shot at several specific points. There were small explosions and the cameras were gone.
"Very good, Katherine," Slade praised his apprentice.
"Arigatou, Slade-sama," Copycat acknowledged. They then took further steps forward and saw the large doors. There was a pad at the side with numbered keys to enter the entrance code.
Copycat didn't need no stinking entrance code.
"Strike Vent!"
A few slashes and the doors literally fell to pieces.
Both Slade and Copycat entered the large room, followed by Techno Panther and another humanoid monster in black with a white metal hockey mask for a face. This was Psycho Rogue, Copycat's secondary Contract Monster.
Copycat found the light switch and all the lights turned on revealing the frozen bodies of the Brotherhood of Evil and the various other villains.
Copycat was not impressed.
"A talking gorilla, an old man, and a brain in a jar," Copycat listed. "Lame!" She then saw a very attractive older woman. "She seems like the only one that could pose any sort of threat."
"Don't be hasty to dismiss them, Katherine," Slade said. "The Brotherhood of Evil are well known."
"Yeah, but now they are just frozen statues." She went over and made faces in front of the 'famed' Brotherhood of Evil.
"Katherine," Slade chided. Copycat backed off.
"So, you want me to thaw them all out?" Copycat asked.
"Very much so," Slade nodded.
"Where to start?" Copycat's hands began to flame up. "How about…ALL OF THEM!" she began blasting fire at all the frozen statues. The heat was only enough to melt the ice covering them and not to hurt them. The stream of fire swept all over the frozen villains.
Slade went over and helped Wintergreen up.
"Sir?" Wintergreen said slowly.
"Yes, it's me, old friend," Slade said pleasantly.
The HIVE Mistress, who was also the Knights of Tartarus' private tutor was also thawed out. The villains began to slowly recover. Of course, this meant that ALL of them had been unfrozen.
"Master, we are free!" Monsieur Mallah exclaimed.
"It would appear so," The Brain said in a mechanical voice. "And I see clearly who our benefactor is."
"Let us introduce ourselves, then," Madame Rouge said as she eyed Slade.
Copycat had finished with thawing out the villains and narrowed her eyes. She shook her head and muttered, "Weaklings, all of them."
"I am The Brain, leader of the Brotherhood of Evil," The Brain said to Slade.
"I am Slade," Slade introduced himself simply. "And this is my apprentice, Copycat."
"Konbanwa," Copycat greeted with a wave before crossing her arms. Madame Rouge raised an eyebrow.
"We thank you for freeing us from our frozen prisons," The Brain said. "Now, we may exact our revenge on the Teen Titans."
Slade shook his head and said, "I think that I have a little bit of a problem with that. Copycat!"
Copycat knew that tone. "Time to get to work!" She jumped up and then swiped her claws across Mallah's throat, slitting it open as blood spilled out. The giant primate died before he even hit the floor. The container holding The Brain fell into Slade's hand. Madame Rouge and Immortus were shocked to see this.
"Brain, I'm sorry, but the Titans are mine," Slade said before he crushed The Brain in his bare hands.
"No!" Immortus yelled out but Copycat snuck behind him and dug her claws into his head. Her eyes began to glow as Immortus' eyes widened and turned stark white. After several agonizing seconds for the old man, he was dropped to the floor. He was mumbling incoherently and drooling. Copycat had reduced him to a vegetable. Madame Rouge smirked.
"I like your style, child," she complimented the Zodiac Knight of Cats.
Copycat cracked her neck. "Arigatou." Copycat narrowly escaped a stab from Madame Rouge's stretched and sharp fingers and sidestepped the attack to point her own claws at the rubber woman's neck. They both eyed each other with narrow eyes.
"Copycat, stand down," Slade said. She didn't. "I said stand down!" he repeated firmly. Copycat backed away from Rouge. Slade walked over to the woman. He said, "Now that I've had the trash disposed of, you have either two choices." He stated, "Choice number one is to join me and choice number two is have you end up like your late comrades."
Madame Rouge looked at the dead Mallah, the crushed Brain and the catatonic Immortus. She smiled at Slade. "Not many options, is there. Fine, I will join you."
"Do we have to let her in?" Copycat questioned.
"Katherine…" he said.
"Fine." She sighed. She looked over at the shocked group of villains. They had seen her and Slade destroy the Brotherhood of Evil. Plasmus, Cinderblock and Overload kneeled. Atlas kneeled too, reluctantly. She smirked and looked at all the villains. She brandished her claws and her stance spoke that she was not hesitant in using them.
Slade then announced, "This is a new day for you all! You have all been freed from your frozen prisons and are now free to do as you will!" The villains cheered. "However, I do believe that freedom is not the only thing you want is there?" The villains all began to mutter. "You want revenge, don't you? Join me now and you shall have it! Who put you here?"
"THE TEEN TITANS!" the villains shouted.
"Who is your enemy?"
"THE TEEN TITANS!"
"Who do you want to destroy?"
"THE TEEN TITANS!"
"Then, join me, Slade, and you will have the Teen Titans to do as you wish! Alone, you are but weak pieces on a chess board, easily toppled over, but together you can become the most powerful force on the face of this Earth!"
The villains all cheered and Copycat applauded. Rouge was applauding too.
"Very inspirational, isn't he?" Rouge whispered to the evil Cat Knight.
"Hai, he is," Copycat agreed.
Of course there was always ONE person who had to say something. It was the Puppet King. He said, "But The Brain also offered us the same thing. He offered us power but we were severely beaten. What makes it any different if we join you?" Some of the villains were starting to agree with what the Puppet King said and began to mutter amongst themselves.
BANG!
The Pupper King now had a hole between his eyes before his body fell over. The villains all stared at Copycat who was holding her Phone Blaster, the barrel smoking.
"Any objections?" Copycat purred. The villains looked at the apprentice of Slade. She hadn't even hesitated. "I said, any objections?" she repeated. Silence. She smirked. Rouge liked this girl's style.
Copycat motioned for Slade to continue.
"We shall name ourselves with a new title. No longer will this be called the Brotherhood of Evil! From now on we are known by one word only:
"Tartarus."