"I've seen 'em come, I've watched 'em go
Watched 'em rise, witnessed it and watched them blow
Watched 'em all blossom and watched 'em grow."
Chapter 2: Observations.
Slade was installed in his new home, an abandoned clock tower. Wintergreen had yet to arrive, so he was forced to make his own tea. As he steeped the leaves, he pondered over what he knew about his targets.
Robin. As far as Slade could tell, this boy was the main threat. His combat skills alone were the stuff of legend, and they were combined with a powerful intuitive mind. However, as Slade had observed while the Boy had served under the Bat, he was reckless, and easily led. He had inherited his mentor's single-mindedness, but none of the man's self-control. Slade conjectured that stepping out from Batman's shadow for the first time and leading his own team could lead to undue pride, something Slade would be sure to bruise, but not shatter. With the correct…motivation…Slade could make the boy tear his team apart through sheer hubris.
"Cyborg" was easy to track. Victor Stone, potential Olympic Athlete. At least, until the accident. His outlook had changed. Inside that rough, tough exterior, Cyborg was really very insecure, especially about his "enhancements". Unable to think of any way to manipulate this, Slade filed it away for now. Cyborg would have to be distracted somehow.
"Beast Boy", the Titan without a secret identity. After all, how many people are fanged and green? His intellectual capacity seemed to be low, but the sheer randomness of the child could cause trouble for even the best laid plans. However, the child was gullible in the extreme, it appeared, and rarely paid attention, even in battle.
In Slade's experience, those who let their mind wander seldom lived to correct their error.
The Alien. Slade had not learned her name yet, but resolved to correct that fault as soon as possible. As far as he could tell, her power was easily enough to defeat most of the Titan's adversaries solo, but she always held back. Maybe she feared her power? An interesting thought, but not particularly helpful. What was helpful was the looks he had seen her give the Boy Wonder, and the way she affected him in a similar way. That could be useful.
Deathstroke felt a small twinge of guilt at the thought of manipulating love, but Slade quickly quashed these feelings. He had a job to do.
Finally Raven. The enigma, she had appeared out of nowhere, seeking the aid of the Justice League. She had been turned away, and a quick hack into the Justice League mainframe told Slade that one of the League's sorcerers had sensed a "great evil" from her. That could be interesting, and certainly explained his employer's gratuitous interest in her. At least, Deathstroke hoped that was the reason…
Slade smiled to himself. Although four out of five Titans showed no particular promise, Robin was the perfect candidate for his twisted little game. With just a nudge in the right direction, Robin could be manipulated into breaking his team apart. Slade finished his tea, and stepped out into the world. Time for a little reading. That run down library in the slums seemed just the place for something a bit…occult.
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Please note that Slade has only seen the Titans a few times at this point, and would be prone to errors in his assessment of them. This will change soon enough. And no, I won't be recounting every single moment with Slade. Just the better ones.
Next time, on "Both of Me": Slade and Red X. Ooh, Drama.
