Sorry I've been away for a while. The shit hit the fan, and I was all over the place. But here I am, presenting the penultimate chapter in Slade's Story!

Also, check out my profile page, as I have now put out there a list of upcoming stories in the Ultimate Teen Titans series. Check it out!

Chapter IV

Maximum Slade

Slade marveled at his new abilities. It had taken him no time at all to locate the Azulas' base, and now he hung to the ceiling of a conference room, watching a lot of the top members enter for a meeting.

The boss, Alfred Alonzo, stood at the head while the rest took their seats.

"Gentlemen," he said, a smug grin on his face. "We have just lost Shipment Thirteen."

A few of the leaders made faces.

"Why are you so happy, then?" one of them asked Alonzo. His grin deepened.

"Because in doing so," he said slowly, "we killed the Terminator."

Everyone gasped. Some applauded. Slade snarled, but no one heard it.

"Yes, Deathstroke the Terminator is deceased," Alonzo continued. "I don't think it's beneath us to take a moment to enjoy that."

"Well, it's beneath me."

Slade dropped down onto the conference table, cracking it in half. Everyone reacted with shock. Slade stood up.

"Deathstroke?" Alonzo said, a ghastly look on his face. "H-how!?"

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Slade said, his voice rolling over the room. "And don't think you can escape..." he added, as some of the men tried to run for the exit. "You won't get out. Alive, that is."

He shot a tendril of his new suit which became a web that blocked the door. The Azula Leaders turned around, fear etched on their faces. Many of them pulled out guns and began shooting him.

Slade merely laughed as his suit absorbed the bullets. He began talking again.

"You know, I wouldn't be here normally," he said, taking the gunfire. "Even if I hadn't been shot. My contract was completed. But, y'know... you had to go and piss me off. That was a mistake. So..."

The suit began rolling, and suddenly, dozens of tentacles came shooting out of his body, stabbing everyone in the room. There were a few cries of pain, but in a moment, there was silence.

"Good," Slade said, retracting the tentacles. "We'll start from here."

The blood ran thick and fast as Slade tore into the henchmen of the Azulas. He wanted none alive, none to escape his wrath. He knew he was doing the world a favor, so that must make him a superhero.

He laughed at the irony.

Two men tried to blow him up with RPGs. Slade dodged each of the missiles easily, and ripped the men's arms out, impaling four other men with the appendages.

A lot of the Azulas, horrified, turned and ran. A few stayed to fight. Slade respected their courage, and made their deaths swift. As for the cowards...

Decapitation was favored, but he also specialized in ripping their innards out. The brutality wasn't professional, nor very wise, but for once, Slade indulged in the gore and death.

Pain shot through his head, specifically his right eye. He clutched his head.

"What the hell?" he asked aloud. He looked around, noticing that all of the Azulas were dead. But his eye really hurt, as did his neck.

It then occurred to him that his suit was working overtime to heal him from his gun wounds and other hurts. His head began to swim, and he fell to his knees.

The world turned under him, but he still hung on. The suit began trying to destroy his mind, tried to gain more access to his psyche, but he wouldn't let it. It began working against him.

No, dammit. I am the master. I am the Terminator. You will do what I fucking say, what I command!

It was a long struggle, back and forth. Memories of Slade's life came up, and memories of Spider-Man surfaced. He sifted through them, trying to regain control.

It went on, and on, and on...

Slade sat in his office later, staring at the vial of red liquid.

He had managed to remove it from him, and now he was healing from his neck shot by his own, and his eye had gone. But he didn't miss it.

I was greedy. Sloppy. And I almost paid the price. Almost.

Slade now knew that he could never wear the suit again. But he didn't want to give up the power.

An idea occurred to him. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.

And what is Slade's idea? Stay tuned for the final chapter of this story and find out!