(Author's Note: Haha...funny story... I've actually had this chapter finished for a while...I just kinda forgot to publish it? Don't kill me please. Anyway, we see some nifty things here, both on the sarcasm level and the answer level. You'll see what I mean in a minute. Anyway, the next chapter is in progress! Enjoy!)

The information came gushing to her like a river's current. There were images of him outside of the orphanage with multiple sets of files in his hands, at least from what she saw. In his mind, she wasn't a body, just a set of eyes watching what he accidentally let her see. Suddenly, as if there was a "Skip!" button being pressed, they were at the night of the escape, the side of the orphanage blowing out from the chemicals John had set up. John was always better at chemistry. Eerily, she watched herself frantically run through the woods, but she wasn't followed too closely. He had watched her go down, then panned his vision to the tower. Another skip was to a blurry image of a man in a white robe. Feeling a burning sensation, she knew she didn't have much longer inside of his memories. Back to his lair, he seemed to be pacing around while looking at the files that were laid out on a table. He took a modest amount of time looking at them, all with pictures. One file had her name and picture, another had Melanie's, another had Julia's, another had Christina's. There were other boys laid out as well, but not many whom she knew, or knew well enough. From what she could see, all of those in the folders were "Powers" from the orphanage...and all but hers had a "Terminated" stamp on the cover. Taken by fear, she was rushed to another memory, or rather, series of memories, all looking at video clips and data. This amount of information made her head hurt. When she was rushed into the final memory, she wasn't prepared. She felt hot. Not because of her master's supposed burning anger, but because her skin felt enveloped with fire. A burning fire that seemed to melt her very skin away. It burned to keep her eyes on the memory, but as she looked through Slade's vision, all she felt was oozing heat.

"There you are."

As if she was being pulled out of head, the memory vanished. Back to reality, she was being physically thrown onto the ground. Those minutes she experienced only turned out to be seconds in physical scape. As she hit the ground, the burning sensation left her body, but she still felt the terrifying feeling of losing her flesh. Backing up like a crab, she looked horrified at him.

"What. Did. You. See?" he growled more threateningly with each word.

She spoke quickly. "You knew about the orphanage children. You had files, lots of them." catching her breath she looked at her hands. "Including mine. You were watching us. You had us all under your thumb, didn't you?!"

Without a word, he walked towards her.

"I was the only one that wasn't terminated!" tears began rolling down her cheeks. "I'm the only one that stayed alive..." covering her eyes with balled up fists, her chest shook with crying. "I was the reason they were all killed. It's my fault. It's all my fault."

His footsteps stopped.

"I understand if you want to punish me." she sniffled. "I used a tactic that you said I wasn't ready for."

She didn't see, but he shook his head.

"I'm a failure..."

"You're ruthless." he spoke up. "You're tactical. You're clever. You hate to lose, you hate it to the extent where you hate yourself." he walked closer. "And all the while, sometimes you can't see what happens right in front of you."

Wiping her eyes, she looked up to see his hand extended.

"That technique got you the answers you were looking for, didn't it?"

Nodding, she took a hold of his hand and he helped her up.

"You knew I would get angry at you but you did it anyway. At first glance, I call it disobedience. But at second glance, it was smart. Just never do it to me again." he narrowed his eye at her.

"Understood."

"You're just like me. You should be proud."

A smile slowly spreading on her face, she thought she was dreaming. However, one more thought crossed her mind.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew about me? Where I came from? Technically, you've kept secrets from me, too." she pointed her finger at him.

"It was a part of your training. I knew eventually you would receive your answers, but that would have come accidentally or through some other means. You came up with a way to demand information and took it into your own hands. You could say I'm coming up with excuses, but to that, I would say 'Fuck you'. Again, I must commend you for being ruthless. I was becoming a little worried, but now I have nothing to fear. I know you have the qualities of being a true apprentice."

Eyes seeming to sparkle, she smiled.

"The plan goes into effect tomorrow." he walked past her.

Following him, she crossed her arms over her torso, feeling a strange uneasiness. She would keep what else she saw to herself, but only for now.

John

"I see your powers are coming in quite nicely." Blood remarked while visiting his pupil.

"You came in clutch with this power suit of yours." John smiled. "I'm loving every minute of this."

John was making a beach ball hover in mid-air, he himself hovering in the meantime. The suit had been practically glued to his body, so there was no removing it, to Blood's knowledge. Smiling, he clapped for his young boy.

"Are you prepared to launch our plan?"

"Tell me what it is and I'll do what I have to. I did stuff for Jane all the time, so I know what I'm doing when it comes to the pre-game fight."

"Oh, my boy, you won't be a slave with me like you were with her." he made a scroll of paper hover his way.

That got John's attention. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, from the musings you've spewed at me about that girl, you seemed to always take the back seat. How many times were you thanked for the hard work she made you do? All the times you were punished with her, just for being a bystander?"

"It wasn't like that at all..." he slowly hovered to the ground, shock in his eyes.

"Let's drop it then." he waved his hand as if to shoo away the conversation. "Anyway, take a look at these blueprints of the city. The parts colored in orange are the parts that Slade burned down."

"Jane helped put it out...right?" he looked at the prints.

"Oh, yes. The Titans did wonders with putting out the fire." Blood smirked.

"So are we avoiding the orange parts or going right through them?"

"We sneak through the wreckage over here..." he made a circle in red marker. "And come out into the normal city. By creating havoc, we attract the Titans and lure them in. Initially, I have two targets, but all you need to know is that we draw out our main man."

"Slade?"

Blood grunted. It seemed easy enough.

"Will I need to hurt people?" John asked.

"You will oversee the madness, only causing harm to the Titans. They only get in the way."

"But Jane-"

Blood's eyes glowed red. "THIS PLAN MUST NOT FAIL!"

John nodded, looking away.

"Now then," he sighed, calmer. "I will allow you to choose who will be doing most of the dirty work for you. Amongst my students...who are you going to pick?"

Jane, 7:00 AM

"Could you please explain that one more time?" she asked with a raised brow.

Unamused, Slade sighed. "You're infiltrating Titans Tower. Obviously," he hand gestured. "None of them know of your new position."

"So you want me to return to them…for what purpose?" she asked, readjusting her clothes from the fire a few nights ago.

"Mostly, this part of the assignment is for you. I'm aware that you have trained with them, but only lightly. You've fought by their side, so you know, somewhat, what they're capable of. I can't send you into a blind attack. Not yet."

"I understand. I gotta act natural."

"Until you get a clear signal from me. I will retrieve you when necessary. I will decide then and there whether to reveal your position or to just 'take you away' again."

"I have a concern." She asked.

"I'm listening."

"Isn't this kind of what happened with Terra last time? Won't they be expecting something like this?"

"I've taken that into account." Walking over to her, he looked down at her disheveled, burnt clothing. "Last time, they were aware that I had reached out to Terra openly about her powers. When she returned to them, she had no clue that what she was doing would have terrible consequences. When she realized the magnitude of what I demanded of her, she backed out, terrified. This time, I have strengthened confidence."

With a gulp, she watched him walk over to his monitor and plug in a password, reaching a folder of video documentation. He opened a few clips on screen.

"They won't pick up a thing if you do your job properly."

A clip had Raven seeming to drown in a pit of mud, while Beast Boy was sealed into a pit. Cyborg fell, his hand extended out in a cord, like he was trying to grapple his way up from something.

"You will be running from me, as if you escaped." He began, as if the clips didn't matter. "I know that you now understand the basics of your healing element, and I know you can turn it off. However…"

He picked up a syringe of clear liquid. Jane's palms began to sweat, even though she figured that what he was holding wasn't lethal.

"I will need to inject you with this. It blocks your healing element from kicking in accidentally. I have to make it seem like you were tortured, stripped of information, and that you put up a struggle." His voice reflected sarcastic happiness. "Which I know you did a little, and your calf paid the price."

"Kicking in 'accidentally'? Won't I be awake?"

He set the syringe down. After some searching, he lifted another of blue liquid.

"Not exactly."

Her eyes widened. "What is that?"

Walking circles around her while she stared at the syringe, which seemed to stare back at her menacingly, he continued talking.

"You will make it into their radar just in time for them to rescue you. That's what they'll do, storm into the woods and secure their teammate. Because they care about you so much." His sarcasm dripped with venom. Yowch.

Clenching her fists, she had mixed feelings about returning. Bitterness, hate, and finally, confusion. Though this position was doing her the better, what if he had killed her? Her teammates hadn't EVER come to rescue her, in all of those days of training. They had forgotten. Abandoned her after an obvious abduction. They lied that they had cared about anything. They kept secrets from her and asked so much of her, yet somehow there was a section of her heart that couldn't be angry with them. Knowing she needed to destroy that section of her heart and not let it grow like the Grinch, she looked up at her master contently and nodded.

"Good." He squinted. He was pleased. "Now close your eyes, this is going to hurt."

"Wait, what?" she looked up at him.

What she expected to be a small pinch turned out to feel like a small drill was slowly inserting itself into her bloodstream. She couldn't help but shout in pain with wide eyes, staring at the contact point.

"I tell you to close your eyes, so you look at it?"

"I didn't think you would STAB ME WITH IT."

"Watch your tone, young lady." He glared.

Like her body was a weight, she dropped to the floor, unable to move her now wobbling legs. Frightened, she felt her arm still being held up by his hand.

"What did you…give me…?"

He pulled her up and straightened her out. "Walk."

Legs being forced to listen, she walked. Guiding her the whole time, he pulled her around corners and onto a staircase. Going up a staircase was absolute madness, the world began to spin around her and she was astounded that she didn't fall over a railing and die.

"Listen to me very carefully."

She found that she couldn't talk, but she could still nod. They approached a door that he opened with the push of a button.

"When I tell you to run, you run. Don't stop until you get clear sign of them, or at least you can tell that they understand the brunt of your condition."

An uncomfortable object was stuck deep within her ear.

"You will listen and you will perform. Or else there will be consequences."

As they left through the door, they were surrounded by rubble, as if an apocalypse had happened in this area and a bit was left unrepaired. It led to the forest, a forest which she recognized, but didn't at all.

"When you hear me speak, don't look alarmed like you usually do. Receiving orders through the earpiece is vital."

Gripping her shoulders tighter, it seemed to be a signal for her to walk faster. However, her legs were about ready to give out. Her eyes were foggy and her breathing was confused, inhaling a few times at once and forgetting to exhale sometimes.

"We're almost there, apprentice."

Great. I'm about ready to die.

"Remember the plan. Use your cunning. We'll be in touch."

Trying to turn her head to look at him, she felt him twist it forward again. His hands went rigid suddenly.

"We're in radar."

Narrowing her eyes, she knew it was time to get ready to run. When she tensed her leg muscles in preparation, they nearly collapsed. Slade needed to keep her steady, which annoyed him very much. They approached a drop, not a sharp one, but one that led into thorns and brush. Falling would hurt.

"Run." He finally ordered.

With a light push, he sent her forward. He hadn't anticipated that she would just tumble down the embankment, but she did. When she reached level ground, she crawled forward trying to stand up. When she finally did, it was difficult to keep going in one perpetual motion. Looking around her, she thought she was in a foreign place, she had no idea where in the forest she was. Suddenly, through the trees, there was water. When she tried making noise, her throat wouldn't comply with the demand. In the corner of her eye, she thought she saw figures, but she had no idea. The drug she was given was fucking with everything; her smell, her taste, her ability to breathe. Again and again she tried to make noise to make it seem more believable. As she opened her mouth to try one more time, hands grabbed her shoulders from behind. Turning, a scream finally left her mouth and her eyes widened in fear. Blackness was beginning to creep around her vision, so the figure looked absolutely mortifying, a flesh colored, grey, fuzzy image was reaching toward her and she tumbled backward.

"Jane! Please desist your screaming!" the voice called out to her.

A rock entered her tunnel vision. Preparing for the searing pain of a jagged stone to her skull, her momentum was suddenly stopped. Unaware of who had grabbed her, she squirmed and made frightened squeals.

"Put her down, she can't breathe!" It was Raven's voice.

"Gotcha." The mass holding her up seemed to be Cyborg.

It was like a bad acid trip. Her stomach was flipping over itself, her eyes felt like they were melting, and her legs were no longer movable. She felt herself be lowered to the ground, supported, but the rest of her just hung, limp.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" Starfire was clearly upset.

"I don't think she can hear you, Star."

"Out of the way!" the obvious alert from Robin was recognizable.

Literally, go fuck yourself.

"Jane? Can you hear me?" her chin was tilted upward. "Can you see us? What happened? Where were you?"

"Robin, she's all messed up. We need to take her back, ASAP." Cyborg said.

"She can't answer you, so stop." It was Raven again.

Forcing to keep her eyes open, she still experienced the fuzziest tunnel vision of her life.

I need to try and talk…I need to try…

"Guys…" she whispered.

"Yo girl, don't talk. We know you want to talk, but now ain't the time." Cyborg shut her down immediately.

"Cyborg, she has something to say!" Robin shouted.

This isn't getting anywhere. I need them to get me back.

Not-so-reluctantly, she went limp and closed her eyes. Maybe if she played "whoops I'm dying" with them, they would spring into action. She was kind of right.

"Cyborg, Starfire! Get her back, now! Raven and Beast Boy, sweep the east for Slade. Terra and I will take the west! Go!"

She felt the running forward, but it mostly just made her sleepy. It wasn't the most comfortable sleep she'd have in the last few days, but she was on a mission. Making the Titans squirm had to be the end goal, one way or another.

"I'm out of radar, apprentice. They won't be able to catch me. Don't worry about it and move on with the plan. You're on your own until further notice."

Even though his voice was right in her eardrum, he sounded so far away. Oddly, she was able to fall asleep, much to the Titans' panic.

Slade

"I wonder if the dose I gave her was too much." He wondered aloud.

Monitoring from a tree, Jane had made a good effort to make herself seem desperate. The Titans were on top of her location in an instant, her reaction to them making her condition all the more believable. The liquid in the syringe would find key locations in her body to appear black and blue, something her healing element could swiftly wash out when she woke up. The liquid merely simulates a lethal injection of chemicals, when in reality it is, more or less, harmless. He was taking a lot of things into note, like the fact that her arms were crossed, fingers scratching her skin. Ever since their exercise the previous day, she had been doing that. His face twitched.

"Peculiar, apprentice, that you're acting such a way after peering at my memories."

He felt like an idiot for not jabbing her with the question earlier, but it just couldn't be helped. He watched as the Titans, mostly Robin, shouted questions at her. However, what brought a twinkle to his eye was the fact she saw her attempts going nowhere, so she did what any possum would do: play 'kind-of dead'. A chuckle escaped him as Cyborg and Starfire ran off with her, the other four Titans splitting into groups to search for him.

"Thrilling." He crossed his arms.

He knew he was out of range, enough so the Titans could possibly only graze by his location.

"I'm out of radar, apprentice." He said clearly for her to hear through the earpiece. "They won't be able to catch me. Don't worry about it and move on with the plan. You're on your own until further notice."

Knowing what kind of person she was, he figured that would get her mentally ready to act solo. After looking around, he backtracked through the trees, enthused that the Titans were stupid and unable to find him. As he jumped through the trees, however, something began to itch at him. Something fruity.

He stopped. "Blood."

No response.

It isn't my imagination. He's here.

Moving along, the itch continued. He was being followed. Whipping his head around to look at what was behind him, it surely wasn't the Titans. There was a glinting red light, moving in all directions behind him.

"Blood!" Slade stopped again.

A mind trick?

He knew what Blood was capable of. Because of that, he knew when he was being toyed with. He knew someone was there, and the red glinting could only mean Blood. However, it suddenly stopped.

"I knew it…it was a mind trick. He must have seen what happened."

Continuing to the lair, the suspicion loomed in the back of his mind, like an afterthought on a bookshelf.

Robin

"Starfire, how is she?" Robin asked, walking into the infirmary.

Starfire was standing over Jane's bed with a tablet that read her vital signs. Calmly, she looked over at her friend.

"She's currently sleeping, but she will be alright. There is no need to fear."

"What's wrong with her?" he took the tablet.

"Her healing element has been deactivated, she can't seem to heal herself."

"That syringe Slade had…he must have used it when she was trying to escape." He looked down at Jane's face. "She's bruised and there's bags under her eyes. She must have been struggling for a while."

Starfire covered her mouth. "How awful."

"Yes, but we don't know what information he got out of her, or even what he wanted out of her. When she wakes up, tell me."

"We shouldn't ambush her right away, Robin." Starfire touched his arm. "Jane is our friend, and we know you care very much, but she is not Slade. Do not frighten her with your questions."

Nodding, he scrolled through the medical data. Jane's heart rate had slowed down back to normal, but her breathing was still out of whack. There were bruises on her arms and face, as well as a grip mark on her calf, shown through a section of jeans that had been burned away the other night. Small burns were on her knees, but nothing seemed to be too life threatening. She knew how to escape in the nick of time.

"We found you, Jane…you're safe with us now."

"Robin."

Cyborg interrupted Robin's moment with some medical supplies.

"Unless you wanna help put gauze on gross bruises, you should get out of the way." He set down a first-aid kit.

"Let me know when she wakes up, understand?"

"Right."

Walking out, fists clenched, his head was swimming with choice words and possible death threats. Even more, Robin was mobbed with guilt. Externally, Jane looked somewhat alright, but what about internally? He had let her down. They all had.

"Robin." His thoughts were interrupted.

It was Terra, who looked somewhat fearful.

"Did you double check her? Any weapons, communication, anything that would link her to Slade?"

Robin was taken aback. "Are you suggesting Jane is a traitor?"

"I…" she looked down at her feet. "I don't know…"

"And no, I didn't. Terra, I know what you're afraid of, and it makes me a little afraid too. But look at her in there, she's a mess. It's our fault she got anywhere near Slade. I wasn't quick enough, we couldn't save her." He turned away.

"Robin," she sighed sadly. "I understand how you must feel. But Jane was gone for days, who knows—"

"We know nothing, Terra!" he snapped. "Neither do you!" seeing that what he said was uncalled for, he took a breath. "I'm sorry. But Jane isn't a traitor."

Storming away and down the rest of the hallway, Terra herself was taken aback. Nobody knew what to think, rational or not.

Jane

My skin burns. I hate it.

"Jane? Yo, girl, what's wrong?"

It itches, it itches so badly. I just want it to fall off already.

"I've heard of sleep walking, but sleep, eh, scratchin'? Star, can you hold her arms?"

It itches so much. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Just let it fall off, please.

"Just hang on, I know the bruises hurt. You're gonna be okay. Star, ointment."

It burns, it burns, it burns! The ointment burns, it burns just like…!

"Hot lava…" she opened her eyes.

Cyborg and Starfire looked at her, confused. Blinking, she realized she may have been sleep talking. Whoops.

"Hot lava? Girl, what are you talking about? It's ointment. It may have a red bottle, but it doesn't mean it's liquid fire." He examined it. "Maybe."

Sitting up, she paid no attention to his joke. She merely clenched her hands over and over, seeing how far gone the liquid's effects have gone. Something wouldn't click, and she figured it to be her healing element, just as Slade said. She woke up a bit prematurely then.

"Jane, you must rest! You are injured and broken!" Star tried to make her lie back down.

"I'm fine."

"Uh, Jane, no you're not. Your heart rate was off the charts and your breathing was slim to none. Did Slade make you say stuff? Do stuff to throw us off? Where were you?"

"I don't know, why don't you guys tell me…?" she sniffled.

What? Are these tears?

"Jane, do not cry…" Starfire cupped her hands together and her heart seemed to sink.

The infirmary doors opened and Robin led the way for Beast Boy, Terra, and Raven. The entire team was surrounding her bed.

"Jane—" Robin started.

"WHERE WERE YOU GUYS?!" she shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I WOKE UP IN THIS SCARY PLACE AND I COULDN'T FIND YOU! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONE FOREVER!" she hiccupped occasionally. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YELLING I DID? HOW MUCH SCREAMING I DID?"

All of their faces sunk at the same time, Robin seeming to be affected the most. For some reason, she couldn't stop crying. She covered her eyes with balled up fists and sobbed. Suddenly, she felt enclosed in warmth. Hugs. All of them were giving her hugs.

"We're so sorry, Jane. We couldn't find you." Robin explained. "You didn't exist on the radar, we scanned everywhere."

Rage boiled inside of her body.

"It wasn't that we didn't want to find you, it's that we couldn't find you." Cyborg said.

"Slade's elusive. If he was able to be caught, this never would have happened." Terra admitted.

With her crying and not answering, the Titans wouldn't let go. As much as she wished they would, she also didn't want them to at all. It was an annoying yet soothing feeling. Slade was 100% right, she accepted closure wherever it was offered.

"Tell me when you're ready to answer some questions." Robin pulled away. "I know it's hard, but you have to."

When the rest of them pulled away with him, she wiped her eyes. "I can do it now."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes." She sniffled. "I just needed to let that out. I'm sorry."

I can apologize again. Though I have nothing to actually be sorry about.

"Don't be sorry." He smiled. "It's good to have you back, Jane."

Nodding, she watched as they all stood around her. They looked serious as all hell, but she knew they could never hurt her.

"What do you remember? I know there's a lot, but start at the beginning." He stood at the foot of her bed.

"I was hanging from chains…" she rubbed her wrists in remembrance. "And my powers didn't work. All I knew was that I wasn't at home. I knew what had happened in the city."

"What next?"

Cyborg seemed to be typing things into his wrist.

"He just, like, appeared out of the shadows," she used aggressive hand motions. "And he said I was asleep for like…" she squinted in thought. "26 hours." She exaggerated a bit.

"Was it 'like' 26 hours or just 26 hours?" Robin asked.

"Just 26." She smiled. "Sorry, I say 'like' a lot."

"I know, it's okay." He smiled back, but then got serious. "What happened next?"

"I questioned him, mainly by shouting. I couldn't break the chains without my powers, so I resorted to trying to kick him. He said things, horrible things…" she sniffled. "He said you weren't my friends…that you didn't want to save me…I retaliated, I shouted, I yelled and yelled and kicked. He eventually took hold of my leg and twisted it…I never really broke free until last night…"

"All that time? All those hours and you just…hung there?" Beast Boy asked. "Did you even eat?"

"There was rice…I think…" she closed her eyes. "I don't remember that well, I was dizzy. I don't even remember how I ate it…"

"What did he ask you for? Information, plans? What?"

"He told me he wanted to know how I…" she stopped.

They all looked at each other collectively.

"How I broke out of the orphanage. He said he saw me running through the woods and that got him interested. Other than that, I don't know what he wanted me for…he just taunted me and belittled me, he just made me feel like shit…" she realized she was crying again.

"How did you escape?" Robin finally asked.

"I pulled down on the chains a lot and saw that it usually got me nowhere. At one point, I just summoned my powers so severely I got a nosebleed. I was surprised when it actually worked. I couldn't stand up at first, and I realized I had made too much noise… He found me really quickly…with something in his hand…"

"That syringe…" Robin glared. "He tried to stop you by destroying you."

"I tried to run, but he caught my arm and swiped me with it…I don't know how much was injected. I ran and ran, and I eventually found a door to the outside. I had no idea where I was, I just fucking ran…"

"Did you fight?" Robin asked.

"I tried. I mostly tried running, but if I had to block or attack in order to run, or at least try, I did. I almost got a good hit to the fucking mask…I only got the shoulder…"

"Is there anything else you can remember? Anything at all that might be important?" he urged.

Holding her head, she held her eyes shut. "I…I don't know…I'm sorry, I don't remember…" she teared up again. "It was just so difficult to go through, it just…I hated it…I just…"

"That's enough." Cyborg closed his wrist keyboard. "If you can't remember now, there's no point in pushin' it. It's obvious you were scared, and it's obvious you didn't do anything wrong. Am I right, guys?"

Everyone gave a nod, except for Terra, who seemed skeptical. Jane's eye twitched.

"Terra…" she asked innocently. "What's wrong?"

Terra shook her head frantically. "No, no! It's nothing, I'm just, um…" she sighed. "…I'm just thinking."

Robin dropped the serious tone. "Thank you Jane. I know being questioned like that was strange, but it needed to be done."

"If I remember, anything else, I'll tell you." She promised. "I'm sorry I'm useless to you." She slumped over, sad looking.

"Nonsense!" Starfire shouted. "You have never been useless to us!" she hovered in the air and patted Jane's head. "You are our friend. You will never be useless to us!"

"Starfire's right!" Beast Boy turned into a cat and sat on the bed. "You're not useless. You're kick ass! The next time we see Slade, he's gonna get a dose of kung-pow chicken!" he batted his paws in the air.

"We'll all be there for you." Robin rested a hand on her shoulder. "Until then, focus on recovery. When that syringe's effects wear off, I think it's safe to say that you're safe."

Jane smiled. "Thank you."

A stomach growling ruined the moment. All eyes moved to Jane's stomach, which was rumbling ferociously. With laughter, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, which made them all very unhappy.

"Jane!"

When she stood up, she fell right back down.

"Jane, you should be in bed!" Robin woed.

"So hungry though…" she smiled, cheek against the floor and trying to drag herself out to the kitchen.

Later

Sitting up straight in her hospital bed, she looked down at her arms. The bruising was beginning to settle, her regular color coming back to her skin. Clenching her fists, her resting bitch face was real. Terra was suspicious, as she had feared. She wanted to compile a journal about her efforts, but she thought it would be too risky.

There's cameras all around the Tower. All rooms except for our bedrooms, unless Robin has some kinky shit going on or something. As she shuddered, she continued to think. As embarrassed as I am to admit it, I need these Titans to further my training. If I can use them, it will suit my needs very well. The first step, however, is gaining the trust of the girls in the Tower. Raven and Terra have been off since day one. I understand Terra's reasoning, and she's hitting the nail on the head, I just need to sway Raven. I don't know how to do that though. Perhaps I need to…

Knocks at her door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in."

The door slid open and Robin walked in with a glass of water. "Hey, how you doing? I just thought I'd check on you." He sat in a chair next to her.

"Well, uh, I'd say everything is healed. I think a good night sleep will be great for me." She picked up the glass of water. "This is much needed as well."

"I'd say this is a sense of déjà vu. You know?" he smiled.

After a big gulp of water, she nodded. "Totally."

"I'm sorry to ask you a question like this, considering our conversation earlier…"

She rose an eyebrow.

"Did you notice anything about Slade's powers? Like markings anywhere in his lair, if you could see, anything at all?"

Closing her eyes, she tried to think about her time there.

"Behave yourself. I'm going out for a bit."

"I have an errand to run. If you need anything, figure it out."

"Never use that on me again."

Even when I was in training, if I would eat, or anything that would involve his interaction…he would be off doing something. I don't think that has anything to do with what Robin's talking about though.

"What would I have to look for…?" she asked, keeping her eyes shut.

"A red symbol on his forehead, kind of like an S. Ring a bell?"

"No." she opened her eyes. "Nothing like that. I don't remember him using his powers at all."

"Damn." He lowered his head.

"May I ask what those are? How did they come about?"

"A while back, Slade came into contact with an interdimensional demon named Trigon." Robin explained. "They made a deal. Slade would have had to deliver Raven to Trigon so he could bring about the end of the world. In order to do that, Slade was given powers. The problem is, Slade's powers were supposed to be taken away. The Ring of Azar broke, and that's what made his powers work in the first place. We knew he was kept alive by the Mark of Scath, but…"

"I didn't see a ring…" she whispered.

"Or a mark?"

"Isn't this what you guys were talking about that one time? About unbreakable rings and fire and The Underworld?"

"Yes. If Slade has is powers back, there's something up his sleeve. The only way to find out what is to fight him, maybe even capture him."

Jane was silent for a few moments. "How did he come to meet a demon like that in the first place?"

"Terra killed him."

Her heart skipped a beat. "What…?"

Her arms itched terribly and her head felt hot, like she was on fire. What she saw in Slade's memory was resurfacing, and she began to scratch her arms.

"He was flung into a pit of lava."

Trying not to look too alarmed, she clutched her glass of water and gulped it down, hands shaking and arms red from scratching.

"Jane, what's wrong?" he sounded seriously concerned.

"What a way to die…" her voice shook. "Burned alive…in a pit of lava…"

Finishing off her water, she set the glass back down, trying to calm herself. Robin touched her arm gently, which startled her.

"I'm sorry to make you upset."

Slowly, she moved her arm away. "I just don't like hearing about death."

"Would you like someone to watch over you tonight, to make sure he doesn't come back for you?" he asked.

"If someone would like to, they can stay outside." A switch seemed to go off that made her angry, but she tried not to show it. "But actually, I have a question."

"Go ahead. You can ask me anything."

"I want to help in any way I can…in finding what answers you need. Before you retaliate, close your whore mouth." She pointed at him. "Would Raven give me any clues? I'm assuming that she would know for the best, right? Hopefully I can think of something by the time I wake up tomorrow, but should I end up talking to her?"

"Yea! I can let her know that you want to talk to her about it." He smiled. "I'm glad this piqued your interest, but please, get some sleep. You're not going anywhere near him, and he's not going anywhere near you."

"That's the plan…" she laid on her side as Robin stood up. "Thanks, Robin."

"Cyborg will stand outside, okay?" he left.

A smile crept across Jane's face.

I guess I found something to bond over.