Chapter 9- The Beginning of the End

"Slade."

The name seemed to hang in the air for hours after Robin spoke, though in truth only seconds passed. The masked figure inclined its head in acknowledgement. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't disconnect you right now," the leader of the Titans finally managed to hiss.

"Come now, Robin," Slade replied, his voice cool and emotionless as always. "It has been too long since we've had the opportunity to have a nice little chat. I must admit, I've been missing them. But more to the point, we have a common concern."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Robin, who knew full well. The last thing he wanted to do right now was discuss Raven's… condition with this monster. But although Slade's mask remained expressionless as always, his single eye seemed to laugh.

"You know to what I am referring Robin- or rather, to whom- so don't play the fool. You will merely eat up our valuable, already limited time."

"What do you want?" Robin grated out.

Slade's eye widened slightly. "Why, I want the same thing that you want- I want Raven restored to her sanity, and, barring that- neutralized."

"Why do you care?"

The masked criminal on the screen shook his head like a teacher who found himself highly disappointed by a student's answer. "Really, Robin," he said, "You really can do better than that. I know you have a brain, and quite an impressive one in fact- use it! Raven has no love for me. Do you forget who served as Trigon's agent during his, shall we say transactions with his daughter? I do not. I have no desire to once again be caught on the wrong side of a wrathful demon."

Robin smirked. "Maybe it escaped your notice, but I don't like you much either. Why shouldn't I just let Raven have her revenge? You deserve it and a hundred times worse!"

Once again, Slade seemed to chuckle silently. "But you wouldn't, not when it came down to it. I never was able to beat that noble streak out of you. You could no more leave me to your insane friend's tender mercies than you would be able to strike the killing blow yourself. But there is another reason- Raven plans to revenge herself on all her enemies at once. You know that she acquired the Codex of Asthra Kall this morning?"

"Yes," Robin responded reluctantly. "Why should that change things?"

The eye seemed to bore through Robin's mind. "I told you before, Robin- playing the fool does not suit you. You know full well that when she casts Kall's greatest spell, we shall both die- as shall this city."

"Then why don't you leave?"

Slade shook his head. "Strange as it may seem to you, Robin, I am rather fond of this city- my city. I have put much effort into it, and would so hate to have to entrench myself elsewhere. But most of all- to leave is to admit defeat, and that is something I know neither of us will ever do."

Slade was right. He and Robin, for all their mutual loathing, understood each other on a primal level. Neither of them would ever admit defeat, not while he still had life in him. Slade had even gone far beyond that, once. Robin still had nightmares of him standing there in the frozen street, casually snapping his broken neck back into place…

"So, what's your point?" Robin asked, trying to bring the conversation back on track.

"I see no reason to exert myself in this matter if it is unnecessary. I do believe, Robin, that you and your friends are more than willing to go after Raven on your own. It's rather touching, actually. But I think I shall give you an extra incentive. If Raven has not been dealt with in some form by midnight, I will take matters into my own hands. And I don't think I will be inclined towards mercy."

Robin snorted. "And what makes you think you can defeat her? I thought you were scared of her!"

Slade inclined his head. "I am cautious, Robin, not afraid. I will not rush headlong towards my own destruction, but neither will I shy from risking myself if the rewards are great enough. And I believe I have the means in my possession to destroy her, as you should well be aware. I defeated the father, did I not? I can handle the daughter."

Robin laughed darkly. "You defeated Trigon? It was Raven who sealed him back in the underworld- certainly not you."

"And would Raven have returned from her own sojourn in hell without my help? Would you have lived to deliver a passionate speech about hope that reawakened her courage without my help? Think on that, Robin- were it not for me, this world would now be ended. Think on what you owe me. Someday- not today, but soon- I will collect that debt." The screen flickered briefly, and went dark.

The signs were traced upon the floor in glowing Atlantean dust. The crystal was tied to her forehead with platinum wire. Candles and incense burned around the room, laid out in the pattern set down by Asthra Kall long ago. The preparations were complete. Soon, Raven's time would be at hand.

"Do you feel it, father?" she whispered. "What of you, my former friends, and you, Slade in your hole? Do you feel that your doom is upon you?"

But at what cost? A voice seemed to whisper in her head. What will you gain from this, but to become another Trigon? Doesn't this world have enough demons?

"Be silent," she ordered the voice. "This is my life now, not yours. I will do with it as I please." Raven raised her hands and beckoned. A pair of flames rose beyond the mystical signs and coalesced into giant, pale skinned demons in iron masks, their flesh marked with unholy signs. These creatures were among the mightiest of demonkind, ranked only below the great lords. They had served her father. Now they served her. Though she wasn't strong enough yet to wrest control of whole armies from Trigon, these two would be enough for her purposes tonight.

"I must meditate to prepare my powers," Raven said. "I must not be disturbed before I have gathered the strength for this spell. Allow no one to enter the building." The demons nodded and vanished, reappearing by the doors down below. No one had tried to enter the building since she had taken it over, but Raven had the suspicion that her one-time teammates would try something tonight. But they could not stop her now.

Floating in midair, legs crossed, Raven spoke the mystical words and focused on her hatred of all who had wronged her. At long last, her terrible vengeance was at hand.

Robin felt soiled as he related Slade's words to the other Titans. When he was through, Cyborg scowled deeply and Beast Boy and fully adopted an uncharacteristically serious expression- he had loved Terra, and hated Slade for what he did to her.

"Robin," Starfire said at last, "We must not let him do this! Raven is still our friend, despite… everything. And I know that there is still good in her, even though the evil now rules. We must help Raven- and stop Slade." Star's hand curled into a fist, and her eyes glowed green.

"I know Starfire," Robin replied. "Raven is still inside that monster- she managed to take control long enough to save us from herself. But how can we protect our friend when our enemy is in the same body?"

"Why couldn't Blood have just left well enough alone?" Cyborg asked no one in particular. "Why couldn't he have gone off and played golf, or complained about the good old days- you know, things ordinary old people do. We'd all be a whole lot better off- him too."

"It was not just the Brother Blood," said Starfire sadly. "I have been inside Raven's body, and I know that her powers respond to her darkness. Brother Blood unleashed the evil, but it was always inside of her. He did not create that evil, and neither did Raven. It is Trigon who is responsible for this."

"We all have darkness inside of us," said Robin. "I know that. But how can we save her?"

Suddenly Beast Boy looked up, his eyes gleaming. The shapeshifter was well-known for his rash, often inexplicable behavior, but when he put his mind to it, he could be quite clever. The look on his face now plainly said he had an idea.

"You both said 'evil inside'", he said excitedly, looking from Robin to Starfire. "And that gave me an idea." Beast Boy leaned in closely. "I think I know how to save her."

"Beast Boy, are you sure-" Robin began to ask, but Cyborg cut him off.

"I think I know what BB's talking about," he said. "Let's hear what he's got to say."

Robin listened to Beast Boy's plan, and when it was through, he simply had to nod in amazement. It could actually work- provided they didn't all get killed in the process.

But then, trying not to get killed while doing something crazy was rather in a superhero's line of work.