Ra's watched as Joey was brought down to the centre of arena, a new test subject had been chosen and now things would continue as planned. The death of one prisoner wasn't going to change anything. Clearly it had been an error to use such weak stock for the trial runs, but what's done was done and Ra's always had contingencies in place, Joey Wilson's new partner was a different breed, a volunteer from the leagues own ranks. Healthier, stronger in both mind and body and with an unwavering desire to serve, the new man that silently kneeled in the arena as the blond titan approached was an infinitely better choice as they continued to dig deeper into Joseph Wilson's untapped potential.
"Same as before." Talia ordered Joey, as the Titan was forced to kneel, facing his new testing partner. A pair of hands latched onto either side of his head, causing him to stare at the new subject who appeared to have no idea what was coming. His face was a mask devoid of emotion, and while he was chained to the floor just as the father had been, Joey had the impression it wasn't to keep the man present, but himself once he jumped bodies.
"Begin." Ra's ordered from on high.
Taking a breath Joey collected himself before proceeding, he wasn't anxious to have a repeat performance, especially if it had the potential to cause heart attacks and death. Then there was the other problem, how to repeat an accident. Last time had been just that, a fluke, why should this time be any more of a success? Staring into his partners dark eyes Joey tried to look at his options, his plan to escape had been delayed and as always Ra's had taken all necessary precautions. Everyone around him save the test subject, had their eyes shielded by non-reflective googles same as before, meaning that Joey couldn't body hop his way to freedom.
Still there was only so long Joey could delay with every second he took Ra's grew more impatient. Locking eyes with his latest partner Jericho prayed that the father's death would be the last, and that he could make sure the man's children did not spend the remainder of their lives under Ra's rule, then just as he had done so many times before Joey felt himself slip into a new body.
Even as he watched the boy complete the first and easiest step Ra's was on high alert, he had not survived all these years on Lazarus pits alone, every sense was on high alert, ready to spot danger before it could manifest fully. Even his bodyguards, who had spent decades proving their loyalty to him, could not be trusted fully, ambition overruled everything after all and there were many in the league who wished to one day sit in Ra's throne.
His ears picked up the sound of her feet before she appeared, never taking his eyes of the spectacle below him, Ra's mentally counted down as Shiva drew closer, her pace giving almost nothing away, giving the illusion of control. Giving her his full attention, Ra's watched as the assassin bowed her head.
"The Titans-"
"Are on their way here," Ra's finished, having already come to the conclusion. Shiva would only bring him the most serious of news herself and while he had known it was inevitable, the head of the league of assassins would have liked more time to test Joey's power. But, as countless campaigns had taught him over his long life, a plan that is not flexible is a poor strategy to follow. "How long?"
"They shall arrive in thirty minutes; we will buy you all the time you need."
Shiva's promise was a sure one, Ra's knew she would do as she pledged and rally all resources to drive back the invaders, but holding off the Titans was no longer an option, even killing them would serve little purpose now. If they had found him, so would others and slaying the heroes would only bring their colleagues down upon him with a vengeance. No, if Ra's was to win this game he would need to flee.
"Delay," he ordered, "I need only time, once I have finished with the boy, then I shall see to my enemies personally." Rising from his throne, Ra's stood tall, his eyes watching Joey's partner twitch as the boy struggled inside of him. He would need more time to perfect his gifts and where this happened was of no importance, the league of assassin's had bases everywhere on the planet. "Prepare my escape route." With that, the aged man began to move, his bodyguards struggling to keep up with their masters brisk pace. Battle was soon to be at hand, and he would need a fitter body to fight his foes, both invaders and those that were not yet aware of his plans for them.
While some might see his decision to flee a cowardly one, Ra's was playing a far more complex game than simply fighting away his enemies. The prize was potential immortality, to be given a fresh new body untouched by the Lazarus pits, a chance for Ra's al Ghul to live for centuries more and change the face humanity as we know it. To risk it all in standing and fighting against impossible odds on a principle such as pride is how many of Ra's enemies had met their end, fighting the inevitable all because they wished to avoid looking weak.
What was weaker than being erased from history?
The T-ship roared through the skies, heading directly for the next set of coordinates. Sadly as disappointment often has a way of doing, the team was not as energised as they might have been earlier in the hunt to find their friend.
All of them, harboured doubts in the back of their minds, was this too going to be a waste of time? Should they really all go to one place? Maybe if they split the T-ship up into its separate pods, dividing their forces, three of them going to one hideout, three to the other they could get through Batman's list quicker, eliminate more possibilities. But none of these ideas were voiced, because of the immediate counter argument, what if they found the right base, but when at half strength? What if things went wrong and they lost more than Joey to the league of assassins?
"ETA twenty minutes." Cyborg informed them all, his eye watching his instruments. The Titans East were following, well over an hour and a half behind, if this next hidey hole proved to be fruitless the Titans would wait, allow the second team to join them, then share resources and plan their next move together.
One could argue this should have been done from the start, but none of them had expected things to end up like this, looking back on that first meeting, back at the tower, Cyborg couldn't help but feel ashamed at how naïve they all were at the situation, well all but Robin. Readjusting his grip on the joystick the Titan tried to fight off his unease as he continued piloting the T-ship towards her next destination. "Please." Cyborg whispered to himself as he kept checking on every new readout and information presented to him. absorbing and processing the information in less than a second, while making the necessary changes to the ships systems. "Please be here."
Huddled in the snow, hidden inside the clefts of the mountain, the first line of defence was all but invisible. Perfectly concealed in their environment, hidden from even the best drone and spy technology available, enemies would never know they were there until they began firing. They heard the ship before they saw it, the engines roaring with power, as the large craft made its way steadily towards them. But as the target slowly came into view a silent order passed between the sentinels.
Weapons were primed and armed; all were aimed at the large craft as she continued to approach. They had their orders, shoot to disable, not kill, delay, not massacre. Already those with the longer range assault weapons had begun to target the T-ships engines, which would be the key to bring the Titans down, after that... well few beings could just walk away from a crash and plan to attack the home of one of the most dangerous beings on the planet. The heroes would want to regroup, plan, and assess their situation, tend to any wounded all this without the sentinels even needing to engage them directly. The master would have all the time he needed. But still they held fire.
Surprise was a weapon you could only use once, if they fired now, only a few shots would hit their intended targets. Then the T-ship would take evasive manoeuvres, fire back maybe, possibly fly far out of range and plan a strategy to deal with the defences surrounding Ra's lair. No, they only had one chance at this, they would wait until the T-ship no matter how skilled her pilot was, would be hit hardest by their attack, crippling the engines and forcing the Titans down to their level.
Slade felt like he was going to explode, another minute of silence cooped up in his son's pod would be all it took for the mercenary to snap. He didn't know what he would do, he wanted to break something, perhaps someone. He knew a fight with the Titans would be disastrous and serve no greater purpose but right now it could be just the thing he needed. To get his blood pumping, to get his mind of the echoing silence that haunted him as they continued to search for his son. Joey.
Keeping his hands away from any of his weapons, Slade tried focusing on anything else. Breathing exercise, checking his gear, trying to calculate Robin's next strategy, nothing seemed to help. How long had it been since he had slept properly? Stupid question, but one he couldn't avoid forever, ever since he had learnt of Joey's kidnapping the mercenary hadn't been getting his full rest, not that he needed it. Given his stamina and healing factor Slade didn't require the same amount of sleep as a normal man, he was fine. For now. But when he wasn't sleeping his mind was kept active, which was starting to drain at his mental strength, as fear and doubt haunted his every waking moment.
How long could he keep fighting? Keep hunting? Slade knew he would never stop searching for his son. But he needed to be at his best, he had to keep sharp so that when Joey was within reach he wouldn't fail him. Not like last time. Closing his eye, Slade tried to meditate, something he hadn't done in a while, in an effort to clear his mind from the numbing silence of the real world and fill it with something more pleasant, give his body time to rest and recover while providing his mind with a distraction. Joey.
Frowning, eye still shut, Slade tried to block out thoughts of his son, an impossible task when it was all that he had been thinking about over the past few days. But he had to try. He could not keep calm when he thought about Joey, about what Ra's and his twisted schemes had needed him for. What his son had suffered through, wh-
Opening his eye, Slade found his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, propped up next to him. Releasing the weapon, Deathstroke let out a huff of anger. He was trapped in an endless loop that would only end when they found his son. Shutting his eye once more, crossing his arms to prevent any more impulsive actions, Slade tried to focus on another aspect of his son, an idea that right now every member of the Titans had thought about, but dared not indulge. What if they saved Joey?
What condition would he be in? Not just his physical wellbeing but his mental? What horrors would Ra's have exposed him too? Feeling his heart beat quicken the mercenary pushed those thoughts aside, Joey would be fine, his son was strong, always had been. He had suffered in the past but continued on, his soul untouched. Deathstroke would save his son.
Slade wasn't delusional. Joey wouldn't be happy to see him even if he did rescue him personally, there would be no tearful reunion, and while he loved his son more than anyone in the world, save perhaps Adeline, Deathstroke knew that his pride would never allow him to convey such emotion to Joseph.
"You destroyed this family! You and your pride." How right Adeline was. Even now, with his son missing, held by a madman, Slade wasn't able to tell him he loved him, even in his own mind.
"Joey," The name rolled of his tongue and for a moment Slade's eye snapped open, checking to make sure he was alone and unmonitored in his son's pod. Knowing Cyborg there could be dozens of surveillance devices in the cockpit that housed him, and given his past with the team it would not be unreasonable to assume he had been under surveillance all this time. Leaving his sentence unfinished Slade took in a deep breath. "Jo-"
A second later the T-ship was struck hard, causing Slade and the rest of her passengers to be thrown to one side.
"Cyborg?" Robin demanded, as he was all but thrown from his chair as the ship once again shook while the sound of explosions and energy blasts filled the team leader's ears "Status?"
"Engine one is dead, two has been hit and I'm pretty sure these guys are targeting out power cell." Cyborg yelled back, all while he tried to fly his damaged 'baby' out of the onslaught of enemy fire that was shredding the ship's hull. Pulling back hard on his joystick, the Titan's plan was to gain altitude fast, yes doing such a manoeuvre while being shot at risked exposing even more of the ships systems as the climbed, but right now they were already in deep trouble, if they continued to do nothing all that would remain of the T-ship would have to be collected up in tiny bags for recycling. "Everyone hold on!"
Following the ship as she started to climb, the members of the league of assassins mealy trailed their weapons after the smouldering ship. With one engine hit, the vessel was unable to move with the same speed she might have done, and given how close the ship was, well even if the shot failed to hit what the shooter intended, there was simply too much of a target to miss everything.
Gritting his teeth as the ship continued to shake, Cyborg felt his grip tightening on the joy stick as more and more warning messages flashed up on the screens, continuing to tell him bad news. Meanwhile the other heroes were trying to get to grips with the situation, moving as a wild cat from Raven's pod to his own; Beast Boy struggled towards his own part of the ship. Strapping herself in the team empath was a little lost on what to do as Cyborg continued to try and steer the ship out of harm's way.
"Robin!" Starfire yelled through her pod's com system, causing the team leader to wince as the ship continued to shake and groan under the never ending onslaught. "I will draw their fire." It took Robin a second too long to figure out the alien's plan, by the time he had started to speak, to tell her that under no circumstances was she to go outside and attempt to take on their attackers head on and alone, Starfire had hit her pod's eject button and was soaring towards Ra's sentinels, starbolts glowing brightly in her hand.
"Star!" Robin screamed out, knowing it was already too late. Normally Starfire would be the one he would worry about the least in such situations; time and time again the alien had proven herself stronger than anyone gave her credit for. But alone against Ra's forces was a terrible idea, the team had already lost Joey, Robin wasn't willing to let the monster take anyone else. Trying to track the orange skinned alien's movements through her communicators tracker chip through his pod's computer, he watched as Starfire made like a bullet, heading straight towards the ground.
"Robin!" Cyborg cried out as his cockpit continued to devolve into chaos, every screen and readout told him the exact same thing, the T-ship was screwed. Four of the six components had lost main power and were now switching to their back up batteries. Engine two was going to fail in fifty eight seconds and counting, and there was no way Cyborg could pilot the smouldering wreckage down without taking them further away from their intended target, not as long as their attackers continued to rain hell upon them. The Titans had just officially had their knee's taken out, and now would need to crawl several miles before they reached the bad guy's lair. Unless… "I can't save the ship, but if I start the emergency separation procedure we might be able to regroup and-"
The teenager was cut off as the main computer of the T-ship died in a sparking mess. Letting out a curse Cyborg began the manual override procedure, waiting on Robin's orders, wondering if his friend had even heard him over the racket.
"Everyone turn on your communicators, we find each other, group up, and then move onto Ra's together understand?" Robin said, trying to be heard over the sound of energy weapons and the T-ship's death wails as engine two shorted out. "No one goes on alone, understood, Slade?" The mercenary did not respond and Robin did not have time to argue a reply from him. "Do it Cyborg."
"Everyone hold on!" Cyborg yelled, pulling down on the emergency release clamp, for a second the T-ship simply fell lifelessly back to earth causing Ra's sentinels and Starfire to watch in silence. Then the ship exploded, or at least it appeared to, separating into its six independent pods', each carried off by powerful burst from their ships thrusters. The individual components flew away in a different direction ensuring for a split second that no attacker could get a lock on any one of them while being able to track the others decent.
Knowing what had happened, Starfire whirled on the ground enemies, starbolts glowing bright, knowing that her friends were separated and would need to regroup. In the meantime, she could prevent their attackers from going after the downed Titans, buying the team time to regroup.
Once upon a time the Lazarus pit felt heavenly, it didn't simply wash away the pains and discomforts that came with age and renew him with life, no. It used to make him feel stronger, his mind clearer, sharper, better than he once was, rising out of his precious pool Ra's used to feel invincible. A god among men. But time had changed the effects, now each use felt painful as the transformation took hold, turning young was an ordeal, one he was not sure he could even survive some days, soon his body would not be able to continue soaking up the properties of the pits. One day, one day soon it would simply cease to work its wonders on him.
When that happened, Ra's knew he would only have days left to live, a week if he was lucky. He had seen the turn of many a century, clung to the mortal coil longer than anyone else on earth. Some would say he had been given a unique opportunity, to live countless lifetimes and accomplish so much, some would say that he had lived too long and that he should stop his quest for immortality, true immortality, and face death with dignity.
Shutting out the unpleasant spasms that racked his body, as every one of his cells was filled with new life, Ra's looked not to the past but to the future. The Wilson boy was his chance to start anew. To be given a new body, to put all that he was, everything that made him stand above other men into a fresh shell, one untouched by the waters of the Lazarus pit.
Long had he cheated death, now Ra's would cheat the limitations of the Lazarus pits too. Opening his eyes, the master of the league of assassin's could not help but be surprised at how well he could see now, it had been a while since his last dip, and his time spent slowly withering had left him robbed of a younger man's sight, his eyes had become clouded with age. Sitting up, Ra's slowly made his way to the side of the pool, wadding through the pit's waters.
Reaching out an arm, Ra's hand was swiftly caught by one of his bodyguards, who slowly helped his master rise from the pit. Around him the others present tried to mask their wonder. Yes, many of them have the privilege of seeing him use the Lazarus pit's powers before, but to see their master return to his true glory always filled them with awe. Quickly Ra's was dressed and attended to, flexing his hand, he felt the strength that had ended kings and vanquished nations flow once more through him. As a bodyguard approached, carrying his sabre, the demon's head waited like a spider. Once the man was within reach, Ra's lashed out faster than anyone in the room could react to. Clutching his throat, the former bodyguard, let the sword fall as he tried to save himself, unaware it was already too late for him. Snatching his sabre out of the air, Ra's continued to dress himself, attaching the weapon to his side as the guard chocked out his last breath on the floor before him.
There had been no real reason behind the execution, the man had not failed in anyway, and had served with the same blind devotion Ra's expected from his league. If he was truly honest with himself, the demon's head did it just to see if he could. But for every other being in the room, a silent message had been etched into their minds. Any secret thoughts of treachery or ambition had been quashed in an instant as all present quickly sunk to their knee's as Ra's al Ghul turned to face them, opening his arms wide, presenting himself for all to see.
He was their master, now and forever, if it were ordered they would give their lives for him in an instant. For a selfish moment, Ra's basked in the feeling, everything was how it should be, he was at his best, his body young and his mind sharp, his followers filled with blind devotion to him, and while the moment would not last, it was this precious sense of Godhood that made Ra's all the determined to keep fighting for his immortality, to rule forever as he did now.
Turning his head slightly Ra's watched as a messenger ran down the last of the step that led to the Lazarus's pits chamber. Upon entering the woman bowed low, following the example of her comrades, but then she moved swiftly to her master side, ignoring the corpse at his feet. "The Titan's ship has been brought down, they are separated."
For a moment a rush of energy flooded Ra's, his arm longed to reach for his sword, to draw it and lead his warriors into battle against the Titans, with him at the front even the alien would fall before his might as so many had before. But that was the bloodlust talking, the memory of thousands of conflicts swelling up inside of him. He was not a butcherer, and his battle would be won on a different way. The 'heroes' would not die today, not until he had secured the vessel which would allow him to move into a new stage of immortality. But not all of today's enemies were heroes and would earn the Justice Leagues immediate attention.
"Kill Slade Wilson," Ra's spoke, his voice echoing around the otherwise silent Lazarus chamber, everyone present rose at their masters order, as they stood, waiting for a final word before they ran from the room to do as was commanded. "Kill Deathstroke the terminator."
Opening his eye, Deathstroke found himself upside down. Strapping himself into his seat probably had not saved his life, but it had prevented him from taking a beating as his pod crashed into the snowy mountain. Hitting the release on his strap, Slade fell to the floor or roof in this case of his son's section of the T-ship.
He was on his feet in seconds, checking and arming his gear. Robin might want the team to unite and lead a heroic charge against Ra's forces but Slade wasn't willing to dance to that tune. The madman would likely send parties to hunt down each of the pods, find the occupant and kill them. Of course the Titans were not so easily slain, and would likely hold their own and unite against the threat, but in the meantime Slade had a small window of opportunity. His son was only a few miles away from him, held in the bastard's fortress; let him send his armies out to hunt. Deathstroke's target was within and until Ra's felt in danger, he would stay put, meaning now was the best time to go for Joey.
Attaching his sword's sheath on his back, Slade took one final look around the ship for anything that could be useful. Pulling down his mask, Deathstroke turned to his pods emergency exit hatch. "I'm coming Joey." He promised as he left the pod's cockpit.
It had been a while since he had really had a chance to stretch his legs. Slade had always been fast, ever since that serum his speed had been classified as superhuman, but right now, the masked mercenary felt as if he was running on air. In seconds he had left the broken Titan pod in the distance as he tore across the landscape towards his target.
But it wasn't just his speed that felt different, every sense at his command was pushed up to eleven, the sound his boots made as they crunched down on the snow was like an explosion to his ears, he could taste burnt metal and plasma fire on the air as he ran, despite how far he was from the ambush that had brought down the T-ship, and then there was his sight. Although he knew it was impossible, it was as if he could see a spec on the horizon that was Ra's mountain fortress, reaching out an arm as he continued to race through the wilderness towards his destination, Slade closed his hand around that distant spot.
And then he heard them. Snow bikes, quiet, but still detectable, their engines purring as they carried dozens of Ra's men towards him. Adjusting his path, Slade veered off to the right, given how much time he had before they spotted him, the masked mercenary was easily going to be able to get around the group sent to investigate his pod. As for the rest of the downed Titans, they had survived much worse.
Groaning was the first thing Raven did once she woke. The landing had been rough on her, the ships thrusters had fired once but then just as she was coming in for a bumpy landing the engines gave of a second burst of power. The result had been the pod smacked down only to be thrown forward a second later. The rest was a tumbling, rolling mess.
Reaching up, Raven gently ran a hand across her forehead; she immediately pulled back and let out a hiss of pain when her finger came in contact with her temple. Examining her digits, the empath saw smudged blood coating her skin. Closing her eyes, she channelled her power through her hand, before placing it over the injury. In a second the pain was diminished as the wound closed itself, in a few seconds it was as if she had never been hurt. Feeling better, Raven reached for her communicator, lying on the floor, undamaged by the pods tumble.
"This is Raven, does anyone hear me?" For a moment nothing happened, her screen remained dark as the device searched for any and all responding communicator's. However unlikely it was, for a moment fear welled up inside of the empath. Were the rest of her friends alright? Did something happen to them? No, they should be fine given how much time and effort Cyborg put into the T-ships safety measures but what if-
"Raven?" Eye's locking onto the screen, Raven let out a sigh of relief as Cyborg's face sprung to life before her. He was joined a second later by Beast Boy as the communicator split the two callers on either side of screen, allowing a three-way conversation to take place.
"Everyone okay?" The tallest Titan asked, breaking up the small warm smiles the trio were giving each other as they realised all were well and alive, and that the question wasn't even worth asking.
"Couldn't be better." Beast Boy grinned.
"Bit of a bumpy landing." Raven complained in a monotone voice, causing Cyborg and Beast Boy to smile a little brighter. If she could make a joke there was nothing to worry about with the team empath. "Where's Robin?"
"Don't know, I'm triangulating each of our positions right now, once I know whose closer we can-" Cyborg stopped talking as his organic eye grew wide for a second before narrowing.
"Cy?" Beast Boy asked a slight panic in his voice as his friend fiddled with something unseen on his communicator.
"Is it Robin?" Raven asked, feeling a similar spike of fear. A second later Cyborg shook his head. "Star's okay from what I can tell, she's moving erratically so either she is still fighting or she is doing a load of complex flight moves for the hell of it, Robin I'm not too sure about but his pod didn't land too far away and it's beacons responding so…"
"He'll be okay." Raven finished, knowing that the leader of the Titans would be the first to pick himself up and lead the charge, they were too close to the end to give up now.
"Slade's com is moving away from us." Cyborg finished. The news surprised no one, but still Deathstroke was pretty bold to attack Ra's and his forces alone. "Pretty fast from the looks of it"
"We follow Robin's plan." Raven declared ending any question of if they should go after the mercenary before they were even voiced. "We need to stick together."
Nodding Cyborg finished what he was doing, a second later a blank black screen filled Raven's communicator screen, then a symbol, each representing a member of the team appeared showing that person's current location in relation to each other. Slade, represented by an icon of his mask was swiftly moving towards the boundaries of Cyborg's range on the triangulation.
Starfire on the other hand was slowly making her way towards the other Titans but every few seconds her icon would dash rapidly in one direction or another. Robin's remained focused, sitting not too far from Cyborg's own location.
"Alright, I think we should meet up and get this show on the road." Cyborg said, looking carefully at his own map, Deathstroke wanted to go on alone, not much they could do to stop him, he only wished that Slade would apply stealth and give him and his friends a chance to find Joey without the entire stronghold firing on them before they even got within a mile of Ra's house. I'll go get Robin, Raven you meet up with Beast Boy then go see Star, she might need help. After that…"
"Joey." Raven nodded.
"Joey." Beast Boy agreed, with Cyborg giving his own nod of approval.
"We've come too far to let some B-movie ninjas stop us now. Titans go!"
Starfire looked around her, eyeing her fallen foes with care. The battle had been largely one sided and while their weapons could hurt her, they had been designed to take down larger, less aerodynamic targets. Besides the slow rise and fall of their chests none of Ra's sentinels were giving any sign they were going to jump up and continue to pose a threat to Starfire or her friends.
With one final sweep, the alien rose up into the air before reaching for her communicator, it had been beeping for a while, but the battle had prevented her from answering as more and more of Ra's warriors came out of hiding, trying to overwhelm her with superior numbers and cheap blind spot shots. Rubbing the back of her sore head, Starfire flipped open the yellow disk object, on her screen, rather than see her friend's faces she was presented with a map.
It took her only a second to count each of her friend's icons to know they were all intact, a second more to see Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy's signals were on the move, heading towards each other. Robin's was still; and there was no sign of Slade's. Suspicion flooded Starfire as she quickly feared the worst, checking her map again, she flew off towards her friends, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of Deathstroke or any more of Ra's servants. Had she super hearing, Starfire might have heard the distant hum of snow vehicles trailing behind her.
"Raven!" The green snow leopard cheered as he spotted the cloaked woman, bounding towards her, jaws pressed together in the closest thing a predatory cat could come to smiling. Beast Boy thought about tackling her, but decided against it as Raven was all business, the second she had eyes on him, she pulled out her communicator, checking on Cyborg's progress.
"Star's on the move." She commented, as Beast Boy returned to his human form and peered over her shoulder, watching as the alien's icon flew towards their own on the screen's map.
"Think we should?" Beast Boy asked, pointing up at the sky, a second later, after turning into a falcon, he and Raven took off into the sky to meet their friend.
Cyborg had feared the worst when Robin hadn't picked up. His pod should have easily shielded him from any serious injuries, and his communicators signal was working, so why hadn't he answered? A million and one theories sprung to mind as the machine man ran through the snow, towards his friends' position. Maybe his systems had short circuited, causing a fire, Robin could be trapped inside his pod, choking on smoke.
Grunting, Cyborg tried to move his legs faster, already moving at maximum speed through the wilderness. Maybe it wasn't anything so dramatic, what if his friend had merely been knocked out on landing, his head being smacked against his seat upon impact? No, the seats were designed to reduce head injuries; he himself had done the specs for them in case of crashes or rough flights. Maybe he had-
A shriek of energy caused Cyborg to abandon his hypothetical problems, as he ducked and rolled, his right arm transforming into its sonic cannon mode. Pointing the weapon in the direction the energy blast came from, Cyborg waited.
There was no one there, taking a brief second to look around, he noticed there was no charred wood, no smell of burning material, had he really just been shot at? A moment later his question was answered as two more shrieks of energy blasts being fired was heard. And yet Cyborg saw no evidence of the weapon bolts being fired at him which meant…
"Robin!" Running in the direction the weapons seemed to be in, Cyborg checked his map, he was moving away from Robin's communicator, but why would anyone be shooting at nothing? Coming to a ridge, the Titan quickly got his answer. Robin, armed with his bo staff, was flipping, kicking, and striking out as five black clad league of assassin's members tried to subdue him.
Subdue was Cyborg's educated guess, as none of them had lethal weapons, like their traditional swords, or assault rifles. Instead stun buttons and energy weapons, set to low setting were being used. Not that it was making muck difference Cyborg noted as Robin leaped up, delivering a swift kick to the one who held the energy weapon, knocking him flat on his back.
Leaping into battle, Cyborg caught the remaining four members by surprise as he fired of a stream of blue sonic energy, sending two of the enemies flying. Robin, capitalising on this, swung his staff into the face of another one of his attackers, causing them to drop their stub button, dropping on all fours, Robin then snatched up this weapon turning it on its stunned owner.
Leaving one last man, knowing how outmatched he was, the ninja, turned and tried to run. He didn't get more than a few meters before Cyborg fired off a quick blast, knocking them of their feet.
"Hey." Cyborg smiled, as Robin twirled his staff before collapsing it back into its more portable size. "Thought you might be in trouble."
"I had it covered." Robin smirked back.
"Yeah well next time pick up when we call. You know how we worry." Reaching for his belt, Robins masked eyes widened as he realised his communicator was not sitting in its usual spot.
"The others? Do yo-"
"They're fine." Cyborg answered, raising a hand to try and calm the momentary look of panic that had spread across Robin's face. "Cept Slade." Panic was now gone, replaced by mistrust and anger. "He's gone awol." Gritting his teeth together Robin let out a hiss of frustration.
"We don't have time for this."
"No we do not." Heads snapping upwards, Robin and Cyborg watched as Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy all descended from the sky towards them. "We must focus on finding Joey." Starfire continued as she landed in the snow. "Ra's cannot take him again."
"Even if he did he won't get far." Cyborg added, "Titans East could easily chase anything he has down."
"If they get here in time."
"We're getting him back one way or another." Raven stated, as she looked around the team, everyone wore similar expressions. This was it, endgame. Joey was the prize and the Titans were going to give it their all.
"Alright then." Robin said as the team turned to face the direction Ra's castle was in. "Titans G-"
"Titans freeze!" A voice ordered, a second later, dozens of black clad ninja's appeared surrounding the team.
"Urgh!" Beast Boy groaned as the team of heroes fell into a back to back stance. "This is going to be like one of those last levels where you just have to keep fighting the same guys over and over until you reach the boss isn't it?"
Joey wasn't stupid, something was happening. Talia had done an excellent job of trying to keep him from thinking about it, forcing the Titan to keep repeating the same song and dance in an effort to complete both her father's wish and hide the truth from him. But unfortunately for the league of assassins all the physical and mental labour could not keep Joey's mind still, the moment Ra's had met with that woman and then left in a hurry a thought so strong and hope filled had been born that refused to bow to Talia's will.
The Titans were here, or on their way. Either option meant that Joey didn't need to wait much longer before things began to fall apart for his captors. So he humoured them, he kept up his side of the dance and continued to enter the body of his new test subject time and time again. The only concern for the blond Titan was that Ra's might not be so crazy after all. When Joey had taken control of the man's body he felt the same ice cold pain in his skull, but upon opening his eyes or rather the eyes of his test subject, there was something else. He was in control, just as he always had been, but he was no longer alone.
A whispering voice just out of focus was there too, the first time it happened, Joey had a near panic attack trying to figure out just what had happened. Like Ra's wanted a meeting of the minds was occurring and while the father had died during their encounter, when Jericho left the test subjects body the man appeared to be fine, albeit tired from the encounter.
Each time he had done the body jump, the voice grew slightly louder, now on what might be the twentieth attempt for today, the volume of the man's thoughts were as loud as if he was standing right next to him. Joey couldn't understand the words that were being spoken, but they were very much real.
Ra's was right, Joey could do more than simply body snatch, perhaps he did posses more range than anyone had ever thought, if he had been in the madman's possession a few days longer, the demon's head might have well got his wish and been able to use Joey as a conduit and transfer his consciousness into a fresh unsuspecting body. But Ra's time was now up, and each time Talia asked him about the experience after he had returned from the father's body, Joey shook his head, as if nothing had happened.
The Titans would be here soon, he, and every other one of Ra's captives would then be freed. At least that had been Joey's hope. Looking up after once again lying to Talia's face, the blond Titan watched as a man in a fine green robe made his way down to the arena, accompanying him was Shiva. Squinting, Jericho tried to identify the man, he looked a little like Ra's and at first that is who Joey assumed it was, but with every step the man took, it became clearer that this was not Ra's.
It could have been his son, as the man walking down those stairs towards him was easily thirty years younger than Ra's. And yet, the way he walked, the way everyone seemed to react to him and with that same sharp look in the man's eye… was it possible that Ra's and this man were one and the same?
No, impossible. Joey thought Ra's needed him to avoid death, what possible reason would he need that is he was able to regenerate back to his prime? This must be his son. "Mr. Wilson." Ra's voice rang out clear over the arena, destroying any doubt in Joey's mind. The tone was the same, that aura of command and superiority mixed with a slight hint of pleasure as everyone stiffened at their master's call. Even the test subject who had slowly been worn out sat up straighter, given Ra's his full attention. "I'm afraid you will not be enjoying my hospitality much longer."
Did Ra's mean to surrender him? Did he know the battle was lost and that his forces couldn't win? Studying the man's face Joey realised two things. Ra's didn't look upset, angry or even concerned, instead there was this air of triumph about him, there was no need to surrender in his mind, if anything he had already won. So what did he mean by earlier comment? The second thing Joey noticed as Ra's slowly descended into the arena was that his captor and tormentor was not wearing the reflective goggles.
Talia was also aware of this fact and quickly moved to stand in front of her father, to shield him from Joey's gaze, but Ra's quickly laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Mr. Wilson and I will be leaving shortly," He announced before giving Joey his full attention. "Your friends have been captured and should you attempt to escape through me or anyone under my command, I will execute every last prisoner here." Boldly meeting Joey's eye, Ra's looked every bit the tyrant as Joey gritted his teeth together in frustration. Turning from the blond Titan, Ra's began giving some instructions to Shiva, who quickly bowed and began to climb up the stairs out of the arena.
It was a lie, Ra's had nothing that could defeat the Titans with such ease, Starfire alone could probably take on every man and woman under his command without earning more than a bruise. From the moment they met, Joey had been kept on a leash, any move to lash out or escape was countered with the promise of violence and pain inflicted upon another. Now his tormentor was within reach, venerable and yet Joey was still unable to act.
And then a guard moved, whispering in a foreign language the man tried to keep his voice low so not to disturb his master, but the person on the other side of the two way radio was all but screaming back at him, bringing all eyes on the guard. Realising Ra's was now watching him, he bowed and quickly handed the radio over to his master, a second later Joey watched as the demon's head expressed a new emotion, fear.
It was brief but for a moment all his clever plans and wonderful moves had been reduced to nothing. But Ra's quickly covered up and returned to his smug attitude, giving a quick sharp order, he returned the radio to its owner before turning back to Joey, and that is when the Titan struck. In the blond heroes mind his friends where on Ra's doorstep, fighting through his army to get to him, in his desperation the league of assassin's lord might try and use his prisoners as hostages, slow the advance of the heroes, but Joey wasn't going to allow that.
Locking eyes with the man, Ra's had less than a second to realise what was happening before Joey Wilson took control. At least, that is what was meant to have happened, once again he felt pain, terrible ice like pain being stabbed into his mind. This was far more intense than either the father or his latest test subject; still, Joey refused to allow this to stop him. Too close to freedom to give up now. One of Ra's soldiers tried to restrain him, perhaps in an effort to prevent Joey from making their master harm himself, but the guard simply was not prepared for what happened.
Pent up anger since the beginning of this ordeal, combined with Ra's newly regenerated body, all mixed with years of hand to hand combat from both Slade and Robin meant Joey was able to swiftly land several strikes on the man before he could even grab a hold of his master's arms. Jumping backwards, Joey made Ra's draw his own sabre, everyone froze as Talia raised her hand, bringing the cold steel to the demons head's throat, Joey watched through Ra's eyes as the balance of power shifted.
"Wilson." Talia warned her voice as cold as Ra's blade, "You cannot win this fight, surrender now and release my father or else-" The threat went no further as Joey drew the sword lightly across Ra's throat. A collective gasp was heard as a droplet of blood raced down the demons head's neck.
On the outside Joey inside of Ra's appeared to be in full control having got the league in a very uncomfortable position, on the inside the blond Titan wanted to scream. The icy pain in his brain hadn't stopped and with every second it felt like another cold dagger had been plunged into his mind. Was it possible that Ra's was actively fighting his control?
A short week ago the notion would be impossible to Joey, now he wasn't so sure. Readjusting his grip on the sword the Titan tried to plan his next move, waiting for his friends was his best hope and yet, somehow the idea that Talia and her loyal servants would simply allow Joey to hold their leader hostage for several minutes wasn't believable.
But Joey wasn't able to run either, the moment he broke away, made a move, they would be on him, pinning Ra's down to prevent any further harm form befalling him, even if Joey then freed himself and chose to run on foot, how far he could he get? So he waited, expecting the room to start shaking, to hear the sounds of battle as his friends made their way towards him. Instead all he heard was silence, every second feeling like forever as the standoff continued. Then his brain exploded.
The sabre fell from Ra'/Joey's hand as the Titan felt all sense of control leave him, his mind was burning and in less than a second he found himself no longer looking through Ra's eyes, instead there was only darkness and then…
Watching in horror, Talia saw her father and Joey separate, the boy leaving her father's body, she moved immediately to catch Ra's before he fell, supporting him as she slowly lowered him to the floor. The guards around her pinned the Titan, restraining his arms while one reached for a blindfold.
"Father?" Talia spoke, studying Ra's face for any sign of movement, but there was none, aside from the weak breathing that caused his nose to flare slightly. "Wilson?" Turning to glare at the helpless Titan, Talia laid Ra's head gently on the ground before moving towards him. "Wilson what have you done?"
Studying the boy's hands, watching as he tried to speak to her as a guard fought to restrain his wrists Talia felt her eyes widen as she understood what was being said. "I am in control now."
"F- father?" Lowering herself onto one knee, Talia wasn't sure if she could believe it. Had it happened, had Ra's actually managed to put his soul in another body through Joey Wilson and his ability?
"I am your father."
"Release him, but do not lower your guard." She ordered, the guards obeyed, slowly raising the body of Joey Wilson up, but never letting go entirely. Meeting his eyes, Talia saw they were the same black and green when the Titan used his abilities to take control of another. Reaching out with an arm, every guard tensed, but did not act as Joseph Wilson laid gently touched Talia's face, for a moment it was clumsy, as unfamiliar fingers tried to replicate an action that had been done thousands of time under different circumstances.
But quickly Talia understood what the touch was trying to convey. Only in private would Ra's cease being lord and master to her and become only her father, giving her a few kind words and affectionate touches. He would never be a hugger, but through these small and brief moments he would convey his love to his child and now Joey Wilson someone she had not known for more than a week was able to replicate the exact same touch in the exact place her father would. Removing his hand from her cheek Ra's looked through the heroes eyes as Talia slowly sunk to one knee, the guards quickly followed suite as realisation struck them.
"We do not have much time." Ra's conveyed through quick hand gestures. "I must leave for Gotham."
A/N Two chapters to go!
Thanks for all your support and I hope to continue writing chapter 11 shortly, sorry for the longer wait than usual but life and other things required my attention first.
Ra's finally has what he wants so why would he want to go to Gotham? Are we really going back to Gotham? Tuch! Like Slade is going to let that happen, IT ENDS HERE! One way or another. :) Please review if you liked or have any suggestions or feedback to offer, thanks you for reading.