Chapter Fourteen: Dungeons and Dragons

With the battle cry echoing in the sparse rafters, the Titans, all the Titans, sprung into action. Those that could fly immediately took to the air, using their height to their advantage as they surrounded and kept Slade in their sights. Those that could project energy proceeded to do so, forcing Slade to move to stay on his feet.

The key, Robin realized long ago, to capturing and keeping Slade was surprising him, not an entirely possible feat. Slade was a highly organized mind, one on par with Robin and Batman. A trio of minds equal in cleverness, anal-ness, and duplicity. Whereas for years Robin has been facing Slade as a polar opposite, in morality and genius, it took a serious talk with Jinx about Slade to realize that, as Slade had said so long ago, they were not opposites. Robin and Slade were very much alike.

To take down Slade, Robin had to devise a plan to take down himself. By extension, a plan to take down Batman. In truth, Robin didn't have to devise a plan at all. Batman, the ultimate in paranoid, had several plans for taking Robin and himself down all tucked away in the Batcave. The trick was getting to that knowledge without getting caught.

It wasn't hard to get, it was hard to keep. Robin had used the last month as an excuse to stay away from Gotham. He'd let Jinx and Jericho start and play out most of the plan. Batman couldn't know that Robin had usurped his back-up plans. Deathstroke, aka Slade, was as much Bat's enemy as he was Robin.

Robin was prideful enough to want this capture to be his and his alone. Well, figuratively at least; it would be the Titans' capture. One destined to push them out of their adult mentor's shadows and into the limelight as a group of Heroes on their own. No more "Justice League Lite" jokes. No more head pats and candy.

Robin stood to his feet, thinking all that while he watched his teammates execute planned maneuvers in perfect harmony. Most of them knew what was going on, had had some idea of it since before a month ago. The few that didn't had been told for necessary reasons.

Jinx grabbed Kid's arm, pulling him from his shocked gaze and to his feet, trying to get him to move lest he get hit by a stray Starbolt from Starfire. "Move, Kid Flash!"

"Jinx? Um...I don't want to sound slow, but what's going on?" He asked as he pulled her out of the way of a stray electric 'sting' of Bumblebee's. They ducked behind the crumbling remains of a wall and watched the action unfolding. The sight of tenor so Titans going at it with one man, albeit a very talented, very tricky hit man, was a sight to behold.

"We're trying to take down the most dangerous man in the world."

"You're not evil?"

"Nope."

"Jericho isn't evil?"

"Nope."

"Robin isn't-"

"Nope!"

Kid Flash nodded slowly, watching everything with narrowed eyes. "Okay," he said softly, brushing a heartbeat of a kiss on her cheek before speeding his way into battle to help out. Jinx smiled (and blushed) and followed him.

Speedy notched his arrows and let them fly, watching in amazement as Slade ducked and jumped, avoiding the arrows, starbolts, soulself, beestings, and every other magically and practically produced projectile. It was like watching a flower bloom, impossible yet still tangible.

It only proved just how much Slade had been holding back with them that he could take this attack and still hold strong. With projectiles of his own, Slade took down Pantha, Bumblebee, and Argent within the first few seconds of the fight.

Swinging onto some wire of the foundation arcing across the ceiling, Slade slammed feet first into Raven, sending her spirally to the floor (yet safely into Beast Boy's arms), before using the momentum to parry back and onto Starfire's back. Still in midblast, He threw off her aim just enough to send several bolts into ground at Kid Flash's speeding feet.

Their numbers were dwindling, and this fight had to end soon.

Thus was the conundrum of capturing Slade Wilson. A man so talented in fighting that to send too few is a suicide mission, yet too many can feel fool-hardy. Robin, however, had planned for such an occurrence, the only deviation he'd made from Batman's made-to-order scenario.

Even as Kid Flash started to run, so fast as to create a fog of the dust and dirt in the room, reinforcements had arrived.

"Somebody call for a little light?" Cyborg asked with a cheesy grin as he aimed his sonic boom gun at Slade, who'd landed softly on his feet after taking out five, yep, count it, FIVE of the Titans facing him.

At his sides, Superboy and Aqualad both looked ready to rumble, and below him Mas y Menos looked...adorable as usual but vaguely threatening in a chibi-like way. Even as they took a "battle stance", Herald created a portal behind them, dropping from above with Kid Devil and Red X at his sides. They once again outnumbered Slade (at least from a tactical standpoint).

Robin stood at Jinx's side, watching as the five new players entered the game and the plan came full circle. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Do you think it'll hold him?"

Robin shrugged. "For all his skill, he's only human."

She nodded and stepped back, needing ample room to perform this latest trick up their sleeves. Whereas most of the new arrivals immediately started to parry attacks with Slade, Herald came immediately to Jinx's side. They didn't speak; instead she stepped into his arms, spooning her back to his front as she began to concentrate.

Pink energy started at her fingertips, sliding into her hands and up her arms. Herald placed his horn in front of her face, aware that she could not touch it with her hands, not when channeling this much power lest it dissolve the instrument. They had bare minutes to get this done.

Cyborg blasted sound and energy at Slade, an unwieldy weapon incapable of bending that easily was dodged and did more damage to the building. Aqualad flooded the ground with water, causing Slade to lose traction, but also causing everyone else to. Mas y Menos couldn't run on it, but they were no Kid Flash. He still ran to and fro, trying to get close to Slade.

Pulling a small device from a hidden pouch, Slade jumped high enough to grab a wire and let it fall. As soon as it hit the water, anyone in it or near was electrocuted, sending quite a few into a stupor. Aqualad and Cyborg in particular were hit hard.

A small electromagnetic pulse Slade kept handy dissolved the electricity, letting him safely land on the ground again. Before he could get his feet under him, his own daughter Rose was at his throat with a sword. She was easily parried having nowhere near the experience as he, but it was more emotional damage that physical.

He'd hoped for many things, out of this. To have his family with him again, to protect them from all things bad in the world as he never had been able to do before. Instead, his daughter sought to cut the tongue from his mouth and his son went from body to body, using their unconscious forms to battle him. Even now, Pantha rose again and with eyes bright blue began to lift heavy rubble and throw it at him.

"Give up now, Father. We want only for you to stop hurting people."

"You're a child," Slade said through grinding teeth. "You know nothing of pain."

"You think so, Father? I cannot speak. They tried to kill me. I know more of pain than most."

"You are a disgrace, Joey." Slade responded softly, using his own hidden sword to block Rose's advances, even while he tried to plan a way out in style.

He never should have come in person. Indeed, in any other situation, he wouldn't have. These were his children, however, and he'd wanted to reunite with them in the flesh. To know and sense their presence again would have made his bitter soul happy.

It was not to be.

Slamming the butt of his sword into Rose's blinding white hair, a mirror of his own, he sent her sprawling to the floor. He looked right at Jericho/Pantha as he spoke. "I have no children."

"So be it, Slade," Jericho responded, sliding from Pantha's body and becoming corporeal in his own.

Even as Slade readied to make his exit (he'd slowly made his way to the large broken outer wall, the only safe way to enter and exit), Jinx and Herald made their move. Together, with Jinx holding the horn within a bright pink energy and he blowing into it, they created a large pink portal just behind Slade.

Working in sync, Superboy and Kid Flash ran at Slade, knowing an opportunity when they see it. They pushed him into it, not following him in by the grace of God and Jinx, who closed the portal just before they could.

The Titans, suddenly, mercifully without an enemy for the moment, watching as if through a window as Slade began to tumble head over end into a large dimension, seemingly filled with clouds. Jinx smiled and broke the silence. "Welcome to the Phantom Zone, Slade."

It took a few seconds for their bodies to realize it was over, so overwrought with tension and adrenaline. When they did, several of the teens had to slide to the floor and sit for sheer exhaustion of it.

For all their battles and their losses, the Teen Titans had never truly battle such an opponent as Slade, not at full potential at least. The villains they face were usually of a lighter persuasion, nowhere near as deadly and dangerous as those that adult Heroes faced.

This was a turning point for them. No more "kiddie villains" for them. The Teen Titans were grown up, so to speak, and ready to make a real mark on the world.

Kid Flash, still standing there and watching Slade through the window, noted quietly to himself, "I don't know what just happened, but it was awesome."