Disclaimer: no ownership infringements were harmed in the making of this story. Characters are entirely based off of other fictional ones and I still own none of them. YAY!

Now you get to see what Batsy has planned for Slade. Just realized that the last chapter was the last time you'd see Supes, and though a few other Leaguers were mentioned, they don't really have lines. =P oh well. Enjoy!

Slade Plan B

Ch. 21 – Living Prison

"So, what are your plans for me Martian?" Slade focused his mocking glare on his jailer, challenging him to do his worse. He knew the League wouldn't kill him. The most they could do was lock him in the same room as Batman and the rest for a few hours, and that could end in his favor. "Torture? Corporal punishment? The world courts will be on you before you can blink."

The Martian didn't even blink at the remark. He just stood there like a statue, arms crossed and stance wide. It was almost unnerving how still he was. Was it really even alive? Maybe they left him with a robot look-a-like.

No, he was breathing. Real deal.

"I anticipate Interpol has already been contacted as to my whereabouts." No response from the alien. Was he sleeping? "Are you just holding me until another facility can be arranged?"

The silence from the alien was almost making him wish he was hearing Robin's incessant chatter and insults. With nothing but this near all-powerful being (only downplayed because of Superman's human appearance and manners) as company, Slade was becoming both antsy and bored. Every five minutes or so he'd propose a question, mostly what the League was planning for him. But since he was getting no answers, he decided to change subjects, something that would hopefully unnerve the alien.

"Tell me, how well do you know Robin?" The assassin imagined a twitch in the Martian's face. He smirked darkly. "Do you know him as well as I do?"

Nothing came from Manhunter's lips, but he knew his eyes narrowed now, still staring at him. So Slade continued, smiling darkly and talking slowly to drag this out as much as possible.

"You and the rest of your kind see him as nothing more than a child. One you've molded into an idealistic soldier for justice. I see what he truly is: a remarkable tool for anyone's crusade. He and I are very much alike. It was mere chance he was taken in by Bruce Wayne, your Batman. Had I found him at such a young age, he would have become far more. Tell me, was his foolish 'love' for his friends a natural tendency of his, or instilled in him from your League since childhood?

"His so called team is only a childish attempt to imitate what he grew up with. A semblance of a mishmash family. You and I both know they've only gotten lucky in the past. Sheer numbers and combinations of powers saved them against the Brotherhood of Evil. Brother Blood and his forces were pathetic drones compared to the forces you've faced. And those rouges in Jump, they're inept in almost every way. Those Titans are only playing hero. A handful of them are genuine, but the rest… How can a boy with such potential waste his time with them? I did him a favor taking him away from them. Even from you.

"Your compassion is your weakness, and you infected the boy." A sneer grew on the man's face. He was enjoying putting thoughts in the alien's head. Playing mind games was always a pastime of his. "I've been driving it out of him. Interpol won't be able to hold me long. None of you can really stop me from taking Robin away once again. I know him too well. He will join me, of his own accord. Robin will—"

The door opened behind Manhunter, revealing an irritated Batman. He stepped through the door way, glaring at Slade coldly as he came to his comrade's side. The assassin sneered. "Well, if it isn't Batman. Finally here to finish the job? Or to concede who is the better fighter. A different terrain would result in a far different outcome."

The criminal shifted in his metal bindings, every limb fastened tightly to his body, puffing his chest in almost a military fashion as he matched glares to the dark knight. "Tell me," he sneered, "just how is Dick Grayson doing?"

There was an ever so slight clenching in the man's jaw and turn of his head, but he did not move from his position. The Martian also moved his head a little, possibly exchanging glances with the Bat. It was hard to tell since neither of them had pupils. They stayed silent a moment longer, Slade's dark smile growing by the second before Manhunter nodded.

"Agreed."

The assassin raised his one good eyebrow inquiringly. "And just what are you agreeing to?"

"Tell me," Batman started, some dark amusement coming to his voice, "what do you know about hypnotic suggestion?"

Slade lost his smile, starting to glare at the two Leaguers. "Excuse me?"

"You know too much," Martian Manhunter stated evenly, coming closer to their prisoner. "Too many personal details. We cannot have you endangering the lives of innocent civilians again."

The assassin gave them a cool look before responding. "The circus."

"You will not be going after Robin or Dick Grayson ever again." The dark knight seemed to become more threatening by the moment.

"And you're going to ensure that how?" He looked over to the Martian, remembering his many reported abilities. "By erasing my mind? The World Courts will love to hear this."

This time Batman smirked, cruelty coming from the edges of his mouth. "Not quite that merciful."

Manhunter grabbed Slade's forehead, his eyes glowing dangerously as he forced the assassin to his knees. All at once pain shot through his head, making his rapidly healing concussion feel like a knife through his skull. He gritted his teeth to fight against the pain, used to torture like this. He couldn't wait to report this, if he remembered. Images flashed through his mind, names and faces, even places, all within milliseconds of each other. Each and every one of them had to do with Robin, all the research he'd done.

After a minute or two of this pain, the alien let go, leaving him to sweat and try to grip his head in effort to relieve his headache. As Slade stifled a groan on the ground, he quickly reviewed what had happened. The pain, the images, recent events, all of it was still in his mind, easy to dig up without any problems. He looked at his hands and the floor for a moment, before looking back to the Leaguers. Manhunter was taking a step back, nodding to the Bat.

"It is done."

"What's done?" He glared daggers with his one good eye. "What did you do to me alien!"

"Tell me Slade," Batman taunted, "what's my name?"

The assassin snarled back at the man who narrowly defeated him. "What kind of questioning is this?"

"You'll learn soon enough."

The detective's answer only made the man angrier, but he answered anyway. "It's Batman."

"And my partner's?"

"Ex-partner," he corrected first. "Robin."

"Is that all?" There was an annoying superiority note in his voice. He knew something Slade didn't, and he hated that feeling.

"Of course not W—" All the sudden Slade's head started to burn inside, crying in agony. His throat clammed up, preventing him from speaking, and his hands cramped very painfully, unable to do anything to help him. The pain lasted only a few moments, but long enough to make one thing clear.

He couldn't say his name.

Batman smiled devilishly. "Hypnotic suggestions. It could take the rest of your miserable life to correct them. Martian Manhunter is one of the strongest psychics within the League, and your taunting was all he needed to agree with me."

"Neither of us support mind wipes," the Martian explained shortly. "You worked hard to find their identities and we respect that. You just will not be able to share that information, with anyone, in any form. Even if another psychic tries to reach into your mind for it, you will feel this pain and the information will not leave you."

Slade kept his eye on his captors, not quite believing them. They messed with his mind and let him know it. They were going to leave the information in his head, but forbid him from sharing it. He gave them a mocking smirk. "You're a couple of fools."

"Don't count on it." Batman stepped within three inches of the man, bearing down in him without making any contact. "There's more to this. As much as I'd like to cripple you for life for what you've done, I can't."

"Setting an example still?" The man really was a fool. Teaching the boy even when he wanted nothing more to do with him.

"As should you. Joseph would be ashamed of you for your actions." The two men glared menacingly at each other.

"Leave him out of this," Slade growled protectively.

"You brought him into it." The Bat's glare didn't waver. "He's a Titan now, helped save the others against the Brotherhood of Evil. A hero. And you hurt one of his friends."

These words of truth stabbed into the man, making him want to pull away but refused to for pride's sake. How dare he bring up his son! Joseph had nothing to do with this! And yet… Jericho really wouldn't be pleased by his villainous father's actions. He never was. He let the boy down, again. And still had nothing to show for it.

"You're not taking him again." Batman took a step back looking over to Manhunter for a moment. "You know you can't control Robin, even the slightest bit, without leverage. You used his friends' lives the first time and Haley's Circus this time. There is no more leverage now."

"So," Slade started bitterly, "you've a guard on that troupe now?"

"No need." The dark knight's smile matched his reputation, nearly frightening the other two. "Just try and say their name."

For a moment the assassin was tempted to do so, but realized what the suggestion would be. Instead he scowled at the two Leaguers. Even the Martian was smiling now. "If you so much as look in their general direction, or come after any of Richard's friends and family, you will feel the same pain, over and over again until you leave them be. Any attempts on their lives by sniper or bomb will also be evaded by your new condition."

"No more leverage," the Bat concluded. "If you want to fight Robin, I can't stop you. You want to fight me, fine. But keep others out of it. He won't be your apprentice, ever. He's outgrown mentors, and you don't think the way he does."

"Outgrown." Slade sneered at the caped crusader, trying to gain back some ground he knew he lost. "Even you. How will he react when he hears about this? He'll only hate you more."

There was silence for the space of a few minutes before the man spoke again. "Possibly, but you cannot predict that. Robin's a free spirit and chooses his own path. He's not a bird who can be locked in a cage. You should know this by now. At heart, you two are nothing alike."

Batman looked over to Manhunter as the assassin scowled at them both. "Interpol will be ready for him in a couple hours. Keep him in here anyway you feel like it."

The two kept their eyes on each other for a moment longer before the dark knight seemed to give a relenting sigh, making the Martian smirk triumphantly. While the one technically normal man left the room, locking the door firmly, the alien went back to his original location as prison guard and reassumed his stony posture as when Slade first woke up. He glared at him a moment longer before trying to get answers once again. Yet nothing would leave his throat.

Manhunter smirked, amused beyond anything. "I would advise staying silent Slade Wilson. Though chatty children are quite a comfort, your voice grates on my nerves. And I do have them."

Forced into silence, Slade settled down for just watching and glaring at the green creature. He'd have worked on planning an escape or his next plan, but felt the alien would hear his thoughts, making plans useless. So the only thing he could start thinking of was how to get even with Batman, and take Robin down in the mean time.

A/N: I think I may have made Slade a little OOC here, making him so chatty, but he is more of a talker in TT isn't he? Slight reference to Identity crisis with the whole Mindwipe idea, but with a slight modification. Hypnotic suggestions can't make a person kill themselves or anything that would threaten their lives, but making them feel pain is possible if you're a really powerful psychic. I've always wondered why Slade didn't do more in the comics to make Dick's life miserable, but here I made it so he can't. =P Mouth mind and hands are rendered useless when he tries to connect the two identities together and if he tries to come near their civilian allies/those just outside of costume. Meaning Slade's still the Titan's problem, but only as titans. he can't attack their personal lives.

Yes, I've had this planned from the beginning. I think a mindwipe or accidental death is too kind a fate. What's worse than having a great secret and having no one you can tell it to? So fun. And having J'onn and Slade in the same room for probably an hour or two was Bats' way of getting him to agree on this tactic. J'onn couldn't stand the man any longer than that. *evil laugh*

Next chap. has the last you'll see of the titans. Kinda feels like unnecessary fluff but... *shrugs* oh well.

In other news, I've finished writing this! *does happy dance* now to go get ice cream!