Raven flew Rune out of harm's reach the Raven but was struggling to hold it. Usually when she ferried people they were calm and passive but Rune was in turmoil, struggling and resistant. She looked out across the harbour and realised she wouldn't be able to hold it for that long so let them down on the boardwalk above the beach. Rune spilled out messily and stumbled down to his knees. His back shook as Raven approached him. Raven circled him uncertainly, kneeling him down so his face pale, his eyes were hollow with shock. "She's with Slade" he said, staring blandly out past her. "She's his… his…"

"I know" Raven said sadly, "I heard."

"And I couldn't save her" Rune managed, breaking down again. He hated this feeling, this situation. But more than anything, he hated himself. The worst part was, through all of the things Rose screamed at him, he couldn't prove her wrong on any of them. Raven's hand on his back soon became a hug but Rune was beyond consolation at this point, his mind was too full of his past mistakes.

"It's not your fault" Raven told him. People were beginning to recognise the pair as they walked past and were stopping to watch. "There is nothing you could've done, you made your choices and she made hers, that was not your fault."

Rune knew it was the truth but he just couldn't feel good about it now, why did he have to feel this way? Why did a spectre of his past have to have this power over him? "Go" he told Raven quietly, recognising the amount of people that were watching. "I'll make my own way back when I'm ready."

Raven shifted uncomfortably but relented. "Okay" she said, "don't take too long."

Rune watched her leave as she took off, then flinched. You're a liar, you're a killer, you murdered the one you love… Rose's words echoed through his mind again. Rune watched Raven shrink as she flew father into the distance before he looked down and realised he was gripping his wrist so tightly it was almost beginning to hurt. You're a liar, you're a killer, you murdered the one you love… Rune shook his head angrily, he had been in these dark places before, he knew how to drown the voices out. Rubbing his wrists, he looked around before walking off, there had to be a bottle store around here somewhere.

It seemed so wrong to Raven how neutral everyone was after the fight Rune had been in but of course, none of them knew about it. Beast Boy had yawned and gone back to the TV, Robin was sitting quietly at his computer, Starfire was just finishing off lunch for them all and Cyborg was no doubt making tweaks to the T-Car, he always knew there was one bolt that needed to be a degree extra tighter or a tire that needed a little extra air pressure after every drive. Raven looked at them all, she had come in here planning to tell them what had happened but now as she looked around, she realised that it wasn't her secret to tell, she had to trust that Rune would tell them all when he was ready, he needed to now that Rose was an active enemy of the Titans, working for Slade. She would tell him that when she returned. In the meantime, she decided to go help Cyborg. She hadn't even stepped out of the elevator when he called out. "You're late, I parked up nearly ten minutes ago."

"I just got back" Raven offered, crossing the floor to look at what Cyborg was looking at. He had one of his fingers turned into a wrench and was hovering it over three bolts, unsure of where the problem lay. "What's the issue?"

"The engine's been a bit… bumpy lately in the old girl" Cyborg said dejectedly, "at first I thought it was just the engine mount needed fixing, a couple bolts and good as new again but it hasn't happened. Now there's this," he said, one of his fingers shining a light into an empty space.

"Something missing?" Raven asked.

"There shouldn't be this much space between the rocker arms and the engine" Cyborg explained, "that's what's causing the noise but I can't tell why."

"Maybe it's not the rocker arms that are the problem" Raven said, slipping into a problem-solving mindset, she enjoyed the opportunity to take her mind off all these massive problems at hand and get to something practical that she could fix with her hands. She narrowed her eyes at the rocker arms and looked across from them. "The T-Car operates with a hydraulic system right?"

"The best" Cyborg said, unsure of the new angle Raven was taking.

"Check the oil pressure" Raven told him, disassembling the engine in her mind as she homed in on the issue.

She thought Cyborg might object being given orders when it came to fixing his pride and joy but instead he burst into a smile, glad to see her without the weights he knew were on her mind. He slid underneath and there was a small moment as he removed the cap and attached his own socket. "It's all normal here" he called out.

"I think you need to check the lifters then" Raven told him, "if the oil pressure isn't to blame and the rocker arms have already been accounted for, then the only thing left is the hydraulic lifters just aren't working."

Cyborg came out and grinned. "You're a genius" he exclaimed, kissing her forehead before getting to work. Raven helped him remove the sockets and with a few rattles, Cyborg pried the first loose.

"Those don't look like they should be there" Raven remarked, noting the cracks.

Cyborg's face had drained of colour. "How long has that… I missed…"

Raven looked at him, trying to keep the smirk off her face. "I don't think you realised that cars weren't meant for jumping off cliffs."

This time it was Cyborg's turn to smile as he walked over to a large toolbox and produced spares. "Care for a car and she'll care for you, she just needs a band-aid every now and then.

Raven helped him to take out the old and damaged lifters and replace them with the new ones. It felt good to get grease on her hands and let off on her mind as she got stuck in back again. Eventually the repairs were made and Raven took a seat on the step.

Cyborg leant against the bench next to her. "So you and Rune have been making waves."

Raven rolled her eyes without looking at him. "You too huh?"

"Didn't take a genius to connect the dots after he and BB almost tore the place down" Cyborg said. "Mind telling me what brought it on?"

Raven gritted her teeth behind pursed lips. "Rune and I kissed, it was nothing."

"Right," Cyborg said, not particularly buying the story.

"And Beast Boy saw. He and Rune exchanged some words and things got heated."

"And then they got volcanic" Cyborg remarked. "I could've been fooled into thinking Beast Boy had gone back to his phase of being more beast than boy with Adonis again."

"Yeah well it's over now," Raven said, "they settled it."

"If you say so" Cyborg said but he didn't look convinced. "So where does that leave you and Rune?"

"We're… complicated" Raven mumbled feebly.

"Isn't it always?" Cyborg asked rhetorically, but not unkindly.

"I like him a lot… and he likes me" Raven explained, "but there's still secrets. Secrets that are coming to hurt us, all of us. Being with him is like being in the eye of a hurricane; when I'm with him I feel this peace in my chest that no one else has ever managed to give me but at the same time…"

"You're worried about all the destruction around you" Cyborg finished.

Raven nodded. "Rune is generous, or at least, he thinks of everyone before himself. But sometimes that's more out of an almost self-loathing rather than kindness, and that's not right, it's unsafe. Before he can love anyone, he needs to learn to love himself."

"Maybe he needs you to teach him that" Cyborg suggested softly.

Raven considered his words, then accepted the rag he handed her to wipe the grease off her hands and face. She took the elevator back up and finding that Rune hadn't returned yet, walked casually up to the roof. Raven looked over at Jump City with the wind gently brushing through her hair and somewhere in Jump City, Rune looked back. Where are you Rune? Raven thought wistfully, wishing she could talk to him now. She shouldn't have left him alone after his encounter with Rose. She would make it up to him, she promised herself before going back down to her room.

I am where I belong Rune thought as he finished off the bottle of scotch. It had been an odd sight for the owner of the liquor store to see a teenager, a Teen Titan no less, walk in seconds after opening hours had begun and buy a catalogue of hard spirits but he wasn't one to argue with the cash he was given. And so Rune drank under the pier, looking at the Tower that was supposed to be his home that he now felt so torn from. He needed to hunt for Rose, she was his responsibility, he was just as much to blame for the things she did now as much as Slade was. The boards creaked and shifted above him as people walked above, streams of sand and dust occasionally drifted down to settle in his hair or on his clothes. The waves rushed up to kiss the soles of his feet as the tide snuck higher, the sensation keeping Rune awake even as he slipped further into his drunken fervour. He watched one bottle get pulled away from him, light bounced off it as it drifted out with the slits of sunlight bouncing off it. It was beautiful Rune reflected, and then another memory of Rose would come crashing into his mind like the waves crashing into his feet, the thoughts as welcome as the cold's bite upon his feet. It was time to go before the rising waters trapped him underneath here and forced him into an icy swim. Rune stood up slowly, stumbling a little.You're a liar, you're a killer, you murdered the one you love… Rune's face suddenly curled into a snarl and he swung his last bottle around, smashing it into one of the pier's columns where it shattered. Rune looked at the broken bottleneck in his hand and at the drink that was seeping into the greedy sand. It was probably for the best he imagined. Rune carefully pulled the pieces of glass out of his palm but didn't bother sealing it back up again. After everything his mind was still trying to process, it was nice to feel, even if all there was to feel was pain. Blood dripping from his palm, Rune walked away, already feeling himself sober and wiping his eyes as another perfect memory of Rose came under scrutiny from his mind. You're a liar, you're a killer, you murdered the one you love! Rune dropped to his knees with a cry, hands to his head. As Rose's scream continued to echo in his mind, Rune's memory threw up an image that his mind never wanted to see. He was back on the streets of Gotham again, his runes tingled on his skin the way they always did after they discharged energy.

You're a liar….

It wasn't my fault Rune whispered as he involuntarily drew closer, forced to watch as his body acted autonomously. The slim body was sprawled lifeless on the tarmac, arms stretched out, one leg lying over the other with the hips twisted. Her face was looking away from him.

You're a killer…

No Rune told himself, please, don't show me this again. He reached the body and knelt to the ground, feeling the crowd of criticising eyes watching him, passing judgment. His hand pressed against her neck as he ran a hand underneath to scoop her in his arms. There was no pulse, she was dead.

You murdered the one you love.

Rune had no more words as he cradled the lifeless body in his arms, he just let his tears out, hot tear streaks burning down his face. Her body seemed so delicate, so petite in his arms. He pulled his head up from her body, already colder then he remembered at looked at her face before the shock hit him. The face with a line of blood running down from her nose, was not Rose's, it was Raven's. Rune looked down in horror as he cradled Raven in his arms, her heart still, her body limp. The line of blood began to drip off the side of her face. Rune was transfixed, he couldn't stop looking, couldn't tear his eyes away. He eventually found his voice through the terror and screamed, holding her closer than he had ever held Rose, more unwilling to let her go than any other time he had relived this nightmare. The world flashed and Rune found himself again in the sand, his fists buried under the sand. Rune jumped back to his feet quickly and found himself looking at his runes with a sense of dread. What he had done was terrible but possibly what was still coming was even worse.

Raven would never show it but underneath, she was beginning to get worried. She hadn't seen Rune all day and it was beginning to dip into the evening, the sun beginning to impose upon the western horizon. Raven put down her book and walked towards the lounge. On her way, she found Beast Boy heading out. "Hey Garfield," Raven said, trying to sound casual, "do you know when Rune is getting back home?"

Beast Boy frowned, being called by his actual name was odd in itself, in addition to the question. "Rune got back over an hour ago" he said uncertainly to Raven.

Raven's eyes widened. "What?"

The shape shifter shrugged. "Yeah, he passed me in the corridor, went straight for his room. Didn't look like he was in a mood to be messed with. He okay?"

"That's what I'm about to find out" Raven said, turning with a flourish of her cloak, leaving Beast Boy to go back to looking for enough socks for his stankball. Raven forced herself to keep her pace at walk but nevertheless she could her her footsteps quickening. Why hadn't Rune come to her earlier? Why hadn't he ended her worrying? It'll all be answered soon enough she reasoned, turning the corner to see his room. She opened the door without knocking and peeked inside. The room was empty but she could hear the shower running. Based on the steam leaking out of the open doorway, she guessed it had been running for about the same time as Rune had returned to the tower. She reached the doorway and seeing the mirror fogged up with steam, took a step inside to see a sight that turned her insides cold. Rune was on his knees in the shower, fully dressed. Red tinged the water around him as it ran down into the drain and disappeared. Rune had one forearm stretched out in front of him, and with his other hand was desperately trying to cut at it with a razor blade only for the perpetually glowing red rune to seal it up instantaneously. Raven's eyes widened as she called out his name and stepped into the shower, throwing aside all cares for her cloak which quickly became drenched. She knelt down and grabbed his hand, forcing him to become still. She pulled his hand harder and twisted him round, forcing him to face he as he fell back to sit. Despite the hot water beating down on him, evidence of his tears was obvious. Raven took the razor from his hand and threw it behind her, looking back at Rune desperately trying to seek an answer for his actions.

Rune just shook his head lamely at her. "She was right about me" he told Raven.

Raven felt tears welling in her own eyes. She didn't speak but just wrapped Rune in her hug, feeling his arms wrap around her in reply. This was different from the embrace they had shared after their talk on the beach, that had been born out of want but the way they held each other now was need. The end half of Rune's sleeve hung off his arm at the elbow, the fabric shredded. Raven's cheek was pressed against his, her eyes firmly shut as one of hands pressed between his shoulder blades and the other against the back of his head. Rune's hands were spread, Raven could feel each of his fingers arched, holding her tight against his body, almost incapable of letting her go. Rune let every feeling of how much he needed Raven flow through the embrace, how he could never bear to lose her, not after everything already lost. His heart thumped in his chest as he remembered his vision. He would never let anyone hurt her. Rune had not been able to live up to a few things in his life but he swore that promise would not be among them.

Raven could feel her wet hair sticking to her face, her cloak was already heavy from all the water running through it. Minutes later, the hot water still running over both of them, Raven could feel herself heating up and slowly began to lean back, trying to find a position slightly removed before she became uncomfortably hot. Rune eventually loosened his arms but she didn't leave his embrace. She retracted her head, and rested it against his. "Everything will be okay" she whispered softly to him, with a voice he could listen to forever. "Just please don't punish yourself anymore, I can't take this."

"I never want to hurt you" Rune whispered back.

"Then don't hurt yourself" she told him back. As he nodded, she kissed him. It was soft, just her lips brushing against his, more to show the feeling behind it than the physical contact. Whatever the first one had meant though, whether spawned from the first, or the heat or the steam, their second kiss was not mistakable by the passion. Rune lifted his face from looking at the ground as Raven stroked his cheeks and closed her eyes, letting her lips travel the distance between them by faith. Her lips met his and she felt the desperate grip on her tighten. She knew this was the way she had always wanted to be held, the way Starfire wanted Robin to hold her, this need, the thought that this could be the last time he might ever hold her. Just from his actions alone it was made startlingly obvious to Raven how much Rune treasured her, and in her own chest blossomed a feeling of heat and happiness in a concoction that she couldn't quite name but was still intoxicated with. Her lips parted and her tongue reached down as she made the first move. She parted his lips easily and met his tongue halfway, exchanging the tastes of each other's tongues whilst the hot water kept showering upon them. Rune's legs had straightened through the gap between her legs as she knelt as she still held his face, stopping between kisses only to look in the eyes that mirrored her own and promise him that everything would be all right again. Her cape was heavy as it lay spread out behind her, the fabric soaked. Raven took her hand away from for the briefest of moments as she reached up to the clasp and with a deft movement, unbuckled it and it fell down to the ground. Rune stopped long enough for his eyes to drink in the gorgeous figure of her bodice before he looked back up to her again. "Are you sure?" He asked her. He knew the alcohol had worn off and he knew despite his state he was doing this for the right reasons, Raven meant everything to him now, there was nothing he wouldn't do for her but he didn't want to make her feel obligated to do anything.

Raven seemed to read all those thoughts in the blink of a mind's eye as she gave an understanding smile and pressed a finger to his lips. "Yes" she told him, keeping her voice serious yet soft. "I want this, I want you." She felt her feeling multiply with every word, she remembered fighting with a screaming disturbed teenager in the park so long ago but even then, there was some part of her that whispered he would mean so much more to her than she could imagine. "And about that I've never been more sure about anything."

Rune pulled her into another kiss, his hands running down her back down her spine to her hips and back up her sides. His digits took turns applying pressure before relaxing again on her back, like he was playing piano, the shifts between gentle and forceful was driving Raven crazy as her muscles hardened against him before they relaxed he struck again while she was weak. Rune pressed up against her and Raven shut off the shower, ending the torrent and forcing them to cling together tighter to keep the heat between them as they stood. Rune's hand drifted past her dripping leotard to the bare skin of her thigh and toughened. Raven's eyes snapped open as he suddenly lifted her up but her head fell back as he rested her pelvis against his, feeling the hardness beneath press through his clothes. Her legs wrapped around him with an iron strength as he walked out the bathroom, neither of them bothering to dry. He softly deposited her on the bed and crawled up quickly to be on top of her, her legs resuming their clutch. Her fingers ran through his hair as he traced her hairline with his thumb and supported himself with his other hand. Raven broke off the kiss with a smirk as one of her hands found his waistline and snuck underneath his shirt. Rune unconsciously tensed as Raven's hands slid over his abdominal muscles, keeping her absorbed in the glorious bliss. Rune moved to kiss her neck and Raven's back arched at the sensation she had craved since being given her first taste to it. The gasp she took must've pleased Rune because he kept there, just elevating her need even higher. Raven's hands clawed as her hands moved around his body as she aggressively yanked at his shirt, forcing him to break as she pulled it off him. As Rune looked down at her in the subdued sunlight pressing through the steamed window, Raven looked at him. His hardened muscles, the various scars including the claw marks on his shoulder, the tattoos and the runes that lay carved beneath them, her breath left her. She didn't see him as hot, though he most certainly was. Who Rune was was literally etched into his skin, you couldn't look at him without seeing that and Raven saw the man in the glow and knew this was more than just a fling, more than just a relationship. He was special, this was special, they were special. Rune leant down again to kiss her again, his groin brushed against hers and she took a sharp breath, flushing red. Rune took the opportunity to tantalise her, pushing again, this time with intent. Raven felt him press through between their clothes against her, feeling the heat spread from underneath her belly button. Rune pushed again and Raven almost screamed, how could someone torment her so pleasurably? She could feel the buds at the tips of her breasts pressing against the confines of her leotard. She pressed against him and rolled him over to be on top. As Rune watched, Raven reached back behind and slowly pulled down her zip. Rune watched silently, sensing this was something Raven wanted to do for both him and herself, this wasn't to be rushed. The zip reached her mid back and and its bottom. Raven reach up to her shoulders and pulled at the leotard, feeling it roll off her shoulders, below her collarbones and finally her breasts. Rune's eyes stayed looking into hers as she pulled her arms out of the sleeves and took a small breath, anticipation and nervousness rushed in almost as much as the oxygen. She nodded to Rune and he sat up to her. Her bare breasts pressed against his chest, her nipples rubbing against his bare hot skin and hardening even more so, yet Rune still kept his eyes looking into hers. Raven's heart felt like swelling further, is this what Starfire feels for Robin? Her mind asked.

No she told it in reply, taking Rune and tasting his lips again softly, this is what I feel for Rune. She mewled quietly as his fingers found her right nipple, soft fingers gently thumbing and brushing it, teasing and experimental. Her reaction was all he required as he pulled her back underneath him and his kisses began to trail lower. Raven became confused as suddenly as touches of his flesh left her, then she bit her lower lip hard as she felt the warm and wet roughness of his tongue on her flesh. Her fingers found his hair and gripped tightly as he teased, tasted and nipped at the flesh of her aching bud. His hand trailed down her side to settle on her hip, his finger tips poked underneath her leotard that was concealing the last and most precious part of her flesh. Raven's hand grabbed his and Rune flinched, afraid he'd gone too far but swallowed as she pushed it down with her own hand, gently kicking it off with her lithe legs. Rune took another swallow, she was naked underneath him, he could almost feel the heat and nervousness radiating of her flesh, and hoped he wasn't as obvious. This meant so much and he was hiding how afraid he was of screwing it all up. She helped shrug off his pants and the two held each other, both wanting what was next but neither wanting to rush, appearing too overeager. Pressing his hips against hers, Rune could finally feel her against him, the warmth of her body, the scent of her skin, the taste of her lips. It was all he had dreamed about and more.

"Please" she whispered and Rune obliged, positioning himself at her entrance. Raven's teeth pressed further into her bottom lip before Rune entered her and her back arched, her lips parted in a soundless cry of pleasure. Rune pushed himself as deep as he could go, feel Raven's walls ripple around him, hot and wet. Raven pulled him into another kiss but broke it off as she shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you all right?" Rune asked.

She nodded, "Just go slow."

Rune understood and started slow, retracting and gently pushing in centimetres at a time which soon grew to inches. The memories of the time Raven had fantasised about Rune seemed to come to life as she saw his stomach muscles rippling with every thrust. Rune thrusted hard and Raven's fingers became claws, digging into her skin as she involuntarily let go of a moan. Rune was only encouraged as he began to move faster again, teasing her with a intoxicating blend of speed and depth. Rune grunted as her fingers tightened and started to puncture the skin, the pain only heightening his pleasure, it was so hard not to lose his mind but he was still focussed on pleasuring Raven, not himself. Their breathing became faster and more ragged, clawing for oxygen as much as they clawed for each other. If the shower wasn't responsible for the steam pressing against the main window, they certainly were. The soft, delicate and measured approach had become a need, driven by lust and mad instinct. Rune drove deeper, the pleasure was so intense his limbs were almost beginning to become numb. He began to thrust into her harder with more intense and driven passion, breathing giving way to shallow gasps. Raven raised her hips as he thrusted, allowing him to envelop himself fully within her on each thrust, she almost felt on the edge of passing out from the bliss but she wouldn't, not yet, not when she was so close. Her small breasts bounced with every thrust. Rune felt it starting to itch as he thrusted with a desperate urgency. His jaw clenched, his stomach muscles tightened and he groaned her name. Raven tried to reach up to kiss him but fell back as she felt the ripples as his excitement overflowed and spilled. It was like she had been a cord, every kiss, touch and thrust had tightened and tightened her, stretching her to breaking point. As Rune reached his climax, the cord snapped. Raven's lips parted in a silent 'O' as her arms outstretched, grabbing fistfuls of the sheets as every muscle in her body tensed. The first wave slammed through her, wracking her body. The second wave she was unprepared for as it reverberated through her body to the tips of her fingers, making them fall limp. She convulsed at third, sending flares of pleasure fire off around Rune who was still buried deep inside her, engulfed in the same ecstasy. He took a few seconds to regain some sense of the world before he toppled over to lie on the bed beside her. The only audible sound was the two of them struggling to catch their breath as their chests rose and fell. After a moment of studying the ceiling, the two looked at each other and couldn't do anything except break out into a smile with short bursts of laughter between breathing. Raven smiled as Rune gave a chuckle, the happiness in him almost eclipsing the pleasure that had surged through his body moments ago. Raven silenced him as she rolled over and kissed him again, his breathless mouth filled again by her tongue as they wrestled against one another before necessity forced them apart again. Raven rolled to the edge of the bed, not wanting to know if the wet patch in the middle of Rune's bed was from the water of the shower they came in with, sweat or something more intimate. She took another breath and felt a few renegade hairs stuck to her forehead, knowing the second option was still in the running.

"I hope we don't have training this afternoon" Rune remarked, clearly following the same train of thought.

Raven covered her smile, even though she was facing away from him. She felt him reach over and trace her spine with his fingers. "You know what's the ironic thing?" She asked Rune.

"What?" He queried.

"We're going to need another shower" Raven told him, setting both of them into small stifled fits of laughter again.

It was past midnight when the first explosion erupted, though closely followed by the second. Rune bolted upright in bed breathing heavily. He watched the orange flowers bloom in the city over the water with horror on his face. "What's going on?"

Raven was already watching from the window. "The city's ablaze."

The team quickly convened in the lounge and set off with Beast Boy as the guard but on their way, Robin received a call. It was the commissioner. "There's been five explosions in total…"

"We know," Robin replied curtly, "we're already on our way."

"I wouldn't advise that" the commissioner said seriously.

Robin stopped, the other Titans halting at his lead. "Why?"

"These are the buildings that were attacked," the commissioner started. As he progressed down the list, the colour drained from Robin's face.

"Those are the buildings that we went to, that all turned out to be false alerts" Cyborg said.

"Not anymore" the commissioner said darkly, "and an anonymous source has streamed footage to the media of the Titans visiting all buildings hours before the bombings."

"Slade" Cyborg said quietly. Amongst the roars of the fires, the screams of grief and anguish from Jump City's citizens pierced through, crying out for a saviour, and answers.

"They think we did this" Rune said grimly, wondering how many people had died, were dying. The chemical warehouse alone would kill at least a hundred people once the gases began to leak.

"That's not true" Robin said angrily.

"And I believe that but how many others will?" The commissioner asked. When Robin didn't reply he sighed. "Make no mistake, Jump City is burning but tonight, so are the Teen Titans."

What a mess Red X thought as he surveyed the city from his window. The sun was still hours from coming up. The screams of sirens would no doubt be annoying him to no end all night, not to mention all morning. He'd actually been out scoping a high end retailer for a potential heist when one of the bombs had blown in the next block over, it had almost seared his cape. He'd recovered a few pieces of the bomb and retreated back to his penthouse, the handiwork was undoubted Slade's, the burnt out fragments were sitting on Red X's coffee table. He turned away and looked at the TV, every station was playing either news of the event or displaying the civil defence message. Red X's eyes narrowed on the footage, watching as the screen broke into five segments displaying the Titans leaving each of the buildings. His lip curled in a ruthless smile, Slade had played everyone like a harp, there was nothing like the knee-jerk reaction of a public backlash to drown all semblance of logical, rational argument. It was brilliant, and it also provided him with an opportunity. He picked the communicator off his belt and opened a channel. "Wally, you were right" he said, putting on a false tone of humility that Kid Flash would believe, "what's happening, it has to stop, we need to stop this before it gets worse, before anyone else gets hurt." His white canine teeth were exposed by his wolfish smile, "we take down the Teen Titans. Tomorrow night."