Two updates in the same week whaaaat? Well not for this story obviously, but if you follow me you'll have seen the other one-shot I posted and then took down and then posted again as a three-shot or whatever. It's really long, and for a section of the last chapter I had to make the whole thing rated M. If you're curious but unsure, it's not graphic or anything, I don't think, but I'm just trying to play it safe. ANYWAY, this story! We're nearing the end and as we get to the more exciting bits I hope I'll have an easier time writing them out. Maybe a few more chapters after this. Welcome to the climax! Well the set-up at least. Enjoy!

The tension in the air was crushing, and no one was in a good mood. No one wanted to be there, but they all knew they had to be. There were no leads; Jericho had disappeared into thin air, and all the people in the world who were most desperate to find him again pretty much hated each other.

Kole felt a bit lucky to be able to look up to Robin as the leader and let him decide things. She definitely did not want to get between Slade and Adeline at the moment. The hatred between them rolled off in waves, and all the Titans wanted to do was stay out of it. It was actually almost fascinating to witness, though, the two people who seemed to be filled with the most stubborn loathing, and they had produced such a kind and loving child as Jericho.

Jericho, whom once again was missing and in even greater danger than before.

They were currently outside the school; all the students and teachers had been escorted back inside, and only a handful of police remained to gather what information they could about the attack. For the most part, they realized it was an issue for the Titans to handle. And, since both parents of the only boy that was missing were already both involved, they figured that they were in the clear as far as investigating anything.

Robin carefully cleared his throat, trying to interrupt the silent glaring contest that the two adults were back to having, despite his earlier outburst. It was strange and frightening for the Boy Wonder to be here. Adeline was intimidating enough but now suddenly, for the first time ever, he was faced with Slade, the real man behind the mask. He was just as threatening without any armor or weapons, but since all of his attention was focused on Adeline, it was more surreal to be standing there next to him than it was scary. Of course, until both of them turned their gazes sharply against him.

"Something to say?" Adeline asked him. Robin paled just a bit, swallowing.

"We need a plan," he said, standing his ground. Jericho was his teammate, and if his teammate was in trouble, he couldn't let anyone intimidate him out of helping them.

"There is no we," Slade said. "I'm going after him, and I don't need anyone getting in my way."

"Oh? Is that so?" Addie sneered. "Why, because you're so good at rescuing our son? I didn't stay behind then and I'm sure as hell not staying behind this time."

That clearly hit a nerve, so much that Beast Boy visibly flinched back as Slade glared down at her. Whatever he had to say in retaliation was sure to aim lower than that, and it was not really something any of them wanted to hear.

"At least I go after our sons. Last I checked you let both of them run away from home to get themselves killed."

"As if that's the same thing as putting targets on their backs in the first place!"

"Do you think I'm going to let you come along just so you can take him away from me again?"

"Yes! You don't get to be a father anymore Slade!"

"Well I don't think you're fit to be his mother anymore either!"

Robin couldn't bring himself to interrupt them a third time. Some things were starting to make sense, a little bit. Watching these two argue and listening to what they said, it filled in some gaps. Since he'd found out Slade was Jericho's father, and met Adeline, he'd been so confused about how they all fit together as a family. While Slade and Adeline seemed ready to kill each other now, he knew them both well enough to picture them getting along in better circumstances.

"Slade you arrogant bastard!"

Much better circumstances…

The adults continued to throw insults back and forth, arguing about what to do and what would happen after, but both were far too stubborn to give any leeway. Compromise was impossible.

"Shut up!"

Everyone was startled by the voice; it was definitely neither of the adults. They all turned to see Kole standing next to Robin, her hands on her hips. She was glaring fiercely, unblinking, fearless. She kept going, speaking loud and firm.

"That's enough, both of you!" she snapped. "You're both acting equally horrible as parents right now! Your son is missing and in grave danger, and you're too busy arguing to even think of a plan. We're going to get him back, all of us. There's no time to fight about it; Robin's right, we need a plan."

They both regarded her with cool surprise. Slade looked incredulously to his ex-wife. "Who is this?"

"My name is Kole," she piped up. "I'm good friends with Jericho. We all are."

Kole's bravery was contagious, and Herald spoke next. "He's one of us whether you like it or not. We came all the way here to get him back and if we have to track him down all over again we will."

"Kole was the one to first figure out that Joseph wasn't dead," Adeline added, seeming to listen to the kids and relax a bit.

"Is that so?" Slade raised an eyebrow curiously. "How?"

"The body- its hands weren't right," Kole said, taken by surprise. "Jericho played guitar and he had calluses, but the body didn't."

Slade let out a thoughtful and mildly surprised hum, saying no more about it. Thankfully, he too seemed to have calmed down just enough to talk rationally. Robin snapped out of his shock and took the lead once more.

"I know none of us want to work together," he started, "but we have the same goal. We all want to go find Jericho- Joseph -alive and get him back safely. If Psimon's involved, not to mention Brother Blood, every minute he's with them he's in danger. We have some idea of their goals and they might want to keep him alive but by what definition we can't be sure."

Slade nodded, taking Robin seriously (which subconsciously made the teen a little proud). "What leads do we have? Where could they have gone?"

"The old base was shut down," Adeline answered. "The students were taken into custody but Psimon and Blood both slipped away. Obviously they were able to gather up enough new followers to pull this off today."

"We can go to the old base to search for clues as to where they went," Robin suggested tentatively. "They wouldn't just go to any random place, they'd have to go somewhere that's already set up for them."

"Set up?" Slade raised an eyebrow, and looked at Adeline. "What is it exactly that they're trying to accomplish?"

"They want to recreate the serum that made you the way you are," she said seriously. Slade frowned, his eye getting cold.

"We can't let that happen."

"That we can agree upon…"

(TT)

Working alongside Slade was probably one of the hardest things Robin could ever do. He didn't want to get too close to the man, share any information, or leave him any sort of opening. He expected Slade to betray them at any given moment, somehow. Having Adeline there made it a little bit easier, at least easy enough to act normal and start heading back to Jump without freaking out. Robin had to hold it together; he was the leader and if his team knew how nervous he was, they would be nervous too, and they wouldn't be able to do their job as well. For now, Robin just focused on the goal. Find Jericho and save him.

Of course, it was inevitably going to be a rough ending, considering that both Adeline and Slade wanted to take Jericho back with them. Of course, the Titans wanted him to come home with them as well, so there was bound to be a scramble when he was safe again. Robin hoped that Jericho would at least get the chance to decide for himself and not just get kidnapped again. He also hoped that Jericho still wanted to be a Titan. Most of him believed that Jericho would want to come back, but a small part of him worried that the mute would feel unwelcome, or wouldn't want to rejoin the lifestyle again after so much time away. The information Raven had supplied to them indicated that Jericho had been truly happy at the end, which was baffling.

Was Jericho really happy with Slade? Was that even remotely possible?

Robin didn't like it, but even if Jericho decided not to come back, he hoped to have one last chance to talk together. Robin didn't really know Jericho, but now he wished he did. Partly because he now wished he knew all of the honorary Titans better, realizing after all this that at any point, any one of them could die or go missing. He felt guilty; as the leader he should know everyone better.

He felt even guiltier thinking about the bigger reason why he wanted to get to know Jericho.

It seemed so long ago that it'd been revealed that he was Slade's son. Finding out that Red X had been his brother was one thing, but finding out about Slade had been earth-shattering. At the time Robin had been nothing but angry, but now that so much time had passed he'd had a chance to really think about it. Of course Jericho had hidden the truth from Robin; from almost everyone. He'd only told the people most close to him, whether on purpose like with Kole and Herald, or on accident like with Raven. It seemed possible that he'd be the type to open up only to those he trusted, but once he did he was honest about everything.

Once more, Robin was reminded that he hadn't gotten to know any of the new members. One could argue that there hadn't been enough time but that wasn't true. Robin just hadn't given Jericho any reason to think he should share such a secret. When it came to Slade, Robin only gave off waves of vitriol and anger. Everyone knew how Robin felt about the man, so it was only his own fault that Jericho had hidden the truth.

If he'd trusted me… if I'd given him the chance to, and I'd known the truth… could we have found him sooner? Would he have been taken at all?

It was too late to know now. All he could hope for was the chance to make up for it.

Robin was so filled with curiosity, it was killing him. For so long he'd been trying to put together the mystery that was Slade, like a puzzle with almost no pieces. Now suddenly he had Jericho, who likely held all the answers he'd ever wanted, but even if he had the chance he wasn't sure if he could really ask. He didn't really deserve to ask something so personal, when it was so obviously just to gain knowledge. Robin really wished he could start over. He remembered the first day all of the Titans came to the tower after coming home from Paris. No one really talked to Jericho, at least not for long, Robin himself included. Sure it wasn't a simple task to converse with someone who couldn't speak, but if Robin had reached out initially then maybe they could have gotten to be friends. Maybe then all these questions would be answered, not because Robin asked, but because Jericho wanted to tell him.

"You're guilt-tripping yourself again," a voice broke him out of his thoughts.

Robin looked up to see Adeline standing over his shoulder. He was half surprised and half annoyed with himself that he'd let her sneak up on him. Granted, they were all back at the Tower now (aside from Cyborg and Beast Boy who volunteered to fly the ship back) so he was in a place where he could usually let his guard down. Not that he should, absolutely not, with Slade back in the city. Luckily the man hadn't even asked to come back to the Tower with the rest of them, instead working from an old base at the pier across the bay. At the moment, they were connected wirelessly, the Titans' mainframe exchanging information with Slade's database as they did their own separate research. Both were under a lot of protective firewalls and antivirus software, making the connection as shaky as the truce that brought them all together in the first place.

Adeline took a seat next to Robin, begining to type into the computer on her own, seeming annoyed. Well, more than he had ever known her to be before, which was kind of a lot to begin with. If Robin had to pick one word to describe this woman it would be sharp. He once again pondered over how Jericho could turn out to be the laid back, friendly guy that he was.

"What is it you were thinking about?" Adeline asked in a low voice. "Or rather, what is it you're beating yourself up over?"

"The same," Robin admitted. Whether he liked it or not, the woman was very observant, and despite how little time they'd spent together he could still tell that she could read him like a picture book. "About Jericho. I really wish I'd gotten to know him before all of this. Not because I think I won't see him again, but because I wish I'd been a better leader. A better friend."

She let out a hum and was silent for a little while, eyes locked on the screen while she tapped at the keyboard, digging through files at a rapid pace. Eventually she spoke again. "That's always what you feel guilty over. It's never anything else."

He gave her a confused look. "Over Jericho? It hasn't always been-"

"No, don't be stupid," she said. "I bet that the entire time you've been on this team, you've periodically beat yourself up over not being a strong enough leader or a good enough friend. No matter what you did or how you messed up, I bet it's always boiled down to those two things for you."

"Why? Because you think I'm really not good enough?" he said with a frown.

"No, just because I've gotten to know you," she answered casually, pausing to look over at him. "If it makes you feel better, you were enough to catch the attention of Deathstroke, among all of your teammates. He wanted you, not any of them. Not even his own sons."

Robin bit his tongue. Clearly, based on the tone of her voice, Addie felt her own bitterness about what Slade had done. Whether it was because of Grant's death or because of all that had happened to Joey. He thought for a moment, trying to look past his own feelings. Yes, a small part of him actually felt kind of...flattered that Slade had decided to go after him over all his metahuman, cybernetic, demonic and alien friends. Especially after the tensions between him and Batman. Sickened, but also proud. He wouldn't admit it, but it was still kind of complimentary in a twisted way. Then, how did Adeline feel? She sounded more bitter than anything else. Was she mad that Slade had chosen to take in a stranger (willing or not) over reaching out to his own sons? Was it possible that Jericho felt a pang of jealousy as well? Robin didn't know if he was that type of person, once again reminded that he didn't really know Jericho at all.

He waited another moment, still feeling a little uncomfortable at her negative feelings, before speaking up again. "I just wish that I had taken the time to get to know him before all of this. I wish we had been friends."

"Is that so?"

He frowned. "Yes, it is. You don't believe me?"

"I believe you feel guilty about not doing it now that he's in danger and you're worried you'll never get another chance to," she said. "I do believe you regret it but I don't believe it has anything to do with being his friend."

"What?" he asked with disbelief, staring at the woman next to him. Her demeanor remained as cold and formal as it always did.

"If you really felt bad about not getting to know him before, you'd put more effort into getting to know everyone. You have a team of nearly thirty people. How well do you know all of them? How well do you even know your core team, honestly?"

He was taken aback by her questions, and frankly annoyed. "I have thought of that. I already know I dropped the ball and for your information I plan on getting to know all of the Titans better."

"It just took all of this to make you realize it?"

He pursed his lips; she was right, there. "Yeah, it did."

"If it makes you feel better, I don't get to know anyone who works for me," she said. "Searchers is an intelligence agency. It's safer to keep our personal lives separate from work life."

"That works for you, and maybe even for the Justice League, but I want the Teen Titans to be different," Robin said thoughtfully. "I want us all to know each other, like a family. For most of us, the Titans are all we have. There is no personal life or work life, it's just our lives altogether. Maybe the dynamic has changed since we recruited so many people, but after this is all over I want to get to know every single one of them better." He let out a breath, looking up. "And I want to be able to start with Jericho, if he'll come back."

Adeline didn't answer him, and he knew she must also be thinking of the inevitable conflict. If- when they got Jericho back, where would he go? Robin wondered if Adeline even wanted her son to be a Titan anymore. He'd gathered that Jericho used to work in Searchers with his mom when she started the company, before he was a Titan, so it was possible that she'd want him back to work with her again after everything that had happened.

It was silent for a long time, while they both dug through digital copies of HIVE's databases, trying to find another location. So far there was nothing, and they'd been at it for a while. Robin tried not to feel discouraged, but as always there was a pessimistic voice at the back of his mind, suggesting that it was hopeless, and they'd never find Jericho again. Not before it was too late. Robin didn't know much about whatever formula they were trying to recreate, but if Slade had been given it, and the man thought it would be a bad idea if it were replicated, then it couldn't be good.

There was a generic ringing, and Adeline pulled her phone out of her pocket. She answered with a curt, "Yes?" and then there was a pause. She quickly stood up, abandoning her work. "Alright, we'll meet you there right away." She hung up, looking over her shoulder at Robin as he watched her walk away, completely lost.

"What is it? Who was that?"

"Slade," she said. "We need to go back to the old HIVE base, he says that there's been some activity detected there."

"And? It's an abandoned lot now, I'm sure lots of people wander around the area. Homeless people, animals, kids-"

"From inside," she cut him off sharply. "All the way down, where no one would be able to get unless they were a part of your team, the police, or a former HIVE member. We have to get there immediately, before they leave."

(TT)

With Harold's horn, the Titans and Adeline were able to get there right away, and didn't wait around for Slade. They teleported underground, directly inside. It was pitch black without any lights, but Robin used a flashlight from his belt, and Starfire lit up her fire bolts. Raven closed her eyes for a moment, trying to sense whoever was here.

"There's someone in the old Headmaster's office," she said. "Just one person, they don't seem to be a large threat but we shouldn't let our guard down."

"Kole and I can hang back, in case you need backup," Herald said. "We know these halls like the back of our hands, so if anything goes down we have that and the element of surprise on our side."

"Alright, let's go," said Robin. He took the lead, feeling the need to take charge after both Slade and Adeline had practically hijacked things. He felt foolish for feeling that way, though. This was a serious matter, he couldn't let his ego get in the way.

It got darker as they went deeper, and by the time they reached the office it was impossible to see beyond their own light sources. They flanked the door, and Robin caught Adeline's eye. He gave her a nod, and she kicked down the door, storming inside like a force of nature, unarmed and unafraid. The Titans were right behind her, powering up for a fight.

"Come out with your hands up!" Robin shouted, eyes searching through the darkness. A figure walked forward into the light, but they had their hands folded behind their back.

"Headmistress," Adeline said cooly, addressing the former leader of HIVE academy. The older woman nodded.

"Put your weapons away, you know I'm no threat," she said. None of them relaxed, unsurprisingly. Adeline frowned more deeply.

"Why are you here?" Robin asked. "What do you want?"

"I was merely collecting a backup of my own files," she said. "Once again, Blood's takeover was a hostile one. I am no ally of his."

"Well then maybe you won't mind telling us where they've gone next."

She let out a breath of laughter. "Just because I am not their friend, doesn't mean I want to be their enemy."

"Do you want to be mine?"

Robin nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Slade's voice, in full intimidation-mode. Everyone looked back to the open doorway, to see the looming shadow that was Deathstroke. It was hard to tell with a lack of light, but the Headmistress seemed to pale.

"S-Slade-"

"Tell me where they could have gone," he hissed, cutting her off. The Titans all quietly shrank away, reminded of times when they were on the receiving end of that threatening tone. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. "And I mean every possible location, any base they could have already set up for what they have planned."

"Th-there's only one, I assure you," she stammered. "The set-up they have is too expensive and elaborate to duplicate. The place they're at now was the backup, since they had everything they needed here. I can give you the exact coordinates, it's in the Nevada desert, far away from anything else."

After a beat of silence, Raven spoke up. "She's telling the truth."

"Then we don't have any time to lose," said Adeline. "Get the coordinates, tell your friends flying the ship to reroute, and I'll send some of my agents there as well, for additional backup."

"Have you just been bossing kids around this whole time?" Slade wanted to know. She glared at him.

"You know what they say, if you're passionate about something," she said cooly. "I was always good at taking charge; you should know, that's how we met."

Starfire turned away from the fascinatingly dysfunctional pair and towards the old woman. "The coordinates, if you please."

Robin turned to see Herald and Kole just coming into the doorway. "We know where to go. Herald, what can you do with coordinates?"

He frowned. "I'm sorry, it doesn't work like that. I can't get us there unless I can visualize it in my mind."

"Then I guess a place in the middle of nowhere that we've never even seen before is too vague," Robin said. "It's alright, we have the T-car, we can make it."

"We've already wasted too much time," Slade said. "We'll all meet there."

With that, he left, disappearing into the darkness. Adeline picked up the location from the still-shared database, and went on her way without saying anything either. Robin frowned.

"Let's go, Titans, we have a friend to save."

He felt a pit in his stomach, worrying about how everything was about to go down. Slade and Adeline were already working as if they were on their own, and he didn't doubt that whoever managed to arrive first would lead the whole crusade, and whoever took the lead was most likely to succeed first. As much as Robin wanted for someone, anyone, to get there as quickly as possible, he would prefer to get there first, if only to make sure neither of Jericho's parents kidnapped him. An odd thought, but a very real thing to worry about. The teens transported right back to the Tower, and Robin notified Cyborg and Beast Boy.

The race was on, both against time, and against each other.

(TT)

I don't know who I am. I keep forgetting, and I know it's just beyond my conscious memory but it's like remembering a dream you've just woken up from. The harder I try to reach out and grab it, the further away it slips.

I don't know where I'm at. I can remember being on this table, but it's the only thing I'm sure of. Before this I was in a chair, and my hands were very cold. I'm not sure it was real, but before that there's absolutely nothing.

I don't really know what's happening, but they're trying to break me and it's working. Everything hurts and I'm so tired but I can't ever sleep or rest because my heart is pounding and I want to run and scream and hit things. I try to pull myself free, without even meaning to, because it hurts so much and I just need to move but no matter how hard I try I just can't. I can't scream, I can barely move, and I can't even sleep. I'm so tired I just want to sleep, I want it to end.

"It will end when I say it ends."

Psimon. The only thing I'm sure of. He controls everything around me, it's him that's orchestrating all of this. He keeps me here, doesn't let me get up, doesn't let me sleep, doesn't let me remember. He's in my head, trying to erase everything else. Everything is gone except for him. There is nothing in my world beyond him, and me, and this table he's got me strapped down on. There may be people working for him but I know they're only drones at this point. There's only Psimon, nothing and no one else.

"That's right, no one else. Nothing else matters anymore, let go."

He wants me to trust him, to listen to him and stop resisting. He wants me to depend on him, to follow him and obey what he says without him having to get in my head. I might, except the only thing I have left is that I hate him. I can't remember why, but I know I've always hated him, and I know I have to get away and never give in. Even if there really is nothing outside of this room and no one else in the world, it doesn't matter. I hate him down to my very core and so far he hasn't been able to take that way.

"The hatred will get you through. Adrenaline is the key, the only thing that will keep you alive. Hatred and anger and fear help your body produce adrenaline naturally, so that we don't have to fill you with it ourselves."

I don't know anything anymore, nothing is real except for this man and my loathing for him. I won't let myself be manipulated, I will never stop fighting him.

"Such a stubborn brat you are. You don't remember this but it does run in the family." I gritted my teeth, knowing he was only mocking me. I didn't even know if I had a family, but the idea that I did only made me hate him more for taking me away from them. He addressed some of the others in the room. "Alright, break time's over, get started on the next dose."

The most dreaded words I knew. The breaks were mostly for me, because whatever they're doing is insane and would kill a normal human being. A part of me does know I'm not exactly normal, but even still I can feel my body hanging in limbo. Psimon is right, the adrenaline is key. Without it my heart would have given out ten times at least, but even with it I'm growing weaker.

I gasp in pain as whatever poison they're using pushes into my veins. The white-hot pain short-circuits my brain, as my body fights to live. Thrashing, empty screams; my nails keep digging into my palms and every time, I draw blood, but every time is like the first time, as my skin seems to heal. My heart is pounding in my ears and suddenly my head feels light. I can't breathe anymore. Behind the blindfold, lights dance in my eyelids, and I feel blood flooding my mouth and my throat, choking me.

If death is my only chance at escape then I'll accept it. If nothing else, it's the first chance I've had, and I don't have the energy to fight it even if I wanted to. Everything is getting dark, and I finally feel warm again. I can sleep now, and I'd like that very much. An image of a beautiful mountain landscape appears before me, green grass dotted with hundreds of flowers. I don't quite recognize it, but somehow I know that it's my home. I want to be home.

Without warning I'm yanked away, back to the cold table, back to the pain and exhaustion. It's Psimon, forcing my mind back into consciousness. I can't feel my heart beating, nor can I feel my lungs working. Am I still dead? There's a tube down my throat, and pads stuck on my chest. I feel a sudden jolt and my heart jumps back into an erratic but pounding beat. My hearing is no longer muffled and the mountainside is once again completely out of reach. My anger returns, tenfold, and my mouth tastes just as bitter. I was safe and he took me away!

The tube is gone, my lungs no longer filled with fluid, and a hand cracks sharply against my cheek.

"You die when I say you can die!" Psimon spat. "Get it into your head! I own you, and there's nothing you can do about it! You stupid, foolish boy, you will never get away from me! You can hate me all you want, it only makes my power over you more satisfying. You're absolutely helpless, and as soon as you've taken the last dose, you'll be completely under my control, with no hope of ever breaking free. Enjoy your worthless little hopes and free thinking while you have it."

My breath dragged in and out of my lungs like a heavy weight. Another break started but I didn't want to go on anymore. Whatever it was they were doing I didn't want any part of. I only vaguely remember what it was and I know it's not good, anger and bitterness increases with each gasp of air. I was home! I want to go home! Inwardly I could only scream in frustration, reaching a breaking point. I felt the urge to fight against my restraints again but my body was too weak to try anymore. I don't want to do this anymore… Please, I just want to sleep… Just stop, please…

"It took longer than I thought it would for you to resort to begging," Psimon said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. I didn't care anymore, I just wanted to stop. "Well, lucky for you it's time we break for lunch. You can thank my associate for lacking the skills necessary to build a sophisticated enough andriod to do the job, so I'm stuck with this team of primates. It's just as well, though, since you aren't yet strong enough to survive without a break now and then either." He sighed morosely, before snapping his fingers. "Alright, put him under, we'll pick back up for the last three doses in a few hours."

With that, I was pushed into an empty, dreamless sleep that I didn't want to wake up from.

(TT)

"Psimon!"

Blood's voice was hushed and urgent. Psimon remained calm, not worried about what Blood was thinking.

"We can't leave now," he said flatly. "He's so close."

"He'd be ready by now if you'd stop playing with your food," Blood hissed as he approached his associate in the hallway outside the lab. Psimon smirked.

"You'd be doing the same if it were one of your old students," the older man countered. "I'm not worried. It'll be over by the time they arrive."

Blood shook his head. "I know you almost killed him in there. Either you give his body time to recuperate and run out of time, or you rush it and kill him again. We need to relocate while we have the chance."

"I already told you I'm not leaving," Psimon repeated himself. "Let them come. I'm sure they'll waste plenty of time in-fighting about who gets to take him back home." He chuckled at the thought.

"Psimon if you jeopardize our plans for your own entertainment, I swear to Trigon-"

"Alright," Psimon put a hand up. "There are three doses left, I'll combine the next two to speed things up."

Brother Blood narrowed his eyes. "If you kill him, there will be literal hell to pay."

(TT)

I had no way of knowing how long I had been unconscious, but suddenly I felt like I was on fire again. I woke with a scream, but still no sound came out. It felt like my heart was literally going to burst out of my chest like an over-inflated balloon or even a grenade. It was either beating so fast I couldn't feel it or it'd stopped again. I couldn't hear, I still couldn't see, I couldn't even think. All there was was never ending pain. Had I died again? Was this hell? I believed that it was although I couldn't remember whether I'd done anything to deserve this. Maybe that was why I was here in the first place.

Minutes, hours, I had no way of knowing anymore, but it seemed like it would never end. It didn't fade, or fluctuate in any way. Just excruciating pain engulfing me, head to toe. I didn't feel the straps holding me down, or the table underneath me. I didn't even feel Psimon's presence in my mind like before.

What did I do to deserve this?

It must have been something, because otherwise such torture would be inhumanely cruel.

By the time it started to ebb away, like a tide, I'd forgotten what it was like not to be in such pain. Each second that it faded away, more and more tears of relief fell down my cheeks. I gasped loudly for breath, and every muscle in my body was trembling. My heart either slowed down or started up again; all I knew was that it was pounding. I was absolutely drenched in sweat, and the room seemed very cold, making my trembling worse.

I'm laying on a table…. There are straps over me, and I'm blindfolded…. I don't know who I am or where I'm at… I don't know what's going on. I was in pain, and now it's stopping…

A hand as cold as the metal table touched my face, and I couldn't move away. Something was in my mind, holding me still. I sobbed, from fear, pain, and utter helplessness. Whatever that was, I didn't want to go through it ever again. I would do anything.

"There's nothing you can do, boy," said a voice, which startled me. It sounded very familiar, and my mind struggled to remember. "Let go. Stop trying to remember things that are no longer important. You only need to know one thing. I own you, totally and completely. And right now, I'm making you better. You'll thank me when it's over. Oh, yes, there will be more… You're almost finished. Only one more dose, and after that, you'll have no hope of returning back to who you once were."

I tried to keep up with what he was saying, wanting to pick up on as much as possible, and figure out what was going on. Any clue or shred of evidence I could find I knew I needed to. I got the feeling that with this last dose, everything would be over. I was running out of time and I had no way to get myself out of this. What can I do? Nothing he says is helping me remember anything, I'm completely lost…

A door burst open. "Psimon! Sir, they're here!"

Psimon…. The name filled me with absolute loathing.

"I'm not concerned with those children and their pathetic attempts to thwart me. Just do your job and hold them back until we're finished," the man answered sharply.

"It's not just the Titans, sir-"

Titans…? A spark of hope lit up, beyond my hatred for this man.

"-it's Deathstroke! And Ms. Kane!"

Deathstroke… With that name I felt…. Torn… Something between the hatred and hope. Something else entirely.

"They're all here, storming the facility! There's no way we can hold them back! Brother Blood-"

"Silence!" The man hissed. "I will leave when my work is finished!"

I heard a body drop to the floor, but I hadn't heard any other sort of moment, like a kick or a hit, that explained it. A cold aura radiated off of the man, making me shiver again. Meanwhile, my mind finally had enough clues to start remembering…

"Five minutes! Not a second longer! Start the next dose in five!"

People shuffled around the room, preparing. I barely heard, because my thoughts were whirling around my head like a brewing storm.

The Titans are my friends. Deathstroke… The last part eluded me, but I had come to a far more important conclusion.

Psimon is my enemy. I can't let him win.

Alright, there you go. It's kind of a dull chapter I'm sure, like I said it's just a set-up for the climax. I hope it was a little bit worth the wait? No? Well it's here so that's something. I'm hoping the next two or three chapters come out sooner, I'll do my best! I would love it if you guys left a review to tell me what you thought of all of this. It's encouraging, to be honest, it really is. But, if for no one beyond myself, I will finish this. I didn't spend five years on a one-shot to just give up! So, thanks for reading!