There was a long moment of silence as the Titan's digested Batman's statement. Finally, Robin wiggled a finger in one ear as though cleaning it.
"I'm sorry" he said, a note of seemingly genuine apology in his voice. "I can't possibly have heard you right. Did you just say the LUTHOR was the reason that Slade's been targeting our team? As in LEX Luthor- the head bad guy of Metropolis who has barely shown any sign of knowing we exist apart from yelling at me about his lab? Bald, brainy and bitter?"
"I did." The Dark Knight confirmed. "I admit freely that I have little in the way of hard evidence, but I want you to hear me out. After I was able to discover Slade's true identity, my investigation hit a stone wall. The last report of Deathstroke the Terminator placed him in Northern Africa, fighting on behalf of a local warlord. He abandoned that contract and vanished from the world's radar for almost a year before he reappeared in Jump City. Conventional investigations and research came up dry- it seems you had already discovered all the useful information pertaining to that period on your own, Robin. Your investigation of his movements and habits was as exhaustive as could be and I saw no reason to retread old ground."
Robin nodded his head in acknowledgement of his mentor's backhanded compliment and motioned for him to continue.
"My first question, of course, was why Deathstroke the mercenary became Slade the mastermind. Despite a high level of autonomy and skills, Deathstroke had always been a gun-for-hire, evincing no motivation other than money and no desire to take a leadership role. Furthermore, Deathstroke's activities indicate that he was a very direct individual- his recent history forms a long list of battles, duels and assassinations. He had always dealt with conflicts and enemies himself, never through proxies or hired muscle as Slade has done here. What would prompt him to strike out on his own and completely change his method of operation, especially against a group of heroes he'd never encountered before?"
"I'm guessin' you're gonna tell us?" Cyborg interjected.
"If you'll allow me to do so, yes." Batman resumed, slightly nettled by the interruption. "I came up with several theories- revenge, madness, greed or a desire for power- but none of them seemed to fit. Until you formed as a team, Slade had never interacted with any of you, which eliminated revenge. His plans and schemes have always been logical, and he has displayed a skill at understanding and prediction your reactions which rules out insanity. As a mercenary, Deathstroke commanded the highest price on the market and has done for decades meaning he's wealthy enough to make greed an unlikely motivation. Finally, if all Slade wanted was power there are plenty of places in the world where a man with his abilities could set himself up as king, without superpowered opposition. Having eliminated all motives for independent action, I was left with the conclusion that Slade is STILL working as a mercenary- that his campaign against you has always been at the orders of someone else.
"Since this theory seemed to fit all available data, I created a profile of the qualities an employer would need to possess to hire Slade for a long-term project in unfamiliar territory. First and foremost, they would obviously have to be insanely wealthy. Secondly, they would have to have access to significant technology- Deathstroke the Terminator never used robots or similar high-tech devices, so I doubted that Slade was producing them himself. Third, they would need some sort of foothold in Jump City- someplace that Slade could use as a base, at least to start with. Fourth, there needed to be some reason for them to act through a mercenary rather than attacking you themselves. They would also require a large organization, to transport and support Slade in Jump and also to provide a screen preventing you from finding them easily. Finally, they had to have some kind of motivation, even one as simple as striking out at heroes.
This narrowed the field down to half a dozen possible candidates: Ra's Al' Ghul, the Cult of Kobra, The Brain, Lex Luthor, Vandal Savage and Intergang were my prime candidates. All of them met my criteria, but there was no way to narrow the field further on that basis alone."
The Dark Knight paused for a moment, while the Titans processed what they'd heard. After he'd regained his breath, the older hero continued.
"So I turned to an examination of Slade's tools- specifically, his Sladebots. Examination of several salvaged robots revealed that, while the robots themselves are custom made with a design that has evolved over the years, one thing has always remained constant." Batman continued "No matter what changes he made to the robots exteriors and computer processors, Slade has always outfitted his machines with Lexcorp T-37 cyber-neural transmitters."
Seeing his friends blank looks, Cyborg spoke up. "Cyber-neural transmitters are part of the artificial nerve network all the most advanced robots use. They process sensory data directly and transmit it directly to the servo-musculature, activating preprogrammed…" the metal man trailed off as he saw his friends expressions grow even blanker. "Uh, basically they let the robots react to stimuli automatically without having to think up a response- artificial reflexes, if you like. They're a really rare component, since that kinda sophistication isn't usually necessary and they're really hard to make."
"Indeed. For many years Lexcorp was the only real manufacturer of cyber-neural transmitters. However, two years ago Saico-Tec flooded the market with a cheaper and more efficient model." Batman continued "Overnight, mad scientists and scientific criminals began to use the new parts- except for Slade. This is doubly odd, since Saico-Tec is based out of Jump City and it would be easier for Slade to take parts from them than from LexCorp. The most probable reason Slade would continue to use the older model…"
"Was if he was getting parts secretly from the manufacturer" Robin finished, beginning to understand his mentor's point. "Luthor could easily write off a few hundred units a year as defective or unsuitable for sale and funnel them to Slade through his own criminal connections. It'd be almost impossible to prove that he knew about it, too, since there'd be a couple of steps between Luthor and any criminal activity. Pretty much exactly what he does in Metropolis."
"All true. I DID find an unusually large number of cyber-neural transmitters listed in Lexcorp records as 'damaged' or 'defective', but that in no way constitutes enough evidence to indict Luthor." Batman said with a proud nod at his one-time pupil. "Strictly speaking, everything we have discussed so far is purest speculation and would constitute slander if stated publicly. But I, personally, am convinced that Lex Luthor is the man responsible for Slade's presence in this city."
"But this does not answer the question of why?" Starfire said, a touch of frustration evident in her voice. "Why is Lex Luthor so intent on attacking us? We have done nothing to him, and we pose no threat to him!"
"The answer is on TV as we speak." Batman growled, real anger working its way into his tone. "LexNews is running the story of Raven and Beastboy's defection to the entire nation- they're spinning the story as a case of juvenile delinquency on a metahuman scale. Two teenagers, given too much power and authority and not enough oversight, have gone wild and abandoned their responsibilities in favor of their own gain. Other news agencies are following their lead, asking whether ANY of the Titans can really be trusted."
"Forgive me" Starfire replied "But I still do not understand. Yes, he slanders our good name and the names of our misguided friends but this does not explain why he is doing this at all."
"He's using it as a starting point, Star" Robin said in an angry voice. "He starts by insinuating that the Teen Titans are too young to fight crime without someone older and more responsible calling the shots. Some government agency to tell us what to do and how to operate. When that idea is cemented in the public's mind, he takes it to the next step- given the sheer power of superheroes and superteams, can ANY of us be trusted unconditionally? Wouldn't it be better, safer, if we were kept under control?"
"It's been tried before" Cyborg said quietly. "The CADMUS project against the Justice League, for example."
"I believe that this media assault has always been Slade's goal" Batman said "Think about his previous attempts to turn a Titan to his side. He spends months laying the groundwork, operating secretly and often using pawns to strike at the Titans without openly involving himself. Whenever he believes he's succeeded, Slade abandons his previous subtlety and secrecy in favor of some grand gesture in full view of the public. His forcing Robin to battle his former team-mates in the middle of downtown Jump City, Terra's attempt to destroy the city… both are marked departures from Slade's normal indirect methods. Why would he do this, unless he needed to be certain that the city saw one of their defenders turn to evil?"
"But" objected Starfire "There is the problem with your theory. Why would Lex Luthor order Slade to ally with Trigon? Surely he would not be willing to destroy all human life- including his own- merely to claim victory?"
"Never underestimate the power of spite when it comes to Luthor. I think it's all that keeps him alive sometimes." Batman said, a measure of humor creeping into his normally grim voice. "However, I don't think he did order the collaboration with Trigon, it doesn't fit. Luthor is a scientist first and foremost, and has rarely involved himself in magic or supernatural affairs- not to mention that his ego would never allow him to subordinate himself to a demon. Instead, I think one of two things happened. The first possibility is that Trigon used his powers to corrupt Slade, subtly or not. Slade might not have had a choice in what he was doing- certainly, the methods he used against Raven show little of the manipulation or deceit which he typically used. The other possibility is that Slade decided to take a gamble. Slade is a well-travelled and experienced mercenary- he would know that Earth has a surprising number of magical defenders. Doctor Fate, Zatanna, Etrigan, the Amazons, the wizard Shazam… the list goes on and on. It's possible that Slade was counting on them being able to defeat Trigon and Raven- doubtless he expected there would be immense loss of life but I doubt that would have mattered to him. In the aftermath, the Titans would be revealed as the group that had harbored and trained the girl who nearly ended the universe. It would have been the perfect opportunity to blacken your names and institute controls over metahumans."
"Luthor wouldn't have been pleased with that" Robin mused, stroking his chin in thought. "He probably had a few choice words for his mercenary, which might explain why it was took so long for Slade to resurface after Trigon's defeat."
"Okay, so!" Cyborg exclaimed, using the brisk tones of one summing up a complicated story "We're pretty sure Luthor hired Slade to ruin our reputations. So the next step is to bring in the JLA to help fight BB and Rae, then we bust ol' Big Bad Baldy."
"NO!" Robin exclaimed, leaping from his seat in his anger. "We CANNOT have the Justice League coming to Jump City!"
"Rob, what the hell? This ain't no time for your pride- we need help! We're down to three Titans against 4 opponents- at least two of whom are WAY too powerful for us" Cyborg yelled "We can't do this alone!"
"But we HAVE to" Robin insisted "Don't you understand? If the Titans call in the Justice League, if we throw up our hands and admit we can't do this without their help, then we'll be doing exactly what Luthor wants us to do. We'll be admitting that protecting the city is too much for us, and that we need the adults to come in to save us. That's been his goal the whole time, to make it look like we need supervision and leadership. His media allies will run wild with that story, and I will NOT let him win like that."
The room was silent for a moment, then Batman moved to put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "You're one hundred percent right, Robin. The Titans have to face this alone- we'll step in if you fail, but not before then."
"Yeah, I guess you're right" Cyborg sighed "But you'll be going after Luthor, right? Not now, obviously, but once we put Slade down?"
Robin grimaced as though he tasted something foul. "Unfortunately, no. At present we don't have anything that qualifies as real, tangible evidence- merely suspicion and speculation. Even if we found something, or got Slade to confess, I would bet anything that Luthor has already arranged deniability and fall guys to protect him from any accusations. So, unless we get phenomenally lucky and manage to get Slade to turn State's evidence, Luthor will almost certainly get away with this. Even if we beat Slade this time, Lex will ensure he tries again."
"I don't think he will" Batman interjected, shaking his head. "Everything Slade's doing now has an air of desperation about it. Think about it- if he could have done something like this before, why didn't he? I think Luthor lost his patience after the Trigon debacle, and told Slade this was his last chance. I think that, WHEN you win this time, you'll win for good. The real question is, what will you do with your former team mates once this is over?"
"I think that all depends on what made them do this" Cyborg said carefully. He knew this was apt to be a difficult issue with the Dark Knight and Robin both, so he had to tread lightly. "I got a theory that they're being subjected to some kinda mind control chip- probably made by the Mad Hatter before he got arrested in Vegas. If that's true, then they aren't really responsible for what they're doing. If not…"
As Cyborg trailed off, Robin took a deep breath and finished his thought. "If not, we'll treat them just like any other common crook. Is there anything else?"
"Not at present." Batman said, as he vanished into the shadows. "I'll look into the connection with Mad Hatter. But be careful- whoever he works for, Slade is still nothing to take lightly."
The Titans slowly trudged out of the conference room, their minds reeling. They had always known that Slade represented a very different threat from any of their other villains but never before had they guessed the truth. It was Robin who voiced his thoughts first, as he collapsed on the couch in the common room.
"So all this time, after all he did to us, our worst enemy turns out to have been a flunky for Lex Luthor. We never even suspected Slade was working for anyone else, not after years of obsessive study bu Batman was able to figure out exactly who he works for and why." Robin said with a sigh "Just the perfect end to the perfect day."
A/N
Sorry this took so long. I was desperately trying to find some way to make this seem like something other than an info dump. I hate when stories descend into plain exposition, but there really wasn't any other way to do this that I could think of.
Batman's reasoning pretty much follows my own regarding Slade. Like I said before, Slade's actual motives on the show were never really explained at all- apart from the nonsensical 'apprentice' thing, there really aren't any clues as to why he does what he does. So I turned to the comics, and got a partial answer.
In the original Titans run, Slade is a mercenary hired by the HIVE to bring down the Titans. This idea seemed to be perfect except that the first episode showed Slade hiring the HIVE Five rather than the other way around. Watching the scene again, it was pretty clear that Slade was the dominant partner, giving orders he expected to be obeyed. So that explanation was no good. But the idea of Slade being a tool for another villain was an interesting one, and explained a LOT about him. So, I started thinking and… well, here we are.
Let's see more reviews! I really want to know what everyone thought of my little theory.
NEXT TIME: Silly, fluffy BBRAE!