Chapter 25 R

Hello guys!

I'm back again with another chapter. This will probably be a short chapter just for today. I'm sorry I'm bad at keeping schedule but I'm one of those people who update when they get inspiration but I will try and try to update more.

So, sit back, relax and…

ENJOY!

John's POV

I lied, you know…

I have many times…

I lied to the team, I lied to friends, I lied to the mentors, I lied about me, I lied to Rose, I lied to Jericho and Grant…

I lied to my family, I lied to myself, my childhood, the world.

I feel unable to say the truth, there is nothing that doesn't compel me not to say the truth but I rarely speak it and just avoid it. I see that the truth is the most valued but that is also a lie. No one values the truth. Everyone wants to hear a lie, a lie to help them stay oblivious, a lie to keep them from falling apart.

I fell apart a long time ago. I didn't like the truth that I, myself had asked for. It teared at me and plunged its claw into my chest and embedded itself into my heart.

I lied to myself about how I felt.

I lied to the pain and made it feel like grace.

And I manipulated my grace to become a reality.

That's all I am, a manipulating, deceitful person. Not because I want to be but because I'm afraid of my past repeating itself repeatedly.

I don't want to see my family die again, I don't want to be…again…

I lie to people and make them feel what they think is right. I just control and conquer what I need to. I am the one playing a game of chess, of course.

I learned how to play chess when I was six, my dad and I would always play. I would listen to every word he would say and put it into practise and it wasn't long before I saw some situations as a game of chess. Just wait for a move to be made then make one yourself. Never go first.

Have you ever wondered why my eyes are so bright? So, bright to the point that they scare whoever I stare at?

You don't know? It's because I lied, I lied so much that they become the truth to me and me alone. Don't try and give me truth because that is now a lie to me.

Lying is my nature and the King I am of it.

I am the King who will be left the only one left as the body of all the pawns are piled beneath me as I sit on my throne.

But even if I die, I will come back…

I will forever be the King who has no heir. I will forever be the King written in history to be one to win. I will forever be the King who welcomed Death to me and my soldiers.

But time will wear and when it does I will be replaced by…me.

When I die, there will be Red X.

When Red X dies, there will be Renegade.

When Renegade dies, there will be Talon.

When Talon dies, there will be Dick.

But when he dies, my true form will show…

My true form as the Grim Reaper.

No POV

"André, you holding up?" Tommy asked, worried as André was falling behind. The two brothers had stopped to let André catch up but it seemed like he just stopped climbing altogether. His eyes looked blank, his face gave no sign of emotion.

"Yes, I'm fine." André smiled. André then leaped up to grab a rock and pulled himself up and started ploughing through the climb faster than the brothers. When he reached the top, he smirked down at the brothers who had their eyebrows raised up as far as their hairlines. He loved that look on people, made him almost want to laugh.

"Come on, we can't keep him waiting." André called down, the brothers immediately started moving again. It took about five minutes before they reached André. Climbing over a mountain was hard, especially if there is no other way around through car. The cars had to go a longer way that would waste their time. André told them he already had someone waiting for them on the other side so they would be fine.

"How are you not sweating?" Matthew asked as he placed his hands on his knees to get in some air. The two boys were sweating a little bit but André didn't even break a sweat. He was perfectly fine.

"I've done this couple of times, it's second nature to me when it comes to climbing in any situation." André shrugged, "And sweating's not my thing."

He walked off chuckling with the brothers following. They had to make their way through a cave to reach the other side of the mountain and make their way down. They turned on their flashlights they clipped to their tops and traversed carefully. As they did, they saw several drawings on the walls from a long time ago.

They soon came to a room that had bones and skulls as decoration on the walls.

"I hate this room already." André frowned. He turned around to see where the brothers were. One of them were behind him, Tommy, and the other, Matthew was about to touch something. Before André could stop him, he pressed the pressure point. They all screamed as the floor turned into a slope and slid them down into the dark abyss.

"Come on, John, answer." Rose muttered to herself as she called John several times. She was worried for him. It had been a week since he last called and it made her worry to no end. Rose always got a chill down her back when something bad was about to happen, and this time she had a feeling that John was in trouble, or in danger.

She always got this feeling, she was connected to John through the feeling she got. John never felt if Rose was in danger. Even if he did, Rose doubted that he would act on it. He barely acted on anything but anger, command, or tactics.

Rose knew he would never help her unless he saw it was needed.

The trio landed in a cylindrical room, making a splash as their feet made contact with the ground. The room was built from bricks the same colour as sand. There Just as they landed the ceiling began to descend.

"Crap, we need to hurry right now. Find a way out quick!" André called out in panicked voice.

The three started to run around feeling the walls for an opening. As they did, they were forced to crouch as the ceiling continued to lower.

André scanned the room, his eyes lit up as he found their solution.

"Answer your phone, goddammit!" Rose cursed as she punched in John's number repeatedly.

The others worried for Rose, she was doing this for twenty minutes. She told everyone she had a feeling something happened to John but didn't know what. This made the team worry even more, she was never wrong when she got a gut feeling about something bad happening.

All they could do was prey that John was okay.

The water scooped the boys up and threw, tossed, and dragged them like ragdolls. No matter what they did, they couldn't grab anything and if they'd lose André. André was knocked out as soon as the water got them. He was also bleeding from his arm wound while stabbing at the clogs on the wall to stop the ceiling from crushing them. He stabbed and stabbed, even as the spike pierced him until the ceiling stopped moving. They all got on their knees and crawled through the opening that appeared when the ceiling stopped.

André went first and as soon as he was through he was slapped by the water and hit his head against the wall. Tommy and Matthew quickly used their legs to push themselves away from the wall and swam to get to André who was lying face down.

Rose was now on her knees crying as the feeling got worse. No one could comfort her, not even the mentors. The had to result in calling Grant, who calmed her down slightly but she would continue to mumble "He's not answering" repeatedly.

"Hey, he could just be busy." Grant suggested, "You know John by now, once he's in character he doesn't break out of it until he needs to."

Rose nodded and just like that, the feeling started to go away.

Matthew, Tommy, and André stumbled out of the mountain. The two brothers made sure André didn't trip over as he probably had a concussion right now. They were in all a right mess. They were wet, tired, sored and Tommy and André wanted to scream at Matthew.

Out there waiting for them was a man. He was a muscular man with slicked back black hair. He had grey eyes – one looked lazy – and a chiselled facial feature. He wore a white t shirt with khaki combat trousers and black boots.

"Dominic!" André cheered.

"Miss me that much." The now identified man chuckled as he picked up André bridal style.

"Oh, this is Tommy and Matthew." André added in.

The man nodded at them and told them they'd need to get a move on if they were gonna reach their destination. While Tommy and Matthew sat in the back while André sat in the front. The was a plastic barrier that kept them from hearing what each other were saying.

The brothers wondered why that would be needed in a car but soon shrugged it off as they drifted to sleep.

John looked back at Dominic after checking the brothers were asleep. He sighed and grabbed the gauze and began to wrap it around his bicep. He seriously hated being injured but that's what happens when going on journey's like this. He wanted to avoid things like this but right now he had no choice.

"Are you really going to continue doing this to them?" Dominic asked.

"Well Dom, it's a pretty simple game right now. Would you prefer if I told them the truth?" John countered.

Dominic shrugged.

"What would I say? Hey, just to let you know I have no interest in either of you. I'm just using you to get to the diamond. Come on! There's no need to look betrayed, let's keep going!" John said in a happy, enthusiastic voice.

Dominic chuckled, "I just don't want you to get a situation you can't get out of."

"I know." John answered.

A moment of silence fell between the two before Dominic broke it.

"Anyways, your phone was ringing for well over an hour." Dominic said, trying to change the subject.

John nodded and took his phone from the compartment. He unlocked it to check who called him. Dominic sparred a glance at John before he turned his eyes back to the road.

"It's...her, isn't it?" Dominic asked, sounding a little saddened.

"Yeah…I should call her back." John nodded.

"Could you…?"

"Sure"

John put his phone on loudspeaker as Rose picked up the phone.

"John!" Rose sounded like she had been crying but mostly relieved to hear from him.

"You called. Why?" John asked, getting straight to the point.

"I wanted to know if you were okay." Rose informed him.

"Well I am s-" John was immediately cut off by Rose.

"Don't you dare try and end this conversation yet! You don't call for a week and think it's ok just to say 'Well I am' and end the call? I was worried sick about you!" Rose sounded like she was about to cry.

John could hear a cluster of footsteps coming towards Rose. This caused him to roll him eyes. Not only did he have to deal with an emotional ex-assassin but now a bunch of heroes who get attached to everything they see. Great!

"JOHN!" John huffed, which really resembled to how horses would let out air through their nose. The comparison made Dominic smile.

"Frost. Go away." John bluntly.

"It's Grant. I will not go away; don't you know what you did to Rose? She was crying just because you wouldn't answer the phone. You could have at least answered earlier." Grant said in a stern voice.

"I never asked her to worry over me. That is strictly her fault." John said plainly.

"John, please. You worried us all, we just want you back. You're our little brother." Megan said, trying to reason with John. Apparently, she missed the shushing noises and whispers say 'No, no, no. Don't say that!' several times.

John's eye twitched dangerously.

"Don't you dare even insinuate that I'm a part of your so called 'family'." John hissed.

"Don't act like that, John. You need family." Rose said, feeling rather agitated.

"I did. You killed the last two, remember?" John deadpanned.

"How much longer are you gonna throw that at me? I had enough!" Rose growled.

John raised his eyebrow. When had he ever thrown that in her face? He never did such a thing. Instead, John would ignore her, so what was she talking about? Or… what is she hiding? If Rose was in front of him, he'd be able to tell in a heartbeat that she was hiding something. Good thing he had access to the monitors. John took out his laptop and got into the surveillance, he could see that the team and Grant were huddled around Rose. They all calm, a bit worried but neutral. Rose on the other hand looked nervous. She was sweating slightly, was fidgeting, and was looking at everything but refused to meet the eyes of her peers. She was certainly hiding something.

John would play along for now.

"Until the very end, Rose." John answered.

"Let it die!" Rose said angrily.

John was close, he knew it. Just one more push…

"No, not until you die." John continued.

Snap!

"I had enough of you! I said I'm sorry already. Why can't you just forget!" Rose talked faster and faster as she got angry, "I just want to forget about it but you won it let me! Hew about you grow up and forget it! I don't care that your family was killed, I don't care if they died a second time! You should be happy Shade took you in and thought you something! NO! You should have killed yourself before ever meeting us! Jericho is right about you! Why I do-"

"For a second time?" John pressed on.

"What?" Rose asked, trying to play off that she didn't say anything.

"What do you mean, Rose? Please elaborate." John said silkily.

Rose froze up, she knew that tone from a mile away. It was the tone Slade would use if someone was stepping on the danger line. That tone was serious, it was a tone that promised pain and regret for the person on the receiving end. She had to stay strong though and steadied. She had nothing to fear…right?

"Roseline Wilson Worth. Don't lie to me." John said.

"I'm not lying." Rose said strongly.

"I can see you, Roseline. I can see the signs." John countered.

"N-"

"We'll talk about this when I get back." John then cut the phone.

"You really think she is a part of all this?" Dominic asked.

"I know she is." John answered, "You can't convince me otherwise."

Dominic opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He wracked his mind to find something, anything to lead it away from the young girl but couldn't. Either way, he tried and tried until he found something.

"Are you saying that to make yourself feel better after all the manipulation you've done, Dick Grayson?" Dominic pressed.

"Are you saying this because you still have a soft spot for your daughter and two sons, Slade Wilson?" John countered right back.

The two smirked, they always tried to make light of things if needed.

That was chapter 25 and I hope you enjoyed it! I took a long time writing this but it was worth it! And that's what happens when you're sick with a stomach infection and on your time of the month that is hated by every female on Earth who gets cramps and pains.

And yes, I know, you guys are probably like "Slade?! WHAT?!" You guys probably think that Slade and John are working together to kill the heroes or something but I won't tell you for now! You're gonna have to figure it out like everyone else.

Don't forget to READ&REVIEW!

Blue out;]