A/N: Phew, I finally done it! I was supposed to update this story on Thursday but my brother took my laptop couse he did some real stupid shit, but now that I have it back I an update, woohoo!
Alright, now this one is a bit longer than the other chapters but I think it's worth it. It's the chapter where Rage tells the titans about his past, his connections to Slade, his abnormal behavior etc etc ... At the beginning I had a bit of writers block not knowing how to write about him so that he wouldn't become a Gary Sue character but as I wrote along the ideas just came by themselves.
Oh yeah, and if anyone is interested about how Rage would look like here's a sketch a friend of mine made after my description: http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2509/rageim7.jpg ... Okay, so he's not the brightest pickle in the jar but he did his best.
Alright, I said enough, so without further ado ... Enjoy!
Part 2 – My name is Anton Dragan Mikhail
Seeing Rage on his knees surprised all of the titans but especially Robin. He made a step forward and went towards his friend being followed by the rest of the team. They approached Rage who apparently didn't seem to hear them and was only looking up at the sky.
"Rage" Robin called out trying to get his friends attention.
At hearing this Rage swiftly jumped up to his feet in an up right position and tried to look as though nothing happened.
"Oh hi Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg … How are you doing? I thought you guys were in the main room celebrating Slade's defeat" he replied with a false tone of good disposition and an expression that expressed no concern what so ever.
"Not really, we just came here to check up on you" replied Cyborg cautiously.
"Check up on me? Oh you do not need to do that, I am all fine and dandy and glad of our victory. There is no reason of concern, he he" Rage responded chuckling not wanting to look as though he wasn't in a good mood.
Why was Rage hiding his true feelings and was so nice all of the sudden? Sure, Slade's defeat would trigger a change of character into anyone's personality but the fact was that Rage was hiding his sadness and didn't want to alarm his friends and more than probably felt the need to be alone. This fact some what annoyed Robin who needed answers but he didn't want to ruin the moment of kindness that was about to follow. He thought about what he was going to say to make Rage talk to them truthfully but to his surprise Raven was the one that spoke out first.
"Rage, or Anton, or whatever your name is, we know you're not okay, I can sense it, remember?"
"Non sense" Rage protested calmly "I am fine and there is no need to worry. What makes you think I am not happy?"
"We have observed you while saying the prayer and singing" interrupted Starfire "Please pardon our interference in your personal matters but we were most curious"
"Yeah man, we understand what you went through and it's no shame in admitting that you're feeling sad" said Beast Boy trying to make his friend feel better about himself.
"Wait a second, you spied on me and you understood what I said?" Rage asked being surprised of what his friends had told him.
"Well, yeah, but we only did it couse we wanted to know more about you" replied Cyborg who didn't want to anger his friend seeing how such discussions didn't end so well in the past.
"But how is it possible for you to understand what I have said?" Rage inquired.
"It is because of me" Starfire continued "Merely through physical contact I can absorb any spoken language and we have indeed partaken in such contacts before"
Rage was surprised and didn't know what to say, he realized that if this was true then it meant that Starfire could well have been listening to him talk to himself all along with out him knowing it. His mood turned from depression to panic and Raven could sense it.
"Well, I did not know that" Rage replied a bit surprised and a bit amused of the situation "Please tell me, exactly what have you heard coming out of my mouth these last few months".
"Well, we've heard what you said today and we also heard you talking about Slade a couple of months ago" said Robin.
"You have haven't you?" Rage replied rhetorically.
"Yes we have, but tell me, the things that you said about me in your prayer, were they true?" Robin asked.
Rage looked at him and gulped. His face was bloody and a bit swollen up because of the fight that ensued earlier and the scar on his face seemed to be bleeding. It was a cold November night but Rage didn't shiver preferring to stay bare waist with out his shirt on while his friends would look at the scars on his chest and shoulder from time to time.
"Yes Robin, what I have said was indeed true. In my code of ethics and morals killing is a sin, and because you are my friend and I am partially to blame for your sin I have asked God to take your sin upon me"
"Why?"
"Because I have already sinned lots of times and there is no need for you to go to hell"
"Gee, thanks" said Robin realizing that even though he didn't believe in such things what Rage did was in fact an act of friendship and sacrifice "But what about Slade? We've heard you talking about him before but you still acted as though you didn't know him. What's up with that?"
"Yeah, and what about that dream of yours? What did it actually mean?" asked Raven
"And you're overwhelming anger and change of eye color when you are enraged, why does that happen?" Starfire continued
"Not to mention that crazy temper of yours" said Cyborg
"And the fact that you're always creepy and don't talk that much and don't play video games and eat veggie pizza and always spend hours in the gym or reading …"
Robin's question set of a mass reaction that engulfed all of the team. They bombarded Rage with an overwhelming number of questions that quickly confused him, not knowing were one question was coming from and what to say. Finally, not being able to take anymore questions and realizing that he had been keeping too much from his friends he decided to straighten things out.
"All right, all right I understand, I will answer to all of your questions, Jesus!" said Rage while trying to stop the cascade of question his friends submitted him to.
"You will?" asked Robin.
"Yes, yes I will, but please let me speak and don't interrupt me with such numerous questions. I will tell you anything you want to know" he replied calmly putting his hands up to his chest level trying to signify that they should take him slower.
At hearing this the titans stopped asking so many questions and were ready to listen to what Rage had to say. They wondered who should ask first and decided to let Robin do it.
"All right, let's start with the basics, exactly who are you and where are you from?" he asked being glad that we would finally get the answers he needed.
"My name is Anton Dragan Mikhail. I hail from Serbia and I am 19 years of age. I was part of a Serbian secret force project that trained young boys from the age of 10 and I have fought in the recent Serbo-Croatian war"
"Wait a second, you're Serbian?" asked Beast Boy pointing towards his friend "I always thought you were Russian"
Hearing what his friend said Rage chuckled as if he had heard that particular line before.
"He he, well we are closely related to the Russians and our languages do sound alike and our peoples are both of Slavic descent, but no, I am from Serbia, Belgrade to be more exact"
"But you just said that you're 19 years old" said Raven "Didn't you say you were actually 18?"
"That was a few months ago. My day of birth is on the 7th of November and this was two weeks ago"
"It was? Dude why didn't you say anything?" inquired Beast Boy "We could've thrown you a great birthday party"
"With Slade threatening us celebrating my day of birth was the last thing I had on my mind"
"That explains it" said Raven almost whispering "But what about that dream of yours?"
"What dream?" Rage asked not understanding what Raven meant.
"You know, the dream I told you about a couple of months ago in July when you flipped out and grabbed me" Raven replied "The one with the war and the wounded people and the demolished cities and the woman who was leaving. I tried to figure out what it meant but it doesn't add up, all I know is that they could be memories but I can't piece the part with that woman. What was it all about anyway?"
"Yeah, and did it have something to do with what went on these last months?" asked Robin having a hunch that it meant much more then they imagined.
Rage looked at them with a surprised expression on his face and scratched his head.
"Well Robin, it does has something to do with what went on, a lot actually, but in order to explain both the dream and its effects and my behavior I will have to tell you more about myself, much more"
"Alright, we're listening" Cyborg replied seeming interested by his friend's tale.
"Are you sure you want to hear it? It is quite long and I think you are very tired" said Rage who was apparently hesitant again.
"We are not" Starfire replied "but we are most curious about your life and would like to know more about you".
What Starfire said didn't surprise Rage at all. After all, he was usually reclusive and didn't talk that much so her answer didn't seem so strange to him. Preparing to tell his friends what they wanted to hear Rage decided to put his shirt on but didn't button it up and lighted the last cigarette from his pack.
"Alright, I will tell you what you want to hear, but please; I would prefer that what I say to remain a secret" he said blowing out the smoke from his lungs.
"Oh sure, we won't say anything. You can trust us" the others said almost in unison.
After taking another smoke from his cigarette Anton sighed and started.
"Well Raven, you were right, that dream of mine was nothing more than awful memories from my past, even the part with the women that was leaving. You see, that women was actually my mother. I never knew my father and my mother abandoned me with my uncle when I was only 2 years old and that vision of her in my dream was the last memory I have of her"
"That is quite sad friend Rage. I am most sorry to hear that" replied Starfire who knew what it meant to grow up without parents.
"Do not be, I actually do not give it much thought anyway" said Anton truthfully "She left me when I was small and I went on with my life not caring about it. It is how that American saying goes: there is no use crying over spilled milk"
Hearing what Anton said made the titans ponder a little. Most of them grew up without parents or were separated from them and always felt sorry or blamed them selves for what happened. On the other hand Anton said that he didn't give it much thought … This was a thing they all should have done, but alas, they were more sentimental than him and what applied to him didn't necessarily also apply to them.
"Alright, go on" Raven replied wanting to hear more about her friend.
"Right, so after my mother left me I was brought up by my uncle. My uncle, Maxim Dragan Goran, was an officer in the Serbian army and he was only 27 when my mother entrusted me to him. He raised me in a patriotic and Christian spirit and taught me how to fight. He educated me and also took me to work with him were I saw what true discipline meant"
"Army full childhood huh?" asked Cyborg after hearing what he said.
"Not really" Anton replied in a sort of hesitant tone "I mean sure, I watched the soldiers training and learnt a lot of things about weapons but sometimes some of my uncle's trainees would take me out to play a game of soccer with them or even shoot with a rifle, it was sort of nice actually"
"Interesting, but what about school and education?" asked Robin.
"Oh, I only went to school for a year" Anton replied "After that my uncle started educating me by his own. He taught me how to read, count and do calculus and made me fall in love with literature, but this happened until I was 10"
"What happened after that?" asked Robin remembering that Anton said earlier, that at the age of 10 he became member of a Serbian secret force project.
"At the age of 10 it all began" Anton started "You see, one day my uncle told me to come with him to work and that it could be a memorable day for me. Listening to what he said I followed him and we drove to a military base I've never been to before. We entered the base and I've noticed the high security and realized that this was no ordinary military training ground. After we got out we both reported to the head quarters of that base. The room we entered was all white and filled with wooden furniture and inside there were three men that were talking quite loudly to each other, an old man with a beard which was dressed as a general, a man in a suit which I later found out that he was a agent of the secret Serbian defense force and a man dressed in a military uniform with a golden cross around his neck which was no one other than the famous Arkan"
"The war-time criminal?" Robin asked with eyes wide open as windows.
"I prefer to call him a hero, but that is my personal point of view so let us move on" Anton insisted as he threw his cigarette down on the roof floor, stepped on it and then placed it back into his pocket so that he didn't make a mess "So, after we entered and saluted, the three men looked at me and visually inspected me and the way I stood and after that told me to wait outside for a moment. I went outside and tried to hear what they were speaking but a guard told me not to be sneaky or otherwise I will get in trouble. After about a half an hour the man in the suit left followed by the great Arkan. Before my uncle called me inside Arkan kneeled down to my level, patted me on the cheek and told me to make the right decision, both for me and for the fatherland. At that moment I did not understand what he meant by that but after I went inside I found out that I was offered the chance to take part in a secret military program called "Uber Soldat" that was suppose to train me and other boys my age to become a future leading force in the army. All I needed to do was to accept their proposition and sign a contract and seeing how I was small and enthusiastic I read the document and signed it".
"At the age of ten? That doesn't sound right!" exclaimed Beast Boy "Why so young? What were they going to do with you?"
"Indeed, it is most curious that they have made such a proposition to such a young boy seeing how earth boys are still weak at that age" continued Starfire who was also paying attention to this discussion.
"At strange as it seems it is the truth. From what I have learned this program was thought up by the Serbian secret forces and accepted by the government" Anton said "And not only that, but almost every civilized country has such programs. Slade was part of such a program and also Leonid Kovar of Russia, you might know him as Red Star, he is also a hero in his country"
"Yes, we know him" Robin replied "In fact he's an honorary titan, but he was submitted to radioactive tests and research, did the same thing happen to you?"
"Not quite, but I am getting to that in a second" Anton continued "After I signed that document only one weak had passed and I was taken to a military ground that I have never been to or seen before. This reminds me about Spartan education but I do not want to talk about it as I would just seem full of myself and also get cocky. So, when I reported to my superiors I found out that 19 other boys who were the same age as I were in the same program. My uncle moved close to the base in a near by small town and he would check up on me every month. The program was structured into 10 years and 4 time periods, each period consisting of 2 years"
"And your comrades were the boys who had taken part in this program you speak of?" asked Starfire
"Yes, and we practically grew up together ever since" Anton confirmed Starfire's hunch "In the first period, from the age of 10 to 12 we got to know each other and we were taught basic and with time passing more advanced survival skills and such things, sort of like in the boy scouts if you may, but a bit harder"
"Well the first years don't sound so hard" said Cyborg concluding that his friend had a time of two years to adjust.
"Not quite" Anton responded a bit agitated as though he remembered something unpleasant "Even if we were not pushed to our limits the training was still sort of intense and our instructors stressed the importance of discipline. They stressed it so hard that they would kick us in the stomach for any minor mistake"
"But that does not seem right" Starfire replied "Please, did they give the bad kicking of the butt?"
"To be honest, yes, but in the long run it was a good thing; it made us stronger and more resistant, we learned the importance of discipline, we started working as a team and I made two close friends with whom I topped our platoon, their names were Vlad and Andrei"
"Weren't they the ones that Slade kept yakking about?" Beast Boy asked.
"Yes they were, and for some time we were almost inseparable" Rage replied "But with our training continuing at a higher step rivalry and envy had reared its ugly head. The next period took another two years, since the age of 12 to the age of 14. This phase was much harder, it was regular military training. We learned to fire with weapons, give first aid on the battlefield, simulated war time conditions, went into the woods for three days and nights having to fend for our selves, things like that, and last but not least patriotic pride"
"And how exactly did this rivalry and envy appear between you and you friends? … pardon, comrades" Raven asked mumbling a little.
"Because of pride" Anton replied "After what we went through and after being taught that we were to become great soldiers all of us pushed our spirits and bodies forward to become the best there is. Me, Vlad and Andrei were the best but I was better, thus earning the title of lieutenant, a fact that displeased my two comrades who started to envy me so much that they would try to keep me up at night so that I would fail the next day"
"I'm not the one to judge Rage, Anton, whatever … But they didn't seem like true friends after all" said Beast Boy.
"Yes, their behavior was not faithful nor honorable seeing how I was both their friend and superior, but I told our instructors what had happened and they took care of the problem" Anton replied "So going on … After I became lieutenant and we all reached the age of 14 we passed to the second last phase of the program. We were now properly trained and disciplined and knew that the next two phases will be the hardest yet, but at the same time the Croatian government started to pressure our country and threaten our people with war. We entered the next phase and our training became harder. We had to fend for our selves for two whole weeks in the forest with out tools and only relying on team work, we were submitted to torture and mental integrity pressure training just in case we got caught, we learned two languages and mid level storm tactics, we learned to operate bigger weapons, I was assigned to artillery training, and last but not least, we were submitted to more … special tests"
"What kind of tests?" Robin asked suspecting that he will find out something that he always wanted to know.
"Bio-chemical test" Anton replied with a deep voice, a sign that these 'tests' were in fact something of grave importance "The ones who were in charge of the "Uber Soldat" project decided that at the age of 15 our bodies were able and ready to withstand chemicals and serums that would improve our physique and mental capacity"
"Why didn't they just use radioactive treatments instead?" asked Raven
"Because radioactive treatments in physique development have proven to be highly dangerous and instable. You probably know what happened to Leonid Kovar, but you must also know that such research has been carried out in the past in multiple countries and the effects were the same, that is why the Serbian secret forces decided only to inject us with these substances"
"The same thing happened to Slade" Robin realized, remembering what he had read in the files he received "But what kind of substances did they use on you?"
"To be honest I have no idea what they were called" Rage responded while lifting his shoulders "We were taken to a laboratory where we were injected with three types of serums and chemicals once every weak. I can still remember it. Those white robes and those darkened goggles, puncturing my veins with numerous needles and pumping chemicals into me, I get chills down my spine just by remembering"
"And what was the effect of those particular chemicals that were injected into your veins?" asked Starfire
"Well Starfire, some of those effects you have already noticed and I am afraid that they have become permanent" he replied "You know how my eyes become red when I am angry and how outrageous I behave when something is not right, even though my friends could be the only ones who are involved? Those things occurred and still occur because one of these chemicals. The first substance that they injected in us was a green substance which had the role of making us more resilient to stress conditions. The second one was also a green substance which was hormone and protein based and would fasten our physical development, offering us a more muscular and resilient body. The last chemical was red, and its formula a well protected secret. It gave us stamina and a high level of resistance but it also had a strange impact on our brain. While in training, this chemical reacted by turning me and other three of my comrades into merciless maniacs. Our eyes turned red because of the faster circulation of our blood through our blood vessels and we felt the absolute need to totally destroy our targets"
"So that's why you get all crazy and red eyed and flipped when I beat you at video games?" asked Beast Boy
"Exactly" Anton replied "So going on … with three weeks before I turned 16 the Croatian government started bombing Serbian border cities and its army started advancing inland. Another war began. Our government responded and declared all out war against Croatia being determined to defeat them once and for all. I first found out about this when I noticed tanks and troops leaving our base. I asked my superiors what was going on and they told me what had happened and also said that if the Croatian troops will pass the Novi Sad line and come within 50 kilometers of Belgrade then we will be sent into battle as a special unit of storm troopers"
"At the age of 16?" Cyborg asked being amazed by what he heard "What's wrong with them? How can they send 16 year olds to war?"
"They had no choice, if the Croatians would have entered Belgrade and occupy it then they would have won the war" Anton replied "They decided to use any necessary force in order to win and we were no exception. After about a month of fighting the Croatian army started gaining ground and have passed the Novi Sad line. After another three weeks during which I turned 16 and should have gone into the last phase of the program our instructors woke us up at 5 in the morning and told us to report to our superiors. We were being sent to war. We suited up and packed our ammunition and health kits and inspected our weapons, after which an army truck took us to the front. Before I left my uncle came over and told me that he was very proud of me and offered me his holy cross, the one that I wear around my neck. He told me that it saved him from bullets in the first Serbo-Croatian war and that it will do the same for me"
"No doubt about that" replied Robin glad that his friend's good luck charm had saved them "So you went to war, what happened next?"
"When we left the grounds of our base we found that it was situated just outside Pančevo city, only a couple of miles away from Belgrade. We arrived in the capital at 7:30 A.M. and saw what enemy fire and air raids did to the city. It was horrible I tell you, horrible" said Anton while clinching his fists "Half of Serbia's army forces were concentrated along what we called the Belgrade line. We were assigned to join the 23rd infantry battalion but at the same time didn't have to rely on them. Also, we had to report once a week to infirmary tents and show a special document in order to be injected with the three serums"
"Were you addicted or something?" Robin asked
"It was an order, I can only guess that either those chemicals were still in research stage or that our superiors wanted us to fight harder, who knows?!" said Anton not understanding that particular order from his past "So, we first headed into battle in December. It was cold and we had to take over enemy positions at night. We approached them cautiously on the left flank but they had skirmishes and started shelling us. When I saw shells coming down the red serum kicked in and I ran forward but one of the shells landed 10 meters to my left and a piece of shrapnel hit me in the cheek. That is how I got this scar on my face"
"Did it hurt?" Raven asked curiously
"It hurt like hell" Anton replied laconically and a bit infuriated by the memory "But as we all know scars are like medals, you wear them with pride and never feel ashamed about them. They prove that you have survived a dangerous incident"
"That's how I feel about these mechanical parts of mine. What happened next?" Cyborg asked.
"When the shrapnel hit me in the face I fell down for a moment but because of the serum I got back on my feet and me Vlad and Andrei lead the attack and took out 50 enemy soldiers with the help of our platoon, who were defending an artillery battery and also captured various supplies of food, medical equipment and weaponry. After we occupied that position we redirected fire towards the enemy and in disarray they panicked and fall back several miles behind our lines. That was our first attack, some got injured but survived, some made it out without a scratch, but that was only the beginning"
"Please Anton, tells us more about what had happened in the war against your Croatian enemies" said Starfire who became quite interested about his story.
"Alright, I will tell you" he replied calmly even if for him this wasn't something pleasant to remember "After this first attack we continued our actions as storm troopers. Our training proved to be effective and also the chemicals seemed to be doing their work but in the first 6 months of the war each of us had been shot or wounded at least two times. Luckily for us no body died, but our actions came to be known by both our enemy and compatriots and we earned the respect that we deserved. For one year we fought and killed for the fatherland, for every enemy that I have killed I said a prayer of forgiveness but for every burned down church I would kill 10 enemies. We learned many things, even how to smoke or drink for example but we also learned how fast a life could end. We passed through many cities and villages and have seen how our fellow Serbs suffered. We could not take it anymore; we decided that if we were to die than the last one who is standing to do what I did tonight"
"From what I hear you had a really rough time during this war" said Robin who remembered about this sort of news about the war that Anton took part in when he also discovered what the Brotherhood of Evil were actually planning.
"I believe that you can not even imagine" replied Rage a bit unsure of his response, not knowing if the titans have faced much harder situations than his.
"Probably not, but how did you get to know Slade and how did he kill you comrades?" Raven asked
"I am getting to that right now" he replied "You see after one year of fighting our forces were at a stand still. Both armies suffered heavy losses and they were stranded at the Novi Sad line continually fighting. Our government and secret forces decided to put an end to this war and they enlisted us to take out important figures of the Croatian government. At first we all thought it was strange and to this very day I still do not understand why they have chosen us but we had no other choice, those were the orders and we had to do it"
"And how did you get pass enemy lines?" Beast Boy asked "You were 16, pretty young if you ask me, and I don't think that wearing a uniform might have done the trick"
"You are right Beast Boy, it was not that easy" Anton responded "We took part in an air raid that our aviation forces had to proceed to while Vlad flew a glider behind the bombers in order to catch the enemy off guard. The trick worked and we landed safely between Zagreb and Sisak, in a forest near the village of Zarad. We got out of the glider and stole a truck with which we drove all the way to Zagreb. When we arrived it was morning and the city was teaming with soldiers. We took shelter in an abandoned warehouse and decided the course of action. At first Andrei and Vlad protested but Ivan and Robert calmed them down and assured them that my plan would work. Andrei and seven other comrades were to take out the Croatian minister of defense and the minister of economy, Vlad and another seven comrades would take out the minister of communications and the prime minister and me and other six comrades had to assassinate their president. It was hard and we knew that some, if not all of us, would not make it out alive, but we decided that it was either victory or death. From that point on there was no turning back"
"And how did these executions go? Did you get out on time and hit all of your targets?" asked Raven who felt a little eerie for standing so close to a 'mercenary soldier'.
"The assassination plot had worked" Anton replied "At 11:30 P.M. we were all in positions and executed the orders that our superiors gave us. We wasted no time and rendezvoused back to the truck with the Croatian police and guards on our trail. We drove off into the night and took the long road towards the village of Drenovci through dense forests. At first we thought that we were safe but after 2 hours of driving Andrei told me that he noticed a car driving at about one hundred yards behind us with the lights off. When we heard this we switched into high gear but they were still following us. Vali tried to aim for the driver seeing how he was the best sharp shooter of the team but to no avail. When we got near Drenovci we jumped out of the truck and ran into the forest trying to buy some time by making our followers inspect the truck first. The night was chilly and we ran as fast as we could. A half an hour later we stumbled upon a fork in the road. I suggested to make way towards the east and cross the border cautiously into Serbia and finally to safety but Vlad and Andrei suggested to cross the border into Bosnia and after that illegally pass into Serbia. Because of this an argument ensued and the team decided to follow Andrei and Vlad instead of listening to a direct order from their lieutenant. I did not want to break international laws but seeing how I was responsible for my platoon I had no other choice but to follow them. We silently walked through the brush for about another 15 minutes before we heard gun shots. We were still ten kilometers away from the border so we realized that it could not have been the border guards. We turned around and heard someone calling us to stop in Croatian but we did no such thing. We ran towards the border, trying to make it across, but our paths have been cut by other Croatian soldiers. We then retreated to the east seeing how that was our only apparent way out but stopped straight into a dead end. Our enemies approached us and in front of them stood a man with a half black, half orange mask".
"Slade!" said Robin who remembered reading that the last time Slade had been spotted was two years ago in Budapest and Zagreb.
"Exactly" Anton replied clinching his teeth nervously and appearing to be very infuriated "He came closer and told us in English that we can either surrender or die there on the spot. He had about 30 military-police soldiers behind him and seeing how they would have surely tortured and killed us we unanimously decided to fight, but we did not talk to one another about it, this decision had been taken just by feeling the anger and determination that was in the air. I called the attack by shouting "Long live Serbia!" and we ran face forward towards death. Some of our men had been shot but by the time the enemy reloaded we were already next to them and started killing them one by one. The battle was hard but at the end the wounded and the dead were on the ground and only Slade and I remained fighting. When I was not paying complete attention Slade pulled out a gun and shot me in the chest. Luckily for me I was wearing a Kevlar vest, but because of the effort I could not get up on my feet to fight him anymore and he probably thought that I was dead. He went over to my comrades and shot most of them in the head to make sure that he would not be followed and came back to me and stole my papers after which he left"
"What a dishonorable method of battle" Starfire shouted "Slade used trickery and deceit to obtain victory, he was a coward, not a warrior"
"Star's right, what Slade did wasn't honorable at all, but how did you make it back to Serbia anyway? … That is, if you made it." Cyborg asked.
"After I had been shot in the chest I have fainted on the forest floor, yet not because of the pain but because of exhaustion" Anton replied while looking up towards the moon "Our luck has it that Lazar, the team's communication expert still had the radio transmitter which we used to contact several Serbian posts and told them to help us. After a few hours, at about one o'clock in the afternoon, a carrier plane took us and our dead comrades back to Serbia. The only ones who made it out alive were me, Lazar and Bogdan. I have no idea why God had chosen us to live but I am sure he had a good reason"
"I believe that your God did in fact have a reason" said Starfire, placing her hand on his shoulder and smiling warmly towards he friend "Please, what had happened after your rescue?"
"We arrived in Belgrade and we were taken into intensive care but the doctors only recommended us one week of pause. We heard the doctors and the hospital personnel talking and found out that we won the war because leading figures of the Croatian government have been assassinated. We felt very proud and I believe that some doctors had the impression that we were somehow involved in those strikes but our minds were only focused on the memory of our dead comrades. Lazar and Bogdan became quiet, very quiet; we almost did not even speak until we were taken to our base by our head instructor. When we arrived there we were congratulated by everybody and even received the Warrior's Heart decoration first class. We were indeed proud of what we have accomplished but knew that nobody would know about our actions"
"Why is that?" Starfire asked looking surprised "You were heroes, and heroes deserve to be known by the ones that they have protected and nearly died for"
"I agree Starfire, but you see, the "Uber Soldat" project was secret and if anybody knew about what we have done things could not have went on without troubles, both internal and international" Anton replied looking a bit frustrated, but he wasn't frustrated because of Starfire's curiosity, it was because he realized that he had accomplished something grand and that nobody but him, his living comrades, his uncle and his superiors knew about it, but he soon brushed off that thought remembering about his training and that pride was the thing that brought his comrades death in the first place.
"So you are a national hero but your people don't know? … Dude, that sucks!" said Beast Boy who also thought that his friend was indeed treated ungrateful and didn't get what he deserved.
"So what happened next?" Robin inquired "You won the war, you're a hero to your people but nobody knows it, you lost 17 comrades and made it out alive … But how did you find out that Slade was the one responsible for their death?"
"I was getting to that right now" he replied "After we were decorated we received another order; announce our comrades deaths to their families. We would have done it with or without a direct order so we prepared to head out to every family. Lazar and Bogdan presented their respects and also the Serbian folded flag with the post mortem medal of Ultimate Honor and Sacrifice to 11 of our comrades. I have done the same thing to the rest of our comrades, excepting Vlad. Every time I saw a mother crying for her lost son, every time I saw a father falling to his knees in grief, every time I saw a brother or a sister pulling on my shirt and asking me desperately where their brothers were I felt like putting a bullet straight through my brain, but I remained strong and accumulated the grief and anger in my heart. The last comrade of which's death I had to report was Vlad. He lived in a village near the border with Kosovo and his house seemed rather poor. I knocked on the door and after a few seconds an old man with the face of a saint answered. He looked at me and felt very glad to see me. He told me that he was Vlad's grandfather and that he raised him ever since his mother and father dies in a car accident and wanted to know what he had done in the war. He thought that I came there to take him to the base and see Vlad and noticing this I did not know how to tell him that his beloved grandchild was dead. Finally, I gathered all my strength and only showed him the flag and the medal. At the sight of this his joyful expression changed and he could not believe that it had happened. He fell to his knees and landed on the ground crying his heart out. I kneeled down to help him up but he did not want to. He punched the ground relentlessly, cursing the Croatians to hell and kept asking why it had to happen. Seeing Vlad's grandfather weeping and mourning remembered me of how fortunate I was to be alive. Also, his words were very powerful. I watched and listened to him carefully and with every one of his words my heart filled with anger and thirst for vengeance until it could not anymore. I helped him up and placed him on a chair in his house. I handed him the flag and medal and told him that his grandsons death will be avenged"
"Poor man, I can only imagine what he felt" said Raven who sensed the grief in Anton's heart.
"It …It was not a pretty scene Raven, I can tell you that much" Anton replied mumbling a bit and clinching his teeth "After I had left Vlad's grandfather I threw away the medal that I have received feeling that I was responsible for his death and one word that would keep me up every night raced through my every thoughts while I was leaving… Revenge. I reported back to my base and was granted two full months of freedom. I went back home to my uncle who congratulated me and hugged me as if I was his own child. The next day I went back to the base which was only a couple of miles outside of town and tried to find a way to discover who the masked man that shot me and also my other comrades really was. I assumed that he was an assassin seeing how he wore a mask so I decided to do some searching. I forged ID's and passes and broke into secret military computer base accessing restricted secret service data-bases and risking my freedom, but I was determined to find the murderer. For six months I have searched every information available but with out results. Finally, when I thought that I was again lost I found a picture of him in a CIA internet criminal data-base. I read all there was to know about him, including his fight with you, the Teen Titans, and even the fact that he was last spotted in Budapest and Zagreb, secretly speaking to Croatian military officials. The last lines that I have read were that he had probably returned to the United States, here in Jump City. I tried to read more but somebody found out that my ID's and passes were forged and I was almost arrested by the military police. I jumped out a window and made it back home where I packed my bags and told my uncle what happened. He advised me to run far away and I told him what I was planning to do. He agreed to keep quiet about this matter and also told me not to stop until my duty was fulfilled. He promised me to tell Lazar and Bogdan what I was about to do, gave me about 700 American dollars that he had stashed away for bad days and wished me the best of luck, after which I left and ran out of the city as fast as I could. My road to the Jump City had then begun"
"Hold on a minute Anton" Robin interrupted seeming a bit nervous "If you ran away from Serbia doesn't that mean that you are a wanted man?"
"Yes, unfortunately I am" said Anton understanding the reason why Robin had asked him that question.
"And for the last months we've been harboring a wanted man?" Robin inquired crossing his hands.
"Do not worry Robin" said Anton raising his palm to his chest level and also face forward towards the titans "I have taken precautions in order to not be recognized. This black shirt is from my uncle and I believe that you now know why I wear that mask when ever we went into the city"
Robin thought about what his partner said and still had doubts that he had fooled the authorities but seeing how things went smoothly and no police men or FBI or even CIA agents bothered them he relaxed realizing that he indeed slipped through their hands.
"But how did you get to the U.S.A.?" Beast Boy asked curiously "Seeing how you're a wanted man I doubt that you bought a business class plane ticket or took a cruise"
"Of course I have not done that" he replied "After I got out of the city I pondered about how I could leave and suddenly and idea popped into my mind, take a ship to America as a stall away. I did just that. I walked for five days before I got to the port of Herceg Novi were I hid in a life boat on a cargo ship that was destined to leave for America. I only ate what I had taken from home or what I could scavenge and was almost caught in Italy and Portugal but managed to make it out on time. After two months I had arrived in New York. I got off the boat by jumping into the bay and swimming to shore. I knew that Jump City is in the exact opposite side of the country so I decided to waste no more time. I walked all the way through Manhattan and the Bronx neighborhood where I was attacked on several occasions by street hooligans who wanted my money. After I immobilized and disarmed them I made it out of New York City and hitched a ride under a train that was destined to take me from Albany to Nashville. When I arrived in Nashville I started improving my English and for a couple of weeks slept under a bridge trying to figure out a way to get to Jump City. I decided that hitch hiking was a good option and went down the road trying to, as you say, "thumb a ride". Eventually I was picked up by a group of rockers who were driving a van and were heading for a Mettalica concert in Los Angeles. They said that they would be glad to offer me a ride and for the next weeks I spent a lot of time in their company learning American slang and popular culture and also becoming a heavy-metal fan". He stopped for a moment and chuckled remembering the pleasurable company he had on his trip to L.A. and also how he came to love bands like Mettalica, Pantera, Slayer and so on.
"So that's why you were always listening to heavy-metal when you worked out" concluded Cyborg rubbing while his chin.
"Yes, now you know" his friend replied "So, after I had changed courses of ways with the guys that I have met and ridden with I headed north towards Jump City. It only took me a day to get here and when I arrived I decided to have a bite to eat. I was low on cash but rather hungry so I walked into a store were a robbery was taking place. An armed man saw me without my mask on and he pointed his gun towards me. When I noticed this I realized that I was in danger and also the owner of the store. At that moment the red serum kicked in again making me grab the robber by his hand, making him drop his gun, but not before he fired a couple of rounds into the ceiling, and pounded him until he became unconscious. When I finished him he laid on the floor in a pool of his own blood and for some reason I started to identify criminals with the one I knew as Slade Wilson. The owner of the shop came over and thanked me but I realized that I was not wearing my mask and I ran away. I slept in abandoned buildings and attics, in the forests outside Jump City and even in the sewers during the night and searched for clues to Slade's whereabouts during the day. While I searched for information I tried not to be seen by people but I noticed too many infractions and felonies taking place and could not help myself from stopping the ones that were committing these acts"
"That's why the head lines of all the news paper wrote that there was a new hero in town" said Robin remembering the first time he heard about his friend's presence and also the time that he had stopped the Hive Five from robbing the first national bank of Jump City. Remembering this, one question popped into his head but he was interrupted by Starfire.
"And that is why Robin would not sleep at night. He was searching for this unknown crime fighter and that crime fighter was none other than you" she concluded addressing Rage.
"Really? Why gee I am sorry Robin, I did not know that my presence kept you awake. I apologize" Anton replied addressing Robin.
"No problem Anton, but I have a question" said Robin who looked at his friend while arching an eye brow "When you helped us out with Doom and Team Anarchy how did you know where to find them?"
"I did not" Anton replied making Robin look at him rather confused "Indeed, I have read about you in the papers that I found in litter boxes when I was searching for food but my mission was to find Slade. When I saw you on the ground being threatened by Doom I was actually only passing by trying to make it to the slums to find more information, but seeing how Doom was in the act of committing a crime the red serum kicked in yet again and I just had to fight him"
"But why did you refuse to come with us when we offered you a home?" asked Raven
"Because I thought that it would distract me from my work" Anton replied "Also, I thought that I would only be a burden for you and decided to follow my own path while you continued on yours"
"And how did you find us when Team Anarchy tried to loot the people from the movie theater?" Cyborg inquired
"Like I said before I had no such intention but I was only three blocks away when I heard people running and screaming. I saw that they ran out the movie theater so I decided to find out what had happened and I found you fighting Team Anarchy. The rest of the story you already know … I helped you, I was shot, I collapsed because I had not slept in four days, you took me back to the tower, nursed me back to health and finally convinced me to stay" said Anton concluding the story of his past and answering to what the titans wanted to hear
"I still have one more question though" said Beast Boy addressing his friend "At the tower you've always been neat with the house and more into solitude and stuff like that. Technically you're sort of a normal and tidy dude, but why did you react so freaky with me, Raven and Robin? It's not like we were your enemies or something"
"You are correct Beast Boy, you were not my enemies but during this time I became very contemplative and I did not want anybody to know what my true purpose for being in Jump City actually was. Also, because of this and because of that red serum I would respond violently to any taunt, threat, challenge or interference into my private life. I have spent much time alone trying to get this …thing, this unusual behavior out of my system but the effects are permanent and I could only reduce the effect by training both mentally and physically. Heck, because of this I even invented the name Rage; it was the first thing that popped into my head at the moment"
Anton's story was quite an impressive one. Indeed he was strange, quiet, impulsive and maybe even a little bit crazy but his past explained most of his abnormal behavior and made the titans realize that he wasn't nuts as they first assumed. He had a troubled past but somehow he seemed to be at ease with what had happened. He was a good man none the less and also a true friend.
"Dude, I never thought you went through so much" said Cyborg amazed by his friend's tale.
"Yeah, who would've have suspected?" continued Raven also impressed by Anton's life story.
"Well it is not like I have told you before about these things" Anton replied while sneaking a peek at the cold dark sky "But my job is done and I now know that my comrades can rest in peace for they have been avenged and their killer punished"
"Hold on dude!" Beast Boy said quickly as jumped in front of Anton blocking his way "This doesn't mean that you're leaving us, right? You're still a wanted man and you have no place to go and … "
"Hey, hey, slow down little buddy, slow down …" responded Anton looking seemingly surprised of his friend's reaction "I am not planning on leaving. In fact I was hoping that you guys would still accept me as a member of the team after all of this is over"
"Of course we will man, but are you sure you want to stay after every thing that had happened?" asked Cyborg.
"In Serbia I am an unknown hero, a wanted man, it would take me a great effort to get back to my home land where I would probably be jailed, what makes you think that I would not stay?" he answered making everybody realize that he was still going to be part of the team if they allowed him.
"I am truly sorry for what had happened to you friend Anton" said Starfire as she flew up towards her friend, stopping right in front of him, inspecting the scar on his face and remembering their first chat "I feel very bad for knowing that you went through all of this torture and …"
"Starfire stop!" Anton demanded with a calm voice "This is the thing that I feared would happen. Trust me Starfire, and also you my friends, I understand your concern and that you pity me and feel sorry for me and I am grateful for that, but the past remains in the past, there is no time to mourn it. I do not like it that you have to do this when in fact we should be celebrating. I mean come on! We have defeated Slade!" he said raising his voice and his fist in the air triumphantly and also looking quite happy "We are the victors, and tonight we have rid the world of a great pest. I think that this is a good moment to celebrate our victory. So what say you? Shall we sit here and mourn my past or shall we go down and have fun?"
Raven tried to sense if Anton was honest but she didn't sense anything that would suggest that he was pretending. In fact she could only sense powerful emotions of happiness and glory; he was finally in the mood they all wanted him to be.
"A party?" Raven asked while taking Beast Boys arm and looking at the others smiling "That would be just the thing we need right now"
"Splendid idea!" Starfire continued in her trademark childish and naïve happy way "We truly must celebrate this joyous occasion … What do you think Robin?" she said addressing her loved one for whom she now had stronger feelings than ever.
"Well we did get rid off Slade and the city is now a safer place but …" Robin said while crossing his hands and pretending not to be in the mood for partying "…Sure! What the heck, let's celebrate! The pizza's on me and the music is all of Beast Boy's concern. Let's head down fellas! Woohoo!"
Robin's response came as a shock to the other titans. The all determined and all focused Boy Wonder just talked and acted like Beast Boy when he's over excited or high on sugar (thinking about it who wouldn't be shocked?), but it was none the less a pleasant and unexpected surprise that overjoyed all of them.
They all headed down to the main room with Beast Boy and Raven in front and the others behind. It seemed that a new era was upon them, one of more peace than before and also one of more abundance in every aspect. It was what they've wanted all of this time.
While heading towards the stairs Starfire and Robin were the last ones to walk down but Robin told her to go ahead and join the others as he wanted to check out something on the ventilation system. Starfire complied and did just as he asked her to do.
When she was out of sight Robin shut the door and tuned around towards the moon and for an unexpected and also inexplicable reason made the cross sign and said:
"Thank you Lord! Thank you for protecting the ones that I love and thank you for giving me such wonderful friends. Hallowed be thy name Father! Amen!"
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P.S./ This is not the end, there are still 3 more chapters to go!