Teen Titans; Epilogue Story – Prologue; Rewind – Chapter 16: A Terrible Liar

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Slade's last option was to take the shortest back route to Wayne's block, gathering enough time to throw off Batman's….

He stopped and told the bots to halt the vehicle wit a wave.

"We may be meeting them after all." Slade looked back down at his shrunken apprentice; curled up as a kicked dog on the floor by his massive boot.

"Get up." Slade ordered the boy. Robin shakily nodded, and rose with his face returning to normal. The serum's effects surpassed even his own. Dick had to keep to their deal. If not, the boy would die. End of story.

/

The bots opened a path to the first floor, masking their presence as Slade's was cloaked along with his apprentice's scowling face.

"Bruce will come, he never lies about that. I'm his –

" Were. You're in a pitiful state, even to your current master... Would he even want to remember, after everything you've done so far?" Dick cocked his head, confused by the man's words again. But…afraid to ask anything more.

"Just keep moving." Slade tossed away that pup's stare. He had a bat to track, not a dog to train, just yet.

/

John countered in the best way that his arms could help to cast, while Batman destroyed half of Wayne tech's arsenal and prototype robots to a degree – beyond repair.

"Beastie hacked your foundation! Aren't you…. bloody pissed as shite??" John blocked and sent a few robots to the scrap heap.

"He must have hacked their systems somehow, the day the robot tried to –

"Nice, but mate? Later; we have a plane to catch!"

"What, are y –

Before Bruce could bat and eye, Constantine had summoned a round disc with sigils on all four points of it. A transport vehicle?? An, arc??

"Hop on!" He took Batman's gauntlet and attempted to drag the male with him as they turned near invisible.

"Magic, elevator..."

"Precisely!"

"And pray tell, why didn't you do this, four floors ago?"

"It's a lot to unpack. On' be an ungrateful bloke; we took half the time, now we have only two floors up to traverse. It's heavy magic for me. I'll have to take fifteen to be at full strength. Think you can knock some teeth out while I'm off your back?" John grinned at the unreadable bat as soon as they'd made it to the rooftop. The wind gusts were strong, but not because of the updraft of this city.

Slade's copter had dropped off one new passenger.

"Boy wonder…" John gulped and saw Bruce's eyes change as Slade took full control of the situation.

"Look, where we are standing." He spoke clearly and slowly to let the Bat and ally take a gander; a seal of magic below their feet was etched in blood red lettering and symbols of the darkest arts in the galaxy.

"Oh…. beastie…. come on, now! If you summon that ogre to this building, it'll collapse."

"I'm not blind, Constantine. Really, and neither is Lord Trigon."

Dick stood as a soldier, looking down as if the sky and the aura around them meant nothing at all.

"Your days of violent, tyrannical abuses are coming to an end…Slade; let my ward go."

He'd said it. Not partner. Not son. Ward. Why? Was Bruce just as careless with his words as his emotions?? Maybe, maybe Slade was…

Dick's fists clenched to his sides. The nanobots wouldn't have it. He straightened and awaited his orders.

"You will surrender, if you want the Titans to go free. Then, SUBMIT. HERE." Slade pointed to the ominous circle. This had to be it, his sacrifice to free his…son…. Dick didn't even cast a second glance. It was almost permanent…

/

A muffled Titan in her binds and gag was brought out. She had a look of terror and anger all in one upon her pale face. ~ Slade! Stop this! Trigon will –

" Why do you hope that he'll win when my rule could be so much better?" Slade shook his head. "I'm going to begin. And John here, can chant the opening passage –

"We aren't doin' it! She's right! You're insane!"

" Do It." Slade turned to Raven as the bots shot a red electrical current through her body. John paled.

"Stop! She's just a –

"Do It . I'll spare you lives…but where WE are going…you'd be wise not to follow…"

"What does all…. Fine…" John felt his arms grow weary. Fifteen minutes was still not up. If he lost the connection, Slade was as good as open to any attack. John nodded to the Bat, then to bloody Slade to make it even. Raven's head fell as the currents left her body. She panted through her gag. This…was getting out of hand. He couldn't fight him…. Dick…

The gag was harshly yanked away – it was removed, and Raven spoke, wondering if this was an incomplete spell. "I thought that the prophecy –

"In another time. There are many ways to summon a demon, cambion child. So, just watch, and learn." Slade stepped into the center of the circle as he pulled Raven along by her upper arm. Standing uselessly to the side, Dick's eyes shot open to view the progression that he had…

Never wanted.

/

Bruce stood on the opposite end of this devil's circle with John trying to slow the procession in his own way. By limiting his power.

As if he'd ever been second rate, John hated it but…to save a friend, the world? Just this one time would do.

~ I summon the lord of chaos and flame…. underground – for he sleeps without the regard for man and his suffering. Red as the sun's heat…I call upon the fiery lord of the unknown – the demon lord…. Trigon !! ~

Slade cocked a brow, arms crossed. Nothing. Cinched it.

"Your time, is up." He nodded to his robots to go after the sorcerer, but ten minutes had become fifteen. Constantine felt light as air on the breeze, as he side - stepped the bot's useless grip on his trench's sleeves.

Johnny dodged the shocks these bots presented. A real boy wonder, himself. " Hah! Tripped your trap, beastie! –

" Did, you now?" Slade pulled out a lazer from his side, and John shouted aloud.

/

On his knees; beaten. John Constantine growled up at the man who was back in control.

Slade stepped over to the battered blonde drunk. He smirked beneath his steely appearance from above the sorcerer from Britain. Mocking his enemies was fun, but there was more to do. More to work towards. "We'll continue. And that power is now mine to see fit, you'll not disappoint him…Trigon, is still waiting…"

John's body moved on its own. His voice cracked out and his head swung back. A true exorcism was taking place – damn it all!

Slade's eye carefully watched to be sure that the spell had Bruce stuck in place as well. His bots were draining the other male's resolve bit by bit from under the bat's own nose.

/

~The readings are getting stronger! Jhonn! I hope you have a plan to stop this from –

~ I do not, Dianna, but the heroes on earth are capable if they can make it to the "summoning" on time. ~ The Martian said this, while staring into the breach of space - time before them. ~ We'll hold off the breach a bit longer, it cannot widen for fear of a greater calamity. ~

~ Meaning, Jones? ~ GL jumped in.

The Martian's eyes narrowed. ~ We can only hope to avoid such conflict, my friends. I will keep you all updated for further developments. ~ He was logged off by then, leaving the remaining JLA to wonder if their hope was still so just on earth as it was up in space.

"Sometimes I wish I could get inside his head…" GL shook his skull and sighed down at the dash.

Wonder woman solemnly agreed, "I cannot say that I'd blame you for that, myself."

/

Cy blocked a hit from Penguin's killer staff.

"I've seen my granny do the talkin' with that thing, but never an oversized man – bird! Whoo! You got some nice tricks, dog!" Cy brought out a second shoulder lazer as a bonus. "But I got even better ones! Booyah!!" Cy let it fly as Bb was busy coming at more added bots from Slade's secret hall of evil doing.

"Are we getting anywhere with these guys!?? Robin is –

"He was not here at all!!" Starfire shot at Joker, making the clown frown even lower than he could while he hid in the corner of the living room; like some scared cat being chased by a vacuum cleaner, Starfire was at max speed tonight.

Alfred took to keeping Freeze; with help from Speedy and Kid Flash, away from their best fine china in the manor.

"I'd like it very much if you could take this fight outside, if you'd be so kind…" The butler wiped his brow. Was it hot, or was he just out of practice?

"With pleasure…" Freeze shot his gun at a window, and the crew rushed towards it to escape into the front yard. Starfire gripped Joker by the collar. His companions had again fled an he was all alone.

" Heeey……Why don't we sit down and talk about this…. right???" He grinned up to the princess who was not appeased by his pitiful performance.

"NO!" Starfire pulled the man up to eye level as her green orbs were twice as deadly; now that Robin had again been "napped" behind the Titans' backs, Joker was going to sing. She'd not rest until he squawked everything to them.

"You shall tell us where that mad man has taken our leader… NOW!" She shouted at the clown, which got him jabbering on in a pinch.

"Ok, ok!! He's with the bat… Ehem…Slade… wants…to slice em up? Final act! You can't get anything else outta me!! He'll gut me like a sardine! Please!!" The prayer hands were a nice touch, but the joy buzzer was not. "I don't want Deathstroke to be…my first!! WAAAH!!"

Taken off guard by the joke, he gripped Star's arm and got the shock through, just as Penguin's toys had made a grapple for the clown's tailcoat. He was plucked from the room and through the glass. He left them all with a snaking grin, that was as mad as ever could be of the clown prince of crime's trademark gettaway.

"TA -TA!! SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY… LOSERS!!! HAHAHAHAHAAA !!

A bad joke, and an even bigger lie. Dick was with Wayne, and someone else had given Slade reason to act.

Ivy only came to mind. Roy gritted his fists. Too late…. Again!

"Look!!" They all saw as BB pointed at the sky. A red cloud, right by –

"Wayne Enterprises' main building??" Alfred gasped, "You must get going then."

"What about –

Al shook his head. "I'm not too rusty to keep this old ship afloat, Titans. You have a hero or two to liberate. Good luck." He left then with this, and nothing more as the team of Titans went off into the distance to stop a war from happening once more.

/

Raven tugged, but Slade saw how her energy was elsewhere.

She wasn't able to stop it from happening.

The red cloud grew larger and larger. Constantine's skin looked transparent as his body's needs to escape this hellish occult leader's ritual. The tower was closest to the heavens, so of course Trigon would have set this whole thing up by pushing Wilson to pull some strings. Only thing, Trigon WAS nearly upon them, and once he came…

He wouldn't want to go back without the proper payment first.

/

As far as looking for that opening went, Bruce was as helpless as John right about then. Slade observed, until his eyes widened and he spoke over Constantine's magical rantings.

~Let the skies bleed red as the blood of man – where mortal becomes stone, and all ceased to exist – time no longer stands and the conqueror shall rule them! Bring to this world……The demon lord, Trigon!! ~

He gave John a snide side glance. " Now that's how you summon a demon, warlock."

Dick gripped his skull and screamed. Raven floated up as her body turned to light of blue and darkness.

John snickered. Oh, he wasn't through. No bloody way….

"Says…. the copy – cat…. over there…. ~ Nemo deus intret. Signetur iterum limen! ~

Raven gasped as she felt all of her fingers, her toes. Was…. he closing it?? Slade looked up, then at the wizard with such a rage.

"Took…… pant*…your…...dream…… beastie!!... Revertere ad noctem. Rubrum cruentus aurum erit, et mundus iterum pax erit! Ad deos voco! Monstrum signa, magicam aufer! ~

"Wait….no no! Stop this! I command you! You're dead! And I…. Was…so close…." Slade did slouch, but not to his knees. And this was only one way to keep the bat. He still had his trump.

Richard moved and was too sure the bots were making better use of his speed. Bruce watched as Robin came and grabbed Raven, which had Slade steaming.

"No! Apprentice! Do as –

"I….am not…. your…. slave!!!!" Dick waited for the moment as Slade's eyes grew dark. "You think I can't keep you like this forever? Then you thought right, apprentice…this is where we part - goodbye."

A great fall as he came at the chopper, not before pushing that shiny red button.

/

Dick's vision exploded.

Red. Pain. Like on the ship, he could feel it crawling up his arms and legs. Capturing every sense of his freedom.

"Robin!" She gripped him tightly as her body returned to her from the cold trenches of Trigon's control. She'd lost….no!

Raven saw John finishing up his work and looked to him for some guidance. He nodded and went to Batman, who was unable to speak. The bots in him were not active. Slade was going to make him watch…as Robin…

Starfire zipped past as her beams hit at Slade's escape in record time.

"You are not goin' anywhere, pal." Wally came to stand by them, arms crossed as Slade huffed and snapped his fingers. Robots appeared, and Robin was left in a comatose stasis.

"How about this; you let me go, I drop this whole idea with the probes and we can say our farewells."

"Like it never – We just stopped the end of the world! Because of you!" Roy shot an arrow from the stairs where he'd come, only to have a robot stop it bare - handed.

"Well, maybe a trade? A bat or bird, perhaps –

"We are not blind to tell when you have been lying, cretin !" Starfire angrily spat at the man who was protected by his army for only so long.

"Then if you don't let me, go, the Nanos will have quite a feast. This day won't be without some blood being spilled. No room for errors today, Batman. Tick – tock…." He looked to Bruce, as determined to have his way as they were about saving their walking own walking corpses.

Slade's eye hinted an almost playful aim about it; he was testing them. Batman gritted his jaw in worry while Slade's cat eye left the team, standing dumbly silenced atop Wayne's last standing tower. Hands behind his back, the enemy smirked. "What's it going to be…heroes?"

/

~ Give up myself, we lose. Give in, we lose…while, Dick going with…. ~

Slade had trapped them. No. They needed a way to attack him while he was only holding a false hold over the team.

"Then I'll go."

"What!?" Roy squawked at the bat. "We just came here to save your ass! You can't let him play you, Batman..."

"If you don't, then there is always option –

"No. The Titans and Dick go free." Bruce stated. Slade's voice was quieted, he'd not yet made a decision on who to keep. "This is between you and me now, Slade. No bystanders need to be caught up in our war."

"When was it ever going to BE a war, Mr. Wayne…" Slade made the Bat flinch as he spoke the man's surname so easily. Casually.

~ Br…. U...~

A moan from the empath's arms had Batman's body stiffen, he turned barely to hear who'd called to him and a wave of guilt may have well as broken free from his chest.

Dick was fading in and out of consciousness. Batman was afraid to look back.

" Br…uuce…." He moaned again, trying not to let the pain lull him into a rest he'd never awaken from.

Slade was right there, then he knew.

~ Slade can't fly. He doesn't know Gotham like the Dark Knight. ~

Which means he DIDN'T know how rough the real Bruce Wayne could be in a sky fight like this one night. The stars had started to appear. Making them look farther up than they needed to be by a trick of the moonlight overhead.

Bruce walked over and did not speed up until he was cleared of the bots' path. No copter. No way up, only down as he took the plunge and rammed into Deathstroke. He activated a pulse to short out the Nanos for a few seconds before snatching at the man's wrist where his enemy kept the real trigger.

Bruce snarled into the man's masked ear. He wanted to let it ache as losing Dick, had been the final straw. "Say goodnight, Slade."

And with a toss to the side of the building so high up, the two men tumbled through the air and to the ground that was stories below the Titans' feet.

/

They all called out as mist covered Starfire's view. She dove down with Bb as a falcon to help her locate the men but….

When they finally did get to the bottom, there was a big gaping hole leading down into the sewers, and no Batman.

Slade was also missing, which meant they'd not only improvised but were dead set of killing one another without any prying eyes to witness the final blow.

"Span out, team!" Cy told his allies, all ready to dash into action. "Star, Rae? I need you an' John C ta' help me out…"

Raven nodded. "Right…. Robin is…"

Suddenly, she blinked down at the boy's body "The nanobots! Look!"

The light had faded and his breathing had normalized. There, was no trigger.

"He…did it…." Wally gasped from the sidelines.

" Cough!... cough!" Dick sat up. Down dove Starfire immediately as she forced him to not push too soon.

"Do not rise right now, friend... Slade no longer controls us.

His unmasked, big blue eyes were blood shot and his body was aching to get help…to rest again….

"B…. Batman… –

"We can keep an eye on em, dude!" Bb showed his guns (or wings) off and took Roy with him to scale the older men's sewer trail, where the elders were in a fight to the death about now. "Just don't go all renegade on us again, kay bro?"

Dick leaned back as Cy lifted the groaning hero away from the wrecked streets. He needed to heal while another was hurting. The irony of that sentence wasn't fair at all to either Titan, but there was no chance of bringing back the dead any longer. Someone had to perish tonight, or no one could sleep in peace again.

/