Chapter 8
"I'm in." I look around carefully, making sure no one is about to step into the hallway and discover me. Holding my communicator closer to my face I speak softly. "Commencing Stage 2."
"Wait." I freeze as a response crackles over the link. "You do realize what you're about to do. It's not too late to pull out now."
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." I drop the communicator to the ground and step on it, destroying the last link to my people.
Now if Slade catches me, he won't be able to get to the rest of the resistance. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Yeah right. I'm so wound up, I'm jumping at the tiniest noise.
I've been on so many missions. But somehow this one is different. I'm older. More experienced than I was.
And if I don't succeed. This might be the end. The resistance is failing. We can't stop Slade. The Titans are our last hope. And I'm the only one that can rescue them.
OOOOO
"Master, we've encountered a disturbance in the lower wings."
Slade's eyes widened, his whole body instantly alert. "The lower wings?! Who-?!" He interrupted himself as the answer hit him. "Aqualad. That fool! Thinking that he alone can save the pitiful wretches that were once the Titans!"
He slammed his hand down on the voice link that enabled him to speak to the rest of his organization. "Stop him! Immediately! If he escapes you all die!"
Scrambling noises were heard outside his door as all available men ran to capture the 'disturbance'. He sat back in contemplation, unconsciously drumming his fingers along the arm of his chair.
He must prepare himself for the worst. What if Aqualad did indeed manage to free the Titans, impossible though it seemed?
He smirked silently to himself. He was welcome to them. Shells of their former selves. They were without feeling. Without emotion. Without anything, They were pitiful. Even if he did manage to free them, they would be of little, if any, use to him.
He had to admire the boy's spirit though. He had eluded him longer than the others. And now he dared to challenge him in his own stronghold, alone, with nowhere to go if his plan failed.
Quite a bit like Robin used to be.
'Used to be' being the operative words. No longer. Now all he did was mumble to himself. For hours on end. A living nightmare. Exactly the way he'd planned it.
The others were nothing. Sniveling little cowards. They weren't even worth the trouble it took to keep them alive. Yet he did.
He had often questioned his choice to keep the Titans alive. He knew others did as well. Why he had was a question he asked himself over and over in the middle of the long nights.
For entertainment surely. But tormenting them had long ago lost it's luster. Perhaps he need them as a reminder of what they once were. It was hard to look on them now and imagine them defying him. They were broken.
If Aqualad did manage to get to them, he could have them.
OOOOO
A dark shadow dropped out of the beams above the head of two robots, slamming into them and disabling them without much noise.
Okay... Aqualad looked around brushing off his hands and wondering where to begin. He knew that Slade knew he was here. He had to know by now. Several groups of men and robots had already passed his various hiding places. Fortunately, none had thought to look up. He was safe for now, but he didn't know for how much longer.
He had no idea where to start. Because of the immense danger it posed, the resistance had only managed to smuggle a spy into Slade's organization once. Unfortunately he had been discovered and... terminated. They were currently working on remedying that situation. But in the meantime they had only limited knowledge of what kind of weapons and traps that Slade had control of. He didn't know where to start looking for the Titans.
Well, standing here isn't helping anything. He shifted the small bag on his back into a more comfortable position. He had been given a number of useful gadgets to prepare him for the worst.
He knew the Titans had been captured since Slade's take-over had begun, so he was ready for anything. He also had a number of weapons on hand, in case the stealth method of breaking into the organization didn't work. He crept down the hallway, taking care to be quiet and not attract unwanted attention.
He came to a plain metal door about half-way down the hallway. Looking both ways, he pressed a hand against it, feeling for the vibrations that would indicate people inside.
He felt nothing, but that didn't always mean the coast was clear. Sticking a hand into his bag, he withdrew a pair of goggles. He put them on and pressed a button on the side of the head-piece.
Suddenly he was able to see straight through the metal door. Tram had done a good job. (A/N: Tram was the little fish guy that was Aqualad's partner in the episode Deep Six.) The scanner would pick up any heat signatures inside, indicating people. He gave the room and through check, noting a few machines giving off small amounts of heat, but no people.
Slowly he opened the door taking care to shut it silently behind him.
OOOOO
Author's Note: First off, I would like to say that this will be the last time for a long time that I update this story. I want to apologize to the people that actually bothered to take the time to read it. I want to give a heartfelt thanks to my number one best reviewer, StarfireRobin, who has been with me from the beginning and inspired me to start writing fanfiction in the first place. (If you haven't StarfireRobin's stories yet- Go! Do it now!) Also, I would like to apologize for leaving my characters in such a predicament. Although, if you have read my other story "The End Of The Beginning", you will already know how it turns out. Whenever my muse decides to visit me regarding this story, I will update it, but at the moment she seems to have gone on an extended vacation. I hope to start a new story on Inuyasha soon. Although I've seen less episodes than most I hope it will be a good story.
MysteryMaiden7
"I'm in." I look around carefully, making sure no one is about to step into the hallway and discover me. Holding my communicator closer to my face I speak softly. "Commencing Stage 2."
"Wait." I freeze as a response crackles over the link. "You do realize what you're about to do. It's not too late to pull out now."
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." I drop the communicator to the ground and step on it, destroying the last link to my people.
Now if Slade catches me, he won't be able to get to the rest of the resistance. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Yeah right. I'm so wound up, I'm jumping at the tiniest noise.
I've been on so many missions. But somehow this one is different. I'm older. More experienced than I was.
And if I don't succeed. This might be the end. The resistance is failing. We can't stop Slade. The Titans are our last hope. And I'm the only one that can rescue them.
OOOOO
"Master, we've encountered a disturbance in the lower wings."
Slade's eyes widened, his whole body instantly alert. "The lower wings?! Who-?!" He interrupted himself as the answer hit him. "Aqualad. That fool! Thinking that he alone can save the pitiful wretches that were once the Titans!"
He slammed his hand down on the voice link that enabled him to speak to the rest of his organization. "Stop him! Immediately! If he escapes you all die!"
Scrambling noises were heard outside his door as all available men ran to capture the 'disturbance'. He sat back in contemplation, unconsciously drumming his fingers along the arm of his chair.
He must prepare himself for the worst. What if Aqualad did indeed manage to free the Titans, impossible though it seemed?
He smirked silently to himself. He was welcome to them. Shells of their former selves. They were without feeling. Without emotion. Without anything, They were pitiful. Even if he did manage to free them, they would be of little, if any, use to him.
He had to admire the boy's spirit though. He had eluded him longer than the others. And now he dared to challenge him in his own stronghold, alone, with nowhere to go if his plan failed.
Quite a bit like Robin used to be.
'Used to be' being the operative words. No longer. Now all he did was mumble to himself. For hours on end. A living nightmare. Exactly the way he'd planned it.
The others were nothing. Sniveling little cowards. They weren't even worth the trouble it took to keep them alive. Yet he did.
He had often questioned his choice to keep the Titans alive. He knew others did as well. Why he had was a question he asked himself over and over in the middle of the long nights.
For entertainment surely. But tormenting them had long ago lost it's luster. Perhaps he need them as a reminder of what they once were. It was hard to look on them now and imagine them defying him. They were broken.
If Aqualad did manage to get to them, he could have them.
OOOOO
A dark shadow dropped out of the beams above the head of two robots, slamming into them and disabling them without much noise.
Okay... Aqualad looked around brushing off his hands and wondering where to begin. He knew that Slade knew he was here. He had to know by now. Several groups of men and robots had already passed his various hiding places. Fortunately, none had thought to look up. He was safe for now, but he didn't know for how much longer.
He had no idea where to start. Because of the immense danger it posed, the resistance had only managed to smuggle a spy into Slade's organization once. Unfortunately he had been discovered and... terminated. They were currently working on remedying that situation. But in the meantime they had only limited knowledge of what kind of weapons and traps that Slade had control of. He didn't know where to start looking for the Titans.
Well, standing here isn't helping anything. He shifted the small bag on his back into a more comfortable position. He had been given a number of useful gadgets to prepare him for the worst.
He knew the Titans had been captured since Slade's take-over had begun, so he was ready for anything. He also had a number of weapons on hand, in case the stealth method of breaking into the organization didn't work. He crept down the hallway, taking care to be quiet and not attract unwanted attention.
He came to a plain metal door about half-way down the hallway. Looking both ways, he pressed a hand against it, feeling for the vibrations that would indicate people inside.
He felt nothing, but that didn't always mean the coast was clear. Sticking a hand into his bag, he withdrew a pair of goggles. He put them on and pressed a button on the side of the head-piece.
Suddenly he was able to see straight through the metal door. Tram had done a good job. (A/N: Tram was the little fish guy that was Aqualad's partner in the episode Deep Six.) The scanner would pick up any heat signatures inside, indicating people. He gave the room and through check, noting a few machines giving off small amounts of heat, but no people.
Slowly he opened the door taking care to shut it silently behind him.
OOOOO
Author's Note: First off, I would like to say that this will be the last time for a long time that I update this story. I want to apologize to the people that actually bothered to take the time to read it. I want to give a heartfelt thanks to my number one best reviewer, StarfireRobin, who has been with me from the beginning and inspired me to start writing fanfiction in the first place. (If you haven't StarfireRobin's stories yet- Go! Do it now!) Also, I would like to apologize for leaving my characters in such a predicament. Although, if you have read my other story "The End Of The Beginning", you will already know how it turns out. Whenever my muse decides to visit me regarding this story, I will update it, but at the moment she seems to have gone on an extended vacation. I hope to start a new story on Inuyasha soon. Although I've seen less episodes than most I hope it will be a good story.
MysteryMaiden7