Slade's Tale
Alexnandru Van Gordon (Co-written by Victor Van Heiring)
Here I am again with yet another story. I have to give credit to Victor for giving me the idea for this plot; he's actually going to help me all the way. Well, what I'm hoping to accomplish with this one is to try and make reasons for Slade's insanity. Not only that, but I'm going to take you on a tour of his mind as he goes through the show. I may add a non-existent episode or two just to give it a little original spin, but I'll keep it sensible. You get to see what Slade is like on his free time
SUMMMARY: Ever wonder what makes Slade tick? Then follow me and we'll take a look inside his head…
DISCLAIMER: I don't own him or the Teen Titans, and I have to give credit to my cousin for bringing up the idea.
CHAPTER ONE: Beginning
Insanity…Where to begin with insanity? Makes one sigh when you try to explain it, but you really can't describe it in words. You can tell that tale of how insanity came to be, but it cannot be justified or defined in anyway possible for the innocent mind. But to make it easier for you understanding people—insanity is when the foundations of your mind slowly collapse, and the wall, which blocked you out from the truth, finally crumbles and falls.
That is insanity.
He was always somewhat insane…Don't know. He never told anyone when he slowly began to slip or what made him tick, but it was, for sure, final when he volunteered for that experiment to become a super soldier. That's right! Good old Sgt. S. Wilson was a soldier in the army, and boy was he a brave guy. Guess he'd have to be to take that test. I suppose you can say that's when his story really began. Something went wrong, he looked like he was in a coma, woke up, got into trouble numerous times, picked up the name Deathstroke the Terminator…it goes on. I'm here to tell you what he has to do with the Titans, who, I'm certain, would want to know exactly what I'm about to tell you.
His idea of an apprentice was the first thing he ever thought concerning children. He was a mercenary and a damn good one at that, working for the highest bidder with the most exciting job. Then he would ignore his employers for a while and go off in secret where no one could find him, because, quite frankly, no one hired Slade unless he wanted to be found and hired. It was an unwritten code and no one dared to destroy it. You couldn't even bend that law unless you want Slade to bend your spine and break it with a pretty little snap.
To put it plainly, he was feared, and not a lot of people (save for the heroes) would dare to step in his way unless they wanted to be crushed. It was a simple fact of life.
The idea of having an apprentice popped into his head when he was finished one of his assassination jobs. It was a quick kill and no one would be able to trace the murder to him so, having time to spare that night, he walked around the city after changing into civilian clothes and decided to check out what was so great about Gotham. Bored, he picked up a newspaper and read through the pages until something interesting came up.
Teen Titans
Interesting name.
It started off with telling the sudden break-up of the famous Dynamic Duo. That wasn't exactly new, but the fact that Robin was spotted in Jump City with a team of his own was. Another group of heroes to avoid…oh joy.
But they were kids and that was what made him laugh—mostly at the Dark Knight. The man had a kid who was ready to keep his job going and then, with one little argument, the boy runs off in protest to show he isn't just some kid. If the Dark Knight was really the man to be feared by any foe, why couldn't he keep a hold on his own side-kick? Didn't he know what it meant to have absolute control, or was he just some soft-hearted fool who could never give the kid a good talking to? It was really quite funny…
That sparked the idea. He and Batman had met before—having given each other enough bruises—and wouldn't it be something to show the good guy that the bad guy could do things better than he could? But that also brought up another idea.
Who would Slade have keep his business running if something was to happen to him? Even if he was simply injured for a time-being, the heroes could fix all the destruction he caused. After all, he really couldn't die after that near-fatal accident with the experiment. Using ninety percent of his brain, body advanced, he was…in a way…immortal. He had been shot and caught in an explosion, only to come back alive each time stronger and smarter than before.
Seeing that he wasn't going to die any time soon, why not try having an apprentice of his own. The problem—who would it be?
Still holding the newspaper, he read the article over again. Here was five young heroes who had potential and could be near indestructible if only they had someone to teach them. That made sense anyway. What other kid group of heroes was there to monitor?
-break-
The first act was simply. He found HIVE and met with the Head Mistress, a woman who was as stern and stiff-faced as any old prune, and he told her half a lie—half a truth. He wanted an apprentice (the truth) and he was thinking about having one of her students (the lie). He knew the young villains were lacking in…let's just say a lot, but what better way was there to make his being known to the Titans? They loved to fight—why not introduce himself to them through battle while watching to see which one was best?
"I have a job for you." He said to the one named Jinx, a pink-haired punk with a cat-like attitude and little hexes in her hands.
"I'm listening, Mr. Slade." Was her sly response.
"Kill the Titans."
"That I know, Mr. Slade."
"Do you?" He asked; hands behind his back. He always stood that way, a habit he picked up from the army. "How do I not know you aren't hesitant to kill?"
She frowned at being called a weakling, but kept her voice from revealing her already noticeable anger. "Who would you like us to kill first, Mr. Slade?"
He turned to his screen in the dark room and pointed to Boy Wonder. He was monitoring another fight in Jump City as the Titans chased down yet another villain. He wanted some form of revenge against the Dark Knight for past problems he cause Slade, and this might wet his appetite for the moment until he could repay Batman personally.
"Kill him first."
An eyebrow rose and Jinx placed her hands on her hips, leaning slightly to one side as she stared at the screen. "Robin? The leader of the Teen Titans?"
He smiled behind his mask, looking down at the pathetic girl. "Do you have a problem with that?"
She looked shocked for a moment and waved her hands out in front of her in defense. "No...I was just thinking…"
"Well, don't think." Slade snapped back and turned his back to her, a sign that she should leave. "Just do."
She huffed and half walked—half stamped out from his liar to join up with her two comrades. It would be interesting to see what the Titans would do against a second group of abnormal kids. The battle just might be worth watching.
Nothing much happened in the beginning as he monitored the screens. It wasn't until the heroes decided to take a break to eat that the small team from HIVE decided to make their presence known to the Titans. It was a simple beginning—stage a civilian in trouble and push a heavy bus down the hillside road. Honestly—at least try to be original.
Surprisingly, the HIVE team did better than what he had thought they were capable of. It wasn't until they created a chasm in the road to swallow up Robin that he finally admitted to himself that the HIVE organization wasn't a waste of time. There was no possible way a mere human child could survive a fall as fatal as that.
Adieu, Robin.
The first attack was nothing more than a wake-up call for the four remaining Titans. Through Gizmo's own cameras, Slade watched the second meeting—an attack on the T-tower itself. The Titans put up a fair enough fight, but it was apparent that they hadn't been in business for long because the HIVE team successfully—and literally—shot them out of their own head-quarters.
As he sat back and watched the HIVE team fool around in the T-tower, he couldn't help but feel disappointed at the simplicity of defeating the Titans. He was almost…hoping for more, hoping that he would maybe find his apprentice among them. That left the HIVE's top three students, but he wasn't a fan of their personalities. Mammoth was too stupid, Jinx had an attitude and the type of personality he hated, and Gizmo was such a thorn in the side…There had to be someone better out there.
While they raided, he decided to change his screen to monitor the city. Maybe there would something else to watch besides the HIVE team. That was when he caught sight of something very interesting…Although the Titans were not dead, they still failed to team up and agree on what to do. It seemed that their brains were scrambled the moment their leader took a fall similar to his parents in the circus…He knew a great deal about them all, but he would have never guessed their type to turn on one another.
That was when he received a shock. He didn't know whether it was a pleasant shock, or just another upset jolt he received whenever things weren't looking his way.
The surprise was the return of Boy Wonder. His belt was gone, but he didn't seem to miss it. He still had his brains and that seemed to be just enough to satisfy his sad soul as he quickly organized his team and handed out the tasks. Slade had to admit, his plan sounded like it could work…
And it did.
No sooner had they returned to T-tower than the HIVE team was arrested. This of course, both excited and highly annoyed Slade. One moment the HIVE team was throwing aces, and the next they were beaten in five minutes flat. Was there something wrong with the picture, or was his insanity speaking again?
This failure (and oh how he hated that word) earned yet another visit from the Head Mistress of HIVE in her feeble attempt to explain the loss to Slade. That didn't work and only proved to heighten Slade's temper, something he didn't allow to happen once too often. He was a man of silent observations, hidden threats, and patience beyond any average person. Oh well…no one obviously missed the woman when he disposed of her at his own discretion. No one from Hive cared—or dared—to call him up and ask what ever happened to her. They simply appointed a new Head Master, collected the imprisoned Hive team, and went on training their students.
Too bad for her.
But HIVE no longer interested him. They did, however, do something worth his while, Gizmo (the technological freak) accidentally blurted out a name in one of his muttering fiestas and Robin just so happened to hear. Slade was actually hoping the Boy Wonder would be the one to hear and ask the question: Who is Slade? And he was glad it did. After surviving a fall like that…let's just say he was interested in discovering the limitations of the boy hero. He was, after all, the only full human on the team without any advancement made on his body or mind. He had a natural detective mind and trained day-in and day-out whenever he wasn't fighting crime. His speed and agility were second nature to him, being an acrobat, and that was something you didn't see everyday.
The other four Titans…Where to begin with them? Despite his interest in Robin, he decided to monitor the rest of them just to see what they were capable with, and this is what he came up with…
Cyborg was the eldest of the bunch, a mechanical monster after having his original body destroyed. His real name was Victor Stone and his attitude was serious when it had to be and free-spirited whenever else. Machinery and technology were his specialties, but one zap or a simple code to hack into him and you could kill him on the spot. He was strong, but he was also very weak in that manner.
Raven was the half-demon witch of the team, a monotoned girl who kept her emotions in check constantly. Her great concentration was the key component to her powers, but a slip of her attitude and she would go off like a timed bomb. Her powers were too much for even her to handle sometimes, but not so much her personality. She was dancing on a dangerous boarder and she wasn't the type of person one would want to find themselves around. Slade was actually surprised she was on the team.
Starfire, sometimes referred to as Kori…Kori-something, was the alien freak of the group. She was a princess from the planet Tam…Tamer…whatever! Which was located who-knows-where out in the universe. She stored energy in the form of green lights in her hands and possessed both extraordinary strength and the ability to fly. She was quite a powerful being, but her innocence and little knowledge of human ways made her weak. She was the type of person who believed in a better tomorrow and didn't understand enough of anything to survive on her own. It was sickening, and someday someone would burst her bubble.
The fifth Titan was Beast Boy, Garfield Logan, who was a green changeling with an odd personality. He wasn't exactly the quickest to think, but his transformations were amusing. His power was admirable but he too, like the alien girl, did not possess enough knowledge to make survive on his own in this cruel world. That was a great disappointment, but what else was new? Children seemed to like disappointing him…
Still monitoring them, his eyes always somehow felon Robin, and he would end up watching the Boy Wonder until the end of whatever criminal they chased to battle. The five of them were on his list, but Robin kept coming up as first on the list.
Not wanting to be disappointed a second time. Slade decided to take things slower and test the Titans more than once until his decision was final. Robin seemed to be the perfect fighter, but his flaw was his obsessiveness to win—to always find the answer.
Funny…that was Slade's weakness too.
-A-
Well, that's it for now, people. There's more to come—and there will be breaks in the text for the POV of other characters. But remember—this story is about Slade and what he thinks. If you have any questions or concerns just tell me…I honestly don't bite heads off unless you're my cousin Victor. Anyhow, I just thought I would write a story on Slade because in all my other stories, guaranteed, at least ninety percent of my reviews will tell me that Slade is their favorite villain. And I promise to make future chapters longer if I can…I just hope I get reviews for this story…
Until next time,
Alexnandru Van Gordon,
(and
Victor Van Heiring)
