Slade's Tale

Alexnandru Van Gordon

(Still floating around upside-down in a dark place) Before I get into anything, I first must say these three things:

ONE) Victor told me he got the idea that he gave me when he read a review from KaliAnn on my Blast to the Supposed Past story. So—I have to give credit to her for helping with the story when she said I must know what makes Slade tick.

TWO) I will be working on Blast to the Supposed Past. I have the ending planned out along with the beginning of the fourth book, but I have a missing piece to the puzzle that I have to find (or create) first. Just bear with me until I get rid of my writer's block.

And

THREE) I will be doing the Apprentice season one finale in two or more chapters, seeing that it will take me so damn long…sigh.

Okay, now that that's done—look at what I found! (Suddenly falling, hits the ground and stands, brushing self off. Walks to door and grabs the doorknob.) Hehe—I found the darkest corner of his mind and look at what I found. I swear—I'm sick, I'm lost, and insanity rubs off on you, because now I don't know if I want to stay here or find my way out… (Turns doorknob and opens it a crack. Nothing but darkness can be seen inside as he slowly opens it more…) Caution—I've gotten lost in this room once on my own, so please either A) turn back now while you still have the chance; or B) do not stray from the tour. Getting lost will only lead you to a long, agonizing death, because I think Slade knows I'm in here…

DISCLAIMER: If you can hear me Slade—I don't any of this…so please let me out… (Enters into the darkness of the room…)

CHAPTER FIVE: Getting what I want

Some say insanity is an unstoppable disease that spreads a never ending pain through-out your mind, which slowly, in due time, leads to the destruction of your body. It drives a man to murder, to suicide, and to just about any crazy thing a person can do. Well, as I said in the very beginning, insanity is when the foundations of your mind slowly collapse, and the wall, which blocked you out from the truth, finally crumbles and falls. Now it is time to explore that truth which was hidden all along…

The truth was the fact that life is Limbo. You wake up, you eat, you prepare yourself for the day…in short, you live a routine that you rarely stray from. And, if you ever were to stray from that routine, a new one would begin in its stead. Something is always there to stop you from defeating the impossible—something to always remind you that you are only human. Whether it is hunger or weary eyes, something is there in each new day to remind you of your many limitations. A person cannot fly, breath under water, walk through walls, live without eating or sleeping for years on end, or read another person's mind all on their own. Sure, break down a wall and you can walk through it, catch a plane so you can fly, or take scuba-diving lesson to breathe under water, get to know a person and you can think one step ahead of them—but can you do those on your own?

No.

The cruel truth is, don't stray from the path or awful things will happen to you. Don't jump off the side of a building or you will die, don't speak your mind because you will be brutally silenced, don't murder anyone because you will go to hell when you die—isn't that what we've always been taught? Well, insanity is when you learn this truth and you believe you can surpass all those limitations.

Well…if that was the case, then I guess you can say Slade isn't crazy.

Not in the least bit.

His dilemma—how can you be insane if you can truly surpass all those limitations?

You heard me right, so don't go thinking you're crazy too. Slade can jump off the side of a building and live, Slade can speak his mind and brutally punish anyone who tries to silence him, and Slade can murder anyone he likes because he won't go to hell when he dies. Like I said from day one—

Slade is just about immortal.

When that experiment happened, he wasn't just advanced…he was made into something you could only dream of becoming. He could take a bullet to the heart or get blown to smithereens in an explosion—only to have his body regenerate himself and youth'n him each time. Slade can't die because he'll only come back to life—therefore he can't go to hell. And to make things better/worse, Slade can stop anyone because he's more advanced than normal human beings on this planet (excluding the heroes and other villains that go around with superpowers). In short—he's unstoppable. Knock him down, he'll get back up. Get him mad, he'll make you pay. Make a threat; he'll call your bluff.

I guess you could then say that the dilemma was really the Teen Titans. Or, more importantly…Robin's.

And the time to start worrying was NOW. Not tomorrow, not Saturday, not Sunday or in May…now.

Why? Because once Slade was sure of his decision, he wasn't going to change his mind. I guess you could say that was one of the things that made him so great. Once his mind was made up, nothing could change it. You'd have better luck swimming to the bottom of the ocean in less than five minutes with nothing but a single breath and your wits about you. Slade could probably do that…but that's not my point. My point is, Slade had his eye on Robin, and now the real trouble would come for Boy Wonder…

-break-

With or without the chips, Slade finished his weapon in due time—actually, in only a couple of weeks. It would take a normal person maybe years at the least, but, then again, he used ninety percent of his brain when we use—what?—ten? Twelve? That's something to look up on…

It was something to behold, a machine gun type weapon that shot out something so small and unnoticeable you would think it was really a spot light. Close. It shot the tiniest of the nanoscopic probes that went straight through the pores in the skin to the blood vessels where they attached to the red-blood cells and stayed that way until controlled to do otherwise. And, with a push of the button, miniature explosions could destroy a person from the inside-out.

Fascinating—isn't it?

He inspected the gun once more before smiling to himself. In the beginning, he actually didn't know what he'd use it for. It seemed that, if he wanted to take over the world, he would need something sinister and devious to do so, but he didn't quite know who would be the first lucky patient for him to test it on. But, as he was inventing the machine, someone caught his sight.

Robin.

That was where his dilemma came up. He knew that, being as strong willed as he was, Robin would not succumb to Slade even if it meant death, but Boy Wonder actually presented a solution to Slade's problem.

Friendship.

It sounded easy, but it was the truth. Robin was a sucker when it came to the well-being of others. After all, he was a hero—but not for long. Slade was edging to use his new invention, but a new problem arose—how was he going to shoot the other Titans? It wasn't exactly like they would stand around and let him, and he was sure that Robin would jump in the line of fire just to save them.

He was going in a circle… and he hated circles. He liked triangles—because it represented the first three elements of turning away from the light all heroes follow: viciousness, dishonor, and ruthlessness. Without those it meant you had a heart—and hearts were for the weaklings. Start out with those three things and you will turn out just fine in the cruel world of today.

Something came to mind when he looked a pile of metal pieces he hadn't used. He found a lot of thing sin the old warehouse, and with a little paint and polish he could build some sort of decoy…But what would he build?

Something concerning time, perhaps, seeing that he had so much of it…

And v'walla! He came up with a…chronotron detonator? Well, at least it sounded plausible…

-break-

Sneaking off to the piers was reasonably easy considering so many gangs liked to hide out in odd places like that. Finding an empty warehouse there was even easier, and, to add to that, there was an underground passage that led from there to his hideout—how wonderful! Sending some of his commandos out on their own, they released Cinderblock from prison just as Slade had the rest of his robots set up the decoy. There was a path from the warehouse to an underground waterway that they could use when it was time to split the Titans up, and besides that everything else would fall into place on its own.

Perfect.

That left that call.

One of his robots held a lap-top and opened it before Slade as he stood next to the decoy covered in tarp. Opening the top, the screen turned on and Slade hacked into the Titans' computer system. Or, to put it nicely, he gave them a seriously early wake-up call. He was the evil mastermind and that meant he chose the time and place everything was going to happen—that, and Boy Wonder might not be as good a fighter if he was still deprived of sleep even after his Red-X episode. Well, Slade would see…

The one to answer was none other than Cyborg. Always plugged into the tower's system, it was only natural that he'd be the first to wake if there was an emergency, followed shortly after by the alien girl Starfire and the demon witch Raven. Beast Boy came next and then Robin…which was half a surprise to Slade. But, looking over the young hero, Slade noticed the air of fatigue about him like he was restless and just ran around half the world.

Nightmares?

Definitely.

Leaving his questions to himself, Slade began with a simple apology. "Good morning, Teen Titans. I do hope I didn't wake you."

The youngest of the bunch, Beast Boy yawned and looked at Slade none-too-happy. "What are you, an insomniac? Who calls at five in the morn—OW!"

The Goth girl elbowed him sharply in the ribs and he fell silent, glaring at his friend for interrupting him. And to answer his question—yes, he did suffer from insomnia, seeing that he really didn't need to sleep. And who called at five in the morning? Obviously he did.

"What do you want?" Robin snapped, drawing Slade's attention away from the green changeling. Yes, here was the reason for the call—Boy Wonder. He was always the one to cut to the chase…

Slade decided to get on Robin's nerves today. It would be interesting to see how much stress he could take in such a tired state. "Well, that's precisely what you've been trying to find out, isn't it? And despite of all your efforts, you're still in the dark about my intentions." He mocked and knew he wounded Robin badly with that comment. "Disappointing, Robin. I expected a little more from you."

That added salt to the opened wounds and Robin decided it was time to fight back. "Like I care what you—"

Slade pushed further and rudely interrupted him. "But since you've been unable to discover my plan, I suppose I'll just have to reveal it myself."

That did it. Not only was Robin hurt by the insults, he was visibly wounded at being called—and proven—weak. Slade knew Robin hated that word just as much as he did, just another thing that made them so similar.

His commandos pulled the tarp off the decoy and the five Titans stared at the decoy in confusion. All of them besides Beast Boy seemed to have a general idea of what it could be.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept a chronotron detonator?"

The gasps and the replies of disbelief were expected, but he didn't actually think the smallest of the Titans would not to understand what it was.

"Ummm…what's a crouton detonator?"

Chro-no-ton—not crouton!

"It eradicates all chronotons within a localized area, utterly destroying the temporal component of the space-time continuum."

Nice explanation for a girl who nicely asked a villain to stop running.

"Hmm?"

Oh, for goodness sake! He didn't have time for this even if it was comically amusing.

Raven gave him Beast Boy an odd look before explaining in an easier-to-understand way. "It stops time. Permanently."

Thank you.

As the green one fainted, the others ignored him and Cyborg spoke up, making up Slade's plan even though he really didn't have one for the decoy. "If he triggers that thing downtown, it'll freeze-frame the entire city!"

Maybe he'd one day create such a weapon, but right now he had better things to do, and so his eye fell on Robin.

'Tell me where!"

Nowhere. This is no such thing as a chronoton detonator…yet.

"You're a clever boy, Robin. I'm sure you and your little friends can figure it out." Then he held up the fake transmitter, grinning behind his mask as the Titans ate it all up like kittens to milk. "However, since I control the detonator, time is not on your side."

The screen shut off immediately and he turned to the rest of his commandos. "Load up the detonator and get going, but give them some time to catch up. Knowing them, they'll figure out where it is in no time too soon."

Actually, he was making sure they found out sooner rather than later. Even though his decoy was…well…a decoy, he made sure to make it with a metallic chromium core. Reason being—he went through the histories of all the Titans and made note of things they would take notice to, such as…something that sparked their allergies. Starfire wasn't very secretive about the fact that she was from another planet and that made it all the more easier for Slade to discover that she was allergic to metallic chromium.

Fancy that.

Watching as they carried the decoy away Slade fiddled with the transmitter in his hand. Around his wrist was another controlled, one he could detach from his arm and hold in his hand like the transmitter—whichever way was easier.

This one controlled the real threat.

-break-

Back at his hideout, he watched the screens patiently and waited until the door burst opened to the warehouse and the five Titans came storming. The look on their faces was amusing when they saw the decoy wasn't there.

The alien girl levitated above her friends and did a double-take on the room. "Empty?"

"Aw, man!" Cyborg shouted, clearly embarrassed about being fooled so easily.

Slade's ignored them and fell on Boy Wonder, the next person to speak.

"I don't believe this!"

You won't believe what I'm going to tell you, either. Slade thought to himself and continued to watch as his commandos jumped into view to give the Titans a little fun. I can hardly wait until I see the look on your face…

"Great. Now what do we do?" The green one complained.

Robin didn't have to think hard about that. "We fight."

Excellent. Just the attitude he was hoping for.

When Robin was angry, it was very apparent to everyone around him. Not only did he fight—he fought viciously…the first step of becoming a true villain. Robin didn't know it, but he was becoming more like Slade with even given moment and there really wasn't much left he could do to stop himself. He just seemed to be getting himself into deeper trouble with every punch, kick, and well-placed twirl of his staff. It was almost like a dance—as though he knew the next move of each and every single last one of Slade's commandos. And there was no one to stop him. Even his friends stood aside as he beat the robots to scrap—and, in the end, it took the alien girl's interference to stop him in his fit of rage.

He'd better watch that temper of his or it would get him into a load's worth of trouble.

"We are victorious." Was Starfire's excuse to stop him from fighting, but Slade laughed as Robin turned sharply on the girl he undoubtedly loved.

"Slade's got his finger on the button, and we've got nothing! Does that sound like a victory to you?"

Oh…it was eating him alive that he was losing, wasn't it—and he couldn't stand it. It seemed as though Slade's last comment really did a number on his ego, and he was such a fool to fall for it. He was hurrying to save the city—when he was really hurrying to f all into Slade's hands. Robin would probably hit himself when he found out Slade's true intention…

His hidden cameras followed the Titans as they left to continue the search, and Slade watched with interest as Robin beat an innocent man who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time—which was quite a dishonorable act.

There it was—the second step.

His friends held him back, but they didn't know when to start. Slade couldn't help but grin when Beast Boy stepped forward and argued the truth with his leader—

"You know, just 'cause we're trying to catch Slade doesn't mean you have to act like him!"

Ouch…the green one didn't know how deep that cut Boy Wonder.

"Don't you ever compare me to him!"

But why not? It was obvious to Slade, obvious to his friends—and it was obvious to Robin that that was the cruel truth. Not matter what excuses he made and no matter how long he was in denial, Robin was, in fact, just like Slade. There was no ignoring it.

After that show, Starfire's allergies kicked in on time and the Titans clued in that they had a homemade tracking device on the team. They found the waterways and climbed down into the darkness, walking through the murky waters as they searched for the decoy. It was then that Slade cursed as Robin began an apology. An apology? That was certainly not in his character and that shouldn't happen if he was to succeed in showing the third and final step of becoming a true criminal.

"Look, guys, uh…about earlier—"

Damn him!

"It'll have to wait." The demoness interrupted and pointed to the decoy on a ship.

That's twice Slade had to thank her in one day.

That was when Cinderblock fulfilled his task for the night. Timing correctly, he shoved one of his stony fists through the wall and caught Robin, pulling Boy Wonder into the room next to the waterway. The other Titans stopped to wait, but Robin urged them to get the decoy—and they listened. If he wasn't their leader, perhaps then one of them would have stayed behind and utterly ruin Slade's plan, but because Robin had power over them, he was able to play himself further into Slade's plot. Now was the time.

Half of Slade's screen showed the four Titans chasing after the ship while their leader battled Cinderblock until he had might as well had been dust. There it was again—his true vicious nature, the one where Robin should no mercy.

Good, because mercy was for the weak.

Then Robin noticed the tracking device Slade gave his commandos to give to Cinderblock. Robin was too pumped with adrenaline to think straight and didn't question why Cinderblock had it on him. All he cared was that it showed him where Slade was…

Now he was trapped for good.

-break-

The wait wasn't long and Slade knew he didn't have to monitor Robin anymore. He watched the other Titans in the time being and urged them on as the chased the decoy. They had to be implanted with the probes before Slade's blackmail was worth anything.

"Hurry, young Titans….Your time is running out."

Actually, his was. But he only had to keep Robin busy for a time being until that happened. And that, in its self, would be very entertaining.

The hidden door on the catwalk above and behind Slade was suddenly blown open and he didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Actually—we just went into overtime."

Slade smiled behind his mask. This was what he was waiting for.

"Robin. Welcome. I've been expecting you for some time…I was beginning to wonder if Cinderblock was too much of a challenge."

The insult did the trick and Robin dropped down onto the platform to face Slade.

"Looking for this?" Slade asked as he held up the transmitter. To tell you the truth, Slade knew Robin would fight him even if he didn't have blackmail like this. In reality, Robin loved the thrill of the fight, and what would be more thrilling than to battle a man who had haunted your mind for nights on end?

He waved it once and watched as Robin tensed.

"Well…" He set it down and took a step back, taunting Robin even further. Maybe if Robin hadn't such a bad temper he would have never found himself in this mess. But then again, without his temper he probably wouldn't have trained so hard to become the best that he could be. It worked out for Slade either way. "…here it is. If you want it, come and take it."

Then Robin attacked.

The battle went on for quite some time, and it didn't seem to be going very well on Robin's part. Not only was he exhausted from the past two battles, but he was blinded by his fury again. There was a moment, however, when Slade panicked. He set a small mechanism on his wrist controller to vibrate once when the targets were in range and a second time when his nanoprobes were shot. It hadn't happened so far and his real fear came when Robin purposefully took a hard hit from Slade to land near the transmitter. He had to get up and leap toward it, and that would spoil the entire show. So, thinking quick, Slade delivered a side-kick to Robin's waist the moment he was perpendicular to the boy. It sent Robin flying, but somehow he landed and faced Slade once more.

"Come now, Robin. You'll have to do better than that. I haven't even broken a sweat."

The insult added fuel to the young boy and Robin snarled as he readied for an attack. Of course Slade gave him what he wanted and exhausted the boy further.

Catching Robin's fist after a hard punch, he started handing out comments. "Good technique."

Honestly—it was very good technique for a kid Robin's age. It was better than what he saw most adults do.

Smirking, he bent Robin's arm upward sharply at the elbow and listened to Robin's yelp just after the sound of bones grinding together warned that his arm would break soon. The hold soon transformed into a hold and Slade spun around, grabbed Robin by the back of his shirt, and threw the Titan across the room where he slammed into a wall. Somehow, even after the brutal throw, Robin forced himself to stand, which was something Slade admired.

"Good…" He mocked. "But not perfect."

Fueled by fury, Robin attacked again and again and again…only to be hit or blocked by Slade each and every time. Slade was built for never-ending battles—Robin was not. Robin was a child who was far beyond exhausted and too frustrated to think his attacks threw before he completed them.

That was why he had already lost.

After another unsuccessful punch, Robin accidentally left his chest open to attack, and Slade took advantage of this. With a good kick to his rib-cage, Robin was sent tumbling backward until he lay on his front on the floor. Still somehow he mustered the energy to continue and slammed his fist onto the ground in disappointment.

Slade observed him for a moment. Yes…Robin was the right choice after all. Robin would be able to handle all those brutal years of training that awaited him in the near future, and what a piece of art he would be when Slade was finished with him.

"I understand your frustration, Robin. You hate losing as much as I do. One of the many qualities we have in common." He knew that was the last thing Robin wanted to hear and he was right. Robin answered with an uppercut to Slade's jaw, followed by a series of other blows to Slade's head. It hurt, but Slade allowed for it to happen.

Ruthless…the third piece of the puzzle.

His controller gave the first signal.

As he fell onto his back into the shadows of the room, Slade watched as Robin went over to the fake transmitter and picked it up, thinking that victory was his. "It's over Slade!"

Slade stood and refrained from laughing. Now was the time to claim what was his.

"On the contrary, Robin." He replied in his cool, calculating voice.

Robin stared at the transmitter in disbelief as the fragile piece of junk sparked and crumpled to nothing in his hand. The look on his face was of utter disbelief and confusion.

"This is only the beginning…" Slade added as he stalked out from the darkness.

"Where's the real trigger?" Robin demanded, not in the mood for more games.

"Trigger?" Slade asked innocently. "There is no trigger—because there is no detonator."

Robin's eye widened and almost looked like horror…but it was masked even more so by confusion. Of course Robin didn't understand the predicament he was in. He was a foolish child that could be molded into something greater.

His controller gave the second signal and that meant now was the time to tell Robin the grand truth he probably didn't want to hear.

Slade circled halfway around Robin until he stood before the five largest of his massive screens. They turned on five seconds after the probes attached to the red blood cells and showed the process on the screens, confusing Robin even further.

"Nanoscopic probes." He explained and Robin frowned slightly. "The chronoton detonator was merely the bait for a much larger trap."

Your trap. Now listen carefully…

He revealed his left arm just as the controller detached itself from his wrist and slid nicely into his hand to show Robin who was patiently listening in a silence Slade was grateful for. "You see, with the push of a button—" He saw Robin glare at the controller as he poised his thumb above the button. "—my probes will destroy your friends form the inside out."

"You can't control them!" Robin argued, almost as if ordering Slade not to do anything to them. "No matter what you threaten, they'll never obey you."

Ha! How foolish Robin was to think that Slade wanted anything to do with his team. But somehow he suspected Robin already knew that…Robin knew exactly what Slade was heading toward, but he was just trying to deny it.

He began to pace around robin, watching as the boy began to worry. "This isn't about your friends, Robin. It's about you. It's always been about you…"

"What?" Robin asked in disbelief, obviously not wanting to hear this.

"Sending trouble your way. Leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel. I was testing you…" He paused and turned to face Robin, no longer circling the prey he already caught. Now he grew more serious and decided to stop his little game. "For quite some time now, I have been searching for…an apprentice—someone to follow in my footsteps." He stepped forward close to Robin and leaned into his face. Robin was very quiet now, a serious look on his masked face as well. "And, robin, I've chosen you. Congratulations."

That did it. The anger stored inside Robin was released in a yell. "No way would I ever work for—"

Uh ah, Robin. You're not the one pulling the strings here. You're not even going to decide what you do anymore.

The instant he held the controller up with his thumb on the button, Robin was abruptly silenced, a look of shock and utter horror on his face as he realized Slade wasn't fooling around anymore. Slade was being serious and Robin didn't like what he saying…not in the least bit…

"If you join me.." Slade started, laying down the harsh rules. "If you swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends again—I will allow them to live."

Robin continued to stare in mute fear.

"But…if you disobey even the smallest request, I will annihilate them, Robin." And Slade meant that. Now that he had Robin, under no circumstances was he going to let him go. "And I'll make you watch…So? Do we have a deal/"

Robin stared at the controller for the longest of times, a look of weariness and sorrow spreading across his face. His gaze fell on the ground as he answered, ever so softly. "…Yes………"

Good.

Now Slade had exactly what he wanted.

"Follow." He commanded and turned off toward the darkness. Robin followed quietly until Slade came to one of his tables. On it was a suit which he handed to Robin. "Change into this." He said and handed it over to the boy who took it regretfully. Robin was still in his state of shock as he went off to change. He took off everything besides the lower half of his suit and slipped the new one on over it. Laying the remains of his old suit over a pipe, his communicator went off just then.

"Robin? Robin, please respond…Robin, please! You must answer! Robin!"

Robin would answer only to Slade now.

"Please respond! Robin…where are you?"

God she was annoying! How many times did she have to repeat herself before she realized no one was going to answer? Slade had half a mind to crush the communicator, but it made Robin cringe the last time she said his name, a sore reminder of his past life as a friend, a leader, and a hero.

He'd have none of that in the future.

Robin buckled on his new armor and Slade turned his gaze away when Robin changed his mask. That was something Slade respected without question. A mask hid your past, and that was why Slade wore one—to hide his fear and his pain from all the things that happened to him before he became as strong as he was now. Masks destroyed your past…

Just as Robin's new mask was destroying his old past.

Once he was finished, Slade couldn't help himself but stab Robin again with his snide remarks when he stood behind the boy who loathed him.

"I know it seems bad…" He said, trying to sound comforting in a mocking way, but telling the plain truth at the exact same time. "But trust me—you'll learn to like it…"

He walked off into the darkness to leave Robin with the horrible silence Slade had to put up with for so long, leaving him with his thoughts.

Which is worse, Robin? Losing, or the punishment of losing?

-A-

(Exits the dark room and suddenly gravity is gone again. Alex is floating around in midair again.) Well, I think that's enough for one day. I'll o back there tomorrow, but I have to do a headcount first…One, two, three, four, five…hey. I think we're missing someone. O.o? (Stares back at the closed door and shivers.) I'm exhausted, lost, and now I have to find someone else. Isn't this just great…

Floating around upside-down, while slowly going crazy,

Alexnandru Van Gordon