Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics
Chapter 7
Bucephalus trotted into the warehouse with Kevin ridding him at a quick trot. At least, it used to be a warehouse. It was now an assembly area. Sladebots where everywhere, machinery lay scattered about the floor. Sparks from arc welders crackled here and there while cranes moved heavy pieces of metal from beams overhead. He rode past several of the machines, looking at them curiously. He stopped next to the only one that seemed vaguely familiar. It looked like some kind of tank, but with a hovercraft skirt on the bottom.
"A hover tank, perfect for amphibious assaults. Against, let's say, an island in the middle of the bay with a giant "T" on it." Slade said behind him.
Kevin turned around and tossed the bag to Slade.
"Gotcha some goodies from the market." he said.
Slade rummaged through the bag for a minute and pulled out a magician's wand.
"You have no idea the power these items hold." he said while still looking at the wand.
"Whatever, you can use those however you want, I know what works for me, and that is right here." Kevin said patting his sword in its sheath.
"But why should you be limited to those things? As lethal as you are, you are capable of so much more. Look around you, I am building an army that will conquer this great city, and I need somebody to lead it. You were once an officer, a mere lieutenant. I shall make you a general."
"Sounds fun, I was up for a promotion anyway. So what do we do now?"
"Patience, my young apprentice. We will strike eventually, but one must not attack until-"
"-victory is certain." Kevin finished, quoting Sun Tzu.
"Precisely, see, we have so very much in common."
"Right, well you can hang around here and get a hard on from watching robots weld. As much as I like the searing heat and the smell of molten steel, I'm going to get some fresh air." Kevin then dismounted Bucephalus and walked over to his room.
"You mock what you do not understand, but soon, you shall learn to love it."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"This has been one of the worst weeks of my life." Beast Boy moaned laying on the couch and staring on the ceiling.
"No kidding, I can't remember the last time I got by ass whopped by the same guy. Or the last time the same guy broke into my tower. This is really getting old." grumbled Cyborg.
Raven was standing in the window, looking out over the bay. She simply stood there, unmoving and saying nothing.
"Friends, we must not give into defeat so easily. We shall be victorious over this unholy alliance of the Slade and Kevin, who is most certainly not my friend." Starfire's last phrase came out with her noise pointed in the air. She snapped her head to the forward position a second later like she had an idea. "Has anyone seen Robin as of late?"
"I know where he is, and I'll give you three guesses, though you only need one." Beast boy said from the couch, not even moving anything but his mouth.
"Oh Oh Oh, a game! Lets see, is he on the roof?" Stafire said jumping up and down.
"No Starfire, he's not on the roof." Beast Boy said sounding even more depressed than before.
"Is he in … the lobby?"
"No"
"The basement?"
"No"
"His room?"
"No"
"Your room?"
"No"
"Out on the town?"
"No"
Before Starfire could say another word, Raven spun around snarling.
"He's in the evidence room! He's in the evidence room doing research on Slade and Kevin! That is where you will find Robin!"
As she screamed this the couch wobbled a little bit and the coffee table shattered.
Everybody in the room was staring at her. Except Beast Boy, he hadn't moved a muscle, still just staring at the ceiling.
"Sorry, I haven't had time to meditate yet."
And with that she walked out of the room. She went to her room and sat down on the bed. She assumed the cross legged position and breathed a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Azararth Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zintho-" she stopped abruptly as her eyes shot open.
"That's it!"
She jumped of her bed and ran out her room and into the corridor. She ran right past Cyborg who shouted to her fleeing figure.
"Yo! Where's the fire?"
"I'll tell you later, just going out to town for a while." and with that she disappeared down the stairs.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
He gazed up at it, towering in the sky. It was nothing more than a piece of stone in the middle of the city park, but it wasn't the stone he was thinking about. It was what it represented.
"I figured I could find you here." came a dry monotone voice from behind him.
He flinched at first, but then relaxed and never even turned around. Raven walked up beside him and looked at the giant monolith.
It was about twenty five feet tall, made of solid marble. On it were inscribed all the names of the soldiers who had died in the war who were from the city.
Kevin had been standing there for almost thirty minutes. He was dressed in normal civilian attire, blue jeans and a polo shirt.
"Guess this was kind of predictable. I must be slacking off." he said.
"Why do you come here?"
Kevin rubbed his hands on the names that were near the base of the monument.
"To remind me of what I have witnessed. These people right here, who I watched take their last breath, it is that memory that drives me on. A world without war, crime, or hate. That is what I strive for. Believe me, if everybody in the world saw what myself and these people here saw on the field of battle saw, there would be none of these evils in the world. But that will never happen, so I must create a world where the opportunity for evil to exist is not available.
That is why I have joined forces with Slade. Together we will wash away the corrupt system that governs this city. The same system that allows villains to wander the street without so much as a slap on the wrist. In its place we will build a utopia where the innocent can live without fear and the guilty live in a permanent state of horror."
Raven stared at him for a minute.
"You don't believe that any more than I do. Remember, I can read your mind."
He sighed.
"I know Slade isn't the most savory of characters. I know nothing about him or what he has done, but I can sense that whatever it was, it wasn't good. But the end outways the means. Once the city is under our control, I will throw him down from his rule and take his place, and then peace and harmony can reign supreme." As he said his last sentence he raised his fist and clenched it; like he was shaking it at the monument.
"If that is truly what you seek, than you are even more deluded than Slade is."
She then turned to leave.
"Aren't you going to fight me? Call your friends? Have an epic battle deciding the fate of millions in this very park?" he said to her as he spread out his arms.
"What's the fun in that? You don't have your weapons or your sidekick. There will be other opportunities." she said not even bothering to turn around.
He stood there for a minute and then shouted out to her.
"Hey Raven, you know that thing where you can read my mind. Well guess what, that's a two way street."
She stopped for a minute and slightly turned her head.
"You don't mean-"
"Yeah, tell the green one I said hi." and with that he turned around and walked off into the night.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Where have you been?" Robin asked as Raven entered the main room.
"Oh, just went out for some fresh air." she replied.
"Well, don't do it again. We don't now what Kevin or Slade may be up to and can't risk any body leaving the tower on their own. Now then, as I was saying , we need to search over in this area…" Robin was waving a laser pointer at the map on the screen to the rest of the team. Raven tuned him out completely and went over to fix herself a cup of tea.
"… so keep and eye open for anything unusual." he stopped at looked at the rest of the team. Beast Boy was fast asleep on the couch with his head leaning over the top. Starfire was standing up with her eyes half open and completely slouched over. Cyborg had mumbled something earlier about needing to recharge and trudged off.
"I think that its time we call it a night. Everybody's wiped out, including you. Plus, you smell like you haven't showered in days." Raven said wrinkling her noise.
"Yeah, maybe your right. I think I'll pick this up tomorrow after some much needed rest." he said.
He yawned and trudged out of the room. Raven then walked over to the window and looked out over the city. She thought about telling the rest of them about her conversation with Kevin that night but she decided against it. It would only complicate things. Besides, she had a feeling that everything would work itself out in the end.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Where have you been?" Slade asked as Kevin walked into the building. He was standing on a platform looking over the factory floor. He asked the question without even turning around.
"Oh, just went out for some fresh air. Got that hard on yet?" he replied.
"Perhaps if you haven't noticed, I do not share your sense of humor. It would be wise of you to cease these insults." Slade said quietly.
"You see, that's where you're wrong. Just because we have to conquer and entire metropolis of millions of people, doesn't mean we can't have fun doing it."
"You may think this is a big game, but soon I shall unleash this mighty force and you will see just how real it is."
"Yeah, about that. When is D-Day for all this? How long are we going to wait?"
"Soon, we will strike when ready, but not yet. Until that day, I suggest you draw up a battle plan on how we will roll through this city like a tidal wave, and then crush the Teen Titans."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Author's note:
There, a little drama. There hasn't been much in this story, but that's because I'm no fan of drama, not in my stories, movies, or even real life. But enough about that. The next chapter will probably be the last one. I say probably because truth be told, I'm making this up as I go along. If I get a brilliant idea laying in bed tonight, I may add that idea before the end.
So until then, stay frosty. And thanks for those who took the time to review.