A soft knock on the door echoed into her room as Rhiannon hopped around it getting the clothes on as fast as possible.
"Coming!" Rhiannon squealed as she fell to the floor. Wintergreen winced as he heard the crash, and a minute later she opened the door with her hair in a messy ponytail and the T-shirt and sweats on.
"Follow me, Ms. Harris," Wintergreen said, walking down the long hallway, "you do not want to be late."
"No need for the formal stuff…um…your name?" Rhiannon asked.
"Just call me Wintergreen."
"Then just call me Rhiannon, a fair trade off?"
"If you please."
The corridor never seemed to end, as if everything was in one long hallway. It accompanied no windows, and was almost completely straight except for some sharp turns.
"Where are we?" Rhiannon asked, full of curiosity.
"The training room. Slade is waiting, and I wouldn't delay another minute," Wintergreen said dryly.
"That's not what I mea--" Rhiannon could barely finish her sentence before the door was opened and she was pushed in by the butler. After a gasp, Rhiannon took notice to the change of scenery. It was a dimly lit room with weights and punching bags, and also empty space. The floor was concrete, and a thin layer of dry dirt and sand was over it. Rhiannon looked around, while walking to the center of the room. Her ears were on the defensive, listening for movement. She heard what sounded like robotics, and her heart started to raise, and her lungs started to pump smaller amounts of oxygen, causing her to gasp for breath more. Rhiannon spun around in circles trying to find where the noise was coming from, but the lighting was surely no help. Rhiannon's heart jumped when she felt a light touch on her shoulder.
"Oh come on, Slade stop freaking me o-- ah!" Rhiannon screamed. When she turned around to look into his mask, but instead she saw what looked like an early model of the machines that took her yesterday. It's face resembled a metal skull, which a deep ocean blue eyes. The metal was a soft silver, the light bouncing off it, Rhiannon seeing her reflection. The android took a swing and she blocked it with her right arm, and she flinched at the pain. Once again the attacker took another swing, and it missed as Rhiannon dove to the ground, crawling away as a monkey on an escape. The machine was still going after her, and she realized that dodging all of it's attacks would not stop it from attacking. She waited as it wobbled over to her, looking broken and worn. When it came close enough in reach, she landed a direct kick to its chest, causing it to stagger backwards, coming fairly close to loosing its balance. A surge of pride ran through her as the android was thrown off balance, but it came back, wobbling and all. Rhiannon saw the move she was contemplating on doing in the movies, and decided it would be a fun trick to try. She swung her right like at the right leg, or left side, of the robot, attempting to knock it over. Instead, she cried in pain as she held her calf muscle. Watching the teen writhe in pain the robot stepped on Rhiannon's back, and her face was planted into the dirt and sand. After the leg was lifted from he back, she lifted herself back onto her bottom and spat out the dirt and sand, and held her face. Realizing she was still in the face of danger, she scurried out of harms way, pondering on how to decommission it. Noticing it turn around to wobble over to her, she walked up to it, and kicked it harder in the chest, and still it staggered. She felt so weak, so vulnerable at that moment, realizing she wasn't as strong as she depicted herself to be. Upset that this man's theory that the man and woman she called 'mom and dad' was false, she was being held hostage, and even thinking about how Justin let her down when she found out his addictions, truly raged her. And unbeknown to her, her eyes began to bleach white, and a trim of black energy began to form. Her emotions were now overboard, she was tired of the anger, the resentment, the pain. Rhiannon closed her eyes at the ring around her shot out directly in front of her, conveniently the android was right there. When the black energy collided with it, it started to corrode it, and it fell apart to the floor partially melted. She opened her eyes, and they were back to normal, the energy gone. She noticed the destroyed machine, and her jaw dropped. Slade took a serious notation to how she defeated her enemy.
"Congratulations, you have done a little better than I expected. Soon, you will know anything or anybody's weakness, and help in their demise," Slade said, stepping out of a nearby shadow, cutting short Rhiannon's happiness.
"Their demise? You want me to terminate people!" Rhiannon asked in pure horror.
"No, I do not want murder, I want questions answered. Closure, if you will. I am not out for blood, Rhiannon."
"How do you know my name? And how did that machine end up…like that?"
"I guess since you have completed one task, I shall tell you a little more, shall I not?" Slade asked, fluently.
"I want to know, of the truth," Rhiannon bluntly answered, closing her eyes to hold back tears of pain.
"You wanted to know how I know your name? Your mother is someone I once knew, and was very close to her. Your mother is not of average blood."
"Is my mother a Titan?" Rhiannon perked up.
"Yes. But that is mor--"
"It's Raven, isn't it? Some people said I look like her, but I don't know how. So I guess I inherited her power, her black magic. I subconsciously destroyed it! "
"Yes, and perhaps you have much of your father in you too," Slade suggested, knowing the answer.
"Maybe. Next time I do you a favor, I will ask that question. So be prepared."
"I know more about your father than your mother. I will have an abundance of information for you then. For now, we will practice combat on another crappy android. This time though, I will instruct you," Slade said, walking back into the shadows. Rhiannon heard the familiar sound, and got into a ready position.
-xXx
Heather and Alexandra sobbed as they found out that Slade was behind the heinous action, fearing the worst, but the truth was that she might be the safest in his grasp, considering Rhiannon's relations to him. Greg and Cody comforted to two as Justin silently prayed that she was alright. He was in regret for creating an addiction to tobacco and alcohol, as it made her unhappy, and she only wanted to please her when, and if, she returned.
"You okay man?" Cody asked, coming over to him.
"Just worried and upset. She is at the mercy of a villain, and we are sitting her crying," Justin bitterly said.
"That's what heroes are for."
"Heroes are to overrated anymore, they are just as human as you and I."
"True, but we still believe in them. Hopefully the Titans have been contacted, which I'm sure they have. They have been trying to get him for sixteen years, and now that he's back, and they've grown stronger…success could be evident," Cody said, trying to cheer his friend up.
"I guess. I just feel so bad about my addictions now."
"Isn't it funny you don't realize something good until it is gone?"
"Yeah, and now I feel as empty as shit," Justin sobbed.
"She'll be okay."
"I hope you are right, man."
-xXx
"We have to find her!" Raven yelled in a forcing tone, "he could very well take his anger out on her!"
"I know that you are fearful right now, but we have nothing to go by! There was no trace of him for sixteen years, and now he arrives at a random time," Nightwing explained.
"There is never random, Nightwing. Slade knows what he is doing, every step of the way," Raven pursued.
"I guess she would know best," Changeling said pointing towards Raven. Starfire giggled, and Cyborg joined for a smile. Raven just simply glared.
"No time for jokes, we need to find out where he is."
-xXx
Nightwing laid outspread on his bed, feeling a deep sorrow and emptiness. He truly felt bad for what he did, now that this situation was unfolding. At the time it seemed like an excellent plan, and admirable one, getting the innocent away from the villainous. But what if Raven was right in her actions, what if he wasn't all that he seemed? It was to late now to change things, sixteen years to late. Now that Rhiannon was in Slade's grasp, he felt like it was the time to tell her, so when they get her back, they will tell them the whole truth. Raven may be angry, but emotions pass and days start anew.
-xXx
"Why do you still keep your mask on, when I already know what you look like?" Rhiannon asked randomly and bluntly at the table. Slade looked up at her looking back at him for an answer.
"I do not like many people looking at my face, it has become a weakness for me. But that is not what we are discussing at this--"
"Secretive, eh?"
"Why are you so accepting of this? You are under a hostage situation and you seem to be enjoying it," Slade inquired.
"Because this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me. And to top it off, I get a really nice room with things that many girls can only dream of. Besides, no one else is sitting with the infamous villain but me, and I want to make the most out of bragging," Rhiannon explained, "and how many people get to discuss with you about their parents! Only to find out that her mother is Raven, a Titan! Now I just need to ask who my father is…."
"I would rather us focus on our plan to get into the tower. Don't make me go to extremes to get your full attention for this," Slade warned.
"What are you going to do…rape me?" Rhiannon blurted, and quickly placed a hand over her mouth, noticing what she said.
"After I'm through with you, you wish you would have been raped," Slade said coldly.
"Why so horrific?"
"Do you ever shut up?" Slade sighed, visibly annoyed.
"At times."
"Now back to what we were saying," he said while glaring at her, "you will arrive at the tower and present yourself to them, telling them who you are. Raven will be overjoyed to see you. Tell her nothing of your training nor I. If she brings the topic up, try to ignore it."
"What exactly am I trying to find out?"
"Who took you from her possession sixteen years ago."
"I would have figured you did, but that's not possible…I think. Wait a minute that wou--"
"Just find out as much information as possible."
"It was a misprint wasn't it? Sixteen years?" Rhiannon asked while getting up from the table, "It would be seventeen years, enough time for you to conceive me…Dad." Rhiannon walked away in a huff, not giving him any time to respond. She had figured it out, and he was glad that he didn't have to tell her, but he didn't want her to think what she was thinking right now. Rhiannon did not know the whole story and suspected the worst, which could endanger Slade's very personal mission.
-xXx
Rhiannon dashed to her room, tears filling her eyes, slamming the door behind her.
"The fucker probably raped her, and I was a mistake! A fucking shitty mistake! I'd rather live in stupid Plainville with them. My poor mother…," Rhiannon cried into her pillow, figuring she was truly unwanted from the start. Sobbing even harder now, she clutched the pillow and wished herself dead.
"Running away from problems do not solve them, Rhiannon," Slade said, standing in her doorway. Rhiannon looked up with alarm and leapt from her bed to the carpeted floor, ready to tell him off.
"Get out of here you sick bastard! Leave me alone! Now I know why the Titans hate you so much, because of what you did to Raven!" Rhiannon screamed in anger, now halfway between the bed and him.
"Do not accuse me of what you do not know or understand! You don't know what happened, because you weren't alive nor told the truth!" Slade threw back, his voice stressed, on the verge of anger.
"Of course, I wasn't alive then!" Rhiannon said, throwing her hands up into the air, "but I am now! I was a mistake, wasn't I? An uninvited guest into your plan?"
"You were far from a mistake."
"Then why did you rape her?"
"I didn't rape your mother! Why won't you lay off the idea?"
"Because it's the only thing that you haven't done yet, that's wicked!"
"Rape is below me, only an uneducated sickly man would do such a thing," Slade said matter-of-factly.
"Then…--"
"I loved her, Rhiannon. And that is all you need to know."
"You wanted to raise me?" Rhiannon asked, tears flooding back into her eyes.
"I had every intention to, but things happen. We reverted back to who we were before," Slade sighed, a hole forming in his heart, his mind swearing that his past had been depleted from his being.
"I'm sorry…."
"Why are you sorry?"
"For assuming the worst. I never knew…--"
"People don't know. But you will still arrive at Titans Tower, and not tell anything of what we have discussed," Slade warned. Rhiannon burst into tears, and Slade did not know how to react. This time he was sixteen years rusty on how to comfort a distressed young woman. She looked at Slade, now known to her as her father, and collapsed into him, gripping tightly around his torso. He placed his arms around her, holding her in a light hug, still unsure of what to do.
"Please don't let go Daddy," Rhiannon whined in his arms. The name she gave him alarmed him, and he realized that she had a special name for him. She no longer could call her Slade, or even Mr. Wilson for that matter.
"Not this time, Rhiannon…not this time."
-xXx
"Someone has just stepped foot onto the island," Cyborg warned, "and the rain is ruining the clarity of the cameras. Can't see shit."
"I'll go out and see who or what it is," Raven suggested.
"Raven, no I--"
"Changeling, I've go this," Raven insisted, pulling up her pure white hood. She walked out of the main room and down to the main entrance of the tower, unknown to whom she would encounter.
"Focus more on what it is," Changeling demanded.
"It's dark and it's raining! The clarity sucks! Just trust Raven," Cyborg demanded.
"She can handle it," Nightwing stated, trying to bring up his friend's hope.
"Yes, after what hap--" Starfire tried to say, before Nightwing slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Thank you," Changeling said with a gloomy expression.
"No problem," Nightwing said, taking his hand off Starfire's mouth.
"Is that a nice way to treat the woman, and wife, who is fertile with your child?" Starfire asked, with a hand on each hip.
"Well no, but…wait, what did you say?" Nightwing asked, taking a double take.
"It is true! I am pregnant!" Starfire said with glee. But the father to be sat there, not excited or even stunned, but scared. He knew that his child was in danger, more than Rhiannon ever was, because of what he had done. A smiled inched across his face, and tried to fake excitement.
"Congratulations to …well, us!" Nightwing said happily.
"Yup, congrats!" Cyborg pitched in.
"Well, he finally laid her," Changeling joked, remembering the comment Cyborg and him made when Nightwing, or Robin then, had gotten injured at Slade's mercy.
"Ha!" Cyborg laughed, basking in the memory.
"What is so funny friends?" Starfire asked.
"Nothing," the two answered, with just as big a grin on their faces when they were teens.
-xXx
Raven opened the large oversized doors, and the wind let the water droplets hit into her face, as she saw a delicate figure walk towards her.
"What do you want?" Raven asked harshly.
The figure lifted it's face, the light now showing the features. The narrow face confirmed it was female, and her eyes were blue with ribbons of purple. Some wet strands of blonde hair were plastered to her face.
"Mom?" she asked, her eyes filled with sorrow.
A/N: I know, shoot me the chapter is a little short. Now you can ponder about the next one. Well, read and review!
