I opened my eyes. It was completely black. I was laying on something soft. I sat up and felt around for something, anything that could help me. I hit my hand on something made of wood and it hurt my hand.

Must be a desk.

I felt around the top of it and touched something metal. I assumed it was a lamp. I found the switch and pulled it. Light filled the room instantly.

"Awake I see?"

"Wah!" I fell off the bed backwards, landing on a metal floor. "Don't do that!"

"Don't do what?"

I suddenly realized that this was Slade I was talking to. I jumped up and got into a fighting stance. Slade didn't seemed disturbed. He just sat on a computer chair, staring at me. I relaxed and turned my back on him, my arms folded across my chest.

"I hate you," was all I could say.

"Yes. We seem to think that a lot, don't we."

"I don't think, I know." I looked around my surroundings. It was a medium sized bedroom with two doors; a twin sized bed, a lamp desk and computer desk, and Slade in the chair. "You must really like your job. Tormenting me and making my life miserable."

I heard Slade stand up and come towards me.

"Its what I do best." He walked past me towards the closed door. "This is your new room and your Apprentice suit is in the desk drawer. Get some sleep. Your training starts tomorrow at 0600 hours."

The door slid shut behind him. I sighed.

"Why me?"

I sat back down on the bed to think.

What am I going to do? Once Steven returns home and gets my friend's powers, I won't be able to talk to the others. I don't even now where I'm at.

I stood back up and went into the bathroom. My face was slightly purple and swollen where Slade had hit my face with the Bo Staff. I felt around my mouth for any missing teeth, but found none. I washed my face off with water and dried it off.

I went to the desk and pulled out the Apprentice uniform that I swore I'd never wear or see again. I put it on. I looked in the bottom drawer and found the metal guards, boots, new and improved looking utility belt, and the S to go over my heart. I put all that crap on and sat back down on the bed.

Sigh! I can't sleep like this. I'm not even tired.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it Apprentice?"

"Memories I don't want to remember," I said out loud. "Great! Now I hear Slade's voice when he's not even here."

"I might not be there, but my voice is."

What?

Then it occurred to me.

"Ah! Come on! Do you like spying on me?" I asked. "You now, with hidden cameras and speakers?"

"Hidden cameras, no. Speakers, yes," Slade said.

"Then you should be glad that you can't see the gesture I'm giving you right now," I said in irritation. Then a question popped up in my head. "So… what's Steven's story?"

"I don't know what you mean Apprentice."

"Won't his parents be wondering why I'm not with him?"

"His parents work for me," Slade said. "Steven had no one. He was an orphan. He lived on the streets. One day he stumbled upon me and tried picking a fight. I won of course. He hated his life and wanted a new one. So I hired two of my people and they raised him as their own. I made sure he had all the right training and skills to manipulate people, like you. He heard about the Titans and their powers and he wanted them. So I made a deal with him. He helped me get you and I give him a device to take the powers away from the Metahumans and insert them into himself. I told him about you and he wanted yours and your friend's powers."

"So he's a pretty messed up kid," I said more to myself.

"Go to bed my Apprentice. You'll need your strength at 6 o'clock."

I lay down on the metal floor, trying to get comfortable. But a jolt of electricity made me yelp and stand.

"Electric floors!" I shouted in annoyance. "WHY electric floors?"

"Sleep in your bed Apprentice."

"I don't want to sleep in the stupid bed!" I yelled angrily. "I happen to like the floor! Even though you stepped on it!"

Another jolt made me jump.

"Do as I say Apprentice."

Smoke was literally coming out my head as I seethed in anger.

"I don't have to listen to you!" I shouted. "No one's life is on the line this time! Last time no one's life was on the line! So what makes you think I'll listen to you now!"

Slade sighed.

"Your life is on the line Apprentice. You can't survive an electricity attack, now can you?"

He has a point.

God! What had I gotten myself into this time? I sighed.

"Fine! Have it your way!"

I got into bed, lay on my back, and looked up at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. I yawned, but I wasn't even remotely tired yet. I closed my eyes, but they kept opening a crack. I growled in irritation as I turned on my side.

"Is there something wrong Apprentice?"

"Yeah, I can't sleep. What was your first clue?"

Slade didn't answer.

Okay you stupid body. Let me sleep already.

I closed my eyes again. I still couldn't fall asleep. I didn't even know the time.

"Hey yo? What time is it?" Slade said nothing. "Heh, figures," I whispered. I sighed and asked jokingly, "What time is it oh holy Master?"

"It is 0400 hours."

"Thank you."

"Thank you what?"

"Thank you, sir."

"We'll work on your attitude later."

"I'm looking forward to it."

What was I doing? Was I making chit chat with Slade, the guy who kidnapped me? What was wrong with me?

Maybe my mind works differently without powers.

Yeah, like that was the reason. Or maybe I was just bored. As far as I knew, Slade and I were the only ones here. Plus, I couldn't sleep anyways.

So there was only one thing to do…

Talk to Slade.

"So. You're okay with me not having powers?" I asked. "Isn't that why you wanted me in the first place?"

"Your powers may be gone, but your Ninja skills aren't."

"But you said my powers are the most powerful," I said. "So wouldn't my Ninja skills be weaker?"

"Go to bed Apprentice."

"I can't," I said irritably.

Come on body! Let me sleep for a little while.

I shut my eyes tighter and willed myself to sleep.


I woke up to my door being unlocked. I sat up, stretched, and rubbed my eyes. I stood up and went into the bathroom. I came back out and headed for the unlocked door. It slid open and I stepped out into a hallway. My door closed behind me with a snap and I looked at it. A note was attached to the door. I took it off and read it.

Go straight until you come to two hallways. Take the left hall and walk down it for two minutes. You'll come to three doors. Open the one in the middle. Go in and turn right. You'll come to another hallway. Take that and find the second door on your left.

S.W.

I memorized the note and put it back on the door. I did what Slade told me to and arrived at my destination ten minutes later. The second door on my left slid open and I walked in.

Guess I'm in the training room.

The lights turned on and Slade was standing in the middle of the room.

"You're late."

"Yeah, I figured," I said tiredly. "So what are you teaching me today?"

"We'll be doing follow up lessons today," Slade said.

"Let me guess… a maze?"

"No. You'll be fighting my robots."

I yawned.

"Its not like I haven't destroyed them before."

Without warning, a robot came up and punched me in the face. I skid across the floor and landed in front of another one. I pulled my legs over my head and kicked at the robot. It jumped out of the way and landed in front of me. I stood up and did a Roundhouse Kick. I caught the robot in the head. It flew back and knocked into another one. Two more jumped at me out of nowhere.

I dodged both of them, but a third one kicked me in the back. I fell to the floor. I rolled over, placed my hands behind my head, and jumped to my feet. The three robots surrounded me. I did a few back flips and jumped over the one behind me. I kicked it in the back with a Roundhouse. The one on my right tried kicking me, but I grabbed its foot and spun it around. It knocked into the other one, destroying it.

Two more kicked at me and knocked me down. They jumped at me, but I got onto my side and kicked my leg out to have my foot meet them in the chin. They both flew up into the air. I jumped up and back flipped upwards towards them. I rose above them, turned over, and planted a kick into their stomachs. I landed, one hand on the ground, the robots, with my leg on their stomachs, and they didn't move. I stood up, panting hard. One more came at me from behind. I planted my elbow into its face.

That was all of them.

"Very good Apprentice. I see I have taught you something."

I sat down and rubbed my eye.

"You didn't teach me anything," I said, still breathing hard. "I learned that attack on my own. Its called The Barrage of Dragons."

There was a long silence between us as I regained my breath. I stood up and awaited my instructions.

"I see."

"You see what?"

"The weakness in your attack," Slade said.

"Huh?"

I was really confused at that.

"My robots were set to their easiest level. With your skill, you shouldn't have had trouble during your fight. Normally, you'd have taken all 9 of them out in under two minutes. But you didn't even pin them in three."

I gaped at him with my mouth slightly open.

"Do you come with subtitles?"

"Your slow. You've forgotten how to fight properly. And your Barrage of Dragons isn't strong enough. Try it again on the hardest level robot and you'll see what I mean."

A Slade look-a-like came out and attacked me. I dodged it and jumped into the air. I jumped backwards and was getting closer to the wall. I jumped up again and landed my feet on the wall. I kicked off of it and attacked the robot Slade. It dodged my fist easily and grabbed my arm, kneeing me in the stomach. I was winded. It grabbed me from behind and flipped me over its head. I slid across the floor on my back. I stopped a few feet away from the real Slade.

I jumped up and back flipped towards the robot. It fell to the floor. It jumped up and rose into the air above me.

I'll show you that my Barrage of Dragons can defeat you and your stupid look-a-like.

The robot landed in front of me. I kicked my leg upwards. It caught the robots chin. It flew up into the air like the Slade-bots had. I jumped up towards the robot.

"BARRAGE OF DRAGONS!"

I spun around in mid-air and planted my kick into the robot's stomach. We went towards the floor, but the robot grabbed my foot. It threw me over its stomach. I fell face first on the floor, the robot still holding my foot.

I used my full chakra into the attack. Am I really that weak?

"As you can see, your strength has left your body," Slade said. "You are not strong enough any more."

The robot released my foot. I pushed up off the floor with my hands. I was on my hands and knees, breathing hard. I stood up.

"Then what's the point of me being your Apprentice?" I asked. "If I'm too weak, then why keep me here?"

"So that I can teach you my knowledge," Slade said. "We're done for the day. We'll work on a new fighting technique tomorrow. Return to your room and get some more sleep."

Slade walked off and I stared after him.

If I can find it.

I walked out and searched for my room.


You'd think he'd go easy on me for a few days at least. Is he trying to kill me?

I was punched in the face again. I flew back and landed on the floor. I placed my hands behind my head and jumped up. A fist came into my stomach as I landed. I fell to my knees. Slade kicked me in the head with a Roundhouse. My neck cracked as my head went backwards. I was kicked in the stomach. I slid across the floor. I hadn't even layed one punch on him. I landed on my ass.

"This is stupid," I said angrily. "I feel like a nobody without my powers."

"That's why I'm teaching you," Slade said.

Doesn't look like I'm learning anything.

"I don't even feel like myself," I said. "I feel like an empty shell."

Why was I telling Slade this?

"That's because you're not trying hard enough."

I'm trying my hardest Baka. My powers were my strength, not my self.

"All I'm saying is that I'm practically useless without my powers."

Yeah, like ranting about them is going to bring them back.

"Ranting won't get you your powers back. Your friends can't get their powers back."

Is he reading my mind or something?

"Question; Are you a mind reader or something?"

"I'm always five steps ahead of my opponent Apprentice. Like you should be when the time comes.

It was eight o'clock when we finished for the day. It was strange that a guy like Slade would have a kitchen and dinning room. I ate what little food I had and returned to my room. I took a shower and decided to meditate for a while before going to bed.

Good thing Raven taught me meditation to get my strength up. I wonder if the Titans know I've been kidnapped again?

That made my stress level rise. I hadn't really thought of it as being kidnapped again. In fact, I had just realized (after being here for four days) that I was kidnapped.

"Not again!"


Me: Meh. Ending it there. Sorry. I'm having a bit of writer's block as of now. I'm actually getting into RPGing at a Slade Wilson Shrine that you can find on my bio page of ff. net. You Slade fans should really think of joining. It's a fun site, I'll tell ya. You should take a visit there sometime. And when you do, look out at the RP forum for a The New Teenage Titans. I started that RP with my Phoenix character. Check it out when I get the link on my bio.

I'll stop ranting on stupid crap and let you review now. Sorry again for the shortness of this chapter. But next chapter gets a little more interesting. So stay tuned.

Disclaimer: (See Chapter 1)

Rocky-White Wolf of Curses