A/N: Ready for more? That last cliffhanger was pure evilness, I know. We will continue right where we left off. Please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Teen Titan character.

Chapter 6

Journal 2: Part 2

I couldn't believe my eyes as I stared at Slade across from me in the booth. I thought I was free from this man once I got out of that cell. But I was clearly wrong because here he was, sitting across from me in civilian clothes and smiling smugly at me.

I had lost. I had played all my cards in my hand, but I still wasn't able to win! It was totally depressing on my part. I've always been that extremely competitive guy. In sports I did everything in my power to win. Loosing was never a thought till now.

"The police will be here any minute now," I told Slade, trying to make him back off. I knew it would be pointless to say this to him, but I was trying to do anything.

"So you did call the police," Slade said with a nod. I felt something touch my knee and I jumped slightly. I looked under the table and saw that Slade was holding a gun to my knee. Once again, he wasn't aiming to kill me. He would hurt me, though, if I didn't do what he said. He would blow off my whole kneecap if I did anything wrong! I didn't feel like becoming a disabled person, so I said nothing and stared at Slade. He was calling the shots now.

Defeat settled down on me suddenly. I had made it so far. I had tasted sweet freedom, and now it had been yanked right out from under me. I guess that is why I couldn't keep from crying now. I put my head down on the table, tears threatening to escape my eyes.

"I'm actually quite proud of you," Slade told me after a long pause. I looked up at him with a frown of confusion. "You escaped your cell in less than ten minutes, stole my folder on you, disabled four of my robots, were able to fight back when I came after you, called the police right away, and even before all this you had my tracking bugs out of your system. I wouldn't have thought you could do it."

I sniffed and wiped a tear away with the back of my hand. My pity party was over now. I never liked crying, and I hated saying that I did to you guys. I stayed silent, thinking about what Slade had just said. It was confusing. You would think that he would get madder than hornet if I tried to escape, yet he was praising the whole thing.

"We better leave," Slade finally said after a long sigh. I let him take the folder away from me. He got up and waited for me stand. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed deeply. "Don't try anything," he whispered sharply down at me as he grabbed my shoulder and guided me out of the store. The fresh sent of coffee vanished as we walked into the busy city. The jingle above us indicated my exit, but no one bothered to watch me leave with the stranger.

It was now that I realized I still had a chance of escape. I had forgotten that I had powers. It was such a stupid thing to forget, but if you had just obtained them that day, it's hard to revert to having a superhero way of thinking. I wanted to use one of those shields I made back in the elevator. Now all I had to do was sum up enough emotion to trigger my powers. That would be easy with Slade around.

I paused in my thinking. Was I really ready to pull another extreme escape stunt in the shape I was in? I narrowed my eyes and threw the question out of my head. I was going to escape or die trying! I didn't want to go back to my cell and wait for another chance like this. Heck, I didn't want to be standing next to Slade at the moment. Man, if this was a war, I'd be on the front line!

I suddenly stopped walking on the sidewalk and pulled away from Slade. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" I told him. He raised his gun to shoot at me, and at the same time I crossed my arms in front of me, as if to block an attack. "Stop!" I yelled, pouring out all my pent up emotion. A black force field appeared just as he pulled the trigger.

Everyone on the sidewalk was now staring at me with wide eyes. They had all seen me use my powers just then. They all thought I was some superhero freak. I didn't stick around for too long. Just as quickly as I used my power, I was sprinting down the sidewalk. Slade didn't waste time recovering and ran after me.

I turned the corner where the coffee shop was and ran down a hill that led to a movie theater's parking lot. I couldn't do a U-turn because that would just put me back into Slade's hands. So I kept running. The parking lot wasn't all that full and only a few people were actually there, catching a morning movie. This wasn't good on my part.

I gave an alarmed yell as I heard a silenced bullet bounced off the pavement an inch away from my feet. I ran past a car and winced as the windshield smashed into a million pieces from another bullet. Glass bounced off the hood of the car and cut into my arm. I ignored the slight sting and kept running past the cars, using them as my cover from Slade.

I could barely see anything that morning because the sun was shining way overhead and reflected off all the cars and into my eyes. Maybe that is why I didn't see Slade come to the side of me. We were only a car width away as he shot me in the leg. I got lucky and the bullet didn't go into my skin and only grazed the back of my left thigh.

But the pain of the shot was just as bad. I went down with a yell. The pavement was burning hot from being under the sun for so many hours. I gave another yell of pain as the course pavement scratched and burned any exposed skin that touched it as I fell. I'm sure my adrenaline was warring off most of the pain of my leg, but it still hurt like hell. Man! I still remember the hurt now and wince at the thought. I don't know how I pulled through after that.

I remember thinking about giving up. I was then disgusted with myself for the thought. I was no quitter, especially now! I crawled on my hands and knees around a car as Slade ran over to the spot I once was. Camp with you, Zach, was paying off once again as I remembered what to do with deep cuts and gashes from the counselors. I ripped off both my sleeves and tied them together and then around my thigh to stop the bleeding.

I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from crying out as my whole thigh throbbed. I could hear Slade walk around the area I once was, searching for any sign of where I had gone to. To keep myself from going insane with the pain, I had to keep repeating to myself that I was okay in my head. I forced myself to block out the pain. Trust me, this was hard to do!

With a renewed determination burning in my eyes, I glanced over to the theater a few yards away from where I was sitting. If I could make it into the building, I knew I could hide somewhere and buy myself some valuable time. But at the moment I had no clue where Slade was. He was waiting patiently for me to make the next move.

I got on my hands and knees and started to crawl toward the building. "Jeez!" I yelled while ducking back behind the car. As soon as I had moved Slade had started to shoot repeatedly at me. I put my arms over my head as bullets ripped past me, barely missing. A rush of air blew into my shoulder as the tire I was hiding behind got shot.

Slade stopped shooting and waited for me to move again. Dogs stuck in cars were barking up a storm at the loud noise. The people who had been outside the building were screaming or crying behind their own cover of cars. I needed a distraction if I wanted to get past Slade now.

Suddenly I heard police sirens. As soon as the loud sound echoed into my ears, I took off. Slade shot at me once, but then stood up and ran after me. He didn't think I would bolt at the sound of the police. I kept low and headed for the theater doors. I swung a door wide open, welcomed the blast of cold AC air, and ran in, running to the back where people demanded for your ticket. I ran right past those people and down a hallway. They yelled frantically after me.

I dove into a theater that was playing Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in it. I had seen the movie the day it came out and enjoyed it thoroughly. Pirates rock! Today was an entirely a different story. I didn't care what happened to Captain Jack Sparrow. I was there to hide from a madman. And the cover a half crowded and totally dark theatre would be perfect hiding spot.

I slipped into a seat in the first row, smiling at the kid who had most likely had skipped school beside me. He gave me a confused look as I grabbed a handful of his popcorn and stuffed it into my mouth. I didn't dare look back to the exit, afraid Slade would see me that way.

As the kid beside me was forced to look back at the screen in front of him, I easily pit pocketed the dude. The art of pit pocketing is fairly simple. It was you, Zach, who taught me to do so. All you have to do is distract your target, which in this case was the wonderful movie playing. While their focus is on the distraction, they aren't concentrating on a wallet or purse. This guy's wallet was in his side jean pocket and easy to steal.

Yes, I felt bad for stealing this teen's money, but I desperately needed it. I didn't steal it just for the heck of it. I knew what I needed, and some extra cash was a main part of that plan forming in my head. I know Zach doesn't care if I pit pocketed. It's you, Rose, that I wanted to explain my motives to. Sorry.

I looked up at the movie and smiled. A funny part was coming up, from what I could remember of the movie. Just as the lines "I got a jar of dirt!" sprung from Jack's mouth, I was out of my seat and heading for the door. The laughter of the captive audience covered my footsteps as I sprinted. I didn't even look back to see if Slade was behind me.

I didn't go back the way I had came in. I was sure police would be swarming the place. They were a bit late to helping me with my Slade problem. They would only be a nuisance now. I didn't want to get caught up in all their questioning and crap. I felt better off alone. To avoid the crowd, I slipped out a back way that was to prevent too much crowding in the entrance area when a movie had ended.

My escape still wasn't complete. I kept running once I got out of the building. I snuck past a few police officers standing by their cars in the parking lot. They were too busy eating doughnuts. The sight was just too funny. I actually smiled while spotting them.

That smile didn't leave as I spotted a bus stop a block away from the theater parking lot. I looked over my shoulder and kicked my run into a sprint again. Slade had caught up with me. I was completely out of breath and gasping for air when I got to the bus stop. I quickly boarded the bus and used my pit pocketed money to pay for my way. I guess I was the last passenger, because as soon as I sat down, the bus started forward.

I looked out the window and jumped with surprise to see Slade there staring up at me. I smiled victoriously down at Slade and stuck out my tongue. Yeah, I know, very mature. He only casually put his hands in his pockets and smiled smugly back. I didn't let him spoil my joy and waved back at him as the bus moved away.

I finally collapsed into my chair with a sigh. I put the wallet in my back pocket and waited on high alert till the next bus stop. I went forward and asked the driver where I could find a bus heading for Jump City. After that, it was only a few hours till I was on the bus I wanted. It was half full and I settled into my seat, soaking in the freedom.

Right now I'm only an hour away from Jump City. I've been living off of vending machine food for a whole day and a half. It's not very healthy, but it is cheaper than the rest stop's restaurants. So for all that time I've written this journal to you guys and talked to the other passengers about the Titans. They all seemed to know more about them than I did.

One little kid was a big fan of theirs and had all this useless information. I talked with the little dude for two full hours about the team. I found out that my powers are Raven's. She has so much control and experience over her powers, that maybe by age 50 I could be just as great as her. From this kid I've learned that she can create portals, levitate cars, and form bus sized force fields by only speaking her mantra. Yeah, it's really put a dent in my pride. I really thought I was great with my powers. But maybe the mantra will help me in the future.

Well, that has been my life so far. One last thing before I send this journal to you. Slade is somewhere out there and he has the power to find you. Keep a sharp eye out for anything unusual, okay? I don't want you two somehow getting into this. No one should get hurt because of me. I'll write to you after I meet the Titans.

Gene.

End of Journal 2

The bell rang suddenly. Zach had finally finished the journal. They hadn't finished it at lunch and Zach had taken it to his next class. He had promised to not read it until him and Rose was together, but of course that promise didn't last long and he had read it anyways.

The teen sighed as he thought back to what Gene had written. Even though his friend didn't want him to get involved, Zach sure wanted to. The town Zach lived in was boring as watching paint dry. Atlanta had a little excitement here and there like every big city. But this new town's biggest thrill had to be when an old lady's knitting circle was broken up because their leader had died of old age and they just couldn't go on without her guidance. It wasn't the most stimulating thing for Zach, but he sure did get a laugh out of it.

Walking into the bathroom, Zach wished he could help Gene somehow. He wanted to be in on the action. He hated to be just sitting around, waiting for another message from his best friend who was running around America on the run from a madman.

Be careful what you wish for.

As soon as the door to the bathroom closed behind him, Zach knew he was in trouble. Slade stood before him with his one eye narrowed in slight annoyance of something. One of his robots stood next to him with Rose in its arms and covering her mouth so she couldn't shout for help. Two more of his robots were now behind Zach. He was surrounded.

"How did you find us and get in here?" Zach asked Slade as soon as he realized his bad situation.

Slade ignored both questions and held out a hand, saying, "Give me Gene's latest journal."

"No," Zach said bluntly.

"I'll let you two go peacefully if you just give me his last journal," Slade said.

"Yeah right," Zach said sarcastically. "I've read what you did to Gene. I'm not trusting you. Go jump in a lake, freak."

"At least tell me where your little friend is heading," Slade said. "I'm not here to hurt you or the girl."

"What are you going to do if I don't give it to you?" Zach asked him.

"Grab him," Slade told his robots. The things grabbed the boy by his arms. Zach tried to get loose, but Gene hadn't been lying when he said the things were strong. His struggles weren't getting him anywhere. Slade simply walked up to him and grabbed the journal out of his pocket. He flipped through a few pages and then smiled under his mask. "Just where I predicted," he said to himself.

"Hey! You stay away from him!" Zach yelled at Slade loudly. "He's not some toy you can play and trade with! Gene is a person, you hear me?"

"Yes, Gene is a person, but I made him," Slade told Zach smugly. His spirits had risen since now he knew Gene wasn't out of his reach. "That makes the boy mine." Zach and Rose glared at Slade with anger burning in their eyes. "Let them go," Slade told his robots with a wave of his hand. He let the pieces of the journal flitter lazily to the bathroom floor.

Right as the two were released, the fire alarm went off. The loud piercing sound blasted into their ears and made all of them look up with surprise. Before Zach or Rose could get their heads on straight, Slade told them seriously, "If you want to help your friend any way you can, don't tell anyone about him. The government won't be as kind to him as I am."

"The government?" Rose asked as she snatched up the papers on the floor carefully. "What would they want with Gene? They couldn't use him for anything except for his powers, but he can barely use them. They couldn't find out how you cloned him."

"They could if they searched hard enough with the boy's DNA," Slade told her emotionlessly.

"Wait, you're keeping him locked up so the government can't get to him?" Zach asked.

"In a way, yes," Slade said after a second of thought.

"Well, that doesn't sound very evil," Zach stated. Slade rolled his eye and started to walk toward the door of the bathroom. He was done with the conversation. But Zach wasn't done with him. "Wait!" he called after Slade. Even though every nerve in the man's body told him to keep going, he stopped anyways. He turned around and glared at the kid.

"Rose and I are coming with you to Jump City," he told Slade.

"Zach!" Rose yelled at him, "We just can't go hitch a ride with him. Plus he has no use for us. Why would he want two kids tagging along with him? Plus, aren't we against him!"

"Well, I'm going," Zach retorted. "I know what I'm doing, Rose."

"No you're not!" Rose stated, disgusted with the idea of going off with the madman.

"You both can come," Slade said.

A/N: Things are going to get complicated now. But please review. I'm running kind of low on the review part but high on the hits. It makes me kind of sad and doesn't motivate me to write more. But I'm in love with this fic to stop writing it. So reviews or not, I'm finishing what I've started. But it would be better if more people did review. Thanks!