A/N: I would have updated this story yesterday but my bro had to chat with somebody and at about 1 A.M. (when I usually update) I fell asleep. No, I didn't get the chance to catch Santa in the act but he was very kind none the less ... So here's the new chapter, and seeing how it's the holidays I wish you all a Merry Christmas and many joys in life :)
Part 2 – Mind games
Coming out of the light everything became clear. What the titans saw caught them off guard as it was something they didn't expect to happen. It was two of Slade's robots and they were dragging along side them a body. It was Rage and he was out conscience.
The titans gasped and couldn't believe it. One of the robots went next to Slade and whispered something in his ear. If Slade didn't have his mask on right now his smile would more than probably contaminate you.
"Strap him up with the others" Slade ordered.
The robots did as they were told and shackled Rage with the remaining pair of cuffs on one of the metal walls. As the other titans watched him in shock Rage started to come back to his senses and mumbled something in his language. Well awake now and noticing that he was captive Rage started cursing and tried to break free but just as the other titans it was to no avail.
After hearing Rage talk in a foreign language Slade turned his attention to him as if he was interested in something.
"Ah yes, the new one. I've been observing him for quite a while now… Seriously Robin, where did you pick this one up?" chuckled Slade.
He knew Slade was only playing mind games and didn't give into what as an attempt to annoy him. He remembered what Rage told him and decided to play it cool and confident.
"What's it to you? You caught him and us, what more do you want?" He would lately realize that he would regret this question.
"Always impertinent, typical …" replied Slade mockingly "Well if you really want to know, I also like finding out who my enemies are".
He turned around at Rage and started studying him. He glanced at him for a while and rubbed his chin in the process. Rage observed this and kept looking Slade dead in the eyes. His shirt and pants were ripped; his boots were muddy, his weapons and ammo laid at his feet. He was covered in dirt and from place to place bloody wounds were visible on his hands. The only thing that remained intact was his mask.
"Strange, very strange indeed" Slade pondered "You sound oddly familiar and remind me of someone I knew. And that language, it sounded just like-"
"Nice to see you too again Wilson" said Rage cutting Slade's monologue short.
At hearing this Slade took one step backwards as if lighting hit in front of him. He looked like he had seen a ghost but instead of running away or asking stupid questions he clenched his fist and firmly went next to Rage looking pissed off.
"What did you just say?" he asked in a calm manner.
"Nice to see you too Slade Wilson" replied Rage who more than probably received a few punches to the jaw.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" asked Slade infuriated and taking Rage's mask off.
The others tried to protest against taking his mask off but it was no use, Slade now saw Rage and for a strange reason seemed to be disturbed.
"You! I thought I got rid of you" Slade asked sounding more like being mad and dissatisfied.
"Apparently not; next time you shoot someone aim for his head and not for his torso, you cretin" replied Rage sarcastically.
The others didn't understand what the two were talking about but Robin remembered something that he decided to forget about at first. The night Beast Boy and Raven came in holding hands the boys talked about how the night went on and Rage said something about a mission after which he ran off to his room before Robin or anybody else could find out what he meant by that. After listening to his door Starfire told the titans what she had heard and one thing popped up that attracted Robins attention. That thing was the word Wilson.
After practically reading hundreds upon hundreds of files, Robin remembered that he once read a list of Slade's possible names. Slade Wilson was one of them.
Things were starting to make sense. Until now one thing was sure, Rage knew about Slade even before he joined the titans and Slade tried to kill him before.
After hearing Rage's defamatory and provocative response Slade started laughing franticly.
"This is a truly unexpected surprise, not only did I catch the titans but I also have you captive. And to think that I believed you were dead … and I didn't even move one finger to catch you. You looked for me all this time and achieved nothing, ha ha, what a complete waist of time" said Slade who started sounding more and more like a joker rather then a sadist.
Rage listened to Slade's constant and never ending taunts but after a while he felt he couldn't take it anymore. His eyes started turning red, he struggled to break free again and last but not least he spit at his soon to be 'executioner'.
Slade noticed this and didn't like it one bit. Not only did he interrupt him but Rage didn't show any signs of obedience towards him.
"I see that some of Robins defiant character has passed on to you" started Slade "How about I put this gun to your head, pull the trigger and splatter your brains all over the wall behind you? Now wouldn't that be a rather picturesque sight?"
Rage didn't listen to Slade's taunts even though he had a gun pointed between his eyes. Defiant until the end he spat at Slade again, this time on the right side of his face where he lost an eye. Because of this Slade got mad as hell and hit Rage over the head with his fist. The others tried to say something but were still amazed by their discussion.
"Be thankful that I'm not shooting you for your disobedience" said Slade while pulling on Rage's shirt.
"Be thankful for not shooting me?" Rage asked with a tone that expressed curiosity "You already shot me once and I am still here as you can clearly see. I bet even Adeline, was a better shooter than you"
"What did you just say?" Slade asked, amazed that Rage, an old enemy, knew about his past.
"You have heard me, I bet even Adeline was a better marksman than you are or will ever be" he replied with a toothy smirk on his face.
Slade pulled Rage harder by his shirt and was now only inches away from his face. "How do you know that? Answer me fast or I'll make sure you'll die in the worst anguish possible"
Rage continued smirking and looked at his adversary with a sort of sadistic pleasure in his eyes. "I have my ways of finding out all the information that I need about my enemies. I would have expected you to notice that when I called you Wilson, but I guess lacking an eye also affects ones memory doesn't it?".
"Shut up! You don't know anything" yelled Slade. His shout was one of madness, not a desperate one.
"What are they doing?" Raven asked whispering, noticing what went on in front of her and hearing Rage and Slade's conversation
"Shhh, be quiet and keep your ears pealed" instructed Robin who was fully aware of what was going on before his eyes and wanted to find out more.
"I know most of the things there is to know about you Slade Wilson" continued Rage triumphantly "The army, the test, the powers, they all made you what you are today, but you owe everything to Adeline don't you? Your life, your family, your children, even that missing eye of yours".
"This is impossible! There's no way that you could know that!" exclaimed Slade who was astonished to find out that his past wasn't so secret after all.
"But I do. I even know how you lost your eye" said Rage who obviously knew that Slade's handicap was very important for his moral "You couldn't stop the Jackal's men from muting your son forever, gambled Joseph's life, kept things from your wife and always remained quiet about everything. All of these things finally got to Adeline, and who could blame her for what she did? She saw the opportunity and tried to take you out. She knew what kind of threat you represent and wanted to help the world. She almost killed you and you can be sure that she also stopped loving you. So before telling me to be thankful for not shooting me remember that Adeline crippled you while you couldn't even kill me, you Cyclopes!"
Slade couldn't take it anymore. He used this tactic on the titans a month and a half before and almost succeeded in splitting them apart but never would have he expected this happening to him. He remembered all the things that have happened to him and realized that Rage was right. He wasn't perfect as he imagined, he wasn't flawless like he wanted to be, he did mistakes in the past that he could never repair and lost what was most dear to him.
Slade snapped and with a great cry of anger and frustration started pounding Rage. Punches, kicks, elbows, knees, head-butts, all of these were directed towards Rage. Even if he was still chained Rage didn't shout because of pain, instead he grunted with every blow he received. He did this not out of pride but because he realized that this was only the beginning of Slade's fury and didn't want to show any signs of weakness.
The others paid close attention to the two enemies as they talked and now seeing Slade beating Rage into submission while he is still captive angered them like never before.
"Slade you coward!" yelled Cyborg "Leave him alone. It's easy to hit someone while he's shackled isn't it? Why don't you fight fair?" he asked in an insulting yet confident manner.
Slade stopped hitting Rage leaving him with a swollen up face and more than probably with a dozen couple of bruises to his body and turned towards Cyborg.
"Coward? You're calling me a coward?" he furiously asked stressing the word "You".
"Did I stutter?" Cyborg replied.
"No, only it's rather strange that you're calling me a coward. After all, my actions, in comparison to yours, are in fact very motivated".
"Have you been drinking motor oil?" Cyborg asked "What are you talking about? You have nothing on me".
"Maybe I don't, or maybe I do, but one thing is for certain, I didn't leave my parents in their time of need".
"Say what?" asked Cyborg.
"Don't act like you don't remember the incident. It was that glorious and faithful day. Your father accidentally let loose that creature that killed your mother and almost killed you. He barely sent it back and rebuilt you thus saving your life, and how did you repay him? With ignorance? By refusing to talk to him? By blaming him for your mother's death? Not that it's any of my business but do you truly believe that your actions were in any way motivated? No they were not, mine on the other hand are! When I fall down I get back up on my feet and go forward with determination, when you fall you get discouraged. I see my self as a normal man even though I'm still a cripple while you consider yourself a freak of nature. I face my fears and I'm proud of what I am; you on the other hand are ashamed of what you are and would rather hide your true nature then admit you're different. Don't talk to me about courage and don't call me a coward, little man. The only coward here … is you!"
After hearing this Cyborg activated his sonic canon and tried to shoot Slade who again assumed his dictatorial type posture but the only thing he could hit was the floor in front of him while shouting out frustrated all to Slade's pleasure.
"How did you find these things out? HOW DO YOU KNOW?" Cyborg screamed
"I like to keep a close eye on my foes … And I was also an ally of Trigon, he told me most of all your secrets".
"Cyborg, don't listen to him. You know it's not true, you know he's just trying to get to you" said Raven who saw what Slade was actually up to.
"Not true? Now why would I lie when the truth hurts more then thousands of lies put together?" said Slade now addressing Raven instead.
"Even if what you said is true Cyborg is still a fighter. Nothing you say can affect him".
"True, Cyborg is a fighter, but he realized that what I said was true and still lost his temper. He can take lots of pain without even blinking but apparently the truth is too much for him to bear. He's the symbol of strength of your team if you may … It's a pity that I can't say the same thing about you though, Raven, or should I say … Rachel" responded Slade.
"You'd wish" said Beast Boy who defended his girlfriend "Rachel is stronger than she looks and she's not afraid of the truth!"
"Yeah, if you want to take me down you'll have to come up with a pretty good lie" said Raven.
"I'm a man an honor Raven, I'm sure you already know that, and frankly lies are not a symbol of honor. I never resort to lies unless I have no other alternative, and in your case lies aren't the answer to bringing you down. Truth is a better option".
"My friends know everything there is to know about me. Give me your best shot, nothing you say can break me or make my friends change their opinion about me".
"I don't intend to break you and I don't intend to lie just like you've been doing to Beast Boy"
"What do you mean by that?" Raven asked suspiciously.
"You know very well what I mean. For months now you two have been madly in love and came to be very close. On one hand, a young fellow who thought he'll never find love again, on the other hand a girl that never felt the feeling of love. Two restless souls that have finally found their match made in heaven. I Believe this is the stuff best selling love novels are made of …"
"Is there a point to this eulogy of yours or are you just a sucker for good love stories?" asked Beast Boy arching an eye brow.
"To be honest for me there isn't, but for you my dear boy there is" replied Slade while watching BB dead in the eyes "How long have you been together now? Five months starting a week from tomorrow?"
"Yeah yeah, five beautiful months, full of love and passion bla bla bla etc etc, now what the hell is your point?" replied a frustrated Beast Boy.
"My point is that you should revise that last sentence of yours and next time you trust a girl be sure that she's telling the truth"
"Great, another cryptic type riddle" mumbled Beast Boy in between his teeth.
"You don't believe me do you?" continued Slade "Then let me put it this way. You agree that love is based on the common understanding between the two parties that are involved in this process, you agree that a relationship is based on sincerity and truth, you agree that both partners should be faithful, loyal and true to one another. You agree that love and truth is one and the same thing in your relationship. If this is the case then tell me, why is it that every time you think of a son or a daughter Raven always avoids the subject?"
"Well duh! We're too young to have children, stupid!" replied Beast Boy considering that Slade's efforts were futile.
He looked at Raven and smiled being confident that he made Slade shut up with his otherwise logical answer, but something was wrong. Raven's face turned even paler than ever, sweat drops were visibly forming on her temples and forehead and her eyes expressed fear.
She looked as though she was going to die. Her jaw fell and she watched Slade moving only with her eyes according to his every step. BB didn't understand why she acted like this but knew that Slade had a trick up his sleeve.
"How do you know?" asked Raven addressing Slade hesitantly and sheepishly.
"I worked for Trigon, need I say more?" he replied in a devilish manner.
"Say what more?" asked Beast Boy who's was now aroused.
Slade then went over next to him and placed his elbow on BB's shoulder as if they were friends and started: "You need to know something very important about women Beast Boy …"
"What? That they are excellent shots?" interrupted Rage who was still bleeding from his eye lids.
"Careful, you're on very thin ice" Slade replied calmly and continued explaining to BB what he already started "You see, women often tend to lie a lot, they say that they love you when actually they only say that so you won't feel like a looser, they always look like precious kittens when they're along side you but when you turn around they're like jackals, ready to bite you, ready to stab in the back, and last but not least, they are masters at deceiving any male and experts when it comes to avoiding great problems. Raven is such a women Beast Boy! And do you know why I say this? Because she keeps things from you. You always try to talk about a child and what a good idea it would be to have an offspring but what does she do when you bring up the subject? She just shrugs it off and lies by using any pathetic yet effective excuse just to get out of that conversation. Do you know why she does that? Because she can't have your child, that's why!"
"What?" asked Beast Boy who was amazed to hear this. What Slade said about Raven avoiding that particular subject was in fact true. He even started asking himself if what Slade said was actually the truth. If it was then one truth did in fact hurt much more than a thousand lies.
"Don't listen to him Gar" said Raven "He's a liar".
"The truth hurts doesn't it Raven?" Slade asked in a rather demonic way "You know that if you hold Garfield's seed you could never have a normal child who could live a simple and normal life, all of this because you are a spawn of human and demon, a half breed. The root of your love would be part demon, a reminiscence of Trigon, a true grandfather's gift for his nephew if you may, and you know you that can't risk bringing him back now, could you?".
"But its different now, you don't understand … You-You're lying! You have no idea what you're talking about" vehemently protested Raven who tried to explain the situation at hand.
On Ravens right BB watched her as if a dagger ripped through his heart. He wasn't necessarily sad about the fact that they couldn't have a child but his trust had been broken and he again felt betrayed.
"Rachel, why didn't you tell me this before?" asked Beast Boy with a different voice.
"It's not how seems Garfield, Slade didn't … "
"I trusted you; I thought we shared every thing. Why didn't you tell me this?"
"I did but I wasn't ready to tell you that …-" continued Raven who was cut off by Slade.
"… You can't have his child. See Garfield? I didn't lie about anything; the truth speaks for its self. Even now she won't admit it and tries to deceive you. I rest my case, you be the judge!"
Good news, I'm not spitting blood anymore ... Just proves to show what half a liter of plum brandy and a couple of herbal teas can do :)