"I moved out of the hood for good, you blame me?
Niggas ain't made me if niggas they can't be.
But niggas can't hit niggas they can't see.
I'm out of sight, now I'm out of they dang reach."

Chapter 6: Hunted.

It had been four days, and five nights. Four days and five nights since his ill-fated attempt to complete his contract. Four days and four nights since the thrice-accursed Bruce Wayne had flown in to inspect the break-in, and three days and three nights of no sleep, no food and no shelter. Over the course of those three days and three nights he had faced off against the Batman a total of six times, and each time it had come off worse for the cyclopean assassin. He knew that Wayne was on a time constraint- Bruce Wayne could only remain in the city for three weeks at most before he became an object of undue attention, and with that kind of heat, he would be forced to flee back to Gotham.

Yes, Slade loved an independent press.

Slade slowly crept through the deluge, heading to one of his emergency safehouses. There, if nothing else, he could pick up some food. However, his alert senses told him that he was not alone. Spinning quickly, Slade saw nothing. But he knew better than to assume that that meant that there was nobody there. Drawing a handful of smoke bombs, Slade looked warily around. Suddenly his arm was grabbed from an alleyway, forcing him to drop his smoke pellets. Cursing silently, Slade twisted, freeing himself from his assailant's grip, but nearly dislocating his shoulder in the process. Thinking quickly, Slade brought his boot down on the discarded smoke bombs, and took advantage of his foe's blindness by vaulting up the fire exit.

Smashing a window, Slade looked around the dingy, one-room apartment. Seeing what he had come for, Slade snatched up a small waterproof bag, and took to the hills. Literally.

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Slade smirked as he surveyed his temporary home, a small cave in a canyon south of Jump. All he had to do was survive a few weeks. Just until the Batman went slinking back to Gotham. He unpacked. One kerosene lamp. Four weeks worth of US military issue rations- Slade gave an involuntary shudder at the thought; after all, he could barely stomach the things when they had been all he had eaten three times a day- one lightweight blanket, and a book. The Big Sleep. He had always had a weakness for thriller novels. He arranged his sparse furniture, and gave a satisfied nod. He'd lived in worse conditions than this, and for longer too. With nothing left to do, he settled in to wait.

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One morning, as his self-imposed exile was drawing to a close, he heard a rumbling in the canyon. Peering out of the mouth of his cave, he saw something that made him blink. (Well, wink, if you want to be picky). A young blonde girl being chased by a giant scorpion.

And just as I was beginning to tire of Chandler.

As he watched, he noticed the Titans preparing to step in. Slade was about to lose interest- he knew the drill: Titans kill monster, girl swoons, Titans go for pizza. However, he didn't expect the earth to move, crushing the scorpion before the Titans could do anything. Surprised, he saw that the young girl was the result of this geological phenomenon. He sighed as she introduced herself to the Titans, but was suddenly struck with an idea.

After all, the Apprentice plan was certainly 'Theatrical' enough…

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Woot! Go Terra!

I have some interesting ideas for how this one's gonna play out.

Next time: Slade learns the joys of mining.