Hey everyone! I'm back! I do know that it has been quite a while since the last time I updated this story, but I had exams all last week and now I am free for six whole weeks yeah! Well in this chapter the wheels turn but very slowly. The next chapter will get more into the action. I want to thank everyone for all the lovely reviews. They make the writing so worth it! Well now that is quite enough of me rambling on. Story On!

Disclaimers: I don't own the Teen Titans characters, but I do however take credit for my own characters. So put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Chapter 9: The Plot

General Saxton stood staring at some people working with his soulless black eyes. He walked down the stairs to get a better look at what the scientists were doing. He peered over the shoulder of one of the unattractive female scientists with red hair. The way he was leaning against her made her very uncomfortable, but she knew better than to challenge him, so she remained silent about her discomfort. The General inhaled her scent and pressed her form further into the table. She began to shiver, which only relented a chuckled from the evil General. Saxton got many sideways glances from the other scientist that knew not to speak their thoughts. Saxton turned her around to face him and pinned her to the table with his body.

"Leave her be you soulless monster." One of the scientist commanded.

"My you certainly have a death wish." He called over his shoulder. He looked into her green eyes and asked, "Doesn't he?" She remained silent as he stroked her face with his gloved hand.

"I said leave her be." Without looking behind him he used his powers over earth to cause the floor to cave in but closed it to quickly to leave the man's upper torso sticking up out of the floor.

"Now, what were you saying?" The evil General asked coyly. The scientist screamed in pain as the floors began crushing him.

"Stop! Or you'll never get what you want from me." An elderly man in a torn lab coat demanded.

"Professor Robbins you will do as you are told. That is all."

"You will leave my scientist alone or you will not get the device you and your evil lord seek."

"Saxton! Do as the good doctor asked. Leave that bitch alone and her little boyfriend too." Lord Dread waltzed into the room from the shadows. "But do know this, good doctor. You will do as you are told or all of your little helpers die in the most painful ways I can think of. Do we understand one another?" The Professor remained silent. "Good. Saxton. A word."

The two men walked outside of the lab and into the foyer standing face to face.

"Saxton, I want you to attack the Silvan Village to draw out the Righteous Rebels. But your main objective is to go there and bring Anya to me. I would like to have a word with the angelic beauty. Take about 50 men and if possible destroy the Righteous, thorn in my side, once and for all. But what I really want is Anya."

"When would you like for me to attack?"

"I'll leave that up to you, but I want to see that girl's face at the other end of my dining table for dinner. You understand?"

"Yes my Lord. It will be done." The General turned to walk back into the lab.

"Oh and Saxton?"

"Yes my Lord?"

"I really meant for you to leave that bitch in the lab alone. It's very unbecoming for a man of your stature to rape a woman so hideous looking." The General cracked a smile, "I do not believe she has an attractive bone in her atrocious body, but I'll tell you what General. You bring me Anya and you can choose any of the other girls for your self. But I fine the one that with fire red hair is rather lushes."

"Thank you my Lord. I will choose wisely."

"You are welcome General. I hope so. Now make sure that blast it Professor finishes our little project." With that Lord Dread walked away leaving the General to stare in wake.

The Rebels walked into the war room with unenthusiastic attitudes. They took their respected seats and waited for Angelus to begin the meeting. Yoko and Blaze talked amongst themselves, and Ericsson and Anya talked to each other.

"Rebels," Angelus began as he looked at each of them in turn. "Did you get our guests all settled in?"

"Of course grand leader." Bo joked causing suckles out of everyone even Angelus.

"Alright this meeting is about our guests. How do you feel about them?"

"I love Starfire! She is so cool! But Raven scares me. Just like Anya did before I got to know her." She looked in Anya direction and gulped at her heated glare.

"Thanks Yoko. Anyone else have anything to say about them."

"I feel that I really connected with Raven." Blaze pointed out as she looked at her nails.

"Slade is cool. I can tell he's a wonderful tactician. He's an excellent addition to the team." Bo pointed out.

"Well I don't particularly like Slade, Bo. I don't trust him."

"Why? I think he's sexy." Blaze said with a shrug of her shoulders. She noticed Angelus glaring, "But you baby are so much sexier." She began rubbing her neck and running her fingers through her flame colored hair, "Um. . .so much sexier, baby." She blew a kiss at him. Everyone burst into a fit of laughter.

"Screw you Blaze." Angelus chuckled at her.

"I hope so baby." She winked at him. He shook his head at her.

"Sexy doesn't make him a wonderful fighter Blaze. I think that Raven chick is cute but that doesn't mean she can fight."

"You are so right Bo! What would I do without your guidance?" Blaze said sarcasm dripping in her tone.

"I don't know oh fiery one? I often ask myself that question everyday."

"Okay you two knock it off." Bo winked at Blaze and she smiled back at him. "Back to business people. Should we allow our guest to join us or not?"

"I think we should spar with them or have them train with us tomorrow morning before we make a decision." Claude deduced.

"I think we should just let them join our cause. We need all the help we can get." Yoko said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Besides I like them."

"I agree with Yoko on this Angelus." Anya

"I agree with Claude." Angelus said looking at his twin.

"Well I say we let them train with us tomorrow see their strengths and weakness, and still let them join us regardless." Ericsson said propping his foot on the table.

"Does anyone object to training with them tomorrow?" No one answered, "Does anyone not want a certain one of them to join?" There was no reply again. "Okay we ask them to train with us then we ask them join us afterwards. Agreed" he received nods. "Okay meeting adjourned."

Cyborg sat on his bed trying to take in the events of the day. He exhaled loudly before falling back on the bed. He closed his eyes for a moment,

"How the Hell are we going to get back home?" he whispered to the ceiling. He looked around when he heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"It is I Starfire my love. May I enter?"

"Sure baby come in." Starfire opened the door peeping her head to see Cyborg laying on the bed. She flew over to him laying down beside him. She snuggled closer to him laying her head on his chest. He wrapped her up in his arms and planted a kiss on her head. She was content with just lying in his arms but she had a task that must be completed.

"Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we should help the Righteous Rebels in the war? Because I think we should. It is our duty to fight evil and injustices."

"Starfire, I don't mind helping them out if they ask me too, but this isn't really our fight."

"But my infant I want to help them."

"Star, did you mean baby?"

"Um. . .I think I did. Your language is so hard to understand. Because everything has multiple meanings." Cyborg smiled at her "Do not laugh Cyborg for I am serious. I really want to be of service to them."

"If it means that much to you Star, I will help. Especially since we have no way home."

"Cyborg although this is not our dimension as long as I'm with you I am home." Cyborg looked at her and smiled widely.

"Come here." He took her chin between his thumb and index finger and capture her lips with his own. "I love you Star. You know that right?"

"As I do you." They kissed again and continued until they both fell asleep.

Slade and Raven sat across from each other on the floor in Indian style. Slade peered over at her, and she simply stared back at him.

"I am going to tell you things about myself that I have never told anyone. And strangely enough I feel that I can trust you with the information."

"You can trust me."

"What I am about to tell you will allow you to see our similarities." He looked off for a moment, "This is way out of character for me." There was a moment of silence between the two. Slade looked at Raven a long time before he looked chair next to him.

"When I was 11 years old my parents died in a car accident. I was sent to live with my uncle that I'd never seen in my life. He spent every dime my parents left for me except the money that was put in a trust fund until I was 21. My uncle began to abuse me, physically, sexually, and worst of all mentally. After withstanding years of abuse, I killed him. I slipped a homemade bomb into the sheets he was sleeping in and blew him up." He cleared his throat when he heard Raven's gasp. "I disappeared and joined the military when I was 15. I was very mature in nature and visage, so they never knew I was a minor. I rose through the ranks quickly becoming a Sergeant Major by the time I was 18. Everything was going great in my life at the time, but my life took an even darker turn,

The General paraded around the room with his arms behind his back and a cigar hanging in the corner of his mouth.

"I'm here to offer five soldiers the opportunity to become super elite soldiers. We will inject you with a serum that will make you stronger, faster, and more effective soldiers. You will be sent on our most top secret missions. Now the side effects of the serum vary from soldier to soldier, but should be very minor side effects. Now who would like to volunteer?" All the soldiers looked around not willing to put their hands up.

"I will volunteer." A cold voice carried from the back of the room. The other soldiers looked at him as if he'd grown another head. The General looked for Slade but he did not see him.

"Who ever volunteered would you please step forward." Slade walked to the front and received a round of applause as he walked to the front of the room. "Thank Sergeant Major Wilson. I knew I could count on you to separate the men from the boys. Do we have anyone else?"

"I must say that was one mistake I truly do not regret." Slade said looking into her violet orbs. "But I must say they didn't lie when he said the side effects varied, but did lie when they said the side effects were minor."

"Another soldier died sir."

"Dammit!" The General cursed out loud.

"But Sergeant Major Wilson is progressing nicely, but a side effect we did not expect has occurred."

"And what is that soldier?"

"His intelligence has far surpassed what we could have ever expected. He has an IQ of 113."

"They began sending me out on special op missions. I had my own team to lead, we were call the night hawks. The more I was sent out to do missions the more savage I became. I was having a Psychotic breakdown, so I was literally unraveling. They honorably discharged me so I blew up the whole department. I was a lost soul until I met Addie." Slade looked down at the floor from Raven's face.

"Who is Addie?" Slade cleared his throat,

"My ex-wife. The first person since the death of my parents that I have ever loved. We had two sons, Grant and Jericho. Unknown to my wife I became a mercenary, known as Death-Stroke. Many evil men fell by my blades, but I refused to kill an innocent man one day so they kidnaped my son Jericho. The maniac held a knife to my son's throat I thought I was quick enough to save him before his blade fell, and I thought wrong." Slade's voice cracked a little bit. Raven looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. He gave an assertive nod before beginning again.

"Jericho didn't die but he is a mute for the rest of his life. For my mistake Addie took care of it though,

"Where do you think you are going Slade?"

"I'll be back in two days. We can discuss this matter then." Slade continued walking out of the room.

"Don't turn your back on me Slade." The man turned back around to face his wife.

"Addie I really haven't the time for this right now. My plane leaves in 45 minutes. I have already made sure that Wintergreen takes care of you all until I get back." Slade turned and began walking away. He looked over his shoulder when he heard a click noise.

"What the hell!" Addie pointed a gun in Slade's face. The gun pointed in the middle of his head.

"I told you once don't turn your back on me."

"Addie?" She pull the trigger and Slade moved quickly to the left to dodge the bullet, but not quickly enough. The bullet went straight through his right eye. He fell to the ground unconscious."

"I woke up in the hospital 2 weeks later with a dead right eye and a set of divorce papers. Wintergreen stayed with me and cared for me and he became my best friend. No matter how hard I meditate my eye will never heal. You see that's why I say we are the same. We have both had tragic past. I read your file in the Titan's computer mainframe. I know what you did on Azarath. You know more about me than anyone else ever has, not even Addie knew about my uncle. For some strange reason I felt I could tell you and not be judged."

"You have had a tragic life Slade. I have no reason to judge you for what you've done in the past, but why do you continue to hurt people in the present?"

"I don't know?"

"Why haven't you tried to do good things?"

"Because I'm a bad boy Raven."

"All good guys aren't goody goods. I'm not."

"It's not like I can turn over a new leaf overnight Raven, but I will try your way."

"Thank you Slade. For confiding in me. Most people think I'm creepy, but oddly enough you found comfort in me and I in you. How bizarre is that?"

"Not bizarre at all. We connect is all. Well Raven as much as I enjoy your company it is late." Raven nodded her head as she rose to her feet and began heading to the door with Slade close behind her. "Thank you Raven. And Goodnight."

"You're welcome, good night to you also." Slade closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall.

"Finally I can get her to believe in me." He said with a smirk on his face.

"What's going on in here?" Speedy asked looking at Bumble Bee's enlarged eyes.

"Nothing. I just thought I heard him say something. Did you get the doctor back to shore safely?" Bumble Bee said sitting herself back in the chair beside the bed.

"Yeah I did. I'm suppose to meet him there tomorrow at 11:00. He wants to do a follow up on Robin's injuries." Speedy studied his girlfriends face for a moment. "Are you sure you are okay? You look tired." He walked over to her standing behind her,

"I'm fine Speedy."

"How about I let my magic fingers work those kinks out of your sexy neck, huh?" She smiled up at him,

"That you be nice." She moaned softly as he rubbed the tension out of her neck. He leaned down and whispered in her ear,

"Why don't you go to bed. I'll watch bird boy till morning." Bumble Bee was just about to protest until, "Please get some sleep baby. You look so tired. I promise if anything happens you will be the first to know."

"Okay. Okay But I am the first to know when something goes wrong okay?"

"Okay baby." Speedy kissed Bumble Bee's hair then turned her head to the side so he could kiss her lips. "Good night or more like good morning."

"Good morning, Speedy." Bee left the room in search of a room to crash in for the night. Speedy watch her leave out then looked back at Robin laying on the bed,

"It looks like my competition is back in the game." He stared hard at Robin before sitting in the chair Bumble Bee was just sitting.

So what did you think? Did you like? I hope you did. Tell me what you thought in a nice review. I again want to thank everyone that reviewed. Be on the look out for a new chapter by the end of the week.

gracefulraven,

out!