Long Live the King – Deathstroke's Forced Descent into Villainy

/

Chapter 23: It's Hard to Locate Any Decent Villains These Days

/

Slade's trip was not an in or out as the tech job with Red X. It was not a side to side wait and see like Terra's apprenticeship, nor was it even close to falling into an interdimensional world with a horned ogre as the plane's ruling force.

No. This was basic espionage. There, below Paris's monumental treasure the Eiffel Tower, lay a secret that belonged to a part of the villain's community long before the Titans had even come to be.

Gated and shielded off from the masses, deep below the city, four rats did scurry about. Making a mess of things for the heroes they loathed as much as Slade had his forever enemies, to combat. He eyed the guards and then pulled out something from the jacket that draped itself over his Deathstroke Regalia. The invitation was lifted up, and the doorway opened a crack to allow Slade a peek at their worldd before her soon entered.

The lighting on the walls was a bit low grade, yet resourceful. The fiends here obviously did not pay for their own electricity.

There were footsteps as the guards that had led Slade into their station walk from behind to advance when need be. Whoever had not heard his name by now uttered through these stone walls, was either sheltered and needed to get out more or incompetent for not having asked the question yet.

"Our leader will see you now, Mr. Deathstroke." The armored guard looked more WW2 by how well equipped his suit was. Not a breath escaped as Slade's mask was more so, like his new one yet had kept to the design of the original.

At one time, before he'd told Addie about his work, his mask had been orange. No black, but his eye was gone and something you could never regain from a contract. No matter how much you wished upon that star, time marched on.

/

The doors slid open as Slade viewed a podium with the four figures he'd dealt with in his earlier days. Only two he bothered to recount as he stayed attentive.

A tall, bob wearing, red suited woman with a smile so dastardly. She put a hand to her hips and grinned beside three more. A gorilla with military arms and a beret atop his goliath's skull. A senior in a decorated blue uniform and next to senile, the man was called General Immortus. The ape? Monsieur Mallah. Woman? Madame Rouge. And lastly, their esteemed leader – a sight for sore eyes as Slade gained better clarity.

The Brain; as in a brain in a jar, atop a moving base that was his body. He had eyes on the base, yet his brain knew and saw everything before it could occur. The top dog of this batch, The Brotherhood of Evil.

Soldiers like the ones at Slade's back stood round the block. Lights turned on as Slade's eye adjusted under his new mask.

"Welcome to our secret location, old ally." Rogue smiled as The Brain spoke via its form of scientifically altered telepathy. A way to let everyone heard its unnatural tone, robotic.

"I am flattered that you'd have me." Slade took to a mild, militaristic bow to show his support. The General looked pleased. "With the girl in your care, you were unstoppable, for a time. Tara Markov is no longer an issue, yet the heroes known as the Titans, vex us."

Slade raised an eye to Immortus's words.

The Brain spoke in turn, making Slade wonder if it had any other voice settings on that boom box of a metal body.

"Our comrades around the globe and enemies have fought beside these young heroes. We are known for having quite a temperament when it comes to facing our nemeses, The Doom Patrol." He spoke with his teeth imprint on the body lighting up white, like a cartoon from Japan.

Robots.

"The youngest member known as Changeling or now going as a Titan called Beast boy was able to save his family, the Doom Patrol in our last ambush of their team."

"Then, news travels far." Slade replied. "I was aware the Titans had various pasts, yet this is nothing new. Beast Boy was kicked out for his insubordination. Simply, the work tore him apart, so he made a new home in my territory." Slade said, recalling the day the Gordanians had attacked Jump City. "I did some digging to see if it would be possible to keep tabs on the heroes in the future. That is my line of work." Slade smirked. "I find my targets' every weakness and exploit it. Until the job is finished, flawlessly."

"Which is why you were summoned to aide us in a master plan." Mallah finally spoke, his French only akin to how Gorilla Grod was to being British for a time.

The Brain continued for the ape. "We are attempting to locate the very enemies which have fought the Titans on a global scale."

Slade recalled joey and knew he had to warn the boy…Even if the kid was no…

Slade gritted his fists. "Do you require weapons? Maybe more fire arms? I am very resourceful. My connections might become a great enough benefit to help you defeat the Titans."

"You will not fight for us. We would think that you made a promise never to show your face."

"Huh." Slade shrugged. "Is that so? I can send others to do my bidding just as well." The man sounded so sure, but he was off the register. His teams had since deserted him. HIVE was his enemy once more, and Will…was having doubts.

"I think we should give this man another chance." Rogue only acted interested to test him. Slade was up for this challenge. For surely, she wasn't that complex in his book.

"I believe that the Madame is right." Immortus. Like Slade had said, he had connections.

/

So, he went to make the call. Contract in hand as long as he had the ok of one other. Slade sat on the bed with a towel to his waist and hair dripping with hot shower water.

The door handle jutted as someone opened it softly. "Madame." Slade looked up, she looked hungry with those eyes and luscious red lips. "How did you like our performance?" She asked the tired elder.

"I thought it suited you, personally."

"I will take that as a compliment." She shut the door behind her and sauntered inside of the extra room.

"You have until tonight to get an answer from your associate." She finally got Slade to notice her. "I could extend the time, only if you give me something for the trouble." She came close and brushed a strand of hair away from her angular face.

"What the heck, you did more than I'd have done on a bad week." He took her arm and embraced the red witch with her lips against his. How she fit? Well, Rogue was a mistress of deception in many ways. Like Elastigirl of the Doom Patrol, she was putty in his hands.

/

They rose hours later, Slade being in need of yet another shower as she kissed him and left the man to his new negotiations. He'd gotten a few more days to push his two runner ups to come to the rescue.

"Will, you'd better stay loyal to me. I have a lot riding on this one job." Slade pushed himself up from the disheveled mattress and made the call. Two calls. An older associate, and an even greater one.

/

"I'm calling to see if the previously reinstated Headmistress is available."

Slade waited on the call as he tapped his foot. Aha. A ring, and it was almost too easy.

/

Slade got another call just as he was leaving his suite that afternoon. It wasn't his friends back at home, but that same bad taste in the merc's throat.

"Hello." Slade didn't try to sound annoyed; he already was.

~You need to come find me. Leave Paris. I'm serious. If you don't, I will go after him myself. ~

"Grant." Slade sighed and wondered if that pause was what he was used to hearing on the other line.

"I know it's you. Joey won't fight. He's not able –

~He's a Titan now, don't you get it?? You abandoned us…. I'm just trying to one – up you so I can move on with my life –

"How did you come back, son. Tell me?"

~I won't. I want you to suffer for what you made me do. ~

" Me ?" Slade was yelling now as the men at the door raised their brows in suspicion. "I wanted you to not TAKE the job. Not to take your own life!...And…Rose is –

~ Good, you know about what you did to her life too. ~ Snorted the ghost on his line. ~She hates you, but respects that she'll never have what you promised us. That we were never good enough –

"That you got killed?? That the HIVE should disband before I take them all out?? Your mother is –

~ She doesn't need to know, you do. That's your guilt eating away. ~ Chuckled the boy on the other line, the phantom whispering in Slade's ear.

" Why are you doing this?" Slade kept the phone to his ear until it ached by his jaw to hold it anymore. "Why are you playing this game with –

~ GAME?? HAH! You think I'd be here, trolling your ass up a brick wall and that's all a damn, GAME?? Are yo…Shut up. You had better tell Joe to quit and hide like his life depends on it, jackass. ~

"Grant…" Slade's voice lowered, dangerously clear. "You need to stop."

~I need redemption, and you're gonna just sit there and let me get my shit together. Cause guess what, papa? ~ The young man was giggling. Something wasn't right . "GRANT?? You're not fine! You need to –

~Why? I'm just like you now, pop! ~

Slade's blood froze over as Grant just made matters much worse.

"No, you…. the serum…" He gasped.

~You bet! For a looong time, the HIVE just wanted to let me know how special we were, so in order to save Joey, I volunteered to become your fucking clone. Happy? I can't die so you have to watch over and over as they make me break my back to pay back a fucking debt. But you know what? ~ Grant giggled again. ~I can't wait to make you scream!! Fucking nice to know you still give a shit about your first born, dumbass! Nice we got to have this talk, heh? Well then… Buh – bye! ~

The line cut off. For the first time, Slade decided to do what was right. He called Will and explained everything. Grant was driven mad by whatever those lab – monkies had replicated of the original.

Slade's fists curled, breaking the cell once he was done breaking the news; everything, to his best man.

Slade's eye narrowed at the exit.

Oh, yes.

This . Meant war.

/

AND THIS STEMS INTO THE REKINDLING OLD BONDS ARC! WOOW!! Really cool, and I now have an account on Archive Of Our Own website. They don't hold back and the grammar is far more composed in a manner than I can appreciate. Like moving up from the kid's table. There will be more here, I did not abandon the rest. Great at multi tasking so why not?