Author: Figured I'd go ahead and post chapter 16. Everything's returning to normal- NOT! Haha! Fooled you! :3 I still have much mayhem in store for my little energy users. I hope they forgive me. ;_; Lol. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I only own anything I've created and took the time to design. That's all. DC isn't mine.
The tower was dark, the lights off, the room shadowed with the darkness of the night, which had fallen while the heroes were off fighting.
Upon arrival they were baffled by the strange environment; where were the Titans, why were the lights off, why was it cold and creepy feeling?
They appeared in the living room and so Silvy helped Ruba take Sari down to the medical bay to make sure he was ok and to treat any wounds he had acquired. San and Atty went searching for the Titans, trying to figure out what was going on.
Ruba left Silvy to tend to her unconscious and highly injured friend. He'd been near drained and it would be several days before his energy was on a normal level and for his wounds to fully heal. He had suffered burns along his body and cuts laced random patterns on his skin. The Titans had been out protecting the museum from Mumbo, which explained why they were gone. They returned early in the morning.
This had been a week ago. Sari was recovering very nicely.
Ruba felt overloaded, like she had a heavy burden to bear. It was her fault Sari had gotten hurt.
Ruba had stepped away for a few minutes, craving air and time alone to gather her thoughts. Her world was one big drama pit of endless mistakes and conflict.
A movement in the shadows to her left caught her attention and she directed her eyes toward the source, peering into the darkness in search of it. Her eyes narrowed as footsteps sounded from her right and she turned to find nothing, just more heavy shadows. The only light she had was from her bedroom doorway behind her, spilling out into the hall she stood in.
"Robin? Silvy? That you?" She asked aloud, curious to this mystery watcher.
"You've grown comfortable around these manipulators." The smooth drawl jostled her memory and she knew just who was close to her.
"They do care, I see that now." She jabbed a hand to where she thought she saw him, the darkest part of the shadows, and smiled. "I don't need you anymore. I have control, I am stronger, I have friends-"
"Friends who betrayed you?" The voice cooed but not where she expected it. It was by her ear and when she turned she was greeted by open air. "Friends who lie to you?"
An object was thrown at her feet and she flinched, sure it was a bomb, but when it continued to sit there she finally, and hesitantly, bent to pick it up. It was a device with a play button and when she pressed it two voices greeted her.
"Four years we stayed together. Four years we moved about. Four years I got to know her.. she was a mess." It was Sari speaking. She furrowed her brows. "She couldn't control her energy when she used it, couldn't touch anyone or be touched by anybody aside from a few.. and her attitude.. it was poor. She is very - gullible and easy to hurt." Slight hesitation. She frowned.
The second voice. "Why are you.. telling me all of this?" Robin.
Sari's voice had an amused quality to it. "She's - too trusting and tends to react strongly to things. It's easy to get into that head of hers and jumble her around like dice in a box." A pause. "That mess she used to be.. yeah, she's like a nightmare now. The chaos left behind by a tsunami. That's what it's like."
Another pause.
"She's - like a disease and nobody-" It went into a bit of static, but it sounded like Sari said 'cares'. "She turned a smile right after Star got hurt - I was so - upset - I've never been so angry before, it was like I was on fire.. I couldn't think, couldn't speak.."
Robin this time. "She WILL become like Terra."
The device clicked as it ended. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. The conversation caught her off-guard.
"It was all staged by your precious friends." Slade's voice continued. "An elaborate ruse to confuse you. None of them care. The more that appear is more to hold you down." A hand outstretched from the shadows and she studied it blankly. "You have yet to unlock your true potential. Come with me, apprentice. I'm the only one who truly cares."
She felt her hand itching to take his, but something in his words stirred her stomach uneasily like bad soup. True potential. Just what did he know that she clearly didn't? She pushed aside the conversation for the moment.
She recalled how he had files on the project and it's subjects. Had he made them readable?
She balled her hands into fists, cloudy green eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by true potential?" Her tone was dark, meant to leave no room for debate. She wanted to know, she was serious. What was he not telling her? He kept hinting at something greater.
Slade stepped forth from the shadows, arms now crossed at his suited chest and his armor gleamed in the light. "You had it all wrong when you said they weren't like elements. When I asked you what you were fully capable of you said, in explanation- People assume they're elemental based because of the similar traits they have to them. The best example is my own, which resembles fire. It's difficult to manage, destructive and flares up. -You were incorrect." She could almost hear the smug smile on his face beneath the mask.
"What do you mean? How was I wrong?" She demanded, frustrated.
"Your chi, unique DNA, the chemical.. it all ties in with one other factor. The chi's chosen color is derived from an element, most of them at least. It explains the heavy similarity to the element of several energy users. Your predicted powers stimulate from each of those things. Teleportation.. heat vision, living bomb.. my, what a variety." He chuckled ever so softly.
Her eyes widened. Living.. bomb? What did that mean? Her eyes narrowed further and she scoffed. "What?" She questioned.
"Oh? Your friends never told you? They're trying to figure out how to stop you." Slade smoothly said. "Your future-seeing friend saw you destroy Jump City by the end of the month. The lack of trust is evident, they left that crucial piece out." Her eyebrows lowered. "You kill two of your so called friends."
She hugged her waist, staring down at the floor.
"Your friends will blame you. You got them hurt already." He was right. "Come with me.. you have no place here. You belong at my side." Slade said in a low voice, drawing her in. It was hard to resist that voice, but a spark of defiance filled her suddenly.
"No. I belong with my friends, the ones who understand me, see me as a person and not as a weapon." She stood her ground as she glared up at him, a cold glint to her stony emeralds. She realized why she was so uneasy about that recorded conversation. It could be edited. "Away from bad guys like you who use people such as me through manipulation like this-" She held up the device. "They won't blame me."
He chuckled again, shaking his head. "You are mistaken. Everything I've said is the truth as is what you heard. Ask your friends and you'll see that I'm right." He stepped back into the shadows and was gone just like that.
She sighed and rubbed her face, exhaustion ringing in her body like water in a cup. She left the hallway, before her room, and headed to the medical bay. She found Sari up and walking, perfectly fine, his wounds alright. They would fade with time after scarring.
"Feeling better?" She asked Sari, who glanced at her with a faint smile.
"Yeah, just like the last 40 times you've asked me lately. I can walk without my body hurting, the burns are tanning and the scars will disappear over time. I'm doing great, all things considered." He flexed his arms, prodding at his visible skin with two fingers.
"Good. I was worried." Upon inspection he was indeed getting better. He looked healthy, more like himself. Even now she knew it was her fault that he'd been hurt in the first place. Tears began to instantly fill her eyes and spill down her cheeks, causing Sari to blink in surprise.
"Hey, you alright?" He grabbed her shoulders, looking her over once before focusing on her face.
She shook her head. "Sari.. It's my fault you got hurt.. all of you.."
He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, smiling. "Hey, hey. Nobody blames you. You're just confused. First Slade tricked you, then you got targeted by the Brotherhood of Evil. It's not your fault you're special, like me."
She leveled her gaze at him, eyes glinting with sorrow. "It'll be my fault if I kill you and Silvy.. I don't want to.."
He tensed, eyes shadowed briefly as he peered down at the floor.. before finally a hand moved to wipe away her tears and he flashed that smile again. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you with that possibility, that's why I didn't tell you. The visions San has aren't accurate. The future changes course often." He said in a reassuring way.
"What if it happens?"
"They are very likely." A voice spoke up and they turned to see Silvy leaning against the side wall, hands tucked into the pockets of his pants. "Sari, San saw you being used to power that machine. It happened. The one with Ruba is likely to occur, whether we like it or not."
"We have to prevent it then." Determination flowed from Sari, one of his fists clutched tightly into a ball to show he was serious. "The vision must not happen. We have to keep you away from Slade-"
The air felt chilly all of a sudden. Ruba noticed Sari had turned his head to stare out into the hallway and Silvy had noted the male's change in demeanor as well. He was stiff, tensed, jaw clenched, fingers twitching. He turned to see what had made this difference and saw an outline approaching from the shadows, boots echoing as they tapped the floor softly, precisely, each calculated step bringing the person closer.
"Hello, heroes. We meet again." All eyes locked on that voice, the form taking shape into the armored guise of Slade.
"Deathstroke, the Terminator. Pleasure." Silvy said, his tone cool and his posture relaxed.
Ruba watched the single eye thin at the name.
"We know quite a lot about you, Slade. We have no intention of letting a mercenary take Ruba." Sari hissed, teeth bared.
A figure moved from the shadows and stood beside Slade. Atty was stoic, blank. "A mercenary, you say?" The boy half smirked, arching a brow as he peered up and toward Slade at his side. "Well, he and I aren't so different."
The trio bristled as he stood by the villain's side like he had a right to and Slade didn't move away, merely stood there as if patient.
"Let me guess." Ruba glanced at Sari as he spoke, his tone switching to a low note. "You're working with Slade." It was not a question, more of an accusation.
Atty tilted his head, brow raising further as his smirk widened just a bit. "Perhaps."
"Traitor." Silvy snorted, arms folded at his chest.
"Come now, you didn't realize how easy I complied without seeing the cash? Besides, I've been in Slade's payroll for awhile now, several days at least, and he knew the Brotherhood was targeting Ruba." The male laughed before lifting his hands to lock them behind his head, which was straightened. "I was just a distraction, to assist in the greater scheme of life."
"And that would be what? World domination?" Sari swiped at the air, growling lightly. Atty just winked. "Where's San?"
"Unconscious. Her and the Titans are napping undisturbed in the main room."
Slade took a step closer, eye locked on Ruba. "Come, return to me."
Sari moved in between the man and his apprentice.. and he felt Ruba grip his jacket, her body pressed up against his back. He could feel the slight shake to her as she buried her face into the material of his jacket.
"Over my dead body." Sari said icily to the mercenary, tensed even more.
"That can be arranged." He turned his head and nodded to Atty, who dashed toward the male. Silvy shifted in front, guarding the duo behind him with a lifted arm. Atty was sharp, fast, accurate. His hand reached out and grabbed Silvy's before spinning and tossing him toward a wall. Silvy skidded on his side before hopping back up and went after the gold user, doing everything in his power to stay indifferent even though he wanted to tear the traitor apart.
While the pair fought Slade and Sari had a stare down, each waiting for the other to attack. Slade made the first move. He seemingly flashed before he was standing in front of Sari, his jacket clutched in the mercenary's gloved hand as he lifted him off the floor. Ruba was forced to let go, taking a step back as shock held her system. With a flick of his wrist Sari was sent away, though he corrected himself and landed in a crouch, anger flashing on his face briefly before smoothing over into a calm stare.
"I'm done with you Slade!" Ruba hissed, another step adding more distance between him and her.
"On the contrary, Cecilia, we are far from finished. You, my dear, made an oath and I-" He looked suddenly more menacing and Ruba suppressed a shiver as she gulped in fear. "-plan to make sure you do not break it. You are my apprentice."
"Find someone else to be your apprentice because this puppet is severing her strings!" Ruba clenched her fists, crouching into a fighter's stance as anger washed over her, red energy appearing at her fingertips.
"I recall telling you that my last apprentice betrayed me. He will betray you."
She scrunched her brows. "Eh? Who are you talking about?"
Slade leaned forward just a bit, hands now linked at his back, head tilting to the side.
"Robin."