Author's Note: And welcome to Chapter 2. I wanted to throw in a little tid-bit I forgot in the last chapter.
In case that link to 'The Call: Part 1' doesn't work, just do a search for Horror of all ratings. Parts 1 and 3 are rated M while Part 2 is rated T. This is because Parts 1 and 3 contain lemon content, so I'm just doing that to be safe. I don't want to do all this hard work just for the story to be taken down, y'know?
On the subject of the hard work, I really need some comments guys. I know you're reading, but I'd really like to know what you think. I've enabled anonymous comments, so anyone can say something. I fully accept not only praise but criticisms as well.
So, with that off my chest, please enjoy this week's chapter.
/
Chapter 2
'Slade's Story'
/
"It's simple. There is good, and there is evil. There are those who commit crimes, and there are those that stop them. The two sides are opposite, as different as day and night, and the line between them is clear."
-Robin
"Things change…"
-Terra
/
Inside the tower, the mood was glum to say the least.
Dick had been set down in the infirmary to sleep off the effects of Blood's mind control, and Star had striven to be by his side the entire time. She gave no reason, just simply saying that some old habits die harder than others.
In the main room, Gar sat on the couch, sipping tea, as Raven stood behind him. She held her shadow-covered hand over the slowly healing wound in his back. She shook her head. "Damn it, Gar. Flying up there undid all the work I did. You could've started bleeding again."
Gar said nothing. He just kept drinking the tea and staring out the hole in the wall.
There was a noise behind them and they turned as Slade entered, the only sign of his previous injury the rip in his shirt. He noted the look in Gar's eyes and shook his head. "Nothing. I searched the entire perimeter and there's not so much as a drop of blood."
Raven nodded. "At least we know he hasn't killed her. As soon as Dick wakes up, we'll find the trail and…"
"No. We need to find the trail now." Gar cut her off, trying to stand once again.
Her free hand caught his shoulder and pulled him back down. "Sit. The wound's almost healed."
Gar shook his head. "It's healed enough. And we don't have time to wait for Dick. Who knows what that psycho's doing to her? I can find the trail, it'll be easy…"
"No." Now Slade interjected. "It won't be easy. Blood drank from you. He has your powers now and he will find a way to hide his trail from us."
Gar turned to him angrily. "So what do we do? Just give up? Wait until we find her body?"
"He's not going to kill her."
"How do you know that?"
"Because that's what he said. Think about what he did to Titans East. If he'd wanted her dead, he wouldn't have taken her away to feed. He would've done it here and we'd already have a body."
Gar was apprehensive. "So, what's he planning then?"
Slade frowned. "Isn't it obvious? He's taking her to R'lyeh, to open Cthulhu's tomb."
Raven narrowed her eyes at him. "You obviously know more about this than we thought. Why don't we hear that long version of your story?"
Slade shrugged his shoulders. "Why not, indeed. We have plenty of time."
Gar threw the cup violently to the floor, shattering it. "Damn it, NO! WE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW! WE HAVE TO SAVE TERRA!"
Raven squeezed his shoulder gently with her free hand. "Gar…"
Gar turned on her, a familiar burning intensity in his eyes. "Fine. Let's have story-time while my girlfriend is probably being tortured."
"Gar, you don't understand."
"Then explain it to me."
Slade sat heavily on the chair across from the two. "That's what I'm trying to do if you could shut up for all of five minutes."
Gar bit back a retort and simply glowered.
After several seconds of silence, Raven continued to work her healing power.
Slade leaned forward until his elbows were resting on his knees and spoke. "There's no need to rush yet because Blood hasn't left the city yet. He won't for at least twenty-four hours."
"Why?"
"Because before he stabbed me he read my mind and saw the exact calculations for R'lyeh's return to the surface."
Raven nodded, not taking her eyes from the wound. "I thought I felt a strange satisfaction from you."
"I did the figures before I came here. To get to R'lyeh before the stars move past their positions, he has to set sail tomorrow morning."
"Wait. If he knows where he's going, why not just leave and wait for the city to rise?" Raven asked.
"Because no one knows R'lyeh's exact size. He could go to the coordinates, wait for the city to rise, and then be killed as it's rising rocks penetrate the hull. No, he knows it's safer to wait."
"So you let him know… why? And why did you have the figures already?" Gar, despite himself, was genuinely interested now.
"That is where the long story comes in. It begins the night your father betrayed me, Raven…"
/
"Your father's final attack sent me flying quite a distance away and, I'm almost ashamed to admit, unconscious. When I awoke, the skies were no longer red, so I knew the Titans had prevailed. I got rid of my mask and armor to avoid attention and started to try and find my way back to one of my lairs, to regroup and plan my next move. I was still getting used to being alive again when I was stopped by two police officers. They merely noted my disheveled appearance and asked if I was alright… and, for some reason, I attacked them. It seemed that Trigon's influence was leaving my body, causing my aggression to outpace my common sense. A final trick from an… unsatisfied employer. In my weakened state, I was quickly subdued, arrested, and booked. I was found guilty of assault and sentenced to five years. Once in prison, I contacted my associate, Wintergreen. Of course, he was shocked that I was alive. Once that wore off, he set about re-opening my private funds, allowing me to hire the best lawyers money could buy in hopes of shortening my time in prison. Not even a year had passed when I saw the news report of Cyborg's death while I was dining in the cafeteria. Not able to do much else, I paid for the funeral."
"Don't lie about that. That's low, even for you." Gar broke in, despite himself. "The funeral was paid for by an anonymous donor calling himself…"
"…Mr. Wilson. Yes. That was me, Gar. My full name is Slade Wilson, and I am, in point of fact, a billionaire."
"A billionaire? As in a billion dollars?"
Slade nodded. "And that's just in my private funds. With my investments in various global markets, there's almost no limit to my wealth."
"If you're so rich, why did you spend all your time tormenting us?" Raven demanded, now sitting by Gar. "Don't people like you go to swanky beach resorts and date super-models?"
Gar started and reached around to check his wound. It was fully healed at last. "Thanks." He muttered, but Raven's attention was fully on Slade.
"I lost my interest in those things years ago. And I spend all of my time on you because everyone needs a hobby."
"A hobby? A HOBBY?" Gar was on his feet before either Slade or Raven could react. He grabbed Slade by his shirt and pulled him up roughly, getting into his face. "YOU TRIED TO KILL US MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT! YOU TURNED DICK AND TERRA AGAINST US! AND IT WAS ALL FOR FUN? FOR YOUR OWN SICK, TWISTED PLEASURE?"
Slade's expression didn't change. "It wasn't for fun, Garfield. It was for your own good."
Gar's face betrayed his confusion. "What?"
Slade grasped Gar's arms and pulled them away, pushing the teen away from him and, after a tension filled moment, again taking his seat. He motioned for Gar to do the same.
After a moment, he did.
"Yes, for your own good. Years ago, I read a story in the Daily Planet about a team of five young super-heroes that had recently appeared in Jump City. I was intrigued. So, I packed up and re-located here. I began a long and arduous surveillance mission. I watched you all. I watched you react as you had your first minor battles. And do you know what I saw?"
Gar and Raven shook their heads.
"You had potential, but you lacked the drive necessary to become the heroes the world needed you to be. Dick was still standing in his mentor's shadow, Star was naïve to Earth's culture, Victor was uncomfortable in his own skin, and you two were both very shy and not at all keen with working on a team."
"Yeah." Gar mused. "That's because I had just left the Doom Patrol."
"And I had just left Azarath to see the world."
"Yes. So, I took it upon myself to help you. At first, I thought I could do it as a third party. I forged a super-villain persona using only my first name, and used it to send others against you. Your first encounters with the H.I.V.E. Trio, Plasmus, and Cinderblock were all satisfactory, but I could see more was needed. I tried magic next, pitting you against Thunder and Lightning, and it was on that night that I saw what needed to be done. Not only would I have to engage you myself, but I would have to turn one of you against the others. I used my vast sums of money to construct robotic minions and lairs all over the city and set 'Project: Apprentice' into motion."
"So the whole thing; Robin turning on us, the microbes in our blood… it was all just a test?"
Slade again nodded. "Yes. And it was highly successful. Even with Dick's betrayal, you all united in the end to defeat me. That was the point of 'Project: Apprentice;' to strengthen your trust. After that, I took a much deserved vacation to rest, heal my wounds, and plan the next test."
Gar cast his eyes down. "Terra…"
Slade smiled grimly. "It wasn't her in the beginning, you understand. It could've been any young hero. The point of the test was to insert a new person into your team and have them turn on you. I called it 'Project: Betrayal.'"
/
Laying in the infirmary's bed, Dick breathed easily, still unconscious.
In the chair beside him, Star stared at the floor. Her mind was racing. When Dick had tried to kill himself, she'd felt a deep, unsettling fear. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Roy, Titans East, and Dick all in the same day. Too many friends had been buried already.
But it was more than that, and she knew it.
If Dick had killed himself, she would be… alone.
She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes. There was no use denying it any longer. To continue to do so would only cause her more pain. She realized that all the various trysts with the other young heroes had all been meaningless. They weren't so she could find what she liked.
They were to keep her mind off of Dick.
And at the end, who had she chosen as a permanent lover? Roy, who was so like Dick it was frightening. She'd chosen him because he was a way to keep Dick close to her, even if Dick himself still hated her.
Because… because…
"Because I still love you." She whispered, barely loud enough for even herself to hear.
The blankets shifted and she looked up to see Dick's eyes fluttering behind his mask. He was dreaming. A single word came from his mouth.
"Star…"
Smiling gently, Star reached out and tentatively placed her hand on his.
"I'm here, Dick. I'm here."
/
"I had just returned to Jump City when I first encountered Terra. I had once again began my surveillance of the team, and I saw her arrival and destruction of the giant scorpion at the same time you all did. When I saw you accept her into the group, I knew I had found my test subject for 'Project: Betrayal.' I quickly organized a minor test that would give me a chance to meet her on my own. I planted the seeds of doubt in her mind, then left her for you to find. Dick himself provided the final kick, and soon she came running, begging for me to train her."
"So it wasn't just us you were playing. You never wanted to help Terra, she was just a means to an end." Gar's fists were balled by his sides now. He was still desperately seeking a reason to hate Slade, but his options were running low.
"Not at all. 'Project: Betrayal' was to be the natural continuation of 'Project: Apprentice.' The way it was originally laid out, Terra would rebel against me, unite with you all once again, defeat me, and become your team's permanent sixth member. But, of course, the best laid plans…"
"What went wrong?" Raven asked.
"Terra did, not to put too fine a point on it. I failed to take two crucial factors into account. One, the long term effects on Terra of some of my… training. And two, her feelings for you, Gar. In that crucial moment when she turned on me, she attacked with a ferocity I was not anticipating. I attempted to abort the test, but her final attack sent me plummeting straight to my demise."
"And to the attention of my father."
"Yes. Of course, I've already regaled Gar with that little story, so I won't go into it. But in summation, everything I did for Trigon was, as you put it earlier, a means to an end. I did as I was ordered in hopes of getting my flesh, my very life back. For everything I did to you, Raven, you have my sincerest apologies."
Raven was taken aback by what she saw in Slade's eye now; sincerity. He was being completely honest with them now. She nodded slowly.
Slade chuckled and reclined. "You have no idea how proud of you I was the day I heard about your defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil. That was the day I knew I had succeeded. You were no longer the rag-tag group of misfits that I'd first seen in the newspaper. You were now a global force to rival even the Justice League. You see, in being the villain you needed, I made you into the heroes the world needed you to be."
Gar and Raven sat in silent awe. This whole time, their tormenter was really… their teacher.
Slade took a moment to collect his thoughts, then continued.
"I was informed two days ago that I'd finally made parole and was to be released this morning. Last night, as I tried to enjoy my last sleep in my bunk, I was awakened by an awful noise. My cell-mate was screaming at the top of his lungs and his eyes had turned the palest white."
Gar shared a glance with Raven. "He received the Call. Just like Star and Terra."
Slade nodded. "Of course, I was perplexed at first. And then, in his flailing, I saw a tattoo on his neck." He drew out his short sword and began to carve an image on the table before him. He sat back when he was finished, revealing a crudely drawn head with a mouth obscured by tentacles.
"Cthulhu…" Raven whispered.
"Yes. My cell-mate was a Cthulhu cultist. I'm an educated man, and once I saw the tattoo, I knew exactly what he was and what he was capable of. So, I put my pillow over his face and…
"You killed him." Gar said darkly.
"Yes. I had to. One less servant of the Dread Lord to worry about. The guards arrived minutes later, after I had made it look like a heart attack. I was released this morning, intent on finding out why he had been reacting like that. I bolted to the library and brushed up on my Lovecraft. I did all the calculations for R'lyeh's return and made for the wharf to charter a ship. My goal was to get there first and stop any cultists that arrived. On my way to the docks, imagine my surprise when I passed an electronics store just as their televisions played a video of my former apprentice saying the exact same thing as the Cthulhu cultist. So, on a hunch, I headed for the Tower. I arrived just in time, too."
"Hold on, there's something still bugging me." Gar said.
Slade leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Shoot. We've got time."
"See, we had this mask of yours in the basement that had a remotely activated chemical spray device. It shot out some weird stuff that drove Dick crazy, thinking he was being attacked by you. It got so bad that his body started to physically react to the imaginary attacks. What was the purpose of that? Was it just another test?"
Slade looked genuinely perplexed. "It wasn't me. I was dead at the time, remember?"
"Then who could it have been?"
Slade stood. "Is that mask still in the archives?"
Raven nodded.
"Then, get some flashlights and maybe we can find out."
/
Brother Blood injected the drug, removed the needle slowly, and applied the cotton once it was gone. With quick, surgical movements, he applied the bandage to Terra's arm. Satisfied that it would last, Blood sat back in the posh apartment's living room chair.
The drugs quickly took their effect on the bound Terra. Her arms and legs were tied together, preventing her from moving even if she wasn't under control from Blood's injection. She slumped against the couch, her eyelids drooping and a small drip of saliva coming from her open mouth.
"So sorry about this, child, but you understand. I can't have you fully conscious until we reach open seas. Otherwise you could finish the job you started back at the tower." Blood noted the bleeding man slumped in the corner. "Oh, David. Do get up and clean yourself. I can't have you dying just yet."
The man called David, the same man that owned the apartment, stood instantly and moved to the first aid kit on the table, patching up the wounds Blood had inflicted upon his entry.
Processing the information he'd gotten from Slade, Blood had set out to find a worthy vessel to transport him to R'lyeh. Dragging the unconscious Terra with him, he'd arrived at the wharf and found an adequately sized, fully equipped yacht. Blood had simply used it's registration to find it's owner's home. He hadn't killed David yet because he needed someone to pilot the boat. Blood was many things, but an accomplished sailor was not one of them.
Once David had finished binding his wounds, he turned to Blood, awaiting further instructions.
"Go to the wharf and prep your ship for departure. I want it ready to set sail in twelve hours. Make sure it's loaded down with as much fuel as it can carry. This could be a long trip and we will be moving at top speed. Understood?"
His eyes glowing red, David nodded.
As his newest slave moved for the door, Blood called out. "And if anyone asks anything suspicious, you know what to do."
The door opened, then closed.
Blood smiled. This was working out far better than he'd hoped.
A sound came from Terra's lips. She was trying to speak.
"Oh, don't do that…" He whispered, tipping a glass of water down her throat to quench it's dryness. "Despite appearances to the contrary, I want you to enjoy this final trip."
/
Armed with flashlights, the three ventured into the Tower's basement. The pipes above dripped water still, creating an eerie echo as they continued down the long stair-case. They reached the bottom and headed for the archive.
The boxes were neatly arranged but were showing their age. The Tower's air-tight atmosphere had stopped rats and other vermin from making their way inside, but the damp, dark atmosphere was causing the labeled boxes to yellow.
They moved the flash-light's beams until they came across the one they were searching for. It's label was short, dark, and sinister;
'SLADE'
Without a word, Slade kneeled and pulled the top from the box. Sitting on top in plain sight was what appeared to be one of his old masks. A crack ran down from the eye to the bottom. Slade flipped it and examined the back.
"Well?" Gar asked after awhile.
"I can definitely tell you that it's not one of mine. My masks are simply that; masks. See all this circuitry?" He pulled back a piece of metal, revealing a bright green motherboard. "I don't put those in my masks. This was planted here."
The thought bothered Slade immensely. He'd always believed that he was the only one tailing the Titans. Could there be another? The Brotherhood of Evil, perhaps?
He had heard whispers of another group, an alliance of evil forces that had their fingers in everything from corporations and governments to school boards and internet search engines. They even had financial ties with the Brotherhood of Evil and the H.I.V.E. Academy. Whoever they were, they hated publicity and always kept their numbers low. Two, three, four tops. But why would they be doing things to the Titans?
"It could have been…"
The door opening made them all jump slightly and they turned the flashlights as one to the emerald glow at the top of the stairs.
"Star! You scared the crap out of us." Gar said, relieved.
"I'll say." Slade muttered, returning his short sword to it's sheath. "What are you doing down here anyway?"
Star lowered her energy and looked up towards the ceiling. "It's Dick. He's waking up."
/
Author's Note: Alright, confession time. It was when I was writing this chapter that a singular thought popped into my head. I was figuring out Slade's whole story, and one thing kept bothering me; the mask in 'Haunted.' It was never revealed who had triggered it, and in the process of thinking about it, I wrote about Blood's new servant, David.
The whole thing hit me like friggin' lightning.
Slade's ruminations on the publicity-hating super-villains, as well as the character of David, are the first signs of things to come beyond 'The Call.'
Besides that, this chapter was just fun to write. I love writing exposition for some reason, much like the final chapter of 'The Call: Part 1.'
There is one final secret Slade is keeping from the Titans, and it involves Terra. Let's just say that as much as I'm trying to paint Slade in a noble light, his, as he puts it, 'unorthodox training methods,' for Terra are quite dark indeed.
But that's not for awhile. So, until next time, remember; a little review never hurt anybody.
