Author's Note: Apologies to Jerry Cantrell and Alice in Chains for the chapter title.
5. Heaven Beside You
Slade and the Titans waited on the beach in a tense silence until Robin and Starfire finally emerged from the jungle.
"We were starting to wonder if we should send out a search party," Wonder Girl teased them. Starfire smiled in response, but Robin's eyes immediately locked onto Slade, his expression darkening as he approached him.
"All right, let's have those coordinates," the Boy Wonder commanded.
"Certainly," Slade replied in his most agreeable tone, producing his GPS device and entering the correct numbers before holding it out to the Titans' leader.
However, as Robin reached for it, Starfire suddenly inserted herself between them. "I will take that," she announced curtly, practically snatching the item from Slade's hand and passing it off to Cyborg, who boarded their vehicle without further comment.
As Beast Boy, Raven, Wonder Girl and Jericho marched up the boarding ramp, Slade regarded Starfire with mild amusement. "While your caution is understandable," he told her, "you're treading very close to the line between prudence and paranoia. I assure you, I wasn't about to bite him."
Starfire's response was polite, but firm. "Understood, but please be advised: if you touch my friend-who-is-a-boy, I will break your arms." She smiled cheerfully.
"Your…" Taking note of Robin's mortified expression, Slade smirked. "Why, Robin, you sly dog."
"Tick tock, Slade," Robin shot back. "Time's wasting. Get on board."
"Touché." The older man grinned beneath his mask, and complied.
"I must admit, this certainly is impressive," Slade remarked, admiring the interior of the Hover Turtle as Cyborg fired up the turbines and pointed them toward the middle of the Pacific.
"Uh…thanks," the cybernetic hero muttered, clearly uncomfortable but also evidently feeling obliged to acknowledge the compliment.
"Indeed." The corner of Slade's mouth twitched beneath his mask. "The extra gas turbines are a particularly innovative touch. It's a pity you and I have never had the opportunity to exchange notes on mechanical design."
Cyborg tossed a dirty look over his shoulder. "Save the pity for yourself, Slade. I plan to die of old age before I exchange anything with you that isn't punches."
"Even with all the things we might have in common? How unfortunate."
Cyborg swiveled in his seat. "We don't have one, single-!"
He stopped abruptly when he saw Slade tapping the right side of his mask, where his eye should have been. A dark look crossed Cyborg's face and he angrily turned back to the controls, leaving Slade to chuckle to himself.
He stood near the center of the Turtle's cabin, one hand braced against the ceiling to maintain his balance while the craft was in motion. The Titans had spread themselves out across the vehicle's interior, all apparently wishing to sit as far from him as possible.
And that suited him perfectly. It meant he'd have the opportunity to approach most of them individually, during the lengthy trip to their destination. And the best part was, Robin even believed he'd been planning to travel separately from them. While the boy was undeniably intelligent and resourceful, he was easily distracted, and his emotional weaknesses remained as exploitable as ever.
In truth, so far everything was unfolding almost precisely as Slade had planned.
Well…nearly everything, he corrected himself as he eyed the dark-haired Amazon who'd managed to bring him to ground earlier. She was the only unexpected factor, here. But Slade was nothing if not adaptable.
So, he nodded to her in greeting. "You must be the famous Wonder Girl," he ventured. "I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure."
"Yeah, I've heard that about you," she replied, giving him a distasteful look.
"Charming. Not one to mince words, are you?" he chuckled, genuinely impressed. "I'd hoped you might be able to approach this mission with a more…objective viewpoint than the others, since your perspective is not colored by any past dealings with me."
She continued to eye him as one would a particularly repulsive breed of insect. "I know all I need to know about you, from reading the Titans' reports on your activities. They don't paint a very pretty picture."
"I'm sure not," he admitted readily, "and I'm not about to dispute their validity. Nevertheless, I can assure you that on this mission, I am not the enemy you should be concerned with."
Her expression didn't soften. "That will remain to be seen," she pronounced.
"As you wish." He bowed slightly, theatrically, while smirking behind his mask.
Off to his left, Joseph – or Jericho, as he apparently wanted to be called, now – took out his acoustic guitar and began playing a vaguely familiar-sounding, bluesy tune. It was fairly mellow, even catchy, and certainly not what one would think of as an angry-sounding song. Yet it was clear from the way he was playing it that Joey was channeling whatever resentment, frustration or anger he felt at his father's presence into his fingers, and his music.
Slade silently watched him play for a minute or two, deep in thought. Here was his son, whom he hadn't seen in over a decade, and who he'd expected to find here, whose presence was, in fact, a pivotal component of his larger plan. Yet, as he watched the boy playing his guitar, whatever words he'd had prepared to say to him, whatever questions he'd wanted to ask, fell away and left him at a loss. Unarmed. Unprepared. Empty-handed.
It was a feeling he associated with death, and a state he'd spent most of his life avoiding. Uncomfortable, to say the least.
Joey happened to glance up and catch his eye. There was no hatred in his eyes, nor was there any affection, or even pity…only regret, sorrow and disappointment. He turned his attention back to the guitar soon enough.
Perhaps there would be time for him later.
Shaking himself internally, Slade casually glanced about to see who else was nearby. Ah! There was the green one, sulking a couple of rows behind Joey. Perfect. Careful not to appear too deliberate in his movements, he made his way back toward him, and settled into a spot a few feet away.
With this one, he suspected he may not have to make the first move. And he wasn't disappointed.
"I still want to know what you did to Terra," Beast Boy growled at him after a few minutes.
Slade was glad the mask concealed his smile. Nothing she didn't want me to, he wanted to reply, if only to see the look on the green boy's face. But that wouldn't do, it wouldn't be productive. He didn't want to pick a fight, at least not yet.
"I'm sorry," he replied instead, feigning distraction as he half-turned in his seat. "Did you say something?"
Beast Boy stared at him with pure, undisguised hatred. "Terra. The truth. Spill it."
"Hmph. If you're referring to her…reappearance, I've already told you the truth: I had nothing to do with it."
"You're a liar."
"Really." Slade met his eye. "In that case, what's the point of this conversation? Whatever I might tell you, you've already decided not to believe it. You refuse to recognize the truth, simply because it comes from me."
Beast Boy continued to stare daggers at him.
"For example," Slade continued, shifting in his seat so as to face the shape-shifter more directly. "Suppose I were to tell you that, during my time as Trigon's servant, I used the powers he'd granted me to resurrect Terra, to restore her stone body to one of flesh, because I planned to eventually pit her against your team once more. And at the same time, I also erased her memories of us all, to make her easier to manipulate and control when the time came. However…after Robin helped me to recover the flesh that I had lost, and after fighting alongside you to defeat Trigon…I realized that I owed a debt. A debt to Terra, and a debt to yourselves, for the pain I'd caused you all. So, I decided to abandon my plans, and leave Terra as she now is: happy, ordinary, and free from my influence…or yours."
Beast Boy remained silent.
Slade's eye narrowed. "Would that 'truth' be more agreeable to you…even if I just made it up, on the spot?"
The coiled cobra which now occupied Beast Boy's seat flared its hood and hissed threateningly.
"You see my point, then." Slade grinned, and wouldn't have cared if the changeling could see it. Even so, it seemed a prudent time to relocate.
The only other Titan sitting nearby, at the back of the Turtle's cabin, was…Raven, her hood raised and her nose buried in a book. Perfect. Slade slowly drifted over toward her, keeping his movements casual, finally settling into a seat in front of her.
She studiously ignored him, as he'd expected her to. In fact…after spending several minutes covertly studying her, he began to suspect that she was very deliberately ignoring everything except her book, and not just him. Interesting.
"That's an ironic choice, given the circumstances," he commented finally, referring to the book she was hiding behind.
"Don't talk to me," she said, keeping her eyes focused on the page.
"Hm. I suppose you're still angry about that business with your father," he sighed. "Not surprising, but for what it's worth, it wasn't personal. Besides, you were right. He did betray me, in the end."
She peered over the cover of her book at him, and the degree of venom in her eyes made Beast Boy look friendly by comparison.
"Maybe I wasn't clear," she hissed. "I would rather kill you than talk to you."
"Oh, I noticed!" he exclaimed. "And I was quite impressed, too. Those are precisely the instincts you'll need to overcome Psimon."
She stared at him for a few seconds, as if waging an internal struggle for control of her emotions, before finally looking back down at the page.
The corner of Slade's mouth twitched. He allowed his gaze to drift lazily around the cabin, casually sizing up the other young heroes present, while deciding his next move. At the cockpit, Robin was leaning over Cyborg's massive shoulder, pointing to the navigational instruments and presumably discussing their course with him. As Slade watched, Robin's free hand drifted back behind him, and into Starfire's, in a way that was probably intended to look either accidental or unconscious. Her fingers glowed very faintly as they interlocked with his.
Slade leaned back in his seat, his eye narrowing. "Hmm. Do you suppose they'll get married?" he asked Raven, over his shoulder.
"What?" She glanced up from her reading with an expression of severe annoyance.
"Robin, and…Starfire, wasn't it? The redhead."
"How should I know," she snapped, retreating back behind her book.
"They do make a striking couple, don't they? Very…colorful." Slade's lip curled beneath his mask, his attention now focused totally on Raven. "It's a strange thing, though…the concept of marriage, that is. Have you ever thought about it?"
She didn't respond, was ignoring him. But he was sure she was listening, so he continued.
"The binding together of two separate lives, enforced through law and ritual. But does not the very fact that it involves such formal, legalistic agreements suggest it to be…an unnatural state, to which people must be forcibly bound? Human beings are highly social creatures, yes. But at the same time, we are just as individualistic. Why, then, are so many of us so eager to trade away a measure of our independence, by permanently attaching ourselves to one other person?"
The cover of the book which was so deliberately positioned to block his view of her face shuddered ever so slightly. It could easily have been attributable to a shifting of the waves beneath them…had there been any such shift, of course. In any case, he continued.
"I've had quite a few years to ponder this question, particularly since the end of my own marriage. And I've arrived at an interesting conclusion. Would you like to hear it?"
She said nothing, as expected.
"The most outwardly transparent reasons for marriage – procreation, companionship, physical and emotional support – are actually not the most fundamental. Oh, they're certainly factors, for some more than for others. But there is an underlying, unspoken reason beneath it all, and it serves to explain the gradually increasing desperation of so many, as their lives progress, to find a spouse."
He paused for effect.
"It's because sooner or later, they all begin to understand that anyone who doesn't marry…will eventually, inevitably, lose everyone else in the world."
The window above Raven's head cracked, causing the other Titans to look back at them in alarm. Her book lowered just enough for her to stare over it, at Slade.
"I told you," she hissed, "to leave…me…alone."
"Very well, if you insist." He stood and, smiling inwardly, made his way toward the front of the cabin.
"I think she's still angry," he commented to Robin, glancing back over his shoulder at Raven's corner.
"Gee, I wonder why," Robin growled. "Couldn't possibly have anything to do with you attacking her, stalking her and helping her demon father use her as a portal into our dimension, could it?"
"Hmm." Slade stroked his chin. "That reminds me. What are you planning to do, the next time?"
Robin frowned. "What next time?"
Slade favored him with a very deliberate look of surprise. "Why, the next time Trigon attempts to conquer the Earth through his daughter, of course."
Robin's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about? Trigon's dead. Raven destroyed him. Remember?"
"Destroyed…? On the contrary, Robin. She injured him, yes, and cast him out of this dimension. But Trigon is an elemental force of the universe. As long as evil lives on in the hearts of people, anywhere, he can never truly die. Make no mistake: he will eventually return, once he has regained his full strength. And since her new body is unadorned by the Azarathian sealing runes, Raven will be far more vulnerable to his influence, when he does." Slade cocked his head to the side. "…I'm surprised she hasn't told you this, herself."
"You refer to the angry red marks you placed on Raven's body to make her become the Trigon's portal, yes?" Starfire interjected.
"The angry and red parts were my doing, yes," Slade replied. "But the actual runes themselves were inscribed by the monks of Azarath during her childhood, to protect her from her father's influence. I merely introduced a catalyst to awaken what lay dormant, and erode the runes' power."
"Why should we believe anything you say about it?" Robin retorted.
"Well, to begin with, I have no reason to lie about it," Slade answered. "I don't like the idea of the planet I live on being destroyed by an omnipotent demon any more than you do. But furthermore, you don't have to take my word for it; you can just as easily ask her." He gestured invitingly toward Raven.
Robin scowled, but said nothing. Starfire looked worried.
"So, Slade. What's your interest in this girl, this Rose, anyway?" Wonder Girl asked suddenly.
Her seat was on his blind side, so he just turned his head toward her general direction to address her. "As I've already told you, I believe her powers should not be left in the hands of Brother Blood and Psimon. But furthermore, since you're obviously curious…I also happen to owe a debt to Rose's mother."
Robin's brows came together. "Her mother?"
"Yes…Lilli," Slade replied, nodding, privately amused by their reactions as they realized the password's significance. "She saved my life, many years ago. The least I can do in return is to prevent her daughter from being enslaved by those H.I.V.E. maniacs."
"I am unaccustomed to hearing you speak of repaying debts and obligations," Starfire told him bluntly.
Slade smirked at her, though she couldn't see it. "Perhaps you don't know me quite as well as you believe."
"We know you well enough not to take anything you say on faith," Robin retorted.
"A prudent response, given our history. I am pleased, however, to see that you haven't extended that same distrust to my son."
"He hasn't earned it the way you have," Robin answered. "To be honest, I'm still having trouble with the idea that you're even related. Or that someone as twisted as you could have ever had a family, in the first place."
Slade chuckled. "Which only goes to proving my point, Robin. Joseph is actually the second of my two children; he had an older brother, named Grant…though you might be more familiar with him as the Ravager."
"The Ravager?" Robin's eyes widened. "But, isn't he—?"
"Yes, sadly," Slade sighed. "He tried to follow in my footsteps, and it cost him his life."
An uncomfortable silence fell over them, until Cyborg looked up from the instruments.
"We're almost at the coordinates," he announced, "but I don't see anything out there, except more water. Something you want to tell us, Slade?"
"Ah, yes! From here, proceed to the northwest, until we reach an island. It'll be another ten miles, or so."
Robin scowled. "Why not just give us the exact location, in the first place?"
"For the same reason you insisted I ride along with you, of course," Slade replied. "A question of trust."