Teen Titans Season 6: Episode 1 - Chapter 5
Greetings fellow Titan fans! It is with great joy that I release chapter 5 to my season 6 of the series. Things have gotten rough in my personal life so I had to put the story on pause for a little while. However now that the dust has settled sort of speak, I am back into the writing game. And in thanks to your patience. I have made it double king sized chapter. This is the finale to the first episode. And I hope it was worth the wait. You guys are in store for one really awesome season, even if we may not ever get to see this in animated form. Anyway as always, feedback is always very much appreciated. Enjoy the finale!
Muffled sounds and sirens screamed into Beast Boy's ears, he was being dragged inch by inch out of the pile of rubble. The two firemen were pulling him by his forearms, he opened his mouth to speak and all that was heard was a light growl. This was enough to startle his rescuers; they promptly let go and Beast Boy was dropped head first. Realizing that he was still in his Beast Form, he reverted back to his original state. The men stood dumbfounded as his body morphed almost instantaneously into his lanky green figure. "Uh Hi. Thanks for the save!" He said gratefully.
"So… is everyone -"
"You're Boy Beast right?"
"Actually its Beast Bo-"
"My kid loves you! She's not gonna believe this!"
"You and that goth girl just saved a lot of lives today son!" stated the older fireman. "That monster or whatever it was came out of nowhere. Thanks to the Titans, no-one's been seriously injured, except maybe the school. You should be proud to know that the city is indebted to you yet again."
"No problem! It's kind of what we do." Beast Boy declared confidently. "Whatever happened to that thing?"
"When the building fell and after clearing the fire, we were able to dig you out of the wreckage. We never found whatever that thing was. Guess it never made it out."
"Who was it this time? The HIVE? Hopefully not that one eyed psycho?
As he heard this Beast Boy's expression on his face changed from relief to visible concern. He seemed to not hear the question as he walked past the two firemen. He was sniffing the air and began inspecting the area.
"Look we're not here to interrogate the boy. He did his job and we did ours." Assured the older fireman as he noticed the change in the teen's behavior. "Don't want us to call in some paramedics? You look like you took quite a beating son."
Just as he said this; The ordeal he had endured began to weigh on him like he was carrying a sack filled with bricks. But his demeanor had not changed because of the aching feeling that circulated his body. No. He knew that if they hadn't had found it or at least what remained, he would not be able to either, even with all his abilities.
"You alright kid?"
"Yeah… I'm fine. Thanks again." With that he shapeshifted into a falcon and flew off with haste towards Titan's tower.
"Wonder what that was about?"
The ear piercing sound of the alarm echoed throughout the facility. A mass of rock and granite was tunneled through the CADMUS observatory and the inner walls of the facility shook wildly. The two meta humans raced past the broken guards and devastated mechs. Brion had taken Terra for a "final demonstration" and as soon as they were given the chance let hell break loose on their captors. Pushing past several guards, Brion used his masterful manipulation of the earth to his advantage, he crushed the feeble attempts to impede he and his sister's progress, having dismantled three waves of CADMUS troops, he took his sister by the hand and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. "You've always stood up for me and protected me big Sister. Now it's time for me to do the favor". Brion thought to himself as they passed several hallways leading into a high-speed elevator.
CADMUS soldiers were at their heels, shooting taser rifles wildly. Brion turned and used the collected rock from the training room and formed it into a shield. Terra ducked behind the cover as they entered the elevator. As the doors began to close, Brion broke apart the shield into 4 pieces and launched them at their assailants. They were knocked back violently by the miniature boulders. One of the soldiers had switched to live rounds, and saw this coming just in time to leap ahead of the projectiles, ducking his head before the fourth piece could strike his skull. Reacting immediately, the soldier aimed right at the crack of the doors that was inches away from closing and pulled the trigger…
Brion didn't feel the shot at first as the elevator shut and they began their ascension to the surface. But looking at his sister's horrified expression yanked him back to an old familiar feeling: pain. Hot burning pain shot through his left shoulder and down to his forearm. The bullet had ripped a gaping hole straight through the wall behind him. He was bleeding profusely. "Oh my god, Brion!" she screamed as she went to her brother and examined the wound.
"I'm fine. It went right through, I should be fine."
"This isn't like the movies we watched when we were kids! If we mess up, we can…"
"Die…" Brion finished for her. "I know. But it's a chance we have to take! " Saying this with a certain conviction that reminded her of how much he has grown in the past year. "We're so close Terra…" he said as he winced at the bloody wound dripping down his arm. "I know you can't control your powers… but please. You might have to if we're going to get out of this."
Terra looked at him with fear in her eyes that gradually filled with determination not seen since that day on the bus. "Okay… If we go down. They're going down too…" Brion nodded as Terra wrapped her arms around him with a tight embrace. The elevator reached the top of its destination and the siblings got ready for a final run.
The doors slowly opened and Terra unleashed her geokinesis for the first time since their arrival. The ground below the troops getting ready to fire rumbled and wrenched open leaving a deep chasm that split in between the unit. Struggling in vain to remain standing, the soldiers looked to see the two metahumans walking on floating pieces of debris. The blonde girl's eyes were glowing with power as she stood alongside her brother as they hovered past. For a moment, they were stunned by this display of might, but were able to recompose themselves fast enough to attempt a shot. Terra was able to sense this and caved the top half of the ceiling down on top of them. Making it to the other side: the two burst through the door, only to run into another large group of their relentless pursuers, darting to the right the Markov's barely escaped the hail of taser-fire.
Sealing the door behind them they turned to behold the main hall with the hangar door wide open, leading to the outside world; stretching to freedom. The entire area around them was empty and whisper quiet, as if it was holding its breath, waiting for them to make the first move. Terra's eyes ceased their shine, she kneeled down to take a breather. Looking at her brother, he wordlessly communicated his message: "Keep going." Taking his hand, they sprinted across, they heard the guards yell out orders behind them. Brion glanced behind them as a wide area of the walls separating the doors exploded. As the smoke cleared: a dozen guards spilled out, this time with what looked like a commanding officer. The Officer ordered something inaudible, and the CADMUS troops switched rounds. Not taking an immediate shot, he stood calmly before making a motion with his hand and the soldiers all in single file opened fire. Without thinking, Brion tackled his sister as he was struck.
Frantically getting on her feet, she saw Brion crumpled over, where a small puddle of blood leaked out of the spot he lay. She was frozen in place and she didn't even notice the trickle of tears falling down her eyes as the CADMUS troopers walked towards her. Each of them took their aim, but the leader held out a hand, seeing this they lowered their weapons. Taking out a pair of cuffs, the Cadmus Officer strode towards her but stopped dead in his tracks. Looking down the massive crack began to open up below his feet. Like dark roots, the cracks stretched all over the entire main hall. The Officer looked at the blonde haired girl, her entire body glowed with energy emanating from an aura that surrounded her.
Panicking, the CADMUS soldiers began to shoot at her, but nothing was happening. But the Officer noticed something, all the bullets hovered in front of her. It was as if they obeyed her will when they dropped harmlessly. The entire building shook uncontrollably, and walking ahead of her fallen brother; Terra saw her captors back away in terror as she slammed her palms on the floor. As this happened, the ground rippled like an ocean caught in a storm, and the ground formed into a wave that sent the CADMUS followers flying across the room. Debris began falling from the collapsed ceiling and grabbing Brion's hand, she carried him on her back as the CADMUS Research Center crumbled behind them.
"I buried my brother in the mountain top that day and walked away… I walked for a long time until a farmer found me and offered to take me back to the city." Terra said as the memory ended.
"And after that, you kept moving around from place to place. Trying to use your powers to help wherever it was needed, before you found us" Raven surmised.
"Yeah… I guess. It's still hard to remember a few parts." Terra said with a tone of apathy as she attempted to grasp what she had just seen.
"I'm so sorry Terra… But you have to know. None of what happened was your fault. You did everything you could…"
"And it got the only family I had left killed...Because of me" She uttered as her voice started to break. "I didn't remember any of this, but now I do. How could it be worth it to know that you're the reason why people are gone."
"It is worth it. To know how important you were to the people that loved you. Brion died to protect the only person in the world he cared about. The Titans are my family and I would've done the same.
"Why do you care? You barely know me!" Terra cried out. Raven moved closer to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Because you're a Titan." Raven affirmed with a small smile. Terra was speechless… But the words touched her heart and with it returned an old feeling she hadn't felt for a long time. A sense of belonging to a cause greater than her own. Yet she couldn't understand it try as she might. It was all still new to her, and from what she had heard. There was still more to her story then she realized.
"Now… Let me show you. What I remember."
"You're insane." accused Robin.
"If memory serves… I don't remember asking your opinion on the matter… Only cooperation" Slade retorted. "One life or many. Your choice."
"Why? Whats Jericho to you?"
"That is none of your concern. A location is needed, nothing more."
"Don't do it Rob. You can't give in, for all you know he'll kill those families anyway. We need to take the shot now!" Cyborg whispered with urgency on the comm link.
Robin stood contemplating his decision as a knot formed in his stomach. If his memory served, Slade would never do something unless it would achieve his goals in some way. Murdering innocents was never beneath him, but it was not what he would act on if his demands were already met. The Titan's knew the risks when they joined their cause. It was always there lives before anyone else's; even if that meant sacrificing themselves for the sake of the greater good. After a moment, Robin spoke up. "Alright."
Cyborg with frustration; Seeing his friend give in to the demands of a man that had caused so much pain in their lives. The temptation ate into his mind, all he needed was a single well-placed shot and he'd be down for the count. He was sure of it, because not even Slade would be able to dodge his sonic cannon in time. Than, Star would swoop in before his backup could have a chance to react. From there it would just be cleaning up the leftovers. It all made sense to him, there was at least a ninety-five percent chance of success calculated. But if he knew Robin, he would always consider that five percent and for all he knew that's all Slade needed to pull the trigger. But still, could they take the chance and end this here and now? Or would that just end up to be blood on their hands? Weighing the options and possible scenarios, Cyborg shifted his position slightly with the cannon ready to go off at any second Robin gave the command.
"But on one condition. You spare the families lives"
"I am a man of my word Robin. You should know that by now"
After a pause in hesitation Robin gave in,"Tibet Summits. That's where you can find him." Appearing pleased, Slade signaled his troops to back down as he strode away. "So is that it?" Robin inquired as Slade stopped mid-step.
Turning half-ways he answered, "A deal's a deal. The citizens are yours to save." Holding out the trigger out in front of him, "As you might think, their very well- being still hinge upon a simple reflex of my finger tips. Much like mine was to yours."
"I don't know what you're getting at." Robin answered, keeping his composure. Slade chuckled, and then without warning: He jammed his thumb on the trigger; activating the probes...
The shot of the sonic cannon exploded in a radiant blue light that encompassed room. Slade grunted in surprise, grasping his smoldering hand as his device fell to the ground in ruin. Robin did not have time to react as Starfire swooped in like a bullet, grabbing him just in time as Slade's bots shot in unison. Shielding her partner from the stinging blasts, Starfire flew to the far end of the hide-out, dropping down into cover.
"Robin! Are you okay?" Starfire asked with concern, gently laying her boyfriend near a pile of rusted metal. Slade's minions fired relentlessly at their position.
"I'm okay Star, we can't let him get away!" Robin declared with growing admonition. Quickly jumping to his feet, he threw a flash bomb from behind the metal blocking their way. With their vision temporarily blinded, Robin dived out and hurled his birdarangs which stuck into the heads of two robotic soldiers. As they staggered, Robin detonated the birdarangs. As this happened Starfire rocketed upwards and shot a barrage of starbolts onto the mob, forcing them to retreat backwards. When they did this, Cyborg came down like a meteor and ground pounded right in the middle of the soldiers.
As the brawl ensued, Robin spotted Slade in the middle of the chaos attempting to slip away. Robin took out his bo-staff and tore through four of Slade's soldiers with a ferocity he didn't quite know he had. They weren't human, so he was free to cut loose without holding back and he was not about to let his nemesis escape unscathed. As he downed two more, Slade started to sprint through the darkness of the inner halls. Robin made a mad dash after him as his two friends continued the battle.
A dark vortex of energy surrounded the two women as they were transferred into Raven's mind. Several thousand images blended in front of Terra's eyes, making it hard to make out what they were. What she did notice quite a few of them were of Beast Boy. Eventually the memories morphed together and what she saw wasn't what she expected: It was the day of her return to the Tower.
"So… which team am I on?" Terra said standing on the land mass floating in place. Elated, Starfire and Beast Boy were the first to react; literally sprinting to greet her. Starfire was able to reach out with open arms and nearly crush her with an embrace.
"Oh hello long lost friend! You remember me, yes?" She said as her grip tightened around her.
"Of course I remember you Starfire- I - I still have bruises from the last time you hugged me." Terra said while gasping for air. Just in that moment, Beast Boy went up to her tongue tied.
"Terra! You're… I mean… What's up?" He said stammering. Terra simply smiled as she hugged him tightly, and upon letting go she pinched his cheek gently which made him blush.
Leaving the green teen to recover from her sudden affection, she walked up to Robin and Cyborg. "Well if isn't my favorite rockin roller!" Cyborg exclaimed, giving her a high five.
"Cyborg! Robin! What's shaking?" Terra said in excitement.
"Good to see you again!" said Robin. Overcome with excitement Beast Boy exclaimed, "Good? Is he kidding? I think it's GREAT to see you again! I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" Running over to Raven, Beast Boy shouted "Raven wake up! Terra's back! Isn't it awesome?"
Raven unimpressed simply said, "Super. Just help yourself with whatevers left in the fridge and don't forget to lock the door before you leave."
"Wow. Guess we were the best of buddies back then? Terra said sarcastically. Raven smirked, "You can say we had a rough start. But there was an attack on the island shortly after your visit. We needed your help to save it. That's when things started to get better."
A large snake shaped drill tunneled above the heads of Terra, Raven and Robin. Slade had intended to bury the home of the titans under a mountain of rubble. Quickly running out of options, the three titans desperately fired everything they had the drill. Raven her telekinetic blasts, Terra using various parts of the rock mass around them, and Robin his explosives. But this did next to little to stop its advance. "Not even a scratch! If we can't break the drill, hacking this computer is our only shot at taking it down." Robin yelled with frustration as he rushed to the keyboard of the machine. As he began to press the keys needed for shutdown, Slade appeared out of nowhere and kicked Robin away, sending him flying down the narrow bridge behind them. Slade then lunged at Robin yet again and the two struggled as they entered the elevator. Raven and Terra ran after them, but before they could catch up Robin called out saying, "Forget about me! Shut down the drill!" Slade responded by activating the power to the elevator sending it rushing upwards.
WIth Robin out of the picture, it was up to Terra and Raven to take charge of the situation. "We have to hack in." Raven declared as she ran ahead to finish what Robin had attempted earlier. Terra thinking quickly grabbed a massive boulder, levitating it in mid-air above the controls. "Why hack when you can smash!" Raven reacting immediately, caught it just before she could send it crashing down. "NO! We don't know how this thing works! Destroy the controls, and we might never be able to stop it!"
" Or we might stop it sooner and save our home! Why can't you just trust me?
"Because you don't deserve it! I have to meditate every day to control my powers. And you expect me to believe that you can suddenly control yours? Trust has to be earned!"
"How? How do I earn it?"
"You can start by trusting me!" Raven declared.
Terra hesitated for a moment, but obliged and rested her powers. The boulder fell harmlessly near the controls. But just as Raven attempted to hack into the system, another piece of rock even larger than the first plummeted onto the control scheme: completely crushing it. Raven tackled Terra out of the way of the falling debris just in time. In a matter of seconds, the drill sped up its pace and the ceiling of stone up high started to collapse.
Raven looked up and decided the only practical solution was to get out of there as quickly as possible. They had lost their home. The least they could do is they can live to fight another day. "We have to go, there's nothing we can do now." Raven said with finality. Terra's eyes glowed, standing her ground saying, "Yes there is! Trust me!" as unleashed her geokinetics yet again and exerted force to hold up the collapsing above them. It was strong enough to cut through the bottom half of the drill like tissue paper. Momentarily shocked at this sudden display of her abilities, Raven snapped into action to help her fellow ally. "Azerath, Metrion Zinthos" She chanted as she focused her energy. Combining their power together, it seemed to do little to stop its movement. Concentrating harder than she's ever had before, she pushed with all her will and so did Terra. The unbelievably heavy mound of rock started to move, little by little it was moving upward. Raven could hardly believe it was happening, but she didn't have time to reflect; sweating bullets she exerted her power further. Eventually the mass of land that is her home rose up. They both melded the pieces of earth back together and sealed it so it would not sink.
Raven wiped the off the sweat from her brow and took a breather. Terra leaned against the railing out of breath. The two then started to laugh in near usion. They sat there for some time still in hysteria over their achievement.
"Things changed after that. And.."
"I remember now." Terra said with a bold look on her face, "I remember everything."
"It did get better. But after… I did something terrible. To you. To everyone."
"You did. But in the end you saved us. You saved everyone. But not without a cost…"
"I died…" Terra concluded. She said it as if it was a recent memory. Like it all happened yesterday.
"So you understand now? Why Beast Boy -"
"Why he did what he did" Terra finished. It was a lot to take in for the poor girl. Emotionally she seemed exhausted, but at the same time her demeanor seemed to change. She was no longer a confused high school girl with no direction to serve other than the mundane requirements of daily life. A feeling of vigor had returned to her, as if a spark was lit inside and she had reached a certain self-discovery. "And why that thing is after me. I created it didn't I?" Terra said as this realization came to fruition. Raven said nothing, but waited for her to speak.
"I remember, a bright light. Feeling cold and pitch black. Then nothing. As if I was sleeping. No dreams. Just an endless void of nothing. Then I was awake. A man reached out to me… But I couldn't see his face. Next thing I know I'm at a hospital bed. A doctor telling me about an accident I had been in. All of a sudden I had these memories… that I guess never happened. They feel so real, but they never actually happened."
Raven looked at her empathy. "Sometimes the mind can create a whole other identity as a means to cope. But it doesn't explain who your parents are...or how they…" Raven stopped mid sentence. She looked pale.
"What?"
"Terra. You said someone reached out to you… Can you try to remember what he looked like."
"I don't know. I wasn't really conscious during the time. What does it matter?"
"Just try. Try to remember."
"I… "
Raven put her hand on her head and opened her mind. Terra gasped as Raven's power suddenly surged through her body yet again. She kept replaying the moment she was freed from her tomb. Someone was indeed there that day. Raven had a feeling she knew. It would explain a great many things. But she needed to know for sure. Gradually the image began to clear. The shadowy figure that stood over Terra reached down to pick her up and right then, her assumption was correct. Terra gasped as she finally remembered why she could not remember his face. He didn't have one. But he had one distinctive feature. The shadowy figure had a mask and with it was a single unblinking eye.
"Slade…" whispered Terra.
"Unfortunately. Just as I suspected."
As she thought. Slade had gotten to her first. But as far as she could tell, He did nothing but fabricate a whole new world for Terra. But why? What possible reason could he have? It just didn't add up. Did he actually care for her? Even if it was in his own twisted way? Whatever it was, she had more than enough information to report back to Robin. Perhaps with Terra's reform, they are closer to finding out how this is all connected. There were still questions that had to be answered. But they know more then when they started and that was good enough for now.
"What now?" Terra asked.
Raven looked at her a bit more relaxed. "We wait for the Titans. This isn't over Terra. But it's going to get better. I promise you." As she said this, her mind went to Beast Boy and she quickly got out her communicator. But Terra tapped her shoulder and turned her head to gaze into the sky under the fading glow of the sun. She saw faintly a green falcon flying towards them and Raven smiled.
"It's going to get better."
Robin turned the corner of the dark halls and was met with the sound of Slade's footsteps fading away. Sprinting in the direction of the echo he finally caught up to him. Slade had stopped dead in his tracks at the edge of a cliff. It was the two of them and Robin wasn't about to give him a chance to react. The boy wonder proceeded to throw a birdarang to which Slade snapped in his right hand mid-catch. Using this momentary distraction Robin tackled him, and punched his mask with all his might. Slade countered and gripped Robin's arm forcing him down to a headbutt right at the bridge of the hero's nose. The pain made Robin stumble backwards as Slade's boot met his abdomen. The two enemies were locked in a brief stare down before charging into martial combat. Knowing he cannot equal his rival's speed or strength, Robin instead had to rely on the technique Bruce had taught him when facing an opponent such as this. The young Titan remembered a story that Bruce told him about an old friend of his that he played chess with. It was hard for Robin to ever think of Bruce failing at something, and even if he somehow met loss, he'd view it as a small victory to a greater one ahead; a learning experience. It was this "old friend" that taught him one of the most important lessons in warfare. "Think like your opponent - act as they would - and in doing so… without becoming the enemy".
Slade's approach to fights was a finely tuned technique and brute force. Although unable to match the latter's superhuman feats, he could be as unrelenting. Therefore forcing Slade to remain on the defensive, whereas Robin would have to keep up the pressure so as not to allow the one-eyed villain to break his ground. While Slade's defense was not impenetrable; it was crafted to counteract any attack. As Slade made a counter move, Robin reacted with a maneuver that kept him locked on the offensive. He could not allow Slade to flip the tables, and pushing his way through, he continued his assault. However, Slade caught on almost instantly and used this to his advantage, using precise strikes to disorient the hero made him react aggressively. Slade braced himself and allowed Robin several strikes to his body and face mask: as he gained confidence, Slade moved to crush it. With an opening and Robin exhausted momentarily, he dove into the fray with a barrage that sent the Titan to the unforgiving ground. Leaping, Slade roared in fury as his fist came down like a meteor. Robin rolled away just in time as his hand caved into the stone. Undeterred Robin responded immediately with a heavy roundhouse that landed so hard that Slade's neck jerked unnaturally to the left. Surprised, Slade struggled to recover from this unusually brutal hit. "This is it. I have him on the ropes! Have to act NOW!" Robin thought as he charged: ready to deal the final blow. Swinging with everything he has, a cracking sound rip into the air, and Robin's first thought was that he may have crushed the gear holding Slade's mask together. But it wasn't. It was his three fingers.
Slade had caught Robin's punch and in doing so broke his bones. A pang of indescribable pain filled Robin's nervous system; he opened his mouth to let out a cry of agony but Slade's other hand gripped his throat. Slade then slammed the young hero on the hard surface near the edge of the cliff. Slade then wrapped both hands around his rival's throat; Robin gasped as his air supply began to evaporate. "No matter what you do. Nothing is going to stop what's about to happen..." Robin held on tightly to Slade's wrists, struggling to loosen the iron hold he had on him but it wasn't budging; he could only helplessly look into Slade's cold stare as his strength sapped away from him. "You always knew it was going to end this way. Now just close your eyes. It'll be over soon…"
Robin's eyes grew dark, his end was only seconds away. But suddenly a brilliant glow of green blinded him and the sound of an explosion blasted through his eardrums. Miraculously he could breathe again! Slade stumbled forwards and fell ahead of him off the cliff. Getting to his knees, Robin coughed violently, gasping as oxygen began to fill his lungs and his hearing returned. He saw Starfire floating with her eyes shining brightly with power flowing through her. This color faded as she rushed to his side. Coughing, Robin reciprocated her embrace as she clung to him tightly and her eyes began to water. "When you stopped moving… I thought.. I thought he…I thought I was too late" She said as she trembled in his arms. "It's okay Star. I'm okay… You're here now. That's all that matters.". Even after saying this, Starfire held on tighter. Robin let out a cartoonish grunt from the pressure.
As they sat there, Cyborg approached. Cyborg's gadget formed from his forearm and began to scan the area. He frowned, and looked at Robin. Robin gently pulled away from Starfire and asked, "I know what you were doing. Did you find him? Is Slade still here?" Robin asked fervently.
Cyborg sighed and shook his head, "Thermal scans show zero trace of him anywhere near the surrounding area. It's like the guy's a ghost."
"Then it's far from over. Let's meet back at the tower." Robin said as he pulled out his communicator. "Robin to Beast Boy! Come in Beast Boy!"
"Robin! Robin! I read -" the voice of his teammate was garbled out by static. Robin shook his head in annoyance.
"Signals too weak. We'll meet up at the Tower. Let's move out!" commanded Robin. "Woah there!" Cyborg protested, "You alright man? Let me take a look at you, just in case there isn't anything too -"
"I'm fine. We need to meet back with Raven and Beast Boy so we can plan our next move. We shouldn't waste any time." Robin replied as he walked on ahead without even looking behind him.
Cyborg looked over at Starfire whose eyes met his. He shook his head at her and began to follow after him.
Meanwhile…
Slade stood on a hill overlooking the horizon. They would not find him he thought. Robin had admirable skills but there was a reason why he had been able to avoid capture for so long. He always was a step ahead. It was a habit that Slade had perfected. Starfire's starbolt had burned through his armor and lapped at his skin. Inside his mask, he gritted his teeth. He knew the burns would not heal completely. They forged from somewhere not of this earth and beyond his capacity to fully understand. But he did not care. Pain was a reminder that he was alive. Another reminder of his purpose. Everything he did, he did was personal. While the Titans had overturned his plans of conquest he had yet another reason to continue the torture of his sworn enemies.
For closure. He will never stop making them pay for taking what was his. Even if in the end it costed him his life. He reflected to himself how lucky he was to return to the land of the living. He knew for sure that he had died but it wouldn't stay that way. Fate had other plans for him. At first, he thought it was to serve a greater cause, the cometh of Armageddon in the form of Raven's father. But being drunk with newfound power he was granted had blurred his vision. He was no-one's servant and he bowed to no one. Not to Trigon The Terrible. Not to man. Not even to God, if there was such a being.
After Trigon's demise, he had went into hiding. Planning his next move. To end the Titans, It wasn't enough for them to face a direct threat. He knew this from experience. Time and time again, they had overcome the most extreme of odds. They would fight to the very last. It was what made them such worthy opponents. It had to be different this time. They must be broken down piece by piece. From outside as well as from within. It was for this reason why he also knew why the Brotherhood of Evil would ultimately fail. As he predicted, shortly after their final stand: The Brotherhood collapsed and ever since then, no organized vessel of crime had dared to challenge The Titans once more. So he had allowed them to enjoy a brief era of peace. To feel safe and secure before he ripped it away from them.
However. Out of all the Titans there was only one that he had no reason to hate. Ironically it was the girl that took his life: Terra. She alone had accomplished what so many others had tried and failed to do. Completely and utterly defeating him. She had won. He had lost. It was that simple and with it she had gained his respect. Her return was a surprise to him. He never would have predicted her resurrection. But he knew this event would not go unnoticed. So he used this as an omen, to bring his plans to motion.
He created androids used from experimental CADMUS tech to ensure Terra's new life. They would serve as her parents. He had taken her from her weakened state and constructed new memories to replace the old. Then after using his vast source of connections, Slade had wiped out any trace of evidence that the young girl existed. Including her hand in the fall of Jump City. After this it was a matter of constructing an entirely different identity. She could have her own normal life. At least for a time, for all she had done in her past, she deserved this…Even if it was a fantasy.
But like all things - It was not meant to last. His plans were already underway and there was no going back. Taking one last look at Terra's house. He made a motion to his troops and they set it aflame. The fire quickly encompassed the building within seconds it was set ablaze. The thick smoke rose to the sky like a storm cloud that blocked out the sight of Titan's Tower as the sun set in the distance.