The Unknowing

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or anything dealing with DCU

Chapter Seventeen: Comply Serum

….

Slade's POV

….

I watch as Brother Blood turns to face me once I step into his office. He nods to the two Church members to leave, showing he doesn't see me as a threat. He's cocky. Both are dangerous. He ushers me inside as he leans on his desk.

"I have to say, Deathstroke, I am surprised to see you here again. Trigon did mention that we would have an unsuspecting ally but I did not think you would be the one he was speaking about. What made you change your mind?"

"Let's just say that an even better deal was offered to me and I couldn't say no."

I take in every single detail that I can about this room. The first thing my eyes gravitate to is the monitors, showing a camera system of the entire Church. No surprise to see he's watching everything and everyone here. Next, I notice the bar towards the back of the room. How convenient. Besides that, it looks like any normal office space.

The thing that looks off the most is Blood wearing a suit. Dark burgundy, floral designs litter the black coat and his inner vest matches the same design. He's really going for the evil businessman look nowadays.

"Hmm… Trigon offered you something you couldn't refuse. I can't say I don't understand that." He pauses to smile, his red eyes shining with manic glee. "Since he clearly wants you here, you have my blessing to stay and aid in my life mission."

"You want to take over the world and bring Trigon back in the process. Did I get that right?"

Blood chuckles as he claps loudly. "Let's just say there are different ways to take over the world and I intend to execute certain methods for everyone's benefit. But that's yet to come. I have your first mission for me. I need you to collect someone."

"Who?"

"An old friend of yours. I think you'll be quite happy with this request." He turns away, walking towards the camera systems displaying different areas of the Church.

"Fine, but if I'm going to be doing this then there's something I need to know first."

"Go on."

I take a step forward and ask the one question I've been wondering this whole time. "What's Joker's role in this whole thing?"

"Are you concerned with my alliance?" He doesn't turn towards me once while he speaks so I can safely assume it's a tactic to make himself feel like the most important person in the room.

"Yes. He's chaotic and uncontrollable." Not to mention a complete psychopath who loves to torture and kill people. I, on the other hand, do it for work, but I don't particularly enjoy it. At least all of it.

"Except when you have something he truly wants." Now, turning to the bar, he goes to pour himself a glass of scotch on the rocks. He looks like the type.

"Don't you think that makes it even more risky?" I counter his lack of logic.

"I wouldn't worry about him. He won't get what he wants without me so for the time being he is an asset and on our side."

"I'm just here to get what I want." That's not even a lie.

In a dramatic motion, his arms sweep out to his sides and voice loud, as if he was preaching to his flock. "And in order to get your wish of leading the League of Shadows, you need to first help me. Release Trigon, of course."

My eyes narrow at the way he worded that. He's definitely hiding something and at the same time, he knows too much. "I never told you that. How did you-"

"Never doubt my reach, Deathstroke."

….

Dick's POV

….

It feels weird being on this side of town again, heading to my ex-girlfriend's apartment for the first time since we broke up years ago. Part of me wonders if it still looks the same or if she added any decorations. Probably not, Bab's has always been the minimalistic time. Another contrast about Kory and Bab's. One of many. I hesitate for a moment, my hand hovering over the steel door before it ultimately knocks.

"Come in!" I hear Bab's voice yell from deep inside her apartment.

I step inside and look around for her. I don't see her but her apartment still looks exactly the same. I knew it. Finally I spot her sitting in front of her own form of a bat computer towards the back part of her place. I fold my arms over my chest as I stand a few feet away from her. She doesn't turn around to greet me.

"I don't have to tell you how dangerous it is to leave your door unlocked, do I?"

She laughs as she types something only known to her on her keyboard. "You think I don't have cameras stationed everywhere? Not to mention state of the art sensors. I'm offended Grayson, I thought you knew me better than that."

"Can't be too safe in this city, especially for people like us." I counter, knowing one little mistake can destroy our lives forever.

"Don't worry, I'm far from defenseless. You know that."

I nod, agreeing with her before taking a seat in a nearby chair so I'm not looking down at her. After her accident, I always try to talk to her at eye level. She deserves that respect.

"So what'd you want to talk about, Babs?"

Finally stopping typing, she turns fully in her wheelchair until she's facing me. I watch as her eyes examine mine like she's having an internal debate with herself that I'm not privy to before she smiles.

"Do you remember when my dad went out of town the same weekend Bruce had a Justice League mission? And we decided to go out for the first time together as Batgirl and Robin."

"Yeah, we were in over our heads. Who would have thought Poison Ivy and Bane would work together?" She still regrets that to this day.

"We barely managed to stop them," she says as she rests her glasses on top of her head.

"Thankfully your genius plan saved us. You know, Ivy is still pissed she lost to a couple teenagers and it's been years." I chuckle as I replay the memory in my head.

"She doesn't forget and forgive very easily." She wheels herself closer to me.

"No, she doesn't." I pause for a moment. "I can't imagine you asked me here to talk about our teenage days, Babs. What's going on?" I want to know what she is pushing off from me, it must be something important if she asked for me to come all this way.

The last time I was here was the day we broke up. I told her I was leaving Gotham for San Fran and that breaking up would be the best thing for us at that point in our lives. It was a catalyst turning point for our futures and I made the choice to leave. Not because of her but because I couldn't stand being under the same roof as Bruce anymore. I needed space to learn for myself the type of person I wanted to be and I'm so glad I did. And although I feel bad for leaving Bab's like I did, I'm so glad I did or I would have never met Mory or the rest of the Titans.

I watch as she takes a moment to figure out how to find the right words. She shuffles in her seat, unsure with herself. She moves a strand of auburn hair behind her ear as she smiles nervously. I furrow my brows as I go to ask her again when suddenly her lips are on mine. Surprise takes me at first but then common sense takes back hold of me and I gently push her back by her shoulders. Her once closed eyes are filled with regret.

"Barbara, we can't do that anymore. You know I'm with Kory."

Sitting back into her wheelchair, she backs up so there's more space between us. Her eyes don't meet mine now and she is playing with the ends of her hair. "I'm sorry, that was impulsive. I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have done that."

"Then why did you?"

"I know you're with Kory now, I know that. But… I felt there has always been this special connection between us, Dick. I thought that if I kissed you, we would both feel that spark again and just know… that we belong together." She swallows and shakes her head, still refusing to meet my gaze.

I sigh. I hadn't realized that she still had feelings for me after all these years. Some detective I am. "Barbara, I care about you as a friend but that's all I can ever offer you. I'm happy with Kory and I plan to marry her one day."

My heart breaks as a couple tears fall down her pale, freckled cheeks. I never wanted to hurt her, she's one of my oldest friends but it's clear now that she's viewed me differently this whole time. I want to comfort her but I refrain, it would only be more confusing so I fight the urge as my hands find my lap.

"I understand. I should have realized there was nothing left but I had to try before it was too late." She takes a moment to wipe her tears away. "Just forget this ever happened. Okay?"

I nod, not knowing what to say but knowing I should probably head back to the manor now. She probably wants some alone time after that and not to mention patrol will be starting soon. It's my turn to pair up with Raven tonight. I stand, rubbing the back of my neck as I do.

"I'm sorry, but I have to get back to the manor before patrol. We're still working this case with Brother Blood and Joker," I say as I gesture to her door.

She clears her throat. "I'll let you know if I see anything suspicious."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that, Barbara."

She smiles and waves as I turn to leave. I haven't called her Barbara in years, it almost feels weird to do so now. I try to ignore her broken smile, it would only make me want to go back there and comfort her but I can't. Instead, I think about what just happened.

Sitting on my bike, I think about how I'm going to tell Kory. I know I have to because Barbara kissed me but that doesn't make me any less anxious about it. She might not be too upset, after all her people have different customs on Tameran. I swallow back my nerves as I think about how she can also be the jealous type from time to time. I hope she'll understand my side and we can move on together. Specifically to our new apartment I want for us so badly.

Before I can fasten my helmet on, I feel a prick in the back of my neck. Unfortunately for me, I don't get the chance to react as a fist comes flying towards me. I don't even remember hitting the pavement before passing out.

….

Jason's POV

….

I have to admit that hanging out with Raven has been nice. I enjoy her company, whether we're sparring, reading, patrolling or even making food together. It's been nice having her around while we deal with this case. I kind of felt bad at first that Dick threw himself into this case, leaving Raven to her own means but if he didn't do that, then I might not have realized how cool she is or how much we actually have in common.

Surprisingly enough, Dick managed to pull himself away from the cave long enough to go to his ex-girlfriend's place. Don't know why he went over there but as long as he's not doing anything shady behind Dreamsicle's back then I don't care.

That brings us to now, sitting across from one another on the metal bench on the rooftop of the manor. Her back is to the city and the image of her calms me with the sun resting on the horizon, painting the once bright blue sky with smears of orange and pink.

Raven's smokey voice pulls me back to reality. Fuck. I might have stared longer than I should have.

"So why the guns?"

I shrug. "I've always been good at them and they get the job done." She nods slightly but looks like she wants to say more. Ask more. "Bruce took me to the gun range when I was fourteen. It was the first time I ever shot a gun. He was so proud of me, said I was a natural talent." I smile at the memory.

"So Bruce is the reason that's your weapon of choice now?"

"The funny thing is, he never wanted me to actually use guns in the field. No, he just thought it was a good idea to relieve some of my anger in a healthier way than what I was doing at the time. Imagine his surprise when I came back to life and used guns to kill bad guys."

Her perfectly shaped brow raises but the rest of her facial expression remains neutral. "I imagine he'd be even more surprised if you started using them when you were still Robin."

I burst out laughing, picturing now that would look. "Bruce would have lost his shit beyond belief and grounded me indefinitely from being Robin. I would have heard some lecture about how in all his years with Dick, he never had to worry as much as he does with me. Blah blah blah."

"Well to be fair, Boy Wonder shooting bad guys with guns wouldn't give you any points with the police department," she says as she tilts her head.

"Please, most of GCPD are crooked and the few good ones haven't been in it long enough to lose their way. Classic Gotham bullshit."

We fall into a nice silence with one another as we look back down at the books in our laps. We'll need to head inside soon, it's getting dark which means it's almost time for patrol. Dick should be back by now.

I take a glance at Raven as she smiles at the words on the pages displayed before her. Her soft features make me smile without thinking. The way she brushes a loose strand of dark purple hair behind her ear or how she-

Wait. What am I talking about? Since when did I start thinking about Raven like that? I'm not blind, I've noticed since day one she's totally hot but the daydreaming about her is very new. I shake the feeling off, knowing that it's better to not indulge into that. I need to focus or someone can get hurt on this case and I'm not taking any chances.

"Have you only lived out west, like San Fran and wherever you were before this?" I blurt out in an effort to distract myself.

I watch as she thumbs the page of her book so she doesn't lose her place before looking curiously in my direction. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Have you ever seen snow?"

"Oh… once. The Titans had a mission and it required us to go to Russia. I didn't know it could be that cold." She shudders, the cold must have affected her substantially.

I chuckle. "Gotham isn't as cold as Russia but it's still pretty fucking cold here and it'll be winter before you know it. Something to probably keep in mind if you're really planning on staying. Your dress won't keep you warm."

She nods, thinking over my words as she rubs her chin. "I suppose you're right but I haven't decided what I'm doing yet. There's still a chance I might not stay in Gotham.

"I have a feeling you'll stay." Oddly enough, she seems like the Gotham type.

"Why's that?" Her purple eyes narrow at my blue ones.

"Obviously so you can hang out with me, Sunshine." She stiffles back a giggle at my joke as she bites her bottom lip. Fuck, she looks super hot when she does that.

….

Brother Blood's POV

….

"I have to say that I am very impressed with your methods. Having him join our side will jump start the next phase, which means we are both very close to getting what we want." I say as I watch the monitors before me.

Nightwing, or should I say, Dick Grayson is displayed in one of our rehabilitation rooms. The nurses just finished strapping him to his chair so he can start his journey with the Church of Blood. I watch as a few more nurses come in with the needed supplies. Dick is still unconscious, thanks to the sedative we gave him upon arrival.

"So this is how you do it, huh?" I smile at Deathstroke's question. He has no idea.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"This is how you're recruiting people?" I can hear the impatience in his voice but choose to ignore it. I'm almost giddy that we can start the next part of my plan.

"There are many ways we recruit people, Deathstroke. This is only one form. I use magic to convert followers but heroes have always proven to be more challenging. So with technical advancements, it has become much easier to use alternate forms to convert them."

"So that's what this is?" He asks as he points to Dick. I can't blame him for wanting to know more, I would too.

"Mr. Grayson will be receiving a shot of Comply Serum to ensure he is fully on our side. With some of my magic, it will make anyone injected with it, completely obedient to me. But don't worry, Deathstroke, Trigon sent you here with a purpose so as long as you don't give me a reason, I won't be using this on you."

"That's reassuring," he says sarcastically. "But you still haven't told me Joker's part in all of this?"

His question causes me to smirk. I make him wait as I head towards the bar and fix us a couple drinks in celebration. Scotch on the rocks was always my drink of choice.

"Aren't you the curious one… it was his original drug, the Comply Serum. We tried to create it for years, but we could never get it right… until the Joker that is. He somehow saw what we were missing. He sought me out, not the other way around. Made a business deal I couldn't refuse." Making sure to make eye contact the whole time, I hand Deathstroke his glass and clink them together. "Cheers, mate."

The burn of the alcohol delights my senses in the best way possible. While I take a small sip, I see Deathstroke downing his in one go. He seems to be the type who's always trying to prove something to everyone else. If he was only enlightened with my followings, then he wouldn't feel the need to do that. What a shame.

"What did he want from you in return?" Joker wouldn't do anything out of the kindness in his black soulless heart. He wants something.

The words roll off my tongue with excitement as I finally spill everything he's been dying to know. "Compound A."