The Unknowing

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

Chapter Twenty Two: Break Out

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Jason's POV

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"Mom, when are you going to break up with that guy? He's a loser, you can do so much bet-"

"Jason, quiet down, I don't want to hear anymore on this! I told you that Chuck is a good man and he makes sure we have a roof over our heads."

"Yeah, some place this is. It's a dump with roaches crawling in my stuff and crackheads hanging outside our door. I hate it here!"

"That's enough Jason Peter Todd!"

"You had a career before him! You weren't shooting up all the time before him either! Ever since dad died in prison, you've drowned yourself with any and every loser you can find-"

"Stop it! Just shut up!"

"Do you even love me? Because I don't feel like you love me as much as you love smack. You never cook for us and you barely act like a mom!"

"Out! I want you out of this home and I never want to see you again! I deserve a son who would never talk to me like that!"

"Whatever, this was never a home to begin with."

I hear the sound of a door being slammed, jolting me from my unconscious state. The first thing I feel is the beginning of a throbbing headache pounding away at the back of my head. Instinctively I reach for my face, needing to secure my worries knowing that I'm not exposed to the world. That I'm covered in some way from enemies. I relax feeling the domino mask under my gloveless hands. That's one good thing at least. Every muscle in my body hurts but I will myself to open my eyes and survey my current predicament. That's when I hear his voice.

"It's about time you woke up, Red Hood." That voice is unmistakable, I'd know it anywhere.

"That's just wonderful," I groan as I take in the small dim room we're both residing in. It can't be bigger than ten feet wide in each direction with one bench going along the wall. A small light flickers above us on the high ceiling, but my eyes are more concerned with Deathstroke sitting on that uncomfortable looking bench. Just my fucking luck.

"Please tell me I'm not trapped with you?" I hang my head low, already knowing the answer I didn't want.

"Sorry to disappoint."

I can't help the profanities I mumble as I get up from my slumped position on the floor. Is it too much to ask to be handled more delicately? Finally on my feet, I spend a couple minutes rolling out my shoulders and neck, feeling the knots loosen as I do.

"This isn't fucking yoga, ya know?"

"No shit. If it was then I'd have a mat and oh, I don't know, I wouldn't be doing it in a fucking holding cell. A lousy one at that. It's like they couldn't even spend enough money to get a proper jail cell or anything. Not what I expected from a cult of this size, they usually have better funding." I reach for all the spots I keep my guns and weapons hoping to find something but feeling nothing but emptiness. It would be stupid for them to let me keep my weapons but still annoying nonetheless.

"I really don't know what Rose saw in you." For the first time since I woke up, my eyes land on his face. I've never seen him without his mask before but sure enough, that's him alright. He doesn't look as old as Rose said he is, I wonder if it's the meta abilities in him.

"The better question is what did I see in her? I'm a catch. Parents love me, even you." I smile because I can see it all over his scarred face that I'm starting to get to him. Good.

"Don't make me regret not killing you when you were mumbling about your mom a few minutes ago," he says in return.

I want to say something but it's probably better if I keep my mouth shut so I do. I need to focus on getting out and I might just need him to do that. "I gotta say that lightning hurts like a bitch. Not a fan of that at all. Cool power though but I don't quite understand that. I mean the logical answer is Blood but how?"

I watch as he smirks, clearly happy he knows something I don't. "I'm surprised you don't know about Compound A. Not very good detective work. What would Batman think?"

"Good one, haven't heard that before." I step back until I'm leaning against the wall, watching him since I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious? I was played by Blood. He got what he wanted and threw me away once he was finished." No surprise there.

"So you were working together?"

"For all intents and purposes." Deathstroke shrugs, acting like he has no care in the world even though we're essentially locked in a box by a crazy cult leader that enjoys drinking blood.

"You can't be surprised that Blood tricked you." There's no trust among people like that, no code of ethics they follow to keep each other in line. I would know.

"I suppose not." Is all he says before falling silent.

I can only sit in the silence for a minute or two before I say what's on my mind. "You can't kill her, ya know?" I watch as he takes a moment to study my facial features. He's just wasting his time because I keep my face expressionless.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, there's always a way," he says as he leans against the wall behind him.

I chuckle, here we go. "Let's forget about her being an all powerful queen of hell for a second and think about everyone else. Hmm? Whether she admits it or not, she's a Titan and will always be a Titan. She has people who care for her and who would blur the line to make sure you never hurt her. Hell, her one teammate has a canon for an arm and her best friend is fucking Nightwing, trained by Batman. Not to mention his second one, me. You will never be able to get near her again, Slade, and you're foolish if you think any differently."

I have to admit that the time I've spent with Raven has been… nice. I know she's had some haywire magic moments but I know it was outside of her control so I don't blame her for anything. Besides, I'm far from perfect myself but that aside, it has been fairly enjoyable hanging out with her. She has good taste in books and is witty nature which is all I can ask for in a friend.

It's safe to say that I've come to care about her and when I care about someone, I'll do everything in my power to protect that person even if it means crossing the line for them. Not to mention my annoying big brother that can never seem to leave me alone. They need me right now.

"You talk so highly of them but tell me, where are the Titans now? Not here. And Nightwing? Brainwashed and working for the true bad guy here, Brother Blood. And you're in this cell with me. You're not so intimidating when we're in a predicament like this." When he says it like that it doesn't sound too optimistic.

"Don't sell me too short, Deathstroke. This is only a minor setback." And that's a fact because I cannot stay here for long, I have people depending on me.

"Minor? I'd hate to see what a major setback looks like for you," he says as he chuckles and stands up. I can't help but notice that he looks to be four or so inches taller than me.

"So why'd you do it anyway? Work with Blood after you claimed you wanted nothing to do with him?"

"I still want nothing to do with him. I meant it when I told Raven that I quite like this world how it is and seeing Blood destroy it would be disappointing to say the least." Deathstroke answers without missing a beat.

"Then why?" I remember Raven telling us that when we got back to the bat cave there was no way he made a deal with that lunatic.

"Trigon came to me. He offered a deal I wanted so I told him I'd take it." He says it like it's something you hear every day.

"What was the deal?"

He takes his time before he finally decides to answer the question. "Getting the opportunity to kill Ras al Ghul. You and I both know that is more rare than a blood moon, I couldn't waste an opportunity that great."

"Wait, you killed Ras?" The words leave my mouth before I even process them and he nods in return, a smile etching its way onto his wrinkled face. "Was it worth it? Killing him to just let a crazy cult leader resurrect an all powerful demon who will just end up killing you anyway."

"According to Trigon, he'd leave the continent alone for me to run the League as I see fit. It was believable enough to think I would actually take the deal for both of them. Nothing more." He shrugs.

"But you killed Ras?" I question him, still shocked he's actually dead. Damian's grandfather is dead and he doesn't know yet. As twisted as that guy was, he was still Damian's grandfather. He's going to be devastated.

"Of course I killed him. When would I ever get the chance to kill him again? If I was younger and dumber then I'd be true to my word when I vowed to work with Trigon and Blood, but I'm neither of those things anymore." I see where this is headed and I don't like it one bit.

"Typical. You used them both to get what you want and it brought you closer to Raven. You still wanted her dead." I can feel the heat of the pit wanting to crawl its way up and make itself known. The thought of him hurting her or worse makes my blood boil. I take a breath in and exhale it through my mouth, pushing down the anger I feel deep inside.

"You catch on quick, kid." His voice has never pissed me off so much before and that's saying something.

"How's it feel that Blood betrayed you first? Must sting."

"Probably not as much as getting electrocuted stung." He starts pacing the length of the room, my eyes still glued to him.

"I'll admit that fucking hurt." Thankfully my suit took most of the damage otherwise it would have been much worse. "You can't kill Raven."

He pauses to look at me before continuing. "You said that already. Look, it's not that I want to kill her, because I don't. I quite like the Titans, I've always found them amusing and frankly, we've been through a lot together. After everything went down with Trigon all those years ago, I left San Francisco. I thought it was the least I could do after I played a part in bringing Trigon to Earth. It was my mistake to think that was a good idea but you know how it is being dead. Not exactly a walk in the park. I saw an out and I took it. But now Raven is under Blood's control. He already used the Comply Serum so he has full control of her powers and mind. She's not the Raven you knew anymore. Without Raven there's no risk in summoning Trigon back to earth. No Brother Blood equals no Church of Blood to follow Trigon. Kill them to save the entire world from eternal darkness, even if that means I'll have to deal with the Titans on my ass for the rest of my life. At least we'll all still have a planet to call home, so be it."

Of course he would see it like that, it's the easier way out for someone like him. The real threat here is Brother Blood, he's the one who needs to be stopped and him alone. I need to get to Dick and we need to figure out a way to help Raven and wake her up.

"From what I heard, Raven could have killed you after defeating her father but she didn't. She gave you a chance and let you escape on purpose, which was more than you deserved considering what you did to her. Stripping her of her uniform and tossing her off a building. She should have locked you up for good, Deathstroke."

"I must admit that I'm surprised she shared that bit of information with you." He stops again but this time he doesn't continue pacing. He looks like he's annoyed and impatient, I can relate.

"She didn't, Nightwing did so I better understood the role you played in all of this and how far you'll go to get what you want. No doubt runs in the family."

"It was a scare tactic, nothing more." He's smirking again and all I want to do is wipe it clear off his smug face. He's lucky I don't. "It sounds like you're still upset about my daughter."

"Only the money she stole after our heist. It was my plan after all."

And it was a good amount of money, like a lot. I had it all worked out too until she stabbed me in the back to steal the whole thing for herself. While I planned to put a comfortable amount into savings and investing accounts for myself, I also had planned to donate the majority of it to a few charities. The one I was most excited for was GSFA, Gotham's School For All, a charity dedicated to supplying schools in Gotham new equipment like computers and gym necessities. It would also fund the school, allowing kids to actually have a good education with teachers that care about them in every neighborhood, no matter how bad. It would help kids stay in school and off the streets and if I can help even one kid then that's all that matters to me.

That's what would have happened if Rose didn't take it and run. That was a year ago and I haven't seen her since. No surprise there.

"That sounds like my Rose." I can hear how proud he is of her, of course he is.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," I say as I shake my head with a sigh. "Look, neither one of us want to see what Blood has in store for Raven, least of all Raven herself. She gave you a second chance, the least you could do is give her a chance. I don't trust you, and I never will, but we both want to stop Blood before he summons a demon to earth to kill everyone. We need to escape… by working together. For now anyway."

I hate how desperate I sound but I don't have another choice and frankly neither does he. We're severely outnumbered because of Raven's many magical talents. It worries me that I don't know the full extent of them in a predicament like this.

"You're putting a lot of faith in someone who could still kill her once we escape."

I shrug. "Highly unlikely, there's a much better chance of us dying by her hands if Blood's converted her like you said." He can't be that cocky to actually think he stands a chance when it comes to trying to kill Raven. She would flatten him in a second.

"You know this is basically a suicide mission, right?" He folds his arms and huffs in annoyance.

"C'mon, Deathstroke, where's your sense of adventure?" I smirk, flashing a toothy grin. He rolls his eyes in annoyance.

"You're starting to sound like Harley Quinn, kid."

"Hmm, I did grow up around her." I shrug his comment off, growing more serious. "What's it going to be, Deathstroke?"

He takes a minute before finally responding. "She gets one chance, Hood, and that's it."

I nod, that's good enough for me right now. Even if he is lying, he won't get a chance at hurting her. Can't hurt to remind him though.

"If you do make the dumb decision to betray this truce or even lay one finger on Raven then the Titans won't be the only ones you'll need to run from. And unlike them, I'll do whatever it takes to find you."

"Don't tell me the Red Hood of Gotham has a crush on the dark ex-Titan?" I ignore failed attempts to create a rise out of me, it won't work.

"I'm serious, Deathstroke. The Titans are one thing but you don't want to deal with me forever. You won't like the outcome." I warn him and he seems to understand because he nods in response.

"We'll need a distraction to separate her from Blood, he won't let her get far from him."

"You spent some time with Blood, what do you think would be a good distraction?" He had to learn some sort of weakness from him that we can use against him. One that will give me just enough time to get Raven and hopefully Dick out.

"Mother Mayhem. She's been working with Blood behind the scenes this whole time, they appear to be partners. If we go after her then that should be enough to distract Blood from Raven, he cares about her."

"Should?" That doesn't sound very reassuring.

"It's worth a shot. Do you have a plan to stop Raven?"

"Actually, yes. You still have those sedatives?"

"In my toolbelt with everything else that they took." He nudges to the door with a tilt of his head. "We'll need to get out of here first."

"That's fine," I reply, thinking every move out ahead of time leaves no room for error. Trigon can't be summoned.

Taking a seat on the bench, I reach down to take my right boot off. I waste no time grabbing the one thing that can actually promise our freedom from this place, my mini lock pick I hide in a hidden compartment along the inside of the bottom of the boot. No one ever thinks to check my boots, works every time.

"What do you know? I'm impressed, now let's go already. The sooner I get out of here the better. I need a break from magic," Deathstroke says as he signals me to hurry up and unlock the door.

I can't say I blame him. The sooner Blood is stopped and Raven and Dick are saved, the sooner I can once and for all stop Joker. End his life permanently so he can never hurt anyone else ever again. It's what he deserves. I just wish it was Bruce who did it all those years ago.