Hey yo, author here! Two weeks been the longest gap between chapters so far, but no stress, I ain't leaving this anytime soon. Been busy with anew sports season starting up again and have had a lot of people stay with e over the last few days. Also, I re-wrote this a bunch of times, because I felt this was a super important one to get right. Much love to anyone who reviewed/liked/followed and if you're new here, go on and drop one ya big legend!

Much love as always - Seadavid41

Ch. 14 Parley

Cyborg had been pacing back and forth in the ground floor hallway for ten minutes now. He knew he was the best person for the job. He knew everyone else would be at a massive disadvantage. He knew that it could potentially give them a lead on Deathstroke…that didn't mean he was looking forward to it. He looked at the door he had been avoiding. The sign on the front of it read "Containment Cell 1", and a red light above the doorframe indicated that the room was occupied. It was the only door lit up in the entire hallway, so Cyborg knew exactly who awaited him inside. He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't hear the clicking of heels on the floor which indicated someone had joined him.

"Doing okay Sparky?"

Cyborg normally would have jumped in surprise at the appearance of Bee behind him, but in this instance, he had been so focused on other things, the best reaction he could muster was an intake of breath.

"Yea…I'm fine, just not looking forward to having to talk to her again…how you holdin' up?"

Cyborg turned to face Bee, and for the first time, he realized that she hadn't spoken to anybody since their encounter with Phobia. She looked up at Cyborg with a small smile.

"I'm alright…or as alright as everyone else is…normally when people think of fears, they go to heights, or the dark, but when someone like…her…can show you what you don't even know are your worst nightmares…it hits different, if that makes sense?"

Cyborg nodded. "I know…and let's face it…we don't get to have normal fears...we've seen what it can be like when things go wrong. Our fears can be so much more creative than the average person."

Bee seemed to absorb what Cyborg said. It looked like she was trying to weigh up her next words carefully.

"Cy-…Victor…how do you…stay strong?"

Cyborg looked at Bee quizzically. "What do you mean?"

Bee look exasperated for a split second, before regaining some composure. "I mean…we've all been through so much…and I mean, let's be real, most of us are still pretty young for being superheroes as long as we have been. You've seen so much…been through so much…but I've never seen you break…what keeps you going?"

Cyborg seemed a little lost for words. It's not something he'd ever consciously thought about. It was part of his "routine". He pushed on. He beat the bad guy. He fought with the Titans. This was the way it always was for him…although he had been pushed to his limits…by Brother Blood…by Atlas…by Deathstroke…and suddenly, the answer came to him clear as day.

"When I was sixteen…I thought I had the world at my feet. I was gonna be a football player…I had offers from all across the States…there was nothing I wasn't gonna be able to do."

Cyborg took a deep breath, and he was aware that at some point, Bumblebee had moved closer, now slightly hovering in the air so that she could put a hand on his shoulder.

"My dad worked for Star Labs at the time. He was obsessed with his work. My mom and I tried to get him to step away from it all the time, but he never listened. One day, when we we're both going to visit him, an experiment he was working on went wrong and my mom and I were caught in the crossfire…she didn't make it…while I…"

Cyborg gestured down at his body. "I was badly wounded, but my dad was able to save me by turning me into…who you see today.

"Victor…", Bee breathed.

Cyborg waved a hand, "No…it's okay. I've come to terms with everything now. But at the time…I suddenly went from there being nothing I couldn't do…to being told exactly what I could and couldn't. My scholarships were gone. I had to drop out of school because other students were too freaked out…I couldn't even leave my house for that long…I was on a battery for the first time."

Cyborg looked up at the woman before him, and smiled at her wistfully. "But then I found the Titans. It was a coincidence like no other. Starfire dropped out the sky, Robin tried to fight her, Beast Boy came out of nowhere and all of this happened right outside my front door. Then, when I joined in, Raven appeared to stop the fighting. Honestly, it was like our origin story was scripted. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people who weren't afraid of me again…who thought I could do anything."

Bee smiled at him warmly. "Sounds like you guys formed a close-knit family pretty quickly."

"Yea, we did…but once we started working together, that's when the real threats came out to play. We went from fighting small time crime to Brother Blood, Atlas, Deathstroke…and when I think about what's made me strong…it's the Titans, and the villains we've met along the way."

Bee tilted her head. "The villains? What have they done for you?"

"They've been the people who told me I couldn't do it…the people who made me dig deep. When Atlas and I fought, he literally made me give it one hundred and ten percent, when even I thought I couldn't go that far. When Brother Blood took me apart, limb from limb, it wasn't the machine that saved me…it was me…the man I had become…partially because of him and what he made me see in myself. If I come up against someone who's strong enough to throw me down, you better believe that I'm gonna be strong enough to get back up…which is why Deathstroke doesn't know it yet, but he's picked a fight he can't win."

Bee looked at Cyborg, with an expression he couldn't quite place, before shaking her head and giving his shoulder a light slap. "That was a hell of a speech Sparky."

Cyborg chuckled. "I know, I've been good at getting my words straight in my head recently…and also, in terms of how I stay strong?...It helps being made of metal."

Bee gave an exasperated sigh as Cyborg laughed again. "Thanks Karen…I needed that."

"Needed what?"

"A reminder…Phobia may be a different kind of villain…but there ain't nothing or no one that's gonna get in my head and make me think I can't do it."

"Well, I'm glad that I could be of assistance."

"You usually are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know…you being around has really helped me keep my head straight over the last few months…you just seem to have a way of helping me out without even trying."

"I just make it seem effortless. You're actual a full-time job to maintain."

Cyborg laughed loudly at that. "Are you calling the half-machine high maintenance?"

Bee hovered up to his face and placed a palm on his cheek.

"Oh honey…", and then she lightly slapped his face.

"I'm calling all of you high maintenance."

Cyborg laughed again, and as the chuckling died down, both teens seemed to slowly realize that Bee still had her hand on Cyborg's face. In a split second, both their faces went red and Bee abruptly drew her hand away.

"You better get in there and question Phobia. Robin is gonna want information soon."

"Yea, you're probably right."

Bee turned away from Cyborg and began making her way back down the hallway. "I usually am Sparky!"

Cyborg watched Bee disappear around the corner, his mind still on the event that had just occurred. He made a mental note to come back to that later. For now, he turned to face the door he had been pacing in front of before Bee showed up and with a final deep breath, Cyborg entered the key code, watched the door slide open and made his way inside.

The Titans had never really had need of the containment cells they had installed on the ground floor of the tower. They had seemed like a really good idea when the tower was being built, but with most criminals being taken away by the Jump City police after they had been busted, the cells sat there, underused, gathering dust. In fact, Cyborg couldn't even remember the last time he'd been in this part of the tower. However, he was now more glad than ever that the tower had the facility to hold a villain. He didn't want to think of a situation where Phobia was simply left restrained in main ops.

The villain herself was currently sat in the middle of her cell. The layout of the room was like that of those used in prisons for non-contact visits. Cyborg had an area to himself, and was separated from Phobia by a thick pane of bullet proof glass. The wall at the back of her cell had a titanium door, which was securely locked, and could only be unlocked by a Titan's fingerprint and the required security code. There was a bed and a single chair in Phobia's cell. She elected to use neither. Cyborg knew that she had heard him come in, so he thought he'd give her a second to see if she had anything on her mind.

"So…the Titans send their machine to do the dirty work? I should have anticipated that I wouldn't be able to invade the mind of a robot like I would a regular human. I'm assuming if I had damaged your mind, I would have voided the warranty the Titans have for you?"

Cyborg had been nervous before he came into the room. Bee had got him to come back to his senses. Now, before him, he saw another person who had forced him to elevate himself. He originally thought he was going to play the "bad cop" role, but now…he had thought of a slightly different approach.

"Insult me all you want Phobia, cause I have to say, I really should be thanking you. Sure, you didn't affect me the same way as you did the others, but you still extracted my worst fears…and I overcame them…in your quest to make me fear the machine…you only reinforced how human I really am."

Phobia scowled and looked away. "I should have expected you to come in with some inspirational garbage like that…the Titans don't usually take prisoners…so why am I here? Let's not waste time, there's zero chance you brought me back here without a reason."

Cyborg sighed. "A fair assumption, and yes, it's correct. We want answers about how you escaped from the cryogenic freezing. Realistically, you would have needed external help to pull that off, and there was a mass break-out…so my first question, who helped you?"

"Deathstroke."

Cyborg's eyes widened at the sheer casualness that Phobia had responded with, eliciting a look of amusement from Phobia. "Well, that was easier than I expected."

"I'm glad, but I'm afraid that that will be all you get from me."

"Why would you give that up so easily, and then say nothing else? What's the reasoning?"

Phobia looked up to meet Cyborg's eyes and he couldn't help but be reminded of the malice he had seen on her face when he fought her in the city. Here, she seemed more subdued, but there was still something in her expression, like she was constantly planning her next move, that kept Cyborg on edge. Phobia seemed to relish in the effect she had.

"You see Cyborg, I don't get the name Phobia just from my powers. Art very much imitates life. So, consider me like fear…or the feeling fear gives you…how it makes you act…I'm irrational and I don't need a reason…although…you fear Deathstroke…all of the Titans do, and don't deny it...I saw it. So why not drop that little nugget of information, knowing it will fester in your mind and everyone else's…but providing clarity about his ambitions? No…that would ruin the fun."

Cyborg looked at Phobia before letting out a disbelieving huff. "You know Phobia…I have to say…I'm disappointed."

"Excuse me?"

Cyborg walked to up to the glass and turned his back to it, before letting himself slide down it so he was sitting down facing away from the villain.

"You talk a big game, oh I'm fear itself, irrational, blah blah blah, and yet, you just gave me a clearly well thought out reason for why you let me know about Deathstroke. That's not irrational, that's methodical. I've done my research on you. Not the best family life sure, but then again, in this line of work, hero or villain, that's usually a given. Then, when you couldn't find a way to conquer your own demons, you started exploiting the fears of others. I've fought a lot of different enemies, with different goals, but they all showed…ambition. You're a villain who skirts the sidelines, not willing to actually fight for what they want…who just wants to watch everyone suffer with her…that's a cowards mindset."

Cyborg felt the glass he was leaning on vibrate as Phobia smacked it. He wasn't surprised by it…he had been counting on it.

"You know nothing of me Victor Stone! I may be your captive, but I will not list-"

"I know more than you think Angela Hawkins. I know what it's like to get rejected by those around you for…what makes you different…you and I…we just went two different ways. "It's funny…a while ago, I did some undercover work at the HIVE academy…and I enjoyed it. I liked the people there when I wasn't fighting them. I liked the sense of being normal. But it wasn't the life I was destined for and I knew it. One of the students there, who I'm happy to say is now a friend, was more sad when the truth came out than angry…I could have been one of them…"

Cyborg turned around to face the woman behind the glass. The look of malice was gone for the first time. She definitely wasn't showing remorse but…there was something else going on in her head…maybe just intrigue.

"I could have been a lot of things…and it's never too late to evaluate who you want to be."

Cyborg stood up to leave. "I'll give you some time to think but just remember…the fear you bring…that you brought on Raven, Robin and the others…it's temporary. I've only recently learned this, but while that's temporary…regret is most certainly forever."

Cyborg had reached the door he came in, one hand on the handle when she called out his name. He actually hadn't been expecting anything. He had just wanted to be honest.

"Deathstroke helped a collection of people out. He wasn't just releasing everyone. He was quite methodical in his choice. He told me to go Jump and send the Titans a message that not only is he still around, but that he's coming for you. Expect him in Jump City soon. He is a changed man, driven to new heights by a lust for power that Trigon gave him a taste of"

Cyborg turned back to say thanks when Phobia cut him off. "Don't think I have told you this out of some change of heart. You have a more complex understanding of fear. I can't get at you with simple nightmares. No…I must give you absolutes. I have seen Deathstroke's power, and I have been inside his mind. He will come for all of you, and you will not stand a chance. You will be helpless to do nothing but watch as your friends die around you. I may not be able to give you visions of nightmares, but I don't need to when your future is going to be far worse…now that fear…that is delicious to me."

Cyborg turned to face down the villain, "Now who's the one who sounds scared? You tell yourself whatever reason you want for why you just helped me out. We can agree to disagree."

Cyborg chuckled, before turning back around. "And for the record Angela…when you're façade goes down…I don't think your that scary." He made his way out of the room, leaving a speechless harbinger of fear behind him.

Cyborg stepped out of the cell and once the door was closed, he let out a deep breath, and slid down the wall beside it. Whether Phobia had told him as a ploy to scare him, or because he had actually got through to her, it didn't change the fact that Deathstroke was coming and that he had been making moves this whole time. He'd somehow got some of the answers he needed, but then why did he feel like he was still playing catch-up?

"She wasn't lying during your conversation Cyborg."

Cyborg jerked his head up to meet the eyes of Raven, who had emerged from the shadows of the hallway.

"About which part?"

"…Any of it…I can usually sense the change in someone's emotions when they lie…her information on Deathstroke is reliable…her reasoning for why she gave it to you is too."

Cyborg was going to look up at Raven only to find that she had slid down the wall beside him. He shot her a hard look before, gazing down the hallway. "If she has convinced herself of that reality, it won't come across as lie...even if she's actually wrong."

"Cyborg…we can't save everyone…some people are going to destroy themselves…no matter how hard we try."

"I know…but I'll always try."

"And that's why you're a hero Victor."

Cyborg looked up Raven to see her looking at him, her hood down, a warm smile on her face. "I never thanked you for earlier…you stopped me from doing something that I would have regretted…no matter how much I thought she deserved it at the time."

Cyborg let the smallest of smiles play on his lips, wrapping one arm around Raven's much smaller frame. "I'll always be there…for any of you."

Silence reigned for a few seconds, and in that moment, everything seemed wonderfully normal. Just two friends, sharing an embrace in a quiet room. Raven was the one to end it, shuffling out of his grasp and getting too her feet. She dusted herself off, before extending hand to Cyborg, who took it gratefully.

"I came to get you because Robin wants us to meet in Ops…I have a lead on Beast Boy...a real one."

Cyborg balked at this. "Well then what are we waiting for!? Let's get mo-."

Cyborg's impassioned speech was cut off by the blare of the Titans alarm. The pair briefly exchanged a look that said "what are you gonna do?", before both hurriedly made their way upstairs towards main ops. Starfire and Bumblebee were already waiting there, but Raven and Cyborg couldn't help but stall at the new appearance of their leader. Nightwing, who had been watching a video when the others came in, hadn't heard their entrance, and was surprised when he was confronted by two of his best friends, their mouths agape.

Dick Grayson had never been a fan of a full face ask, always opting for the covering of his eyes and nothing more. Unfortunately, in this instance, it didn't help him to hide his slight blush in anyway. It took him only a moment to collect himself, before he straightened himself up.

"Raven, Cyborg…I hade been mulling this over for a while, and during a time where recently, I haven't been the leader you needed me to be, I wanted to show that I'm done be-".

Raven cut him off, her monotone cutting through his clearly pre-rehearsed speech. "The blue suits you, it will play better in covert operations."

Cyborg couldn't help but jump in. "Well yea, cause now he won't look like a traffic light on main street."

Nightwing's jaw dropped. Out of the hundreds of responses he had thought he could be faced with by his teammates, that interaction was not one of them. He was broken from his thoughts by a loud bellow of laughter and a slap on the back from Cyborg. "Nightwing…looking better than ever." Nightwing smiled at the larger titan, before looking past him, noting the faint trace of a smile from Raven and the approving nod that followed.

Starfire watched the scene unfolding before he warmly. It had been a turbulent few months and too see a portion of her family acting like this again made her heart soar. Now all they had to do was find their missing member. "Not to interrupt this joyous occasion, but I believe Raven has found a lead that pertains to Beast Boy?"

Robin's smile dropped from his face, before he turned to face the all of the Titans present. "Raven, your lead on Beast Boy may have to wait…we have a problem…a big one."

Raven didn't even have time to question what Robin meant before he had projected a video onto the main screen of ops. Johnny Rancid had been filmed terrorizing Jump City, but that isn't what had caused the jaws of the Titans to drop. The motorbike he had been filmed on was ablaze, leaving scorch marks where he had driven. Johnny Rancid looked possessed, eyes impossibly wide, with dilated pupils and a sickening smile, the Mark of Skath glowing a deep red in the centre of his pale and ghostly forehead.

Deathstroke had been in his chosen field for long enough to pick up a few extra tricks of the trade. Whether it be knowing whether someone was lying to him or understanding when a deal couldn't be struck, he had developed a series of extra senses that one needed to survive in his line of work. He had felt the change since he entered the forest he was standing in. A thick presence hung in the air, inescapable, threatening to smother those who fell into it's grasp. The only time he hadn't felt this was when he was indoors amongst the Cult. But, while they didn't say a word about it, he knew they had felt what he had felt. They were scared…terrified even. For something to scare followers of Trigon so outright…it was an intriguing concept at the minimum.

So now, Deathstroke stood in a clearing in the forest. He was being watched and he would not tolerate this shadow that had been following him any longer. He had a fair idea of what stalked him…or rather who stalked him. The list of enemies he had who could move so silently in an environment such as this was small…the list of enemies that would be brave or stupid enough to come after him alone…now that was even smaller.

Deathstroke looked up at the trees with his arms raised and began slowly scanning his surroundings. "I know you're out there…you think the wild gives you cover…protection…I will always know your next move Garfield Logan…so why not come out and face me like a man…or is the moniker of Beast Boy still your most apt description."

"Who says I was trying to hide?"

Deathstroke whipped around, where Beast Boy's voice had come from to find the changeling, leaning against a tree, a degree of casualness he had genuinely not expected from someone he had always viewed as nothing more than an insignificant child. He could put it down to having to focus on his address to the wilderness, but he had legitimately been surprised by Beast Boy's sudden and undetected appearance. But, this surprise also lay undetected behind his mask. Deathstroke eyed the changeling, trying to work out the mind set of the person before him. Immediately, he knew this wasn't the boy he had so easily toyed with in a house of mirrors all those years ago.

"Interesting…there aren't may reasons for such an abrupt appearance…did you simply miss me that much?"

Beast Boy looked down at his hands. Deathstroke noted for the first time since he'd encountered the changeling all those years ago, there were no gloves adorned on his hands. They were exposed to the air, revealing relatively savage looking claws. Deathstroke would have no problem admitting, the person who stood opposite him did not look like a boy anymore. Beast Boy pushed himself of the tree, and looked at Deathstroke head on for the first time.

"I've never been one for underhanded tactics…call me sentimental. I wouldn't offer you the privilege of am ambush…I want to see recognition on your face when you realize I've taken you down clean as whistle."

Deathstroke smiled behind his mask. Revenge, such a simple motivation, one that he had relied on himself heavily in the past, but one that could be manipulated in a fight if he played his cards right.

Deathstroke laughed before reaching behind his back for his axe. He could see Beast Boy tense at the action. He allowed the flames to appear on the blade and he watched the fire dance across the metal, before throwing the weapon down a few feet away from, the fire extinguished by the surrounding snow. "Must it go straight to mindless violence…Garfield Logan…allow me to extend a hand…let's talk…We haven't spoken since I took on the moniker of Deathstroke and I'm sure I have information you're dying to know."

Beast Boy had known Deathstroke was in his forest from the second his boot cracked its first twig. The Beast, sensitive from his very recent episode with Raven, had nearly exploded out of him when Beast Boy had picked up his scent. The man who had caused him, the Titans and so many others so much pain, had just entered his territory and the Beast wanted blood. But he had held it back. Beast Boy knew that Deathstroke had been working for months already, on something far bigger than a simple plan to take down the Titans and he had no way of knowing if that plan would die with him or if there were even motions already at play. No, he needed Deathstroke and he need information.

"Alright…let's talk. Question for question. I'm sure you have your own musings to address."

Beast Boy could have sworn he saw a smile under Deathstroke's mask. "Very perceptive of you and I'll start, as you have the, how shall we say, home field advantage. You never returned to your precious Titans, why?"

A younger Beast Boy would have been sweating at the mere idea of a confrontation with Slade like this. But now, his time alone had mad him strong, his connection to the Beast had made him confident. This was going to be a game of poker and he wasn't going to give Deathstroke a chance to gauge his tells.

"Your scheme showed me it wasn't where I needed to be or what I needed to focus on at that point of time. I had other things to deal with first."

"But were you not worried about what you left behind? Your precious little fam-"

Beast Boy held up a hand, catching Deathstroke by surprise and cutting him off mid-sentence. "That sounds like another question, and that's not how this game works."

Deathstroke raised both his hands in apology and motioned for Beast Boy to proceed.

Beast Boy looked at Deathstroke with an impassive gaze. He didn't know how long this game was going to last and even now, he could feel the beast crawling beath his skin. He needed to pick his questions carefully.

"Why are you pursuing the Cult of Trigon?"

Deathstroke let out a deep laugh, before motioning at the axe he had tossed to the ground. "You saw how the flames are still commanded by my will. Trigon may be gone, but the power he granted me remains and his followers play an important role in their maintenance."

Beast Boy took that answer as a win. Yes, it was about as vague as he was expecting, but a definitive link between the Deathstroke's power and the Cult was definitely worth noting. If he could establish the extent of his po-

"Do you still hold loyalty to the Titans?"

That abruptly brought Beast Boy out of his thoughts. What kind of a question was that? Of course he still…and then he paused…did he? If he were to return to the Tower today…would it still be home? Would he actually look at his friends the same way he had before…could he ever again? It was a thought that had never crossed his mind. Deathstroke would know if he was lying, and he couldn't afford for this truce to end this early.

"I don't know."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only answer I can give. I've had…other priorities since I left and while I always had an idea in my head to return…I can't tell you honestly that I'll know what my stance on them will be. I can't give you a yes or no answer if I truly do not know."

"…I'll accept that reasoning."

Beast Boy nodded before going back to his train of thought. Deathstroke's questions were targeted and aiming for something. He should be doing the same.

"What's your end goal, once you've attained what you think you need?"

Deathstroke seemed to take Beast Boy's question on board, giving it some genuine thought. Beast Boy couldn't help but find the nature of the situation to be almost funny with how insane it was. Here he was, playing a game with Deathstroke that two college kids might play together, in the middle of a forest in Alaska.

"I don't know, and I'll tell you why."

Beast Boy nodded, extending Deathstroke the same courtesy he had granted him with.

"My goal, Beast Boy, has always been power. With Robin as a sidekick, I would have had a Titan I could have molded in my image. I would have given him everything. It is the same I offered Terra…and the same I am thinking of offering again to another. My deal with Trigon was not only to bring me back from an untimely demise, but to obtain the power he could bestow upon me. Now, I have a new path towards a power unlike anything I have possessed before. I'll complete my journey, and then I'll bask in the rewards."

Beast Boy didn't even have time to process the response before Deathstroke hit him with next question.

"Why do you constantly rely on people who fear your greatest power…the beast that lies inside you? Why have you let other dictate how you perceive it?"

"That's two questions."

"Answer either, I do not care which."

Beast Boy could feel his nerves starting to spike. He didn't like the line of questioning Deathstroke was choosing, and a simple line from his previous answer had already put him on edge. Deathstroke took his silence as a sign for him to continue.

"Let me rephrase me question. When I took you from the wreckage outside the Tower, I saw a boy who was wasting his potential. Who refused to let himself be something more, all because those he trusted told him his strength was something to be feared. I was going to learn from you…and take it from you by force. I thought you were undeserving. But now, even I can admit, you don't stand before me as a boy…you stand proud, with an understanding of what you possess. Anyone can have power Garfield Logan…but only those who are willing to use it…they are the ones who can change the world. Why would you go back to your old life, and your old comrades, who lived in fear of what you could do…when you could stand side-by-side with someone who understands what makes you special?"

Beast Boy knew what had just been offered to him. The same offer Robin had received, and then had been forced into. The same offer Terra had received and accepted, only to use her final actions to free herself from the deal she had struck. Beast Boy didn't know what his relationship would be with the Titans in the future…whether there would be a relationship at all…but this question…well this was an easy one.

"Deathstroke…Slade…whatever you want to call yourself…you haven't changed as much as you think you have. It's not that you're lying to me, or filling my head with false promises…in fact, I think we've both obeyed the rules pretty well. But behind the mask, behind the name change, behind this new power you have…you're the same man that terrorized my life for years. You know that you're weak without power...and that's why you crave it so badly.. I never came out here to find power…but I've taken responsibility for myself…and it came to me along the way. So no, whether I go back to the Titans, or I find my own way in this world, as long as the pair of us live...I will never stop fighting you."

Deathstroke looked genuinely disappointed and silence filled the air. But this wasn't like the gaps in conversation they had had before. There was something new in the air…something dangerous…something volatile. Deathstroke looked up at Beast Boy with an incredible calmness to his demeanor.

"I believe you have one more question to balance out the scales."

Beast Boy took a step towards Deathstroke, his stance defensive, his body low. This conversation had begun to teeter, and Beast Boy was going to be ready if Deathstroke decided to be impulsive. He locked eyes with those behind the orange and black mask.

"How do you achieve your end goal?"

The surrounding environment was cold, but if had been anyone watching this interaction play out, they would have sworn that the temperature dropped a few more degrees when that question left Beast Boy's mouth. Deathstroke looked at Beast Boy, only the slightest shifting of his mask indicated that he now wore a sickly smile.

"That's an easy one…in the coming days…I will return to Titans Tower, with a legion of forces…I will burn the building to the ground…I will slaughter every Titan, whether they are a man, woman or child, including your precious little group…but not Raven…no…I will take here to where she became the portal…and I will spill her blood personally so as to claim the power that is rightfully mine…and believe me Beast Boy…she will suffer."

Beast Boy got into a low fighting stance, his eyes already starting to glaze over. "You'll never get the chance you son of a bitch."

Deathstroke laughed, holding out his hand, beckoning his axe to return to his grip, the blade becoming alight with flames the second his hand made contact with the hilt.

"Oh really? No Titan has been able to stop me before…what makes you think you're about to change that fact?"

Beast Boy smiled as Deathstroke, but it was not a human smile. It was the smile of a predator who had identified prey. It was feral…unhinged…wild.

"That's an extra question, but I'll answer it because I want too…because as of right now, I'm not a Titan. I'm animal…an apex predator…and I know when to go for the kill."

Deathstroke watched on as Garfield Logan underwent his most violent transformation. The sound of bones cracking and muscle tearing echoed throughout the forest. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was noise, which at this stage, was enough to put the entire forest on high alert. The Beast had arrived.

Deathstroke looked at his opponent with respect, before raising his axe. The Mark of Skath burned brightly on his head and his feet became engulfed in flame and he was lifted off the ground, both his fists becoming engulfed in the fire at the same time.

"That's right Garfield…show me your Beast…and I'll return it as a corpse."

The Beast locked eyes with Deathstroke, took in a deep breath and let out a primal roar that shook the nearby trees. It sprinted at Deathstroke, launching itself into the air when it was ten feet away, before barreling down towards his sworn enemy. The man who had made Beast Boy's life a living hell. The one who had just stated his intentions to kill the Titans…to kill Raven personally. Deathstroke fired a bolt of white hot fire at the Beast, which it dove straight through. The Beast went to bite Deathstroke, aiming straight for the throat, but Deathstroke brought his axe up too block the attack. The sound of canines meeting steel echoed throughout the Alaskan night.