Something was different.
He had entered deep within the tunnel, close to the main area where Slade spent most of his time. Where the bulk of the machinery was kept. Batman was behind him at a distance, disabling or tricking the sensors, he didn't know.
The… atmosphere was different. But everything was going on as usual.
Slade overlooking his computer systems.
Slade bots assembling machinery.
The amoebas and animals within the base were reporting that nothing had changed these past few days.
But something was different.
Before he entered the tunnels, he mentioned to the team a certain area that didn't have explosives, obstructions or put the team in danger. The perfect platform to spring an attack.
And his instincts told him it was still the best spot to have Raven teleport the others. So he headed to it.
Different…
In the way that Slade shifted in the base.
The way the bots worked and carried supplies and parts.
His amoebas moved like wind currents. Carrying pheromones, or information, to him. And they still were, but there was something in his 'current.'
Batman must have known Logan reached the opening to the base, because he stopped. It was time Logan got in position, and send the call to Robin.
Slade was looking at a computer terminal, his back to Logan. And it was Deathstroke in the flesh. Logan knew his scent. His sweat. The amoebas in his lungs told Logan that no Slade bot or body double had replaced him.
It was Deathstroke the Terminator alright.
Logan took a sweeping look at the main floor. Just to confirm what his instincts told him. These past few days… Every. Single. Inch. of this base was inspected.
Every bot.
Every sensor.
Every machine. Power line. Water line. Air filtration system. He had sat for hours, thinking what he should investigate. And as soon as they met Batman, then learned both the Titans and him would invade, Logan doubled down and swept the base, again and again.
And still… everything was going as usual.
But it was DIFFERENT!
He gave the floor a quick once over.
Slade on a raised platform, reading his terminal. An open area before the platform, used to walk around the main floor. Enormous squares of tile, or steel plates along a back wall. With one single square leaning on the platform, close to Slade. And scattered crates. Nothing else.
He forced the uneasiness down, and like the flow of water, he turned into one of his amoebas and joined the current. The feeling in his stomach turned to nervousness. Then the room began to feel like it was closing in. Like he was experiencing claustrophobia.
He was tempted to turn back. Go to Batman, and tell him to call off the invasion. Run up the tunnel, grab the others, jump in the T-Car and R-Cycle, and bolt out of there.
But he replayed a plan that he'd come up with. Simple. Quick. And wouldn't take much effort.
He had amoebas in every corner of the base. Inside every crevice. Inside every Slade Bot… If those amoebas happened to turn into animals too large for their metal bodies, then they would burst out and destroy the bots.
That would take care of Slades 'army.'
So Logan floated to the perfect spot, like a leaf traveling down a calm stream. Then he changed back to human. Quietly. So silent, his feet didn't make any noise touching the dirt.
He stood there in the darkness, watching Slades back.
Knowing that he could cripple him. Do to him what Slade did with his probes to his family. But his sense of honor, his struggle in letting the others fight, when he could do all the fighting for them, clashed. He could protect them, make all their enemies go away. So they can live. Grow up. And be happy. He would do the fighting… so they could do the living. Because he loved them. And he didn't want to lose them.
But they wouldn't accept that.
So he reached over to his communicator, and pressed the call button.
*click*
"Logan… I was wondering when you would join me."
Logans eyes shot wide open. He was surrounded by his team, the Teen Titans. They were in battle stances, ready to jump into action. But they saw Logan freeze up and become stiff. So they stared at him.
Slade turned to address Logan and the other Titans.
The base was quiet.
But Logan heard.
He heard his voice loud and clear.
[INTERESTING! VERY INTERESTING! YOU ARE TRULY A UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL MR. LOGAN!]
Brother Blood was in his head…
—-
With lightning fast reflexes, that scared the Titans to their core, Slade pulled a gun and aimed right at Logan's head.
But a batarang flew and cut the gun in half before he could take the shot. Just as Slade turned to the direction of the projectile, his attacker swung from a grappling hook and planted both heels into his chest.
The Slade bots dropped their machine parts and swarmed the Titans. Who had to take their attention away from their teammate, to engage them.
All the while Logan stood there, head facing up with Blood in his mind. Everything that was Logan, inside the base and outside the city, crashed to the ground. Their instincts completely blocked and ripped apart.
Logan felt like claws where cutting through his brain. Not in the sense of pain, but a hunger. A hunger to KNOW. To DISCOVER. To TAKE what was in his head. And Blood wanted everything that was in Logans mind.
[I THOUGHT THAT CYBORG WAS AN INTERESTING SPECIMEN. I WAS ACTUALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF MAKING... CHANGES TO MYSELF. CHANGES THAT WOULD IMPROVE MY PHYSICAL ABILITIES.]
[AND I WAS SURPRISED WHEN SLADE REACHED OUT TO ME, HINTING AT WHAT THE TEEN TITAN'S SHAPESHIFTER WAS CAPABLE OF]
[AND NOW I DISCOVER THAT ANOTHER TITAN HAS AN EVEN GREATER POWER THAN CYBORGS!]
This power, that was coursing through him. It wasn't Blood. No... it was Blood, but it was also something else.
Something otherworldly.
[AH... I SEE YOU'RE GETTING IT MR. LOGAN. WHEN SLADE SECRETLY MESSAGED ME ABOUT THESE 'LIVING BEINGS' THAT WERE SURVAILANCING HIM, I HAD A HARD TIME BELIEVING HIM. BUT TO MY ASTONISHMENT, THEY WERE AROUND ME TOO! AND I COULD SENSE THERE WILLS AND DESIRES. YOUR... WILL AND DESIRE. AND THEY LED ME STRAIGHT TO YOU!]
Blood digging into his mind, he could see flashes. It was Slade and the communicators all over again. Their enemy, destroying every sense of privacy of his and his families life.
When the team met...
When he and Cyborg would play video games...
When they would shy away from Starfires cooking...
When he called Raven CREEPY...
Logan fought to move. But it was like his body was too erect. Like a force was keeping him upright. He tried to look at the others, but could only here the sounds of battle.
-
"I didn't expect to see you here, Batman! Did Robin go crying to you when he and his team couldn't stop me?"
"Trash talk all you want Slade, but your the one that ran from Gotham to take on 'children.' Were you upset that you couldn't handle your usual class of heroes, so you stepped down to the minor leagues? I believe Robin and his team foiled your schemes since your arrival here in Jump City."
Deathstroke growled.
Batman was having a hard time keeping Deathstroke's attention. He was a complete surprise that Slade couldn't imagine being here in his base. But this wasn't a head butting in the streets of Gotham. They weren't on opposite ends of a investigation or deal. They were in a crowded base, with excess bots attacking him. And a BIG target named Logan in the center of the room. Standing straight, as though he was possessed. Batman had to defend against bots, and keep Slade from taking any shots at Logan. He could see the Titans doing their best to fight the swarm. But he wasn't sure if their best would be good enough. Especially for some...
Shattering the legs of a bot, Batman raced forward and tackled Slade. Slade's small blade clattered across the base floor. So he reached behind him, and pulled out a device.
"Let's make this more interesting!"
Slade pushed a button.
-
"They're ACTIVATING!" A SWAT member yelled to the two speedsters.
"Fall back and form a protective barrier! Shield yourselves and let the heroes take the lead!" The chief yelled over the radio.
"You heard the chief Wally!" The Flash zipped past the bots closest to the SWAT member.
"You got it Uncle Barry!" Wally West slid under the bots legs, and started hitting them from below.
-
The Titans were trying to make up for their earlier fight with Adonis. Where he was an overwhelming single enemy, they were fighting a number of enemies that were greater than the Gordanians back when they first met.
Robin did his best to not let his emotions overtax him. He relied on his mental training with Batman, to never lose his focus on the objective. So he imagined himself a machine. Built and perfected to destroy Slade bots. to defend his team. His family.
Cyborg did his best to weave between the steel plating and crates that housed the machine parts within the base. He stocked up on extra cores to keep his systems running at max, before they headed to the base. He chose to trade short range power attacks, to long distance shots at lower energy cost. He aimed for the bots main control panels, and wouldn't waste power shooting their limbs.
Starfire did a lot of twirling and flips, anything to keep the bots from grabbing hold of her. If just one grabbed her, she spun and did her best to collide it with another bot. She would do her best to conserve her energy, and keep her starbolts and eyes to a minimum.
Raven was struggling. From the moment they arrived on the cliff, something was wrong. There was something, familiar, but like it was far away. She KNEW it was there, but couldn't see it. So she lied, and told Robin she was ready. When she wasn't. She didn't know what made her lie, maybe she just wanted the fighting with Slade to end. But it didn't matter, because they were there. And the moment they teleported inside, Raven began to shake and loose focus. But she fought, fought only to stop this oppressive feeling.
-
[YOU SENSE IT, DON'T YOU? I'M NOT ONE TO ACCEPT ALL THE PRAISE IN REACHING YOU ALL THE WAY FROM STEELE CITY. NO. I MUST THANK MY MASTER. FOR HE HAS BLESSED ME WITH THE STRENGTH TO REACH YOU FROM SUCH A FAR DISTANCE. BUT YOU LED ME TO YOURSELF, MR. LOGAN. I HAVE YOU TO THANK FOR MAKING OUR CONNECTION.]
Logans lips curled into a snarl, but he could do nothing.
[PERFECTION. THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE. PERFECTION. A SPECIMEN UNLIKE ANY OTHER. AND I BELIEVE... THAT I NOW KNOW HOW YOUR DOING IT. HOW YOUR POWERS WORK. AND AS MUCH AS I'D LOVE TO TAKE YOU FOR MYSELF... MY MASTER REQUIRES A SACRIFICE FOR HIS SERVICES. AND THATS WHERE WE PART WAYS MR. LOGAN. I TRULY WISHED WE COULD HAVE WORKED TOGETHER, BUT UNDERSTANDING YOUR POWERS, AND REPLICATING THEM WILL BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.]
Then the base got cold. REALLY cold. But the heroes couldn't stop their fighting. Logan sensed something dark and evil, and his attention turned to the single steel paneling that stood near Slade when they first arrived.
And the plate began to waiver. And melt, like a top layer was coming off. To expose a giant, glowing blood red...
'S'
-
Raven was hyperventilating. Not just from the fighting, but from the feeling that she was getting. She threw her arm, and sent a sweeping wave of her magic to destroy and send back the bots, and she turned. Right to the steel plate. Right to the large letter 'S'.
The Mark of Scath.
Her eyes opened wide, and she seized up.
"Raven!" Robin yelled. He raced to her, and shielded her from an incoming attack.
The Mark of Scath began to glow, then the letter began to spread. Spread bigger and bigger, until it wasn't a letter anymore. It grew and grew, until it took an oval shape. Then that oval shape began to flex inward, more and more. Until it took its final shape.
A portal.
-
His shot missed its mark.
Slade was frothing. His sensors told him his bots were intercepted. He was going to send them to the city. He knew that his current numbers would overwhelm the Teen Titans. He wanted their last moments to be not only losing to him, but knowing that their Jump City was being attacked. He just had to suppress Batman.
But the serial numbers unique to each of his bots were turning from 'active' to 'inactive' at a fast rate.
He didn't know who was engaging them, but once he made it out, he'd hunt them down!
He delivered a round house kick to Batman, who had to duck under a Slade bots punch. Crashing the Dark Knight against a crate. He pulled a second hidden blade and stabbed forward to his enemies forehead.
-
Logan stood, wide eyed at the red portal before him. He couldn't move, even as a bullet flew right past his cheek. Splitting a cut through his flesh. It was... familiar. He remembered...
Yellow... and Black...
Then he felt it.
It was pulling him. Inside.
He tried to run, jump out of the way, but couldn't.
[I'M SORRY MR. LOGAN, BUT MY MASTER WANTS PAYMENT FOR HIS AIDING ME, AND I BELIEVE YOUR THE ONLY ONE AVAILABLE THAT FITS THE BILL. I'M SORRY. HAHA]
Logan was lifted, and flew in the direction of the portal.
-
Raven stared at the Mark, that just became a portal. And her inner fears came bursting out of her. She shook and choked at feeling her fathers essence. But movement caught her eyes, and she saw Logan lifted above the ground.
no...
Then Logan flew towards the portal.
NO!
[IT ENDS HERE! ENJOY YOUR STAY IN HEL-]
And Raven screamed.
"LOGAN!"
Power unlike anything she ever felt, burst from her. Sent a shockwave that disrupted everything. Everything that hurt her, hurt her family.
Hurt Logan.
The other titans flew back in surprise, as the bots they were fighting were pushed back, and crushed into heaps of metal. Slade took a blow from Ravens emotional force. He couldn't right himself in time, as Batman pounced and rained devastating bone crushing hits to Slades face.
Not affected by Ravens outburst, red tendrils of power exited the portal, and grabbed Logan. And they pulled him.
"NO!"
Raven flew to Logan, and just as Logan was about to be pulled into the portal, black tendrils of Ravens power shot out and grabbed a hold of him. The moment her power touched the red essence, she felt him.
"DAUGHTER..."
But she wouldnt give up, she would never give up.
'I knew there was something special about you.'
She pulled him towards her.
Logan could move, Blood wasn't in his head anymore. He had no time for relief, since he was half way inside the portal. With his last bit of strength he reached out to any surviving beings he could control, who were waking up after no longer being suppressed. Through his instincts, he sent out the message.
STOP. HIM.
And he felt his will travel through the base. Then outside to the city. And beyond. In the direction of Brother Blood.
Then his body grew lax. He looked up to Raven, struggling to pull him back. Sweat poured down her face, and she shook. She was in pain. The others were too tired to go to him, and Batman was holding down a struggling Slade.
He looked into Ravens eyes. And she looked into his.
"... Let me g-"
"No..." she said. He looked at her face. There was no discussion. No reasoning. No argument.
"You... are NOT... going into that portal." And she pulled him.
Then she grew closer. And closer. Until their faces met.
"Thanks... Rae..."
The portal grew weaker and smaller, until it was too small to pull Logan. Then it vanished.
-
"REPORT!" The chief yelled.
"They're no longer a danger!" A SWAT member called to the Chief of Police. Some of the members held their own units who took physical damage in defending themselves and the team. The two Flashes just finished destroying the last of the bots. Once the final bot hit the floor, the speedsters came to a halt.
"Woo!" The Flash crashed to the ground of the docks, exhausted from so many turns and reversing.
*pant* *pant* Kid Flash stumbled to a column and leaned on it to catch his breath.
The two looked to each other, grinning and giving a shaky thumbs up.
-
"RGH!" Slade screamed through gritted teeth.
Batman raised his final attack to the downed Slade. And delivered a teeth breaking punch that shook the villains whole head.
Slade fought to keep consciousness, but the colors and spinning of the room were too much. His head crashed into the dirt, bounced twice, then came to a stop.
Slade Wilson, was knocked unconscious. And his breathing evened out.
Batman hovered over Deathstroke, the last of Slades copycat Fear Gas wearing off, thanks to his medical immunity. Batman towered over him, then finally stood to his full height. He pulled out his communicator.
"Flash?"
" *pant* *pant* Its all good Bats, they were activated. But the police distracted some of them, and me and the kid took them out."
"Thank You. Contact the proper authorities about Deathstroke, and aid the ambulance workers any way you can until we can meet up. Batman Out."
Batman stood over Deathstroke. If his breathing or muscles changed in any way, another blow would come to him.
-
Logan shakily stood up, and caught Raven as she was falling to the ground. He held her and gave her time to readjust herself. She finally looked up to him, and their eyes met.
Logan smiled.
"You didn't just save my life... I think you saved my soul. Thank You Raven."
She nodded.
Then he carried her to the platform, and helped her take a seat on the steps. Robin, Cyborg and Starfire walked to them and the Teen Titans stood together.
They looked over to Batman, who just started tying up Deathstroke. Their postures relaxed, and they breathed easier. It was finally over. Thanks to the help of Batman and Raven's attack, Slade and his bots were defeated. The base was quiet. Its evil plan to kill them and hurt the city, coming to a halt. They sent appreciated looks to Raven, who sat and collected herself after coming into contact with that red power.
So after they caught their breaths, the team stood up and walked over to the two men.
They stood over him. Deathstroke the Terminator... Slade.
He was out cold, tied up, and ready to be taken to jail.
Robin looked to Batman, who was also recovering from his fight. After a few minutes, he asked.
"Is it really over?"
Batman looked to Robin, then the team. Once word got out that Slade Wilson was caught, he would be receiving a visit from one Amanda Waller. Then the Teen Titans wouldn't be seeing him for a long time.
Batman nodded. "He wont be bothering you or Jump City anymore."
The teens visibly relaxed. They looked up to the machines that Slade had been working on, still not knowing what his plans were. But they would be investigated when the authorities came to the base.
Batman crouched down, and lifted Slade over his shoulder.
"We'll travel through the tunnel Logan and myself used to enter the base. I deactivated the sensors, but they would have only alerted him to our presence."
They nodded, and followed Batman through the tunnel and to the outside. Robin had a solemn look on his face, when they walked. The fresh air was a reward that they desperately needed. So they headed to the T-Car and R-Cycle. Batman placed Slade on the ground, before turning to Robin.
"Somethings the matter. Tell us." There was that demanding attitude he had walked away from back in Gotham. But Robin couldn't be upset about it, so he spoke up.
"We needed your help..." And Batman knew exactly what was bothering him.
"You wish that you and the team, were the ones to defeat Slade." It wasn't a question, and Robin didn't respond right back.
Batman released an exhale of his own, then relaxed his stance. He looked to the others, and knew that a part of them also felt the same. They were still young, they thought it was possible to beat Slade by themselves. Possible... maybe. Likely? They had a very low chance of stopping 'The Terminator.'
"A... part of me was... enjoying being Slades apprentice." Robin said.
Everyone was quiet. Especially Batman.
"In the short time we trained, he tried to pressure doubt in me about you, Logan and the others. I knew it was all a trick, a twisted game he was playing to get me to become loyal to him. But for just those few hours, i didn't feel like the 'Boy Wonder' anymore. I didn't feel like a sidekick that ran away from home. And Slade played on that.
Logan and the team burst into his hideout. And we walked away, because Slade ALLOWED us." Robins eyes shifted to Logan.
"Then Logan said he was willing to become Slades apprentice, not to gain anything or fill an emotional need. But to keep us safe..."
Robin turned to Batman.
"You beat Slade."
"You were outnumbered, and had us as potential targets for Slade."
"And you still won..." Batman looked at Robin, who didn't continue.
Since his sidekick left Gotham, the only interaction the two had was his financial investments into their base of operations. He had forced the money on Dick, telling him running a team was expensive and no city would finance it, no matter the crime rate. So he begrudgingly took the money, and used it to help Cyborg build Titans tower. They never talked about their struggling relationship, they only argued. Until Robin had enough, and walked out. Now he knew, there was more to Dick Grayson than 'Robin,' the partner who was being suffocated by his mentor. Covered by his shadow.
"You have high expectations for yourself Robin."
"No one, superhero or teenager, has the dedication you have at being good enough. Not the best, you never had that attitude. Your holding yourself to a standard that not many can reach, at your age. Your comparing yourself to me, someone who started their crimefighting in their early twenties. Who used their power, influence and finances as tools for crime fighting. And even though i supplied you with the necessary tools to be a hero, your greatest asset, was yourself."
Robin stared at Batman, hearing for the first time, Bruce's feelings on their relationship.
"I couldn't have achieved what you've done in your short time away from Gotham. I couldn't have made friends, lead a team, and still be the person I am. I was jaded, angry and lost. And I took my anger out on criminals, it was only years later did meeting you and the others, did I finally start to feel that I wasn't hiding in the dark anymore.
Slade was a professional killer, who stepped down to find an apprentice. For whatever reason, we don't know, but you cant be upset for not stopping him. Your still young, you couldn't have taken on a soldier with years of experience. Who HAD the heart to kill. No one would blame you... but you blame yourself. Because you hold yourself to that standard."
Batman looked to the others, who were listening also.
"It goes for all of you, your all still young. You have a long time ahead of you, to achieve what seasoned heroes are doing today. Don't discourage yourselves, by comparing yourself to others."
He turned back to Robin.
"I'm proud of the way your turning out Robin, your becoming your own man. NOT following me in my shadow, like Slade would have wanted you to follow in his. Your making your own legacy, not one of being alone in the dark, but surrounded by friends."
"You'll get there one day Robin, you and all the people you befriend and lead."
At that moment, Robin truly felt that Bruce had become... his father.
Soon, a loud chopper could be heard in the distance. Batman knew that aircraft. It flew straight to them, then landed.
The side door of the chopper opened, and a unknown man in a suit stepped out. He walked straight to Batman, ignoring the Teen Titans.
"... Batman."
"...Sarge Steel. You work fast..."
"National security cant afford to wait..."
Steel looked to the tied up Slade Wilson, then turned to the teens.
"Thank you for your service children, but the United States Government will take it from here."
Then he gestured to men that brought over metal cables, who then began to tie Slade up even further. Once Slade was cocooned in metal straps, he was lifted and taken to the chopper.
Steel turned to Batman once more.
"I'm sure Amanda will express her thanks in person at a later time, so I will do it now. Thank you for your service."
Then Sarge Steel turned towards the aircraft and walked away.
They watched as the government workers loaded Slade onto the chopper, then they took off and disappeared into the distance.
"Who was that?" Robin asked.
"Don't concern yourself with them, let's return to Titans Tower." Batman said.
So the Teen Titans loaded into the T-Car, and Batman borrowed Robin's R-Cycle. They headed to the tower.
-
Cyborgs eyes were glowing, both his human eye and mechanical.
THE Batwing was parked on the beach of Titans tower.
It wasn't exactly the Batmobile, but it was still a vehicle designed and made for Batman.
Robin smiled at Cyborgs reaction, he was also surprised at Batman's personal modes of transportation when he first saw them.
They were all on the beach as Batman stood before them. He looked them over.
"I'm glad that we could take care of Slade, and I commend all of you for doing your best in the face of an opponent that wouldn't have shown you any mercy. I trust that you'll continue investigating and aiding the police in dismantling Slade's operations here in Jump City."
Robin nodded his head.
Batman looked to Logan, "And your encounter with Brother Blood?"
"It's being taken care of..." Logan said. So Batman nodded
He looked to Starfire and complimented her performance, and thanked her for her appreciation to him for training Robin.
He looked to Cyborg, before complimenting him too. And offering help or advice in his managing the tower.
He finally turned to Raven.
"Raven... I have a limited understanding of the magical arts, but I still held on to Zatanna's words concerning you. I see now that not only are you independent of your... lineage. But that you are capable of overcoming it. I look forward to how you grow and develop later in your life."
Raven didn't know what to say, so she just said, "Thank you..."
So Batman boarded the Batwing, hovered over the beach, and shot off in the direction of Gotham City.
The Teen Titans watched him leave, waving goodbye.
They settled into a silence, letting this hectic day finally come to an end. They still had a few short hours before the sun would set. So they stood or leaned along the rocks and looked out into the city. A city without Slade. They would celebrate, knowing that someone like Deathstroke was no longer a danger to them or others.
They relaxed.
"Hey!"
They all turned to someone who was walking towards them from the beach.
Logan smiled.
"Garth..."