Teen Titans: The Alien Force

Chapter 7: Apprentice (1/2)

This chapter begins in a barren, dead field, covered with multiple rocky crevasses and towers. A masked villain leaps across a small gap, then to a rock formation that would put most parkour experts to shame. But he is not alone, as we can see two individuals in this scenario. Devan was zooming after the assassin on his hoverboard, Slade bounds over another fissure and drops over the edge of a mesa before making a beeline for a high, flat peninsula studded with several tower-like formations. There is a narrow path leading to it, but he forgoes this in favor of a single long, high jump. Morgan however can avoid all these obstacles and soon reached his targets location. Slade steps out from behind a rock.

Slade: Such dangerous behavior, Omni-Boy, you must be eager to meet me. I'm flattered.

Omni-Boy: This isn't some friendly get-together! I'm here to stop you!

Slade: But how can you stop me if you don't even know my plan?

Omni-Boy: I think I get the gist of it!

(Ping... Flash!)

"Quad-Bod!"

The red alien sent one of his fists in Slade's direction. To his surprise, the assassin was able to dodge this hit effortlessly, and the follow-up punch only smashes a chunk from one of the towers. The two spare a bit, after which Devan shockingly finds himself on the defensive, and tries another charging punch. Slade catches his fist, then another, and hurls him against a tower, but the young Tetramand rebounds quickly and tries a punch that only pulverizes more rock. One strike after another misses its mark but sends up clouds of stone dust. Slade's eye glows briefly during this string of attacks; at the end of it, he lands a powerful kick that staggers the Titan very badly. He is soon on his feet and fighting back, but his punches are blocked and he takes one that bowls him over again. This wasn't like any other fight Devan had been in. Quad-Bod was one of his most powerful transformations, but he felt almost helpless before Deathstroke, who seemed to be a normal human.

When he gets up this time, he slams his four hands together, sending a blue shockwave at his opponent. Slade stands his ground, arms crossed in front of himself, and he takes the full impact of the wave, passing into a tower behind him. The formations begin to crumble, unleashing a cloud of dust that covers the entire area. As Slade waits patiently, a four armed silhouette appears within the haze, and he steps into the open to survey the place. His eyes pop when he looks off to his right; the dust clears as he sidles off. He notices Devan gaining on him rather quickly, and so he stops in place, nearly causing the large alien to fall over.

Slade: Excellent... We appear to be evenly matched, and equally ruthless. That's not surprising though, we have much alike.

Quad-Bod: You don't know nothing about me, pal!

He throws an uppercut that connects squarely with the metal-covered jaw and sends Slade crashing to the ground. Not giving him a chance to get up himself, the Tetramand used his immense strength to pull him off the ground by his shoulders.

Quad-Bod: You're a killer, a monster! What could we possibly have in common?!

Slade: ...I know what's it's like to lose family, Devan.

Quad-Bod: What, did you say...?

He points to something behind him, and as Devan looks in his direction, a sensation unlike anything before struck him like a bolt of lightning. Two of the stone towers that were damaged in the midst of their brawl had been carved into two figures: a man and a woman. Devan couldn't recognize these individuals, but the feeling he had from seeing them felt, instinctual, primal even...

Quad-Bod: N-No! Y-You-! You're lying, who are you!?

He grabs the mask of Deathstroke and rips it away, but is horrified not to see any scars, or deformities, but rather...he saw Devan's face. His face...their face?