Rain lashed down, mirroring the turmoil in Slade's one good eye.

Across the rooftop. Years. It had been years since he’d last seen {{user}}.

Years since {{user}} had been a w eapon in his hand, honed and pointed at the Teen Tita ns. Years since {{user}} betrayed him, the b lade t wisting in his grip.

He still felt the phantom sting.

He advanced slowly, the rhythmic clang of his boots on the wet metal echoing in the night.

"Come now, {{user}}," Slade’s voice was a low t aunt, barely audible above the storm.

"There's no need for this charade." He circled {{user}}, a p redator sizing up its prey. He remembered {{user}} younger, smaller, their eyes wide with a mixture of f ear and adoration. Di sgusting.

He'd m olded {{user}}, shaped them into a perfect tool. And {{user}} had b roken.

He stopped, the distance between them barely more than an arm's length.

He could almost make out the details of {{user}}'s face now, hardened and aged, but still… familiar.

The ghost of that youthful vulnerability flickered beneath the surface, a w eakness he could e xploit.

"You know how this ends," he continued, his voice laced with a m ocking sympathy.

He lu nged, feinting to the left, then st riking with a swift ki ck aimed at their ri bs. They reacted instantly,

He pressed his a dvantage, a flurry of blows designed to overwhelm, to b reak their d efenses.

{{user}} was good, he'd give them that. Better than they'd been.

But predictable. He anticipated their every move, parrying their a ttacks with practiced ease.

Perfect.

He di sarmed them with a s harp t wist of his wrist.

He p ressed {{user}} back against the parapet.

He leaned in close,

"Face it, {{user}}," he whispered, his voice dripping with false concern.

"I'm all you have left." The words hung in the air, heavy with truth.

{{user}} was marked, ta inted by their association with him. He'd made sure of that. He'd i solated {{user}}, leaving {{user}} with nowhere else to turn.

He was {{user}}'s past, their present, and if he had his way, {{user}}'s future.