"I Love You" (Book Three In The "I Promise" Series)

Destruction

Three days.

It had been three days I was trapped with Slade. 

Not once had I heard, seen, or noticed that my team was coming to rescue me

The first day, he and Jack had left me alone. 

The second day, I think he was pleased to see that I was wearing the uniform he had left me. The boots had metal plating in the soles. They were heavy, but could pack power in a kick. Or a stomp, as I was fond of doing to lift up huge sections of Earth. Slade brought me out of my cell to "train" me with Jack. Which mostly involved me being beat up by my former "friend".

The third day, I found out why Slade wanted me.

I discovered that we were in an old cavern hollowed out directly beneath Jump City.

Just like the day before, Slade and Jack met me in my cell, bringing me out into a grander chamber, hollowed out just a few miles beneath the city. The roof of the chamber was as high as the ops room in Titans Tower, and it stretched for miles in every direction in front of me, seemingly endless.

"Do you know where we are, Galatia?" Slade asked in his robotic-sounding, patronizing voice.

"Under the city." I said in the same "duh" tone Jack had used on me when I'd asked yesterday.

"True, but do you know what is under the city?"

He had me stumped. I tried to remember back to history and that one geology course that I took in freshman year, but I never really was one to pay attention in school.

"We are standing above a dormant volcano." Slade informed me. My eyes went wide.

"Years ago," Slade began his monologue, pacing back and forth in front of me in the typical supervillain way, "I brought your mother down here. Of course, she was much easier to persuade, once she was convinced that her friends had lied to her and betrayed her."

I bit back a snarl. No one, no one, got away with talking about my mother like that.

"With her leading my robot army, we quickly brought the city to it's knees. The only problem was the Titans." Slade stopped pacing, clenching his hand into a fist. I shuddered.

"Here, I put my plans for your mother into action. She would awaken the volcano, destroy the city completely, but the Titans intervened, telling her it was her choice, that she could be good again. Nobly, your mother turned on me. Nearly at the cost of her own life she saved the Titans and stopped the volcano, and we almost thought her to be dead. However, that is a story for later."

"Or never." Jack snickered.

Slade shot Jack a look, clearly telling him to be quiet, and I instantly understood.

Slade was telling me this, this whole monolouging back-story type-stuff for a reason.

"You want me to cause an earthquake under the city."

I swear Slade smiled under his mask. He chuckled darkly, holding his arms behind his back.

"You are smarter than your teachers give you credit for."

That was why he had Jack take me. That's why he tried to kidnap me and Rose from the hospital the night we were born. He must have speculated that at least one of us would have powers, and one of us did, but my parents were able to rescue me, keep me out of his hands until now. I can't imagine his disappointment and anger when he discovered that Rachel had no powers.

Well, now he had me.

"Just how do you plan to make me do all this?" I asked Slade, feeling either courageous or stupid, I couldn't tell which. "You can tell me what to do all you want, but what if I simply don't feel like doing it?"

Slade contemplated me, looking about ready to retract his previous statement. He raised a fist, and I braced myself, expecting him to hit me. I barely managed to catch a glimpse of his thumb pressing a red button before I felt electricity run through my body. It felt like my head, arms, legs--my whole body was on fire! Beating faster and faster than normal, my heart started working overtime, but I couldn't breathe.

Then, after a painful, agonizing second, it stopped.

"You'll do what I say if you want to live." Slade growled. "That doesn't simply induce pain, Galatia. Jack's shot released thousands of microscopic bombs into your boodsteam. I can control you, make you do whatever I want you to. You can do this the easy way, or I can kill you slowly, painfully, while you kill the city. I can control your powers now. They will only do what I want them to do."

I rolled onto my side, gasping for breathe and trying to not breathe in the reddish-brown dust on the floor of the cavern. This was crazy, this couldn't be happening.

"Jack, get her into position." Slade snapped, clearly irritated with me.

Not caring if I was strong enough to stand or walk on my own, Jack gripped my arm and dregged me to a circle drawn on the floor, in the very center of the room.

"Is this what you want, Jack?" I asked, "To kill thousands of people?"

Jack handcuffed me into place, not looking up at me. I would have to stay there. 

"Slade is a powerful man. Besides, no one is going to die. Not if they listen to him. And if they don't, well, that's why you're here."

I understood now. Jack and Slade would leave, go somewhere completely safe, leaving me here to get crushed beneath the city.

Mom, Dad, Leo, Michael, Rose, if you're out there, if you're coming for me, you better make it quick.

Slade and Jack both disappeared into the shadows. I tried to run, but the chains held me in place. I tried to loosen the dirt and rock around them, but my powers were useless.

In despair I knelt in the middle of the circle, crying. I was going to die, but I wasn't going to die having chosen to destroy the whole world I'd ever know. Even though I never got along well with anyone, they were innocent. I couldn't be the one to kill them.

"I'm not going to do it." I whispered. I thought that Slade was gone, that he wouldn't hear, but the moment those words left my lips, the electricity returned.

"No, no," I gasped for breath. My legs moved on their own, I was no longer controlling them. With rigid, robotic movements I stood up and raised my arms, hands glowing. I watched the ceiling shake. Dust and rocks fell, I coughed, but there was no relief.

"You may address me as Slade." I couldn't see him, but I could certainly hear his voice. this had to be his big reveal to the city. His chance to the city to cave to his no doubt ludicrous demands.

"I am the one responsible for the sudden earthquakes ravaging your city. If my requests are met, I will stop. But if they are not, I will not cease until your precious Jump City is naught but rubble dissolving in the magma below."

I looked at my feet. The floor was staring to shake too, now, and it was beginning to heat up in here. 

slade continued.

"One, the city will surrender to me and I will be given complete control. Two, the Teen Titans and their predecessors will surrender as well. And three, my daughter will be returned to me. You have two hours."

His daughter...

Oh no.

He wanted Rose.

Yes, I changed the title. 

Yes, I know it's cheesy. 

I want to try and finish this book by the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

~Lizardgurl