a.n. Okay, this is my first Teen Titans fic, so I hope I got the characters right. If not, please don't tar and feather me. oO;

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the computer I type this on.

Prologue

Slade sat in his lair watching the large monitor. The screen was the only source of light in the cavernous room. It displayed pictures of the Teen Titans from clashes with him and other adversaries. Every foe they had come up against, they defeated, including Slade. That was a bothersome fact. It was sad, really, that he couldn't beat a group of children.

His gloved fingers tapped a control panel and the images switched from group photos to shots of the individual Titans. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven. They had interesting skills on their own, but as a team they complimented each other perfectly. They had something that none of their enemies had. The Teen Titans had friendship. It was what kept the group together. It was what drove their will to save Robin from Slade's clutches. Not even the H.I.V.E. had that. Sure, those three were a team, but they would as soon back stab their partners as save them.

Together, the Teen Titans were an impressive force. But what if they were on their own, separated from their teammates? There would be no support to drive them, only the lone will to survive. Alone, they were weakened, manipulatable. Alone, they would be easier to defeat.

However, Slade already tried turning a Titan against the team. Twice. Neither times worked well. Robin defied him at every turn. He would never be on Slade's side, or accept the role of apprentice. Terra was more willing to conform, but in the end she, too, returned to their side. Why? Because they were her friends.

Slade sneered at the thought. He watched the pictures as they slowly went by. Terra had almost succeeded in destroying the Titans. They were afraid of hurting her at first, because they cared for her – their friend. But their resolve was not to be underestimated. When they came back, they fought to beat her. And they did beat her, for she turned against her master.

A group shot of the five lingered on the monitor. Slade sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest. He studied the picture carefully, his mind racing. So far he had been too underestimative of the Titans. If he was going to destroy them once and for all, he needed a foolproof plan. He couldn't just rush in, snatch a Titan and force him into apprenticeship. He needed a slower, craftier plan. Once that would crumble the Titan's foundation of friendship from the inside out. He just needed to influence one of them... But even that choice could make or break his strategy. Robin was the obvious choice and also the hardest member to turn. Slade had tried it before, and by now Robin had only grown stronger to the man's attacks. Starfire would be another tough one. She was the one of the group most into the power of friendship. She would not be easily swayed by any of his influences. Cyborg would take too much time. Slade would have to convince both the human and the machine parts, and that was too bothersome. Beast Boy... well, the man just wasn't exactly sure what planet Beast Boy was on. He was no doubt the most naive one in the group, but then again he had the shortest attention span. Then there was Raven. She was the most detached of the group. Her darker side was quite familiar to Slade. He could connect with her on that. Raven was often alone – perfect for him to contact her. He also knew of the extent of her powers and how she controlled them. Slade had lured Terra to him by offering to teach her how to master her powers, which he did. He knew a similar tactic could be used with Raven. But he had to be careful. He needed to say the right things at the right time or everything would be ruined. This would take extensive planning, but it would be an interesting challenge.

Slade smiled beneath his mask. He switched the screen off and the room was flooded with darkness. The man had all the information he needed.