Silver-Willow and Britta Summers sat cross-legged on their family carpet, sat close to the fireplace, looking excited. The child-like gleam in their eyes made their fathers chuckle. They both had their blonde curls in plaits and decorated with pink flower hairclips.
They didn't look a thing like their dark-haired, bright-eyed fathers. Once they found out how genetics worked, it may well become clear to them they were adopted, if the fact they had no mother wasn't clear enough. The two girls sat side by side in colourful party dresses, looking directly at their two fathers with identical brown eyes. It was almost time for the party, and they watched Ryan Navara and Bertie Summers pull on their coats and shoes.
"C'mon kids, time to go!" Ryan called, sending Bertie to the front door to get the car started. It took a whole half hour to get both girls in the car and start off for a party.
They got to the building, an old tower that they hadn't been to for a couple of years. They hadn't told their old leader why they wanted her to meet them there, and a quick scan with eyes showed that Demon wasn't showing. Bertie smiled, turning a slow circle in the main room. Despite the hurried start (thank goodness the lads predicted it would take a while and shot to leave early) the other members of the old Titans team were still putting up decoration. Blessedfire seemed to be enjoying sticking bits of streamer, banner and tinsle to the ceiling, zooming around in a stream of dressy light purple. Bullion was over by the stack of presents, sorting them out into a neat display. There was a large amount of friction between Afton and Bullion, but the levitating Frenchman had insisted on coming. Belle was leaning against a window, listening to music. She rolled her eyes as Blessedfire showed off with a handful of ribbon and his little blasts and twirls. A telekinetic girl sat on a counter, eating unused cake frosting. This was Nightmare Sights, formerly Kid Nightmare. Close friends of Afton, and old friends from her hero academy days. Kurt and Eustacie sat in one corner with their daughter between them. Storme was checking out the music, none of which she was overly fond of, with her boyfriend, who had had very little contact with Afton. Addie, his wife and children were nearby, Addie himself talking happily to Lydia and Tazor, and a little dark-haired girl named Hannah Hart.
There was an odd silence considering the amount of children present. The Summers girls didn't know any of the other kids, and Tracey and the younger Wollstoncraft kids seemed to be scared of Hannah. Dee-Dee, however, seemed to be best friends with the curious girl.
Afton walked up the narrow path to her old tower. It wasn't that her team didn't last long, but so many of the members wanted to pursue a proper career, and they didn't want the superhero gig to mess with it. So they split off for a short time. It was simple as that. She made her way into the tower and along darkened hallways, whistling as she went. As she rounded a corner, she spotted the light from the other end of the hall, and with a slight sigh and a roll of her chocolate brown eyes she pushed the door open gently. That was when she was bombarded by the noisemakers, joyous shouts and confetti.
"I do love confetti." Came the cheerful coo of Bless as he landed beside Belle, beaming.
"'Appy birthday!" Pepinot yelled, enveloping her into one of his hugs. He latched his hand around her wrist and pulled her over to the middle of the room.
"Can we play party games?" Nightmare called, leaning forward and unveiling the cake. Afton felt herself grinning.
"Wow, guys...this is..."
"Wonderful?" Summers tried,
"Fantabulous?" Nightmare suggested.
"Yeah, sure whatever."
AND NOW, BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE WHAT ELSE TO DO, HAVE BLESSEDFIRE, DRUNK!
Curious. That was how the little alien boy would describe the liquid in these bottles. He stumbled back from his third drink, already feeling hazy. Demon had left these drinks out and said it was okay for Bless to have a few. He didn't predict that not long after they would have a Tamaranean sat just under the ceiling, wearing nothing but a top hat and underwear, singing some kind of folk song from his people.
Monday, 30 December 2013
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Christmas Lessons
Lightning seemed to find the decorations enchanting. He was sat in a coffee bar in central Jump City, his girlfriend sat opposite him. They both had gingerbread lattes, and Kitten was enjoying watching him exploring the new drink. He liked the taste, it appeared.
Finally, the Titan gestured to the decorations hanging over the cafe. "Kitten? What is all this about?"
She gave him a slightly shocked look. "Please tell me you know what Christmas is..." She had had to deal with his poor knowledge of a lot of things, like American culture, etiquette, technology...she didn't want to deal with this as well. Lightning didn't answer and turned to look out the window. She sighed.
"Okay...how do you explain Christmas?" She thought for a moment, finger over her lips. "Okay, so it's supposed to be this time of peace and goodwill to all men, and basically a holiday all about winter, every 25th of December. Basically, everyone gives everyone else presents, and there's a feast, and you kiss under mistletoe, and crackers, which are things that you pull open and stuff comes out, usually hats, games and really bad jokes, and a guy called Santa comes and gives presents to everyone, if you believe in Santa."
They looked at one another for a little while.
"Presents?"
She laughed. "I thought you might like that, Zappy-Poos."
His face quickly changed to a scowl. "What did I say would happen if you called me that?"
She waved him off dismissively. "Yeah yeah, dark storms and death threats, whatever. Anyway, you always have this huge feast and stuff, and it is my favourite holiday, next to Valentine's Day."
"Val-?
"I'll teach you about that one later."
She drummed her fingernails on the table, watching him trying to take it all in. "And why is there a holiday?" He asked curiously.
Kitten thought for a moment. "I think it was a Pagan festival at first, but Christians wanted to crush the Paganism so they decided an event they would never know the actual date of happened on that day, so it became the birth of Jesus. But then, I heard all that from Cash, and he isn't the most reliable of people, he's just a really irritating Athiest. Personally, to me, it's just the birth of Jesus, but I know you're Buddhist or whatever, so..."
There was a small hesitation. "Cash is the boy who is dating your spider-headed ex, yes?"
"Yeah, him."
"And Paganism is another religion?"
She nodded. A few minutes passed of relative silence and drinking fancy-named gingerbread drinks. "I'll let you off getting me a present this year since it's your sort-of first..." She told him, smiling. "Hey! You and your brother should spend Christmas at my house!"
He seemed a little startled by this prospect. "At your house? Your father will not mind?"
"He might, but hey, it's just like any other friend staying round...and I don't want you homeless on Christmas."
"I am not-"
"Living in clouds counts as homeless, Zap."
"Huh." He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "You will not take no for an answer, will you?"
Her face pretty much said it all and he heaved a sigh.
"I will run it by my brother."
A week later he was sat in the disgustingly pink bedroom belonging to his girlfriend, eyes drawn to colourfully wrapped gifts with an almost aweful quiet. She couldn't stifle a laugh. It was sort of adorable, the child-like glee on his face. His brother was pretty much the same, but he was downstairs. Kitten's father was in his little basement room, working on...well, things...and working off his anger at his daughter deciding to invite these Titans to his home out of the blue. Honestly, did she have no sense of decent villainy? She seemed to have a strange thing for the skinny one, and that annoyed Killer Moth beyond belief. Still...when push comes to shove...
December 25th, Christmas morning
Thunder and Lightning were given the guest bedroom, which used to be a pet room before the basement came along for Killer Moth's experiments. Kitten waited until the sun rose before walking into the guest room with an armful of presents. The brothers appeared to still be fast asleep. She arranged the presents in a small pile, deciding to make things seem truly magical for them and giving the impression of Santa paying the household a visit, as they still weren't awake, and then she crept back out and went to sit before the tree. She waited there for a moment, eyeing the presents beneath the tree. When she heard the distant chatter of the brothers in the other room, she got up and went over, grinning at the glee in their voices. She had already opened her stocking gifts, but she had only gotten main gifts for the twins. There was a strange scrabbling sound and she heard one of them approaching the door and jumped back to avoid being hit in the face, and when the door opened, she was faced with Lightning's energetic grin. He was already wearing a jacket she had bought him. She had bought his brother another one, same kind, different colour, different size. Lightning's was green, as the electrical elemental had told her green was his favourite colour. She didn't know the same for Thunder and got him a red one as it was the first in his size she found.
"Hey Zappy-poos!" Kitten cooed, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. She heard him groan and heard a laugh from the brother at the rather amusing nickname. "Having a good morning?"
He pulled away, grinning ear to ear. "I feel great! I have presents, and everything seems perfect and-" He cut himself off and held up a finger to excuse himself before he ran back inside the guest room and came back out with his hands behind his back. "I got you presents too."
He giggled as her eyes went wide. "Really? Oh my God, you didn't have to-"
She cut off as he kissed her. He didn't think her eyes could get much wider now. She pulled away softly and looked up, following his extended arm. At the end, his hand was holding a small bunch of mistletoe dangling from a bright pink ribbon. Kitten let out another giggle. "That is sweet..." She breathed, beaming.
"It's not all." He replied, passing her a golden chain with pink disks on one half. They were clearly plastic, and they had what were supposed to look like rubies in their centres. It was clearly quite a cheap trinket, but she reminded herself he was trying his best to avoid thieving and that with what little he had, it was probably the best thing he could afford. She forced a smile and he shifted uncomfortably.
"I know it's not very good, but I was trying to...I couldn't...I thought you might like it, but..."
"Help me put it on." She handed it back to him and turned around, lifting her hair clear of her neck so he could fasten the clasp safely. Once done, she brought up her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders, placing a chast kiss on his cheek. "Merry Christmas, baby."
"Uh, m-merry Christmas." He stammered back, blushing, well aware his brother could see the scene playing out.
Finally, the Titan gestured to the decorations hanging over the cafe. "Kitten? What is all this about?"
She gave him a slightly shocked look. "Please tell me you know what Christmas is..." She had had to deal with his poor knowledge of a lot of things, like American culture, etiquette, technology...she didn't want to deal with this as well. Lightning didn't answer and turned to look out the window. She sighed.
"Okay...how do you explain Christmas?" She thought for a moment, finger over her lips. "Okay, so it's supposed to be this time of peace and goodwill to all men, and basically a holiday all about winter, every 25th of December. Basically, everyone gives everyone else presents, and there's a feast, and you kiss under mistletoe, and crackers, which are things that you pull open and stuff comes out, usually hats, games and really bad jokes, and a guy called Santa comes and gives presents to everyone, if you believe in Santa."
They looked at one another for a little while.
"Presents?"
She laughed. "I thought you might like that, Zappy-Poos."
His face quickly changed to a scowl. "What did I say would happen if you called me that?"
She waved him off dismissively. "Yeah yeah, dark storms and death threats, whatever. Anyway, you always have this huge feast and stuff, and it is my favourite holiday, next to Valentine's Day."
"Val-?
"I'll teach you about that one later."
She drummed her fingernails on the table, watching him trying to take it all in. "And why is there a holiday?" He asked curiously.
Kitten thought for a moment. "I think it was a Pagan festival at first, but Christians wanted to crush the Paganism so they decided an event they would never know the actual date of happened on that day, so it became the birth of Jesus. But then, I heard all that from Cash, and he isn't the most reliable of people, he's just a really irritating Athiest. Personally, to me, it's just the birth of Jesus, but I know you're Buddhist or whatever, so..."
There was a small hesitation. "Cash is the boy who is dating your spider-headed ex, yes?"
"Yeah, him."
"And Paganism is another religion?"
She nodded. A few minutes passed of relative silence and drinking fancy-named gingerbread drinks. "I'll let you off getting me a present this year since it's your sort-of first..." She told him, smiling. "Hey! You and your brother should spend Christmas at my house!"
He seemed a little startled by this prospect. "At your house? Your father will not mind?"
"He might, but hey, it's just like any other friend staying round...and I don't want you homeless on Christmas."
"I am not-"
"Living in clouds counts as homeless, Zap."
"Huh." He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "You will not take no for an answer, will you?"
Her face pretty much said it all and he heaved a sigh.
"I will run it by my brother."
A week later he was sat in the disgustingly pink bedroom belonging to his girlfriend, eyes drawn to colourfully wrapped gifts with an almost aweful quiet. She couldn't stifle a laugh. It was sort of adorable, the child-like glee on his face. His brother was pretty much the same, but he was downstairs. Kitten's father was in his little basement room, working on...well, things...and working off his anger at his daughter deciding to invite these Titans to his home out of the blue. Honestly, did she have no sense of decent villainy? She seemed to have a strange thing for the skinny one, and that annoyed Killer Moth beyond belief. Still...when push comes to shove...
December 25th, Christmas morning
Thunder and Lightning were given the guest bedroom, which used to be a pet room before the basement came along for Killer Moth's experiments. Kitten waited until the sun rose before walking into the guest room with an armful of presents. The brothers appeared to still be fast asleep. She arranged the presents in a small pile, deciding to make things seem truly magical for them and giving the impression of Santa paying the household a visit, as they still weren't awake, and then she crept back out and went to sit before the tree. She waited there for a moment, eyeing the presents beneath the tree. When she heard the distant chatter of the brothers in the other room, she got up and went over, grinning at the glee in their voices. She had already opened her stocking gifts, but she had only gotten main gifts for the twins. There was a strange scrabbling sound and she heard one of them approaching the door and jumped back to avoid being hit in the face, and when the door opened, she was faced with Lightning's energetic grin. He was already wearing a jacket she had bought him. She had bought his brother another one, same kind, different colour, different size. Lightning's was green, as the electrical elemental had told her green was his favourite colour. She didn't know the same for Thunder and got him a red one as it was the first in his size she found.
"Hey Zappy-poos!" Kitten cooed, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. She heard him groan and heard a laugh from the brother at the rather amusing nickname. "Having a good morning?"
He pulled away, grinning ear to ear. "I feel great! I have presents, and everything seems perfect and-" He cut himself off and held up a finger to excuse himself before he ran back inside the guest room and came back out with his hands behind his back. "I got you presents too."
He giggled as her eyes went wide. "Really? Oh my God, you didn't have to-"
She cut off as he kissed her. He didn't think her eyes could get much wider now. She pulled away softly and looked up, following his extended arm. At the end, his hand was holding a small bunch of mistletoe dangling from a bright pink ribbon. Kitten let out another giggle. "That is sweet..." She breathed, beaming.
"It's not all." He replied, passing her a golden chain with pink disks on one half. They were clearly plastic, and they had what were supposed to look like rubies in their centres. It was clearly quite a cheap trinket, but she reminded herself he was trying his best to avoid thieving and that with what little he had, it was probably the best thing he could afford. She forced a smile and he shifted uncomfortably.
"I know it's not very good, but I was trying to...I couldn't...I thought you might like it, but..."
"Help me put it on." She handed it back to him and turned around, lifting her hair clear of her neck so he could fasten the clasp safely. Once done, she brought up her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders, placing a chast kiss on his cheek. "Merry Christmas, baby."
"Uh, m-merry Christmas." He stammered back, blushing, well aware his brother could see the scene playing out.
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Twerking Ninjas and Wolf Boys
Addie let out a low groan, pushing himself up into a sitting position and feeling his throbbing head. It was bleeding. Joy of joys. He cracked open an eye and groaned again. Prison cell, or dungeon, and not a very nice one either. There was some nasty crust on the floor that was either blood or vomit, but it was too dark to tell which. The smell was vile. Suddenly, Mishka was before him, checking he was okay, saying something it took a moment for him to register.
"I'm okay." He insisted, pushing her hand away gently. She nodded.
"We need to get out of here."
"Damn straight we do." Came a new voice. Male, adult. Addie peered through the darkness and tried to make out who was there, but he couldn't see anyone. "Hello?"
"Hello." The voice replied cheerfully before someone hit the person it belonged to. "Ow!"
"Don't worry about them." Said Mishka. "They're prisoners here, like us. They're on our side..."
"We're not much use though." Mumbled a rather depressed voice, different to the first one. A man with spikey brown hair, dressed in a karate uniform, stepped close enough to be seen.
"Dirk?" Addie asked, confused. The man gave him a confused look back.
"I have a brother named Dirk...I'm Boyd..."
"Boyd McKenzie?"
He was silent for a moment. "Call me MacButtkick."
"I'm The Twerking Ninja!" Called the first voice. He was hit again. "Cut it out, Sandals!"
Mishka gave Addie a helpless look. "They told me their names were MacButtkick, Twerking Ninja and Old Man Sandals..."
"Well...that sounds promising..."
Mishka nodded. "They refuse to tell me what they can do."
Nervous as he normally was, Addie stayed where he was, back pressed against the bars. Twerking Ninja and Old Man Sandals were staying out of sight, but MacButtkick sighed.
"It doesn't matter, girl. We've all tried to escape before. Our powers can't break this prison. We don't even know who's holding us. We've yet to meet them. We're sustained here, but we don't know why they want us..."
"Have you ever tried as a team?"
"We have." Came the voice that must have belonged to Old Man Sandals. "Efforts were in vain, girl."
A sound of approaching footsteps stopped all of them in their tracks. A man came to the bars, shrouded in shadows.
"You know, this is a rare treat. Mishka, Boyd, Adolf, Oro and Carny. I must say, it's been a while since I saw all of you."
The voice had strange intonations. Echoing? "John Greenwolf?" Sandals asked incredulously. "We're friends, Greenwolf!"
"You're not friends with all of us."
"There's at least three people in there..." Mishka noted.
"Dildo Omelette?" Asked Twerking Ninja. Clearly the two of them were friends.
The door clicked open, and red lights came on. The face of the man was flickering. John and two other men neither Adolf nor Mishka had seen before. These were Dildo Omelette and a deceased man named Greenfield.
"It's Greenfield..." MacButtkick muttered furiously, clenching his fists. "This is all him...he's insane..."
A tremor went through the earth, knocking everyone off balance, except Sandals, who was standing on the ceiling. He and Twerking Ninja, who had created the tremors by twerking, grabbed the other three prisoners and pulled them away.
"So let me get this straight," The ninja began, "This Greenwolf guy and my man Omelette are possessed by this Green guy?"
"I'm not sure." Boyd replied before both he and Ninja were thrown off balance by a shot. There was a red flash, Old Man Sandals had to shield his eyes, and then he was screaming at the sight of two wolves, and the possessed Dildo Omelette fighting Twerking Ninja and MacButtkick. "Run!" Sandals commanded the wolf children, as he saw them, a look of desperation in his eyes. He didn't believe they would all survive should they stay and fight. "I know all three of these men, and combined they are too powerful!" He began running himself, and Noble Wolf and Mishka followed. Neither felt good about leaving the other two behind.
Mishka saw a light, headed for it, when the path caved in behind her, sealing her off from Noble Wolf and Old Man Sandals. She did her best to get back in, help when she heard the fight, but the absolute most she could do was watch, dismayed, as they were beaten up, held at the mercy of a red jewel on a string-...
Katarou had come in there and then, getting Omelette away from the others, beating him up in five swift movements, taking the gem from the hand of Dildo Omelette as John separated from him and all trace of Greenfield disappeared. and then he turned on the two men before him. The building once again began to crumble. Twerking Ninja had made the supports weak. She only just got out alive, and the next thing she realised was that Katarou had taken Addie from her.
"I'm okay." He insisted, pushing her hand away gently. She nodded.
"We need to get out of here."
"Damn straight we do." Came a new voice. Male, adult. Addie peered through the darkness and tried to make out who was there, but he couldn't see anyone. "Hello?"
"Hello." The voice replied cheerfully before someone hit the person it belonged to. "Ow!"
"Don't worry about them." Said Mishka. "They're prisoners here, like us. They're on our side..."
"We're not much use though." Mumbled a rather depressed voice, different to the first one. A man with spikey brown hair, dressed in a karate uniform, stepped close enough to be seen.
"Dirk?" Addie asked, confused. The man gave him a confused look back.
"I have a brother named Dirk...I'm Boyd..."
"Boyd McKenzie?"
He was silent for a moment. "Call me MacButtkick."
"I'm The Twerking Ninja!" Called the first voice. He was hit again. "Cut it out, Sandals!"
Mishka gave Addie a helpless look. "They told me their names were MacButtkick, Twerking Ninja and Old Man Sandals..."
"Well...that sounds promising..."
Mishka nodded. "They refuse to tell me what they can do."
Nervous as he normally was, Addie stayed where he was, back pressed against the bars. Twerking Ninja and Old Man Sandals were staying out of sight, but MacButtkick sighed.
"It doesn't matter, girl. We've all tried to escape before. Our powers can't break this prison. We don't even know who's holding us. We've yet to meet them. We're sustained here, but we don't know why they want us..."
"Have you ever tried as a team?"
"We have." Came the voice that must have belonged to Old Man Sandals. "Efforts were in vain, girl."
A sound of approaching footsteps stopped all of them in their tracks. A man came to the bars, shrouded in shadows.
"You know, this is a rare treat. Mishka, Boyd, Adolf, Oro and Carny. I must say, it's been a while since I saw all of you."
The voice had strange intonations. Echoing? "John Greenwolf?" Sandals asked incredulously. "We're friends, Greenwolf!"
"You're not friends with all of us."
"There's at least three people in there..." Mishka noted.
"Dildo Omelette?" Asked Twerking Ninja. Clearly the two of them were friends.
The door clicked open, and red lights came on. The face of the man was flickering. John and two other men neither Adolf nor Mishka had seen before. These were Dildo Omelette and a deceased man named Greenfield.
"It's Greenfield..." MacButtkick muttered furiously, clenching his fists. "This is all him...he's insane..."
A tremor went through the earth, knocking everyone off balance, except Sandals, who was standing on the ceiling. He and Twerking Ninja, who had created the tremors by twerking, grabbed the other three prisoners and pulled them away.
"So let me get this straight," The ninja began, "This Greenwolf guy and my man Omelette are possessed by this Green guy?"
"I'm not sure." Boyd replied before both he and Ninja were thrown off balance by a shot. There was a red flash, Old Man Sandals had to shield his eyes, and then he was screaming at the sight of two wolves, and the possessed Dildo Omelette fighting Twerking Ninja and MacButtkick. "Run!" Sandals commanded the wolf children, as he saw them, a look of desperation in his eyes. He didn't believe they would all survive should they stay and fight. "I know all three of these men, and combined they are too powerful!" He began running himself, and Noble Wolf and Mishka followed. Neither felt good about leaving the other two behind.
Mishka saw a light, headed for it, when the path caved in behind her, sealing her off from Noble Wolf and Old Man Sandals. She did her best to get back in, help when she heard the fight, but the absolute most she could do was watch, dismayed, as they were beaten up, held at the mercy of a red jewel on a string-...
Katarou had come in there and then, getting Omelette away from the others, beating him up in five swift movements, taking the gem from the hand of Dildo Omelette as John separated from him and all trace of Greenfield disappeared. and then he turned on the two men before him. The building once again began to crumble. Twerking Ninja had made the supports weak. She only just got out alive, and the next thing she realised was that Katarou had taken Addie from her.
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Blood Sweat And Tears 2
"Brother?"
Thunder gave no reply and looked away.
"Brother, stop trying to ignore me. You know it will not work."
"Just like this. You are wasting your efforts, Tavis."
Lightning sighed, looking to the floor. "They say I might never use this arm again, Gan. I am left handed! How am I supposed to do anything?"
"Try using your right." He replied airily, but at least he looked guilty. He was unwilling to meet his brother's eyes.
"Why did you betray us?"
"I got an offer."
Lightning leaned forward slightly, interested. "What did this mad man offer you?"
"What he offered me is none of your business, brother. This is childish. You cannot fix anything that has happened."
"I can try."
Thunder shook his head. "You are so stubborn. This is a fruitless effort. Spend your energy elsewhere."
"You keep saying that, but I do not believe all is lost."
"Perhaps you should start."
Lightning gave a little growl of anger. "I shan't. I do not care what you have done. You are my brother and I love you."
"Touching."
He lost his temper and slapped his big brother. "Stop it!" He shrieked. "Why are you doing this? Do you have to be so horrible?" Slowly, he sat back and quietened down. "I want to help and I want my brother back."
Thunder sighed, looking away and spreading his arms. "I am here, as I am." There was a hesitation before he looked back to Lightning. "I tried to protect you, to keep you separate from this whole thing, for a reason. Because I truly have not changed that much."
"You still broke my arm and made me almost fall to my death, twice!"
"Those were my orders. I must follow my orders, no matter how...macabre."
"You could have objected! Objected to hurting your friends, your family..."
He shook his head quickly. "Risks of such behaviour were too high."
"What does that mean?"
"If you couldn't stay out you would be hurt, simple as." He insisted, crossing his arms. "If I did not fight, I could be punished severely. I knew what I was getting into when I got into it, and I have unlocked my full potential. You saw I have new powers. I have more yet than you have seen."
"So these guys just call out of the blue with the idea that they can bribe us?" Jinx asked sceptically. They had called in some other Titans to help, getting Titans East, Kole and Gnaark and Herald involved. They had tracked the mystery caller to a warehouse. The same warehouse they had fought Thunder at.
Lightning refused to come with them, so it was that team plus Herald, Kole and Gnaark. The place seemed empty at first, but "Nice little squad ya got there." alerted them to the presence of someone else. Girl's voice. They turned, and found themselves facing a girl with long, white hair and a mask reminiscent of Slade's.
"What is this?" Jinx yelled. The mystery girl held up her hands and chuckled.
"Don't worry, I'm not on his side. Think of me as...an anti-hero."
A much older man stepped out beside her and put an arm protectively round her shoulder, which she shrugged off. He was wearing all grey and black, a small tuft of blonde hair visible where it was poking out from beneath his mask. His smile seemed directed at one Titan in particular.
Jinx scowled. "Who are you?"
"Not important." The man insisted. "I think you know what's important, and that's finding your friends."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Kole asked.
"You don't." The girl stated. "Thing is, we have information you need, and I think you've something for us."
"And what would that be?" Asked Flash.
The two contacts looked at one another for a moment before the man spoke up. "My sister and I think you stand a chance against this guy, and we gotta say, we've a thing against him too."
"Even though your sister dresses like him?"
The girl shrugged. "Unfortunately, it suits."
She gestured for them to follow her, and her brother did so immediately, but the Titans all hesitated, for varying lengths of time. Jinx and Jericho made the first moves.
Thunder gave no reply and looked away.
"Brother, stop trying to ignore me. You know it will not work."
"Just like this. You are wasting your efforts, Tavis."
Lightning sighed, looking to the floor. "They say I might never use this arm again, Gan. I am left handed! How am I supposed to do anything?"
"Try using your right." He replied airily, but at least he looked guilty. He was unwilling to meet his brother's eyes.
"Why did you betray us?"
"I got an offer."
Lightning leaned forward slightly, interested. "What did this mad man offer you?"
"What he offered me is none of your business, brother. This is childish. You cannot fix anything that has happened."
"I can try."
Thunder shook his head. "You are so stubborn. This is a fruitless effort. Spend your energy elsewhere."
"You keep saying that, but I do not believe all is lost."
"Perhaps you should start."
Lightning gave a little growl of anger. "I shan't. I do not care what you have done. You are my brother and I love you."
"Touching."
He lost his temper and slapped his big brother. "Stop it!" He shrieked. "Why are you doing this? Do you have to be so horrible?" Slowly, he sat back and quietened down. "I want to help and I want my brother back."
Thunder sighed, looking away and spreading his arms. "I am here, as I am." There was a hesitation before he looked back to Lightning. "I tried to protect you, to keep you separate from this whole thing, for a reason. Because I truly have not changed that much."
"You still broke my arm and made me almost fall to my death, twice!"
"Those were my orders. I must follow my orders, no matter how...macabre."
"You could have objected! Objected to hurting your friends, your family..."
He shook his head quickly. "Risks of such behaviour were too high."
"What does that mean?"
"If you couldn't stay out you would be hurt, simple as." He insisted, crossing his arms. "If I did not fight, I could be punished severely. I knew what I was getting into when I got into it, and I have unlocked my full potential. You saw I have new powers. I have more yet than you have seen."
"So these guys just call out of the blue with the idea that they can bribe us?" Jinx asked sceptically. They had called in some other Titans to help, getting Titans East, Kole and Gnaark and Herald involved. They had tracked the mystery caller to a warehouse. The same warehouse they had fought Thunder at.
Lightning refused to come with them, so it was that team plus Herald, Kole and Gnaark. The place seemed empty at first, but "Nice little squad ya got there." alerted them to the presence of someone else. Girl's voice. They turned, and found themselves facing a girl with long, white hair and a mask reminiscent of Slade's.
"What is this?" Jinx yelled. The mystery girl held up her hands and chuckled.
"Don't worry, I'm not on his side. Think of me as...an anti-hero."
A much older man stepped out beside her and put an arm protectively round her shoulder, which she shrugged off. He was wearing all grey and black, a small tuft of blonde hair visible where it was poking out from beneath his mask. His smile seemed directed at one Titan in particular.
Jinx scowled. "Who are you?"
"Not important." The man insisted. "I think you know what's important, and that's finding your friends."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Kole asked.
"You don't." The girl stated. "Thing is, we have information you need, and I think you've something for us."
"And what would that be?" Asked Flash.
The two contacts looked at one another for a moment before the man spoke up. "My sister and I think you stand a chance against this guy, and we gotta say, we've a thing against him too."
"Even though your sister dresses like him?"
The girl shrugged. "Unfortunately, it suits."
She gestured for them to follow her, and her brother did so immediately, but the Titans all hesitated, for varying lengths of time. Jinx and Jericho made the first moves.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Strike of the Dagger
His vision was blurry when he woke up. The room was a disgusting shade of pink and he felt cold. Too cold. He tried to wrap his arms around his skinny frame, only to find they were shackled above his head. Suddenly, he felt sick. He tugged at the shackles, but he couldn't get free. Next he noticed his clothes were missing. He had been fooled by the thin, pink material wrapped around his body, like a silk cocoon blanket. There was a giggle from the foot of the bed. Why was he on someone's bed? Last he remembered was Dagger and Fire knocking him out...
"You might notice something around your wrists. I wish they could have had a sweeter touch to them, but Slade uses them to keep our powers at bay when we're misbehaving. Only way I could make this safe for me."
He craned his neck and gasped. He was shackled to the Ruby Dagger's bed, and she stood at the foot in lingerie. He tried again to free his wrists. This woman was not someone he wanted to be helpless before. She sauntered over and mounted his waist.
"What are you doing?" He asked through gritted teeth. She giggled again.
"Come on, it's no secret I'm...intrigued by you." She slowly peeled away the blanket. His eyes widened and he tried to shock her, but nothing happened. He felt her hands on him and began kicking. "Stop touching me!" He shrieked. "Let me go!"
She blocked his screams with a kiss. Wisely, she kept her tongue in her own mouth. He continued to scream. To kick. He was trying to get her away. Her hands were still down there, where he wanted her furthest from. She was heavier than he was, and stronger. So much stronger. He was weak. And he was terrified. Ruby suddenly swung herself off him and he gave a sigh of relief. That relief quickly turned to panic. She was naked now. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt her straddle him again.
"Please...please...please don't..."
"I never thought I'd hear you plead, boy."
"You're a psychopath."
"I love pain, bug-zapper. The more you kick, the hotter I get."
He retched. Okay, he was going to be sick, he knew it. He forced himself to remain still. "Go away." Maybe if he kept still, this wouldn't happen. He felt her tongue on his cheek, and he felt her...no...God, please, no. He tried again to struggle, but she countered by attempting to pin his legs with her own.
"Please! Stop! Don't! Please!"
"This was destined to happen from the moment we met." She told him. She wouldn't say another thing for the whole sordid event. He screamed and swore, struggled as best he could and cried for help. No-one came. There wasn't even the slightest sign anyone heard him. He screamed until his throat was so sore he could no longer.
He was left alone in the pink room. He was cold and tears flooded down his cheeks. No more struggling. It was all over and there was no point. He had failed to defend himself, and now he felt he was nothing. What had just happened? That could not have seriously happened. Never in a million years. Surely. He felt bile rise in his throat and tried to sit up before he threw up. All that ended up doing was getting his sick on his arm before he collapsed back down at the edge of the see-through stain. Things probably couldn't get worse. He began to black out again. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
-----
Three supers stood guard by the bound titans. Only two captives were conscious. Neither were struggling. Possibly because one of the guards was holding a gun. Fire and Ice were now joined by a slender girl whose name was yet to be given. Quite frankly, Beast Boy and Thunder didn't care. The changeling had told Thunder that Lightning was there, and both him and the Dagger were missing. All the elemental cared about was knowing his brother was safe. None of the guards seemed willing to divulge his whereabouts, but the pink-skinned boy clearly knew. Of course, he was the one that didn't speak. After a few shared glances with the girl with purple skin, he sighed.
"I do not condone this, Rain."
There was silence. The girl did not respond.
Thunder spoke, saying something that was along the lines of pretty much everything else he had said before. "Just tell me what that witch has done to my brother!"
Fire and Rain looked away. Ice had been looking at the ceiling for a pretty long time.
"If we lift a finger against her, we're dead." Rain mumbled.
Fire was trying to think of a delicate way to put it. "She's a disgusting person who does disgusting things when she isn't killing. Killing is okay, causing pain is okay, but some things still make me shudder..."
The two titans looked confused. In the distance, the sound of stiletto boots echoed through the hollow tunnels. The pyromaniac dropped his weapon and walked off, as if he simply couldn't be bothered any longer.
-----
In actual fact, he had gone into Ruby's room with a key. The key to the shackles. He carefully freed up the electrical elemental's wrists and located his clothes, or most of them at least, and put them at the foot of the bed. Now, perhaps some would at this point misjudge him, but Fire would never again offer even the slightest bit of help to any heroes bar family members. He was only undoing these bonds because rape had to be where he drew the line. He was fine with killing, but he preferred to make it quick and simple. He didn't like drawing out another's suffering. The electrical elemental would never know the fiery one had tried to set him free.
As, when Lightning awoke, Fire was gone. His wrists were free, though. Things seemed a little shaky. He dressed quickly and hurried out, wiping his eyes and trying to pretend the smell of sick didn't linger on his shoulder. The Dagger didn't seem to be nearby.
-----
The Titans found it rather suspicious how easily they had managed to escape. They had been made aware their honorary was hidden there somewhere. Beast Boy and Thunder had realised what the villain was doing, but had not told another soul. How could they? How would they say it? Lightning most likely overpowered the girl anyway. If it really did happen, he would tell in time...right? The Titans walked with distances between them to make it easier to fight if and when need came. Ruby fell in at the back. Just her against all of them gave her little chance, but she was cocky. Oh how she loved her fights. Heck, winning the last one had only been pure luck.
Now, with so many people there on one side, the fight became a little hectic. This humble narrator quickly lost track. I remember Ruby finding she had no room for her fancy manoeuvres in such a tight corridor. There was this really fun and somewhat iconic part towards the end when Ruby spun to avoid a punch, only to make direct contact with a pair of emerald green eyes.
Contact.
Suddenly there was no control over her own body, and she simply stood as Thunder slammed his fist into her jaw. Jericho was behind Thunder, out of Ruby, in seconds. A door opened to the side and there were spins, people ready for another fight, but what occurred instead was a hug. Lightning had been exploring, ready to blast anything to oblivion, but when he saw the other Titans, saw his brother, he powered down and made a line straight for his brother.
"You might notice something around your wrists. I wish they could have had a sweeter touch to them, but Slade uses them to keep our powers at bay when we're misbehaving. Only way I could make this safe for me."
He craned his neck and gasped. He was shackled to the Ruby Dagger's bed, and she stood at the foot in lingerie. He tried again to free his wrists. This woman was not someone he wanted to be helpless before. She sauntered over and mounted his waist.
"What are you doing?" He asked through gritted teeth. She giggled again.
"Come on, it's no secret I'm...intrigued by you." She slowly peeled away the blanket. His eyes widened and he tried to shock her, but nothing happened. He felt her hands on him and began kicking. "Stop touching me!" He shrieked. "Let me go!"
She blocked his screams with a kiss. Wisely, she kept her tongue in her own mouth. He continued to scream. To kick. He was trying to get her away. Her hands were still down there, where he wanted her furthest from. She was heavier than he was, and stronger. So much stronger. He was weak. And he was terrified. Ruby suddenly swung herself off him and he gave a sigh of relief. That relief quickly turned to panic. She was naked now. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt her straddle him again.
"Please...please...please don't..."
"I never thought I'd hear you plead, boy."
"You're a psychopath."
"I love pain, bug-zapper. The more you kick, the hotter I get."
He retched. Okay, he was going to be sick, he knew it. He forced himself to remain still. "Go away." Maybe if he kept still, this wouldn't happen. He felt her tongue on his cheek, and he felt her...no...God, please, no. He tried again to struggle, but she countered by attempting to pin his legs with her own.
"Please! Stop! Don't! Please!"
"This was destined to happen from the moment we met." She told him. She wouldn't say another thing for the whole sordid event. He screamed and swore, struggled as best he could and cried for help. No-one came. There wasn't even the slightest sign anyone heard him. He screamed until his throat was so sore he could no longer.
He was left alone in the pink room. He was cold and tears flooded down his cheeks. No more struggling. It was all over and there was no point. He had failed to defend himself, and now he felt he was nothing. What had just happened? That could not have seriously happened. Never in a million years. Surely. He felt bile rise in his throat and tried to sit up before he threw up. All that ended up doing was getting his sick on his arm before he collapsed back down at the edge of the see-through stain. Things probably couldn't get worse. He began to black out again. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
-----
Three supers stood guard by the bound titans. Only two captives were conscious. Neither were struggling. Possibly because one of the guards was holding a gun. Fire and Ice were now joined by a slender girl whose name was yet to be given. Quite frankly, Beast Boy and Thunder didn't care. The changeling had told Thunder that Lightning was there, and both him and the Dagger were missing. All the elemental cared about was knowing his brother was safe. None of the guards seemed willing to divulge his whereabouts, but the pink-skinned boy clearly knew. Of course, he was the one that didn't speak. After a few shared glances with the girl with purple skin, he sighed.
"I do not condone this, Rain."
There was silence. The girl did not respond.
Thunder spoke, saying something that was along the lines of pretty much everything else he had said before. "Just tell me what that witch has done to my brother!"
Fire and Rain looked away. Ice had been looking at the ceiling for a pretty long time.
"If we lift a finger against her, we're dead." Rain mumbled.
Fire was trying to think of a delicate way to put it. "She's a disgusting person who does disgusting things when she isn't killing. Killing is okay, causing pain is okay, but some things still make me shudder..."
The two titans looked confused. In the distance, the sound of stiletto boots echoed through the hollow tunnels. The pyromaniac dropped his weapon and walked off, as if he simply couldn't be bothered any longer.
-----
In actual fact, he had gone into Ruby's room with a key. The key to the shackles. He carefully freed up the electrical elemental's wrists and located his clothes, or most of them at least, and put them at the foot of the bed. Now, perhaps some would at this point misjudge him, but Fire would never again offer even the slightest bit of help to any heroes bar family members. He was only undoing these bonds because rape had to be where he drew the line. He was fine with killing, but he preferred to make it quick and simple. He didn't like drawing out another's suffering. The electrical elemental would never know the fiery one had tried to set him free.
As, when Lightning awoke, Fire was gone. His wrists were free, though. Things seemed a little shaky. He dressed quickly and hurried out, wiping his eyes and trying to pretend the smell of sick didn't linger on his shoulder. The Dagger didn't seem to be nearby.
-----
The Titans found it rather suspicious how easily they had managed to escape. They had been made aware their honorary was hidden there somewhere. Beast Boy and Thunder had realised what the villain was doing, but had not told another soul. How could they? How would they say it? Lightning most likely overpowered the girl anyway. If it really did happen, he would tell in time...right? The Titans walked with distances between them to make it easier to fight if and when need came. Ruby fell in at the back. Just her against all of them gave her little chance, but she was cocky. Oh how she loved her fights. Heck, winning the last one had only been pure luck.
Now, with so many people there on one side, the fight became a little hectic. This humble narrator quickly lost track. I remember Ruby finding she had no room for her fancy manoeuvres in such a tight corridor. There was this really fun and somewhat iconic part towards the end when Ruby spun to avoid a punch, only to make direct contact with a pair of emerald green eyes.
Contact.
Suddenly there was no control over her own body, and she simply stood as Thunder slammed his fist into her jaw. Jericho was behind Thunder, out of Ruby, in seconds. A door opened to the side and there were spins, people ready for another fight, but what occurred instead was a hug. Lightning had been exploring, ready to blast anything to oblivion, but when he saw the other Titans, saw his brother, he powered down and made a line straight for his brother.
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