Titans
Titans
AU: What will lie ahead for these heroes, these Titans? Well, what better way to be prepared than by going to the Titan Academy for Extraordinary Young Adults and Gifted Youngsters, where the powerful and wise J'onn J'onzz can teach them? Can Richard really expect to fit in here, at a school for kids with abilities, and heroes? We'll find out.
(A.N.) It's an A.U. I've changed everything, and if you don't like it then well… you don't have to read it. I've been working on this for so long and it's going to be long with many sequels- 1, 2, 3, 4. Things are different, I've tried to combine Teen Titans with Young Justice and a little X-Men. They're clearly the Titans but I wanted them to start out older and more like their comic book selves but with no super hero code-names. If you are wondering their age, in the prologue it starts out around 15, with Victor clearly older, and then goes to 18 by chapter 1. Villains are different but I'm sure you can recognize them. You will find that I've put a title of a song at the end of each chapter. I recommend you listen to it to get the full feel of the story, but it is optional.
Pairings are RobStar-BBRae- and Cy will get some too.
This is my story!
Enjoy.
Titans
-Prologue.
The wind blew rapidly as he sped down the road on his fast, custom, red and black motorcycle. He looked around and rolled his eyes, he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be looking for, and he was pretty sure he was lost. He sped down long forsaken roads, keeping an eye out for… well, anything. And he hated to admit it but he was about to give up, until he saw it.
It was a huge building. No, mansion.
Richard parked his bike and took off his helmet and looked around astonished, before taking off his sunglasses in bewilderment. He had never seen a place like this before. It was clearly a school, but not like any school he had ever seen before. He hopped off his bike and set his helmet on the seat before digging in his pocket for the letter. It had been less than a week since Richard had received the letter saying that he had been accepted to the Titan Academy for Extraordinary Young Adults and Gifted Youngsters.
He thought it was bogus for many reasons, one being the fact that he didn't have any powers, the other being that he had never done a good deed in his life. He checked the note confirming that this was the place before moving forward. He walked up the long empty driveway, casually pressing a button on his belt that locked up his bike. He wasn't sure what he was expecting coming here, but he definitely wasn't expecting this. He cautiously walked up the sidewalk and entered the big building. It seemed empty, which made him more suspicious, so his hand hovered over his holster in case he might need to defend himself.
"Welcome to the academy." A tall older man greeted from what seemed to be out of nowhere. Richard almost jumped back in surprise. "Oh, I apologize for startling you. Please do not be frightened, Richard. You are in a safe place, I assure you." The man tried to sound reassuring. Richard couldn't help but look at him warily, not completely sure he could trust this man. "I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is J'onn J'onzz," the man said, shaking Richard's hand.
"J'onn J'onzz?" Richard asked, confusedly.
"Well that's my real name, but you could call me John or even Sean, if it's easier," the man said with a smile.
"No, J'onn's fine. I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but why did you call me here? You are the person that called me here, right?" Richard asked.
"Indeed," the man nodded. "Richard, I know you've had a troubling life with the death of your parents and the odd situation with your adopted father..." Richard looked away, almost embarrassed, as the man spoke and couldn't help but question how this stranger knew these personal things about him. "But I know you want to do good things, Richard, so I welcome you to this school for extraordinary and gifted young adults. We will take care of you, and teach you," J'onn said with assurance, gesturing around him.
"Yeah, I don't really think I'm qualified for this school. I'm not a hero. I don't have powers. I wouldn't exactly fit in."
"You know what a real hero is? Someone who won't cower or cringe from the things that are called evils, or surrender to them, your freedom, or defiance, of which we ought to face any suffering. Richard you are willful and defiant, that's your super power. You will fit right in here," J'onn reassured him wisely before motioning to a hallway. "Come with me." Richard hesitated but did walk with the man.
Even though this J'onn guy just explained what this place was, Richard still found himself doubting its existence. Was there really such a place that would train a person to be the next Superman or Green Lantern?
He walked down the halls, passing lots of what he assumed to be students and teachers, all shapes and sizes. The one thing Richard seemed to notice almost immediately was that everyone here seemed to be enjoying themselves… happy. And that wasn't a look he was used to seeing. Not in the life style he lived in. A few people even waved hello to him, throwing him off guard. Everyone here was different, you couldn't even tell who was a teacher and who was a student. But Richard was highly observant and could see that the students all wore comparable uniforms that were quite captivating, actually, and it reminded him of something a team would train in. This place was so amazing that he became distracted by his surroundings and the environment and he almost didn't notice that J'onn had stopped at a distant dorm room.
So much for being observant.
"You will be staying in this loft, along with four other students." J'onn said opening the door. Richard barely had enough time to look at the apartment like space before he was led to one of the bedrooms."This will be your room, if you choose to stay," he said while opening the door and revealing the space. Richard walked inside the decent-sized plain room. There was a bed, desk, dresser and nightstand. "I know it's not much compared to what you probably had back at the manor, but you do get your own bathroom, and you're free to decorate as you wish." Richard walked around the room, fully taking in the scenery, when suddenly a younger man knocked on the open door before walking in.
"You called for me, J'onn?"
"Richard, this is one of my best students, Victor Stone." J'onn introduced.
Victor stood strong and tall. He had darker skin and a robotic eye next to his normal dark brown one. He seemed around Richard's age, if not a little older. "It's nice to meet you," Victor said firmly, shaking Richard's hand.
"Nice handshake, the robotic engineering is quite lifelike," Richard noted as Victor's hand gave him a strong but gentle squeeze.
Victor did a small chuckle, "Thanks. I think they did a pretty good job fixing me up, but I do tend to tweak it up from time to time."
J'onn looked at his watch. "I'll let you two talk. I have to go meet someone, maybe a potential new student," he said before looking towards Richard. "And Richard, remember, the past may dictate who we are, but we get to determine what we become." And with that he turned and left the room.
"So are you going to join the university?" Victor asked.
Richard sighed. "This is a school for people with abilities. I don't belong here."
"This is a school for people who want to make a difference," Victor corrected him. "You don't need powers to be a part of that."
Richard sat on the empty bed disheartened. The thought of staying here sounded nice, but who was he kidding? He didn't belong here. He grew up closeted and hidden from the world, the last place he belonged was a school.
"There's something else bothering you," Victor noted, sitting down on the bed and slightly changing the weight distribution.
Richard let out a long breath. "It's just, things are complicated. My life is complicated. And I'm not sure where I belong. My parents always told me to spread my wings and fly. But Bruce always said to stay grounded and be prepared and expect the unexpected. I was taught to fight with the 4 S's-strength, skill, speed, and smarts."
"Richard, what happened in your past is in the past, and to put the past behind you, you must accept that you've moved beyond it. No matter how hard it was, you can always begin again."
Richard couldn't help but smirk. "Did you get that from a fortune cookie?" he mused.
Victor smiled, "Maybe, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. You said you don't know where you belong, so maybe you could give this place a try. You could always leave if you wish."
Richard was quiet for a moment as he pondered his decision. He could stay, he could try to start again, he could be a hero, a Titan, and he could do this and never look back. Or, he could just go back on the road, like before, and maybe return to Wayne Manor?...
No!
"Yes."
"So you'll stay?" Victor asked.
Richard turned to him and smiled. "Yes… I'll stay."
Victor smiled and patted him on the back, causing Richard to smile widely before rubbing his now sore back. "Sorry, sometimes I forget how strong I am." Victor apologized sheepishly.
Richard smiled, "Are there other abilities or skills your cyborg body has?"
Victor chuckled and smirked, "Well, I'm strong," He flexed, "I'm smart and a bit of an inventor, and you can say I'm kind of a human pocket knife, or well that's what they call me… Oh and everyone loves this, touch my skin!"
Richard looked at him oddly at his peculiar demand before hesitantly feeling Victor's arm. It was warm and having a closer look Richard noticed Victor's veins glowed like blue L.E.D. lights, as he suddenly felt a tingling upon his head. Curious and slightly startled he got up and ran over to the bathroom mirror and saw his hair was filled with static. "That's amazing!" Richard said with excitement before slicing the static charge out of his hair.
"Electric charge baby." Victor grinned.
They laughed a bit as Victor stood up off the bed. "It's getting kind of late, and I'm sure you would like to get settled into your new room. Would you like me to come get you tomorrow and show you around the loft and school before class starts?" Victor offered.
"Sure." Richard agreed and walked him out, "And thank you, Victor, for your kind hospitality."
Victor smiled and nodded. He wouldn't have given him anything less.
…
Richard took a long shower and now laid reclined on his bed. He had a lot to think about and his mind was currently swarming. The people here showed him kindness, so much in fact that he questioned whether it was all real. He thought back to the big fight he had with Bruce that caused him to pack his bags and leave. He had no plans on returning or even seeing Bruce again. He couldn't, not after the way he was treated there.
A flash of light interrupted his thought as something bright and fire like flew in view of his window. He immediately ran up to it and looked out the glass, he could see deep in the distance something bright fell from the sky and crashed in the terrain.
His curiosity was almost overwhelming as he quickly put on his shoes and grabbed his jacket and belt. He was always one to prepare for anything, Bruce taught him that. He slowly opened up his window and propped himself on the frame before jumping down, and before he could crash on the ground from the 5 story building he quickly grabbed his grappling hook and swung from a nearby tree. He did a small but skilled landing before looking around to see if he was spotted, and just like that he was off to go investigate.
The crash wasn't that far ahead as he rushed through the terrain. He noticed the closer he got the brighter his path became as he moved through the high grass. He could smell a hint of smoke as he moved some brush out of his way. Ahead of him he could see something and he lightened his steps as he grew closer to his destination. He hid behind random trees, peeking forward every once in a while until he reach the crater, and boy what a crater it was.
He looked down it in astonishment as he saw a small object in the center. Carefully he slid down the cliff and upon landing he approached the object cautiously. It was a ship or pod of some sort, and it was surprisingly small to make such a great crater. The closer he got the clearer the ship became and he could see a small window in the high center. He put his face up against the glass and tried glancing inside, only to be blinded by a bright green light. He quickly shielded his eyes before getting a better look at the door of the pod. Against his better instincts he had to find out what was in there.
It didn't take him long to examine the door and figure out how it opened as he grabbed the knob like handle, and with a firm grip pulled… It seemed stuck for a minute but then out of nowhere it fell to the ground with a thunk, causing Richard to back up in response. He waited for something to happen as he stared at the open door, and it wasn't long before he approached it to see what was inside. He had his hand by his belt in case he needed something as he slowly entered the small pod.
The inside was in disarray from the crash and if Richard was paying attention he would have noticed the technology was quite remarkable. But he wasn't paying attention to the ship or any of that for his full attention was on the beautiful alien girl before him. He stared star-struck as he slowly approached the girl. She had golden tan skin, and long shiny red, roseate hair. She wore a tight purple uniform that had long sleeves and pants yet showed her toned stomach. She was curled up in a laying position, probably to protect herself from the impact.
Richard approached her cautiously, "Um… Are you alright?" He asked, reaching down to touch her.
But as he got closer, her eyes opened wide! Startled, he quickly took a step back as she hastily rose up in flight before him and gave him a death glare with her glowing green eyes! He watched her in astonishment and fear as she faced him, her hands glowing with green fire!
"Gotye!" She yelled and he quickly lifted his hands up as she approached him.
"Easy, I'm not here to hurt you." He tried to reassure as his back hit the steel wall of the ship.
"Gotye!" She yelled again and aimed her hands towards him threateningly.
"Do you speak English?" He asked and she slowly stopped and narrowed her eyes in return.
"I'm gonna take that as a no." He noted as she started approaching him again.
"Please, I come in peace." He said with his hands still up in front of him.
He tensed at the heat of her power as she held her hands in front of him and watched him with a wearily eye. He gulped, and his brow began to sweat as he closed his eyes, preparing for impact. But it never came as she suddenly lowered her hands. He peeked open his eyes as the heat subsided and watched as she let the flame in her palms evaporate. He made eye contact with her as she gave him a strange look and suddenly, before he could react she quickly grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward, kissing him forcefully. His eyes immediately widened at the interaction and before he could move or act she threw him down against the hard ground of the steel wall.
"Who are you?" She asked with her eyes still glowing bright. He almost stuttered at her English and still tried to recover over the fact she just kissed him."State your name!" She demanded, as her hands began to light up again.
"I'm Grayson, Richard Grayson." He said quickly.
"Are you friend are foe?"
"Friend." He said easily and was relieved when she lowered her hands, letting the fire dissolve once more.
He watched as she stood up straight, her glowing green eyes fading, they were still a bright green but now he could see the difference between her pupils and irises. "I wish to know the name of this planet." She spoke in a much lighter tone.
"Earth." He answered, still a little on edge. "Can… can I ask your name?"
"I am princess Koriand'R of Tamaran." She addressed professionally.
He nodded and slowly stood up before handing her his hand. "Nice to meet you." She stared at it questionably for a minute before putting her hand out in the same fashion. He lightly smiled at the gesture and sheepishly put his hand down.
They both abruptly turned to the door as they heard a noise and the sound of soft voices outside. Richard quickly turned to the girl beside him just to see she had quickly lit up her hands and eyes to defend herself. "No, no, It's okay." Richard said carefully putting his hands on her arms, lowering them down. "I'll take care of this." He reassured and she lowered her defenses and nodded, trusting him.
Richard walked out of the pod with Koriand'R behind him as they were approached. "Well hello Richard." J'onn greeted in surprise.
"J'onn?"
"I see you have found our new guest." J'onn said gesturing to Koriand'R before greeting her. "Welcome to Earth princess." He said with a small bow.
Koriand'R slowly walked out from behind Richard and did a small smile at the greeting.
"I thank you for your kindness."
"Oh I see you have already learned English, I'm sure Richard was happy to assist you with that." J'onn said smirking towards Richard, causing him to slightly color.
"You seem to know a lot about me, yet I know nothing of you. I wish for that to change." Koriand'R said sternly.
"Of course. Let me introduce myself, my name is J'onn J'onzz. I run the school you see before you." He said gesturing to the academy behind him in the distance. "We would like to invite you to become a student here, like your new friend Richard, he just arrived today." Koriand'R couldn't help but glance back at Richard as J'onn spoke. "Now Koriand'R I know you've had a troubling and traumatizing few months, you have endured a lot, and I understand you are probably frightened and more likely terrified. But I can assure you this school is a safe place, and I would be honored if you joined the academy for extraordinary and gifted young adults. We will take care of you and teach you."
The princess was clearly hesitant as she glance back and forth from J'onn to her ship. "I… I am not sure." She said uncertain. She honestly wasn't expecting to get offered a place to stay in the first five minutes of landing on Earth.
"I know, in less than a month you have lost so much, your friends, your family, your home. And I know we could never replace the things you've lost. But just as old friends pass new friends appear, just like the days. An old day passes, and a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful … No distance can separate you from the people you love, as long as the memory of them lives in your heart, they will always be with you…"
J'onn's words touched Koriand'R's heart in many ways as he spoke from his own, and surprisingly he showed her a secret, a secret that very little people knew about…
'So always remember princess, you are not alone, you will give love and be loved, for you are love.'
Koriand'R didn't question how she could hear J'onn in her head, nor did she fear it, for she knew him showing her this side of him proved he was someone she could trust.
Koriand'R smiled up at him, "I… I would like to except your offer, to stay."
J'onn smiled before looking behind him and addressing the woman who had been there the whole time. "Koriand'R, this is Shiera Hall. She will tell you all you need to know to prepare yourself for your first day of class tomorrow. Speaking of which, it's late and we should all head back and get some rest, Shiera will show you to your corridors." J'onn said slowly walking the girls back to the academy before stopping. He turned his head to the side to address Richard who hadn't moved this whole time. "I recommend you do the same Richard, you are a student now after all." J'onn said smirking, before continuing on with the girls. "Now I know it's no royal chamber, but I hope you will like it. " J'onn continued on…
…
It was around 8 when Victor came knocking on Richards door. Richard had already been up for a while, he tended to be a early riser, plus he wasn't able to get much sleep from the scene he had witnessed the night before. There were a lot of things on his mind at the moment, like the alien who crash landed, and how beautiful she was, and how she kissed him, and how she was now, apparently, a student at the school. He would be lying if he said he wasn't excited by the fact he might be able to see her again.
Victor knocked on the door and had given Richard a kind morning greeting before showing him around the loft space. There wasn't much to see of the loft, there were five bedrooms and three bathrooms, and Richard was thankful he happened to have got the room with the connecting private bathroom, unlike the others who have to share. The kitchen was small and he was told that they tended to go to the large cafeteria for meals, but it was not mandatory. All that was left was the living room, there was a L-shaped couch along with a big flat screen and many video game consoles in front of it.
Richard couldn't help but stare at the Wii, Xbox, and Play Station. "Hey, what can I say, we like our video games." Victor shrugged sheepishly.
"We?" Richard questioned.
"Me and Gar. Speaking of which I'm shocked the grass stain isn't up yet, class will be starting soon." He noted before escorting Richard out of the loft. "Now we start the school tour." He proclaimed as they walked down the halls of the academy. Richard took this moment to slowly glance at the cyborg next to him, unlike the night before, Richard noticed today Victor was now dressed in the school uniform he had seen so many people wear the day before, and it was oddly complimentary to his big muscled form. And he secretly couldn't wait until he got one too.
"Don't worry I'll get you one of these later." Victor spoke somewhat out of nowhere.
"Excuse me?" Richard questioned.
"You were either checking me out or my uniform, I'm hoping it's the latter."
"I was checking out the uniform, trust me!" Richard defended quickly, his hands rising.
Victor smirked, "Good, cause I don't swing that way. Not that I'm saying it's wrong if you do."
Richard inwardly chuckled, "Um thanks, but I'm straight."
The awkward yet humorous discussion ended just in time for them to arrive at the Kitchen, or rather cafeteria. It was a large modern kitchen that some tended to refer to as a cafeteria because of its size. They both had a big breakfast and Victor explained more about the history of the school and what they really do here. Richard tried to pay attention, he really did, but there was someone he just couldn't seem to get off his mind.
After they ate they continued on with the tour, there was so much in the huge mansion that Victor could only show so much at this time. But he was able to show Richard the outsized indoor pool, and the big fancy Gym before showing him the cozy lounge room which consisted of a neat seating arrangement around a huge flat screen.
Richard was overwhelmed, this place was indescribable.
"-And we have over 1,000 channels." Victor spoke.
Richard glanced back and forth around the room as Victor continued, and neither of them was aware that they were now being watched. Victor smiled and grabbed a remote and was about to show Richard the cool intense sound system when out of knower he was attack by a very interesting boy who hopped on his back.
The boy was clearly around Richard's age but not quite as big as he clung to the tall Cyborg like a monkey of sorts, and Richard couldn't help but be taken aback by his appearance. He had green features like skin, hair, and eyes? His ears were pointed and he had fangs? He was like some sort of elf or goblin? All in all he was very strange looking and caught Richard off guard. Richard quickly grabbed a weapon from his pocket and was about to attack, but he stopped seeing that Victor was smiling at the boy.
"What's up Vic?" The boy asked as his hair filled with static charge.
"Garfield, meet the new kid, Richard."
Richard watched him curiously, analyzing the situation, before putting away his weapon. "What's up new dude?" Garfield smirked giving out a hand to shake. Richard wearily walked up to him and was about to shake his hand from Victor's shoulders when he noticed the sharp claws his hand contained. "Oops sorry." Garfield said taking his hand back and retracting the nails.
He put his hand back out for Richard to shake now that it was back to a basic human hand. Richard shook it but couldn't help but speak his thoughts out loud as he did so, "You're… green?" He questioned and he felt kind of stupid for stating something so obvious. He had seen a lot of interesting people in his life, especially today and the day before, but none of them were green? Or so he knew.
"You are new here." The boy noted rolling his eyes before changing the subject and turning towards his robotic friend. "So Vic, you ready for combat practice?" He asked eagerly.
"I don't need to be ready to kick your butt green bean."
"Bring it on tin head! I'm ganna go find Raven!" Garfield announced before jumping off of Victor's shoulders, morphing into a green bird and flying away.
Richard watched this in alarm, "Did, did he just turn into a bird?" He blinked.
Victor smiled. "Garfield's a changeling, he can morph into animals. It's really cool but not much of a disguise since the animals are always green."
"Well why is he green?" Richard asked.
Victor gave him a perplexed look, wondering how he was going to explain this? It was like asking him how he became a cyborg. "Well, when Gar was a kid he got infected with a virus, and the cure had some… intense side effects." That was the best way to sum it up for the moment.
"So what did he look like, before?"
"No one really knows, and no one really asks, it's a sensitive subject." Richard could understand that. "We all have our back-stories, some more tragic then others."
Now Richard had worked with robots and robotic body parts before with Bruce, so Victor didn't seem that out of the ordinary, but this Garfield fellow, he… he was just weird. He had seen a lot of strange people today but none of them were that out of the ordinary, or so they seemed. And Richard couldn't help but think about how the changelings clothes seamed to vanish as he morphed, like some sort of camouflage effect? And it got him thinking about how cool the school uniforms were. A lot of them were black but some of them were gray. The tops looked like one of those rash guard shirts but had a different fabric, and the cargo pants matched. There were also belts and ankle combat boots included with the outfit. All in all Richard had to admit he wanted one.
"So when am I getting one of those cool uniforms, again?" Richard asked.
"I'll take you to get one after school, but I'll warn you, there not just for looks, you never know what's going to happen in class. The teachers tend to spring some interesting tests on you."
"I was raised to deal with conflict and challenges, I think I'll be fine." Richard smirked.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Victor said as a bell rang throughout the academy, "Come on its combat time, and I have some green butt to kick," He said excitedly.
They rushed down the hall and into a big room where there were other students around their age. Everyone was either doing one on one with each other or going through obstacle courses. Richard easily spotted the green Garfield and saw he was fighting with an eccentric girl, with dark night sky hair, light pale skin and piercing red eyes. She was mysteriously alluring.
"Who's the girl with Garfield?"
"Oh that's Raven, trust me you don't want to get on her bad side."
Richard couldn't help but notice Garfield apparently didn't get the memo. He watched as the girl plunged her arms up, picking up a large machine with a strange black influence and threw it at Garfield, luckily he managed to quickly dodge it just in time.
"Wow, what's her ability?" Richard had to ask.
Another tough one to put into words. "Raven's powers are complicated, she controls... energy," Victor tried to explain, "And just like energy her powers can expand."
"Interesting." Richard couldn't help but say as he watched Garfield morph into a cheetah and run around the girl.
"I will banish your mortal soul, Logan!" Raven yelled, annoyed with the green animal taunting her.
"Okay, what's that about?" Richard asked startled by the girl's outburst.
Victor smiled. "Raven is…special."
"What?"
"Let's just say her back story might be the worst of all."
Richard was pulled out of that thought as Raven picked up another huge object and threatened to throw it at Garfield as he quickly tried to maneuver away from her wrath. And Richard started to wonder how she was even considered a hero as the girl continued to threaten the changeling's life.
Victor saw Richard's feared expression and felt the need to console him. "Relax, Ravens all talk. She might have a bit of a temper but she's usually just quiet and sarcastic, and really doesn't mean any harm."
It was strange, even though this girl made Richard feel nervous and somewhat frightened, she somehow made him feel better, if she is accepted here then maybe he can be too.
"Gar, I swear I am capable of banishing you!" She threatened again.
Garfield smirked and stuck is tongue out at her before he morphed and falcon flew over to Victor and Richard. He landed on Victor's shoulders and morphed back with a cocky smile on his face. "Yeah, she digs me. The lady's love the pointy ears." He smirked wiggling them.
"Just keep telling yourself that." Victor said rolling his eyes.
"W-wait. You like her? She just attempted to kill you." Richard spoke in surprise.
"It's called flirting." Garfield defended.
"Ha, Yeah, green bean here has liked her since the day she arrived, but refuses to do anything about it."
"Yeah, while I'm doing that I'll pick out a green casket. Anyway did you hear that J'onn found another new student?"
"Really?" Victor asked and Richard couldn't help but suddenly show interest.
"Yeah, last night." Garfield went on and as if on cue J'onn walked up with the new girl beside him, and Richard couldn't help but stare star-struck once again. Unlike last night today she had normal looking clothes, and her all out appearance seamed… happier. And Richard had to admit it was a great look for her.
"Mister Logan, you can't keep your mouth shut can you?" J'onn teased before turning to Victor. "Victor I have another new student I would like you to show around, if you don't mind. This is Koriana, your new roommate. She's not from this world, clearly, and is eager to learn Earth's customs."
"Greetings," Koriana said before walking up to them, and before anyone could tell what she was doing she gave them each a sudden bone crushing hug. Garfield practically crippled at her strength, and it took a lot of effort for him to seem unfazed. Victor was surprised that she hugged him but luckily didn't feel much of her strength in the hold. Richard did tense at her embrace but not from her strength, more from the contact itself. With all the bone crushing commotion Raven decided to see what all the fuss was about, but as soon as she approached the group Koriana squealed and ran up to hug her as well, which Raven didn't seem to excitedly greet. "And a greetings to you my first female Earth friend!" Koriana greeted cheerfully.
Raven tried to control herself as she was squeezed in the tight hug and she worked hard to control her emotions as her eyes tempted to faze red again. She hated human interactions. Thankfully that was one thing Richard seemed to notice from the start, and he also took note that her eyes seemed to change color to reflect her mood, which is very helpful. "Um Koriana… Raven doesn't really like to be hugged, or touched," Garfield tried to tell her as Raven stiffened and clenched her eyes shut.
"Yeah he would be the expert on that," Victor whispered towards Richard, before clearing his throat. "So Koriana, do you have any other ability's? I mean clearly your super strong, what else can you do?" He asked.
Koriana looked at him perplexed, not fully comprehending what he meant. "Um… I do not understand?"
Richard very well knew she had other powers for he witnessed them firsthand the night before, and decided to help her out in understanding what Victor meant. "When Victor says abilities he means like powers, or gifts, you know, like flight or glowing hands and eyes? He tried to clarify.
Koriana then grinned in comprehension, "Oh yes." She answered before taking off in fast flight and flying over to a machine far bigger then herself, and everyone watched with amazement as she picked it up with one hand as if it weighed nothing , and If that wasn't perplexing enough she then looked up and green fire like beams bolted out of her eyes, melting the metal. Richard was amazed, clearly she was capable of more than what he was expecting.
"We're going to need a new obstacle course," Raven said bluntly, somewhat unfazed, unlike the boys beside her who had to pick their mouths up from off the ground.
Koriana giddily flew back to them, "On my world everyone can do that, but here it's uncommon, yes?"
The boys were speechless and before they could even respond another alarm rang threw the room. Victor quickly recovered, "It's time for class," He informed them.
"Class? I thought this was class?" Richard asked gesturing to the combat room.
"Combat practice is more like… recess." Garfield answered as they turned and went to leave the room, but before they could J'onn stopped them at the door. "Hold on, I'm sending you five out, I want you to show our new students what we are all about here."
"Sweet," Garfield said excitedly.
"Out?" Richard questioned.
"Sometimes when a villain, 'AKA bad guy', escapes from prison or just decides to go crazy J'onn sends students out to take them down and bring them back, if he doesn't think they're too dangerous," Victor informed him.
"So we're like cops?" Richard asked.
"Oh we're far better than cops." Raven smirked.
"So J'onn, who are we taking to jail this time?" asked Garfield rubbing is hands together.
"Mother," He answered.
"Mother?" Asked Koriana.
"She's a religious witch, that supposedly makes everything pure with her magic," Victor responded.
"She's a real pain," Raven added.
"Last time we took her to jail she combed my hair," Garfield whined.
"You say that like it's a bad thing?" Raven responded earning a glare from the changeling.
…
Victor quickly broke up the pair before another fight could start and they all ran back to the dorm, leaving Richard and Koriana in the living room 'alone'. Richard tried not to be nervous over that fact and instead turned to face her. He opened his mouth to try and start a conversation but the words wouldn't leave his lips. He was normally so smooth, calm and collected. How could one simple girl make him so flabbergasted? But then again she wasn't just any girl… She was beautiful and stunning and, and she is now talking…
"It's… very nice to see you again Richard." She said bashfully.
"Likewise." He said but immediately regretted his choice of words as she gave him a confused look. "I mean I feel the same way." He corrected and was relieved when she gave him a nice smile.
Victor suddenly walked out of his room around the same time Raven and Garfield walked out of theirs. They all wore fancy uniforms that Richard couldn't help but ogle at. "Every hero needs a costume, don't worry we'll get you some of these later," Victor said before they rushed down the halls and out of the school, into the garage. Richard then watched in shock as they got into a beautiful car. He tried to play it cool but there was only so much one man could do."I see you like my baby." Victor smirked before starting the automobile as everyone hopped into the car.
"Hey Vic, can I drive?" Garfield asked eagerly from the backseat.
"Nope." Victor responded plainly before starting the car.
Richard shook his head clearing his mind from the vehicle. This was no time to gawk, they were going on a mission, and upon realizing that, Richard's eyes widened again, they were on a mission, a real mission!
…
The car went to a dramatic stop as they spotted the old woman down town.
"She looks like an ordinary old lady?" Richard questioned, getting out of the car.
"Wait for it," Raven cautioned, and they watched as the old bat turned around to reveal a horrid, witch like face.
"She's hideous!" Koriana shrieked, causing the witch to turn and glare at her.
"Shush, you'll piss her off," Garfield warned which also got her attention.
The witch turned to him and smiled sweetly, causing him to jump. "Garfield sweetie, it's okay if you want to be a cute little bunny, but green, no that's the color of mucus and boogers, Mother does not approve. How about a sweeter color like pink," The so called good doer said before snapping her fingers. Garfield closed his eyes preparing for impact as pink magic incased him and subsided to reveal him in a pink fluffy rabbit suit. "There now you can still be an animal, and an adorable one I might add." She said sweetly.
The others couldn't help but snicker at Garfield's expense. "Really, pink?" He shrieked fully inspecting his new outfit, "God, I look like Ralphie."
"Who?" Raven question, and Garfield's mouth almost dropped.
"A Christmas story!" She still didn't get it and it caused him to sigh in defeat, "Forget it."
The others really tried to pull themselves together. This was serious, and they need to act like professionals. But really… this was also kind of hilarious. The woman then faced Raven and Victor with a smirk upon her wart covered mouth, "Raven dear, you ware to much black, a nice sun dress will help, you're a lady after all. And Victor, I wouldn't want you to get your weird gears and gadgets wet and rusty, how about a rain coat to protect you?" She offered. The young heroes couldn't keep up with her changes as Mother left them in a cloud of pink magic before turning to Koriana. "Young lady you show too much skin," She scolded pointing to the girl's low cut revealing half-shirt, "Sweetie a nice sweater will do the trick and cover you up."
"Please I do not wish…" Koriana began as the pink magic incased her.
Richard quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a weapon, but before he could act the woman turned to him and spoke. "Now young man that looks dangerous, I wouldn't want you to get hurt," And before Richard could react the witch turned his once well hand crafted weapon into a rubber squeaky toy.
The young Heroes looked at each other, bewildered at their outlandish attire. They looked ridiculous!
"Really a dress?" Raven spat almost horrified.
"Hey at least you're not in a bunny suit." Garfield commented.
Richard squeaked his weapon, still in shock.
"My sweater itches," Koriana said scratching the itchy wool.
*squeak.
"Well you're used to being a colorful animal," Raven commented to Garfield's previous remark.
"Hey guys!" Victor shouted at his bickering team. "Let's take down this witch!" He ordered, harshly removing his yellow rain coat.
The woman gasped. "That is no way to talk to your Mother." She once again snapped her fingers as a bar of soap appeared in Victor's mouth.
He spat it out with disgust, "Bla… Attack!"
Raven was somehow able to turn her power towards her outfit, letting the energy evaporate the dress. She then turned towards the old woman and with a disgusted face she thrusted her arms out, letting her dark energy magic fling street objects up and at the witch. The Woman continued to scold the young heroes as she ducked out of the way, but before she could lash back at her attackers a green goat rammed into her, forcing her to fall hard on the ground.
Richard watched the scene before him and quickly got an idea. He got Victor's attention and gestured towards the path the witch was being pushed towards. Victor smiled and nodded as they took action.
Koriana watched the others and got the idea of what she was supposed to do. With her strength she yanked off the itchy sweater before rising up to the sky. She closed her eyes and when they opened they were the piercing glowing green they were the night before. She opened up her fists as they lit up with fire and she skillfully threw the green energy at the villain, forcing the witch to run backwards into Victor and Richards's newly enabled snare.
The old woman sat in the middle of the street and angrily struggled as they sealed the noose around her. "This is no way to treat your mother!" She spat.
Richard couldn't help but look at her confusedly, "lady you're not my mother." He said as the police arrived at the scene.
This… was surprisingly easy. They had defeated Mother with ease working as a team. But before they could celebrate and return to the academy they had to destroy and burn any evidence of those awful clothes.
…
Richard couldn't help but be somewhat excited as they drove back to the school, all he could think about was how good it felt kicking that witch's butt, bringing her to jail, and working as a team for justice and the greater good.
"That was amazing!" He said excitedly. But take note that Richard's excitement isn't like a normal persons excitement, He was raised with Bruce after all.
Victor, Garfield and even Raven looked at one another and smiled, remembering the first time they got out in the field. It's definitely something to think about. "Welcome to our world."
"It was great." And it felt right and so, so… good. Maybe this was the side he belonged on after all.
"Yes it was most wonderful," Koriana added with glee.
"I mean Garfield you just knocked her down, and Raven you were so fast, and Koriana you, you were amazing." Richard spoke out loud, looking at her.
She couldn't help but smile at Richard's comment. "The people on my planet are good warriors, we are trained from when we are small to think fast and take action."
"Well you were incredible."
She blushed, "You were incredible as well."
"Hey what was that thing you threw at her?" Garfield asked, butting in.
"What this?" Richard asked pulling out another weapon from his pocket. "Me and Bruce used to design all sorts of weapons and hazardous toys."Actually it was one of the rare things he did with Bruce. The man taught Richard how to use many weapons, guns, bows, even nunchucks. But his favorite was the ones they designed.
"Well they're very cool!" Garfield complemented as they walked back to class.
But as soon as they entered the classroom the door dramatically shut behind them. Before any of them could react they each were blindfolded and separated. It all happened so fast, no one knew what was going on. Was this a test, or were they being attacked?
Richard finally managed to free himself from his blindfold just to see he was in a small classroom, alone, with no way out. Yep it was a school classroom, well a music room to be more specific, with no windows, air vents, or doors. But it had a chalk board and desks, so technically it was a classroom. He was beyond confused. This had to be some sort of joke. It was clearly some sort of simulation of sorts. He looked around wearily, but it seemed like any ordinary music room, until the instruments started moving.
This just got weirder and weirder…
Richard hovered his hand over his holster, prepared to defend himself if needed as he watched a robotic walking trumpet trot over to him and remove a piece of itself. Richard stared at it wearily as the trumpet walked up and hit him, Hard! And the others quickly followed. Richard quickly shielded himself, dodging and ducking. But there were too many. He was surrounded and outnumbered when suddenly a huge green beam shot threw the wall, taking out half of the army. Richard couldn't help but smirk. "I like these numbers better." He said before skillfully taking out the other half before walking over to investigate the hole the beam left. Being that it was his only way out he climbed threw it just to bump into Koriana.
"Richard!" She beamed, hugging him, "I am glad to see a familiar face."
"Koriana do you know what's going on?" He asked, trying to seem unfazed over the fact that she had just hugged him again.
"I do not, I hoped you knew. Once I freed myself from being blinded, I found I was in the room of history, and before I could react the pictures on the walls came to life and attacked me."
"It's okay Koriana, Victor told me the teachers here like to do all sorts of crazy things to test the student's skills. I think this is just some sort of simulation." He observed looking around.
A sudden explosion from down the hall caught there attention as they ran towards it, and upon arriving they found Garfield on the floor of the opposite wall rubbing his head. "Garfield, are you okay?" Koriana asked.
"Ow." He groaned, "I hate math."
"Do you know what's going on?" Richard asked as him and Koriana helped him up.
"Oh it's just another school test. Now come on let's find the others." He encouraged as the three of them began to run down the hall. They ran down the empty halls until a door appeared and they were quick to barged through it, just to knock into Raven and Victor.
"Friends!" Koriana beamed.
"Oh great we're all together." Victor smiled. "Okay so clearly we are dealing with a schoolhouse theme here." He noticed.
"Why do they always put me in math?" Garfield asked in annoyance.
"Math will do you good Gar." Victor told him teasingly.
"Yeah well where did you end up Tin man?" Garfield asked harshly.
"I got some sort of computer lab." Victor answered.
"I got music class." Richard mentioned.
"I was in history." Koriana began. "It's not my best subject." She said sheepishly rubbing her arm. "What about you, Raven?" She asked turning towards her.
"Gym." Raven drawled drawing attention to the basketball she was holding on her hip.
"What now? Asked Richard, "Do we have a plan?"
"Most of the class simulations tend to be playful, and hard at times. It's like a sport, a competitive one, and to win you must have-"
"Skill, Strength, Speed, and Smarts?" Richard finished with a smirk.
"Or just pure luck," Victor added, "Think of it as a video game." He tried to explain.
"But the teacher is the prize." Garfield added.
"Could we have come up with a better example?" Raven drawled.
They ignored her as Victor made a arm gesture down a path. "Come on lets go." He told them as they quickly began to run. They hurriedly ran down the hall almost running out of breath as they didn't seem to get anywhere.
"These hallways seem to go on forever." Koriana observed.
"Not really, it's just an illusion." Victor explained as they turned a corner just to come to a dead end.
"What now?" Garfield asked, catching his breath.
No one responded as they all looked around for a possible way out. Richard leaned forward and inspected the front wall before his eyes widened. "LOOK OUT!" He yelled pouncing on his friends before the wall exploded.
Of course no one was seriously hurt as they coughed and dusted themselves off. Victor quickly got up and looked at the gaping hole the blast had left. The others inspected it as Richard kindly helped Koriana up. She smiled and took his hand, before they joined the others. Through the hole was a battle field full of the other students.
"Look there," Garfield pointed, "That's our prize."
The goal.
The teacher, Hal Jordan, stood atop a large staircase waiting for someone to reach him. And below him were the other students fighting off school themed robots and drones.
"So how do we get to him?" Asked Richard.
Garfield smirked. "We charge!" He shouted running out into the storm.
"Gar wait!" Victor hollered chasing after him. Raven couldn't help but roll her eyes and sigh before doing the same.
Koriana looked towards Richard, "Should we follow our friends?" Without answering he grabbed her hand and they ran.
Garfield reached the staircase, followed by the others. "Gar wait, we're a team and were supposed to work together." Victor said grabbing his shoulder, stopping him from running up the stairs.
"Is it just me or was this too easy?" Raven asked joining them.
They looked around confused as Richard and Koriana caught up. They quickly shrugged off the simplicity of the task before running up the staircase. This was too easy, they were at their goal, they managed to avoid the small obstacles and obstructions and make it here, easy?
Too easy.
They were almost at the top when Hal smirked and pressed a button, turning the staircase into a slide. "Recess." He said smugly, adding to the school house theme.
"That's new." Victor blinked before the boy's did a face plant and slid down the slip. The girls quickly flew to the air and followed the boy's as Garfield looked down. At the end of the slide the floor dropped to a gapping overhang. He yelped and quickly morphed into an octopus and stuck to the slide before catching Richard and Victor. The girl's then grabbed on to his arms and swung all three boys at Hal, and just like that class was dismissed.
They helped each other up including Hal as he addressed them, "I'm impressed, great team work," He complimented. "If we gave out grades I would definitely give you all an A." He smiled.
…
When class was over Victor, Garfield and Raven excitedly took Koriana and Richard to get mission wear and a school uniform. And Richard now had a better understanding of their school outfits and now can see how they would really help in class.
The pair was pulled to a certain part of the school were they entered a store like room. It kind of reminded Richard of a sportings good store. The team was then separated by gender specific areas. Raven took Koriana into one as Victor and Garfield took Richard into the other. There were so many outfits, shoes, gloves and belts. It was overwhelming. They explained to Richard and Koriana that for your school outfit you get to choose a gray or black uniform with any color of stitching that framed the hem. Example, Victor has gray with neon blue stitching, Garfield also has gray with dark purple stitching, and Raven has black with dark blue stitching.
Richard and Koriana looked at their color options. It was exciting how they got to express their personalities in their wardrobe colors. After skimming threw their options, Koriana chose gray with bright purple stitching and Richard ended up with black with red stitching. The uniforms were surprisingly comfortable and form fitting, but they didn't have much time to look at them as they were on to the next costume.
Next was there mission uniforms.
Victors' uniform had a lot of metal and looked like an armor suit with the colors black, white, gray and hints of LED blue. He can literally attach it to his body and become a human machinegun if need be. But being that its mechanical means it needs special care and needs charged from time to time.
Garfield's uniform is very special and had to be specially designed, for it has to camouflage to his skin when he morphs. Appearance wise it's a simple short sleeve long pants uniform, with the colors black, white, gray and purple. And he sports the outfit with gray combat boots and a belt.
Ravens outfit is very unique too, for its supposedly what she wore back home, wherever that may be. Now she uses it as her uniform for it fits well with her powers. It's a black short sleeved and shorts one piece. She has tall thigh length dark blue boots and a metal jeweled belt that fits loosely around her waist. She also has blue wrist bands and her signature dark blue hooded cloak, making her look very mysterious…
Richard glanced around the store at his options before figuring out exactly what he wanted. He tried to make it simple picking black pants and a red and black protected shirt. He grabbed black combat boots and a black and yellow utility belt to hold his weapons and well… utilities. He picked out heavy duty black gloves and finished the outfit with a black and yellow cape, because well… it looked cool.
Once he was dressed he looked up at his reflection in the mirror. He stared at himself for a long time, looking at his jet black hair and blue eyes, and sighed, he looked just like his father. No, not Bruce. Though he looked like him as well, that wasn't who he was talking about. He then turned around seeing the reflection of Koriana and his mouth almost dropped.
After running around gleefully, Koriana had finally picked something similar to the clothes she had on her home planet, a sleeveless purple half top and shorts with some matching purple thigh length boots. She had gone to her room and grabbed some jewelry she had from home to sport the outfit with. A metal neck plate, a metal plated belt and metal plated wrist bands that all had green gems on them that just so happened to match her eyes.
"Do… I look nice?" She asked bashfully and Richard could only nod in response, nice was a understatement.
Garfield then ran forward excitedly with a camera in hand as they all posed in front of the mirror to capture this wonderful moment. And Richard couldn't help but smile with the others. This was better then what he had expected this to be, and he was glad with his decision to stay.
For the best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
…
Keep Your Eyes Open- NeedToBreathe.