Flare
A Fanfiction by Keystone
Disclaimer: This story is my property, as proven by the fact I am ow writing it and will post it shortly. By reading this, you are proving my point that it is indeed mine, so back off lawyers. However, none of the characters or places are, save for the giant bad guy. He is so mine.
Author's note: Wow I'm stretching myself out. Four college classes, hard job, tough girlfriend relationship, and fanfiction. I know what you're thinking. You're saying to yourself, "Wow this guy is doing a lot. He must be the shit. And sexy." And you know what? You're right.
Flare
To the citizens of Jump City, all the word reassurance meant was looking out into the bay and seeing it. Not the tugs in the harbor or the gulls flying around, but farther back. Standing out like a heavenly forge, the unmistakable tower. Not just any tower. The Titans Tower. Home of the Teen Titans, Jump City's resident bad guy protection team. A shimmering golden cross of power and glory, but of youth and freedom as well. A symbol of fearlessness.
To the citizens who knew of the Titans, each of them held a special place for one of the five teens. Much to his hopes, Beast Boy had a legion of girls willing to laugh at any joke, swoon over any smile, pet any form, or fight for any shred of clothing. Or perhaps the stoic supporters of Robin. The ones who saw how he led and fought with only his bare mind, body, and soul, and no additional powers.
Even the alien Starfire held hordes of fans. Especially amongst the parents of Jump City's children. Those who saw her innocence and simple honesty as befitting of a nice, God-fearing young woman. And also those who saw her as an exotic 'foreign' delicacy.
Jump City had slums and affluent neighborhoods like any other city. And all of the Blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities felt they had a champion in Cyborg. Someone who continued to do the right thing and be a positive role model. And then there were those who saw Raven. Typical of those misunderstood, she was hounded at every turn by the quasi fanatical religious right of the town. But she was adored by every one who had ever been misunderstood, left behind, forced on their own, or just quiet.
It didn't matter who you were in Jump City. If you felt down, or had low spirits, you could always look to the tower, and draw your strength from the confidence of the five young defenders inside it. Any night, that is, but tonight. For tonight, that very same tower was burning.
In the cool Autumn eve, the air over the bay water was clear and calm. Just right to see bits of the once majestic structure fall into the frigid surf below. Like fiery tears they fell from the burning face of hope, and sank with the hearts of all who saw. The tower itself still stood until cracks brought by the blaze caused the once pristine building to crumble to the ground in four ashen husks, the very frame of it melting in the hellish blaze. Steel, glass, and concrete alike felt gravity's might and crashed down, sending pillars of water towards the sky. Of the whole tower, nothing except for the foundation and the few remaining first floors still stood. But they too, were slowly burning, and the fires raging across it threatened to consume it as well.
Its residents did not stand idly by and watch their home fall. As one they charged and assaulted their foe, unleashing unspeakable might and furious rage. Nothing but their very finest for the town to watch and revel in their might. So they fought with the ferocity of cornered animals, until it became apparent that they were. There was no way for them to turn the tide of this battle. Enemies lined up to fight and were thrown down as more bodies rose to take their place.
The fight began in the city, near the Titan's favorite pizza parlor. A few Slade droids here, a few over there following a colossal explosion. The tower had been bombed they had deduced as they saw the burning effigy of all the righteous motives they fought for. As their home burned they allowed the fires of vengeance to burn within them. Slade's mechanical soldiers fell easily and often in their battles.
No problem at first. Until more showed up. And then as soon as the last fell smoldering to the earth, even more appeared on the scene. Knowing they could not win in such confined quarters, they split up, each going in a different direction, trying to draw the enemy out and stretch their lines. And it worked, until the heros realized they still had over one hundred enemy bots to fight a piece. At the least.
But they did not retreat. They did not run. They fought. And they held their ground. But they could not hold. Soon they were simply overwhelmed. And there was no way to get to them to save them either. Now, each seemingly indestructible Titan met the fate of the figures they were named for.
On the pier at the water's edge of town Beast Boy fell. His uniform torn, the blood flowing from him was impossible to distinguish from the red of his jumpsuit. Belly up he floated in the shallow water, the slightest wave making his cold empty fingers curl and his legs to bend. Nothing more than a puppet for nature, his eyes were blind to the doom of the home he had lived in for so long.
Downtown in a nondescript parking garage, several levels were in need of repair. Not because of the wear and tear of a parking garage, but because of the holes going down to the basement, and the crater it held. And the body inside it. While he once was adorned in shining white, calm blue, and mighty gray, he now was black. The oil of his circuits mixed with the precious little blood he still had covering him in a blanket of eternal sleep. His mechanical eye long dulled out, his one human eye remained open, staring at horrors no one could anymore see, and his mouth agape in a silent scream of terror. Nothing remained of his left arm below the elbow, and nothing existed at all from the waist down. He still moved though, as leaking blood and fluid made his servos twitch, spasms deep in a silent coffin of earth.
Jump City's skyscrapers were always kept clean. Not only for the media's eyes, but for worker morale. Even the slightest crack and new windows were installed. As the rain began to fall, the wind began to blow, and mute breezes became banshees calls. A flutter of yellow. Robins cape blew in the shrill gales of the high terrain. The tip of it had caught on the edge of the building, and he continued to fall, as his cape held him in place. Luckily his muscles were strong, and he was able to hold himself up by his neck. Of course, his groping for air and frantic struggle for life made it hard to aim, but most of the handheld laser cannons hit home. Now his own red blood fell with the rain. Soft red drops, warm against the encroaching cold.
Like most cultured and modern societies, Jump City had an artsy section of town. A section where hip citizens would sit and sip coffee while discussing trivial issues like safety and taxes for more police. The lights were always on, and it was always nice and bright. Plus the music that always pumped in through the speakers gave it a very comfortable feel for people. And it just now received a brand new decorative piece. In the center of the square, face down, and still as a stone, was Raven. The bright lights cast hard shadows where she lay, and the vibrant music filled the area with upbeat, high energy songs of life, love, and dancing.
Raven would have objected, had she still has a mouth. As it was, she didn't. Knowing if she cold not speak she could not fight, the Slade hunter killer bots had been careful to knock out each tooth and remove her tongue once they had subdued her. Then for good measure they planted an explosive in what was left of the orifice and nailed her lips together with a handheld gun. Now she lay on the floor, speechless to the whole situation.
As the Tower burned and crumbled with the future of the city, one hero still stood. She fought bravely, and she fought well. With all of the might of her warrior culture she ripped, blasted, crushed, tore, bit, kicked, and hurled every enemy around her into whatever she deemed hard enough to stop them.
She had no knowledge of the fate of her comrades, but knew at the same time that she had to stop this threat first. So she fought viciously, screaming and cursing in her own tongue as her skin was pummeled by knives, blasts, explosions, and cold steel fists. Shakily she stood as the last bot she could find was a part of the street, and fell to her knees to breathe.
Looking out she saw just how extensive the devastation was. Tall, grand buildings sang sad songs as the wind whipped through their shattered exteriors. Institutions of learning smoldered as the rain extinguished their pain. Cars, buses, trucks, and carts lay on their sides or their backs. Their were no signs of any citizens, living or dead. But from the number of crushed and demolished human structures, she could only imagine how many countless lives were lost.
Looking down each block around her, from left to right, there were mounds of broken black and orange bodies. Sparks igniting the oil and hydraulic fluid that powered them brought many fires, and served only to illustrate how fragile life was. Even though it was thousands of feet away, the raging inferno that was the tower lit up the night sky around her. Orange and yellow light cast a steady, pulsing glow to the city. Like a flare in the sky it signaled an emergency.
Finally able to stand she prepared to go and try and extinguish the fires to preserve the rest of the tower. Even from here it looked like it would collapse in mere seconds. She slowly rose a few feet off of the ground when a yellow lance of energy shot forward and entered her leg through her calf and then forced its way out of her knee.
Crying out she fell to the ground and, grunting, turned to see the source of the crippling attack. Walking toward her with arms clasped behind his back, and his one eye looking at her with intense interest, was Slade. Ever slowly he moved to her, as hundreds of his expertly designed war machines ran past him, and then her, and began ransacking what was left of the city.
Even as Slade stopped mere feet from her, she could hear the screams of men and women, boys and girls, innocent and guilty alike. He studied her with his one visible eye, and nodded appreciatively. Then he removed his right hand from behind his back and pointed a metallic semi circular device in her direction.
Thunder crashed and lightning rendered the sky in two as the foundation of the tower fell to the ground, embers rising softly into the night air.
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Author's note: Never forget that the good guys don't always win. Evil is what we make it. And nothing is more evil than the demons we create. We are responsible for every evil in the world, and it is our duty to stand up and take a stand, even if it requires sacrifice. Freewill is a double edged sword. And so is judgement. It always cuts both ways. I am not going to ask you to review. I only ask that you take something from this. And learn how life should be lived.