Tales of the Teen Titans: Shadow of the Empire

"If you dance with the Devil, you will get burned. But the Devil may get frostbite."

Prologue: The Book

Dayton Manor, home to the group of misfit superheroes known to the world as the Doom Patrol, was a strange place to visit, let alone live. There were rumors that it was haunted. It wasn't, but if it had been, that might've been the most normal thing about it. Yet there were pockets of normalcy throughout the mansion.

It was in one of these pockets that Terra and Beast Boy, so recently engaged, were, preparing for bed. As they had at Titans' Tower, they slept together. Revealing that to Beast Boy's adoptive parents had been an interesting experience for them both.

The Titans had been friends, comrades, brothers (and sisters) in arms, so to speak. The social dynamics at Dayton Manor were very different. Now they were around the people who'd raised Garfield Logan, and thought of him as their son.

So it took them some getting used to that their baby boy was actually sleeping with a girl. No matter how many times Garfield had protested that their relationship had not gone into the realm of actual intercourse, still, one by one, each of the men, Robotman, Negative Man, and Mento—even the Chief!—had taken him aside and explained, very thoroughly, the importance of using protection in situations like these. Robotman had even given him some condoms, which caused him to wonder: what was Robotman doing with condoms? He finally decided he didn't really want to know.

And, of course, at one point during the first evening there, he'd noticed Terra and Elastigirl had disappeared. Garfield smiled ruefully. No doubt his fiancé was getting the feminine version of the same cautionary warnings.

But finally, all were satisfied that things were under control, and the couple were shown to a room. As they unpacked, Terra noted that the room had a TV, but no DVD player. "Hm. Guess no late night horror movies for us, huh?"

"It'll be okay, Terra. I didn't bring any of that with me, anyway. I think mom kinda disapproves of such movies, anyway. "

"She seems really sweet. A little spacey, maybe, but sweet."

"Yeah. It's her powers; they affect her like that." That wasn't the whole truth, but it was enough of it for now.

She came up to him, embraced him and kissed him. "Thank you, Garfield."

He was puzzled. "For what?"

"For taking me back. I know I hurt you, what with what I did an' all….."

He held her there, in the middle of the room. "Terra. Okay, I won't lie: yes, it hurt. But it hurt precisely because I love you. And that's just not gonna change." He paused. "You get the birth control speech from mom?"

She nodded, her head against his chest. "Yeah. You?"

"Several times over. I guess that's just the way parents are, though. I'd probably get the riot act read to me from your folks."

Her face clouded over, and she disengaged from him, turning around. "No, Gar, you wouldn't. My father doesn't want anything to do with me. I'm an embarrassment to him. I mean, he got a servant girl knocked up an' I was the result. He actually ordered me to leave the country." She paused, sniffling. "Guess I might've gotten off lucky, though, all things considered. I mean, he could'a had me assassinated or something."

Garfield was speechless. "Terra….I….had no idea…"

"I told you I was illegitimate, didn't I? And he's a public figure. So, yeah, I think it's safe to say he doesn't really care what happens to me. Brion's different; he's the crown prince. But I'm just Little Miss Nonentity." She wiped the tears off her face, only to have more replace them.

Garfield came over and took her in his arms. She nestled into him, laying her head on his chest. "Well, all that's over with. My family is your family, now. And, regardless of any politics or how the world feels, you'll always be a princess to me. My princess. You know that, don't you?"

She nodded against his chest, still sniffling. "Now you know why I traveled around so much. Wasn't just itchy feet."

He held her close to his heart, where she'd always stay. "Well, let's get ready for bed. Maybe there's a good movie on TV."

There wasn't, and after satisfying themselves that is was either late night talk shows or infomercials, they reached a mutual agreement to shut the TV off. She snuggled into his side, making small sounds of satisfaction.

"And Terra? Thank you."

She looked up at him. "For-?"

"For coming back to me. I was totally miserable until I got your text message. Then I was on cloud nine or something." He pulled her up and kissed her. "Cloud nine is a much better neighborhood, believe me."

She smiled and snuggled in closer. "Believe me, sir, the pleasure is all mine." She paused. Then, "You know, I owe you."

"Owe me?"

"Yes. Don't you remember, that night before you took off to go rescue Little Miss Suburban Princess? And by the way, she hasn't given up on you. But don't you remember all those wonderful things you did for me? And I never got to ….do anything for you in return."

"Oh, uhm, right."

Silence. Then, "Gar? I'm debating with myself. Do I want to know where you learned how to do all that? Or is ignorance bliss in this case?"

"The answer is perfectly innocent. I read it in a book somewhere."

She raised up and looked at him. "A book."

"Yes."

"You learned all that from reading a book?"

"Yep."

"Must'a been one helluva book."

"Oh, it was. It was."

"What was the name of it?"

"I can't tell you." At her look, he simply said, "no, I mean, I really can't tell you. A….certain someone…..made me promise by certain Names and Words of power, never to reveal the name. I don't know who 'Azathoth' and 'Yog-Sothoth' are, but they sound big-time. So it really wouldn't be wise to risk it."

"A 'certain someone'? 'Names and Words of power'? Gar, this is starting to sound awfully like someone we both know who's name begins with an 'R.' And I don't mean Robin."

"Weellllllllllllllllllll…." He did his best to put a period on the end of the word, but it caught sight of her expression, uttered a small shriek of fright, and fled.

"I knew it! It was Raven, wasn't it? Wasn't it? You two made it, didn't you?"

"No. As a matter of fact, we didn't. I really did read about it in a book." Pause. "It was just her book, that's all."

"Her book? How'd that happen?"

"Purely by accident. It was all just a big misunderstanding, really. The whole thing was embarrassing as hell."

"I see." She was silent for a moment, then launched herself at him, straddling him, hands going for his most ticklish spots. "Tellme, tellme, tellme, tellme, tellme, tellme, tellme…"

Caught off guard, he sputtered, laughing. Then, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you! But you gotta promise me two things first."

"What's that?" Her hands were still poised over his ticklish spots.

"One, that you'll never breathe a word of this to Raven, or anywhere where it might get back to Raven. And two, there's a certain question you might wanna ask me afterwards. You can't. I forbid it."

"What's the question?"

"You'll see."

She paused, obviously weighing it all in the balance. "And in return, you'll tell me all about what happened? Everything? The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"So help me God. Yes. You'll see. It's really just a big misunderstanding."

Terra thought long and hard. She had wondered why Beast Boy and Raven were so close. They were almost polar opposites, in terms of personality. "Okay, it's a deal." And she settled down by his side once again to listen.

"Well, it all happened a couple of years ago. It was…oh, maybe a month, maybe two, after Malchior showed up and got his butt kicked. Cyborg was at Titans East, something about a glitch in their computer systems, and Robin and Starfire were off on some space mission.

"Malchior had just toyed with Raven's heart like he did. You heard about that, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Poor Raven. That must'a been rough."

"It was. I was still kinda walking on eggshells around her, wanting to, you know, be there for her, if she needed someone, but at the same time, wanting to give her some space, y'know? I didn't wanna crowd her. Raven doesn't usually take very well to being crowded, even when she feels good. And I don't think she did." He sighed, holding her. "Turns out, that might have, or might not have, been the right call to make."

Backthen: It had been a long, hot day's patrol, and both Raven and Beast Boy were glad that it was over. Not that it truly was; superheroes, like policemen, or firemen, could be called on at any time, on a moment's notice. Raven had been quiet all day, and Beast Boy had volunteered to take the first watch, being something of a nightowl himself (so was Raven, but not quite the same way). He actually looked forward to having the run of the tower by himself. Maybe he'd play his favorite movie, Pretty Pretty Pegasus in the Land of Dreams. The others didn't know he had it, and they weren't about to find out. As far as his external rep was concerned, he was a straight horror movie buff.

Here and now: "You've got Pretty Pretty Pegasus in the Land of Dreams?!" Terra asked him. "I love that movie!"

"Uhm, yeah, somewhere. I have it stashed away. But anyway…."

Backthen: Raven was sitting on the curved couch, watching TV. He was over in the kitchenette, preparing his favorite vegetarian dish for when he'd put his movie on. Let's see, some cut cauliflower, some broccoli tips, a dash of seasoning, and then on to the ranch dressing. Really thick ranch dressing.

Raven was sitting on the curved couch, hood up, staring at the large-screen plasma TV that dominated one end of the common meeting room. At one point, he looked up from the kitchenette, to check on the progress of whatever show she was watching, and noticed something curious: the TV wasn't on. Raven was just sitting there, on the couch, watching a blank screen. Every now and then she'd take a sip from a glass she had sitting on the end table by her; he could hear the ice in the glass tinkle as she tilted it.

That was sorta puzzling. Raven had a very active mind. It wasn't entirely out of character for her to be watching a movie AND reading a book at the same time. Just to be sitting there, doing apparently nothing, though…..wasn't really like her. "Rae? You alright?"

"Shure. Never better." And then she did something that Raven never did, that really raised the hackles on the back of his neck.

She tittered.

Raven didn't ever titter.

He walked over to where she was sitting. "Uh, Rae? What, uh, what's in that glass?" It was sitting on the end table, within easy reach of her.

"Some kinda fruit punch. With bubbles!"

Bubbles? He picked it up and took a sniff. "Whoa. You got the 'punch' part right, but I don't think there's that much fruit involved." Set it back down on the table and looked at her. Her face was a little red.

"Well, y'know. Grains, an' stuff. Vegetables," she enunciated, pronouncing it "veg EAT ables" "Good for ya."

"Uh huh." He thought back. A while back, Robin and Starfire had saved a wine dealer's store from an outlaw gang of thugs, and in gratitude, the man had given them a bottle of vintage champagne. Very expensive. Except neither Robin nor Cyborg would touch the stuff, being physical fitness nuts, and Starfire was unsure as to how it would react with her metabolism. And the only other two Titans were…..underage at the time.

He had a strong hunch that the bottle had been opened. "Raven? How much, uh, fruit punch did you have, anyway?"

"On'ee a little." She spread her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart, and gazed blearily at them as they continued to widen. Three inches, four inches, five….

"Right." Decision time. He couldn't let the others see her like this. Could he handle a drunk demon sorceress all by himself? He guessed he'd have to. "Rae? Let's play a game."

"Oh, goody! I love games. I'm game if you're game. What's the game?"

"It's called 'Let's Get Raven Back to her Room'. Here's how it goes. Give me your hands and stand up." She complied, or tried to, but got overbalanced and ended up falling into him. They were about the same height now, but he massed a bit more; moreover, he was halfway expecting something like this, and so was braced. "Whoa, there, Rae! It's okay, I gotcha…"

"Wha' happened? Who tilted the room? Are we unner attack?"

"No, no, just a little….overcompensation there. C'mon now," and he got under her right arm and guided her down the hallway. "It's right down here….."

"I don' 'member this hallway being so crooked."

"I'll call the repair guys. We'll have it straightened out by morning." Just a little farther…

"You're a….good friend, Garfield," she said, patting his arm with her free hand. "Sometimes, sometimes, I haven't really, y'know, done right by you…."

Oh, gosh, please not that. Not weepy Raven. Anything but that.

"….but I really, really 'preciate you. You're a goo' person. Nothing at all like him." This last word was practically spat out, like a vile taste in her mouth.

"Uh, thank you. But I'm really just a guy, Rae."

What was that odd look she gave him just then? He couldn't quite place it. "Well, you're a great guy." They reached her door. He opened it, and levered her inside, into the room's cool darkness. She was stumbling still, but he managed to get her over to her bed. Pulled down the covers with his free hand….

….And she abruptly spun out of his grip and fell/sat down on the mattress, almost taking him with her. He caught himself in time to keep from falling into her lap, but ended up sitting beside her on the bed. Well, a minor setback. But now he had to get her cloak off; he didn't want it binding and maybe choking her while she slept.

What was this? Some sort of bulge or bump under the mattress? Oddly, the story of The Princess and the Pea flashed through his mind (which was strange; Raven wasn't a princess, well, she was, but, sorta), even as he absently reached under the mattress and pulled out….

….a book. One look at the dust-jacketed cover told him why it wasn't on public display in Raven's bookshelf. Holy cow!

"Shame on you, Garfield Logan," she said, snatching the book out of his hands, "Don't you know better than to go poking around in a lady's boudoir?" She turned the book over in her hands, admiringly. "But it's a fascinating book."

"Uh, I'm sure it is." He was trying to see how her cloak was attached to her suit. Drat; he'd need some slack to get it off. That meant getting her to stand up. "Stand up a minute, would'ja, Rae?"

She stood up, still gazing at the book. "Such a fascinating book," she repeated, turning to a marked page. "Full color illush-,I mean, full color illush-, full color drawings an' everything. And photographs!" He was still trying to undo the clasps on her shoulders when she abruptly sat down again. "Here. Look." She handed him the book, open to a certain spot, page 248. "Here. This is my favorite part. Here. You read this, an' tell me if it sounds….doable. To you."

Doable? How the hell should he know? But it was important to humor her, so he gingerly took the book by its edges, as if it were red-hot (which, in a manner of speaking, it was), and read the indicated passage.

Great Scott. Oooh. Eeeeh. Aaaah.

He had to admit, it was a very well-written book. He could easily see it as a class textbook of some advanced college course (of a very free spirited university, of course); everything was explained in simple but precise terminology; nothing was left to the imagination. "Uh, well, gee, I dunno, Raven, I mean…."

"But you've got the right 'quipment. Could you do that?"

"I, I dunno. I, I, I, I guess so, I mean, y'know, two people, two consenting adults…." Raven talking about his "equipment" made him highly uncomfortable. And then he became aware of something else. It was quiet.

Altogether too quiet.

He looked up. Raven was watching him, chewing on a fingernail, watching him with a peculiar intensity, an odd look of speculation in her eyes. He could almost hear imaginary crickets chirping in the background. "Uh, Rae?"

She reached up with her left forefinger and traced the line of his costume down from his collarbone to his bicep. "We're two people," she murmured. "See? One, two. Two."

Uh oh.

"Raven….please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"That depends. What do you think I think I'm thinking?" She reached around with her right hand, and slid it across his pectorals in an embarrassingly and strangely intimate and, even worse, an arousing way. "Y'know, Garfield, I've always felt this….special connection with you…."

He put the book down on her bed, and took her wrists and firmly pushed them away. "Now, Raven. Listen to me. You're not yourself right now. You've had a little too much to drink, and this is not you talking. You need to—mmmph!" She'd lunged at him, and caught him face-on with a full-bore kiss on the lips.

But what surprised him most wasn't so much the kiss, as it was the raw hunger behind it. What in God's name had that bastard Malchior done to his Raven to awaken this, this need in her? He felt his resolve weakening….

Gasping, he grasped her by the shoulders and pushed her back. He had to put a stop to this, otherwise, it would get to the point where he wouldn't want it to stop. And that way lay disaster. "Now stop that! Raven, you've had too much to drink. That's why nothing is happening tonight but that you are getting some sleep! Now stand up and lemme get this cloak off of you."

"Oh, pooh." She pouted prettily, standing up. He swiftly unlatched the cloak from her and tossed it over into a nearby chair. "You're no fun." Then she smiled wickedly. "The suit comes off like this," she said, reaching around and unzipping her costume, the released fabric almost falling off her shoulders. Revealing the top of her black bra.

Oh, Lord help me. "The suit can stay on," he said firmly, pulling it back onto her shoulders and zipping it back up, "I just didn't want anything choking you in the night. Now sit down, and let me get your shoes off."

"Oh, pooh," she said again, but sat down and let him slip her shoes off. He swiveled her legs around, putting them under the covers, and prepared to pull the sheets up to her head. "You are waaaaaay too much the Goody Two Shoes, Mr. Garfield Logan. You need a little devil inside you." Again she smiled naughtily. "I know where you can get some." And she wiggled her hips suggestively.

He pulled her covers up to her chin. "Not tonight." Tucked her in a little bit, and stood up to go.

She reached out and caught him by the wrist. "Stay with me?" Her violet eyes seemed very big in the dimly lit room.

"I really better not…."

"Pleeeeeeeeeezze?" Raven could really pout when she wanted to. "Don't wanna be alone."

"Oh, all right." He had his comm link on; if someone called in, it'd go straight to him, anyway. He looked around and started for the chair where he'd tossed her cloak.

"Not there. Here." And she patted the bed beside her.

"Now, Raven…"

"Pleeeeeeeezze?"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, alright. But only under one condition: that you actually try to get to sleep. No hanky panky."

She studied him woozily. "Not even a li'l hanky an' no panky?"

"Not even a little."

"You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Gar Field Logan, but okay." She made as though to pull the sheets down for him, but he firmly pulled them back up. "This is fine, Rae. You sleep under the covers, I'll be right here on top of the covers." The more fabric I have between us right now, the more comfortable I am.

"Oh, pooh."

He lay down beside her gingerly, trying not to put his full weight on the bed. She turned toward him and threw her arm around him, companionably. He very carefully put his arm around her, doing his damndest to not touch anything he shouldn't. He had a hunch she was about to pull in closer, and he didn't want his hands anywhere near her chest if and when she did. Oh, no. There were much safer spots, strategically speaking. Sure enough, she pulled in closer, resting her head on his chest, the clean scent of her hair filling his nostrils. "You really are way too uptight, Garfield Logan. You need to…..loosen…up…jus' a…little…." And she began snoring, softly. He could feel her sleeping breath upon his chest. He waited a few minutes before morphing into a green butterfly and slipping out of her grasp.

Here and now: Terra was holding her sides laughing. Tears were actually running out of her eyes. "P-poor Raven," she managed to gasp, between the laughter, "I c'n just see that happening. She probably never had a drink of any sort of hard liquor before in her life. Bet she had one helluva headache the next morning."

"Oh, she did. I knew the fun wasn't over with, just yet…."

Backthen: He made it a point to loiter around in the hallway outside her room until he heard her moaning. Then he got some Alka-seltzer and a glass of cool water and carried it to her. "Morning, sunshine!" he whispered, as the door opened.

More moaning. "Beast Boy! Stop shouting like that!"

"I'm whispering, Rae," he whispered back.

"Then stop whispering so loud! And close that door! What, do you have floodlights aimed in here from outside or something?"

He brought her the water and Alka-seltzer. "Here. This'll help." He put the two tablets into the water.

"Ohhhh. What happened, anyway? Were we attacked? Did-did some mystical opponent get the better of me?"

He sat down by her on the bed. "Not unless you consider a bottle of vintage champagne a 'mystical opponent'. You, uh, got into Rob's and Star's champagne last night."

She stopped holding her head and looked at him, sharply. "Impossible. I don't drink."

"Well, it was the best darn imitation I've seen in quite some time. Here, drink this." He handed her the dissolved analgesic. She took it and got outside of it in one gulp.

She felt horrible. Her head hurt, a pounding sensation that she felt was quite unnecessary, and her stomach didn't feel so great, either. But both were beginning to recede somewhat. "How…how did I get back here?"

"I brought you here."

"You? Brought me here? What-*" Then she gasped, a long, sucking intake of breath that seemed to go on for a half a minute. Following her gaze, he saw the book, lying right there on the bed where he'd put it last night. Still open to page 248.

She threw the sheets over it. "You did not see that!" she hissed, eyes wild.

"What, the book? Rae, it's just a book. Nothing to be worried about."

"You did not see that, you did not see that…..Promise me!" Here she grabbed him by the collar, dragged him close….

Here and now: "And that's when she made me swear by those Names or Words I told you about." Terra was still giggling, holding her mouth. "I don't remember the exact oath, but I was able to get off on a technicality. I told her I'd never reveal the name of the book. She was stressin' so, I guess it didn't register that I hadn't said I couldn't talk about the book."

Backthen: Raven moaned some more. If the others found out-*! But, no, surely they wouldn't.

Beast Boy was still talking. "Rae, it's alright. It's just a book. Hey, we're teenagers, you were curious, I know you like to read, so you bought a book. You and thousands of other people."

She held her head. Could this day get any worse? Trigon attacking would actually be an improvement. "I am not, however, 'thousands of other people'. If Cyborg ever found out….." She shuddered. She'd never live it down.

"Well, he won't. I've given this some thought, Rae. Here's how we'll work that." And he took the book, turned to the inside front cover, found a pen, and wrote his name there. "There. Now, if it ever does come to light, you can just say it's my book, and you were holding it to, to, to keep it from, I dunno, corrupting my tender young mind or something. Believe me, nobody will think a thing about it." And he handed the book back to her.

She looked at him. "You'd…you'd do that for me?"

"Course. What're friends for, Rae? And believe me: nobody's gonna think anything of it. If fact, I overheard Robin muttering to himself the other day, wondering if there was something wrong with me, 'cause I didn't have any Playboys in my room. So this'll actually help me, too, in a strange sort of way."

She looked at him through narrowed eyes. "And what's this going to cost me?"

"Huh?"

"I said, what's this going to cost me? What do you want in return?"

"Nothing!" he sputtered. "Rae! You're my friend! What, do you think I'd blackmail you or something with this? No way!" He laughed.

The force of his honesty got through to her. She colored and put her head back in her hands. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy, it's just…..I guess I never really had friends before. Not friends like…..like you. And the others."

"Well, you've got 'em now. It's alright, Rae. I guess….maybe I can see that, from your point of view, it might take some getting used to."

"Perhaps." Then she turned back to the book. "Er, why was it open to page 248, anyway?"

"Raven, you really don't wanna know the answer to that question. Urk!" She'd grabbed another fistful of his collar.

"Tell me, Beast Boy. Tell me everything that happened last night. Leave nothing out. And don't lie; I'll know, if you do."

"Alright, Rae. You asked for it." So for the next hour and a half, he told her all that had transpired. When he was done, she sat there, cross-legged on the bed, hiding her face in her hands. "Great Azar. I—I did all that?"

"You were the one who said you'd know if I lied. So. Did I?"

"No. Oh, great demons of darkness. I can't believe I….behaved like that."

"Rae, it wasn't you. You weren't yourself. I understand that. I know you'd normally never ever do those kinds of things, especially not with me. I understand, believe me. Sometimes, these things just…happen. Welcome to the human race. And as far as I'm concerned, the whole incident never took place."

Now she looked at him a little suspiciously. "And…and you're sure that's all that happened?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Rae, I know what you're asking. Check your clothes. They're not in disarray, are they? They're on you just the way you put 'em on yesterday. Except for your cloak, but I told you about that."

Now it was her turn to drop her gaze and sigh. "I'm…I'm sorry, Garfield. For doubting you, I mean. And, and, yes, for all the rest, too. It's just….." The thought flashed, unbidden, through her mind: if it had been anyone else…..

"It's alright, Rae. Apology accepted. And, and really. It really worked out for the best, anyway. I mean, imagine if I'd been the one to get into the booze! How would you handle a drunken elephant? So it's better that I got to take care of you rather than the other way around. Oh, and you needn't worry about the champagne anymore. I kinda accidently on purpose poured it down the sink. I know it wasn't mine to dispose of that way, and if they kick up a fuss I'll have to replace it, but, to be honest, the notion of Tipsy Raven, the Encore Performance was sufficiently terrifying to make me feel it was worth the risk."

"Thank you, Garfield," she murmured. It was a humbling experience…..

"Well, you're perfectly welcome. Now. It seems like a slow day, so why don't you try to get some more sleep? I'll be here, and the others should be back anytime now."

"Don't think I can…" Her head hurt too much.

"Well, at least rest. But it's up to you. I'll be in the monitor room if you need anything." He headed for the door.

He was at the door when she said, "Garfield?"

He turned around. "Yes, Rae?"

She managed a pained smile. "Thanks again. For—for everything."

He bowed from the waist. "'Tis quite alright, madam. I but live to serve."

Here and now: "And that's how it all happened," he concluded.

Terra was silent, considering. She, too, could tell if her lover was lying, though not through any supernatural means. He hadn't been. The notion of Raven's head on his chest (where hers should be, dammit!) didn't sit too well with her, but…."Well, Gar, that's….actually kinda sweet. I mean, you took care of her. I guess I can see why the two of you are so close, now. So that's where you learned to do…all that? Man, I gotta get a copy of that book. Our wedding night's coming up, you know. I need to study!"

"Weelllllll, I can't reveal the name of the book, of course. But…." He paused.

She noticed. "Garfield?"

"…You….might wanna ask Starfire."

She looked up sharply. "Starfire? How'd she get into this?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'd thought the matter was over and done with. That is, until the day, a couple of months after, when Starfire shows up at my door, with the book in her hands, and about a hundred or more questions on the tip of her tongue…" She settled in to listen. Evidently, the book's saga wasn't done, yet.

…

Tales of the Teen Titans: Unstoppable, Part 1: Shadow of the Empire, chapter 1: the Outsider

High above Jump City, at the very peak of the tallest skyscraper around, silhouetted against the lights of the city, stood what, at first glance, one would take to be the figure of a man. Had any hypothetical observers had access to practically any sort of sensors, however, they would've readily seen that it really wasn't a man.

For one thing, it had no heat signature whatsoever. All living organisms generate a certain amount of heat as a byproduct of their biology. This entity did not, at least not in way detectable to human senses or sensors. Plus, it stopped one hundred percent of all x-rays and neutrinos, tiny, chargeless, nearly massless particles that can zip through the sun unhampered. The warrior known to humankind as Omega stood looking over the city, in a way that he and only he could.

He did not see the city so much as a picture, even as an ever changing picture, like most humans do. Rather he also saw it as a mosaic of lines and patterns of force, surging energy differentials.

There; the highway. Lines of kinetic energy where the vehicles called cars zipped and sped, each one on its own course. Similar lines, but softer, coursed along the sidewalks. Lines of electricity channeled throughout the city, throughout the buildings and homes where the humans lived. And there were other, more subtle energies, as well…

He found these both fascinating and disturbing. He knew what they were, of course: they were emotions, and they were visible, accessible, to him. This should not be.

The Lords of Osira had specialized in emotional and mental manipulation of the other castes. The Thinkers had had some rudimentary ability to sense emotions, but nothing on a large scale. And Warriors….it was actually detrimental for a Warrior to sense emotions.

For, after all: Warriors of Osira were reality-engineered to be unstoppable engines of destruction. To be able to sense an opponent's emotions….would actually be a vulnerability.

So why could he?

Not for the first time, he found himself wondering if this was truly where he belonged. He was, after all, a complete outsider in the world of those who call themselves men. True, there were others on Earth who were…different….but he wondered sometimes if he was, as the human expression went, "pushing the envelope."

The group he'd allied himself with was involved in combating the antisocial activity known as crime, and he saw no reason not to comply with that group consensus, even if he was still a little gray as to just precisely what constituted crime. In any case, it seemed to be a moot point. It usually wasn't difficult to figure out when humans were motivated by the overpowering sense of selfishness and self-centered grandiosity which seemed to, for the most part, represent evil in the human condition.

But none of that really answered his question. Was this truly his new home, or merely one of many stopovers on the way?

He traced the lines of the city out into the residential area. There; the home of the one called "Kitten," the daughter of the would-be conqueror who called himself "Killer Moth." Omega remembered that with some amusement. Surely the human could not be serious!

She was sitting at the vanity in her room, brushing her hair. He could clearly see into the room, as her window was open. His senses could, if he used them in such a manner, actually penetrate solid walls and see inside, but he more often than not restrained himself from doing so, having come to understand that that sort of thing seemed to make humans nervous. He wasn't too clear on why, exactly; something about seeing humans in their unclad state. As near as he could determine, humans, at least, human females, reserved displaying their unclad bodies for either individual mating rituals or certain odd forms of group entertainment, which completely puzzled him. There had been absolutely no analogous behavior in the Empire.

Ever since he had encountered her on a rainy Friday night, he'd been somewhat fascinated with her. She was certainly unlike anyone he knew, or had ever known. They'd, as the human term went, "gone out" a few times, and each time she'd tried, in a rather clumsy way, he thought, to acquire information from him regarding the Teen Titans. He didn't even have to be all that evasive; he truly didn't know that many secrets. No doubt she'd eventually wise up to that, and start being….less available to him.

The thought saddened him obscurely. Kitten was fun to be around. And yes, quite….pretty. As humans understood the term.

Far away, in her house, Kitten continued to brush her hair. "…twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one…." It was a nightly ritual she'd developed. Her eyes fell on the vanity, and she saw the pendent in its box.

Halting her ritual for the moment, she reached over and got the pendent out of the box. It was a striking thing, a sparkling blue crystal mounted into a gold clasp and chain arrangement. Omega had given it to her, telling her it came from some asteroid belt in another solar system. It wasn't radioactive or anything (he'd assured her), but some property of it made it softly self-luminous in the dark. And it was gorgeous. Positively out of this world, in the literal sense of the word.

Looking at it, she thought of him. He seemed really….nice. Kitten normally went for bad boys, but something about Omega just plain held her interest. She couldn't describe it. Her dates with him hadn't been as productive as she'd hoped, but, he was still new to Earth and Earthly ways. Perhaps in time, her relationship with him would yield some fruit.

What was this odd feeling she felt, whenever she thought of him? He was an alien, a form of life totally different from anything human. For that matter, she didn't even know if he was truly male, in the physiological sense of the word. She guessed he was, judging from some dropped comments he'd made, but she didn't know.

Yes, he seemed…..really nice. And far, far different from any other guy she'd ever dated. For one thing, he treated her with respect. Kitten was big into being treated with respect, and had, on more than one occasion, had to teach some of her dates exactly what she meant by that. Usually, those guys didn't call back, and good riddance.

Kitten was coming to realize that there was a lot to be said for nice and for being treated with respect from the outset. He'd never even tried to kiss her; she'd had to initiate that on her own, all the while wondering, could he feel it? He was supposed to be invulnerable; could he feel a kiss? Yet he seemed to respond…..

Her father was, frankly, ambivalent about the whole affair. On the one hand, Omega's sort was usually responsible for putting him behind bars, but on the other…..it felt kinda good to not be worried about who his daughter was out with. And, being a scientist, he was naturally curious about the alien, in a mostly wholly innocent way.

Kitten sighed and put the pendant back in its box. Well, she'd see him soon. And he was making progress: when she first met him, a discarded soft drink can was endlessly fascinating to him. Now, he was coming to understand the sorts of things a girl likes, and was beginning to give her things, the way it should be. Plus, he was…..just plain sorta interesting to be around. She found herself enjoying just talking to him, even if he didn't give her anything, and learning about him, his way of life, his likes and dislikes, all that sort of good stuff. The world he'd come from (and here she shuddered slightly) didn't sound like a very nice place.

She resumed brushing her hair, all the while smiling slightly, thinking of him. Of course, it was all about the things he could do for her. No way was she getting personally, emotionally, involved with a goody-goody like that! Not her. She had more sense than that!

Still, thinking about him, she found herself smiling.

Omega flew back to the Tower, carefully watching the lines of force, the energy patterns of the life of the city. There was something wrong, something he couldn't quite identify, that troubled him. He resolved to tell the others; it was time for a meeting and daily synopsis, what the humans called debriefing.

The Titans met in the conference room, all except Beast Boy and Terra, who were still on vacation at Dayton Manor. "Alright, people," began Robin. "Anything to report?"

One by one they each gave their individual reports. Cyborg had nothing of great interest; the most exciting part of his day was getting a little old lady's cat out of a tree. Starfire reported a purse-snatching; easily dealt with. Raven and Hank, who'd taken to going on patrol together, at least when Beast Boy wasn't around, had encountered nothing of interest, nothing that would require the Titans' special talents.

Robin heaved a sigh of relief. There was a lot to be said for slow days. "Well, I have some good news. Since things have been kinda slow, I've taken the liberty of booking us all on a luxury cruise. Wayne Enterprises is sponsoring it. Haven't set the date just yet, but it's coming. I think, in light of all we've had happen lately, we kinda deserve it." The others looked around, murmured appreciatively. An ocean cruise would be a welcome change of pace.

"Robin." Omega spoke up. "There is something I need to share with the group. As you know, I have senses most humans do not possess. And those senses are telling me there is something amiss. It is nothing of an overwhelmingly immediate nature, but something is wrong, nonetheless. I think you all should know that. As you say, 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'."

"Alright. So noted. Any idea what it could be?"

"No. It is just a vague….disturbance in the world lines of force." He shrugged, a habit he'd learned from his friends. "And it may be nothing. I rather hope it is."

"Well, we'll see. Uh, and Omega? See me after the meeting, okay?" Puzzled, the Osiran agreed.

After the meeting had adjourned, Robin turned to Omega. "Uhm, Omega. This cruise we're going on….it's kind of a couples thing. Is there somebody you could ask?"

"Couples?"

"You know. Starfire and me. Hank and Raven. Beast Boy and Terra, when they get back. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, is there anyone you'd like to ask?"

Omega thought. "I….suppose I could ask Kitten if she'd like to go…."

Robin turned pale. "Kitten? Uh, Omega, I, I'm not sure that's altogether a wise idea."

"Perhaps not. Perhaps I should, as you say, sit this one out."

"No, no, we want you to come. Hm. Well, it's not like it's some big superheroes convention or something. You…might wanna see if she'd go for it. With her father's permission, of course." He paused. "So, are you two, like, continuing to see each other?"

Omega looked puzzled. "Of course. I see her all the time. And I presume she sees me, at least she has never mentioned being unable to do so."

Robin rolled his eyes. He was never sure if the alien warrior was pulling his leg or not. "You know what I mean. Seeing each other as in going out a lot. In other words, are you two dating?"

"I presume that is what it is called."

"Uhm, Omega? You do know Kitten is probably using you to get at some of us, right?"

"Of course. That much is fairly obvious. I was not, as the saying goes, born yesterday. Or in my case, decanted yesterday."

"Well, okay. Just so's you know. She'll probably dump you when she learns she can't get any useful information out of you. I don't wanna see you hurt." Again he paused. "How do you feel about her?"

"As a person? She is….unique. I have never known anyone quite like her. She is interesting to talk to. I find her company quite enjoyable."

"Well, like I said, I don't wanna see you hurt. Just so long as you know she's probably using you. Are—are you okay with that?"

"Yes, Robin, I am okay with that. At least, to borrow the human phrase, I suppose I'd better be."

"Well, good deal. Okay. See how she—and her dad—take to the notion of her going with us, and we'll just go from there." Truthfully, he doubted Killer Moth would allow his daughter to go on any such cruise, especially not with a guy, and he, at least, wouldn't be terribly upset if he said no. Kitten always seemed to cause trouble for them, whenever she was around.

Walking down the hallway to his quarters, he found himself wondering. What if Omega did fall for Kitten? That was a recipe for disaster if ever he'd heard of one. For that matter, was it even possible? He knew the Osiran seemed very human…

….but how much of that was genuine? How much was acting, on his part? After all, the warrior was not just a product of another culture, another planet, but also of another universe entirely. That he was even humanoid was a fantastic coincidence.

If, indeed, coincidence played any part in all this, anyway. Once again, Robin considered the current theory, popular in some circles, that the Osiran, human, Kryptonian and other humanoid races were somehow indelibly linked, related, somewhere back in prehistory. It would explain a lot.

In his room, Omega once again connected to the Osiran matrix device he'd highjacked from the Thinkers. Now he was trying to find some way of communicating with the contingent of warriors on Jupiter, the ones he'd led there some time back. It wouldn't do for the Thinkers to get control of them. So far, the Thinkers, or the Kindred, as they now called themselves, had not made much of a nuisance of themselves; this was a good thing, given their level of technology and what they were capable of.

But if they gained control of the warriors on Jupiter, that would change drastically.

Idly, he used the matrix to check the ebb and flow of the lines of force he'd mentioned earlier to Robin. Yes, as before, there was a slight disturbance that he couldn't place. Something vaguely familiar…..

Hm. That was….interesting. Some of the disturbance seemed to center around Kitten's house. Perhaps he'd best go check up on her.

Disengaging from the machine, he phased through the wall as if it weren't there, heading eastward.

Omega was nearly at Kitten's house when it occurred to him he could have simply called her, on her cell. But he was unaccustomed to cell phones, communication in the Empire being normally handled in a much more efficient way, and figured he'd just ask her in person if anything was wrong.

At the door, he knocked. Strange. No response. His preternaturally sharp hearing could detect no sign of anyone moving or anything in the house. So, as he occasionally did in cases where information was needed, he focused his senses and peered within, seeking either Kitten or her father…

…..and in the next instant, phased through the door, flashing past the kitchen and dining room, heading for the cellar…..

…..Where Kitten lay, face down, clad only in her underwear, in an expanding pool of blood.

To be continued….

Please read and review!