Reamis doing a serious piece? Surely not, no!
Well, I am, this has been floating around in my head for weeks or months and has become incredibly complicated, so here it is.
The O.C. (not really sure what that means, original character?) is not me, as some people tend to do. But there are aspects of me in there, like the nationality (I love writing a British person into American settings, I don't know why, any suggestions?) and a few powers I wouldn't mind having.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Titans or anything affiliated, I do, however, own Charly and the story, as it's been kicking in my head for ages.
A flash and a clap of thunder marked the beginning of the storm, it had been raining for a solid 4 hours gradually increasing in intensity until breaking point. Thunder was no doubt having the time of his life.
An alarm, loud enough to be heard from outside, was blaring in the Tower, but was almost unheard over the sound of the rain on the windows, trouble in the city.
'Why does it have to be on a night like this?' Beast Boy thought, running to the garage and the T-car, ready as ever to fight whatever trouble-maker was creating chaos in his city.
'Reports say that the police engaged the perp, but he seemed to be either teleporting or moving incredibly fast.' Robin explained through his communicator from the R-cycle, slipping into crime-fighting mode, 'They also say that it's just a kid, and he seems confused.'
Pulling up on the bridge they spotted the trouble area, police cars surrounded a teenage boy, who was looking frantically around and occasionally flailing out at officers.
'Titans, go!' Robin sprinted towards the scene, raising his staff, jumped from the hood of a cop car and landing in front of the boy in a fighting stance.
'We don't want to hurt you kid,' Robin started, as the other Titans formed behind him, 'Just calm down and come with us.'
'I don't know how I got here!' The boy shouted frantically, his British accent almost unnoticeable, Robin took another step 'Don't come any closer!' The boy shouted and moved to run, but was stopped by Robin, who hadn't heeded the warning.
The fist hit his stomach with an intensity the Boy Wonder didn't expect and the boy was over the cars and moving away, in the direction the Titans has come.
'Don't you be touchin' my car!' Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon at the retreating attacker as he ran past the T-car, he dodged the blast, moving sideways at an incredible speed.
The boy turned in time to see two balls of green energy flying towards him.
'How did I get into this?' He asked himself, 'Wait, this is why I came, to meet the Titans. Meet, not fight, but what the hell, make the most of what you've got.'
Cyborg was surveying the cloud of smoke where Starfire's attacks had struck ground when a figure charged from the centre, landing a punch on Cyborg's chest, the effect of which was a loud clang and an attacker clutching his hand.
'Gonna have to do better then that ki…' Cyborg was cut off as he noticed the boy was horizontal in the air, at the apex of a small jump.
Landing both feet onto the Half man-Half machine's chest and pushing with all his strength, the figure took off from the fallen foe and towards the other Titans
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Sensing a presence behind him as he ran, he turned, poised to strike until he spotted his pursuer.
'Damn my chivalry!' He cried as he lowered his fist, unable to strike at the female Titan before him.
'You aren't going to attack?' Raven asked, slightly wary.
'In all fairness it was your leader who wouldn't heed my warning, so he started this.' The stranger explained fluently.
'Dude, he's just stood there, why isn't Raven hitting him?' Beast Boy asked irately.
'They're talking, maybe we can get an explanation as to why he's here.' Robin never took his eyes off the two as they spoke.
'They're coming over here!' Beast Boy seemed to be getting worried.
'Good evening, Titans, well, not really a good one considering the weather, but it seemed the right thing to say.' He pushed a strand of soaking wet hair from his eyes, the irises of which were a vivid red.
'Who are you and why are you causing trouble?' Robin asked, semi-calmly.
'My name is Charly, as I have been trying to explain I don't know how I got here, also Beast Boy looks cold, maybe we should discuss the somewhere dry?' the stranger, Charly, directed his comments at Robin who for a while was taken aback at this persons use of Beast Boy's name. Then again, every villain knew who the Titans were.
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'Do you think it's safe to bring him back with us?' Robin's voice over the communicator, blasting into the car containing Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven and now Charly, sounded a little apprehensive.
'The dude explained why he attacked us, he even apologised for hitting you, also he seems to be injured, so I can see to him when we get back.' Cyborg reasoned.
'Fine, I'll meet you in the medical bay. Out.' Robin's voice cut out.
Back at the Tower.
'I'm just gonna check you over for any internal injuries, that cut needs a bandage but apart from that you seem fine.' Cyborg was tapping at a keyboard in the wall.
'We have questions for you.' Robin stated unceremoniously.
'Can they wait?' Charly asked with a small grimace as Cyborg knocked the cut on his side.
'No.'
'Then ask away.' Charly sighed.
'What are you doing here and why were the police saying you broke into a jewellery store?' Robin moved forward a little and Charly seemed to cower ever so slightly.
'I'm not gonna attack you.' Robin seemed surprised by the reaction he just witnessed.
'I was here to see you guys, actually but as I was walking past a jewellery store I had this stabbing pain in my head. That happens sometimes,' He dismissed when Robin's expression shifted, he thought unnoticeably, to one of concern, 'this time was different though, after that I remember falling into the window, it broke and after that nothing but flashing lights, pain from this wound and then you guys attacking me.' He looked around, sheepishly.
'So, why did you want to see us?' Raven asked, getting slightly impatient with the newcomers digressions.
'I thought you could help me out.' Charly addressed her.
'With what?' Robin asked hurriedly. The constant back and forth of people talking seemed to be stressing the teen on the bed, but he took a breath to calm himself.
'With this.' He lifted his hand and a small flame sprung, seemingly out of nowhere and flickered around in the wind.
'I can control it quite well, if I say so myself, colour, shape, heat even, I can make cold fire, go on, touch it.' He held it out to the Titans, Beast Boy being the only one brave or stupid enough to believe him stuck his finger out.
'Dude, it's cool!' He shouted, putting his whole hand into the flame and gasping as the soothing temperature enveloped his arm.
'Yes, very.' Charly replied.
'How powerful… well, big can you make it?' Cyborg seemed intrigued.
'As powerful as I can without it draining my energy completely.' Charly had made a little replica of Cyborg with his other hand, which was strutting around the table, firing (literally) off a small cannon from his arm, the product of which was actually blue.
'Wow!' Everyone was suitably impressed
'Yes. Also, I can make it solid, so I can stand on it, in case I'm too lazy to walk and I can change the pitch of the sound the flame makes.' He was preoccupied with making little replicas of all the Titans.
'Huh? Why would you need to do that?' Beast Boy asked.
'So I can trick people with sound.' Shouted his little replica from the bed, in his own voice.
'Woah!' He moved to poke his doppelganger but remembered it was fire, no touchy.
'So, what did you want with us?' Robin didn't seem impressed with the little display.
'Well, erm… heh.' Charly floundered, then made a tiny replica of himself, it was Chibi styled you might say, which sidled up to the Titan replicas, looking very embarrassed.
'I was wondering if I could, y'know, join you.' His replica said.
'Sure, why not!' The Fire-Robin shouted and they all vanished in a puff of smoke.
Charly opened his eyes to see Cyborg and Beast Boy nodding like maniacs, Starfire still smiling over her Fire-Self and Robin smiling ever so slightly at the hopeful reaction Charly had created for his own Fire-Self.
'Anything else we should know?' He asked, not giving anything away.
'Erm.. I have some small control over how time effects me.' Charly added, as though remembering.
'What does that entail?' The Boy-Wonder queried.
'Well, when I do it time, to me, seems to slow down, to everyone else I seem to be moving very quickly. It gets to a point where time stops on my side and it seems that I'm teleporting to everyone else, but it takes a lot out of me.' He explained. 'Also, I can sense energy.'
'Huh?' Beast Boy was still hoping that another fiery version of himself would show up.
'Like, I can tell if someone's coming into the room because of how their energy… Feels I guess, and it's helpful if someone's lying too, the energy from a statement that's true is different to a lie, even if the person doesn't know it isn't true it still registers.'
'So you're slightly empathic?' Raven asked.
'To a degree, yes.' Charly flashed his red eyes around the room and for the first time everyone noticed how they sparkled with… something, laughter? There was something else there as well.
Beast Boy recognised the feeling he got from the boy, almost the same as he got from Raven when she wasn't in the best of moods.
'We'll consider.' Robin said as he left the room. 'But you need rest now.'
The Titans filed out.
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Charly awoke to sun streaming through a window.
'Argh, dammit! What time is it?' His mind asked, but his body was still screaming from having to be awake.
He flipped over to see the table next to the bed he was in, on it was a clock and something yellow. Grabbing the yellow device, Charly felt his spirit soar, they had accepted him. He could stay!
'No more running, try to stay here for good.' His mind berated him
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The door slid open to reveal Charly wearing exactly what he had been wearing last night, but the clothes seemed clean now, and his bandage was uncomfortable.
'Morning, new Titan.' Cyborg said happily, noticing that the newcomer was still holding the communicator.
'How long was I out?' Charly asked, pushing his unruly hair from his eyes.
'I still can't get over how vivid they are.' Raven's mind shouted when she saw the newest addition to the team.
'About two days, long enough for us to decide you should stay. You could be useful, so welcome to your new home.' Robin had put down his paper to greet the boy.
'I don't know how to thank you.' Charly began.
'No time for that, wanna see your room?' Beast Boy was very excited, he obviously had a hand in decorating.
'Sure.' He was grabbed by both Starfire and the changeling and dragged down the hallway towards a door.
On the door was written the name 'Spitfire'
'Spitfire? Who's that?' Charly asked.
'That is your new 'hero' name, do you not like it?' Starfire asked, floating next to the confused Charly.
'Sure, but why Spitfire? I know, the fire thing but…' he was cut off as BB explained.
'Well, you're name is spelled like the name of a Prodigy track, so I decided to stick with that theme, and it just fit.' He spat out 'I kinda looked you up on the computer, and found out about the spelling, but I didn't look at anything else, promise.' He finished.
The hiss of the hydraulic door brought their attentions back to the present as the room was revealed.
The walls and ceiling were black, with a flame motif around the bottom of the walls, the floor a deep red, a double bed ('you're a big guy') at one end, and a stereo on a table nearby.
'Cool, you even got me a Hi-fi!' Charly was very impressed.
'So, you likey?' Beast Boy asked, leaning forward.
'Yes, it's… I don't have a word.' He finished lamely.
'Glorious?' Starfire offered her favourite jubilation.
'Perfect.' Charly shouted. 'Yep, it's glorious.'
Back in the common room, Robin was waiting for his new team-mate to get back.
'There you are, just wanted to tell you we're training tomorrow, but for today you can maybe get your bearings around the tower. Raven, show him around would you?' He shouted as Charly entered.
'Sure, not like I was doing anything.' She slammed her book shut. 'Follow me.' With that she swept from the room, Charly in tow.
'Cyborg's room, Robin's room, Starfire's room, Beast Boy's room, my room.' She pointed at the doors with the respective names on. 'Note to the wise, don't go in my room. Ever.' and she continued.
'Training room, with gym obviously, and there's plenty of other places, but they're mainly storage.'
She set off back to the common room and her book.
'Thanks!' Shouted Charly, and went back to his room.
'My room. That sounds weird after a year of sleeping where I could.' He thought, flopping onto the bed.
'I can't believe I'm here.' He said out loud.
'Finally.'
So, Review me, please!
Say anything you like, and await the next chapter.
Until then, stay wonderful.
Reamis.