Slipshot was a small time heroine. She knew it and so did her city. But she did her job even though there were others in the city as well. But never did she expect what happened after her patrol.
It had been a routine night with only a few busts, a drug dealer and a few muggings, as the night started to die she retreated to her apartment and immediately went to the sink to wash off her dark face paint and the few cuts she got that night. The small apartment was shaped like a 'T' the entrance was a short hall before you could go left or right, the left was her small bedroom with the attached bath, but she took a right into the small kitchen/living room where she was wiping the paint and blood off after she took off the hockey mask.
Even if she had turned around she wouldn't have seen the silhouette that was seated, he prided himself on being unseen when he wanted to. "Abigail Westlin"
The woman spun and her hand went to the electric gun at her waist. Drawn and pointed she squinted to see the man, it was too dark, the only light coming from the window across the room, her night vision could only distinguish brights and dims, everything about him was dark except the two bandages that formed a low-slung 'X' across his face covering both his eyes "Who the hell are you?" she hissed.
He didn't move "I'm somebody you are aware of."
She growled with her finger itched to pull the trigger "Then why are you in my house?"
"To offer you a job"
She snarled "You can't buy me!"
He gave a light chuckle "I'm not trying to. I'm offering you a chance to join something bigger"
It was odd, his voice, his inflection, his very aura was…honest. She turned and continued to clean her face "I know of at least four heroes in this city with better records than me, ask one of them"
"I though about them. But they only solve what crimes they know they can and only when the spotlight is on them. They just want the glamour, you rush in no matter if you know you can win or not. I need somebody like you."
Holding the rag to cover the bottom half of her face she turned and looked at this mystery person, cursing herself for not leaving a light on. "How big are we talking?"
There was a smile in his voice "One of the top"
She took off her jacket and dropped it on the table to the right of the man and sat down facing him "I got that. But it doesn't tell me anything"
Slowly he set something down on the table and scooted it over to her. She picked it up and nearly dropped it. She clutched it to her chest and couldn't fight the smile across her face "I'll take that as a yes" she nodded emphatically as she stared at the yellow and black communicator with a distinct 'T' in the middle.
He handed her a slip of paper disappeared seemingly into thin air. Her fingers trembled as she picked it up. A 1st class plane ticket for two weeks later to Jump City.
Abigail or "Abby" to her friends had trouble sitting still on her flight, she was far too excited to work with the Titans. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought of being able to work with the heroes that were only a little bit older than she was. When they formed she followed them religiously. Now as she found herself standing in the baggage claim looking for somebody the mayor's office had told her would be there.
He was a broad man, built like a military poster boy with arms like footballs and a height that left him towering over everybody else, but he wore a suite with ease and the small sign in his hand had her name. He smiled and led her to a car with the city crest on it, they didn't talk much on the way out of the air port but he hummed along with the songs on the radio. It wasn't until he hit the main road that he spoke "So you'll be working with the Titans?"
She found her voice after a moment "Y-Yeah, I'm really nervous…"
Her driver smiled and looked to her in the passenger seat "You'll do fine, Beast Boy doesn't invite someone until he's sure how it'll pan out. Oh" he seemed to start "How rude of me, my name's Brian"
She shook the offered hand "You already know who I am…so…" she trailed off as she caught sight of the vibrant scars on his hand
He noted her stare and chuckled "Well, seeing as they have some bearing on your job I can share that story" he stared out across the dash for a moment "I was with the Green Barrettes for many years…we were in the Amazon working with the South Americans to find a villain who stole a nuclear bomb…we had been searching and fighting off his forces for weeks. We had lots of wounded and couldn't maneuver very well…we were told that we had the best reinforcements in the Americas…imagine our shock when it was the Titans!" he laughed out loud for a moment before quieting and allowing the smile to fade a bit. "We thought they were just a bunch of brats…but Beast Boy saved us so many times, from telling us where the ants were to asking the snakes to leave us alone. He took a bullet for me you know? They all scouted and within a day they got our job done." he fell into a thoughtful silence until he stopped at the edge of the bay.
"Um, what are we…do…ing…" she trailed off as a large bridge rose out of the water and Brian slowly drove across the bridge before stopping right before the actual island.
He opened his door and by the time she scrambled out he had her bags "Sorry, but nothing besides Titan verified equipment is allowed on the island." he offered with an apologetic smile.
She nodded and shook his hand and with a farewell started her short trek to the door at the base of the tower. There she was met by one person. It was the same person that offered her the job, he stood back straight in a set of black jeans and a light black jacket to ward off the chill of the late winter chill. Her eyes traveled to the right sleeve that flickered on the wind. Empty. The green skin that showed on his face was darker than the pictures looked and the white bandages still covered his eyes "It's nice to see you again Abby" his left hand held out in greeting.
She shook it in awe "H-Hi…um…I-It's good to be working with you!" he smiled and his bottom fang peeked through, the only tooth that was shone.
He grabbed the bag that she had been struggling with and carried it into the garage "Welcome to your new home Titan's Tower. Ask any questions you want…well, let's wait until after the tour, okay?"
He took her up the tower floor by floor until they reached the main ops room under the bandages he glanced to the door that led to the room. "There are ten different rooms for people to stay in, you can choose any of the free ones. When you're through meet me back here."
Abby beamed before walking down the hall. Gar took a moment to think about Slipshot, the twenty-one year old woman was quiet during the daylight hours when she worked as an assistant librarian in one of her city's libraries. But at night she displayed the ability to freely manipulate electricity that was free from it's creation point, a rare thing to find in nature so she devised the two guns at her side. As a hero she displayed a tenacity that rivaled his own.
Hearing her light but determined steps he pulled the bandages so that they intersected across his left eye and his right was free. She stepped in and stopped abruptly as she realized that he was staring at her. A blush covered her face as she sat down. Like the vast majority of heroes she was fit and probably a few inches shorter than his medium-on-the-edge-of-tall height, her curves didn't bring attention but once attention was given they were bound to be noticed. She was tanned with long red hair that reached her hips and a very light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose with light gray eyes that seemed to burn with emotions.
He gave a gentle smile "Did you have a question?"
She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt "Um…I accidentally went into your room…I didn't mean to, I was looking across the hall and backed up into it." she glanced at her shoes "I-is that why you're here alone?"
He sighed deeply. He knew what she saw and couldn't fault her logic. Beside his bed were several pictures, his parents, the Doom Patrol, the Teen Titans…Raven. He cleared his throat "Not in the way you're thinking" she stared at him with curiosity ablaze in her gray eyes. He sighed deeply at the woman only two years younger than himself "When I turned sixteen things got…messy around the tower." he seemed to deflate and Abby grew very concerned for the shape shifter. If he didn't have his job he would have been despondent.
The months before my sixteenth birthday was rough. Starfire and Robin hadn't gotten past that first kiss in Tokyo in the two years since then. They realized that they weren't in love so they decided to move on. Robin started dating Raven, they had been very close and it went well…until Robin went on one of his "Gar gave a gesture to the door that led downstairs" things where he locks himself in his office. Raven very nearly went insane, first she got very bored, then worried then she tried to drag him out. They got into a major fight and realized that they weren't good for each other like that. Bee and Cyborg had fallen through on the long distance relationship, both of them are very physical in their affections so it got really hard for them not to be able to hug or anything.
My birthday was a very…low-key affair "Abby correctly assumed this to be 'non-existent' and didn't even try to begin reconciling that with her idols" . Jump had gotten very quiet, Robin decided that he would do better somewhere else. He went to some city near Gotham with a high crime rate and picked it up with Oracle. Cyborg and Starfire started dating…"He tapped his chin with his only hand" To be honest I'm surprised we didn't see it earlier, they're very similar without stepping on each other's defining characteristics. Cy decided it would be good for Star to see the world, Raven was invited to tag along and she did, she was originally from an entirely different dimension so she never knew about the world. That was seven years ago…
Abby's eyes took on a steel glare "They left you alone?" he nodded hesitantly. The girl exploded in curses and rage.
He let her have her minute before he sighed quietly "Calm down."
She turned at him with fire in her eyes "HOW?! They left you alone to do the job of five people." she snarled before turning back "And you lost something that none of them have" she gestured at his shoulder and the bandages over his left eye.
He touched the bandages before looking up at her with something unreadable "I am very different then them" she stopped at the odd tone "Beyond the first five years of my life I've never known anything but fighting crime. I don't think I could do anything else. Each of them had lives other than this. Let them live how they can."
She narrowed her eyes "You sound resigned"
"I am. In more ways than one"
Abby snarled again before sitting down and pinching the bridge of her nose. He allowed the silence to come over them as he though back about the parting of the Titans while she dealt with the truth of why the TitanSwere now a Titan.
Gar broke the silence "What do you usually use as a uniform?"
She realized he was trying to break the tension "Generally jeans and a hoody, gloves, paint, a hockey mask, of course I bring my guns and stuff like that"
He shook his head "That won't do here…I'll call our uniform expert, she should be here tomorrow around noon. Why don't you go get settled in a bit and I'll call you when I've got dinner ready…sorry but it won't have any meat."
She nodded "Okay by me" she gave him a smile and left. She spent the time putting her things up and slowly coming to terms with her new job, she was doing the exact same thing she did in her old city. Except now she had the highest caliber back up she could think of. She smiled as she put her civilian clothes in the closet.
Her new roommate tapped lightly on the door "Abby, food's ready"
They enjoyed it with only light chatter and she spent the majority of the time watching him, his mannerisms, how he coped with only one arm. Their talk was kept light, things favorite foods and movies. One of the first things she noticed was that his eye and ears were always moving-picking up any thing they could. It was saddening that he didn't have anybody to watch his back after working with the Titans.
At some point before the sun fell he spoke "If you'd go grab your communicator, I want to sync it up to the network." but it turned out that after years of inactivity and the few but brutal EMPs that hit the tower over the years had done major damage to the device and with a sigh Gar shook his head "I have no idea how to fix this…guess I'll have to call my tech specialist tomorrow too"
She gave a faint smile "Well, looks like I'll be meeting a lot of your contacts tomorrow doesn't it?"
He gave a small return smile "Yeah, but right now you'll meet Titans V."
She quirked a shoulder "V?"
He nodded but stood to type something on the main computer "Are you aware that the Titan's have a rehabilitation program?" she shook her head and he continued "Jinx was the first, she used to be a member of the HIVE before Kid Flash convinced her to switch sides, after that we started slowly trying to help those who wanted out of being a villain, some got out while others took up our fight…V is the first group made up entirely of reformed villains"
She blinked rapidly "That's a brilliant idea, but what if they turn against you again?"
Gar simply answered "All of them have been though a rigorous process and vetted by me personally. They know that I trust them." there was a finality in those words that showed utter faith in these people who once fought him.
The screen opened up to a vicious looking woman with short black hair and blazing green eyes, behind her stood Red-X, Terra, Kyd Wykkyd, and Angel. The girl's face dropped it's harshness and she cracked a smile as she saluted, showing a short sleeve camo shirt and black gloves "Boss!" the others who had been sitting around a game board or something that was hidden behind her head clamored to look into the tiny screen before she shoved them away and grumbled as she poked a few buttons and the image feed jumped a few feet onto the big screen wherever they were.
They all snapped to a crisp salute before Gar returned it loosely. "Aries, you're looking well"
She nodded and lifted the right side of her mouth in a smirk "As good as can be expected Chief"
Wykkyd had his arm around Angel's waist who returned it with one hand on his chest and the other around his waist. Terra was holding hands with X who took off his mask "Hey Boss, I wanna spar again, I think I could win this time" he offered with a confident smirk.
Aries, the team leader burst out laughing "Yeah right Todd! He kicked all our asses without powers!"
The former thief's eye twitched "Yeah but we both know that I've gotten better since then"
Aries turned to him and said two words "Remember training?" everyone on that screen shuddered and X backed off. She turned back to the screen "So what's goin' on Boss man?"
He stepped back and allowed them to see Abby "Welcome the newest member of the Titans, this is Slipshot, she'll be working with me" introductions were quickly made before they had to cut the feed with Aries citing it was getting near midnight where they were.
Abby took the moment to ask her new coworker "What do you usually do about this time?"
He shrugged as he sat back down on the couch "If there's not a call I'll generally watch a movie or read a book."
She could feel a small bit of sadness fall over him, it must have been something he did with the others she realized before she smiled "Maybe we could watch a movie"
"What did you have in mind?"
She shrugged "What are some of your favorites?"
"Amistad, Mel Brooks, Monty Python…" he stopped at her blank looks "You have no idea what any of those are do you?"
"Nope, not a one-"
"Nay, nay, nay" he chuckled "Sorry, reference…for now let's just watch Amistad, you actually need your brain working for that movie"
The next morning started off oddly for Abby with a icy cold shower. She needed it to rid herself of her lingering dreams, not that they were unwanted, she didn't want to face the one armed man and blush at every movement he made. Glancing at her clock she let out a groan, she was still on her old time zone so she was two hours ahead physically. So she woke up bright and early at 6:45. So, doing what any semi-responsible hero would do she got ready and walked into the ops room.
She was a bit surprised when Beast Boy was at the computer talking to the Man of Steel. Superman looked worried "I'm sorry to call you so early Gar" the reporter looked sincere but there was something else on his mind, that much was clear.
The one armed man waved it away "Anything for a friend. Now, what's the matter?"
Superman nodded to his wife as she passed behind him "It's my cousin…Kara, Supergirl as you would know her is…new to Earth and" he ran a hand over his well defined chin "needs to learn that we aren't superior and teamwork. I figured you were the best person for that"
Something passed between the two, some hidden message in Gar's eyes that Abby couldn't see from behind him "Why me?"
It took a moment for the Man of Steel to think and in the end he didn't even answer. Lois did. She peeked her head in "Because Even Mento admits that you are the leader of the Titans, if you can get that old dog to say so then it is and we all know what you've done with your rehab program….by the way good morning" she grinned.
Gar grinned back "You too, send her over tomorrow…she does have an official uniform right?"
Superman nodded before asking "Why does she need a uniform?"
Waving in the direction of Slipshot he told them "Suzy's coming over today"
"Ah, well she does have one. Thanks Gar"
"Don't worry about it." then the line went dead and Gar turned to face her "Sleep well?"
She nodded before asking "Suzy?"
He took a three legged step, a cane she didn't see early "Edna Mode made hero uniforms a profession back in the mid 50's, she made them for everybody, Doom Patrol, Justice League, the Incredibles-you name it and very few people got into it, Suzy being one of them, the two of them got married after Edna came out of retirement and made the Incredible's suits."
"Ah…that makes sense I guess." she tried not to stare at the cane, she really did.
But he knew. Both eyes covered, back to her and he still knew, he held it up "Something I tend to use in the mornings when I get up earlier than I'd like to and my knee acts up" he said with a smile as he leaned the straight length of wood against the cabinet next to the cook top.
A buzzing from the back of his waist caught her attention, she never noticed the communicator on his jeans, it sat behind his hip drawing her eyes to 'unsafe' territory. A high-pitch whining voice comes from the communicator and he held it to his ear before saying something she didn't catch trying to half way pull her eyes from the seat of his jeans. He flicked his comm closed and sighed "Would you care for some meat with breakfast?"
She managed to jerk her eyes away at the last moment before he turned around and nod quietly "Sounds nice…but why?"
"Edna loves meat like Cy does…"
"I thought Suzy was coming?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose "Both of them are"
Two very short women with very big personalities marched into the room and Gar immediately dropped down to hug both of them "Edna, Suzy, it's so nice to see both of you" he greeted with a smile.
They return the gesture before they turned to stare at Abby, the only difference that their target could see between the two of them was their dress, glasses and hair color, Edna wore a dark dress with leggings while her partner wore jeans and a blue long sleeved button up with a dark purple pattern around the cuffs, the former wore glasses while the latter didn't exposing brilliant green eyes and blond hair. Edna reminded her of a wolf while Suzy's eyes were closer her of her mom shopping for a piece of meat.
She wasn't sure which one bothered her more.
Edna turned her attention to the hero's boss and spoke with her funny little accent "Garfield, why don't you cook breakfast" she held up a bag no doubt laden with animal flesh for emphasis "while we talk to your trainee"
He merely shook his head with a smile "More like interrogate…why don't you do it at the table?" there was an unspoken so I can step in that caused all the women in the room to agree hesitantly. Both of the designers had made more than one hero question themselves with the battering of questions they could fire.
Slipshot was irked that he didn't disagree with the 'trainee' but then the thought came. She was. The Titan's were the single biggest hero organization in the world and she was being offered a post. But it never said where. There was a rumor floating around that several of the leaders of Titan groups was originally brought in to help with Jump City but couldn't cut it.
The duo sat on one side of the eight seater rectangular table that was butted up against the wall to really only hold seven. Abby slid onto the other with a glace at Gar who's ear twitched almost in response. Edna stared at her wife for a moment "Measurements?"
Abby stared at the duo hesitantly "Um…"
The brunette waved a hand at the hero without looking "I wasn't asking if you knew them…and you don't but who wants to do it"
Suzy shrugged and hopped off her chair "Come this way Sweetling. Gar we're using her room. Don't come in"
"Got it" was the only response and Abby felt a bit of fear tremble through her stomach at the pages of measurements. Pages, and pages, and pages…
She came out feeling slightly less violated than she thought she'd be. Slightly.
They returned to the table where the two designers conferred for a moment before large plates were set before everyone but Gar. His plate was utterly gigantic and closer to a serving platter than a normal plate. The sausage was fried to perfection with waffles, oat meal, fruit, hash and coffee. His plate lacked the sausage but had quite a few pills beside it. Everyone stared at him with shock written on their faces. With a chuckled that they couldn't tell didn't light his covered eye he answered "My body's basal metabolism is roughly four times higher than a normal athlete, add a combat situation and my body burns upwards of dozens times the calories of any other person."
Edna and Suzy had been around heroes for a long time so oddities were something they were used to. Abby…not so much. She stared for a moment longer before realizing that her own need for nearly eight times the normal dose of iron and salt wasn't that weird.
As Gar took the dishes and the drinks were still being nursed the two decided it was time for questions. Machine guns would be envious at the speed that the two ladies fired out questions.
Edna: "Is there a color you prefer?"
Abby: "I-I like blue and yellow"
Suzy: "Masks?"
Edna: "Full? Half? Eyes? None?"
Abby: "Um, c-can I see examples?"
This slowed them down and Edna grabed a pencil and a blank paper before quickly showing her four types of masks, the first is like Robin's, eyes only, the second only covers her mouth and the third everything but. The fourth was like the one picture she saw of Red-X. she took a moment before looking them over "Can we do something like this?" she says pointing to the mouth cover.
It was noted and the questions came again starting with Edna "Clothes- baggy, tight or normal?"
"N-normal" she hated how these questions were constantly knocking her around.
Suzy started to ask questions about her likes and dislikes, favorite superhero…which was really weird with it being Beast Boy. Thankfully he was talking into his communicator and didn't hear that. How often does she work out, everyday. Does she like shiny things, not all that much. How much do you want to stand out, rather not. Everything stoped when the issue of capes came up. Suzy liked the classic look of flowing cloth behind a person while Edna hated it. Listening to the two bicker was hilarious. They were both cut from the same bull-headed cloth.
They stopped when Gar offers up one piece of thought "It's funny, the only person who both of you like the cape that Edna hates and the leotards Suzy despises on is Raven." they mumbled something intelligible before gathering their things.
They ended the visit with "We'll send over some designs tomorrow"
The door had only been shut maybe a grand total of four seconds before Abby let out her pent up breath "Are they always that intense?"
He boss quietly put the plates in the dishwasher "A very long time ago they weren't. Before we split up they were a lot more laid back, don't get me wrong, they were just as serious but more relaxed. Their method of dealing with things is to throw themselves into their work"
"They haven't gotten over the Titan's break up?"
Gar sat down, his posture radiated 'relaxed' one leg rested on the cushion while his foot was covered by his other leg, his elbow was on the chair arm and his jaw lightly resting on his knuckles "They never got a chance to. After our break up heroes began dying left and right, up until I started pushing the rehab program we've been loosing more heroes per year than gaining."
Slipshot gaped at the news. "H-How?" she whispered.
He stood up "It's best if you don't know. The problem is gone" glancing at the clock though the bandages he continued "Better suit up, Supergirl should be here soon. Just go ahead and meet me on the roof" and he turned and went to his room. A thrill ran through her though, finally she would see his suit! It was childish but she couldn't help the smile.
She quickly changed and made her way up, as a general rule she learned how to change quickly and didn't use a lot of make up, but Gar was one of the people who could change the fastest in the world. Part of her wanted to see him in all spandex, a vast majority in fact, but she managed to put that part in the back of her mind so that when she opened the door she was partially surprised. He wore a short sleeved bone white spandex shirt that clung to him tenaciously, his pure black pants were looser and held up by a belt of the same color with a silver buckle in the signature double circle T and black boots with metal in the shape of a human hand palm down with fingers spread into talons across the top and toe. His bandages were still present and she had to fight back a blush as she looked up to meet his face. His hair was starting to brush his eyebrows and the one fang that was perpetually out looked lethally sharp. Across his wrist was wrapped a rosary with, not only a cross, but a Star of David, the Islamic crescent moon and two more symbols she didn't recognize.
This is what Kara Zor-El saw as she hovered into view. She dismissed both of them, the only reason she was even here was because of Clark's insistence. Slipshot, on the other hand, was amazed, this was the cousin of Superman and one hell of a beauty, her long lean legs were caressed by red boots and her cousin's colors were mapping her body perfectly and the cape at her back overlapped at her neck just enough to draw the eye.
Gar could read her body language and smell the hormones in her body. Supergirl was not happy. He had heard the reasons but he stepped forward and greeted "Kara Zor-El, it is a pleasure to meet you, my name is-"
She dropped to the roof and cut him off "Inconsequential. I'm only here because Clark kept hounding me, said if I proved I was good enough for you he'd let me off."
Abby was taken back, she hadn't known of the foul temper and stepped forward "Gar's only trying to help!"
Kara pinned the human with a glare "Gar? What type of hero name is 'Gar'? Sounds like a normal one"
"Because it is my real name" Kara turned back to the green man who shrugged "Beast Boy wasn't a good match considering I haven't been a boy for a long time and I don't see an urgency for a new one, not that any of them sound good but…"
Kara sighed "Well, let's get to proving that I'm not an idiot and I can shake hands with a human and not crush their hands"
Garfield put on a blank mask "I have a better idea. Both of you come with me" and he started to walk into the Tower. He knew Kara's type, bitter at loss, stubbornly against change, powerful enough to oppose it in most cases. This was not the type of person he needed. Beneath even Supergirl's hearing he growled "Thanks Clark. You knew I wouldn't be able to let this slide"
They stopped in the training room, a large area that took up two stories of the building as almost one room, the exemptions were a control room where cameras, video and holograms could be set up and a short hallway that extended from the elevator and stairwell to the two doors by which to enter the control room or the training room.
Supergirl looked around "Okay, we're here. What do you want?"
His one hand undid the rosary and wrapped it in his belt loop "I want to spar"
Kara gave a short bark of laughter "If we sparred all that would be left is a splatter on the ground"
Gar didn't change his tone but it became an undeniable order "Both of you are to come at me like you're trying to kill me, otherwise I cannot truly assess your skill. For a bonus I won't use my powers and as for me being a splatter…I'll consider that a passing mark"
Kara needed no other prompting and this mere human had the gall to think he could fight her? She charged across the room at near supersonic speeds only to be met with his foot to her solar plexus. She stopped dead in her charge and fell to the ground vomiting and clutching her abdomen.
Abby stared as Supergirl continued coughing and puking before they both looked at Gar and felt the vast shadow of experience and power behind his unmoving form fall over them "If you take me as just another 'mere human' you are gravely mistaken, I have not only fought in this world but thrived against all odds including the apocalypse brought about by an interdimensional demon and another world ending event brought about by a sentient shard of the time-space continuum. Now, let's try this again"
The 'test' became a brutal showing of the difference in power, each move was countered before he could even take the brunt of the attack, he dodged Slipshot's electrical bullets and Supergirl's heat vision at range, if they tried close quarters he ruthlessly put them on the ground and if they tried to disengage he rushed them.
Twenty minutes later both girls were done. Both were exhausted, there were probably bones out of joints and bruises already forming. They were laying on their backs as he sat in the only chair in the room, a folding piece of plastic that was now witness to his pose, his elbow on his knee and his chin resting in his palm.
The emotions running through the three were very different. Slipshot could now appreciate his record, he was brutal and efficient in ways that she never thought about but he was also one of the nicest people in an odd dichotomy.
Supergirl was enraged at her loss, there was no way a mere human could beat her! But she was also, reluctantly, awed. He was a mere human but he put her down so many times she couldn't really fight her way up again. He displayed raw power, intuition, experience, flexibility, speed and cunning. As a fighter she couldn't help by admire what he could do even with the loss of his arm. She was humbled.
Gar was partially hopeful, partially disappointed. Both girls were 'good' but that wouldn't be enough. Both displayed a talent for their own styles of fighting that he could never teach them, he just needed to get them to their potential and that was something he learned how to do many years ago. "Kara, you're strong, resilient…but you rush in headlong and depend on your natural abilities. While this works really well on low level criminals if you come across somebody who's stronger than you or deadlier…you won't be coming back. Abigail, you're the exact opposite, after you engage you hesitate and think things through, in reality you won't have that time to think before something happens." he got up off the chair and helped Supergirl up before moving to Slipshot.
Kara rubbed the back of her neck "Um…guess I was wrong" she mumbled.
Gar offered her an apologetic smile "To be honest I have been doing this most of my life. If Clark sent you here he knew this was going to happen"
She curled a lip back in a snarl "I'll just have to pay him back later" she flinched as she moved "…after I heal up"
Abby rolled her shoulders "Feels like I got hit by a truck, not a fist"
Gar sighed "That's not just my experience. Several years ago the Justice League started to worry about our declining numbers and started a program with the universe's greatest minds in an effort to create a way for the average hero to become tougher, more efficient, hardier-that sort of thing. I was in a…bad place emotionally and volunteered before they were into the safety test of it" he clenched his fist and grit is teeth in a moment of something neither girl could fathom "I gained…many things from it, one of the side effects is that I can control my muscle density, right now- my new basal, is nearly four times the average Tamaranean's"
Kara gasped and Abby blinked several times "So right now you could lift what? Without changing it or any of these 'other powers' you got"
He thought for a moment "I don't know. Starfire could…can pick up a fully loaded semi and trailer, on a good day with one hand. But the full limits of muscle density to weight isn't really something we can work at in this line of business"
A small bell dinged cheerily somewhere and the trio made their way to the only ground floor door quickly, but not rushing. Mikron O'Jeneus was at the door. Gizmo at another time. The shorter man did a secret handshake with Gar before they hugged "It's nice to see you still kickin' Gar" came the nasally voice.
The hero smiled before turning to the girls "Slipshot, Supergirl…Abigail Westlin, Kara Zor-El meet Mikron O'Jeneus, formerly the villain Gizmo"
Abby shook hands with the man and greeted him professionally but Kara hadn't been told about the rehabilitation program "Former villain? How in the world can you trust him?" it wasn't screamed it was just an honest question.
The short man stood up straighter "Hey! I'll have you know I was in the first official rehab class!"
Abby gave her friend a short summary before Kara shrugged "Whatever, doesn't mean much to me either way"
Gar cut in before the argumentative man could get started "Mik I need you to reboot all the communicators in the Common room, apparently they don't work and I couldn't sync them to the mainframe…" the red alert light came on with a siren "…aaaaand apparently I'm needed else where" he turned to the two girls "neither of you are in a condition to fight."
They tried to argue but he pulled the bandages to reveal his eye and glared them into silence. In a flash all that was in his place was a fully formed green black mamba that leapt into a vent before disappearing in a flash, moments later a deafening shriek tore the air, the girls rushed to the door to see a green bird cut the air in twain once again before flying over the city.
Abby stared for a moment "I would never have though things would turn out like this…"
Mik rapped on a wall "Well come on you two, I need to teach you how to use the comms." he took off the black jacket and finally both girls took a minute to study him, black tennis shoes and jeans with a gray collared shirt with an odd logo on the breast pocket two 'G's set back to back made into gears.
After a moment Slipshot asked "You work at Gizmo Gadget?" this wasn't as much of a shock as it could have been, Gizmo Gadget was the worlds largest tech company that suddenly appeared six years ago. They came up with new tech almost every month.
He gave a wry laugh "Me and Gar built GG" Kara gave a blank look but the other wasn't buying it "Look, after I got through rehab there was no way I was going back to being a villain and I sure as shit couldn't be in the hero biz, too many grudges ya' know? So Gar tells me that he needs a tech specialist- don't get me wrong he's good with technology…well, decent but he's by no means great. He signed me on but it wasn't a full time thing so I needed a real job…" the elevator dinged but Mik shook his head with a downcast face "Nobody would take me. Even though I went through rehab I couldn't find a job nobody trusted me."
Kara was exceptionally blunt "You did try to rob them of their life savings…multiple times if those news articles I saw were right"
As they made their way to the computer that sat in the middle of the windows he turned to face her "This wasn't-and isn't about me. It's about how they didn't trust Gar's decision about it."
Kara was never known for her tact "So how'd you get the money?"
With a quick glance the inventor knelt by the box of comms and pulled one out as he sat on the sofa "I'll tell you this because he isn't here." both girls were on edge "When Gar turned eighteen he received a inheritance of roughly four million dollars…well, insurance, inheritance and stocks/ bonds that sort of thing. But he doesn't use much money at all and there was no way he could donate it all to charity. Actually there's a JL code stating that heroes should keep a substantial amount of money stashed away in case they take an injury…a lot of heroes couldn't get back in those years" he said solemnly "And since Gar is one of the few full time heroes they deemed that he could only use the money for personal or business reasons. He saw how the people in this city wouldn't give me a shot…GG is owned 50-50 between the two of us, he runs the money and I do the tech, he contracts out the marketing to a third party that he works with closely. Same with my friend Baran…Baran Flinders, Mammoth, he couldn't get a job either and during rehab he showed that his defensive work was better than almost everybody else. If we had known that before we started things would have gone very differently…anyways, Gar did the same thing 50-50 with Baran and Mammoth Security" Mammoth Security was the top of the private protection service.
The tech expert opened one of the communicators with a odd looking contraption he pulled out of a small back that was stashed in his breast pocket "At the moment he's estimated to be worth…" he pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times before blinking and just showing them the phone. On the screen was the name Garfield Logan and a pie chart showing how his public investments were split but across the top were two numbers, one a ranking amongst the world's wealthiest, a very respectable 5th and the amount of money he was worth. It was a mind boggling amount.
The green hawk winged it's way over the city far faster than any natural bird. If he were a human on his face would be a grimace. Grim remembrance with a limitless rage simmering underneath. He was alone. No matter who was in the tower he was alone. Betrayal was a constant tattoo beating with his heart. Reminding him that nobody would trust a monster.
The four robbers watched him land in their midst with little fear. They shredded the air around him with lead but he walked through unscathed and fear started to grow in them. Their leader stepped forward with a grenade "I-If you come any closer I'll use it! I swear to God I'll do it!"
"I don't care"
"What?"
"I said I don't care. I look after the city. Your death means nothing to me and if you know anything about the past seven years you'd know that I've seen my fare share of death."
Their leader gave a harsh choking laugh "If you pop this thing you'll be the one who dies!"
Gar sighed with a shake of his head "Do you really think in my eighteen years of doing this I haven't come across a grenade before?" then his voice took on a sad tone "I've lost many friends to the creations of war."
The robber pulled the pin and threw the device. Gar allowed the device to fall at his feet. Slowly he bent down and picked it up. His fist tightened and before the count went off he crushed the device in his hand. The shards trickled down like rain before he attacked.
Kara watched silently as Gar returned without a word. He stepped to the console and removed his belt buckle before taking the face and putting it on top of his communicator and pressing the ensemble into a slot in the main computer. A quiet beep was the only sound before he retreated to his room.
Mik didn't look up from his work and Abby watched with Kara. Supergirl asked "What was that?"
Gizmo set his tools down "Gar hates fighting alone. It brings up bad memories for him" walking to the kitchen he grabbed a pan and some water before dropping the fixed comm in and checking for bubbles.
Kara watched the tech specialist wander around gathering a few things before sitting down "You know him very well"
He nodded "Life hasn't been good to him since the others left"
Abby spoke quietly "A lot of the animals on earth are social…being alone must be a thousand times worse for him"
It took several hours for the rest of the communicators to be fixed and before he could even get up from his spot the door opened and Gar stepped out. Mik stretched his back "Well, I'm done."
"Going to go check on Baran?"
"Yeah, he's still healing after getting shot in the leg, they got him limping around now"
"That's good. Be safe"
The short man turned around and lifted a hand in farewell before hitting the button to take him to the ground floor.
Gar motioned the two others to sit at the table and he joined them with a paper in his hand "Tomorrow I want to start your training."
Kara blinked "You do realize right now I could lift more than you…what practical use does training have?"
Without looking up he replied "Superman can barely cut my training. I want you to exceed me. Training will start at seven"
The rest of the night passed quietly with dinner and idle chatter before they went to sleep.
The morning came with a set of instructions: Eat one banana and then we'll head to the city. There they finally found out their training regime. In all it's brutality.
He put his one hand behind his back as he stared at them with covered eyes "First rule: we are a team, if one falls the other will pick her up and carry her until you collapse then I'll pick you up until I collapse. Second rule: never leave a comrade behind."
Abby nodded "Okay, but what are we going to do?"
"We'll start light today and run eight times around the city."
Kara and Abby started nodding before stopping "Wait…what?"
He nodded and started jogging before turning back "Running only, no flying." they shrugged and took off after him. In truly admirable form Abby collapsed only after running twice around the city. Her wheezing was painful against her lungs and she couldn't even pick herself up.
Kara stopped before cradling the girl in her arms and running again. Abby stared up at Kara's face for a moment "T-Thanks"
Supergirl was sweating but she still nodded down at her teammate "No problem"
Abby wondered if her cheeks were as red as they felt.
The Kryptonian felt her own endurance start to fail by lap six. Abby couldn't believe it when Kara's knee it the ground "S-sorry…I can fly it but running is tiring…" the cousin of Superman started to fall but never made it.
Gar knelt and caught her with his only arm "You did very well for your first time!" he gave them a bright smile before he picked them up, Kara was essentially sitting on his forearm with his bicep acting as her backrest while she leaned into his chest and Abby was still being held by Kara. Like that he ran the last two laps.
Gar slowly sat them on the ground "Well good thing I wasn't planning on any more physical exercise today"
Abby growled and looked up at him "Give me two weeks and I'll run the entire thing" after a few more panting breaths she had to ask "What's your normal work out?"
Sitting beside them he took a sip of water before handing them the bottle "Usually I do ten laps before I do cardio and weights then some mental exercises."
Kara blinked before taking a deep swig of the lukewarm water and trying no to vomit "How do you have the energy?"
He gave a dry chuckle "It took me years to build up. I started with every day I would run as far as I could in one hour, then lift as much as I could…I started very slow and built my way up."
Abby hissed as she sat up "How long did it take you to get to where you are now?"
"Ten laps, cardio and weights took me two years and even then I changed the amounts, now I run ten faster, I do faster cardio for the same amount of time and lift more reps" he rolled his shoulders "I made this to completely drain a person and tear down the maximum amount of muscle before it could start to rebuild"
A rumble started and Abby looked around to see it was actually Kara trying to hold in a laugh, one that promptly burst out and had the sharpshooter's face doused in red "You're crazy you know that?"
Gar gave them a small chuckle, the first real positive emotion since either of them from him, excluding the smile earlier "Crazy from the cousin of Clark I can take"
A gurgle entered the air and the laughing trio looked at each other before laughing even harder "I take it you're ready for breakfast?" smirked the alien.
Abby blushed but nodded as Gar picked them up and took them back via the bridge.
In two weeks small miracles happened. Abby and Kara had caught up to the level of the workout Gar had designated, eight laps, half hour of slow cardio, another half of light weights and two puzzles. Each of the puzzles took hours and were designed by people who had studies the problem solving capabilities and general knowledge of each victim before hand.
The other miracle was Slipshot's uniform was designed and delivered, her pants were a night sky blue that matched her lightweight boots her shirt was storm cloud grey spandex with lightning bolts horizontally across her arms and one from each shoulder that crossed in the center of her chest, her mask was the same gray and covered her nose and mouth with only two bolts, one from each eye straight down to her collar.
They ignored her on the tightness of the shirt but as she looked over their materials sheet she couldn't help but smile. There was nothing better for her to wear.
Gar smiled when she stepped out and offered "Let's see how well it moves"
They did their usual work out and she was delighted at how well it breathed. But something weighed on her and after their cool down Gar pulled her aside "Is something wrong?"
Abby couldn't lie to him, she knew it- he was the best lie detector ever. She pulled down her mask and rubbed the back of her neck "Um…these past few weeks opened my eyes a lot…" she trailed off and at her seriousness Gar pulled the bandages free of his eye "H-How do you take, um, I mean…" she took a deep breath "Do you think heroes should date other heroes on their team?"
Gar went silent for a moment and she feared she stepped over her bounds "I…I believe it is far easier for a hero to date another hero…and being on the same team does deepen the bonds…" he ran a hand over his face "This isn't an easy decision. I've seen the down side of this time and time again. Just don't let it endanger you, her or either of your happiness"
She let out a squeal that startled Kara into running into the commons screaming "What happened?!"
Abby blushed a bright red and smiled at the other girl "S-sorry! I got really excited"
Kara crossed her arms and shook her head but there was a small smile on her face "What?"
Slipshot stopped dead in her tracks, behind her back she gripped her hands and her face turned even redder "Um…c-can I ask you on a date?"
Gar took the moment to leave. This wasn't his conversation. There was another though that he did need to have "Hey Mik, it's me. You know that soundproofing you wanted to install? Looks like I'll have to ask you to put it in"
Within an hour the diminutive genius had a team filling the walls with a foam while he went over the some of the information with Abby and Kara, Gar had already heard and was dealing with a call. The girls were getting used to the huge strain on their body and occasionally they would falter and Gar couldn't endanger them like that.
The short man dug through his bag before pulling out a cylinder of light blue foam before handing it to Abby "What is this?" she said as she turned the core over and studied it.
"It's an accidental discovery, a soundproofing foam about ten thousand times better than any other. Gar has to turn his hearing to medium to hear through it"
Kara and Abby gave incredulous looks before shaking their heads in wonder. Kara gave it a light squeeze "It seems to do more than just stop sound…"
He gave them a wickedly intelligent smirk "Oh, it does a lot more than that! It's also insulates against heat and electricity as well as sets up harder than concrete or steel…it's a reinforcement on top of everything and it's chemically inert. Right now we've sent in the copyright and by next week we'll be able to put this in every home in America!"
Abby looked at the sample again "No cancer from exposure? No nothing?"
Gizmo gave a wide smile "I'm very cautious about making new products like this but it's actually a great absorber of carcinogens so in high toxicity areas it probably needs to be replaced once every fifty years or so" his smile changed into a mischievous one "So you two are dating now?"
Both Abby and Kara blushed but the latter grabbed her girlfriend's hand "Yeah, so what?" she shouted in challenge.
He giggled "Nothing, just a good thing you found someone you like and who likes you back"
Gar stood in front of the villains. They were different then the type he usually got around here, they only wanted to cause mayhem and destroy what they could. As their leader fell to his knees he started laughing "We will win!"
"In case you haven't noticed you're on your knees, beaten and-"
"Our boss, the Twelve will spill your blood all over this city!"
"Twelve?"
The crook gave a loose toothed smile "There were Ten before"
The air suddenly turned fatal. "They've gathered again? Twelve?"
"And you are the first they wish dead!" he started to roar in laughter.
Gar's voice was far calmer than previously "Well, I know you won't see it" two holes suddenly appeared in the herald's torso, a small one through the heart and the other the size of a softball in the middle of his stomach.
His communicator rang once before the chief of police answered "Gar? What's going on?"
"I'm enacting protocol 2"
"U-Understood sir!"
The line went dead and the bloody hero opted to walk back. Glancing once more at the mess he created he could only sigh and rub his head "Fuck".
His arrival came just after Mik and his team left. Kara and Abby rushed over to his bloody form as he sat on the sofa and cradled his forehead "Call Edna. I need her and Suzy here tonight."
A small trill of excitement went through both the girls, a new suit came with a new name "You finally decided to go with 'Alpha' huh?" Kara smirked with a nod "I knew my suggestion was amazing"
Abby smiled but shook her head "Naw, he's going with 'Apex'! Just like I told you he would!"
"In Greece for centuries there was a sect that worshiped the death of the Gods. Typhon was their God and Echidna their Goddess, the Sphinx, the Nemean Lion, Cerberus…all the monsters of Greek myth were his children and he the original thus his name The Father of all Monsters. He and Echidna together nearly destroyed all the gods and only luck saved them." he went silent and the others waited for his next words "When I was fighting the… serum I was called to help them. I was having trouble with my powers and they believed me to be their God given mortal form from his prison beneath Mount Etna. I will take that name. Typhon. Father of all Monsters. The Greatest Enemy. The One the Olympians Feared."
Oracle waited for her boyfriend to come through the doors, in her hand was a letter. Far different than anything else she had ever held it had the power to compel anyone on earth to obey.
In seven years many things had changed for the trio of heroes, Victor Stone now looked completely human…as he wished, but his battle armor would come out at a command, Starfire and Raven had both developed their powers as well as growing physically. At the moment they were passing through the mountainous region of China, the small town they were currently in was quaint and unassuming.
So much so that their visitor was completely shocking. In the middle of the room was Superman. Clark Kent nodded to them "Ah, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven. It's nice to see you again."
Starfire stepped forward with a squeal "Friend Superman! It has been far too long!"
He returned her hug before he turned to shake hands with Cyborg and Raven, the only true human of the group asked "So…no offence but what are you doing here?"
Clark's smile dropped quickly "The Justice League has exactly one consultant. One. That being said I hope you understand how important he is."
Raven put in "You need someone to protect him. Why don't you just have him live at the Watchtower?"
"We've tried. Several times, but his obligations keep him where he is."
The alien couldn't keep her feet on her ground "What is it you require of us?"
The Man of Steel's eyes turned very hard "There's a group that's trying very hard to kill him. They're a big enough group that they're trying the hands of every group that would go to help. He could probably survive on his own but he's far to important."
Raven looked at the couple beside her who nodded, she mirrored the gesture and Superman smiled brightly before giving them a slip of paper for a private jet waiting at a nearby air strip.
As the plane started to climb Cyborg sat on the couch with one arm around Starfire who curled herself at his side. Raven was seated opposite them in a recliner with a large book in her lap but there was a frown set on her delicate features, something that didn't escape Cyborg's notice "Rae, what's the matter?"
Sighing she closed the large tome and glanced at the already sleeping Star "It's just we agreed with so little information" and then she fell into a contemplative silence.
Not trusting the dark woman to keep her feelings from descending Cy continued "Wow, we'll be going back to the States after six years…have you missed BB?" he knew better than to ask about the other member of their former team.
She shook her head "No, though I do miss occasionally talking with other heroes"
"Wow, I guess you really did hate him…"
"Hmm?" Raven watched as her friend's face fell and momentarily cursed herself for the blunder "No, I don't hate Beast Boy per say, but his actions did annoy me. As a teammate he was good but he was far too…'powerful' a source of emotions for me to be around."
Cy didn't answer but lapsed into silence as the Justice League jet soared across the sky. "I don't think he'd be a hero after all this time…"
Violet eyes looked above the book "True, he probably went to Steel City and let another team take the Tower"
"Yeah, sounds like him…" and they thought it to be true.
As the trio landed they were met by two people they were not expecting. Cyborg was in his armored mode and he greeted professionally "Nightwing, Oracle"
The masked man greeted him back and said a simple hello to the women, both of whom returned it coolly. Oracle's greeting was warm, in contrast, but went without return. She couldn't blame them, she had never had a relationship with any of the others and she was just another reason that Nightwing left so easily.
Just outside the hanger were two women who stepped forward, their glares continued to cut into the former Titans. The first stepped forward "My name is Slipshot, Supergirl and I are going to take you to the…consultant."
Starfire stepped forward to exchange names but the hostility oozing out of the duo stopped her and forced them to quietly get into the van, the only one they treated with any warmth was Oracle whom Kara gently lifted onto the seat as Abby took the wheelchair to the trunk, Supergirl apologized "I didn't know you were coming so we couldn't prep another car"
The drive was tense and the elevator ride from the garage to the common room silent. As the doors opened the falling sun cloaked the figure standing in front of the couch and all they could see was the screen covered with several feeds. Slipshot and Supergirl took their place by the figure only after Supergirl pointed harshly at their feet and mouthed the words "Don't. Move."
The man started with "Typhon, Titan Commander reporting"
The first feed was Superman who watched with interest before noting "Superman, as witness."
Batman was on another and he repeated the phrase.
The entire Doom Patrol claimed another screen with their own added.
Bumble Bee was on another flanked by Speedy, Jinx and Kid Flash. "Titans East reporting" was all she said before another group started.
"Titans A reporting" came from Argent with, Hot Spot, Ravager and Jericho beside her.
Pantha and Wildebeest were flanked by two unknown members as the masked woman answered with "Titans Central reporting."
Ares stood by with her team and repeated the phrase one final time before she and the rest of those on the screens relaxed from a salute "What's up bossman?"
His answers were still the same commanding tone "The Terrible Ten are back…but renamed the Twelve. I don't know who all is returning and who is new"
The two singular witnesses knew but panic opened up between the others until Typhon made a slashing motion with one hand "Enough" it was a calm quiet command that was instantaneously heeded "This is a Alpha-Prime Situation"
The former Titans matched all their current partners in drawing in a breath, Ares shuddered "W-What's this meeting about then Boss?"
"I will do everything in my power to stop these Twelve. But should I die I give command of the Titan Network to Bumble Bee"
There was silence as the young woman took in the information before she opened and closed her mouth several times. She could only nod. Speedy put a hand on her shoulder "I think she accepts" she nodded again.
"Then this meeting is concluded. It is and was an honor serving with you" and each of the groups gave it's phrase again before they all shut off.
Typhon turned around. None of the former titans could believe their eyes, it was Raven who could speak first, the most detached from the green man, the others were distraught at his wounds. "Beast Boy?"
"I gave that name up when you left me here to die" he growled.