Prologue
Forming the Titans
Disclaimers
I do not own anything to do with DC, Young Justice or submitted OC's, only my own OC's and stories. This applies to all chapters.
This story will be close to the comics in rating, as such there will be bad language, violence, death, drug use and sexual references. Though any sex that does happen will be implied (I don't feel comfortable writing sex scenes and don't want this story to be read for the wrong reasons)
There will be several crossovers in the series. These are themes and species and objects but no characters or stories from those series. All characters linked to these will be original. These series are:
Rick Riordan's Demigod series
Dragonball
Ben 10 (Probably won't but putting here just in case)
Space
July 4th, 2020
9:16 am
The Watchtower
After the defeat of Darkseid two years ago the number of Metahumans on Earth drastically rose, as did the crime rate involving them. No one knew if it was Darkseid's direct involvement or simply the stress of his attempted invasion that caused the meta-genes to activate in such great numbers. Either way the fact was that they were increasing and at a faster rate than ever before. At first this was manageable, most were inexperienced and those that turned to crime were quickly caught before they could harm the public while those who wished to control their powers, or use them for the greater good, were given proper training. But now it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the influx of new heroes, criminals and those in-between.
In response to this, both the Justice League and the Team were to start up the Titan Initiative, a plan to both train young heroes and take some pressure off the League and the Team, who would deal with world threatening events and covert missions respectively. Each Titan Team would be set up in a different city and deal with local crimes while assisting the two senior teams if needed. Only those with experience, control over their abilities, if they had any, and with the right mentality would be taken on. And that was why the Watchtower was bustling with activity.
And that's why Dick Grayson, who had taken over the mantle of Batman after Bruce's death at the hands of Darkseid, sat in a dark room as far away from everyone as possible, going through every file with a fine toothcomb. This was only a trail run but if successful then every major city could be set up with their own personal heroes. Five cities agreed to allow these teams to be set up and he had already chosen team members for four cities, Coast City, Central and Keystone City, Midway City, and Star City and there was only one left, Metropolis. He had not chosen these last ones himself, they were chosen by an AI Bruce made before his death. In fact, the whole Titan Initiative was his idea from when the Team first formed, though he never had reason to implement it. Now it necessary for the Titans to be formed he wanted to honour his fallen father by using the team his AI chose.
"Ok Martha, show me the final team," Dick said to the AI.
"Affirmative," the AI said with a feminine voice. A hologram of a tall, athletic African-American boy appeared in front of them. He had short dyed electric blue hair and matching eyes. He was handsome with a look that was both kind and gentle yet also serious. He wore blue jeans and an orange t-shirt with what looked like a bronze ancient Greek style cuirass over the top.
"Jaden Drake, code name Hadari, translated as Storm from Hausa," The computer read out. "Seventeen years old from New York, his powers manifested approximately four years ago and has been making a name for himself as a hero since. Most of his feats have been solo but he has teamed up with other local heroes and each time he took command and showed great leadership skills. His powers include electrokinesis, aerokinesis, weather control and enhanced physical abilities too. His powers were inherited from his father, the Greek god Zeus. Chosen as Leader for the Titans due to his experience and leadership qualities."
"That makes Jaden a demigod and the half brother of Wonder Woman," he said quietly to himself. His file did say he had ADHD, though that was what kept him on his toes and it didn't seem to impact his ability to lead. "And he does seem like a competent leader. Ok, who's next?"
The hologram of Jaden faded and a that of a girl took its place. She too was tall, though not as tall as Jaden. Her ethnicity was hard to tell as she was covered head to toe in green scales, but the file listed her as being born somewhere in Greece. She was slightly more muscled than Jaden but not by much and had claws on both her hands and feet, a long powerful looking tail with a blade at the end of it and a large pair of wings. She had shoulder length blond hair with red streaks in them and a pair of green reptile-like eyes. Despite her ferocious looking appearance, she could still be described as attractive, if one could get past the death glare she was giving. She wore a dark green hoodie with holes cut in the back for her wings, black jeans, and brown boots with the toes missing for her claws to stick through.
All her clothes were tattered and torn in places, not counting the holes she made to accommodate her appearance, as though she had been living on the streets, which according to her file she had been.
Athena Kazan, code name Dragon. Seventeen years old and originally from Greece but turned up in New York just over two years ago. She has mostly been seen pairing up with Hadari since coming to New York but before that she wondered across Greece, fighting crime whenever she comes across it. Her abilities include super strength, durability, senses, flight and the ability to breathe fire. Her claws, teeth and tail blade are strong and sharp enough to cut through steel. The origin of her powers is currently unknown.
Going through her file he saw that she was described hot-headed, stubborn and arrogant, but she also knew when to cool it and could follow orders going by her time with Hadari. He'd worked with people like that before, Superboy and Wonder Girl both came to mind. But at least she worked well with others and that was key for a team. "Ok, Martha, who's number three?"
The hologram changed again and this time it was a mix-raced boy with a tanned complexion that didn't even hit the five-foot mark and was quite thin. He had pale green eyes and neat honey-beige hair that reached down to the back of his neck and cheeks. He was wearing matching blue hoodie and pants with black tennis shoes. He had a look on his face that gave the impression he was always thinking.
Luz Lupina, code name Hack. Thirteen years old, he only recently acquiring his abilities he has quickly become a common sight in Phoenix, Arizona, usually involving himself in emergency calls, though he has only face a few small-time metahuman criminals he has subdued them without causing any further damage or lose of lives. Currently his known powers are super intelligence, technopathy and limited telekinesis. Though his most prominent feature is his armour," the hologram switched to show hack in his armour. It was jet black and looked like a cross between high grade swat gear and samurai armour. It looked perfectly constructed, and there were no visible weak points that Dick could see. "The full capabilities of the armour are unknown, but it does give him enhanced strength, durability, flight and access to a wide range of weapons. His powers manifested shortly after he got back from visiting a gene therapy facility."
That last thing Martha told him made him wonder. Currently it is thought to be impossible to legally give someone powers. All known methods were outlawed and even those posed very high fatality rates. So, either he had the abilities already and they were woken up or this facility was doing shady research. Either way he'd have to investigate just in case. Hack's abilities coupled with his armour would make him perfect for the team. "Martha show me the next one."
The hologram switched again, and he was met this time with someone he knew. It was a Caucasian girl who was little over five foot tall. She had long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, dark blue eyes and an athletic build. She was the only one so far in costume. She wore a black skin-tight jumpsuit and a silver belt with throwing knives attached to them, over this she wore a black leather duster. Finishing off her outfit was a domino mask with a gold trim on her face. And she wore an expression that read "I'm better than you and I know it", which from his few encounters with her was exactly what she was like.
Riley Andrews, code name Artillery. Fifteen years old and born and raised in Gotham, Riley has been active for just over a year and has been involved in stopping many minor crimes and one major one. Her most prominent act was when she fought the criminal Deathstroke and lived, albeit with the interference of Batman, Batgirl and Red Robin. She has no superpowers but is very capable in hand to hand combat and her sword skills allowed her to survive several minutes against Deathstroke and only sustained minor injuries.
"Yeah, I know all about her," Dick said with a smile. He ran into her a few times and was impressed with what he saw. Though he had no illusions that had he and the others not intervened that she would have died facing Deathstroke, she did let the victory go to her head. Still, she was good and more skilled than he was at that age… maybe. "Right let's move on to the next."
This time the hologram was replaced with a Hispanic teenage boy of average height. His brown hair was spiked at the top and become straight as it went further down, almost reaching his neck. His eyes were brown with a hint of jitteriness to them and he was quite thin but lean, giving him a look of a soccer player. He wore a green t-shirt with dark green stripes, khaki cargo shorts and a pair of brown sandals.
Marcus Rodriguez, code name Blue Lantern. Sixteen years old from the Spanish city Barcelona his file says he delivered food to those in the area that was hit hard in Darkseid's attack. The area in question was being pressured by a local mob boss who was attempting to force the citizens to work for him. Marcus disappeared for three days before returning with a Blue Lantern ring and disbanding the gang. Currently his known powers all come from his ring, which are similar though less powerful than that of a Green Lantern with limited use of constructs without the presence of a Green Lantern. The ring also allows him to heal others slowly by just being near him but faster if he focuses on it.
"He would be great addition to the team," Dick said. There were many times where the ability to heal would have been great in the past and with this team being based in Metropolis they would need it. His file did say that he also had ADHD, that made two on the same team with it, but he didn't see that as a problem. In fact, it might help get them alive. "Ok, we are nearly done here," he said rubbing his eyes. He had been at this for a while now and even he needed sleep from time to time. "Show me the last one, Martha."
"Affirmative," she said
The hologram of Marcus disappeared and the last member for the Metropolis team appeared. She was Caucasian with a light tan and about an inch shorter than Marcus. She had curly crimson hair that reached halfway down her back in loose curls and side swept bangs and her eyes were a beautiful emerald green. Her build was curvy and fit, and she was strikingly beautiful, which probably attracted all kinds of attention. Her outfit consisted of a white tank top with a leather jacket, black combat boots. blue skinny jeans and a silver cross hanging from her neck.
Satana Chambers, doesn't use a code name and goes by her first name. Sixteen years old from San Francisco, she first came to the attention of the Justice League in 2010 when she was rescued by Doctor Fate from her abusive mother, the Red Witch, and given to a foster family. A close eye was kept on her in case she developed the same magical capabilities as her mother. One year ago, her powers manifested after she was abducted by a cult who worshiped the demon lord Trigon. Doctor Fate moved to save her but by the time he got there the cult had been dealt with and their plans thwarted. She has been living with Doctor Fate at his tower since and has become one of the most powerful magic users of her age. As you may have noticed her power is magic and uses a variety of spells using words spoken in Latin, talismans and through her cat familiar Hecate.
He had heard about her and seen her training once when he visited Doctor Fate. Her power had been both incredible and terrifying to see. But she showed no sign of becoming like her mother and she has shown to be a very caring person when she wants to be.
"Let's recap," he said to Martha. "We have a demigod, a dragon-girl, a boy genius, a sword wielding prodigy, a healer and a sorceress for our Metropolis team."
"Correct," she replied. "These were the most experienced of the remaining candidates and all have shown at least some capabilities to work with others in the past. The others have none or limited of these qualities, but I have marked several of them for future teams or to replace any of ones I have chosen should they decline the invite."
He was sure they wouldn't refuse but it was nice to have a backup plan. "Thank you, Martha. Please send the invites and contact Doctor Fate. We may need to "persuade" their parents." And by that he meant alter their minds. It never sat well with him that they had to resort to this but most of these teens would end up trying to be heroes anyway and at least this way they always had back up and could be in constant contact with the Justice League and thus reduce any risk of death or permanent injury. It wasn't perfect, but it posed the fewest risks and better this than them dying in some alleyway alone.
"Affirmative," she replied. "Now please go and get some rest. You are only human after all."
Dick chuckled at this. For an AI she was very motherly. "Ok, Martha, I will." He stood up and went to leave when she called after him again.
"And get something to eat, you have not done so in ten hours."
"Got it," he called back and left Martha to do her thing.
-0000-
Unknown Location
Meanwhile at an undisclosed location, Amanda Waller sat behind her desk, going through her own files on her laptop. Amanda was a short, slightly overweight, African-American woman with black hair clamped back into a ponytail. She wore an unbuttoned navy-blue suit jacket, a light-blue shirt underneath, a pair of brownish ear rings and a black tie. She also wore a knee-length navy blue skirt and black heels.
As she worked away a middle-aged man with dark hair walked in. He wore a black trench coat that covered him right down to his feet and a pair of black sunglasses. On his face was plastered a constant grin and he gave of an aura of a very dangerous man. He didn't speak right away, he waited for Waller to speak first.
"What do you want, Zaniel?" she asked the man coldly without looking away from her work.
His grin widened. "I just thought you'd like to know that the brainboxes down stairs have detected an alien object heading towards Earth."
Waller closed her laptop and looked at him with piqued interest. "Go on," she told him.
"It's hard to tell exactly what it is as it has only just entered our system, but it appears to be a small craft, possibly an escape pod, and, given its speed and trajectory, they believe it will land in Metropolis in about one month."
Waller seemed to think about it, though Zaniel already knew what her answer was going to be. She was probably already think about applications of whatever tech could be scavenged from it.
"Take a team to recover the pod, and whatever maybe inside it, living or otherwise," she told him. "And make sure no one else finds out about this pod
He nodded "And what about any do-gooders?"
"Do as you see fit. But do not get caught."
Zaniel said nothing, he just nodded again and left. With his departure she reopened her laptop and looked back at the file, which read.
Project 0 – Unstable
Project 1 – Deceased
Project 2 – Deceased
Project 3 – Deceased
Project 4 – MIA
Project 5 – Contained
Project 6 – Contained
Project 7 – Contained
Project 8 – Deceased
Project 9 – MIA
Project 10 – Contained
Project 11 – Active
Project 12 – Active
Project 13 – MIA
Too many missing or dead, she thought to herself. And with Zero unstable I can't send it to retrieve 4, 9 and 13. She let out a sigh. She had a feeling that these next few months were going to be tough.
End of Prologue.
Quick notes
I am sure Hadari is correct for storm in Hausa, but I could be wrong.