A/N: Edit: I'm finally going to continue this fic, but I'm editing already existing chappies first, kk? I'd reread, if I were you. The dialogue's all different now.
Hello, Autumn here! A short note before you begin; this is the plot I dreamed up after watching 'Trouble in Tokyo.' I began writing it six months ago, but had to disband the project because of school. I just recently resumed it. Like, a week ago. This chapter is kind of a prologue, actually, considering none of the Teen Titans actually make an appearance until the next chapter. It's just the background on the villain. XD I hope everyone enjoys it anyway, considering the Teen Titans WILL be in the next chapter. Now without further ado, my first new story since summer.
Teen Titans: One By One
1. The Cloaked Figure and The Voice
A Cloaked Figure is shoved into an armored room that's promptly locked before they can even attempt to get away. The Figure's mouth and nose are concealed by a cloth mask that disappears under the shadow of their hood, and their hands are clad in gloves. Their clothes are all long sleeved even though it's still summer outside, and a pair of azure eyes are all that can be seen of them. They kneel in the center of the grim room for a moment before standing to glare at their reflection in the one-way, bulletproof glass.
"Alright, what the hell do you want with me?" a mechanically doctored voice demands from beneath the mask. There is a short pause before The Figure's captor replies.
"I've been watching you for a while now, just to confirm a few rising suspicions. I've come to believe that you have power. Strong power." The reply filters from a pair of crude speakers mounted on the walls of the chamber. The sound quality is terrible, and the captor's voice is awfully cracked and muffled. Both the captor and the captured are too secretive to reveal their face or voice.
"That's a pretty lame excuse for snatching a person off the street at two in the morning. I mean, just how long have you been 'watching me,' anyway? Don't you have any idea how to mind your own business?"
"I've been keep tabs on you for the past three months. I'm sorry if you feel that I've invaded your privacy, but you might not find my reasons so unorthodox after I've explained a bit."
"Explain away, Mr. Stalker."
Its captor chuckles. "Although you haven't noticed yet, you've been developing super powers for the past three months. Special super powers. They could be very useful in the near future."
"Super powers? What have you been smoking? If you've really been stalking me that long, you'd know that I'm barely scraping by, trying to make a living for myself. I think I'd be living a little more comfortably if I did have any." The Cloaked Figure replies coldly.
"Like I said before, you haven't noticed them yet. I assure you, however, that once you have mastered them you will be living more than just 'comfortably.'"
"Okay, if I do have hidden powers, how come you even know about them?"
"I have the ability to sense others powers. I've brought you here because yours have almost fully developed, and I didn't want you to get into trouble on the streets once they did. It happens much too often to the gifted, you know. They never know what to do with themselves after finding out."
"Trouble on the streets? What are you talking about?"
"Unintended misuse of your powers. Luckily, you had enough sense to know something was different as your powers naturally matured. You've noticed how unusual things have occurred as you've come into contact with other humans lately. A jolt of energy passing between you and them, or a dizzy spell perhaps. Hence the gloves and mask. Have you noticed anything else?"
"No, people . . . people just really piss me off; I get sick too often around them."
"It's your powers . . ."
"I don't have any. You're coming to a false conclusion," snaps The Figure.
"Or am I? Let's test this theory." The Voice cackles gleefully over the speakers.
"How about we don't, and just take this back to square one and let me go home, huh?"
The Cloaked Figure's suggestion is readily ignored. A panel slides away from the ceiling and a person drops down into the chamber. He straightens up and cocks his head at The Figure, who takes a step back. The person is a relatively young man who may still be in his late teens. His hair is such a striking shade of bleach blonde that at first glance it appears to be pure white. His eyes are an unnaturally ashen-grey color, much the same tint as his skin, and his clothes are baggy and plain. His thin features bring out his exhaustion, and his eyes radiate depression.
"What is this?" The Cloaked Figure demands. Their eyes widen when the speakers crackle back to life and utter a single word.
"Attack."
The teenager goes in for a punch and The Figure ducks out of the way nimbly. "Can we say I don't have any powers?" They run to the other side of the chamber and flatten against the wall defensively. When the teenager gets close to them again, they kick him away and he falls backwards.
As the pale teenager struggles to get back on his feet, The Cloaked Figure is taken aback when he pipes up. "What exactly is your power, anyway?"
"Um . . . did you not hear me before? Nothing! Who are you people?"
"I'm Apparition. What's your name?"
"You call that a name?" The Cloaked Figure remarks. They brace themselves. The pale teen glances at the speakers and sighs. He shakes his head nervously before lunging.
He appears to be a relatively weak opponent at first. All he does is throw a few quick jabs and some fast kicks that a physically fit person like The Figure can easily dodge. His energy is sapped up fast by this, and soon he's breathing heavily from the effort. It seems like The Cloaked Figure might not need any superpowers to bring down this kid. At least, until the teenager decides fires up his power– making doppelgängers of himself.
"Crap," they mutter.
One of the doppelgängers charges and tries to tackle them much more aggressively than he did before, only to be quickly shoved away by The Figure. The doppelgänger skids backwards and dissipates when he collides with the wall. The Figure pauses and gives the Apparition army a quizzical look.
"The joys of having a sucky power," Apparition's lone voice sounds from somewhere within his small crowd of doubles. "If my doppelgängers take a good hit they'll disappear. That's why I'm Apparition. I'm the only one that can't disappear."
"The only one? There's a dozen of you," The Figure points out dryly.
"The original."
The Cloaked Figure hesitates. Although only one of their opponents is real, trying to avoid the original could tire them out real quick. The Figure jumps back when the speakers crackle to life again.
"You two need to focus. Apparition, don't hold back. You, stop being so defensive. Try and figure out how to use your powers, hm?"
"I don't have any, you old phonograph," The Figure mumbles under their breath. They dodge a three way attack from Apparition and try desperately to avoid the clones. The Figure succeeds in their evasion strategy for a few more seconds, when a sudden blow to the shin brings The Figure to the ground. Apparition's doppelgängers fade away and the original pins them to the ground. They struggle to get loose, but Apparition has an iron hold on it.
"Well, it was entertaining while it lasted," Apparition says almost sadly. "Sorry. Whoever you are."
Apparition firmly clasps The Cloaked Figure's neck and begins to squeeze the life out of them. The Figure chokes and tries to loosen his grip, but with no avail. Spots blot out the grim little room as The Figure's vision begins going out of focus. The Figure is just about to slip away, when a sudden impulse causes it to kick Apparition in the stomach.
He winces and is forced to stop strangling The Figure for a moment, but he still has enough wits about him to throw a punch at the weakened Figure lying on the ground. The Figure is in no condition to dodge the attack and it knows it. All it can do is brace itself the best it can. When the hit is inevitably landed, however, something unexpected happens. Instead of breaking The Figure's nose as he had hoped, Apparition is inflicted with a burning pain that causes him to recoil from The Figure. He cries out in agony and collapses. The Figure can only stare in shock before a sudden realization strikes the Figure and their eyes narrow knowingly. The Cloaked Figure plucks a black glove from one of their hands and slowly reaches for the pained teenager's face. They hesitate only a second before last inch is finally closed in between The Figure's hand and Apparition's face. His final cry resounds off the walls metallic confine like a sore, stubborn memory one just can't forget, until at last it happens.
Apparition's body is suddenly consumed by a bright flash of light that momentarily envelopes the chamber before rushing into The Figure's hand. The sudden intake of power slams them into the one-way glass, where they fall to the ground unmoving. After a spell, they groan and finally muster the energy to crawl to their feet.
"Very good," the voice crackles over the speakers. "You see, you do have power."
The Cloaked Figure shivers and replaces the glove they removed before. "You call murder . . . power?"
"Murder?" The voice repeats in a bemused voice. "You may have killed Apparition, but he was a criminal anyway, no big loss. You just don't have full control over your powers yet, but you'll eventually be able to steal from others without killing them, if you wish."
"Steal?" The Figure's voice is barely audible now.
"Yes. That is your power, to steal other's powers. The reason I had you face him first was so that you could acquire his own powers, enabling you to use yours to the full extent. I'm sorry if you feel so badly about killing him, but like I said, you still don't have full control."
"Wh-what?"
"Listen carefully. I've brought you here to help you. You've only recently developed these powers, and you desperately need help mastering them. I could assist you, train you. With the proper guidance you would be unstoppable, with all the world at your command. You could do as ever you please. Even, although you seem skeptical of the concept at the moment, murder. After all, it is revenge that you seek, isn't it?" The speakers whisper temptingly. A pair of ash colored eyes flash from within the cloak.
"How do you know that?" The Figure chokes angrily.
"Three months, remember?" the voice chuckles. A shiver shoots down the figure's spine.
"If you really know what happened . . . why do you want to help me take revenge?" They word carefully.
"Because I possess the one piece of information you lack– the culprit."
The Figure's pale eyes widen from beneath the cloak. "You know who did it?"
"I do."
"But . . . why do you want to help me?"
"I, too, want revenge. However, my powers are limited and I cannot stop them alone. This is why I need you."
A pause.
"Who is it?"
There is no verbal reply from the speakers. Instead, the panel slides away from the ceiling again and a small, metal object drops inside the chamber. The object bounces off the dim floor a few times before rolling to a stop near The Figure's feet. The Cloaked Figure slowly reaches for the small, dinted object and turns it over slowly in their gloved hands. For a moment, The Cloaked Figure is shocked when the imprint on the object's face is revealed, but they manage to quickly recover.
"So. They did it," The Figure whispers. They turns the small object over a few more times before finally pocketing it. "When do we start?"
A chuckle streams from the speakers. "I thought you'd agree."
As The Cloaked Figure is released from the room, it steals a peak at the device one last time. There, scratched and faded yet still legible, reads a single letter. 'T.'
It's a Teen Titans communicator.
A/N: Oh yeah, just a warning in advance for anyone who's unfamiliar with my writing; I LOVE cliffhangers. Sorry. XD The next chapter will come some time next week. That's when the REAL fun is going to begin!
~Autumnchronicles