Chapter 2: The Mysterious Intruder
*Teen Titan's POV*
The intruder suddenly lit up with electricity, then was unconscious. Raven rushed over to him and said, "He's still alive, just knocked out." Everyone sighed while Tim checked out the now knocked out young intruder. He then jumped back in surprise when the intruder opened his eyes and looked around the room. "Wh-where am I?" he said. "Uh, you're in Titans Tower. You kinda took most of us down…we caught you…you got zapped somehow…anything ringing any bells?" Cassie asked. He simply shook his head and broke out of the rope that bound him to the chair, something that shocked everyone. He regained his composure, though he was nothing like the way he was before. He then grabbed a small, smoking chip off his neck and crushed it. "Damn Cadmus. They controlled me again. Well this is the last time." He then grabbed his mask and walked out of the room, leaving everyone in shock.
"Hey, wait! Did you say Cadmus did this to you?" Superboy asked. The intruder nodded. "My name is Kyle Wite, though my code name is Hawk. I was taken by Cadmus when I was about 5 years old and was tested on. They gave me powers, and once I was trained in mind and body they controlled me like a weapon and used me to sneak into military bases, underground labs, you name it, stealing data for them. I finally developed that electric shock to knock them out of my head and just now got control. Whatever I did to you I'm sorry but I have to go take down Cadmus." He then was about to walk out of the room when a dark aura covered the door. "Look, we hate Cadmus as much as you do, but now is not the time to attack. Look, why don't you stay with us for a while. We can help you attack Cadmus." Tim said. Kyle thought about it for a second, then shook his head yes. The Titans then went back to the theater to try and finish what became a horrifying night.
It was 3:56 A.M. by the time the Titans returned to the theater. On the way, Tim gave Kyle a key card that would open most of the normal doors in the Tower, while keeping him out of the secret rooms. Damian had been studying Kyle the entire walk back to the theater, something that didn't go unnoticed by Hawk. "Take a picture, it will last longer." he barked at Damian. "You are a weak being, allowing yourself to be controlled by another. It's pathetic," Damian responded all high and mighty. "Last time I checked, your dear old mommy took control of your head before bird boy, so I wouldn't be talking." Damian was shocked that some stranger knew this information, something he never brought up to anybody, not even Dick who knew about it and actually had to fight him while he was under Talia al Gul's control. "You do not want to feel my fist rip through your stomach Wite so I suggest you shut up!" Kyle had enough. He jumped at Damian and started to hit him, blow being countered back and forth. Both kept fighting till Tim grabbed them by the shirts and broke them up. "Enough you two! For now we're all a team…I think. Anyway for now we work together and we do not fight each other. Understand!" Both grunted, which to Tim meant that they would get along.
Once back in the theater, Tim put in We Bought a Zoo, deciding that they'd all had enough horror for one night. He then pushed a button that slid the chairs into the floor, letting everyone put there sleeping bags out. Tim had asked Raven to grab another pair of Damian's pajamas for Kyle since they were about the same size, and then everyone changed back into there PJ's and set up there sleeping bags. Since there were only nine sleeping bags, Tim told Damian and Kyle they had to share one. "Please, I would rather sleep on the floor then share anything with him. I slept on the floor with the League of Assassins anyway," was Damian's response. Kyle simply shook his head and went down on the floor. "You sleep in the sleeping bag, I'll just sleep on the floor." He just laid his head down and seemingly went to sleep. Damian was shocked by this and then did his signature "Tt" before lying down. Tim smile to himself knowing that Hawk was trying to be nice to Damian since he was trying to kill him earlier, so he went back to his sleeping bag and went to sleep fast.
Damian couldn't go to sleep, and simply studied the sleeping intruder. "This boy is extremely odd. He thinks he can just join this team, too. I will show him his place. Tomorrow, once I have bested him in hand-to-hand combat, it will show him where he belongs," he thought to himself. Kyle simply said, "Nice of you to say, but I know my place. Good night." Damian was extremely surprised by this. "You can read people's thoughts?" he asked. Hawk sat up and shook his head yes. "Well, sorta. I can only read them if there in a 10 foot radius. Beast Boy's too far away for me, all I get is static, though that may just be all that goes on in his head." Damian held back a laugh while contemplating a way to test this stranger's abilities. "Very well, what is Drake dreaming of right now?" Mark closed his eyes for a second, then opened them saying, "Um, you may not want to know?" Damian shrugged and said, "Whatever sexual fantasy he may be having is not much of an issue to me, I simply want to know if your powers are absolute." Mark shook his head. "No, it's not like that. Its just well, he's dreaming about you and him…getting along. Actually laughing together, and having fun…being brothers." Damian was shocked to hear this. Drake always hated him and the feeling was mutual between the two. What would give Drake any sort of idea as to…wait…the movie…Damian had held onto him when he was "surprised" by the movie. Drake must have thought that was some brotherly act and is now dreaming of possibly having a friendly relationship with him. This disgusted Damian, yet also seemed somewhat nice to him. He mentally smacked himself for this.
Kyle and Damian then for the next hour talked about each of there childhoods, or more likely to be called military training. Both had been trained extensively from a young age, though Damian still had his mother, Kyle had no parents there for him. These extreme conditions had left both children scarred, but now they each had someone to relate to and compare who had the harder life. "My training started at 5:00 A.M each morning," Damian said. "Please, I don't think I ever slept. It was training 24/7," Mark countered. Both talked through the night, finding that there hard lives had given them common interests. This mostly included strategizing, training, and spreading fear into their enemies.
Unknown to them, Tim was awake and listened to them talk. It was around 6:00 A.M. when the boys had finally gone to sleep that Tim thought over there conversation. From what he had heard, Hawk had been a part of Cadmus since he was around 5 years old, had no memory of his birth parents, and no relations within Cadmus itself. Heck, Kyle Wite could not be his real name, just one Cadmus made for him. These thoughts in mind pushed Tim over the edge. He got up, suited up, and went to the Computer Room. He started to research on all Cadmus files when he heard the door open. He looked behind him but no one was there. When he turned back, he saw Hawk standing in front of him, making him jump back 3 feet.
"Jeez man, don't do that!" Tim said. Kyle simply stood still and looked at the computer screen. "You are looking through stolen information on Cadmus. Why?" Tim got himself calm and then sat down in the chair with Mark standing behind him. "I'm trying to see if there is any mention in these files about "Project: Hawk"." This surprised Hawk. "Why are you looking up information about me? I do not need your assistance. I know who I am, even if Cadmus has ruined my life. Besides, any extra information you were planning on finding, I have on a hard drive. I've made precautions so that when the chance finally arose for me to escape Cadmus, I would be able to do it." Tim was again surprised by the steps taken by the 10 year old. "Alright well, since we're both up and have plenty of time to kill till morning, do you want to maybe redesign your costume?" Now it was Mark's turn to be surprised. "What need is there to redesign it? It is a standard stealth suit for Cadmus spies." Tim shook his head, "Exactly, its Cadmus's suit, not yours. You need a look all your own and independent of Cadmus. So, you wanna get to work?"
The next morning, Damian woke up somewhat startled from not being in his home. The events of last night then came back to him, and he decided to finish getting information from Wite about his past. When he went to wake him up, however, he saw that Wite was not here, nor Drake. Damian got up and quietly left the room, not wanting to wake the others. He didn't need a bunch of angry fools yelling at him at 6:30 A.M. He checked the security feed and saw that Drake and Wite were in the Computer Room working on something. He took the elevator and walked into the room, arriving just in time to see Kyle Wite's new Hawk suit.
Computer Analysis Online
Scanning: Temp. Member Hawk files added
Analyzing suit design: 90% Anti-flammable Kevlar Fabric
10% Lead covered Titanium alloy
Files Added: Analysis complete
Hawk was now his own man…er, boy. His new suit was similar to the old, but with some modifications. The mask is now a cowl, with the eyes being grey, it is attached to the suit, and it has a light lead covering. The gloves and boots, being covered in the lead covered titanium alloy, are good for battle against tougher or built criminals. Finally, the suit itself is made of anti-flammable Kevlar fabric.
The gloves are now grey along with the boots, though the design is still basic tight fitting gloves and boots. The rest of the suit is still black, though there is now a utility belt redesigned to be more compact so that it will give Mark more speed, and it is now grey as well. Finally, the grandest part of all is the symbol of a grey bird with its wings spread out against Mark's chest.
"Hm, interesting look Wite. I will admit its better then your original outfit." Tim and Mark were startled by Damian, but recovered quickly. "Yes, I must thank you Tim. However, I do not see a new outfit being the answer to my problems. It is nice, but I still don't have anywhere to live or any base to reside in, I have almost no equipment left after the attack last night, and I'm still a walking target for Cadmus to shoot." Tim thought about this and knew Kyle was right. "Well, I know a place that can be a home for you, supply you with plenty of equipment, and keep you safe from Cadmus." Damian quickly caught onto what Red Robin was suggesting. "Drake, your not saying that he could live with US, are you!" Tim chuckled. "Actually, I was thinking we could have him live the Gotham City Orphanage, but that's a great idea Damian! See, you do have a heart!" Damian mentally slapped himself again for falling into Drake's trap. "Grrr…fine he can stay with us for a week, but that's it!" Damian then stormed out of the room. Kyle mockingly yelled out, "And here I thought we were best friends," while Tim was leaning over onto the console laughing.
At 9:00 A.M., the other Titans woke up and suited up for a normal Sunday, well as normal as a Sunday is for costumed teenagers who fight crime. Hawk was finishing his costume, deciding to make the cowl a mask again, when Damian walked up behind him. "If this is your attempt of a sneak attack, it's failing miserably." Damian said," Tt, you wouldn't know if I was actually trying to pull a sneak attack on you, Wite. No, I'm simply observing you. You clearly showed you had skills last night, and I know of your abilities to read minds in a 10 foot radius, but I still doubt your full abilities. For all I know, those moves you pulled last night could have simply been from being under Cadmus's control…." Kyle cut in, "What are you getting at Damian?" Damian grunted and continued. "If this is all some ploy, an attempt to get to my father and siblings, or to attack the Titans from the inside, I will exploit it and take you down." Kyle chuckled. "What's so funny?" Damian yelled. "Well, from what you just said, it sounded like you cared about your father, Tim, Dick, and even the Titans." Damian was furious now. "Of course I care for my father, but I do not give a damn about any of these other mindless buffoons. I was simply stating it as the Titans are an official organization that would affect other groups like the Justice League if it was entirely compromised!" Kyle just shrugged and said, "Whatever," while walking out of the room.
At 4:56 P.M., Kyle had taken his first steps into Wayne Manor. He had read information up on Bruce Wayne, though he never understood why Ms. Waller wanted him to learn about him. Now he realized that she knew he was the Batman. How she came upon this information was unknown to him. He did know that Ms. Waller was extremely against "Project: Hawk", and she's clearly kept the identity of Batman to herself, considering that the identity status of his file is still a question mark.
Alfred had greeted the three boys when they walked into the Manor. Kyle had also read up on the Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, and was surprised that a butler could be such a talented medic and spy. Then again, he was a talented spy and medic before he became a butler. Kyle was still in shock of the size of the Manor, it looking even bigger inside then it did outside. He was curious to see his room, being thankful to have a room that wasn't rigged with time bombs or toxic waste releasers. Like he had said, training was 24/7. Alfred led Kyle up the stairs to his room while Tim and Damian were talking with each other below.
*Damian's POV*
I can't believe Drake, actually thinking he can give me orders. "Listen Damian, I don't want you starting any fights with Kyle, alright! It's bad enough having two highly trained assassins, but at least he's not a major hot-head. Just try and be nice. In fact, not even nice, just don't be you and go looking for a fight." I responded with, "Tt", and walked up the stairs and headed to my room. Lucky me, the guest room Wite was staying in was right across from me. Did Drake suddenly make the universe try to give me a friend? I already had one friend, Collin, and I didn't need another. Ugh, just as long as Wite is gone by the end of the week, I can survive that long with stomaching him.
*Kyle's POV*
Alfred escorted me to my room, asked me if I needed anything, and then left me to my own accord. The room was decent size, with a bed up against the back wall, a window on the left wall, and a bookshelf on the right. I didn't have any luggage except for my backpack that had my newly designed costume in it. I had borrowed Damian's clothes again, a white T-shirt and jeans. I should probably get my own clothes so I don't have to rely on him for some. Man, he is such a pain. I don't see how Red Robin deals with him all the time. Well, I guess I'm lucky enough to be here after trying to take them out. Damian may be a pain but I can deal with him. If anything, I'm looking forward to seeing the Batcave. From how Tim described it, it's one of the most high tech bases on the planet and has plenty of gear that I can use against Cadmus.
Cadmus…thinking about them just makes my blood boil. The way they took me, trained me, and then controlled me! When I get my hands on those assholes! I swear I'm going to tear them apart limb from limb! Ugh…I have to calm down. Getting angry about them won't help me in taking them down. I just wish that Red Robin would have taken me down to the Batcave now instead of after dinner. He wants me to meet with the Batman. I must admit it is an honor but as much as Damian doesn't want me here, I don't want to waste my time here. It's nothing against them…well minus the monster…but I can't be wasting my time here. Apparently, this manor has extremely high tech defense systems and will set off an alarm if any of the motion sensors are set off. They shouldn't be a problem to slip through tonight.
At 5:30 P.M. Tim came up and told me it was time for dinner. He led me downstairs and into the dining room which, like all the other rooms, was enormous. There was a giant chandelier hanging up above the 20 seat table. It was truly amazing to see. Damian was already sitting along with two men I did not know, three women, and Alfred, who was finishing setting the table.
*Third Person POV*
Bruce Wayne watched as his adopted son Timothy Drake brought Kyle Wite down to the dinner table. He studied the young man currently sitting down next to Damian. He was the same height as his youngest son, with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slightly tan Caucasian skin color. For someone who had been trained to be a mindless weapon, he had a kind yet stern look in his eye, unlike Damian who always looked like he wanted to tear off people's heads. Cassandra Cain was also eyeing him, wondering why Tim would suggest allowing another assassin into the house. Stephanie Brown and Barbara Gordon were whispering about something, most likely Kyle. Alfred sat down, having just finished setting the table and being invited to sit with everyone for dinner. Now, the lineup was Bruce at the head of the table. On the left going down from Bruce were Barbara, Stephanie, Alfred, and Kyle. On the right going down from Bruce were Stephanie, Tim, Richard Grayson, and Damian. With everyone seated, the hard part could now begin.
"Mr. Wayne, it is truly an honor to be here. I thank you greatly for allowing me to stay," Kyle said. Bruce was somewhat shocked by this. He had expected the boy who almost took down the Teen Titans to be more Damian-ish, not a respectable young man with manners. The others had also been surprised, except for Dick who hadn't said or expressed anything since Kyle walked into the room. "You're very welcome. After your previous dilemma, I feel it is only right to help you in this time." Bruce responded. Seeing that there was an awkward silence now, Barbara started to put some mashed potatoes on her plate, with everyone else following suit. That is, except for Damian and Kyle.
The two boys were staring at each other. The kind yet stern look that Hawk had before was now replaced by an evil, knife stabbing, and horrifying look of hatred. Damian was producing a very similar stare, both not letting up for a second. Everyone ate around them, but paid close attention to what the two would do. "Tt, I can't believe father is letting such an untrained animal like you reside here," Damian said with a smirk. "Why wouldn't he? You live here, don't you," Kyle replied with a look of triumph. Damian's look went from embarrassed to pure anger. He lunged at Kyle across the table. Kyle pushed his chair back and flipped onto his feet before the chair fell, making Damian hit the floor hard. Everyone had gotten up and tried to stop the two boys, but it was too late. Damian threw three Batarangs at Kyle, who easily dodged them and then kicked Damian up onto the table. He went to lunge at Damian until Dick caught him and held him down. Tim did the same to Damian. Although it took a few seconds, Damian calmed down and was able to be released. Kyle, however, was raging and trying to break free, a cold, almost mindless look in his eyes. Dick yelled something that only Cassandra seemed to hear, grabbing something from a first aid kit on the wall and giving it to Dick. He inserted the needle into Kyle, and everything started to spin around him.