32 Productions Presents…
A HIVE Team StoryThe HIVE Team In…
"A Family Affair"
Chapter Three
Slade's Mansion: Lab
Slade was shocked and stupefied. It was true. Gremlin DID have his DNA. He tested it three times just to make sure. Gremlin just shrugged every time he looked at the results.
Gremlin: Told you.
Slade: …start from the beginning. Where did you come from?
Gremlin: Basic story? Starfire wanted a son. Robin couldn't give her a son. Robin and Cyborg created a son. Son aged rapidly. Son was considered worthless and dumped into a chemical vat. Son survives and goes slightly crazy (or so the doctors told me). Son kidnaps all the Titans and tortures them with electro shocks and reminders of their horrible pasts. Titans break free. Starfire pities her son. Starfire has her son committed rather then killed. After many sessions, the son is deemed sane and is allowed to leave. Son seeks out other blood relative. And that brings us to here.
Slade: (sweatdrop) I…see. You should have tried to help the HIVE.
Gremlin: Why?
Slade: Well, I created them. They're supposed to help people.
Gremlin: I didn't NEED help, Dad.
Slade: Don't call me that.
Gremlin crossed his arms and tilted his head.
Gremlin: Why not?
Slade: I'm NOT your dad. You don't HAVE a father.
Gremlin clenched his fists.
Gremlin: What did you say!
Gremlin's calm demeanor was gone. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the "doctors" he mentioned were right in their assessment of his sanity.
Gremlin: I HAVE to have a father! Everyone has a father! I have TWO, but you're the only one I want!
Slade: Just because you have my blood, it doesn't make you my child.
Gremlin slammed his fists down on the table he was sitting on when Slade took the blood samples. It dented inward.
Gremlin: I see what this is. You don't think I'm worthy enough to be the son of the "great" Slade, is that it?
Oh boy…
Slade: No, that's not it at…
Gremlin: Fine then! I'll PROVE I am by capturing your other son!
Gremlin took off, grabbing his armor and climbing into his hover craft. Slade tried to stop him, but his limping made it impossible to catch up to him. He sighed and shook his head. Wintergreen approached him.
Wintergreen: Something amiss?
Slade: That boy has gone off to find Jericho.
Wintergreen: And that's bad?
Slade nodded.
Slade: Yeah…I never told him what Jericho can do.
Wintergreen: Oh dear…
Unknown Mountainous Region: Four Days Later
Jericho sighed soundlessly. The heat was pretty much off by now. He'd be able to return to society and start again. He had almost been captured by the powerful psychic Psimon and lost all the wealth he had amassed during his crime spree. How could he have known that Psimon would be able to not only sense who he was possessing, but be able to resist possession himself? Stupid Psimon and his giant brain under glass. He escaped by possessing the cop that was taking him in. After that he ran. He had been forced to stay in the wilderness this whole time like some sort of lute playing, flower picking hippie (twisted reality, yes?)! Oh how he HATED nature. It made him… His thoughts were interrupted by a solid punch to the back of his head. He staggered, stunned. What the hell was going on? He turned to see someone roughly his size in some sort of shiny battle armor.
Gremlin: Hey, Joey. How's it going? Name's Gremlin, but since we're blood, you can call me Jason.
Jericho stared at him, confused. Damn, with those thick lenses on, Jericho couldn't see Gremlin's eyes. This could get ugly.
Gremlin: See, I'm here to catch you to prove to Dad I'm worth having around as a son, understand?
Jericho had an idea on how to beat this weirdo, but it was very dangerous. Still, it was better then capture.
Gremlin: HEY! Don't just stand there staring at me, say something!
Jericho rolled his eyes and pointed toward the scar on his throat. His so-called superhero dad couldn't even save his own son from getting his vocal cords cut. It was probably the reason why he was such a twisted son of a bitch. Gremlin either didn't understand or didn't care. He attacked. Jericho dodged the razors and ran down the mountain. There was a cave nearby. He just had to make it there. Gremlin chased after him, shooting razor blades at him.
Gremlin: You can't get away! I'll prove I'm good enough even if I have to kill you to do it!
That's what Jericho was afraid of. But his plan seemed to pay off. He made it into the cave.
Gremlin: You can't hide! I saw you duck in there, idiot!
Gremlin ran in but instead of facing Jericho, he was facing a mountain Grizzly.
Gremlin: Uh oh…
Gremlin jumped back as the bear swung at him. He ran from the cave. No sense in killing a poor bear after all. After a ways he figured the bear would have given up. He couldn't see it anymore anyway. He checked his tracking device. He had set it to track Jericho's unique meta-human DNA. Gremlin wondered what he could do. Maybe he was a teleporter. That would explain how he got away. Suddenly he was struck from behind. The bear had found him. It swung again, hitting him across his face. His mask dented and his left lens shattered. Thankfully it didn't get into his eye. The bear pinned him down. Maybe he should play dead…wait a second…since when did Grizzly bears have green eyes? Gremlin's eyes widened as a ghostly image of Jericho leapt from the bear and flowed right into his exposed eye. The bear whimpered, confused and ran back to its cave. Gremlin felt…weird. Suddenly his body was getting up on its own. What the hell was going on? Why did he feel…so…sleepy? Jericho smiled as he felt Gremlin's mind sink into complete dormancy. He raked through his memories and found out how Gremlin got there. He had some sort of hovercraft stowed away. Jericho found it and started it up. He continued to rake through his host's mind. Painful memories mostly. No wonder this guy was nuts. Then he came across something that sparked his interest. The HIVE…his father said he created this team. What better way to get back at his father then to take away something he must have put a lot of time and effort into?
HIVE Tower: Six Days Later, Training Room
Shimmer panted as she leaned against the wall. She had done it. All the robots were defeated and she was barely touched…but she was exhausted from doing it. Sonic applauded and whistled.
Sonic: Not bad after only one week of practice. Oops. You look a bit banged up. Want me to kiss it and make it all better?
Shimmer flicked him the finger. He laughed and shook his head.
Sonic: I'm just teasing. Seriously, I'm only playing around, don't tell Jinx I said that.
Jinx put her hand on his shoulder, her eye twitching with anger.
Jinx: (eerily calm) I'm afraid Jinx already heard you, Sonic, honey pie.
Sonic's face went pale. Jinx tightened her grip on his shoulder.
Jinx: ( angry yelling) Now…what were you going to do to make her "all better"!
Before Sonic's punishment could continue, the alarm went off.
Jinx: You just got REAL lucky.
Sonic: Jinx, it was just a joke!
Jinx: Shimmer, stay here. You're not ready for this.
Shimmer: But I wanna help!
Sonic: Monitor us with the computer. If we need help…and ONLY if we need help, come on out, okay?
Shimmer sighed as they left. Abandoned again. She sulked out toward the main room.
Shimmer: (muttering) All that work and for what? Ain't this a kick in the bum?
Jump City: Uptown
Jericho was getting tired of blowing random things up. What was the deal? Did these guys have crappy response time or what? Finally the H-car pulled up with a screech, Blackfire, Gizmo, and Krystal following in the air. They HIVE piled out of the car.
Jinx: Alright…just give up and we won't pound the hell out of you. I'm in a BAAAAD mood.
Sonic: Yeah, that's my fault. Sorry.
Jericho responded by firing razors at them. They dodged them.
Jinx: That's it! I've had it! HIVE, TOGETHER!
Little did they realize that Jericho had been preparing for them. A few lies to that strange computer of Gremlin's and he had weapons that could counter the HIVE's powers prepared without him doing a thing. He went for the biggest threat first. Because he relied heavily on technology, Gizmo had to go down. Gremlin's body was very agile, allowing Jericho to jump onto a car, jump up to and swing on a street lamp, then fling himself behind Gizmo, turning in the air and slapping a disc onto his pack. Gizmo's pack went berserk and he was shot by his own stun gun. Mammoth was next, since he had the strength to break his devices. An extremely potent paralyzing agent took care of him. Blackfire was next for the same reason, that and her blackbolts were dangerous. He fired specially prepared metal hoops at her. They expanded so that they fit around her body then contracted to pin her arms and legs down. The more she struggled, the weaker she felt as the hoops drained her solar energy away each time she tried to use it. Next was Jinx, as her powers could have an unpredictable effect on his equipment. A simple tranquilizer dart to her neck to care of her. Krystal was taken care of by a black light projecting sphere. It was the only form of light she couldn't stand, let alone control. She collapsed on the ground, trying to get away from it, but the projector hovered after her. Sonic was defeated by absorbing the sound waves he had first absorbed and turning them on a nearby car. If it didn't kill him, Jericho would do it soon enough. Red X was alone.
Jericho: I expected better.
Red X: …you'll get it.
Red X attacked, kicking Jericho across his already dented mask. He never bothered to fix it in case he needed to jump to another body. Sure he could just LEAVE Gremlin's body, but where was the fun in that? Jericho had a plan for Red X too. He put another disc onto Red X's belt. It shorted out and he fell to the ground. Too easy. He was about to finish them all off when the concrete road he was standing on turned into tar. He started sinking in. Shimmer arrived, riding on a bridge of stone she made out of the very molecules of oxygen in the air. It quickly turned back into oxygen.
Shimmer: Leave them alone!
It looked like Shimmer was going to save the day, but she made the fatal mistake of looking Jericho in the eye. Jericho leapt from Gremlin's body and into hers. The sudden shock caused the ground to turn back to normal. Gremlin stopped sinking, but he was now stuck in concrete.
Jericho: Interesting…so this is your sister, eh Mammoth?
Mammoth couldn't reply, unable to move. Jericho looked his new body over.
Jericho: Cute in a bizarre gothish sort of way. Too bad I'm going to make her do something…unpleasant.
Jericho faded back deeper into Shimmer's mind, allowing her to come back to the surface. She clutched her head, her face a mask of fear. She could almost feel him in her brain.
Shimmer: Baran, help me! He's going to…oh no!
Shimmer watched in horror as her fingers became clear and shiny. The same thing happened to her feet, traveling along toward her head. She whimpered, afraid to move, knowing what would happen. Jericho leapt from her body, reforming in the street. He stood next to Shimmer and she knew exactly what he was going to do. She chuckled softly, tears running down her face.
Shimmer: Well shit…ain't this a kick in the…
Her voice went silent as her lungs turned to glass. Soon she was just a giant figurine. Jericho put his hand against her and shoved. She fell to the ground and shattered. Without her around to stop it, the pieces of her body would soon return to flesh and blood…but not before Jericho made use of her. He picked up a piece of glass. Now he was going to slash the throats of the HIVE with their own friend. It was too twisted NOT to do. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his back. He turned to see Gremlin pointing a gun at him, his hand over his exposed eye. Wait…wasn't that the gun for the tranquilizer…d… Jericho collapsed. Gremlin sighed and started to cut himself out with his laser. He managed to lift himself from the hole he created when Mammoth began to move…and he was moving right for him.
Gremlin: Uh oh…
Mammoth picked him up by his head.
Mammoth: You…killed…her…!
Gremlin: It wasn't me you, oaf! It was the dork with the afro!
Either he didn't hear or he was offended by the "oaf" part. Mammoth began to squeeze his head between both of his hands. Gremlin could hear the metal rending and the other lens shattered.
Blackfire: Mammoth, stop! You're killing him!
Mammoth: But…Sh…Shimmer!
Blackfire: You saw what happened! He's not responsible! I know you're angry, but killing somebody who's as much a victim as anyone else is something the Titans would do!
Mammoth let Gremlin fall and knelt down next to Shimmer's remains. Gremlin ripped his mask off, unable to take the jagged edges that now pierced his sensitive flesh. He was forced to put his other mask back on, the one the doctors gave him, so that he could breath properly (his damaged body couldn't handle some of the pollutants in the air and he needed a gas mask at all times or he'd eventually succumb to toxic poisoning). He really hated that mask, but he could only live about twenty minutes comfortably without it. After that would be feelings of sickness and pain followed by a coma and death in about an hour. Sonic woke up and destroyed the sphere that was projecting the black light on Krystal. Krystal, in, turn overloaded the hoops holding Blackfire. It took almost all the energy she had to do it, but Blackfire was freed. Krystal staggered over to the shattered remains of Shimmer, sniffling. She embraced Mammoth, crying heavily on his shoulder. It wasn't fair. Nobody deserved to go out the way she did. Blackfire went to pick Jericho up.
Gremlin: Wait! Cover his eyes first! He jumps by looking into your eyes!
Blackfire tore a strip of Jericho's pants off and wrapped it around his head, tying it tightly.
Blackfire: Who the hell is he?
Gremlin: Joseph Wilson.
Blackfire: (muttering) Yeah, that tells me everything.
Red X woke up in time to catch the name.
Red X: Did…did you say "Wilson"?
Gremlin: Yeah…now could somebody PLEASE get me out of this?
Gremlin gestured to the hunk of concrete that was up to his waist.
HIVE Tower: That Night, Shimmer's Room
Mammoth sat on the edge of Shimmer's bed. …only it wasn't Shimmer's bed anymore. It was the guest bed again. The walls were bare, all the stuff Shimmer brought was neatly packed away where they wouldn't get ruined. Mammoth had insisted that they leave the room the way it was, but the others disagreed, saying that it wouldn't work that way. He looked around. It was exactly the way it was before Shimmer showed up, like she had never been there at all. The door slid open and Gizmo came in.
Gizmo: Figured you'd be here.
Mammoth: …
Gizmo: Come on, I got something to show you.
Mammoth: Not interested, Gizmo.
Gizmo crossed his arms.
Gizmo: How do you know that if you don't know what it is? Trust me, you're interested.
Mammoth glared at Gizmo but gave in and followed him. They stopped in front of a door. It was an extra room they never even bothered to furnish.
Gizmo: Here we are.
Mammoth: You brought me all the way out here to see an empty room?
Gizmo opened the door and Mammoth's jaw dropped.
Gizmo: Empty, huh?
The others were inside. There was a statue of Shimmer, complete with a plaque with her name on it on one side of the room. Her stuff was around the statue. There were several pictures, the most recent being a group shot Krystal had insisted they took two days ago. The others were of her and their parents. One of them even had the pair as little children.
Mammoth: (softly) What is this?
Sonic: The HIVE Memorial Hall.
Krystal: It's more of a room right now, but we're going to knock the walls out to make it bigger.
Red X: It occurred to us that Shimmer was the first person to fall in the line of duty. Though she wasn't an official member at the point of her death, there was little doubt she'd make the cut. Therefore we thought she earned a place here. She was the first…
Jinx: …and sadly, more then likely NOT that last. Ours is a dangerous job…
Blackfire: If we forget those that died, we may forget why we continue to fight. We fight because if we don't…
Blackfire gestured toward Shimmer's statue.
Blackfire: The deaths were utterly in vain. We will have failed them. It's the only way we really CAN fail them. Only by quitting can we truly fail.
Mammoth: …yeah. Guess you're right.
Red X slipped out. He had something he needed to do. He snuck into his room and flipped the switch on the wall. That would prevent anyone in the tower from picking up his message. He turned on his communicator and gave his benefactor a call.
Slade: Report?
Red X: Shimmer is dead.
Slade: …I see.
Red
X: You never told me…
Slade: Told you what?
Red X pulled his…no…her mask off.
Rose: You never told me my brother was a killer, Daddy. Joey KILLED her. He entered her body, turned her into glass, jumped out, and shattered her.
Slade: …I thought it would be…upsetting.
Rose threw her mask down.
Rose: Upsetting!
Slade: Rose, calm down.
Rose: My BROTHER killed one of my friends and you ask me to calm down?
Slade: Yes. Yes I do. Your brother is mentally ill, Rose. He suffered a terrible trauma when he was young and never recovered mentally or physically. To this day he still can't talk inside his own body.
Rose: …there was somebody else…somebody in a battle suit. Joey was using his body to lure us out. He leapt out when Shimmer trapped him in tar.
Slade: …he's…a relative of yours as well.
Rose: What? My cousin or something?
Slade: He's a genetic construct with my DNA in it.
Rose: Great. Just great. Does he know who I am?
Slade: I don't believe so.
Rose: Good…the last thing I need is for him to bother me. He seemed…a little disturbed.
Slade: An understatement. Stay in touch, Rose.
Rose: I will, Daddy.
Rose shut her communicator off (I'm going to refer to Red X as he still, just because that's how everyone else views him. It's not a mistake). She locked the door tightly and took off her costume. It was heavily padded to simulate a male body and needed a cooling system so she wouldn't die from a heat stroke in warm weather. Rose had to look like a man when she was in costume. It helped protect her identity. Slade was very concerned for her safety and knew some people might try harder to kill her if they knew who she was. Besides, it helped him monitor the HIVE to have his own mole and if a girl with white hair joined, they'd instantly know who it was. She put on her pajamas and climbed into bed, holding her Red X mask tightly. If somebody knocked she needed to put her mask on quickly so she could answer in Red X's digitalized voice. Sometimes she wondered if it was worth it.
Gremlin's Lair: Computer Room
Rose: (playing through speakers) I will, Daddy.
Gremlin sat back in his chair, fingers folded in front of his masked face. At her mother's indeed. So that was identity of the mysterious Red X. Another clever ploy on his "father's" part. The scrambler in Red X's room may stop other people from monitoring the transmission through other communicators, but it would take a very high-tech device indeed to stop Gremlin's spying.
G-9: Are you sure you're alright, sir? You're pretty banged up.
Gremlin had numerous bandages on his face where the jagged metal cut him. He had multiple bruises from the not-so-gentle efforts of the HIVE to extract him from his concrete prison.
Gremlin: I've been better, G-9, but I'll live.
G-9: …okay. I'm just worried about you.
Gremlin: I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine.
Gremlin turned to the image of Red X on the screen.
Gremlin: I'm just fine…now that I know where my sister is.
THE END