32 Productions Presents…

A Teen Titan Fan Fiction The New Titans in…

"Fire and Ice"

Chapter Three

Motel

Infernus tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair she was sitting in, an annoyed look on her face. They had gone from classy to trashy. She couldn't fault her sister's logic, though. By going to a cheap motel with their…'winnings' so to speak, they wouldn't be showing off their new wealth. …still…

Infernus: You should have let me waste the brats.

Sighing, Frost continued to comb her blue hair. Fighting always messed up her hair.

Frost: You're too eager. You need to learn patience.

Infernus: And you're too merciful. You never could learn your lessons.

Frost stopped brushing her hair in mid stroke.

Frost: …those lessons…weren't meant to be learned. They were meant to be beaten into us.

Infernus huffed, smoke coming from her mouth. True enough…

FLASHBACK: Training Ground

Infernus, fifteen years old collapsed to her knees, panting and holding her injured stomach. The man who had taken her sister and herself in stood in front of her, fist still clenched from where he had punched her. His single eye glared down at her.

Slade: Still making mistakes…and after all this time.

Infernus tried to apologize, but just coughed again. She didn't mean to disappoint him. Infernus wanted to be a good girl. Good girls went to bed with supper…good girls got to sleep inside. …but she kept her eyes locked on him. It was important that she kept looking. Slade spun and moved out of the way of Frost's attack. Another failure. It was always a failure. Time after time they managed to harm him, but it was never enough to win the match. And they NEVER both got the rewards. Only one would get food before bed…and only that one would get a bed at all. Tonight, it looked like it wouldn't be Infernus that got the rewards.

FLASHBACK: New Lair

How many years had they suffered at Slade's hands? How many years had a life of crime been beaten into them? Now it was all they knew. …however… Slade sank to his knees, shivering. The entire base had frozen over. Frost stood in front of him, staring down calmly at him as he tried to rise on numb limbs.

Frost: Nine years. For nine years you've beaten us. You've abused us. But now it's over. You should be proud. You wanted us to be the best…and we are. We just decided that the best should never have to work under somebody…especially an old man.

Slade reached for a button on his belt. Two small objects landed in front of him, melted into slag. Infernus lowered down, in her flaming form.

Infernus: Hoping to use your little obedience chips on us? How lame. We took the liberty of having them…removed. Sorry, should we have asked you first?

If Slade attempted to say something, it was impossible to tell. By then his teeth would be chattering uncontrollably. Anything he had to say would be incoherent. Infernus floated next to her sister.

Infernus: You want him or can I have him?

Frost: Hmm.

She held up her fist. Infernus did the same.

Infernus: Once…

Frost: Twice…

Both: Shoot.

Infernus choose paper while Frost picked rock.

Infernus: You let me have that.

Frost: I'm feeling generous. You know we always tie unless one of us feels generous.

Shrugging Infernus walked up to Slade and leaned down. Her body was still on fire…he couldn't hit her if he wanted to…or if he could move. Her face was inches from his mask.

Infernus: C'mon, Papa Slade…give your little Infernus a hug.

She wrapped her flaming arms around him and squeezed.

END FLASHBACK: Motel

Frost: …are you? Infernus!

Infernus: Huh? What? Don't shout, I'm right here.

Frost: …thinking about that time, huh?

Infernus nodded, reaching across the chair to the table next to it. Her cigarettes were on it. The best part? They didn't remove the chips. They couldn't. What she had melted were two useless hunks of metal. It was done to delay Slade from pressing the button that would activate the chips lodged in the back of their necks.

Infernus: Hearing him scream was so satisfying.

Frost: You're sick.

Laughing, Infernus lit her cigarette.

Infernus: You thought so too, so don't be so judgmental. He had it coming after all that abuse. We were kids, not soldiers to be trained.

Freezing a cockroach in a small ice cube as it scuttled along the floor, Frost nodded.

Frost: Yet we've turned out to be the greatest duo since Batman and Robin.

Infernus: Batman and Robin? Feh! Chumps.

Frost: Have a little respect, Infernus.

Infernus: Bite me. So what's next? That fight got my blood boiling.

Frost: Was that a joke?

Infernus: …oh, come on. Like I'm that quick witted. The point is, I want to do something! Anything! Let's hit the clubs again. Find ourselves a guy or two to play with.

Ever the party girl. Frost sighed and shook her head. How did their personalities get so different?

Frost: No clubs. Didn't you almost burn your last lover?

Infernus: What can I say, he was good.

Frost rolled her eyes. They didn't know what love was…they couldn't recall it. Now and again, Infernus would hook up with a guy for a one night stand, then kick him out without even asking for a name. Unlike Infernus, however, Frost was curious about love. Was it truly out of reach for them or was it something that they could find, if they only looked?

Infernus: You got that lovey dovey look again. When are you going to give it up? Who wants a couple of freaks like us for anything other then easy sex?

Who indeed?

Titan Tower: Conjure's Room

After hours of mediation, Conjure finally managed to purge the last of the pain from her body, save her own injuries…and the headache she got for concentrating so hard for so long. Walking over to her nightstand, she opened it, pulled out a bottle, opened it, put two pills into her hand, and tossed them back without water. Sighing, put the bottle away and rubbed her temples. Her poor head…always pounding after purging. What didn't help was the sudden knocking on the door.

Conjure: Enter.

The door opened and her sister stepped in. She shook her head.

Ebony: Just purged, huh?

Conjure: Yes…is this important?

Ebony: Eh…actually, yeah. I wanted to talk to you about our fight with those two.

Nodding, Conjure sat on the floor. Ebony sat across from her.

Conjure: Go on.

Ebony: I've been thinking about how they managed to do what they did…you know, dodge attacks they weren't looking at, blocking with perfect timing while facing the other way…that sort of thing. I think…I think they could have limited psychic abilities.

Conjure: Limited…

Her eyes widened. Of course…yes, that made perfect sense!

Conjure: Twins…

Ebony: Exactly! You think I'm just talking out of my ass or am I on to something?

Conjure: It's…not going to be easy to convince the others of this matter. You and I are far more open minded due to our parents.

Ebony: I know that…but we got nothing else to go with.

Conjure: Then let's try talking to Hood first.

Ebony: Why? He's a jerk.

Conjure: Be that as it may, he's also smarter then the rest of us.

Ebony: No, Skeemat is smarter then the rest of us.

Sighing, Conjure rubbed her temples again.

Conjure: Ebony, please…

Ebony: Alright, alright. I'll be good. …let's wait until your headache goes away, okay, Sis?

Conjure: No. I'm perfectly alright. We've work to do.

Ebony: You push yourself too hard.

Conjure: No, I push myself enough. If I pushed too hard, I'd be dead.

…well, it was true. That was a pretty sure way to know you had pushed yourself too far.

Motel

Have you ever just wanted to bang your head on the wall? Just over and over again until you think your name is Rubbar (or something to that affect)? Right now, that's what Frost wanted to do. Infernus decided that the only way to relieve her boredom was to get sloshed. Totally…and completely…ripped out of her head. So, down to the liquor store she goes. Back with several fifths of JD she comes. And as time goes on, more empty bottles lay on the floor. Infernus's tolerance for alcohol was impressive.

Infernus: So…so I said…I said…"you like it hot?! 'cause…'cause I can make it hot!"

Frost: (bored) I know. I was there.

Infernus: You…you know…I reshpect you…I…I really do. You're shmart...but you never have any fun. Why…why ish that?

Frost: I don't know.

Infernus leaned over her the chair she was haphazardly lounging in, almost falling off. She grabbed a bottle of booze and held it out in Frost's general direction.

Infernus: Here…here, come on drink up. It'sh good.

Frost: If it makes me act anything like you are now, I'll pass.

Infernus: Pleashe? C'mon…relaxsh shome. I…I don't like to drink alone.

Frost: Wasn't stopping you before.

Infernus was apparently a sloppy drunk…and an emotional one. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes.

Infernus: C…c'mon, Shis. I'd take a bullet for you…like, in the shoulder maybe…but…

She frowned, suddenly angry.

Infernus: Drink the damn booze!

Frost: Will it shut you up?

Infernus: Nope, but it might make me lessh loud.

Sighing, Frost snatched the bottle.

Frost: Good enough.

She took a swig…and dropped the bottle, wincing.

Frost: Oh GOD!

Infernus: Whassmatta?

Frost: It BURNS my throat!

Infernus: You pu…pu…uh…pansy! It'sh just a little Jack Daniels…and now you shpilled it all over the plashe! Damn it!

Taking yet another bottle (she needed to get her sister to a meeting, this was getting ridiculous), Frost tried to handle it better this time, sipping instead of taking a longer swig. Infernus seemed placated by the sight of her sister imbibing. She lounged in the chair again.

Infernus: So…what are we doing tomorrow? We can't shtay here, can we? I mean thoshe brats maybe brats, but they shtill heroes and crap. What if the…track ush down with like…heat tracking shtuff?

Frost: Not likely. The fact is, Infernus, we left nothing for them to go on. Even if they managed to get our prints, it's not enough to catch us. …you know, this stuff isn't bad…

Remember kids, drinking isn't good for you. Especially if you have stomach disorders. …oh how it's not good for you. And don't get me started on the liver.

Titan Tower: Main Room

Ebony stood in front of the other Titans, having just explained her theory. Despite herself, Conjure felt proud of her sister…and like an ass for not coming up with it herself. …well, she wasn't feeling good. Yeah. That was it. Conjure wasn't feeling good and didn't have time to ponder such things.

Beast Boy: Okay…so IF your idea isn't crazy talk…what do we do about it?

Hood: …it's easy. I'm more concerned about finding them. Ebony, can your nose track them down again?

Ebony: Leave it to me and Beast Boy…

Conjure: Beast Boy and I.

Ebony: Hey! I ain't no idiot! I can speak English good!

Sweatdrops all around.

Hood: Here's what we have to do…

Motel: Late Night

Or very early morning if you prefer. The pair had gone to sleep, one considerably more inebriated then the other. Sleep was going good…until a loud noise woke the pair up. Frost groaned and shook her head.

Frost: What was that…?

Infernus: Ugh…my head…jeez, do I have a hangover already?

Frost: Forget your head…something's going on outside…

Stumbling, the pair put on their costumes and stepped outside. As soon as they did, an intense fog rolled over them.

Infernus: This ain't natural…something is wrong here.

It was a prompt for Frost to come up with a plan. In her current state, her mind was a little sluggish, but she started trying. Before she could, she heard a noise to her left, where Infernus was standing.

Frost: Infernus?

Ebony: Psst…hey ice queen.

Frost cried out as she was hit from behind. They knew. It was obvious that the kids knew. They knew that they could see through each others eyes. Some twins are born with psychic connections. Their particular connection allowed them to access the sight of the other in their mind's eye. With this, they could literally watch each others backs while watching their own. It also gave them slight telepathic abilities, but only toward each other. It wasn't strong enough for her to reach out to her sister's mind from where she was. First things first…get rid of the mist. In theory, if it WAS mist, rapidly decreasing the temperature would cause the mist to fall away. She held out her hands and released waves of cold. The mist chilled, disappearing. Her eyes widened as a fist came flying toward her face. Stumbling back, Frost clutched her nose, dazed and still feeling the affects of her drinking. This was humiliating beyond words. To lose because she was drunk?

Beast Boy: This feels weird…hitting a girl like that I mean.

M: Now now…don't be sexist. A girl deserves the same kind of butt kicking you'd give a guy.

Rooftops

Infernus managed to burn through the cable that was holding her as she landed roughly on the roof. Those brats…who did they think they were?! She'd make them pay for this indignity…and for waking her up before dawn! Standing up, Infernus ignited her body…and was promptly hosed with a chemical spray. Coughing, she found it impossible to remain lit.

Skeemat: Best not to breath too much of this in. It's an oxygen killer, you know.

Infernus: Why…why you little…!

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be. Infernus swore loudly.

Infernus: I should have killed you when I had the chance! You can't spray that stuff forever and once it stops, I'll kill you! I'll fry you to the bone!

She was in a bad mood at this point, in case you couldn't tell. Her rant was interrupted when Helios bonked her gently on the head…well, gently for him. She fell with a groan.

Infernus: No fair…sneaking up behind me in mid…rant…

Conjure knelt down and placed her hand on Infernus's head.

Conjure: Sleep.

Appa slithered out and enveloped Infernus's head. After a few seconds, Infernus slept.

Hood: Why didn't you do that before?

Conjure: I couldn't. …she's drunk now. Her mind was in a haze to begin with. I just finished it.

Hood: Whatever…let's get the bindings on her, then we'll help with the sister if they're not done down there.

Down There

Frost staggered, bleeding from a cut across her face by Ebony's claws. It ran into her eyes, obscuring her vision. As she blinked, she realized she couldn't see through her sister's eyes anymore. With a frustrated sigh, Frost held up her hands.

Frost: I surrender.

M: Huh eh who what?

Beast Boy: Can…can she do that?

Ebony: I didn't bring the guide book.

Wonderful. To top it off, she was beaten by the idiots of the team. But no matter. Drunk she may be, she was lucid enough to know they had lost. It was of little consequence. In due time, they'd escape. After all…when no amount of distance can prevent you from coordinating with your partner, what could be done to stop them?

Frost: But first…tell me. How did you figure out our secret?

Ebony: It was easy! I have a twin brother, so I read about this sort of thing to see what other twins do.

It was rare for Ebony to read up on anything, but she was really interested, what with her twin brother being an evil nutbag and all. Frost sighed.

Frost: I see. Well, I assume you have some sort of cuffs of manacles that will negate my powers.

The trio looked at each other.

M: …do we?

Ebony: Don't know…

Beast Boy: ...the collar?

Ebony: OH! Right, the collar. Duh. M, put the collar on her.

M: …I don't have the collar, you do.

Ebony: I do?

Ebony searched herself. She pulled a collar from her pocket.

Ebony: How about that? Heh…

Oh her mother would be so ashamed. Once the collar was locked in place, it began to glow red. Her power was nullified…for now. Soon she found herself in the back of a paddy wagon with her sister slumped across from her.

Frost: …and you call ME lazy.

The job finished, the Titans returned home for some well earned sleep.

Junkyard Lair

With clenched teeth, Gremlin crushed the remote device in his hand. …well, now he had to get up to change the music. Wonderful. But also irrelevant at the moment. His "daughter" was proving to be a severe disappointment. He allowed the pieces of his crushed remote to fall as he drummed on the arm of his chair with his other hand. What to do now? He spent years on that project…could he really just let it get away? …perhaps he had no choice. He doubted the brats would just let her go. Even if he managed to keep her long enough to wipe her mind, he'd have the Titans to deal with…and he hadn't built a battle drone in some time. Besides, he'd have to raise the amnesic machine/girl all over again and one spin at fatherhood was enough. Fortunately, he did make a back up of her personality years ago…unfortunately, it WAS years ago. She was only nine. No matter. With her personality as base, Gremlin could work around her age. Perhaps it was time to make better use of his collection. Snickering for a moment, Gremlin threw back his head and laughed like he hadn't done since he was a teenager. It was time to come out of his retirement. Feeling a motivation he hadn't felt since G-9's destruction, he went to gather his collection. It was a series of vials, each labeled with a name. Inside the vials was red fluid. Blood. Hey, when you make it your life to ruin someone else's, blood is shed…a lot. Gremlin was just smart enough to collect it. Sleep would wait. He had work to do.

Titan Tower: Main Room, The Next Morning

Conjure stifled a yawn as she headed for the main room to get something for breakfast. What a tiring night…but rewarding. Their first victory as the Teen Titans…one to remember. As she neared the door, her nose was hit with the unmistakable smell of breakfast type foods. Pancakes, bacon…eggs, perhaps? She lacked her sister's sense of smell, sadly. Upon entering the room she was greeted by a surprising sight. Most of the other Titans were already there. A big patch of breakfast foods laid waiting. …and Ebony was helping M make more. A strange pang shot through Conjure. A quick emotion she instinctively stifled before even identifying it.

Skeemat: 'morning, Conjure.

Conjure: Good morning, Skeemat. I see we're celebrating our victory?

M: Well, why not? I mean, sure they were wasted and it was kind of cheating…but hey, we won, right?

Skeemat: Who cares how we won, we…HEY! That's mine!

Beast Boy had snatched some of the bacon from Skeemat's plate. Definitely didn't get his eating habits from his father.

Beast Boy: Snooze you lose.

Skeemat: Eh, whatever. Clog your heart, see if I care.

Beast Boy just crunched the bacon in front of her, making a show of it. Skeemat felt that strange sensation in her face again.

Conjure: Where's Hood?

Ebony: Oh, the high and mighty mask wearer can't be taking his hood off in front of us, can he? He grabbed some crap and left.

Conjure: I see…

M: Don't worry about him…hey…who wants to see me chug the maple syrup?

Ebony: Let me use it first!

Smiling, Terra watched from across the room. The kids had potential. Her smile faded. …they were still green though. They had yet to taste what REAL evil was. A couple of crooks with super powers was just a starting point. Damien had been a good test as well, but hardly prepared for the opposition he'd be facing. If Terra knew life well enough…it was only a matter of time before someone whose heart was truly black with sin would come around. …when that time came…

M: Hey, Beast Boy's Mom! Want some pancakes?

Terra: No…that bacon's looking good though.

Eh, she'd worry about it later.

THE END