Hour Three (Part One)


With the introductions done, the three Titans squeezed into one half of the booth and left the other three to take the other side. In a booth really meant for three or four, the six of them made a tight fit. As it was, Jinx almost ended up in Kid Flash's lap, though how he got on the other side of 'Nightwing' she'd never figure out.

'Arsenal' made eyes at Cheshire who stared blankly back at him.

Neither Robin nor Red X appreciated being stuck in the middle of their friends.

Jinx grinned and slyly pinched Kid Flash's roving hand. "So, you're new in Jump City. You intending on staying?"

Robin spoke before Speedy or Kid Flash could speak. "We're here to hear the Brotherhood's offer. After that, there's no real telling what we're going to do."

Jinx nodded. "Well, just in case would you like a little verbal tour of who-who's in the Underworld?"

Robin glanced at her in surprise. "What do you mean?" He wondered to himself what would happen if she ever realized she was offering insider information to the enemy. Most likely evisceration, but if he was lucky maybe a quick death.

Jinx smiled friendly-like, a smile that was very much at odds with the balls-to-the-wall bitch he knew her to be.

Or did he really know?

"If you're staying around longer than few hours, there are certain people to avoid, certain people to respect, and certain ones to not bother with. Since you appear to me amiable enough, I thought I'd give you the heads up." She elbowed Kid Flash in the gut and had his breath rushing out in a long but oddly amused sigh. "Some of you are more amiable than others."

Before any of the Titans could respond to her offer, a scantily clad waiter appeared and took drinks orders. Almost all of them ordered unopened bottles of water. Cheshire just nodded her head, not speaking.

Speedy wondered what her voice sounded like. He also wondered what her face looked like. He lapsed into a silence of his own as he pondered both those things, though to the others it almost appeared as if he and Cheshire were locked in a staring contest, neither willing to capitulate.

Jinx glanced between the two and summarily decided to ignore them for the rest of the evening. She continued. "I'm Jinx, leader of the H.I.V.E. Five-"

Red X interrupted, "Who most definitely do not number five."

"...don't make me smack you."

Red X shrugged. "You're the H.I.V.E. Five and there are six of you."

Jinx grinned. "Nope. There are five," she explained to the undercover Titans, "technically we're Jinx and the H.I.V.E. Five, but it's just easier to just say the H.I.V.E. Five. I assume you've heard of H.I.V.E.?"

Robin nodded. "They tried to recruit me when I was younger."

Jinx smiled bitterly. "At least you had a choice."

"What do you mean?" Kid Flash asked from Jinx's side, asking his question into her ear from mere inches away and ignoring the small shiver that his breath on her skin caused.

Red X explained this time. "A good portion of H.I.V.E. students are orphans. H.I.V.E. agents are dispersed through the world, seeking out any unusually talented children or even babies. Once found, they do whatever they have to..." Red glanced at Jinx at this point and there was a tone to the look that had the Titans suddenly on edge. "...to acquire them."

Kid Flash turned to Jinx. "Is that how you became a H.I.V.E. student?"

Both she and Red X glared at him, but only she shook her head. "No."

"So you chose a life of villainy?"

"No."

Kid sighed. "Then how'd you come to be here?"

She leaned into his shoulder, this time her breath on his skin causing a shiver. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

She shrugged and pointedly did not look at anyone while she spoke. "My parents were originally from India. They had superstitions and beliefs that led them to believe I was cursed. That something I'd done in a former life led to my 'gift' in this one. They did not want me to pollute their karma by connection."

"So what'd they do?" Robin asked, breaking the small pause of silent that followed her cool statement. His hands clenched around the small bottle of water he held, the tension of this entire experience was starting to get to him.

She looked into his expressionless blue eyes with equally expressionless pink ones. "They contacted Brother Blood and sold me."

"How old were you?" Kid Flash asked, his hand unconsciously sliding into one of hers.

"Two months." She smiled at some old memory, her eyes glazing over as her mind caressed it. "I was the youngest H.I.V.E. student ever."

Speedy snapped away from Cheshire's face long enough to speak. "That's a depressing story."

Jinx tossed her bottle of water at his head and let the emotions warring within her by the old story fade away. With a small crackle of power, the bottle of water exploded on contact and soaked Speedy completely. "Go get me a new water now."

Speedy grinned despite the water beading on his skin and dripping off his hair. "Only 'cause you asked so nicely."

The entire table found it interesting that within seconds of Speedy rising to go get Jinx new water, Cheshire stood and followed. In fact, Red leaned over onto Jinx's shoulder and noted as such. "Is it just me or is she more animated than usual?"

Jinx whispered back. "I think she has a crush."

Those two had a little giggle about that while Robin and Kid Flash couldn't understand what was so funny about the masked villainess having a crush.

"What's her story?" Kid asked nodding his head at the couple disappearing into the crowd.

"Cheshire has been trained from birth to be a fighter. She knows dozens of methods of hand-to-hand, can operate with most any weapon, and has a success rate on par with Slade Wilson."

"What does she do?" Robin asked, his interest perked when Slade was mentioned.

Jinx grinned. "She's an assassin." Tearing her eyes away from the crowd, Jinx looked at the two remaining Titans. "Anyone else you're curious about?"

Robin looked out onto the crowd and nodded. He pointed to a table nearby and waited for Jinx to speak.

"They are Rock, Paper, and Scissors. Yes, like the child's game. At H.I.V.E. they always came into second behind my team and they've never forgiven us for it. If they're working together, they can be formidable; however they rarely do. If they're not fighting each other, which isn't often, then and only then do they fight others."

Robin had fought the trio several times and had to agree. Kid Flash didn't know most of the people in the room but wouldn't say so. He'd let Robin do most of the talking, unless it was Jinx he had to be talking to.

Jinx pointed out a large bodied man on the other side of the room, easily seen from their booth. "That's Atlas. Very strong, very fickle. Do not antagonize." She went on in this truncated fashion until both Robin and Kid Flash could name most of the people in the room and a chunk of what they could do. Mostly they knew who to avoid, who to become friends with, and who to capture and turn over to the authorities as soon as possible.

Jinx was just starting to explain the merits of a team versus solo-status when a cloaked figure appeared at the booth's side without warning. Kid Flash jumped, Robin had a batarang in hand within seconds, and Red X didn't flicker at all. Jinx smiled at the new arrival and introduced him to the others. "This is Kyd Wykkid. He's new to Jump City and to the H.I.V.E. Five."

Jinx waited until Robin and Kid greeted Kyd before turning back to him and speaking. "Que vocĂȘ necessita?"1

At first Kid was sure he'd misheard her.

"Chegou."2

However, when Kyd responded in the same manner Kid knew he hadn't gone crazy.

Kid and Robin scratched their heads at the foreign language but didn't ask what it was. Not that it mattered, Robin only spoke two other languages, French and Spanish, and though it'd take Kid Flash seconds to learn whatever language they were speaking, he'd have to leave and find texts on it. Instead, they glanced questioningly at Red, who apparently didn't speak it either as he just shrugged back at them.

"Obrigado dizendo me. Achado Mammoth."3

Kyd Wykkid left their table quickly, as Jinx turned to her companions. "I have to go do something. Talk amongst yourselves."

She slid over Red X's lap and onto the floor outside the booth, and was gone from their sight within seconds. The trio of boys waited until they were sure she wouldn't return before speaking. "What was that about?" Kid asked as he idly ran his hand over the still-warm spot where she'd sat.

Red shrugged. "I don't speak Portuguese."

"That's what that was?"

He nodded. "That's where Kyd is from. Other than Jinx, no one else around here speaks it. Hell, most people here think he's mute 'cause he's so quiet. She's been trying to teach him English, though."

Robin was about to speak, to ask about the other "new members" of the H.I.V.E. Five...

Only to be interrupted by the flailing and flying figure of Speedy crashing through the curtain and onto the table. He smiled and gave them a thumbs-up before passing out.

"I could have sworn I said I wanted speedy service," Red quipped, "not Speedy served."


BABELFISH rawks.

1) What do you need?

2) He has arrived.

3) Thank you for telling me. Find Mammoth.

A/N: Don't ask me why he's Portuguese. It was random, and I wanted a reason for why he's never speaks.