Demetrias

"I know," I coo. "Poor thing. How awful."

Water spills into the planter, under the careful direction of Seaboy.

"Better?" I ask the tulips.

Their cries of gratitude warm my heart. I gently caress the tallest tulip before running down the steps, called by some mysterious sound.

"Where are you going?" Seaboy calls after me, jogging to keep up.

"There's something wrong!" I cry, sliding across the freshly mopped floor and slamming into the back of a couch.

"HEY!" Zero shouts indignantly, mop and bucket in hand. "I just mopped this floor!"

"Sorry, Zorro!"

"Zero!"

I shrug apologetically as I race around the couch to find the injured animal. How was I supposed to know her name? In fact, come to think of it, I don't even know what she does. Maybe she's the janitor?

"Oh, no!" I cry, falling to my knees.

A parrot lies crumpled on the floor, one wing spread out at an awkward angle.

Help. Please.

"It's okay, sweetie," I assure him. "I've got it. Don't worry."

Zero's face twists in repulsion.

"Bird flu," she mutters. "That's not good."

I gently lift the tiny, broken body in my hands. He lets out a strangled cry, and I gently place him on the couch.

"Has anyone seen a bird?" Melvin comes darting into the room.

Too distracted to pay attention to anything but the injured bird, I unconsciously ignore Melvin.

"Hey!" he comes around the couch. "What's the big idea? You trying to steal my bird?"

"Your bird broke its wing, magician," Seaboy explains as he watches me carefully. "Demetrias is fixing it."

"Do you have some kinda vetty-narry-an license?" Melvin asks suspiciously.

"She talks to animals," Seaboy answers patiently.

"Hey, Dr. Dolittle," Zero comes around the couch. "You're blocking the TV. Criminal Minds is on."

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Seaboy spinning around to stare at the screen.

"Zero, how long has that been on?" he asks quietly.

"Few hours," she sighs, bored.

"Because that's not Criminal Minds."

Melvin

"Zero, you were supposed to tell us if Simkin took over our screens!"

"Okay, in my defense, that Demetrias chick was practically making out with a bird right in front of me, so I was a little preoccupied."

I would have paid to see that.

"Everybody shut it!" Puff shouts, entering the room.

She pauses, hands outstretched, staring intently at the man on the screen.

"So, Teen Titans…if you decide you don't want me to blow up this orphanage after all…come and join me for a little tea party, and maybe we can talk it out," Simkin hisses, licking his lips periodically. He cackles, and the screen goes black. Several seconds later, the video replays itself.

"Oh, it's just an orphanage," Puff sighs with relief. "I was a little worried for a minute there."

The Teen Titans converse in a football huddle, whispering between themselves. I take advantage of this catastrophe by leaning over and staring up Starfire's skirt.

"Get everyone up here," Robin orders, turning away from the huddle.

Poltergeist

We're all sitting around the room, staring at the five Teen Titans, waiting to be informed of which team will be kicked out. Not that I particularly care either way. The occupants of this tower are beginning to bore me.

"Simkin's trying to blow up an orphanage," Robin declares, pacing back and forth in front of us. "The five of us are going to stop him. We should be back tonight, but in the mean time, all of you need to stay here."

"What?"

"Why can't we come with you?"

"This is insane!"

"We're ready!"

"If any of you leave…then don't bother coming back. Your whole team will be kicked out. Got it?"

There are murmurs of reluctant acceptance as everyone takes this in.

"And one more thing," Robin continues warily. "Don't touch anything."

With that, the Teen Titans are out.

Everyone sits around, blinking and fidgeting, unsure of what to do next.

"Well, I'm leaving," Puff declares.

"No!" Demetrias cries. "If you leave, I can't come back!"

"Tough luck."

"I'm leaving, too," Alias says.

"Then I'm going with you," Shadow offers brightly.

"All of us have to stay here!" Verita says loudly. "Those are our orders. You'd be breaking the rules if you left. So everyone stay put!"

"Goody-two-shoes," Zero mumbles.

"She's not a good-two-shoes," Will defends. "She's doing the right thing."

"Ergo…goody-two-shoes," Melvin snorts.

"Enough!" little Xixi shouts.

She climbs atop the coffee table, and waves her hands around in the air.

"None of us can stop each other from leaving!" she continues. "So now it all comes down to who's brave…and who's not."

The screen comes back to life with a flurry of static.

"Hello, children!" Simkin cries with glee, twirling around in a strange ballerina spin. "You're all alone now! Uncle Simmy-kins has a surprise for you."

He backs away from the camera, and we see that he's standing on top of a large building, overlooking the entire city. Fires, explosions, floods, landslides. Someone's wreaking havoc all around Simkin.

"You see, it's my birthday, and my BFF's are all bringing me some presents. I asked for a mommy, a sister, and the destruction of all mankind!" he roars these last words in a terrifying manner, but quickly returns to his usual jovial self. "Maybe Raven can be my mommy, and Starry Face can be my little sis. How about that? But like I said, that's not up to me. My very best buddies in the whole wide world are out there right now, making all my birthday wishes come true. And guess what the best part is?"

We stand mesmerized, holding our breath in the center of all this destruction.

"You. All of you children. Your dead bodies are my birthday gift to me!"

He cackles maniacally, jumping around and listening with glee as the bells on his jester's hat jingle.

And the screen goes black.

I stare at the others around me, wondering what they'll do. Everyone is silent, nobody moving.

"…I'm going," Nikki says quietly.

"It's a trap," Alias warns in a bored monotone as he picks at his fingernails with a knife.

"My sister's part of this," Nikki continues shamefully. "I know it. I have to stop her."

"My sister, too," Verita adds, hanging her head. Will places a comforting arm on her shoulder.

"Well, I'm staying right here," Melvin says, flopping down on the couch. "No way am I going out there and risking my tail doing something I don't even have to do."

"People need help," Alias says angrily. "They're dying, Melvin. It's your responsibility to help them if you can."

"I can't!"

"You're a superhero!" Demetrias shouts.

"I'm not! I…I'm a magician! I do card tricks, I pull rabbits out of my hat. That's it! I can't help them!"

Well, then I'm not so sure I want him on my team…

"Yes, you can," Astoria cheers, throwing her arms around Melvin. "You're brave, clever, and resourceful! I trust you, Melvin."

Melvin is smirking at me over Astoria's shoulder, quite content in the arms of a girl. I roll my eyes and look away. Bunch of pathetic, needy, good-for-nothing…

"I'm putting together some goody bags for my party!" Simkin's voice comes shrieking through the screen once more. "I'm giving this dolly to my buddy the Furry Crusader!"

He dances around the dead body of a young girl, no older than eight. There are gasps, cries, and whimpers all around me. I turn around, catching the eyes of the dead girl.

Why didn't you help me? she whispers.

I stare at the ghost, unable to think of a valid excuse.

Zero

They run off in groups, team after team, pair after pair, leaving me alone. I can't fly, or run with super speed, or turn invisible, teleport, or float away. So I walk. Always the zero.

Turning down the hall, I bump into a small, eleven-year-old boy.

"Hey, watch it, pal," I snap half-heartedly.

"Excuse me," he murmurs.

"Aren't you that ghost hunter?" I ask curiously.

Something flashes in his eyes.

"I don't hunt ghosts," he hisses.

I throw my hands up in mock surrender.

"Pardon me. Then what exactly is it you do, Casper?"

He stares me down, as if disgusted and bored by my banter.

"I'm sixteen," he murmurs. "The same age as you. And yet I'm three times as useful."

He floats away.

"Hey, wait up!" I call, chasing after him. "You look like you're ten. Are you, like, Benjy Bottom, or something?"

"Benjamin Button aged backwards, you fool. I died."

I cringe, murmuring a mix between 'eww' and 'ohh.' That's kind of gross.

"You died?"

"Half."

Half. He's half dead. What a curious predicament.

"Hey, what's your name?" I ask.

"…Poltergeist," he tells me reluctantly, as if he would have preferred to remain anonymous.

"Poltergeist?" I roll my tongue around the peculiar name. "Huh. You know, I like you, P-Money. Yeah, you're cool."

He ignores me and continues down the hall, and out into the bright sunshine.

"I think I'm gonna stick with you," I say cheerily, strutting down the pavement after him. "…You don't talk much, do you?"

Alias

Shadow, Verita, and Will follow me. No matter how fast I run, they always appear one step ahead of me. Maybe because that stupid Robin made me team leader. What a joke.

"There!" Verita whispers, pointing to a large building bursting with flames, screams, and burn victims.

"No kidding," I roll my eyes.

We dart around the side of the building, and face a long row of windows.

"We need the fourth story," Verita says.

"How do you know?" I snap.

"Because there's a chip in the windowsill, like someone leaned a ladder against it. It was my sister."

"Okay, so on the off chance that it was your sister, what the hell are you planning to do once we get up there, anyway?"

"I'm going to stop her," Verita answers simply.

"Well, okay," I say mockingly.

I already stole a copy of Robin's martial arts moves, and now they come in handy. I leap craftily from window to window until I reach the fourth floor, where I attempt to raise the glass.

"It's locked!" I call down to the others. "Someone has to go in and open it!"

"I will," Verita offers. Will pulls her away from the door.

"No, I'll do it," he says stubbornly.

He enters the first floor through the main door, and I fully expect it to be the last I ever see of him.

Unfortunate.

Will

It looks like an apartment building. A bank of elevators stands to the left, next to the sign informing patrons to use the stairs in case of fire.

I press the elevator button.

"Hey, what are you doing, kid!" someone shouts at me. "There's a fire, are you insane?"

He reaches out to grab me just as I duck through the open doors of the elevator.

"Don't follow me," I order smoothly. "You really don't want to risk your life for a dumb kid, do you?"

He blinks, and takes a single step back. The doors slide closed.

I push the button for the fourth floor and whistle calmly as the elevator ascends the shaft. Just as the green light above the doors blinks 'three,' the elevator screeches to a halt.

"Aw, come on," I mutter.

Climbing onto the thin safety railing, I shove the roof exit off the elevator. It takes me a moment to struggle through, but I manage it. That's when things get a little tougher.

Grabbing onto the thick ropes that move the elevator, I inch up slowly, straining my thin arms in an attempt to pull myself to the next floor.

Shadow

There's a fire escape in the back.

I spin around and come face to face with a young woman, her pretty face covered in burns. A ghost.

"Thank you," I say, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

My son is on the top floor. He's in the closet. He's…he's too afraid to come out.

A great sob racks her body, and I pull her into a hug.

"I'll get him," I promise.

Thank you.

"The fire escape!" I tell Verita as the young woman vanishes.

We dart around the corner, Verita reluctant to leave the front door where her best friend has just disappeared. Someone dropped the ladder earlier, probably just as the fire started, and I immediately climb it. Verita follows, stumbling the whole way up.

"I have to go to the top floor," I pause at the fourth floor, out of breath. "There's a boy up there. But Alias and Will need your help."

"What about you?"

"I'll be okay," I assure her, opening the fourth floor window.

With a final glance at me, she throws herself through the window and calls out to her sister.

"Cami!" Verita screams.

Unable to wait for the inevitable fight, I dart up the steps once more. I have to get there quickly, before the flames or the collapsing building steal the boy away.

"Hello?" I shout as I climb through the top-floor window. "Hello!"

No answer.

I place my palms on the ash-covered floor, and whisper into the afterlife.

I see you.

"I need help!" I tell the ghost, a young girl, no more than ten. "There's a boy here, he's in a closet somewhere."

"My brother," she says quietly.

She raises her tiny hand and points to a closet on the other side of the room. I run and yank it open, finding a pile of blankets and a young boy, no more than four.

"I'm here to help you," I say gently, pulling the boy from the cramped space. "My name is Shadow."

His teddy bear. Under the bed.

"No!" the boy cries.

I dart away once more, and come back with the bear.

"Your sister wants you to take him with you," I tell him softly.

"Teddy," he whispers.

I pull the boy into my arms and run to the window. Climbing once more onto the fire escape, I find the steps are much more difficult when you're holding a boy in your arms. He sobs and screams as I slowly bring us closer and closer to the ground.

Thank you.

The voice whispers into my ear without revealing itself.

"He's safe now," I whisper back.

Alias

"Cami?" Verita screams from somewhere inside. "Cami, you have to stop!"

"Verita!" I shout. "Open the window!"

"Gotcha," Will says, smiling as he lifts the glass.

"Finally," I mutter grumpily, climbing through the open space. "Is everyone out?"

"No," he says gravely. "There are people all over the place. Where's Shadow? Come to think of it…where's Zero?"

"Better off without her. And I don't know where that goth chick went."

"She's on the top floor, she said there's someone up there," Verita says quickly. "Cami!"

"Better make it quick, sissy," a voice taunts. "I've got a present to pick up."

"Cami, what are you doing?" Verita cries. "People are dying!"

"That's the general idea," Cami hisses.

I pull two handguns out of my jacket and yank back the hammers.

"Alias, no!" Verita begs.

"You think I'm afraid of your little guns?" Cami cackles.

And right before my eyes, she becomes a wolf.

"What the – " I jump back in surprise, dropping the handgun from my left hand. My right hand grasps to keep hold of the other handgun, accidentally pulling the trigger in the process.

Will shouts in pain, grabbing his bleeding leg.

…Whoops.

"Will!" Verita cries. "Cami, please!"

The fire crackles all around us, inching closer and closer, far too quickly for my liking.

"Looks like everyone's favorite twin can't even save herself, let alone her friends," Cami laughs happily. "You're a failure, and now everyone's going to know it."

Tears trickle down Verita's face as she attempts to stop the bleeding in Will's leg. Cami grabs Verita with a single paw and shoves her across the room. Verita slides over the floor and smacks her head against the wall with an audible crack.

"Hey, Balto," I sneer, pulling a knife out of my boot. "Want a Scooby Snack?"

Cami launches her wolf body at me, tearing her claws into my arm, and I jab the knife into her side. She roars in anger and pain, clamping down on my arm and biting into it.

I reach for my handgun and aim for her shoulder. The trigger feels heavy in the care of my finger, and I pull it with all my strength. The wolf goes staggering back, but she won't be stopped. Cami comes charging at me once more, bleeding profusely.

And then she's a little girl again.

"What's going on?" I ask angrily, thoroughly confused.

A daunting figure steps through the window, scaring the crap out of me. Another villain?

But Cami cowers in fear of this newcomer.

"What are you doing to me?" she growls, half angry, half terrified.

He says nothing, but Cami appears to grow weaker with every step he takes toward her. Finally, she collapses to the floor.

"What have you done?" Verita sobs, running to her sister.

"She's fine," the stranger grunts. He turns to Will, who remains on the floor, hissing in pain and holding his bloody leg.

The tall man kneels beside Will, and the bleeding seems to halt. Will lets go of his leg and stares at the stranger in amazement. Apparently the pain is gone. The stranger, on the other hand, seems to feel immense pain in his own leg. But no blood. That's good. Probably…

"Who are you?" Shadow asks suspiciously as she climbs through the open window.

A few minutes too late, might I add.

"Beowulf," the figure grunts, staggering across the room on his strange leg, which pains but does not bleed.

"Friend or foe?" I spit out.

"That depends entirely on your own allegiances."

"…We're with the Teen Titans," Verita tells the half-truth slowly.

"Then I'd appreciate you helping me to the Tower," Beowulf grunts through clenched teeth.

Will looks to me, and I shrug.

"What about my sister?" Verita trembles.

"She'll be fine in a few hours," Beowulf says, as if the answer is obvious. "Just leave her."

"She'll die in the fire!"

"Then take her with you," Beowulf sighs, exasperated. "I really don't care. Just help me out that window."

Will leaves Shadow and I to take the behemoth back to the Tower as he goes to help Verita take our enemy to safety. The very same enemy that nearly bit my arm off.

I'm getting a little sick of this superhero business of catch and release.

Poltergeist

"So, where are we going?" the annoying little twerp pesters me.

"I'm going downtown. I don't really give a rat's ass what you do."

"Are you trying to say that you don't want my help?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say."

"…That sounded a little reluctant. I think I should follow you."

I stoically ignore her for the rest of my journey downtown, although it proves quite a difficult task, what with all the singing, nonstop chatter, and irrelevant questions.

"If you either had to marry a porcupine, or a snake, what would you choose?"

"That looks like something the Furious Crusader would do," I say under my breath.

Zero follows my gaze to the medieval-looking jousting tournament. I roll my eyes at the elaborate setup the villain created. Horses, swords, suits of armor.

Classy.

"Hey, someone beat us to it!" Zero whines.

On the other side of the makeshift arena, Tallon, Paramore, Tracey, Mystic, and Duplicator come stalking over to the Furious Crusader.

"Put the sword down before things get really ugly," Paramore warns the villain.

"You think you can beat the Furious Crusader?" the man in armor laughs. "Think again."

Tallon yanks out twin blades and wields them dangerously close to the Crusader. With one swift move of her hands, Mystic levitates the sword right out of the Crusader's hands, launching it clear to the other side of the arena. The Crusader stares at his empty hand in horror.

"I never thought of that…" he murmurs.

In the blink of an eye, there are suddenly ten Duplicator's. They crowd around the horse, blocking the Furious Crusader's exit.

But it's one thing to stop someone, and entirely another to defeat them.

The Crusader simply hopped down from his horse, shoved a few of the replications aside, and waltzed away. Tallon tossed her blades at the Crusader with frightening precision, only to watch them merely glance off the impenetrable armor.

"He's invincible," Zero murmurs in amazement.

Tracey steps forward, places a small hand on the Crusader's armor, and watches with little satisfaction as the Crusader writhes and shrieks in pain. He cries and begs and threatens, but nothing works. Her hand remains steady on his shoulder. She seems to glean no real joy from the act, however.

After all, what good is it, really, to have the ability to cause others excruciating pain?

Paramore murmurs the word 'ropes' in a slithering, almost sickly tone. The text exits his mouth in dark, warped letters, coming together to form a long, tough rope. Which he licks.

"That's a weird fetish," Zero whispers to me.

Once the licking ritual is finished, Paramore ties the defenseless man to his horse, and slaps the equine's rear. The Clydesdale goes galloping off without so much as a whinny.

"Where are the others?" Tallon asks me.

I shrug silently. Why should I know?

"What's Zero doing?" she asks warily, as if she may not want to know the answer.

Glancing to my left, I see Zero lying on her back in the grass, one of Duplicator's replications next to her. They giggle and talk conspiratorially.

"They're playing I Spy," I admit with a sigh.

Duplicator snaps her fingers, and all of her replications immediately disappear.

"Hey!" Zero shouts. "I liked that one!"

"Focus!" I snap, lifting Zero to her feet. "You're making us look bad!"

She grumbles and brushes herself off indignantly.

"Maybe we should go back to the Tower?" Mystic suggests. "Wait for the others there?"

A murmur of agreement passes through the team, and they set off toward the Tower, Zero right behind them.

Finally. They can keep her.

"Hey, where are you going?" Zero asks, suddenly right beside me.

I groan.

"You almost lost me there, P-Money!" she continues. "You really ought to warn me before you leave like that, or else you might have to fight crime all by yourself."

Please.

"And what exactly did you bring to that fight?"

Zero smirks contentedly.

"Nothing you would know about."

"What?"

She shrugs.

"It's not important."

"Then just tell me," I snap. I don't enjoy secrets.

Zero glances around as if to make sure no one else will hear her big secret.

"On the back of his armor…I spray painted…'No longer contagious.'"

She stares at me, a wide smile on her face, as if she's just done the worst deed in the world and gotten away with it.

"You did not," I say in disbelief.

"Did so!"

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

I can't help it. I chuckle. The sheer stupidity of it all amazes me.

"Impressive, right? Good luck selling that suit of armor."

I shake my head and laugh, wondering what it was, exactly, that made this stupid girl follow me, of all people in that Tower.

Okay, so that wasn't too scary, or difficult. But Alias was right…it was a total trap, by that cleverest of fiends, silly Simkin…

The next chapter I'm hoping will be totally intense, and there's going to be a wicked bad betrayal among the teens of the Tower…

On a side note, I'm having a little trouble keeping every character's personalities straight. If you could describe your character in ONE WORD, that would make things hecka easier.

And one more thing – I didn't really get that many villains, so if anyone wanted to submit one, that would be awesome.

Thanks! =D