Author: This chapter is extremely crucial. Things have picked up.. and things come to light that change everything. It's also by far one of the longest chapters to date- for good reason too. Wait! In the last chapter you find out that the trio are like Sidra.. how? What powers do they possess? How many of them are there? These are questions that linger about. Find out in this chapter and the next. :3 Enjoy! Sorry for the delay. I've been swamped with other stuff.
Disclaimer: DC totally isn't mine. I just own the Energy Court users and whatever else I create.
The ride was mostly quiet. The smell of the sea did little to calm down Lorius' hyped up body. He was exhausted, cut up, bleeding, sore, hungry and angry. Angry at Batman, angry at Lucane, angry at heroes. Wintergreen grabbed the medical bag (as the young man took a seat) and tended to Lorius, whose bleeding frame carried many wounds that needed attention.
Slade was topside, staring out into the ocean. He had mentioned something about a 'bad feeling' before leaving the pair alone.
Wintergreen was aware that his comrade was edgy, but the reason Slade was bothered eluded him. Lorius just shrugged it off. Slade would be fine.
Slade heaved a sigh. A call came before night fell, informing him that Ruba and Alex had disappeared. It was from Jeremiah. This troubled him. Where had they gone to? They couldn't have gotten off the island.. unless.. Ruba used her powers.
Another sharp sigh escaped. He'd have to 'scold' her, as they say.
Another call vibrated his phone two hours after the first and he pressed it to his ear (as he was still in his unmasked disguise) and answered. This was the call that had him troubled.
"Hello?"
"Slade! It's Cecilia."
"Where are you? Jeremiah said you and Alex left the island."
"We went to Jump to get pizza and are staying the night."
"Get back immediately. We'll be at the island an hour after midnight."
"Alex wants to stay here, says he wants to go someplace tomorrow before we head back."
"The Titans-"
"Won't be a problem. He arranged for several 'incidents' to occur to keep them occupied in the other areas of the city."
"..your old friends.."
"Hate me. They'll avoid me."
"Young lady-"
"Slade.. I'm bordering my 19th birthday, legally I'm an adult. I won't get hurt. Plus Alex is here. I'll be fine."
He made a displeased noise before finally relenting. "I expect you on the island by tomorrow night. If not I'm coming to get you."
"Yeesh, you sound like an overprotective parent!"
"If you sign the papers then I will be." He said cleverly before disconnecting the call.
That had been what disturbed Slade. He had developed a slight protective sense when it came to Cecilia. Though he wouldn't admit it he cared for her like a real daughter. That is what motivated him to extend the adoption to her.
His phone vibrated in his pocket as he leaned against the railing, the night air cooling his skin. He retrieved and opened the small device, pressing it to his ear after accepting the call.
"Hello?"
A voice he never thought he'd hear calling him echoed into his ear.
"Slade, we need to talk."
Robin?
The Titans Tower was lively. They had company to which consisted of two energy users, Ember and Vito. They were all piled in the living room space. Starfire was seated on the floor cross-legged. Beast Boy was up on the back of the seat beside Vito. To Vito' left was Raven and then Ember. Robin was standing, all attention on him. Cyborg was in his room still.
It was the end of the day and they'd spent a tiring couple of hours fighting crime. Ember and Vito had offered to help, but they declined at first. Robin had to eventually accept once it became apparent Cyborg would be unable to fight. He was rebooting after the virus was eradicated from his system, which had taken quite awhile to deal with. Robin and Vito had went to the warehouse district to deal with Plasmus and Killer Moth while Raven and Beast Boy were in the eastern part of the city handling Red X and Doctor Light. Ember had to look after Cy.
After several hours of battling they came back to find food cooking and Ember laid back on the couch as if at home.
She had made spaghetti and dished it out to all aside from Beast Boy, who stated his love of tofu, who thus proceed to make his own food. Now, after the food was eaten and dishes washed, they'd made themselves relax to their current locations.
"How much do you two know of your kind, the energy users?" Robin's cool voice asked, eyes flicking between the two strange beings sitting before him.
Ember shared a look with Vito before she shrugged. "I knew enough before I branched off. That's why I was in Kentucky." She rolled her eyes. "To get away." She stressed this part.
"Knowledgeable." Julius, or Vito, confirmed with a blank smile. "Raven gave me a summary."
Robin nodded, hmm'ing to himself. He proceeded to tell them about what had transpired almost two years before.. about the arrival of Ruba and Sari, the manipulation of Slade on Ruba.. Ruba joining the psychopath, the days searching, Silvy and San's arrival. He explained what happened in between as best as he could.. then he told about retrieving her, the fights, her capture by Madame Rouge and Red X (and how Sari had went to find her and being captured also). He spoke about the Brotherhood of Evil, their plan to control the world, how Sari, Silvy and San going after them and running into Atty.. the fight, her rescue.
Then Slade infiltrating the tower to get Ruba, with Atty being found out as Slade's hired merc. How Ruba teleported Slade to the park, their fight. He spoke briefly about how Slade did something to Ruba and she went berserk. At this part the pair gazed at each other with a look of understanding. He told about how Sari tried to stop her, Silvy realizing it was too late and tried to pull back Sari.. and the explosion channeled into the pair, with San hit as well. He talked about the ultimate sacrifice as she killed Sari and Silvy before Slade swept her away. Then the funerals.. then San's plan to find the rest.
"San is currently in Kansas City." He rounded up the tale, rubbing at his neck. "She said something about a break. She should be back by tomorrow evening."
"To what purpose are we here?" Ember asked, realizing that Robin had left out such reasoning of San's plan.
Robin turned to her, masked eyes studying her. "To unify the energy users. That was what Silvy had been wanting, until he died. She took up his cause."
Ember merely nodded, going back to silence as she soaked this all in.
The room suddenly flashed yellow as the computer lit up. The words 'Incoming Call' flickered on screen before the lights stopped and it went black.
A sudden expression of apprehension flickered across Robin's face. He spun sharply and ran to the computer section that allowed for monitoring, research and communication. He tapped a few keys, the computer coming to life. He then clicked several more, fingers rapidly connecting with the desired keys he needed.
The call was accepted and all shifted to get a view of the screen. A voice sounded, but no visual screen was used.
"Robin, we have a huge problem." It was San's voice.
"What's up?"
Some fumbling resounded before static cut through. Arguing was heard on her end before her voice returned. "I had a vision, Robin. It's not good. Someone's going to fight Jack, with Ruba under his control. He portrays powers like Jack, handling some kind of black energy."
"Another?"
She sighed into the phone she was using. "Yeah, but there's more. The people I'm with currently are part of a secondary project, like ours. They apparently exhibit powers like us."
"Let me talk with one of them."
Rustling was heard before a new female voice took control of the line. "Robin, my name is Eryn. How much do you know about the people who controlled the projects?"
"Very little, I'm afraid. Can you fill us in?"
"Oceanside was the name of the corporation that two projects were started in." She started, rushing into the story. "It was run by one Francis Miller, a retired senator. The Belmont Mansion, as it were, was built in Lincolnshire, Illinois, their base of operations. It was a massive facility with a ground floor and two sub-levels. Doctor Morgan Renee, according to Sidra, was in charge of Project Energy Court. We didn't know of this other project.. now the pieces connect. Jeremiah Marcov, the illustrious owner of Molven, Baricrat, Stincer and several other islands in the Pacific, ran my group, which was dubbed Project Judgmental Law. It consisted of.." They could hear mumbling as she spoke with a male voice. "Five people, each with the capability of some kind of energy manipulation."
"That's.. interesting."
"Wait!" Vito jumped to his feet, rushing over to the screen.
"Mm? Who's this voice?" Eryn asked in question, curiosity in her tone.
"I'm.. Vito, or Julius Albana. I'm part of Energy Court, along with Ember here, who is Esper Kisal-"
"Hello." Ember was at his side.
"Hi." Eryn's dull voice greeted.
"Who are your members and what energy are they in control of?" Vito questioned.
"Can we meet? I'd prefer to tell that part in private." Eryn said sheepishly.
"I can send Raven to pick you up, if you'd like." Robin threw in.
"No, we 'ave.. company that we need ta' tend wit' first." Came a male voice that was British.
"Alright. Contact us tomorrow about your arrival and we'll prepare. We have much to discuss." Robin decided tomorrow would be ample time for them to finish up whatever they were doing.
"Will do, gov'na." The British male responded with a chuckle before the line ended.
Robin glanced to Ember and Vito, who were staring at each other with a look of trepidation. Vito turned to look at Robin, a grave expression now fitted onto his face.
"I hope this bodes well for us."
"Me too, Julius. Me too." Robin said distractedly. "If you'll excuse me I need to make a call." He pulled out a sleek black cell phone from his pocket and moved toward the door, watching them slide apart to give him access to the hallway. He spared one final look to his comrades before letting the doors close behind him. He walked down the hallway, a deep breath taken as he hit the buttons he needed. A ring followed as he pressed it to his ear.
"Hello?" That smooth drawl reached his ear. Obviously the man didn't have his number, which was good, though he would now.
Robin gathered up his courage.. to do the one thing he dreaded the most.. "Slade, we need to talk." To have to talk to Slade outside of combat was.. shattering in a way.
"To what do I owe this honor?" There was humor in Slade's voice as Robin sensed the surprise and interest radiating from the man on the other end of the line.
"We've learned that Ruba's in trouble."
There was a pause as Slade seemed to consider these words. Robin could almost see Slade's masked head tilting a fraction in wonder. "Trouble?" Slade finally asked.
"We've just learned that Sidra had a vision concerning Ruba.. and in it she's manipulated by an energy user, but we don't know who. This man has a grudge against Jack and they'll clash sometime in the future. Where is Ruba? Is she with you?"
Slade grumbled something beneath his breath, but Robin caught the word. 'Jack'. "Not presently. She is.. with a colleague's kid."
"One moment." Robin covered the mouth piece before turning to yell back down the hallway toward the living room. "Star! Come here!" A whooshing sound was heard as the doors parted and out flew Starfire, who hovered before him.
"Yes, Robin?"
"Pass me your communicator." Star did as requested, handing him the device she carried with her. "Go and wait with the others. I need time alone." She nodded, floating away. He continued down the hallway, opening her communicator. His was in his room at the moment. "Slade, I'm going to call Sidra.. and then I'm going to put you on speaker-"
"Robin, we can speak more easily from the computer in your room."
Robin sighed. Of course Slade knew about the computer. He hushed himself as he headed toward his room, setting the comm. down on the desk as he booted the computer. "It'll take a few to get it situated. How to talk?"
"I'll handle that. You must wait until I reach land, though. Give me two hours."
The cell clicked off and he put it away into his pocket as he watched the computer come to life. With a few keys it arrived to the background with all the various icons. He waited for the two hours Slade requested.. before something flashed. He tapped the glowing icon and up popped a screen. The time in the corner read 3:14 AM.
A video opened in this screen and it showed a shadowed room with Slade standing in the center. For all the times Robin had fought the man it was still startling to face him, even if through a monitor. "Robin." Slade greeted, hands linked at his back.
"Slade. I'm bringing the Titans in, so.. mind yourself." He saw Slade roll his eye.
"Give me the girl's number and I'll include her into this call while you get them." The older man drawled, single orb narrowed at the young teen. Robin nodded and typed in the string of numbers. Soon enough a second video appeared, but this one was black, showing nothing but a mic symbol in the center. By then Robin had already called in the Titans, along with the two users, to take part in this conversation, though he told them to remain silent. He didn't need heated blood.
"H-hello?" Came the low voice of the white user.
"Sidra, don't be alarmed." Robin said calmly. "But Slade's on the line with us." Robin pushed his chair away, standing to stroke his chin. "We need to know more about your vision, about the man over Ruba."
There was movement along with people being shushed. "Well.." She inhaled sharply, obviously debating how to tell her mental tale. "As you know my visions are usually very vivid. This one.. was worse. It started out with an island-" Robin noted how Slade's eye thinned even more. "-and Ruba seated on a beach with a shadowed figure beside her. For some reason my vision wouldn't allow me to see this man- yet. They were aware of my presence. Ruba questioned why I was there.. and I told her about it being a vision.." Another intake of air was heard before she huffed it out. "Then I heard his voice. It was.. light.. clearly young.. and spine shivering in a way."
Rummaging could be heard along with shuffling. There were more then one person on Sidra's side of the line.
"He got up and walked to me.. and held my chin. I could see his eyes. They were a mix of a grassy green and a dirt brown. He said he wanted revenge. I asked of whom he wanted it against and why. He told me.. that someone stole something from him.. and he wanted the person to pay. He pushed me back, holding out his hand to Ruba, who then stood by his side after he asked her to help him. She looked dazed.. he did something to her. I told her to get back, but he said she couldn't. He was controlling her. Ruba smiled.. and then the vision changed."
"..." Robin could see Slade's arms come around to cross against his chest, clenched hands hidden into the folds of his attire.
"I was at a park.. and there was a building.. and a figure. He was the one who was controlling Ruba. Across from him was another shadowed person.. also a male. This second one yelled at the first one about how he was supposed to be dead. The manipulative male stated the second's failure.. and so the second said he'd destroy him, but the first asked if he could. The second lifted a hand after saying how the first was a monster.. and black energy shot out of his hand, but the first somehow redirected it, throwing it back to the second. The first said.. it was a shame it had to end like this.. and something about being a good boy years ago.. I don't understand what he meant.. but he looked at me, as if he could see me.. and then lifted a hand.. and said 'we end this here, with your death' and said 'Jack'. The second one was Jack, the black energy user of our project."
A small conversation could be heard in the background behind San's voice and she paused to shush them before she continued.
"The first person.. I could see his appearance when lightning flashed above.. and he looked just like Jack.. but older.. and different eyes, clothes. He threw this black energy at Jack.. then the vision ended-"
A gasp was heard. "Wait, wait!" A new voice echoed into the mic and Slade tilted his head. Robin recognized this voice as Eryn, the one he'd spoken to awhile ago. "That sounds like someone I know.. waitttt... could it be Alex?"
Murmuring followed as Robin scrunched his brows beneath his mask. "Alex?" He asked.
Slade was being uncharacteristically quiet.
"Yeah. It makes sense now. Alex wanted revenge against someone named Jack. Sidra clarified that the identity of Jack was Jack Zendric, part of her project. If Jack is fighting a black user.. then it has to be Alex. Alex uses energy, or as he called it Onyxica just as Jack calls his Obsidica.. two words that represent black. Black energy manipulation.. So with these things brought to light.. it's obvious that Alex is the one fighting Jack in her vision." The logic in her words made perfect sense. San was suddenly making a lot of confirmation remarks.
"Yes, yes! We're solving this puzzle." San cheered.
"But wait, there's more to this. WHY is there a hatred of Jack? Why do they fight? What key role does Ruba hold in this? Why control her of all people?" Eryn's tone was in pure confusion as she asked these questions.
"Robin, we need to get there NOW..." San's voice took hold of the mic.
"Hold on. Slade." Robin looked at Slade, who tilted his head once more toward the Boy Wonder in acknowledgement of him. "This Alex is going to use Ruba.. are you going to help us protect her from this?"
"Much as I hate to admit it.. if you seek this Alex.. we don't know who he is, though... the colleague's kid she's with is named Alex, Alex Marcov."
"Marcov..." Eryn whispered. "The other black energy user."
"You're too late then. Alex is with Cecilia."
A tremor went through Robin. "Oh no." It made perfect sense now. "San.. what did Eryn say their project head was called?"
"Jeremiah.. Marcov."
Slade's single steely eye went wide.
