Chapter 10- Triple Crossed?
Jinx was having a very…intriguing dream. She was lying in the bed that the Titans had set up for her during her first few weeks of intense probation, and she was warm, very warm, and very comfortable.
"Isn't it nice here?" a delicious voice whispered in her ear. Jinx smiled and rolled over.
"It can always be like this." The voice tempted. Then suddenly the voice became a blaring alarm. Jinx shot up and the covers slid off of her. She shivered at the cold.
"What?" she asked the room groggily. She shook her head and stood to make her way to the ops center, grumbling all the time.
"Maybe this one?"
Jinx entered the room to see all the boys gathered around a computer display, apparently trying to figure out the alarm.
"No!" Jinx shouted just in time to prevent Gizmo from pushing a large blue button. "Here," She said, rushing over before they could destroy anything. The large screen clicked to life and eight very angry faces appeared.
"Haven't you already tried this before?" Robin said, barely containing his emotions.
"If at first you don't succeed…" Jinx quipped. Robin frowned.
"Alright, are we gonna do this the easy way, or the hard way." Cyborg chimed in. The HIVE boys roared with laughter, and even Jinx cracked a smile. "Guess that means the hard way." Cyborg growled.
"So you figured out where we are. What are you going to do about it?" Gizmo sneered.
"We're gonna come kick your little butt outta our tower!" Cyborg burst out, shaking his fist at the screen.
"Why don't we all just calm down here." Jinx said evenly. "You want us out, we want you back here." She grinned. "So why don't you just let us know when you get back." Cyborg's angry retort was cut off when Jinx ended the feed.
"Ok," she said, turning to her…team for lack of better words, "it's time for Titans 101." The boys all moved to sit on the large sofa, and looked up at Jinx like she was their kindergarten teacher. She made an annoyed face at this before continuing.
"We'll start with Robin and Starfire. They're dating, but Robin doesn't like people knowing that. He says it's nobody's business, but secretly Starfire thinks it's because he's embarrassed by it. He isn't of course, but hey, insecurities are what we're after."
"He's embarrassed of that hot little red head? Is he crazy!?" Billy yelled. Jinx smacked him.
"I just told you she only thinks that. Keep up." She snapped.
"Ok, now, Beast Boy's biggest weakness is Terra. She's been gone for almost two years and he still get's touchy anytime anyone brings her up, especially since he thinks he saw her recently, and the girl was dead set on the fact that she was not her."
"That blonde girl that used to help them kick our butts?" See-More asked. Jinx nodded.
"But that should probably only be a last resort. He managed to do some pretty serious damage to Slade when he brought her up, and we don't want things to get quite that far, maybe we should just stick to him being the youngest, and usually sort of a liability. He's sometimes annoyed by the fact that Robin treats him like a child. Yeah, that will be the way to go; Robin demeaning him."
"Then there's Cyborg. We know all about him." Mammoth and Gizmo growled, and Jinx nodded at them solemnly. "He's had major differences with Robin. They often butt heads when Cyborg thinks Robin is wrong, and feels like he should be more active in leading the team. He had his own team once, and he's left the Titans more times than any of them, even if it was a cover once. He's independent and stubborn."
"Why is Robin the leader, if he's the root of all their problems?" See-More asked. Jinx frowned. That was a fair question.
"You know, I don't know." She said simply, choosing not to share with them her own in depth analysis of the head Titan. She had spent much of her time at the academy dissecting him, his mannerisms, and his personality. He was the leader of the team that was always up against her own, and because of this, she had researched him to the point where, probably only Starfire knew him better…and in an entirely different way. This was something that she had shared with absolutely no one, and she shook her self a little to clear that uncomfortable thought.
"And then there is Raven." Jinx paused and squinted toward the floor. "And you're going to leave her to me." She waited before continuing, staring at the ugly red carpet as though it had personally wronged her.
"Alright, that should be enough for round one. They should be here in a matter of hours, so it's time to go set up." The five boys trudged out of the room and toward the exit. Jinx hung back long enough to give the room an almost pleading, but exasperated look.
"This better work." She mumbled as she left.
"Man, I still don't see why we have to go through with this." Cyborg complained as the titans flew back to Jump City.
"Because they can't know, that's why." Raven said simply, not even looking toward Cyborg.
"I know that, I'm just saying, why can't we just go kick their butts and be done with it? Why do we have to jump through all these hoops?" he clarified in aggravation.
"Cyborg, we've beaten them plenty of times before, and obviously they're still around. This seems to be the only way to get rid of them once and for all, and we've got to give it a shot." Robin said. "Now start the landing sequence, that's the place."
"Still don't see why we should be listening to those scrimmin muffin grrr…" Cyborg mumbled incoherently. Unseen by anyone, Raven smiled just the tiniest bit.
"I see their ship." Jinx announced to the rest of the H.I.V.E. "Now remember what I told you, and we'll have them running away with their tails behind their legs." She said with a vicious smile.
The t-ship touched down about a hundred feet from them, and the HIVE took their battle positions.
"How nice of you to come and find us." Jinx shouted to the Titans sarcastically.
"Look Jinx, this doesn't have to go down this way." Robin called back. "You can just give yourselves up now, give us our tower back, and we can all go on our way. I'm sure they'd be willing to give you a reduced sentence if you come quietly."
Jinx and the HIVE boys started to laugh raucously.
"Please, we hold all the cards here, Robby-poo." Jinx cackled. Both Robin and Starfire ground their teeth at the mention of Kitten's old pet name. "We have your tower, we have the 'this is our plan' advantage, and, thanks to me, we have all your secrets."
"That is it. Titans, GO!" Robin shouted. His team charged behind him, and they engaged the HIVE in hand to hand combat. They were outnumbered, and so groups formed as the fight ensued.
Cyborg had gone straight for Mammoth, the classic matchup, but he was having a hard time keeping up with the genetically engineered behemoth. Obviously he had his moves carefully planned out. Just as he dodged one of Cyborg's swipes, he made his first comment.
"You've lost your touch. You were a fighting machine when you were with us. What's the matter, that leader of yours' training methods not cutting it? Seems to me maybe you should ditch the spiky haired loser and have your own team. Or have you tried that before? Couldn't cut it on your own could you?"
Cyborg had stopped moving as he listened to Mammoth's bumbling attempt at insulting him. Though the words had been convoluted, the point was there. He stared blankly as Mammoth slammed him into a building. Mammoth walked off, laughing, as Cyborg sat there in the rubble, groaning. He could even swear he saw flashes of light.
Beast Boy had ended up with about six Billies circling him. He grinned at the red clad southerner and his clones.
"Only six of you, why are you going so easy on me?" he said. Billy laughed.
"Because I have six sentences to say to you." The one directly behind him said. Beast Boy whipped around to look, his direction changing with each new Billy speaking.
"You silly little green boy." The one to his left added.
"You're just the runt of the litter ain't ya?" one on his right called.
"That big mean Robin just won't seem to acknowledge you're grown up." Another behind him said.
"Of course I don't know what kinda grown up still plays with stuffed monkeys and sleeps on a bunk bed." The second to last Billy sneered.
"And most grownups have girlfriends!" The Billy that had been right in front of Beast Boy shouted excitedly. Beast Boy glared at him, rage building in his eyes. Billy Smirked as Beast Boy lunged at him. Just as his hit was about to land, Billy retracted into one, so that Beast Boy was sent flying into a group of curious onlookers, still in tiger form. The screams of horror went unnoticed by the others fighting.
Robin and Starfire had ended up with the largest group, finding themselves facing Gizmo, See-More, and Kyd Wykkyd. The five of them stood facing each other, Starfire and Robin on one side, and the three boys on the other.
"Whatcha waiting for, ya pit sniffin' crud muncher!" Gizmo gleefully taunted. Robin smiled amusedly.
"Is that the best you can do? You really need to update your vocabulary." Robin replied. He swung a bird-a-rang out of nowhere, and towards the tiny genius, but Gizmo's backpack exploded into a jet pack and launched him into the air above it.
"Is that the best you got?" See-More mocked. "You need to update your weaponry." Robin glared at him, but the line had turned out to be merely a distraction.
"Robin!" Starfire shouted, just before she flew into the boy wonder, knocking him to the ground, and out of the path of Kyd Wykkyd who had just opened a portal behind him.
"Thanks Star." Robin said shortly, pushing his way back to his feet.
"Aw, look at that, the super girl saving her man." Gizmo said from his place above the scene.
"He sure didn't seem too appreciative though, did he?" See-More added. Starfire spared him half a glance before unleashing a barrage of Star bolts upon him, but when the smoke cleared, See-More was protected by a pink bubble that retracted into his eye following the attack.
"Hey, I'm on your side here." See-More said. "Word on the street is you two are together, but you can bet I didn't hear it coming from him. Matter of fact, it seemed like it was pretty hush, hush intel." Starfire's eyes began to glow a solid green.
"It is for security purposes that our relationship has not been made public outside of Japan, and that has nothing to do with this." She growled. See-More grinned.
"Security reasons? Please, like someone would kidnap you to get to him? Hasn't that sorta happened already, long before you guys were together? That seems like a pretty lame excuse to me. There must be something else behind it. Hmmm, I wonder what it could be." Starfire did not see Kyd Wykkyd teleport See-More away before she slammed into the ground, all the way to the subway train running underneath.
"Well, it looks like this little team of yours is having some trouble." Gizmo said. Robin snarled and launched an attack of bombs on him. Gizmo glided away from them easily.
"Maybe someone's leader skills aren't up to par. Matter of fact, we've done some digging, and everyone's issues, lead right back to you." Gizmo laughed from above Robin's head.
"Jinx." Robin growled.
"Hey there Rae Rae, how have things been going?" Jinx said in a fake sweet voice. Raven rolled her eyes, she had not bothered putting her hood up.
"Why are you doing this Jinx?" she asked blandly. Jinx's smile vanished. She looked around her. Mammoth had already taken care of Cyborg, and Billy had Beast Boy all wrapped up, so both of them were watching. Jinx had instructed them not to interfere, but this wasn't exactly what she had in mind.
"Why do you ask?" Jinx asked, her voice tight. Raven raised a curious eyebrow at her. Jinx looked between Mammoth and Billy, unsure of what to do. Raven looked around to her fellow titans, all in trouble, and all being defeated. For a brief moment she smirked, and Jinx knew she was in trouble.
"Well, there must be a reason for you to want such thorough and humiliating revenge on us." She prompted. Jinx growled at her.
"I've always wanted to see you high and mighty titans go down. Duh, I've only been attacking you for years." She said, staring Raven down.
"True, but why now? Is it revenge?" Raven said silkily.
"Of course it's revenge. We've been trying to find a way to get you back ever since Cyborg betrayed us."
"But it's not Cyborg you claimed as your sole challenge. It's not Cyborg you're fighting now. No Jinx, this isn't revenge for betrayal. This is a woman scorned, isn't it?" Jinx stomped her foot in rage.
"Would everyone stop saying that!? I am not a woman scorned alright! You can have him, he's yours, I don't want him! That's why he's with you in the first place, because I didn't want him! This has nothing to do with you, and nothing to do with him!" And then she couldn't control it. There was a huge flash of pink, and the street was crumbling beneath all of them. Jinx barely had a second to look down at the eroding asphalt beneath her feet before she was on solid ground, what looked like two blocks west of where she had just been. She looked up in shock just in time to see Cyborg being dropped into view…
"Well now that wasn't part of the plan." Kid Flash said, smiling at Jinx, who rolled her eyes and glared at him.
Ok, so I'm going to Costa Rica for a month, and I know it's awful of me to leave with this mini cliff hanger, but I'm sorry!!! I promise that the first thing I'll do when I get home on June 11th is write Chapter 11! Ha, yeah number 11. Anyway, I'm procrastinating a ten page final paper that is due in 8 hours and doesn't even have a topic to write this, so I should wrap it up. Stay excited my friends, we're near the end. Next time: all will be revealed. It's the last chapter!
STL