Hey, ppl! Here it is, the moment you've all (or some of you, anyway) been waiting for, CHAPTER 11! (presses button on a tape recorder; prerecorded applause begins) Thank you, thank you!
Okay, anywayz, this is a longer chapter, maybe even the longest one I've written so far. I'm going to dedicate this to three people: don46 (who has written two great stories BTW, check 'em out when you're done here), my friend from school, SJB, aka TesSa-MaRkOv (who has three ultra-annoying stories SHE HAD BETTER UPDATE!!!), and my younger brother (who will be known as Gun Show), as he inspired two spots in this chapter. :)
Disclaimer:
Me: I so own Teen Titans.
Robin: (in backround) Ahem.
Me: Er... maybe not... (under breath) but I could so take Robin...
Robin: (now directly behind me; in a threatening voice) What was that?
Me: (to Analysha) NOW!
Robin: Oh, crap...
So, with him... er, I mean, that out of the way, I'll just let you read now, 'kay?
Somehow, although Analysha could see that he was still extremely tense, Beast Boy had managed to relax enough to actually fall asleep. He was leaning against the far wall of the cell she had him in, breathing softly. She quietly opened the door, freezing as he stirred. After a few moments, when he didn't move again, she deemed it safe to go near him. She knelt down next to him, examining his wounds. Whatever Slade had done to him to stop him from fighting back against the Sladebots, the damage had been extensive. He was bruised, and had several rather deep cuts. She took all of this into account, then left the cell momentarily and closed the door behind her, searching for the items she would need.
She finally found the first aid kit, opened it, and made a disgusted noise when she saw the contents of the tin. There was a half-empty box of band-aids, a set of matches (what they could be used for, she wasn't certain), a rather disgusting looking roll of used bandage, and a bottle marked 'Medication' in scrawled handwriting. She opened said bottle and smelled the contents cautiously, lest it be chloroform. It was decidedly not chloroform, but smelled suspiciously like alcohol. She screwed the lid back on and put the substance back in the first aid kit. She stuck the small white box back where she had found it, and instead grabbed her jacket. When her superior had informed her she was headed to the past, she had had little time to pack. However, she had grabbed the hoodie jacket, a pair of bluejeans, and her other pair of gloves, just in case she needed to disguise herself, before they left. The green skin was kind of a dead give away that she wasn't normal, so she needed an outfit that completely covered it.
It had actually been kind of humorous when they had showed up at Warp's doorstep.
Knock, knock. Her superior rapped heavily on the door. After a few seconds, a man with a goatee and a bizarre metallic gold outfit opened the door a crack.
"Who's there?" he asked in a cranky voice.
"I believe it would be in your best interests to let us in, Warp."
The man stepped out onto the front porch, an indignant look on his face. "No one tells Warp what to do!" he thundered.
Analysha didn't even looked up as the man who had murdered her father grabbed Warp by the neck and began to choke him. "I said, let us in." Warp managed to nod his head. He dropped him. Warp slowly picked himself up, then entered his dwelling, leaving the door open. His two visitors followed, the man before the child.
Warp looked quizzically at the kid before him. They were staring at the ground, preventing him from seeing any identifying features. Their skin was completely covered by the clothing they were wearing, a jacket with a hood, and a pair of long bluejeans. Their hands were thrust into their pockets, and they were standing behind the chair the man was sitting in.
"Go ahead and sit," said Warp, already in an uncomfortable position. This teen hovering around didn't make him feel any better. They made no move. The man in the chair nodded slightly, making a gesture toward the nearest chair. This time they sat down, moving quickly but gracefully. In the movement, Warp caught a small flash of the skin on the child's face. He instantly pressed himself further into the chair he was sitting in, horror evident in his features. "Beast Boy?!" he yelped, unable to believe what he thought he had seen. The teen's head tipped up slightly, and though their face was still shrouded by shadow, a smile was clearly visible on their face, the light catching their pointy fangs. "Th-that's n-not possible! You d-died! It w-was all-all over the news!" the terrified man stuttered.
"Calm yourself," said the other man coolly. "That is not Beast Boy." He nodded slightly at the hooded figure on the couch, and immediately their hands, which were an unmistakable shade of green, came out of their pockets and grabbed their hood, pulling it down and revealing a green-faced teenage girl. "This…" he said, sweeping his hand in an extravagant motion toward the girl, who still hadn't moved, "… is Analysha, the assassin."
"It is a… pleasure… to make your acquaintance." Her voice was icy and hard, from years of experience in this killing game, yet still held the softness of a teenage girl. She looked up at him; her bright and striking emerald eyes making uncomfortably intense contact with him, making him squirm slightly. A smile played across her face at his discomfort. When he finally managed to break his eyes away from hers, he addressed the man.
"What brings you to my home?" he asked, getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach. If they were here to kill him, they wouldn't have knocked, or introduced themselves, or wasted this much time. But he was still nervous around an assassin.
"We require the use of a particular device of yours… the Time Vortex, I believe?" His nervousness suddenly vanished and was replaced with vexation.
"No one may use that save me!" he exclaimed. The man nodded again at the teenage girl, giving an unspoken command. Instantly, she was on her feet and at Warp's throat with a set of claws that had grown from her fingers.
"My superior has asked politely. I shall not. We will use this device, with or without your consent. And I would advise you give your consent." She gave him a forceful shove toward the wall, sending him flying into it. She sat back down and acted as though nothing had happened.
After that, Warp had decided it was indeed in his best interests to give them what they wanted, and had done so. Shaking her thoughts away and focusing on the task at hand, she slipped the jacket on, then changed her gloves and jeans. She pulled the hood up over her head, and started walking. Once she was out of the cave, she switched to a hawk and flew out over the city, searching for a safe place to land. After much circling, she found a dark alley and touched down into the shadows, shifting back into her human form.
"Hey, kid," came the slurred voice of a drunkard, "Doncha know it ain't safe to be out all by yerself?" She sighed, then turned to face the intoxicated man that had addressed her.
"Yes, I am fully aware of that fact, sir. I believe that you have had too much to drink and should return to either the bar or your house." The man laughed.
"Heh, yeah I guess so. Da wife's pro'bly worried sick…" He looked up at her, a stupid grin plastered to his face. "You got a wife?" he asked, and then… promptly passed out. Analysha shook her head, then walked up to the man and grabbed his wallet out of his shirt pocket. She ignored the ID and opened the cash pocket. She slipped out a fifty –somebody's got money to burn, she thought idly- and then spread the contents of his wallet on the ground, making it appear that a common thief had been riffling through his belongings.
She decided quickly leave the alleyway, lest any heroes be roaming the– "So, you give him advice, then rob him?"- streets. Great. Analysha turned toward the male, mechanized-sounding voice. A teenage boy, approximately Robin's height, was perched atop a lamppost. He was clad all in black, save his mask, gloves and belt, and the red X on his chest. His mask was also mostly black, however, his face was that of a white skull, another red X adorning his forehead. His gloves and belt were gray. He had most likely been watching her the whole time. He jumped down, his cape swirling behind him as he landed gracefully on the ground. He was fully in the light now, stopping him from being able to see the… rather strange hue of her skin. She reached up and pulled her hood down, hoping to stop the light from hitting her teeth. "Give me what you stole," he said, extending his gray-gloved hand. She clutched the cash closer to her person and took a step backward. If she could get far enough away that he wouldn't see her change… but alas, he came forward two steps.
"Why would I give it to you? You'd probably just keep it," she spat. He took another step closer.
"You're right. Now hand it over."
"No." His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
"You obviously don't know who you're dealing with." She could practically feel his smirk beneath his mask. She yanked her wrist away from him with surprising strength.
"Neither do you. Now leave me alone." She turned to go, only to realize he was standing in front of her. Her green eyes narrowed. A teleporter. Her hand instinctively went to her waist for her dagger, only to remember she had taken off all of her weapons because Beast Boy had wanted her to. She smiled. "That's a cool trick. Want me to show you mine?"
His masked eyes widened as she suddenly became a tiger, leaping at him with all her strength. She pinned him to the ground and was wrapping around him as a cobra before he could react, crushing his lungs. Suddenly, he grabbed something out of his belt and stuck it to her side. A mild jolt of electricity flowed through her body, causing her to release him and fall way. The small device fell from her side as she subconsciously shifted back to her human form. She raised her head to look at him as they both simultaneously got off the ground.
"Hmm. Mild electrical shocks to disable shape-shifting. You were expecting the Titans? That means you must be against them," she analyzed quickly. "Which would explain the interest in my… gains. Who are you anyway?"
"I'm-"
"No, wait, let me guess." She was trying to think of what Serinoya would say to this guy who obviously had a red X theme going on. Her eyes lit up. That was it! "Judging by the red X on your chest," she jabbed him in the center of it with her index finger, "and this one on your forehead," she poked him again, "they probably call you… oh, I don't know… The Blue Circle?" She could practically feel the annoyance rolling off of this guy. He made a disgusted noise and turned to go.
"Name's Red X. And keep the cash," he called over his shoulder. Then he disappeared into the shadows. She smiled, feeling victorious.
Analysha walked calmly into the store, feeling slightly tense as the little string of bells clanged against the door as she opened it and jingled happily, announcing to the whole world her presence. Under the ultra-bright florescent lights, which had an annoying buzz that probably only she heard, she felt horribly exposed, even with all of her skin covered by clothing. She tugged the hood a little further down her face, desperate to hide her features. She walked to the counter and asked where the first aid kits where, lowering her voice slightly in an attempt to disguise it.
"Oh!" gushed the way-too-happy girl at the counter, "are you sure you wouldn't rather have some jewelry? Or maybe some clothes? I know this really cute top…" Her voice trailed off, obviously trying to think of another sales pitch that probably included make-up or some other girly horror. She had an idea. Her jacket didn't show off her figure at all… she silently wondered if she had spoken low enough to pull this off… but as the bubbly woman started talking again, she decided anything was worth a shot.
"Uh, lady?" she said, her voice going even lower than she had thought possible, "I'm a dude. Couldja just tell me where ta go?" It killed her to talk like that, but it worked.
"I'm so sorry, sir," said the woman, a blush creeping across her face, "The first aid kits are that way," she finished, pointing her hand in the right direction. Giving a sigh of relief, she sauntered away, towards the place the lady had indicated. There were several first aid kits on the self. She took down a largish one, then, looking around to ensure the absence of security cameras, slipped off her right glove and slit the plastic open to get a good look at the contents. Satisfied with the extent of the items in the box (it was definitely going to be more help than the one she had found earlier), she pulled her glove back on, slipped in under her arm, and started back toward the checkout lane, careful to avoid the annoyingly happy cashier's gaze as she scanned the item. "That'll be twelve seventy-five," she said, holding her hand out to receive the payment. Analysha cautiously placed the fifty in the woman's hand, inwardly cringing when she got a strange look from her. "…Out of fifty," she finished slowly. "Thirty-seven twenty five is your change." The woman thrust the money into her hands and she pocketed it without counting it out.
"Thanks," she mumbled after grabbing the first aid kit.
"Glad you found what you were looking for!" the woman called after her as she practically ran out of the store, the uncertainty still audible in her voice. She checked to make sure it was latched closed, then turned into a hawk and took off toward the cave again.
Beast Boy woke up, every part of his body sore, partly due to the odd sleeping position he had assumed. He stood up shakily, looking around for signs of his captor. She was nowhere to be seen. He let out a sigh of relief, then decided to survey his surroundings as best he could from his current position. There was a small light fixture attached to the ceiling of the larger room, casting a dim light over the whole area. He discovered that this was not the only jail cell in the area, as the larger room on the other side of his door had a single row that went all the way around the walls. Half of the doors were broken and rusted, but his and several others had been well kept.
His eyes caught the pile of weapons, which reminded him that he wasn't in the best of company. He grasped the bars with one hand, and leaned as far forward as he could, trying to reach one of the weapons. His arm was a good foot away from even dreaming of reaching the pile, and his shoulder was beginning to hurt. He tried to change into something with longer arms, but whatever Slade had done to him to prevent him from using his powers was still having an effect on him. He pulled back and sighed, sitting down and crossing his arms over his chest, looking much like a pouting child.
He heard laughter.
"Did you honestly think I would put those somewhere you could reach?" He looked up, his hands dropping to his sides, a slight blush creeping across his face at having been caught in such a pathetic attempt.
"No, but a guy can dream, can't he?" She laughed again, though quieter this time.
"I suppose so." She walked closer to the cell, a white box with a familiar red cross on it in her hands. She opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind her with a 'click.'
"Why'd you lock it?" whined Beast Boy.
"For two simple reasons. One, I don't want you escaping, and-"
"But you can't get out either," he pointed out.
"-and, as I was saying, two, I can still change into something small enough to slip through the bars. You, however, cannot," she finished, crouching down beside him. Without another word, she opened the box and took out the most feared content: disinfectant. Beast Boy gave a little yelp when she grabbed his arm, cloth armed with disinfectant in hand. She rolled her eyes. "Hold still. This is going to sting a little."
"A little?" he whimpered.
"Yes, a little," she said. "I'm going to put this on on the count of three. One, two." And with that, she firmly pressed the cloth to the first wound. He looked at her, surprised.
"You said three!" he objected, trying to pull his arm away.
"I lied. Oh, quit being such a baby," she said as he continued to squirm. "It isn't that painful."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've had to do it to myself hundreds of times." Her eyes met his for a split second, then both of them refocused on the cut. She removed the cloth and wrapped it, quickly moving to the next one. She noticed he inhaled sharply when she pressed the cloth to his injury, but made no other complaint. She cleaned the worst of his cuts, then stood, looking satisfied. She held her hand out and helped him to his feet. She smiled as he tested her work, bending his arms carefully. "Better?" she asked, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice as he stuck several poses designed for very muscular men.
"Yeah," he said, still flexing his fake muscles. His hands dropped to his sides. "Thanks…" he said quietly. She dropped to the ground as a snake and slithered out of the cell. She grew back to human size.
"You're welcome," Analysha said.
"Wow," said Beast Boy suddenly, "this is kinda ironic."
"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.
"I mean, you're, like, an assassin! And just now, you were acting like a mom!" Analysha thought about what he had said, then laughed.
"Yes, I suppose I was." Seeing that she had, Beast Boy laughed too. A sad smile crossed her face, seeing his light up like that. It reminded her so much of the way her father had acted the night he…
Beast Boy stopped laughing, and was now looking at Analysha, a concerned look on his face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, both hands on the bars, leaning as far forward as he could, as though getting closer would allow him to find out what was wrong with her. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine," she mumbled finally. Her hand went to her neck, fingering what appeared to be a necklace. The pendant caught the dim light; it appeared to have something engraved on it.
"What's that?" he heard himself ask. She looked up at him, her face surprised.
"What? This? It's my necklace. I got it from…" Her voice trailed off.
Heh, heh. I know it's an evil place to leave it off, but, hey. I am SJB's evil twin. (Inside joke)
Oh! Speaking of SJB, she helped me write a little bit of this chapter. I had a part that sucked, and I knew it, so I called her up, emailed it to her, and she helped me fix it! Big thank you! All of you who aren't SJB, get yourself a friend like her! She rox my sox!
Anywayz, please review!