Chapter 10: Ultimatum

Jinx hurried to the gym the minute she'd finished her breakfast. It was only fifteen past eight yet she already had a bad feeling about her former classmates' well-beings. She'd realized from the start that Cyborg wouldn't take kindly to the situation of the enemy sleeping below them and worried about what kind of ordeals they were going through. Along the way, she passed by Raven who already had her nose in a book and gave a slight wave before she nearly bumped into Beast Boy...wearing nothing but a towel. She covered her eyes as he let out a loud-pitched squeal and darted back into his room. Jinx found herself thankful that she hadn't seen anything. Otherwise, she was sure Wally would have a fit.

Passing by the bathroom, she stopped dead in her tracks both hands flying to her nose when a particularly pungent smell hit her at full force. And it just so happened to be when Starfire was walking by.

"Good morning Friend!" she beamed, obviously unaware of the stench.

"Morning Starfire. Um, what is that smell?" she asked from behind her hand.

"I have recently acquired a new set of the perfume from the mall of shopping and have applied some this morning. Lovely, is it not?"

"Not, definitely not! Just what did you put on?" she asked, causing Starfire's smile to drop off her face.

"The Lively Lavender," she responded, holding out a purple bottle in an upturned palm. Jinx graciously accepted the bottle and gave a light sniff. Surprisingly, the scent didn't send her recoiling like before.

"Starfire, how much did you put on?"

"Well, I applied two sprays to the neck just as the woman of sales showed me, a spray to the wrist, a spray to the chest, and one for the face just for good measure."

Jinx frowned, putting her face in her hand. "You're supposed to only use one spray, or else the smell becomes way too strong. No offence Starfire, but you reek! I suggest you take another bath if you want to get that stuff off."

"Ooooh," Starfire answered slowly before smiling vibrantly once again. "Thank you, I shall take your advice to the heart!" she responded vibrantly before continuing onward.

"Right," Jinx muttered, although she was sure the other girl hadn't heard her. As she turned back towards her destination, she couldn't help but snicker when she heard Robin's voice.

"Oh, morning Star- GAH, what's that smell?!"

However, she'd yet to see any sign of the metal man currently in charge of her previous team. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. There was only one way to find out. At last, she found herself standing in front of the large, grey retractable door labeled GYM, the only thing separating her from the ones she currently she sought. At the moment, the hallway was silent, no screaming or yelling or groaning, nothing to hint at what might be going on in there. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Jinx took a step forward and just like that, the door opened. And that's when the screaming began. She figured the doors must be sound proof because noise covered every inch of the place. Apparently the pandemonium had already begun. Off to the side, Cyborg stood confidently, looking perfectly relaxed as he observed the scene in front of him. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for all the others. Mammoth was currently holding up what appeared to be a weight machine stacked to the ceiling with weights. Sweat was practically pouring down his face, which had turned red, in streams and every inch of his body shook under the load. Billy was doing pull-ups about twenty feet in the air with not even a safety net underneath him! He grunted as he fought to pull himself up, counting off some number, though his voice was so garbled she could hardly understand what he'd just said. Angel looked about ready to collapse on the treadmill considering how fast it was moving while See-More teetered back and forth, limbs shaking from the number of items he was balancing. Kyd Wykkyd dangled lamely from a wall filled with holes, struggling to catch his breath. Inwardly, Jinx cringed. They'd been at the tower for only a few hours at most and already Cyborg was giving them hell. Letting out a light sigh the sorceress made her way over to the smug instructor, who continued to bask in his authority.

"So, I see you've already put them to work," she said once she'd reached him, crossing her arms.

"Oh, you're up. Heh heh, you bet I am! Nothing like a good morning workout to get the blood flowing," Cyborg responded eagerly.

"Not that I mind a little exercise in the morning, but don't you think you're overdoing it maybe just a little?" she asked, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Are you kidding? This is the easy stuff! We'll get into the harder stuff later on!"

"And exactly how long are they supposed to do this for?"

"A couple of hours."

Jinx huffed. "I don't mean to undermine your authority but maybe you should switch to something different to give them a little bit of a break."

"Hold that thought," Cyborg said before scooping up a tiny pile of dirt that had collected on the floor. Making his way over to Mammoth whose eyes were now squeezed shut from the strain he held up the little pile in an upturned palm, took a deep breath, and blew onto it, releasing the dirt into the air. Almost immediately after, the drenched giant's nose began to twitch uncontrollably. After a couple of light breathes and a loud inhale, Mammoth exploded!

"AH-CHOOOOO!" he practically yelled. The force of the sneeze was so strong, it sent him flying backwards and off his feet barely avoiding the stack of weights that came crashing down due to nothing but air supporting it. He tumbled backwards, almost in a summersault, towards the back of the room and coming to rest when his back collided with the pull-up bar that Billy currently hung from. In fact, the impact was so strong Billy lost his grip and came falling back down to Earth, his collar giving off an intense metallic noise as it stuck to the magnets below. The vibrations were enough to make See-More lose whatever balance he'd had before. The bowls and books went flying as he flailed his arms about in an attempt to stop his imminent fall but to no avail. He crashed to the floor in a heap where he rubbed his head for the third time today considering it was past midnight when they'd arrived at the tower.

Jinx couldn't help but wince at the pain they all must have felt at the moment. She swore she heard Billy mutter something relating to a chicken with its neck broken as he fought to pull his head off the floor with little success. The magnet was too strong. So distracted was she that she didn't notice one of the bowls rolling away off to the side until it was too late. All hearts jumped when a startling scrapping sound reached their ears. The bowl had somehow lodged itself in-between the floor and the spinning belt of the treadmill Angel ran on. The snag brought the machine to a sudden halt, throwing its user forward onto the metal bar in front of her. Angel collapsed to the floor clutching her midsection, eyes squeezed shut in pain. The only Brightside was that the impact caused the metal ring on her wings to snap in two.

But just as things couldn't get any worse, the force of the belt dragged the bowl underneath it, popping it out the other end, sending it flying a dozen feet into the air. The bowl hovered at the top of the arch for a second before smashing into the wall in the opposite direction…the same wall Kyd Wykkyd happened to be climbing. Luckily, he ducked just in time to avoid it hitting him right behind the head but at a cost. The action caused his two sticks to come loose, sending him plummeting back first towards the ground below where he landed with a sickening crack. He lay still on the ground before coughing while gasping as the wind was knocked right out of him.

"Alright then," said Cyborg who stood idly by just watching the scene unfold. He dusted the rest of the dirt off his hands. "Now we can move on to something else," he finished, paying no heed as Jinx stared at him with wide eyes and mouth agape.

"Aren't you going to help them?!" she asked incredulously.

"Naw, walk it off, they'll be fine."

"Alright recruits, time for the next exercise," the self-proclaimed sergeant announced. At first there was no response. His eye twitched in annoyance. "Can I get a 'YES SIR!'?"

"…yes sir," was the lame response he received. Jinx couldn't help but clasp the bridge of her nose in frustration. Here they were all lined up and in pain and Cyborg was worried about a stupid military response? Mammoth continued to rub his nose in irritation after that huge sneeze but thankfully that seemed to be the worst of his problems. Billy was attempting to massage his neck from the hard crash but the collar around his neck made it difficult. At the same time, Angel continued to keep her arms crossed across her midsection, particularly under her chest where the ring had previously been. Next to her, See-More rubbed the back of his head where he'd bonked it on the floor when he'd fallen from the balance beam prior to now. After so many hits Jinx was sure his head had more bruises than an apple. Then again, he definitely had it better than Kyd Wykkyd who was still struggling to stand up straight. Now his had been a nasty fall. At the moment his back remained hunched over. Apparently Cyborg refused to take any notice of this to Jinx's annoyance.

"Mammoth, get your butt over here!" he called. Mammoth grumbled and sent a glare his way before finally dragging his feet over. Cyborg nodded. "The rest of you pair up!"

"Be my partner Wykkyd?" See-More asked. Kyd Wykkyd tapped his shoulder once in consent. With no other options, Angel and Billy shrugged at each other and paired up as well.

Satisfied, the half-robot continued. "Now then, I want one from each pair to step forward!" Billy and Kyd Wykkyd stepped forward without any complaints. "Alright, for this exercise I've got some good news," he paused for a dramatic effect, "and some bad news.

"The good news is some of you will get a short break and some time to relax." The group didn't even bother to hide their relief. "The bad news is that the rest of you will be in for quite the workout! Now, those of you who just stepped forward, I want you down on the ground on all fours, NOW!" he yelled. Billy and Wykkyd were down in a heartbeat. Cyborg then turned to Mammoth. "That means you too big guy!" At first, Mammoth didn't budge only continued to glare at the metal man. To say that he was tempted to knock his head off was an understatement. Cyborg only returned the glare with just as much vigor. For a few seconds, the two were locked in a staring contest, neither one backing down. "I gave you an order." Cyborg said slowly and sharply through clenched teeth. When he still didn't move, Cyborg inwardly prepped himself for an attack or outburst. Not that he was worried in the least, for either one would only confirm his opinions on the matter of vigilantes becoming "heroes". But to his surprise, neither came. Instead, Mammoth broke eye contact and lowered himself until he too had both hands planted on the ground.

"Good," he whispered to himself. "You two!" he cried, looking over at See-More and Angel. They jumped in surprise at being addressed. "Come over here and stand next to your partners." They complied. "I want you two to climb onto your partners' back with both legs crossed."

"Huh?!"

"Say what?!"

"!"

"Did I stutter or something? You heard me; I want you on their backs this instant!"

Eventually they recovered from the shock of the command and did as they were told though hesitant at first. Angel easily pulled herself onto Billy's back, careful to avoid his neck. See-More attempted to climb onto Wykkyd's back while causing as little discomfort as possible but the in the end his effort was all in vain. As for Mammoth, Cyborg found a bunch of weights and strapped them to his back with chains, leaving him with five teens before him, either exhausted, confused, or both. Mammoth, Billy, and Kyd Wykkyd looked up at Cyborg shakily from the floor awaiting further instruction. He pointed to the far end of the room. "You three are going to carry your cargo to the other end of the room and back until I deem you done for the day. Easy and straightforward. Got it?" All they did was nod pitifully this time. "Good. NOW GET MOVING!"

And so, after one big collected sigh, the teens trudged onwards at a snail's pace. By this time the other titans had arrived to watch the scene as well as gauge progress. Beast Boy was having a hard time holding back his laughter which was not helping in the least. Starfire watched curiously, tilting her head slightly in confusion. "Why are they mimicking the walk of a Tamaranean flarnop?" she asked Robin who stood next to her. Raven didn't appear to be interested at all and instead devoted time to the book she had brought along. Kid Flash watched idly with Jinx, one arm thrown over her shoulder. Jinx herself kept her arms crossed and eyes narrowed, obviously not pleased in the least.

"Hey Billy?"

"Yup, See-More?"

"How long do you think we've been doing this exercise now?"

"Whelp, 'ccordin' to the sun through them window, I'd say 'bout two an'a half hours."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Gah, hey Angel?" Billy asked through light pants.

"Yeah?"

"Didn't ya tell me that ya once did them fancy-pants dance? Ballet?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Off to the side, See-More easily overheard the conversation and shook his head. He knew what was coming. "Billy I suggest you shut up and don't answer that!"

Of course, Billy ignored him. "Well, aren't ballet dancers 'sposed ta be real lightweight and slim for-,"

"Excuse me?" Angel snapped.

If he hadn't been holding on so tight, See-More would have face-palmed himself. "I warned you, man!"

"Are you trying to say that you think I'm fat?"

"Naw, I'm jist sayin' yer awfully heavy fer such a little lady- oof!" Billy cried as she sent a sharp kick into his side.

"Say that one more time, I dare you!" she threatened.

"Well, maybe ya could stand ta lose a'couple a pounds off yer ribs, ya know."

"Oh is that so?" Angel replied sarcastically. "Well, let's see what you've got tough guy!" In an instant her wings had enlarged to over ten times their usual size flowing outward from behind the pair. Billy's pace slowed exponentially.

"Suddenly I wish I were tuggin' along that darn bridge instead," he muttered.

"Told ya to keep your mouth shut," See-More reminded him again.

"Yeah, yeah. How's yer horse holdin' up?"

See-More peered down at Kyd Wykkyd who continued slowly without a sound. Though he couldn't really see him without his helmet, See-More could tell from the tension in his muscles and the cold sweat pouring down his back that his partner was in a lot of pain. And it worried him.

"Boy Wykkyd, ya don't look so good," Billy commented, confirming his fears aloud.

It was true. The fall along with other factors had taken its toll on him. Though their teammate had always been pale to begin with, at the moment his normally grey skin was almost white as a sheet. His red eyes that glowed brightest in the dark shadows, his comfort zone, now seemed dull and glazed over from a mixture of pain and lack of sleep. Beads of sweat that had gathered on his brow now poured down his bare face causing his black hair to stick to his skin. His breathing had become quick and dry as he struggled to stay up. But after three steps more, his arms finally gave way and he fell to the floor shaking like a leaf.

"Whoa!" See-More cried out in surprise as his ride caved in. He scrambled to get up. "Hey, you okay Pal?" he asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. Kyd Wykkyd however didn't make any effort to answer. In an instant, Angel and Billy were at his side as well, concern etched onto their features. Only Mammoth continued on, unable to stand with the weights on his back.

"Hey, who told you to stop?!"

The three jumped as they heard their sergeant call them out.

"Kyd Wykkyd's not doing so well," Angel replied calmly as Cyborg made his way over to where they'd congregated. "I think he needs some rest."

"I think he needs to get his butt off the ground and finish the exercise. The day is barely even halfway through and none of you have even done anything that difficult yet!" Cyborg argued.

Angel glanced upward. "Well, could we possibly turn the lights off? Direct exposure to light weakens him after a while and I think the dark may help a little bit."

Cyborg glared. "We are not turning off any of the lights in here! For all I know, you could just be pulling a fast one on us."

"Cyborg, maybe we should just turn them off, it couldn't hurt. Besides, it is a little bright in here," Robin pointed out.

"Are you kidding Robin?! We soften up now, and they'll just keep asking for more leniency. Heck, he could be faking right now," Cyborg hissed in a loud whisper to his leader.

"I don't know Dude, looks real enough to me," Beast Boy stated. The others nodded in agreement.

"No, I'm telling you something is up! I'm not sure what, but I've got a feeling the moment we decide-,"

"JUST TURN THEM OFF IT'S JUST THE STUPID LIGHTS!"

Everyone froze. An outburst like that had certainly been unexpected. Jinx didn't even know that she herself had done it until all eyes were directed at her. Even Raven had looked up from her book to see who'd screamed. Kid Flash had pulled his arm off her shoulder he was so surprised. However, the odd looks along with the angry ones did nothing to dampen her resolve. She had just stuck her neck out on the cutting board and there was no way she was going to pull it back now. Cyborg looked back at her, his eyes narrowing into slits until finally he made his way over to the control panel on the wall and punched in a few buttons. Above their heads, the lights in the room began to dim until they were nothing but a light glow that barely illuminated the place. Looking back over to the former H.I.V.E. students Jinx felt the load on her mind lighten slightly and let out a sigh of relief. Kyd Wykkyd appeared to be breathing better now and after a few seconds more he was sitting up, eyes regaining their lost glow.

"Alright, you've got your wish, now get back to it!" Cyborg commanded.

Without another word, the students did as they were told and continued the strenuous exercise. Once they had, Cyborg looked to Jinx, the displeasure blatant in his stare. Though he hadn't said it aloud, the message he was relaying was painfully obvious. They needed to talk. Now. Good, I've been waiting for this, she thought.

"Hey Robin, think you and the others could keep watch for a few minutes?" Cyborg asked.

"Of course," he answered.

"Thanks. Let's go," he nodded to her before making his way towards the door that led outside. After reassuring Kid Flash that everything would be okay, she followed.

Once they'd made their way outside of the room and door slid shut, closing them off from the rest of the group, the second in command of the titans turned towards the pink sorceress, arms crossed expectantly. "Well, care to tell me what that was all about in there?" he asked.

"Gladly! You're being way too hard on them! Not even the titans do any of these workouts you're making them do and you know it!" Jinx argued back.

"What I'm doing is trying to assess how badly they want to join the Teen Titans. We have to consider what they've done in the past and show them that becoming a part of the team is not as easy as it seems," Cyborg reasoned.

"It was easy enough for me."

"That's different. Jinx, you saved Kid Flash from Madame Rouge. You fought alongside us against the Brotherhood of Evil. You defeated one of their greatest opponents, one that none of us were able to defeat, not even Robin our leader. As I've said before, you've proved you're more than worthy of joining the team," he recited. "But these guys, they haven't done a single thing to prove they're worth recruiting. The only reason they came to us was because they were tired of getting their cans kicked time after time. Think about what could happen if we'd just handed them communicators and said 'Congratulations, you're a titan!' They could easily turn around and stab us in the back without a second thought. It's what they do!"

"You don't know that! You don't know them!" she stressed.

"They kidnapped you in the middle of the night!"

"How else were they supposed to talk to me?! Ring the doorbell? I'm sure that would have gone well!"

"Jinx, I was at the academy long enough to know that they're bad news!"

Jinx's eyes narrowed. "You just don't want them to join."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. I can tell from the way you speak about them."

Cyborg grabbed his head in frustration. "Jinx, at the academy, I saw their true natures, the way they acted. To them, the world is one big target!"

"I was at the academy way before you ever showed up. They aren't all about crime! You claim that you know enough about them when you don't know a single thing. Like me, they have potential to become heroes too they just need the chance to prove it!"

At this, Cyborg grew silent. Jinx didn't bother to continue, instead took the time to let her words sink in. Meanwhile, the metal man was deep in thought. He could see where Jinx was coming from. While he'd originally thought he had the H.I.V.E. all figured out, what happened back in the gym with Kyd Wykkyd was proof that his knowledge on them was still limited. Weakened by light? Now that was a new one. If that was all it took to slow him down, he wondered what else they were hiding. He'd had no idea that See-More's helmet served as more than just a weapon. And he'd only now seen the extent of the winged girl's- Angel, was it? –power to expand her wings. And just like that, Cyborg found himself wanting to know more. Behind their masks and aliases who were they really?

Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Jinx who stood there waiting for him to respond. Clearing his throat, he said, "Alright then, what do you suppose we do about this?"

"I've got one idea," she said, a look of determination across her features. He nodded to let her know he was listening. "Let me join them in this."

His eyebrows rose as high as they would go. Now that was unexpected. "May I ask why?"

"This way I can get closer to them and maybe learn what their true motives are. And maybe I can get them to trust me and warm up a little to the rest of you," Jinx explained.

What she said made sense, at least in his opinion. She was also probably forcing him to tone down the workout out of loyalty to a friend, but he didn't bother voicing that out loud. Still, it wasn't a bad plan and it was worth a shot. But there were also drawbacks. "You do realize that if you want to gain their trust and get them to open up to you, you'll have to share living conditions. That includes sleeping when and where they sleep, eating what they eat, and going through the same workout routine."

"I understand. I'll show you that there's more to them than crime if it's the last thing I do!"

"And what if it turns out they aren't the hero material you claim they are?"

"I promise that at least one of them is titan material! If not…" she swallowed nervously, "…if none of them become Teen Titans then neither will I. I'll quit the team and never try to join again," Jinx replied with a voice that shouted she really meant it.

"You don't have to-,"

"Yes I do." Her mind was made up.

"…Alright then. You've got five chances," the metal man said, extending his hand towards her. She took it and they shook, closing the deal. "I promise not to tell the others about this."

A simply "thanks" was all she could say. With this new deal in place, things had just gotten more serious. Now not only were here classmates' futures on the line but so was hers. She just hoped she'd made the right decision, and that no matter what happened, hoped that Wally would forgive her in the end.

Readers: OMG IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!
Me: ...me sorry!

I know right, a new chapter! Hope it was worth the wait! And don't forget to vote on the poll at the top of the page of my profile! I need feedback!

I just recently started watching Green Lantern: the animated series. It's pretty good, I recommend giving a it a watch. I love Razer X Aya, they're so cute!

Also just read Naruto chapter 614. I was bawling my eyes out! NOOOOOO, Kishimoto WHYYYYYY! TT_TT

Anyway, happy holidays, and don't forget, reviews, comments, and criticisms are greatly appreciated, just no flames! Seriously people, I really appreciate the feedback for all of you who do leave reviews!