Chapter Ten: Returning Home

"I got careless, okay? Cyborg's always been strong but I didn't think he'd have that kind of determination so soon after what I did him," Athena grumbled as two Spartans carefully lifted the wounded Legionnaire general onto a repair bed. With only one arm, one wing, and a relatively large hole through her lower body, Athena had a lot of trouble returning to base and needed to be carried most of the distance. While incapable of feeling actual pain, her frustrations with being reduced to such a paltry condition was very evident. Alongside the table, holding a large laser torch in one hand was the Legion's handyman, was the versatile Hephaestus, who was more than accustomed to Athena's temperament.

"How the hell can a technologically inferior machine like him actually manage to beat me so easily?"

"Well if you'll recall m'lady, Cyborg was built for combat. You, on the other hand, are not. Combat is a secondary function for you while your tactical and leadership subroutines are top-notch," Hephaestus explained, powering the laser cutter while paying little attention to what Athena actually was talking about. Arguably Hephaestus had the most patient out of all the generals but when you spent most of your days listening to the generals bickering about damaged armour plates and burnt out circuitry one had to develop such a trait in order to stay on everyone's good side. "Let us not forget about your back-seat personality constantly clouding your judgment."

"Damn straight," Athena nodded as she tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down onto the table by Hephaestus. "Screw toying with him. There's not going to be any mercy the next time I see that big hunk!"

"I'm believe you mean 'lunk' m'lady," Hephaestus promptly corrected.

"Um…yes. That's what I meant to say," she muttered shyly and nearly inaudibly. As always, Hephaestus maintained an air of respect and dignity with his 'patients' and simply focused on his work. First, he had to repair the damage to her central body, as it was a far more critical injury. He needed to shave off the damaged armour edges, followed by removing the severed wire, burnt circuit boards, and other damaged components. Fortunately for Athena, the energy blade simply melted and seared everything it touched, leaving a very 'clean' wound in terms of robotic damage and made it easy for Hephaestus to start repairs. The fingertips of his free hand opened up, allowing a pair of wire-thin tentacles to emerge. The narrow, more agile digits were able to slither into the smaller nooks of her infrastructure to extract the damaged components.

"Do not fret Athena. That was just the other part of you talking. The damage to your systems might be making it a little easier for her to influence your thought processes. Just try to focus on the sound of my voice."

"How long is this going to take?" she finally spoke up, more boldly this time around.

"One arm is missing, the other damaged, and you have a plasma blade wound through the lower abdomen – you're not going to be fighting any wars any time soon," he answered frankly. "I could've replaced your arms with your old ones but I had already broken those down into scrap material and I am still in the process of constructing your spare parts. Needless to say, you have chosen a poor opportunity to get yourself beaten into submission." Athena frowned at the remark but chose not to make a comment about it. Hephaestus might not be a warrior or general like Athena and her siblings but there was no refuting his competency when it came to mechanics.

"I take it that you were unsuccessful in reaching the super computer?"

"A minor setback," Athena answered. "It is nothing of concern. We move to the contingency plan and we continue with the operation. Have my brothers reported in yet?"

"Ares is already en route for the next phase of the operation and the Second Regiment has reported reaching full operational status in Europe. It should only be a few hours before Operation Prometheus begins."

"What level of resistance are we expecting?"

"Armed forces will be able to respond within an hour of combat operations. Initial resistance will be minimal at best. However, investigations have reported that this individual might be capable of hindering our operations." Hephaestus took a moment to glide back from the repair table and directed Athena's attention to an activating video screen. A young woman's image appeared upon the screen with various boxes of vital information appearing around it. At the very bottom, in large bold letters, was 'Jacqueline L'Armor'.

"Find out everything you can about this girl," Athena ordered with a malicious undertone. "Tell the Second Regiment to get their new…recruit ready for deployment. I think this little heroine might be a good first test for him."

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"We appreciate anything you can do for us Miss L'Armor. This is a very urgent matter."

"Oui, oui. Send ze plane and I'll be zere as fast as I can," Jacqueline nodded in reluctance before flicking off the screen for the video satellite conversation she was sharing with a top French official. With a heavy sigh, the girl collapsed onto her small bed and stared aimlessly at the ceiling. Though the rest of her fellow Argonauts had made temporary quarters for themselves in the Titans East Tower, Jacqueline had volunteered to stay onboard the Argo to make sure that nothing happened in their absence. Her room was humble much like herself – small pictures and newspaper articles hung from the walls while small trinkets and heirlooms of her family adorned the few, loaded bookshelves she had.

It was warm like it always was on the Argo. There was little temperature control within its halls and most of what they did have was reserved for the compartments housing heat-sensitive equipment. As such, the inhabitants relied heavily on fans for relief. She casually unzipped her vest, letting it flop open so that the fans could cool off her chest and stomach – a most enjoyable sensation to say the least. Crossing her legs, she blew her bangs out of her eyes and resumed the much-needed 'thinking' that she had forsaken so many times before.

"What am I going to do?" she muttered softly to nobody in particular. A precarious situation had fallen onto her lap and unfortunately she was reluctant to face the problematic issues that lay beneath its surface. Slowly, she reached over to the screen across from her bed and began pounding away at the keys until she finally found the computer commands she wanted.

"Come on…pick up somebody," she mentally pleaded as a little animated phone rang on the computer screen. Finally, the screen flickered to the face of Robin sitting in the Titans Tower living room.

"Afternoon Jacq, what's going on?" Robin began. Since Jacqueline did not make social calls very often Robin was certain there was something important about this one.

"Zere's…um, been a bit of a development back home," Jacqueline began slowly and delicately. "You see I sort of just got a call from some of my old family friends from back home. Zere are reports of Legionnaire troops in ze region and zey kinda want me to come and deal with it."

Robin cocked an eyebrow for a second before finally replying. "Okay that's pretty bad. What are you planning to do?"

"Well I kind of have to go but that means I have to leave my team short-handed. Plus, let's face it, if there are Legionnaire troops there I'm going to be a little short-handed," Jacqueline added before she chuckled nervously. It had always been tough for Jacqueline to admit that she was in over her head and asking for help was even harder. "I could…sort of…use some back-up. I don't want to ask Blackfire to give up another team member for this so I was kind of hoping you could spare somebody for me."

While Robin didn't totally understand Jacqueline's reluctance to ask for help, he was more than willing to give it when she finally did spit it out. She presented a strong argument – there was more to protect at the Titans East Tower than in the west and having to sacrifice another team member would be too risky. "You've kind of caught us at a bad time too. We just encountered Athena and the Legion only a few hours ago. If they're active in the city I need every hand I can get as well. Have you tried calling one of our Honourary Titans?"

"You mean call for help from people I've never really met before and certainly have never worked with before? Zere's a brilliant idea. How about I ask ze first person I see on ze streets?" Jacqueline retorted with clear reluctance to the idea. Before joining up with the Titans and Argonauts, Jacqueline was used to working entirely on her own. She had always dreamed of being a big-shot solo hero with the possibility of adopting a sidekick or partner when she was older and more experienced. Being a part of a five-person team was definitely not in her visions of the future. Nonetheless, she enjoyed the opportunity to work and live with so many close friends of hers. "And…um, zere is a chance zere are some personal matters zat might get involved. Zere are some zings I wouldn't want strangers getting involved with."

"If you don't mind me asking, what sort of personal matter don't you want them knowing about?"

"It's my father. He's a bit…um, eccentric," she explained with an embarrassed chuckle. "Zere are some lingering issues between us zat I wouldn't want strangers to get dragged into. You guys I trust and all zat and…um, you understand what I'm talking about?"

"Say no more Jacqueline. I understand entirely," Robin reassured her. Unlike most of the Titans and their allies, Jacqueline was one of the few who not only had a family but also still kept in touch with them, or him in Jacqueline's case. "I guess I could spare one member for you – but if you run into any trouble you let us know, deal?"

"Deal. I know ze Cyborg incident is difficult and I hate leaving you short-handed."

"I think the worst of it is behind us now," Robin sighed lightly. "I wonder who I should send…"

"How about Raven?"

"She's been helping Cyborg with adjusting to his new condition. I don't think it'd be a good idea to separate them right now. How about Beast Boy?"

"Zat'd be a great idea," she replied, hiding her disappointment. "Could you ask him about it? I am in a bit of a hurry."

"Just give me a second," Robin excused, putting Jacqueline on hold. In all honesty, Jacqueline really had hoped that she could have Raven accompany her on the trip. It wasn't so much about Jacqueline felt towards Raven but more that she figured Raven would be able to better handle her father's…peculiarities, not to mention the other difficulties that will arise when her father meets Beast Boy. On the bright side, at least Beast Boy would be a lot more fun to have around. Beast Boy would certainly enjoy the French countryside a lot more than Raven even though this was no time for a vacation. Tapping her chin idly, the French heroine hoped that her teammates would be okay with her sudden departure. She hated leaving her friends a hero short but Jacqueline had commitments to her homeland that she couldn't ignore.

Finally, Jacqueline's wait came to an end as Beast Boy came to deliver his answer personally. The ear-to-ear grin was enough of an answer for Jacqueline, much to her relief. "Are we really going to France?" he asked excitedly.

"Heh. I wish I could say it was under better circumstances but zat is correct," she explained to him. "If you can get over here as soon as possible, I would really appreciate it."

"I'll pack my bags immediately!" Before Jacqueline could even tell him that they wouldn't be in France for that long, Beast Boy had already sprung out of his seat and dashed off to his room. At least he was enthusiastic about it. With one problem out of the way, now came the matter of breaking the news to Blackfire and the rest of her team. Hopefully, having one less member wouldn't put the Argonauts into too much of a disadvantage. So long as nothing complicated broke down, Jacqueline's services wouldn't be needed.

Sighing softly, Jacqueline looked over to a small, framed picture that stood upon her desk. It was an old picture of her alongside her large, burly father. They both looked so happy back then. It had been years since Jacqueline had last seen her father and there had been some…unresolved issues since the last time. Jacqueline wanted to confront her father about certain things but never could get the courage to do it. She had hoped Raven could've been that emotional support for her but Beast Boy would be able to just the same.

"Guess I should get packing."

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"Wake up Beast Boy."

The light nudges against his shoulder stirred the young Titan from his lengthy afternoon nap. He let out a huge yawn and stretched in his seat before casting his gaze out the window. Sure enough, just like Jacqueline said, he could see the airport tarmac and terminal…except that it was a military base rather than a civilian airport. He had forgotten the kind of connections that Jacqueline had with the French government and the lengths that they went to whenever she was brought in for some sort of special assignment.

"Are we really in France already?" Beast Boy asked groggily.

Jacqueline simply replied rhetorically, "It's a supersonic jet, how long did you think it would take?"

The two heroes quickly got out of their seats and headed for the exit. Awaiting them at the bottom of the stairs were a few junior and senior officers ready to brief the pair immediately. Jacqueline promptly took charge of the situation, addressing the group of officers upon reaching the tarmac, though much to Beast Boy's dismay it was entirely in French. As Beast Boy dumbly watched from the sidelines, the officers began talking up a windstorm with Jacqueline; they pulled out dozen of photos and reports from the file folders they were carrying and Jacqueline took a long look over every one of them. It seemed all so very professional to Beast Boy – a sort of professionalism that he had rarely seen in the normally laid-back Jacqueline. There were days that Jacqueline took her job about as seriously as Robin did...perhaps even more. It was only every once in a while that Beast Boy was able to pick up the occasional 'Legion' in their discussion.

During the length of the conversation, Beast Boy couldn't help but notice that the officers were glancing over to him in near-regular intervals. He also could've sworn he heard his name be mention once or twice. It was always annoying when people talked about you behind your back but it was even worse when they did it right in front of you.

Then the officers said something that seemed to tick the French heroine off, as her voice suddenly grew in intensity and a slightly frightened look overcame the officers. Jacqueline had rarely been the type to react so negatively to something verbal, which only left Beast Boy hoping that whatever was wrong with her didn't get directed at him later. After what seemed to be enough ranting to put a cynical blogger to shame, Jacqueline finally fell silent with only a lingering, irate glare to frighten the officers to an early departure. They left their file folders with her before they quickly got out of there.

"Should I be scared?" Beast Boy cautiously asked.

"You'll be fine," replied the still irritable Jacqueline. "Zey felt zat we would be better off calling for help and you might not be sufficient help. Apparently zey spot a hundred or so Legionnaires and zey zink we need to break out ze entire army."

"A…hundred?" Beast Boy whimpered as his spirits suddenly took a nosedive. "Not to agree with them but maybe they have a point."

"I did not come all zis just to call up ze cavalry," Jacqueline suddenly snapped at her friend. "If it gets serious zen I'll call but until zen, we can handle it ourselves. Zose idiots do not understand zat ze Legion just loves to draw our attention away from ze important zings. We call everyone over here and I'll guarantee we'll return to a smoking crater zat used to be Jump City!" It took her a moment to realize that she had actually frightened her friend with her sudden outburst and the young heroine promptly dropped her head in shame. Her friend was not the person she was supposed to be angry with and she immediately felt horrible about yelling at him.

After taking some time to ease her temper and giving her friend time to recover, Jacqueline continued in a more polite manner. "I am sorry for being so harsh," she apologized softly. "I do not like asking for help without sufficient reason."

"Heh, don't worry about it," Beast Boy quickly forgave much to his friend's relief. "So…um, what do we do now? It's your mission after all."

"First off, we set up a base of operations. Secondly, I'm going to get somezing to eat and lastly, I'm going to take a bath. I'll use zat time to zink of what our next step will be."

"Normally I'm the last person to speak out against doing nothing but…that doesn't sound like investigating." Beast Boy didn't think he'd be the one trying to keep the pair focused on the job but Jacqueline could go from being as determined as Robin to be even lazier than Beast Boy…as hard as that was to believe possible.

"Trust me, when tomorrow rolls around you'll be glad for taking zis time to rest in preparation. We might not get much sleep after zat," she regrettably explained. Her tone suggested that she was aware of something to come that would make anybody nervous.

After shifting her guitar into a more comfortable position upon her back, Jacqueline motioned for her friend to follow along. It was time for them to get a move on and they had a long way to go. She led her friend to a small sectioned-off region of the tarmac where something beneath a large tarp had been set up for her in advance. Whatever it was wasn't very large; not even two meters long and barely even a meter high but whatever it was it made Jacqueline grin like never before.

"Oh it's been too long my precious," she mused before pulling off the tarp. Standing before Beast Boy was a truly awe-inspiring sight. Encased in a vibrant, polished body frame, cherry red no less, that shimmered in the sunlight, was the mother of all mopeds.

"Is…that what I think it is?" Beast Boy asked, though his voice trembled at being in the presence of such magnificence.

"Not quite my little green friend," Jacqueline explained as she patted him on the shoulder. Strutting up to the moped, Jacqueline teasingly sat upon the moped's seat and kicked her legs up onto the handlebars. "Zis is ze one of a kind, special limited edition, custom-built Tidwell zree zousand – built by hand by yours truly. Its turbo-charged engine puts out more power zan you can shake a stick at and can outrun almost anyzing on ze road. Nitrous injection systems, ten-inch reinforced wheels, full armoured body frame, and ze latest in navigational technology! Beast Boy, I give you ze chariot of ze Jack of All Trades."

"She's beautiful," he swooned in amazement and stared at his own reflection in the wheel hub. "You never told me you were a moped enthusiast."

"Enthusiast? I'm a moped poster girl," Jacqueline bragged while striking a pose upon her moped. "You should've seen me on ze cover of Moped Monthly a few years ago. Zose zings just flew off ze shelves. Now hop on!"

After catching the helmet she threw him, Beast Boy eagerly jumped onto the back of the moped. Jacqueline let out a light chuckle while fitting her helmet on securely. "Be sure to hold on tightly," she warned him just before pulling her goggles down.

"How bad could it be?" Beast Boy chuckled as he took hold of his seat.

Jacqueline, however, pried his hands off the seat and instead placed them around her waist. Then she pushed the ignition, prompting a pair of small rocket thrusters to extend from the back of the moped. They began to hum loudly as the engine revved up, shaking the whole vehicle ominously. "Seriously though – hold on."

The back wheel squealed loudly as it spun, blackening the tarmac and kicking up a cloud of smoke behind them. When the ignition finally sparked, the twin thrusters roared to life and the sudden boost of power rocketed the moped down the tarmac. The moped took off far faster than any moped Beast Boy had ridden. It took him by complete surprise and the Titan was hanging on for dear life as the French heroine took them onto the roads of the French countryside.

"Are you going fast enough?" Beast Boy shouted.

"You're right. I should be going faster!" Perhaps Jacqueline had simply misheard Beast Boy but whatever the reason, the tachometer began to redline and the moped picked up speed. The twisting, winding roads of the French countryside threw Beast Boy from side to side with every high-speed turn. His grip around Jacqueline began to loosen and when she hit the apex of a small hill, Beast Boy was catapulted off the back off the moped. Soaring through the air at about eighty miles an hour, Beast Boy only had time to let out a distressed yelp before plummeting back to the earth. Always on top of things, though, Jacqueline simply slowed down and her friend landed right back on the moped, though this time it was between Jacqueline and the handlebars.

"I told you to hold tight," Jacqueline reminded him playfully while Beast Boy morphed into a small octopus and wrapped all eight tentacles securely around her. For the remainder of the trip, Jacqueline kept her moped going at a steady pace and when the roads became narrower, she was kind enough to slow down to a leisurely speed. Beast Boy was able to revert back to his normal form now, taking a moment to relax and enjoy the view of the rolling French countryside. In the distance, he could see a small town in the distance.

The town had a rustic look to it with simple stone buildings, cobblestone or brick roads, and the largest building in the town was the tall steeple of the church. Modernized with streetlamps, satellite dishes, and automobiles, the village portrayed an interesting combination of modern and traditional ways. As the pair drove down the main street of the town, Beast Boy looked to all of the villagers who were milling about the outdoor market, most of who had immediately turned to notice the new arrivals. At first Beast Boy thought they were staring at him, being green after all, but judging from the expressions and whispers from the people they passed, it was actually Jacqueline who was getting all the attention.

"Well, here we are," Jacqueline announced as the moped came to a halt in the very of the town. "Home sweet home."

"This is where you grew up?" Beast Boy asked rhetorically as he took in the sights. The pair dismounted from the moped and was immediately met with a growing crowd of townsfolk from all sides.

Jacqueline smiled brightly to the crowds, waving politely to them but keeping her attention focused on her companion. "Zat's right. My family has lived in zis village for four generations."

She directed Beast Boy's attention to the statue that stood in the center of town. Molded of bronze was a depiction of a young man, carrying a rifle in one hand and a raised flag in the other. At the base of the statue was a plaque and while it was written entirely in French, the name 'Jacque L'Armor' stood out. It didn't come as a surprise that Jacqueline was a sort of celebrity in her hometown and while she stepped into the crowds to deal with the welcoming committee, Beast Boy was left to sit and wait on the moped. Why did he ever get that kind of reception in Jump City?

"Sooo…you must be ze one we 'eard so much about," a sweet, seductive, and heavily accented voice perked up, catching Beast Boy's attention. Leaning up against the statue was a pair of young and very attractive twins. Both had long, luscious locks of blonde hair, twinkling blue eyes, and apparel that didn't leave much to the imagination. They both winked to him playfully, which forced Beast Boy to contain himself just so his jaw didn't hit the ground.

"Jacqueline 'as spoken very 'ighly about you," the second one continued.

"Um…s-she has?" Beast Boy stammered. He wasn't sure how to react at first. Glances over to Jacqueline for any sign of what to say left him with no answers as the crowd had enveloped his friend. "What…sort of things?"

"Oh…ze usual. Strong and courageous…" the first sister began.

The second one continued as though reciting a poem, "Yet gentle and compassionate."

"A gentleman."

"A scholar."

"And a beast in ze sack."

Beast Boy just stood there dumb-founded for a second. Surely there must've been some sort of misunderstanding.

"We've never 'ad an opportunity to meet such a…famous American 'ero. We know Jacqueline can be a bit of a prude so if you ever want to get more acquainted, don't be a stranger."

The two girls winked once more to the green Titan, prompting him to slowly back away despite the serious temptation before him. However, what was on his mind were the things they had mentioned and now he needed to have a serious word with Jacqueline about it. Pushing his way through the crowd, Beast Boy found Jacqueline still trying to disperse the crowd.

"Jacq!"

"Hm? Oh, Beast Boy. What is it?"

"Um…I think we need to talk," he explained as he took her by the wrist.

At first she was a little confused but then she looked through the crowds and saw the twins by the statue. The sight of them immediately made her frown and she had an idea of what Beast Boy was concerned about. Taking charge and dragging her friend out of the crowd, Jacqueline stormed up to the twins who were beginning to laugh at her expense.

"Well if it isn't ze little princess returning 'ome," one of the twins remarked.

"You keep your filthy mitts off of him!" Jacqueline said sternly. "We did not come here to put with your antics and ze last zing I need is your…unchecked libido intervening in a very important mission. So back off you damned harlots before I bust your chops!"

There was an obvious unresolved feud between Jacqueline and the twins and while Beast Boy was curious what it was about, he refrained from saying anything with Jacqueline so irritated. The twins, however, did not seemed fazed at all by Jacqueline's outburst, as if it wasn't the first time this had happened.

"My, we never zought you to be ze jealous type. You know we wouldn't steal your boy toy from you…not a second time at least."

"Boy toy? You better not have…" Jacqueline paused half-way through her sentence, realizing a truth at that moment, "ah dammit! You did, didn't you?"

Jacqueline never got an answer to her question. Instead, the twins simply laughed and headed on their way. Beast Boy was still confused but hoped that Jacqueline would start making sense soon. As the twins left, Jacqueline simply groaned and buried her face into her hands, muttering something in French over and over again.

"What's going on…and who were they?" Beast Boy finally demanded.

"Zose were some friends of mine," Jacqueline explained softly. "Zey're usually nice but zey just…push my buttons all ze time. I talked to zem before coming here and I might've, being a little annoyed at zem, have implied zat you and I were a couple. And zen I might've exaggerated a few zings about you."

"Why do I feel like I'm being thrown into a very clichéd sitcom?" Beast Boy muttered lightly. His friend tried to offer an apologetic, embarrassed grin, but it wasn't necessary. Beast Boy could understand that she might've been shooting her mouth off in order to impress some old friends of hers.

"I'm very sorry about zis. I didn't expect it to get like zis. I wasn't zinking straight. Zey were constantly going on about how I'm a prude zat could never land a date if my life depended on it."

"Well at least they think I'm a beast in the sack," Beast Boy chuckled lightly. At least Jacqueline spread nice lies about him. He figured they wouldn't be in town for that long so as long as he avoided those twins he'd be safe and Jacqueline wouldn't be humiliated. "How much worse could it get?"

"I…zink zey might've told my father about it as well."

"Why am I getting this sudden sense of foreboding?"

"You'll know when you meet him."