Time: Past
Icon forced himself to swallow another serving of one of Starfire's homemade meals. As he set the serving bowl down he made too sharp of a movement and winced in pain. Now that he was back on bed rest, he had been made to resume a diet that consisted of Starfire's generous offerings.
He leaned back into the couch in front of the television. Well, at least he was now allowed out of the medical bay. Icon sighed as he flipped through some channels. Normally, he would have found a little time on the couch to be relaxing. But with Kevin on the loose, being down on the job was the last thing Icon wanted.
"Anything good on?"
Icon turned to see Beast Boy approaching the couch.
"I think there was an old monster movie marathon somewhere," mused Icon. A sharp breath suddenly caused Icon to wince in discomfort.
Beast Boy sat up a little straighter. "You okay?"
"I-I'm okay…" answered Icon through gritted teeth. Despite the amount of time that had gone between the present and his fight between Kevin, Icon was still in a decent amount of discomfort. Every now and then the pain would return with a vengeance before receding again.
"You don't look okay." Beast Boy was noting Icon's clenched teeth and pained expression.
"I-It's nothing I can't handle…" Icon did his best to try and pull his face back into a more relaxed expression. "I handled this kind of stuff last time."
"Didn't the Omnitrix help too? After you used it, you got a lot better and Raven was able to fix you up."
"Hey, that's right," Icon perked up a little. When Icon had fractured his skull after his fiasco at the Tower obstacle course, he had been in the worst shape he had ever been in. But when Plasmus had invaded the tower, Icon had been forced to use the Omnitrix. After transforming into an alien and back, his injuries had been reduced to the point that Raven was able to successfully treat him. Icon looked down at his left wrist. "Maybe if I use it again, I could—"
"Don't even think about it," said a monotone yet somehow miffed voice. Icon hesitantly looked over his shoulder to see Raven looking down at him in a stern fashion, her arms folded.
"Th-think about what?" Icon quickly hid his left arm away. He couldn't help but feel like a small child that had gotten its hand caught in the cookie jar.
Raven's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You're going to recover the old-fashioned way, without alien technology that we all hardly know anything about."
"It's just that last time—" began Icon.
"Just because using the Omnitrix helped you get better last time doesn't mean you can go around pushing your luck," stated Raven. "Got it?"
"Yes," said Icon abashed.
"Good." Raven nodded in approval.
Icon sank back into his seat with a sigh.
Raven's face softened. "Look, I know Kevin's still on your mind, but working yourself up about it isn't going to help."
"Yeah, I know," sighed Icon.
"You'll get him next time," assured Beast Boy.
"Hope so—OW!" Icon yelped in pain after attempting to stretch his arms.
"Would you like me to have another look at you?"
Icon did everything in his power to turn his head towards Raven without screaming from the fiery sensation that was torturing his side. "Y-yes please…"
Raven walked around from the back of the couch so that she could sit beside Icon. She placed a glowing hand on Icon's injured side and began her ministrations.
"Thanks," breathed Icon. His body started to relax as the pain began to ebb away.
"Don't mention it," said Raven. Any tranquility that was present in her patient was quickly eliminated when the alarm suddenly went off. "We'll continue this later." With that, she levitated herself off the couch and flew off.
"Titans, go!" barked Robin as he passed through the common room in the process of exiting the building.
Beast Boy turned to Icon. "Tell me if you find anything good on!" He then transformed into an eagle and flew after the rest of the team.
"I will!" responded Icon as he watched everyone leave to attend to the situation that now demanded their attention. "See you guys…"
Icon then turned his attention back to the television and decided to heed the advice of his friends and try taking it easy. He resumed using the remote to flip through the channels.
Guess I could watch that old monster movie marathon. Icon thought to himself. He typed in a few digits on the remote and the television was soon displaying the black and white images of cheesy-looking monsters. Beast Boy and Terra would love this. The corner of Icon's mouth twitched in amusement at the thought. He inadvertently looked around at the empty couch before looking about the room.
The Tower was certainly much more quiet now that he was the only occupant. No sounds of Cyborg tinkering with machinery, no Starfire asking Robin more about Earth, no Beast Boy doing his best to amuse Terra, no Raven chanting some sort of mantra…
Icon couldn't help but feel a tad bit lonely. He had become so used to having the team around. Icon heaved a small sigh before returning his attention to the television. At the moment, a classic macho man was battling a werewolf with his bare hands as a screaming lady watched.
As cliché as the scene was, Icon actually found himself envying the man in the movie. Sure, the whole scene was an act, but at least the man was on his feet and appeared to be doing something. Being restricted to the Tower until he recovered was beginning to make Icon stir crazy.
Leaning back into the couch he only gave the movie half of his full attention as he allowed his mind to start wandering. It wasn't long before Icon found himself daydreaming to escape his boredom and solitude.
What he would give to be back at full health and to be out there with his teammates, battling against one of the many terrors that threatened the peace of Jump City. Maybe now would be a good time to start planning some new strategies for any upcoming fights with Kevin.
Icon closed his eyes as he began racking his brain for ideas. Let's see, Kevin said that he had all of my powers plus his. Kevin 11. Got to give him credit for coming up with that name… I was able to use the Kineceleran pretty well against him, he wasn't able to land a hit on me with its speed. But when he used his speed he did get me. I wasn't able to last too long after that, I'm going to need something that can take more of a hit. The Petrosapien or Pyronite would work, they're practically rocks! Yeah! Next time I see Kevin, I'll go for one of those two—
Aren't you forgetting about one of the others…?
Icon almost bolted upright. He looked around the room, searching for…he did not know what he was searching for. Icon gently rubbed the side of his head. For a moment, he could have sworn that he had heard a voice. Sure, when he delved into memories the sounds associated with such memories would sometimes play in his head and there had also been multiple occasions when he had played songs in his head for entertainment. There were even times when he was half asleep and dreamt that he was being spoken to. But the voice Icon had just heard in his head didn't seem to have come from the depths of his mind. It was almost as if there had been a second person in his head.
"That was weird…" murmured Icon to himself. He looked back at the television screen to see that the old monster movie marathon was still playing. "Maybe I need to take a break from this."
Icon used the remote to turn off the television. He proceeded to rub his temple. Perhaps looking out of one of the windows would clear his mind. Icon gently pushed himself up from the couch and walked over to one of the grand windows of the tower. The sight of a clear blue sky and an equally beautiful ocean greeted him.
"Looks like a nice day out…" Icon couldn't help but place a hand on the window. Oh, what he'd give to be out there having a swim in the ocean as a Pisciss Volann, darting through the warm waters. Or maybe he could be out there flying through the air as a Lepidopterran, having the warmth sun of the sun gently come down onto his body with cool air sweeping across him.
"I can see myself out there right now," chuckled Icon softly to himself. His small laugh died when something in the sky caught his eye. Icon peered closer and was half in mind to leap a yard backwards. Right now, he was seeing something resembling him flying in the sky. However, what was currently in the sky was too large to be a Lepidopterran. Icon's throat tightened when he saw that the flying object was definitely flying in his direction. Icon could almost see a sickening smile spreading across a twisted face.
It was Kevin.
