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Aleea had first attempted to explore the universe beyond Rann at the ripe age of six, an announcement that her parents had met with bemused gazes and patronizing assurances that she would succeed. The first prototype of her personal spacecraft had shuddered violently and then collapsed into a pile of scrap upon her first attempt at starting it, and then the shared stares of her progenitors no longer held bemusement. Her second try had taken three years to fully piece together but she had been confident that it wasn't about to fall apart any time soon. Its engines had come online with a hum that barely penetrated the thick hull, and she had smiled before it drove itself through the wall of her grandfather's laboratory and plummeting over the side, unable to achieve lift-off. She preferred leaving the third attempt as a distant memory, but her fourth had, and continued to, handle magnificently, free from the problems that had plagued its previous incarnations and capable of carrying her on her interstellar journey. At the moment, her precious vessel was occupied by herself and the armored Lyta as it dove to the dark depths of one of Earth's oceans. Leading them deeper than sunlight penetrated was Wyld in an amalgamated form that looked like an immense, prehistoric crocodilian with the addition of bioluminescence so that they could follow him. It was not the strangest journey her ship had undertaken.
As the shape shifter led them into the darkness with a surety that contradicted his speech patterns, the blonde following him recalled their encounter the previous day. After he had summoned them, Lyta had led the way, pausing as she recalled her way through the winding halls of the Tower and going beyond the regular areas of habitation. They had finally found themselves in front of an unmarked door that music vibrated out of, fierce drumming accompanied by the roar of guitars and a harsh, feminine voice.
'-your pills and medication, we don't need your salvation . . . Can't be quiet, won't behave . . . We rise up from the grave . . . We're teenage creatures of the night . . . We won't go without a fight . . .'
Lyta had hammered upon the door and the music cut off almost immediately though the room's occupant seemed to take his time in answering the door. Pulling it open, he had glanced about to ensure that nobody else accompanied them, sniffed the air, and then waved them in. He shut the door, revealing a sigil scratched into the inside that he had pressed his hand against and whispered a short word. Black energy had flared about it and he had nodded as he turned to them, "Pr-privacy. I-Iris f-f-followed y-you."
"Surprise, surprise," Lyta had smirked before enterprising upon the rare chance to inspect her private teammate's domain. It had been a Spartan environment, save for a considerable sound system, a number of filled manila folders, and a pile of newspapers and magazines that he had been dissecting, posting pictures and clippings along his wall and over his short bunk. The sheets had been stripped off, leaving a bare mattress as they were piled in a corner, forming a nest. As Aleea had assumed a place on the mattress, Lyta leaned against the desk that the stereo was positioned on and asked, "So, what's with all the secrecy?"
He had glanced backward, ensuring that his sigil still guarded the room, and then began, "M-my p-p-p-parentage is s-somewhat . . . m-m-m-m-messy. D-demonic i-i-influ-influences from m-mom and a-a-animal i-instincts f-fr-from m-my dad. It th-threatens t-t-to o-verwhelm me, b-b-b-b-but I-I h-have d-defen-defenses."
"All those runes and wards on your armor," Lyta had concluded.
His fingers had brushed against one of the faintly glowing symbols and he'd grimaced, "Th-these are s-s-s-simple s-signs. Mom's w-w-way of w-watching a-after me even w-when s-sh-she's n-n-not th-there. Th-the r-r-r-r-real o-ones – inside."
"I'm sorry, please don't think I'm uninterested, but I'm not certain how I can help with this," Aleea had admitted, raising her hand as she interrupted.
"Th-the Tr-tr-traveler," he had murmured before snapping his gaze away. "Y-you collect th-th-the knowledge, c-customs fr-fr-from cultures a-a-across g-gal-galaxies. I h-hoped s-s-some could h-help."
"Maybe," she had mused. "Can I see the ones inside your armor?"
Nodding, he had bashfully avoided looking at either of the girls as he began to loosen the straps that cinched the armor at his side. After he had completed the task, he lifted the armor over his head, revealing a defined torso bearing faint marks as though they had been burned into his skin. Lyta and Aleea had been too distracted by the sculpting of his physique, the latter's cheeks turning a brilliant scarlet while a slow smile had played across the former's face.
"You've been holding out on us, Ty," she had purred, her gaze unwavering.
He would have flushed if his skin tone permitted it and had pea as she bushed his armor forward, flipping it inside out to present the softly glowing signs that mirrored the marks in his skin. Lyta had sighed disappointedly and stepped forward to study the runes, only to rapidly regain interest as she had studied them. She had reached out, tracing them and whistling at the considerable power laced within them as Aleea had moved from the bed to crouch alongside her. When Lyta had reached for the vest, Ty had offered it with only the slightest reluctance, permitting the sorceress a more intense study of the workings.
"This is some pretty major stuff. Like, Biblically proportioned major. This is the sort of stuff you see holding back devils," she had admired softly.
"I think I saw some stuff like this on Zerox. I'd have to look through my journal, but I've got some friends there who might be able to help," Aleea had considered before looking up. "Why do you need us to know this stuff anyway?"
"I-i-in case th-the a-a-a-armor f-fails."
"Or I steal it. You could totally pull off the shirtless hero look," Lyta had added casually, giving a smile as she lifted her violet eyes from her study of the armor.
"P-p-pl-please don't."
"You mind if I get some pictures of these? That way I can try looking them up later," the sorceress had inquired.
"N-no p-pr-problem."
She had drawn out her T-Communicator and passed the armor off to Aleea as she had begun snapping pictures. Each symbol had been documented before she had snapped a quick picture of the shirtless Ty and then returned the Communicator to her pocket. He had quickly reclaimed his armor and slipped it back on, tightening the straps in rapid succession. Licking his lips, he had said, "That c-c-covers th-that, b-b-b-b-but th-there's s-something else to d-dis-discuss. W-we need t-t-to begin or-organizing m-m-m-more t-teams. L-l-lyta, I-I w-w-want you to h-head it."
"Excuse me?" she had suddenly scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. "What happened to that whole 'being a family' thing? It's not even a week and you're trying to get rid of me."
"N-n-n-n-n-no," he had shook his head fiercely. "Th-th-th-there a-a-are r-r-r-reas-"
Giving up on communicating as a human, he had shifted into a sleek tiger and growled, "If I do lose control, and it's demons that seize it, they'll target you first since you have the best chance of stopping them. There needs to be a buffer so that you have a chance to prepare. Beyond that, the only ones who I could trust to lead a team are you, Robin, and Mar'i, but the latter two operate better together."
Her glower had softened but her stance remained rigid as he had continued, "This Tower is not large enough to sustain what this team will grow into for any longer than a few days. We need to activate the other Towers and start positioning teams in them. I need you to lead one of those teams."
"What team did you have in mind?" she had asked, her tone demonstrating that she was still not fully compliant to his idea.
"I wanted Aleea to join you. To see if you two could unite magic and technology to hold back my . . . less kindly aspects. You are free to choose the other members. Those folders show a number of prospects that I've managed to gather information on," he had gestured towards the desk with his head. As Lyta had turned to gather them, Aleea had leaned forward and made her soft request.
"Listen, I know that we don't have the room for it, but could you please, please turn into a tripodal curiosananium?" she had beseeched him.
He had tilted his furry head and admitted, "I have never even heard of that."
"It's this extinct Kryptonian wildlife. I just really, really want to see one in real life. So, please?" she had pressed her hands together and stared at him with hopeful eyes.
"I need at least a picture of something to turn into it," he had refused before glancing upward and acknowledging, "Or a write-out of the genetic code."
As Aleea had deflated, Lyta's eyes had lit up as she opened a new folder and a hungry smile pulled at her lips as she had purred, "Oooh. Hello, pretty boy. You know, I think I've found the first member of my team."
Ty had shifted into his human form and accepted the folder she presented to him, glancing over it and giving a half grin, "I-I-I w-wish I could s-s-say I'm s-surprised."
Aleea was brought to the present time as the lights of the creature before her switched to a red hue and he drew up as his body rearranged itself into a new form. His torso adopted a humanoid appearance but melted into a long, flattened tail like that of an eel. Small spines emerged from his skin and were especially common in place of the hair on his head, and long fins extended from his hips. Webbing grew between his fingers and after a moment, he waved for them to follow him again. Lyta joined Aleea in the vessel's cockpit as a new light filled their vision and both girls marveled at the sunken beauty.
Atlantis was widely known by Earth's general populace, and it had adapted to trade with land-based nations in more recent years. Gleaming towers reached up from the ocean's floor, their designs obviously inspired by other sea life with domed buildings sharing more than a passing resemblance to jellyfish or twisting spires based off of mollusk shells. Between its buildings, fish and humanoid residents, and those somewhere in between them, swam freely through the towers or walked along the streets. Lights came from strangely mundane light posts but had been arranged throughout the city to ensure that no level of it was left to the dark waters. On its outskirts there was a domed area drained of water with a mix of different architectural styles contained within, a place for visiting dignitaries and business partners to rest and refuel.
However, visitors were not accepted lightly and as they drew closer a squad of powerful figures, swam forth to meet them. All of them, save their leader, wore golden armor and wielded wicked looking tridents, their movements unhindered by the plates weighing on their form. At the head of the group was an athletic man with slimmer armor molded to his form, colored red and black. He carried no obvious weapon but continued forward without any sign of fear when the other guardsmen halted several hundred feet back and raised their tridents, ready to attack. Wyld drew up short and his tail ripped into tentacles that pumped and splayed outwards to keep him afloat as the man approached and they engaged in what seemed to be a wordless conversation.
[I'm guessing that you're Gar and Raven's son. Tyson, right?] the Atlantean's voice rang in the youth's mind, cool and confident.
[Guilty, Mr. . .]
[Just call me Garth. If any of the clam-brains catch a thought of 'Aqualad' or 'Tempest,' they won't stop joking about it for months.] the former Teen Titan rolled his black eyes before nodding to behind Wyld. [Who are your friends? I'm afraid I don't recognize the ship.]
[They are a portion of the new Teen Titans. And that is Aleea Strange's craft. She's . . . not from around here.]
[Oh, somebody's finally starting the Teen Titans up again? It's about time. I imagine you're looking for recruits?]
[There is one in particular we had in mind.]
[I think I know who. You may come in, though the ship may not.] he offered as he turned towards his fellow guards and sent a message that had them lowering their arms and turning back towards their city. He followed after them, motioning the visitors to tag along, and Wyld's tentacles twisted back into a tail as he complied. Aleea's ship thrummed as it drifted along behind them, Lyta standing over the back of the blonde's chair and still marveling at the city.
"I should've visited this place years ago," she mused in amazement.
"There was a planet I ventured to that featured similar cities," mentioned the explorer. "But it doesn't matter how many times you've seen them or where they are. They're all beautiful wonderlands – even if there technically aren't on land."
"I bet. Hey, I think Ty's trying to tell us something," Lyta pointed out. Aleea glanced from the shining city to the young man who was pointing her to a number of docks lined along the dome. She steered her craft towards it and Wyld waited above them as she guided it into place. After it had docked, she stood and donned her helm while Lyta stood and muttered an incantation that resulted in a shimmering glow about her body that quickly disappeared. They moved into the ship's air lock and the door sealed shut behind them before the chamber filled with water and the exterior door opened, revealing Wyld patiently awaiting them alongside the elder Atlantean. Lyta took a moment to prepare another spell as they swam into the open waters.
"There. We should be able to talk fine now," her voice sounded clearly as she floated in the depths, protected from its pressure and her need for air stalled by her magic.
Garth smiled, "Then allow me to be the first to welcome you to Poseidonis. I understand that you are two of the Teen Titans?"
"That's Aleea. I'm Lyta," she introduced herself eagerly.
"I am Garth. It is a pleasure to meet you both," he nodded before looking towards Wyld. "He should be finished with training. He'll probably be at the Deep Six-A-Go-Go. If you give me a minute, I can -"
"I know where it is," Wyld interjected, earning a raised brow from the dark-haired man. He winced and admitted, "Atlanteans don't really notice extra fish swimming around. A-and you have such beautiful cities to visit."
Shaking his head, Garth chuckled, "I would try to keep from broadcasting that. Others might not be as accepting of it I am. I'll alert other patrols to your presence in the city so that you can go about unbothered."
"Thank you," Wyld nodded as the red-armored man once known as Aqualad waved and torpedoed away.
After he was out of earshot, Lyta commented, "Are all Atlanteans just naturally hot or what?"
"Yes, please," Aleea added hopefully.
"Save the clandestine pictures for until after we've accomplished our task," Wyld requested before pumping towards the glowing city. Aleea's flight pack altered modes before she shot after him, keeping pace while Lyta struggled with more conventional means of underwater travel. They would await her at points along the streets, Aleea taking the opportunity to admire the chiseled men who swam about them. Wyld would look about, recalling the way to their destination, before leading them down another street, obviously favoring the less populated routes.
Finally, he paused outside a low, squat building that somewhat resembled a clam and was embellished with glowing words that flashed 'Deep Six-A-Go-Go.' Heavy dance music pulsed from it, rippling through the water, and spreading an infectious beat to others, even the passing fish falling into the rhythm. A long line was formed outside the door, and Wyld grimaced at the sight of it while Lyta merely cracked her knuckles and grinned.
"I got this," she promised as she drew up a portal that took them inside the club. Colored lights flashed sporadically in the darkened confines of the room, catching upon the bodies pushing and writhing against each other. The inhabitants were young, most of them in their teenage years, and when they weren't dancing against each other, they gathered around the tables on the side, lit by small glowing globes. With the environment, many of the dancers who wanted privacy with their partners rose towards the ceiling, and Lyta had teleported herself and her teammates amongst them. Her eyes were alight as she glanced about and she looked ready to join in on the mass of bodies while Wyld searched for his target, growing hammerhead like stalks with eyes in addition to his regular pair.
"We are totally going to have to come back here when we don't have to take care of business. This is probably one of the best clubs that I've ever teleported into," she admired, making eye contact with a boy whose sculpted torso was left bared. She returned his smile and began to drift towards him before Aleea pulled her away and after Wyld as he adopted a more serpentine shape, darting through the crowd that pulsated to the music. Darting to the space between the dance floor and the tables, he scoured the youths as he was joined by Aleea and Lyta who seemed to be magnetized by the dancing forms, floating towards them before Aleea's arm would snap out and drag her back. Wyld flickered away again, only the brief tap of his tail on her shoulder warning her of his disappearance.
Trailing after him with Lyta in tow, Aleea found herself in front of a table occupied by a laughing group of boys and girls – the latter of the genders pressing close to a boy in the center of the semicircular seats. Like several of the others near him, he wore a uniform of light armor with metallic purple scales covering his torso. Silvery bands wrapped about his forearms and neck while his waist and lower was hidden beneath the table. Long, black hair bobbed to the currents of the water, interrupted by a bright forelock of white. His blue eyes were deep hue to match the ocean and full of laughter as one of his friends made a joke that had the entire table grinning. He was young but had already fully grown into his looks, possessing a smooth handsomeness that had Wyld's companions mesmerized for an instant. The shape shifter floated there for a minute, waiting for a lull in the conversation before loudly clearing his throat.
The eyes turned towards him almost in unison and he backed away, almost shifting into a turtle to hide in his shell, a feeling that was exacerbated by one of the boys giving a slight jump at the fanged visage, "Oh, geez! What the Hell are you?"
"I-I-I-I-"
"Did your parents conceive you at one of the above world's nuclear clubs or something?" one of the others laughed, joined in by several of his friends. His mirth was abruptly cut off when tentacles lashed across the tables, binding his limbs and curling about his neck as he was hauled towards Wyld who had changed. Powerful tentacles ringed his fanged snout in a mane, and his body was stocky, thick arms ending with large hands tipped with hooked claws. Similarly powerful legs touched upon the floor of the club and a tail reached out behind him, splitting into a trio of smaller tentacles at its end. Spinal processes pushed down the ridge of his back, straining against the greyish-green flesh. The usual crimson glow of his eyes seemed stronger than usual and as he opened his jaws, a second set of fangs in his throat were revealed.
"Mock my parents again, and by the time I'm through with you, your remaining features will make an angler fish look pretty in comparison!" he snarled while the youth's friends wearing the same purple-scaled armor shot up, clenching their fists. Wyld cast the offender aside as his body changed, bones retracting and muscles readjusting as he shifted into his human form with the benefit of gills, armor protected from the water by one of his mother's sigils. His eyes continued to glow a threatening crimson for a moment, but returned to normal after he clutched his lids shut and then reopened them. He bit his lip as he apologized, "S-s-s-s-so-sorry. J-j-just don't t-talk about m-m-my p-parents like that."
"I think we can manage that," nodded the boy with the white forelock as he encouraged his friends to settle. "Sorry about Murk. He's a bit of an idiot. I'm Cerdian."
"I-I-I kn-know. I a-a-a-am . . . c-called Wyld," he inclined his head in greeting.
"And I'm Lyta," the sorceress slid forward, earning a glare from the girls flanking Cerdian who pressed towards him marginally tighter. The purple-haired girl gave a smile that was marred by the hard stare she traded with the Atlantean girls, issuing an obvious challenge. Before another altercation could occur, Aleea also stepped forward.
"I'm Aleea. We're here representing the Teen Titans," she introduced herself.
"Wait, you guys are the Teen Titans?" he leaned forward, his dark gaze growing interested.
"M-m-m-members of th-th-them. A-and we'd l-l-l-l-like you t-to join," Wyld requested.
"Really like you to join," Lyta grinned.
Cerdian frowned, "Don't think me ungrateful, but I'm still training for the Drift. I can't just leave that without warning."
"Th-there is a th-th-thr-threat c-coming that w-w-will r-ravage this E-Earth. Th-th-the o-o-on-on-only w-way to st-stop it is b-b-by uniting th-the f-f-fu-future h-heroes. The T-Teen Titans of t-t-today," Wyld pressed, attempting to persuade the Atlantean who remained skeptical.
"Atlantis has one of the greatest military forces this planet has ever seen. You're simply lucky that we've never bothered a full attack on you surface dwellers," muttered Murk as he retook his seat in the booth, scowling at Wyld. "We welcome this menace."
The typically submissive shape shifter returned the glower as he answered, "Wh-when will y-y-you p-people learn that f-f-f-fate does not like t-t-t-t-to b-be challenge?"
Turning back to Cerdian, he continued, "We h-h-have to r-r-return. S-s-sp-sp-speak to your d-dad. I-i-if you ch-change y-y-y-your mind, h-he kn-knows where o-our T-Tower is."
His body changed again and Lyta blew a kiss to the son of the man once known as Aqualad, returning to the ship to begin the tedious task of depressurization and leaving the youth to consider their words.
Do not talk bad about Ty's parentage. He learned how to issue - and follow through on (if need be) - threats from his 'auntie' Rose.
ABReviewer: We're glad that you're enjoying Aleea. She's fun to write. The guys are rightly terrified of dear daddy Nightwing. He's a lot more obviously paternal than Batman. Comicwise, Nightwing's always been one of the most well-liked heroes in the superhero community, and we prefer the iteration. Starfire is alive and busy running Tamaran, not getting to see her daughter as much as she'd like. And Mar'i would like to reason that Damian's not her uncle by blood. Lena is going to be fun - Ira's kind of fun. Honestly, and we're kind of ashamed to admit this, but we had forgotten about Steph. So this following information is subject to change. Nightwing retired for a while after Mar'i was born and tried to make a relationship work with Starfire. Stephanie, who had been Batgirl, assumed the role of Nightwing during that time, but after Star left for Tamaran, Dick tried to return to his mantle. Ultimately, Steph returned it but not without making him promise her a favor. Currently, she's probably operating as Batwoman while Bette Kane is using the identity of Hawkfire - or retired. Please, keep the reviews and questions coming. We enjoy them.
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