Teen Titans © DC Comics
Gan and Tavis
"A…what?" Lightning questioned, blinking in confusion.
"You are a H'san Natall and human half-breed or hybrid as the better word," Walter explained.
Lightning frowned, crossing his arms aggressively. "That is most foolish. I have never heard of such outrageous claims."
Walter rubbed his temple. How Lightning turned out to be so stubborn was beyond him. Maybe he received his adamant behavior from him. "Listen, you are what I say you are. There are others like you, some are Titans even."
"There are others in the Titans? Preposterous!" Lightning glowered venomously, throwing his arms to the side in fury. "The Titans are my friends. They have no reason to lie to my brother or I."
Adeline chortled wickedly, attracting their attention. "Come now, boy! We have learned that it took others to plead for you to be in the Titans! It's like they took you and Thunder in because they pitied you!"
"That is not true! They…" Lightning trailed off, thinking over the event. It was because of Beast Boy and Starfire that they were allowed in, but they were still treated like any Honorary Titans with the same respect. Yet, he wondered why the others could not look passed his destructive traits and possessive stubbornness. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Will you explain what the H'san Natall is?"
"We are divided into four classes: workers, royals, intellects, and us, the warrior class. You, your brother and I are members of the warrior class. I was a second lieutenant, hence this scrappy American uniform to blend in here." Walter gestured at his attire with a hint of malice and disgust. "Currently, I am a general in the H'san Natall army, formerly second in command to Pylon."
"Pylon?" Lightning repeated.
"The former leader of the H'san Natall army. The others like you stopped Pylon from conquering this planet, and he was killed by King Ch'Ah for his failure. Now, I am in charge." Walter leaned forward, stomping towards his son, smirking when Lightning backed into the wall. "I have teamed up with Ms. Kane here to eradicate all of these teenaged superheroes, these Teen Titans among others. There are ones with H'san Natall blood in the Titans, and they were part of destroying the H'san Natall!"
The animosity in Walter's voice made Lightning's skin crawl. He gulped inaudibly. His father cared strongly for the army, but he still knew that Walter should have been there for his children and Cara especially. Lightning remained silent as Walter vehemently continued.
A glaze crossed Walter's eyes, which was one that was as if he was in a daydream. However, his voice betrayed him with his sudden hatred. "Once there are no more teenaged heroes, the H'san Natall will come and conquer the Earth! That is our destiny, our goal! The H'san Natall conquered and destroyed more than dozens of worlds! Now, the Earth will be ours!" Walter stared down at Lightning, being a few inches taller than he was. "And you will help your clan, Tavis. No, excuse me, Lightning is what you prefer to be called."
"Lightning is not a weapon to be used," Lightning snarled, seething. "I will never assist you in this path of destruction."
"Do you think the Titans will be there for you on your deathbed?" Walter roared, shoving Lightning back into the wall. He kept him pinned there, gasping for breath. "Once the Titans disband eventually, there will be no one there for you! They will forget you even existed! Yes, I have seen you help them, and they appeared to care, but it is false! Fake! There is no loyalty in the Titans, only in the teams! Honorary Titans, ha!"
"You are wrong! We are Titans, and we assist each other!" Lightning blurted as Walter continued to laugh. A feeble grimace crossed his face as he breathed uneasily. "We…we do not abandon each other in our time of need like you!"
Walter rolled his eyes, glancing over to Adeline. "Do you have anything to say that can convince him?"
Adeline tapped her thoughtfully, humming in contemplation. "Ah, I know. Your little friend Kole."
Perking up, Lightning hissed, "What of her?"
"Even if you somehow manage to defeat us, and that chance is extraordinarily slim, Kole will return back up north with her caveman friend. She will go back underground while you reside in the clouds. She'll never see you again after this!" Adeline chortled.
"That is not true!"
"And how do you know that?" Walter interjected. "Friendship is a waste of time. So long as she functions as our energy converter, her life means nothing. She will forget about you by next month."
Lightning lost the will to contain the urge to attack Walter. Fury guided him as he tackled Walter to the ground. Hands crushed Walter's neck, cutting off his air supply. Bloodlust shone in his pale orbs, beseeching his self-control and breaking it into pieces. Every fiber in his being craved to destroy him. Everything he and Adeline said had to be a lie. The Titans were a family. Everyone protected each other, connected by their hearts and communicators. There was no doubt in Lightning's mind that everything Walter and Adeline were spouting was lies.
Walter grimaced, face contorting malignantly as he attempted to breathe. Snatching his son's wrists, he shifted his weight to forcefully roll over and pin Lightning against the ground. "Insolent child! Spoiled with power! I've seen you attack your brother without mercy!"
Lightning gasped, wincing. He glared over to Adeline who smirked in response. She must have told Walter about the incident with Fire, Slade and their battle. He had to admit, he was merciless in relentlessly striking Thunder. He had planned to hurt his brother, making him pay for his "betrayal". Lightning squeezed his eyes tightly shut as Walter continued.
"You and I are alike, son. We do not have to fight. We do not care who we hurt. So long as we are getting what we desire, we don't care." Walter's fanglike teeth brightened intensely, leaning down so his forehead was touching Lightning's. "You don't care about Thunder, only yourself. As long as you are having fun, you don't care."
Lightning gasped deeply, exhaling for a long time afterwards. For a long time, Lightning only cared about having as much mischievous fun as possible. While he did care that his brother was safe, he blatantly ignored the others surrounding him until he was befriended the Titans. Yet, Lightning knew that Walter would always be wrong on one thing. He loved Thunder dearly, and nothing he said could ever change that.
"Lightning is not controlled by…" Lightning snatched his shoulders, shoving his legs up underneath him and kicking him up into the ceiling. "…the likes of you!"
Walter crashed but then flopped down from the ten-foot fall. Glaring daggers into Lightning as he struggled to his feet, Walter wiped the spit coming out of his mouth. Stomping to stand, the soldier punched Lightning square in the jaw. A sickening crack echoed in the still room as the elemental plummeted backwards in the wall. Adeline winced inwardly as Lightning slowly dropped down to his bottom. Fearfully gasping, Lightning looked up to find his father glaring down at him.
"Now you know how your brother feels," Adeline remarked.
"I will give you one more chance to reconsider. Join me," Walter hissed evenly.
"Never," Lightning growled lowly.
"Suit yourself, you reject," Walter growled and pulled his leg back, smashing it directly into Lightning's neck.
Lightning instantly blacked out, slouching over his father's leg into a world of darkness. He flopped over to the side, eyes glazed over even though they were shut. His body immediately felt weightless as Walter snatched his hair and ordered Adeline to open the door. The headmistress obeyed quickly, allowing Walter outside first and trailed behind him a good few inches as they traveled to the common room where the laser was.
"You came to me in search of help, Walter, to destroy the superheroes on this world," Adeline stated questioningly. "You were my first battery that helped power my laser, but you insisted on using your sons. Why?"
"Your laser is brilliant, Ms. Kane. I appreciate a good mind, even if you are a human. In order for the laser to function, we need either Tavis or Gan's power. I simply gave you a jumpstart." He paused in his thoughts, humming.
"Is something the matter?"
"If the brothers are together, the power would eradicate any accursed superhero on this planet, making conquering so much easier." Walter smirked cruelly as they missed noticing the Hive teenagers staring at them from a corridor.
Adeline chortled wickedly. "I love how you think!"
From their private corridor, all of the ex-students exchanged uncertain gazes. Billy reflected over what Kole previously entreated to them. The Southerner gulped, looking down at his feet while Private Hive rubbed his arm. Angel leaned in Kyd Wykkyd as they both exchanged worried looks. Sitting on Mammoth's shoulder, Gizmo fiddled with his game controller.
"So, ya think we should jus' blow this joint?" Billy asked after a shy silence.
"And get our butts handed to us on plates?" Gizmo mumbled.
"Maybe we should just stay as long as it is safe," Angel suggested as Kyd nodded.
"Hate to say this, but Billy might be right. We should get out while the going is good," Mammoth added as Private Hive nodded.
"Nah, we're stayin'," Gizmo adamantly muttered. "I ain't you Mammoth, but I definitely don't want that crazy old lady beating me up like she did to Angel."
---
"…This place…" Tavis began, stopping himself.
"…It is…uh…" Gan trailed off, blinking.
"Shut up," Chan snarled.
The train ride had been long and tedious, lasting what seemed like forever when it was only one day. A bathroom was present, but they had to leap onto the next cart to get to it and the brothers were forced to hide their faces so they would not be persecuted. Gan and Tavis did get into some petty, minor arguments, but Chan silenced them by hitting them over to head.
When they had gotten off the train, Chan literally snatched the boys by their waists and darted off. The conductor and a few patrons chased after them, but they escaped into the woods. Chan guided them into the morning sun where he stated his abode was. After a few miles of walking, the brothers and their new master approached a quant, wooden home that was one floor in size and seven foot on the inside. However, several cracks were littered in the sides. As a reaction, Gan and Tavis were not very impressed by Chan's antique-like home.
"Even our home had windows," Tavis commented.
"Indeed, and it had two floors, even if it was small," Gan added.
"I bet you would like living in a cave better," Chan sarcastically grumbled.
"Caves are fun! Brother and I sometimes ventured to one down by our home, and then we got horribly lost," Tavis recalled, eyes lighting up at the memory. "Mother could not locate us for hours, and when she did she threw us back into our home and called us brats several times."
"And how is that fun?" the elder questioned, raising a white eyebrow.
"Now that you mention it, brother, the experience was most terrible," Gan mumbled as Tavis rolled his eyes.
"It was amusing! Watching you in so much fright makes me laugh! The bats nearly bit you!"
"Come, let me show you inside," Chan offered.
"Actually, my brother and I were wondering if you would train us," Gan requested, smiling fervently with his brother.
"Right now?"
They nodded, but then their stomachs started growling. Blushing, the twins uneasily looked away as Chan smiled warmly. Grasping their hands, he pulled them along inside and they showed them around. The home itself was rather ordinary and worn-out with a plain cotton couch and rocking chair. There was nothing electronic, but a bathroom was present. There was one bedroom draped in fine cotton sheets along with a secondary bedroom with two portable beds. Chan explained that his home used to be an inn, but when he discovered it abandoned, he kept some of the property to himself and got rid of the rest. He gestured them into the kitchen, revealing one that was similar to the one they were used to in their previous home. Gan and Tavis gazed around, feeling a sense of peculiar déjà vu.
Chan fixed the brothers a bowl of soup. He sat down by them as they gathered around a wooden table, sitting on similar stools. Instantly, they devoured the food, shocking Chan instantly as they started choking on the mashed tomatoes. Chan slapped them both on the back, chuckling as they gagged. They slowly ate their food as Chan finished his, dropping it into the sink. Washing the bowl, he found Gan and Tavis doubling up to him and handing out their bowls to him. Smiling, he commented for them to go back outside where training would began immediately.
Gan and Tavis beamed brightly, bouncing outside. Both gushed on what they would learn, and Tavis fired experimental shots into the sky. Gan imitated his brother. Their strikes swirled and meshed with each other, forming a magnificent white beam of pure energy that split through the clouds above.
"My, I am impressed," Chan mused, stepping outside and looking up at the parted cloud. "That was quite a show you two can pull off."
"Thank you, Chan," Gan replied, blushing slightly in pride.
"Come! Teach us what you know!" Tavis commanded eagerly.
Chan sighed at the boy's impertinence. At least he was not referring to him as old anymore. Gesturing them close, he lifted his hands and kept them nearly cupped together. With a sigh, he softly ordered the boys to do the same. When they copied him, he explained that this was a technique to control their power.
"Now, release your power so that it is conformed into a small ball about the size of your hands clasped together into a fist," Chan explained. "That way, more control will be utilized so you cannot harm yourselves when fighting each other or another person that comes to attack you."
Both winced as their power suddenly came out in large bursts, reflecting massive doses of light across their faces. Each twin grimaced as their power simply became enormous balls the size of their heads. Instantly, they faltered backwards and allowed the power to fade. Disappointment crossed their faces as they somberly glanced up to Chan.
Chan sighed through his nose, smiling gently at them. "No need to fret. You two are still in the learning stage. It's only natural that you two cannot concentrate your powers." Patting them both on the head in an attempt to renew their spirits, he gently asked, "Shall we start again?"
Gan and Tavis exchanged a quick smirk and nodded eagerly. Taking in a slow breath, both conjured up a small ball of sparkling yellow and mesmerizing blue. At first, Tavis' power trailed off, dashing out in quick jagged streaks. The younger twin winced, and the muscles in his arms tensed as he slowly began to close his hands together. The electrical sphere contorted into a smaller ball the size of his hands clasped together. Tavis laughed joyfully, raising the ball into the air, and it evaporated.
On the other hand, Gan was having less difficulty. He found controlling his power into a ball simpler than his brother did. For some reason, his power instantly went into a ball form, but it expanded to be the size of his head. Gan grimaced, bringing his hands together in a feeble attempt to control his power. It obeyed, following him until it was the size Chan asked for. Both of his hands remained embraced the pale, light blue energy sphere as he nervously chuckled.
"Did we complete it?" Tavis eagerly asked.
"Yes, excellent work, my boys," Chan whispered, rubbing their heads.
Gan threw his hands back down, and the power vanished like a ghost. He smiled with pride, and the feeling sweltered in his chest. The only people in the world that gave him comforting words of praise were his mother, his brother and sometimes Bao when he was not screaming at the twins. Tavis smirked, crossing his arms arrogantly. Rolling his shoulders back, he stood at full height and snickered.
"Of course we did perfectly. We are Gan and Tavis, the Williams Twins," he sneered as Gan nodded.
Chan could not hold back his laughter, finding them to be ridiculous like a riot. "My, you two are going to be a handful, I can tell! Stick with me, and you two will learn as much as you require."
"This is our home now?" Gan asked.
"If you wish it to be," Chan replied.
"Pleasing! So, where do we sleep?" Tavis questioned, smiling.
---
Thunder rode as fast as his cloud could take him. He swerved in the skies, hovering above trees. The night sky beckoned him as he ventured towards the New Zealand coastline. Stars blinked, giving him all the light he needed to see. Thunder's chest ceased in panging, and he believed himself to be well. He convinced himself that he was fine, and that his brother was his utmost priority instead of concerning himself about his former injury.
The blue elemental kept his gaze steady, not once looking back to see the hospital. He was simply grateful for Argent, suggesting his plan of action for him. If it were not for her, he would have been stuck inside that horrid white room while Lightning suffered unknown tortures.
However, Argent's words of his origin continued to haunt him. The fact that he was half-alien stunned him immensely. He wished he could have asked her more about herself and what the "H'san Natall" as she referred to the alien race as was in personality and culture. Thunder knew that there was something different about themselves that set them apart from others besides their appearances. At one point their lives, they deluded themselves into believing they were gods, but that conclusion was immediately destroyed after they met and allied with the Teen Titans.
My brother still does not know of this, he thought, crouching down on his cloud to increase speed. The moment I free him of his bonds, I shall tell him.
Thunder arrived at the Hive's base in a matter of minutes. He landed on the bridge that connected the base to the shore. He located the spot where he fell and cracked his head, wondering how Argent managed to carry him out of the ocean with his larger frame. He was to ask her later when the discovered a few patrolling Hive robots-dubbed Cyclones-approaching him. Thankfully, they did not notice him as he suddenly flew above their heads and merely appeared to be a somewhat lighter cloud in the midnight blue sky. The robots entered, and he quickly followed. When the Cyclones realized he had followed them in, Thunder had already smashed his fists into their hard drives, shutting them down.
No other sentries were alerted, surprising Thunder, but he would not look a gift horse in the mouth. He was still slightly sore from his previous encounter with the Hive, but he would do anything at that point to rescue Lightning. Thunder quickly surveyed whatever surveillance camera was around, destroying it on sight.
"Well, lookie here, it's the blue weirdie."
Thunder cringed, finding Gizmo hovering behind him on his jetpack. He felt a vein throb in his forehead as Gizmo sniggered at him. "I do not have time to banter with you, small child."
"Small? Why ya stinkin' loser! Ya should be happy that you're here, and not in your brother's place!" Gizmo snapped.
"My brother?" Thunder cried. "Where is he? What torture is being put through?"
"Same as before," Mammoth replied, stepping up behind him.
"To power that machine?" Thunder snarled.
"Yup," Billy answered, leaning against the wall with a few copies of himself.
"In just a few moments, Adeline and that creep she's with is going to recharge the Titan Eradicator," Angel explained, flying over from another hallway with Kyd Wykkyd materializing in darkness.
"Who else is here?" Thunder suddenly shook his head in disgust. "Do not answer. I will find out once I go in and save Lightning."
"No way, punk," Mammoth growled, cracking his knuckles as Private Hive walked up behind him. "You're stayin' here."
"I do not have time for this!" Thunder shouted, hopping up on his cloud. "Go and find somebody else to harm! That is all that madwoman will use you for, and you will have no future to look forward if you venture this path."
Billy stood up straight, stretching his arms. He sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, man, but if we don't school you, Adeline'll school us."
"Then we'll have to school you!"
Thunder barely managed to lean up in time on his cloud to avoid Cyborg's sonic cannon. The blue energy beam ruptured through the Hive students, knocking them flat out and into the walls and floor. Thunder instantly gulped, sweat dampening his brow as he slowly turned to find a few very annoyed and confused Titans. Among the Titans stood the five core Titans and Gnaark, Ironically enough, Bumblebee was not among them.
Robin's arms were crossed, and Thunder knew that he was in deep trouble. "Thunder, why are you here?"
"To rescue my brother," Thunder replied boldly, hopping down from his cloud.
"You're still a liability," Robin explained. "Adeline already defeated you once, and you are still hurt from last night from what Cyborg told me."
Deciding to take a more gentle approach than her boyfriend, Starfire gently took Thunder's hands in her own. "Please, my friend, we simply do not wish for you to become more injured. We shall rescue Lightning for you."
"She's right, and so is Robin," Raven added flatly. "The doctors exposed to me your medical reports, finding something wrong with your breathing." She walked over and touched his chest, eyes glowing black. Stepping back, she turned to Robin and stated that he still had a slightly erratic heartbeat.
"And if you're wondering, Bee had to go back to Jump City to make up for Hot Spot having to leave on business he wouldn't disclose," Cyborg informed.
Beast Boy touched Thunder's side, patting him. He smiled, fang protruding out and curved. "Don't worry, Thunder. We'll do what we did before when Professor Chang tried to fake that sultan into believing Lightning was a genie. Besides, me and Star already promised you that we'd save Lightning."
"I am sorry, green one, but the time you refer to, I was present," Thunder insisted.
"But last time you weren't hurt," Robin interjected. "Adeline is planning on using Lightning and Kole for their respective powers to destroy us. We can't have you becoming blind-sided if Lightning is hurt. If you do, it could jeopardize our mission and cause the destruction of the Titans, Thunder." He paused, noticing the agony floating in Thunder's charcoal orbs. Hesitating, he reconsidered Thunder's feelings for his brother and how fiercely they protected each other. Having no siblings of his own, Robin could not understand what inner turmoil Thunder was suffering.
"I believe we should allow Thunder to come with us," Starfire suddenly proclaimed, interrupting the silence.
"Ya know what, me too! The more the merrier, right?" Beast Boy added. "We'll also have more people to take down this Adeline!"
Gnaark nodded, repeating his name a few times in confirmation.
Raven looked over to Robin, stating, "The decision your's."
Cyborg crossed his arms, looking between his friends and the anxiety on the elemental's face. Shrugging, he turned to Robin, saying, "He looks fine to me."
Earlier you were the one holding me back, Cyborg, Thunder recalled in his thoughts. Why do you side with me now?
Robin sighed, shaking his head as black spikes shook. Thunder flinched, finding his negativity unwelcoming at least.
"Please," Thunder begged shakily, dropping to his knees. Trembling, his hands slapped against the ground, shouting, "If anything happens to him, I will never forgive myself!"
Robin gazed at him, arms dropping to his sides. He slowly strolled over to Thunder and knelt down in front of him. Offering his hand, he smiled when Thunder accepted it and helped him stand. Wordlessly, he nodded and looked back over to the other Titans.
Thunder felt an instant sense of gratitude and relief. Bowing, he thanked the Boy Wonder in countless numbers. Wiping his eyes, Thunder noticed Gnaark gazing at the groaning Hive villains. Turning around, Thunder gasped as Mammoth started coming at him and quickly snatched the brute's meaty fist, throwing him into the nearest wall.
"Cyborg, take Thunder, Gnaark, and Beast Boy and try and save the others," Robin commanded. "Raven, Star, we're going to take these guys down and then catch up. Titans, go!"
Thunder quickly hopped on his cloud, and Beast Boy morphed into a fox, dashing off with impeccable speed. Gnaark and Cyborg took up the rear as the latter shouted directions. Thunder's heartbeat rapidly increased, making him slightly cringe as they approached the main door.
"BB, knock it down!" Cyborg shouted. "Let 'em know we're comin' and we're comin' hard!"
Beast Boy changed into a massive black bear, one that Thunder recognized as the kind that once took him down during their second battle at the museum. He roared and smashed both claws into the door, knocking it down. The four immediately entered and scoured the area, Beast Boy changing back into human form. Cyborg growled, finding that the laser was completely refurnished, and he instantly knew that Gizmo was the scourge behind it.
"Gnaark!" the cave dweller suddenly wailed, pointing up at the glass on the laser.
"It's Kole!" Beast Boy shouted.
The pink-haired heroine opened her slumbering eyes and looked down groggily. Groaning, she gasped as she caught sight of Gnaark and happily called out to him. "Gnaark, I'm up here! I'm so glad you're okay!"
Gnaark beamed, waving his arms gleefully as he replied in repeating his names multiple times. Thunder stared at them, looking between them. They were practically like brother and sister, always looking out for one another. Thunder smiled gently, happy that Gnaark found his friend. However, he was instantly concerned when Lightning was not present in his glass pod. Tumultuous worry streamed across his face as he frantically started calling out for Lightning
"Ah, new Titans and old ones. Welcome back, Thunder, Cyborg," Adeline Kane sneered, coming out from the stairs on the opposite side of the room where a door was. She stood on her hover disk, smirking down at them. "I am certain that caveman Gnaark is having himself a pleasant time, seeing his friend again for the last time."
"Come on, Adeline, we can just drop this now, and you can go to jail. We might even drop some years if you give up peacefully," Cyborg urged.
"Where is my brother?" Thunder demanded, barging out in front of Cyborg.
"Oh, Lightning, well, he was being very uncooperative, so my comrade had to deal with him," Adeline remarked.
"If you have harmed him, you will face the wrath of Thunder!" he screamed, charging his hands up.
"Sound is what you control or a variation of thunder," a man in a military suit stated. He came out holding Lightning by his hair. "What he controls is a form of electricity or lightning."
"Brother," Thunder meekly murmured, suddenly disheartened.
"What'd you do to him?" Kole cried.
"Who are you?" Beast Boy asked furiously. "Why'd you hurt Lightning?"
"A father needs to reprimand a disobedient child like Tavis," the man stated. "Is that not so, Gan?"
"Tavis?" Cyborg repeated.
"Gan?" Beast Boy squawked in surprise. He looked over to Thunder, finding him in a state of shock. "Is that your name?"
Thunder's mouth dropped open slightly, and his eyes widened fearfully. Only a few people knew his real name along with his brother's. For the blonde haired man to refer to Lightning as son and himself as father struck a core in Thunder's heart. He trembled, arms slouching to the side as he uttered the name of the man who he wished to know for years.
"Walter Williams…my father…" Thunder took a few precautionary steps backwards, breathing unevenly. "Impossible."
"Nothing is impossible," Walter replied, handing Lightning over to Adeline.
---
The climax is starting! There is going to be more action, drama and revelations coming up, so please review.