Title: The Nighthawk Chronicles 19: Turncoat (2/3)

Author: Cyclone

Feedback: Please be gentle.

Distribution: Gimme credit and a link.

Rating: Maybe a little harsh language, certainly some violence, but nothing worse than on BtVS.

Spoilers: Up to Chosen for BtVS and Deception for Teen Titans.

Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

Summary: Deception and betrayal abound when the Titans receive a call for help from an unexpected source.

Author's Note: Whee! New season! Shiny!


"What are you looking for?" Robin asked. Nighthawk's hands were blurring across the ops center computers keyboard. He didn't even know Nighthawk could type that fast.

"That," Nighthawk said, pointing at the monitor. It was map of Jump City, and a red dot blinked on the screen.

"What is that?"

"The homing beacon I gave Jinx a few weeks ago."

Robin stiffened as he processed the implications. "You've been meeting with her?"

Nighthawk blinked at him and shrugged, "Well, yeah. She needed someone to talk to."

"About what?" Robin frowned.

Nighthawk paused before answering quietly, "She gave me her trust, Robin. I'm not going to break it."

Robin opened his mouth, then closed it and ground his teeth in frustration. He couldn't believe this! This whole set up practically screamed "Trap!" to him, and Nighthawk was blind to it all!

"Look, Robin," Nighthawk said, breaking his train of thought, "you don't have to worry about me charging in, half-cocked, guns blazing."

"Well, that's good," Robin said, relieved. Maybe we can deal with this without anyone getting killed...

"After all, a half-cocked gun is dangerous and not really useful."

Dead silence.

"Kidding! Kidding!" Nighthawk held his hands up placatingly. "I've raided a few secured compounds before. I'm not about to charge into a superior force and risk getting myself killed without knowing exactly where she is or the layout of the place. The homing beacon isn't that precise."

"You what?"

"Hey, it was Africa, and they were auctioning off my slayers as slaves and for body parts."

"And once you do find out what you need?" Raven broke in.

Nighthawk nodded emphatically, "Then I'll risk getting myself killed getting her out."

"That's not very reassuring," Robin growled.

"Maybe, but getting killed isn't the plan," Nighthawk said. "It's a risk."

"And the plan would be...?" Raven asked.

"Get the other dumb bastards killed trying to stop me from getting her out."

There was dead silence.

"Okay, seriously?" Nighthawk said. "I can't make a plan until we have the intel. I don't like making things up as I go along -- that kind of plan gets the wrong people killed -- but I don't see much choice here."

"You sound like you've got some experience with by-the-seat-of-your-pants planning," Terra observed.

Nighthawk unconsciously reached up to his eye, "You could say that." He looked up, "But hey, who hasn't?"

"So how are you planning on getting the intel?" Terra asked.

"That's where Cyborg comes in," Robin answered.

"'Cyborg'?" Beast Boy repeated. "What are you gonna do? Dress him up as a washing machine?" he snorted, giving Cyborg a good-natured backslap.

Cyborg fell over.

"Ahh!" Beast Boy jumped and clung to the ceiling.

"That isn't me," came Cyborg's voice from elsewhere in the room. "That's my fully robotic replacement." He walked up and righted the robot, "Not nearly as charming, but he can bench-press a bus."

The other Titans leaned in and peered at the robotic double curiously. Starfire hesitantly tapped it on the head.

"Booya!" the robot suddenly yelled... as its head popped off on a spring.

"He still has a few bugs to work out," Cyborg admitted. "With this standing in for me, no one'll guess I'm working undercover."

"Using the holorings again?" Nighthawk asked.

Cyborg nodded, "Yup."


Xander dropped to his rear as the massive fist flew over his head, smashing through the warehouse's concrete wall behind him. Rolling over and out of the way, he scrambled to get some distance before his opponent got his fist out of the wall.

He latched onto the giant's back and brought his forearm across his throat. "I just want some answers, Mammoth," he hissed into his ear. "Where's Jinx? What's Blood done with her?"

Mammoth roared and plucked him off his back. Hurling him across the room, the big man snarled, "It's because of you! You're the reason she crossed the Headmaster! No one crosses the Headmaster!"

Xander groaned as he staggered to his feet. Glaring at Mammoth, he shot back, "Then just call me 'no one.' You're gonna answer my questions one way or another."


"You really think you can protect her from the Headmaster?"

"It's what I do," Xander said with a shrug.

He and Mammoth were both slumped against the wall, bruised and battered and sporting a few other injuries they were trying their level best to ignore. As fatigued as they were, neither was in any condition to restart the fight.

"Actually," Xander added, "I was sorta planning on killing Brother Blood, but that can wait."

"Blood cannot be killed."

"They said the same thing about Slade," Xander snorted. "Believe me, there's a way to kill everyone and everything in the universe. Even if it takes destroying the universe to do it."

Mammoth looked over at him and frowned, deep in thought, "You're really serious, aren't you?"

"No," Xander quipped. "In fact, I've never been to Azkaban."

Mammoth barked out a laugh. Then scowled at Xander's surprise, "Hey, big doesn't always mean dumb. I read."

"Sorry," Xander said with a shrug. He leaned back, "So, you gonna help me, or are we gonna go back to fighting again?"


"Cyborg! Do you copy?" Robin called into the transmitter. Most of the other Titans were gathered around him in the ops center. "Cyborg, come in!"

/This isn't a good time, guys/ Cyborg hissed back. /We've got a Theory of Mayhem test tomorrow, and I'm totally gonna bomb./

"Please tell me you're joking," Robin said flatly.

/Yeah, um... look, sorry I haven't checked in/ Cyborg apologized. /I've been learning their combat techniques, weapons, armor, and we had a dance-/

"A dance?" Robin sputtered. "Cyborg, you're there to find out what the HIVE is planning, not learn to tango!"

"No, he's there to find Jinx," came a voice from behind them.

Robin whirled around, "Nighthawk, where the heck have you been?"

"Are you all right?" Starfire asked anxiously, floating up to him. Raven pushed her aside and touched his shoulder, feeding healing energies into him.

"I'm fine," he replied shortly, shrugging away from them. "I've just been following up on some leads." He walked up to the comm station, "Vic, what's up?"

/I'm sorry. This hasn't exactly been a tea party, okay/ Cyborg replied. /I just need a little more time./

"Or maybe it's time we went on the offensive," Robin said.

Xander shook his head and left the ops center. He turned when he heard the door open and close again behind him.

"You're hurt," Terra said, grabbing his head and tilting it forcefully, angling for better light and peeling back the corner of his mask.

"Ow! Hey!"

"That's quite a shiner you've got there."

"It'll heal," he shrugged as he fitted the mask back into place.

"What happened?" she asked bluntly.

"Like I said, I was following some leads," he replied curtly. "They weren't being very cooperative. Now, if you'll excuse me," he pulled away and turned.

She grabbed him by the arm. "Ah!" he hissed as the bruise there flared up. He looked back at her and glowered, "What?"

"Be careful."

"I will," he said. Walking away, he shook his head and grumbled, "Why do the cute ones always abuse me?"

Neither of them noticed the green-skinned figure in the shadows.


"Think I just found the class project," Cyborg murmured into his comm. "They're building something called-"

"-an ion amplifier," came Brother Blood's voice.

Cyborg rose and spun, tucking his non-hologram-covered arm behind his back.

/Cyborg/ Robin called over the comm. /Who's-/ the signal was cut off.

"Well, this is a surprise, Mister Stone," Blood said, stepping into the light. "Or should I say... Cyborg?"

Cyborg dropped the hologram and leveled his sonic cannon at the Headmaster, but Blood didn't even flinch, "Relax. I don't want to fight." He held up the ion amplifier and commented, "It's a remarkable weapon, really. Compact... elegant... devastating in its power. But it's nothing compared to you."

"What do you want from me?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh, it's not what I want that matters," Blood said, walking around the desk. "It's what you want... and what I can give you."


Author's Postscript:

Ever have one of those days where it seems like the world is out to get you?

Xander's having one of those days. Again.