Doctor Luke Thomas was fumbling around in excitement. To finally meet Alice Black's son all grown up felt like christmas to him. Luke was an eccentric man well into his thirties, shaggy brown, greying hair, average body type, and a full short beard, with little greys on the end. His labcoat was a pristine white, with a black shirt and blue tie, followed by brown work trousers and black shoes.
"Holy crap I'm shivering with anticipation!" He said in his mind, chuckling at the little reference he made.
"Doctor Thomas." A guardsman entered the lab. "Mr Black is here."
The scientist smiled in delight, "Bring him in!" The guard signalled the other officer to enter with Kai, who walked in with a smile.
When their eyes met, there was only silence. Luke blinked rapidly, unsure of how to react.
"Doctor Luke Thomas, I'm Kai Black." Kai introduced himself, "I know my appearance may be a shock to you, but it is me."
Luke asked, "What was Alice Black's favourite band?" Knowing the question could determine the hybrid's identity.
"Enter Shikari." Kai answered instantly, crossing his arms.
"What was her middle name?" Doctor Thomas asked another question, slowly approaching him.
"Alexandria." Kai said, staying in the same spot as the scientist approached.
"What was her first concert?"
"The Foo Fighters." The answers surprised Luke, they were all correct.
"Kai. . . What's happened to you?" Doctor Thomas placed a firm hand on Kai's shoulder, pulling him into a welcoming hug.
"Oh you know, aliens abducted me, spliced my dna, turning me into this weird fox humanoid, the norm." He attempted to make light of his situation, earning a chuckle.
"You've got your mother's mouth, she always did make light out of any scenario." Doctor Thomas removed himself, waving the guards away.
"So. . . how did you escape these aliens?" Luke asked as they began to walk alongside eachother.
"Punched a few guards, ran as fast as I could, got in an escape pod and bam! Here I am." Kai quickly explained. "However I think they're trying to get me back." He took a glance at the different exo-suits that were on display.
"At least you're straight to the point." The scientist said, noticing the weird light on the back of his shoe. "I'm no expert kid, but I think you've got a little something on your boot." He pointed to the right boot.
Kai sighed in annoyance, "Blast! They know where I am." He pulled on the little device, ripping it off before crushing it with his hand.
"Guess we better speed things up!" Luke begun to jog, the hybrid joining him.
"Kinda difficult if I'm wanting to know how everything works first!" Kai said, a little overwhelmed that he'd thrown into the deep end.
"Let us call this on the job training. Well first off, since your mother was a metahuman, I'd assume you've inherited certain abilities. High metabolism, super sharp senses, agility. That kind of stuff kid?"
"That explains alot." Kai said, taking in the information. "Guess that means I don't need to worry about getting fat so quickly." He was met with laughter from the scientist as they kept running.
"Now the Star suit was mainly designed for rescue purposes only, however John Miller wanted to weaponize it, trying to undo your mother's work." Luke noticed the angered expression when he brought the name up.
"He may have been responsible for my creation, but he's not my father." Kai coldly stated. "Karma hit him like a bitch when I was in Mom's will."
"Glad to know you and I are on the same page when it comes to him. Far as I'm concerned, he was always envious of Alice."
As the duo entered the next room, they stopped. Kai gasped as he saw the Star suit, the colour scheme consisted of a metallic grey and chrome blue. On the shoulder plated armour, a black coloured star was embedded, adorned with a hint of white on the outlines.
"To see it up close. . ." Kai spoke as he looked at every detail on the exo-suit, noticing how sleek and slim it looked in person.
"The only adjustments that were made were it's defensive capabilities. The gauntlets now carry an electrical charge, so you can resusitate, or stun your enemies." Luke explained as he pushed the release button, the glass protecting the suit slid down.
"Just one teeny problem. . ." Kai pointed to his tail, prompting a chuckle from the scientist.
"The suit adjusts itself to the wearer. It was MADE for metahuman use. Your mother had a plan for everything."
"Thanks mom." Kai mentally said, approaching the suit. He laid a hand on the chest piece, gliding his fingers over the emblem in the center.
His ears picked up the sound of multiple footsteps approaching the lab, knowing whoever was coming had the intention of re-capturing him.
"Guess your buddies have shown up." Luke stated, moving away from the area. "Don't just stand and look at it, put it on!" He commanded.
With a silent nod, Kai begun to put the suit on. With each piece adjusting to his body, the suit moved like it was "alive", completely covering his entire body.
Metahuman scan complete. Adjusting for additional body part. A female automated voice spoke as the suit begun to wrap Kai's tail.
"You weren't joking when you said it adjusts to the wearer." He said, suprised at the comfort of the suit.
"Like I said, your mother had a plan for everything." The cheery scientist said, turning his attention to the arriving group.
Robin, Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl, and Miss Martian looked at the supposed fugitive, then looking to the scientist with a questionable look.
"The Titans?!" Kai exclaimed, "The heck are you doing here?"
Robin spoke up, "Arresting an escaped felon." He took out his Bo staff, pressing a button which extended the length. He took a readying stance.
"Is that what those aliens told you?" A dry chuckle escaped from Kai. "Guess they never told you that they actually abducted me, spliced my DNA, and subjected me to torture?"
"Can you prove that?" Blue Beetle shifted his arms into blasters.
Kai raised his eyebrow, flicking both his hands, electricity sparked from his knuckles. "Guess I'll need to show you."
"Kai!" Luke called out, "Please take the fight outside? I just got this lab cleaned." The scientist pushed a switch which in turn opened the ceiling above the group.
Retractable wings folded out of Kai's back, resembling that of a cybernetic angel. He gestured the Titans to follow him before leaping up, the wings began to lift him off the ground.
"Kid's a fast learner." Luke thought as he watched suit take flight.
Robin took out his grappling hook whilst the other three flew up, zipping upwards to catch up.
Luke pressed the switch again, closing the roof as the group moved out of the building.
"May the force be with you kid, not that you need it." The scientist smirked, knowing Alice's son will stand his ground, with or without Jedi powers. Of course being the nerd he is, Luke can't contain himself when it came to lightsabers, tie fighters, and classic lines.
Kai landed on the now shut roof, facing the Titans before him. "Never thought I'd be going toe to toe with the Titans." He said before taking a fighting stance.
"Scarab's got your tech beat." Blue Beetle circled around Kai, waiting for the right move.
"Think you can lay a hit?" The hybrid taunted, smirking away.
Irritated by his smile, Jaime started to use his blasters. Kai's agility was further enhanced by the Star suit, dodging the attacks with ease. "Why don't you come closer? I wanna see the tech upclose and personal."
Taking the bait, the young hero changed his blasters into enlarged fists, moving closer to take a swing at him.
Kai could see that his opponent was a little predictable, moving to the side to watch him hit the air. Robin attempted to swing with his staff, only to be blocked.
"Love the staff, custom made?" Kai asked as he gripped the staff with his free hand.
"Not bad, for a rookie." Robin answered before he performed a leg sweep, with Kai only hopping in time to dodge, retaliating with a palm strike to the chest.
Robin felt a slight electrical jolt, pretty sure he felt his arm hairs go up. "Jeez that smarts."
"You can relax Robin, the voltage isn't designed to kill, only stun." Kai said before dodging an incoming attack from Wonder Girl.
"Hold still!" She shouted as she rapidly swung with her fists. Kai moved back, feeling the wind of her fierce attack.
"Judging by the way you swing, I'd rather not hon." He cheerfully answered back, returning a charged fist to her stomach.
The shock was just enough to push her back. She clutched her stomach, surprised at the strength of the punch.
"This suit enhances my strength, though not as strong as Superman, it's just enough to hold my ground against you guys." Kai smirked, ready to take on Miss Martian, who looked at him out of curiosity.
"I know you're not what Praxis said you were." The Green lady spoke calmly, the hybrid keeping a defensive stance.
"Then why believe the crap he spat out?!" Kai snapped back.
Robin folded his weapon away, "No one just walks into S.T.A.R Labs so casually as you." He, Wonder Girl, and Miss Martian stood down.
Except Blue Beetle, who continued to attack recklessly. Kai could feel the anger radiating off of each attack. Knowing that he had little choice but to fight back, he charged up both gauntlets, waiting for the right moment to strike. With a big yell of fraustration, the Scarab wielder leapt up in the air, bringing his enlarged fists down.
Predicting his movements, the hybrid slid under his opponent, jumping back up before ramming his hands onto Blue Beetle's back. The electricity coursed through Jaime as he yelped, dropping to the ground temporarily stunned. Kai backed away from him, letting him recover from the shock.
"You cooled off yet?" He asked, looking down, "I apologise for the discomfort, it'll wear off." He offered his hand to pick him up.
Reluctant at first, Jaime stood up, not grumpily refusing to shake his hand. "Pendejo." He muttered under his breath.
Kai didn't respond to the insult, approaching Robin by offering his hand. "My name is Kai, born on Earth."
Robin shook his hand firmly, "Robin, and we're the new Titans." He gestured to his allies behind him, everyone smiled aside from Blue Beetle.
"I remember the original Titans. They've picked a good bunch." Kai complimented them, the animosity seemed to have dwindled down.
"I hate to break up the introductions, but we must stop Praxis." His tone turned more serious, "He has alot to answer for."
"We shouldn't have listened to him. I knew there was something missing but I was dumb enough to think that it was true." The third Boy Wonder shook his head, a little embarassed.
"Guess we won't need to look far." Wonder Girl pointed to the now visible ship which hovered over them like a bird of prey.
The ship landed, and out came Praxis, with a large group of guards. "I must commend you Titans for finding our little runaway. It saves us time and-"
"Shut your damn mouth Praxis! They know about your plan." Kai aggressively stated, his hands turning to fists.
"But it worked didn't it? Now I can add all of you to my army. . ." Praxis's tone changed into something more sinister.
"Sorry, but we don't join aliens who abduct people, turning them into something else, and expecting to follow orders." Robin drew out his staff in defiance.
"Then like this planet, you will die." With a snap of his fingers, Praxis's guards drew out their batons, the crackle of the electricity was unstable.
"First we'll kick your ass, and then you reverse what you've done to me!" Kai was only met by thunderous laughter.
"What's so damn funny?" Kai shouted in anger, his icey blue eyes locked onto the lizard hybrid with violent intentions.
"You are a foolish child! There is no reversing the splicing process, none at all!" Praxis stated like it was a fact, noticing how Kai looked shocked.
"He isn't lying. . ." Miss Martian looked at Kai with sympathy.
Kai finally snapped, baring his teeth. "I'm gonna KILL YOU!!" He leapt into battle, fueled by pure rage. The guards began to attack, the Titans quickly followed, into the battlefield.
As the battle raged on, Kai was face to face with Praxis. The lizard hybrid drew out a electrical sword, with the full intention of killing him.
"You could've been the one to lead my army boy. And yet, you cling onto a worthless existence that is humanity. Face it! You are an outcast, just like ME!"
Praxis roared as he began to attack, the speed almost matched Kai's, who narrowly dodged the blade. Using every brief moment to land a electrical punch to his gut. The armour Praxis wore absorbed them like a sponge, hardly affected by the attacks. Fraustrated by the lack of damage, Kai leapt up, using the momentum to land a kick to his enemy's face. The hit was more than enough to break a few of Praxis's teeth.
The lizard commander spat out a few of his teeth, wiping away the blood from his mouth.
"It's over Praxis, I'm not letting you hurt anyone else!" Kai breathed deeply, the Star suit bore several scratches, his body drenched in sweat from the fighting.
"What a load of drivel. Understand this, I will enjoy making you whimper like an animal." Praxis threw away his sword, raising his large fists. "I will choke the life out of you. . ."
"Come give it a try!" Kai said threateningly, taunting with a hand gesture to bring it.
Praxis charged, swinging left and right like a boxer. But Kai had the speed to dodge, using each second to punch his exposed face, followed by sending a few jolts of electricity on top of the punches.
However, the strategy was short lived as Praxis grabbed him by the wrists. "Such a waste. . ." He coldly said as he began to crush the gauntlets, Kai screamed in pain as he felt the suit lose a fraction of power.
Blue Beetle heard his scream over the loud battle, his attention turning to the lizard commander who then began to choke the hybrid with both hands.
"Come on Jaime. . . SAVE HIM."
With a sudden burst of speed, Jaime darted towards Praxis, using his thrusters whilst readying his fist. Unleashing a shout of anger, he slammed his fist into the armour, sending the commander into the side of his ship. Kai fell to the ground, coughing as he recovered his breath. He looked up to see Blue Beetle, who offered him a hand.
"Come with me if you want to live!" Jaime spoke in a poor attempt of an accent, causing the fox hybrid to chuckle.
"That was terrible." Kai grabbed his hand, letting himself being pulled up. "But I appreciate your taste in movies."
"Glad someone does, can you still fight?" Blue Beetle asked, concerned about the inflicted damage on the Star suit.
Caution! Star suit damaged, initiating repairs, approximate time: five minutes!
"Just gonna have to fight barehanded for now." Kai turned to face the remaining guards, back to back with Blue Beetle.
"Kinda wish we had a little backup. . ." Jaime said as his fellow Titans were holding off a larger group.
"Someone say backup?" A voice from above caught the duo's attention. A young man, wearing a black shirt with a symbol similar to Superman's appeared before them, smirking.
"Took ya long enough!" Jaime cried out, smiling.
"I even brought more buddies!" Superboy pointed to the approaching group, landing together.
Nightwing, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg had shown up, earning cheers from everyone. Kai couldn't believe his own eyes, both the old Titans, and new Titans were together. Praxis called his men to regroup, both parties facing each other.
"Splicers. . ." Starfire spoke with distaste.
"You know these chumps?" Beast Boy asked, cracking his knuckles.
"Vaguely. They abduct anyone deemed suitable for their army, using DNA manipulation, and mind control. That Glorbak is Praxis, the supposed General." Starfire recognised the hybrid, her eyes meeting a surprised Kai.
"Don't be alarmed kid." Cyborg said, "We're here to help." He activated his sonic cannon, fixed on the opponents.
"I-I-I'm glad." Kai stuttered, a little starstruck to see the original Titans in person.
Repairs complete: Gauntlets now operational.
The hybrid flicked his wrists, feeling the suit's power fully restored. The electrical surge through the gauntlets motivated him to face his enemies.
"You got a name kid?" Nightwing asked as he drew out his batons, readying himself.
Kai took a moment to think, did he mean by his actual name? Or did he mean by a superhero name? A smile formed as he looked at the symbol on his chest, the name couldn't be more fitting.
"You can call me. . . Blackstar."
"Well Blackstar, how about we kick their asses?" Nightwing asked one final question, the answer was heard by everyone.
"Yeah!"
"Wanna say the magic words?" Starfire asked Kai, who nodded before facing his enemies.
"Titans! Go!"
End of Chapter IV: New Allies
Author's Notes:
I'm speeding things up a little here, the next chapters will involve Blackstar adjusting to both life as a Titan, and as the next successor of Alice Black's division. I was torn between calling the hybrid race Splicers, or just plainly Hybrids, let me know what you would call them!