Teen Titans: Origins
Chapter One: And So It Begins
Six months before today...Robin heard a small crack as his heel connected with the man's jaw and saw a few drops of blood burst from his mouth. The man smashed into the brick was just behind him, and another crack, louder than the first resounded from the impact. Even before Robin had landed, he was swinging his right fist. Almost before he had planted his feet on the ground, his strike landed on the stomach first man's associate, causing him to double over. Robin brought his left knee up to the man's chin, staining his green pant leg with crimson blood.
As the man fell, Robin looked over his shoulder to see his mentor, Batman, beating Two-face into submission. But Batman was not aware of the schizophrenic's third henchman approaching from behind, a pipe held over his head. Robin immediately snatched a batterang from his utility belt and let fly. His aim was true. The missile struck the back of the henchman's skull, causing him to yell out in pain before collapsing unconscious.
Batman whirled around, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Robin lowered the arm that had cast the batterang. Batman stood up straight with a small smile, which Robin returned. Then the smile on Batman's face faded into a look of though, which confused his young sidekick. But the familiar sound of blaring sirens jarred him from the thought. It was time to go home.-...Somewhere else...-
Eight years before today...
The tall, bony man walked cautiously through the flaming ruins about him. His long nose protruded a bit from the shade of his hood. He clutched his purple robes close to his body to keep them from being singed, as did the boy, who was about nine, beside him. Several steps later, he found what he has been searching for: a young girl, perhaps eight years old, lay on the ground unconscious several feet away. He and the boy stepped hurriedly but cautiously around the burned rubble littering the area towards the girl. She had strangely violet hair and stood perhaps four feet tall. One could say the girl was phenomenally lucky to have not been crushed under the collapsed roof. The man and boy knew better.
As the two knelt next to the girl, the boy spoke worriedly, "Is she...?"
Instead of feeling for a pulse or a breath, the man instead pressed two fingers to the girl's forehead. As he took them away, he spoke, "She is alive and well."
The boy smiled, then looked about the ruins of the building, "What about her family?"
The man sighed and said regretfully, "They are no longer among the living."
The boy lowered his head sadly, then questioned, "You've done this a lot before, Crow, does it always happen like this?"
Crow sighed again, "I'm afraid so, Dove. Always flame and destruction, the house collapsing before anyone notices. And the child always left alive and alone. But come, we must leave." The boy nodded and huddled closer to Crow and the girl. A black shadow emerged from the ground and swept upward, off the soil from which it came.
As the shadow began to envelope the three, Dove looked up at Crow and asked, "What's her name?"
Crow closed his eyes as the flickering light from the flames ceased their dancing across his face. Just before the shadow had completely immersed him, his lips moved, forming a single word, "Raven." And with that, the shadow had covered them and shifted shape into a large black bird, which soared off into the black night.
-... New York Memorial Hospital...-
One month before today... "Doctor, there's GOT to be something you can do!"Doctor Curt Connors sighed with regret as he placed his elbows on his desk and his forehead on his hands. He knew the man before him was not speaking out of anger or fear, but from despair. The man opposite his desk was Martin Stone, a successful scientist not foolish enough to have realized that there had been no hope from the start. His wife Keisha was sobbing silently beside him, the handkerchief in her hands soggy with her tears. Tears were streaming down Martin's face as well.
No one could possibly blame the couple for their weeping. For they had just been told that their son was as good as dead. "I'm terribly sorry, Martin," stated Dr. Connors quietly, "half his brain is nearly dead, the muscles at his neck and below have nearly all been burned away and he's lucky to have a quarter of his skeleton intact. It's a miracle he wasn't killed instantly and an act of God that he's still alive now. There's no way to save your son."
Keisha moaned out her son's name between sobs, "Victor...-sniff-."
Martin sighed, his adrenalin faded. He slumped down into his chair clutched his head in his hands.
Dr. Connors sat up in his seat and put a hand over his eyes as he silently mourned yet another lost life. He opened his eyes and glimpsed the top-right corner of a series of papers sticking out from a rather large stack of forms. The top half of a lower-case "t" could be seen, followed by the letters "ion C". He clinched his eyes shut and thought. 'The boy is nearly dead already. There is no time to be reluctant in risking a human life now that that life is already otherwise beyond saving.' He opened his eyes and stood up, saying, "There is one more option..."
"Anything!" Martin's head snapped up at the words. He sat upright in his chair and continued, "If there's anyway he can live, anyway at all, we'll pay for it! At any price! Just let our son live..."
"An experimental procedure will be performed upon your son," began Connors calmly, "his ruined muscles, bones, and even brain matter will be replaced by cybernetic implants. He will no longer be fully human, but he will retain the memories and emotions he once possessed."
"Do it," murmured Keisha as she dabbed away her last tears, "just do it."
-...Tamaran...-
Three weeks before today...
"But I do not wish to leave!" the orange-skinned alien girl protested loudly as she struggled frenziedly to free herself.
Galforr sighed heavily as he continued to hold her to the ground. Starfire, fifteen-year old native of Tamaran, second in line to the planet's throne, was going through a temper tantrum. Her eyes were beginning to glow a bright emerald shade, and it was only Galforr's own Tamaranian strength that he was holding Starfire to the ground. Starfire could easily burst free from his grip with a burst of energy, but that was not in her nature. As far back as Galforr could remember, Starfire had been as kind and gentle as any Tamaranian could be.
Minutes passed, and eventually Starfire ceased her struggles and began panting. Galforr sighed again, this time with relief, as he released Starfire from his iron grip. Still, the girl was upset, "But why must I leave?"
"You know very well why," Galforr said exasperatedly, "tomorrow is your sixteenth birthday, and as is required by law you must leave Tamaran for no less than one year."
"But I do not wish to leave Tamaran!" tears were beginning to form in Starfire's eyes now, "All my life I have lived here, with you and all the rest of my planet's inhabitants. I have never even flown beyond Tamaran's atmosphere!"
Galforr's eyes softened. Starfire had been his responsibility almost since her birth, as her parents had regretfully died soon after her mother had born her. The planet had been at war at the time, and both the leaders of the planet had been killed in action. Tamaran had been leaderless since.
"Leaving here will not be bad," assured Galforr as he sat beside Starfire, "why, your older sister has enjoyed her travels so much that she still is roaming freely about the universe."
"But I am not Blackfire," moaned Starfire as moisture began to overflow from her eyes, "There are so many people in the world, so many whose cultures I am unfamiliar with, so many who would sooner destroy me than invite me to their Gnorfka Festival..."
Galforr nodded in agreement, but then picked up for Starfire, "Yet you must also consider just how many planets, just how many systems exist throughout the cosmos! Surely there will be more than one planet out there that will be more than welcoming to you."
Starfire seemed unconvinced, so Galforr leaned in close to her and whispered her full name, "Koriand'r, know this at the least: no matter how the inhabitants of far-away planets think of you, you will always have friends here who love you as much as I do. A year may seem long to one as young as yourself, but when the time comes that you return, it will have simply seemed to have been the length of a Plandajj ritual."
Starfire smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes before wrapping her long-time friend in a hug that would have grievously injured a person from Earth. Galforr returned the mighty embrace, and Starfire spoke, "I will pack my things."
-...Several miles east of Jump City...-
One month before today..."Mr. Wilson?" the corporal nervously spoke as he rapped softly on the door.
"Enter," spoke a smooth, dark voice from within the room.
Corporal Jackson took a quick breath to calm his shaking body as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. He closed the door behind him and stood at attention, sweating profusely. Wilson spoke, "Well?"
Jackson gulped and hurriedly spat out his report, "Mr. Wilson, reports are in that a subject has been found for Operation C. He is expected to be brought in within the next twenty-four hours."
The response came slowly, "Good. What about Operation F?"
Jackson stopped himself from emitting a sound of relief as he realized he would make it out of this meeting alive. "A subject has been found and reports regarding his acquisition should arrive within the hour."
A hint of satisfaction glazed Wilson's voice, "Excellent." Time passed as Jackson awaited Wilson's permission to leave. It would not be wise to act without Wilson's consent. Eventually, Wilson spoke again, "Tell me, Corporal, to you fear me."
Jackson tried not to panic as he answered, "I'm terrified, Mr. Wilson." He had learned from experience over the past few months to do two things in Wilson's presence: never refer to him as "sir", as it annoyed him, and always be honest, as lying didn't work well. Many had committed such mistakes.
"Good," said Wilson, "the past three weeks I had messengers who were stupid enough to say they weren't. Do you know what happened to them?"
Jackson knew the medical reports, but not the details, so he responded, "Not precisely, Mr. Wilson."
"I asked the three of them to prove it by attacking me. The first balked and was simply reprimanded for lying to a superior. The second nervously went to his sidearm and aimed it at my head, so I broke his wrist in self-defense and he was charged with threatening a superior. The final one was determined enough to get a shot off before I shattered his rib cage and had him arrested for attempted murder. While I dislike my dealings with any of the armed forces I have found there are three virtues I admire in this place's security force: honesty, loyalty, and intelligence. That is why you are going to be the first messenger I will allow to leave this room unscathed. I can only hope not everyone left here is as smart as you. You may leave."
Jackson turned about and left promptly. As soon as he was fifty feet from the door, he began running.
-...The Bat Cave, under Wayne Manor...-
2 hours after Batman and Robin defeated Two-Face...
Bruce hadn't bothered to take off his Batman costume since they had arrived. That didn't bother him, though, as Bruce tended to do that a lot. It was the quick glances in his direction whenever he walked by that intrigued Tim. Three years ago, Batman had adopted Tim, and Tim had replaced Dick Grayson as Robin. Since then he had vastly improved under Batman's guidance. His body was now a trained weapon, made more dangerous with the armada supplied by his utility belt. His mind had also improved as well, trained by the greatest detective alive. Still, he could not figure out what his mentor and guardian was up to, and it was best not to bother him about it. All would be revealed in time.
-...A place called Azarath...-
Minutes after Crow and Dove rescued Raven...Hawk stepped into the building's main hall and looked around him. The building Azarath has stood about him for centuries, yet Hawk could still not help but think of it as a rotting pile of wood. The walls would forever be preserved, but he had always felt it lacked any comfort whatsoever. Just over a year ago, he had stood in this very room waiting for Crow to arrive with the young Dove. Before that time Hawk and Crow had been alone in this building, which had lead to Hawk's silent nature. Now he stood here waiting for Crow and Dove to arrive with the fourth member of their group, which Crow fondly called a family.
Hawk had always loathed that about Crow. He was able to express his emotions so broadly, even more so than the enthusiastic Dove. Hawk had never been able to do so.
Hawk was jarred from his thought by the arrival of a great black bird. Hawk walked over to it, his black cape flowing about his black bodysuit. He watched as Crow, Dove, and the girl emerged from the bird. Dove immediately rushed over to Hawk and hugged his waist happily. Hawk was thirteen and could not recall ever having any siblings, but Dove was an eternally happy boy whose powers never seemed to resurface regardless, and there was no way to resist the boy's compassion.
Crow carried the girl over to a sofa and laid her there, then beckoned Hawk over to him. "Dove, leave Hawk be for now. We need him to help Raven. I fear she may be currently possessed of a power far greater than ours."
Hawk assumed that Raven was the girl's name and walked over to her. He laid his hands upon her temples wordlessly and closed his eyes. When they opened, his pupils and uniquely yellow irises were gone, replaced by a simple white glow...and Hawk saw into the girl's tormented mind.
-...In the depths of Raven's mind...-
Hawk looked about and saw an infinite dark red void. This was much different than Dove's mind, which had been a somewhat pleasant blue. Without much more time to think, an enormous, red-furred humanoid reared out of the void and stomped in front of Hawk. He recognized the white hair and four, slitted eyes immediately from illustrations in the various books in Azarath's library. "Trigon? I'm surprised someone with your reputation would have a kid."
Trigon didn't look amused as he stared down Hawk, who looked calmly back. Then Trigon spoke in a voice that came from everywhere at once, "Who are you?"
Hawk didn't flinch, knowing the reverberation was simply from Trigon's control over Raven's mind. "My name is Hawk, and I'm the last person from outside of here that you'll ever get to see."
Trigon laughed long, loud, and hard. When he eventually stopped, he asked another question, "And how do you intend to make that happen, little one?"
"Long story," said Hawk, "but let's start from the beginning. You may think you're unique, taking on a human guise and siring a child. Well, lots of demons have done it before. And there are things each of these children have in common. They appear human, with minor physical differences, but possess demonic powers. For another thing, demons like you all decide to name them after birds, I have no idea why. Finally, when the child turns eight, the demon is forever fused with the child, trapping them within the child's mind and giving them control over the child. This transforms the child from a normal human being into a half-breed. The demon is trapped forever in the child's mind but is also given eternal control over them."
Trigon took it all in before responding, "So why do you think you can keep me from crushing you like a bug?"
"I was about to get to that," Hawk said in a somewhat bored tone, "the one way to free a child from the demon's control, other than consent, is for a stronger half-breed to wrest them free."
Trigon snickered, "So you think your father was stronger than me? I highly doubt that. Who exactly was your father?"
Hawk half-smiled as he told Trigon.
Trigon's face was the picture of shock, "Impossible! He was much too powerful! It cannot be!"
"Oh, but it is," said Hawk, "my father was getting old, so he decided to sit back for eighty years or so while he gets to watch me go about my life. It's so much easier to get something done when you can just have your kid do it."
Trigon, now very much afraid, struck out with an immense claw, intending to rend Hawk's body to shreds.
The claw fell into the abyss separate from the rest of Trigon's arm. The demon howled in agony as Hawk readied the black blade, focused by his mind, for another strike. "I suggest you submit now," spoke Hawk calmly, "it will save you quite a few body parts. Although I personally hope you wish to do this the hard way."
-...Azarath...-
Minutes later...Hawk opened his eyes and took his hands away from Raven's head. Almost as soon as he did so, Raven opened her eyes...and gazed up into the faces of Dove, Hawk, and Crow. "Welcome," said Crow, "to Azarath..."
-...New York Memorial Hospital...-Five minutes after Dr. Connors's meeting with the Stones...
His name is Victor Stone. Two weeks ago, aliens attacked the world and wreaked havoc upon the Earth. Before the newly formed Justice League defeated this alien race, Victor Stone, a successful high school athlete headed to an athletic scholarship, was grievously injured in the attack. He has no hope of completing high school. He will not receive a college scholarship. He has a chance of survival so low it is quite likely he will die before the plane his bed arrives at the plane he is being carried to. However, as soon as his body is securely within the jet, his name will no longer be Victor Stone. For the next month, he will simply be referred to as Experiment C.
-...The suburbs of Miami, Florida...-
Three minutes later...Precisely one minute ago, fifteen-year-old Garfield Logan was spending the afternoon as he usually did: a half-hearted attempt at homework, two hours of videogames, and a crammed one-hour session of joking around with his friends before dinner. However, just as the friends had been returning to their homes, something horrible happened. From seemingly nowhere, a group of assailants opened fire on the group. The boys are now unconscious, knocked out by tranquilizer darts piercing various parts of their bodies.
The boys will live to tell of this tale. All of them. All, that is, save Logan. Much of his memory will be wiped from existence, his parents and friends will never see him again, and he will no longer be a normal human teen. Logan has just been hunted down and captured like an animal. In the next several weeks, this will not be the only trait Logan shares in common with the wild.