Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Jack Shoreshooter. So don't you use that character, unless of course you talk to me first.
To Cuiasodo: Don't worry, I appreciate you're commentaries anyhow, I hope you keep reviewing every time you read, even if it is to complain.
He meant no harm, he was no good either. After a whole month with the Titans, Jack started to wonder if it was a good idea to keep living with them. –I'm afraid- he thought –of what may happen, of what I may do… No, no, come on Jack, be positive. Nothing will happen unless… unless you want it to…- And that was the deepest problem, in some place in his mind, in some part of him, he wanted it, he wanted, to kill everyone.
"Yo, Jack! Can I barrow a spookster?" Cy told him when he went down the roof. "I need to repair a delicate system, and everyone's busy."
"Sure" Jack sighted softly. A spookster appeared at his side and joined Cyborg, but went back to its master when it saw the expression on his face. "I'm okay." Jack said simply, trying to hide why he was troubled. "Go on, help him, I'll be just fine." The spookster went with Cyborg again, and followed him downstairs, looking back various times, to watch over his melancholic master.
Starfire flew by the living room at noon. Jack was watching the ripples on the shore through the glass wall, well, perhaps not watching, but thinking, feeling. She got near, just floated lightly near him to see if he was all right. He just seemed depressed, perhaps homesick; she decided to leave him alone, remembering that Robin had once told her that people sometimes need time to think before acting. She kept on sweeping, it was her turn on the week to clean the Tower, she floated here and there, with a broom or a mop, cleaning and sweeping every corner of the T-tower. She went to the gym, the rooms, the storage rooms, even the basements. Making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she went to the living room again to get a soda. Went upstairs, past the staircase frame, and when she got near the fridge she noticed Jack was still staring motionless at the shore. This really worried her, she walked slowly near him, and speaking in a quiet voice, she interrupted his meditation.
"Is something troubling you?" She told him. "You've been watching the water all day. I even went all over the tower and you're still here… and I wondered if… something had happened to you…"
"I miss the sea you know…" his voice was cut off, more like a moaning breeze. "my own waters, where I used to sail."
"You can always sail in the T-ship if you want, I don't think Cyborg will get angry if you barrow it." She was trying to cheer him up, but, she hadn't learned nothing about Jack in the past month, from all the Titans she was the one he less talked to. Jack just sighted, it was not the same, even if she tried to cheer him up, and he wouldn't get better.
"Thanks Starfire but… I think I'll just stay daydreaming". He hadn't changed his tone, nor his expressions, not even had left his gaze from the shore while he talked to her, but never less, he had thanked her, and he didn't thank anyone normally. She felt happy for that and decided to leave him alone, going to her room with a large smile.
Cyborg and BB came a while later, they had gone to the grocery store for some things for dinner, it was BB's turn to cook after all. They found Jack in the same place Starfire had left him, even in the same pose and expression. They decided to leave him alone, he had been like that since a pair of days ago, and had already told them he was feeling homesick. Both of them got to work, BB was prepared to cook an "all round" salad, along with some tofu for the rest of the crowd; Cyborg only helped him put the groceries on the shelves and then went over to the game station. He passed one level, passed another, got near to beating his own record on the third level… Robin went near, coming back from a robbery on the city's center.
"Still homesick Jack?" He asked while he sat down on the coach and grabbed one of the game station's controls. Jack didn't answer. "Don't worry; you'll fell better for tomorrow."
Then, both him and Cyborg started an epic battle on the huge screen, in which, after almost two hours of exhausting game play, Cyborg raised as the winner, with a loud: "ON YOUR FACE ROB!" he celebrated his victory. It was just two o'clock. Then, a loud sound was heard on the Tower, everyone stopped what they where doing, and paid attention, even Jack raised his look. The alarm had showed hostile conducts on the center of the city, where two large robots where smashing a street, on their way to a power plant. The colors of the machines, and a symbol on their chests showed the mind behind the act. Slade.
The street shook, when one of the bots slammed its massive fists on the pavement. The Titans had already gotten there (On the T-car, or the T- sub, or on BB. I don't care!) and where ready to face them. The first to make his move was BB, turning into a T-rex he tackled one of the four robots and tumbled it down over a car. Raven and Cyborg went over to one on the right; Raven used her telepathy to lift the robot up in the air, as Cyborg shot its chest, crushing it with sonic blasts. Raven and Starfire took the center one, and Jack went behind it, to take on the last android. Starfire knocked the robot down with an energy beam, and Robin trespassed it with his boo staff.
"Too easy…" he said. "he usually wouldn't make this so easy. I think this is probably... Whoa!"
Jack had thrown the Robot where the others were and had almost squashed Robin. Maybe because he was just being careless, but there was always a chance… he had done it on purpose. Anyhow, before he could not apologize, nor Robin could ask him for an excuse, the robot BB was fighting, the one he had tackled again and again without much success began running to the power plant. The Titans went after it, Robin threw one of his ice disks (or whatever their name are) to the androids legs, paralyzing it from feet to its hip. Cyborg then shot an extra powerful blast to the robots back, which trespassed its chest and soon the robot fell to the ground.
"That's it?" Cyborg asked quite disappointed.
"Yeah" Robin agreed. "It was too easy. I don't think he meant…"
"Look!" Starfire exclaimed, the robot was moving again, hardly holding itself together, its mechanism still struggled to complete its mission. It crept a few feet nearer the plant, then, fell into pieces, but not before a mechanism on its head made a signal, just a single order that entered the power plant's main system and annulated all action. No one could see it though, but Cyborg explained, catching the signal, it was a virus made to stop all functions on the power plant, and any other power plants along Jump City. Soon the city would be powerless, unless of course they found the proper anti virus.
"So that was his plan…" Robin mumbled. "but if he just wanted to deactivate the power plant, why the robots? He could have sent any other undetectable device or… Why did he do this?"
"Perhaps that question will answer by itself." Raven said referring to Jack. He still was on the battles sight and was now facing the robot he had defeated, which had waken up and taken the parts of the other androids as weapons! Nerveless, Jack wasn't having any trouble with this foe, he kept dodging its hits and slicing its legs, but without making any real damage. The Titans came near, and Jack made a gesture for them to stop.
"Regenerators. I hate regenerators." He said. "Yet still, it makes the battle more challenging." Jack was not acting normally, he was not talking normally, he was having an arrogant tone, and was battling in a bloodthirsty attitude. He was enjoying the battle, being furious, not really getting serious but, if it was possible, making the android suffer, he wanted it to be tormented on his attacks and furious strategies. He wasn't fighting to win, he was fighting for pleasure, just, because he could, because he wanted it, because he wanted to fight, he wanted to be challenged, he wanted to see blood. And yet it was horrible, seeing how he slowly sliced the mechanical golem, piece by piece, the talons, the fingers, getting in every cut the flavor of his victims suffering. "This is easy." He mocked "You sit there and watch me fight. Or perhaps you would like to go after him?"
He was referring to a figure on the top of one of the power plants towers; a black and orange armor identified him. Slade made an amazing jump over to the nearest building and ran through the roof.
"Titans Go!" Robin shouted as everyone made their way after Slade. Still, Raven and Starfire made a quick look at Jack, which by now was on the androids neck, with his saber on its forehead, and since he had cut its hand off it couldn't catch him.
"Come on!" he shouted arrogantly. "Catch me you bunch of rusty steel! Catch me! Jajajajaja!" He was loosing it. Both girls flew after Slade again, still leaving Jack to his own luck.
Slade was fast, no doubt of it; he jumped from roof to roof trying to miss the Titans, each time getting nearer to the western mountains of the city. Robin was leading the persecution, he knew Slade might be leading them to a trap… the power plant… the power gone out all over the city… he had a plan, Robin was sure of it. Slade jumped to the street on a point where he could land safely and entered an alleyway. BB and Raven went to the other side to wait for him to come out, as Robin and the others went behind him. They found nothing, Slade had disappeared and they had been left in the middle of the alleyway.
"You're loosing the touch Titans." Slade's voice was heard. He was on top of them, on one of the roofs again, quickly placing a pair of explosives in both walls. "Don't tell me you can't fallow my step anymore?"
"Never" Robin groaned. Slade made the walls fall over them as he ran back to where Jack was, leaving the Titans under the rubbles.
Slade went back to the power plant street, where Jack kept torturing the automat. He had grabbed the robot by an arm, and was slamming it against the buildings, fury was shown in his face. Slade was more than pleased with it, Jacks abilities could be very useful for him, he could not let him go away. He approached the buildings border, and jumped to the street in a safe distance from Jack. He approached applauding when Jack finally let the twisted metal that once was the robot on the floor. Jack looked at Slade suspiciously, he had heard about him, but never met him, he was going to see what he was made of, then, kill him. He cleaned his hands from dirt and sweat, and walked towards the armored man.
"Nice work Mr. Shoreshooter." Slade greeted him in a slight tone. "I see you enjoy destruction just as much as I do."
"Perhaps" Jack said looking at his fist. "but I don't know how much you like it, so I have no idea."
"But you like causing pain and suffering, destroying and letting your dark side free." Slade suggested. "each time you are in battle you become fierce, letting your enemies know you have no mercy for the weak."
"Yes, sometimes," Jack confessed. "But I didn't use to be like this…"
"The point is Mr. Shoreshooter, that you and I are alike, and that we could perform an, alliance perhaps." Slade continued. "My mind and your abilities could be used for destruction, something I know you will enjoy."
"They told me you tried to hire someone some time ago, but he refused because he thought you where a psychopath." Jack said slowly. "I'm sorry, but I have a contract with my clients, and the Titans hired me first, I refuse too."
"That's quite disappointing you know." Slade said getting into battle pose and grabbing from his belt a kind of electrically charged claw. "And as you might just guess, I can't let you live if you're not on my side."
He jumped over Jack, who ran aside and avoided the electrical slash, Slade raised his gaze to dodge Jacks saber from cutting him in half and tumbled Jack down with a kick on the chest, Jack crashed on the pile of robot junk he had made, and got trapped under the steel. Slade came near where Jack was struggling to get out, Jack has trapped between a giant leg and an arm, and the only thing he could move was his head and his right arm.
"How disappointing." Slade said arrogantly. "I didn't know you where so easily beaten."
"I would be beaten…" Jack said slowly, his voice was changing, into a rough, deep, low voice, he held his gaze down, until Slade was close enough, and then raised his head, with anger and a fierce look in his eyes. "If I was Jack!" His eyes went red, a scarlet glow filled them when a diabolic feeling filled the air and Slade stepped back, in fear. The junk flew away and crashed on the buildings, Slade jumped over Jack again, this time Jack used his Nightmare self to catch him and hold him in midair. "You had a good proposal, but I don't hang out with short minded people."
He crushed Slade on a nearby store, he stood up in fury and attacked again, this time he was too fast, and too fierce, Jack couldn't evade it and the claw got stuck on his chest, giving him a shock on the blood torrent. He screamed in pain, but soon, the screams became mad laughing when Jack took Slade's arm and, as if it was a weak stick, broke it. Slade screamed and pulled the claw out of Jacks chest, now he was not angry, he was totally going insane.
"Who the hell are you!" He shouted.
Jack took him with one of his massive Nightmare hands, lifted him in the air, lunched him over the buildings, and out of sight. He turned around, and laughed, it had been easier than he had though, and even though the wound on his chest, he felt better now he had been destroying everything. He had enjoyed it, the destruction, the fight, he needed more… no, he didn't want it, a part of him denied it, his mind was becoming a place of voices and choices, there was something else in him, fighting for control. He kneeled in pain, his head was palpitating, as a presence became stronger and demanded to get out of him, to become his owner.
"Go away!" Jack shouted. "I don't need you here, go away!"
"You know you can't escape me" The other, lower voice said, as Jacks eyes went red again. "You and I, are one, you can't deny me, because I am you."
"No! It is not true! You are a monster, a beast!"
"Nightmare you where born Nightmare you will live!" the voice said. "Everybody told you I was a monster, but you knew the truth, that we are one, and you can't change it."
"No, no! " Jack's screams became whispers, he was falling into despair. "Go away, I don't need you now, not now, please, go away."
He hadn't realized how much he was bleeding, the wound on his chest had became worse, his legs where almost covered in blood, but he didn't care.
"Now is when I can make you understand." The voice said, taking control over Jack and making their body stand up. "That you can't deny yourself, Nightmare!"
"No!" Jack fell on the puddle of blood trying to stop himself from madness. "You can't! We must not!"
"See?" the voice said. "You are beginning to refer to yourself as you should, us."
Jack fell desperate, knowing what was to come. The Titans came over the buildings; they had managed to escape Slade's attack, but had lost his track when he got there, when they saw Jack they went to help him right away. Jack however couldn't let them come near, he made a barrier, to keep them in a safe distance, however they forced the field and since Jack was weak they trespassed it.
"Go away." Jack managed to whisper when they tried to lift him up. "You must go. Evacuate the city, now."
"What are you saying Jack? You are bleeding; you're coming to the tower…"
"No, you don't understand" He looked at Raven, knowing she could feel what was happening, and indeed she could, she was getting nervous, but managed to hide it. "no one is safe…"
Raven came near Robin and made him let go of Jack.
"We must evacuate. Now." She was using her normal serious tone, but Jack knew she was nervous, that she could fell him. "He will be alright; we must save the people first."
"Maybe I should stay and watch for him in case he…" Starfire was interrupted by Cyborg.
"Maybe it's not a good idea Star." He said. "You heard him, he'll be okay. We've got work to do."
They left to different corners of jump city, leaving Jack in the blood puddle, which grew bigger each second. He felt how he lost control of himself, he was becoming inhuman, he was going to lose it sooner or later, he knew his mind just couldn't help it, that it would hurt him, but he had to resist, no matter what. The pain grew, the voices too, like a train that came through a dark tunnel, the presence came nearer and nearer, taking control over Jack at every moment, he soon wouldn't be able to fight it.
"You can't just not let me in" the voice said. "Because I'm already in, I was here with you before, all the way, although they locked me for so long."
"And you should have stayed there." Jack complained. "Why are you coming out now? Why?"
"Because you're weak, the travel and feeling homesick lower your defenses, remember? Besides, it is a miserable planet with weak people, quite a place for a playground."
"You monster…" Jack shouted.
"You're the monster! Remember that? She told it to you… and you knew it was true… And who knows? I may end up not killing anyone, if they don't bother me…" The voice said coolly. Jack couldn't respond, he felt he was about to faint.
"Come on! Come on! Move! The city will be safe soon now go!" Cyborg helped people out of the city and into the mountains, just like the rest of his partners, he didn't know what was coming, Raven had just told him it could be bad, that they should be prepared for something… But didn't say what. There was almost no one left in the city; in a few minutes, the Titans had done all they could to evacuate quickly, so they could go help Jack, if he hadn't bled to death by then. "Hey Rob! Do you think that's all of them?"
Robin was nearby in another street, the city seemed to be empty, and so, it was safe to go in now.
"I think so." He said. "Let's just hope he's still alive."
They hasted through the streets and way back where Jack was, he hadn't move, not even changed his position, he had his fists and knees on the floor, and his black clothes dripping the few blood he had left. Somehow, he stayed alive, in a coma like state, but alive. Robin and Cyborg came near, fallowed by Raven and Beast Boy, Starfire was the last to get to the street, she floated cautiously near Jack. His breath was heavy, and rough, his gaze down, like if he was waiting for something.
"Jack?" Starfire said timidly stretching a hand to try and touch him. "Are you… Oh my!" When Jack had held his gaze, his eyes where glowing red, like two rubies, they saw Starfire with hatred and a fierce blood sick feeling. She gasped and stepped back, Jack moved, but didn't change his four legged position.
"It's a shame." The low rough voice was heard. "That you couldn't make it on time, before, you would have to deal with a bloodthirsty Jack, now, you'll have to face me…"
"Who are you?" Raven said coolly. A wicked laugh echoed in the city's walls, like a diabolic mock.
"Who am I! Well find out for yourself!" The voice said this in an insane way, then, something horrible happened. From Jack's hands, huge blade like claws cut his skin and stretched out fiercely, Jacks skin seemed to tense, as the rest of his body, while horrible cracks and sounds where made by bones braking, and muscles stretching and growing. Jacks body was becoming huge reaching the height and length of the buses on the street, his skin, a rough black haired covered armor showed a dog like shape, strong, mighty, frightening, his hair had became long and smooth, and now covered the hounds back, and went all over to its huge powerful tail. In the front, over the thick neck, its head, a huge large teethed jaw, laid under two crystal like yellow eyes, and over which, between the black hair, where two long horns.
The hound, standing over the blood, in front of them, was about six meters tall, and more than fifty meters from head to tail. Its jaw, as big as a whole car, was just proportional to its paws and claws, each one of them in the shape and length of Jacks saber.
Everyone was shocked, the transformation, although fast, had been to grotesque, the Hound stood now in front of them "smiling" dreadfully as they went on battle pose and ran for battle. The Titans jumped aside, the Hound ran down street and turned around quickly, running again to tackle them.
"We've got to fight, but try not to hurt him much" Robin ordered. The Hound speeded up and jumped over the buildings, about to land over BB he transformed into a hawk and flew over, then it landed heavily on the street, breaking it, Cyborg pointed his canon to its chest, the Hound turned around, receiving the blast on the face, he gave Cyborg a deep odd look. Cyborg got hypnotized with the beasts huge diamond like eyes, in their bottom, he could see something, a shape, like a shadow, he was in such a deep trance he couldn't hear his friends calling him "Cy step back!" or "Get out of there!" he had to know what was in those eyes. And then he knew it…
When Raven lifted the Hound in the air it was too late, Cyborg had his hands on his head, screaming in pain and shooting sonic blasts everywhere. He was going mad, feeling inside him how everything crumbled down, and suffering in his mind for horrible images and hallucinations. The Hound got rid of Ravens spell, and fell on the street again, using its tail as a whip he tried to catch Starfire but missed, then, when BB tackled him as an elephant it slashed him with its long claws, and crushed him into a wall. When he got his human shape back he had a horrible purple wound on his chest, which bled deeply.
"Raven take care of BB and try to calm down Cy! Star, help me here!" Robin said. Raven went to see how BB was, while Starfire floated over the Hound. Robin stood on the other side of the street, facing his enemy, trying to think of a way to face it. It didn't gave him time, the Hound ran right at him, and jumped over showing its claws, Robin prepared with his boo staff, but the beast turned around in the air, hit him with his tale and lunched him several meters away, then, using a building wall, it jumped towards Starfire, that panicked couldn't react on time, the Hound opened its jaws, full of long razor like teeth, and trapped her between them, then jumped again over a buildings roof, and ran quickly through the street.
"Star!" Robin shouted, standing up and running after the Hound.
"Stop!" Raven told him, leaving BB and Cyborg (left unconscious after she attacked him) on a safe corner of the street. "We must think before we do something else. He knows what he's doing; he knows that we will go for Starfire. If we go unprepared he will take us down too."
"But why is he doing this?" Robin asked angrily.
"Jack had been repressing him inside his mind for too long, now he wants to make things his way… that's what I think." Raven said shortly.
"Okay, let's go, catch up with him and rescue Star. I'll distract him while you smash something on him or something…"
"I suppose that will work… or I'll think something else" Robin fallowed Raven from the street, she was fallowing the Hound from the air, but still couldn't see it, then, a building fell down and she knew were to go, she told Robin to haste as she flew to meet the Hound.
The beast seemed to be waiting for her over the destroyed building, with Starfire still in its jaws, she had fainted because she had lost too much blood and was hanging from the creature's mouth. Raven lifted up one of the buildings columns and tried to hit the hound with it, quite disappointed the creature made a strong movement and pulverized the stone column with its tail. It gave raven a "You know that wont work…" look and then faced Robin, that had just got to the scene. Furiously Robin ran, swinging his boo staff, made a great jump and smacked the Hound's snout, taking advantage of the situation he used his staff to open the dog's mouth and rescue Starfire. She didn't look good, one of the beast's teeth had trespassed her waist and the wound had infected… or poisoned. Raven saw how he grabbed Starfire delicately and jumped out of the dog's mouth, she noticed something that troubled her, the hound was awake, and not tired, he knew what Robin was doing, and let him do it, he wanted to take them there, that was it. But why?
After Robin jumped from its mouth it stepped back and crouched, assuming a battle pose.
"Well… I thought you would be more of a challenge," the Hound said in his low rough creepy tone "but as I can see you're not worth it… I guess I'll just kill you and go home then…" He jumped over the three of them, showing all its claws, Raven lifted a wall but it was crushed by one of the Hounds claws, Robin ran to avoid being crushed, but before the Hound fell to the ground it was blown away by a blast, and landed on a pile of dirt and crumble.
"Stand back!" It was Cyborg, shooting desperately his canon to the Hound, bombing him and trying to bury it under the building. Robin was very pleased to see his friend was fine, but suddenly noticed he was not just attacking, he was panicked. Half angry, half frightened, he kept shooting to the cloud of smoke in front of him until.
"It's okay Cyborg…" Raven said pulling his arm down. The cloud of smoke disappeared slowly, the Titans waited ready for a sudden attack, but when the smoke cleared there was nothing more than a whole between the crumbled pieces of the building. They came near cautiously weapons ready, Robin kept an eye on Starfire to be sure she was safe, Cyborg tried to calm himself and be vigilant in case something showed up, and Raven just tried to focus in case she needed to use more strength. But when they got to the hole, it was empty, just a shadow left inside. They looked to each other, then to the hole again, deep inside, two yellow gems appeared, looking at them maliciously. The Hound shot out of the hole, gave Cyborg a slap with its tail, then, passing by Robin's side, tackled Raven, she slammed against a crumbled wall and fell to the ground.
Robin looked behind him, the Hound came rushing at him, he jumped backwards and managed to get on it, grabbed its long black mane and hold strongly as the Hound tried to shake him off. Finally the beast ran through the street, and to the city's center, it was trying to separate Robin from the others, when it saw a tall white building it went running towards it and with a huge jump, began climbing it. Seeing it would make it seem so easy, the Hound just ran vertically towards the roof, and once taken enough height, it let himself fall freely. Robin didn't know what to do, there where no smaller buildings nearby, and at the height and speed they where falling he would probably crash at the first impact, he had no escape. He saw the Hound; with its eyes closed it enjoyed the fall, and since it would probably be his last, Robin decided to do the same. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something that would comfort him. By dawn, both of them fell on the ground.
No this it's not the end of it, wait till the next chapter, The Nightmare Tamer, to see whatever happened. Till then.
Subliminal message: R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R……etc…etc
