Jump City was a wealthy and prosperous city. But like far-away Metropolis and Gotham, it had it's criminals. However, unlike most cities, a large gap existed between the criminals of Jump City. There were the everyday sort, those who ran red lights, those who disturbed the peace, those who tried to steal pens from the office after hours. Small fish, really. And because of the Titan's guarding the prosperous city, the middle fish, murderers, rapists, drug-dealers, bank-robbers and the like, had all but vanished, leaving a gap between small fish and big fish.
However, the big fish, the supervillain variety of criminal, had become, if anything, larger in population since the Titans came to Jump City.
And for these criminals, you needed a special jail. The average stone wall cell with iron bars wouldn't hold a monster like Trident or a psychopath like Johnny Rancid. So a special prison had been constructed on the very outskirts of town, and hosted a variety of containment measures specifically designed for the monsters, mutants, metahumans and psychopaths who were it's inmates. A number of them were, at the moment, harmless humans, dangerous only if they could get a hold of the items that made them feared criminals. Thus, the Titans tended to confiscate things, and now the remote of Control Freak, the guitar of Punk Rocket, the cane of Mad Mod, and even the wand of Mumbo Jumbo were in the evidence locker in Titan's Tower, safely out of their reach. The jail had only some of Jump City's finest law-enforcement individuals on hand in case of trouble.
However... even a six-year-old could tell you that putting a lot of powerful, dangerous criminals all together in one place... was practically asking for trouble.
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An explosion rippled throughout the prison, none could say from where, and alarms were blaring everywhere. The guards had been quickly overpowered by the rampaging mobs of prisoners. When one tried to make a break they all tried to make a break. No good people were housed here, none who had merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time, this prison was filled with killers and psychopaths of every degree and none of them were anxious to do anything but escape and continue their nefarious lives of crime.
A prime case in point was cell 385-903.
The door, solid iron, was wrenched clear off it's hinges from the outside, tossing over the shoulder of a large and burly individual with a black and bronze uniform and thick, burly red-brown hair that would've seemed more at home on a caveman, though this individual might've been able to pass as one if not for the uniform. His muscular arms were bare, his feet covered by heavy steel boots.
He was so tall he had to crouch down to actually step inside the cell and join it's single occupant, who lay in a corner, trussed up tighter than a patient in a mental institution in a white straightjacket. In particular, her hands were gloved and her fingers separated by metallic bands, preventing the pink-haired girl from moving them. With surprising tenderness, the giant bent down and broke away the metal bands and ripped apart the back of the straightjacket, allowing the girl to stand.
"Thanks, was wondering what was keeping you two," said the pink-haired girl by way of greeting, shrugging off the white straight-jacket to reveal her black skin-tight suit beneath it which showed off her blossoming womanly figure, a violet witch's cloak throw casually along her shoulders. Now that she lifted her head and the light was upon her, it was easier to see her features. Her pink hair, done up into two large tuffs on either side of her head, wasn't the only peculiar feature about her. Her skin was the pale ivory of one who never saw the sun, her eyes had an odd pinkish hue to them, and her full lips were drawn back to show her teeth, bared in a maniacal grin.
Her name was Jinx.
"Sorry sis, we got held up," intoned the gigantic caveman, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Gizmo needed to get his stuff, and..."
"Move it cludge heads! We're running out of time!" shouted a third voice from the hallway, drawing their attentions to a short, green-clad midget in the doorway. Though no larger than two feet in height he was clearly the same age, roughly, as the pink-haired girl and the giant, in his late teens. Not a single hair covered the top of his head, but a short black goatee graced his chin. He hovered by benefit of a jetpack strapped to his back. "Mammoth, escape now! Family reunion later!"
"Right," said Mammoth, making his way to the door and rushing door the corridor, slapping aside any guard or prisoner foolish enough to get in his way. Jinx and Gizmo followed close behind
"How'd you guys break out, anyway?" asked Jinx as she leapt nimbly over the prone body of a convict lying on the floor. The guards weren't hesitating to use billy clubs during the riot, and with good reason.
"You'd be surprised what you can make with a fork and an mp3 player," remarked Gizmo, zipping alongside her as the three of them made their way towards the exit. Or rather, towards a brick wall that Mammoth decided needed a change of career, and promptly made into an exit. Mammoth leapt down the three stories and landed in a crouch, as Gizmo zipped down alongside him. Mammoth then caught his sister as she dropped into his arms, and they made their way into the courtyard to continue their escape. All they needed to do was reach the main gates now and they were home free!
"Hey guys, look!" shouted Mammoth, bringing Jinx and Gizmo to a screeching halt (Gizmo even managing to do so in mid-air) as he pointed out an abandoned police cruiser. The sort that had bulletproof windows and tough as titanium lining. "Getaway car!"
"Sweet!" said Gizmo, zipping down into the driver's side and promptly hooking up his backpack-computer into the system. He'd have the thing hotwired in no time. Mammoth tore off the back of the cruiser with his bare hands, taking up seat in their new truck, his arms resting on the roof over Gizmo and the passenger's side seat. But Jinx hadn't yet gotten in, she seemed to be looking at something intently.
"Hey what's wrong?"
"I don't like it," she said, pointing at the side of their now stolen police cruiser, where a big shield with the words 'Jump City Police' had been written. And below them, of course, the 'serve and protect' slogan of cops everywhere. Thrusting out a single finger, a bright pink glow engulfed it then shot out like a beam from her manicured nail and sliced into the siding of the cruiser with little effort. A short jerk of her finger, followed by two more, and she nodded in satisfaction.
Over the shield she'd sliced the image of a 'H.' For HIVE, of course.
"'kay, we're done here," she said, hopping into the passenger's side seat through the open window, not bothering to open the door. She buckled up as Gizmo took the wheel and they were off like a shot, heading towards the main gates. Which were chain-link fence, but that wouldn't slow them down in a police cruiser. Nor it would it slow down a tiny wrist-launched missile that Gizmo decided to use, shattering the last line that separated the HIVE kids from freedom.
They drove over the broken chain-link fence, and Gizmo was about to hit ninety and tear rubber, but he spotted something then, and slammed down hard on the break instead, letting Jinx slam into the dash board and Mammoth nearly go flying over the back, since he hadn't been wearing a seatbelt. He was lucky he was so damn heavy.
"Hey, what the hell!"
Jinx and Mammoth's gaze followed Gizmo's stunned look, and down the road a short distance they could see exactly what had brought the teenaged delinquent to a stop.
A sonic cannon, locked on them.
"License and registration," came the cannon's owner's voice, clearly heard despite the distance between the car and the weapon.
It's owner, the mechanized menace Cyborg, standing directly in their path as if daring them on. Gizmo's expression changed from one of wide-eyed shock to a wicked grin as he realized the situation more clearly. Cyborg wouldn't shoot them, he could destroy the car and kill them all, and if there was one thing he knew about the Titans are their countless clashes with the HIVE kids, they weren't killers. Didn't have it in them. And Gizmo welcomed any chance he could to get back at his rival. Especially after their last encounter, where he'd actually saved the big lug's life, and he'd been rewarded with a near microscopic demise at the hands of Enzone Virus Drones.
It wasn't quite the same story the way Beastboy told it. But Gizmo didn't give half a damn.
It was primarily for that reason that Gizmo, with little hesitation, slammed on the accelerator and let the car lurch forward, knocking Mammoth and Jinx both back into their seats. They were a fair distance away from Cyborg, they'd pick up speed in little time, and either he'd move aside or he'd be flattened. Even titanium battle armor couldn't withstand a hit like that without taking a dent. Cyborg was no Man of Steel. And since he wouldn't shoot, his options were dodge or die.
Either way was just fine with Gizmo.
But Cyborg didn't move, didn't back down, barely even twitched his single organic eye as the police cruiser and the HIVE misfits came barreling down the roads towards him. He had a plan. They had a plan. So he waited, completely still, and hoped his faith in his teammates was justified.
Turns out it was.
A black band of energy, pencil-thin and nearly invisible to the naked eye, shot through the exact center of the cruiser, slicing it perfectly in half. The mark was so clean that the car itself continued to run for another dozen yards before it split right down the middle, sending both sides veering off and crashing a dozen yards behind Cyborg, passing him by without so much as scratching his titanium armor. Three dazed teens crawled out of the car-wreck that was spread out over two different places a dozen yards apart.
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Mammoth had been primarily in Gizmo's side, and the bigger man assisted his little partner-in-crime up just as green triceratops came barreling into him and knocking him back. Mammoth grappled with the long-extinct creature, taking it in stride, knowing full well it was Beastboy as he lifted him up and prepared to hurl him over his shoulder. Beastboy responded by shifting shape, assuming that of a python, and slithered down in the blink of an eye, firmly wrapping himself around Mammoth's body and preventing him from using his full strength. Let alone breathing. Mammoth collapsed backwards, nearly crushing Beastboy, but he hung on grimly, until the great man finally fainted, unable to breath with his body being constricted by the green serpent wrapped around him.
The green skinned serpent, lacking eyebrows, still somehow managed to quirk an eye as it glanced over it's lack of shoulder to where Gizmo stood. A device had slid out from his backpack, and Beastboy did not need technical expertise to know it was deadly.
Everything Gizmo had was deadly.
"I owe you one, Brat-boy!" shouted Gizmo, letting a series of bright red laser blasts emit from the device in question, lancing out at Beastboy's head as the green-skinned metamorph transformed into a bird, flying high up into the air to avoid being cut into ribbons. "I'm going to hang your green hide on my wall!" shouted Gizmo up at him, activating his rocket pack and giving chase.
A chase which promptly cut short as a black glow engulfed Gizmo and every technological device on his person. And then, simultaneously, broke everything, snapping apart pieces meant to be kept together, removing batteries, and all in all shutting Gizmo down. The glow dissipated from the items, and they fell to the earth in a clutter around the unconscious Mammoth. Fortunately, Gizmo did not share their fate, and continued to hover in mid-air suspended by an aura of black energy.
Though he very nearly wished he had fallen as well.
The dark glow around his body blossomed outwards and grew into the shape of a ebon-black raven, clutching him in it's talons as it peered down at him with crimson eyes. And inside the form of the raven a figure took shape. A pale-skinned girl wearing a dark blue cloak. Her face was obscured by the shadows of her hood, but her bright lavender eyes were piercing as they glared at Gizmo, and he suddenly wished he was somewhere very, very far away.
"No one hurts Beastboy," intoned Raven, the dark sorceress of the Titans, as she tossed Gizmo roughly onto the ground beside the ruined remains of the car. The ebon aura of the bird vanished around her, then surrounded her hand as she used her magic once more. A similar black glow engulfed the bumper (half of it, at least) and ripped it off the back of the car, then slammed it into place on either side of Gizmo, locking him against the side of the car. The glow dissipated.
"Not while I'm around."
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Jinx sat up, rubbing her sore head, and stood on shaky feet. She could barely remember what had happened, everything had gone by so fast. But it became obvious to her they'd crashed. The car had been split clean in two. Must've been the goth witch, she thought with a frown. As Gizmo hated Cyborg, Jinx hated Raven. It was a matter of principle. Jump City was big enough for only one witch, and Jinx was clearly the better one.
"Jinx!"
The aforementioned pink-haired girl whirled around, but to her disappointment saw neither Gizmo nor Mammoth, as she'd been hoping, but a lumbering figure all the same. And one that she really, really didn't want to see right now. The half-human visage of Cyborg became visible, and even from here, she could see his pity. Jinx hated a lot of things, but one of the most she hated was pity. She wasn't forced to be a criminal. She loved it.
"Jinx... take it easy...," said Cyborg, holding up both of his hands in a non-threatening manner. He was still fairly tense, however.
"You wrecked my ride!" she growled, allowing sparks of pink energy to crackle around her fingertips. Her hex bolts would make short work of the tin-man if he tried anything, she though viciously. Then almost immediately regret it, feeling perhaps a little upset... no... she squelched those thoughts. He'd been lying. It had all been a sham.
"I couldn't let you escape," replied Cyborg. "Jinx... listen, you're sick. You need help..."
"Stone sure didn't seem to think so!" she shot back, venom in her voice. "He had plenty of fun wrecking drones and plotting crimes!"
"That was an act!" yelled back Cyborg. Even after all these years, the wounds were still hurting, and Jinx had just re-opened them. Because part of it... hadn't been an act.
Many years ago, back when Jinx and her compatriots in crime had still been part of the HIVE academy under Headmaster Blood (they'd long since broken off) there'd been a new student who'd rose to prominence among them almost overnight. A dark-skinned boy with the power to turn his flesh into rock, who had the strength of twenty and the durability of a mountain. He'd been named Stone. Jinx had felt a connection with the strong, quiet criminal, and they'd shared a cool relationship, though she'd tried to press for more.
And then she'd learned the truth.
Stone had, in fact, been Cyborg masquerading, using holographic rings and trying to infiltrate the HIVE to learn more about their plans. Of all the betrayals Jinx had suffered in her life, and she'd suffered many, that had cut deepest. Because she'd finally found someone besides her big brother she'd thought had actually given a damn about her. And not just her abilities. Not someone who cared about her power, but about the person she actually was.
"Was it really all just an act?" asked Jinx, her eyes moist with unshed tears as she raised her hands. She was going to hurt Cyborg for what he'd done to her. It had festered in her heart for years, all that time locked up in prison, all that time to let the hatred grow. Oh yes, she was going to enjoy this. But first... she had to know for sure.
"I don't want to hurt you, Jinx," he said calmly, making soothing motions, trying to get her to lower her guard.
And he'd picked exactly the worst words to say to her.
"Hurt me? Hurt me!" she gave an animal cry of pain, frustration, and pure anger and lashed out, sending a bolt of pink energy at Cyborg, hoping to slice him clean in two, if not short-circuit him completely. He dared to ask that after what he'd done to her!
Another bolt followed, and another, and Jinx threw out both her hands and let waves of pink energy lash out at Cyborg, crashing into the ground like ocean waves against the sand, sending up rocks and dust everywhere. Jinx didn't even use her usual flair and dance, as she usually did while fighting to throw off opponents. Right now, all she wanted was to see Cyborg's cold heart in her bare hand... right before she crushed it.
"Hurt me! Hurt me! You hurt me alright Cyborg! And I'll never forgive you for it! Never!"
"Then I'm sorry about this," came a voice out of the smoke, as a hand shot out of the air like a grappling hook. As Jinx watched, perplexed, she saw it was one, a metal hand on a short length of cable. One of Cyborg's attacks. The hand lashed out and grabbed both her slender wrists in his huge palm then yanked her forwards as his hand snapped back into position in his arm. He looked down at her, his one eye moist, his lips trembling. He didn't want to do t his. But he had to. Hesitantly, he raised his other arm to knock her out... curling his fingers into a fist... but hesitated...
"Can't do it, can you... 'Stone'?" she said mockingly, almost sweetly. "Can't hit a girl... you're such a gentleman. You'd never lie to someone, never pretend to love them, never...!"
"That's enough!" shouted Cyborg, his hand still trembling, still hesitating.
"I agree!" came a new voice.
Jinx had just enough time to turn her head to find a tiny fist speeding towards it, then her world exploded into a shower of starbursts and she lost consciousness. She fell as Cyborg released her, moving quickly to gently catch her before she hit the ground, then glanced up.
Hovering nearby was a orange-golden skinned being with red hair and bright emerald green eyes, an alien girl clad in purple and silver clothing that had been the one to knock out Jinx, though if she'd used even a fraction more of her strength she could've easily broken the pale girl's jaw. Starfire, however, didn't seem like she would've cared. Gently, she placed a hand on Cyborg's shoulder in a sisterly gesture of comfort.
"I am sorry, friend Cyborg," she said softly. "I know you did not wish to see her hurt but I could not let her speak such mean words against you any longer."
"Thanks," said Cyborg, and he meant it. Starfire had been able to do what he hadn't, in the end. Gently, he scooped up Jinx, noting that Beastboy and Raven had already managed to re-captured Mammoth and Gizmo. And the guards from the prison were on their way. Good. They'd have them all back in lock-up in no time. Hopefully there, they wouldn't be able to hurt anyone. Maybe... just maybe... in time, they'd be able to rehabilitate the HIVE kids. Make them into halfway decent people. For some, like Gizmo, Cyborg doubted it. But they all deserved a chance.
Everyone deserved a chance to change their ways.
"Where's Robin? Ain't he helpin'?" asked Beastboy, glancing around curiously.
"Robin has been called to see the Lord of Jump City," said Starfire solemnly.
"Mayor, Star... not Lord," supplied Cyborg.
"Yes, yes the mayor... the one who makes the laws and such... they are in an important meeting, something to do with the Titans."
"Lucky him," remarked Raven, glancing at the three unconscious supervillain teens.
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Robin, known to some as the Boy Wonder, had faced many challenges in his life.
Leaving the shadow of his mentor. Coping with life on his own, both in and out of costume. Saving an alien and a half-demon from the claws of an extra-dimensional monster. Forming and then leading a team of super boys and girls and turning them into super men and women. And much more.
But right now he was trapped in a meeting with the Mayor of Jump City, an elderly, stately individual, who seemed in such awe of Robin that he could barely string together a sentence or two without jumping back to correct himself, and thus was getting close to nowhere fast.
Right now Robin would rather be in a rematch with Slade.
But for the moment he grit his teeth (not literally, of course) and politely nodded to whatever the honorable Mayor Steven Dayton said, doing his best to keep up. Robin had been called for specifically, after all. Leader of the Teen Titans, the heroes who protected Jump City with the same admirable dedication as the Justice League protected the Earth or the Green Lantern corps protected the universe. But the Boy Wonder still wasn't entirely sure what the meeting was about, and the old man's blathering wasn't helping.
Neither was his active imagination. He was trying to stay focused on the here and now, as his mentor had taught him. To concentrate, to focus, to be in tune with his surroundings. Unfortunately, his imagination was running away with him. Teasing him with images just off the fringe of his vision. Images of bright, crimson hair...
"... and so I said, we should have a talk with young master Robin," said Mayor Dayton, and Robin's awareness jumped back into the here and now.
"Of course sir... what can the Titans do for you?" he asked politely. One lesson he'd picked up rather well from his mentor. Even if his mentor himself was not quite a master of the art of courtesy. Or tact, for that matter.
"We were thinking of holding a celebration of sorts," said Mayor Dayton, easing himself into his seat behind his desk, smiling over it at the Boy Wonder. "To honor the heroes of Jump City who have, time and again, saved us from the brink of destruction."
"That's not necessarily, really," he started to protest. The Mayor held up a hand to stop any further denials.
"Oh come come now, the council would not let me hear the end of it. I've little choice in the matter... and I suspect neither do you, young master Robin," he said with a smile. "Come now, do you really wish to disappoint the people? The ones you champion?"
Robin didn't, as he knew he would. He ran a hand through his spiky black hair (which was starting to get a little long, and would need a trim soon) and sighed in frustration. "What sort of celebration?" asked Robin warily. Another important lesson. Always read the fine print before you sign your soul away.
"Oh just a small event," promised the Mayor, murmuring and muttering little thing as he stood again, pacing to the opposite side of the room, peering out the window. "Just a small event. We're hoping to hold it in a little under a week, on the end of the month. We just want the Titans to join us, you needn't perform or 'nothin," he finished.
Interesting choice of date. Robin said as much.
"That's our anniversary, isn't it?" asked Robin. "When the Titans first formed. Five Years ago to the day."
The aged Mayor gave a smile as he turned back to face Robin, and for once Robin could see that the majority of his silly ramblings and the like were an act. He was far smarter than the Boy Wonder had given him credit for. He smirked back.
"Where do you want us?" he asked, nodding his head in approval.
"The Town Center, of course," replied the Mayor. "It is the most open spot, we'll handle all the arrangements... as well as security. We just need the Titans present. Shall you be attending?" he asked, though he already knew his answer as he stretched out his hand, offering it to Robin.
Robin took the wrinkled hand in his green-gloved one and shook firmly.
Outside, he could see the fading light of the sun as it set beyond the horizon of Jump City, and knew by now his friends would be returning to their mutual home in Titan's Tower. Robin would rejoin them there, and tell them of the cities plans. It was the least they could do in return for all the damage they'd caused over the years, though the Mayor and his financial advisors had waved away any sort of responsibility ages ago, reminding them of all the people they'd saved over the years. And lives were far more treasured than stone and mortar that could be rebuilt.
"The Titans will be there," he promised.
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Author's Notes:
As far as I can tell (their ages are unknown in the animated series), in my story the ages of the HIVE kids would be Gizmo 16, Mammoth 21, Jinx 19. The prison in question is seen in a variety of Titan episodes, notably the beginning of 'Divide and Conquer' and parts of 'Aftershock, part I' as the home of Plasmus, Overload and Cinderblock, at the very least. Punk Rocket, while the name may seem made up, comes from the Titan's 'Lost Episode' available on-line. 385-903 is the episode number of 'Final Exam' where the HIVE trio first appeared. Although the animated series has yet to suggest a relation between Jinx and Mammoth, they do appear to act in a manner similar to comic Mammoth and his comic sister, Shimmer. Gizmo, in the comics, sported a full blown red beard and hair (dwarven style) and the goatee seemed like a nice tribute to that since he's still fairly young. The references to Gizmo's near demise at the hands of the Enzone Virus is, of course, the end of 'Crash', and Jinx and Cyobrg's relationship (or rather, Jinx and Stone's) comes from 'Deception.' Robin's inner musing about the beginnings of the Titans are taken primarily from 'Secret Origins,' my first Titan story, which showcased the animated teams origins (at least, my view). Honorable Mayor Steven Dayton, while primarily made up, draws his name from the superhero Mento/supervillain Hybrid, who was the guardian of Beastboy during his fledgling years. Next chapter: The identify of our mysterious villains comes to light, as do some of their plans.
Pnaixrose: Updates will come as soon as they are ready. Though I'm beginning to wonder if this is worth it. I'm not getting much feedback from the fanfiction community.
Yomiori-Wolfdemon: Beastboy as a present, hmmm? Well my birthday's coming up, can I ask for two hot Tamaranian princesses, gift wrapped? Hehehe.
Scathac's Warrior: They both have their good points. But there is a strong reason I choose to replace Number Seven with Number Eight. It'll make more sense when you see the other members of Tartarus.
Blackbird: In the comics all Brother Blood's were called Sebastian as their first name, no last name was ever given. Blood simply seems to work. 'fraid I don't know the Major, but it would be an interesting coincidence. Now that is exactly what I was going for and I'm thankful you said so. Expect perhaps a bit more comic-inspired darkness to seep into the story though, with the 'R' rating and all.
ViciousAssassin: Correct number. Created his new codename myself. I thought it would be lame actually, you really like? Oh do guess, I have little doubt you'll be wrong. I've thrown everyone off this time, I think. Maybe Toddfan, but apart from that you're the best and most consistent reviewer. Still Teen Titans, at the moment.
BrassBanana: Soon as I can, always.
Toddfan: Well at least you won't be in the dark about any elements of my story, since you've seen the end of the episode at least. Enjoy the rest that are coming, don't forget now.
Ultimate R-Man: Depends on how you define 'better.' I only hope I do the Brother Blood angle justice, for the comics confuse me and I understand many did not enjoy cartoon Blood. No Jericho, and no Grant for that matter either. I'd love to adapt Jericho myself but I only know him as a villain of the Titans, I never read the earlier comics and not sure how best to adapt him. And while I understand your angle about animated Robin, in my stories he is Dick Greyson. If that's not your cup of tea you'd best walk away now, spare yourself the agony of the upcoming chapters.
Koriand'r Star: Not quite the angle I was playing, but I was impressed by Adonis the werebeast and wanted to bring him back. It'll all be explained later. As for Cyborg's shot, to my mind Brother Blood's legs were left organic, and thus Cyborg is loathe to attack to permanently maim someone, even Blood (machine parts, after all, can be more easily replaced, as we saw in Titan's East). Hint of Slade? I have no idea what you're talking about. Heh. I will try to blend the current animated action with my story, do wish me luck. It might be difficult.