"Swipe" by Ed Alger aka "SecondLevelWriter"
TEEN TITANS (c) Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. TEEN TITANS and all related characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.
Brand names, like Wheaties, Nike orwhatever, are trademarks of their respective companies. Free advertising, remember? Also, references to Dungeons and Dragons are property of Wizards of the Coast.
Timeline: This story takes place between "Winner Take All" and "Betrayal".
: Chapter 5 :
Mallrats, Green Ones
The duo were nearly a block away from the mall. To pass the time, they continued their chat from breakfast. This time, they would learn more about personal tastes; favorite foods, movies, books, games... anything and everything.
"Are you into any sports?" Swipe asked his friend as they entered the mall.
"Well, I was top of my class in gymnastics. I even like to incorporate it into my fighting style."
"Gymnastics. Hmm... somehow, I can't see you on a box of Wheaties."
"Thanks a lot. I suppose you'd be the first choice for Nike, Worn-Out-Sneaker Boy." she retorted and stuck her tongue out at him.
The rogue suddenly clutched his chest, as if he were shot by an arrow, "Gah! Critical hit on my ego! Will save! Must make Will save!"
"You'll live. How am I gonna pay for this, anyway? I don't have any money," Jinx remarked as they reached the hair salon. Swipe grinned and held up a small wad of bills. Jinx eyed him suspiciously, "You didn't..."
"I didn't. This money comes from my other occupation. The only things I'll steal are the cupcakes from the governor's pantry."
The girl shook her head and accepted a couple of bills from the rogue before walking inside. Swipe took a seat on the bench just outside and waited. Five minutes later, he would spot two other teenagers roaming the mall. One was a Tamaranean with a hard-to-pronounce native name, and the other was a green shapeshifter.
"Not good. Not good at all.." he muttered to himself, searching madly for a place to hide.
The Titans were walking towards him, but they had not taken notice yet. Swipe took refuge by a soda vending machine, hoping they'd just pass by.
"Hey, wait a second, Star.."
Swipe tensed, ready to bolt.
"I need to get a drink. Umm... got change for a five?"
Beads of sweat began rolling off the thief's face. He pressed himself against the machine in a desperate attempt to become invisible. He strained his ears to try to hear what was happening, which turned out to be very little. The sound of the bill collector whirring again and again as Beast Boy failed to get the machine to accept the dollar slowly drove Swipe mad. His desire to remain hidden began clashing with his desire to get the damned dollar in the machine so the Titans would go away.
To try and strike up a compromise, Swipe unsurreptitiously reached around the corner and grabbed at the dollar bill. A surprised Beast Boy could only gape as the mystery arm quickly smoothed the bill out on the corner of the machine, then stabbed the dollar into the machine's front four times before finding the slot. Once the bill was accepted, thehand angrily pointed at the selection buttons to get the changeling to choose his soda. The next words out of the green Titan's mouth would work to further infuriate the rogue.
"Aww, man! I didn't know this machine was sold out of Red Fizz!"
At last, the thief bellowed from behind the machine, causing the shapeshifter to recoil in shock, "JUST PICK A BLINKIN' POP, WILL YA! THEY ALL TASTE THE SAME ANYWAY!"
"Sheesh! I didn't think they made these vending machines so tempramental!" Beast Boy remarked sourly, pressing the button for his next-favorite drink and walking away with it once it was dispensed.
Swipe heaved a great sigh of relief at the departure, but this reprieve would be short-lived. In the time it took for this whole thing to resolve, Jinx had finished with her haircut. She stepped out just as Starfire and Beast Boy were five feet past the salon.
"Oh, Swi-ipe!" she called out. "Where are you hiding? Come on out and take a look at the new style!"
The two Titans froze in mid-step. The voice sounded awfully familiar, and the name that was being called definitely sounded familiar.
"Swipe..?" Starfire echoed.
"... Jinx?" Beast Boy added, once his memory had been searched.
As they turned back around, they saw the hex-caster mostly as they remembered her. The only difference now was her new hairstyle, which resembled her former look but much shorter and set closer to her head. Also, the two points curled inwards slightly rather than fanning out.
"What the..? What're you doing here!" the sorceress demanded.
"We'd like to know the same thing!" Beast Boy countered. "And what's your connection to Swipe?"
Jinx crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, "That's none of your business."
Starfire, who was previously building herself up for a battle, noticed Jinx's new hairdo as well as her slightly tattered outfit. Curiosity soon got the better of her.
"Jinx, um, what has happened to your clothing? And why did you decide to alter your hair?"
The sorceress grinned and fluffed her pink hair briefly, "You know what they say, dear. 'Out with the old and in with the new?' Well, as of this moment, the old Jinx is history. Dead, if you will."
Swipe listened intently to the girl's words, wincing a bit at the mention of "dead". Still being hidden behind the vending machine, he never noticed that Jinx was currently headed in his direction. Apparently, he also wasn't as well-concealed as he thought.
"Now, come on, Kid Flash! We've got work to do!"
Before he could stop her advance or even get away, the girl snagged him by the shirt and was walking quickly to the nearest clothing store. Meanwhile, the two Titans stood there slack-jawed at what they had just witnessed.
"Dude, was that who I think it was?" Beast Boy finally asked his friend.
"It was. And Jinx is apparently with him somehow... but why did she call him 'Kid Flash'?"
"Beats me. Should we try following them? Or d'you think we should get Robin and the others first?"
Starfire pondered for only a moment before reaching a conclusion, "I believe that we can handle this ourselves. Let us see what they are upping-to first. Besides, Jinx did not attempt to attack us when she had the chance."
As they began to walk, the green Titan attempted to make sense of what he'd heard from Jinx, "What'd she mean by 'the old Jinx' being 'dead'? Did something happen to her at the academy?"
"I remember that Gizmo was expelled from The Hive after our first battle. Perhaps Jinx sufferred the same fate?"
"And she might've tried...? Ughh, I don't even wanna think about that," the changeling shuddered.
"Think about what?"
"You know..." Beast Boy lowered his voice to barely a whisper, "... suicide."
"The taking of one's own life?" the Tamaranean shouted out loud as she stopped in her tracks, eyes wide with shock. Beast Boy waved his hands to get her to lower her voice, and nodded his reply. "That is horrible! I would never wish for someone to do that! Why would Jinx even consider such a thing!"
"Shh! Not everyone's like Raven, Star. Some people have a hard time dealing with depression, and... Hey, don't start crying about it!"
But the tears were already welling up in the girl's emerald eyes, "I- I cannot help it... I feel absolutely awful. I was unaware that my actions would cause something such as this."
The shapeshifter patted his friend's shoulder, "Nobody knew, Star. It just happens. Besides, she's alive, so you don't have to be upset, okay? Now, come on! We've gotta catch up to them and see what they're up to in here!"
Starfire rubbed her eyes one last time before giving an affirmative nod and followed Beast Boy into what some considered a trendy clothing shop. They kept themselves hidden behind a large rack of shirts as they observed Swipe and Jinx. At the moment, Jinx was flitting from rack to rack, pulling shirts out and then putting them back. Swipe had found a place to lean against to watch his new friend shop.
"What was that whole 'Kid Flash' thing about, anyway?" he finally asked.
"Huh?" Jinx replied, poking her head up from a rack of shirts. "Oh, that. Well, you're quick as a flash and you're a kid, so..."
Swipe rolled his eyes, "I get it. I get it. I suppose it could be worse..." The sorceress giggled lightly to herself and resumed her shopping. The rogue started to glance around the store, idly looking over the various shirts and such. As he scanned the store, he found something that seemed to pique his interest. "Hey, Jinx! How about these?"
Jinx walked over and nearly choked at the tank top, shorts, and sandals ensemble, "You've gotta be joking me."
"Just see how it looks. I'll bet it looks SMASHING on ya!"
"I'll smash you.." Jinx muttered under her breath as she trudged to the changing room. Starfire and Beast Boy exchanged confused glances. After a minute, she emerged in the new outfit. However, the look on her face clearly showed she did not like it. The tank top was too skimpy, in her opinion. The shorts itched, and the sandals would more than likely fly right off her feet if she ever had to fight in them.
Swipe, on the other hand, was practically glowing, "Oooooh! Aren't you just so cute!" It would be the sorceress' turn to roll her eyes, as shedecided that she'd humored her friend long enough.
"I don't..." Jinx started to say, kicking one sandal at him. The rogue easily dodged. "DO..." she continued, kicking the other sandal straight up in front of her. This feint worked to get Swipe to dodge too early. "CUTE!" she finally shouted, using a swift roundhouse kick to launch the airborne shoe straight at Swipe's forehead. A direct hit sent him reeling backwards, and towards the Titans' hiding place. Beast Boy immedately shifted into the form of a mouse to avoid getting caught, but realized a different plan would be needed to keep Starfire from being seen. Thinking quickly, the green Titan scurried to the front of the clothes rack and switched to a porcupine. Swipe's posterior came into contact with sharp quills, and...
"EE-YOWTCH!" the thief leapt forward in surprise, clapping both hands on his rear in pain.
Jinx only giggled as she returned to the dressing room. Within a few more minutes, she re-emerged in a totally different outfit: a loose-fitting purple t-shirt with a pink broken heart symbol on its front, knee-length denim shorts and black tennis shoes. She twirled in front of a mirror and admired her new look.
"I like it. How about you?" she asked her friend, whose rear was still smarting.
"Yeah, yeah. It's..." Swipe began to answer before he looked up, and found himself gaping when he finally did, "...you're ...pretty -- d'ah -- GOOD! Pretty good! It's so you!"
The sorceress blushed from Swipe's early mumbling and prayed that the purple makeup she wore on her cheeks kept it covered. Starfire, however, easily noticed this and nodded to herself. Things were slowly starting to add up, which eased the weight on her heart a bit.
At that moment, Beast Boy surfaced from the shirts and returned to his humanoid form, "I guess they're not up to anything.. except Jinx's makeover. I think it's safe to say we can get outta here."
Starfire agreed, and they crept back out of the store without alerting the two shoppers. On the walk back, Starfire started to think about what she had seen. For once, it seemed like Jinx was genuinely happy with her new friend. In their previous encounters, the Titan girl couldn't recall a time when she had heard Jinx laugh without having malice or spite behind it.
"Doin' some deep thinkin', Star?" Beast Boy finally inquired after a long period of silent walking.
Starfire nodded, "I had always wondered what became of Jinx after we defeated her and her Hive Academy friends so long ago, especially when we found out what had happened to Gizmo."
"Looks to me like she's starting a new life. And we've got Swipe to thank for it."
"I suppose that is true, Beast Boy. She may have been our enemy in the past, but..." Starfire looked back over her shoulder as they exited the mall. "I only hope that her new life is far better than her old one."
The shapeshifter chuckled, "You actually have a soft spot for those Hive rejects?"
"It is like what Robin said, 'Everybody deserves a second chance.' Would you not agree?"
With that, the Tamaranean took to the air, leaving Beast Boy to watch her for a moment. He knew who she was referring to, and soon gave a final "heh" to the matter before changing into a crow to catch up with his friend.
That evening, in the office of the Headmaster of the Hive Academy for Extraordinary Young People...
"You, uh, wanted t' see me, sir?" The student - a hulk of a man with shaggy brown hair, a small diamond-shaped beard growing from his chin, and wearing a black bodysuit accented with yellow strips of studded metal around his shoulders and chest - asked with hesitation as he shifted his weight uneasily.
"Ah, yes, Mammoth. I was wondering how your search for Jinx had been proceeding," a rather statuesque man replied as he rose from his chair. He wore a pure white robe, adorned with red, black, and gold trim along the sleeves and collar. His hair was also white, elegantly trimmed with painstaking precision. His facial expression carried a permanent air of confidence.
"Uh, not too well, Headmaster... I didn't think she'd be this hard t' find."
The Headmaster, better known as Brother Blood, exhaled slowly through his teeth. Truly, it was frustrating that nobody could track down one teenage girl in this city, but he decided not to take it out on Mammoth or Gizmo. At least, not yet.
"Well, continue looking. She must still be in the city somewhere," Brother Blood sighed again as he added to himself, "The old Headmistress was a fool for squandering some of her best students on the whims of that deluded schemer."
Mammoth remained silent, although he did agree with the Headmaster's opinion. After one setback, Slade made sure to throw all three of them out into the street without notice or second chances. After that, they had all gone their separate ways for a while to try and improve their abilities before making an attempt to return to the Hive.
Jinx, however, wasn't much of a loner. She tried her hardest to get herself, if not all three of them, reinstated in the academy. But, in the end, the Headmistress would only listen to Slade and staunchly refused their readmission. It was obvious that she was grief-stricken by the whole ordeal, which eventually caused Gizmo to go off on his own. He claimed that it was because he couldn't listen to Jinx whine all day and all night, but Mammoth had a feeling that it was more like the pint-sized genius couldn't take seeing his friend crying.
The brute's train of thought was interrupted by the Headmaster clearing his throat, "Did you hear me, Mammoth? I said, 'You're dismissed.'"
Mammoth blinked out of his thoughts and nodded, "Oh, uh, yeah! Thanks, uh, Headmaster!" He bowed once and sheepishly exited the office. Brother Blood sighed heavily as he sank back into his seat. For all his strength, Mammoth wasn't quite the brightest bulb in the box.
No matter, though. He would still serve his purpose in the academy, as would Jinx... if she's ever found. Those three were the only ones to actually upend the Titans and rout them from their own tower, even if it was only for a brief time. Slade himself could not boast of such a feat, although he struck the Headmaster as someone that wasn't prone to do so anyway.
Meanwhile, in Slade's underground "cathedral", a rather thin shadow made itself visible from the background while Slade observed the recordings from his spy drones.
Slade never turned to face it, but addressed it just the same, "Ah, good. You've returned. I began to wonder if you were discovered..."
The figure remained expressionless, "They still don't suspect a thing. What did you need from me?"
"I have another assignment for you," The mastermind explained as he pressed a button on his armlet, which brought up several images of last night's Titan romp with Swipe. He paused the video and zoomed in on Swipe's face before turning to his new apprentice.
"Follow this boy. He could prove... useful... to our cause."
End of Chapter 5
In Chapter 6: The pair get a little sparring practice in, while someone still lamentsatop Titan's Tower.
Author's Note: I'd like to give a big thanks to those who have reviewed my story so far. As of this writing, I'm still working on Chapter 6 but I am nearly finished. It will be uploaded as soon as I've finished and am happy with it. Until next time!