Don't mind me, I had more than the required amount of sugar today... -'tis Friday-
-Koriander-Grayson- -- I'm sorry I gave up on Come What May. I just didn't have a lot of inspiration for it. However -sigh- I know I'll finish it, because I can't stand to see anything unfinished. No worries.
sugarland31-- Aw, thanks. I'm glad it doesn't suck. :3
Rose Mage-- Yeah, BB/Rae is my second favorite couple... (after RobStar, of course. :P)
april4rmH-town-- Thanks:D
blufirestar-- Yeah, that was an introduction, wasn't it?
xox.Annie Potter .xox-- Glad you like it! Major kudos to you!
samanthe2121-- Thanks, I'll try!
kay jolyn-- Yeah, Gar does seem huggable, doesn't he? -glomps BB plushie- :3
KorrianderX'Hal -- Yeah, I try to make it in-character.
Sango-is-alone-- Thanks! I like your username... Inu-Yasha fan?
Fuzzytoesocks-- Um... it is in story form...
starangel4eva-- Yeah, it is 007-like. XD
By the way, a free virtual cookie to anyone who guesses where I get the chapter titles from!
Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans. I own Alfonzo, though. :P
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Chapter Two-- I Say Never Trust Anyone
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For once in her lifetime, Kori Anders was bored.
And not just oh-there's-nothing-to-do-bored.
Hair-tearing, tree-hugging, computer-bashing bored.
Kori was suffocating on the fact that there was nothing to do.
Rachel had left to go to the grocery store... ("I don't trust you with grocery shopping, Kori, you'd buy out the store..."), nothing was on TV, she'd read her collection of magazines at least twice, the local gym was closed, and there were no movies in the theater. And as for trying to read Rachel's books?
Psh. I would rather be alive, Kori thought to herself dully as she traced the dark, dusty novels lettering with a long index finger. Sighing, she trudged to the living room and flopped on the couch, laying her head back on the arms of it and absently braiding her hair.
BOOM!
A huge explosion flipped the couch and pinned Kori under it before she could get up and see what had happened. Trying in vain to push up the heavy piece of furniture, Kori coughed as dust seeped through the cracks. Her mind raced. What ishappening? she wondered silently, still pressing fruitlessly against the couch pillows above her.
"Ma'am?" An extremely nervous voice filtered in through the couch. "Ma'am, are you... alive?"
Kori coughed. "Yes, just barely," she replied angrily. "What hashappened?"
The voice was a teenager's. "Well, I'm not sure, ma'am. I was putting this letter in your mail slot and it... exploded."
Kori cursed under her breath. "I am trapped under the couch... will you help me, please?"
Although she couldn't see it, the paperboy nodded and helped her heft the couch up a little so that she could roll through and get up, brushing the dust and rubble off of her. Kori surveyed the room and sighed. When she'd wished for excitement, this wasn't exactly what she'd been thinking of. She thanked the paperboy and said she'd take care of it later. Still looking apprehensive, the boy nearly ran out of the crumbling hole in her doorway, throwing her mail into her outstretched hands.
Kori saw one letter badly singed and took it, dropping the rest of the bills and ads to the floor. The envelope was a thick parchment, with elegant lettering spelling Rachel's name and 'Green-Eyed Beauty' on the front, with no return address.
Frowning, Kori opened the envelope and withdrew the paper within, reading carefully.
Misses Raven and 'Green-eyed Beauty'...
Pardon the way of getting your attention; I admit, blowing out the wall is not usually my style. However, there are some businesses that I would like you two to take care of... meet me and my partner at the bench in the park at five Elm street at precisely midnight.
Kori scowled at the letter. "Insurance had better pay for this," she muttered angrily, throwing the letter to the floor.
"What the hell did you do, Kori?"
Kori turned around to see Rachel, grocery bags in her arms, fuming.
"I can explain..."
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Midnight.
A heavy nightly carpet stretched over the sky as Rachel and Kori walked towards Elm street. They had been disguised, however; Kori's hair was a plain, straight brown, and her eyes a dull blue, but that hardly dented her beauty-- Rachel now had hazel eyes and black hair, having refused to dye it blonde.
Kori looked up. "I hope it does not rain. The dye will wash off every time it is exposed to wetness..."
Rachel nodded. "What are our names again?" she questioned, turning a corner.
"Carey Anderson and Raven Richardson," Kori answered, tucking her hands into the pockets of her dark green jacket.
Rachel scowled. "Raven? Who has a name that sounds like a bird?"
Kori laughed softly. "You do, I suppose." She looked around a corner. "There they are," she whispered. Two men that looked about their age were seated on a bench. One with black, spiky hair, the other with green. Kori giggled. "That one with green hair... he looks very humorous, does he not?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "He's a riot. Come on." She nodded to Kori, and they walked to the bench. The two men instantly stood up. The green-haired one had forest green eyes and a childish smile. The other one wore sunglasses, and Kori frowned. Eyes were the windows to the soul... and yet he hid his.
"Ladies," the black-haired one spoke up, his voice smooth as silk. "Thank you for coming."
Kori's eyes narrowed. "We could hardly say no... I do not think our insurance would cover another explosion." She stared pointedly at them.
The green one laughed. "I told him it was a bad idea..."
"Then it's your fault?" Rachel spoke up angrily. "That cost us--"
"-- a mere two cents compared to what you'll be getting on this assignment," the sunglass-wearing man cut in smoothly.
Still glaring, Kori stared into his covered eyes. "Who are you two?"
"My name's Dick," the black-haired one said, holding out his hand. Kori took it, shaking it with a grip so tight it took all of Dick's pride not to wince.
"Hey, ladies, the name's Gar," the green one said, waggling his eyebrows and making Kori giggle. Rachel rolled her eyes and took his hand, but instead of shaking it, he leaned over it and breathed lightly on her fingers. "Mi'lady," he said in a deep voice. Kori giggled again, and Rachel groaned through her teeth.
"I am Carey, and she is Raven," Kori answered politely, still shooting daggers with her eyes at Dick, who merely smirked and faced the other way. "What is this mysterious mission we are being offered?"
Gar spoke up before Richard could retort with a nasty comment. "It's a tracking down mission. Sort of a search-and-destroy. This guy we're going after is unknown... but he's been creating mysterious medicines that make people sicker. They're called 'X's."
Rachel raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry... we're going to be helping the people? Usually, we hinder them. At least."
Richard laughed. "Nah. We're going to take them for ourselves."
"And we will be paid...?" Kori asked, looking at Dick with a scowl.
"A hundred thousand."
Rachel and Kori gaped. "A-- a hundred thousand?" Kori whispered. Her tone changed abruptly as she noticed a laugh tugging at Dick's throat. "Only a hundred thousand?" she sighed. "I suppose that will have to do. We accept." She returned Dick's self-righteous stare.
Rachel glanced at her friend. "We do?"
"Of course we do!"
Both Gar and Rachel watched the two next to them glare at each other for a moment. Rachel sighed, turning to Gar. "I guess we accept, then. When do we start?"
Gar snapped to. "Uh... oh, yeah! Tomorrow afternoon we'll meet here again. Friend going for a walk or something, that's our cover. Be in normal civillian clothes, or you might attract attention. We're going to split up and look around."
Rachel nodded and tugged on Kori's arm, leading her away. Gar chuckled softly before doing the same to Richard.
The bench was empty; the canvas of black still stretched across the sky; and the stars twinkling, as if laughing at the four that had met beneath them.