Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics.
Chapter 5
All the Titans were gathered around their attacker in a circle. For several hours the black rider had just sat there hunched over, unmoving. His horse had walked over to his side and stood there, looking at all the Titans. The Titans could almost swear it was… glaring at them.
By this time Starfire had waken up, but was still groggy from the affects of the tranquilizer they found in her system. Cyborg had fixed himself up and everybody else had recovered for the most part. They had spoken to the rider, asking basic questions, but so far he had refused to even acknowledge them.
"Lets just turn him over to the cops, he's not going to say anything. Besides, what do we need to know?" Beast Boy said wearily.
"He came here specifically for Raven, that means something. Were not going to let him leave here until he tells us." Robin said with his arms crossed.
"Please, tell us, why do you wish to harm my friend?" asked Starfire.
Silence
"Who do you work for?" prodded Cyborg.
Silence
"Is it Slade?" asked Robin.
Silence
Raven had been quiet just as long as the horseman had. A thought had entered her heard after the fight had ended, a very troubling thought. Finally, she could stand it no more and asked.
"Did my father send you?" she said almost in a whisper. That got his attention.
His head snapped up. Though she could not see his eyes, she could feel them burning into her. He then relaxed a little and resumed looking at the floor.
"I thought we had defeated that guy." Cyborg said.
"No" the rider said. Everybody jumped at his first spoken word in a while. "Trigon was defeated, yes, but he is still out there somewhere. You did not kill him, only banished him to an unknown dimension."
After he said that, he slowly raised his head and removed his helmet. As the black Kevlar helmet came off, the whole veil of darkness that had been surrounding him seemed to part like a curtain. He spoke slowly as he stood up to a full upright position.
"My name is Kevin Franks, and I know this because I was once a servant of Trigon the Terrible." He looked not to older than the rest of the Titans. He had short red hair, slightly pale skin, and brown eyes. He was of medium height and build.
Everybody just stood there with their mouths open. Finally Robin spoke.
"So Trigon did send you then." he said.
"Know you stupid twit, I said I used to be his servant, but I am no longer." Kevin said.
"So then why did you want to kill me?" asked Raven.
Kevin sighed. "That takes a lot of explaining." he said.
"Were not going anywhere. If you got a story to tell, then were all ears." Cyborg said.
"Very well." He walked over to the kitchen counter and sat on the edge. His horse trotted over to his side.
"My story starts years ago. I was a lieutenant in the army during the war…"
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I opened the hatch on my tank and pulled myself out of the hole with thick black smoke rising from inside the turret. The enemy sabot round hand punched right through the outer skin and burrowed into the crew compartment. I was the only one left alive.
I crawled over the side and flopped to the ground. I tried to stand but couldn't, the wound in my side was deep. I had lost a lot of blood and suspected my lung had been punctured. My driver, who had been kept safe in the forward part of the hull came running over to me.
"Hang on sir! I'll get you out here!" he said as he lifted me up and helped me walk as we began to hobble away from the burning tank. By this time the enemy armor had reached our position, but they simply rolled on by like they didn't see us. Then I heard the enemy APC stop right behind us.
"Oh crap its-" my driver's words were cut short as enemy fire tore into him.
I took out my pistol and fired a few pot shots at the enemy infantry before hobbling away to a nearby wood line. There I collapsed from exhaustion against a tree. It was dark by now, it would be some time before they find me, and by then I would be dead…
I watched the battle unfold before me. Flashes in the distance like thunder, tracer rounds bouncing everywhere, the screaming of dying men. I felt life leaving me, things were getting blurry, I knew I had only moments left to live. With the last of my strength I shouted out to the night sky.
"I, Kevin Michael Franks, offer my soul to God, or whoever may want it, as long as you can grant me life; and power." I was about to close my eyes fore ever when…
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"Whoa! Wait a minute, you were going to sell your sole to the devil? Why!" Beast boy interrupted.
Kevin gave him a glare that mad him shrink down a little.
"Listen to me little man, have you ever died? Have you ever been close to dying?" Kevin asked.
"Well, there was this one time…" Beast Boy trailed off as everybody in the room was angrily looking at him. "…not really." he finished kind of meekly.
"I thought not. Anyway…"
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Suddenly I felt just a fraction stronger and looked up. I still saw only the burning of vehicles on the plain below me but I heard a deep monstrous voice enter my head.
"I can give you all you ask for, and more, if you pledge your allegiance to me." the voice thundered in my head.
"Who are you?" I asked weakly.
"My name is not important, only what I ask. Now do you swear you allegiance to me, or should I let you die now?"
I would like to say I thought about it for a minute, but it did not take me long to decide.
"My soul… is yours to command."
With that all my pain, fatigue, and weariness disappeared. My wound vanished, and I felt stronger, better, than I had my whole life.
"You will be my hand on this world of yours. My thoughts and wishes will become your actions. You live to sever me alone. But to do this, you must have tools of the trade. Here, use these."
Out of nowhere a jet black horse galloped up to me. On its side hung a sword. The animal was huge, its eyes glowed red yet it seemed friendly, to me anyway. I unsheathed the sword and examined it. It was a copice, a slightly boomerang shaped weapon the Greek cavalry would have used several millennia ago.
"This sword is indestructible, and can cut through any material made by mortals. Your horse is the greatest steed in five dimensions, and shall carry you to victory. Ride him with pride, and no weapon shall ever graze your flesh. But remember this, you exist only to serve me, and shall you ever deviate from this path, you will suffer a fate more horrible than you can possibly conceive."
"I have but one question, whom do I serve?"
No sooner had I asked that than a head rose over a far ridge. A giant stood up, taller than a mountain, red skin, white hair, and four glowing eyes.
"Behold, I am Trigon the Terrible! And I am your new master."
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"But if Trigon had you working for him, then why did he need Slade to do his dirty work?" Cyborg asked scratching his head.
"I don't know who Slade is, but if you wait, I'll tell you why I quit." Kevin said sounding slightly irritated. "For days I rode across the battlefield like death itself. I charged enemy machine gun nests and entrenched positions, taking out my anger on the enemy that I had been fighting for so long. Yet despite this, not a single bullet ever touched me. After several days of slaughter, I grew wary and left that country forever, and returned to the US. Then my horrible duties as Trigon's servant began."
"He never told me the full details of his 'master' plan, but he let my in on a little. He was preparing for his entry into this world, where he would reign supreme and my service would be rewarded. This transition would occur through something of great importance that already existed here on earth. What this thing was, he never told me, and I never dared ask. I never found out, but I suppose that doesn't really matter." Kevin said shrugging.
The Titans all exchanged nervous glances but said nothing. Kevin then continued.
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My duty was to help pave the way for his arrival. That mainly consisted of destroying anything or anyone that may pose a threat. I cannot count all the people I butchered for that monster. Men, women, children, if Trigon willed it, they fell under my sword. I rode all over the globe burning and murdering anything that might stop the big red creep. That all changed one day though.
I had been told to burn a Buddhist temple in the Himalayan Mountains. Supposedly they had some great knowledge that could harm Trigon when he crossed over. I did what I always did, I killed every monk I saw and burnt the temple to the ground. I was about to leave when I heard a noise that seemed to come from under the snow. Walking over to it, I found a secret room under the ground where school children were hiding. I was about to leave them alone and go on when his voice filled my head.
"What do you think you're doing? Kill them all." Trigon commanded.
"But why? I have fulfilled your wishes, these monks and whatever knowledge they had are no more, what threat do these children pose?" I asked.
"They have been taught by the monks. Everything and everyone that believed in their teachings must be erased from your world. Now do what I say! Or have you forgotten our agreement?"
I slowly grabbed a girl buy her coat and lifted her up. I raised my sword ready to strike, but could not. I looked into her eyes and for the first time, despite the hundreds I had already sent to the next life, I felt sympathy for her. Her eyes showed the greatest amount of fear and pleading I had ever seen. I couldn't do it, that was my breaking point. I dropped the girl and began to ride off.
"How dare you disobey me! You have one chance to turn around and do as I will, or suffer the most horrible of consequences." The voice in my head said.
"No, do with me as you must, but I shall not take on your tasks any longer. Consider our bargain cancelled." I shouted into the air. I braced my self for the greatest mental and physical pain of my life, but none came. That voice never entered my head again, yet my powers remained.
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"After that I swore a blood oath, to use my powers only to do good in this world and stop Trigon or any of his followers. That is why I was going to kill you Raven, you're the offspring of that monster and I was determined to wipe every remnant of him from this planet. I didn't though, because as I was about to slay you, your eyes reminded me of that little girl in the mountains all those years ago. I knew I could not kill another innocent."
Everybody was quiet and looking uncomfortably at the floor. Except of course, Beast Boy, he was over by the horse examining it like a new appliance.
"So this horse is the some demonic animal, cool!" he said.
"His name is Bucephalus, and he is my closest companion. That horse has the same brain power as anybody in this room. Well, almost anybody." Kevin said looking at Beast Boy.
"What do you mean? This horse is as smart as a person?" Beast Boy said scratching his head.
"Precisely, he can even understand everything we are saying right now." Kevin said crossing his arms.
Bucephalus looked straight at Beast Boy. This caused the green elf to jump back like he was stung by a bee.
"Ummmm, hey pal, I don't now how to tell you this, but, Trigon has already come to this world and left." Cyborg said.
"And I was the key to his arrival." Raven added.
Kevin did not move "I was aware of Trigon's arrival. I saw the sky burn and the seas boil, and the flesh turn to stone. I was immune to it because I still posses the powers he gave to me. These powers make me immune to all of his, which is why Raven's telekinesis does not affect me, she also derives part of her powers from him."
"However, I was elsewhere in the world when it happened, so was unable to come fight him. Though you seem to have done a good job on your own." Kevin said.
"Raven, you did not destroy him, only sent him to another dimension. I know this because I can still feel his presence in the back of my mind. Also, if he were dead, my powers, as well as yours, would have died with him." he finished.
For a while no one moved or said anything. Then finally Starfire spoke up.
"I wish to apologize for being so harsh to an enemy of Trigon. Please, will you be my friend?" she said almost begging.
Kevin looked confused "I drugged you, tried to kill one of your members, and now you want to be my friend?" he asked scratching his head.
Before Starfire could respond, Robin laid a hand on her shoulder.
"We need to discuss something. Kevin, if I leave you alone for a minute, do you promise you won't run away?" Robin asked.
Kevin stood up "You have my word." he said.
"Good, Titans, lets step into the hall for a minute shall we." Robin said and they all filled out of the room.
Bucephalus snorted and looked at Kevin.
"Don't worry about it, I not going to let them hold me back, we'll be out of here shortly, one way or another." Kevin said patting him on the neck.
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Author's note:
For those of you who may have already guessed it, I partly borrowed some of the story line from the PS2 game "God of War" so at this time I think it would be appropriate to be on the safe side and state:
God of War is a registered trade mark of some corporation I have no stock in and I do not own or pretend to own anything associated with that commercial enterprise.
With that said, more chapters to come shortly.
Also, a special holler out to Mibu Onikage, my only reviewer so far, thanks for the effort.