Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…sorry. Computer broke, school, work…chronic perfectionism. I am sooo sorry. But, you made it! After I was such a b#&ch and everything. I do have to apologize…that was kinda' low. For those of you who are still reading…sob…I love you guys.
Anyway, there's some decent action in this chapter: Amber's power, the collar, the inklings of a plot, and Slade's premier (squeals). On to the fun stuff!
Oh, and here's your next chapter's excerpt:
The slow, steady click of metal boots marked his approach. She rolled to her back, her body wracked by choking coughs. The glowing beam lit her shining, ash-streaked skin. Her back arched, hair spread beneath her, teeth bared in pain. Perfect.
The boot steps stopped. Amber sucked back a burning breath, peering through watery eyes at a casually kneeling Slade. Firelight danced manically off his mask, painted his body in dramatic relief. Head tilted, cold eye gleaming; he watched her struggle with an air of amusement.
Disclaimer: TT isn't mine…Slade isn't either.
In the woods on the outskirts of Jump City, the base sat quiet in a wide clearing. Razor wire curled about the perimeter in tall, grizzly heaps. Gun towers pocked the surreal landscape; unconscious men littered their posts.
A hot, eerie breeze blew through empty trees boughs, ruffling the hair of the arriving Titans. The scene and the silence made Robin tense; this felt wrong already.
"Raven?"
"The men are alive," Raven floated to his side, "but they may require some attention."
"Amber," Robin waited a beat before turning. He hadn't even realized she wasn't there; another disturbing variable. Robin looked to Cyborg, one eyebrow raised, questioning.
"She'll be late," He said matter-of-factly, looking pointedly at the ground.
Robin frowned, "Right…stats."
"It's a military base for the housing of specialized weapons intelligence," Cyborg read off the mission specifics.
"Big guns?"
"Not quite," he corrected, "In this case, 'specialized' means unconventional." Robin' eyes narrowed, a muscle along his jaw tensed.
"Great," Raven groaned.
"Yeah, great…what do you mean 'unconventional'?" Beast Boy asked nervously.
"It means we need to get moving. Raven, do what you can for the men till Amber gets here; the rest of you are with me." Robin started for the complex at a run, three loyal teammates in tow, Raven glaring bitterly at their backs.
Amber paced the length of the workroom floor. The 'collar' lay glowing softly on a cleared patch of workbench. The soft, periodic beeping noises of the charger mixed with the flickering of the old florescent light bulbs made the annoying situation a maddening one.
She was left behind…DAMN it. The kids were out kicking bad guy butt, and she was waiting on her freakish jewelry to charge. What if she didn't even need it just yet? Forcing a deep breath, she leered at the cause of her annoyance.
It wasn't so large (an inch and ¼ wide, about 12 inches round), but it was a massive weight on the mind. When on, the control and use of her gift slowed to a crawl; like in those dreams when you try to run, but you can't. That was its purpose, to slow the process, to provide a control she didn't have…to cripple her.
Slowly, a bitter sneer passed over her face like a storm cloud. The metal band before her made her sick. Maybe the return of the dream made her panic; maybe she had overreacted. She had suppressed this…thing before. She was in control, right?
Black memories answered: His pudgy face contorted in fear, faded from view as she lost control, that thing taking over. She saw her own face as from someone else's eyes disappearing behind a wet sheet of red, then black; the unmistakable feel of the heart exploding against her ribcage; the final breath ripped from her body as he screamed… screamed…
"RAAA…" Amber kicked a neglected Stank Ball across the room, through the window. The sharp sound of shattering glass filled the space, grated against her nerves like a soothing acid.
Eight damnable minutes. Eight more minutes till the collar was fully charged. She was already in battle dress; white uniform on, specialized wrist braces in place. If the fight wasn't over before she got there, she would work out her frustrations on a real target…hopefully.
They met no resistance in the entrance hall, or at the first checkpoint. More battered (but breathing) servicemen cluttered the floor.
The destruction and precision had been absolute. The military-grade blast doors were blown clear off, the explosives having been set where the door met the wall. Security doors two and three were blown apart in the same way. The assailant had been prepared, and informed.
Debris scattered across the concrete. Chunks of drywall and wooden beams hung precariously from the damaged ceiling. Laser and bullet holes riddled the hallway walls. Metal shards crunched under their boots as they passed the last twisted threshold into the massive, circular main room.
"Dudes! This place is huge!" Beast Boy's voice echoed over the sterile white concrete walls.
The center of the room dropped down into an opening surrounded by railing. Looking over the railing, there were more floors beneath them, all lined with railing, hallways, and more doors. In the center of the opening, from floor to ceiling, was a cylindrical elevator connected to each floor by a floating walkway. Aluminum, emergency stairs snaked around the elevator column. The scale was enormous.
"It is roomy," Robin murmured, arching his neck for a better view of the ceiling.
"But there has to be a thousand rooms in here, which one has our Mr. Bad?" Cyborg asked.
"Perhaps, this 'Mr. Bad' is working for Slade?" Star asked innocently, leaning out over the rail.
The hair raised on the back of Robin's neck, "Why do you say that, Star?"
"Because there are Slade bots on the bottom floor."
"Starfire! Get Back!" Robin yelled, too late. A curtain of laser fire filled the space where Starfire had been, sending the alien girl sailing into the wall.
"Titans! GO!"
The attack on the complex had been successful. The workers, scientists, janitors, and guards had all been easily evacuated or discarded. The supercomputer was an open book. Black Files from every system were being downloaded directly into a by-standing Slade automaton, and the entire base would soon go up in smoke.
But, the mission was a failure. Hacking into the supercomputer's Black Files had been easy, but the information he sought had never been there in the first place. His true goal remained to be met.
The visit had not been a total waste, however. The coded and compressed recesses of the super mainframe had told him were to find the information he required…and whom to beat it out of.
Laser fire (and Robin's inane catchphrase) announced the Titan's arrival. Good. They saved him a trip. His new informant might need a little motivation. A certain member of the Titans would provide it. It was poetic, really; a Titan used as a tool for his own purpose. The irony was appealing.
Deception, separation, and manipulation. The plan was quick, gritty, and classic; practically foolproof, and Slade was no fool. This would be entertaining.
Beyond the tree line, angry clouds were boiling across the sky, throaty thunder rolled quietly over the baleful scene. It looked like something out of a war movie. Bloody, stumbling men in uniform walked back and forth between rows of groaning, waking, and comatose men. Soldiers barely able to stand giving water, splinting limbs, looking for friends. A steady stream of ambulances, emergency response vehicles, and fresh replacement troops began to fill the previously silent woods.
Raven repeated her mantra. Black energy cradled another cataleptic soldier, laying him neatly at the end of a long row of men. She was not happy. Triage was not her job. This was Amber's thing, she was the miracle healer. Raven belonged on the base, on the front lines, with…with the team. Robin must have felt it too; something was very wrong with this mission. They all needed to be doing what they did best.
Raven released a gravelly sigh. She knew Amber couldn't really be blamed. If she had to be late, there was a good reason, but this didn't make her absence any less abrasive. Raven would still have to wait for her arrival before returning to the real job at hand.
The situation as it concerned the men was complicated. Some of them had precious few minutes before their condition became critical. Those had to be taken to the hospital immediately; so they didn't die waiting for a late savior. All minor cuts and tweaks were being treated by arriving paramedics, the rest were being stabilized for the wait; Amber would take care of those when she got there…whenever she decided to show up.
To her right, a pair of paramedics argued quietly over one prostate soldier. Both stopped short as their patient woke with a shrill, gurgling cry. The sound went on and on, rising in pitch, making Raven's hair stand on end. It was a scream of hysterical panic and desperate confusion. She found herself pushing the younger paramedic out of the way.
Raven extended her hands over his face and chest, siphoning off what pain the man could feel before looking him over. The screaming cut off, quiet shock taking its place. His eyes were wide and dilated, riveted to Raven's face. The soldier was really no more than a boy. Blood spilled from his mouth with every strained breath. Her empathic senses told her everything.
"What is he still doing here," Raven's trademark deadpan was dangerously low. The boy's neck was broken, spinal cord severed; one rib had broken and impaled a lung, filling the chest cavity's natural vacuum. The kid was dieing, drowning on his own blood.
A burly female paramedic stood close by. Raven recognized the woman from other missions, Tami. She was an older woman; worry lines beginning to crease her face, her short, dark curls beginning to show signs of grey. Her mouth was set in a grim line.
"Either he waits here to live, or waits there to die," Tami's face was drawn but resolved, "No hospital could save him now." Beside her, the junior paramedic scowled, looking away, and raising the IV. Apparently, he didn't feel the same way.
Raven felt sick. This was beyond hopeless. Rain pattered over the field, raising puffs of dust where it hit the ground. The sun finally gave up, yielding to the storm, unleashing a downpour. The ground hummed, but not because of the rain.
Unnatural silence fell as the men took notice, listening and feeling with strained expressions. The earth itself was vibrating, accompanied by a faint metallic sound in the distance. Raven looked out over the ravaged service men, all looking at her, expecting an answer. She started as a firm hand grabbed her arm, gently demanding attention.
Tami knelt beside her, looking intent. The rain had plastered her usually frizzy hair against her crinkled forehead, and ran into her sharp hazel eyes.
"Honey, you'd better check that out," the older woman kept her voice low and gentle, turning her back on the crowded field, "Some of these men, they can't wait for your friend much longer." The quiet urgency of the statement caught Raven off guard.
"Prepare the men for emergency evacuation," Raven whispered, turning her back on the men, "Don't move till I say." Gliding over to an opening in the trees, she glanced back. "Keep that one here," she said, pointing to the boy.
Raven flew straight up, ignoring the torrential rain and the way her cloak was beginning to cling. At first she couldn't see anything, grey sheets of rain obscuring everything, vicious wind driving it into her face. This wasn't going to work. Black energy formed above her, blocking the rain like an umbrella.
Her breath caught in her chest. The entire forest was moving, treetops quaking with the rhythm of marching feet. Glistening black and copper bodies passed between the trees like a spider army. The front line was coming to her. It was time for the men to leave.
Tiny metal tentacles bore into the back of her neck, twisting and coiling into position around her vertebrae. The cold metal about her throat stopped glowing, indicating its integration was complete. There was a quick 'sssnap' as the circle was closed and locked. Amber winced, gritting her teeth. It might as well have been a prison door slamming.
Amber took a calming breath, letting her body accept the invasion. Receptor and emitter nerve endings buzzed; cold numbness followed. Disturbing and uncomfortable, but the chill leaking through her fingers and pooling in her chest meant she was ready to go. Hopefully, there wouldn't be anything worse than broken bones today.
The stillness and silence that had permeated the base erupted, replaced by lasers, explosions, twisting metal, and whoop-ass. This was something Robin understood; this was something he could handle.
It took no time taking the battle to the bottom floor. The slinky black droids were in guard mode, sticking in close clusters, moving only to aim, and engaging only in a certain radius. Disarming the robots from a distance took seconds. Star bolts, bird-a-rangs, and sonic-blasts removed limbs, created wreckage, brought chunks of cement down on their black mechanical heads. The android forces were decimated. It couldn't have been easier if they had been standing still. Strange.
An armored door loomed open and undamaged beyond the mess of twisted animatronic parts. The sick, pasty computer-screen glow filled the room without lighting it. Random images and complex equations blurred across the giant screen at super speed.
"Is that…" Robin started, masked eyes wide.
"…a military grade supercomputer with all the information you would ever need to keep the American government on its knees, and hold millions of innocent lives in the palm of your hand? Yeah." Cyborg finished for him.
Beast Boy whistled, gazing up in awe, "Aw, man. Just think of the games you could play on this thing." BB finished with a swoon, drooling. He was snapped from his reverence by a glowing pair of dead eyes, gazing out from a black corner next to the computer. Every hair on his body stood at full attention. "Hey, guys…"
"We see it," Robin growled.
The thing shifted, revealing a sleek black body connected to the computer by a thick chord. Its clawed metal hand held a black disc. "Titans…" Robin started, but the droid was quicker. Sparks flew in the darkness, illuminating its copper faceplate as it yanked the chord from its chest, and jamming the disc into the computer in one fluid motion. It darted past them with surreal speed, reaching the elevator before any of them realized what it was doing. Robin had never seen one move like that.
"He's carrying weapons intelligence, Titans FIRE!"
"NO! Wait," a heavy metal hand came down on Robin's shoulder, spinning him around to look at the computer. The screen had stopped on the picture of a giant copper 'S'. Black bled from the familiar symbol, crawling across the monitor and overtaking the image of a particularly complicated blueprint. A virus.
"That thing might be the only record of what was on this computer!" Cyborg entreated desperately, "The government might need that!"
Robin looked at first like he would argue, but turned instead to Star and Beast Boy, "You two, follow it…NOW!" he shouted when they didn't move fast enough. Robin ran to the computer where the 'Metal Man' was desperately pushing the eject button, trying to dislodge the viral disc, "Cyborg, can you stop it?"
"Dude, this is a Military Super Computer. Even the keyboards are coded…and there's 13 OF THEM!" Cyborg's voice raised an octave as his metal hands flew over every button within reach.
"Sooo…can you stop it?" Robin repeated.
Cyborg sighed, looking at his captain with an air of long-suffering, "Yeah, yeah…just give me a second." Cyborg began typing furiously over the keyboards in the center command consul, "Spiky-haired, tooth-pick wonder boy; thinks I can walk on water."
Robin grinned. Somehow, he knew Cyborg was going to say that. The grin faded as his communicator crackled to life, "Robin…you guys nee…get up here…" Static was interfering, but the panic came through loud and clear; something that didn't often happen with Raven.
"You'd better get going," Cyborg mumbled, but Robin was already gone.
The room was empty and still again, aside form the clickety sound of rapid-fire typing. Cyborg to save the day again. The blackness fully covered the screen now, but he hardly noticed. He was so close.
Punching in the command, Cyborg crossed his fingers, waiting for the machine to eject the virus. A grating, whirring noise erupted from the computer before spitting out the smoking disc, but the screen remained black. The large 'S', however, had changed. Slade's face was in its place, leering down on a frustrated Cyborg.
"Man! What the hell!" the disgust in his voice couldn't be mistaken, his hands returning to their task. From the monitor, Slade chuckled. Cyborg stopped, looking up at his enemy. Was Slade watching?
"Surprise!" the cyber-Slade hissed, eye narrowed.
"Huh?" Cyborg squinted, confused. Blue-white energy shot up from the computer consul, spiraling up his arms, engulfing his body, filling the dark room. He didn't even have time to shout before he hit the floor, and knew nothing.
Yeah, I know…I was going to get to the part where she and Slade rumble, but after some changes it would have been a six thousand-word chapter. But, we're close…we're really close. Next one will be faster…and probably a little longer. And sorry about the late update…I really did have it typed out, it was just never good enough for me. I finally decided it never would be, so here's what I got. How was I supposed to know two thousand words could turn into six thousand?
OH! And to all of you beautiful people…
Hod'j'Podj: YAAY, for the first reviewer. You can't imagine how excited I got when I saw that. I was totally jumping in circles doing the 'moose dance'. I
hope your still reading. BIG kiss…the chocolate kind.
Aquastorm: Weeeelll…I don't know. This is rated 'T' and I hope to keep it that way. But, maybe I'll consider an alternative chapter later…maybe. And wait till you read the citrus first. You might not want me to go farther.
Dark Kamikazi: Now you've done it, I want my cookies. Your review just got me smile'in. I was totally tickled.
Lady Draculea: You got it! (Thingies is as good a word as any) So, do you want to be a good guy, or a bad guy? Also, so you want it to be 'Lady Draculea' or do you have something else in mind? I can do either. Nothing beats the satisfaction of a well-rounded review. Yeah for Lady!
Lotus Paradox: Wow! Great name. And what a compliment! I'm glad you like complicated stories. You and me, we need a little extra. Loves and Huggles!
Silverblood Demon Alchemist: You guys totally spoil me. And, a dictionary definition! Just choose the name, gender, and moral affiliation, Love. I got a special place for you.
Nyanna: HeHe. Short and Sweet. I like it!
Aznka: Yeah, spelling was never my best subject. Sorry about the confusion, I had hoped to let a little more out of the bag by now, but the most of the answers are a ways away. The advice is very appreciated, I can't even tell you. Gives a low bow of respect my thanks. Constructive criticism is hard to come by.