The disclaimer crap is all in the first chapter if you really want to read it that badly then go there and read it. I do however wish to repeat that I do own my own storyline and my characters, which right now include Quanta.
I want to thank everybody who has given me a review because it gives me something to strive for. Also thank you guys for correcting some of the things that I've gotten wrong with my story. Sorry for the long down time between chapters but I got massive writers block. Anyway please read and review.
From the Ashes
Chapter 4
Quanta slowly slipped through the crowds in the Inferno, careful to keep any of the dirty patrons of the bar from touching her pristine white garments. The young woman was indeed alluring to the men in the bar, but one glance from those cold blue eyes, froze any amorous feelings that any might have had. It wasn't comfortable for any person to get that close to the light.
She stepped up to the bar, but instead of sitting on the dirty stool that was there a chair of light appeared and the blond sunk into it. At the site of this the surrounding patrons moved even farther away. A person using powers so blatantly in a public place could only mean one thing. A person working for Slade.
"Whacha want?" The bartender asked.
"Oh, just a little bit of information and then I will be on my way." Quanta's voice was low and the bartender had to lean close to hear her. "Where can I find an information vender named Guy?"
"I've never heard of a person named Guy." Quanta was used to people lying, and had developed quite a talent for it herself. With that talent came the ability to read people. The subtle turn of the man's eyes as he said that tipped her off. He was lying.
"Oh, but I believe that you do." Quanta felt a heavy hand fall on her shoulders and glanced behind her. A man with the muscles that practically yelled out bouncer and carrying a sparking cattle prod stood behind her.
"The man said that he didn't know. Now let me escort you to the exit." Quanta reached up and caught the man's hand with his own. Bones cracked underneath her fingers as the young woman squeezed and the man yelled in pain.
"There is no reason to do that. If you wanted to talk to me than you only had to ask." Quanta let go of the man and he stumbled backwards, whimpering, and clutching his mangled hand. She glanced around the room and saw Guy sitting only a few yards away. He must have used some trick for Quanta not to see him but that was the way Guy was. "Why don't you come and sit with me."
Quanta rose from her seat and slid down into the seat across from Guy as his eyes looked her up and down. "So how can I help you? Was your last transaction to your complete satisfaction?"
"Nightwing fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I do however have some other information that I want you to pass onto him when he comes next. The money will be sent directly to your account. Actually it would be best if he received it right away even if you have to go outside your normal channels." Quanta placed a disk on the table and slid it across to him. Guy took the disk in his rough fingers but he didn't let his eyes leave her.
"You have to realize that Nightwing would suspect something if I come to him with information, he is reckless at times but he is not an idiot. I won't risk myself for any amount of money."
"Nightwing is desperate for action. I'm sure if you guarantee him than he will come like a moth to the flame." With that Quanta stood and moved to the exit of the Inferno.
The small group of rebels moved through the city, staying in the broken parts of Jump City where the presence of a group of armed civilizations would go, if not unnoticed, than at least no one would care. Less people cared for Slade in the city than the tyrant cared to admit. As the group passed by a broken skyscraper pair of men with rifles slid from hiding places in the wreckage and after a quick conversation with the woman leading the group they hurried into the maze of broken buildings.
"What was that all about?" Cyborg asked to his compatriots.
"Their probably telling the people in charge that we're coming." Nightwing said glancing around the area. He hadn't noticed it before but now that he looked closer he could see the small signs of habitation. The rubble had been moved around the streets to block off some and narrow others so that the attackers would have to come through bottlenecks to get at anything. If he looked even closer he could see a couple of rifles sticking out from a few of the windows.
The rebels escorting the Titans led them into one of the buildings. The buildings had been a bank at some time, the sign above the entrance still reading Jump City Bank, and looked like it was still in good shape. The inside of the building was full of people, most lying on the ground wrapped in blankets or in other states of rest. Nightwing's sharp eyes were used to spotting weapons and he could see that most of the people who looking like they were sleeping were carrying weapons. The people escorting the Titans moved away from the heroes and Nightwing could see several of the people on the ground gripping their weapons tighter.
"Get ready for anything." Nightwing whispered to Raven. The young woman nodded and her eyes glanced around quickly, preparing to fight if need be. The crowds around them split and a woman there age stepped through. Blond hair shone in the dim lights of the banks and blue eyes looked over the group of super heroes.
"Terra." Beast Man sprung out of the group and caught the newcomer in a crushing hug.
"Hey, BB don't squeeze me so hard, you're crushing me." The shape changer let her down with a smile and the rest of the Titans could see the person that there old friend had become. Her blonde hair had been cut short so that it framed her face, though the bangs were still long enough to cover her eyes. She hadn't grown any taller in the years they hadn't seen her but her body had lost the gawkiness of her teenage years and had filled out into the young woman she was now.
"Actually it's BM now." The green shape shifter said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"You seem to have done well for yourself Terra, leading a rebellion against Slade and everything." Nightwing said cocking his eyebrows at Terra.
"I'm not the only one who had gained a reputation. To have the famous Nightwing with us who takes on Slade's entire army by himself and seems to be winning in quite a spectacular fashion." Terra smiled at him and Nightwing nodded in acceptance of the praise.
"We all do the little that we can."
"Where is Starfire?" Terra asked. "She is still around, right?"
"Little ol Star is just back at the HQ." Cyborg said.
Why don't you guys come into the back room? We can talk with fewer distractions than we will get here." Terra turned and walked into the room she had just entered from. The room that she had led them to had once been the vault of the bank though the heavy door had fallen off of its hinges and leaned on the wall next to the vault entrance.
The only furnishings in the room were a large table surrounded by many beaten chairs. Spread across the face of the table was a map of the city, with large areas circled and writing covering much of the blank area around the edge. A person stood in one of the corners of the room, leaning back against the wall. As soon as they walked in emerald green eyes followed them as they walked in.
Nightwing immediately ran a trained eye over the man and labeled him as dangerous. He wasn't any taller than Nightwing and probably even more slender but underneath his tan skin muscles rippled. Long black hair was caught fell past his shoulders and was back in a ponytail at the back of his neck. He was dressed in blue jeans, a white tee shirt, and a black jacket he wore open at the neck. Next to him a katana in a blue sheath leaned against the wall though the man's hand rested next to the hilt. Just the way that he stood managed to scream warrior.
"This is Shogun." Terra said indicating the man against the wall. "He's what could be considered my right hand man in this case."
"And who are these people?" Shogun asked. He reached down with one hand and grasped the hilt of his weapon. Nightwing noticed that fingerless gloves covered the man's hands, the gloves of a fighter.
"Some of my old friends." Terra motioned them to all sit at the table and everyone drew up chairs.
"Okay enough of this secrety stuff now Terra. I think that its time you tell us when you got out of the stone and why you haven't even tried to find us. It hurts to know that you don't care." Beast Man changed into a small dog and whined pitifully.
"It was quite sudden. We thought that you were still back in the monument." Raven said. "We used to check back every day."
"And then every week, and then every month. But you never seemed to change at all." Cyborg said dropping his head. "We didn't want to stop looking but nothing ever changed and nothing we could figure out ever worked."
"I don't blame you guys. I only woke up a couple of months ago. I don't really know the reason but I just suddenly fell to the ground and when I looked around I had aged almost ten years. The people here were so desperate for a leader that they would take anybody, even a traitor like me. Since then we have been trying to do the most damage possible to Slade but he barely has to commit any real forces to stop us. All we can do is prick him."
"We can't even really do that." Shogun said motioning towards the map. "The red markers are the large concentrations of Slade's forces and the blue spots are the major placements of our forces." Red dominated the map with only two small dots of blue, one at where they were now and the other across the city. "As you can see we are less than a dominating presence."
"So what are your plans?" Nightwing asked. The young crime fighter leaned over the map, his dark eyes scanning the positions of the forces in detail.
"We don't really have that many plans. We just keep doing what we can and when we can, hoping that everything we are doing works out for the best." Terra said.
"If I had a choice I would take the fight right to Slade and cut his dirty masked head off his shoulders with one swipe." Shogun said. He slid the first few inches of blade from the sheath and then slammed it back down with a resounding clack.
"And you would be cut down before you ever got close to reaching Slade. It would be pointless." Raven said as she slid the hood back from her face and shook her purple hair out.
"But at least I would be doing something." Shogun grumbled but he stopped play with his weapon.
"Can we talk about this later." Beast Man said. "This stuff is all just boring."
"BM is right. We can talk some more about tactics later on. You guys can stay here tonight if you want to." Terra said, standing from her chair.
"Sounds great." Beats man jumped up from his seat and left the room with Terra, both talking excitedly to each other.
"Maybe we can get something better to eat her than at the HQ. It will be wonderful to eat something besides BM's tofu or Star's alien food." Cyborg said.
"Speaking of star I'll tell her where we are." Raven stood to her feet and pulled her Titan Communicator from inside her cloak.
End notes: Thanks fro reading this next chapter. It took forever for me to actually get this one out mostly because I have a problem with everything, but here it is, even if it was shorter than all the others. And thanks for all the people who e-mailed me to tell me to finish.