Chapter Three

Jinx's "home" was located, in all places, a junkyard, located on the east side of Jump City. She led me to her residence; an old and rusty Winnebago. I was surprised to actually see the lights on.

Once inside, I was startled by the interior; it was brightly lit, and although plain looking, still had an air of comfort about it. Given the dilapidated state of the vehicle, this was no small feat.

"Nice place." I said. "You pay to live here?"

"No," she replied. "I just sort of borrowed it."

"Borrowed it?"

"I found it here in the junkyard. I managed to fix up the inside to make it livable. It wasn't as bad as the outside, really."

"So I see. What do you do for power?"

"Well, I wired it to the power supply for the junkyard itself. And as for water, I managed a hook up into a nearby water main. And I did a similar thing for sewage."

I stared at her in awe. "You sure got talent!"

She shrugged. "Well, you learn a lot of bullshit like that in your spare time at the HIVE academy. You never know when it might come in handy."

"I bet." I sat down on a sofa.

"So," Jinx began. "What's your story?"

"My story?"

She sat down next to me. "You promised to tell me why you didn't think you were the hero type when we got here. So, I'm all ears."

I heaved a sigh, collecting my thoughts. "Okay, but it's not for the faint of heart."

"Try me."

"Very well." I gave myself a chance to relax.

"I had a rather strange origin. My mother, Arella, was once in a satanic cult. Well, she tried to bring about Satan, but got my father, Trigon, instead. He was an inter-dimensional demon, with incredible power. He's pretty much the embodiment of evil. Well, he took a fairer guise, and took a liking to her. Well, one day he raped her, and became pregnant with me."

"No shit!"

"No shit. Anyway, Trigon managed to get banished to another dimension. When I was born in a place called Azarath, the monks saw into my future; I was to bring about the end of the world."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. Not by a long shot. Despite the grim outlook for me, I was cared for in Azarath, learning many things. Amongst them was how to control my powers and emotions. If I let them get out of control, then my demon heritage would take over, and I would go berserk. Bad things would happen."

"I see. Go on!"

"I eventually wound up on Earth, coincidently in Jump City. I found myself in an old temple of Trigon, otherwise known as Scath. That's where I acquired this gem." I pointed to my forehead.

"Quite a welcome." Jinx commented.

"Tell me about it. Anyway, I kept mostly to myself after that. When I first met the Titans, I didn't feel I fit in."

"Yeah, about that. How did you get mixed up with them?"

"Mostly by coincidence. I was minding my own business in a dark alley, when I see this alien girl trashing the place. There were three guys fighting against her."

"Don't tell me that alien was Starfire?"

"Actually, it was. She had just escaped from being held as a prize for some other alien race or something. Well, we learned her story, and for our troubles of helping her, her captures were going to blast the city. We stopped them."

"Quite the start. I suppose you felt you fit in after that, huh?"

"Sort of. I called them 'friends' from that point on, but I still doubted myself. I knew one day what I was destined to do."

"So what became of it? Your destiny, I mean."

"It came true. You remember Slade, right?"

"Yeah, he had me, Gizmo, and Mammoth working for him. Kind of a creepy guy."

"You have no idea. Anyway, he fell in a pool of lava during a fight with his latest failed apprentice, Terra."

"I heard of Terra, but never knew what happened to Slade!"

"Yeah, well, Terra was turned to stone by her own powers when she stopped a volcanic eruption that would've blown up the city and who-knows-what else."

"Geez! That's rough."

"I know. Anyway, Trigon managed to bring Slade back from the dead, and had him working for him. He set things into motion for me to end the world."

"Son of a bitch!"

"When the day came, I was compelled to head to the temple. Slade was no longer needed by Trigon, so his army turned against him. Some how, he escaped. I, on the other hand, became the portal for Trigon, and he wound up in our world, laying everything to waste."

"Holy shit! So, how'd you guys defeat him?"

"I gave a bit of my powers to the rest of the Titans, so they were kept from being turned to stone like the rest of humanity. When they met up with Slade, he told them that I was still alive, and so he and Robin went to find me, while the other Titans kept Trigon distracted. Robin eventually found me, but as a little girl. I thought I was powerless and helpless. Suffice to say, it sucked."

"I see. Then what happened?"

"The other Titans decided on a final attack on Trigon. They, along with Slade, caused him some pain, but he struck back hard. Well, I was infuriated, and then managed to summon up my powers within me, and aged myself to my real age. I then gave Trigon everything I had, blasting him back to where he came from, and cleansed the world of his influence. So, that was the end of that, and a new beginning for me."

Jinx stared at me for a minute or so, taking this all in.

"Damn, Raven." she said. "You sure did have a rough life."

"I know. I bet yours was the same."

"Not like yours. But it was hard enough; its tough getting along with others when you're bad luck."

I nodded in agreement. "So, you got any tea?"

She smiled. "Green tea or herbal tea?"

"Herbal tea. No sugar."

"No problem."

She got up to set up the stove. I heaved a sigh and rested my head on the wall. I never thought I'd be sharing my life story with a former villain. I wondered where else this evening would lead.