Disclaimer: I don't own anybody!
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In an undisclosed location sometime after dark.
In a forest landscape in the dead of night. An eerie silence dominates the atmosphere. The darkness from inside the woods becomes darker still from the lack of the moon on this particular night. But all is not quite as something breaks the darkness and silence of the forest tonight.
An old model SUV barreled through the winding dirt road deep inside the woods. Inside, there were five people: the driver, one guy in the passenger side, and three sitting at the backseat. Almost all the occupants of the SUV wore a three-piece suite and shades. The man sitting in the center of the back was the exception, wearing a brown jacket over a flannel shirt and pants. He was of an old age judging by his white hair and balding head. He was clutching to himself a black suitcase with unknown contents.
"Are we there yet!" asked the old man rather scared.
"Almost!" yelled out the driver.
"They've got to be right behind us!"
"Don't worry about it sir!"
BANG!
Suddenly, the back widow and adjacent left rear widow shattered spraying glass inwardly towards the passengers. The men seated at the back covered their heads from the glass.
"They're here!" wildly exclaimed the old man, "STEP ON IT!"
The driver, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous, felt compelled to comply to the old man's orders. He put as much pressure as he could to the gas pedal and the SUV zoomed on ahead into the dark of the night.
Meanwhile on a nearby cliff, in the shadows of the bushes.
A young boy dressed in pure black combat fatigues was lying in a prone position holding a smoking .50 caliber sniper rifle fitted with a silencer. His face is exposed showing a youthful boyish appearance of early teens and short silver hair. His eyes were unusual since he had a green right eye and a blue left eye.
He was staring down into the forest following the red lights of the blazing SUV as it goes deeper into the woods. He put a hand to his ear which had some kind of radio piece fitted in.
"This is 'R', negative on the shot," he said into the a hidden mic, "where are you 'S'?"
"I'm on the ground," a response from the radio, "hot on their tails, copy?"
"Copy that, 'S'. follow them closely but don't move in until I get into position, copy?"
"Wilco."
The boy got up from where he was lying on his chest on to his feet. He picked up the sniper rifle and slung it on his back along with a small pack that had been lying next to him. He then began rushing into the forest at an impressively fast pace for a human let alone one his supposed age. He disappeared into the darkness.
Somewhere below him was another mysterious figure. A girl in tight fitting fatigues was making her way trough the forest's canopy. Her pretty face and auburn, chestnut hair were exposed suggesting she was also in her early teens. Her eyes differed in color just like the boy's.
She was jumping from branch to branch, tree to tree, with amazing grace and agility, not to mention strength and stamina. She was trailing the SUV by about a dozen meters from above, easily keeping pace with the speeding vehicle.
The SUV continues its way down the dirt path until it reached what would be its destination. In a clearing ahead was a relatively large mansion with a yard. The visible architecture of the building would suggest it was well over a century old. The gat was open and more men with suits and shades were waiting at the gate carrying AK-47 rifles.
The SUV entered the gates and drove right up to the front door coming to a screeching halt. The men at the gate closed it as soon as the SUV cleared that point. The occupants of the SUV quickly shuffled outwards of the vehicle and scrambled into the mansion. The men from the gates followed soon after.
Behind a nearby tree outside the mansion, the girl hid and watched the men enter the house. She placed a hand over an earpiece which was a radio.
"This is 'S' in position and ready to move in," she said, "do you copy 'R'?"
"I copy that." Responded the boy's voice. "I'm almost in position."
"What should I do?"
"Go 'round the back of the place, sneak in from above. I'll give you support. Do you copy?"
"I copy, moving in."
She abandoned her position behind the tree and began to move towards the back of the structure. It took only a few moments to get there. She was lucky no-one was around. Less hassle meant a quicker job. She surveyed the area and found a suitable entry point: the window of an attic three stories up.
It took her no effort to hop up and over the outside fence and into the mansion grounds. She then rushed up the wall an onto the attic window sill. It was locked. She unsheathed the one combat knife she had on her belt, slipped it under the window, and either unhinged or broke off the window's latch. She lifted the window and entered silently.
Meanwhile. On top of a nearby cliff, the boy set down his rifle on the ground and then set himself down in a prone position. He also set that small pack he was carrying right next to the rifle. He opened the pack and took out a hi-tech looking telescope of sorts. He placed it on the ground next to his rifle. He began work on his rifle removing the scope that was already there. He replaced it with that hi-tech looking scope. He held to his earpiece.
"'S', I'm in position," he said, "What's your status?"
"I'm making my way through the north wing. 'R', can you confirm target?"
"Hold on."
He pressed a button on the hi-tech looking scope and it hummed to life. He looked through the lens and saw a digital black and white images. The brick of the house was barely visible through the scope and was nothing but a ghostly outline but what he does see were various objects likely to be metal, and, more importantly, the multiple outlines of the skeletal make-ups of the occupants inside the house. The hi-tech looking scope was actually an X-ray scope.
He searched the house with his rifle. He scoped many skeletal figures for his proper target. He could easily distinguish them for who the were. The henchmen carried AK rifles and handguns. He found his target to be the on exception since he was the only skeleton in his scope that carried a very bright and noticeable case with him.
From the outside the case looked ordinary but in truth it was actually mainly made out of metal to be bulletproof making it dozens of times more denser than an ordinary suitcase. That's why it glowed like a beacon in an X-ray.
"Target confirmed," he said, "second floor, master bedroom, south wing. You copy 'S'?"
"Copy."
"Move in. I'll give support from out here."
"Copy that, moving in."
Inside the mansion. The girl made her way towards the south wing of the building. There was hardly any resistance to her approach since most of the henchmen it seemed were concentrated out side the target's room. She also had another advantage: the mansion was old enough that it doesn't have an electrical system hooked into it so there were absolutely no interior lighting, much less an electronic alarm system. Sneaking in was a breeze.
She was moving at a decent pace, but as she was about to round a corner leading to where the target was hiding, she froze. A beam from a flashlight momentarily illuminated the corner of the hall and disappeared. She flattened her self up against the wall and peeked from the corner.
A bunch of guards carrying flashlight and rifles are posted outside the door. Obviously that was the door her target was hiding in. She could charge in and take on the guards but the door was a fair distance away and there was still a good chance of her getting hit so she decides against it. She decides to call in her support option.
"'R' I've got multiple bogies in my way," she says into her radio, "Can you do something?"
"I gotcha."
Outside the house, the boy scans the mansion wall he was facing with his X-ray scope. Sure enough there were guards posted outside the door. He knew what his partner had in mind.
"I confirm five bogies," he said, "I'm taking them out."
He sized up his targets which look like white skeletons on his scope. He took aim, and fired. the gun made a slightly loud puffing sound due to the silencer. The bullet flew right into the outer wall, then right through the wall into the shoulder of one of the guards who went down instantly. The other four guards watched in horror as their comrade fell and began to frantically search for the culprit.
They didn't have enough time to ponder as another high-powered .50 caliber round penetrates the wall and hits another guard in the chest. He fell for good. The remaining three were now frantic
Outside, the boy reloaded his rifle and prepared another high-powered shot. He takes aim once again and spotted two guard standing close together parallel to his line of fire. The boy remembered that old saying about two birds and one stone. He took careful aim and fired. The bullet sailed through the air, the wall the first guard, then finally the second. Both fell, out of commission.
The last guard was beyond ecstatic. He began to take his rifle and fire at random directions, screaming as he did. The boy was already taking aim and firing his last shot. The guard went down hard. Silence fell back into the hallway.
"All bogies down," he said, "You're a go 'S'."
"Copy. What about the guys inside the room?"
"I can confirm three guards plus the guy with the case. I can't take them out. My bullets can't penetrate two walls."
"I copy, I'll head in myself."
The transmission was cut off. The boy set aside his rifle and slowly got up into a more comfortable sitting position. He's done all he can for the moment. Now it was up to the girl. He wasn't the slightest bit doubtful that she could handle rest.
Inside the master bedroom, the old man was cowering on top of the bed while his three remaining guards were poised with handguns drawn aimed at the door. A few moments of silence pass. Then the door slowly opens part-way with no-one to be seen behind it. The guards ready themselves as best they can.
From the partially open door, something rolled into the room. A small cylinder of sorts. The guards looked at it curiously. Eventually the object stopped rolling for the guards to get a clear picture of it. The gasp in horror.
A huge explosion bellowed from the room. A fair distance down the length of the hallway, the girl watched as the scene is cleared of flames and smoke. She walks towards the room cautiously. She enters the burnt out room.
An initial scan revealed the three guards blown all the way to the back of the room, their bodies completely unmoving. The room itself is completely covered in smoke making it impossible to see more than half a foot in front of one's face. She steadily walks towards the bed.
Seemingly unnoticed was the old man, still alive with a bloody face. He was still clutching onto the case in front of his face and he slowly let it down. From where he was on the bed he could barely see anything pass the smoky atmosphere he was however able to see some moonlight coming from the open door. And from that doorway of light he could make out a silhouette of someone coming towards him. He instantly got very nervous. He reached into his burnt jacket and retrieved a Luger. He aimed at the silhouette and fired like there was no tomorrow.
He emptied his Luger into the air. When he finally stopped shooting, he surveyed the area. He couldn't find anything at all. He took a sigh of relief.
THWACK!
A combat knife impaled the old man's neck. The old man fell back on the bed and ceased to breathe. From the smoke, the girl hops up onto the bed and makes her way up to the old man's body. She eyes the suitcase he was holding onto. She takes it and made her way outside.
"This is 'S'," she said into the radio, "mission accomplished, I've confirmed the package."
"This is 'R'. Confirmed, package is ours. Good job…sis."
"You too…bro."
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Sakura jolted from her seat as she awakened from her slumber. She groggily rubbed her eyes as reality once again took hold of her senses. She did her best to remember where she is and what she is doing. It came to her in a few moments.
She was seated on the passenger seat of the Murcielago. Her brother was driving. It was twilight and they were on their way back to the hideout in the docks, cruising down the streets of the city. She also remembered why. On her lap safely held be her arms was a round piece of metal. It looked like junk to most but she knew it was vital to their needs. It was the special lens they needed to finish the process. They were able to take it from Professor Chang just an hour ago.
"You awake?" inquired her brother from the driver's seat.
"Yeah. Uh, are we there yet?"
"it's 'bout five more minutes."
"Oh, alright…"
"…were you dreaming?"
"Huh?" that question took her by some surprise.
"Did you have a dream?" Riya asked again.
"Uh…how'd you--"
"You were mumbling in your sleep."
"Oh…yeah I was dreaming about…something."
"It was about the old days wasn't it?"
Now she looked at him. This wasn't the first time Riya seemingly read her mind. He has a real pension for doing so. Must be an older sibling thing.
"…I know how you feel," he continued.
"Oh really?"
"Don't worry. We're not who we used to be anymore sis. Were not someone's tools anymore. Everything we do, we do for ourselves."
"…Are you sure about that. Have we really changed."
"I've never pulled a trigger in someone's face since then. Nor have you ever took a knife to someone's throat."
"…"
"We're only changing for the better, that's what we should say to ourselves. Only because it's true. Everything's gonna be alright now, ok? Once we're done here, everything will get better."
She couldn't help but smile. He big brother was right. Things would get better. All in due time they will receive the happiness that has been their due for so long. Nothing can get in their way now.
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The docks, twilight.
The Murcielago cruises to a halt in front of one of the many warehouses that litters the southern docks. The night air is quiet again as the sports car's engine dies out. The two doors open and two teens climb out into the crisp night air. They shut the car doors and made their way towards the warehouse front. Sakura, all this time, carried a precious package.
"Why'd you keep that thing anyway?" she asked bluntly to her brother walking beside her.
Riya didn't know what she was asking about until he noticed that she had an arm raised and a thumb pointing to their rear. Riya looked back and saw that she was referring to the Murcielago.
"Oh, that?" he said, "I just know a good car when a see one."
"It might be traced to this place you know?"
"Like it matters at this point."
"Hmm. I guess you're right."
"Always."
They enter the building with their cargo. They disappear into the warehouse without anyone seeing. Or so they thought anyway.
To one side of the dock was a large crane used for unloading cargo from ships. The machine was easily twenty ore more stories high since it needs to clear cargo ships to latch its giant loading arm onto containers. During the day, it could be seen constantly loading and unloading cargo on and off ships and docks. But in the dead of night, it sleeps peacefully.
On top of the giant machine, perched on the edge of the long arm, Robin, the boy wonder, peered down with binoculars on a particular warehouse. In the past couple of minutes he has seen the Murcielago pull up to the building, the two teens walk out with something in their grasp. Now he watched them as the entered the building and disappeared into it.
He set aside his binoculars when the pair are no longer visible. He reaches into his utility belt and puls out what looked like a PDA unit. He went through some menus before the PDA displayed a digital map of the area. One particularly large area the map blinked red, and somewhere in that area was the warehouse the pair had disappeared into.
"Bingo," said Robin.
His theory had worked. The supposed hideout was right where he thought it would be. The presence of the two confirmed this more than anything else now there was only one thing left to do.
He pocketed away his PDA and took out his communicator.
"This is Robin," he said into the device, "Titans we are a go…"
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Titan's Tower, a little earlier in the day.
Before the sun has set and whatever mayhem took place in the woods due to Arsenic and Lithium, the Titans gathered in the tower's main room. With a possible crack in the case Robin has taken no chances. He has called this meeting to discuss what the Titan's coarse of action should be should the theoretical location of the hideout be correct.
"Ok, so first we gotta remind ourselves of who we're dealing with," he said, "since we all have our opinion we'll let everyone have a say."
The Titans nod in approval.
"First of all…" he presses a button on the computer and loads of pictures featuring Lithium are shown. "the girl who calls herself Lithium. From what we could gather from combat experience we can form some kind of personality we can relate to her. But first the technical stuff. She is a master martial artist, an expert in close combat. Surely she has been trained in many forms of combat styles so she is very hard to predict in battle. I can specifically identify some Japanese martial arts elements but most are either foreign to me or her own personal style. Cyborg?"
"As you've all seen," said Cyborg. "Her preferred weapons are twin daggers or some sorta combat knives. This suits her since she prefers close combat. Knives are short enough to be expertly maneuverable, so the don't get in the way of the user like sword and spears. She's probably been trained to fit a more spy-ish type of role. You know, sneaking around, hiding in shadows, that kinda stuff."
The Titans nod in agreement at Cyborg's statement.
"And, dude, I gotta say something about the way she fights," Beast Boy starts, "You guys probably noticed this before, but she actually enjoys fighting a bit don't ya' think? I would know being a one-kid-zoo, primal hunting instincts can be a real hoot, if you know what I'm what I'm talkin' about. Probably one of the reasons why she likes fighting up-close, ya know."
"Beast Boy is right," concurred Raven. "When she is in battle I can distinctly pick out the excitement she feels when she is fighting. To her it's probably one of the greatest feelings she could ever experience. And that is one more thing I noticed of her. She is too emotional. She lets whatever driving force she has push her into endless battle. She seems to have a hard time keeping such emotions like anger and frustration in check. I can relate somehow though."
"And I believe that is her weakness if any," Starfire started, "As a warrior of my home world, Tamaran, I am taught that the source of my greatest powers lie within my own emotions. However we Tamaranians have been also taught that too much emotion could corrupt our meaning of battle. We could fall prey to such temptations that would lead to our destruction and harm of others. I believe this will be her downfall should she not be able to learn how to 'chill out' as earthling say."
"Can't argue with that," said Robin "So when you face her, don't let her get the best of you. From what we know she is somewhat emotionally unstable so don't tempt her to do something you'll regret. Keep your distance from her when your fighting her, you got that?"
The Titans nod in approval.
"Our next subject…" Robin pressed a button on the console again. The screen replaced its pictures of Lithium with pictures of Arsenic. "the boy who calls himself Arsenic. In terms of preference in fighting style he is almost the exact opposite of his sister. He prefers ranged weapons like guns. He seems to also display good driving and piloting skills."
"As we can see," continued Cyborg, "his preferred weapon is a custom .45 handgun. He probably picked this for the same reasons his sister uses knives. Altough I'll also be bettin' that this dude ain't too bad with other forms of guns, like rifles. I see this dude in more of a supporting fire role in combat but when it comes down to it he can kick butt up-close if he needs to."
"And he's not as hot-headed as his sister either," continued Beast Boy, "The dude's always so calm n' cool in any situation it's almost annoying. You'd think he was the guy running all their operations or at least doing the 'leader' thing in a fight. Kinda reminds me of a certain boy wonder around here if you asked me."
Everyone followed Beast Boy's stare to Robin and seemed to agree.
"Hey! Don't be comparing me to someone we're trying to nail, c'mon," said Robin in objection.
"Though it is a bit true," said Raven, "He is more fitted to a leadership role. Unlike his sister who is always too emotional, he is calm and collected even in the most crucial moments. He values his control over his emotions and he also sees that as his greatest strength. He prefers to win against his adversaries using strategy rather than brute force."
"Although, this does present a significant weakness in his character," said Starfire, "In his strategizing and conceptualizing, he may present a tendency to neglect reality. Though I do not mean he is subject to schizophrenia, I would say he would loose touch with the world around him. This could cause him to falter in battle, I fear."
"So…" continued Robin. "If we go up against him, make sure you don't end up in a corner otherwise he'll exploit whatever opportunities he could get. If you can, break his concentration enough to gain some ground. Got it?"
The Titans nod in agreement.
"One last thing to discuss. We all know that those two are working with a mastermind named Dr. Volkov. Now as far as we've heard from his old pal, Dr. Cannes, Volkov is a power addict. He tried to gain power before with the same experiment. Thankfully he didn't succeed. But now he's on the verge of completing the work he started all those years ago. And he's been using those two kids in doing it too. Now I say 'use' because I believe he is simply manipulating those two to do his will, and those two kids probably find no other choice but to follow his orders since they pretty much want the same thing. But I know Volkov will turn his back on them the first chance he gets. I've dealt with many of his kind before. In short, he is a sadistic, manipulative, power hungry madman. He is the true enemy here. for the city's sake…and for the sake of those two…he must be stopped."
The Titans gave a nod in agreement.
"Alright that's all we have to talk about at the moment."
"So…" said Beast Boy, "now what?"
"You guys prepare the best you can. When we get down to the real fighting we'll need every advantage we can get."
"Why just us? You goin' somewhere, Rob?"
"I'm gonna go stake out the location that we think they are hiding out in. If luck has it I'll confirm the location and contact you guys. Once I do…we put an end to this."
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The Secrete Hideout, back at the present.
"Well done, children," said Dr. Volkov.
Sakura handed over the lens which the stole from that other scientific super villain. Dr. Volkov gave the object a close inspection. He seemed satisfied at the results produced by the two teens. They lived up to their standards of success which is to say a job done fully at any cost. They always have.
"I trust you did not go through much trouble to obtain this?" asked the Doctor.
The two teens, Riya and Sakura, looked into each other for a moment.
"…nah," they both said simultaneously.
"Finally, the process can be completed. Ah, so close to the goal at hand. All that is needed to do is to install this at the facilities we've set-up and we can continue with the process."
"It would be a lot sooner if we hadn't moved the set-up away from this place," said Sakura.
What she was talking about is the move they did three days earlier. When they seemingly took the break from their missions to collect the various gizmos they needed to complete the induction process, they were actually taking time off to relocate the 'corpse'. They picked a nice little spot away from the city and was able to provide the proper facilities which were not provided in their current dwelling.
"Oh come now child. I have already explained the reason for the move. No need to be impatient, my dear, we are closer to our goal more than ever. Nothing can stop us now."
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
An alarm sounded, breaking the quiet atmosphere of the room. Red lights on the walls were blinking in rapid paces. The party of three looked up, suspiciously, at the wailing alarms.
"What in the blue hell…?" Sakura blurted out.
"…I think… it's them," said Riya.
"Who?"
"Who else…?"
He moved towards the computer and typed away at the keyboards. He pulled up several security feeds from several different cameras in several different locations. In one particular image he spots movement. He zoomed in on that image. A group of five very familiar teens can be seen.
"It would seem we have underestimated them," said Dr. Volkov, "We must do something or else they'll put a stop to our operations… and you two will never be able to se her again…"
Riya and Sakura visibly winced at the thought.
"…Don't worry, Doc," said Riya. "We'll never let that happen. You go on ahead of us and prepare the set-up coz' nothing else matters at this point. We'll stay here and distract those morons."
"Are you sure about that, my child?" asked Dr. Volkov.
"Oh, we're sure, Doc," said Sakura, "Chances are they came here thinking this is the last fight there ever will be between us and them."
"Most likely it will be," said Riya.
"And if they really want a fight to remember…" Sakura drew her knives and twirled them about.
"…We'll give it give it to them." Riya drew his pistol and twirled it around with his finger.
Their long hard struggle would come to its climax anytime soon. And they sure as hell are ready for it.
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Author's Note: Man I hate writer's block. Sorry if this update is a bit late and an advanced apology since the next one will likely take up some extra time to get done too. But if you think the end is coming up, think again! I've got a bigger conclusion in mind and it would span a few more chapters.
Anyway. Please Read & Review. If you have any comments, suggestions, violent reactions, send them all my way!