By: InsanelyHappy
A/N: I got this random urge to start writing again today, after months upon months of having lost interest. Definitely feels good to have to old creative juices flowing once more. I'm not sure if I am happy with this chapter, I never was good at writing fighting scenes, so instead I focused on describing things. Hopefully that worked.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans in any way or form.
Twisted Shadows
Chapter Four: Will You Come?
When the Titans arrived at the scene, the escaped Hive members had already begun a thorough job of causing both destruction and havoc. Raven felt a swell of rage as she saw the damage to her home city, acutely aware of the cries of fear that those powerless to defend themselves made. In response to the sudden swell of emotion, Raven's power, that which was her birthright, nudged against the mental barrier she had built, seeking to meet destruction with destruction.
Wait, Raven admonished sternly, as if silently addressing a poorly behaved child, the time for that will come, when I say it is time.
As if on queue, Jinx spun into view, performing an acrobatic display that would have impressed Raven, had it not been wrecking everything that her bad luck touched. Following her lead blundered Mammoth, the street quaking and buckling beneath his powerful stomps. Last to follow was Gizmo, an imp with a knack for mechanics. Supported by spider-like metal legs, Gizmo leered at the Titans, a cocky smirk playing across his boyish face. Despite his childish appearance, Gizmo was not one to be underestimated. Surely he had not spent his time behind bars twiddling his thumbs, Raven knew, but had most likely come up with some new invention to use against the city of Jump.
"Well, well, look who showed up to join the party," Jinx purred, her voice a mix of poison and honey. Her eyes, those of a cat, fixed on each Titan in turn, measuring weaknesses.
"Jinx!" Robyn shouted, already knowing what the answer would be, "turn yourself in, and no one needs to get hurt. Come quietly, we don't want to fight you."
"Never," snarled Gizmo, stepping forward with sharp clicks of his metallic legs. "Do you think we would have broken out of that skuzz hole, only to go back peacefully?" His voice fairly dripped with loathing and sarcasm, "You really are as stupid as you look, Robyn."
"Then you leave us no choice," Robyn warned, his voice hardening as he reached for his bow staff. "Teen Titans, go!"
Both sides surged forward with frightening speed, battle cries ringing. The clash of metal on metal announced that Gizmo and Cyborg had met, fist on claw. Robyn was mixed in the fray, judging by the witty banter exchange between Gizmo and himself, trading filthy insult for insult. Nearby, Mammoth roared with a primal rage, slamming fists the size of garbage bin lids on the pavement, which rippled like waves of water from the impact. Starfire flew overhead and dropped Beast Boy, who then ironically transformed into a woolly mammoth in the blink of an eye, landing straight onto Mammoth's thick head with a crash.
As for herself, Raven hovered into the air, feeling the now familiar sensation of her feet leaving the solid ground. Her dark, secretive violet eyes locked onto Jinx's bright, electric pink eyes. Somehow, it seemed almost fitting that the two should clash.
"What are you waiting for?" Jinx hissed, tauntingly stepping towards Raven, her wretched bad luck sparking around tightly clenched fists in a shower of pink whips. "Come and play."
"As you wish," Raven replied coolly, while allowing some of the power that scrabbled to be released to wrap around a nearby fire hydrant, like a black velvet glove. With a show of utter force of will, Raven wrenched the cap off of it, so that a burst of water erupted forth and caught Jinx a powerful blow in the stomach.
"Aaaaaagh!" Jinx screamed, thrown off her feet and slamming into the ground ten feet back from where she had started. Water streamed down her face, making her mascara run in ugly black smears. Slow to get back up, it was obvious that the blow had hurt not only her rear, but also her pride. Glaring at Raven through sopping wet hair, she growled between clenched teeth, "Oh, you'll regret that, you little brat. I'll make you pay!" Tremors of rage ran down her spine. It seemed that Jinx was about retaliate with a fierce attack, when a strange light came to her eyes. "No, I have a better idea. Gizmo!"
A pained yelp from said boy was heard as Cyborg's fist met flesh, before Gizmo yelled back, "What! I'm kind of busy here!"
"I think it's time that we showed our friends your new toy," Jinx purred, relaxing her shoulders from their previously tense state, confident now in her teams ability to win with the use of this new gadget.
She couldn't help it, but Raven also felt herself relaxing. She should probably keep fighting Jinx, keeping her too occupied to use this new device… Yet, something stayed her hand. Curiosity, Raven reflected wryly, had always been her greatest asset, as well as her greatest weakness. She would wait to see what this new "toy" was.
Gizmo chucked harshly, still fighting Robyn and Cyborg. It took him a moment, but soon he was able to toss a small object to Jinx, which she caught deftly in the palm of her delicate, pale hand. "You know what to do," he instructed, before getting a left hook in the jaw for his pains, courtesy of Robyn.
"Raven, be careful!" Robyn shouted. "We don't know what that thing is, or what it can do!" Soon, however, he was once more caught up in his own battle, and so was forced to have faith that Raven could take care of herself.
Jinx giggled lightly, a cutting edge hidden behind the lace of her voice. "Oh, let me explain it to you then, dear Raven. This here," she held up a small black ball, which was perfectly round and only about the size of her thumb, "is the most ingenious little device you'll ever see. I mean, with it I can quite easily defeat you." Seeing the doubt in Raven's eyes, Jinx laughed in delight. "You don't think so? Then, I'll just have to show you!" With that, Jinx quickly moved into action, before Raven had any time to react. Jinx hurled the little orb straight at Raven, zapping it with a bit of bad luck before it reached her.
Reflexively, Raven held out her hands in front of her, and caught the ball before it could strike her between the eyes. "What the," Raven gasped, shocked by its sheer iciness. It was like her hand was on fire, it was that cold. Raven instantly dropped the orb, except that, to her horror, it wouldn't fall from her hand. No matter how she shook her hand, the ball was still there, looking perfectly innocent, yet chilling her to her very core with an alarming speed. "C-c-cold," Raven gasped, falling to the ground from her lofty perch in the air, "s-so c-c-cold…" Instinctively, Raven curled into a fetal position in an attempt to maintain her warmth, which was rapidly fading. Ice crystals formed on her eye lashes, much to her shock and dismay. All of this was happening in a matter of seconds, and soon her already pale skin was turning a sickly shade of blue. As her breathing began to take on a ragged quality, Raven noted that her breath was coming out in a sort of white, foggy mist, frozen before it even left her mouth. "H-help-p-p," Raven whispered, feeling her eyes drifting shut in a frightening final way. "P-please, s-s-someone, h-help m-me…" Even the act of speech was rapidly becoming too much of an effort for her frozen body. A wave of utter exhaustion swept over her as darkness began to creep in on the edges of her vision.
"No one can hear you, darling," Jinx purred, somewhere near Raven's ear. "Mammoth and Gizmo are keeping your precious Titan friends busy at the moment… It's just you and me here."
Unbidden tears welled up in Raven's eyes, spilling onto her cheeks, where they rapidly froze. No, this can't be happening, Raven thought frantically, there must be a way to stop her. There must be a way…
"Come to me," the whispered voice entered Raven's mind, an answer to her prayers. "I will save you, if but only you will come to me. Let me help you, Raven. Will you come?"
"Yes," Raven sighed, her eyes closing finally, "I will come."
A/N: So, that's my update for now. I'll hopefully update again soon. Until then, chow. Thanks for reading, I hope that it didn't disappoint. Please leave a review!