32 Productions Presents…
A Teen Titan Fan Fiction The Teen Titans in…"Caught in the Crosshairs"
Chapter One
Movie Theater
Even superheroes need a break now and then. They were doing this tonight by going to see a movie. Most of them were thoroughly enjoy the comedy…most of them. Raven and Shade however, were not. It might be because of the gags in their mouths. It could be because of the ropes around their bodies. Then again, it could be the fact that they were drugged so they wouldn't struggle until the movie started. Of course it could be a combination of those. Who can say? All that can be said is they would never be able to look at pizza the same way, especially if their friends handed it to them. They could, of course, break free and leave…but that would disrupt the movie and that's just plain wrong. They'd need a damn good reason before that happened. Little did they know, a reason was supplying itself close by.
Projection Booth
The girl checked the projectionist's pulse. Just as she thought, he was fine. It was just a precaution really. The chances of her messing up were astronomically small. She was, after all, the best teenage assassin in the continental U.S. if not the world. She was tall girl. She could easily be compared to an Amazon. Her costume seemed to be some sort of sneaking suit. Black in color, perfect for blending into the shadows. Her face was covered by black cloth, like a scarf that went up to the tip of her nose. Her black hair was in a ponytail. Judging from her eyes, she was Asian in descent. She was carrying several pouches and stuff. The most noticeable item was the sniper rifle on her back. She walked over to the opening and set the gun up. She started talking to the man on the floor in a dull monotonous voice.
Girl: Don't worry sir. Mild paralysis. You'll be able to move in roughly twenty minutes. Don't panic or you'll set off a heart attack. If you do, it'll be your fault, not mine.
She turned on the night vision scope and searched for her target. She found him sitting in the first row. The tracking device led her here…now it was time to do her job. She clicked the safety off.
Theater
Shade's sensitive ears picked up the faint click. It was a silent part of the movie, just a scene of walking, no dialog or music so it was easy enough to hear. He turned as best he could and saw what appeared to be somebody with a gun. That was a pretty good excuse. He managed to grab Raven's hand and they disappeared.
Beast Boy: (whisper) See? This movie isn't so bad, is it?
He looked over and saw that they were gone.
Beast Boy: (whisper) …next time we use chains.
Starfire: (whisper) Perhaps it was wrong of us to force them to accompany us in the first place.
Terra: (whisper) But then they'd never have fun.
The group was shushed.
Projection Booth
Before she could pull the trigger, the door burst open. A shadow tendril lashed out…and smashed the projector.
Shade: (not at all sorry) Oops.
Raven sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Raven: Shade, what have I told you about property damage?
Shade scratched his chin for a second.
Shade: "It's okay. We're superheroes".
Raven: …oh yeah. That is what I said. Oh well. The movie sucked.
The girl cleared her throat.
Girl: You're either superheroes or cos-players. Either way, I respectfully request that you leave and allow me to do my job. If you refuse, I'll be forced to take action. That won't be enjoyable for any of us.
Raven and Shade looked at each other. It was an unusual and well worded request, one they had never encountered before. Raven shrugged.
Raven: Sorry. We've no choice, really.
Girl: How unfortunate. If that's the case, I'll be on my way.
With that the girl returned the gun to its spot on her back and flipped over the side. Shocked, the pair ran over to see if she was hurt. They got a face full of gas as a result. She hung on to the side with special retractable suction cups in her gloves and shoes and waited for them to peer over. She fired the gas from a small aerosol spray can. They coughed and fell over. The other Titans were starting to notice. She had little time. Retracting the suction cups, she pushed herself off, landing in front of her target.
Girl: Mission…
She thrust her palm into his nose, sending the cartilage into his brain. He fell over dead.
Girl: …complete.
The Titans surrounded her.
Robin: Give it up.
The girl slowly raised her hands. Numerous pellets fell to the ground, spraying smoke. Starfire flew upward, away from the smoke while the others simply coughed. The girl darted out of the smoke and ran out the door. Starfire chased after her, a pursuit that led to the roof. To her surprise, the girl was waiting for her at the edge of the building.
Girl: My job is done. I'd simply like to leave now.
Starfire was surprised by the calm way the girl asked if she could leave. It was like she was just asking to be excused from the table or something, not asking to be allowed to get away with murder. Starfire formed starbolts in her hands.
Starfire: I cannot allow that. You have committed murder and must be taken to the authorities.
Girl: Starfire. Member of the Teen Titans and an alien with super strength, flight, and energy conversional abilities.
She flung something at her. It stuck to her stomach and began pumping an intense amount of electricity into her body. She fell to the ground, twitching. The current died and she struggled to get back up. The girl walked over and placed her foot on the back of Starfire's head, forcing her back down.
Girl: Listen very carefully. My name is Hit. You're going to be fine. In fact, next time…god forbid there IS a next time…I'll need to use two of those. You should be out cold. I apologize for this. Good night.
Starfire struggled to stand up as the girl walked back to the edge and pulled out a grapple gun. Starfire's vision went blurry then black as Hit fired and swung away.
: CUE THEME :
Theater Rooftop
Starfire slowly began to awaken to the sound of voices.
Shade: …fault. We should have expected that.
Raven: We didn't take her seriously...such stupidity.
Starfire groaned weakly and opened her eyes. Beast Boy looked up at the others.
Beast Boy: Hey, she's waking up!
They helped her stand. She coughed a little.
Robin: Star, what happened? Are you okay?
Starfire's throat was dry. She coughed again and peeled the sticker from her stomach. Robin took it and examined it. There were wires under it, several of them sticking out. Starfire's stomach had tiny bleeding holes were she had been pricked.
Starfire: (weakly) Sh…she escaped. I…I failed.
Shade: So did we.
Raven: Are you sure you're alright?
Starfire nodded and coughed again.
Starfire: A slight jolt, that is all. Made to stun me.
Cyborg: So who WAS that chick?
Starfire: …she said her name was Hit.
Robin sighed. That didn't ring any bells.
Robin: Get an ID on the one she killed. We've got to take her down before she kills again…or leaves the city.
Run-Down Diner
Hit collected her fee from her employer. She sighed. If money hadn't been so tight lately, she would have skipped that job. The reasons behind the killing were so…petty. Besides, it was three to one that the woman would still reject him anyway. Her ears picked up the soft sounds of familiar muttering. A walk around the corner confirmed her suspicions.
Hit: Todd. Still toying with the costume, I see.
The red headed boy looked up at her and sighed. Todd Albertson was a fresh mercenary. His newest costume looked almost like a rip off of Superman's except it was black and red. He nodded and gestured to the seat across from his table. The diner was actually a place to hire people for all sorts of jobs. People would be surprised to find out how many of these there actually are in the cities. Hit sat down.
Hit: Maybe you should just give up, Todd. This is hardly a glamorous life.
Todd: …nah. I mean, what does a guy who can take a bullet to his brain and not die do? Knitting?
Hit: Just because you heal quickly, it doesn't mean you're cut out for this job.
Todd sucked at his teeth and began balancing his steak knife on his finger.
Todd: Look, Me…
Hit: Don't call me that.
Todd: Right. Sorry. Look, Hit…I appreciate you looking out for me, but this is what I want to do, okay? I know I'm good enough. Did you know I can throw five knives at a time, without looking, backwards, and hit the bull's-eye each time?
Hit had to admit that was impressive…if it was true.
Hit: Maybe so, but you can never be silent for very long, can you? How do you expect to do your job if you can't keep quiet?
Todd: One problem at a time. I'm still working on the name.
Hit sighed and stood up.
Hit: Once again, I can't sway you. I applaud your determination at the very least.
Todd: Well, maybe If you put some feeling behind your words…
Hit: You're well aware that I'm not able to.
Todd shrugged.
Todd: You can fake it. I've heard you do it before.
Hit sighed (a habit for her as she was perpetually bored and depressed) and cleared her throat.
Hit: (compassionate) Please Todd. You're only setting yourself up for a life of misery. Running from place to place, hiding from authorities, it's simply not worth it.
Todd stared at her for a moment before clapping.
Todd: That was good.
Hit: (monotonous) I know. Acting is a major part of being an assassin. You sometimes need to get close to your target.
Todd nodded. That made sense to him. He grinned.
Todd: Yes…but can you do impressions?
Hit: (Todd) But can you do impressions?
Todd shuddered.
Todd: Don't ever do that again.
Hit: You asked me a question.
Truth be told, Todd envied Hit. Her abilities were top-notch. There seemed to be nothing she couldn't do…well, she couldn't fly…or shoot lasers from her eyes. Well, nothing within human limits that she couldn't do. Hit's cell phone rang and she answered it.
Todd: Haven't you heard of ring tones?
She ignored him.
Hit: Yes? This is she. Yes. No, I don't need to write it down. I'll be there.
Hit hung up. Todd looked at her bitterly. She just got finished with a target and already she was being called again?
Todd: Another job?
Hit: Perhaps. They weren't clear on it. It doesn't matter. It's not tonight. Well, I have to go Todd. Good night.
Todd waved as she left. Hit pulled out her keys and got into her car. Before she went home, she had to drop some things off.
Titan Tower: Main Room
Robin was unhappy, to put things mildly. The deceased was nothing more then the owner of a general store. What kind of enemies does the owner of a general store have? He sat at the computer, drumming his fingers on the base of the keyboard. Raven walked up behind him.
Raven: …still nothing?
Robin: Still nothing.
Raven sighed. She didn't want to say it…but it had to be said by SOMEBODY. Apparently she was the only one whom it occurred to…or had the guts to say it.
Raven: This isn't our job, Robin. We hunt down super criminals. This girl…she was just hired to do a job. Let the police track down who hired her and we'll take it from there.
Robin was silent for a moment. Raven swallowed hard. She could feel his emotions boiling. He didn't like this suggestion at all.
Robin: Are you suggesting…that we just give up?
Raven shook her head.
Raven: No, I'm not saying that at all. All I'm saying is that we don't need to be bending over backwards to solve this. The police can find her, we take her down. It's just…easier for us.
Robin started typing again. Raven let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding in. Robin was a nice enough guy, but when he started getting obsessed with a case, he became…rather frightening.
Robin: It's not supposed to be easy.
Raven: …you're right. Forget I mentioned anything.
Raven turned to leave but Robin stopped her.
Robin: Get the others. If we can't find anything out on the computer we'll just have to ask around.
Raven sighed and lifted up her hood.
Raven: And by "ask around" you mean we beat the crap out of crooks until they tell us what they need to know.
Robin didn't respond. Raven muttered something under her breath about men and their aggressive behavior and left.
Sewers: Hidden Room
Hit pushed the small door open and stepped inside. She put her rifle up onto the rack on the wall and returned the extra ammunition. It made sense to keep her supplies out of her home, at least the stuff she shouldn't have. She did have a small handgun in her apartment along with some "decorative" bladed weapons. She also had a spare grapple gun hidden inside, along with a gasmask and several vials of poison antidotes…just in case. This room, however, contained items that wouldn't be found anywhere else. Those things included grapple guns, tasers, those electro sticker things, rocket launcher, a special armored version of her costume for those more difficult opponents, various gases, powders, and liquid chemicals, and other such things. On the left most wall were the supplies that DIDN'T belong to her. Rows of vials filled with a redish chemical compound lined the wall. One was missing. Hit sighed.
Hit: Hoping to see me naked Red X? Or just my face?
Red X became visible, leaning against the wall.
Red X: Just your face. Sorry to break it to you, but you're not my type.
Hit: And for that I am glad. I'm never taking my mask off down here anyway.
She took off her pouch and put the items away.
Hit: I warned you about becoming invisible in here, Red X.
Red X snickered and picked up one of her guns, looking it over.
Red X: What are you going to do? Spank me?
Hit spun, grabbed the gun from his hands, and put it to his face before he could move.
Hit: No. I'll splatter your brains against the wall. I don't get irritated easily. In fact, getting me to experience any emotion at all is very difficult. You seem to have a knack for doing the impossible.
Red X just shrugged, not bothered by the gun in his face. He knew she wouldn't shoot him. She abhorred harming people she wasn't hired to kill.
Red X: It's a gift.
Hit: Did you need something?
Red X: Not really.
Hit: Then leave.
Red X: Alright, alright. I've got things to do anyway. You need to learn how to lighten up before you crack.
Red X left as Hit continued to carefully replace the items she had taken on her last venture to their proper spots.
Hit: Maybe he's right. I have some time before my next job. I know. I'll go out and buy some parts. It's been a while since I tried to build anything and the toaster works really well. It could be…fun.
Her mind made up, Hit put the last of her tools away before turning and exiting the room, locking it behind her.
END PART ONE