18
I slowly opened my eyes to once again find myself in the infirmary, this time I felt a lot groggier, like I was swimming under water. It was as if everything was hazy, and moving in slow motion. As I tried to sit up, I realized that something was holding me down. Looking down at my chest, I could see the faint outline of restraints beneath the sheets. I looked around the med-bay.
Ironic as it was, I found myself in the same bed I had been on my previous visit here. Partly out of curiosity, and partly out of boredom, I tested the strength of the restraints. They were strong enough; not to mention made of steel, I wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Beyond the curtain draped around my bed, I could see the outline of the door in the shadows. I silently chuckled; the door had been replaced, and probably reinforced. I had no doubt in my mind that it was locked. I tested my shoulder, to find that it was bound against my chest in some sort of brace. It hurt like hell when I even tried to move it a little bit, I obviously hadn't made that much progress in my recovery. Enhanced immune system and DNA would allow me to fully recover much faster. If I had a broken bone, but it was set correctly, I could fully regenerate it in one to two weeks, compared to the months it would take a normal individual. I had a feeling that I had at the very least fractured my collarbone when Reptan had decided to wrap his jaws around my shoulder.
I let my head fall back down the pillow as the beeping monitors droned on above my head, making my living hell complete.
"So, who is this guy?" Robin questioned Cyborg as they sat in the room outside the infirmary.
"I can' t really tell you that much about him, all we have is his name."
"What about his abilities?"
"That's where things get interesting. He has those spikes on his arms. I suspect he can regenerate them based on the fact that you said he materialized them when he was fighting in that brawl, not to mention the one he buried in Reptan's shoulder. I didn't mess with them; I don't really know anything about them. Other than that, he had artificial bio-skin covering his good shoulder. I peeled that back, and found this." He motioned to a photograph on the monitor on the wall.
"It's a brand mark of some sort. 29134. It could have endless meanings. Moving on, he also has some sort of tracking chip underneath the brand mark. I couldn't tell you what that is for either, other than the fact that it has some sort of mechanism that can deliver electric shocks. Oh, and get this. There's a small hollow chamber inside of the chip. I've seen a few chips like this, but none nearly as advanced. The hollow chamber usually houses some sort of chemical agent, which can be released into the body from a remote location. He also has a great collection of scars. He enough scars to even make you jealous, he definitely has been through a lot. There are several signs of previous fights, broken bones, damaged muscles. You name it this guy has it. Well, you certainly chose a guy that has proven very difficult to decipher."
"What about his current condition?"
"Well, it was a long night. Two hours trying to get all those wounds fixed up. That shoulder wound was the worse. Broke the collarbone in two. I put it in a brace for now. The bite wounds were pretty severe too. The skin was practically shredded. I had to suture what I could, and then staple the rest of them shut. Other than that, the bullet graze on his side had to be resutured, and several new wounds had to be stitched and dressed. He certainly took a beating. I'm amazed that he was still standing when you found him, I honestly can't figure out how he was conscious and thinking rationally. Full recovery time, your probably looking at a week or two for the cuts, and a month and a half for the collarbone. He's also going to need a rabies treatment; he got bit by a guy who was half reptile. There will be hell to pay for that. Rabies treatments are the pits. I pity the guy personally."
"Sounds like fun. Moving on, I did a full back round search for anyone possessing his type of abilities. Absolutely nothing. Whoever this 'Chrone' guy is, he did a good job of covering his tracks. He definitely knows how to fight. Is he human?"
"Yes, and no. His DNA definitely is similar to that of a human. At one time, he was at least somewhat of a normal human being. But his chemical counts are way off, and his DNA structure is unlike anything I have ever seen before. The spikes on his arms, the ridges on his back, I have no idea what this guy is."
Cyborg's attention was diverted to the large monitor on the wall that displayed Chrone's vitals. Various beeping alarms pierced through the room as Cyborg got up, walking over to the wall as he looked at the information displayed.
"Neurokinetics, heart rate, and breathing rate have elevated. I think our young friend is waking up."
"Speaking of age, how old do you think he is?"
"Based on the scars, and amount of injuries he has obtained in the past, one would think he was at least in his twenties. I can tell you right now, that he's not even eighteen. My guess would probably be around sixteen, same as you."
"Wow."
"Well, I'm gonna go check on our patient. The last time he was left alone conscious, he managed to cause quite a havoc. I'm not really worried about it that much though. Steel restraints this time, not to mention alarms, reinforced and locked door. I don't think he'll be going anywhere anytime soon." He eyed Robin one more time as he turned, walking up to the set of automatic doors, where he entered a 10-digit code, and then entered the room beyond.
My thoughts were interrupted once again as I raised my head, looking up as a figure entered the room. I could make out the outline through the blue curtain, definitely Cyborg. I groaned. How many times did I have to go through this?
This guy just seemed a little too concerned about my person. I had no idea what I had done that made me deserve this kind of attention, but I definitely didn't like it. I hate attention; life in the shadows is so much easier. Attention always leads to trouble, the one thing I didn't need right now. No doubt, the military was still keeping tabs on me. Maybe it was the warning I had given them that made them leave me alone. I had slaughtered at least 30 people in my escape, and made it clear that I would do a lot more if anyone came after me. I just wanted to be left alone. Tired of being a pawn in a chess game between governments, I had run away, almost getting killed in the process. It hadn't been easy, and the military definitely had a grudge to settle. The best I could hope was that they would leave me alone, I had destroyed the mainframe in the complex, and hopefully the means they had to track me. I had tried to get the chip removed, and failing that, I had settled for getting it disabled. But, I doubted that would stop the military for long, they always had their ways of finding people. The best I could do was move around frequently and lay low, hoping that they wouldn't find me. This whole situation with the teen titans was hampering my plans, and I knew were going to cause me a world of trouble if I didn't get them sorted out soon enough.
Cyborg approached my bed, pulling back the curtain as he walked towards me, stopping at the side of my bed. He ignored me for a few minutes, just staring at the monitors above my bed. I finally cleared my throat, breaking the silence.
He seemed to have snapped back into reality as he picked flicked a switch on the wall, brightness replacing the dimmed lights that had previously bathed the infirmary. He still ignored me as he reached for a flashlight, pulling back my eyelid as I was assaulted by a painfully bright light. He turned off the flashlight, and then finally, began talking.
"Well, you're doing pretty well considering your condition…" He rambled on about the various injuries I had received, how they had been treated, and other useless information, much of which I had already figured out for myself.
"When can I get out of here?"
"Uh, probably at least a week in bed, we'll progress from there. You broke your collarbone, recovery isn't going to be quick-"
I cut him off. "I have an enhanced immune system and DNA, I heal more rapidly than most. It will take two weeks top."
He eyed me skeptically, and then moved on as if my comment hadn't even fazed him. "Like I was saying, you'll have to where that shoulder brace for a few weeks, the only reason I haven't casted it is because I need to remove the staples in your shoulder in a few days when the sutures have gotten a chance to set."
"Sure, we'll see. What about the restraints? Kinda uncomfortable is an understatement."
"Well, considering your last little adventure, we'll probably opt to leave those on."
"I groaned inwardly, but didn't complain, I didn't want to make my situation any worse than it already was.
"Can you at least do something about the brace? I have heightened senses, especially sensitive skin. I don't like anything against my flesh."
"Uh, well, that has to stay on, but I can numb your skin over so that you can't feel it. Is that ok?"
"I'll pass, just have to live with it for awhile I guess." I didn't like any sort of chemicals in my body; I had had enough of those in the last six years of my life. I liked to be ready for anything. Chemicals hindered abilities, and highlighted weakness. Something I definitely didn't want.
He looked at me puzzled, and then moved on once again. "Well, I guess that's all for now, just press the button on your finger if you need anything. The rest of team will probably come in too see you later. I can only hold them off for so long. They are all pretty curious."
I shrugged. "Whatever."
He looked at me, turned around, and grabbed something off the table. It was a syringe. "Uh, what's that?"
"Painkillers. The last dose you received is gonna wear off soon."
"I'll pass on those too. Never was one to like being drugged."
He looked at me again, and then put the syringe down. "Ok, I guess. If you say so."
He turned and walked out, leaving me to my own company once again.
Three days later, I was finally able to get out of bed, and walk around. I had managed to avoid most of the titans' questions, claiming pain, but somehow, it didn't seem real enough. After two days of avoiding their interrogations, they had pretty much left me alone. I had told them over and over that I wanted to leave, and then Robin came forward, saying that some very curious police officers wanted to talk to me about the fighting ring I had participated in. Basically, he made it clear; I could stay at the tower or go with the cops. Neither option really appealed to me, but I chose the tower over prison.
Cyborg had fitted me with some sort of bracelet with a tracking chip. Not something I was really crazy about, it made me nervous. I had had some pretty bad experiences with tracking chips, particularly the one I had implanted in my shoulder. This bracelet he assured me was made of Technic, an almost unbreakable metal alloy. So much for taking it off. Apparently, just to make sure I didn't try anything, I wasn't allowed within ten feet of any of the windows or exits. If I did, an alarm went off, and the Tower would be put on lockdown. They had definitely learned from the last adventure we had shared. It was at this point that I realized that I had exchanged one prison for another, maybe I would have been better going off to prison, I would have been spared having to spend time with these teen heroes. He had also given me strict orders not to put any stress on the shoulder. Not like I really had a choice, it was in a heavy brace that had locking mechanisms that only he could remove.
Conveniently for them, there always seemed to be another titan in the same room as me whenever I was doing anything. I had been given a guest bedroom for the time being, and my meager possessions had been returned, though it was obvious that it had been searched, nothing was where I had packed it.
I managed to take most of the stuff they could dish out. I didn't actually spend much time with them at all, but rather, stayed in my room most of the time. I tried to distance myself as much as possible from them; I wasn't really fond of any of them.
Occasionally, I ventured into the main room, whether to eat, or just observe what was going on. I would always sit in the far corner, and whittle with my knife. Whittling was a hobby I had picked up a long time back, even back at the military base, it passed the time. I rarely carved anything for myself, but instead did stuff for other people. I had only two pieces, and they stayed at the bottom of my backpack with my most important possessions. One of them was a piece I had made for Arc, my friend back at the military base. I never got the chance to give it to her, I planned on giving it to her as a parting gift before I left, but she was on an assignment when I left. I never got to say goodbye, but I had left her a note. I twirled the wolf shaped piece of wood between my fingers.
She had been my first and only love, but I learned quickly that I had made a mistake. Our superiors used us against each other, blackmail, or just to get kicks, nothing was too low for the guards or officers there…
"Go on! Get to it!"
Arc and I stood facing each other in one of the training rooms. We had been tethered together with a steel rope around the ankles. The guards had found us together after curfew, and decided to get a little entertainment out of our presence. So, they had tied us together, and told us to fight. They had placed bets, and then told us to get to it. I flat out refused to move. One of them pulled out their remote, and pressed the button, sending a signal to the chip in my shoulder, which in turn sent an electric shock through my body. They had to shock me five times until I couldn't stand the pain anymore, and submitted.
Arc stood facing me, knife in hand. First blood that was what they said. But we both knew better, we would fight until they were finished getting their kicks, growing bored, and would then throw us back in our cells.
I raised my knife in hand, and lunged at her. I held back, I always did with Arc. I loved her, and would never hurt her, I couldn't. She parried effortlessly. I let her pin me to the ground, where she then nicked me across the face.
We both hopped to our feet, eying the guards. Drunkly, they stared at us through hazy eyes, and laughed, we both received electric jolts. I cringed and let out a muted cry.
The fighting went on for another half hour. I could see that Arc was getting tired; she wouldn't be able to hold out for much more. I had three cuts on my face, several nicks on my nicks, chest and shoulder. Blood flowed freely. I lunged at her again, this time pinning her to the ground as I whispered into her ear. She looked up at me, shaking her head in shock at what I had just suggested.
I let her throw me backwards, where she rose to her feet, tears streaming down her face. She came at me slowly as I lay on the ground, knowing what was coming. I saw the glint of the blood stained knife, and the next thing I knew, it was buried to the hilt in my shoulder. I cried out, wildfires of pain racing through my entire body as the love of my life stood above me, tears cascading from her eyes, as blood flowed from my wound.
The guards rose from where they had pulled chairs up against the wall. Laughing, grunting, they came over. Finally, their lust for blood satisfied. We were untethered; Arc was roughly ushered out of the room as she took one more glimpse at me, regret burning in her eyes. I lay on the ground, rolling back and forth in pain, scrunched into a fetal position. The guards glared down at me, one of them yelled. "Get up! Now!"
I tried, but my legs gave out on me. I was rewarded with a kick to my gut as the guards looked back and forth at one another.
"What now?"
"I ain't touchin' him, I don't want that brat's blood on my uniform."
Most of them nodded in agreement.
"I guess we can just leave him, someone will come looking for him eventually." One of them snickered.
They filed out of the room, leaving me in a pool of my own blood. I was twelve years old…
I was jerked back to present as the wooden wolf slipped from my fingers, falling to the ground. I bent over, picking it up from the ground, eying it over for damage, as I was pulled back in time once again.
"Chrone? Hey Chrone!" Arc waved a hand in front of my face.
I shook my head, I had zoned out there for a minute.
"What do you think about all the time? I can see it on your face all the time. Half the time you aren't really paying attention during drills and exercises. What do you think about? What were you just thinking?"
I smiled at her, looked into her curious eyes. I thought about how to respond, and decided to tell her the truth.
"I think about how we are always manipulated by the government, used like pawns in a chess game until something gives out, or we are killed. I ask myself why, of all the possible fates, why did we end up here? I wonder why the government thinks we are super heroes, and tools at the same time. We're what, fourteen? We're kids, and yet, we have seen more in the last four years than most people will face in their lifetime."
"I often imagine the same things. The important thing, is to ignore those thoughts, and think about the good things in life-"
"What good things? We live in a cage, where the government holds the keys to the door, and the only way to get out of our cage, even for a short while, is to do their bidding across the world. As soon as we have done what they want, we are thrown back into that dark abyss, until the next time we are called upon to do their bidding."
"What about us? We have each other. I agree, our lives are full of darkness, hate, and destruction. And yet, in that darkness, we have managed to find each other. Apart, we are nothing, together, we are a beacon of light in the darkness."
I stared into her eyes for a moment, and in those deep orange pools, I realized, I had found a refuge from the world that I had so harshly been thrust into. For the first time in a long while, I allowed myself to smile. She beamed back at me.
She lay back on the ground, cushioning her head with her arms as she looked up into the starry sky above. I lay down next to her. We just lay there for a while, together, under an endless sky above.
"Do you know what I sometimes imagine myself as?"
"What?"
"Don't laugh. I know that when most people imagine themselves being an animal, they say a bird, able to break free from the earth, and soar above. I imagine myself as a wolf."
I allowed myself a small chuckle. She rolled onto her side, glaring at me playfully.
"You promised not to laugh!"
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."
"I don't know why, but a wolf always seemed like an amazing creature to me. Even though born a predator, forced to hunt and kill to survive, it finds refuge and peace among its den members, its family. At the end of the day, a wolf can go back to its den, and in the midst of its pack, it manages to find some inner peace. That's what you are to me, family, and much, much more at the same time. I come home after a mission, and being with you washes away the blood and the pain. For a short while, I feel alive again."
I looked at her, and into those deep pools of orange once again. They burned with a passion I knew was mirrored on my face as well. I was in love that was the only word to describe it.
"Arc. You are such an amazing person, and you do so much for me without even realizing it. As much as I tried to wall myself off from the world, you managed to find your way through the cracks, through the facade, and into my heart. You are my solid foundation, an amazing person. You are my sole link to the world, and what's left of my humanity. I hate what I have become, an empty void, a ghost. Wandering though life with no purpose, simply doing as I am told. You brought me to life again Arc, you are filling that void. You keep me from falling deeper into my void of self-consumption. You are, you're my life. And I love you; I always have, and always will."
She smiled at me, I smiled at her, and before I knew what was happening, we were on our knees, facing each other. I leaned in, running my hand across her cheek as our lips brushed, just for a moment, but it was heaven. In those few seconds, a flame inside of me I thought extinguished long ago was rekindled. For the first time since training had begun those four years ago, I felt alive, truly alive. I wanted to freeze that moment forever, for in that one moment, I felt like I had a soul, like the sins of my past had finally been washed away.
We backed apart, I blushed. That had been my first kiss, oh, how I longed to lock her against my chest, and hold her close. I didn't want to ever lose her; I didn't think I could ever stand losing her, the love of my life.
Shouts came from below someone had spotted us. She looked at me longingly, I returned the gaze. Her shoulders dropped as we both realized that our perfect moment had come to an end, for it was time to return to our barracks, before anyone managed to find their way up there. She looked at me one last time, and then, turning around, leapt from where she was crouched, down onto the fire escape, and just like that, she was gone into the darkness of the night. The icy wall that separated me from the rest of the world sealed the cracks as my face returned to a hard gaze, and just as she had left, I was pulled back into my icy abyss, my emotionless void…
My eyes opened once again as I felt a solitary tear slide down my cheek. Arc had been the one person that I had loved, the one person that I had opened myself up to. After I had escaped, I had made my way as far as I could. I found myself two hundred miles away in California before I had stopped running.
In my letter, I had promised her that I would return, that I would come back for her. I knew there was no way we could escape at the same time. After an incident where we had been caught together, kissing, we had been kept apart, permanently for the most part. Our schedules were always orchestrated so that one of us was always away on a mission. The night I had kissed her was the last time I ever saw her in person. After that, the best we had been able to do was leave each other letters. I promised that I would come back for her, and oh god how I tried. I tried everything I could think of. By the time I managed to get back to the facility with adequate resources, she was gone; the files said that she had gone missing on one of her missions in Prague. I went to Prague twice, trying to find her, yet returned both times empty handed, more distressed than before.
It was after that that I had sealed myself off from the world completely. Oh god how it had hurt when Arc was ripped so forcefully from my life. My last thread of hope had been cut, and I found myself alone in the darkness once again, hopeless, no more than a shadow.
From there, I had begun traveling, keeping the military far enough behind that I wouldn't get captured again. From what I had last heard, the operation had been shut down soon after I had left, not even a month later. Arc was one given one last mission, and that was when she had disappeared.
The remaining fifteen warriors that they had spawned so long ago were no longer of any value to the government. The majority were sold to private outfitters, the rich, whomever wanted them. I tried to keep tabs on the rest of my kin, but one by one, they disappeared. Last I heard, there were three of us left, all hiding across the world. The military hunted us relentlessly. One, we had insulted them just by escaping. Secondly, the market for enhanced soldiers was quite good. I had heard of my comrades in arms going for much as one hundred million a piece. We were few of a kind. There were no others like us in the world, and to date, we are the only generation old enough to fight, to do the dirty work of whomever we have the misfortune of falling in with.
I had given up on finding any of my kin. Not only would it endanger both parties, there was no point. No doubt, each of them would have developed their own lifestyle. I had gone for a nomadic life personally, it fit my bill quite nicely. I always seemed to be able to stay ahead of the past I worked so hard to leave behind each time I ran.
I lifted the wooden wolf up to eye level, as I looked it over one last time before tucking it away in the bottom of my pack once again. It was I had left of Arc, and no matter how many times I had tried to get rid the wooden artifact, I always convinced myself it was best to keep it. Just in case. I sat on the edge of my bed as I put the rest of my meager possessions in the closet. All together, I didn't have a lot. To my name, I had my three suits, my kit for taking care of my spikes, two pairs of sheaths, two knifes. One was a hunting knife with a twelve-inch blade, the other a carving knife for whittling. I had the two wood figurines, a set of street clothes, and a leather notebook where I occasionally wrote down my thoughts, whenever something important happened. I also had roughly sixty thousand dollars in the bank. Whenever I came to a new city, I opened a new account, put the money away, making withdrawals only when I needed it. I had never stolen, well, ok, there were a few times, but it had been justified. Other than that, it was all money I had earned doing odd jobs. Underground fight rings were a favorite, they gave me a chance to do one of the things I did best, and get paid doing it. I could do an assortment of other things. Occasionally, I picked up a mercenary job here or there, but I tried not to break the law in the process, most of the time. I also had a few odd tools. A flashlight, a lock-pick set, and a few other knick-knacks.
I pulled one of the tools out of a hidden pouch in the bottom of my bag. It was an electronic shorter, able to disrupt electric signals. It was currently past eleven at night. Most everyone was in bed, leaving me the tower to myself. I took the electronic shorter to my brace, quickly unlocking the clasps holding my brace on. I gently slid it off, and slowly began massaging my stiff shoulder. Once it was adequately loosened up, I moved on to doing a variety of stretches. For the most part, it was healed. It probably was still weak, and for that reason I wouldn't stress it too much, at least not tonight. There was more to worry about. I took a moment to take a look at my shoulder. It had been a week now, and just as I had told Cyborg, the cuts were gone, and the sutures and staples had been removed long ago. Only my collarbone was left to heal, and it was pretty much in good condition. I decided that it would probably be best to leave my tracking bracelet in the room.
I wouldn't try to leave the building, not yet. There was a good chance that Cyborg had planted bugs, at the very least, he would have other security measures. I wasn't that stupid. I placed the bracelet on my bed, and threw on one of my other suits, the one that had separate bottom and top parts. I wore only the pants. I planned on quite a workout that night. I hadn't had a chance to do a proper workout since I had come to the Tower. I was in desperate need for a good workout session. I silently slipped out of my room, grapping my spike sheaths and my newly emptied backpack off the bed on the way out. I knew where the gym was, heck, I had visited all of the rooms in the Tower that weren't locked, the gym had been one of those.
I made my way to the west wing of the "T." Arriving at the door, I walked in, the electronic doors granting me access. I eyed the different machinery. There was practically every sort of workout equipment I could have imagined. I hit the treadmill first for a warm-up. Ten minutes on the treadmill, and I had worked my up to a steady sprint as I pulled the key out, the treadmill slowing to a halt as I hopped off. I walked over to the nearest wall, grabbing a jump rope. Jump roping was a great way to warm up the upper body, especially with a sore shoulder. Twenty minutes jump roping, and I knew that I was ready for the real fun to begin.
I hit the bench press first. Starting with Robin's set, as I maxed it out at two hundred pounds, I decided to move in to Cyborg's equipment. His weights started at one hundred and fifty pounds. I made it to three hundred pounds before I started to feel the strain. I knew it was time to move on at that point my shoulder was still weak. Increased strength gave me an advantage, in peak condition, I could carry five hundred pounds comfortably, seven fifty was tops. Any more and I would most likely collapse. I knew that there was a track up on the roof in a few days I would get up there, this was enough for now. I then proceeded into the training room itself. I headed over to the console on the wall, and keyed it in at level eight, a sufficient warm-up. Fifteen levels in all. All five of the titans together fought at level fifteen. Individually, the most I had seen anyone do was level twelve, and that of course had been Robin.
I materialized my spikes, as the light on the wall turned from red to green. Three androids dropped to the floor from a hole in the ceiling. All were vaguely humanoid in shape. The first charged, stun gun fully animated as it swung down at me with a metal arm. I blocked with my spike, pushing it backwards. Driving forwards, I managed to strike one of its arms, but it didn't show any damage.
The robot turned back towards me, the two behind me took no time in joining the fight. Three against one, this was going to be a piece of cake for me. I jumped into the air, doing a bicycle kick as I struck one of the robots in the air. The other two were upon me as soon as I landed. They charged, I parried with little effort. The one I had knocked to the ground decided to get cute as it fired off a shot at me. I dodged in between fighting off the other two, the laser bounced off the metallic surface of the robot in front of me, and ricocheted back at me, hitting me square in the chest.
It stung sure, but I didn't even wince. It was always best not to show fear. A slight burn mark appeared on my shoulder as I moved forward. I drove my spike through the metallic skull of the closest android, ironically the one that had fired off the shot.
I backed up as the two androids advanced, their motion sensors locking on to me as the first one charged. I dodged the attack, driving a spike through its back as it passed. Two down, one left.
I took the initiative on this one, I ran forwards, parrying my adversary's attack with a metallic fist as I hit it square in the chest. At the last moment, it had managed to wretch its body to the side, catching the blunt side of my built in weapons. I crouched low as it came forward. As soon as it was within range, I charged at it, upper cutting its jaw. The attack seemed to have done little damage. Before I could attack again, it pulled out its laser, firing three shots. Two caught me in the shoulders, the third one hit where my head had been not a second ago. It charged forwards, raising a metallic foot into the air as it caught me in the lower abdomen, sending me sprawling backwards. I clutched my stomach as I quickly hopped to my feet, and waited for the attack I knew would come.
Sure enough, not a second later, the robot was upon me, pinning me to the ground. I kicked at the ground with all of my strength, throwing the robot off guard as I rolled over on top of it, pinning it firmly to the ground. I raised a spiked arm into the air, as I drove it right through the center of its face, sparks flying in all direction as I backed off of it. It twitched a few times, then the red lights in its eyes went dark as it lost power.
I rose to my feet, wincing. That last attack had taken a lot out of me. My shoulder was throbbing; I knew I wasn't going to be able to do any more training with the androids. I shrugged, turning around as I strode out of that room, and back into the gym.
I grabbed my backpack, walking over to the weight rack. I put five twenty-pound weights into the bag as I swung it over my back, my shoulder rippling with pain. I buckled the strap across my chest as I began with a slow jog around the perimeter of the gym, where the floor was made of a track-like material, rubber bits. I did a five lap slow jog, and then gradually accelerated my pace until I was in a flat out sprint. I changed my pace every so often. I would sprint a mile, jog half a mile, sprint a mile, and so on, until I had been running for about an hour and a half.
The shoulder straps burned against my flesh. My skin was drenched with salty sweat, as it beaded on my body, and ran down my face, arms, and chest. I slowed to a walk, as I did a three-mile cool down.
I walked over to the weight rack, unloading the ones I had borrowed. I stretched my sore limbs, as I allowed a small smile to crease my face. In a world where very little ever made me happy anymore, workouts were always one thing I could look forward to. Not only could I do it alone, but also it made me feel relaxed, and almost alive, almost.
Arc was the only one who had truly made me whole, or at least partially whole. Fighting had become one of my obsessions. I could forget about the world, clear my mind, and merge into one my mind and my motions. It was like poetry, rhythmic and awe-inspiring.
Two Weeks Later
At this point, I had fully recovered, the gaping wounds scarred over, my collarbone finally healed. I didn't actually do much training with the titans, but I always watched. I watched them do the obstacle course, train in the gym, and spar with each other.
Spending so much time observing, I was bound to notice a few things. Beast boy, he was the joker in the group, the one who kept things going upbeat. Starfire, so innocent and pure, she was the definition of innocence, unscathed by the brutal world, she was truly amazing. Cyborg, the technical guy, was a solid foundation. Most of the time, he offered his input, and helped out where he could. Robin, a leader. He was the binding that held the team together. And then, there was Raven. I'm not afraid to say that she scared me sometimes. You could see a sense of foreboding element to her. So secretive and dark, I really didn't find out all that much about her. At the same time, she was the one person that I could probably level with, even relate too. Like me, she was so reclusive, though she separated herself from the world for different reasons, together we rotted in our own self-created hells.
On my seventeenth day in the tower, I came to realization. These people represented everything that I had ever wanted in life, and slowly, I was being drawn into their web. Already, I found myself occasionally laughing at their jokes, smiling with them, and just enjoying their company. For the first time since losing Arc, I felt that perhaps, I could find some self-peace, and haven.
Thus far, I had yet to show any of the titans any of my skills. I knew that they had an idea as to what I could do, but I doubted they grasped the true understanding of my abilities. I had always opted to sleep some during the day, and then do my own workout at night, under the cover of darkness. Once or twice, I even found myself trailing them to the scene of a crime, and watching them battle for justice. I had done so much evil in my life, seen so much blood and darkness, perhaps it was time to angle my life in a more meaningful direction.
I knew that I would never be accepted among them, that was just a part of life. But perhaps, I could find some self-reconciliation, inner peace for all the wrong doings I had done in the past. It was clear in my mind that my heart and mind had permanently been darkened, and stained with the blood of others who had suffered at my own hands. I wouldn't do this completely for me. I viewed myself as a tool to be wielded for the greater good whenever it was possible. I tried to do the right thing, and as long as I chose my own battles, and chose how to use my abilities, I would be happy.
I didn't really care all that much about myself, others always came first. I was a resource to be depleted until I had run dry. To me, death was inevitable. I had seen enough death in my short existence to know that when it came, I would accept it willingly. Did I believe in the afterlife like most people, no. I had seen enough innocent blood in my days to truly believe that it had been willed by a greater being. Plus, I really, really didn't like the idea of someone else controlling me.
I thought about this as I slipped into a fresh uniform, grabbed my sheaths, and headed down to the gym to hopefully train with the titans for the first time. It was eight o'clock. The titans always started training at nine; I wanted to be warmed up by the time they came down.
I began my warm-up run, this time around the outside of the gym. Ten minutes later, I fell into the same, shortened version of the routine that I had done since the very first night I had hit the gym. Weights, more weights, and then I began running instead of battling the androids; I wanted to save that for later. I was into my fifth mile as the door retracted, and the five titans sauntered in.
I ignored them for the time being, I never stopped a drill mid-way unless it was absolutely necessary.
Eying me, they all pulled to a halt. I received many a look of astonishment. This was the first time they had seen me down here, and I had a pretty good inkling that they didn't know about my night sessions. I eyed them for a moment, and then continued my run.
They looked at me for a few moments, watching me run before they all moved off in their separate directions. Beastboy and Starfire hit the treadmills, Raven headed off into her own corner to hone her dark abilities, Cyborg hit the weights, and Robin, he soon was jogging on the outer rim, just as I was.
He kept his distance, I kept mine, and for the remainder of my run, we both avoided each other. I did a one-mile cool down and then headed over to towards the wall, grabbing a towel off the shelf as I wiped my sweat drenched face. I took a chug from a water bottle that I had brought with me.
I paused for a moment, noticing that I once again had the attention of the titans, all but Raven that is, she was meditating in the corner, completely oblivious to what was going on. I looked at each one of them, and then without a word, headed over to the back training room to practice.
I had been at this all week, and little known to any of the members, I was not battling at level twelve, same as Robin. I entered the room, walking over to the console on the wall as I set it for level twelve, and took my position at the center of the room, wincing as the ridges protruded from my back. I materialized my spikes at the same time, just as the red light turned green.
The hard thing about this training program was that it was random, and therefore always different scenarios. This time, three floating androids dropped from the ceiling, two laser guns came out of the wall, and a new set of androids came out of an opening in the wall.
They paused for a moment; I took the time to look at the new type of android. It was roughly shaped like a metallic wolf, four legs, a dog-shaped head, sharp teeth, and metal claws on all four feet.
This was going to be fun. All of the androids commenced at once, for the time being, the laser cannons remained dormant. The first flying android came at me, arms balled into two fists as it came at me. I ducked, grabbing it from beneath as it flew overhead. I thrust it backwards, it collided head on with one of the wolf androids. The flying android lay on the ground for the moment, while a wolf android, and a flying android jumped towards me at the same time.
I diverted my actions towards the wolf. It was upon me, teeth bearing towards my throat, claws pinning me against the ground. I took one of my spikes, driving it through the beast's chest, and still, it attacked. I tried to pull out my spike, to find that it was stuck. Just what I needed. I tried futily to pull my spike out to no avail. I pressed my free arm against the beast's neck, preventing him from reaching mine. I kicked at the metal chest of the android, and was surprised when my spike finally came free, pulling with it the metal plating of the animal's chest. I kicked my feet against its now exposed chest as it went reeling backwards. Meanwhile, the two flying androids left had been hovering overhead, looking for an opening. One had managed to get a shot off, but the metal wolf had deflected it. I hopped to my feet, swinging my heavy plated spike against the head of one of the androids as it flew backwards against the wall, leaving an indentation as it slid to the ground, sensor light going dark.
I didn't have much time to celebrate as the final flying android moved in. It pulled something off its back, a blue metal rod. Nice. It flew at me; stick in one hand, the other balled into a fist as it came barreling towards me. I was too slow to dodge as it flung me against the wall, then, following after me, hit me square in the back as I lay on the ground. I felt electricity jolt through my body, every fiber of my being on fire.
I screamed out, feeling the suit melt beneath the electrified rod, and the fiery energy made contact with my flesh, burning me. I rolled over, the pain stopping as I hopped to my feet once again, and swung my plated spike against the rod, splitting it in two. I smiled, so much for that method.
My jaw dropped, the robot now had two rods, half the size, but double the jolt. Blue tendrils of light danced off each pint-sized rod as it came at me again, both rods flailing. I parried the first rod; only to have a second hit me in my side as I raised my arm in defense. I swung wildly at the android in front of me, feeling my metal plated spike make contact with the android, sending flying backwards.
Of the two wolf-like androids that had been waiting on the sideline, waiting for their turn to pummel me, one darted in; head lowered as it barreled into me like a train, sending me flying backwards against the wall.
I used the wall to balance as the android charged in again, this time rising up on its hind legs as it dug its two front feet into my back, pinning me firmly against the observation window in the wall. I looked through it for a moment. It seemed that I had attracted an audience, every member, including Raven, was watching my battle.
I didn't have long to dwell on it, the flying android came in, pummeling me again and again, one strike after the next. I could feel the wolf's claws digging into my back, drawing blood as the second android shocked me into submission with each strike.
I saw the titans' reactions through the glass, all of them but Raven and Robin winced as I took the abuse.
I jumped upwards, throwing the wolf android off balance as I flipped backwards in the air, landing behind the flying android, which didn't have time to react. I took my free spike, and drove completely through its chest, sparks flying in all directions.
Its thrusters suddenly gave out as it clattered to the ground, my arm going with it as I was pulled downwards with it, my spike once again caught. I didn't have time to think, I simply twisted my arm, breaking the spike as I turned to face my new adversaries.
The plasma cannons went off, blue darts of light striking me from both sides of the rooms. I ignored the pain as I moved forward, entering hyper-mode as I drove one of the wolves back against the wall.
The other wolf was soon upon me, pinning me to the ground for the third time. Again, I kicked upwards, and this time drove my remaining plated spike through its exposed wired chest. Its sensors went black as it fell upon me. I scooted out from beneath it, pulling my spike out of its chest as I turned to face the last remaining android.
I rematerialized my missing my spike, raising my plated one into the air as I used it as a shield, rapidly moving it around to deflect the various shots from the cannons. A few made it by, but it definitely helped. I entered hyper-mode, racing over to the wall, wolf hot on my tail. I drove a spike through the first cannon, as it died out, and made my way to do the same to the other. The wolf didn't give me the time to do so as it came at me, chasing me back towards the wall as it came pummeling towards me.
In a last ditch effort; I turned to face it, dropping towards the ground. As it came towards me, I dodged, grabbed it from the side, and threw it towards the nearest wall. I cringed as it went through the observation window; Raven shielded all of them from the splay of glass as they looked at me shocked.
I didn't have time to worry about that. I entered hyper-mode, the remaining cannon still firing as I held my makeshift shield behind me, protecting my exposed and already burned back.
I vaulted through the broken window; all of the titans flattened themselves against the wall as I commenced the battle once again. I jumped into the air, landing on the wolf's back as it went mad, twisting in every direction. It headed back towards the training room, jumping through the window as it raced against the wall, de-ja-vu, I knew what was happening as it rammed my body against the wall; Reptan had tried the same method. I slipped off its back; it fell to the ground from the shock of running head on into the wall. I charged towards it, taking my plated spike, driving it through its skull as it fell to the ground.
I was immediately reminded of the remaining cannon as it fired off at me. Annoyed, I broke off my plated spike, turned around. I grabbed my knife from my thigh sheath as I threw it at the wall. It hit the cannon head on, shattering the lens as it plunged deep into the circuitry, wobbling back and forth.
I stood in the center of the room, out of breath, drenched in sweat as I eyed the damage. All of the robots and cannons were out for the count. I was satisfied; I had wondered if I would make it through that round, it was the hardest one I had been through yet.
I finally turned around, facing the gaze of the astonished titans.
"Dude, that was AMAZING! How did you do that?" Beast boy looked at me in awe.
"Uh, practice I guess?"
"That was a most amazing display of fighting abilities, may I inquire as to where you learned them?"
"Uh, I'd rather not talk about that."
Cyborg walked into the room, kneeling next to one of the androids that had a spike sticking out of it. He pried the spike loose as sparks flew once again. "Oh man, look what you did to my babies! They took me months to get into working condition. They're gonna take forever to fix!"
Robin walked into the training room, glass crunching beneath his feet as he walked over to where I stood. He looked down at my one remaining spike. "Can I see it?"
"Sure, I guess?" I held up my arm, allowing him to run a gloved hand over my spikes.
"Nice."
"Thanks."
"You are a good fighter. We'll have to spar sometime. I noticed that the spike I had left was cracked down the center, and besides, I was missing the other one. I broke it over my knee as I rematerialized a new pair, causing all the titans except for Raven to flinch.
"How do you do that?" Robin asked as he bent over, picking up the spike I had just broken off.
"I don't really understand it all. When I was younger, I underwent…some changes. I got some kind of enzyme in my body now that allows me to rematerialize them at will. I can make up to about ten pairs before I exhaust my resources."
"That's cool, so what else can you do?"
By now, the ridges on my back had retracted. I closed my eyes for a moment, willing them to come back out, wincing as they broke through my skin. I turned around so that my back was facing towards Robin.
"I got these too."
"What do they do?"
"Uh, not much, mainly protect my back and spine. They come in handy every once in awhile. They come out when I get excited, or when I will them to come out."
"That's sweet dude!" Beast boy came over, running his hand over my ridges as I flinched a little. People touching me made me nervous. He took his hand away, the tip of his glove red.
"Is this blood?"
"Uh, yeah." I shrugged. "They break through the skin, but the skin quickly grows back around them. They only hurt when they come out for a moment.
"On second thoughts, that's kinda disgusting." He said, wiping the blood off on his uniform.
I allowed myself a small smile. God, when was the last time I had smiled, for anything? For the first time in a long time, I was almost happy.
"Anything else?" Robin asked, still eying my spikes.
I entered hyper-mode for a moment, pulling to a halt behind him, as he looked around bewildered.
"I can do short bursts of speed."
He turned around to face me. I swear he almost fell over on his butt I scared him so much. The rest of the team, even Raven, either smiled or laughed.
"Now that's cool." Cyborg said, walking towards me to join the rest of the titans who had gathered around me.
"I also have heightened senses. Not that much above average, but it does the trick. I can hear almost as well as a dog, can see twice as far as a normal human. The most heightened sense is touch. That's why I have this suit. It keeps a thin layer of air between my body and the suit itself. It can get kinda annoying after awhile. I always where this suit, even underneath regular clothes. The suit comes in handy, except for large gashes, it can seal itself."
"That's neat. Where does the technology come from? I haven't ever heard of anything like that."
"Uh, I have a friend back on the west coast. He makes them for me."
"That's neat, you'll have to get me in touch with him sometime." Robin said.
"Sure, I guess."
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck. I whipped my head around, to see Raven staring at me again, her steel gaze as cold as always. It sent shivers down my ridged spine.
I looked back towards Robin and the rest of the titans.
"Well guys, I think we should train some more. Chrone, it would be nice if you could stay down here and train with us. You obviously have some skill, but there's always room for improvement-"
"Dude! Some skill? He just beat level twelve single handedly! He's easily as good as you."
Robin's cheeks flushed. He was definitely competitive. "We'll see about that some other time. For now, lets just get back to training."
The titans headed off into other parts of the training room. Robin remained behind with me. I eyed the broken window. "I'll pay for that, sorry about the window."
"It's fine, we have funds for this sort of thing."
I shrugged. "Thanks. I owe ya one."
"It's fine. Go ahead and get back to whatever you were doing I guess. Take it easy though, I doubt your shoulder's up to one hundred percent yet."
He walked away, out of the training room as he headed over to a punching bag near the wall, and began beating the crap out of it.
I stood there alone for a minute, just watching each of the titans. I felt the familiar sensation as I looked to the left of the gym. Raven sat Indian style, levitating, eyes firmly fixed on me. I swear that I saw disgust burning in her eyes. I had yet to figure out why she hated me so much.
I shrugged off her gaze as I exited the training room, the cleanup androids dragging away the limp bodies of the robots I had beat the pulp out of. Suddenly, I remembered that I had forgotten my knife. Didn't want to lose that. I jogged back into the room, pulling my knife out of the cannon as I headed back out into the main room.
I walked over to the wall, grabbing a drink before heading back over to the weight set. I walked past Robin's set, and onto Cyborg's. He looked at me, raising an eyebrow on his human half.
"There's no way you could handle those weights little man. Stick to the smaller set." He chuckled.
I ignored him, and set the weights to five hundred pounds as I laid down on the lifting bench, grabbed the bar, and began lifting.
I allowed myself a small chuckle once again as I saw Cyborg's jaw drop. The other titans had stopped what they were doing once again. Ok, so maybe I was showing off a little bit. Hey, I was a guy, we all gotta get our kicks once in awhile.
"Guess I forgot to mention, I can lift up to seven hundred and fifty pounds. Enhanced strength comes in handy once in awhile too."
They watched me for a moment, and then turned back to what they were doing, busying themselves in one-way or another. I trained for another half hour before heading back upstairs. I sawed my spikes off, filed them down, and took a shower, changing into a fresh uniform. For the remainder of the day, I didn't see much of the titans. I didn't know where they went either. They weren't in the main room, weren't in the kitchen, weren't on the obstacle course outside, weren't anywhere that I could find them.
Though it made me a little unsettled, I didn't really mind. I busied myself whittling. I didn't really have any idea of what I was whittling. I just let my hands do all the work as I let my mind wander back over all of the events that had happened to me in the last month. I had come a long way, and for the first time, I was smiling, laughing, and enjoying life.
I was drawn back to the world as I looked at my clock. It was 6:00, time for dinner. I put my piece of wood away, sliding my knife into its sheath as I headed downstairs.
I walked into the main room, raising an eyebrow as I saw that all of the titans were on the couch. After not having been able to find them all day, I did wonder what they had been up to.
They all turned around to face me from where all but Robin sat on the couch. He walked over to me.
"Chrone, we wanted to ask you a question."
"What?"
"Over the last few weeks, you have proven yourself to have the skill and mind set to be a hero. You have the heart and dedication. And on the behalf of the Teen Titans, I would like you to join our ranks."
I looked at him amazed. I hadn't seen this one coming. Sure, occasionally we had held a conversation, but for the most part, I had staying withdrawn. I looked at him for a few minutes in amazement.
"Uh, well?"
I thought about my options. I thought about all of the wanderings I had done, all the time I had spent running away. Perhaps it was time to forge a new beginning, at least temporarily.
"I…I would love to"
A grin creased Robin's face, as well as all of the other members of the team except for Raven. Her face was stone solid as usual. She didn't seem overly happy about it.
Cyborg and Beastboy hopped off the couch, came over, and patted me on the back. "Welcome to the team dude!"
"Thanks. I guess?" I didn't really know what to say.
Starfire flew off of the couch, landing besides Robin. "We are most jubilant in your decision to join our team! We must celebrate with the traditional song of the Bla't'nog!"
The teen titans eyes opened wide. "Uh, that's ok star, I'm sure we'll have time for that later."
Robin walked forwards, placing something in my hand as I looked down at it. A personal communicator, with a design of two crossed spikes on the front sat in my palm.
"Thank you. You really have no idea what this means to me."
"Lets get to the food man! I'm starving! Who's up for steak?"
"No way man, we're having tofu…"
The rest of the argument was drowned out by my own thoughts. I felt the flame that had died so long ago in my soul flicker to life, bringing the first light into my dark cavern that I had sealed myself into so long ago.
The rest of the evening blurred by. There was tofu, and steak. I went for the steak for dinner. After that, we watched movies, played videogames, in which I got my ass served to me on a silver platter. My gaming skills could definitely use some work. The titans shared favorite stories, and such. I didn't really pay attention much, because for the first time, I was home. Truly home.
At the end of the evening, I headed back to my room, looking over at Raven one last time. She had remained silent throughout the dinner and the activities that followed. Most of the time, she spent staring directly at me. What I saw in her face frightened me. Contempt and malice burned in her eyes as she glared at me one last time as I headed out of the room. Her look haunted me in the back of my mind. The look in her eyes never left me.