Hello again, folks. This is it: the conflict you've been waiting to be resolved ever since I made the ill-advised decision to include a cliffhanger in the story several months ago. Admittedly, this was supposed to be part of the last chapter, but I have a tendency (as I am sure you all have noticed) to be needlessly wordy. Thus, we end up with a chapter that is nothing but exposition about an original character. That being said, I am happy to have had the opportunity to integrate Dracul into the world in the last chapter, and overall, I am satisfied with this one too. I can only hope that the rest of you feel the same.
Rambling aside, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or other affiliated materials.
Family reunions—they always were a somewhat awkward affair, weren't they? First enters the distant cousins, whom you haven't had contact with in years, spontaneously appearing at your doorstep, bearing gaudy gifts, ornately wrapped with an overbearing bow, receipt still attached as a reminder of how much wealthier they are than you. Along with them comes your senile grandmother, who grasps your hand and pecks at your cheek, chattering incessantly about how much you've grown. Yet, a quick scan of her eyes reveals that she hasn't the slightest notion of who any of you are or where she even is. Then comes your elder sister, a staunch liberal, who quickly finds herself at odds with the cousins in a heated debate over tax reform and welfare, both sides at each other's throats and, for whatever reason, under the delusion that taking offense to the other side's argument automatically makes it incorrect. Just as the entire function threatens to spiral into chaos, the sleazy uncle arrives, back from his day job at the local grocery store—all earnings from which have been channeled towards booze and funding his fifth trip to Vegas that month—and recounts his glory days as the star pitcher of his high school baseball team, much to everyone's indignation.
Jinx, luckily, had no actual family to simulate such a situation. But encountering the H.I.V.E. Five at Dyson's after having abandoned them as icicles back in Paris was a close second. She looked to Kid Flash, but he too seemed astonished at the sudden turn of events. The witty grin that usually occupied his face was replaced with a troubled frown. She could almost read his thoughts: Wha…? How did these clowns get out? Did the cooling system fail? Does Robin know about this? Who else escaped? This is going to be a lot of paperwork…
Her gaze returned to Gizmo, prompting the floating boy's eyebrows to raise in anticipation, no doubt awaiting some reaction to his timely one-liner. The entire restaurant was under a seemingly-impenetrable hush, customers cowering noiselessly under mahogany tables, panicked eyes darting from her to the gang, the gang and back to her. Even Daryl had become mute. She took it upon herself to break the silence.
"What are you guys doing here?" she queried, voice hoarse from shock.
Gizmo's eyes lit up with delight as he glanced back, eliciting smirks from the rest of the villainous posse. No doubt they all relished seeing her in this stupefied state.
"After all this time, that's all you've got to say to us?" the pint-sized genius asked, wincing as his hands shot to his chest, feigning heartbreak.
He drifted backwards as if to faint, prompting Mammoth to prop him up with beefy arms.
"Now look what you've gone and did done," Billy Numerous scolded, "Burst his itty-bitty little heart like a grape in the microwave."
"You know how sensitive he can be." Mammoth pouted.
Jinx rolled her eyes: they were going to ride this performance out as long as they could—she'd go so far as to say that they even rehearsed.
"What did you expect?" she retorted coolly.
"Something a little more creative." Gizmo sneered as he awoke from his 'stupor'.
"I've got something creative in mind, alright." she thought, glaring daggers at him.
"Why so prickly, Jinx?" he inquired innocently, eyes locking onto her like heat-seeking missiles, "You're acting like we're a bunch of crud-munching backstabbers."
She could feel her lips drawing back into a scowl as she watched Gizmo meander prolongedly through the air—no doubt preparing to launch a lengthy tirade against her.
"You're so angsty, y'know that? Always having some reason to be angry with the world—always whining about how bad you've got it. 'Madame Rouge doesn't notice me! Nobody listens to me! I dated a glorified Macintosh! I have daddy issues! The teammates I betrayed are interrupting my date! I'm bad luck! Boohoo! Poor me! Poor me!'"
He twisted balled fists around his eyes in an imitated sob, voice squeaking even more than his usual delivery.
"And how do you deal with it? In the most textbook, cliché way possible, of course! Run off with some pit-sniffer you just met so you can make kissy faces at each other all day."
Billy doubled and the two clones puckered their lips at each other, apparently assuming a visual aid was necessary.
"Bad form, boss." Mammoth added in as Kyd Wykkyd shook his head in disapproval.
"I take offense to that!" Kid Flash interjected.
"You and me both, pal." See-More grumbled as he cast a disgusted glance at the Billies.
"And to top it all off, you decide to make your hormonal imbalance our problem and leave us for dead in a block of ice." Gizmo continued to chew her out.
"I've got freezer burn in places I didn't even know existed." See-More pitched in to a wave of shudders and affirmations.
Jinx's eyes darted furiously from each member of the group, her teeth clenched and bared for all of them to see, noticeably unnerving a few of them. Finally, her orbits trained on Gizmo, whose spirits were visibly lifted at the sight of her aggravation. When she got her hands on him, she'd make sure to extract the highest-pitched squeal known to mankind from his gullet.
"You done?" she hissed.
He stroked at his nonexistent beard in quiet contemplation, before finally replying, "Yeah."
"You still haven't told me what you're doing here."
His jovial demeanor deflated, overtaken by exasperation.
"Fine then, stupid. We're here because we've got a score to settle with you. Clear the building!" he commanded in a shrill voice.
In the blink of an eye Kyd Wykkyd vanished from sight. The rest of the group set themselves upon the tables, propelling countless pieces of china and fine glassware to an early demise along the wood floor, much to the fright of the patrons cowering underneath. The Billies multiplied, each one grabbing ahold of a civilian to escort out of the restaurant—though not before engaging in a shakedown first. Women shrieked as clones snarled and tore away at jewelry, while men trembled with apprehension as they found themselves being stripped down to their undergarments. See-More aided him in this task, shooting bursts of concentrated light at the feet of shuffling patrons, invariably speeding the tempo of footsteps as people took notice of the scorch marks he left behind.
Jinx felt her hands pulsing with a radiant pink energy. A year ago, she'd have taken pride in the sight before her—like an artist taking pride in a painting that was coming together. The world had been her canvas and she painted it with chaos and fear. Looking at the display now, however, she felt nothing but revulsion and guilt. How many lives had she ruined over the years? How much trauma did she cause? All for the sake of inflating her own ego. To dispense her own warped perception of justice upon a world that she felt owed her. Gizmo was right: she had been angsty—a bitch even. Yet, she was not content to accept that characterization for herself—least of all from Gizmo. It was time to step in. She cast a determined glance to Kid Flash, who nodded in affirmation. Wordlessly, the couple rose from the table, each taking a respective fighting stance. Who knew? Maybe Antoine would accept this as a "hazard of notable threat".
They were interrupted by a slicing sound from the rafters overhead, followed by a cacophony of clinking metal. Molten wax rained from above as a metal chandelier came crashing down upon one of the tables, crushing it effortlessly and sinking far into the foundation underneath, provoking a fresh deluge of screams from the startled patrons.
"Ah, ah," Gizmo warned as he waved an admonishing finger, "You two wait your turn."
He gestured to the ceiling. Surely enough, Kyd Wykkyd stood at the far end of the rafters, above the crowd of civilians, razor-sharp cape at the ready to cut another chandelier down. Her fists clenched even tighter than before, but she acquiesced, plopping unceremoniously back into her seat. Kid Flash followed suit.
"Don't worry. We won't be long."
Jinx let out a huff of air at this assurance, before taking to scanning the room. Daryl, who had crawled out from his space in the corner, soon found himself at the mercy of Mammoth. In a panic, the waiter shattered one of the nearby plates over the giant's head. The teen didn't even flinch. Instead, he picked at a hanging piece of brisket that had affixed itself to Daryl's apron. Chewing it, he mused:
"Smoke overpowers the meat. Would use pecan wood in place of hickory."
The server raised a closed fist, nostrils flaring and eyes full of protest, before entering a state of quandary, carefully considering the giant's suggestion. He did not get to ponder it long, as Mammoth took ahold of his face and hurled him forward into the procession of people heading to the exit. As the last of the diners had been escorted out, the Five reassembled, Gizmo indicating via snicker that they were ready to proceed. Jinx rose to her feet again, her eyes darting from one member to another, carefully considering which one of the smug teens to take out first.
Kyd Wykkyd was the wildcard of the group, given his penchant for teleportation. Removing him from the fight outright wouldn't be a bad idea. Mammoth was strong and reckless—a dangerous combination in a historic building such as Dyson's. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that he brought the entire warehouse down upon their heads. Kid Flash could easily use his speed to goad Billy Numerous into exceeding his capacity for duplication, incapacitating the latter by taxing his system. As for See-More, he'd likely be holding back: he typically did on the occasions in which she sparred with him. That left Gizmo—the prize as far as she was concerned. She'd leave him for last.
She turned her gaze to Kid Flash, who remained seated, his fingers flitting through the folds of his wallet in search of something, a look of hard tenacity fixated on his face. Finally he smiled and produced three fifty-dollar bills. Her eyes widened in disbelief at this ludicrous sum.
"$150?! On what planet?!"
"50 for the tab and 50 for the trouble." he replied nonchalantly.
"And the other 50?"
"That's the tip," he grinned, "The waiter and I are pals."
She shook her head incredulously at this gesture, but relented. There'd be plenty of time to talk about it after they punted these creeps straight into Iron Heights Penitentiary.
"You turned your back on us, Jinx. Forgot where you came from. All for some booger-brained do-gooder." Gizmo uttered over a clamor of cracking knuckles.
She could feel her blood rushing: it had been some time since she'd encountered superpowered crime and she was craving for a fight. Maybe she couldn't raise her hands against Antoine, but she could certainly make do with the old gang.
"But that's okay. We can remind you. After all… what are friends for?"
She took notice of their enthusiasm, too; contrary to what their prior performance suggested, there was no malice in their eyes—no bad blood, only a certain… giddiness.
"H.I.V.E. Five, leave none alive!" Gizmo squawked as he skyrocketed out of view.
And with that Mammoth was catapulted into Dyson's brick foundation by a red-and-yellow blur, causing the building to grumble in protest. Within seconds a score of crimson hicks were yeehawing over to the giant's aid, leaving See-More and Kyd Wykkyd to Jinx. They gave each other a glance of hesitation as they observed her goading gesture, hands radiating fuchsia energy. Kyd Wykkyd was first to move, shifting to an aggressive stance. She cut the mute short with a hasty blast, only for his dark visage to dissipate. Her eyes widened as she detected a whoosh behind her: she knew she should have taken him out first. Turning just in time to deflect the flanking fist, she retaliated with a swift kick to the chest, launching the teen back a few feet. She made a vitalizing flourish, compelling the discarded shards of ceramic to propel themselves at the mute from all angles. That would keep him busy.
She directed her attention to See-More, who initiated his own assault. Reluctance swept over his face as he aimed a flurry of strikes at the sorceress' head. She weaved through these effortlessly. Jab. Jab-cross. Left hook. Uppercut. Elbow. Jab. Backfist. In the background she could make out the disharmonious choir of battle. The Billies' irate shouting. Mammoth hurling furniture. Kid Flash's amused laughter. Gizmo whizzing through the air.
"I guess it's too late to ask you to come back to the team?"
Jinx's focus returned to her foreground. See-More had halted the barrage of fists in anticipation of her response. His face was solemn. His query genuine.
"I'm afraid so." she affirmed.
It wasn't that she hadn't considered it—her having stayed with the team. As a matter of fact, it was a scenario that occupied her mind quite a bit. In darker moments, though she'd loath to admit it, she wished she could disavow it all: redemption, the Titans, Kid Flash—all of them. At such times, she'd rather be encased in a block of ice with the rest of her team. Slaving under Antoine, it was difficult to be optimistic. Yet on the best on the best of days… Her eyes wandered towards Kid Flash, zipping across the restaurant arena with ease despite the Billy clones' attempt to blockade him. See-More's singular gaze followed hers. In tow came a despondent sigh of acknowledgement.
"I get it," he managed with a remorseful grin, "For all it's worth, Jinx, it's good to see you again."
Her gaze softened.
"See-More…"
"I'm going to go back to hitting you now."
Once again, she could feel Kyd Wykkyd's presence behind her: it seems he had cut down the last of her porcelain pals. He and See-More attacked in tandem, their synergistic combinations forcing Jinx into a desperate dance of evasion, with little room to counter. Two swipes from Kyd Wykkyd followed by a vicious right hook from See-More. A jab-cross from See-More and a sweeping kick from Kyd Wykkyd. As each exchange stacked in complexity, she found herself wearing thin. Adept a gymnast she was, she couldn't keep this up forever. Examining her two opponents for signs of fatigue, she noticed that they had locked eyes. Shit.
Kyd Wykkyd teleported out of sight, in sync with See-More shooting a concentrated eyebeam at Jinx. She clumsily dodged this, wincing as she felt her skin crackle against the sensation of a hot stove pressed against her arm. Another whoosh indicated that this tactic had a follow-up. She made a frantic dive to the periphery, slinging a desperate hex at the sound. Surely enough, the mute was there, slicing at the air in a motion that would have likely bisected her.
"You might want to rethink the cape." Jinx called out to him.
Kyd Wykkyd looked to the cloth instinctually, before returning a dumbfounded stare in response. Suddenly, the fabric burst to life, as if activated by her words, ensnaring both him and See-More like the coils of an Anaconda. Struggle as they did, the cape did not loosen—rather, it constricted all the tighter with each exhale. Finally, they plummeted to the hard wood floor, with See-More landing on top in a humorously suggestive fashion.
"Y'know, you two actually make a pretty cute couple." Jinx snarked at them.
Brushing herself off, she examined her arm. Surely enough, the laser had burnt right through her sleeve, leaving behind an uncharacteristically red patch of irritated skin. She turned to address the chaos emanating from the other side of the dim room. It seemed that Mammoth had grown exasperated with Kid Flash's antics and resorted to using one of the Billies as a blunt weapon, much to the chagrin of the other clones. Swinging wildly as he did, the giant's extended range still could not seem to peg the taunting speedster down. Instead, an inadvertent number of Billies were tee-shotted into low orbit. It was a tragically needless case of irreversible brain trauma on the clones' part. She'd have intervened, if not for sudden pelting of artillery fire. Sidestepping this linear hailstorm, she scowled at what she assumed to be its source.
"Leading from behind, Gizmo?"
Whatever cloaking device he was employing deactivated, and the smug weasel appeared floating above her.
"Just waiting for a good shot." he retorted coolly.
"Well I made myself very available," she sneered with arms outstretched, "Why don't you come down here and get me?"
"Careful what you wish for, scudmuffin." he muttered under his breath.
Pressing a button on his suit's chest, the boy genius multiplied—projections, if she recalled the tech's function correctly. The 10 Gizmos soared around her like vultures on a dead animal.
"Look fast, witch!" one exclaimed as it swooped down upon her, prompting her to cartwheel to the side.
Another followed suit, only to be vaporized after a single hex. One by one, the clones made nosedives, jeering at her as they darted past. And one by one, the clones disappeared with a single strike. It was as cheap a parlor trick as she'd ever seen. Fine by her. Given enough time, she was sure she'd elicit a "Crud…" from one of these imps. With three remaining, they all plunged at her from different sides. Catching her by surprise, one of these Gizmos retracted his mechanical wings, replaced by four metallic walking appendages—piercing tips pointed directly at her torso. It was an impressive display of subterfuge. On the skin of her teeth she managed to bound away. The boy came down with tremendous force, his walking legs perforating the hard wood beneath them like a knife through jelly spread. He was quick to recover and soon put her on the retreat. The arachnid-like metal jabbed at her relentlessly with what seemed to be every intention to impale her.
"H.I.V.E. Five, leave none alive? Really?" Jinx jived at him.
"Sue me. Like yours were any better." he verbally riposted as he backed her against the wall.
He smirked at her slight panic, arching back his mechanical forelegs in preparation to shish-kabob her. She remembered learning a maneuver at the Academy for situations when cornered. Rusty as she was, it was her only chance at escape. She'd have to run up the wall, using her legs to kick off just as she felt gravity starting to reclaim her. The idea was to land behind the opponent in a lavish back flip—hopefully without breaking her neck. In theory, she'd land on her feet. In theory. She inhaled. Channeling as much momentum as she could, given her claustrophobic circumstances, she dashed up Dyson's foundation just as Gizmo's spider legs punctured the brick. Pressing away from the comfort of a solid surface, she flung two airborne hexes at the lodged metal appendages, severing them. As she poised for impact with the inviting stability of ground, she could hear the little goblin cry out, "My tech!"
Much to her shock, she managed to stick the landing—she'd hardly garner any first-place ribbons for the performance, but it was a pleasant surprise. Gizmo was not so graceful. Without the support of his forelegs, the top-heavy framework came crashing backwards, unceremoniously ejecting the boy from his walking apparatus and settling him right at her feet. She put her hands on her hips and smirked. The boy raised himself of the ground, brushing himself off, before thrusting an angry rapier of a finger at her as he lambasted.
"Do you have any idea how much that tech costs?!"
"Don't care."
"Why I oughta—"
His voice cut off, and the livid expression on his face was promptly overtaken by concern.
"Jinx, what is that?"
Her eyes darted down to her ankle collar, the S.T.A.R. acronym clearly visible. Crap.
"Don't worry about it." she dismissed as nonchalantly as she could.
"How stupid do you take me for?" he growled as he glowered at the metal in revulsion, "They put a leash on you?"
"Back off, Gizmo."
"Who did it?! Was it that birdbrain?! I'll disintegrate that snotty—"
"I said back off!"
He looked at her incredulously. He was likely about to start chewing her out again, but was prevented from doing so by See-More, who apparently escaped his restraints.
"Yo, Gizmo!" he shouted in a panicked tone, his eye rolling away to reveal a clock, "Look at the time."
11:15 it read. 45 minutes 'til curfew. Gizmo was alarmed at the sight of this, for whatever reason.
"Crud. Let's blow this stand! Scatter!" he ordered.
Mammoth, who was in the midst of trying to wrestle Kid Flash to the ground, relented in favor of charging through Dyson's bricks to create a makeshift escape route. He was followed out by his compatriots, save Gizmo, who turned to her.
"This isn't over." he threatened before bolting through the exit in a random direction.
"Not by a long shot." Jinx muttered.
Kid Flashed brushed himself off.
"We giving chase?"
She thought back to See-More's clock. 11:15. She had time.
"Gizmo's mine." she affirmed.
He nodded, speeding over to peck her on the cheek. As he made his exit, he saluted with a grin.
"See you tomorrow, my fluffy little blueberry chocolate chip muff—"
"Aw, shut up." she interjected, a slight smile forming at her lips.
With a wink and a shrug he was off. She could hear his voice carrying on the wind, "Shake a leg, slowpokes! I'm on you!"
Jinx turned her attention back to Gizmo's technological apparatus: the little runt wasn't going to get far without it. Leaving the restaurant, she was greeted with a scene akin to a refugee camp, what with all the spooked civilians. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted him, sprinting as fast as his stubby little legs would allow him towards Keystone City's working class zone. She pursued him, narrowing the gap. She's spent the last month having to keep up with the Kid Flash, what was Gizmo to her?
Evidently, he was quite a bit. In spite of his laughably short strides, he managed to maintain a comfortable buffer distance between himself and her—twisting and winding across the different intersections and alleyways. She'd turn the corner, only to find that the little shit had created some obstacle for her: the fetid contents of a toppled trash can, a suspiciously low-hanging sign, a street vendor's tipped over cart (complete with his entire damn inventory)—she swore she even saw a stray banana peel at some point.
"For Kid Flash's girlfriend, you're pretty slow." Gizmo called out over his shoulder.
"And for someone who calls other people 'gasbags', you talk a lot." Jinx countered, eliciting a childish laugh from the boy.
"It's just like the old days, huh Jinx? When I'd take your sketchbook."
"And beg Kyd Wykkyd to teleport you outside of a five mile radius?"
"Or hitch a ride on Mammoth."
"Yeah, I remember."
She took note of the gradual change in scenery as their chase progressed. Local bakeries, cafés, and restaurants gave way to shabby apartments and the occasional liquor store. Lively streets became eerily empty and dead, with not even a solitary rat inhabiting them. It was as if the city had gone to slumber in the matter of a block's travel. All that remained was the industrial orange glow of the streetlights towering above them. It pervaded the sort of atmosphere that would make even a seasoned boxer grow uneasy at the sight of an alleyway.
"We had some good times, didn't we, Jinx?"
"You getting sentimental on me?" she asked skeptically.
"Don't be like that. You gotta look back fondly on some of it, right? Rising the ranks at the Academy. Evicting the slug-munching Titans from their tower. Crashing the mall. Fending off an interdimensional pie demon."
"Yeah… I guess some of it was okay."
Satisfied with this answer, he fell silent for some time—likely gone to reminiscing—the only sounds between them being their footsteps against the pavement. After a couple of minutes, he spoke again.
"For what it's worth, I hope things work out between you and him."
What a gesture! And from Gizmo of all people!
"You want an invite to the wedding?" she cackled.
Gizmo merely snorted.
"Not what I meant."
She was jerked to an abrupt halt. Her collar contracted around her neck with the momentum. She tried to steady herself, only to be swallowed by a darkened alley. Her legs swept out from under her, and she crashed to the asphalt. She clawed against the ground just to be jolted upwards—the wheeze of tearing fabric being apparent. A gloved hand entered her field of vision, pressing firmly against her mouth as she attempted to cry out. She felt a chilling prick in her arm and fell silent. Her eyelids grew heavy as pitch black enveloped her. The last thing she recalled was a coaxing shush as she drowned in the abyss.
