Teen Titans – Side Stories and After – Snippets; Foxes Upon Foxes and Magical Girls Galore

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Possible Targets

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~Has our soldier gotten into position? Over. ~

The switch was pressed on Annie's end. A new villainous rogue had decided to push the detonate button. Something about a hostage situation at the parliament building in….

The U.K's Parliment Building. Not called that here, mind our Americana language.

The dog Kayu's territory. He was still off training the Rookie, Raku.

Half the SWAT was on the street. She had the roof, and a secret weapon to tug out of her pocket.

Heck, Ann WAS their secret weapon.

Anna Grayson clicked her tongue and spoke into her mic.

~ This soldier isn't ok with getting labels. And, I'm in position. Over. ~ She held back a snort. Aha. Well…. Astarte's training couldn't leave her any less snide. Nineteen, going on twenty, she needed some time off soon. Desperately. The extra downtime might even help with her attitude.

~Focus; intel sent is that your target IS a living trigger. ~

~Also, a commando and one – man – army…~ Ann seethed and looked over her shoulder. Was she being watched?

~Keep alert. You might have –

BOOM!

~Anna? Report, Lieutenant! What's going on? Over. ~

~He's gotta be shitting us….! ~

~Affirmative; I'm sending your team the coordi –

As the loud clatter of broken glass and ruptured ear drums likely were to rattle, a juggernaut killer HAD made an actual appearance. Anna was actually glad she recognized that lone mask as she scraped herself off of the rooftop to stand and face her opponent.

Alone.

He wasn't coming towards her? Wasn't that his target going berzerk down there –

"Your connection, has been blocked. The shockwave killed it; I imagine." The assassin noticed that his link was also shut down until he'd found shelter in a quieter, location.

"So for now, I'm also stranded up here, with you –

"And you just killed the mood for the us both. Way ta' go, Death…" Ana snorted and got out her staff. She was still meta – pissed. He was her dad's worst nemesis. Her bro Aiden's too.

And…

Her superior's biggest enemy on Astarte's shit list.

"SladeWhy didn't I bet on Sports-master coming; like the last mission? Sara is still looking to put a few holes through that head of yours. Was a real fuck – fest in Madrid last month. I still have bruises from where your pig – headed team threw me off a cliff."

"Cool off a while, little heroine – junkie. I'm in over my head as it is… Astarte has no effect on either of us, up here."

"Hah. I've never touched the stuff" Ann scoffed and twirled her fire relic up high before getting into a proper fighting stance, again. He looked ridiculously calm for a beefy brute.

"But you could use a whiff of whatever "Interpol" wants to shoot you up with, I'll give em' that… Long overdue for your shots, poochie?"

Slade brought out his swords. "You won't let me finish my job, fine. But scathing comments from the enemy are uncalled for, ginger." The sound of metal had Anna almost jump out of her combat boots.

"Did your team get the message... That I'm going to otherwise, enjoy tearing down Astarte's favorite, little–

"You're the one who'll be sayin' that to her face once I've taken you down! Raagh!"

"Not much control…Very well..!" Slade went in as staff against swords reminded the man of Dick Grayson facing him; actually, her style was very similar to Nightwing's. He was her father, after all. Anna was just as a hot – headed Robin wannabe.

She wasn't holding back. Like a soldier, her movements were nearly deadly. He appreciated the effort she gave, but there was still the matter of –

She pushed his swords back. Good girl.

"Why not take this fight to ground level territory? We'd have a better grasp of reality. That way, I can show you a good time." Slade dropped to the street as Anna followed in a Nightwing style air – dive.

"I'm not losing to you…Your plan is to take out the ambassador! That's an order from the top; take you out as for long as I can hold you off!"

Slade clung to the closest building as her staff just missed his skull by a five – second's worth of time. He slid down until his feet touched the cobbles.

"Had enough? Those bags under your eyes tell me so much more than I need to know; is Astarte's perfect law and order all that you can think about, these days?" His mocking voice made Ann turn pepper red, with her fire aching to be set forth unto the streets of London.

"I'm protecting the world from creeps like you!" She left her arm to swing out, but he grabbed it to twist behind her back. If Slade hadn't been over the whole apprentice idea, Anna might have made the perfect candidate. She was after all trained to kill.

"Your father said the same thing at your age…. A year later? Nightwing, had stepped into the big picture." He increased the pressure as his voice ached on her mind. His mask was far too close for comfort.

"Are you willing to change, little fire – starter? If not for Sarah…. Then, for yourself?" He let that crack in her arm settle in, as she screamed out and landed a kick to his armored shin. It was fire; she'd used her magic to even the score. Her leg was nothing but a battle axe set ablaze to chop him to bits.

He let her go and hissed at the searing effect of damage that shot had left. His eye looked much angrier.

With magic, Anna quickly made a brace to keep her arm steady as it continued healing, as the magic did what it could at this close in combat.

"Pity you chose the soldier side, child. I could have trained you enough to escape her shadow for good –

"Astarte's a damn goddess, pig." Sniffed the twenty-year-old. "She's the one who stepped in when no one else would."

"And yet you flock to her as if she owns your powers. I'd call that a real bummer, wouldn't you?"

"Heeeaaaaaahh!"

Had Anna's fire - kick been avoided sooner, the streets might have had a chance to stay un-scorched by her aimless ferocity.

She was a wild fire, but tame enough to control where she directed her blasts.

Slade wasn't that impressed. "You're too dangerous to be left unguarded. Put down your –

"Yaah! Not a… chance!" She flipped her staff to have it as deadly as those eyes set aflame.

Slade knew meta – kids, but Anna was aware. She'd tricked him. Right into a corner.

Slade turned around.

"Not bad." He said below the mask to himself.

"You now have me at your mercy, little soldier."

"It's Lieutenant, now."

He rested his chin onto his hand, trying to goad her, per his quick wit.

"Was your mother "happy" to know that her child had been killing for the sake of justice to be heard throughout the world, over?" the last word was to irritate her. He'd seen her talking with Astarte. how embarrassing.

"How did you father, take the news?" Slade was tricky, he could face her but was trying –

"Mom isn't perfect either." Ann shrugged, not letting down her guard. "Dad takes on espionage missions too, all the time. You're not so tough..and the only way you'd be able to shut me up is if you beat me in a fair fight."

"I'm not trying to be better than you, just smarter."

The right time….

Coughing up dust, as a blast of light hit her eyes...

FLASHBOMB!

She swiftly tried to find a way to see –

He instead had her NOT see it coming, as Anna Grayson was hit from behind.

Knocked out; cold…

Slade shelthed his blades as he stood over her angsty form, making his call out only once the coast was clear. Touching his steel toed boot to move her arm, Anna didn't stir. For now, this was how he'd like to make his daring escape. Slade activated his mic in his mask as it became operational again.

"Yep, send a ride here now, Wintergreen. I'll be back to the base within the next half hour or so. Over." He chuckled. Over, did anyone use that anymore? Oh, well.

Still, it was nice to know that Grayson had carried on that same message to his Slade was not someone to be trifled with. Even by a bunch of demi- godlike children such as poor, honeable Anna Grayson...She'd never been able to touch him. Close though. More so than her brother had tried to be.

He knelt down to get a glipse of her peaceful face. She was such a rebel; but here, she looked more in sync with her human self than he'd ever seen her. She looked, normal for once.

"Could have broken free, fire - starter. Your loss...Though, call me if you feel like defying her "law and order, someday." He couldn't put the blame entirely on the kid, she could fight. And that's all that the vixen Astarte really wanted.

A perfect little soldier. He knew it all too well as Slade walked away, and off into the shadows. They'd meet again. Of this, he was sure of it.

~ Wherever trouble goes, you intend to seek it out, to reclaim a part of your self - worth. ~ Anna wasn't that complex. She was pitiful, and for that, she was the most suceptible to becoming something as dangerous as Slade could make of the fire - bird's imperfect life. A living weapon, unless she broke her chains to make a change, just as the phoenix was reborn at every sunrise.

And at every sunset, the cycle would obviously continue. A perfect soldier, and a perfect mess he'd one day have to eliminate if she stepped out of line.

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It must have been a short while. She could hear a copter in the background…. He'd had his dues….Was it over?...

"Lieutenant, Lieutenant Grayson; Soldier! Wake up!"

Ann groggily opened her eyes, blinking at the air and the debris in her sights…

"He…got me…."

"What were you doing? We barely secured the perimeter before…Your arm! Spill." Nina was there with Tech – Gal, Cassie…. Troy…All standing above her.

"We lost your signal. You weren't –

"Slade…. uh….my head…"

"What, wait? Deathstroke? He had the hit out on the Ambassador? Why didn't you report –

"I got conked…...too loud…."

"That's it. No more solo missions for a while, kid." Anna's superior frowned and directed her solider crew to drag Ann back to the base. "Any chance I'm due…for a vacation?" Anna weakly grinned up to her officer in charge, as Nina rolled her eyes. "You'll have to take that up with the top brass. Astarte needs you ready to return, sooner."

"I'm long overdue, so sure. Set up a personal trainer to beat me into submission during the stay, a hotel and an island resort booking, and you have yourself a sale –

"We don't sell ourselves to the job, we commit to it."

Ann snorted. "Could'a fooled me." She cheekily replied.

As if Slade had been the kind of soldier in his past to ask for the same thing…

Maybe, she could take from his book and get a decent night's rest…for once…

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