32 Productions Presents…
A HIVE Team StoryThe HIVE Team In…
"A Cry for Help"
Chapter One
Under the Junkyard: Sureshot's Quarters
Melissa typed at her computer. It was about that time again. G-9's screen lowered from the ceiling.
G-9: Another one? How many of those are you going to send out?
Melissa clicked send on the e-mail.
Melissa: One every three days until I'm freed from here.
G-9: Given the limited…and that being an understatement…amount of information you're giving, how can you hope to be rescued?
Melissa shut her computer down and turned her chair to face the screen.
Melissa: I don't expect to be rescued from here. It's a matter of time before I'm sent to kill them. If anyone knows how to deprogram me, it's them.
G-9: Assuming they don't kill you first.
Melissa: Yes, assuming they don't kill me first. You don't think it will work.
G-9 rolled her eyes and nodded. Only a fool would think those psychos would save someone. These guys wouldn't save a trapped kitten. In fact, she was pretty sure they once trapped a kitten in a tree themselves. Or maybe Shade just chased it up a tree. No matter. Melissa nodded.
Melissa: I thought you might. The fact is, death itself would be rescue enough for me.
G-9: Aren't you being a little overly dramatic?
Melissa: I don't have a sense of drama. You tell me.
G-9: You're being overly dramatic.
Melissa shrugged. She lay out on her rather uncomfortable bed that supposedly was designed to give her the most restful sleep possible…assuming she could get to sleep…and stared up at the ceiling.
Melissa: Maybe so…but I admit, I find it easier to get through the day thinking about it. I don't know why…but I can't forget him.
The image of G-9 changed. She now had a beret upon her head.
G-9: (French accent) Ah…young love. It is beautiful, no?
Melissa turned her head to look directly at the screen.
Melissa: …love? Ridiculous. You of all people know that I am incapable of such feelings.
G-9 laughed, the beret gone.
G-9: Don't take it so seriously. I was just yanking your chain, so to speak.
Melissa: …oh. Of course. My mistake.
Melissa rolled over. Love. Feh. Totally absurd.
: CUE THEME :
Training Room
Sureshot stood in the middle of an empty room, twin hand guns drawn and her arms crossed. She was stock-still, not even blinking. There was no need to move. The instant something attacked she wo…it comes from behind, sharp horns to pierce your back. Jump. Sureshot flipped back, landing on the back of the green rhino-creature that was charging for her. She fired a single round from both guns into the back of its neck, severing both the bone and the jugular vein. If the broken neck didn't kill it, the blood loss would. Sureshot leapt back off calmly before it crashed to the ground. Next comes from above. She's angry. Relentless. Keep moving. Sureshot sprang forward as the giant boulder crashed to the ground. She kept running, dodging falling objects and thing popping from the ground. She's just over head. Bigger gun. Sureshot holstered her two handguns in favor of the high powered rifle on her back. It was mostly used to pierce armor. Dodging the next attack she spun, firing at the right moment, and completing her spin in time to dodge the next falling rock. Terra plunged from the sky, bleeding from a hole in her chest. Dual attack. Flip back. Double kill. Sureshot flipped back as both a massive shadow hand and a black bird claw grabbed at her. She dropped the rifle and redrew her handguns. Her bullets caught both Raven and Shade in the sides of their heads. The next attack came faster, but not faster enough. Starfire swooped down and…under the chin…tried to punch her head off. Sureshot dodged the fist, put the barrel of her gun under Starfire's chin and blew her brains out. Behind. Forming an X with her gun barrels, she caught the downward approaching bo-staff. Her foot collided hard with Robin's chest, sending him back. She fired twice. Robin dodged one, as expected, but took the other in the shoulder. Wounded, Robin hit the ground from the force of the bullet slamming into him. Sureshot picked up his bo-staff and jammed it into the teen wonder's eye. Last one. Leaping attack. Sureshot moved forward, dodging Cyborg's slamming fist. She grabbed the bo-staff, pulling it out with a sickening crack. Cyborg turned to fire his sonic cannon. Sureshot jammed the staff into the weapon. It overloaded and exploded, taking his arm off. Twin rocket launchers sprang from his shoulders. Sureshot fired her guns, a bullet hitting the rockets seconds after they were fired. The explosion took Cyborg's head off.
G-9: Simulation ended. Congratulations.
Sureshot popped her neck and put her hands on the side of her head. Lifting them up, she pulled the virtual reality helmet off her head in the real world.
G-9: I'm impressed. You beat your old record.
Sureshot: Mere simulations. Not capable of doing anything I'm not prepared for. The real ones will be more difficult…more random.
G-9: Scared?
Sureshot pulled her hood down.
Sureshot: I'm never scared. Hate and bloodlust are the only emotions I still have a real grasp on. I can't remember what it feels like to smile and mean it.
G-9: Sure, sure. You keep saying that, but I think your emotions are returning faster then you let on.
Sureshot: Think what you want. It honestly makes no difference to me.
G-9 sighed. Sometimes it just was no fun trying to talk with Sureshot.
G-9: I've been meaning to ask you. How do you…
G-9 disappeared. Sureshot sighed. This meant the program had been recalled to the monitor room. Her guess proved accurate when G-9 reappeared on the screen a few seconds later.
G-9: …he wants to speak with you.
Sureshot lifted her hood.
Sureshot: Of course he does. I'm on my way.
G-9: Wait, I still want to ask you how…
Sureshot left. Grumbling, G-9 raised the screen back up into the ceiling. That girl was running from the question. She had to have been.
Monitor Room
Gremlin sat in his chair, back facing Sureshot as she entered.
Gremlin: I watch your performance. Very well done.
Sureshot didn't reply. His compliments meant about as much as a pile of dung to her. Sighing, Gremlin moved on. It didn't pay to be nice these days.
Gremlin: It's time.
Sureshot: You're going to send me to kill the Titans?
Gremlin: Yes.
Sureshot's heart skipped a beat. Her chance…her one chance to escape had come. If she could resist her programming just enough…maybe…just maybe… Making sure not to betray her vague excitement, she proceeded with the typical questions.
Sureshot: Where?
Gremlin: Their base is under the forest. Cause enough of a ruckus above and they'll come to you.
Sureshot: Understood. Any stipulations?
Gremlin: No. Kill all of them.
Sureshot nodded and went to the armory. She felt the strangest tug on the corners of her lips. Freedom was in her grasp…and then…revenge.
Titan H.Q. Cyborg's Room
Cyborg polished his mask with a buffer. After that, he'd do the metal part of his face. A flashing on his computer screen caught his eye. Hoping it wasn't what he thought it was, he walked over and clicked a few things. Another letter. "Help me Victor…I'm coming tonight." Cyborg frowned. Coming there? How? Nobody knows where this base was. Before he could even delete the letter, however, the alarm went off. There was somebody dangerously close to the base.
Woods
The small hatch opened and the Titans poured out. Sureshot watched from a nearby tree. Could that really be Garfield Logan? He was so much healthier looking then when she first met him. The one called Shade sniffed the air. No matter. Sureshot had made sure she was downwind. The one in the skimpy clothes and cloak looked around. What was her name? Raven?
Raven: It's so very faint…
Robin frowned.
Robin: As in far away?
Raven: No…as in very weak. Perhaps they took some sort of suppressant before coming here.
She found herself distracted as Cyborg emerged. He had covered every ounce of human skin. It was so sad. She had wanted so badly to see his face again. It was time. She dropped a handful of pellets from the tree she was in before leaping to another. Starfire let out a sound of surprise at one hit her on the head. It rolled to the ground. Starfire leaned down to see what it was. It didn't look like something that should be in a tree… Robin's eyes widened.
Robin: Scatter!
The pellets began releasing a terrible smelling smoke. The smoke was to blind them. The smell was to make sure Shade couldn't use his nose to help him. Sureshot stood up and pulled her nightsticks out from the holsters on her legs. Diving down, she cracked Changeling on his head, knocking him cold. Her heat vision goggles picked up what was sure to be Robin's form nearby. To his credit, he ducked the first attack on sound alone. Unfortunately, Sureshot anticipated that. What she hadn't expected was Raven letting out a shout as her power caused a fierce wind to kick up. It blew all her cover away. Sureshot stood over the unconscious Robin, nightsticks twirling.
Raven: How very bold. And so talented. Robin and Changeling in less then a minute. I hope it was worth dying for.
Raven whistled. Shade leapt forward on her command and…his claws are his favorite weapons. Grab his wrists...tried to slash her. She grabbed both his wrists and flipped him over into a tree. Pushing herself back as she rolled to her feet, she landed next to him and jammed a taser into his chest. The threat dealt with, she moved on to Raven, who's powers would be the next difficult to deal with. Pulling out her gun, she aimed and fired. Raven sneered and put a shield up. The bullet exploded on impact with it, spraying sleep gas around her. She coughed and fell to the ground. Starfire attacked next. The enraged alien was flinging her energy orbs…what were they called…starbolts at her. Sureshot dodged them and dove behind some trees. Starfire clenched her teeth and flew in after her. To her surprise, Starfire flew into a large sticky net. Sureshot stood in front of it.
Starfire: (struggling) Release me!
Sureshot pressed a button on her belt and an electric current coursed through the net, knocking her out. All that was left w…sonic cannon! Dodge! Dodge! She just barely moved out of the way of the blue energy that almost put a hole in her body. Unfortunately, she had leapt toward him and found herself in his grasp. He drew his fist back.
Sureshot: Vi…Victor…wai…wait…my hood…take off my hood first…
Cyborg stopped short. Not many people knew his name.
Cyborg: You're the one who's been sending those e-mails.
Sureshot: I…I can't resist much longer…already have several methods to take you down in mind. Take off my hood, quickly!
Cyborg pulled her hood down. Now that he could see her face better, regardless of the make up, he had to admit, she looked familiar.
Sureshot: H…help me…the way I once helped you…
Cyborg: Mel?
Sureshot's shaking hands were heading for her belt. She had a device that would render him inoperable once it was slapped onto his body.
Sureshot: Gas…in my glove…spray me…before…I lose control…or snap my neck. You…decided. Just…fr…free me!
Unable to stop herself any longer, she grabbed the device and pulled her hand back to slap it onto his chest. He grabbed her other hand and squeezed the capsule underneath. Gas sprayed in her face. She breathed deep and passed out. Cyborg let her dropped. Terra just watched, confused. What the hell was that all about?
Med-lab
Starfire glared at the girl in the bed…if you could call her that. Never before had she seen a female of such…bulk. Granted with her hood down and that black stuff wiped off her face she did look much more feminine…facially anyway.
Starfire: Why is it we are not simply killing this intruder?
Raven: I was wondering the same thing.
Changeling sighed.
Changeling: Because we know her.
Cyborg: She got us out of STAR labs. We would have been caught without her.
Changeling: She's as big a victim as we were.
Cyborg frowned.
Cyborg: Last I heard she became an assassin to get some cash for her new need for bloodshed. Then she disappeared.
Robin shrugged.
Robin: So somebody paid her to whack us. Sounds like she doesn't care about you two anymore.
Cyborg: She's been sending pleas for help for weeks.
Raven: Your mysterious e-mailer?
Cyborg nodded. Snorting, Raven shook her head. It appeared she wasn't going to be able to repay the bitch for gassing her. With a groan, Melissa started to come to. She found herself strapped down.
Terra: Welcome back, bitch. You better have a good explanation for attacking us.
Melissa: B…brainwashed…can't…help it…
Everyone stared at Raven. She sighed and walked up to her, putting her hands on the Asian girl's temples.
Raven: …hmm. There is something strange. I can try to undo it, but I make no promises. In fact, there's a large chance she'll become comatose as a result.
Melissa: P…please…
Robin shrugged, running a hand through his spiked hair.
Robin: I really don't care either way. If you can undo it though, we can find out who sent her to kill us.
Starfire: And then we can inflict much suffering upon them.
Raven took to the air, taking the meditative position. Her soul self slithered out of her and into Melissa. Melissa's eyes rolled up into the back of her head.
Melissa's Mind
Raven looked around at the empty white space around her. While she couldn't say she had been in many minds before this one, it did strike her as odd.
Raven: Emptied headed, hmm?
Melissa: Hardly. You're just standing in a white room.
Melissa opened a door and stepped into the room. Raven frowned, confused.
Raven: What's this then?
Melissa: The place I send psychics who don't belong in my mind. Come.
Raven: Hold on. I'm not helping you without payment. If you want me to undo the brainwashing, show me your past. I want to know what made you what you are.
Melissa: …an unusual request, but very well.
Raven grinned. What a delightful prospect! A chance to muck about in the mind of someone who royally pissed her off had presented itself and she wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers. Sure, she would help…but afterward, Melissa's mind and emotions would be hers to mold. First though, she wanted to see what made this muscle bound girl tick.
END PART ONE