32 Productions Presents…

A HIVE Team Story

The HIVE Team In…

"A Cry for Help"

Chapter Three

Under the Junkyard: Hallway

Hit stepped over the fallen robot, loading a fresh clip into her gun. The explosive tipped rounds were working just as she planned. She figured the robots would be bullet proof. Her target would have to be a fool not to have taken such precautions. As she surmised, the joints were the weak spots. Something was wrong. There should be many more robots then this attacking her. She entered the next room and found her target sitting in a chair across the room, fingers folded in front of his masked face. Raven gasped.

Raven: …Jason…

Sureshot: Yes.

After finding out that the Gremlin in front of her was nothing more then a hologram, it became apparent that the room was filling with some sort of gas. Hit swayed a little before reaching for a gasmask. Before she could get it, her hand was grabbed. The real Gremlin held her still until she passed out.

Raven: …he hates us so much? That he would ruin someone else's life just to get to us? I thought he had delusions of heroism.

Sureshot: I believe he sees it as some sort of rehabilitation program. When I awoke…everything was different. It was one thing to resist programming while I was awake, but Gremlin made sure to brainwash me in my sleep. The gas, I assume, also had a factor in my suggestibility.

Raven sighed. This could be harder then she thought. With Sureshot asleep at the time of brainwashing, it would be harder to find the source of reinforcement. It shouldn't have surprised her, she supposed. After all, life was a pain in the ass.

Raven: In that case, we're going to have to dive even deeper into your mind.

Sureshot: How much deeper?

Raven grabbed Sureshot by the arm. The scene changed once more.

Hallway

Sureshot looked around, confused. They were in a long stretch of hallway. Doors lined the walls, saying things like, "Goals", "Interests" "Fantasies" "Memories", and " Favorite foods".

Sureshot: What's this?
Raven: What you're capable of understanding. It's different for some people. Others get file cabinets. Some have little people. In essence, this is what makes you, you. We were in there.

Raven pointed toward the door labeled, "Memories."

Raven: What we need is this door…here.

Raven pointed at the door labeled "Subconscious". Opening the door lead them into utter blackness. Sureshot frowned…not that Raven could see.

Sureshot: What good is this? We can't see.

Raven: Wait for it.

Suddenly the place lit up. It was a vast empty room with TV screens all along the walls. Standing in the center was Gremlin.

Gremlin: Obey all my commands. Follow orders without question…

Sureshot: …what is he doing in my head?

Raven: It's not him. Just a representation of the programming.

Gremlin: Obey all my commands. Follow orders without question…

"Gremlin" continued to repeat himself. Sureshot sighed.

Sureshot: How do I make it go away?

Raven shrugged.

Raven: You're the assassin. You tell me.

Sureshot held out her hand. A gun materialized out of nowhere and she took aim. There was no reaction from the image of Gremlin. She pulled the trigger…once…twice…three times. "Gremlin" collapsed and disappeared. Sureshot lowered the smoking gun slowly and it disappeared.

Sureshot: …that's it?

Raven: What did you think I was going to do? Perform an exorcism?

Sureshot transformed. Her costume changed into black sneak suit and her hood was replaced by a ninja type mask. The paint disappeared from her face.

Hit: …I'm my old self again. Thank you very much Raven.

Raven: As an add bonus, I think I'll be so kind as to jar your emotional blockage just a bit. It should help progress your return to…"normalcy".

Hit folded her arms and tilted her head. This seemed…too kind.

Hit: Why? What are you gaining?

Raven grinned.

Raven: You don't know? While I enjoy various foods, ice cream, chocolate, and other palate pleasing substances…emotions are far more my kind of delicacy. Being in the presence of one so…dry is disturbing. I simply made you more enjoyable to be around. Now…let's go back to the waking word, shall we?

Titan H.Q.: Med-lab

Raven's soul self slithered back into her body and she lowered to the ground. Before Cyborg could even ask how it went, Melissa sat up and popped her neck. Turning to Starfire, she sighed.

Melissa: I'm going to kill your "son". I hope that doesn't bother you.

Starfire looked puzzled. Raven stood up and dusted her cloak off.

Raven: Jason brainwashed her. She was made to kill criminals. Finally she was sent to kill us. Don't worry though. She's been fixed.

Starfire sighed, looking dejected.

Starfire: What is it that humans say? "What tangled webs we weave?"

Robin: Just for the record, I wanted to keep him.

Starfire: You did not. You did not even want him.

Robin shrugged.

Robin: Okay, but I never said to get rid of him.

Raven: Even I liked the boy and I hate all children but my own.

Shade spat out the soda he was drinking. Raven heard his thoughts and started laughing. Terra grumbled and wringed her shirt out.

Terra: Real nice, jerkwad.

Raven: No, I'm not. Startle you, did I, Shade?

Melissa turned to Changeling.

Melissa: Garfield…you look well. Working out any?

Changeling flexed, grinning.

Changeling: Well, I've been known to pump a little iron now and then.

Terra: The hell you do. The only thing you pump is…well…

Terra winked at him. Changeling tugged his shirt collar, chuckling nervously.

Melissa: …and…Victor…I…

Melissa stood up and walked over to him.

Melissa: I…I missed you. We barely knew each other, but I never forgot you. I don't know why. I read the paper just to find out if you had been captured. Since I haven't had a real emotion besides rage and bloodlust since my time in the lab, I can't say with any certainty that this is the right thing to do, however I feel I need to thank you somehow, so…

Melissa grabbed Cyborg's face mask suddenly and pulled it off. Before he can react, she grabbed his face and kissed him. That finished, she put the mask back on him.

Melissa: Thank you.

Cyborg: (stunned) …uh…you're welcome?

Melissa: May I have my weapons back?

Raven assured the others again that it was okay to trust her and they returned the weapons. Forgoing the reapplication of the black make up, Melissa returned to Gremlin's base intent on killing him.

Under the Junkyard: Munitions Room

Splattered with oil and cut up a bit, Melissa quickly gathered equipment that would allow her to get through this challenge. G-9, having run out of drones and robots to send at her, tried pleading instead.

G-9: Melissa, I know you're angry with him, but killing him won't solve anything.

Melissa cocked her favorite custom handgun.

Melissa: All this time and you still don't understand, G-9. This isn't about "solving" anything. This is about watching him die in a puddle of his own blood. I'm a killer. This is all I know…and I like it.

G-9: But…

Melissa: You were a good friend, G-9. When this is over, I'll transfer your program somewhere safe.

Melissa turned and fired, destroying the speaker, the monitor, and the camera that were G-9's eyes, ears, and mouth. Feeling that she was properly equipped, she went off to find Gremlin. She put the gasmask over her face before she even entered the room. As expected, Gremlin had been informed of her approach. What wasn't expected was how he was still sitting there, not attempting to flee. Apparently he hadn't learned anything. He leaned against the arm of the chair and sighed.

Gremlin: You know, it isn't cheap to rebuild these things, Sureshot.

Melissa: My name isn't Sureshot.

She pointed the gun at his head. Gremlin leaned back.

Gremlin: Well?

Sweat began to run down her face. Her arm shook and her finger twitched, but she couldn't pull the trigger.

Melissa: I…I can't…

Gremlin: Can't you? Oh what a shame.

Springing forward, she grabbed him, picked him up, and put her arm around his neck. With a simple twist, she'd be able to snap his neck…but again, she couldn't do it.

Melissa: What's happening to me?

Gremlin: I told you…you'll NEVER be able to kill me. Or even hurt me.

Melissa wanted to throw him down, but couldn't. Instead she placed him back in his chair. Clenching her teeth, she put her face in front of his.

Melissa: I WILL find away around this.

Gremlin: Not today you won't. Now get lost.

Melissa: What?

Gremlin: Get…lost. Leave. Vamoose. Scram. Vacate the premises.

Melissa frowned.

Melissa: …you're not going to try and recapture me?

Gremlin: Nope. Come on, I'll walk you out.

Melissa couldn't believe his audacity. She followed him, stunned into silence. He led her into the garage.

Gremlin: Take the red car and go.

Melissa looked the car over. Gremlin sighed impatiently and tapped his foot. She, of course, found nothing wrong with it.

Melissa: I don't understand. Why are you just letting me go?

Gremlin: You earned it. Have a nice life, Melissa Dratter.

Melissa scowled and got in the car, driving off. G-9's screen lowered down.

G-9: Was this wise?

Gremlin: Wise is a matter of experience. Not intelligence.

G-9 sighed and shook her head.

G-9: You know what I mean, sir.

Gremlin: She was running out of usefulness anyway.

G-9: That's another thing sir…this replacement…

Gremlin wandered down the hall toward his experiment room. Strapped to a machine was a very sickly looking boy. His skin was gaunt, he had only wisps of red hair despite looking to be only sixteen or so years of age. Gremlin cracked his knuckles.

Gremlin: …is entirely by his choice.

G-9: But the process is completely experimental. We have no idea what it will do…

Gremlin: He's aware of that, aren't you?

The boy nodded and coughed weakly.

Boy: P…please. If I don't do this, I'll die and if it doesn't work right, I'll die. What do I have to lose?

Gremlin turned and nodded smugly at the screen.

Gremlin: See? Todd Albertson, I assure you, you'll be feeling better before you know it.

G-9: Or you won't feel anything at all.

Gremlin: Be quiet, G-9. You'll scare the poor lad.

Todd Albertson was born sickly. Even though he was taking more medications then he could name off the top of his head daily, he wasn't expected to live to twenty. When Gremlin told him he could maybe cure his problem, he eagerly accepted. Now came the moment of truth. Gremlin pressed the button on the device.

Deserted Road

Hit clicked her teeth in annoyance. It was late…she was tired…and thanks to the idiot in front of her, she'd have to track her target down all over again. He was a boy…roughly her age from the looks of him. It was difficult to tell, what with that ridiculous black mask over his face that allowed his red mop to stick out the top. The red rimmed eyes stared at her. His costume was covered with knives. Big knives, small knives, and everything in between, this boy had it all. He was twirling two in his hands casually. Hit was pointing her gun at him.

Hit: And who are you? A rival bounty hunter?

Boy: Nah. Well…sort of…no. Besides, aren't you an assassin? Wouldn't that be "rival assassin"? I could be wrong. Anyway, my name is Knife-play. That's K-N-I-F-E hyphen P-L-A-Y. You have to remember the hyphen.

Hit sighed as the boy rambled on and on. This was getting annoying…well, even more then it was before. So saying, she pulled the trigger. The bullet found its mark, nailing him in the chest. Blood began seeping through the wound and he pitched backward. Hit sighed and holstered her weapon. No time to worry about this interruption. If she worked fast, she could find her target before the night was over. His car was still there. He must have gone into the nearby woods. Perfect. Once she utterly disabled the car, she could take her time tracking him. Thanks to the road blocks she had sent up, nobody would be coming down thi…her ear twitched. Dodge left. Hit jumped to her left as the object thrown at her whizzed past, pulling her gun back out, turning in the air and aiming. She was firing before she even realized what her target was. Knife-play…the boy who should have a hole in his left lung…was standing up again. The object that had been thrown was a knife. He deflected the bullet with the other knife.

Knife-play: That hurt you know.

Hit: It was supposed to do more then hurt.

Knife-play: I know.

She fired again, emptying the clip. He deflected a few of them, but the others hit their mark. Frustrated at the fact the ones she aimed at his head missed, she started to reload in case he wasn't dead. Suddenly there was a knife imbedded in her hand. Hit cried out, surprised. Her instincts…they failed her. He should be dead so they didn't warn her. It defied logic and therefore he instincts refused to believe he was still alive. Dropping the gun, she dodged the other knives thrown at her before pulling the other out of her hand.

Hit: I'll spill your organs for that.

Knife-play lifted up his mask and stuck his tongue out at her. Hit pulled out her nightsticks and attacked, Knife-play ready to counter.

THE END