Mammoth and Gizmo. It wasn't long for those two to stir up trouble, they both agreed on raiding the Jump City Museum at midnight. This meant that physical security was kept to a mininum, in favour of cameras, lasers, and alarm system linked to the JCPD, with a SWAT team on call. They were around the back of the museum, sneaking through.
"Remind me again why we're here?" The big muscular villain asked, only to recieve a slap from the tiny gadget lover.
"I've told you for the fourth time already!" Gizmo snapped. "We're stealing a fourty million dollar necklace, and selling it for six times the price!"
"Oh right. . . So you need me to break through the glass, while you hack into the system, disable the security, and I grab the necklace and we bail before the police or those Titans-" Another slap came his way, with Gizmo sushing him.
"Don't mention the T word!"
"What you think those chumps are psychic?" Mammoth gave a sly grin, completely unaware of the birdarang that was coming towards him.
"What the-" Before Gizmo could finish his sentence, there was a loud bang, followed by a blinding strobe light. With their senses rendered useless, they flailed around, hitting nothing but thin air.
As panic took over, their sight was returning, but the ringing in their ears would not stop. They could make out the blurred figures in front of them, but as they took shape, their fears were confirmed.
"Oh shit. . ." Gizmo realised that the new Titans were right in front of them, each baring a serious look.
"Took you two long enough to cause hassle. . ." Robin said. "Too bad you both have picked the wrong night to do so."
Superboy, Miss Martian, Wonder Girl, and Blackstar were present whilst Blue Beetle was still away with his family.
"We can take em Giz!" Mammoth charged straight for the team.
Before Gizmo could say anything, another birdarang flew past his head. He pointed to the boy wonder with the intention of laughing. "Hah! You missed me!"
"Not quite." Robin smirked as the birdarang came back like a boomerang, striking at the little villain's jetpack. "Hope you like a little shock therapy!"
The sudden electrical shock made Gizmo yell, his jetpack short circuting before it stopped entirely, leaving him defensless without his flight, nor his weaponry.
Superboy and Mammoth engaged in a one on one fist fight, occasionally Blackstar would join in, giving the H.I.V.E member a kick into the legs, hoping to knock him off balance. The villain turned his attention on the hybrid, who narrowly dodged his attacks with the help of his speed. Wonder Girl then followed up with a combo of her own, combining their efforts, it wasn't long 'til Mammoth had realised that there was no hope in fighting back, especially when your opponents are stronger, younger, faster. Sure he landed a few hits here and there, but the combined force wore him down.
Superboy delivered the final blow, performing a rising uppercut, this sent Mammoth up about seventeen feet before his body landed directly on an empty civilian car, crushing it.
"D-Dang it!" Mammoth said before passing out. Gizmo on the other hand was running away from the fight, the short stacked villain looked behind him, smiling that the Titans were occupied with his partner in crime.
He didn't stop to realise that Blackstar was right in front of him, face planting into the hybrid's chest, letting out an oof.
"Sorry Gizzie, didn't see you there." The hero smiled as he looked down on the wannabe escapee, tutting at the villain's failure.
The special police arrived to apprehend Mammoth and Gizmo, confiscating their equipment while the Titans were talking with the police sergeant.
"Guess some thngs never change. You kids have just prevented a heist of the decade." The officer said with praise.
"We only did our jobs officer." Robin replied, "These two clearly haven't learned from their mistakes." He pointed to the two who were shoved into the van.
The group paid no attention to the grumbling villains, all focused on each other. "Well, now that's what I call teamwork you guys, now let's get ourselves home." The team agreed with Robin's statement.
"Last one to the party can't fly!" Blackstar activated his wings. "And Robin's gonna be the last one to the party, because he can't fly!" And so the flyers raced off, leaving an amused Robin behind.
"Bunch of showoffs. . ." He mumbled. Using his grappling hook to launch himself into the air, gliding through the city.
Another successful mission, another victory for the new Titans. Everyone retreated to their respective quarters. Well everyone except Kai and Cass, who were sitting opposite each other in the dining room in conversation.
"You did amazing Cass." Kai beamed with joy. "Nice right hook on Mammoth by the way."
"Oh stop it you." Cass looked away blushing. "But you did awesome too Kai. . ."
Kai moved closer to her, their eyes locked on to each other. "What if I don't wish to stop?" He asked with a seductive tone.
Cass let her nose touch his. "Then you're playing with fire Kai. . . You could get burned." Her voice shared a similar tone as she warned him.
"I can take the heat. I-" Kai was interuppted as Cass crashed her lips with his. Their eyes shut as the hybrid cupped her face as they explored each other's mouths.
After two minutes, they stopped to look at each other, both savouring the taste. "How was that?" Wonder Girl asked, taking a hold of his hand.
"Amazing. . ." Kai felt her warm grip. "Haven't been kissed like that since I was fifteen." They shared a chuckle with one another.
"Let's get some rest. Maybe we'll uh, see where this goes." Cass said, with the hybrid nodding with a grin.
The two stopped outside of Kai's room, their hands intertwined. The soft fur on his hand tickled her own, she giggled as he gentley brushed his thumb in a circular motion.
"So apparently we'll be recieving invites to Beast boy and Raven's wedding in the next few months." Wonder Girl spoke quietly, she could see his face light up at the thought.
"They've planned it out already? Now I can't wait." Kai excitedly jumped, with Cass amused by his action. "So uh, you really want to see where this goes?" The hybrid nervously gestured to her and him, blushing wildly.
"Yeah. Let's give it a whirl." Wonder Girl gave a small kiss on his lips, and he eagerly returned it.
"Sweet dreams Cass."
"Goodnight Kai." And so Kai entered his room, bidding her farewell. As she made her way back to her room, she couldn't stop smiling about the kiss.
The way he was so gentle with her, his lips were rough but welcoming, her touch was soft as silk. Wonder Girl swiftly went into her bedroom, blushing madly as she sat down on her bed. She replayed the memory over and over, a part of her wanted to do that again and again.
"Who would've thought that this guy was so timid when he joined us." Cass laid herself down, smiling as she closed her eyes, with a joyful spark inside.
Meanwhile at S.T.A.R Labs Jump City Facility. . .
Luke Thomas said to himself that he'd take a few weeks off, but the good doctor was too occupied with the photo album he kept in his office desk. Almost every picture featured Alice, the woman he knew since high school. John Miller was never the father of Kai to begin with. He only dated Alice just to get close to the Starsuit, and the relationship was a short one at that.
Seventeen Years Ago. . .
"Don't you get it Luke? The Starsuit would be better as a weapon! Think about the money we could make if we gave it to the government." John Miller was arguing with Luke in his office, with Alice sitting in silence.
"But that would undermine everything Alice has done! You may have created the material for it, but that doesn't mean you control what it's built for." Luke was firm, but not shouting. One thing he was good at was controlling his temper, even when against all odds.
"I will not let my material be used for rescuing kittens from trees! With the Starsuit, the military would save more lives than what you and Alice have designed it for!" John slammed his fist on the table, causing Alice to jump at the sound.
"Understand this John." Alice said calmly. "The Starsuit is designed for metahumans in mind. You are not fit to be part of this project."
Millar turned to face the woman, with a face full of fury. "We had an agreement Ms Black. . . You owe me." He said in an almost threatening manner.
"Doctor Luke and I owe you nothing. You don't think I know about your little conversation with TYGER? Planning to steal the Starsuit for a bunch of mercenaries?" She stood up to face John, tightening her fists. "As a scientist, I am disgusted with you. I thought you were better than this John. . ."
Before another word was spoken, security entered the office, surrounding John. "Doctor John Miller, I hereby eject you from the exo-suit project, for conspiring to steal company research. For attempting to sell research to a private company without consulting superiors." Luke stood up to the furious scientist before him.
Alice then spoke up. "You are also herby fired Mister Miller. This means that you'll be blacklisted by S.T.A.R Labs, WayneTech, and all companies because of your dirty deeds."
"You dirty little-" Before John could finish his words, security dragged him away. As Alice and Luke stood in silence, they could hear him shout at the top of his lungs.
"YOU'RE DEAD ALICE, YOU AND THAT PARASITE THAT GROWS INSIDE OF YOU!!"
His screams faded into nothingness shortly afterwards, Luke and Alice sat down, a sigh of relief from both.
"You alright Alice?" Doctor Thomas asked, resting his hand on her shoulder.
"Good riddance." She spoke quietly, feeling her stomach kick.
"Guess the little guy agrees with you." Luke chuckled, "I'm glad you stood up for yourself."
Alice smiled. "The baby is yours Luke." She stated, the scientist raised an eyebrow.
"You certain?"
"Yes. But that is why I'd rather have your name on the certificate, rather than him, even if he was." She kept a firm smile, assuring Luke that the child would be with them.
"So any other secrets you wanna share?" He asked playfully.
She shook her head. "Aside from giving our division a name, I've got nothing else."
Luke's eyes widened in surprise. "Took you long enough, what is it!?" He couldn't contain his excitement.
The answer, was none other than Blackstar.
S.T.A.R Labs Present Time. . .
As Luke fondly remembered the day that Alice stood up to John, he looked at the one important photograph that never failed to make him smile. The first baby scans were in great condition, like they hadn't aged since they were first taken. Placing the photo back, he sighed as he heard a knock on his door.
"Come in." He tiredly said. A fellow work colleague entered, a warm smile greeted him.
"You should go get some rest Luke." The younger scientist said, "You're supposed to take two weeks off."
Luke replied with a small grin, "I know I know, just remembering some good times." He placed the photo album back into his desk drawers, standing up from his seat.
"Have a good night Doctor Thomas. I'll see you in a fortnight!" The youngest scientist said, leaving the room.
"Not before I see you." Luke playfully said back, listening to the soft chuckle of his work buddy. "Time to go!" He left his office, a feeling of good times was afoot.
"Let's keep moving forward. For Kai, for Alice!" He thought to himself as he walked out of the laboratory. Upon getting into the carpark, he hummed away to himself, looking rather excited about the upcoming weeks ahead.
Next Day. . .
It was a busy morning for the Titans, a big breakfast was underway, with everyone dressed, washed, and ready for whatever whacky villain of the day would come up.
"Who wants coffee!?" Kai exclaimed, putting on a New Yorker accent, his friends bursting into laughter.
"Anybody want coffee!? I'm making the coffee!" Kai gave in to joining their laughter. Wonder Girl hadn't stopped looking at him.
Was it out of lust? Out of affection? It was more likely a combination of the two. "God he is handsome." She thought as he sat down opposite her, his fur had a shine to it under the light.
Kai Black; part time superhero, part time scientist, full time Titan.
End of Chapter VIII: The Right Direction
Author's Notes:
Originally this chapter was to take a more darker turn, where Luke would've been murdered by an unknown gunman (Take a wild guess who.) But I felt that it would be considered a bit harsh when Kai had just got to know of his biological father. For those who have played Batman: Arkham City, I added TYGER (PMC Group) as a nice little reference to the beloved franchise, integrating it into the flashback sequence.