Chapter 11:
A chapter that took only a month or two to make! Yay! I just want to thank everyone once again, especially those who have been with this story since the very beginning, for all your patience. I still don't know whether I will have a proper schedule, I'm still working on it, but until then please stay patient with me. I will not give up on this story, I have so much planned for it!
Anyways, enough of my talking, let's get on with the story!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR YOUNG JUSTICE! (Do people still do these? I'm getting kinda old, and I'm not sure what I can or can't do anymore. But what the hell, I'll continue doing it for old times' sake.)
"Blah"- talking (quotation marks)
'Blah'- mindlink/sign language (apostrophes, italics)
Blah- thoughts (italics)
"Blah" - video call (quotation marks, bold)
Note: Just for this chapter narrative's sake: Kid Flash = Kid; Kyd Wykkyd = Wykkyd
Enjoy~!
Woodland Area near Blue Valley, Nebraska
July 6, 2011; 11:57 PM
A young man runs with all his might, panting with exhaustion as he dodges rocks and trees in his path. His blonde hair is tangled with dirt and twigs, His lime green eyes glance over his shoulder, watching the dark figures chase him in hot pursuit. As he was doing so, he trips over a fallen tree branch and into a puddle of mud. But he doesn't waste time getting back on his feet and is already speeding his way through the woods he's managed to trap himself in.
He knew he should have stayed in hiding a little longer, but he also knew he couldn't keep body-hopping for long. It drained him, and people were beginning to notice when one of their friends were acting as though they had amnesia. Besides, he couldn't live with the constant guilt that he was safe, while the others were being hunted down. He had to do something, or at least find the others he knows have yet to be taken.
Where is it? Where is it? He couldn't really make out exactly where he was. For all he knows, he could be running around in circles. He needs to find it, or else he's a goner- Fireballs strike the tree beside his head, burning and making it crash right in front of his path. He lets out a silent yelp, narrowly escaping being crushed by the tree and makes a sharp left turn.
They're gaining on him.
He hears a strange noise behind him, and he ducks just as a tree flings its way over his head. A red plasmic hand cuts him off and makes a grab for him, but he makes another clumsy turn to the right just as a large figure jumps down onto his path. He can make out long hair and feminine features before managing to shuffle backwards and run a different direction. Another body stands in his way, and he has just enough energy for a tiny body jump. He goes intangible and dives in before immediately jumping out on the other side and runs. His mistake was glancing over his shoulder to check if he had gained distance from them because the floor is suddenly pulled out from under him. He tumbles down a ravine before slowing to a stop at the bottom with a groan.
This is it. This is the end. He opens his eyes and flips over onto his stomach, lifting himself up by his forearms. He blinks away the splotches of blue from his vision when his eyes spots a large, towering rocks under the moonlight. He squints and the recognition dawns on him. He gets up and dashes towards the structure. Once he approached it, he begins scanning the sides before eventually finding what he was looking for: a faded T insignia in etched into the stone.
Hastily, he pulls out his broken communicator and presses it into the imprint. There's a rumble as a panel appears, revealing a small keypad. With trembling fingers, he punches in a code and waits. He can hear the impeding footsteps behind him and the crashing of more trees. Come on. Come on. A door opens, and he grabs a palm-sized rock from the ground and smashes the keyboard before scrambling inside the safehouse just as the steel doors slam shut.
The lights stutter on, and his fingers begin feeling against the cold walls. BANG! The sound makes him jump as the door creaks under the heavy pounding from the outside. He uses both hands before finally feeling a slight indent in the wall with his right hand. He curls his left hand in a fist and pounds it above the indent, and a panel opens revealing an encased red button. He lifts the lid and slams his palm on it without any hesitation.
An ear-shattering siren resounds throughout the room as the lights flash from normal to red. "Initiating: Emergency Lockdown," a computerized-female voice echoes over the siren. He can hear bolts lock in place and the shields go down just as the banging grows more violent. He holds his breath, listening to the frustrated grunts outside. Once the noises fade away completely, he lets out the breath he was holding and slumps to the ground, trying to calm his racing heart. He wipes away the sweat from his brow and the leftover mud from his face as his breathing returns to normal and walks over to the giant monitor.
Jumping in the rotating seat, the young blonde starts up the computer. The screen powers on and asks for a password. Each Titan had programmed their own passwords for every supercomputers hidden away in the safehouses in case of emergencies. He types it in and watches as the screen comes to life. He pushes a button and taps on the mouse impatiently.
The screen goes dark before a familiar masked face appears on the monitor. "What the- Jericho?" Robin breathes out, eyes wide with surprise.
The blonde young man, Jericho, gives the Boy Wonder a tired smile as he types in for the computerized voice to repeat for him, "Hello, friend."
Lot 6 - Warehouse 17 in Connecticut
July 7, 2011; 12:00 AM
This was it; the coordinates on the slip of paper led all the way to this warehouse. A little far, but it's not like it mattered with his superspeed. Or at least with his current superspeed-
Nope, not gonna go into that. Kid Flash stops himself before he relives the memory of that embarrassing incident in his mind. He hesitates in front of the entrance, wondering if he's making the right choice. Kid wishes he had a watch, so he could check the time, but it would only be a hassle for his costume. But he left at an opportune time to be able to get here at the given meeting appointment, so all he can do is hope he's not too early.
He turns the knob, the door giving way with ease as he pushes it open. He steps in and closes the door behind him, blinking as his eyes adjust to the darkness of the warehouse. Kid hears a faint swish in the air followed by a subtle thump on the ground. A light flickers open, making Kid wince at the sudden brightness. After the spots disappear from his vision, he recognizes the figure standing beneath the light: Kyd Wykkyd.
Wykkyd gives Kid a curt nod in greeting. 'Did you make sure you weren't followed?'
Kid nods. "I took a lap around the world before coming over to make sure no one followed me." He crosses his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes at the bat-look-alike. "And you? How are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with the HIVE Five under Slade's thumb?"
'Tonight, Slade had sent us to patrol different places of the world for anymore Titans we may have missed. I have until 1 AM to pick up the others.' The bat-look-alike closes his eyes, as if pained by the answer. His fingers work quickly, but Kid has had enough practice to decipher what is being said. 'The HIVE Five is being hypnotized by Slade.' At this, the red-haired speedster backs away cautiously.
"How do I know this isn't some trick? You could be hypnotized too with plans to hand me over to Slade." He asks, voice leveled with suspicion.
Wykkyd shakes his head vigorously. 'I swear to you. We've been trying to avoid the big leagues since the Brotherhood Evil. They have given us nothing but trouble, so we've been sticking to petty crimes because getting out of jail is easier. We would have never joined willingly.'
"If that's the case, then how have you been able to avoid being hypnotized?" Kid asks curiously.
'I am a special case.' The bat-look-alike taps the side of his head. 'I learned my lesson from Brother Blood the first time around. I have been training myself since to avoid such situation from affecting me again. You can say that I've built a sort of tolerance.'
Kid's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Then why stay with the HIVE Five and pretend to be hypnotized?"
'I'm not like Jinx who can leave people behind.' Kid scowls at that answer and takes a step forward to retort, but Wykkyd puts up a hand to stop him. 'But also, unlike Jinx, I do not have anyone else who would take me in. I cannot abandon them. I would never forgive myself if I were to leave behind the only family I have to the hands of that...monster.' His face scrunches up into a venomous look as he eyes narrow into a glare.
To clear the tension in the room, Kid lets out a low whistle. "Okay, so, your team is swirly-eyed and being controlled by a psychotic loon, got it. Anything else you wanted to mention?" Wykkyd glides over to a crate and takes a seat.
His face had returned to being calm and stoic. 'I wanted to warn you. All of you, but there are too many prying eyes and calling forth too many people would raise suspicions.'
Kid's eyes narrow in disbelief. "Why me? Why not Jinx?"
As if Kid had said the wrong thing, Wykkyd rolls his eyes. 'Slade is looking for her, specifically. And making her come here, alone, just to warn her and possibly risk her life, what would be the point?' Wykkyd gives him a sidelong look, up and down. 'Just be happy that I somewhat like you better than the rule-stickler, bird brat.'
Kid fakes a touched look. "I knew you couldn't resist my charming personality."
Wykkyd rolls his eyes again and signs, 'Sorry, I'm taken.' He freezes after doing so, and his cheeks color with embarrassment.
Kid gapes at him. "Whoa, what? Really? I was just joking. I didn't think you'd give me such a serious answer. Who is she? Do I know her? Oh, is it that Angel chick-" Wykkyd waves his hands in front of him to stop Kid from continuing, trying to hide his flushed cheeks from the speedster.
'Look, my love life is besides the point. We're here to talk business.' Kid straightens up and nods.
"You're right, my bad." Kid leans against the crate opposite to Wykkyd's. "So, please tell each thing you're going to say to me in evil-must-be-stopped-world-domination importance to meh-can-wait-until-another-day importance order."
'Slade has been building a machine," Wykkyd purses his lips in thought. 'I wasn't given any details on what it does exactly, because the HIVE Five and I are only lackeys. Slade puts us to sleep right after he's done with us. But I overheard that Slade's been trying to bring someone back."
"Bring who back?"
Wykkyd shrugs. 'Not sure, I don't think even Cheshire knows who it is, and she is Slade's second-in-command.'
"And what about the kidnapped Titans?" Wykkyd scratches the back of his head.
'Since their capture, I have not seen them since.'
"What? What do you mean you haven't seen them? Kid exclaims. "Where else could Slade have put them?" He suddenly pales. "You don't think he…?"
'No.' Wykkyd reaches out a hand toward him as if to comfort him but stops midway and brings his hand back to his lap. 'He needed them alive when capturing them. I don't think killing any of them is part of his plan. If I learn anything else, I'll let you know immediately.' He points at the strip of paper in Kid's hands, signifying that Kid would soon be getting more unexpected notes from the bat-look-alike.
Kid furrows his eyebrows in thought. "Okay, so then why is he specifically searching for Jinx if he already has most of the Titans?"
'It's more that Jinx has something that Slade wants rather than wanting Jinx herself. What that something is, I'm not entirely sure. Like I said I'm not that informed on these kinds of things. I'm only telling you what I've managed to catch while eavesdropping.' Wykkyd makes a face that tells Kid he remembered something important. 'That's not all, apparently, Jinx is not the only one whom Slade is looking for."
"She's not? But who else would he be targeting?" A thought hits him, and he pales. "Oh no, he's not still stuck on that creepy idea of having Robin be his son, is he?"
Wykkyd shakes his head. 'No, no. He has lost interest in the Boy Wonder. However, recent news had been brought to light, pertaining to… his children
Kid's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "I'm sorry, I think I saw that sign incorrectly. Did you say children?" Kid Flash asked, "I didn't even know demons could even reproduce. Who are these spawns of his?"
'There's two. A girl and a boy. The girl is much harder to find, but Slade's working on finding her. It's the boy who's in more danger. Slade's already closing in on him.'
"You're acting as if this person is supposed to be someone I know." Kid says as the bat-look-alike gives him a look. That's when it hits him. "It's someone I know?!"
Wykkyd nods his head. 'Someone you were once very close with. He used to be your teammate...'
'You called him Jericho.'
Wayne Manor in Gotham City
July 7, 12:35 AM
Robin is woken up by a familiar chiming. The sound is muffled from exhaustion, and he's too groggy to make it out, but something in his mind is telling him he needs to wake up and get out of bed. His blue eyes blink as he tries to rub away the remains of sleep. He must have fell asleep once he returned to the mansion, very angry he might add. He remembers locking his door and ignoring Bruce's insistence on having a talk before falling asleep around nine.
Robin lifts his arms and stretches as he sits up in bed. The noise is still muffled but more distinguishable than in his tired-daze. He follows the sound to his dresser and opens the middle one where the sound is the loudest. Skewed atop folded shirts is the Titans' communicator, bright and blaring for attention.
Once learning about Slade, Robin had made sure the three of them, him, KF, and Red Arrow, had removed an tracking device on each communicator. At the time, he did not think it would matter. As far as they knew, the communicators were utterly useless, but Robin liked to keep it close just in case...Well, just in case, there was still a Titan out there trying to make contact with them.
And now here it was, waking him up at twelve in the morning. Definitely a smart move on his part.
Robin pushes the answer button on the side, and a face appears on the tiny, round screen. A very familiar face. "What the- Jericho?"
"Hello, friend." An electronic-computerized voice speaks for the blonde as he types in a new message. "Glad to see you are still safe."
"I can say the same to you," Robin says in a hushed tone. "Where have you been? Jinx told us you went missing nearly three months ago."
"I had to go in hiding. I've been body-hopping for the past three months. My communicator has been broken, so I've just been manually searching for every Titan." A sad look passes over Jericho's face. "I was too late. I couldn't save anyone." Despite the cold, robotic voice he was using, the guilt was plainly written on the blonde's face.
So was I, Robin thinks to himself but bites back the negative thoughts and changes the subject. "What's your location? I can come pick you up. It's probably a lot safer than where you are now."
"I'm not entirely sure where I am. Last I saw, I was in Nebraska." Jericho presses some buttons. "I managed to find an old Titans emergency safe house and was chased all the way here. I'm in woodland area, somewhere with lots of trees, and I fell down a ravine. Let me see if there's anything here that can tell me my location. I'm afraid to turn on a tracking device in here, too risky." There's more clicking on his side.
"Give me a sec, maybe I can key in on your signal without-" There's a loud, hysteric knocking on his door that makes Robin shoot up out of bed. He rushes to his door and unlocks it just as it swings open, which Robin narrowly avoids. He looks up at the looming figure in his doorway and meets the eyes of his mentor. "Bats?"
"Get dressed. Now." Batman glances down at the yellow communicator in Robin's hands and glares at it. "Who is that?"
"Robin, what is wrong?" Jericho's robotic speaker filters through the communicator, but Robin kept his eyes on the masked-crusader.
"Tell me what's going on first? Where are we going?" Batman turns his attention back to the Boy Wonder with a grave expression.
"Mount Justice is under attack."
Mount Justice in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island
July 7, 2011; 12:26 AM
A low rumble wakes Jinx from her sleep. She sits up in bed but is pulled back by her restraints. She growls at the cursed cuffs around her wrists before searching for the walkie-talkie M'gann had left her, seeing as she's under strict orders from Bats to not remove Jinx's cuffs under any circumstances. If she had to use the bathroom, M'gann had to put on a more accessible pair of cuffs. Jinx decided to stop fighting. Because even if she were able to get out of the cuffs, there was still no way for her to escape.
But this was not the time to think about that right now. The rumbling is getting closer, she could feel her bed creak against its pressure. Is it an earthquake? No, the paranoid side of her brain is telling her this is not just an average earthquake. Ignoring the cramp in her other wrist, she stretches her hand over to the walkie-talkie on the desk and drops it on her lap. Pushing the button on the side, Jinx spoke into the speaker. "M'gann? Are you awake? Do you hear that rumbling too-?" Her door is thrown open, and Jinx looks up to see a panic-stricken Miss Martian.
"Jinx, we need to go." Miss Martian flies over to the sorceress, unlocking her right cuff before working on the other. She then proceeds to throw Jinx's clothes at her. "Get dressed, quickly."
"What's going on?" Jinx asks as she dresses as quickly as she can. Once she pulls on her last boot, Miss Martian pulls Jinx off the bed and out the door. She glances down the hall and sees Superboy carrying the twins in both his muscular arms, while the twins rub away the sleep from their eyes.
"No time to explain, we have to get you out of here-" Before they can reach the zeta-tubes, Jinx's eyes flashes bright pink and an explosion resonates within the mountain. Miss Martian's grip around Jinx's wrist loosens, and Jinx is thrown against the wall from the impact.
She coughs, trying to wave away all the smoke from the fallen debris. There's a ringing in her ear that's getting louder and louder as Jinx sits up. She squints through the darkness and smoke and sees a figure climb atop of the rubble. "Miss M?"
Jinx can make out something green glowing where the person's eyes are, and it isn't until the figure's hands ignite green orbs from her hands that she recognizes who the figure is. She can feel her pulse quickens against her wrist and her heart floods with horror as a gasp escapes from her lips.
"...Starfire?"
Again, it may not be as long as I would have liked, but I'm trying my best. The end just seemed like a good place to stop. Thank you for everyone who had left reviews, favorited, and followed this story! You guys are the reason that keeps me going! :)
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~Superbluestar428