32 Productions Presents…
A HIVE Team StoryThe HIVE Team (and the Teen Titans) In…
"Crossed Paths"
Chapter One
Titan Tower: Garage
You read that right. Titan Tower. Not HIVE Tower nor is it Titan H.Q. This was the tower, the giant T. For you see, our story begins here, in the more standard Titans universe. Groaning, Raven rubbed her eyes, her sleepiness evident.
Raven: Could someone…PLEASE…tell me why we're all standing in the garage at five in the morning?
The Titans all looked drowsy, save for Cyborg. He was rather energetic, but you'd assume as much since he was the one that woke everybody else up. Shade leaned on Raven…snoring. With a groan, Raven patted him on the head…before shoving him to the floor. It didn't do anything…he stayed asleep. Terra and Beast Boy were also sleeping, though they had somehow managed to prop themselves just right so that, by leaning on each other, they stayed up right. Robin sighed.
Robin: Seriously, Cy…what's the big deal?
Cyborg: This!
He held up a device roughly the size of portable CD player with a WHOLE lot of buttons and a LCD screen on it. With a smug smile, he turned to his friends.
Cyborg: Know what this is?
Starfire examined it closely, studying the buttons and what not.
Starfire: Hmm…I would have to say that it is a matter transference device, used to cross massive distances in a matter of seconds?
Cyborg: Nope, it's a…no…wait, that's it. …damn.
Raven: You woke us up for that? For Azar's sake, you could have waited we were all up on our own.
Cyborg: …I got excited.
Everyone who was awake groaned in annoyance. As they turned to leave, Cyborg stopped them.
Cyborg: Wait, wait! C'mon, at least let me show you how it works!
Raven: I'm tired…
Robin: Just make it quick, Cyborg.
Pressing all sorts of buttons, Cyborg hit the big red one and…they all vanished. In the next second, seven new figures appeared, blinking and confused.
Inertia: Um…where are we?
Krystal: Something tells me we're not in Kansas anymore. Aunite Em! Auntie Em!
:CUE THEME! REMIX STYLE!:
Titan Tower: Main Room
The HIVE wandered around, confused. Where the hell were they? It LOOKED like their tower in many respects…but it clearly wasn't.
Gizmo: Look at this crud music selection! Crud…
He tossed a CD behind him.
Gizmo: Junk.
Another.
Gizmo: Double crud…
A whole bunch.
Red X: Gizmo, don't make a mess. This isn't our home.
Gizmo: This stuff is garbage. It's a mess so long as it isn't in the trash.
Mammoth: …but I like Depeche Mode…
Gizmo: Then your taste in music BLOWS!
Krystal sniffed around, confused. There was a smell…a very familiar smell…yet it was also different. It lacked…the blood. The smell of blood and death was missing.
Krystal: Guys…
Red X: What is it, Krystal? We're kind of in the middle of something here…
Krystal: I smell Titans. All of them.
Inertia: Where?
Krystal: Everywhere.
Red X scowled and thought for a moment. Something was very strange. Sighing, she turned to the others.
Red X: Everyone split up and look for bedrooms. Let's find out just who lives here. If you find anyone, call for back up immediately, regardless of who they are.
Nodding, the team split up.
HIVE Tower: Main Room
Meanwhile, the Titans were having a similar discussion. Cyborg was having trouble accessing the computer since it was designed by Gizmo and not himself. He had no idea what the passwords were. Grumbling, Raven got a glass of water and poured onto Shade's face.
Shade: What?! I'm up! I didn't do it! Ham sandwich!
Raven: …ham sandwich?
Shade: I'm hungry.
Beast Boy: DUDES! It's horrible!
Everyone sighed. Here it comes…
Beast Boy: There's no tofu in the fridge!
Silence for a moment before everyone decided to ignore him. He crossed his arms and huffed. Nobody gave a rat's ass about his beliefs. …jerks. Terra patted his head.
Terra: There, there, Gar. We'll get you some later…as soon as SOMEBODY fixes his teleporter.
The damn thing had broken when they arrived. It sputtered, smoked, and then it was dead. Cyborg grumbled as he attempted to access the computer some more.
Cyborg: Yeah, like that's MY fault.
An alarm went off. Rushing to the front door, they found it broken open. Starfire stood outside it, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
Starfire: I…er…went out to get a better look and found that my pass code did not allow me entry.
Shaking it off, Starfire stepped back and pointed up at the tower.
Starfire: I believe we may be in the dire straits my friends.
Everyone stepped outside and gazed up. …it was a giant H.
Beast Boy: Dude! Did we go back to when the HIVE kicked us out?
Cyborg: No, look. This tower has always looked like this. When the HIVE built over our tower, they were just attaching things to it to make it look like an H.
Terra: So where the hell are we?
That was the 64 million dollar question, wasn't it?
Titan Tower: Raven's Room
Jinx was dumbstruck. This was Raven's room. There was no doubting it. Her name was on a few things. A few cards, some poems…all very depressing…and even on a diary…not to mention the fricking door. Jinx considered not looking at it…for about a second before picking it up and opening it to the last entry.
Diary Entry: I must be a glutton for punishment. It's the only reason I can think of that I read in that room. I sat down and started reading, as usual. Then Beast Boy starts accusing Cyborg of cheating. Cyborg, of course, denies it. Back and forth, back and forth, all the while my grip on the book tightens and tightens. And then, without reaching any conclusion, they just start playing something else. And again, Beast Boy calls him a cheater. If Hell is repetition, I must be burning by now. I never thought I'd write this, but I can't wait for Terra to come home and start making out with the green twit so it'll shut him up. Their voices are like the opposite ends of the spectrum. Beast Boy's is high pitched and makes me grind my teeth while if Cyborg's was any deeper, the room would vibrate with each "booyah" that left his mouth. Well, I've got a date with Shade in a few minutes. I better at least brush my hair a bit.
And that was how it ended. No words of violence, no blood and guts…nothing. It didn't seem…right. It wasn't what she was expecting at all. Approaching the bed, Jinx laid down on it, staring at the ceiling. So this was what Raven saw first thing in the morning? Getting out of the bed, Jinx opened the closet and froze. The cloaks were blue. And there were leotards on the hangers as well. Where were the red cloaks? Where were the two piece leather outfits? Something was very wrong.
Shade's Room
Krystal sank to her knees, crying into her hands. The smell was everywhere. This was Shade's room…but it couldn't be. No claw marks, no dead bodies strewn all over…it couldn't possibly be Shade's. And yet, it had to be. The smell was unmistakable. Wiping her eyes, Krystal stood up and started looking around some more. Proof…she needed proof. Picking up some papers on the desk, Krystal came across a series of drawings. One made her freeze. It was herself. The resemblance made that clear and it was further proven by the caption underneath. It looks like Shade was composing his own series of enemy notes.
Notes: Krystal is extremely dangerous. Unbalanced to the point of not understanding the severity of her actions, she does whatever seems fun to her. When people get on her case about her murderous actions, she seems to be confused by it, though she shrugs it off with a smile and a blast of light from her palms. Before I became a Titan, I never was able to beat her. The training Robin has me do has allowed me to catch up to her. Despite her appearance, Krystal is intelligent and, more importantly, highly creative. I've tried to get her help, but her stays in the asylum never do more then bring her back from the edge of total catatonia. Maybe I should just leave it alone and let her plunge. I'll lose my sister forever, but on the other hand a lot of lives could be saved. No, I can't do it. She's got to respond some day. She's got to.
Murderous?! Her?! Unbalanced, she'll give him that, but not THAT unbalanced. And who was he to call the kettle black?! Putting the papers back, Krystal noticed a picture in a frame. It was Shade and Raven…Raven was on Shade's back, giving a slight wave to the camera and a soft smile. Shade looked somewhat annoyed that she was on his back that way, but carried her anyhow. Given Raven's personality, a picture like that was once in a lifetime. Shade would HAVE to frame it. Krystal gaped at the picture. Raven's purple eyes and blue cloak aside, Shade was standing upright…he had shoes! And a shirt! That meant he could get service! …but more importantly, that meant…what did it mean?
Starfire's Room
Blackfire picked up a stuffed animal and gave it a squeeze. The name on the door said "Starfire"…but these weren't the things Blackfire thought she would have. No pictures of herself…only one mirror…well kept…it didn't seem like it would be hers. Opening the closet, Blackfire yelped as a collection of Tamaranian objects, clothes, some still in the store bags she bought them in, and various other things fell on her. Groaning, she stuck her head out of the pile she had created.
Blackfire: (grumbling) Well, now I know why the room is so clean. She shoves everything into her closet.
Pulling herself free, Blackfire stumbled onto the bed and sat down. Something wriggled out from under the covers, making Blackfire "EEK" and fly up into the air. Silkie regarded the woman so similar to her owner with curious eyes. Nervously, Blackfire landed and reached for the mutant larva hesitantly. It moved forward and rubbed against her hand like an affectionate kitten. Giggling softly, Blackfire sat down and Silkie crawled onto her lap, rubbing against her.
Blackfire: I guess you're kinda cute…in a freaky worm sort of way…so, what do you know about my sister?
No intelligible response. Well, that should have been expected. Sighing, Blackfire laid back.
Blackfire: Where ARE we?
HIVE Tower: Jinx's Room
Raven walked along the shelves, admiring the vast collection of tomes. The name on the door said "Jinx"…and it WAS a giant H…so did the HIVE live here? It was all very confusing. Raven had to say, Jinx was a more accomplished sorceress then she had imagined. It was odd that all she seemed to do was cause bad luck.
Raven: No odder then me just using my powers to throw crap, I suppose. Whatever comes easiest.
Raven picked up a photograph on the dresser next to the bed. It was frameless and there were marks on it. Raven frowned. …tears perhaps? Yes…the marks were almost certainly from fallen tears. It was Sonic and Jinx…but not the way she remembered. Sonic never wore a costume. He had no need for it. He had a sort of punkish look, hence his tongue piercing, among other things. The Sonic in this picture had a ridiculous looking white costume with purple circular designs. Raven assumed they were supposed to be sound waves. As for Jinx, her hair was in a ponytail, rather then the usual almost cat-ear like shapes. Very strange indeed. She felt bad about digging through someone else's things…it was the very thing Raven hated someone else doing to her. …but…it could lead to important clues, so what choice did she have? Sadly, it yielded nothing…wait…Raven took a handful of hair scrunchies out of a drawer. …now why would Jinx have so many if she didn't keep her hair in a ponytail all the time?
Raven Curiouser and curiouser…
Krystal's Room
There was no mistaking whose room it was. It smelled like Krystal everywhere. The room was a bizarre mixture of dainty femininity and adolescent boy (specially the Batman bed sheets). The sheer fact she was living with anyone other then Blackfire was odd. Most couldn't tolerate her unnerving smile, twisting and curving sense of logic, and plain disregard for the lives of others for very long. Furthermore, Krystal wasn't much of a team player since she couldn't grasp long term goals. It was always "how many people will I kill today?" and that was about the jist of it.
Shade: …I know my sister better then anyone…maybe even better then Blackfire does…there's no way this is her room…but…
Shade picked up the pillow and sniffed. …undoubtedly Krystal's. …her name was in staples on the other side, just through the pillow case. It fit with her ever changing sense of style. She could be girly one day, tomboyish the next. The staples had a certain punk look, Shade had to say. …er…not that he cared about fashion in anyway. Heh…um…yeah, he just put the pillow down. Still, it came to the big question once more.
Shade: Where the f are we…?
And then he heard a sound.
Blackfire's Room
Starfire examined the wardrobe, confused. The fabric was indeed Tamaranian, as the name on the door would suggest…yet the clothes weren't Blackfire's at all. Very strange. Much of what was happening today was completely off. It made her wonder if…
Shade: GET IT OFF!
Startled, Starfire looked out into the hall to see Shade struggling with a small child sized feline creature that was biting and clawing him.
Starfire: Shade! Do not pick on children!
Shade: How about children don't pick on ME?! Ah! Stop biting me, damn it!
Snatching the small creature from Shade's body, Starfire cuddled it and stroked its head. The creature regarded her curiously.
Starfire: There, there…what is your name, little one?
Hikari: Hi-ka-ri.
It spoke each syllable slowly, as if trying to ensure they were correct. Starfire giggled.
Starfire: She speaks! What else can you say?
It tilted its head. Then it spoke very quickly.
Hikari: Dyslexic Tac!
Shade: …yeah, that's my sister's alright.
Upon hearing his voice, it turned to Shade and yowled menacingly. Shade yelped and backed up. It's not that the creature scared him…he just…um…didn't want to hurt such a small being. Yeah.
Starfire: Let us go back to the main room now. I do not think there is anything left for us to find.
Shade: I guess so…but does it have to come with us?
Starfire stuck her tongue out at him.
Starfire: Yes, SHE does.
Hikari did the same thing. Grumbling, Shade followed Starfire, keeping his distance from Hikari's claws.
Shade: Yeah, keep smirking at me you little monster…
END PART ONE
