The Wicked One
Chapter 25: Yearning
XXXXXX
It had become a war.
We danced around the aliens, the still collapsing rubble, the starbolts from the guards and Blackfire. It was an odd team we four made. All agile, all quick on their feet, the more strength driven enemies we fought had a hard time pinning any one of us down. And when they did Red-X or I could be there in an instant, giving us the advantage.
We were certainly a force to be reckoned with but we weren't without our faults. One good hit from any of these aliens could put us out of the fight. It was also clear that Red-X was not used to fighting in a group, more than once we almost collided with one another after teleporting. The Titan seemed to be holding his own grudge with Jinx throughout the entire ordeal, although I wasn't exactly happy to see her I at least was aware of our situation enough not to let my personal feelings get in the way. The Titan…not so much.
He would glare at her any free second he had and if I was not mistaken one or two of those boomerang things seemed to aim right for her before conveniently hitting one of the Tamarans that were trying to strike her. Jinx on the other hand seemed to focus more on avoiding us, moving on to the next battle whenever Red-X or I appeared to give her back up, and while I couldn't exactly complain I was aware that this distance was putting her at risk more often than not.
None of us spoke to one another while we fought for our lives, well, not counting the occasional one liner I'd sometimes overhear from Red-X whenever I happened to end up around him. This fact remained true for a good while until I happened to land right beside Robin after slamming one of the Tamaran's faces into the floor from behind, this was about the third time I had done this to this poor, particular individual so I was pretty confident he was out cold this time.
"Hey, can we talk for a second?" The Titan suddenly spoke up, breaking me from my observation of my defeated foe. I couldn't help but flinch at his voice, in the back of my mind I had been preparing for him to try and attack me when I was least expecting it, in the middle of a battlefield would be as good a place as any.
I turned on him; cloak in hand, only to see him focusing his attention on his surroundings, apparently making sure that we weren't going to be attacked while we talked. I looked around us as well. Both Red-X and Jinx appeared to be fighting the two remaining purple guards while what remained of the rest of the aliens looked on, more than likely looking for an opening, Number 26 was in their midst in the air, even her attention seemed to be focused on them for the moment.
"Look, I'll put this simply; I need your help with something." Robin spoke; I turned my attention back to him, doing my best to hide the confused expression I wanted to express.
He wants my help? Is he just desperate? Or-?
"I don't know who you are but I know for sure that those two can't be trusted." The Titan continued, his masked eyes flashing back to the battle scene that was taking place across the room, I glanced over as well. Apparently a few of the aliens noticed our absence already; a few were making their way towards us.
Wait…did he just say he didn't know who I was?
"I'd introduce myself but it doesn't look like we'll have the time, do you see those two over there?"
The Titan then points, I follow his finger to the two Titans that were still chained up on the altar. I look back to Robin and nodded slowly. How can he not recognize me? I know we never really fought face to face before but Raven knew me…and after that whole deal with the Brotherhood of Evil wouldn't they have files on everyone who was there…
Oh.
I think this as I touch my face. Right. My cowl got destroyed; Robin's looking at some kid with white hair and red eyes right now. I quickly run the hand through my hair to make the gesture more casual looking.
"Do you think you can bring us to them? Their friends of mine, strong friends, they should be able to help us if we can free them."
I look from him to the two chained up people again. Would Raven still recognize me without my cowl? Would she try and attack me regardless?
I still had those images of her rage beating me mercilessly. It felt like I had been in that hell for months even though it was only a few hours at most. That thing made my claw look like a child's play toy. What if it came out…there'd be no hope for us then…
"C'mon!" Robin yelled impatiently, snapping me from my thoughts, "They're getting closer, if we're going to do this it has to be now!"
Risk or no risk I had to try. This was Fixit's plan from the start. If I could not even do this much then what was the point of even saying I would help?
I nodded without bothering to look at how close we were from getting attacked. I could feel my claw moving as I stepped up right in front of Robin. I was a good few inches taller than him. It would be so easy to kill him right now as he looked up at me full of expectation. The battle has really made him desperate, to trust a stranger this much. I should really make him pay for being so relaxed, for not seeing me as a threat, he doesn't know anything. He doesn't know what he did to my life; he doesn't know how bad I want to-.
I reach out with my good hand and gripped Robin on the shoulder. He flinches in surprise but doesn't do anything further, still looking right into my eyes with that calm controlled gaze of his. My claw twitched again.
It would be so easy to gut him right here. Just ram my claw into his stomach and drink my fill. It would be so easy…
The Titan then whirled his head to the side.
"Look out!" He cried, moving to grip my shoulder as well. I didn't give him time to do anything further. I took my claw and reached out…
I could not feel the fabric as I gripped the cloak but I knew with a quick glance that it was in my claw. Without another moment's pause I pulled the cape over us just as I felt multiple presences descend upon us.
I felt the Titan tense for a moment as we vanished into the cold blackness. I wondered if it scared him… The thought vanished as we left the darkness and reappeared right in front of the two Titan's chained up against the pillars.
"Beastboy! Raven!" Robin called, rushing up to them. I hung back and looked back out into the room. The multiple Tamarans that tried to ambush us were already looking around frantically to where I could have reappeared. It was long past time for any of them to be confused by my powers, we had to be fast or we will be attacked again. I turn back around to see Robin examining the green one; it looked as though he had passed out at some point. I also couldn't help but notice the familiar looking metallic collars that were around his and Raven's neck, though even if I could warn Robin about them…there really was no point.
"Beastboy! Beastboy can you hear me!" Robin called out as he gripped his fellow Titan by the exposed part of his shoulders; his voice was a little loud for my liking. Sure enough when I look back out to the room several more of the aliens have realized where we were.
I walked over and quickly tap on the Titan's shoulder.
"What?" He snapped, turning to face me, I did not need to explain as his gaze appeared to have already looked on what was going on behind me. "Damnit!"
He turned back to Beastboy.
"Beastboy, you gotta wake up now! Beastboy!"
The green Titan didn't budge or respond. He was out like a light.
"Damnit!" Robin cursed again; reaching down into his belt the Titan produced a small, gun-like object from one of the pouches. "I promised I wouldn't use this unless our lives were in danger…so you're going to have to forgive me…"
Robin muttered this to himself as he tore away a part of the green one's sleeve, a moment later pressing the 'gun' against the exposed flesh. I watched, fascinated, as the Titan pulled the trigger of the 'gun', as soon as he did the green Titan's chest suddenly expanded and green eyes flew open in shock.
The Titan jolted forwards, but was restrained by the chains of light. His body began twitching violently as he fought against his bindings, his breathing wild and erratic. Robin took a few steps back, letting his gun fall to the floor; I quickly followed his lead as the green Titan began to let out strange, guttural noises.
"I'm sorry Beastboy." Robin muttered, instantly catching the green Titan's attention as his head suddenly shot up to face him. His face was coated in sweat; his eyes open as wide as they can go.
"R-Robin?" the Titan spoke in a voice that sounded much different than when I heard him speak before, it was deeper…darker…more like a growl than an actual voice.
"I'll explain later." Robin answered, his own gaze never breaking from the other Titan's, "Right now…we need the Beast."
"N-no…Robin you can't-!"
The Titan cut himself off as he let out a terrible cry of pain. But…it was more of some animal howl than an actual cry, I felt myself backing off even further away as his body convulsed even more violently. I couldn't tear my eyes away as his body started to change. It wasn't that almost instantaneous change I saw him perform on top of the Titan's Tower; it was slow and painful looking.
His entire body seemed to expand outwards. His chest, arms and legs all grew in size and began to grow a thick coat of green hair. While I was transfixed by the entire scene my focus locked on the Titan's face, the boyish looks melted away, teeth formed into long fangs filling a widening mouth, the color in his eyes faded to complete whiteness and as the Titan roared in pain the animal fury became even more apparent. The chains of light began to tighten around the teen's ever growing body; it didn't look like it would hold if he got any bigger.
The sound of rushing wind suddenly broke through my transfixed concentration, quickly looked over to Robin to see one of the aliens had finally reached him, the Titan still distracted as he watched his friend's change. I reached out to them, unable to call out. I began to run, knowing full well that I would not make it in time. But before I could even take more than a few steps a sudden howl, louder than any previous, tore through the air and before I knew it a mass of green fur suddenly flew through the air—hitting the attacking Tamaran mid air and sending them both into the ground below the altar.
Robin spun around in surprise, both of us turning our attention to the green beast that was busy beating the unsuspecting alien into the ground mercilessly. The Titan slowly turned his gaze to me before his masked eyes grew wide.
"Look out!" He called, indicating something behind me. I turned, but it was only in time to see another Tamaran fixing to slam his fist into my face. Before he had the chance to however a large clawed hand then gripped him at the ankle, a second later he was pulled away from me before being slammed face first into the floor. The beast that gripped him only released his hold after making sure he threw him clear across the room.
Number 26 and the other Tamarans quickly took notice. The two guards were still relentlessly attacking Red-X and Jinx so it was easy for the Tamaran princess and her people to switch their attention to us. I looked over to see that the green beast hadn't moved since throwing the other alien, I immediately took a step backwards when I realized he was looking directly at me. The collar was still around his neck, I guess the thing had the ability to expand no matter what Beastboy turned into…so if Number 26 wanted to…
I kept my gaze on those two white eyes, afraid that if I even looked away he would be on me. But as he stared back I didn't get the sense that he was preparing to attack me. Call it some sort of intuition but the thing seemed to understand that I was an ally…or at least I wasn't worth its attention. With a growl it broke its gaze with me and turned its attention to the small group of advancing aliens. With another savage roar it kicked off from the ground and into the air where they flew.
"I know it looks bad but Beastboy is still on our side, in that form he should be able to buy us a little time." Robin spoke up behind me, his voice sounded angry. I turned to see him bending down beside Raven, a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Raven's cloak was missing from her body, I didn't realize how small and frail she looked without it, dressed in simple, black skin-tight clothing underneath. Her bangs were still effectively covering her face as her head remained downcast, even when Robin had made his presence known beside her. Was she unconscious to?
"Raven? Hey Raven…are you alright?" Robin whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. Raven didn't reply though her head did raise slightly, though not enough so I could see her eyes. Were they normal…or red?
"Robin…" Raven spoke so softly I wouldn't have heard it from my distance if it wasn't for my abnormal ears.
"Yeah it's me, are you okay Raven? Did they hurt you?" The Titan's leader pressed, hand still on her shoulder.
"Hurt…me…?" She replied, just as quietly. I remembered this Raven. Listening to her speaking so quietly, so helplessly, it was the same Raven I met in her head, the one that called itself Sadness.
I relaxed slightly and approached a little closer. As long as she wasn't Rage…
Raven appeared to hear my footsteps and her face turned to my direction. I could see her eyes then, big and purple with dark circles. There was redness in them…but not from demonic influence…more like she had been…
"Hello, Kyd Wykkyd, long time no see." Raven greeted, smiling slightly. I froze at that, dumb-founded that she could recognize me so quickly.
"Kyd Wykkyd…?" Robin questioned, instantly pulling my intention to him. His brows furrowed in thought before he turned his masked gaze back to me. I knew the unseen eyes were going over my unfamiliar face and down to the more than likely much more familiar remains of costume I still wore. Realization quickly spread over his face. "You…!"
"Robin…you need to leave." Raven continued, oblivious to the newfound attention between Robin and me. The Titan leader glared at me for several moments before turning his attention back to her.
"I plan on leaving as soon as I get you out of these chains." He replied, gripping the chains in question. Raven turned away from me to face her leader, shaking her head sadly.
"Do not waste any effort on me, Robin, you must take Beastboy if you can and leave. There is no hope left here, I…"
She fell silent then, her words catching both of our attentions as her gaze drifted to something beside us. Both our heads turned until we were staring at some object…it looked like a coffin, only it was made completely out of some kind of shiny black rock, like obsidian, and the coffin itself was at least five times larger than normal.
"What are you talking about!" Robin shot, tugging on the chains now as he turned his attention back to his fellow Titan, "I'm…not…leaving…without…everyone!"
"I killed Starfire's guardian." Raven spoke in that dead voice that reminded me of Fixit. Robin froze in his struggles, his mask wide with shock. I looked from Raven back to the coffin.
"You…what?" He breathed, but if Raven had planned on answering she was cut off with a terrible scream as red electricity suddenly burst from the collar around her neck. Robin cried out in more surprise than pain as he was forced to release his grip on the chains as the electricity burst outwards from her body.
"Raven!" Robin cried out in horror. We then heard another, more animalistic cry of pain, forcing both of our eyes on the green beast, hunched over on the ground as electricity assaulted his body. The electricity continued for several moments before finally stopping after Raven had stopped screaming. Her entire body sunk against her restraints, and it didn't look like she would be rising again, even the beast seemed to struggle to remain standing, the aliens moving in to surround him.
"I believe you have interfered enough, little bird." A voice rang out. The Titan and I turned to see Number 26 floating in the air above us, her finger just recently removed from some button on the device at her wrist.
"Blackfire!" Robin hissed, the hands at his sides gripping into fists.
I quickly glanced around at our surroundings. Red-X and Jinx seemed to have begun working together against their purple armored opponents but with the two guards working together now as well it still looked like a very tough struggle for them. The green beast was standing again but even he could see that he was outmatched by the ten or so remaining Tameranians that surrounded him now. So that left Number 26 alone with us.
"Let her go Blackfire!" The Titan demanded, reaching into his belt he pulled out a small cylindrical object, with a wave of his arm it extended to a very long staff looking weapon. Number 26 glared down at him, not a trace of an amused smile or fear on her face.
"I have grown tired of your arrogance." She spoke in a voice void of anything but disgust and hatred, her frown deepened as she raised both hands, one pointed at the Titan and the other at myself, "And I am tired of both of your defiance's. I will kill you both…"
Her eyes then suddenly flickered to the unmoving See-More on the ground across the room, her eyes then turned to me as I had looked over and back to her as well. A smile than grew on her face, though that killer intent was still in her eyes.
"…and then I shall squash the insect that challenged me and reclaim my destiny as Queen of Tamaran!"
I gritted my teeth, clenching one hand and allowing the claw to extend its fingers as it wished.
"Wait!" Robin called, "I'll handle Blackfire, you help Red-X and Jinx!"
I turned to him, making sure defiance was written all over my face. The Titan glared back at me.
"You can handle those guards better than I can, we need the others if we're going to free Raven and-!"
"ENOUGH!" Number 26 roared, hands glowing purple now. But before she could fire Robin reached into his belt and, pulling out some small metallic balls, threw them at her. Number 26 tried to raise her hands to blast them away but before they could even touch her, the balls exploded on their own, instantly blinding me as a bright light erupted from them. I quickly covered my face with my cape to shield my eyes.
"Go now!" Robin ordered from somewhere that I could no longer see.
I gritted my teeth again.
Damn.
With no time to think to form some kind of plan where I could attack 26 myself I pulled the cape around me. I reopened my eyes, barely catching the view of the infinite darkness before reappearing back on solid ground.
"Kyd?"
"Hey there Kyddo, welcome back to the party."
Jinx and Red-X greeted me almost as soon as I reappeared. I quickly looked around and realized that I was right in the middle of the four of them. Red-X and Jinx on one side, the two guards on the other. The one without the helmet glared at me, though his eyes glanced momentarily at my claw. I quickly remembered the guard who had pulled out the spear from his dead comrade and challenged me before being hit by See-More. Guess he doesn't forget grudges that quickly.
I turned to face the guards fully, clenched fist and claw at my sides. The guard with no helmet spoke something unintelligible to the helmed guard. The helmed guard looked down at my claw after he had finished speaking. I forced the claw to go behind my back, the motion causing the two guards to flinch instantly, spears held at the ready.
"Yo Kyd, you do something to spook those guys?" Red-X asked. I turned my head slightly to see him and Jinx looking down at my claw as well. Jinx was looking at it with a slightly agape mouth, clearly shocked. Red-X on the other hand merely folded his arms and chuckled.
"New appendage, right? Well if it's enough to scare those guys I can't say I'll complain about it, but remember, I'm allergic to demon, so no high-fives after we pummel these two, alright?"
I nodded slowly, forcing my gaze away from Jinx. The fire inside me was telling me I had to find a way to say a few choice things to my old leader, but that had to wait. I turned my attention fully on the two guards, the aliens tensing instantly.
"We'll follow your lead Kyd, right Pinky?"
There was a silence at that before a slightly aggravated voice replied:
"…don't call me tha-."
"That's a yes! After you!" Red-X assured, cutting Jinx off. I looked back one last time to see him giving me a thumbs up; I looked at Jinx for only a moment. Her pink eyes stared back at me, hesitantly, but just as I looked away I could swear I saw a small smile appear on her face. While I was still confused and angry with her for being here I couldn't ignore the fact that we'd be in a much tighter spot without her.
Alright…
I hunched slightly, pulling the hem of my cape out in front of me. The guards reacted instantly, pointing both tips of their spears in my direction.
Round 2.
I pulled my cape around me just as I heard the footsteps of the two behind me begin their charge. I started running in the darkness appearing back into the world running at the backs of the two guards. They of course expected me to appear behind them but they were unable to turn due to the two teens that were barreling towards them from the front. With a fierce battle cry Jinx threw both arms out in front of her, pink waves of energy shooting outwards. With nowhere to go but up the two guards took to the air. I caught Red-X kicking off from the ground before pulling my cape over myself again, narrowly avoiding the pink energy that missed the guards.
I reappeared across from Red-X in the air. The two guards in between us. He attacking the one without the helmet's front while I went for the back of the one with the helmet. I did not have time to see what his plan of attack was as I focused on the back of the helmet. My claw attacked instinctively, faster than I could control it it reached out to grab the alien's helmet. As I had hoped the alien noticed me quickly, spinning around and holding out his spear to hit me with the back swing. The claw, having no choice, halted its advance on the alien's head and instead grabbed the spear by the pole, stopping it instantly from chopping me in half. While I still had the momentum I made to smash the guard into his unexposed face but what I didn't expect was the guard to suddenly drop his spear.
I fell instantly through the air. I looked up as I fell to see the guard pointing both hands towards me, I vaguely noted the missing presence of Red-X and the other guard before the purple energy began to rain down like bullets. I gripped my cape just as the claw released its hold on the spear, allowing me to pull us both back into the darkness.
I reappeared back on solid ground, facing the guard just as he caught his spear in one hand, his eyes glowing purple in the darkness of his helmet. I gripped my cape again in preparation to vanish once more only to have the guard suddenly fly through the air towards me. I didn't have enough time to react the way I wanted as the spear was suddenly thrust in my direction. I managed to pull the cape in between us like a shield with just enough room to be able to watch the spear tip make contact with the cape and then begin to sink into it like an open doorway.
While the maneuver saved me from dying there definitely wasn't enough cape space for the guard to fit through along with the spear. But just before that became a problem a pink blur suddenly came soaring from beside us, sending two well placed boots against the side of the guard's helmet. While the impact was solid and enough to release the grip the guard had on the spear (allowing it to harmlessly fall the rest of the way into my cape) the guard himself only flew back several feet away, the well-dented purple helmet still securely placed on his head.
"Well that could have gone better…" Jinx grumbled to herself, standing almost exactly where I saw the pink blur had sent that horizontal kick to the alien's head. It had been so long, I had almost forgotten how limber she was. Jinx caught me staring and our eyes immediately averted.
"Ah…that was uh…a close one there Kyd…"
I nodded. I looked at her again out of the corner of my eye; she seemed to be looking anywhere but at me, a strange shade of red on her face. Finally her bright pink eyes looked up at me again, that strange red color growing redder.
"You know, I've never seen you without your-."
She was cut off however when the helmed guard suddenly charged her, attempting to send a flying kick to her head. Although distracted Jinx managed to duck away from the kick and then twirl away from the subsequent kick that the guard attempted with his other foot as he spun mid-attack. The hex master performed those tell-tale back flips of hers to form some distance between them as the guard then began shooting out those energy bolts at her retreating form. Though before she even stopped flipping the guard was already on top of her again, having flown in her direction before allowing all his energy to make contact. Still on her hands Jinx was forced to push herself off into the air to avoid getting smashed by the guard's fist. She landed back down several feet away only to have the guard already on her again throwing punch after punch into her.
Despite my own eyes having trouble keeping up Jinx seemed capable of maneuvering her body away from the punches, though the close proximity was keeping her from distancing herself any further from the alien. I also couldn't help but notice how close to the wall the two were getting… in fact Jinx just hit the wall with her back.
Damn it.
Wasting no more time I gripped my cape and pulled it around me, the cold darkness greeting me for its not even half a second before I reappeared back into the world, a solid kick sinking into my gut.
Wait…what?
I only had time to look up at the guard's glowing eyes before I was blown backwards, sliding for a ways on my back. I clenched my stomach in my good hand, a burning sensation threatening to spew up from my mouth. I tried to sit up, only making it to my elbows, but it was just in time to see Jinx jump on the unintentional distraction I gave her.
The guard turned from attacking me, fist already at the ready, only to have Jinx's hand calmly place itself at the face of his helmet. Jinx's eyes glew a menacing shade of pink just as pink energy sparked from her hands. An instant later the guard jerked away from her, his hands on his helmet as he seemed to struggle with it. Jinx immediately moved away from the wall as the guard turned away from her, allowing me to see that his helmed had unluckily crushed itself around his face and neck, keeping him both from seeing and from taking it off. Still, judging the strength of these Tameranian's I assumed it would only take him a matter of seconds to just rip the thing off but as I watched him seem to struggle with all his might to pull off the now offending piece of metal I could only assume that these guard's armor was especially tough.
"Hey Kyd, you alright?" A voice asked me. I looked up to see Jinx was now standing before me, hand extended in my direction.
I nodded in response to her question, the burning sensation still in my stomach though it wasn't threatening to spill out my mouth anymore, but I hesitated in accepting her hand. Jinx quickly took note of my hesitation as her hand threatened to fall back to her side. With a silent grunt of effort I released my good hand from my stomach and gripped her hand. She looked taken back for a moment but quickly composed herself before helping me stand back up. My good hand quickly released hers and went to back my stomach when I was back on my feet, the burning feeling returning with a passion from the sudden movement.
"You sure you're okay? That guy really got you with that kick didn't he?"
I only shrugged, forcing my hand to my side to not make it look like it was all that bad, Jinx seemed to study me for a second but when her eyes drifted to the claw I reflexively put it behind my back, Jinx looking away from me almost immediately.
"Well, anyways, I don't think he'll be a problem anymore." She commented as we both looked at the guard who was still having trouble with removing his helmet. He had resorted to trying to blast some of that energy against his own head, only to have the bolts bounce harmlessly off the helmet. "Weird, it's almost like that armor was made to defend against their own people. Why do you think they'd have something like that?"
Probably to take care of Starfire. I thought this as I remembered the orange Titan shouting at me and See-More about her own people attacking her when she got here. By the way she had looked then and how those guards didn't appear to have a scratch on them they seemed to have done the job pretty well.
I looked around for Starfire, suddenly curious about her condition but it appeared that her, and most of her people, had managed to escape through the door at the back of the room before the cave in from the ship buried it in rubble. I started to look around the room more. The green beast managed to break free from his captors encirclement a few moments ago but now it seemed all he could do was stay on the run as the small group of Tameran warriors flew after him. Looking back at the altar I could see Robin having his own personal duel with Number 26, it seemed he was more capable at close range fighting than See-More was though I knew one good punch from the alien would be all it would take to take him out, after all he was only human. Even from my distance I could see how tired he had become, how weak…
The claw twitched, breaking me from my trance. I quickly shook my head to clear the sudden desires. A hand on my shoulder immediately made me flinch away from the contact, though when I looked back all there was was Jinx, hand slowly returning to her side.
"Are you okay? …you look kinda pale…" She asked, though it sounded more like a whisper. Her pink eyes were wide and her lips were slightly parted. She looked so…scared.
Twitch.
My claw slowly rose itself until it hung in the air between us. Jinx's pink, pink eyes stared at it in silent amazement. I expected her to gasp, to back away, or even maybe attack me. But she just stared at it. No, not only stare at it. I watched as one of her hands rose as well until it was level with the claw. My eyes caught her pink ones, there was no fear in those eyes, all I could see was wonder…a question that needed no words to ask, not that I could give any words as an answer either way. Her eyes lowered again as if she had an answer, fixing themselves on the claw, her hand inching slowly towards it—fingers outstretched.
But instead of the twitch I had all but expected from that claw I felt something much more unexpected. A heavy heartbeat. A dull throbbing that started somewhere deep inside my chest. Had that beating thing always been there? And was it always this loud?
The throbbing of the thing in my chest filled my ears as her pale fingers suddenly were mere inches from the pointed tips of the claw's fingers. And just as she was about to touch it, instead of trying to strike, instead of attacking another poor unsuspecting victim, the claw instead flinched away from the contact less than a second before her fingers touched it. The breath caught in my throat as Jinx looked back up into my eyes.
We stood there for only a second, neither knowing what to say or do to the other. So many of those questions filled up inside my head in that simple second, so many things that I wanted to—needed to ask her, but knowing there was no way I ever could. And in that second Jinx seemed to be able to make some realization of her own. Her eyes grew wide again and even opened her mouth as if to say something, but whatever that something was was quickly interrupted by a sudden dark figure that almost fell into us as he stumbled backwards, trying to keep balance.
"Hey uh, I don't mean to interrupt this little intimate reunion you two got going here…" Red-X greeted after he managed to keep himself from falling down. Standing between us he pointed at something to my right. "…but I kind of got a situation I might need a little help with."
Jinx and I both looked over to where he was pointing to see the "situation" to be little more than the helmetless guard—fists clenched, eyes glowing, and flying towards us at a dangerous speed.
"Sorry for thinking the master thief would be able to handle himself; I'll remember not to make that mistake again." Jinx commented, holding her arms towards the guard in a defensive position while shooting Red-X a very mocking looking grin.
"Whoa there Pinky, this call for help is just for Kyd. Though next time I'm out of windows to break or ladders to walk under I'll be sure to give you a call." Red-X retorted, extending his own arms outwards as blades in the shape of red X's extended outward from his gloves, looking much like a pair of deadly claws. Jinx lost her grin as she glared heatedly at the master thief.
"I told you not to call me-!"
"Heads up Pinky!" Red-X shouted before sending an elbow into Jinx's stomach. I watched as a shocked expression come over her face as she hunched over and took a step back from the sudden blow. Though that surprise only increased when an armored fist threw itself into the empty air that Jinx had been standing in only a second ago. Red-X took a step back after elbowing Jinx to narrowly avoid the blow as well but already he moved back in to close the distance his own, now clawed, hand already held back behind him.
"Too slow!"
Red-X then sent his own punch into the guard's face, only to have the guard use his non-fisted hand to block the blow, gripping it between the top two pointed tips of the X shaped claw. I gripped my cape and quickly moved in; preparing to slice into the guy with the hem of the cloak, only to quickly realize that the guard had far from forgotten I was there.
Shooting me a particularly menacing looking glare the Tameran suddenly flung Red-X into me. The thief's body hit me directly in the side, the mere weight of him sending us both into the ground as the guard released his hold on Red-X's fist.
"Sorry about that, guess the guy was expecting another attack like that after I split his spear in half." Red-X grumbled as he quickly moved from on top of me, allowing us both to stand. I was forced to grip my stomach again as another flare of heat threatened to rise.
I quickly pushed the discomfort aside however when Red-X and I turned our attention back to the guard, hands and eyes glowing a fierce purple color. None of us had enough time to act further however when a sudden girlish battle cry resounded in the dungeon. All three of us looked over just in time to see Jinx unleash a rather large wave of pink energy—the energy soaring up into the still hanging pieces of rubble from the rooftop. An instant later large shards of stone began to fall as if there had been a second ship that crashed through. The guard attempted to fly away from the avalanche but it was simple too massive a scale…so massive in fact that I couldn't help but notice the rather large slabs of stone heading right for my head as well.
"Uh…Kyd…do that thing you do…" Red-X breathed, gripping my cape and tugging it lightly as he looked up into the collapsing ceiling as well. With a quick nod I gripped my cloak once again and pulled it around the thief and myself.
"Damn that's cold!" Red-X shouted as soon as we reappeared, instantly leaping away from me and making Jinx jump in fright.
"Don't shout like that!" She shouted, slapping Red-X on the arm when he got too close. The thief whining a little louder than he really needed to as he massaged the assaulted limb.
"Man…you really did a number on that guy." Red-X noted after he had calmed down, I looked to where he was mentioning to see a rather sizeable mountain of rubble that had taken the place of where the guard, Red-X, and I stood less than a second ago.
"Yeah…I guess I kind of got carried away…" Jinx mumbled, scratching her cheek and looking embarrassed.
"Getting carried away isn't a bad thing, turns out it's actually a pretty good thing. Kyd knows all about that, am I right?"
I shot him the worst glare I could conjure which seemed to do the trick as Red-X held his hands up defensively, laughing nervously.
"No offense meant of course!" He quickly assured. I granted him a silent sigh as Jinx looked on at us with an almost peaceful smile.
I quickly returned my attention to our surroundings, now that the guards were taken care of should we focus on helping out that green animal or Robi-?
It all happened too fast.
Jinx was hit from behind first. I could only watch as her emotions changed from surprise to pain in an instant before she was on the ground, armored foot on her back and armored hands holding her own arms up behind her. Despite the surprise attack Red-X and I immediately tried to head towards them, only to be stopped by Jinx's screams of pain as her arms were pulled. The guard that attacked her then turned his face to us; it was the one that had the helmet smashed around his face…though apparently he had morphed it enough to allow just enough room for one glowing purple eye to shine through.
"Let her go you bastar-!" Red-X demanded, only to be cut off when a hand reached out from behind us and gripped his shoulder. Red-X turned faster than I could, so when I finally looked over it was just in time to see another guard, one with long red hair, send his knee straight into Red-X's gut.
I watched as all the fight drained out of the thief at once as he slumped over from the blow. I tried to react; I tried to run at the sudden appearance of the guard I thought I had killed. But as soon as I even took a step in their direction the guard suddenly had one hand gripped around Red-X's throat before holding him up in the air. He then looked at me…and I froze completely.
Beneath the mess of red hair, beneath the mess of red blood, there was a face that was no longer a face. There were no features I could distinguish as a nose or even a mouth. But then…as I unwillingly looked closer, that was not entirely the truth. There was something that still stood out. One single glowing eye glared maliciously from the mess of everything. I was broken from my horrified stare as the guard squeezed on Red-X's throat, the defeated thief only managing a weak grunt in response to the pain.
I tried to get my feet to work, my hands, anything. I couldn't remain frozen here, I had to act, and I had to-.
The explosion of rock broke me from any concentration I had started to form. Even though I knew what was coming was inevitable I still found myself turning towards the noise. Turning to see the guard who had previously been buried in rubble—armor beaten and battered, face scratched and bruised, but still very much alive. I reached for my cape even though I knew it was futile. The force of a train struck me on the side of my head as the guard back handed me, and while I expected to find myself flying through the air—fate, and the alien, wouldn't have it that way.
I let out a silent gasp for air as I was suddenly pulled back from flying away. I tried to move even though my head was spinning like a top, but try as I might I couldn't. It was as if my cape had caught itself on something. That something then suddenly pulled my cape upwards and before I knew it I was pulled up as well. I looked up through blurry eyes to see the orange and purple colors of the guard as he flew ever higher, holding me in the air by my cape. He stopped somewhere near the roof. I tried to look down but then the world started spinning. So instead I opted to turn my focus to the young alien woman who had just begun laughing in triumph.
"Well this has certainly been enjoyable, to say the least." Her voice cheerfully echoed in the dark and dead dungeon. "But I believe it's finally time that we shut down this little assault on our home world."
There was a green and red blur hanging by his cape as she held him in the air, similar to what was happening to me.
So in the end I didn't get to kill Robin after all.
I watched as she dropped the blur, the greens and reds all falling into a motionless heap on the ground.
I looked over to see that a previously large green blur had shrunk down to a much smaller one that now lay on the ground as well, a small gathering of orange blurs forming a circle around it's lifeless form.
I couldn't make the Titans pay for what they did to my friend.
"And while there have been far too many interruptions leading to this moment it is time that I eliminate the challenge to my throne and begin this universe anew."
I watched as she landed on the ground as she spoke this and began walking. I turned my slowly clearing eyes to the pink blur that lay defeated on the ground, I couldn't tell if her arms were still attached to her sides or not.
I couldn't get her back for betraying us.
I looked back to see that she had stopped beside a strange green and white blur I could not recognize. I turned my attention away from that to look at the mostly black blur, with a hint of red that was being held up into the air by its neck.
I couldn't save any of my friends…
I couldn't save…any of my friends…
I couldn't…save…any…
All at once the blurriness left my eyes. Every visual nerve in my brain went into overdrive as I turned my attention back to Number 26 who was now standing over See-More's still unmoving form.
No…
I tried to reach out and stop the guard from holding me. But he was too far up. I was too weak. I turned my eyes back to the two.
No…no…
"On this night I hereby claim myself, Komand'r, as Tamaran's new Queen!"
No…See-More…
I desperately twisted and turned my sore and unwilling body in order to free myself. I even tried shouting at the guard to release me. Of course I couldn't say anything. Of course I couldn't do anything.
"And on this night I declare galactic war on Earth and all of its allies!"
I felt that dull beating in my chest grow faster and press harder against me. It hurt for it to beat this way. It hurt so much I could feel something cold and wet begin to drip down from my eyes. I reached out a hand to catch it as it dripped down my cheek. But when I pulled back the hand all I saw was blood.
Blood drenching one long, clawed finger.
I looked back to see that she was beginning to bend down, beginning to reach out towards him. I reached out with my bloodied claw. I screamed as loud as I could inside my head.
Why can't I do anything?
Why can't I stop anyone?
Why can't I protect anyone?
Why-
XXXXXX
His body felt as stiff as a rock. He tried to move it, move the fingers, the toes, the hands, feet, legs, anything, but nothing would budge. Only his eye would obey his commands, too bad it was cracked again. He tried to look around but all he could make out were the broken floor and walls, all melted together into one boring grey color. He could hear sounds of some sort of battle going on around him.
This time he tried to raise his head and while it did not budge it sent a searing pain that sunk deep into his brain, immediately forcing him to stop from trying again.
Man, I'm useless.
He wanted to say that out loud but he couldn't get his mouth to work either. The pain reminded him of that kick he took from Blackfire. That simple kick that ruined everything.
Giving up already, See-More?
It was a voice in his aching head. A familiar voice. And an oddly chastising voice coming from him.
Yeah man, I suck. He thought back in response, even trying to do that made his brain hurt, he let his broken vision settle back to focusing on nothing but the grey world he was forced to see.
I do not think you suck. You performed admirably.
He let out an unsatisfied grunt, kicking up dust that had settled on the ground around his face.
No way. We were supposed to beat her man but I screwed it up, I screwed it up bad and now everyone is gonna-.
Everyone is fine See-More. Because of you everyone will be fine.
Even though he couldn't he wanted to furrow his brow at these words. It wasn't like his companion to say lies to try and make him feel better. The obvious pity only made him feel worse.
Because of your actions I had the time to contact Red-X. Because of your character Jinx has come to your assistance. And because of your hope Kyd Wykkyd is here to help you. Do not think that you are weak, See-More. You are by far the strongest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
To say See-More was stunned was an understatement. Fixit's praise aside he was saying that Kyd Wykkyd, Red-X and…Jinx were here? They were here and they were fighting…
In a flash he remembered seeing Kyd…saving him from that guard…right before getting hit from behind by Blackfire.
But Red-X and Jinx were here to? Why? How?
A smile slowly appeared on See-More's face. His mouth seemed to finally let him do as he wished.
He didn't care why or how. They were here. After all this time all of his friends were together again.
If you will permit me to say this See-More, it has been an honor to have worked with you and to have been a part of you. I am aware I have not been the kindest or most forgiving of individuals and I here now apologize for everything I have done because of those faults. Blackfire may have brought us together to serve her own needs and I may have accepted to serve for my own as well, but I would like to believe we remained together because of something more. I consider you my friend See-More and I hope, despite everything that has occurred between us, that you think of me in the same light.
Fixit's tone was monotone as always as he said this, but even in his head See-More could pick up something in those words, something that made his smile disappear completely.
Of course man! Of course we're friends but…why are you sayin' all this junk now?
There was silence for a moment then, though See-More could faintly make out the sound of footsteps attempting to break that silence.
Because I believe this is where we part, my friend.
At those words the footsteps suddenly stopped. See-More tried to call out to Fixit in his head, out-loud even, but everything fell silent as a strong hand suddenly gripped around his face. All words caught in his throat as the grip effortlessly raised his aching body into the air.
Faintly he could hear the sounds of shouting all around him, the sounds of the person gripping him shouting. But it was all muffled, white noise in his head. He felt himself losing consciousness gradually, all noise becoming quieter and quieter in his head. Until finally-.
Never lose hope, See-More.
And with those final words See-More's entire world faded into darkness.
XXXXXX
The dread dragon felt a sudden weight sink down into his deep dark heart. As if compelled by something he stared up into the bright blue sky that seemed close enough to touch from his relaxed position on top of the mountain.
He continued to stare up as if he was looking for something, but as the seconds past he quickly took notice of how quiet it had become.
"Did I say you could stop playing, worm?" Malchior breathed as he turned his scaly head to the young man who sat cross legged on a rock nearby.
The boy simply stared back at him with those bright green eyes, his fingers still hanging in the air having just moved themselves away from the strings of the lute he had been playing. The dread dragon breathed out an irritated puff of smoke as the silence continued, glaring down menacingly at the little human with his big red eyes.
"I shall devour you here and now if you do not cease your staring and continue the entertainment. Do not test my patience on this."
The boy threatened to continue staring for about half a second before suddenly flashing the dragon a bright smile and, shrugging, he brought his fingers back to the strings of the lute.
Malchior glared at the boy who now kept his eyes closed as he continued plucking the strings. With another smoky sigh the dragon brought his gaze back up to the sky.
The human really was a nuisance. He should have eaten him as soon as he arrived at this mountain days ago. He would have made a good snack to wash down all those cows.
But…
He didn't run when the dragon arrived. He didn't even flinch when he blew fire in his direction. He only extended his hand as if expecting a handshake from the great scaly beast, a big smile on his face.
That smile…
That same smile that one human had. Malchior could not remember the human's name but he did remember his smile. That genuine joy that he had only felt from his mate…all those years ago.
The dread dragon finally let his head fall as his mind compelled him to sleep. Soothed by the music and the thoughts of that smile Malchior allowed himself to rest.
XXXXXX
Time froze. No, no there was no time anymore. No time for saving, no time for caring, or loving, or wanting, or joy, or happiness, or pleasure, or warmth, or comfort. There was only time to watch as Number 26 crushed See-More's eye and face. Only time to watch a brilliant display of red sparks and electricity explode from the device under her grip. Only time to watch as my best friend fall back silently to the ground as she released her grip on the face that was no longer a face.
And then time truly stopped. Or maybe it was just me. I knew that beating in my chest stopped then. I knew that part of my brain stopped then. I knew every part of me stopped except the only part that mattered anymore.
A twitch.
That was all it took, a twitch and a calm, dark order placed inside the depths of my mind. I felt the cold wet blood drip down forever from my eyes.
Kill.
I screamed. I no longer cared if it would never be heard. I screamed into that dark corner of the world where only I could see. And I screamed until I knew that dark corner stretched out into every part of this world around us, until I knew everyone could hear me.
It was so simple to rip that arm that attempted to keep me in the air. Of course he would never suspect I would have the sudden strength to use my lesser arm to use my cape as a rope to pull myself upwards. Of course he wouldn't suspect my greater arm to be able to tear through the metal and bone like it was nothing but thick air.
The guard screamed as he released me. It was certainly loud enough to catch the attention of those below us. They looked up to see me descend upon them like a great bat, though the rain of fresh blood behind me would have to greet them first.
It was convenient to have the cape finally act on its own. To have it comfort me as it wrapped itself around my falling form. Its whispers of kindness were not lost upon my ears as I transported through the wonderful cold and dark. I reappeared back into the lesser world. Lesser world, greater purpose.
Purpose had a nice feel to it. It was warm and wet. And the blood it dripped appeared like an endless river. I removed my claw from the purpose as the alien fell back. Removing his grip on the young girl's arms so he could more closely examine the new hole I gave him in his chest. He looked back up at me and I would like to say I saw a glimmer of fear in that one eye before he fell over.
I heard a mangled scream. I turned to see that the other one had dropped his prey and was attempting to flee. The one without the face. I had only just begun with him; I could not let it end like this.
I followed him through that sweet cold and dark. I caught him in the horrible warm and bright. It was unfortunate he did not have enough mouth to scream as I dug my claws into his face. Though I did make sure to leave that one little eye of his alone. If only to see that final glimmer of fear before it finally faded away.
I stopped to admire the scene. Such a fresh redness would not last long; it needed more, just a little bit more.
I found the new supply trying to keep itself upright against the wall; it appeared to be having trouble balancing with only one arm. I appeared from my cold and dark to help make him even again. He almost screamed louder than before when the second arm came off. The blood was wonderful, covering the ground around us with that beautiful shade. Unfortunately my supply collapsed then. It appeared that shade of orange had grown very pale indeed. Such a waste.
But wait…there was one more…wasn't there?
"Stay back!" Blackfire shouted at Kyd Wykkyd.
But he didn't stay back. He approached her with slow, yet playful steps. There was a peace on that face covered in blood. That face Blackfire had not seen in years. That face with a smile she had always wanted to see but now that it was finally there it only increased that deepening well of fear inside her.
"I'll kill them!" She cried, raising her arm with the device, a finger from her other arm threatening to press the only button on the mechanism. Her eyes darted frantically between Kyd Wykkyd and the two Titans that still had the collars around their neck. "I swear I will end their miserable lives right here if you advance any further!"
But Kyd Wykkyd did not stop in his advance. In fact his pace only seemed to quicken, though it was only slightly. He still approached her as if he had all the time in the world.
How had it gotten so bad?
The thought flashed through her mind suddenly. But Blackfire knew better than anyone that it was too late to go back. Even if she had wanted to.
"Very well, Kyd Wykkyd, their blood is on your hands now!" She shouted as she pressed firmly down on the button on her wrist.
Then…silence. No screams of pain, no electricity, no reaction whatsoever. Blackfire stared down dumbfounded at her device.
It was impossible…how could it break? There was no way…
The device suddenly began to glow a dull red color. It wasn't supposed to do that; there was no way it could have-
It has been a pleasure working with you, Blackfire.
A voice spoke in her head. So familiar and so monotone. Blackfire couldn't help but close her eyes. All fear, all anger, all everything leaving her body.
And an instant later electricity exploded from the device. It covered Blackfire's body and she screamed in a pain worse than anything she had ever felt before.
Kyd Wykkyd reacted instantly. His casual walk suddenly burst into a sprint as he charged at Blackfire's convulsing body. An instant later he was on top of her. The electricity had vanished almost as soon as they made contact and fell back into the ground.
I still remember…
Blackfire looked up into Kyd Wykkyd's face. That serene smile was still there as he looked back down on her.
I still remember the first time we met.
Number 36 had always been so nervous. He always looked uncomfortable and out of place. Blackfire remembered being drawn to him. Even though she had only joined the stupid cult of assassins for kicks somehow she sympathized with the little kid who looked so alone and lost in the world. But no matter how close they got, no matter how hard she tried, she never saw him smile. Not until 72 came into the picture.
Tears finally began to roll down Blackfire's face as she and Kyd Wykkyd continued to stare into one another's eyes.
Number 72 was even worse off than 36. He was so naturally untalented at stealth and fighting that it would have been a miracle if he had lasted longer than a week. Blackfire befriended him as a joke and a competition for herself, thinking it would be amusing to see how long she could keep him in the cult. But when she suddenly found herself becoming friends with 36, 72 suddenly became something more as well.
Without her even asking him to 36 began helping 72 train. His natural ability was even better than hers and in a matter of weeks 72 was easily five times as good as he used to be. It wasn't long before she learned that both of them had a thing for her. While she thought it was cute it was nothing she overly concerned herself with, not even bothering to let them know that she knew. But as time wore on this love rivalry between the two began to drive a wedge into their friendship. They even began declaring fights for her affection. But even though 36 won every fight he never tried to approach her afterwards about his feelings.
It wasn't until the last fight between the two that she finally understood. It was in the cafeteria, in front of everyone, even her. 36 declared this fight to be their last for her heart. She could remember looking away, heart acting weird, as he looked at her after saying this. She wrestled with what she would do or say when 36 won and finally confessed himself to her. And that's when she began to finally acknowledge that she did indeed have feelings for him.
That's why it was such a surprise when 36 lost. Though not lost, it was painfully obvious to at least her that he threw the fight intentionally, allowing 72 to beat him. She couldn't keep her eyes off of 36 as he stood back up from the ground and bowed his head in defeat to his opponent. She was forced to look away when 72 was suddenly before her, declaring his love for her and asking for her response.
She remembered looking around the room. At all the would be assassins and thieves, seeing confusion and apprehension in what was taking place. But her gaze finally rested on 36, he was looking at the two of them with a peaceful, serene smile on his face, it was the happiest she had ever seen him. And it pissed her off.
So she said yes to Number 72 even though she held no feelings for him. She lied and pretended to love him. She did all this to spite the boy who appeared happier that it was not him that had her affections.
And as she and 72 were destined to grow closer 36 only moved further and further away. In only a few short months they had become nothing more but passing acquaintances. There was no longer the lonely and shy boy she had first met and fell in love with but did not love her, there was only her and the other boy that she could not love but loved her.
She could not take the feelings that had built up inside her. She had joined the stupid cult for kicks, not to fall in love and have her heart broken. So she rejected it all, the love, the cult, and her old friends. She left it all behind and forced herself to move on. And it had worked. Leaving that warehouse was like shedding off a new life, she could start anew and never have to relive anything from that horrible past.
So why did she think she saw Number 72 in that night club when she attempted to replace her sister? Why did Kyd Wykkyd turn out to be none other than Number 36 hiding behind a mask? Why was this past so much harder to escape from than all the others she had left behind? She had known the answer almost immediately.
It was not a past she could leave behind because it was a past that had become a part of her. And right now, in this moment it was a past she realized that she had gotten all wrong.
That same smile was on Number 36's face as he knelt on top of her. That smile she saw when he trained 72, that smile he had when 72 finally confessed his love to her. That smile was now just for her.
It was a smile of love. The way he had loved 72. A love that made him sacrifice his time and body to help train. A love that sacrificed his mind and feelings to stand aside and let his friend be with the girl he loves. It was that smile that now became all Blackfire could see.
Eyes still full of tears Blackfire reached up with a shaky hand and gently stroke it over the side of Kyd Wykkyd's face. His smile appeared to widen slightly at her touch. A smile finally found its way on the Tameranian princess's crying face as the grip around her heart began to tighten.
If I could have one wish…
Blackfire felt the air leave her lungs and heart stop at the same time.
I would wish that this moment would last for just one more second.
The claw inside her chest clenched completely around her heart, the small muscle beating its last as it burst inside her. The smile never left her face as the life in her eyes slowly faded away.
XXXXXX
I slowly pulled the claw from her chest. It was such a bright red. I watched as the blood drip down on her body, drops dropping on that face so peaceful and happy.
That was the face of the Number 26 I knew.
I couldn't stop the bile that came up this time. I stumbled a few feet away and threw up whatever contents I had left in my stomach. It wasn't much, I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten anything, and I felt empty inside when it was over.
I didn't want to look around even though I knew I had to. I just stared at the ground covered in blood for what seemed like an eternity. I didn't move until I heard footsteps behind me but when I turned my head I saw someone I did not expect.
Raven stood there. Small body without the cape. Dark sunken eyes without the hood. She looked more like a lost little girl than a half-demon who could kill me on the spot. I slowly turned my body, doing my best to keep my eyes on the ground so I couldn't see the horrible things that lay around us.
"Please look at me." Her soft voice whispered. My ragged breathing caught in my throat somewhat as I hesitated to look up from the ground. When I finally did Raven was looking straight at me and while there was no softness in her eyes or smile on her face I didn't feel threatened from her stare.
"I remember everything from when you entered my head, you know." She spoke in her monotone voice, though I may have caught a hint of scolding. I fought the urge to hang my head in embarrassment. I should have guessed the true Raven would be aware of what happened in her head, even if she had been unconscious for most of it.
"Do you remember the promise you made me? The one I asked right before you left?"
Of course I remembered. She didn't want me to hurt her friends. I had lied to her at the time because I could not tell Happiness that I wanted to kill Robin that I wanted to make the Titans pay for what happened to my friend. I couldn't tell the truth to that forever smiling face.
My heart seemed to leap in my throat when the Raven before me suddenly smiled just as I thought this. That same smile that Happiness had right before I left.
"I want to thank you Kyd Wykkyd. I know how you felt about my friends but instead of attacking them you decided to help them. And while I also know it probably wasn't because you wanted to keep your promise I still have to thank you for…"
Raven's eyes dropped for a second before looking over to the altar and the shining black tomb that rested on top of it.
"I want to thank you for being stronger than I could be."
She then turned around and stepped beside a floating black disk that both Robin and Beastboy were resting upon. I had to guess without looking around that she handled the ones that had the green Titan prisoner…unless I had scared them off before hand. I shuddered at the thought.
"We are leaving now." Raven announced as she stepped up on the black platform, breaking me from my train of thought. I looked back at her to see that she was looking down at me, that small smile still on her face. "There should be ships just outside the castle gates. I suggest you find your friends and escape while you can as well."
I nodded without really thinking about it. A low grunt of pain brought our eyes to Robin. Still lying down he reached up with one frayed glove, gripping Raven's ankle.
"Raven…we can't…Starfire…"
Raven's smile vanished completely at that as she looked down at her leader.
"There's nothing we can do for Starfire." Her voice cracked as she said this and she forced her face away from looking at Robin, the bangs now effectively hiding her eyes. "I'm so sorry Robin."
The Titan's leader only looked back at Raven. His pained face hard to pinpoint just what feeling he was trying to express. Whatever it was quickly vanished as Robin's hand and head fell back against the black disk, obviously unconscious.
Raven remained where she stood, head bowed, for several more seconds before finally letting out a deep sigh and turned towards me. I held in a silent gasp when I saw tears rolling down from those deep purple eyes.
"Goodbye Kyd Wykkyd." She breathed.
And with that the three of them sunk down into the black disk like quicksand. All of them disappearing from sight right before the disk seemed to collapse in on itself, vanishing as well.
And just like that they were gone.
I kept my gaze on the ground as I turned to look back at Blackfire. Red-X was hunched over her now, appearing to fiddle with something at her wrist. I didn't want to try and find Jinx in case my eyes saw something I would very much regret seeing along the way. So instead I looked in the direction for my last remaining friend.
He was very easy to find, not having had moved much in the last half hour or so. I kept my gaze on the ground as I walked over to him. The blood was everywhere but I guess I could say it was lucky that I hadn't run into any bodies yet.
My mind froze when my gaze found a hand only to quickly realize that it was the hand belonging to my friend. Though it did little to settle down my insides.
We were so close now. Everything looked so much worse from this distance. His body was beaten and bruised; his arm looked like it might have broken judging by the odd angle it had created. But his face. God his face.
A disgusting black smear completely covered the top part of his face, right above the nose. If there had been any eyes they were there no longer. I collapsed to my knees just as the weakness hit my entire body. I reached out with my good hand and placed it on his chest. Was it me or could I not feel that beating in his chest? Was it just me or was his chest not moving at all?
The tears returned before I could stop them. Those damn tears that smelt, tasted, and looked like blood. What was the point in them? They couldn't save him. They couldn't make me strong enough to do anything.
That only made the blood come out stronger. I silently gagged on silent sobs that shook me. I thought I was going to suffocate. My lungs wouldn't work right, my throat tightened, that thing in my chest wouldn't stop beating. I rested my forehead against his unmoving chest as I kept crying.
I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know. I…
"Kyd?"
It was such a hesitant voice, such a quiet one. I was almost sure it was some trick of the wind. But there was no wind in this dark room. There was just me, him, and…
I looked up from his chest to see Jinx standing there, hands firmly grasping each other at her chest. Her pink eyes wet with heavy tears as she looked down on See-More. I looked up at her, our eyes met and I was forced to look away again.
Look away and look down on that face of my friend. The only friend I had left. I looked down into that blackened face and the useless tears just continued, his bare chest now dripping with the blood of my crying. A heavy sound of Jinx collapsing across from me resounded softly in the chamber. I didn't need to look up to know that she was kneeling much the same way I was beside See-More. As I continued to look down at my friend I watched as a small, pale hand reached its way out and place itself on my own hand as it still rested on See-More's body.
I looked up then to see her looking straight at me as we knelt beside him. Those bright pink eyes were even brighter when wet.
We didn't say anything as we knelt there. Even if I could speak and even if she had anything to say there was nothing that could be said.
I knew she was sorry. And I knew she knew I forgave her.
"Oh See-More…" She suddenly breathed and all at once she knelt over and buried her head into his chest, sobbing louder and fiercer than I had ever heard anyone cry before.
I could only look down at her. My hand in the air from when she collapsed into him. It hung there doing nothing as she continued to sob heavily. I wasn't sure what I should do with it. But I knew what I wanted to do with it.
With careful precision I placed it on top of Jinx's bright pink head as she cried. It was the only thing I wanted to do at this moment.
We knelt there for forever. I kept my hand on her head until her crying had subsided slightly. When she finally looked up her face was stained with tears and blood.
"What…what should we do?" She asked me in that quiet voice, her eyes still on See-More.
I didn't know. I couldn't know. Was there even a point in doing anything any longer?
"We can still free all those guys that are still frozen in that warehouse." A voice spoke up. Jinx and I turned our heads to see Red-X standing there watching us, something clenched in one of his hands. He turned his masked head to look at me. "That was your initial plan right?"
Jinx looked from Red-X to me, eyes still dripping and mouth slightly open. I kept my own gaze on Red-X, nodding ever so slightly.
Of course that's what I wanted. But everything was gone now. I had failed in doing anything I wanted to do. There was no point if there wasn't even hope.
"Now what's with the long face?" Red-X teased as he walked over to us. Before I knew it he was kneeling in front of me, holding out something held between two fingers. I looked but all I could see was what looked like a simple, glowing red computer chip. "This thing holds the blueprints for building that heat ray that Blackfire's little droid used to free you. Our little princess was kind enough to keep it on her person while Fixit is still handy enough to show me where to look."
I felt my own eyes widen at that. Red-X seemed to nod as if he read my mind just then, standing up and moving around until he knelt again right beside Jinx, looking down at the unmoving figure.
"Yup that guy is a real fighter. And as he tells me…he isn't the only one…"
Red-X said this as he reached for his belt, the same belt that held all of the vials of Zinothium. With one hand he pulled out a vial while the other that held the computer chip reached down behind his back, quickly returning not with the chip but with an empty needle.
"I didn't really get the chance to sanitize this thing, but I promise I'm clean." Red-X spoke as he carefully placed the vial of bright red liquid into the needle as though he had done this hundreds of times before.
Jinx and I only watched as Red-X, full needle now in his hand, moved our own hands away from See-More's body. He carefully placed one hand on See-More's chest, as if judging where to stab the needle that his other hand was holding in the air.
"Wait what are you doing!" Jinx suddenly declared, her hands moving up as if to stop him.
"Bringing our little buddy back to life." Red-X replied in an uncharacteristically serious voice. My body froze at those words. Jinx's seemed to as well as her arms stopped their attempts at subduing him.
"And…you've done this before?" Jinx asked hesitantly as she looked from Red-X back down to See-More.
"Nope." Red-X replied before shoving the needle down into See-More's chest and pressing the contents down into his blood stream all in the span of a second.
Jinx did not have the time to stop him but she did cry out in surprise. I only flinched at the violent action, but my eyes remained on See-More's face. I expected a sudden reaction like when Robin injected his teammate, but See-More remained still and unmoving, even after Red-X carefully removed the needle from his chest.
"Why would you do that!" Jinx shouted then, slamming her fists against Red-X's arm. The thief didn't look at her, his mask focused intently on See-More. Jinx continued to smack him as her tears started to return. "He's dead! Why would you do something like that to him? He's dead so why-!"
"Pinky, would you shut-up for a second and look down." Red-X spoke. Jinx stopped hitting him then, his tone still dead serious.
We both looked down at See-More at once. He still did not move. I was about to look back up in defeat, I knew Jinx was about to go back to hitting and screaming at him. But we both stopped when something unexpected happen. See-More's chest filled with air.
We watched in silent awe as his little chest began to slowly rise and fall. I didn't know what to think. But I had to know for sure.
I reached out with a careful hand and placed it on his moving chest. Almost as soon as I did I felt that familiar feeling. The steady beating of something deep inside his moving and breathing chest. While the blood threatened to spill from my eyes again I had enough control to hold them back this time, though I did not removed my hand from his chest.
"See-More…" Jinx breathed. I glanced up to see that she had much less control, eyes already dripping wet again as she stared down at him.
"He won't be waking up for awhile and he's going to need daily shot like this to stick around. But for now he's gonna be alright." Red-X answered as he slipped the injection needle back behind his cape.
He then gently pushed Jinx aside so he could kneel where she was, Jinx standing while looking quite confused. With a smooth motion Red-X slipped both hands under See-More's body before suddenly lifting him up bridal style. I stood up quickly at the sudden motion, Jinx letting out a gasp.
"Wait! Are you sure it's a good idea to be moving him!" She shot as we both moved to stand beside Red-X and See-More. Thankfully the little thief just appeared to have fallen asleep in his arms, though the lack of eyes didn't really help in settling my worries.
"Probably not but we don't exactly have time to wait around anymore." Red-X did a scan around the room, something that I still refused to do. "Blackfire and those guards of hers might be dead but we still got a second pissed princess and an army of alien to deal with if we don't get out of here soon."
"You mean Starfire? She didn't leave with Robin and the others?" Jinx asked, looking around as well though I could tell she was actively trying not to look at any of the bodies.
"Doesn't look like it. I think they may have had a falling out of sorts."
Jinx let out a sigh as she ran a hand through her pink hair.
"Great, the one time it would be inconvenient to me if they split up and they decide to split up."
"Well, you aren't the Bossy Bitch of Bad Luck for nothing, right?"
"…what did you just call me?"
"Er, that sounded a lot better in my head…"
The dungeon then started to shake. Like an earthquake had suddenly struck from underneath us we all suddenly had to fight to keep our balance. All around more loose bits of stone began collapsing from the roof.
"Is this place caving in!" Jinx shouted over the noise of the rumbling.
"Looks like it," Red-X spoke as he struggled to keep both him and See-More from falling as he looked around the room, "And it looks like our only exit is blocked off from when you decided to crash the party with that ship. I might be able to get us outta here but we need some way off this planet, either of yall know where a ship or something might be?"
Jinx shook her head, looking very much defeated, but when Red-X looked to me I couldn't help but feel a margin of pride as I nodded, Jinx and Red-X both looking immediately interested.
"You do?" They both asked in unison. I nodded again, remembering what Raven told me. We just had to get to the front gates, and after spending all those hours combing the entire palace with See-More I could easily pinpoint right where they would be.
"Alright I'll get us out of here then we'll follow you!" Red-X now shouted as more and more debris continued to rain down around us, echoing loudly throughout the dungeon. He then held out See-More's unconscious body to me. "Think you can carry him for a second?"
I immediately nodded, ignoring the excited twitch of my bad hand. Claw or no claw I was going to make sure that we got out of this. I extended both my arms and while Red-X hesitated upon seeing the black claw he then quickly but carefully placed See-More in my arms. I felt the fingers twitch as they securely gripped his shoulder but I immediately forced my will upon them to be gentle. Jinx looked on worriedly for a moment but when I safely had him in my arms a look of relief quickly washed away her face.
"Alright time to go!" Red-X shouted just as a rather large hunk of ceiling came crashing down near us. The master thief took off then, running through the newly kicked up dust. Jinx motioned for me to go on first, quickly brining up the rear as I ran.
My head was now throbbing worse than ever now that the emotional stress had passed for the most part, but I kept my focus on the two black feet that ran ahead of me. Trying to ignore the carnage, the collapsing ceiling and walls, and the entire world around me. Just focusing on putting one foot down after another and keeping my best friend secure and safe in my arms.
"We're almost there!" Red-X shouted as the world seemed to collapse around us.
I looked back to see Jinx following closely behind, her eyes looked back at me for a brief second before focusing ahead of both of us. When I followed her gaze I could see that Red-X was leading us to the rather large pile of rubble that had completely sealed us from the exit door.
"Just keep running no matter what happens next!" Red-X continued to shout; his hand was raised and pulled back behind him as he continued to lead us to the rubble. I immediately noted the faint red glow that began somewhere on his palm, growing brighter by the second. "We're gonna run up the stairs and then it's on you Kyd!"
Red-X looked back at us then, and I swear if I that mask wasn't there then I could almost say for certain that he was smiling.
"I'd just like to say Number 36; it's been a real honor working with you."
That voice. It was a different voice than what I was used to hearing from that mask. But at the same time it was also so…familiar.
But before I could even think of what to do Red-X had already turned back, the rubble now less than a few seconds away from us. With a great cry of triumph the master thief threw his palm against one of the stones in the pile and for a brief a large X extended itself across the entirety of the pile of rubble. But everything disappeared in a bright red flash of light.
XXXXXX
To Be Continued…
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Well my dear readers and reviewers this was the last chapter before the epilogue. While the story itself has turned out far different than I had first envisioned I still hope that everyone that has read it has found at least some enjoyment, for I know I certainly enjoyed writing it. And made sure to stick around for the epilogue, I promise it will not take long. Cheers.