The Next Generation
Chapter 14: All Slot Machines and No Jackpots
I started this story a long time ago, around three years ago and a lot has changed since then. For starters I haven't watched a Teen Titans episode in ages. But when I stumbled upon some of the chapters while cleaning up my computer I figured I should finish it, add some closure to it. I seriously doubt that any of the readers still even check it, but I think I need to get it out of system, you know. So let's do this thing.
Teenagers are completely and totally driven by emotion. By toying with these emotions one can carefully manipulate someone into doing just about anything. They don't need drugs or alcohol, they just need cunning and the ability to use ones emotions against them. It's what made Slade such a fabulously evil villain. He knew exactly where to pull; where to tug, the right places to push that could make the Titans do exactly what he wanted. Slade was brilliant because of this. And what made Slade go from brilliant to genius was the fact that he didn't allow his emotions to control him. After all, the Slade we know was an adult. But Lucy, well Lucy is a teenager. And teenagers, however crafty or deliciously brilliant they are, are still driven by their emotions.
Tawny was in heaven, absolute heaven. She explored Lucy's muscled back and then felt for herself the golden locks he was always running his hands through. She felt every inch of him, like a little child exploring the world for the first time. She felt him, she breathed him, she smelt him and she heard only him. And of course, she tasted him. Lucious...Lucious...it's like saying a lullaby, it completely hypnotizes me. She started to tug at his little blonde spikes. Where are we? I think…I think we're on a …a beach. No, it doesn't matter, I'm with Lucious, that's where I am. With Lucious. And what a wonderful place it is.
Lucy began to kiss her neck, passionately. Her hair splashed all round him and covered his face like vines protecting a forest. But he swept past all of that and found Tawny, unguarded, unprotected, just Tawny. She's pretty, underneath it all. Lucy began to kiss her earlobe. Tawny moaned in approval. Yes, she has to be pretty, nothing else would do. But it's a shame she's always hiding it under snide comments and a bratty attitude. But what does it matter? I'm getting what I want.
The two continued playing their explorer game, and for them at least the world had just stopped. But for Blaze and the others, the world was spinning far too dizzily for them to think hard enough to make any sense.
"She's gone." It was barely a whisper, but it shook the people standing in Tawny's room. Blaze stood dazed, his voice hoarse and cracking. "She's gone."
"Blaze, we've got to do something." Violet always seemed to have a plan, an idea. But her voice was monotone as usual. Eerie and unfit for such circumstances.
"Ya think?" Terra growled.
"If I were you, Terra, I'd shut the fuck up because how do we know you're not gonna go run off and join up with Slade again? Since you two are friends and all." Violet shot back with emotion for the first time. Terra stood with her mouth open, surprised.
Finally, "Yeah, well, I've paid my dues. I deserve to be a Titan. What have you done, besides do a few favors for Blaze?"
Violet stared at her with a confused look on her face. "What? Blaze and I…we're just friends. Don't know where you got that stupid idea because I'm sure as hell not the slutty one here. How'd you get to be so close to Slade, Terra? Do tell."
Terra's eyes glowed a dangerous yellow and the room began to shake. "I know about you and Blaze's late night snacks together—"
"Shut up, Terra. What I do with Violet is my own fucking business, but for your information nothing is happening. Now my cousin is getting her head chopped off right now and none of you seem to be able to do anything about it." Blaze had snapped out of his coma and was angry. These idiots are useless. I need help, I need Dad. I can't do this on my own, what a joke. I'm useless and now I've really screwed up. I pretended I was such a man that I could handle anything, and now I've jeopardized everything. "We have to save her."
"Well what do you plan on doing, Robin?" Terra muttered. She still felt like fighting. At least I'm fighting someone, something. That's gotta count for something. But she knew it really didn't.
"I'm…I'm going to kill him." Blaze stuttered, ignoring the "Robin" comment.
"Yeah, like that really worked out for you last time, huh big guy."
"Terra, you little brat!" Blaze yelled. Starbolts formed at his hands, but he shook them off. He had to remain in control. She's right though. It didn't work. But there's got to be something, someway to beat him. He always uses our weaknesses against us, maybe that's what I need to do. Maybe I need to be like him in order to kill him.
Blaze, Violet was using her telekinesis powers to communicate with Blaze through thought, Slade wants revenge on Robin more than anything. Use that against him. And right now he's getting revenge on Robin through Tawny, take that away from him, like you did with Aly.
But Violet, what am I supposed to do? Drag her away from him?
No, you've got to hurt her. You've got to knock her out, cause her pain, it will be unbearable for Slade, to see what he wants already happening. Pretend to kill her but only knock her out. If he thinks she's dead…
He'll have lost and then, then I will kill him.
Go get him, Tiger. Violet smiled, a rarity.
Hey, speaking of tigers, where's Tyger?
I'll find him. You find Tawny and Lucy. You know where they are.
Blaze stood there for awhile but then rushed off. He knew where they were. It didn't make sense, how he knew where they were. Call it intuition or instinct or both, but Blaze just knew. A tiny part of him had always known, known that he would have to kill Slade by himself and how he'd do it. It was all there, inside of him. And now he was going to do it.
Tyger had slipped away while everyone was arguing. Everything was serious now, it was all real. He was terrified. Slade was really back, and well, history only proved that there was no killing that guy. He just kept coming back. It was useless. Tyger filled up a tub with warm water and eased himself into it. He sat there for awhile, just closed his eyes and felt the dizzying heat of the water around him. It's so…comforting. So warm and inviting. Tyger continued to soak and then slowly reached for Violet's razor sitting so conveniently on the edge of the tub.
Violet didn't really search for Tyger. She figured he was on the roof smoking or elsewhere just taking it all in. It was a lot to take in, after all. And Tyger probably needed some peace to be able to understand it all, she reasoned.
Violet then went to Terra, the last person she wanted to talk to. "Terra, we've got to help Blaze. We have to let him do this on his own, but after he goes after Lucy, we need to get Tawny to safety."
Terra nodded. For a moment she looked like she wanted to say something, but then it was gone.
"Well, let's uh get some band aids…" Violet murmured. And when she said band aids she really meant getting the Tower hospital room working and prepped for Tawny's arrival.
"Yeah." Terra and Violet walked slowly to the hospital room. "Hey Violet, I'm scared." Terra said softly and Violet nodded, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Me too."
Lucy was no longer looking at Tawny, he was looking around him, at the beach. Slowly he got up and pulled on his shorts. Lucy then sat down next to Tawny and gave her a reassuring smile. "You're amazing, Tawny." Lucy then tugged his t-shirt over his messy hair.
He's adorable. Tawny thought as Lucious managed to put his t-shirt on. Tawny herself then got up and dressed. Afterwards she sat next to him and reached for his hand. He opened his hand and she put hers in it. This is perfect.
Lucy smiled at Tawny. What is she doing? Holding my hand like we're engaged or something. Well I guess I might as well do it, make her feel good before I take off or one of those assholes shows up. Lucy kissed her on the cheek.
"Are you all done?" Tawny said smartly, pulling herself up to him and tugging on the zipper of his pants. "Cause I'm not quite. I mean really, Lucy, was that all?" I hope he doesn't get pissed, but this is what my magazines say to do…
"What? I thought you were done, babydoll. Didn't want to break you." Is she serious? I'm not finished I could go for hours—wait what does it matter. She's just a tool. But I might as well use her up… "Okay, round two." And Lucy threw her down on the sand.
Atta boy, Tawny thought as she went to heaven once again.
Blaze found them, sure enough, on the beach.
The mind works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it makes you see things in a different way because it knows that you couldn't handle the truth. So when Blaze found Tawny and Lucy, he didn't see two lovers but instead Lucy viciously beating Tawny and in the fight he'd received several scratch marks on his back.
"Lucy! That monster!" Blaze snarled and flung Lucy off of Tawny. "I'm going to finish you Slade, by taking away your revenge!" And with that Blaze pounced on top of Tawny, hit her a few times so she cried out, and then knocked her out with a sound punch powered by a starbolt. Tawny was out. But it looked like Blaze had killed her.
"NO! My plan is ruined!" Slade screamed like an animal, raging and foaming on the sand. And Blaze, standing up, kicked Slade again and again until he begged for mercy, "Please, please, please Blaze, please, please…"
Another funny thing about the mind, you'll spend hours rehearsing conversations or planning out events that will never happen. And so Blaze's well-thought-out plan of taking away what mattered most to Slade by pretending to kill Tawny faded away. Blaze hadn't ever really planned on doing things that way, Violet's way. It was too black and white. And it all depended on certain variables that most likely wouldn't all add up together. It was like a slot machine, all the variables had to be there in the right place at the right time, or no jackpot. And Blaze was a shitty gambler anyways.
Time and time again the Teen Titans got off when it came to punishments and consequences for killing off villains like Slade. As long as they used their powers, it seemed, and not a gun or a knife or a crowbar, they were safe from the justice system. It was perfectly fine for them to kill off Slade in a battle of weird freaky powers but if a knife or a gun gets involved, it's a whole 'nother ball game, Blaze thought. And Blaze was right. Involving a gun was criminal; they weren't even allowed at the Tower. But when it really comes down to it, you've got to do what you have to do. And this thought urged Blaze on when he took the gun off a robber downtown and it urged him on when he shot Lucy in the back so that he could still see the pretty boy's face as he realized he'd lost. Was it really so criminal to use a gun? Was it really so anti-Titan? It sure solved everything, huh? I wonder if it matters if you're super strong and can fly in jail. Does it matter? Hey, look at Tawny there…she's crying. Why's she crying? Someone needs to take her away from Lucy…I'm too tired to do it. And now she's all red and wet, Jesus I never knew someone had that much blood in him…
