"Vampire Genesis"
Chapter 6: "Soul Reapers"
Disclaimer: Neither Teen Titans nor Hellsing belong to me. TT belongs to DC Comics and Warner Brothers, while Hellsing belongs to Kohta Hirano. Some concepts used here belong to Joss Whedon – the Initiative – and Brian Lumley – Wamphyri. I am merely borrowing them for my own sinister purposes. MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Kidding.
Author's note: Here's where things really go bad for the Titans, with dire consequences for at least a few. Slade is back, only armed with superhuman powers and an even darker mindset than before. How did this happen and how will it affect the team? You can only find out by reading on, starting now.
Robin and Slade stared each other down, Slade still holding Raven in his grip. Robin tensed, wanting to do something to stop Slade yet not wanting to get Raven hurt. Unconsciously, shadow matter began to cover his arm, hardening into the familiar quasi-organic metallic substance. His eyes narrowed at Slade underneath his mask as he reached into his utility belt and pulled out several three-pointed shuriken. He threw them all at Slade with superhuman speed and force, only for them to suddenly stop an inch short of the masked madman and fall to the floor.
"You'll have to try harder than that, Robin," Slade sneered, casting Raven aside and charging Robin with such speed that even Robin was taken aback. A brutal punch sent Robin flying toward the water, only for Raven to catch him telekinetically and place him back on the island. A blade extended from the quasi-organic shadow metal that had covered his arm and he rushed to attack Slade, the mastermind attacking him as well. The two flickered all over the island, either attacking or blocking an attack.
"How are you doing this?" Robin asked.
Slade seemed to be smirking underneath his mask. "It happened a week ago. I ran afoul of someone who seemed to be more demon than man. He wounded me, I killed him. After that, I could feel myself changing, my body becoming stronger, my mind expanding . . . it opened my eyes."
"To what?"
"To my destiny. This island will be the site where my kingdom begins. And you will all fall."
"I won't let that happen!"
"You won't have a choice." Slade grabbed Robin's flesh-and-blood arm and tore it out of its socket. In response, shadow matter grew from the stump and formed into a quasi-organic shadow-metal arm. Robin punched Slade in his masked face with the new fist, sending Slade flying back at the Tower façade. Slade quickly rose and attacked Robin with a longsword extended. Robin flipped over Slade and aimed to kick him in the back, only for Slade to block the kick and grab Robin's ankle, tossing him aside.
Cyborg fired dual Sonic Cannons at Slade, but Slade moved even faster than sound. Slade thrust his hands through Cyborg's cannon muzzles, tearing through Cyborg's mechanical arms. His next move was to slice Cyborg's legs off in one superhumanly swift and unnaturally fluid movement, leaving Cyborg a basket case.
"Cy!" Beast Boy yelled, charging at Slade as the Werebeast. Slade's retort to that attack was to swing his sword at superhuman speeds. By the time it was over, Beast Boy collapsed, bleeding profusely from the many smaller wounds Slade had made.
Green starbolts flew at Slade, which Slade dodged like they were moving in slow motion. He looked up to see who was throwing them and saw Starfire diving at him. Slade jumped into the air to evade her dive, only for her to fly up at him. This proved to be a mistake for Starfire, as Slade kicked her in her exposed stomach. As Starfire plummeted from the force of the kick, Slade pursued her with vicious punches, beating her like she'd stolen his most precious possession. A bloodied Starfire landed on the ground, groaning as she tried to get up.
Slade answered her with a brutal kick to her prone form. "Stay down."
A red glow surrounded Slade, hardening into a gooey substance meant to entrap him. Unfortunately, Slade tore through it, only to end up on the receiving end of a hundred-punch-per-second assault by Kid Flash. Slade merely seemed to tolerate the attack, finally stopping Kid Flash in his tracks when he grew bored. He smashed Kid Flash in the ribcage with an elbow, sending Kid Flash flying back and breaking several ribs.
Argent soared toward Slade on a red plasma disk, ramming the disk into Slade's face. As with Kid Flash, Slade merely seemed to tolerate the attack. He grabbed Argent by her legs and threw her aside, only for her to right herself in midair and throw red plasma knives at him. Slade batted the knives aside and pulled out throwing blades of his own, flinging them at Argent with such speed and force that she couldn't throw up a shield in time to protect herself. Slade used the throwing blades to obscure his movements, grabbing Argent by her neck and raking her chest with his claws, then throwing her aside.
Raven shot a blast of dark energy-based telekinesis at Slade, which Slade blocked with a telekinetic shield. A microsecond later, he was right behind Raven. She tried to whirl about, but he pressed his forearm to her throat and gripped her thigh, his hand inching up toward her groin.
"Let me go," Raven strained to say.
"Why should I?" Slade asked. "Truth be told, I've found you rather desirable since the first time your father sent me after you. If it wasn't for the fact that you were going to become his portal into this world, I would have asked him to let me keep you as a plaything."
The leer in Slade's voice chilled Raven to the bone and she redoubled her struggles in his grip. Finally, she created a telekinetic aura around herself and pushed it outward, trying to force Slade to release her. Unfortunately, Slade's telekinesis clashed with and ultimately overcame hers. To Slade's surprise, his own longsword ran through his shoulder, missing Raven's head by a slight margin.
Slade dropped Raven and removed the longsword from his shoulder, whirling to see who had dared. His eye widened when he saw Jericho standing before him, trembling with fury. Jericho lunged at Slade, only for Slade to grab him by the wrist and slam him to the ground. Slade pulled back his mask, revealing his face to Jericho, the face of a man in his mid-thirties with ash-blond hair and one crimson eye, the other concealed by an eye-patch. He smiled darkly at Jericho with a mouth full of sharp teeth.
"Hello, Joey. Don't you have a hug for dear old Dad?"
Jericho struggled in his grip, only for the struggle to prove fruitless, as Slade bit Jericho's neck, sipping his blood. Slade pulled back and smiled with bloody lips, putting his mask back on. "You won't see it now, but soon enough you will and you'll be grateful to me," he promised. He was about to depart, but he wouldn't get that chance yet, as Robin suddenly reappeared to slash Slade with his shadow-matter blade. "Don't you know when to quit?"
"Apparently, neither do you," Robin retorted.
Slade stabbed Robin with his longsword and pulled the sword up through his shoulder, tearing through muscle, organs, and bone. Robin let out a cry of pain and rage as more shadow-metal took up the injured portions of his body, holding them together. Robin threw Razorbirds at Slade, only for Slade to fling himself to the side in a dodge and move behind Robin, who threw himself into a cartwheel that led into a hard kick to Slade's masked face. Slade recovered and swung his longsword at Robin, who grabbed it and used it to pull Slade up close into a hard punch.
"I think you and I ought to look a little more alike," Slade remarked, and that was the only warning Robin got before Slade sliced his left eye. Blood quickly obscured Robin's vision in his left eye, leaving him somewhat impaired in his fight against Slade. The mastermind took advantage of this and remained on Robin's left side, assaulting him from there. Finally, Robin whirled and hooked Slade's leg with his arm, using it to swing himself upward into a kick. He tore off his useless mask, revealing one red eye and one glowing shadow-matter eye.
"Come on, Slade. Come on!"
"Not now. I've accomplished what I set out to do." Draconic wings grew from Slade's back. "I will see you again soon enough." He rose into the sky and flew away.
"Get back here!" Robin roared, ready to follow Slade and tear him apart. He was only stopped by hearing Raven call his name. "Raven?"
"Slade . . ." Raven uttered. "He did a number on us all."
Robin looked around and saw the results of Slade's wicked work. Beast Boy was still bleeding and barely clinging to consciousness. Cyborg was in complete disrepair, his arms destroyed and his legs severed. Starfire was bloodied and battered, while Argent had horrific scratch marks on her chest, the blood staining the anarchy tattoo. Kid Flash was clutching his chest in pain, while Jericho had a grisly wound on his neck.
"Shit . . ." Robin uttered. "He was never . . ."
That's what becoming a Wamphyr does to you, L'andira stated. The leech gives you power, but it corrupts your soul. In someone like Slade, it releases the last fetters of morality.
"I'll heal the others," Raven said, going to Beast Boy and healing him first, as his wounds were the worst. Soon enough, the cuts began to close, even as they appeared on her. Those wounds were quickly dealt with by her demonic biology. With Beast Boy healed, she moved on to Starfire, healing the Tamaranean's wounds even as she manifested them. Like with Beast Boy's wounds, Raven's demonic biology quickly deal with Starfire's. She moved onto Kid Flash, reducing his injury to a small crack. She went to Argent and healed the claw wounds on her chest, only to see a flash of Slade's crimson eye.
"What's wrong, Raven?" Robin asked, starting toward her and Argent. "Is she all right?"
"No, Robin . . ." Raven replied. "Slade . . . he did something to her. Something worse than just a bad flesh wound."
Robin stopped dead in his tracks. No . . .
Yes, L'andira whispered harshly. A wound from a Wamphyr can turn a human into the Wamphyr's thrall. That is what will happen to Argent unless we do something.
Can I drink her blood? Can I suck Slade's poison out of her?
It doesn't work like that. Just like a human can't suck snake venom out of another human, even a vampire as evolved as you cannot suck a Wamphyri infection out of a human. Even as we speak, the infection is spreading through her body. Soon, she will be enthralled to Slade.
What can I do? TELL ME!
There is one way. We will seek the aid of an old friend of mine, Thanatos.
How?
Take Argent and do as I tell you.
Ok. Robin went to Argent and picked her up, like a bridegroom carrying his bride. Now what?
Take her to the temple where you were reborn, where I was sealed inside you.
Robin ran at subsonic speeds across the bay and into the city, moving fast enough to get there within mere moments. However, he was not moving so quickly that Argent's body was torn apart by the wind resistance and air friction. Once inside the temple, he gently laid Argent down on the altar and looked around. What do I do now?
Cut yourself and use the blood to make a circle around her tattoo. Then repeat what I say.
Robin gashed his flesh-and-blood thumb on his fang and made a bloody circle around Argent's tattoo. With that done, he began to chant the words L'andira spoke to him. It was an alien tongue, but one he understood due to his bond with her. They were words of power, words of summoning.
"Child of Night and Darkness, Twin of Sleep, Lord of Death, come to me. Child of Night and Darkness, Twin of Sleep, Lord of Death, come to me. Child of Night and Darkness, L'andira calls. Twin of Sleep, the Lady of Blood calls you. Come to me, Lord of Death, come to me!"
The bloody circle around Argent's tattoo glowed brightly, the glow turning dark purple-red. A bright column of light emanated from the circle, reaching the ceiling of the temple. The light column widened at the end touching the ceiling, forming a whirlpool of energy in which the face of a fiercely beautiful young man could be seen. Robin gaped at the face he saw in the energy vortex.
"Are you Thanatos?" he asked.
"Yes, I am he," the young man replied. "Why have you summoned me?"
"I summoned you on behalf of L'andira!" Robin shouted. "I summoned you to save Argent!"
"I cannot do such a thing," Thanatos stated. "I am a death god. Kill her, and then we'll talk!"
"NO!" Robin yelled. "I am not killing her!"
Then she is doomed! L'andira roared. Would you prefer she became Slade's thrall?!
No, but . . .
But nothing! This is the only way to save her! Thanatos can only infuse himself into her body and heal it once she's dead!
Robin clutched his head, his shadow-matter eye throbbing. A blood tear seeped out of his organic eye, which had changed color from red to a sorrowful reddish-purple. "I don't want to do this . . . I don't want to kill her . . ."
If you won't, I will, L'andira's voice harshly rumbled in Robin's thoughts. Suddenly, a shadow-metal blade extended from Robin's shadow-metal arm. The arm seemingly raised itself, pulling back before thrusting the blade into Argent's heart.
"No!!" Robin screamed. "What did you do?! What did you DO?!"
I saved her life.
The shadow-metal blade retracted as Argent coughed up blood. Her eyes, which had been half-shut until this moment, opened fully, seeing Robin with a tortured expression on his face. "Rob . . . in . . ." she groaned.
"Argent," Robin moaned pitifully, holding her hand and weeping.
I . . . I don't want to die . . . Argent thought.
You won't, Thanatos said. Not if you accept me.
Who are you?
You will learn that in due time. For now, the important thing is that you have a choice and not very much time in which to make it. Do you wish to survive and remain by your precious Robin's side, or do you wish me to guide you into the next world?
I want to live!
Right answer.
The energy whirlpool retracted into Argent's heart, filling her – body and soul – with an energy she'd never known before. She let out a scream from the sudden rush of darkly divine power coursing through her veins, electrifying her neurons. The fatal wound Robin had given her healed immediately, as red energy swirled around her, hardening into chains and thorny ropes. The chains and thorny ropes dissolved into red vapors that pulled back inside Argent.
"Argent . . ." Robin murmured, seeing her. To an onlooker, it would seem that nothing had changed about her, save for the red circle around her anarchy tattoo. To Robin, she had changed a great deal. He could hear her heart pumping blood through her veins and the rate of that was halved. Her breathing came more slowly and irregularly, as though she was getting used to the fact that she no longer needed to breathe.
"Robin . . ." Argent answered him. "Thank you."
Robin pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "You're welcome," he whispered in her ear.
He was relieved that Argent was all right, but at the same time he was in a rage. Even the relief could not overcome that. How dare you? he snarled at L'andira internally.
I only did what you did not have the courage to do. She could have become enthralled to Slade because of your indecision. Be thankful that I do not share your unwillingness to kill.
You tried to make me kill before! What I did to Dagon was because of you!
Because of me? To an extent, but I only brought out what was already there. You're a vampire, Robin. You kill to preserve your life, whether it be your own or someone else's. The sooner you adapt to it, the better off you'll be.
"Robin?" Argent asked. "You're tense."
"Yes," Robin replied.
"Why? You saved me."
"L'andira saved you. I didn't want to kill you, but I didn't want to see something worse happen to you."
"I was in and out . . . but I heard. That bastard was going to make me a servant to him or something like that."
"I didn't want that to happen, but the only way the ritual to save you from that could work was if you died and I . . . I didn't want to kill you."
"Robin . . . I feel strange."
"Strange how?"
"There's a voice in my head. A guy . . . I see a face in my head . . ."
"May I speak to him?"
"You can do that?"
"Yeah, I think. Let me try." Robin stretched his mind into Argent's, reaching through her defenses and into the recesses of her mind. Once inside, he saw Thanatos, garbed in black armor with a crimson-bladed sword. He wore his black hair tied back in a long thick braid, with four thin bangs over his left eye, which along with his right eye was colored silvery-green. The armor and his hair offset silver-gray skin that was almost the pallor of death. Thanatos.
Hello, Robin, Thanatos greeted him. Do you appreciate what I've done?
Thanatos greeted him.Actually, yes. What's going to happen to her?
Let's have Argent join us before I talk about that, shall we? And bring your lovely L'andira to me. I want her here for this, too.
Soon enough, a mental representation of Argent appeared in the mindscape, as did a mental representation of L'andira. Robin gaped when he saw L'andira, for before him was a woman of immeasurable beauty. Her hair was a long and red-glossed black, with thick-lashed red eyes staring out at him. A black dress with mesh sleeves covered most of her body but had a tantalizing slit to expose one long, pale leg. A coy smirk was on her face.
Like what you see, Robin? And don't lie. I'll know if you do.
You're Thanatos, huh? Argent remarked. Have to admit, you're not that bad-looking.
Thank you, the death god preened. I'm not going to mind being sealed inside someone as beautiful as you.
Robin resisted the urge to growl possessively at Thanatos. However, he did step closer to Argent. Near him, L'andira chuckled. Now that we're all here, why don't you explain yourself, Thanatos? Robin demanded.
If you insist. What will happen is that you, Argent, will be able to tap into my spiritual energy. Since you had to die for me to be able to seal myself inside you, you are neither alive nor dead but somewhere in between. You will be able to see into the spirit world, beyond the veil that exists over most corporeal beings' minds.
Thanatos withdrew a sword from the scabbard on his back. This is a Soul Slayer, the weapon of a death god and the material manifestation of a death god's spirit force. Mine is called Crimson Shadow. This is its normal form. I will show you how to release more of its powers – and in turn, more of your own – in time.
Sounds awesome, Argent remarked.
However, I must add that in addition to the spiritual power you will inherit from me, I have assimilated the Wamphyr infection Slade cursed you with. As of now, you're sort of a half-Wamphyr. The parasite will remain dormant inside you as long as I am also inside you, allowing you to retain your true self.
Will I have to drink blood?
Yes, I'm afraid so. Will that be a problem?
Argent looked at him with her head cocked. At least when we have sex, Robin won't be the only one doing the biting.
You've read vampire erotica, haven't you? L'andira remarked.
Yeah, always thought it'd be kinda sexy for someone to bite me while we're shagging.
Robin blushed, prompting L'andira to give him a sidelong glance. We are going to have to cure you of your shyness when it comes to sex.
Thanatos smirked wickedly. Leave it to me. I could teach the boy a thing or two.
Argent and L'andira both wrapped protective arms around Robin's arms, which made Robin blush even worse. No way, L'andira said. Knowing you, Thanatos, you'd completely turn him off women.
Always spoiling my fun.
We should be getting back to the Tower, Robin said. The others are going to be worrying about us soon.
Fine, Thanatos conceded.
Robin and Argent returned to the real world and realized the precarious position they were in. It seemed that while they'd been conversing with their "tenants," Robin's hand had ended up on Argent's hip and her thigh had wedged between his legs. Robin blushed, while Argent smiled invitingly at him.
"My, my, whatever will we do now?" she asked.
"Go back to the others and see how they're doing," Robin replied.
Argent pouted, only for Robin to gently caress her face with his gloved flesh-and-blood hand. "We'll get around to that soon," he whispered. "Just as soon as we know everyone else is all right."
"Ok," Argent answered. "But you'd better keep your word."
"I'm known for keeping my word."
Robin and Argent departed from the temple where they had both been reborn, flying fast enough to return to Titans Tower in seconds. Once they spotted the island, they landed on it and entered the Tower. Ascending to the living-ops room, they were greeted by their fellow Titans and the vampires they had taken into their custody with eager, relieved smiles and hugs.
"Is everyone all right?" Robin asked.
"For the most part," Raven replied.
"What do you mean, 'for the most part'?"
Raven looked away from him. "Robin . . ."
"Something's wrong with Joey, isn't it? Slade . . . he's infectious, isn't he? That thing that changed him got into Joey, too, didn't it?"
Raven nodded sadly, her expression neutral but her eyes and soul betraying her heartbreak. "Where is he now?" Argent asked her.
"Restrained in the infirmary."
"I'll go to him," Robin said. "I want to see . . . if I can save him." Without waiting for anyone to say anything, he flickered into the infirmary to see the restrained Jericho. "Joey? Just think at me. I can hear you."
Robin . . . he did something to me, my own father, he put this thing in me.
"I know."
Is there a way you can . . . I heard you and Argent come in. I know you took her away and helped her. Help me!
"I want to. If there's any way I can remove that thing from you before it takes over, I'll find it."
No . . . I can already feel it growing inside me. I can feel it twisting my thinking. It wants . . . it hungers . . . it'll take . . . it'll kill . . . it'll make me take . . . make me kill . . . I don't want to . . .
L'andira, is there anything I can do to save him?
Argent, I could save because she was simply becoming a thrall. Jericho, on the other hand, has Slade's Wamphyr-leech egg inside him. It was the only egg the leech could create . . . and Slade was storing it for his own son.
To bring Jericho over to his side! Outrage quickly colored Robin's expression. That evil, scheming son of a bitch!
Robin . . . stop me . . . please, Jericho pleaded. I can feel it growing stronger. It won't be long before it takes me over and I'm no longer your friend. This thing will use my knowledge of you to hurt you and I don't want to do that, not to any of you, but especially not to Raven. I know I'll never get a chance to say it now, but tell her, tell her please, that I love her.
Robin locked eyes with Jericho, seeing the struggle in them. "Jericho . . ." Anything else he would have said was cut off as Jericho suddenly turned astral and jumped inside Robin. "Joey! What?!"
The Wamphyr inside Jericho laughed inside his mind. Fooled you.
Bastard! Get out! Get out of me!
No . . . this power you possess is mine now. And I will use it.
No, you won't! L'andira roared, her presence engulfing Robin's mind. NOW GO!
The psychic force of her presence was so intense that it threw Jericho out of Robin's body. Jericho landed in an agile crouch and glared at Robin through red eyes. The look in his eye was positively chilling and completely vicious, utterly unlike the Jericho Robin and the other Titans had known. Jericho rose to his feet with an unnatural, frightening grace and his face twisted into a cruel leer.
"I'll see you soon," the thing that had once been Jericho whispered harshly, before speeding away.
"Quarantine protocol, Authorization: 001Robin038!" Robin ordered as he gave chase to "Jericho." Immediately, Titans Tower began to lock itself down, prompting a call from Starfire on his communicator. "Get ready, all of you! Slade infected Jericho and the infection's progressed!"
"Progressed?" Kid Flash asked.
"He's becoming what Slade became!" Robin clarified, speeding ahead of Jericho, only for Jericho to kick the communicator out of his hands. Robin made a dive for it, but Joey was ahead of him and so got to it first, smashing it with his foot.
"Not so fast," Jericho whispered harshly. "Now . . . are you ready?"
Robin smiled grimly, looking at the thing that was once Jericho with both a purple-red eye and a shadow-matter eye. "Are you?"
End Notes: Once again, a friend has turned foe, but whereas the first case of such was a matter of oppositional beliefs, this is true evil infecting the heart of a Titan! Can Jericho be saved, and if not, will Robin be willing to stop him by whatever means necessary? In the meantime, you're free to stop by with remarks, critiques, or questions. See you around.