Aki- I'm finally back. I was uninspired by lack of reviews and was having a hard time writing this chapter (both the villain part and the fight sequence). Please review, it makes me happy and happy authors write faster. Or at least this one does. Except when I'm inspired by sad things, but this is an action fic and I need happy for this.
Chapter 14: Playing Games
"Madam, the message has been sent. You've already got the footage, I gather."
"What was your premiere clue," the woman replied sarcastically, not even turning her head to the direction of the man speaking. Instead she pressed a button on the arm of her chair, and large screen that had been flickering scenes of the Strike's latest public attack went blank.
"We didn't know the kids we're here or with Stone."
"If you've had bin doing your job correctly you 'ould have known," she said with a dangerous edge, the high back of her chair still all the man could see.
"I apologize for—," he began, but was cut off by the woman's cold laughing.
"An unforeseen twist, but very intriguing. I never expected zem to come…"
"No," the slightly nervous man quickly agreed, "Never. All of your surveillance proved them nothing more than regular teenagers."
"Regular teenag-ers with superpowers," the woman corrected. The man winced. "Don't worry for your life 'cause of this littil…shall we say, fail up. In fact, I find it rather…amusing."
"A—amusing," the man stuttered in relieved response. If only his men could see him now. He was top ranked among the Strike, only under the Miss. He was an image of fear in the lackeys and muscles of the organization. He was supposed to be high up, but even he was terrified of the consequences of screwing up, even if he was the second-hand man. He had seen how harsh the punishments could be. Let's just he used to be a bit farther down on the Strike's ladder.
"I'm very interested in how zees will all…play out."
"Aren't you worried about…complications?" he asked with move bravado, more assured that the French woman wasn't about to strangle him with an extended arm.
"Three inexperienced children are barely an issue. It's going to be much fun to see their reactions up close to our littil experiment."
"Indeed?"
"Yes,
and well talking of zee experiment, how is zee good docteur doing?"
"Good, the humans were no trouble. The alien and demon-girl…their differences is physiology was anticipated."
"Make sure he keep's dat up, eh, Williams."
The man winced at the use of his real name. Everyone else called him "sir" and had no knowledge to him being anything more than that.
"And with the robot man…the cyborg…we've got both the doctor and the professor ready for his well, two brains…"
"You have done well. You may go." She pressed the button on arm of her chair again and the screen, split several ways and showing different angles of the earlier Strike incident, came back to life.
"Yes, Madam," said the man and he promptly left.
…
"Hey, Halle."
"Shhh!"
"Ha-lle,"
he repeated in a sing-song voice.
"Shut up," she retorted as sharply as she could in a hushed tone.
"I'm bored, let's talk."
"It's a stake out, we can't talk."
"Why not?"
"Because were supposed to be paying attention," Halle snapped.
Kaden leaned back on his heals, where he sat crouched on a fire escape. Halle almost signed in the relief of his silence and lifted a pair of scanoculars to her eyes. Basically they were binoculars, but way cooler. A simple touch of the button and the scanoculars could change from regular view to night vision, infrared, radiation signatures, as well as zoom in and out as well as other features Halle didn't know or understand yet. Apparently they were very big on the bird-watching market.
"Why do they call it a 'stake out.' What does it have to do with "stakes" anyway. I think it would be cool if we had some stakes. Like hammer a tent to the ground, stab it threw a vampires heart stakes, not like steaks like, y'know, moo. I won't want those kind, I don't eat them. I'm vegan."
"Your vegan?" asked Halle, her curiosity keeping her from constraining herself. Maybe it was because this was the first time the younger teenage boy was talking about himself rather then dishing out info on the Strike.
"Yeah, well see, my dad is because he turns into all different animals and whatnot. And my mom can't cook, so my dad cooked my whole life, so that what I ate, or didn't eat I guess, in most cases. Tofu and soy, but not meat, milk, or eggs."
"Wow," said Halle, the scanoculars forgotten in her lap.
"I'm not sure exactly where I stand on the moral implications and the whole animals' rights side of being a vegan, but it's what I like to eat. I guess I've eaten it for so long its what I like my taste buds are used it. I had chicken once; it was so weird."
"I totally get it. Like when you drink Diet Coke and everyone says that Diet Coke stays like crap compared to real Coke, but you think real Coke tastes funky 'cause you only drink Diet."
"Exactly."
Halle communicator buzzed to life. She pulled it off her belt, screwing up her face against the tickling sensation. It was a Titan's communicator. Apparently Cyborg had been working on an updated version when the Titans broke up, a story that none of the three teenagers knew and Cyborg wasn't up to sharing. She clicked a button on the side and the "T" emblem changed into a screen.
"Yes?"
"Stop yapping over there, you're going to blow our cover," Cyborg hissed over the screen.
Halle pursed her lips and Kaden shrunk back in the background, out of view of Cyborg's reprimand.
"I teamed you two up because I thought 'the terrible twins' would argue the whole time." Halle saw Alex make a face over Cyborg's metallic shoulder. The half-man, half-robot, had already donned Halle and Alex as "the terrible twins" because of their constant bickering.
"You split us up like this because you wanted someone who could fly in each group," Halle retorted.
"Technically, I can't fly," Kaden added.
"You can teleport
and levitate, that's close enough."
"It's not the same
thing," Kaden muttered in discontent.
"Just stop the conversation and pay attention," Cyborg begged.
"We will," Halle assured before turning off the screen.
"You got me in trouble," she hissed venomously at Kaden.
"Hey, aren't we not supposed to be talking."
"Now you decide to shut up."
"Only 'cause you're yelling at me."
…
Alex pulled the sleeves of his sweater-like, black shirt down his arms. He never expected night times to get so cold! They were on a roof top about half a block away from Halle and Kaden position on a fire escape so the two were just visible in the darkness and their muted whispers could sometimes be heard in the quick darkness.
Alex stifled a yawn. Cyborg through him a look.
"What?" Alex whispered. "I'm tired. This is the third night in a row we've done this. And sitting here is just boring. And who's to say the Strike is going to show up here anyway?"
"Weren't you listening to Kay 1 when he was explaining the Strike's pattern?"
"I've mostly gotten into the habit of tuning Kaden out," said Alex sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.
"Habit…? Haven't you known him all of five days?"
"Haven't you known him all of four?"
"So?"
"Doesn't it irate you how he goes from all silent to talking nonstop from zero to sixty…"
"If you had known his parents, it would be no surprise. Anyway, we known three things about the Strike's…strikes. One, the first is to get attention. Two, they never attack the same place twice. Three, they always hit at least one location per city that carries this controversial new medicine that is being experimented with in treating mental illnesses. There are only two places in this city that have that chemical. An output of Star Labs, which was attacked last time the Strike had the pleasure of visiting, and here," said Cyborg pointing to a business building across the street. "The Strike is going to come here sooner or later and I want to be ready for them."
"Okay, okay…"
The night was once again silent.
"Are they still talking?" asked Cyborg incredulously, again picking up whispers of conversation on the midnight breeze.
"Probably flirting," said Alex, voice full of disgust, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Are they like…an item."
"'An
item' what are you like from two-0's 2?"
"Actually,
yes."
"No, there not 'an item'. Not yet. But hey, they've only known each other five days. Give it time."
Cyborg couldn't help but smirk at the adolescent's attitude. He remembered what it was like when small things like teen relationships and pizza toppings were the world.
His attention wandered back to the building they were staking out and not in enough time. One of the windows on the second floor blew out in a small explosion.
"That's our cue," said Cyborg grabbing his communicator. However, before he got a message out, Kaden and Halle came flying past on a circle platform made of Kaden's dark energy.
"Fly us down," commanded Cyborg.
"Okay," said Alex, closing his eyes and taking a deep breathe.
"What are you doin,?"
Alex peaked at Cyborg through one open eye. "I'm getting in the flying mindset."
"What?"
"Flying is not as easy as it looks!"
"There's no time for this," said a battle-ready half-machine. So instead of waiting for Alex to be ready to fly, he jumped off the roof of the three story building.
"What the hell?" screamed Alex, running to the edge of the roof. Cyborg had landed in a crouch below before running off across the street. He had left an indent in the sidewalk.
"Okay, Alex, ole' buddy. Fly…you've done it before. It was really schway…3" Alex felt a tingling sensation go down his neck, like the one you get when someone is playing with your hair, and felt himself lift off the cement roof.
He managed, barely, to get himself to fly across the street. He ran very hard into the building, but he got across the street. Getting himself to move to the right and lower several yards to the blown out window on the second floor was another task.
"Lower, lower," Alex whispered to himself, until his toes finally landed on the lip of the second floor of the brick building. From there he inched along in a way that only some who was half floating could manage.
He could here crashes and yells and general ruckus. "Almost there." Just a few more feet, one step…two steps…here!
Of course, as Alex reached the window, one of Cyborg's sonic blasts came through, missing Alex by mere centimeters. As per the reaction of any normal human being when nearly being sonic blasted when walking on a tiny ledge, he lost balance, through his arms out and waved them in wide circles, and slipped off the ledge. He groped to catch the ledge with his fingertips, but he missed…
He winced in fear of the imminent impact of the ground, but it didn't come. He opened his eyes. He was floating.
"Talk about joy of flying," he muttered before zooming through the window post haste…just in time to be rammed into the wall as Kaden was flung into him.
"Crap!"
They
landed in a heap against the wall. "Get off," said Alex, pushing,
but Kaden seemed a little too dazed, perhaps it was a concussion?, to
move, so Alex disentangled himself from the tails of the younger
boy's white overcoat, and stumbled onto his feet. Halle was engaged
in a quick hand-to-hand battle with what suspiciously looked like a
ninja. He was dresses from toe to top of head in black, except for
the image of crossing white lightening bolts on his chest. He was at
least a head shorter than Halle, but he was extremely quick and agile
in his attacks and dodges. Halle was swiftly losing ground under his
swift motions.
Cyborg, on the other hand, was doing battle with a man in a robotic suit, who shot lasers out of his fingertips. Alex would have thought it schway if the situation hadn't been nearly fatal.
"Need a hand?" Alex called to Cyborg. The half-metal man punched the man in the robotic suit in the gut, which didn't do much cause he was in a robotic suit.
"No," yelled back Cyborg, "Help Hal!"
"Halle, need a hand?" Alex yelled, running a few steps across the room, dodging some finger lasers, and letting a starbolt form about his fist.
"No," she replied, ducking under a kick aimed at her head, quite a feat due to the assailant's lack of height. She swiped her leg under his, attempting to unbalance him. "Take care of Kaden."
Alex glanced back to where he had left the shorter, dark-haired boy. He was now on his feet, clutching his head in one hand, stumbling aimlessly.
Alex flew over to him. "You okay?"
"Rubber…chicken…"
Alex sweatdropped at the response. Kaden ended up leaning on the wall for support. "What happened to you?"
"Tried to block lasers with shield-thingie, too many, and boom!"
"You…just stay here…"
Kaden nodded his head, wincing in pain as he did so. Then Halle screamed. Alex whipped around. Halle was on her knees, clutching her arm in anguish. The ninja grabbed her by her hair with one hand and raised his other to—
"Not my sister," growled Alex and he shot his prepared starbolt right into the ninja, who fell backwards. It should have been head over heals, but he was weighted down by the girl he was trying to attack, his fingers still tangled in her hair.
"My head!" Halle screamed.
"That didn't go as planned…"
Halle took out her anger, after disentangling herself, but kicking the ninja while he was down. Not with any particular martial arts move she had gleaned from her father's training, but like his side was a soccer ball. However, the ninja grabbed her leg mid-swing and with a simple twist landed her on her back as he swiftly jumped to his feet. Halle's head crashed painfully into the tile floor and she emitted a low groan.
To keep the short ninja from attacking his twin while she was down, he aimed a starbolt at him. The ninja managed to leap out of the way, leaving a smoldering mark on the floor. Alex continued firing, but the ninja back flipped and somersaulted to avoid everyone. A trail of scorch marks former on the wall in the path of the ninja's direction around the room.
One such starbolt hit the wall very close to where Kaden was leaning.
"Watch it," he yelled, a little more back into himself than earlier.
"Sorry."
That moment's distraction was all the ninja needed to kick Alex so hard in the stomach that he flew over the nearby table. However, when the ninja was distracted with attacking Alex, Kaden lifted rubble, a broken off chair leg it appeared, with his telekinesis and aimed to hit the ninja over the head with it. The ninja proved to be a lot more observant then first realized, and he jumped out of the path of the swinging piece of wood.
The momentum was too much, and Kaden was unable to stop the flying object before it hit Cyborg, who was gaining the upper hand by exploiting a weakness in the abdomen area of the robotic armor, was hit in the head. The robotic-suited man put a fist in Cyborg's gut and for the second time that night Alex was hurled into the wall by one his comrade's flying bodies.
The robotic man raised his hands to fire on the Alex-Cyborg heap. Halle, back on her feet and seeing the villain's actions, made a running charge at him. The robotic man noticed her plenty ahead and instead of raising a hand of defense, stepped aside. Halle ran straight into Kaden who had been trying to sneak attack the robotic man from behind.
The robotic-suited man raised his laser-firing fingers again, but did not point them towards any of his downed foes, but instead, at the wall.
Satisfied, the robotic man called to the ninja, who was amusing himself with trashing the remainder of the room that hadn't been trashed during the fight, "We're done here." And they exited without a fuse.
"What happened?" Alex groaned, sitting up, rubbing his head.
"They didn't even take anything," commented Halle, holding her left arm close to her chest.
"That's not even the disturbing part."
"What is?" Alex asked, wondering what Kaden could mean.
"Halle and me were the first people in here after the explosion. The two were just standing there…waiting for us."
"They knew we were coming?"
"It was a set up," Cyborg growled, punching the wall. The three sitting teens looked up and saw what the robotic man had laser-carved into the wall before he left, two crossing lightning bolts.
"But if it was a set up," pondered Halle out loud. "Why did they just leave? Why didn't they kill us or kidnap us…?"
"Because it wasn't part of their orders. The Strike is toying with us…and we played right into their hands."
None of the teens spoke; Cyborg looked and sounded absolutely pissed.
"Is your arm okay?" Kaden whispered, shifting closer to Halle on his knees.
"I think it might be fractured."
"Here, let me." Kaden gently took hold of Hale's left arm, although she could not help but wince at even the small movements. His hand glowered and, to Halle's surprise, the pain was gone.
"Wha?"
"Healing."
She observed the rubble around the room. Cyborg was seething across the room from them, a few of his wires sparked, having been knocked out of place. Alex was trying not to show it, but his face twisted in pain whenever he moved his right leg. Kaden leaned his head against the wall in pain, closing his eyes and whispering strange words she had heard him say a few time before, when preparing to use his powers.
"There were only two of them," Halle said allowed.
"And they beat us to a pulp," added Alex.
Cyborg turned around . "Y'know why?"
"Because we came in unprepared," suggested Halle, feeling bad for rushing in with Kaden before their two other teammates.
"We can't completely control our powers," added Alex guiltily.
"No,… because we weren't fighting as a team. We let them use us against each other. I'm at fault as much as you, maybe even more. I've fought on a team before, unlike you three. Doesn't matter how long I haven't now, because I didn't for a second consider how you kids were doing when I was off fighting your own battle," the man wiped her hand over his brow,"…this isn't going to work."
"Are you saying your ditching us, tin man?" asked Kaden, breaking his silence. Halle and Alex might have been shocked at the nickname if it had not been for Kaden using them for four days straight. Tin man, scrap yard, trash can…apparently those were how Kaden's father had referred to Cyborg in sparse tales about 'the old days.' Neither of the twins was willing to test their luck with employing such titles.
"No, I am saying that before we can take out the Strike, we have to become a team…and I'm ready to teach."
…
"They have returned, Madam."
"Let them in."
Large double doors opened into the throne-like room. And in entered a short man in a ninja getup and a man in a robotic suit.
"The aptly named Striker and the muchly improved Adonis…it went well, I presume."
"Very good, Ma'am. Me and the excuse for a cyborg go way back…it was nice to actually win a fight against a Titan."
"It seems revenge is out shared moteev," said the woman. "But Striker is here just for zee thrills, eh?"
Striker just nodded in response, although it was almost impossible to tell in the darkened room in his almost solid black outfit.
"And what off the zee children? Is it as I expected?"
"Not a threat. They practically took each other out for us."
"Zis is good. Good work, gentilmen. You are dismissed."
The two henchmen gave slight nods in departure before turning and leaving the long room. Both the woman and her right-hand man said nothing until the thick doors closed behind the hired muscle.
"'Ow is zee docteur doing?"
"He is completely on schedule. The, uh, Titans will be ready as planned."
"Good…you have not failed me, Williams."
"Thank you, Madam Rouge."
1 Cyborg has given all the 'kids' nicknames: Kaden is Kay, Halle is Hal, and Alex is Al (Alex is already a nickname!). Cy is secretly amused how 'the terrible twins' nicknames rhyme.
2 I really got to thinking what people in the future would call the years from 2000 to 2009. It's not like the Ninties or the Seventies or whatever. I decided on the 'two-O's' as in two (2) and 'o' short for zero, but plural. Get it?
3 schway cool. 'Schway' is a slang term that they used in the cartoon 'Batman Beyond' for cool. They had several future slang terms. I actually have used it since then without thinking about it. I think we should make 'schway' the 'cool' of the future like how 'groovy' is the 'cool' of the past.
I was trying to write Madam Rouge's accent French. For some reason, on the show, it was Russian, but she's French (and not just in name), so I made it French.