Distortion chapter 4.
Another Un-beta chapter. I think my friend will beta this time but I'm putting this up for for those who were waiting and replace it with the better version eventually.
I got hit by the longest streak of writer's block I have ever had! But I'm all better now. CRITISIZE! You won't stop me from writing as I don't really consider myself a writer anyway. Just a guy with ideas sometimes . . .
Raven's consciousness rose from a black smoke. Slowly her eyes opened. She was surrounded my images off herself. The only difference was the color of the capes and cowls they wore.
"You ok Ravy?" Fuchsia asked getting so close that their noses touched. Almost instinctively, Raven shoved the pink figment of her happiness away. Fuchsia stumbled back and landed on her rear. Raven, meanwhile, looked at her hands and wondered exactly why she did that.
She stepped out of the circle of figments and examined her surroundings trying to find some familiarity. Nothing seemed familiar. Somehow she expected that she should be alarmed, but the emotion didn't come. The other Raven's watched her curiously. The yellow Raven appeared in front of her and looked at Raven closely.
"Ahhh . . . she has some kind of amnesia. Short-term. Likely a side effect of the potion Control Freak used on us." the yellow Raven, Ambur, said. "Do you know your name dear?" she asked.
"Raven," Raven snapped as if it was the dumbest question.
"Do you know my name? Or where we are? Where we are from?"
Raven's expression was one of blank confusion.
"I see. It is selective," I suspect we still have yet to see the true intention of this mysterious potion-"
"Raven has amnesia?" the pink Raven said shoving the yellow Raven out of the way. "I must begin re-educating her now! First of all, we are a madly in love with Roy Harper-!"
"No you won't." the yellow Raven said straitening her glasses. "We have to let it come back naturally. At least for now. It probably won't be long."
Raven's figure began to fade at this point.
"It seems she is waking."
"Aw! But she just got here!"
Before more was said, Raven faded completely. The next thing she saw was the ceiling of the medical room in Titan Tower. She just stared at it for a while. Slowly she sat up, slipped off the bed and made her way to the door. The place was familiar. Memories came and went. This is Titan's Tower. A group lives here. Was it her family? No. No blood relations.
She strolled into the large living quarters. It was dark. Light came only from the large windows. Street lights defied the darkness that would have other wise drown the landscape. She moved towards the couch. Her eyes were wide and her expression was one that hungered for answers. She sat and was surprised to find that she had parked on a lump. She was more surprised when the lump cried "Ow!"
Raven hopped up and examined the form that moved. It was young girl. Hair so bright pink that she could make it out in the dark. Stood up like horns.
None of the details seemed familiar.
"What's the big idea?" Jinx asked looking around. Her eyes stopped on Raven.
"Hey," Jinx said then waited for a reply. Raven just stared at her blankly. "You ok?" Jinx asked.
Raven nodded slowly.
"Is there a reason you decided to sit on my back?" Jinx asked. Raven blinked and her mind raced for an answer. Who was this girl? She apparently knew her.
"I-" the sound of Raven's own dead-pan voice startled her. Even it sounded foreign.
"Hey maybe you better sit down. Not on me this time though, huh?" Jinx said standing and motioning Raven to sit. Raven did so. "That's right. You got knocked out in the battle today. Have you been up since?" again Raven just stared at the girl. "Don't you remember? Do you remember who I am?"
Raven looked at Jinx for a moment then shook her head.
"Are you serious?" Jinx became alarmed. Was she worried about her Raven wondered? Was Jinx one of her friends?
'What do I do? What do I do?' Jinx thought franticly.
"Stay calm," Jinx said to Raven but the command may have been meant for Jinx herself. "Hey? You want something? Water?" she walked into the kitchen and came back with a glass of water. She started drinking it as she thought over her dilemma.
"I thought that was for me lady," Raven said flatly.
"Oh, oh right!" Jinx said nearly falling forward to give Raven the glass.
Raven looked almost bemused and accepted the glass. Jinx returned to her deep contemplation.
"Who am I?" Raven's voice broke the silence. Jinx's head snapped up. She looked a little surprised.
"You are . . ." Jinx paused to think about the question. "I don't really know." She noticed a small amount of alarm enter Raven's expression so she quickly added, "Well I'm new here ya' see. In fact, only a couple months ago we were enemies."
Raven raised her left brow.
"Yeah." Jinx said looking at the ceiling distantly. "I changed sides. I don't really know you. You kind of keep to yourself. Even when you are with your closest friends you kind of have them all at a distance from what I've seen."
"Why?" Raven asked and Jinx started to think that was a joke. Maybe she didn't have amnesia and was out here just pulling her leg. At 3am? Another glance into Raven's eyes dismissed the idea. While they still held that calm, indifferent gaze they also gave the feeling of someone lost.
"Guess it's just you." Jinx said rubbing the back of her hand. "You have this room that you never let anyone in. When you're not fighting crime I usually see you reading or making fun of people."
Raven turned back to look at the hall wondering where this room was.
"You want to see it? Hey that's a good idea. You might remember stuff. If you don't you could always go to sleep."
"At this hour?" Raven said almost whimsically and it took Jinx a second to realize that that was joke.
"Heh. Yeah. Like that. You were always leveling sarcastic shots at people," Jinx said as she walked Raven to her room. It took her a moment to find it since she was not that familiar with the halls of Titans Tower.
Raven looked at the door with her name on.
"Raven?" Raven asked aloud.
"Uh. Yeah. That's you."
Raven opened the door and peered inside. She walked in slowly and stood there. She then turned to Jinx.
"Well are you coming in?" she asked the other girl.
Jinx was puzzled. "You want me to come in?"
"Is there anyone else out there?" Raven quipped.
Jinx shrugged and walked in.
"Well I'm just saying. This is breaking from the norm for you." Jinx joined Raven in the middle of the room and both looked around.
"Ok. What's up with that?" Jinx said pointing at a row of DVDs on a shelf built into the headboard of the bed. "Half of them are kids' movies!"
Raven looked at the unfamiliar titles. "Shrek, Monster's Inc. Ice Age 1 and 2." None of them rang a bell.
"They are all those computer animated movies too," Jinx said now sitting on Raven's bed and looking through the DVDs.
"Is this a big deal?" Raven asked. No sarcasm this time Jinx noticed. It was general interest.
"Oh, no. I just never thought you were the type. It's kind of . . . cute. You got to admit they stick out in this room were everything else is so-"
"Dark, Gloomy, Gaudy." Raven targeted everything in the room with her eyes.
"Yeah. That's you." Jinx said. Raven was silent. Jinx wondered if Raven might be disturbed by her own room. "Hey. You could always paint it pink,"
Raven made a sound that sounded something like a cynical chuckle.
"It'll probably seem like home when your memory comes back though." Jinx added.
"Ya know . . ." Jinx said "You have DVDs but no DVD player or even a TV. So I guess you watch these in the living room, huh?"
"Nice work detective." Raven said after a pause.
Jinx grinned. "So Do you remember anything?"
". . . no . . . "Raven said and frustration was becoming evident by this point.
"Hey uh . . ." Jinx started feeling awkward. She stood. "Why don't you get some sleep? It might help. And if it doesn't, you have a tower full of people to help you."
Raven sat down on her bed and nodded. She looked at the floor but her eyes were distant. She was trying to see into her mind.
"Ok. I'm going to go now." Jinx said making her way to the door.
"Uh . . . thanks for helping." Raven called to her. Jinx stopped and there eyes meet.
"Sure." Jinx said and walked out closing the door behind her. She stalked into the living room but each step did not feel like that of her own feet. Jinx had been thanked. Jinx had been thanked for helping someone. This was a first. If it had ever happed any time before she became a career criminal then she had no memory of it. Not even Kid Flash had thanked her for anything. Not that he had any reason to. She never really did anything for anyone. It made her feel strange.
Jinx lied down on the couch thinking about Raven's condition then how long this feeling was going to bother her. She simply hadn't been thanked for anything before and it made her feel like someone else. She felt as if she might be becoming someone else. She had been with the Titans for a while and while stopping criminals that would eventually do people harm she had only once physically saved someone from certain doom and he had thanked her by hitting her with a brick.
"Oh get over it Mary-Sue." Jinx said and turned over. "Respect my "Z"s Jinx muttered into the sofa and drifted off to sleep.
In Ravens mind the figures representing her emotions were gathered around two blocks that rested on the ground. Both were covered by swirling pink and purple smoke. On the face of one was the image of a woman named Randy Kandel. On the other was Jinx but the memory of each woman was wiped from the memory of both Raven and the figments.
"It's been three days and while the majority of her memories have returned these two remain hidden from even us. It's . . . unsettling . . ." Amber a yellow cloaked Raven with glasses said. "Does anyone have any ideas?" Amber asked looking at her fellow figments.
Pewter and Emerald both shook their heads.
"How should we know Amber? You're the brainy one!" Fuchsia said throwing an arm around the yellow clad Raven. Amber frowned at the boxes.
Jinx entered the living quarters with Kid Flash who darted straight for Robin's quarters. Jinx made her way the couch where she saw Raven cleaning. Raven turned and looked at her.
"Hi" Raven greeted flatly and continued cleaning.
"Need a hand?" Jinx offered not because she wanted to help but because she was sure this was what you did when you worked on the side of good. f
"No. I'm almost done. You can sit down." Raven said.
"I found out why I had those kids 3D movies," Raven said while running a vacuum over a couch cushion. "They just left five minutes ago," Raven said the corners of her lips threatening a grin.
"Oh those little kid superheroes?" Jinx said. She had seen Beast Boy taking them out on her way in. "You're baby sitting them?" Jinx asked with a touch of bewilderment. Raven didn't strike her as the type. Jinx thought she would be the last to judge a book by its cover but it seemed even she still did make genreral observations.
'That will teach me,' Jinx thought.
"I like them . . ." Raven said with out looking at Jinx. "I Did before I lost my memory of them."
"Oh." Jinx said. "That's cool. How much of your memory is back?"
"Almost all if it," Raven said turning off the vacuum. "I don't remember you though." Raven said.
Jinx raised a brow. She wasn't sure what to make of that. It didn't really mean anything. She could just be one of a few scattered late returning memories.
"Heh. Maybe you don't want to remember me. I was one of the bad gals ya know."
"Hmm." Raven murmured shoving the vacuum into a closet and then sitting on the couch next to Jinx.
"I don't get it Robin. I really don't." Speedy said standing behind the Titans leader and looking at the large city map on the monitor. Kid Flash stood on the other side of Robin.
"I know. I can't quite figure out the pattern either. First Raven. Then Herald. Raven is suffering from amnesia. They did nothing to Herald.-"
"What?" Speedy asked shocked. "I'm talking about something important. I guess it happens to all the greats every once in a while . . . A losing Streak."
Robin blinked.
"You're talking about girls again? How long has it been?"
"A week and a half! I have never gone so long with out getting any!" Speedy exclaimed throwing his arms in the air.
"Ah, so Speedy's libido is both his favorite strength and his greatest weakness? A double edge sword?" Kid Flash joked.
"My sword is getting dull," Speedy muttered.
"Uh huh." Robin said turning back to the monitor.
"Is Raven still off limits?" Speedy asked him.
"Yeah." Robin said not taking his eyes off the monitor. "Give her a couple more days. If your mess with her while she's in such a state I'm not wasting my time going to your funeral."
They sat on the couch in silence. Jinx's eyes spied the remote. She picked it up and looked at Raven.
"You mind?" She asked. More of those pleasantries she assumed were mandatory in this environment. Back in the hive she would have just stolen the remote and told who ever was watching TV to take long walk off a short pier.
"Knock yourself out." Raven said and picked up a book. Jinx looked at Raven mouth agape.
"You're not going to read while I'm watching TV, are you?"
"Watch me." Raven said.
"That's so silly!"
"Is it?" Raven asked.
"Heck yeah! What do ya hate TV or something?"
"No. Most of the things on most of the time are mindless drivel including whatever you're likely to put on," Raven said.
"How do you know that?!" Jinx snapped. "I might-might have put on something . . ." Jinx paused obviously trying to think of a show Raven might watch. "Maybe I'd put on Shrek. Or Ice Age." Jinx said with cheeky grin. Raven stiffened.
"Those movies are-"
"What? I can't hear you! Speak up. You saying even the mighty Raven likes immature programming?" Jinx said putting one had to an ear as if pretending to hear and leaning over Raven's book.
"They are not that bad," Raven said in her defense. Jinx howled with laughter. Then stopped noticing Raven's book covered more of her face if that was possible. "Ray Ramano makes a good mammoth-" she all but muttered.
"Hey. I'm just messing with you. Here" Jinx said throwing the remote at Raven's book. It fell beside Raven. "Put something on that isn't um . . . trash TV or whatever you smart people call it."
"Not interested." Raven said. The remote turned pitch black and floated over to Jinx.
Jinx looked at the remote for a moment wondering if she should keep pushing the mage. She took the remote and started channel surfing. She started looking for things she thought Raven might watch just to see if she could get a reaction from her.
Zap.
-The sneakers that can breath!
Zap
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!-
Zap.
"And I'll guarantee you this: Those attacks from the left and the right will continue. They perhaps may get even a little more energetic. And as long as they continue to do so, you and I can rest assured that we're doing more right than wrong on this broadcast."
Zap.
Stop him Double D!-
Zap.
-contrary to popular beliefs, those who practice Wicca do not worship Satan, perform sacrifices human or otherwise or use the forces of nature to perform hexes or spells to harm others. One of the main tenets-
"Yet another misunderstood part of society." Jinx heard Raven's words travel over her book.
'Well it didn't take long to get you yakking again' Jinx thought.
"Really? What are they talking about? Witches?"
"Stop talking to me and listen for yourself."
"Nah. Why should I listen to the 'idiot box' when I have you?" Jinx asked with mirth.
Raven dropped the book to look at Jinx.
"Maybe I don't wanna waste my time telling you," Raven said.
"Then let me live a pointless, distracted, blunted existence in ignorance."Jinx said throwing her arms in the air for dramatic effect.
"Those were a lot of big words. Is your head ok? Need to take a break?
"Oh, ha ha!" Jinx said looked away pretending to be miffed. "People sometimes ask me if I'm a Wiccan . . . well the few that don't show me the sign of the cross and scream 'witch witch!' Or maybe they were shouting 'b!tch b!tch!' I mean. I stopped listening after a while."
"Curious," Raven started, "Were you tormenting and robbing these people when they called you those things?"
Jinx said this." . . . "Then she said."I'm guessing you have a point here but I really don't see where you're going with this."
Raven raised a brow at the comment and almost grinned. This made Jinx grin.
"I'm forming the opinion that people like to stereotype each other. Put everyone is nice little categories. Makes it easier than understanding that each and every individual might be a, gasp! -individual!" Jinx preached her observation.
"I'm inclined to agree," Raven said simply.
"Well it's about time! I was starting to think you just like to disagree with me." Jinx said.
"I don't. You're very noisy. I'd be better off agreeing with everything you said. It might make you shut-" Raven said eyes glued to her book.
"You're damn good at taking the wind out of my sails! To good. You must be enjoying yourself."
Raven paused to seriously think about that. Maybe she did.
Both watched the documentary on the history of the Wiccan religion for ten minutes before Raven asked. "If you're not a Wiccan, what are you?"
"Religious wise? Um . . . "Jinx played with her fingers."Nothing? How about, 'who ever wants me?!" Jinx said throwing her arms in the air again.
Raven shook her head at the woman's silliness.
"My mommy was an acolyte if that means anything. I guess there was a religious affiliation . . ." Jinx's eyes became distant and her voice trailed off. Raven could tell instantly that this was not a comfortable subject for her. She controlled the remote and changed the channel.
"I- like your out fit Jinx." Raven said with just the slightest bit of hesitation.
"Really?" Jinx's pale face lit up. "Thanks!"
Raven looked at Jinx blankly.
"What?"
"I didn't know my stating a simple fact would have that much of an affect."
"Oh shut up! You're going to make me blush!" Jinx said.
"What?" Raven was genuinely confused.
"You're calling it a fact! Like my outfit is some kind of undeniably great thing! Like a-
"A materiality?"
"What's that mean?"
"Fact or state of being permanent."
"Then yeah. I'll have you know not every one likes it so getting a compliment on it here and there means a lot me. And of course screw those who don't like it."
". . . Ok," Raven said.
"I mean it! You're like, 'dizzy brat. Just take the complement and shut up already.'"
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Raven said.
Jinx started laughing hard. She eventually rolled onto the floor. It had been forever since she had laughed for real. This made her laugh a little more until finally tears were in her eyes. She felt liberated. She felt free. This was the real Jinx. The one who was brooding and just going through the motions of "playing good gal" for the past couple weeks was some fake stand in.
Raven looked down at her book and realized she was still on the same page as when she opened it. That was an hour and a half ago.
"Raven what did you do to her?" they heard Kid Flash call to them as he approached with Robin.
"Oh it was terrible!" Jinx cried from the floor. "She busted my gut."
"Anytime," Raven said flatly then pretended to read her book.
Kid Flash snickered.
"Well I'm done here. Are you ready?" Kid Flash asked.
"Uh yeah sure." Jinx said climbing to her feet," the proper exiting statement escaped her. She considered a few before finally settling on "Later Raven."
"Yes. Later," Raven said.
In perfect circles the rag went. It was focused on dirt spots and smudges that only Victor Stone could see. The T-Car was already blindingly polished. The cloudless sunny day made it almost a visual impairment to those passing by the cream colored walkway of the beach. And it was on the beach were Victor was determined to keep his one human eye and the robotic one off. For if he didn't, he would see . . . her. The very image of her from ten short minutes ago was enough to cause his automated built in buffer attachment to go astray, sliding across the hood of the car and nearly causing him to fall. She had showed up as planned with Beast Boy but the bikini he had failed to anticipate.
"Real smart Cy-man. Suggest we all go hang ten and forget that babes go into like babe-overdrive in this environment." he said to himself.
So he did what any insecure half-human, half-machine, teenager drowning in doubt that he could be with any girl would do. He blew them off. Went into a rant about how he needed to keep his "baby" looking good and plotted to spend virtually the entire evening here single-mindedly committed to this cause.
'I know she wants me.' his mind was telling him. He had always blown these thoughts off. Told them to shut up but recently he had been slipping. Striking out. Letting them fly into the catcher's mitt where they'd get louder and holler at him. He'd even begin to enterain the idea of dating Bumble Bee before his self loathing would finally drown it out and he'd berate himself. He'd tell himself he'd only imagined catching her looking at him longingly. Expectantly.
"See? Now If I just avoid her for the rest of my life even after she finds someone else I'll be good to go!"
Victor started rubbing smudges again and continued even when the reflection of the girl he was thinking about appeared on the car. He flinched thinking he was seeing things. While reeling back he caught a glimpse of her in the corner of his eye. He turned to face her.
"Oh Bee! You scared me,"
"Little old me?" she asked.
"Heh. yeah. He said rubbing the back of his head. His eyes darted between her face and the sandy pavement. They dare not stop anywhere between. Bee noticed this. An explanation for his behavior had popped into her mind during the hour she spent sitting on a towel watching kids burry Garfield Logan in the sand but was it just wishful thinking? Did she make him nervous? And if so, was it because he wanted her or just the opposite? Maybe he didn't want her and was having trouble telling her. Well she was damned if she would let this go on any longer. She approached.
"Wooooooow. It's like a mirror," she said peering at the car with interest. Cyborg became positively bashful. He rubbed the back of his head a little harder while failing to stop from grinning. "Nice going Narcissus."
"Who?"
"Greek Mythology. A beautiful man who fell in love with his reflection."
"Oh . . ." Cyborg stopped rubbing his head to scratch it instead.
Bumble Bee leaned over the car as she pressured herself to get it out. Why the hell did it have to be so hard? She was getting nervous now. A desire to just run was overcoming her. If only he had been pursing her. Why did all the lousy, worthless, two-timing men have no trouble hitting on her?
"Are you in love with yourself or this car Victor?" she asked. When she forced herself to face him he actually shot his gaze else where.
"Uh . . ." he trailed the question left him puzzled but his mind wasn't even completely contemplating the question. It was grapping with a sinking feeling that she was going there. No one thought he was in love with himself and everyone knew he loved the car but not more than any person. So this was some kind of indirect question.
"Why wont you look at me?!" she snapped. The chance to express anger actually emboldened her.
Cyborg sighed and let his shoulders slump.
"What are you driving at Karen?"
'Damn! How'd he put it all back on my shoulders?' Bee wondered almost dumbfounded.
"You've been acting funny since we got here!" she shot back.
"I don't happen to find vehicle maintenance amusing but whatever you consider it, it's my god given right!"
"What I mean-" Bumble Bee paused, closed her eyes and touched her forehead with her fingers to compose herself. She learned to do this to keep from shouting accusations and insults for sake of screaming as she might do when she was younger. 'Get back on track. He's mad about something that isn't even what I'm talking about,' she coached herself.
"I think you're avoiding me and I want to know why." She said peering at him.
"I- uh . . ." Cyborg turned his slumped form away from her. He felt himself break into a sweat. "The problem is that I want to look at. Like you are now. But I shouldn't."
"What are you talking about?" she pressed herself for patience. What kind of friggin answer was that?
"Don't know if you've noticed but I am the size of a Ford Expedition. And just as cuddly."
Bumble Bee's heart skipped a beat. This meant the problem wasn't her! He was stuck on himself.
"Bet you're just as warm on the inside to," she said smiling softly, stepping into his personal space.
"What? I'm saying is I'm a hulking metal giant! What would you want with that?"
"You think I missed that?!" she snapped at him. "If it bothered me do you think I'd be coming on to you?" letting these words free felt overwhelmingly liberating for her. The fact that he didn't run off screaming into hills or use his car to get away from her but rather seemed to accept it was making her heart swim in warmth.
"Then just tell me why it doesn't bother you? How could it not?" Cyborg asked pleadingly.
"Like a said you big lug," She said wrapping her arms around his waste and looking up into his eyes. "You're warmer on the inside." They embraced for a moment.
"How come this never stopped you from chasing other girls?" Bumble Bee asked not really wanting details about her new boyfriend's old girl friends but to curious to keep herself from asking.
"Well that was a long time ago. I was young and stupid enough to forget about my disposition long enough to uh . . . you get the idea."
"It wasn't that long ago,"
"And I haven't gotten that much smarter either."
"Ah there she is." Amber said watching the image of Jinx in one of the boxes she had been studying for days. Memories of the girl were finally returning to both her and Raven. The box began to fade until it was no longer there.
"Well. I can honestly say I have no idea what that means." Amber said staring at the empty space where the box had been. Now only the one with Randy Kandel remained. She looked at it and discovered that the sides framing the image of the blonde woman had actually darkened.
"Are you still looking at those boxes? Come on! We've got better things to be making Raven think about!" Emerald called to Amber.
"Yeah. Like Jinx! Isn't she great?" Fuchsia asked. Amber just looked at them blankly.
"She seems . . . significant. Raven has devoted a small space in her mind to Jinx much like the ones for Robin, Starfire Cyborg, Tera and Beast Boy. For Raven we all know that's rare."
"Why ya gotta talk so borin'? Why don't cha just say 'totally freaking, b!tching, awesome man?'!" the green Raven asked.
"Because I'm in charge of Raven's intelligence and logic-" Amber started. She stopped when she realized no one was listening.
"Come on. Let's see if we can get her to hang out with Jinx again!" Fuchsia said to Emerald.
"I thought we were trying to get her to train with Speedy?"
"Who?" Fuchsia asked.