Chapter whatever
Blackfire awoke with a start some time in the night. She had had disturbing dream. No differant from most nights, but the level of terror these dreams normally instilled in her had decresed dramatically. She would however be unable to get back to sleep. Her body told her it was almost time to be up anyway. Kali moved, and Blackfire knew she was awake. Kali was always awake. Blackfire knew that even the slightest tremor in her body, or at the slightest hint of waking up or having a nightmare, Kali was instantly awake for her.
"You slept well?" Kali asked her. It was more a statement than a question. Kali knew perfectly just how well her daughter slept. Tonight had been the first night in an age where she had not woken up screaming every two hours. Kali unwrapped her, and pulled Blackfire closer, resting her head on her chest instead of her abdomen. She brushed her hair behind her ear and rested her chin on the top of the younger girls head.
"Very." Blackfire tried to get up, to turn her head but was held down. She offered no more resistance. It was quite clear that she was right where her mother wanted her.
"I am glad."
"I want to go back." Blackfire said quietly. "Today, to see some of the others."
"Your sister?"
Blackfire closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Yes, her sister. She had left her last in less than good circumstances. Her sister had rescued her from the beach, brought her back to jump and as soon as they were back to the tower Blackfire seperated from her. She had fled from Starfire as if she were a monster. She had been panicking so badly that she fled her. She now understood just how worried and concerned for her Starfire had been. She felt guilty for causing her little sister such a hurt. And then, that night in the cemetary she had simply stood back and watched. She hadnt said a thing to her. She would set that right today.
Kali had her own reasons for wanting to get back. She didnt like leaving her other daughters alone with the obsidian order gunning for them. She would know the instant trouble arose, and be able to help them from wherever she was, but having her around might serve as a detterent for any attack.
Where was she? Jinx concentrated on all the video screens in the guard room. It was her turn to watch over the city from here and monitor activity. She always used her turn to watch the crowds to try and find her daughter. She would find her, and kill her just as she had done to her. While she knew it to be wrong she full accepted that she had not always been a 'good guy', and as far as she was concerned revenge was not something to be considered below her. She was Jinx, one of the top five of the HIVE academy. She had been on her way to being one of the more feared meta-humans in existance. She had been on a track, damnit. She had been moved off of that track, but charecteristics of her old lifestyle still made themselves known in her. Revenge was alright.
It made her feel good, to feel vindictive and mean again. One of the little pleasures in life for her were those brooding moments where she felt like her old self again. Just like when she hexed the gas tank of a motor-cycle and watched several of Rancids thugs dance around in flames. Just like when she shot Ranced, both times. Those moments made her feel good.
A smile tugged at her lips. Some of the moments of being on the good side werent all that bad either. She remembered a confused old lady thinking her cat was in a tree in the park. She had crawled down a hole in the tree only to find an angry racoon. Yes, enough time had passed now for that to be funny. Her old self might have hexed the tree into falling onto the old woman, and laughed as her tiny feet stuck out from underneath the trunk kicking.
"Your shifts over." Robin said from somwhere over her shoulder. "It has been for twenty minutes."
"Dont care."
"I look for her too, when its my turn."
He knew what she was doing. What she was really watching for. "Tell me." She said. "What would you do if you found her?" Robin was silent for some time, as was she. Those who knew them would have known they had stopped speaking verbally. Anything said between the two now was done through the ever-present link they shared. Jinx closed her eyes and allowed herself to hear what he projected towards her. She saw in his mind what he considered righteous and just. She repelled him through the link with a flare of emotion, and spun in her chair. "I dont believe that for a second." It came out in a hiss, but he knew she wasnt really angry with him. "You'd just throw her in jail, even after what she's done?"
"Its what I do."
"She killed us both. You really wouldnt kill her?"
"Of course not." Robin got up and walked slowly to where the computer screen and Jinx were. He turned her chair around and put his hands on the arm rests, leaning down low close to Jinx. "I remember the day she killed me now. Shiva allows me to. For the time I saw her, what I saw was someone scared and confused. What I saw was someone who had been totally mind-fucked by Brother-Blood. Has it occured to you at all that what we're dealing with might very well be someone who needs our help?"
"So your saying she deserves a second chance?"
Robin backed off and turned his back to her. "Think about it. Someone engineered the creation of our daughter." He turned around, making eye contact. "They didnt do it out of the good of theire heart, and we can rest assured Robix didnt just create herself."
"So?"
"So think about it. If they created her then chances are that anything she does is a part of her creator's agenda. It could very well be that she hasnt chosen to do a single thing of what she's done to us."
"So its not her fault, is that what your saying?"
"Not completely her fault."
"Makes sense." Jinx allowed.
"So when we DO find her, we have to contain her. We have to try and reason with her. See if whatever damage Blood did can be undone."
Jinx wanted so badly to assume it was Blood that had created her. But that wasnt likely. She had never met him. She had left hive right around the time he took over. What would have given him cause for creating her? Maybe her abandoning hive would have upset Blood, but Robin was in this too. Blood had no reason to lash out at Robin with the creation of his daughter. So then who? Who would create her? Who had a grudge against both her and Robin, outside of Slade who didnt even live long enough to do this? She didnt want to think about it. Both she and Robin had racked up enough enemies that it was possible any two of them paired up. "Damnit." She cursed. Now that Robin had revealed this possibility to her she knew she couldnt just kill her 'daughter' outright when she found her. "Your trying to make a good guy out of me."
"You do that well enough yourself."
"I'm a laughing stock!" Jinx let out a somewhat psychotic laugh that ended in a tired sigh. "Some mornings I dont know what I am until I realise jjust who I'm sharing a bed with."
"Is Starfire all that keeps you from your old ways?"
Jinx worried her lower lip between her teeth. That was a good question. "Maybe at first. Not anymore I dont think. She taught me morals, not that she meant to. I was a moral idiot before I came here. Being a jerk to someone used to give me that warm fuzzy feeling- it still does most of the time, but she..." Thinking of Starfire caused an intense flood of emotions to well up in her. She didnt know the words for what she wanted to say, so she let these emotions pass through her to Robin. For all the downfalls being avatars had there were at least a few small perks.
"I get it." Robin said quietly. "When you got here and she trusted you, it was like having the trust of a child."
"No, not a child, just a true innocent. Betraying that trust was something I couldnt do."
"I understand."
"Could you ever have been evil?" Robin stared at her hard for this. The white slits of his mask which covered his eyes narrowed greatly.
"More easilly than you know."
"You dont seem the type."
"Oh?" Robin opened the floodgates to the link they shared. Out of him poured collected memories. Watching his parents fall to theyre deaths, the thirst for revenge. Jinx saw it and tried to block out what he was forcing on her. She felt it as though it was herself, who on so many nights had teetered on the edge of insanity, nearly falling into the darkness and becoming the thing she hated. She felt it. She was with him as he prowled the rooftops of gotham in the bitter cold, angry and alone and thirsty for revenge he couldnt have. She felt the temptation to use what he had for ill. Robin cut it off when she had felt enough and she realised she had not been breathing. Her hand went to her chest as she took several deep breaths.
"What was that?" She panted. "How could you stand it?" She looked at him, a little shell-shocked. "Its impossible." She said. "You fight on this side, but everything you just showed me... Your-."
"Evil?"
"Dark. Yes, some evil. How do you do it?"
"Discipline. My mentor pounded discipline into me before he ever taught me how to throw a punch."
"But you have more darkness in your heart-"
"Than you ever did."
"How do you keep it in?"
"I dont. Not always. There was Red-X. When I doned that suit, when I did those things... I felt at peace with myself."
"It just comes as a shock, that you dont have a pure heart." Jinx's tone was low, sincere.
Robin stood up and sent her a dark smile, ready to evict her from her post so she could spend some time with Starfire. "Pure hearts are for children and fairy tales."
"So many times you came so close to switching sides. You could have been on a hive team even."
"Not my style." Robin said as he stood her up out of her seat and showed her the door. "If you really want to know darkness, you should see my mentor."
"What about Raven?"
"Demonic interferance aside." He corrected himself as he pushed her out the door.
"Checkmate." Beast Boy said as he caught Cyborg in a queens gambit. He sat back on the couch and listened to the loud 'clang' as Cyborgs jaw hit the floor.
"Yo man thats impossible!" Cyborg stared dumbly at his green companion, unable for the life of him to figure out how he had beaten him at chess for the fourth time today.
"Oh? So it didnt happen? Then I cant do this:" Beast Boy felt for his differant pieces on the board and showed Cyborg three other ways he could have beaten him.
Cyborg couldnt believe it. Beast Boy, for all intentions an idiot, had beaten him. Again. Somehow his blind friend could remember where every piece was on the board and play out differant scenarios. To add insult to injury, Beast Boy had never played before he went blind. "Yeah, I guess you win." Cyborg said, feeling very insignificant.
"Pay up." Cyborg grumbled and caved to Beast Boys demand. He picked up the sunday edition of the paper and began to read and describe the comics section to his friend, who laughed hysterically at every one.
Shortly thereafter Beast Boy left the still confused Cyborg and wandered down the hall to Ravens room. He knocked on the door and was given permission to enter. Raven was sitting in the lotus position on her floor, her eyes closed. "You won?" She asked.
"Of course." He told her. "Thanks for the help by the way."
"No problem." Raven cracked a grin, her eyes still closed. "Pay up."
"Here." Beast Boy moaned. He held out a cd wallet containing all of his vampire movies. It floated out of his hand towards raven and evaporated into thin air halfway there. Most of the movies rated as almost pornos, from vampire cheerleaders return to suck this.
"Its degrading to us all." Raven intoned. "Would you want Kali to find those?"
Beast Boy was quickly off the subject. "You shoulda seen the way I beat him it was-"
"I did, remember."
Beast Boy laughed sheepishly. He had been getting better at chess, but not that good. He had played out the entire game with Ravens voice in his mind instructing him. It was cheating, but sacrificing his integrity had been worth hearing Cyborgs jaw hit the floor.
Starfire stirred as someone climbed into the bed next to her. It was Jinx, fumbling around in the sheets. Starfire grabbed her in her arms and quickly placed Jinx just where she wanted her. She crushed the human girl against her, theire bodies lining up perfectly. Jinx stared at her in the darkness, pleased with the posessive way her love held her. She relaxed into the embrace, all the stress of the day leaving her muscles as she melted into a puddle in Starfires arms. She let out a contented purr, and nuzzled the nape of Starfires neck with her nose. Starfire smiled in the dark, running her hands up and down Jinx's spine. The last traces of stress leaving her in shorts spurts. Jinx swooned when she felt hot breath on her neck. She felt Starfires face rub hers, telling her she wanted to move so she could kiss her. Jinx complied eagerly. The kiss was short, but exceedingly intimate. Starfire broke it off and Jinx returned to her place nuzzling against her neck and collar.
"Your watch was uneventfull?" She asked. She realised imediately that the question was pointless. If anything had happened Jinx would not be waking her under such wonderfull circumstances. She inhaled her loves scent. Jinx had not showered before bed. She only showered in the morning, at Starfires request unless the day brought a battle and she got exceedingly dirty. This way the salty sea scent had all day to imbed itself in Jinx's skin and enhanced her natural scent. The sea breezes here were so pleasant. The seas of her homeworld smelled of sulfur.
"Nothing going on." Jinx said tiredly. She pressed herself against Starfire more, trying to achieve a maximum amount of human contact.
Starfire smiled again. "Good." She moved a hand behind Jinxs neck, while the other stayed at the small of her back. Starfire rolled, taking Jinx with her and letting gravity maintain theyre closeness, Jinx's head resting on her breast above her heart. They settled, quiet for some time just enjoying such a level of intimacy. Jinxs fingers found Starfires hair, and twirled it idly.
"I love you." Jinx whispered quietly. Starfire squeezed her tight. She thought back to when she and Starfire had been friends. She had been her confidant. So many times Starfire spilled to her how she hated this thing she had become, on several occasions she had bawled even. Jinx remembered just how depressed she would get some times and thinking: "All that girl needs is someone to tell her they love her." She had been right. She was positive now that vampire or not Starfire needed love in her life more than anything. She gave her that, oh, she gave her all she could and Starfire returned her feelings. She had made her a better person. Starfire had completed in her, making of her what she was meant to be.
"And I love you, more than words can tell."
"Shhh." Kali whispered to her daughter as she laid them down in theyre shared bed in the tower. Blackfire was putting up a little resistance.
"But I want to see her!" She whispered through her quiet sobs. She had been dissapointed when they got back to find it was nightfall.
"Its night. They are sleeping." Kali explained rationally. "You will see them tomorrow. Now you must sleep, you'll need your rest." Blackfire was silent save for an occasional sob. She had prepared herself so hard for a reunion only to be dissapointed. It had shattered her mindset. She was shaking uncontrolably in Kalis arms. She was feeling vulnerable again, so Kali did what she had done many nights since what had happened. She rolled to her side and allowed Blackfires denser Tamaranian body to sink further into the mattress than her lightweight human one did. She then rolled slightly atop Blackfire, who was facing a wall. With the wall in front of her, the mattress beneath her and her mother shielding her from whatever harm she feared she always relaxed and was able to sleep. Blackfires breathing, which had accelerated, slowed instantly.
"There there." Kali whispered. "Tomorrow. You have all time, and no ones going to hurt you again. You can take this as slowly as you wish, just one foot in front of the other. I'll be with you the whole way."
"Promise?" Blackfire asked, the fear in her voice was evident. Perhaps it had not been so good to come back here so soon.
"I promise." Kali swore solemnly. Tradition be damned. If it took a thousand years for her daughter to recover, she would be there that long. She would never leave her, not entirely. She knew she would go and raise other children, but she would always be in Blackfires life. Blackfire seemed to sense her intent. Her mother and protector wasnt going anywhere and this calmed her greatly. Kali listened to Blackfires breathing even out. She was asleep before too long.
Robins shift was over, finally. It was the last shift of the night, the hours between 9 and 1. That was when most crimes were commited and the only time a guard was posted to stand watch. He stretched in the chair. He looked at the date on the computer. His impending demise was drawing closer, and for the life of him he couldnt figure out from where the danger would be coming. It made him fearfull. There was no avoiding it, the timeline was nearly ready to cement itself back together.
Raven, from the future had come back and revived Kali, fueld by the blood of Shiva. She had actually told them what was going to happen. This meant several things. It meant that whatever was going to happen was unavoidable no matter what. Otherwise Raven would not have warned them about it, Robin would not die, and Raven would not be able to revive Kali. Yes, Raven would have had to have been completely positive that it was destined to happen no matter what.
Another puzzling matter for him was that Raven from the future did not go back and stop Slade entirely. That meant that something that night was supposed to happen, or at the very least if it hadnt happened it only made things worse. There was no telling. It was entirely possible that Raven had tried several times, jumping into the past and stopping Slade, only to have it fall apart on her entirely. Chances were she had to go back a little further time and again to try and make everything fall into place right, and in the end probably ending up with twenty or so of her past selves standing around waiting for time to catch up unable to do anything about Slade. Who knew? It was possible. She had drank the blood of Shiva. She may have tried for what would have taken years for her to do this. She may have had to alter her plan thousands of times. She had drank the blood of Shiva. It might very well be enough to keep her going for all time. "Ow." Robin whispered as his head began to hurt.
Yes, at the very least Raven must have had tried to stop what happened to Blackfire. She would not allow that to take place if she had the power to stop it. Robin was positive now that she had tried, and succeeded only in hurting the future somehow.
"Your right." Came Ravens voice from a corner. She must have been here to take him to bed.
"About what?" Robin asked.
"The other me, from the future. She was powered by shiva's blood, and stronger, but still a young vampire. I could sense her age almost to the day, and she was a full eight months older than me." Raven had pondered this often enough herself in meditation. It was simple math. The future self had warned them that in two months Robin would die, yet she was a whole six months older than that.
"What about her power?" Robin asked. "Could she have actually continued jumping time indeffinetly?"
"No. I had to help her to resurect Kali. She used the last of whatever energy Shiva gave her to dissapear, and try to preserve the timeline. She couldnt let herself fall into our hands."
Robin closed his eyes shut tight. "Then... You mean?"
"Yes. She's still out there somewhere in our time, getting back to her time the hard way and masking herself from us." This much Raven had known all along. She knew well enough not to persue her future self. Chances were she was out there somewhere trying to forget whatever horrible scene she left behind in the future, and getting herself ready to see it again at the same time.
"I just wish she would tell us what happened. Maybe that way we would be able to avoid it."
"She's already tried to. She found it to be impossible, and used the last of her energy to try to make sure Kali would be there for the fight."
"Right, she found it impossible. She was trying on her own." Robin fidgeted nervously in his chair. What a coward he had become, he thought. It wasnt fair that he should know when he would die. It was understandable to be afraid, he reminded himself. Fear was healthy. Fear meant you hadnt entirely lost your mind, yet. He didnt know it, but Raven was also having a hard time.
Raven was having a very hard time, and as they crept closer and closer to this inevitable battle it became harder and harder to hide it. It was eating away at her, costing her sleep and deminishing her performance. She remembered well the words Shiva had spoken to her. When he was next released, it would be Raven that killed him. He would want her to be honnest. He had nearly come to hate her for hiding things from him. She should tell him. Sadness and fear welled up in Raven and she collapsed to her knees crying. As she did the computer monitors behind Robin cracked and shattered. They spewed black smoke into the room until the circuit breakers cut off power to them. Robin was by her instantly, on his knees in front of her trying to find out whats wrong.
"What is it Raven?" He asked. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close to him.
"Robin I'm." She couldnt say it. She sobbed into his shoulder for some time. He picked her up gently and headed for the bedroom. The hallways were mercifully empty. She was silent the whole time, save for her crying. His heart ached seeing her like this. He stood her up next to the bed and she looked at him, like a scared child. Her blood tears were streaking down her face, and smeared across his neck and collar.
"Shh." He said, and removed her cape from her. He removed his gloves and mask, and used the corner of her cape to dry her tears.
Raven let out a small laugh, despite herself. He was tending to her in ways other than drying her tears. The removal of his gloves and mask were quite significant. Robin understood the small mental quirks of people, and knew that thick rubber gloves and masks over the eyes were not very good for trying to calm a hysterical person down. He removed them so she would feel warm skin on her face instead of thick rubber, and removed his mask so she would see him as a person and not 'Robin'. When he did things like this she was sure it was actually Timothy Drake she was talking to. She loved him all the more for his carefull considerations in dealing with her. "Shh." He said again when he was done. "Tell me whats wrong."
"Tim." She said quietly, trying to supress another wave of tears. "I know how your going to die."
"What do you mean?" He asked quietly. He sat down on the bed, pulling her onto his lap and began rubbing her shoulders.
"When you were killed last, in the HIVE. Kali and I arrived just as Shiva was preparing to release you. He talked to us."
"What did he say Raven?"
"He said I was going to kill you." Was this what prisoners felt like when the cell door slammed shut behind them? Robin lifted her up, and she thought she was going to be pushed away. Instead he stood with her and embraced her.
"If thats true, then Raven, I'm not afraid."
Sorry everyone for taking so long. I got back to base on the 3rd. We went into the field on the 5th and were there until the 28th. I havent had much time for writting. I know its real short but I hope you enjoy it anyway. I'll be writting more when I can. In the meant time leave a review and let me know what you think.