Warning: There's gore ahead...
Thanks to tennisgal456, Daniella, RavenSis, kjesStar, lupine-eyes, BerryDrops, -natsume-luvr25-, cartoonfire, waves2622, XxNightfirexX, Dancing-StarFrenzy, and nickygirl for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.
Koriand'r hadn't even noticed the Gordanian stealth ship land a few yards away, or the sneaky aliens creeping up behind her. She was so worried when the strange man in front of her pointed his gun at Dick, she'd even given away her position by gasping. Distracted by 'Vic's cheering and celebrating, she'd allowed herself--and Raven--to be caught. Stupid.
"Where are you taking us?" Koriand'r growled at her captor, doing her best to make sure Raven was as covered as possible.
"Back where you belong...at the Citadel. Back where you will be punished and properly humiliated, Troq," the Gordanian answered, baring his disgustingly brown teeth in an evil smile. Koriand'r lashed out at him, her fist connecting with his stomach, and sent the guard behind her spiraling deeper into the field. The five or so Gordanians left circled her, no longer smiling. They knew she would put up a good fight, but she couldn't take all of them, especially not while protecting Raven.
Shots rang out behind her, where still more Gordanians had gone to meet Dick and his friend. She chuckled darkly; the unwelcome aliens hadn't known about the gun. "Your comrades are dead. You had best give up now," she warned the remaining guards.
"We aren't here to give them funeral services. We're only here for you, filth." One's arm snapped out, taking Raven away before Koriand'r could react. "Come slowly now. And you'd better not resist, because we will not hesitate to kill your friend if you do."
Vic was a pretty darn good shot, however much he trembled at the thought of it. "Aw, man, I just killed five aliens...is there a law against killing things that aren't supposed to exist? Did I just murder them? Why couldn't I have just stayed Grammy's shopkeeper--"
"Calm down! There might be more..." Dick whispered, edging forward. He parted the tall stacks of wheat, sticking his head in. "Kory? Raven? Are...are you here?"
There was no answer.
"Kory? Kory! Kory, answer me!" His voice rose as he panicked, tearing up the patch in his search for Koriand'r.
"Dude...I don't think she's there..."
Dick whirled on him. "What do you mean, she isn't there? She can't be gone! If they take her, they'll..." He shuddered to think about it. "We've got to get her back."
That was when he saw a tell-tale flicker in the otherwise dark night sky. Some type of alien technology, no doubt. A small-ish ship, previously invisible, fizzled into their view. It was taking off, most likely with Koriand'r and Raven on it. How in the world were they supposed to catch them once they were in outer space?
"We need a ship, fast!"
"Then you're gonna love my car." Vic pulled Dick into the passenger seat and got in on the driver's side. "Made this baby from scratch, just for the job." He pressed a neon green button on the dashboard. All of a sudden, the two men were jerked backwards as the car squealed and groaned into a completely different shape. "Of course, there are a few bugs, but I'm pretty sure we'll make it out alive..."
His car had transformed into spaceship. Dick was speechless.
"It's go time!" Vic whooped, flipping switches that were hopefully for takeoff. "You ready to get your girl back?"
"Uhh...hold on...she's not..."
A deep rumbling shook the car so much, Dick was sure his teeth would rattle right out of his mouth. Then, with a gigantic roar, they were off the ground, leaving a good patch of the field behind them burnt.
"This is amazing! You didn't leave anything out...what is this thing, a radio? To Bruce? And cupholders...and a radar...hey, something's on the radar..." Dick pointed to a little blip on the screen, and Vic nodded grimly.
"Yeah, it catches DNA signatures that aren't native to Earth. That's how I found you--or rather, your alien friends. Anyway, that's them. They haven't left Earth's atmosphere yet, and they won't for at least another thirty seconds, which gives us plenty of time to catch up to them."
"Plenty of time...huh..."
"We're in a rocket, Dick. This ain't no car anymore."
"Right."
Vic kicked up the speed a couple of notches. "This is gonna be a very bumpy ride. Listen, Dick, when I give the signal, you press that button on your right. It'll shoot down the ship."
"What about Kory and Raven?"
"You got any other idea on how we might get those aliens to land?"
"Not really."
"Good. And I'm pretty sure your alien friends can take that much of a blast, just enough to put a hole in the ship. We'll try to catch them if they fall, okay?"
"Vic, Raven's in a coma. Or something like it, at least. I don't know how much she can take."
"I'm figuring we're gonna have to risk it. NOW!"
Dick clenched his teeth and pressed the aforementioned button, unable to watch as something from Vic's 'car' shot out towards the Gordanian's ship and detonated. He knew the ship was spiraling down...down...but he hoped the two girls hadn't gone with it.
"Dick! Man, open your eyes, you're not gonna believe this! That's your girl?"
"She's not my...what the--" Kory was flying. As in, actually hovering in mid-air, barely holding on to Raven. Dick nearly passed out again. "Kory! Kory! Over here!"
"Dude, she can't get in the car, we've gotta land first!" He took the ship down, with Kory following close behind and Dick watching her the whole time, unable to believe his eyes. "Alright, this is gonna be a tough landing..."
The car crash-landed on to the ground, shaking the people inside to the bone. Vic cringed as various parts of the 'car' snapped and crumbled. Dick rubbed his aching head, looking outside the deformed window for Kory, only to see a bored-looking farmer and his equally bored-looking cow.
"I thought I told y'all air-force people not to do yer little light-shows on ma farm...do ya listen? Nah. And now ya got a ship down in the middle of ma good corn field...and ya burned up about three thousand dolla's worth o'wheat..."
"Uh...sorry about that. You didn't happen to see a--Kory! Kory, are you okay? Is Raven okay?"
The farmer walked away with his cow, shaking his head sadly. Dick got out of the car, barely steadying himself before Kory barrelled into him. "We are both fine. Raven is still unconscious, but I have left her close by. Who is that?" She pointed to Vic confusedly as he got out of his totaled ship, which had begun to turn back into a car.
"Hiya, little lady. Name's Victor Stone, you can call me Vic."
"He's the one who saved you guys," Dick added.
"I thank you," Kory said warmly, hugging him as well.
Dick ignored the twinge of jealousy in his gut and gestured to Vic's car. "What're you gonna do about this?"
"It's been through worse. I'll fix her up again, won't I, girl?" He patted the burnt hood affectionately.
Kory scrunched her nose up in confusion. "I was not aware that your vehicle was a female..."
"It's not, Kory," Dick chuckled. "You got a girlfriend, Vic? I have a feeling she won't like sharing you."
"Nah, she's actually okay with--watch out! AHHHH!" Vic pushed Dick and Kory away as something came sailing through the air at the three of them. It exploded so violently, Dick couldn't see anything through the flames and smoke.
"Vic!"
There were only three Gordanians left, but they were not going without a fight. They were severely wounded from their fall, obviously not as strong as Tamaranians either. Their voices barely carried over the roar of the flames. "Princessss Koriand'r...you will return to the Citadel...or elssse...we will not hesitate to kill all of your friendsss..."
"You will pursue me no LONGER!" Kory yelled, her eyes flashing a bright, neon green. Dick stood, completely shocked, as her hands lit up the same color. Then she actually threw the lights at the Gordanians, as if they were just frisbees. "You will leave my friends ALONE!"
The Gordanians, as shocked as Dick was, were thrown back into the wheat, moaning in pain. The lights hadn't knocked them out, but they were now far too weak to stand up. Koriand'r was breathing hard, looking almost as exhausted as the aliens themselves. "Kory, what the heck was--"
"Ohh..."
That voice sounded a lot like Vic's. In all the excitement, Dick had completely forgotten about him. He turned around, relieved--for two seconds--to see that the wall of flames had subsided..."Vic, are you okay? Vic--no...no, no, no, nonono..."
"X'hal..."
The wall of fire hadn't separated them; it had engulfed Vic. His mangled body was actually on fire in a couple of places, and a few chunks of it were all gone. Debris from the car and the bomb had cut and impaled him in several places. His blood was pooled around what was left of him, and he was shivering like it was below zero out. "Vic...my God, Vic...hang in there, okay? We'll call an ambulance, hold on..." Dick said, his voice as shaky as Vic was. He knew it was a lie, there was no way Vic would survive. The nearest hospital was probably twenty miles away...who knew where they were?
"Don' bothe...bother, man...get home safe...okay?" He only had one eye. His other eye was gone. Vic tried to smile, but he was in so much pain...
Dick dove into the car, searching for Vic's cell phone. He found it, flipped it open, and dialed 9-1-1. "Hello? We have a real emergency...what was it? Uh...we had a car crash. My friend is hurt really bad, please...I don't know where we are...okay, I'll stay on...can you trace the call a little faster, please?"
"Dick...I do not think they will be able to help..." Tears rolled down Kory's cheeks, but Dick wasn't surprised. The sight of Vic would have reduced anyone to tears, and given even the most macho guy nightmares.
"Calm down, Kory, we'll do all that we can."
When they finally heard the blaring sound of the ambulance, Vic was totally unconscious. He wasn't breathing, and he didn't have a pulse. Dick and Kory had cleared away the powerless Gordanians and had Raven put safely out of sight.
The paramedics rushed onto the scene, bringing out a stretcher. They stopped at the sight of him. "Oh my goodness..." one of them breathed.
"I'm afraid...there's nothing we can do for him...we're too late..."
Kory held on so tightly to Dick, he was sure he'd need an ambulance after she had let go. "Please..."
"We'll try." They loaded him on to the stretcher and carried him into the ambulance. "Does one of you want to come with?"
Dick and Kory exchanged glances, pained to separate from each other or Vic. "No. You need to hurry!"
They were gone in a flash.
Neither of them wondered out loud whether Vic would be okay or not. Kory had barely gotten to know him, but he'd pretty much saved her life. And he'd sacrificed his to save Dick's. The two of them owed him everything, and they would never be able to repay him.
"Raven still hasn't woken up?" Dick asked to ease the terrible silence.
"No. Not even from the...explosion." Her shoulders sagged. He knew how Kory felt. The image of Vic's body wouldn't erase itself from his mind. Not even when his parents were murdered had Dick seen anything so gruesome. His stomach churned with guilt and helplessness, and he was sure Kory was going through the same unbearable recollections. There was no source of comfort for either, except each other.
"Kory, what was that back there? With the green and the glowing and the flying?" That didn't help cheer her up. She mumbled something and drew her knees into her chest. "Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. That was amazing, I had no idea you could do that." He sat down next to her, trying to relax for their journey--on foot--to the nearest town. Kory nestled herself into his body.
"I do not like this, Dick. I wish so many people would not have been hurt because of me...perhaps I should go back with them...then they would leave you alone..."
"Don't say that, Kory. We'll get through this, I promise. They have no right to take you--or anyone else--away from their homes. We'll figure out how to stop them, forever."
She smiled sadly, resting her hand on his cheek. "I wish that were true."
"Believe me, we'll find a way." His eyes darted down to her lips, and then back up at her hopeful gaze. This is such a bad time to be wondering about things like that, Dick. He continued to wonder anyway. "Kory...when you, uh, kissed me--I think--back at that other planet..."
"I did what?"
"You...you kissed me..."
"A kiss is a sign of affection for humans, yes?" she asked. If they hadn't been in the middle of a crisis, Dick would have been sure her voice sounded very flirty. Dick nodded, flushing a bright red, but Kory had already sobered, the memory of Vic coming back to her. "On my planet, lip contact is used to learn...that is how I came to speak your language." Dick didn't know how crestfallen he looked, but obviously enough to make Kory smile. "However, I--"
"Ugh..."
"Raven!" Dick and Kory jumped up, running to their unconscious friend. It was a false alarm: she had stirred, that was all. "But this is definitely an improvement! She has not shown any sign of life for quite a while!"
"Yeah. Come on, let's get to the town. We can rent a car, get to the city, catch a plane, and head for my dad. He'll probably know what to do to get her up again." Dick added under his breath, "And he's got a lot of explaining to do."
As it turned out, they didn't have to make the journey on foot. Kory was feeling well enough to fly them close to a town (though, understandably, not into it.) She explained to Dick that her powers were controlled by her emotions, and something--she wouldn't say what, but her blush had told him it wasn't mainly Raven's stirring--had made her happy enough to go anywhere. Dick grabbed her hand and held onto Raven with the other, nodding at Kory.
Flying was an amazing experience. Like riding a motorcycle, but being completely weightless at the same time. Dick almost felt sorry for Raven, having to miss this mind-blowing way of traveling. "Kory, can you go faster?" he called to her over the roaring wind in their ears.
She laughed in response, zooming at a hundred miles an hour, almost too much for him. Kory slowed down after she'd had her fill of teasing him about his flapping cheeks. Flying took up a lot of her energy, though, too. She'd been underfed and beaten for so long, and she hadn't flown in years. Not only that, but it was nighttime, and she couldn't harness any more extra energy from the sun. By the end of their trip, her feet were nearly brushing the ground.
They landed about a mile off of the town, which was apparently in the middle of Oklahoma, where they were out of the eyesight of the casual observer. From there, the two took turns carrying Raven until they reached a nice-ish motel on the outskirts.
"Uh...hi. Do you have any vacancies?" Dick asked. The lady at the desk cocked an eyebrow, frowning at the bruised, strangely clothed, and dirty threesome.
"We don't serve riff-raff here."
"We've just been through a terrible car crash. My friend's in the hospital, and we need a place to sleep for the night so we can visit him tomorrow," Dick growled. "This has been a very traumatic experience, and if you deny us lodging..."
"Okay! Sorry. We have a room all the way down the hall." she drawled. "That'll be two hundred."
Kory squeezed his shoulder, wondering why he was so angry, but he just shook his head. Dick wordlessly took out his credit card and watched her swipe it through, her eyes widening.
"You're Dick Grayson? I'm so sorry, sir, I had no idea...I thought you were missing! It was on the news and...I'm really, really sorry." Dick took the key, and left without so much as nodding at her. "If you need anything, please let me know!" she yelled after them.
"Dick? You are...well-known on this--" He silenced her, motioning to the room.
"Lets talk about that when we're in a more private place, okay, Kory? We'll stay here until we're all rested up and then start out in the morning...after we buy everyone some new clothes..." He was still smarting from the incident at the counter. Kory nodded, crashing on the bed behind her. "Hey, hey...take a shower first, Kory..."
"You go...I will take a small nap..."
"I'm so sure," he smirked. When he emerged from the bathroom, she was out cold, and he had to wake her up again. She obliged him, stepping into the bathroom.
It was high time Bruce had any idea about what was going on. There was a phone in the room, but when Dick made the call, no one at Wayne Manor picked up. Figures. It's about three o'clock in the morning over there..."Hey, Bruce. It's Dick. Sorry I couldn't get in touch earlier. You were right, about what happened to me, and I just got back. I'm okay-ish, and I met up with Vic Stone. They--you know who--got him and he's...I don't think he made it. But he told me what he was a part of and I think we need to talk. I'm somewhere in Oklahoma right now, but we'll get to the nearest airport and fly over to Gotham ASAP. I'm bringing a couple of friends who need your help. Talk to you later." There. If the Gordanians somehow bugged the line, then they wouldn't know what he was taking about, right?
I am too paranoid.
Dick laid on the bed and closed his eyes, jerking them open again when he heard a scream five minutes later. Kory crashed out of the bathroom, clad in only a towel. Before Dick could register what he was seeing, she held up a small, red, blinking computer chip.
"That's not what I think it...Kory, is that a tracker?"
Is that what those things were called? With the tracker on the person and then the people with the remote or something can always figure out where the trackee is? Anyway, that's how the Gordanians have always figured out where Kory was. My brother told me it was called an antelope...I think he was being serious, though, that's what scared me...