Part 17: Repairs

(Tower Infirmary)

"Easy Vic," Pluto, clad in his armor, said to Cyborg as they gently placed Fixit on one of the infirmary beds. After they had received Fixit's message, Pluto had quickly transformed and used his Portal Vent card to travel to Fixit's home and bring him over to the Tower. Fixit was injured/damaged and both Cyborg and Pluto didn't want to waste any time to help the poor hermit.

Saying the two of them were upset was an understatement. No, they were both royally pissed and wanted to know who had done this and make him pay. However, they needed to keep their emotions in check in order to help Fixit. Currently, both Pluto and Cyborg were the only ones in the infirmary while the other Titans were outside, watching and feeling worried. Mortuary, being new, didn't know Fixit and was just feeling curious.

"Who's the old guy?" Mortuary asked. He was sympathetic.

Draco answered, "His name's Fixit and he's a friend of Takada and Vic's. He's a cybernetic hermit who spends most his life and time fixing things. He's a little weird, but he's a nice guy once you get to know him." Draco frowned as he watched. "I sure hope they can help him."

Jinx was now wearing a new uniform comprised of a black tube top, elbow length fingerless gloves and black shorts with her signature blue and black striped stockings and combat boots. There was also blue armor plating on her tube top, gloves and boots. Around her neck was a blue choker with a circular pendant hanging from it. She placed a sympathetic hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, "He'll be okay. No matter how bad Pluto's inventions get, he still knows when to be serious."

"I sure hope so."

"Damn," Beast Boy commented. "What happened to him?"

"We don't know, Gar, that's the problem," Draco scratched his head in frustration. "I could've stopped this!" he scolded himself. "I could've predicted this with the power of Pisces and…"

"Relax, Leo," Terra said to her Draconic friend. "It's not your fault that you can't control your clairvoyance."

"Tazuka could…" Jinx knew the story of Tazuka. Draco still had trouble talking about him. She held his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Blackbird felt, well, worried. She had only just met Fixit, but still felt that if Fixit died she would lose someone important to her. She may have just met the Titans, but they were starting to grow on her.

Blackfire watched as Pluto began scanning Fixit. She felt a pain in her heart when she saw him like this. He had told her how he had lost his father in an accident and she had seen his comatose mother in the hospital. Takada had lost too many people in his life and she knew he didn't want to lose anyone anymore.

Ever since he had been enhanced by the nanotech he had (accidentally) consumed, Pluto gained several special abilities. He could change his limbs into any tools he wanted or create tools out of thin air just by summoning the nanobots. He also possessed enhanced strength and senses. Right now, he was scanning Fixit using his 'nanotech-vision'. It was like X-Ray vision, but he could only scan machines with it. It was useful right now to know what was wrong with Fixit before they begun repairs.

"He has internal damages, his motor circuits have been damaged and his power cell is leaking. His internal structure has also been compromised," Takada said to Cyborg. In medical terms, Fixit had internal injuries, internal bleeding, damaged nerves and a few broken bones, if he was human of course but Fixit was part machine so the terms needed to be switched around. "We can't risk operating on him or repairing him the old fashion way. We got to use Project: TR."

"You sure Takada?" Cyborg asked.

Pluto replied, "We don't have a choice. Fixit is dying on us as we speak!" Cyborg nodded.

"Let's do it. I'll carry Fixit," Cyborg volunteered as he lifted Fixit up. Pluto went over to a strange tarp covered structure that was easily 7 feet in height and 6 feet in width. With his levitation powers he threw the tarp off to reveal a silver colored chamber with the Titans 'T' emblazed on the door. This was Pluto's latest invention, the Titan Recover Chamber, or TR-Chamber. Its primary function was to speed up the healing process. Pluto entered a code and the door swung up to reveal an empty space with wires that had suction cup ends attached on the inside. There was also a breathing mask. Cyborg hooked Fixit up to the wires and put the breathing mask on him before putting Fixit slowly into the chamber. The door swung close. Pluto and Cyborg looked at one another and nodded.

"T.I.T.A.N., begin process," Pluto said to T.I.T.A.N., who was monitoring the patient's status.

"Process initiated," T.I.T.A.N. stated.

There was an image of Fixit on the screen as the chamber began to fill up with a strange blue liquid. The liquid would help with the healing/repairing process. The liquid worked on both machines and organics so there were no worries of Fixit shorting out due to the liquid. Pluto sighed, "Now, we wait," Pluto said. "He'll be okay in a couple of hours. Let the nanobot liquid do its work."

"You did good Plutes," Cyborg his friend a pat on the back.

"I know. I just wish we could use this to help my mom," Pluto said sadly. He had done his research. The chamber would heal his mother but not revive her from her comatose state. There was just something missing. Pluto was all about logic, only willing to accept the existence of magic and the supernatural several years ago. By nature he was a man of science. Despite his faulty inventions, there were a few instances that his inventions would work, the TR-Chamber being one of them. He had gotten the schematics and blueprints from DT who said that the Sabretrons used the same type of chambers to heal themselves. Deathtrons used pools with liquid that had nanobots in them. Pluto, of course, decided to build a healing chamber for the Titans. This would be the most useful invention yet.

He only prayed that it would work.

(Tower Roof)

Draco was up on the roof, thinking. He had been a Zodiac Knight for almost three years and a Titan for a few months and his life had changed drastically.

For one, when he first started as a Zodiac Knight it was purely accidental. He hadn't known of the risks at first but he found out the worst way possible. He was one of 26 (Now 19 since a few Knights had been defeated) Knights destined to fight one another till the very end. He learnt of the monsters and the Tournament; the Final battle of the Zodiac Knights to determine the winner. He dreaded the day and didn't want the day to come, but it would and there was no way to stop it.

The prize for being the LAST Knight standing was irresistible. ONE wish, ONE reality changing wish. Anything and everything you wanted, desired, all yours. The price, however, was too high. The life of others for ONE wish? It didn't seem worth it to him. It didn't seem fair.

Ever since he gained the Pisces Power of Clairvoyance, he'd been having visions. They were not full visions but short glimpses into the future…or was it the past? There were all so confusing to him. Unlike his other Zodiac Powers, the Power of Pisces, which was Clairvoyance, was an ability he was yet to master. It was useful in battle since he could guess and predict his opponent's next move, but the visions that often came to him in his dreams were all too jumbled up. He didn't know what to make of them. He silently prayed, 'Kami…'

The Knights had told the Titans everything about the destiny of the Knights. They were simply stunned upon the revelation, even Jinx. The words that came out were. "You must fight in order to survive." And, "In the End there can be only ONE." Even though the cost was high, a lot of the Knights, the bad ones at least, did not have any qualms in eliminating the competition. Team ups were common, but would inevitably not last since there can be only ONE. After all, one wish for everything and anything you wanted, no strings attached, who wouldn't want that? Draco could still feel that Pluto and Shadow wanted THAT wish; he could see it in their eyes. But for himself, what was HIS wish? Did he have one at all? He didn't at first, but now he did:

He wanted to become human again. He learnt that ever since he became an Orphenoch his days were numbered. His lifespan had been shortened. Such power as an Orphenoch was great, but at the very cost of one's own life. Was it worth it? Draco had told Jinx about his constant nightmares. He had dreamed of himself either killing as an Orphenoch or dying as one. He had woken up, screaming, breathing hard and panting, drenched in sweat because of those damned nightmares. All he wanted was for them to stop and to do that was to get that wish.

But to get that wish…he had to FIGHT. He had to KILL. He had to be the ONE.

And truth be told he couldn't do that. He couldn't bear to have the blood of another staining his hands. He couldn't kill…not anymore…no more killing.

But, what if there was no other choice but to kill? He had no answer to that.

He hid his pain well from the others, smiling his cheerful smile. He didn't want to worry them. He was dying. He knew that and they knew that, thanks to Shadow…Ichijyo. Even now, he still couldn't understand what Shadow fought for, but that was his business. His reasons were his own and Draco had no right to pry.

"Hey," greeted a voice. Draco turned and he found himself staring at Terra. "What're you doing up here on your own?"

"Watching the sunset," he half lied. 'And thinking.'

"Without Jinx?" she asked him curiously with an eyebrow raised. Ever since the two started dating, Terra had noticed that Draco and Jinx were exceptionally close.

"I just…wanted to be alone," he told her. He then asked, trying to change the subject, "How's Fixit?"

Terra shrugged and walked up to him, hands tucked behind her. "He's healing," she said. "That chamber thing actually does work." The tone suggested playfulness since pluto's inventions usually had a tendency to backfire, more often than not.

Draco chuckled. "I was surprised too. That's a good thing. Once Fixit wakes up, we'll know what happened to him."

Terra looked at him with her blue eyes. "Okay, I know you didn't just come up here to watch the sunset."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Because no one in this Tower ever just watches the sunset," she told him. She asked, "Is this about you being an Orphenoch?" Draco looked at her. Just how perceptive was she.

He answered, "I'm just worried about the future."

"You mean about you being a Zodiac Knight and your destiny?"

"Pretty much. I mean, would you kill for ONE wish? Would you?" he asked. She tucked her hair behind her left ear.

"I was…when I was Slade's apprentice…" she trailed. Draco understood that she didn't like to talk about that part of her life; he had been in the same predicament. "When I was Slade's apprentice, he gave me the control I needed, but at a cost."

"Your loyalty and freedom," Draco prodded, "And the lives of the Titans?" she nodded.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Draco didn't seem too comfortable from the tone of her voice.

"You were his apprentice too, same with Robin. I knew why Robin did it; he was being blackmailed. You, on the other hand, haven't told us anything."

"I…had my reasons," Draco said nervously.

"And I respect that, I do," Terra said. "But you've been keeping it to yourself. What did he offer you?"

Draco looked her in the eye, emerald green meeting bright blue, and said, "The same thing he offered you." he added, "Control. He offered me control of my Orphenoch side."

"What did he do?" she asked.

"He taught me control…and a lot more," he said.

They heard barking behind them, and screaming, "GET BACK HERE YOU INSANE DOG THING!" Mortuary yelled as he ran up the stairs, chasing after a hyperactive Brimstone who had Mortuary's gun in its jaw. "OR SO HELP ME, I'LL NECRO-BLAST YOU TILL…" He then noticed Draco and Terra on the roof and stopped. "Oh, hi guys."

Brimstone leapt into Draco's arms. "Brimstone…" he scolded. "Give me the gun." Brimstone did and Draco gave it back to Mortuary. "Here Mort."

"Thanks." Mortuary grimaced as he took the gun. "Ew, demon drool." He noticed the way Draco and Terra were standing. "Did something happen here?"

They shrugged. "We just talked," Terra told him.

"About…?"

"Nothing much," Draco answered. Brimstone licked his face and he chuckled.

"You know, I always thought of you as more of a cat person," Terra said to Draco.

"So did I," he smiled. "Guess I was wrong." Suddenly, their communicators rang. Terra opened hers.

"What's up?" Terra asked. She was looking at Pluto.

"Guys, come down here," he said, "There's something you need to see."

The three of them looked at one another and ran back into the Tower, Brimstone being carried by Draco.

(Tower Common Room)

All the Titans were looking expectantly at what Pluto had discovered when Terra, Draco and Mortuary ran in. Draco put Brimstone down and the obedient hellhound went over to the couch and sat next to Silkie and Cyberdog.

Pluto said to them, "While Fixit was being repaired, I did some digging in his memory banks to find out what had happened to him. His memory files were encrypted so I had to do a little hacking to get into them" He showed them a CD. "Watch this." He slid the CD into the computer and uploaded the file. They were going to see what Fixit had seen

"Playing file now," T.I.T.A.N. stated.

Fixit's voice rang out from the computer as he yelled, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" he was looking at two figures with wings. They were hidden by the shadows, but the Titans, minus Mortuary, saw them to be quite familiar.

One of the figures said, "We came to repair ourselves. Stay out of the way or else."

Fixit, however, sent his security bots to attack, but the small bots were no match for the intruders. When the bots had been smashed, the other figure said, "You shouldn't have done that. Now you'll regret it."

The Titans held horrified expressions on their faces as they watched Fixit being attacked. The heard his screams as the two figures attacked him mercilessly and relentlessly until he lay limp. Jinx covered her ears to drown out the screaming and so did Draco since it was torture to his enhanced Orphenoch hearing. The two continued their merciless and violent attack as they ganged up on the poor hermit. Fixit's screaming died down and that was when Pluto caught a glimpse of something and paused the video. He then zoomed in.

"No way…" Blackfire's eyes grew wide.

Staring back at the Titans, on one of the figures, was a familiar purple horned face with sharp fangs. Blackbird identified it straight away.

"Deathtrons…"

To Be Continued…

I guess the Titans know who's responsible…or do they? Well, the next chap is gonna reveal something shocking. Also, the return of a friend. Stay tune.