AN: Guess what time it is everyone. Thats right, FILLER CHAPTER TIME! There's a little plot mixed in there but mostly its one hundred percent Grade A randomness. Plot should resume whenever I start thinking about it again.
Alienvspredator5- Maybe not quite as planned but still, you gotta start somewhere. And as for the Hive, well I don't want to spoil anything but rest assured its a dammed devious plot. With many a person lined up for the metaphorical "chopping block." Thanks for reviewing.
HOLY HELL! is that a penguin?
Raven hovered in solitude just feet from the edge of the roof. Her legs crossed and eyes shut tightly she slowly uttered her mantra. This was her time, her time to think, reflect, to ponder, and converse with herself. In that trance like state, the world mattered not. All the problems of the day just disappeared. Leaving her centered and in complete control.
At least that's what normally happened, today however was anything but normal. In her mental realm of sickening amounts of pink and excessive fluffiness Happy was piratically jumping with joy. Excitement no doubt left over from the other day's events. But there was something else there as well, and when Raven decided to pay the exuberant emotion a visit she found herself being plowed into by a pink cloaked freight train of fluff.
The mental representation of herself tackled Raven mere seconds after entering the realm. While dazed she was not so far gone as to miss Happy's rant. "Your back! But wait! Jake. He's back! Why are we not at his side? Mistress have we not already confirmed our feelings? Come now, we must find him at once!"
Raven the felt herself being literally dragged to the gateway to another realm. "Happy wait." She commanded. She stood and dusted off her shoulders, "Thats not what I'm here for. Something has changed here, I can feel it. Now what have you been doing?"
She looked back at Raven with confusion in her eyes "It wasn't me mistress, tis the new girl causing the ruckus." Happy then proceeded to giggle at herself for saying the words 'tis and ruckus.'
Raven blinked at the emotion, "The new girl? Happy what the hell are you talking about?"
"Come mistress, I will show you to her." Happy took Raven's hand and skipped to the stone arch that served as the portal from this realm. She stopped just before crossing the threshold and whispered under her breath, "Amor." The arch glowed red for half a second before they stepped through.
Raven overheard Happy activating the gate, "Amor?" She whispered to herself. Then it dawned on her as she walked through the stone arch. "Happy please tell me you didn't just say lo…" The rest was lost as they teleported to a previously unheard of mindscape.
Jake stood outside the Jump City Police Department, hesitant tothe take another step forward. The last time he was here it wasn't as a SWAT officer, it was in handcuffs. The entire department knew him and his team, like brothers and sisters they were. When he was brought in none of them wanted to believe it, but there had been no denying it.
Eventually he had to be transfered to another holding facility for his own safety. Now he was back, and had not the slightest clue how he was going to face them again. 'Well, here goes something.' He thought as he strolled up to the entrance and walked through the door. 'Maybe they won't recognize me.' He thought.
That hope was crushed as soon as the receptionist looked up at the sound of the door closing behind Jake. "Arius." She all but whispered. "Jake Arius?"
Jake lowered his gaze. "Yeah Grace. Its me."
Grace looked him over, taking in all that had changed. The shaven hair, and the myriad of scars carved into every portion of visible flesh. She had no doubt they continued under his clothes as well. When news came in that Jake wasn't quite as dead as they thought it was greeted with a very mixed response. Some like herself had stood beside Jake, they knew he wasn't responsible for what happened. Others said how he should have stayed dead, then the vast majority of the department settled on the neural response. Trying to forgive but also more importantly, to forget.
But none dared remark on his condition, the officer that collected his statement used to be one of the zealots who would've seen him hang for his crimes. Even he said Jake didn't deserve that, and that was all that was said. Not one more word could be pried from him on the subject. Grace herself didn't want to believe the rumors, but now the evidence stood staring her in the face. "My god, Jake wh…what happened to you?"
Jake shrugged, "Its a long story with a sad ending."
"How so?" Grace inquired.
Jake looked back at her with the only serious expression she had ever seen him with. "I died." He deadpanned.
Grace didn't want to believe what she just heard, and had it been anyone else that had said that she would've laughed while calling an asylum. But for some reason, that look in his eyes, told her it was for real. "I'm sorry Jake for all that's happened. For what its worth, I'm here for ya' if you need it."
Jake loosed that all to rare smile again, "Thanks Grace. You've always done right by me. Now I suppose I should get back to why I'm here, least we draw too much attention to ourselves."
Grace looked around and saw they were attracting more than a few stares and viewers to their little moment. "Yes, that might be for the best. So what is it your here for?"
Jake produced a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. "We need info on the John Doe you brought in yesterday. Meta in his twenties, had a Hive jumpsuit on."
Grace looked the order over, even when and got it signed by a judge, 'how official.' "The autopsy report has to wait a bit longer. The Department of Meta-human Control stepped in to seize the body. On the bright side we ran his prints and found a match. Ironic that he was registered in the DMC database, but not unexpected."
"His name is Sean Mathews, registered as a grade 3 telepath and self employed. Guy ran a two-bit magic act traveling around the country." Grace shook her head, using the stupidity of the masses for an easy buck. Wonder how well he would've done had anyone knew what he was? "Up until now his record has been clean as a whistle. Not even a speeding ticket to his name. He disappeared about three weeks ago, his assistant filed the missing persons report. Then you know the rest, showed up with the hand of god and started bitch slapping the city." Grace finisned and handed him a bundle of papers showing exactly what she had just told him.
Jake couldn't believe it. "Grace, what we saw out there was no grade 3. Hell, he blew up an entire city block for fuck sake. That doesn't just happen overnight."
"That's why Meta Control stepped in and seized the body. When we know you'll know. Until then we're both stuck on the sidelines."
Jake picked up the papers and flipped through them before sliding them into an envelope. "Alright, thanks for the help Grace. See you soon."
"Take care Jake, and remember you still have friends here." Grace returned as Jake turned to leave.
Back outside Jake was at a loss for what to do. His patrol didn't start for another hour and a half, by the time it would take him to get back to the tower he'd just have to turn around and leave. But it wasn't like he had anything that needed to get done, aside from getting the files back to Robin.
Then an errant memory flashed through his mind. A day spent with his squadmates after a particularly hard raid. It was supposed to have been just a simple drug bust down at the docks. A routine sweep and clear, then secure the contraband. But that mission was anything but routine. God was it painful.
Inside the warehouse there had been little resistance, light enough to cause concern. The guards tried to fight, none even got a weapon drawn before the were subdued. But it was when they went to open the shipping containers that it all went to hell. Kate picked up something previously unheard, crying, it was quiet and muffled but none the less there. As Alex cracked a door on one of the containers they all nearly lost it then and there, and it was all Jake could do to keep himself from walking over and brutality executing each guard that was still breathing.
For inside that metal housing there were twenty three women, ranging in age from twelve to mid twenties. All huddled together in the farthest corner of the container, crying and each putting as much distance between themselves and the door as humanly possible. It was dark and cold in the container, the air was so putrid that Alex had to choke back a gag, and the worst was yet to come. There were still five more containers in that building.
That day, over ninety percent of the missing persons reports in the surrounding seven states had been put to rest. Human trafficking they called it in the papers and reports. Hell they called it in the department, the conditions they lived in, the futures they were destined for overseas. It was sickening.
That day his unit had nearly fallen apart, but through it they crawled it, arm in arm. After they left they didn't return home, they stayed together. That day had formed bonds stronger any blood ties, that day they were reborn as family.
"I am on the right side of town." He thought to himself, and that was all the argument he needed. He drew his communicator from his pocket and selected Starfire's name. "Star, you anywhere near the JCPD building."
"Yes friend Jake, I'm close enough. Why, is there something wrong?" Came her overly joyful voice.
"No, just had something Robin needed and was hoping you could take it back to the tower for me." He asked.
"Sure, my patrol's almost up. Allow me a minute and I'll be right there."
"Sure thing Star, no rush." He responded before closing the comm and slipping it back into his pocket. He looked around and found himself a comfy looking bench to wait on.
In no time at all there was a beautiful alien princess gracefully floating down before him. "Thanks Star." He said as he stood to greet her with her standard bone crushing hug.
Starfire looked up from Jake to the building he stood before, and her voice took on a much more solemn tone. "Jake, if I may ask. You never speak of life before our introduction, and whenever someone brings it up you act more distant than Raven."
Jake sighed deeply, he didn't want to admit it. But she was right, he had been avoiding the topic for too long, and she had a right to know. Hell they all had the right to know. "I know Star, its just painful to talk about. They're… well they used to be my family. You know? They were my brothers and I let them down."
Starfire nodded, understanding all to well what he was talking about. "I understand Jake. Now Robin will probably need to see those files, sooner rather than later."
Jake smirked as he handed them over, "I suppose your right Star. Have fun."
"I will, goodbye friend Jake." With that she took to the skies once more, bound for that shining T on the horizon. Jake started off to his destination as well. Though for Star the destination was to have a far warmer welcome.
AN: There you go. Little flash of Jake's history. Little insight to the inner workings of Raven's mind. If you haven't noticed by now, Alex, Kate, and Caleb are far from gone from this fic. I intend to keep them around for a while yet. As for Raven's mind "Amor" is Latin for any that care to translate it. All will be revealed in the next chapter so if you want to wait, be my guest.