Chapter 5: Initiation
Predator's eyes adapted quickly to the darkness as he walked down the hallway. He stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the 'down' button. The doors opened and he stepped inside, and pressed the '5th Floor' button. The doors closed and the elevator descended, eventually reaching its destination. The doors opened again, and Predator found himself in another dark hall. He made his way towards the end, to a door with a blue light hanging above it. The door automatically slid open and Predator stepped into the dark room.
Although the lights were out, Predator could see the décor of the room. Most of it appeared to be exercise equipment; there was a treadmill, a punching bag, a bench press and assorted weights, a training post, a target dummy… and some sort of enormous machine attached to the wall. It looked like nothing Predator had seen before.
"Yo!" Predator called. "Anybody in here?" There was no answer. "Alright, seriously, if you guys set this up as some prank, it's not funny and I'm beating the snot out of the one who set it up! I'm going back to bed now."
Predator headed his way towards the exit when suddenly the door slammed itself shut and a blue electromagnetic field surrounded every corner of the room, preventing him from leaving. The lights flashed on and:
"This isn't a prank." Robin's voice echoed throughout the room, via intercom. Predator looked around and saw Robin and the rest of the Titans in an observation deck above him. "Think of this as… your initiation."
"Say what?" Predator raised his eyebrow, confused. Cyborg pressed a button on the control console.
"Simulation activated." A computerized voice announced as the entire setting changed into an alleyway, while the Observer Room transformed into a building with a fire escape above it.
Predator checked his surroundings, stunned by the realistic detail to everything. The shock effectively woke him up from his sleepy daze. He looked ahead and a group of six average-sized holograms, which took the forms of street thugs, with two of them holding weapons—one with a steel baseball bat and another with a metal pipe. Two more holograms formed, in the shape of tall, stocky brutes, with their fists curled up. The group didn't look too happy to see Predator.
"You gotta be kidding me! You woke me up at the crack of dawn to fight a bunch of lousy training bots?!" Predator shouted angrily, sharpening his teeth. "Yesterday wasn't good enough for ya?"
"Hey! Those are my training bots!" Cyborg retorted. "They have feelings, just like I do!"
"How can they have feelings?" Predator asked. "They're a bunch of tin cans!"
"Yeah, but they have names!"
"ENOUGH!" Robin shouted, before taking back his normal tone. "You've already shown how well you contribute to a team, but now we want to see how you do in solo combat. You have to be prepared for situations when we're not around to back you up. This training program will not only prove you're one of us, but also that you have what it takes to handle yourself out in the field."
"Plus, I uh… kind of want to see you kick some more butt." Beast Boy added, rubbing his head nervously.
"We'll start you off with Level 5." Robin advised. "If you get hit even once, you fail, and the session resets."
"You guys are so dead after this!" Predator snapped. He looked ahead and noticed all of the thugs—David, Eric, Rick, Scott, Tom and Jake—charging towards him. The two brutes—Ezra and Pete—remained where they were. Predator growled and readied himself, morphing the colors of his eyes into that of a tiger's.
Predator rolled over Jake's back, avoiding an incoming punch and kicked David in the stomach. He gasped in pain, grasping his chest until Predator pulled his head down and kneed him in the jaw followed by a jumping roundhouse kick, sending him flying and knocking him down. Predator glanced to the side and noticed Rick charging at him. Predator leaped up and swung his right arm-striking Rick with a hard flying-clothesline to the chest. Rick grunted loudly as he backflipped and fell to the ground, gasping for air.
Tom and Scott ran up to Predator and threw simultaneous punches, but he ducked underneath, making them punch each other instead. Predator countered with a jumping spinning crescent kick, knocking them off their feet. Predator quickly turned and landed a claw that swiped against Eric's torso—leaving claw marks on his shirt. Predator yanked his shirt and kneed Eric in the stomach. He then jumped over, gripped Eric's shoulders and threw him against a flaming trash can, knocking it over.
Predator glanced back and sweep kicked David off his feet, dropping the pipe in his hands. Predator stomped on the pipe and it flipped into his grip. He swiftly jumped up with a twirl and bashed the pipe against his jaw, instantly knocking him unconscious.
Predator swiftly turned just in time to avoid a few incoming punches by Jake left and right. Predator narrowed his eyebrows and bashed the end of the pipe against his mouth. Jake groaned loudly as he grasped his now bloody mouth. Predator threw away the pipe and tackled him into the air, then swiftly slammed him against the pavement, knocking him unconscious as well.
Scott picked up a wooden crate and hurled it at Predator. Predator quickly spun around and slashed it to pieces with his claws. His instincts alerted him towards a charging Ezra. Predator ran the opposite direction towards a wall, with Ezra hot on his tail. Ezra was caught off guard when Predator leaped against the wall and landed a superman punch to his chest. He gasped in pain, allowing Predator to follow up with a somersault kick to the jaw. While stunned from the attack, Ezra managed to remain on his feet, to which Predator followed up the attack with a kick to the stomach, then a barrage of punches to his face and torso.
Rick saw his opening and charged at Predator. Predator's instincts alerted him; he turned and blocked the punch and sent one of his own, connecting to Rick's eye. Rick grunted as Predator grabbed his neck with a firm grip, lifting him off the ground and slamming him down. Predator grabbed his legs, twirled him around twice and sent him flying through the air until he crashed into the Observer Room window.
Ezra - lightly recovered from the previous attack - suddenly grabbed Predator in a tight hold from behind. Predator struggled to break free as Scott ran up to him, ready to beat him down. Predator grunted, quickly shooting up his legs, kicking Scott in the abdomen and pushing him away. Predator snapped his head back and landed a backwards headbutt to Ezra's nose, forcing him to lose his grip. Predator swiftly turned, facing him and landed a punch and finished off with a triple kick, pushing Ezra back. Predator's eyes morphed into a cougar's, and he dropped down on all fours. He pounced on Ezra, jumping off his chest high into the air, and landing feet-first onto his face, kicking him to the ground, knocking him out cold.
Predator quickly turned around in time to duck underneath Tom's steel baseball bat, dodging it by a hair. Predator grabbed the bat and pulled Tom forward, delivering a powerful headbutt to his face, forcing him to let go of the bat. Predator kicked him in the leg, causing him to kneel forward, allowing Predator to bunt him in the face with the bat.
"CLANG!" The impact caused a few teeth to shoot from his mouth and left a huge mark on the side of his head as he collapsed into the pavement.
'Two left.' Predator thought. His eyes returned to normal and he panted heavily, trying to recover his energy.
"Alright, ya bums…" He growled. "Who's next?"
Scott was the one to charge at him. Predator remained where he was and smirked unexpectedly. In one sudden move, he threw the bat to the ground; the bat ricocheted upwards at Scott. Scott grunted loudly as it impacted against his jaw, making him flip backwards. Predator suddenly leaped over at an unbelievable speed and slammed his head to the ground, knocking him out completely. Predator smirked as he brought his attention over to Pete.
"Alright, jerkwad..." Predator growled, his eyes changing into those of a wolf's. "It's just you and me. So what do I break first? Your legs or your skull?"
Pete swung his arms out, revealing two long blades attached to his wrists.
"Seriously?" Predator glared at the others. "Hey, Cyborg, ya ever heard of overkill?"
"I thought they didn't start using them until Level 6." Beast Boy said, turning to Cyborg.
"Must be a glitch in the program." Cyborg rubbed his head, nervously.
"Wait a minute." Robin said. "I told you not to give them blades! They pose too much risk to us."
"Oh, come on, don't exaggerate. The robots are more of a danger to themselves, because of their faulty programming."
Pete charged at Predator; Predator in turn jumped back, avoiding a swipe from Pete's blades. He grabbed the baseball bat mid roll and landed back on his feet. He gritted his teeth, jumped in the air and took a vertical swing at Pete's head. Pete swiped one of the blades upwards and it cut through straight through the bat. Predator jumped backwards, staring at the useless thing.
"Okay, that bites." Predator mumbled throwing it away.
Pete dashed towards Predator, swiping at him with the blades. Predator swiftly moved back, ducking out of the way to avoid each swing. He took a few swings of his own, but Pete raised his arms up to block each strike. Predator jumped in the air and threw a spinning kick, only for that to be blocked, too. Pete swung both of his arms open, pushing Predator away. Predator maneuvered in the air, landing on all fours right next to the car.
Predator panted heavily, wiping the thick sweat from his forehead. He knew he would have to evolve his strategy if he was going to win the fight.
Pete charged, raising his left blade high. At a close distance, Predator turned and pounced on top of the car as Pete lunged his blade forward only for it to crash into the front door window, shattering the glass on impact. Predator quickly spun around, swinging his legs to kick Pete directly in the face. He wrapped his feet around the back of Pete's neck and pulled him forward, slamming his face into the car's roof. Pete was immediately dazed by the attack. Predator jumped down from the car and grabbed the door handle.
"Need a hand?" Predator growled. He yanked the door open and slammed it right into Pete's face.
Pete shouted loudly as his arm freed itself and he staggered backwards, pressing one of his hands against his forehead. He swung his free hand, blindly trying to keep Predator away. Predator effortlessly moved under the blade and kicked Pete in the leg, forcing him to shout and grab at his leg in an effort to subdue the pain. He moved his other hand off of his face and swung at Predator again. Predator moved out of the way and punched Pete directly in the stomach, forcing him to gasp and keel over. Predator grunted loudly as he threw a mighty punch—which could be heard throughout the entire alley to his jaw, fracturing it and knocking much of his fake robot teeth out. Pete fell to the ground, allowing Predator to stomp on his ribs, breaking them. The robot gasped as it reverted back to it's original form.
Predator panted heavily as he fell on his back, desperately catching his breath; his healing factor thoroughly went to work on healing his sore muscles.
"Dude!" Beast Boy said to the others. "He cleared the room in less than five minutes! He's like a natural."
"With a perfect score, and no retries or practice runs." Cyborg commented, impressed. "He's definitely earned his place here."
"Ugh, I can totally hear you guys!" Predator shouted, still slightly annoyed by the test. He lifted himself off the ground. "Advanced hearing, remember? I'm done now, right? Can I go back to bed?"
"I'll admit, you've done a great job." Robin said, over the speaker. "But now we're going to monitor how well you do on a stealth mission."
Robin pressed another button and the alleyway suddenly changed into a bank interior. There was a vault with a cage that was already blown open, four cubicles, all complete with drawers filled with cash and security cameras at every corner of the room. The lighting however was slightly darker than any other.
Predator looked around raising an eyebrow as the fallen thugs disappeared and four new ones—Jayden, Alex, Crash and Steve—this time equipped with weapons; most notably three assault rifles and a shotgun, and another brute—Nate—equipped with a mini gun. The thugs all gasped as they caught sight of Predator and immediately turned their guns on him.
Predator's eyes widened as he turned and jumped up into the air.
The thugs opened fire on the site where Predator was standing. The sound of gunfire was deafening for a full 10 seconds before they came to an end.
"Where'd he go?" Crash asked, reloading his gun.
"I dunno. He's gone." Jayden answered. "How'd he move so fast?"
"Don't just stand around. Split up and find him." Nate ordered.
The thugs split up, going off in different directions, keeping their eyes open for anything unnatural while Nate walked alone in the area where they first saw Predator.
Everything was quiet for the first minute. There wasn't a sign of anything out of the ordinary.
Suddenly, the lights blew out and the room was almost completely dark. They jumped and looked around as sparks started to rain down on them. A loud hissing sound echoed around the room, causing even more discomfort. Suddenly a scream was heard, shocking everyone in the room.
"What was that?" Jayden shouted, turning on the flashlight strapped to his gun. "Who's over there?"
Another scream was heard. This sound of gunfire was added to the mix before cutting off abruptly. Jayden quickly rushed his way towards the screams which suddenly came to a stop.
Once there, the first thing he noticed was Nate kneeling down on the floor while Steve stood next to him with his gun ready, only turning briefly as he noticed Jayden. Both of them were looking down at something. He rushed next to them and found himself staring down at Crash and Alex both lying unconscious on the ground. Their guns rested next to him, only it looked like they had been sabotaged. The magazines were gone and the guns themselves were physically dismantled, almost completely broken in half.
"What happened here?" Jayden asked, nervously.
"It was him." Nate said. "He played these chumps like a violin."
"What do we do now?" Steve asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Find this freak and put a bullet in his head. You two stay together and find him." Nate ordered. "Don't end up like those two. Stay sharp and don't let him take you out."
Jayden and Steve paired together and walked away. Nate stood up with a firm grip on his mini gun and went the opposite direction.
"I cannot see anything." Starfire said. "I would like to know how our friend is doing."
"He's using the darkness to his advantage." Cyborg said, using his robotic eye to see in the dark. "The computer shows two of them down already."
"Activating night-vision mode." Robin pressed another button on the command console, and the window tinted green, allowing the Titans to see the room properly.
"He's well-hidden." Cyborg said. "As long as he stays quiet, they'll never find him."
Jayden and Steve continued their patrol through the bank. Their search yielded fruitless, as they were unable to find Predator. While most of the thugs were determined and confident in taking him out, Jayden was less assured.
"Hey, man." Steve said to him. "Keep it together. Watch my back."
"Got it." Jayden said, wiping the sweat off his face.
There was another hissing sound, only this time from behind, followed by fast paced footsteps. Jayden yelled and turned towards it, blindly firing his shotgun.
"What are you shooting at?" Steve growled.
"There's something there!" Jayden shouted. "I heard it."
"There's nothing there. Calm down."
Jayden panted heavily, trying to steady himself. He turned around in time to see a shadowy figure dashing into a nearby cubicle. Jayden screamed and fired another round at it, hitting nothing but the floor.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Steve snapped annoyed. "There's nothing there. Stop being so scared of some kid."
"I saw it this time!" Jayden shouted, pointing at the cubicle.
"I'll check it out." Steve sighed, placing a hand on his head. "Just watch my back, and don't shoot me."
Jayden nodded and Steve walked towards the workspace. Jayden remained where he was and watched, keeping the finger on the gun relaxed. Steve entered the booth and looked around, shining his flashlight around every corner of the room.
"Nothing." Steve said, turning back to Jayden.
Jayden's eyes widened as he noticed a pair of glowing green eyes—similar to a cobra snake's—in the shadows from behind Steve.
"Now, will you shut up and stop-mmph!"
A pair of arms stuck out of the shadows and gripped onto Steve's mouth, cutting him off. In one swift motion, Steve was pulled back into the room. Jayden screamed bloody murder as he emptied his clip into the shadows.
"What's going on over there?" Nate shouted from the other side of the room.
Jayden gasped hysterically as Steve's gun was tossed out of the shadows and landed at his feet. Steve quickly dropped his shotgun and picked up the assault rifle, quickly checking the ammo clip to see it still full.
Another loud, ferocious hiss sounded from above. Jayden's spine tensed up as he fearfully looked up and pointed the flashlight at the ceiling, as the hissing started to grow closer to him. He gasped once he spotted Predator hanging on the ceiling, hissing at him aggressively. His eyes glowed green and his teeth morphed into fangs. Jayden let out another scream of terror as Predator dropped down and pounced on him.
Nate heard Jayden's scream, and slowly made his way towards the source. He was surprised when Jayden's body was thrown across the floor, landing right next to him. Nate pointed his gun towards the direction Jayden came from.
"I know you're there. Show yourself!" Nate ordered.
He noticed a shadow-covered Predator pounce into one of the nearby cubicles. Nate unleashed a flurry of bullets into the room, tearing straight through the wall and decimating everything inside. He paused for a moment, waiting for a sound. When there was none, he headed over to the room and looked in. It was empty, aside from the disheveled, destroyed office space.
Nate grunted as he felt a strong blow hit him in the back of the head. He turned around quickly and opened fire, only to find nothing there. He was punched again from the other direction and instead of firing, he swung his mini gun towards it. No such luck. He growled in aggravation until he felt another hard strike to his back. He turned to find Predator standing there.
Nate growled and swung his mini gun with all of his strength. Predator jumped up and avoided it. Nate swung again, only for Predator to duck backwards. Predator stepped to the side, once more avoiding another attack and landed a jumping knee to his chin. Predator continued his attack and jumped in the air and slamming both fists right into his skull, nearly pushing him off his feet. Nate's vision became completely blurry as Predator grunted and sent one more jumping roundhouse punch to his face. Nate collapsed on his back, the weight from the mini gun forcefully pushing him into the hard metal floor.
Predator morphed his eyes back to normal as the bank turned back into the gym and the real lights came on. The fallen thugs once again evaporated, the blue border disappeared—no longer blocking the exit—and another computerized voice was heard.
"Simulation: Complete." It announced
Predator looked up at the Observer Room and was greeted with a group of astonished smiles—a little bit of an applause added by Beast Boy.
"Good enough?" Predator asked, wiping his forehead.
"Cyborg?" Robin turned to him expectantly.
"Final time was 8 minutes and 33.34 seconds." Cyborg said. "One of the best times ever logged in on this program, and definitely one of the most impressive."
"So, we're done?" Predator asked.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'd say that's the true work of a Teen Titan." Cyborg said with a smile.
"Indeed!" Starfire commented, joyfully. "It was simply glorious! He has shown the true potential and has proven himself worthy. My friend, you are victorious!"
"Great work." Robin said. "You've really outdone yourself. Not only have you proven you can handle yourself alone, but you've also proven what you're capable of in the field, combat and stealth-wise."
"Don't I get to say something?" Beast Boy asked. "I wanna say something!"
"That's okay, we already know what you think." Cyborg answered, receiving a scowl from him.
"Congratulations, Predator. You've passed your initiation." Robin said.
"Right, thanks, guys. That, uh…that means a lot." Predator said, a small smile appearing on his face.
"You probably wanna go back to sleep now." Robin said.
"Ha! Yeah, right!" Predator smirked. "I'm wide awake, now! Let's do it again!"
"For real?" Cyborg asked.
"Yeah, and don't pull no punches for me. Show me whatcha got!"
"Okay, if you say so." Cyborg said. He turned a dial on the console up Level 9, activating the training session while Predator readied himself once again.
"By the way…" Beast Boy said to the other Titans. The microphone was off now, and Predator could no longer hear them. "Of all of us, who has the best time on these training programs?"
"That would be Raven." Cyborg said. "With 5.24 seconds."
"Aw, come on!" Beast Boy said. "That's cheating! How are we supposed to beat her score?"
"Well, you're not exactly close to breaking a record anytime soon." Raven said.
"Yeah, Mr. Nineteen-and-a-Half Minutes." Cyborg said.
Beast Boy frowned and crossed his arms.
To Be Continued...