Okay, Chapter 3. Thank you to all my reviewers, especially Acastus and Sav! Enjoy your trip and enjoy this chapter! You all wanted more Jinx and more allusions and you got it!
Good N' Evil
Evil's for me - you can have good!
Doesn't suit me to be Robin Hood!
S'easier by far, from the way that things are,
To remain good 'n' evil
Than try to be evil and good!
-Jekyll and Hyde
Jinx had left the Hive Five. She had pissed out Madam Rouge to a horrible degree and had ruined her villain reputation as the little child prodigy of evil. All her grades at the Hive Academy had said she was a natural. So far, it was not a good start for a career in roguery.
Her email box was a testament to that. There was no letters from the greats, offering her a place to join them. It was just spam, and junk. Just like what her life had come to. Her reputation had been trashed. She should have let Madam Rouge walk all over her, she should have just taken the abuse and accepted it as hazing. She just couldn't stand being a slave to a freak like her. Madam Rouge had treated her like dirt. Jinx had become too much to accept that anymore.
Each day, she would get letters from Kid Wykkid and See-More begging her to come back, that they missed her. She had tried blocking them, but they had found their ways around it. She just couldn't go back to being den mother to a bunch of dumb kids again. She had spent way too long being dragged down by their lack of ambition.
She had moved out of the lab, as Kid Flash had trashed it. All of them had been left homeless and scattered by his little escapades. Kid Wykkyd had been chosen to become Professor Chang's apprentice and the only Hivers had gone to Metropolis to start over with Angel from the old academy. Nearly everyone was slowly moving towards a lucrative career in petty theft, most likely a distinguished record in mediocrity.
Of course, from the emails they sent, they were having a blast. Apparently, one Superman couldn't be bothered with small town crime and the police were the height of incompetence.
"These coppers couldn't catch a cold in winter," See-More had reported. "Come back and hang with us."
She'd rather eat snails than rejoin those slackers. Of course, that didn't mean that Jinx didn't lack the need to support herself. Had she had her team, she might have gone after the Titans and turned them over to higher level villains for study. That would have brought in a considerable bounty. As useless as they were, the five of them had been a potent team of destruction. But alone, she'd be lucky to take on those five freaks without losing a limb or so.
So she had traded in some underworld connections to be able to stay in one of the hide-outs of a cloth-master villain named Glyph. Glyth had nearly been captured by the Titans before Jinx had chipped in and freed her. Now, she wanted payback!
The villain cavern Jinx had given was sufficient enough for her needs. It had a computer, a closet and a bed. Electricity and internet access had been siphoned from nearby houses, making it warm and cozy. There were security cameras and lasers guarding the place. The rocks had provided a nice ambience to the place, very old world evil lair. And best of all, since Glyth was currently in Hong Kong, no one else to share it with.
The only problem was Glyth didn't fill the place too well. Jinx had been annoyed to find the lair also had an empty refrigerator and an ever-shrinking cash box. The money Glyth had given was not a lot to begin with and even being frugal wasn't going to get her very far in this world.
So it was a life of crime for her. She hadn't actually figured out why it was wrong for people to steal to support themselves. What was the difference between her and Robin Hood? She stole from the rich and gave it to herself, the poor. Why weren't Disney movies and songs written about her?
Tonight, she decided she would rip off a jewelry store and therefore give herself a much needed boost in the cash department. What did that song say? Diamonds are a girls' best friend.
She easily took out the security guards. Walking in without tripping alarms was the hard part, but years of gynmatics training had left her able to flip through the wires.
She had to admit, taking out powerless humans was easy. If people were dumb enough to have non-meta humans guard such lovely treasures, was it her fault if they become hers for the taking? Really, she was quite innocent of taking anything but what was being laid out on a silver platter for her.
Jinx had to admit, she loved jewelry. She loved the way they sparkled in the light, they were delicate and beautiful and valued. She wanted to put them on and bask in their wealth-giving splendor. As she selected the pieces she would be fencing tonight, she was infuriated to find herself tapped on the shoulder, and a very annoying laugh in her ears.
"You know, I'm really starting to wonder if you just commit crimes to meet me. Not that it isn't flattering, but I'd be happy to just give you my number," that horrible nerd said, as always showing up right where she didn't need him.
"How about I give you the number of a nice funeral parlor?" Jinx growled, her eyes glowing. If he came between her and eating, she'd have his head on a platter!
"That's a nice greeting. I'm touched. And don't bother trying to blast me. There's sensors everywhere. The police will be alerted in seconds. Just let's move on to the next part of this show." He was actually looking even more stuck up than usual.
"You know, I should report you for stalking," Jinx hissed angrily, trying to figure out if blasting him was possible. "For the last three weeks, you have been following me around. I'm sure that counts as harassment." She had rights. She was sure of it.
"Oh by all means, do. Call the police," Kid Flash said roguishly, giving her another wink. "I'm sure they'll hand-cuff me right after giving you a pair of bracelets of your own." He was so freaking superior, wasn't he?
"So go screw Raven," Jinx hissed, trying to follow his movements with her blasts of bad luck. "Hold still!" This guy had been impeding all of her heists, leaving a rose stuck behind security cameras, returning her loot right from her hideout and just making it impossible for a villain to work! The least he could do was get pounded by her!
"Tempting offer, but I think I'll pass," Kid Flash informed her, his grin never faded. What would it take to set her free from this plague? "You know, I could run circles around you all night. Excellent view."
That perverted, hormonal little do-gooder did not just say that! "I'm going to strangle you. And it will be painful," Jinx growled, her fingers itching to curse Kid Flash but good. She debated trying to turn him into the Brotherhood of Evil for bounty, but after her last dealings with them, she knew she'd just be knocked aside like a pawn. Still...she'd love to see him chained in a level five containment unit, completely at her mercy.
"You have to catch me first," Kid Flash said, his grin growing from subtle flirting to outright come-hither. "And I promise, I won't make it easy. I think we both enjoy playing hard to get."
"A girl has got to eat. Now, leave me alone," Jinx hissed, chairs and tables flying everywhere. "You've chased me everywhere, you're ruining my plans." She was starting to run out of cash and places to stay. She really needed the money if she wanted to keep doing those nice basic things like eating or drinking.
"So sue me! Then make new plans. I have an offer for you. As the Godfather says, I'll make you an offer you canna refuse," he said, adopting the worst Italian accent Jinx had ever heard.
"Wow, you know how to flatter a girl," Jinx said dryly. "No wonder you have to beg for dates," she simpered, hoping to wound him.
"Well, then don't keep me begging," Kid Flash said, moving to stand in front of her in the blink of an eye. "I'm just going to keep following you around until you agree to go out with me. I can keep foiling you and still have time for everything else. Make it easy on yourself and just give in. I'm not a bad guy, though I think you might prefer me if I was," he offered, giving her what must have been his most charming smile, the smile that made regular girls swoon. It didn't work.
Jinx pursed her lip. He was not going to give up and she was not going to have much money at this rate. "I don't know," she considered. If she did, maybe he would stop harassing her. And a date did sound nice. She hadn't liked a guy since Stone, who had turned out to be that traitor, Cyborg.
"Don't tell me I have to pay you," Kid Flash asked, looking pretty dismayed as he ran his fingers through his red hair.
Oh he did not just say that! "You bastard! What kind of girl do you think I am? There isn't enough money in the world to go out with a disgusting pervert like you!" Jinx shouted, genuinely stung. So that was she was? An easy girl for his entertainment.
"No wait! I just meant it as an incentive. I never meant to say…well…you are way too pretty and cool and smart to be…and I'm sorry," Kid Flash stammered, his cheeks as cherry as his hair. He actually was cute when he was blushing and looking like he wanted to fall through the floor.
"You should be," Jinx shrieked, pink bolts shooting from her fingers as her eyes glowed with rage. To her surprise, Kid Flash accepted every blow with a groan, not even bothering to get out of the way.
Jinx tested the theory that he was letting her hit him again. Yes, direct hit without him moving. She decided to repeat the experiment, just to make sure. Wow, science was fun!
"You're right, I deserved that," he wheezed, falling to his knees in pain against the marble floor with a hard thwack. He was letting her hurt him! "But I think I got what I deserved. Mercy for the idiot?" He begged. Music to her ears.
It was sort of amusing to see him sprawled at her feet. Jinx had to allow herself that smile, she was enjoying herself. She hit him again with her powers. "I don't believe in mercy." The world had never shown mercy on her, why should she every show mercy on it?
"Therefore, let mercy season justice and in our plea we do pray for mercy and that same prayer doth teach us all to render deeds of mercy," Kid Flash said theatrically. Jinx's blank look made him continue. "The Merchant of Venice, Portia's Speech."
"Never saw the movie," Jinx sneered. It sounded boring too. What kind of hero watched weird movies for fun? Still, it had managed to cool her temper a bit. He was actually...upset that he had hurt her feelings. She was torn between pitying his weakness and actually being flattered by the attention.
"It's a play by Shakespeare that I'm reading for school. You should read it," Kid Flash muttered, obviously realizing how geeky he was starting to sound. "Are we done humiliating me?" he asked, removing a crimson rose from his pocket. "Come on. You're worth the trouble you're causing me."
Jinx nodded slowly. At this point, she could see this as a win-win situation. She planned to take him for all he was worth. And any spare information he foolishly would drop...would be hers to use against him and all other Titans. "For now. Fine. One date. Seven-o-clock. You pay for everything and I go in disguise. I will meet you by the docks where the smuggling ring meets. I'll be holding the rose," she said, with a dangerous smile.
AN-Next chapter goes up Friday!
