Chapter Seven
The clock chimed two o'clock, instantly Kori was in motion.
"Where's the mask?" Starfire called out in a level voice as she stripped off.
Slade walked in – completely ignoring her door being closed and stood in the doorway. Kori looked up and narrowed her eyes at him, slipping out of her tight trousers and facing him in her slightly tattered underwear.
"I need new panties." She told him, showing him how damaged they were from being washed every night – she only had one pair, "And a bra wouldn't go amiss either." She added, picking up the strap that was falling apart.
"Take what you want." He told her, handing her the mask. "You're allowed out – but stay in Gotham – as long as you gather these items for me." Slade said, handing her a list of component numbers and names of the buildings they were held in. "Be sloppy about it."
"You mean, 'get caught'?" She asked, slipping a clean pair of her uniform pants on and the shirt.
"Go to town on it, be theatrical." Slade nodded, leaving her room. "Just keep your communicator in." He ordered from down the hall.
"Wow, freewill going on there..." She scoffed, grabbing the communicator and putting it in her ear.
Finding her boots, she strapped them on and hunted out her belt. Once she was dressed, she tied back her hair into a high pony-tail and put her mask on.
"Not bad." She commented when she checked out her rock-hard butt and re-defined curves. "Good job you found me, I was getting a little porky." She said to Slade through the communicator.
"You hardly fit in that suit on the first day." He agreed.
"Fuck you." She chuckled, "You know you wanted to bone me...and still do." She joked crudely.
"I'm sure Robin would love to hear that..."
"I'm sure Robin would love to have that." She said, looking at her own profile in the mirror.
Making sure her belt fit properly and was filled with everything she'd need, she made her way to the window slowly. When she was ready, she leapt out of the window and used the rooftops to reach the main city where the first item she needed was being held.
Standing outside, she looked up at the large establishment with the big neon sign that had caught her eye originally.
Nice.
"Ah, Victoria Secret." She grinned, taking her first few steps in and looking around at the people staring at her.
Not ready for all the attention, she stepped in a bit further where everyone took in her mask and general clothing and vacated the shop or moved backwards to avoid her.
"EVERYBODY DOWN!" She screeched suddenly, pulling out several little explosives and pelting them off the floor to show the merchants and the occupants that she was serious.
They all screamed and hit the deck, hiding from the strange criminal that was heading for the underwear racks.
Chuckling, Kori waltzed over to the back of the shop and picked up a few items that caught her eye and a couple of different sets of underwear.
"I like the pink...oh, and the black..." She said to no one in particular, twirling around. "So, which one should I get?" She asked one of the random people inside the stock room trying to call out for help.
"Erm–erm–we–it–" They stuttered together, dropping the phone.
Not being able to talk, one pointed at the black and another at the pink. Kori rolled her eyes and took a step back to hold them up against her – show them what they'd look like.
"I think the pink makes my skin look a funny colour..." She sighed, looking at it and then the girl who had picked it.
"BLACK!" She suddenly screamed, cringing and hiding behind the other frightened girl.
"Thanks for the advice." Kori winked, walking with a purpose over to the front desk like she'd been for a casual shop. "Can I have these packaged?" She asked the merchant quivering on the ground and pressing the panic button with a bat symbol on it.
She giggled and put her hand over the button, blocking his ability to press it. "Oh, didn't you hear? He's out of town." She winked at him as he scrambled up and grabbed a box up.
"I-Is it a g-g-gift?" He asked, his knees shaking.
"Yeah, for me, but don't say anything." She giggled sweetly.
The merchant thought about what a nice laugh she had, and how that despite her fierce way of attracting attention – she hadn't hurt anyone, nor did it look like she was planning it – she looked like she could have been a nice girl at one time.
What a shame...
"The Titans are here! They'll stop people like you!" Someone called from the back as she was being handed her items all wrapped with bows and such.
"People like me...don't fear the Titans." She whispered, getting right in the man's face and running her finger down his chest seductively. "What's little Robin Red Breast going to do about a few sets of underwear?" She chuckled, hooking her finger inside the top of his pants. "Other than ask me to model them for him?" She asked with a grin and a wink. "Nothing, they've got bigger fish to fry." She called over her shoulder, walking with a little bounce in her step out of the store.
She somewhat skipped down the street until she came to an alleyway, at which point she used her grapple to pull herself up onto the rooftops – completely gone from the scene of the crime.
"Good, Starfire." Slade praised her, "And you got some supplies too – are you sure you were a hero at one time? It is as though you were born to be evil." He asked, Kori could hear a smile in his voice.
"I just can't see why I didn't think of this before." She told him before taking her finger off the communication button and settling in to watch the Titans arrive at the scene of the crime.
She couldn't help but have a deep current of thrill run through her; it was a pounding of adrenaline that had hit her after she'd managed to keep her cool in the store. Though it was a small crime, she knew that there were bigger and better things to come and she needed to have that little practice.
Knowing that the Titans would show up at the scene – leaving the computer screens unmanned at Batman's lair, she gathered everything she had stolen up and stashed it in a heating vent on the roof she was on, ready to collect it later.
"You never learn." She chuckled, referring to how many villains had outsmarted them before – they always use all of their resources and leave no one to see where the next attack was.
At least Batman has the right idea. She thought to herself angrily.
Coming back into the present and realising that the Titans were only minutes away, Kori pulled herself together and set off in the direction of H.E.X Labs – the location of her first errand.
"Hey Robin, check this out." Cyborg called, turning the screen towards the approaching Titans.
They saw a girl clad in strange clothing waltzing into Victoria Secret like she was from the army or something.
"Hottest chick you've ever seen? Suspicious and strange clothes though..." He asked with a grin.
"Very, but check out that one!" Beast Boy yelped with laughter. He was pointing at a man dressed as a woman looking at underwear with his very embarrassed daughter. "Ah, the lengths some single parents will go to in order to ruin their children's lives..." He sighed with a shake of his head.
"If you're people-watching then I'm not coming anywhere near that screen." Robin snapped from the sofa.
"I understood your point when we were checking out Kitchen Deluxe...but this is Victoria Secret, what's wrong with checking out who buys what in there?" Beast Boy asked with a genuinely confused face.
"It has to be said, Robin, people buy things you would never believe..." Raven called over the top of her book, having looked at the CCTV before in Jump City for the poetry store.
"Check out Sarah Connor, she's looking shifty." Cyborg said, pointing at the girl he'd complimented before.
"Judgement Day or The Sarah Connor Chronicles?" Beast Boy asked, not sure whether he was complimenting the girl or insulting her.
"The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Cyborg answered with a wiggling eyebrow.
Compliment.
The both of them jumped back from the screen when she threw mini-explosives at the occupants of the underwear store and ordered them to get on the floor.
"Why Victoria Secret?" Raven asked, seeing the alarm being pressed by the cashier as the criminal picked up a few things.
"Looks like even thieves like to feel nice under their clothes..." Beast Boy said, quoting the advertisement and rubbing his chest in circles.
"You have a meter on the T.V." Robin stated quickly before turning the sound up so they could see what she was saying to the people in the store.
"I like the pink...and the black...which one should I get?" She asked one of the random people inside the stock room trying to call out for help.
"What? You can't ask advice while stealing!" Beast Boy yelled, scratching his head.
"SHH!" Everyone hissed at him.
"Oh, didn't you hear? He's out of town." She winked at him as he scrambled up and grabbed a box up.
"This girl is either really smart, or really stupid." Raven said, trying to find the co-ordinates of the store before Robin exploded with anticipation. He hated feeling useless.
"Maybe she doesn't know we're here." Cyborg said, but he was cut off with someone informing her that she was going to be stopped by them.
"People like me...don't fear the Titans." She whispered.
"She's really stupid." All the Titans said together, Raven finally finding the co-ordinates and telling Robin where to go.
Kori placed her hand on the glass in front of her, feeling how thick it was before she hit too hard or not enough. Feeling like she got it right, she thrust her fist forwards but it bounced off.
"Tougher than you look..." She commented, looking at how wafer-thin it was.
Pulling her body backwards, she lifted her hands up in a primal way and slammed them both into the glass – managing to shatter it with a decent enough strike.
The alarm went off immediately and she got a little voice in her ear telling her what to do.
"Don't panic, just make sure you do it right – if the Titans show up just try and stay faceless." He told her.
"Got it." She said, keeping her eyes on the prize.
She wasn't in a place to argue with him at the moment, as much as she wanted to tell the Titans exactly who she was and make them pay – she'd never done such a big job before and needed guidance. She'd do exactly as she was told until she got the hang of it.
There are three things on the list, so I'll be good enough at it by the end of the night.
Taking the initiative, Kori took the route through the building that wouldn't take her directly to the item encased within – they'd either be swimming with guards or the Titans will have already arrived and anticipated a small-time thief to do something like that.
"There!" One yelled, pointing at her as she ran past his line of sight.
Kori turned immediately to see him coming towards her with three other guards.
"Take them out." Slade told her.
She nodded slightly and waited for them to be in the perfect position for her to freeze them with one of her little balls of chemicals. Releasing a handful of them, they exploded and trapped the guards in a prison of ice around their bodies and leaving only their heads to breathe.
"Get the weapon." Slade commanded.
Not casting another glance back to the guard's cries, she ran towards her goal and froze anyone who tried to get in her way. Crashing into the chamber and seeing the security systems around it, she turned white and froze.
"Gone?" Robin growled, pacing back and forth. "A small-time criminal disappeared into the night never to be seen by anyone?" He yelled at himself.
"It's a big city, Robin." Raven told him, her eyes lighting up as she searched for the girl.
Despite having never met her, she felt that she could get some kind of lock on her from her presence once being in the store.
"How far can someone get in eight and a half minutes?" Robin asked the clerk as he looked at his watch.
"On foot, a few miles or there about." He said, not exactly sure on the numbers.
"Cyborg, can you pick up anything?" Robin asked, looking back at his friend scanning the walls for fingerprints.
"Nah, whoever it was hasn't been anywhere near my system before." He lied, snapping the system shut and walking over to his friend, "I think my circuits are broken though, I'm on the fritz."
"Can you fight?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, but my maps won't be any good, nor my data banks." He sighed, "Sorry, Robin."
Robin nodded. "Beast Boy, can you pick anything up?" He called over, his friend a giant sniffer-dog searching for scents.
"There are too many." He answered, rubbing his head once he'd changed back, "Scent headache." He groaned, going more green than natural, for him.
"Maybe if we–"
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Do you want to answer that?" Robin asked the clerk – who was still staring at them.
"Not really." He answered in his squeaky, typical-teenage boy voice. As he picked up the phone, the Titans went back to their conversation.
"We'll have to go back to Batman's and restart our search from th–"
"–Sorry, erm..." The merchant interrupted, holding the phone out to Robin, "It's for you." He said, pulling at the neck of the shirt that was now too tight under the Boy Wonder's death-glares.
Robin took the phone and placed it by his ear, waiting for someone to speak. Apparently they wanted him to speak first, and so he did.
"Who is this?" He asked.
"She's at H.E.X Laboratories." He heard the voice say quickly before it disconnected.
Robin tried to redial but it said that the number didn't exist. Not sure what to make of the information, he turned to his team and sighed.
"Apparently I know where she is – but I don't know if it's a trap or not." He admitted, rubbing his hand through his hair, "Would someone lie about that?" He asked.
"Well, this is a different kind of city..." Raven told him, "How did they know about the girl?" She asked him.
"I don't know, all he said was her 'location'." Robin said, looking out the door at the empty street.
"There's only one way to find out whether Sarah Connor's there." Beast Boy said, putting his hand on Robin's shoulder to encourage him, "The worst that's going to happen is that Slade's there – and that's what we came here for." He told him with a grin.
"It's all win, win for BB." Cyborg nodded with a roll of his eyes.
Raven nodded as well, "They have a point, for once."
Cyborg and Beast Boy glared at her but otherwise said nothing as they were trying to convince Robin to drive off into the sunset after a line of information off of someone they didn't know they could trust.
But it was all they had to go on, and they did have a point.
"Take the next left and you'll come into contact with a group of guards, take them all out and you'll be able to see the neutron blaster." Slade told Kori.
"Okay." She nodded, lowering herself from the ceiling and setting off down the hall towards where Slade said the guards were.
He was right, though he hadn't been truthful with her; there were over thirty guards in front of her – all armed with blasters.
"Take. Them. Out." Slade commanded when she faltered.
"There's too many." She panicked, taking a step back.
"No, there isn't." He snarled, "Get me that blaster."
Starfire stood there, staring at the guards of all sizes holding their guns and pointing them at her.
"Give yourself up, and come quietly." They called out to her.
"STARFIRE!" Slade yelled in her ear when he saw she hadn't attacked.
On his command, she shifted into attack and took out the first three rows of men easily. Injected with confidence from her easy little battle she went on to dodge the bullets from the blasters and kick the guards out of the way.
"She's fast – someone seal the doors!" One yelled just before Kori threw him into the wall and knocked him unconscious.
When the room was empty of men – and considering the twenty more men that had come while she was fighting, probably the whole room – Kori made her way quickly towards the floating blaster in the middle of the room.
"Smash up the security system, it'll give you a little shock but you should be fine." Slade told her.
Clenching her fist, Kori pulled her arm back ready to crush the components in one strike when she heard voices from behind her.
"Someone's here alright..." She heard a distinct voice say.
Gritting her teeth and channelling her anger, Kori drove her fist through the machine and though she felt the shock, she didn't yell out of scream like she would have usually – she was too angry. When the power left, the blaster fell to the floor with a loud clump.
"What was that?" She heard from the hall behind her.
Grabbing the blaster quickly, she shot a grapple cable up to the roof of the building and pulled herself up. She was perched on the ceiling twenty metres above the Titans when they walked in cautiously.
Robin was at the front and Kori had to fight herself hard to resist pummelling the shit out of him right then and there.
"It's gone!" He gasped, pointing at the destroyed security system.
"I can't see any weapons used to open it up, though..." Raven said, walking around it.
Looking at her old friends, Kori gasped lightly at the changes in them.
Raven's body was slimmer and had much more defined curves – not that she was lacking them when they were younger – and her magenta purple hair flowed past her shoulders now and had more of a style cut into it. Her cape seemed more luxurious now, made out of sterner material by the look of it. Her suit was no longer a leotard; it was a dress with wide slits up the sides to expose her pale thighs. A pair of knee-high boots with a slight heel completed her outfit.
Look who got hot.
Beast Boy's face had grown older though his outfit hadn't changed at all. It seemed he'd filled out in...certain area's...but then, that might have had something to do with Raven bending over in front of him looking for clues. He'd grown his hair longer into a tousled style that even Kori wanted to run her fingers through in the throes of passion.
But then, the same could be said for Shaun at work.
Obviously, Cyborg hadn't changed at all because he was already fully grown – due to his accident – when she'd first met him; though he did seem less childish for the moment.
And finally, Robin – or more commonly known now as Nightwing to the outside world – he'd changed into a menacing black and blue ensemble that probably made panties drop all over Jump City. He'd grown out his hair so it grazed his shoulders and his mask now covered even more of his face.
He's grown up well...bastard.
"What is Sarah Connor going to do with that blaster, Robin? How'd she even get in here?" Beast Boy asked after phasing back into a human from bloodhound.
What's this, they still call you Robin? Who's Sarah Connor?
"I don't know, but I don't think it's for stealing anymore underwear."
Kori couldn't help but giggle, the Titans heard but when they looked up to the ceiling there was nothing there and no evidence of a break-in, or out.
On the outside of the building, Kori was panting and trying to control her fury. She avoided looking back at the building as she headed towards her next destination.
"Well done, Starfire."
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Robin, maybe you should pick up the phone..." Raven said, pointing to the payphone that wouldn't stop ringing.
He shook his head, "It could be that tip-off again."
"Who told us where Sarah Connor was." Beast Boy said, already naming her as they didn't know her name.
In the end, Robin gave in and answered the phone, "Hello?" He said.
"You've wasted time. She's at Wayne Enterprises." The voice said before it disconnected.
Robin glared at the phone and slammed it into the holder.
"Where is she?" Cyborg asked, already starting the T-Car.
"Wayne Enterprises." He answered, getting into the car.
"How are they finding me so quickly?" Kori asked herself as she heard the sound of the T-Car's engine behind her as she entered the front door of Wayne Enterprises.
"It doesn't matter, get what you came for." Slade answered her, "There are more guard here but the prizes are much more worth the trouble."
"You could create this blaster in hours – why get me to steal it?" Kori asked as she crept through the halls and tied up the occasional guard.
"The more things you steal that other people can create, the less likely they are to guess you're working for me." He said, "So you'll be staying back at your old home and you'll carry on your life as normal – in the light hours." He told her.
"And sleeping?" She asked with a glare, knocking out three guards with a gas-pod.
"If you don't want you revenge, then by all means – sleep all day." He sighed falsely.
Kori glared but otherwise didn't answer Slade as she rushed into the labs at Wayne Enterprises and looked around as quickly as she could for whatever she was looking for.
"What the hell does a fusion-drive look like!" She whispered furiously into the communicator, but she got no answer. "Thanks, Slade." She hissed.
Kicking down doors and looking around for something that looked slightly familiar or fusion-y, Kori was drawing a lot of attention to herself as a few more guards rushed in to try and stop her.
She defeated them all easily and locked them in a chamber to make sure they stayed away from her frantic searching – running into the Titans now would prove disastrous when she had to return to Slade the following night and present him nothing.
"You look a little lost." She heard from behind her.
Turning slowly, she saw the Titans facing her. FUCK.
"Hello." She smiled sweetly, "Who are you?" She asked.
"We're the Titans, Sarah." Beast Boy called out, phasing into a bear – ready to attack if she made a move.
"Aw, isn't that nice?" She smiled, sounding genuinely kind as she leant down and pressed her arms together to show off her cleavage. "It's a shame I must be going now..." She sighed with a sad face, "Rain check?" She winked, smashing a little vile of chemicals into the floor that welled up into a dark cloud.
It gave her enough cover to grab the fusion-drive she'd spotted while speaking, and fire a grapple cable up into the ceiling and escape through the hole.
Seeing where she'd escaped, the Titans followed her onto the roof but didn't see another glimpse of her once they were up there – not in any direction.
"Ugh!" Robin groaned, kicking the side of the building, "We lost her, again!" He spat.
Raven sighed and put her hood up, "Well moaning about it won't help us track her." She said, turning to Cyborg and Beast Boy, "You, come with me and we'll gather evidence, Cyborg can check the ground and the alleys – Robin, you can check the rooftops and other labs." She ordered, grabbing Beast Boy and levitating them down to the lab.
"Hold on a min–" Cyborg cut off Robin.
"Dude, you saw her face." He said with wide eyes.
Robin nodded and swallowed roughly; when Raven meant something she'd always have the same look about her. And everyone had learned – in a very bad way – not to defy her when she'd taken control.
"It's most likely she'll hit somewhere else tonight – she's got hours till sunrise and that fusion-drive won't last long without a core-reactor."
"Where can I find one of those?" He asked.
Cyborg opened up the computer in his arm and clicked a few buttons, eventually he managed to pin-point the exact spot she'd be likely to hit.
"Unless she leaves Gotham, she has to get it from here – CA Returns."
"It sounds like a retailer." Robin said, putting the coordinates into his communicator and setting it as his target.
"It is, it's a shipping dock that dealers make a living off of..." Cyborg relayed off of the reports stored on the system, "Someone ordered it, but never collected – they're sending it back sometime next week." He told Robin.
"She hasn't got a vehicle by the looks of it, so I'll wait there for her." Robin said.
"Need help?" Cyborg asked.
"She's a little girl with shiny toys, I'll handle it." Robin chuckled.
"Some little girls you know..." Cyborg laughed, thinking of how seductive she was as she patronized them.
"Robin is waiting to ambush you." Kori heard through her communicator.
"Where?" She asked, not sure where she was going for him to ambush her.
"CA Returns; it's the only place there's a core-reactor – and the fusion-drive will become useless in a few hours without it."
She sighed, "Let me guess, you want me to go and get it, drop it off and then go home?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
She altered her course to the dock and made sure to stick to the alleyways.
"They're not for me, Starfire." He answered before she heard the line disconnect.
Looks like I'm truly on my own now. Can I handle Robin on my own?
It took half an hour to get to the dock, despite the speed she had over normal walkers and the closeness of it to her recent location – it seemed Gotham was a much bigger place when you're on foot.
But eventually, she arrived at the dock and made her way inside. She wasn't sure if Robin had a car or not, so she thought she'd beat him when she made it all the way through the empty dock to the building where the core-reactor was being held.
"Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" She heard from behind her as she reached out for the handle.
"That's cheating, I didn't use a car." Kori grinned, turning to face Robin – or Nightwing, depending on whether she felt like spooking him or not.
"Stealing isn't all that moral either." He raised an eyebrow at her.
She giggled, "Oh, I'm not all that bad – once you get to know me." She told him with a wink.
"You've only stolen minimal things, and you haven't hurt anyone – you can still change." He told her, straightening up and facing her properly.
She straightened up as well, and looked into his eyes until she felt she needed to speak.
"So you're one for forgiveness now, then?" She asked with a slight scoff, taking her mask off and looking at him briefly. "Who knew a leopard could change his spots." She muttered.
"I'm just protecting Gotham, and its people." He said, reaching his hand out for the mask she'd taken off. "You included."
She snapped her head up and glared at him, throwing her mask into the water and taking a quick step forwards.
"Protecting? So you're protecting me, now?" She snarled, getting up in his face. "You're actually trying to do what's best for me?"
"You've done small things wrong, let people like the Joker, Harley Quinn, and Slade do the evil. Fight against them." He told her. "A month or two community service will clear your name..." He told her.
She clenched her fist and pursed her lips to stop the barrage of swears trying to break through her lips.
"Batman could even help you to train for good..." He offered her.
Hearing his name made her flinch and he saw it, not sure why she'd react to his name, he tried again.
"You're not bad; you left every guard alive–"
"BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT BETRAYED ME!" She snarled, attacking Robin.
They rolled around on the floor until she was pinned to the floor and he had a shuriken at her throat, ready to slice her jugular.
"I'm giving you one last chance, stand down!" He yelled at her.
"FUCK YOU!" She screeched, pushing him off her regardless of the shuriken slicing into her neck.
It was a few more minutes before Kori was on top, literally sitting on him as she glared deep into his eyes.
"YOU–" She cut herself off when she felt blood in her throat.
Feeling herself fading, she fell to the side of Robin and clutched her neck to try and patch herself up. Robin was shocked and sat up, seeing the sudden torrent of blood dripping from her neck and her mouth.
"No..." He whispered, seeing her body arch and her eyes clench in pain.
He reached out to help her but she jumped out of the way, "No, don't...touch me..." She commanded, her body going limp and weak as more blood spilled from her.
"Let me help you, I can't let you die!" Robin said, pulling her arms from her neck as he inspected the wound.
It was as he feared; the gash was deep and wide from where she'd fought. Why did I dare to use it? He berated himself. She was only a small-time criminal that could turn herself around but if he could help her soon, then she'd die.
"I've had...worse." She told him truthfully, her chest heaving.
"I doubt it, this could kill you." He told her, making a tourniquet out of some material on his suit.
"I was...already dead." She told him, letting him secure the material before she kicked him off and threw a device that held him to the ground.
Robin was shocked at her reflexes, even someone without that level of damage would have trouble doing something like that – but she did it regardless. He watched – struggling – as she ran away from him, a trail of blood left in her wake.
Alright, so I was feeling generous after cheating you before...am I going to be rewarded with a lovely rate and review shower? Only you will tell me!
I don't really think there's much to tell you at this moment in time about the story, other than the fact that some rather disturbing chapters are coming up, and please, don't think it's moving too fast, I literally cannot stretch it out any longer.
Jade.