Tales of the Teen Titans: Unstoppable, Part 1: Shadow of the Empire, chapter 2: Recovery
I don't own the Teen Titans.
"Mr. Moth? This is Omega. Yes. I don't know where you are or what you're doing, but I'd advise you to drop it and get over to Conner Memorial Hospital right now. Yes, it's Kitten. No, she's alive; they're giving her blood now. No, she's not in any danger of dying at this time. No. Yes, I'll tell them you're coming."
…
"But, but, who? How? I mean…" The would-be supervillain known as Killer Moth was virtually speechless. No stranger to violence himself, he had somehow never imagined it happening to his daughter.
"I do not know," replied Omega, rather distantly. His voice sharpened as he said, "Yet."
Killer Moth looked sharply at the alien beside him. It had been only one word, spoken mildly enough, yet something about the way it had been spoken definitely caught his attention. "But….what happened, anyway?"
"I was running a routine check and noticed something wrong at your house. When I went to investigate, I found her in the basement. She'd been shot, twice, with a nine millimeter handgun of some sort." He produced two slightly deformed bullets. "Full metal jacketed. They went completely through her, one nicking an artery in the process. I managed to stop the bleeding, but she had lost some blood. Of course, I could not replace that." He turned to the man beside him. "There will, of course, be an investigation.
Killer Moth gulped. He had a lot of secrets in his basement.
Omega noticed. "Perhaps….perhaps I can help."
…
The two stood in the basement of Killer Moth's modest home. Omega made a mental note of the glass cases containing the "experiments," and tried to keep from smiling. There was no point in insulting the man by letting him know that, by Osiran standards, his worst weapons were more in the category of a pillow fight out of hand than a true threat. He was obviously so proud of them. Still, by human standards, he guessed they were, well, significant. To a degree.
"Perhaps the reason for this home invasion is in your experiments. At least, it is one way in which your home differs from all others not broken into."
"It's got to have been Fang, Kitten said he was jealous…."
"I do not think it was Fang, not unless he has mutated further." Omega was half-kneeling over by a spot on the floor, apparently gazing fixedly at one certain spot. "This is the spot from where the shots were fired. I can sense a footprint here, and read its print. A bare footprint, as a matter of fact. But not a human one."
"Not…human?" Killer Moth checked his watch. He really needed to be getting back to the hospital; the doctors had said she'd wake up anytime now, and he wanted to be there when she did.
"No. It appears to be a footprint of a large adult gorilla. Tell me, Mr. Moth, have you any dealings with the Brotherhood of Evil?"
"Those hardcases? No way. Not for a long time now. Why?"
"Monsieur Mallah has just become a suspect."
…
Back at Titans' Tower, a sleepy Robin was surprised to find Omega on the Titans' computer, linking in with the special wide area network accessible to the Justice League and other related groups. "Omega? Everything okay?" It was normal for the Osiran to spend his off duty hours in his room, seeking some way of communicating with the warriors on Jupiter. And there was a peculiar intensity to his search…
"I would not say that, Robin. Kitten has been shot."
"WHAT?" There was no love lost between Kitten and the Titans, but they often found themselves linked, in a weird sort of way. Something like extended family. The kind you don't talk about. "What did you say?"
"I said, Kitten has been shot. She is recovering at Conner Memorial Hospital. Her father is with her."
"But how….I mean, what happened?" Robin was fully awake now. In the circles in which the Titans moved, actual injury by gunfire was surprisingly rare. And to have someone one knew injured…..was a dash of cold water on the face.
"Evidently, someone broke into her home. She came upon the intruder, perhaps accidently, and was shot. Twice. Fortunately, the bullets did not hit any vital organs, and the doctors say she should recover fully, in time."
"Oh. Well, that's….bad business, Omega. Any idea who did it?"
"She was shot by a gorilla wielding a handgun, Robin. That narrows it down somewhat, as you can understand."
"Well, yeah. You're sure?" Even as he asked it, he mentally kicked himself. Of course the Osiran was sure.
"Quite. I am looking for the whereabouts of Monsieur Mallah, of the Brotherhood of Evil."
"Hm. Good choice of a first suspect. Yeah, I'd say Mallah might be right up there. Uh, what are you gonna do?"
Shrug. "Uncertain. Until I know more. If, however, he turns out to be the shooter," and here the Osiran smiled a smile that made Robin very uncomfortable, "I will….discuss the matter with him."
…..
Kitten came to awareness in her hospital room, with her father sitting beside her. "Honey? Can—can you hear me?"
"Yeah, Dad. What…what happened?" She took it all in, the hospital setting, the IV blood infusion…
"Easy, now. You're okay, everything's fine. But you've been…hurt. You've lost a lot of blood, but the doctors are saying you'll recover and be just fine." He patted her hand.
She noticed Omega standing by the door. "Hey, you. What happened?"
"I sensed something wrong at your house and came by the check up on you. I found you in the basement. You'd been shot twice." He paused, a concerned expression on his face. "How are you feeling?"
"Weak. Weak as a cat. Well," she laughed, "weak as a kitten. Yeah, I remember now…..I heard somebody in the basement. I thought it was Dad." Her eyes widened. "But it wasn't. It was some big ape or something."
He came up to her and took her free hand, the one connected to the IV. Strange, she thought, in all the time she'd known him, he'd never actually tried to hold hands with her. It was….an oddly tender gesture, on his part. She grasped his fingers with hers. "Guess we…won't be doing much this weekend."
"That remains to be seen. You will need some physical therapy, to recover your strength. I will be with you through that."
She looked up. "Oh? You don't have to save the city from, like, Dr. Devil or something?"
"If that arises, it shall be dealt with accordingly. But this," and here he squeezed her hand gently, "is more important to me, right now."
She looked at him, slyly. "Omega….that was almost….an emotional statement, on your part."
He sighed. "Kitten. I know I seem….reserved, by your standards. That is because I am not accustomed to dealing with my emotions on my own. On Osira, the Lords controlled us primarily by means of our emotions. They told us what to feel, what to think, and when. So I don't have as much experience in dealing with my own emotions as I might otherwise have." He smiled, strangely. "I suppose what I am saying is, please excuse me if I fumble, occasionally."
"That's okay. You're forgiven. So. Any idea who, or what, it could've been?"
He leaned closer to her suddenly, coming within a few inches of her head, appearing to examine her forehead. He placed two fingers of his other hand on the spot on her forehead just above her eyes. "Hm. You were….evidently just beyond detection range. I'll have to get a better look at the spot where the shooting took place. Perhaps I can glean some information from there. And it can wait."
"Oh? Won't the trail grow cold?"
"The trail might," he admitted. Once again, for the briefest of seconds, he displayed an oddly unnerving half-smile. "But I won't."
…
The evolved gorilla known to the world as Monsieur Mallah was relaxing with the disembodied entity known as the Brain in their chateau in the Swiss Alps. It had been a good day; the Brain had several plans which were, for the most part, working out. But they had finally called a halt to the day's work and were just relaxing, and listening to Mozart on the entertainment system, music being one of the few pleasures left to the Brain that they could enjoy together.
Mallah had, as was his custom, a small glass of vintage wine. It was just enough to relax him a little further; he only wished he could share this particular vintage with his Master; it had a truly wonderful bouquet. Well, if the new cloning process worked, perhaps he could. For now, though, they at least had Mozart.
Perhaps he was drowsing slightly, but he suddenly noticed the dark-garbed humanoid standing by his chair. "Zut alors!" He had time to croak out before Omega's hand shot out, grasped him by the throat, and easily lifted his six hundred pounds completely off the ground. He grabbed the Osiran's arm, the same one holding him, to keep from breaking his own neck in the alien's grip.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the Brain, trying to bring his in-built weapons to bear in such a way as to avoid hitting Mallah. But the two were already so close….
Omega grasped Mallah's hand and examined it very carefully. "Hm. You have discharged a firearm with this hand, but it was more than forty-eight hours ago." He let the hand drop and grasped Mallah's right foot, inspecting it with the same intensity. "And this is the wrong footprint. Very well. You are not a suspect." And without another word, the Osiran dropped Mallah back into his chair, and shot up through the roof of the chateau, passing soundlessly through the solid matter of the roof like a drop of water into a sponge.
Leaving two very shaken individuals in his wake.
….
"Oooh." Kitten sucked in her breath through her teeth. "Didn't think it would….hurt like this…..by now." Omega was assisting her to the hospital room's bathroom.
"There will be some muscle stiffness. It will pass."
She shot him a look, coloring slightly. "I, I really hate having to ask you to, y'know, help me here…." She was pushing her IV pole, with Omega's arm around her, supporting her.
"Why?"
"Well, it's embarrassing."
"It is?"
"Yeah. Just trust me, okay? It's not something a girl likes to get a guy involved with. Well, most girls, anyway. 'Specially not a guy she's, you know, seeing."
Omega decided to let it pass. There were many things about humans that he realized it would take him a long time to get used to, and their reactions to their own bodily functions was one of them. He, of course, knew how the process went: matter went in, was processed chemically, and passed on out of the system. Why should this be embarrassing to anyone? It was just the way things were, with humans. Perhaps not the most efficient system he'd ever heard of, but it worked for them. "Well, anyway, I am not coming into the bathroom with you, unless you need me to. I will wait right out here and escort you back to bed, once you are done." Killer Moth had taken off to attend to some business, and to get some rest, and Omega had volunteered to remain with Kitten.
Kitten blushed. She'd heard the phrase "escort you back to bed," and realized it could have more than one interpretation. In some other setting, of course. (And why would that simple thought make her feel….this way?) It made her a little self-conscious. She absently brushed her hair back from her face. "I know I must look like hell….."
But Omega was ready for this one. He didn't even have to ask what "hell" was, or why she'd think she resembled a mythological domain. "You look," he said, "beautiful." And kissed her temple.
She blushed even more. "You silver-tongued devil, you." There just might be hope for this boy yet. He helped her into the smallish restroom, got her situated, and pulled the door closed for her. Stood with his back to it, arms folded across his chest. "So." She asked, more to keep up a certain level of sound in an attempt to cover up other sounds, "what are the other Titans up to, these days?"
"They are planning a cruise. Wayne Enterprises is sponsoring it. The suggestion was made that I should ask you and your father if you'd like to come."
"Say whaaaat?" A cruise? A cruise? Really?
"A cruise. On a large ocean-going watercraft. I understand it's a popular vacation format. It's to be held on the weekend of the 23rd; that's a couple of weeks off. So you'll have time to recover and be discharged from the hospital. It might," he speculated, "be a good thing for you. I understand these 'cruises' are supposed to be enjoyable. Are they not?"
"I'll, I'll have to talk to Dad about it…..would the others mind? We don't, you know, always see things exactly eye to eye." To put it mildly. Kitten had no problem with going somewhere she wasn't welcome, but only under her terms.
"As I said, the suggestion was made." By me. "And the others seemed to be okay with it. I will be allotted two staterooms, but, in all actuality, I will need neither. You and your father can have them both, should you decide to accompany us."
Kitten thought, sitting there. This might be a good opportunity to get some dirt on the other Titans, especially Robin and Starfire. They'd be there for sure. Maybe she could throw a monkey wrench into their little love-nest. A flaming monkey wrench.
And, worse case scenario, she'd still get to go on a cruise. And yeah, incidentally, spend some time with Omega, but that wasn't the main reason, of course. No, the main reason was much more primal: revenge. Robin was definitely overdue for an ass-kicking. And if she could ruin Starfire's fun in the process, well, that was icing on the cake.
And the Titans would sponsor the whole thing. The irony of it tickled her immensely. "Well, I'm sold. But of course, I'll have to ask Dad."
"Of course." Omega was new to the whole parent-child thing, but he was learning. And he found himself….appreciating such a relationship. On Osira, he, and others like him, had been raised as a group, in a kind of military setting. Having someone interested in you and your development personally was foreign to his experience.
How would he react if he were in Killer Moth's position? Not that of his offspring being injured; how would he react to having offspring? Just what sort of a father would he be?
Well, there was no point in speculating on that which would never be. Still, in the back of his mind, he wondered…..
"Omega? I'm ready to come out, now."
She was discharged the next day, with the doctors and nurses going over her post-discharge instructions. "And don't forget to do these exercises. You've made a remarkably fast recovery…in fact, I don't recall anyone ever recovering so quickly from a multiple gunshot wound. But it's still gonna take you some time to get back in the swing of things, so to speak."
"Will I have a scar?"
"No. And that's also puzzling. I mean, normally, in cases like these, yes, there's some mark left, but in your case your skin healed over so completely I doubt you'll even be able to find the actual wound site later. Well, anyway, here's your prescriptions. Basically it's just penicillin to stave off any possible infection, and naproxen for body aches. Is your father bringing the car around front?"
"Yes," replied Omega, "I will, with your permission, escort her down to the pickup area."
"Course, of course. Well, good luck." And with that, the doctor left.
On the way down, in the wheelchair the hospital had provided, Kitten thought. Considering what she'd gone through, she had healed pretty quickly. "Omega? Did you, by any chance, have something to do with me healing up this quick?"
She sensed, rather than saw, him shrug, since he was behind her, pushing on her wheelchair. "it's possible. When I found you, I administered a kind of field treatment common to my people. I suppose you might call it Osiran first aid."
"'Osiran first aid'?"
"Yes. I didn't know if it would work on humans or not, but it seemed to."
"What, exactly, did you do?"
"My hands can secrete a kind of….salve or grease that promotes rapid healing. At least, it does in other Osirans. It's a technique, an ability, we Warriors used on those injured in combat, in the field. As I said, Osiran first aid." He paused. "I am glad it worked."
"Me, too. Hmmm. You're kind of a handy guy to have around, aren't you?"
"I do my best."
"Hey, no scar totally works for me. Swimsuit season's coming up, y'know." Omega didn't really know how to respond to that, and so didn't. "Hate to have to buy a whole new wardrobe." Again, he didn't know how to reply, and so let it pass.
She decided to tease him a little. "Maybe, if Dad approves the cruise thing, I'll bring my string bikini along. Would you like that?"
"No. I am sure it would not fit me."
She laughed in spite of herself, looking up at him. "Not for you to wear, space case! For me." Then she caught the gleam in his eye and did a double-take. "Omega! Did you just…crack a joke on me?" She laughed again.
He smiled. "Perhaps. I am coming to understand the Earth concept of humor."
"Well, good one. There's hope for you, yet, even if you are the universe's ultimate Dudley Do-Right."
"Who?"
She waved him off. "Tell you about it sometime." They'd reached the drive-through pickup area, and Omega wheeled her out to her father's waiting car. Opened the door and gently lifted her out of the wheelchair and placed her in the passenger seat. "Hey, call me later on, would ya?"
"Of course." And off she went.
He stood staring at taillights of the vehicle for what might seem to others to be very long time, an odd expression on his face.
In the car, Killer Moth turned to his daughter. "Well. Things certainly seem to be…progressing nicely. How do you feel about him?"
"He's totally clueless. Cute, but clueless."
Killer Moth sighed. That's what your mother always said about me. But he didn't say that. Kitten had….issues with a nonpresent mother, and usually such reminiscing produced more pain than it was worth. Her next words surprised him. "They've invited us on a cruise, Dad. Let's go."
"A cruise? Us? You are kidding, aren't you?"
"No. Omega asked me personally. Of course, you'd be coming too, but there's room. So why not?"
"Well, honey, I don't know….my experiments….."
"Oh, hang your experiments! How many times do we get offered an all-expense paid vacation? For that matter, how many times does anybody get offered an all-expense paid vacation? Oh, yes. We're definitely going. Put your experiments on ice or something. Have the neighbor's kid come in twice a week to feed 'em. Besides," she added slyly, "We'll be going with the Teen Titans. What better chance will you have to get some intel on 'em? Can you really afford to pass this up? I don't think so!"
Killer Moth considered. What she'd said was true enough. Plus, he found himself wanting to encourage Kitten's relationship with Omega. She could do, and in fact, had done, far worse. Although he was still a little nervous about Omega being an alien, and therefore an unknown factor, still, he had been a perfect gentleman so far, and that was important to him as a father.
Plus, a cruise would be relaxing. It would allow him to stretch his wings a bit. "Well, I….suppose we could." After all, the Voice Of Authority in his household had already spoken.
Back at the Tower: Hank found Omega in the latter's room. "So. Word is, you're planning on asking this Kitten girl along on this cruise?"
"I have already asked her. So far, the response seems positive." He was once again connected to the Osiran Matrix device, searching, with a part of his mind, for a way to communicate with the Osiran Warriors currently in Jupiter's atmosphere. It puzzled him that this was such a hard thing to do.
"Well, I mean, I don't know her, personally, but, you know, I hear she's kinda trouble looking for a place to happen. Still if that's what makes you happy, I certainly can't say anything." He paused. "Did they have anything like cruises on Osira?"
"No. There were passenger vehicles designed to transport lifeforms and goods between star systems, but they were not designed for entertainment, as I understand this to be. So it will be a new experience for me. One of many, since my awakening here."
Hank considered. He knew, or supposed, that any Kitten / Omega relationship probably wouldn't last long. Just how committed was the alien to this relationship, anyway? Was it to the point where he'd be emotionally hurt when she dumped him? How do you handle or help a heartbroken alien, anyway? "We really need to get you out more. Get you to meeting more people, you know." Again, he paused. "Any luck with the warriors on Jupiter?"
"None. And that in itself is unsettling. There is a disturbance here, that seems to be fairly recent. I am having a hard time pinpointing it."
"What's it like?"
"Impossible to describe."
"Say. I just thought of something. Can you use this matrix to communicate with the Thinkers?"
"I have tried that, but….." and here he paused, searching for the correct words, "I usually get no response. A few times I have been able to get their attention, but they quickly break the connection. That puzzles me. It's almost as if they're afraid of me, for some reason. I do not know why that should be."
"Well, anyway. This cruise does sound like fun."
"Perhaps it will be. That, too, will be a new experience for me."
"What, having fun? Omega, what kind of hellhole of a world did you come from, where even the concept of fun was foreign?"
"Not a pleasant one, Hank. Not a pleasant one at all." His expression was carefully neutral.
…..
The Thinker, or Kindred, known as Alpha stopped by the improvised gymnasium to watch Angelique work out. It was fascinating to him, as a scientist. And to think: she'd made most of the modifications to herself, by herself. They, the Kindred, had only provided her with the resources and tools to do so. It was truly remarkable. {{Well, daughter, have you uncovered any more indications as to the whereabouts of your mother?}} he asked her through Link.
{{Some, Father Alpha.}} Conversing in Link was effortless, and she didn't bother to halt her regimen. {{I know she moved to another part of the city, and she was not alone at the time. Mr. Slade has provided me with some information. Also}}, and here her face hardened, {{he has provided me with some information regarding the men who put her on those drugs. I want them. I will have them. They cost me my mother, and I will not let them get away with it.}}
{{I confess to a certain curiosity as to why they did what they did, myself. Perhaps it might be enlightening to examine them. Thoroughly.}}
Angelique smiled a positively sunny smile. She knew about Osiran "examinations." They weren't pleasant for the subjects, oh, no, not at all. {{Perhaps, if I can trace them, you will get your chance, Father. Perhaps we will both get our chance. Two birds, as the saying goes, with one stone.}}
{{A most economical and efficient use of ammunition, to be sure. Have you noticed the whereabouts of the Osiran Prime Warrior I told you about?}}
{{I've seen him occasionally, Father, from a distance. I understand your instructions were to have nothing to do with him, but you have never explained why.}}
{{Child…..Osiran Warriors were the ultimate weapons of our people. They were destruction incarnate. There is probably nothing more dangerous in your universe. And this is a Prime Warrior, a relic of a time when Chaos ruled, and even the Lords could not hold it back. It is believed,}} here he paused, uncharacteristically, something he very seldom did, {{by some, that one single Prime Warrior was responsible for the death of many Lords, back in a dim time in our prehistory.}}
Angelique paused in lifting the thirty-ton weight she was pressing, set it on its rack. She sat up. Angelique did not sweat, having done away with such annoyances long ago, but she nonetheless found a certain amount of comfort in wiping her face with a soft towel, like she'd seen people do on TV. {{I thought you said the Lords were invincible, that nothing could hurt them.}}
{{No, child. All that lives can die. But that was why the Prime series of warriors was discontinued. They were a significant threat to us all. And, indeed, to the order and peace, the very stability of the Empire itself. It wasn't a casual undertaking, believe me.}}
{{This warrior does not seem so formidable. I bet I could take him.}}
{{Daughter…you must never try. The Prime series of warriors were designed to be perfect killing organisms, and they lived up to that superbly. Too superbly. It was more than just a question of mere genetics, or even nanotronic cybernetic enhancement. Once they reached maturity, their very reality was altered in some way, lost to the ages, that ensured they would be….what they were. And what they were…..was truly terrible. It was even a subject of legend that, once they set themselves onto a given task or course of action, that not even death could stop them, though that seems far-fetched. I….would be most distressed if anything were to happen to you.}} In the back of his mind, he could not help but allow a small leakage of emotion into his thoughts, and she saw how much it would pain him if she were to be injured, or worse.
She came up to him and hugged him, the only father figure she'd ever known. They were almost the same height now. {{Do not worry, Father. I will do as you say. So far, he has not done anything really wrong; he seems mostly to keep to himself. Occasionally he catches bad guys, some of them like the ones whom I think hurt my mother. I certainly can't fault him for that!}}
He held her, noting all the while this odd feeling of…of…protectiveness? that was welling up inside him. Alpha's kind did not procreate in the usual human manner, but they could, and he found himself feeling something of what he imagined he'd feel if this were his flesh and blood daughter. He knew he couldn't shield her from everything, from every bad event that would cross her path, but he could try to safeguard her from those he could see. And he saw extreme danger in the Prime Warrior, all the more so because there seemed to be no Lords around to control him.
But if the legends were true, even the Lords couldn't control them. He resolved to do something. There had to be some way to either contain or isolate this rogue Prime. He'd have to come up with something. Not just for his adopted daughter's sake, but for the overall safety and benefit of this new world they'd found themselves on. Ironic that it should fall to the Kindred, who themselves sought to one day control this world, to actually shield and safeguard that self-same world of humans from this remnant of a forgotten age. An age of legends….
{{Alpha is right, daughter,}} "spoke" Theta, coming up from behind them. {{You must never ever come into conflict with this particular warrior. I confess, I am not happy sharing a planet with one.}}
Angelique turned to her, one of her adopted moms. {{Are they really as bad as all that, Mother Theta?}}
{{All that and more.}} Theta shuddered. {{Savage, unthinking brutes designed solely for destructiveness and unstoppability. Were it up to me, we would be putting several light-years between us even now.}}
{{Surely that is a more extreme response than necessary, Theta,}} admonished Alpha. {{The Primes were not indestructible, after all. I have set Epsilon to gathering information regarding this particular Prime. He is only one being. Surely, between us, we can devise a means of neutralizing his threat.}}
{{I hope so.}} She paused, obviously still uneasy, and changed the subject. {{So, daughter, what have you been up to? How goes your partnership with this Mr. Slade person?}}
{{Quite well, Mother Theta. We have, already, shut down a major supplier of drugs into this city. Mr. Slade is truly a tactical genius about these things. He seems to know when and where to strike, at the exact right moment. I know I am doing good here. And, with every one we shut down, I come a little closer to finding the ones who hooked my mother onto those drugs. And when I do…..}} Her eyes blazed red, her hands automatically shaping themselves into razor-sharp blades, {{They will pay for the pain they caused us. Oh, yes. They will pay.}}
To be continued…..
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