Tales of the Teen Titans: Shadows of the Empire

by Nitebreaker

Sequel to "Resurrection" as well as "The Lonely." More in the expanded universe of the Teen Titans. This will include OCs, because they're pivotal to the story. Rated for language and situations. BB/Terra, Rob/Star, and Raven Please read and review. I don't own the Teen Titans. Now complete.

9. Chapter 9: Feelings

Tales of the Teen Titans: Unstoppable, Part 1: Shadows of the Empire, chapter 9: Feelings

I don't own the Teen Titans. Wish I did. The abomination currently being shown would've never farted its way across the screen if I did.

Angelique was rapidly coming to the conclusion that she'd made a horrible mistake. Her internal search engines were all giving her the same story: Teen Titans good, Mr. Slade evil and wanted by the law. In previous times, there would've been no question as to what to do: get as far away from Mr. Slade as possible.

But Mr. Slade had Charlie. And, if her suspicions were true, the nanoprobes in Charlie were designed to…do something bad to him if she did defy him in some way.

She could go tell Father Alpha about the matter. But she had too much stubborn pride to do that. This was her mess, and she wanted to fix it by herself. But how? What to do?

She could always go to Mr. Slade and "request" an explanation for all the news reports about him. No doubt he'd have something soothing, calming, completely believable, and very probably totally false to tell her. The advantage to that was, she might believe him. That would relieve her of the necessity of having to make a hard decision, at least not yet.

But that was also the disadvantage: that she might believe him. And if he really was bad, she'd be doing bad things right along with him. Angelique was bright enough to realize that could lead to her doing far worse things. And even more worse things. With no end in sight.

So what to do? She loved Charlie desperately; he needed her, depended on her, and loved her in return. But now, because of a wrong choice she'd made, he was in danger. She had to make it right, somehow. So she lay there, on her bed, in her room at the Kindred's hive, on her stomach, and thought and pondered.

{{Daughter? Are you well?}} Delta, one of her adopted moms, came into the room. {{You haven't been in Link all day today. That isn't like you. Are you alright?}}

{{Yes, Mother Delta, I'm alright.}} She really should've known better.

{{Child, why are you telling me something that is obviously not true?}}

Gulp! She'd forgotten that one can't lie in Link. Delta saw right past her "words," and sensed the underlying distress she was feeling. But Angelique rallied herself. {{I'm sorry, Mother Delta. I misspoke. I'm alright—see?}} and here she opened up her full diagnostics to Delta's scan. {{See? Nothing wrong with me.}} Here she paused. {{It's Charlie. He's sick, and I don't know how to help him.}}

Delta sat by her adopted daughter, on the bed. {{What is wrong with him?}}

{{That's just it, I'm not sure. Mr. Slade says it's a rare disease that sometimes dogs get. He can keep him well with some medicine, but he can't cure him. He's even put nanoprobes in him, Mother Delta, to, I guess, monitor his condition. That is what they're for, isn't it?}} She hoped Delta didn't sense the desperate desire to believe in her question.

{{In…many cases.}} A horrible suspicion began to form in the back of Delta's mind. {{What has he said? What has he had you doing for him?}}

{{He has been training me to fight bad people. And I have done well, he tells me. I have already exceeded the limits of his testing apparatus. He's had to design new ones.}} She turned over on her back, putting her hands behind her head and gazing up at the ceiling. {{Control is the key, he says, and he's right. So I have been working on my control. I have made a lot of progress.}}

{{Has he said anything more about taking you to find your mother?}}

{{No. Apparently, it isn't impossible for someone to…disappear sometimes, and there be no trace of them. He says most of them disappear because they want to, but why would my mother want to disappear? From me? I don't understand it.}}

{{There could be many reasons. Also….}} and here she hesitated.

Angelique noticed. {{'Also'?}} she prompted. {{Also what?}}

{{He said most of them want to disappear. Most of them. What about the ones who did not want to disappear, but disappeared anyway? You must take that into consideration.}}

{{You mean, someone could've made her disappear? Taken her somewhere? Against…against her will?}} In spite of her intelligence, Angelique was still very much a child, and inexperienced in worldly matters. The notion that her mother might be alive and well, somewhere, but somehow prevented from returning to her had just simply never occurred to her.

And then, true, there was another possibility that she deliberately tried not to think about.

{{It is a possibility, child. There are many things I don't understand about the world of humans. I do not understand why she would have given you up in the first place. Our kind does not bear children as humans do, but I would sooner die than part with you. But you must be prepared for the possibility that…something may've happened to her.}} Delta reached over and ran her long fingers through Angelique's hair. {{Have you made any progress towards finding those men who put her on those drugs?}}

Angelique sighed, gazing up at the ceiling. {{Not as much as I'd like, Mother Delta. Apparently, they, too, have contrived to disappear, to some degree. Mr. Slade has found some indication of their activities—he is really very good at finding people—but…..}}

{{I understand. Maria, how do you feel about Mr. Slade?}}

Instantly, Angelique was on her guard. She couldn't share her suspicions about Slade over Link. And anything she "said" would be tinged with her feelings about her findings. {{He is a very intelligent man, Mother Delta. I've never met anyone who so thoroughly understands how bad guys operate. And he is…nice enough towards me. He gave me a place to keep Charlie, and he says he's doing everything he can to keep Charlie healthy. That can't be wrong, can it?}}

{{I don't see how. Maria?}} Angelique perked up. There was something in Delta's mental "tone of voice" that drew her attention. {{If—if he should, should do anything to hurt you—or Charlie—or, if you even think he's going to, or if he wants you to do something you know or feel is …hurtful to you, in some way, or, or even just something you know or feel you shouldn't do, you will tell us, won't you?}}

{{Of course, Mother Delta. I'll do that. So far, he's done nothing but nice things for me.}} She became uneasy, lest her suspicions leak out into the Link. {{I met that Prime warrior today.}}

{{What?!}} Delta gasped, completely forgetting all about Slade, just as Angelique had hoped. {{Are—are you alright? He didn't try to hurt you, did he?}} Angelique could feel Delta re-accessing her diagnostics to check.

{{No, Mother Delta, he didn't try to hurt me. Or anyone. In fact, he was very nice. To everyone around him. I talked with him a few minutes. Apparently, a friend of his had been hurt, and he's trying to help her.}}

{{Well, that is….conceivable, I suppose. Even Primes can have friends, or, or colleagues. But I would still keep my distance from him. Primes were extremely dangerous, and considered unstable. And with no Lords around to control their natural destructive impulses…}}

{{Well, I won't let him hurt someone, but so far, he hasn't shown any sign of even wanting to do that. All he's done is catch bad guys. And he's been surprisingly gentle in doing even that. I mean, lots of times he could'a hurt somebody, and probably been right to do so, but he didn't. I kinda wonder why he doesn't work for Mr. Slade.}}

{{A question I cannot answer. But still…}} Delta was clearly uneasy.

Angelique got up on her knees, there on the bed beside Delta and hugged her adopted mom. {{Do not worry, Mother Delta. I will abide by your wishes. But I just wonder if there's not more to him than meets the optic senses, so to speak.}}

{{There may well be, child, but remember: when dealing with the unknown and probably dangerous, always deal from a position of strength. And always, always be prepared to escape. Until you can do both, it would be best to have no dealings with him at all.}}

….

Breakfast at Titans' Tower: Robin was filling the team in on recent events. "Evidently," he was saying, "from what Beast Boy has been telling me, this slow time hasn't been just us. There seems to be someone new out there, some unknown element that is also working to take down criminals. Normally, I'd say that's a good thing, but I just have a hunch it may not be totally good news. So, be prepared. We may find ourselves butting heads with somebody new.

"Omega? Anything to report, on Kitten?"

"Yes, Robin. Before I begin, I believe it goes without saying that she and I will not be joining you on your cruise. I cannot leave her at a time like this, and, even if she were completely well, there is the matter of her father being still hospitalized to contend with." He pretended not to notice the barely-concealed sighs of relief from a couple of his teammates. "Now, as to Kitten herself: her body temperature is coming down, which indicates to me that the metabolic processes that accompanied her mutation may be stabilizing. And her tongue is regrowing; it will just take time and effort.

"The bad news is, there seems to be no reversal of the process. Apparently, from what I could determine, she was injected with a retrovirus specially tailored to alter her genetic structure. And, if I'm not mistaken, it was tailored exclusively to her own genetic code. A 'smart' or specific-targeted retrovirus, so to speak. What she is now is the new norm for her. And, in many cases—indeed, maybe almost all important aspects—at least, important to anyone else-she has been radically improved. Her strength and agility have both been increased remarkably, as has her resistance to disease. Also, she heals faster now than before. Much faster. Her new skin is tougher than the old, more resistant to injury, and she is more adaptable to extremes of climate than before. You know about her tail; you don't know about her claws. Yes. She has claws, small ones, that can produce an electrical discharge upon contact, similar to your Earthly stun guns. Also, her bite is poisonous. The venom, as best as I can tell, not being any expert on the matter myself, seems to resemble that of the venomous sea snake, one of the deadliest such snakes on Earth."

"Whoa," said Beast Boy. "She's a walking arsenal."

"Indeed. And, although this is harder to measure, I believe her intelligence has increased markedly, as well. As for how she's dealing with all this….." Here he leaned back, crossing his arms, "Well, she's still upset. As, I suppose, anyone would be. She would like to find an antidote for her condition, but I am no geneticist. Perhaps you could recommend one?"

"I'll check. How are things between you two?"

Omega hesitated. "Better. She confessed to me that she was using me, as I had suspected—well, known-all along. We talked it over, she apologized, and I forgave her. I get the distinct impression she doesn't really understand that. I'm…not altogether certain I understand it, either. Right now, we are working on getting her physically and mentally prepared to face the world. I told her I'd take her to see her father, soon."

"Well, good deal, 'Mega. I admit, Kitten isn't exactly on our Christmas card list, but I hate to see anyone victimized like that. Any leads on how it could've happened?"

"Yes. My investigation has discovered several bugs—literal bugs, insects—in her and her father's house. These differ from the natural variety in that they are also genetically altered, specifically to spread the retrovirus. I almost overlooked them because of that. I've managed to capture all of them—I think-and isolate the virus, but, as I said, I'm no geneticist. Nor do we really have the tools here to accomplish an in-depth analysis of such. As to how she lost her tongue," and here he spread his hands, "frankly, your guess is as good as mine. Someone had to go into her house, into her room, anesthetize her, and surgically remove it. But how they did that, without being detected, is something I cannot answer. It was not the same one who shot her; that attempt was clumsy, by comparison. In this case, I can find no trace of any intruder. Yet her tongue is gone."

"Well, it sounds as though you've got a handle on the situation, at least for now. So we'll leave it up to you. I'll ask around at S.T.A.R. labs to see if they know of any top-notch geneticists we could call in. In the meantime, do you need anything more from us, here?"

"No, Robin. I believe matters are covered. At least, as of now."

"Good. And that reminds me: I have something for you to look into, when you have the time. It can keep, but you know, as soon as you can, take a look at it. Kid Flash and Jinx found what appears to be an object in a stasis field a couple of days ago. Remind me, and I'll get it to you after the meeting.

"Now. Moving onward….." And so on.

He carried breakfast down to Kitten. She glanced up from her phone as he came in, already salivating at the enticing aroma of bacon, eggs, ham, sausage, biscuits with gravy, and hash browns. She jumped up from her seat on his bed, all the while texting him: omega, i luv u. im starving.

"Well, dig in. If this runs out, I'll go make some more."

She wolfed down two platters full of scrambled eggs and sausage in record time, pausing only long enough to slurp down some orange juice and text him, how goes the tongue thing? She'd found she couldn't really see it in the mirror very well. Plus what she could see of it looked kinda gross, just now.

"Quite well, actually. Another couple of days, and you should be back to talking again. It may take some effort on your part, however; after all, you haven't spoken for several days now. So be prepared to practice." He paused while she got outside of the bacon and hash browns. "I told them the cruise was pretty much off, for us, at least. I'm sorry about that."

She paused eating long enough to type on her phone: thats ok. yeah, i cant see going like this. hate that u hadda miss it though.

"That's alright. If I understand correctly, the purpose of such a cruise is to spend some time with one's family and friends. And I am still going to do that. Right here."

u…still consider me a friend?

"Of course."

She sighed, and texted again . well, im certainly not gonna complain. but ill never understand u not being angry. and itll be good to talk again, soon. startin to feel like the yellow kid.

"Who?"

u know. the old comic that used to run in the papers. Then she stopped, a frown on her face. wait. how can i remember that? that was like, centuries ago. She stopped, frowning all the more, and becoming more agitated. She put her phone down on the table, got up, and began pacing back and forth. Finally, she stopped, in the middle of the room, and put her hands to the side of her head. Her expression was not pleasant.

He got up, picked up her phone, and drew her over to his bed. Sat her down, and put his arm around her, holding her tight, comforting her. "Kitten. It's alright. Breathe deeply, now. In and out. In and out. Come on, you can do it. It's going to be alright…." He continued to speak soothingly to her, until she calmed down enough to grab her phone from his hand.

i think im losing my mind!

"Tell me what's happening."

i..im remembering things i know never happened to me. hows that possible?

"It's alright, Kitten. I….think I know what's happening." At her look, he continued. "My own people experimented with transferring chemical memory—what corresponds, in you, to memory RNA—in an effort to give new warriors the skills of older, more experienced ones. Whoever is responsible for this is obviously a master geneticist. Apparently, he or she has managed to do something similar here, with human RNA. But, Kitten," and here, he turned to her and held her hands, looking her in the eyes, "this is a good thing. It could be the first break in the case we've had. If you remember enough, it could give us some leads as to who did this to you. See?"

She looked shocked, but typed in, ur right. i didnt see it that way. maybe we can find the monster that did this to me. and, and maybe he can fix it. turn me back.

"We'll see." Privately, he doubted it would be so simple as that. "It's worth a shot, as the Earth saying goes. But for right now, let's concentrate on matters at hand. Now. Open your mouth, and we'll work more on restoring your tongue."

…

"Do re me fa so la tee do," sang Kitten, as she stood in the bathroom, watching herself wield her new tongue. It had felt very strange, growing it back, but it hadn't hurt, and she was glad of that. "The quick brown fox jumped over the lasy brown dog….I mean, lazy brown dog." She was touching up in the bathroom.

Omega entered from the hallway outside the door, without opening it. It was a measure of how used to it she was, by now, that she didn't even jump anymore. Fortunately, he never seemed to have need of the restroom, so all she had to do there was close the door there when she needed some privacy. "Are you ready?" he asked her, from the next room.

"Just about. Still having problems with 'S's and 'Z's, though."

"You called him?"

"Yes. They say he'll be discharged by twelve thirty; that okay with you?"

"Of course. I'll tell the taxi to be there by then." Privately, he worried: someday he just had to get a driver's license. Whoever heard of a superhero who couldn't drive?

Flying to the hospital, Kitten marveled that, in spite of their obvious speed, the wind wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought it should be. It wasn't whipping and tearing at her like it ought to be, considering they were traveling so fast. Maybe he had like, some kind of force field or something? Whatever, she thought with a smile. She could get used to this. Then she shook herself, mentally. Don't get too used to it, girl. You know it won't last.

But at the hospital, just outside the door of her father's room, she hesitated. "Omega," she whispered, "I'm…not so sure about this." She drew back, holding her stomach. She'd put on a smart-looking ruffled blouse and slacks outfit, with a vest over it, altered just enough to accommodate her tail, which now whipped back and forth, nervously. A passing nurse stopped and stared, momentarily.

"Oh, come on, Kitten. It'll be alright. He's your father. If I know anything at all about human relationships, he'll be overjoyed just to see you, to know that you're alright. So, come on. Let's go." And he drew her into the room.

Killer Moth was sitting up in bed, waiting for them. The nurses had disconnected the IV's from him, and had already given him his discharge papers. Truth to tell, he was a little nervous, too. Kitten had told him she'd changed, and more or less described the changes, but nothing ever really prepares a father for changes in his own flesh and blood child. "Kitten?"

"I'm here, Daddy." She walked almost shyly into the room.

His pupils dilated and jaw dropped as he took in the changes in his only daughter. "Kitten? I—*"

"I know. I'm hideous, aren't I?" She put her face in her hands.

"No, child, that wasn't what I was gonna say. Come here, let me get a good look at you." She moved closer; her body temperature had come down to around one hundred thirty-five; still hot to the touch, but not unbearable. He gathered her into his arms. "Oh, Kitten, I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry? I'm the one put you here!" She sniffled, and buried her face against him, all the while being mindful of her tail. "I thought I'd killed you!"

"Well, you didn't. The old man's a little tougher than he looks. No, what I meant was, I'm sorry this happened to you. Maybe if I hadn't been a supervillain-*"

"Now stop that! It wouldn't have made any difference, anyway. And, and, things are gonna work out, you'll see. I'll get over this, somehow. Omega says he has some leads on how to get me back to normal." Omega's eyes widened slightly; he hadn't actually said that.

"Well, that's good, but no matter what, you'll still be my little girl. You know that, don't you?" She nodded, still pressed up against him. "So..how have you been? Where've you been?"

"Omega's been taking really good care of me, Dad. I've been staying with him—no, not like you're thinking!—he just let me stay there, in his room, which he was never really in much, anyway." She added the emphasis noticeably. It wasn't totally true, but there was no reason to stress her father out right now anyway. "I couldn't have asked for better." And here she raised up, and looked him in the face. "And, Dad. I, I told him about, you know, me using him. And he's not mad! Why is that, anyway?"

He kissed the top of her head. "We'll talk about it later." But I know your mother couldn't do anything to me that I wouldn't forgive.

"Well," said Omega, moving into the room from his position at the door, where he'd been trying to let them have some alone time, "I'll go check on the taxi. It should be here, by now." And with that, he left.

"He's gone. So, Kitten, what's really been going on?"

She looked him in the eye, from her place in his arms. "Just that, Dad. Really. Whoever did this to me, also cut out my tongue. Omega helped me grow it back." She paused. "I'm sorry I stung you." Her tail moved back and forth, somewhat more slowly now. He noticed, tracking it with his eyes.

"Kitten, that's alright. I know you didn't mean to. You were scared and probably angry, and didn't realize what you were doing. We can just be thankful the venom wasn't deadly. Does—does Omega really have some idea who could've done this to you?"

"He says he may have some clues. I also have false memories, Dad." And here she disengaged from him, turning around towards the window. They were five stories up. "He says it's something to do with memory RNA. But, but, what happens, how it works, is, I can remember things I know didn't happen to me, that happened years before I was ever born, even. Why would someone do that to me? What would be the purpose?"

"False memories? Hm. I wonder….."

"Dad?"

"I….used to know someone who was doing research into memory RNA transfer. But that was years ago, back when I was in college, still. Hm. It's probably just coincidence."

"Well, anyway, you ready to go home?"

"Believe it, honey. I have been ready."

Omega flew ahead of them, phasing through the door of Killer Moth's house and setting everything up in preparation for their return. He had some culinary skills (mostly learned from when his soul was fused with Hank's), and was in the process of preparing them dinner when they arrived.

"Mmmm," Kitten said, appreciatively, as she and her father entered, "Something sure smells good. 'Mega? Where are you?"

"In the kitchen. If you'd like, get settled and I'll bring it out to you."

"That sounds good," replied Killer Moth, flopping down in his accustomed chair. It felt good to be back home.

Kitten wandered into the smallish kitchen. She wasn't a bad cook, herself, having had to learn, early on. Her father might be a top-notch entomologist and biologist in his own right, but even ramen noodles seemed to confuse him. On more than one occasion, she'd caught him reading the instructions. "What'cha cooking?"

"Lasagna. I put it in to bake a awhile ago, before you arrived. Should be ready, soon."

She came up to him and embraced him, her arms going around him, and laying her head against his chest. His arms automatically went around her. "Thanks, Omega."

He was honestly puzzled. "For what?"

"For everything. For being there for me. For being there for my Dad. For being there for both of us. Just for being there, period, being who you are. I always thought superheroes were mondo stupid, always running around, doing all these great things for nothing. Never thought I'd have one of my very own, one day."

"Well, you are….most welcome, Kitten. I am glad I was able to be of assistance, to you and your father."

"Assistance, nothing. We owe you, 'Mega. Big time. I owe you."

He held her close. "You do not. I really did very little."

"Okay, let's count it up." She pulled away and ticked off the points on her fingers, "You saved my life, my Dad's sanity, and kept him from going back to prison on a probation violation when I got shot. Then, you probably saved his life, and certainly my sanity, when I got turned into this. And all this for some people other superheroes probably wouldn't lift a finger to help. Omega, do you have any idea how rare that is?"

"Uhm, well, actually….no. Isn't that just what friends are supposed to do?"

"You'd be surprised at how many of my so-called 'friends,'" and here she made air quotes with her fingers, "would've found the whole thing oh-so-highly amusing. And would've done absolutely nothing to help. So, yeah," and she approached him, her voice going soft, putting her hand on his arm, "I think it's safe to say you're kinda special to me." Their faces were only inches apart….

….and the timer dinged. "Uh, the lasagna's ready," he said. "Why don't you go have a seat, and I'll bring it out to you both?"

"Uhm, good idea," she murmured, dropping her gaze. So close…..so very close.

To be continued…..

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