I have one more chapter for you tonight. I wanted to let you know that the next few chapters are going to focus on Robin, Kiara my OC and Slade. What do you think of Kiara so far? Let me know okay :) Still do not own Teen Titans. Oh well i can dream right? This is the next ch.
~ nekotenshi-hime
Chapter 15: Control
The same day that the Titans left for the appeal reports came in of a mysterious thief who had an eye for shiny things. Unfortunate for the police her favorite things included top secret computer disks, chemical compounds that could make quite dangerous weapons, and annoying the heck out of officers that tried to apprehend her. To her it was a big game.
She wore a slender metallic looking suit with light pink on the right of her suit and silver on the left. Unlike Terra's suit when she was an apprentice, this suit looks more casual. The top fit just above her belly button and the pants reached down to her ankles. Her boots were also silver and around her neck was a black chain necklace with a ball on the end.
While avoiding the attempts of the police to catch her as she dived; flipped, and ran over the rooftops her laughter could be heard down below. The other accessory she had was a brown satchel with the peace sign on the flap, and eagle feathers hanging on the straps. The police follow her to an abandoned construction zone on the outskirts of the city. Her tinkling laughter was the only sign they had that she is in the area.
In her left ear was part of a headset that reminds you of a blue-tooth or earpiece you would use for a cell phone. It is in fact a communication device. Running through the rafters and old plywood planks of the site she stopped for a moment to listen to the ear piece. A rough and stern voice spoke, "You've done well my dear. See if you can lose those officers and I will have a nice surprise for you when you get back."
"Yes Sensei I'll get rid of these guys tout suite!" Leaping down from the third story of the unfinished building the cops freaked out- certain she had just leapt to her death or serious injury. One of the officers was not surprised. He wanted to see the extent of her powers. Before she broke her neck on the ground, to the officers' shock, rainbow colored wings carried her straight up and out of sight. The one officer tried to shoot at her but she was out of reach.
She felt frisky, no doubt thanks to her impish "sister" Magnet. Kiara pulled off her necklace and it transformed into a silver/black metal chain with a metal ball on the end. The officer with the gun pulled out a loud speaker.
"My name is Officer Ramon and you, you little maverick are under arrest. Come down here and we shall take you into custody. You will tell us where your criminal mastermind is and we will arrest him as well."
Kiara, in her mind her sister Magnet laughed, as they hover well above firing range. She giggled again. "You know I'm right here there is no need to shout officer. I'm sure your irritating voice must be hurting the others ears by now. By the way, you'll have to catch me first! I will not tell you anything about my Sensei even if I'm tortured."
Ramon growled, "You and that earth-mover are all the same. You think just because you have super-human powers you can do whatever you like. I have a reality check for you sweetheart. Everyone must follow the rules of law and order. Now you and her and your sensei will have to pay for your crimes against this city once and for all!"
"You know I find it interesting that you will target my sensei when you have no evidence to prove he has done anything wrong. Is not one of your laws, innocent until proven guilty? How can you arrest him when you have no idea what he has done?"
Ramon growled again dropping the speaker to shoot his stun gun. Kiara angled to the right and left, soaring up and diving down and spinning in between. With her twisting and unpredictable aerial flight there was no way to hit her with any accuracy.
"Stop that this instant," Ramon shouted while firing his gun. "You know I don't like guns. Can you drop it?" Kiara dived over the officers clapping her wings creating a gust that captured all the guns and flung them miles away. She smiled to see the guns gone and waves good-bye to the officers. "I'd like to stay and chat; officers but I need to get home. Bye-bye now see you later!" Kiara danced away from the frustrated officers into the night.
Ramon vowed to bring all of those evil creatures to justice one day. Kiara on the other hand was tired and wanted to go home. Flying alone brings comfort tonight but other times it could be lonely. She wished she could share her night-time obstacle courses with a friend, a teammate; someone to share in the thrill of the chase. They could laugh and joke about it on their days off and talk about what they learned from Sensei the previous day.
Kiara would have liked that special friend to be Terra, but she was unavailable with no memories. There was no reason for Sensei to ask her to join. Raven would be a great second choice, but Kiara could not see Raven joining up with her. Robin was the next best choice, but she knew for certain Robin would rather die than join Sensei. Beast boy was a surprising choice and the thought intrigued her, she felt warmth in her shoulder whenever she thought of him.
Amused with the thoughts of which Titans could stay with her she entered the secret passage way of her home. The dark winding tunnels did not scare her as much as they used to. It was one of the advantages of training with Sensei-learning how to use darkness. Turning the last corridor she was greeted by Wintergreen, the butler, one of Sensei's oldest friends at the door.
"Hello Miss Kiara," Wintergreen said with a wide grin. "I trust you had an enjoyable evening?"
"I did but I could not help but feel a little lonely flying home. Can I tell you a secret Wintergreen-san?"
"Of course how may I be of service?"
"There are times when I feel lonely outside. Playing with the officers and people in the street is fun but sometimes I wish I had a friend to share the thrills and stories with. Could you not tell Sensei I said that? I don't want to worry him with my petty feelings."
Kiara stepped into the dim hallway shaking the cold from her wings. Wintergreen chuckled and said, "I assure you young miss it would not trouble him. I believe he would want you to tell him how you feel. If you feel alone tell him so; you might be surprised by what he will say. Here we are home sweet home." Kiara and Wintergreen stepped into a room with dull lighting.
The sounds of machines humming and water dripping from pipes in the ceiling would scare other people out but not Kiara. She thought the rhythmic dripping and quiet hum were relaxing and she felt like going to sleep. Wintergreen followed her into one of the main control rooms where Sensei sat in front of enormous video screens that were replaying some of Kiara's latest heists. She smiled with pride according to Sensei her ability to melt in the shadows and move with a feline or bird-like grace in buildings was some of the best stealth he had ever seen.
The chair turned around and Kiara ran up to him. She bounced up and down eager to show him her gifts. His eye curled up in a smile and took the satchel. He patted her on the head and all of Kiara's earlier anxieties melted away. However, before Sensei could display the surprise he had waiting for her Wintergreen picks up a message from one of the entrances. In fact, it was the same entrance Kiara had just used. She felt suspicious certain no one had followed her. She glanced at her teacher's face to see his reaction.
He did not appear angry at her just annoyed at the visitor. Kiara could not see who the visitor was because of how dark it was outside. The voice asked permission to enter and Sensei granted it. Kiara was puzzled this was the first visitor she had ever seen and how did he know where her home was anyway?
"Kiara we have an unexpected guest arriving. I want you to be on your best behavior. This should not take long and then I shall reward you for doing so well tonight. This visitor is an old acquaintance of mine. Stick close to me if you want or you can train in the next room until he leaves whatever you want to do."
"With your permission Sensei I would like to stay here and observe our guest. I will stay out of sight if you wish." Sensei nodded his head and Kiara leapt into the darkened rafters and pipes melting into the dark. The visitor appeared at the door with Wintergreen behind him.
He whistled, "Wow you sure work fast. After that Terra girl flooded your old haunt I'd thought you'd take a much longer time moving out. Hope you don't mind if I dropped by I wanted to tell you some information that might be quite useful, Slade old friend."
"Brother Blood I did not expect to see you so soon. What is this information you have to tell me?" Slade answered with an indifferent tone. Brother Blood wore his old Headmaster uniform the same one he wore when his school of villainy was open. He walked up to Slade smiling. In the rafters Kiara watched with a critical eye ready to pounce on the man should he give her reason to.
"I also heard about your bad luck with finding apprentices. Perhaps I can help you find one more reliable shall we say? It must be a pain in the neck having to run around doing little stuff when you could be working on big projects. Are you bored old friend would you like some human company- oh, no offense to your butler here."
Slade did not turn around from his screens. He had forgotten how much Blood liked to talk about his favorite subject: himself. He knew Wintergreen was not insulted. He said the same thing about him being alone after the first training session with Kiara. Slade decided he needed to get to the bottom of this visit so he can go back to work and besides that, one: Blood was annoying and two: the longer he stayed here the more nervous his little girl became. To get to the root of the matter Slade asked, "Blood you said you had some information. What is it that you want? I'm sure you did not come for idle chit-chat and strolling down memory lane."
"Oh yes I almost forgot," Blood sighed gripping his right hand on the top of Slade's chair. "I heard from a mysterious source that in a few months those goody two-shoes of crime-fighters will be a thing of the past. However, this source wishes to remain hidden; no one knows much about him at all. I thought you might like to join in the festivities it should be loads of fun! Imagine a world without Titans; it's like Christmas and Thanksgiving all rolled into one!"
It did sound interesting but considering what Slade knew about a certain Titan, by the name of Robin, getting rid of them all sounds too good to be true. Without the Titans all the villains would be so bored, this was why Slade wanted to whittle down their resolve. Not enough to kill them but enough to make them consider quitting their jobs.
"If that is all you have to say then I suppose you should leave now, Blood." Blood appeared around the not so bright room with the unsettling flickering that made you think; the Boogey Man would come out at any minute to drag you into eternal darkness and torment. Blood paced the floor behind Slade's chair. Blood stared at the pipes searching for some shape in the gloom. Slade turned in his chair and waved at the shadows. Blood looked quite puzzled when all of a sudden he felt a cool breeze on his face.
He knew there were no windows down here. It must be an air vent hidden in the pipes. Another strange thing happened flashes of light would flicker in and out, in and out. If Slade was trying to freak him out congrats he succeeded. The flashes of light came closer and lower. Blood thought he heard the flap of wings in the still air but he could not be sure.
Slade smiled underneath his mask. He was so proud of Kiara and her sister Magnet for learning how to intimidate a potential enemy. Considering that Blood was starting to sweat, rub his hands together and whispering into the shadows the girls did their job quite well. Blood was about to ask what was going on a crack was heard. At first he was surprised to hear it and why did it sound like the crack of a whip? Crack, crack, crack and a sudden gust of air blew in his face.
"Slade this is very funny but the joke is over. Tell me what in the world is going here?" Slade chuckled, "I have no idea what you are talking about. This place creaks and groans. You get used to it. Why are you afraid, Blood?"
"I would put on a brave face and say 'no I am not scared' but I would be lying. I am quite scared so please call off the spooky winds and cracks of a whip that no one can see." Slade almost wanted to burst out laughing because of Blood's face, but kept himself in control. He nodded his head and the brightest flash of light and the loudest crack echoes throughout the room. Blood leaped behind Slade shivering. The rainbow colored lights revealed a slender figure. Unfortunate for its viewers it was in shadow, so its identity remained a secret.
When the sparks of silver electricity surrounded the figure Blood screamed. He fell to the floor when wings came out just as the rainbow and the sharp whip cracks ended. There stood a girl in her early teens, with short pink curly hair, hazel eyes with a ring of blue-violet, and the reflective rainbow colored wings. Blood closed his eyes expecting to be torn to pieces or struck by lightning, or any other horrid image he could up with. The last thing he ever expected would be a purring chirp. Was there a canary or a cat in here?
Opening his eyes he saw the girl curled up next to Slade hugging his leg and staring at him with a look that said, "Go away he is mine." Slade snapped his fingers and Blood jumped about a foot in the air. "Welcome back to the living Blood. Have you met Kiara? She is my newest apprentice. If I had known you were coming she would have felt much more comfortable. We don't get a lot of visitors and your strange aura made her cautious. She thought you might try to hurt me, so she put on a little show to discourage you. Did you like her show?"
Blood glared at Slade annoyed he would play a trick like this. Kiara also glared white and red swirling around her displaying her anger. Blood took deep breaths to calm down and sighed. Slade rubbed Kiara's head to relax her. She begins purring again but her eyes are locked on Blood. He glared at Kiara for scaring the heck out of him. A flash of orange fades in and out, which made Kiara and Magnet very nervous; red-violet surged around them as they prepare for whatever he was going to do.
Nothing could have prepared them for what happened next. Blood's eyes glow red for a moment and Kiara froze. Slade thought the glowing eyes were a display of his temper so he did not think to warn his dear girl. Kiara gasped as a void of black (dreams) and white (no emotions) clouded her vision. Red chains shot out of Blood and bound her in a tight embrace. She gasped again she had never felt anything like this. Magnet tried to break the chains with her magnetic current but nothing happens. Kiara tried to call for help but no words came out.
Magnet realized this must be some kind of mental power and considering how close their powers were to the mind Blood's attack is even more vicious. Kiara and Magnet felt drowsy as the black aura bubbled around them like the tide coming in. The white aura threatened to leave them alone and cut off from any kind of senses at all.
"You were a very naughty girl," Blood sneered. "You should be punished. Dance for us that will amuse us. Once you are done do an aerial show and show off those pretty wings of yours." Slade never imagined that Kiara would listen to any of those requests. When she started doing an Irish jig he believed it was cute but unexpected. When she flew into the air he thought maybe she felt bad for scaring him and wanted to put his mind at ease. After Kiara flung her ball and chain in a haphazard and random way, swooping and diving over their heads, and then bowed to Blood, Slade was now very suspicious.
"That was beautiful my little friend. Now what shall we do? Slade I want to take her out for a flight around town. It must be so cramped in here. I'm sure she could use the fresh air."
Slade stood up to look his apprentice in the face. He could tell a lot about her by looking into her eyes. Kiara for the first time inched away from his touch. Even when she was training and her Sensei hit her much harder than she would have liked; she would flinch expecting pain but she never moved away. Had the training been too much was she afraid of him?
For a brief moment his heart skipped a beat. Slade took a step closer anxious now to see her face. Kiara skipped behind Blood a goofy smile on her face. Blood just shrugged his shoulders and decided to walk out. Slade did not hear Blood saying he would be back in about an hour. He heard the click of her boots on the hard concrete before a tiny whimper passed her lips. Before Blood could get to the door he felt a chill down his spine. Using fast reflexes he dodged to the right to avoid the swing of a metal staff about to collide with his head.
Slade's anger and disbelief reached Kiara's eyes but she felt chained and trapped. Blood was controlling her and there was nothing she could do. Slade attacked him with a fury Blood did not know he possessed. He felt certain his movements would be choppy and unbalanced because of his anger. It is the exact opposite in fact; Slade was more focused in a paternal rage than before. The worst part was Slade never said a word. He kept attacking until Blood had the bright idea to send Kiara to calm him down.
At first Kiara ran but the closer she got the more she tried to slow down. Blood pushed her a little harder he needed the help. Kiara and Magnet fight to break this mental invisible chain. It appeared they would be forced to attack their most precious person in the world. Blood happened to twist the staff out of Slade's hands and managed to shove him on the ground. He picked up the staff and held it at his throat. Slade growled in rage.
Seeing their beloved Sensei on the ground with his life in danger made Kiara and Magnet snap. An inhuman screeching roar pierced the room and Blood turns. A dark rainbow envelops the girl as the echo came to an end. Blood saw a sight that made his blood run cold. Instead of a girl stepping out of the light there is a curved yellow-gold beak, the front legs of a lion, the same rainbow wings but all the colors are darkened, the hind legs of an eagle, and the last thing he saw is the scarlet rimmed hazel eyes ignited in fury. The body was covered in mocha fur that matched her skin, but as her pink tongue flicked out Blood was paralyzed.
A wave of killing intent so strong knocked him off his feet and hurtled him into the wall. Kiara tore into his flesh again and again with her sharp beak, as her mental sister encouraged her to rip and slash the man more. They shock him with magnetic electricity that attracts other metal objects to hit him over and over. The wind battered him like a rag doll in a washing machine. After he had been beaten and bruised in places he did not know could hurt. She leapt on top of him. The scarlet and hazel burning in her eyes she goes to cut out his throat.
"Kiara, Magnet stop," Slade shouted. The beak dripping in blood hovered over his neck. The talons and claws sank into his skin ready to tear limbs off. Magnet did not remember being this furious when the arrow-boy, Speedy, had attacked her. If Sensei was not here Blood would have died. "Kiara," The concern in his voice, so uncommon from his normal monotone voice, made them leap off of Blood to race to his side.
Slade had never felt so scared in his entire life. He held Kiara so close he thought he would choke her. Kiara and Magnet found no complaint. She purred, chirped, and cried her heart out overjoyed at having her sensei back. Wintergreen had been silent for the most part. He stepped up to Blood to say, "Sir I believe it would be best if you left now." Blood stood on shaken legs and followed Wintergreen out leaving apprentice and teacher holding each other tight.