We own the rights to nothing of this story. Except, for this time around, Raath and his cohorts.
"We need to do something," Ravager growled as she scanned the horde of demons, searching for any opening she could take.
"I'll admit my grip on heroism isn't the strongest, but I'm fairly certain we're not supposed to do anything to get the hostages killed," remarked the tall alien off-handedly as she reclined against one of the long tables.
"If we don't do something, a whole lot more than one person is going to die. It's not a pretty option, but sometimes you have to sacrifice somebody to save everybody," she snapped.
"We're saving everybody," Kid Devil interjected, his voice surprisingly firm and his gaze set.
"At the moment, that's not exactly an option," the one-eyed girl pointed out, but he stood his ground.
"Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil. Sacrificing anybody isn't an option," he stated, folding his arms across his chest and meeting Ravager's sharp gaze. She was taken aback by the steel in his voice and eyes and she soon shifted her gaze to the floor, grudgingly grumbling.
"All right. Fine, fine. We'll find a way to save everybody. Does our fearless leader have any ideas?"
Changeling had been studying Raath for the past moment, but at Ravager's words, he gave a nod, "I got a few. We're a little limited by the lack of a radioactive hamster ninja army, but we can work around that. So . . ."
He crouched in front of Control Freak who sat listlessly upon the ground, his brow furrowed and his knees pulled to his chest. Lifting his eyes, he looked up at the shape shifter as he asked, "What's the weak points?"
"What?"
"Come on. You said you made these characters, this game. What're Raath's weak points? What strategy do you use to beat him?" Changeling pressed.
Control Freak blinked before glancing towards his creation, gnawing on his lip as he considered, "Raath fights you in the Caverns of Blight and he's one of the last boss battles before the final boss. He can smash through walls with his axe, so what you need to do is get behind him and strike the spot on the back of his neck. It causes him to drop his weapon, and then you get back in front of him and-"
"Hup," Changeling held up a hand, grinning now, "That's all I need."
Staying crouched, he whirled about to beam up at Blackfire who quirked an eyebrow as he requested, "All right, my glorious golden hourglass, here's what I need you to do. You see how there's that lack of spikes on his neck so he can crane it without scratching himself?"
"I do have eyes," she nodded.
"Blast it. Don't wind up or anything, don't let them seeing you getting ready to hit, just launch a bolt fast as you can."
"What can we do?" Kid Devil eagerly demanded. At his side, Ravager nodded, her hands clenched into fists.
"I'm gonna rush Raath while luscious legs covers me. You two, guard the civilians and Control Freak," he directed.
"Don't actually endanger yourselves for his sake," Blackfire added. Her words caused the man to glance up and fear and worry, which Changeling tried to wave away.
"She's joking, joking . . . Okay, she's not, but in her defense, she's relatively new to the whole hero thing," he assured him.
"And you left the other Titans for a demon dude, a girl in Slade cosplay, and a Starfire clone?" he asked.
"In a moment, you will not even have to worry about protecting him. I promise you," Blackfire seethed.
Ravager nodded, "It's weird, but I actually agree with her. Though it's going to take a little bit longer than a minute."
"Sorry, they're still not good on strangers. We're working on it, I promise. Now focus!"
The last comment was directed towards the other members of his team and they reluctantly relented. Straightening, Ravager's hands drifted away from the hidden blades stored on her body, still scowling, while Blackfire continued to pin Control Freak with an overwhelming glare. He shriveled under the unfriendly scrutiny before she finally turned her gaze upon the large bulk of Raath, focusing on the unprotected expanse of his broad neck. She gave a short nod to Changeling that he returned and he shifted from his sedentary crouch to a position ready to pounce. As his bones cracked and shifted under his skin, causing his flesh to ripple and bulge, he resisted the desire to groan at the pain and alert the dim-witted demons further. Focusing on her target, Blackfire performed an exaggerated yawn and stretch, which Control Freak and Kid Devil took in appreciatively. As one of her hands reached the apex of its arc, she launched a dark bolt streaking through the air to crash into the broad expanse of Raath's neck. His bellow reverberated through the ceiling and he dropped the girl who gave a short shriek. Whirling about, Raath roared at the crowd and stooped for his hostage only to meet the claws of the Beast. The pudgy man who had managed to grab the massive creature's shaggy coat released his frantic group as the two behemoths took to battle. Rolling along the floor, he threw himself across the girl, covering her from the encroaching demons. When a blade bit into his back, its cutting edge largely blocked by his thick jacket, he gave a cry of pain, but only clutched the girl to him tighter, refusing to let them be able to assault even an inch of her.
The heavy presence of the demons was suddenly replaced by the sensation of nearly searing heat and bright light. Blackfire swooped down, collecting up Control Freak and the girl before depositing them behind the line of defense that Ravager and Kid Devil presented. She returned to an aerial assault to thin the ranks of the horde as Kid Devil unleashed an inferno, incinerating the demons before him with extreme prejudice. At his side, the platinum-haired girl put her full arsenal of hidden blades to use, from a small push dagger to several dirks to the heavy combat knife she kept in her boot. Any demon that managed to escape the torrent hellfire quickly met its end at the edge of her keen blades and she wore a small but vicious smile as she cut through the horde. As Kid Devil paused in his pantomime of a flamethrower, requiring a breath, he heard the clatter of metal against tile, and he spotted the regular set of Ravager's blades on the floor in a break amongst the incoming enemy. Dashing forward, he gathered them up, taking up one of the swords with which to defend himself. He jabbed it at them as he retreated to a position beside Ravager, swinging the blade several more times before she swiped them out of his hands.
"Hand those over before you hurt yourself," she snapped.
"That's probably a good idea," he admitted, passing the final sword to her as she slid the daggers into their sheaths. With her katanas in hand, her smile turned downright carnivorous and she began to mow into the ranks, slipping into the fluid motions of her lethal dance. Skill and precognition allowed her to slip around attacks from every plausible angle, some skimming mere centimeters away from her flesh until a blade was run through the assailants' heads, sentencing them back to the prison of their pixel world. She dove further into the ranks, vaguely aware of Kid Devil's warning cries as she pressed away from the wards she had been assigned to protect and soon found herself surrounded.
"Ro-Ravager!" Kid Devil called out to her, his eyes sliding between her and the crowd of civilians as he shoved back a new flow of the demons.
She gritted her teeth as she fought against the oncoming attacks, but even with her ability, they were starting to get the better of her. A heavy mace cracked her ribs and caused her to misstep, allowing a blade to cut across her arm. With a growl of pain, she removed the offending limb than the head of its owner, but it did nothing to thin the crowd that pressed in around her. Kid Devil called out to her again and she glimpsed him trying to move closer to her without abandoning the civilians. Before he was forced into making that decision, the powerful bulk of Raath hurtled past her, clearing a swath of his forces out of the way before he crashed into the far wall. The Beast gave a resounding roar, pounding its chest in a primal display before seizing Raath's axe and charging through, cleaving his way through any who got in the way.
"Thanks," Ravager muttered to the hulking genetic chimera as he reengaged Raath. Free from half of the pressure that had been bearing down upon her, she carved her way back towards the civilians and Kid Devil as Blackfire assisted her in the clearing of a path. The numbers of the demons quickly dwindled and soon all that remained of the threat was a badly wounded Raath who struggled against the armed Beast. As the giant, furred creature stood over him, axe still in hand, the demon still snarled at him.
"Foolish little shape shifter! We shall rise again and you shall all tremble at the might of Lord Harkoth!"
"We'll be waiting," the Beast snarled, his voice guttural before he buried the axe in Raath's thick skull, digitizing the immense demon. Lifting the axe over his head, he roared in triumph and declared, "I am the ultimate bad-"
The last of the digital constructs vanished in a burst of light and the Beast dropped his now empty hands and finished lamely, "-Axe."
He sighed and then winced as his bones cracked and propped, a pained growl emerging from his throat as his body asymmetrically returned to its normal form. Treading gingerly as pain shot through his limbs, he joined with the rest of the team as Blackfire touched down. Two imps chattered in the corner, huddling together and too terrified to venture forth, and she cast a bolt at them. After they disappeared, she considered it for a moment before blasting the television and cobbled together game station, leaving behind a smoldering mess of components. She nodded contentedly and then looked to her teammates while the civilians began to rise to their feet. Changeling limped over to Control Freak who was splayed out on the floor, the girl he had saved looking panicked at the blood that was pooling under his back. At his approach, the pudgy man lifted up his head and gave a chuckle.
"Looks like I might want to hold off on the virtual reality idea for the game."
"Maybe so," Changeling conceded. About them, the former hostages were making a break for the door, and as they began to spill out, shouts from the cops rang out and they began to rush in. The girl stayed at Control Freak's side, her fingers secured in the tough fabric of his jacket, and Changeling studied her for a moment before barking out, "Hey, we need some paramedics in here!"
As the shout went through the uniformed officials, the girl looked up to the shape shifter, "Is he gonna be all right?"
"The bleed's slow. Long as he gets treatment soon, he'll be fine. You stay with him, and I need to make sure my friends are all right," Changeling directed and she gave a nod. He rose to his feet and strode over to the small group that his teammates had formed, standing separate from everything else. "Everybody okay?"
"Ravager got cut," Kid Devil quickly reported.
"It's nothing big," she hissed.
"Let me look at it," the green man demanded.
Ravager scoffed but did offer her injured arm to the insistent shape shifter, "And what exactly do you know about first aid?"
"If you cut a starfish correctly, it will regenerate into two separate beings," he informed her as he mused over the slash. "Though if you start doing that, I'm rage quitting this planet."
"I know a few nice planetoids we could occupy," Blackfire offered. "The inhabitants are rather simple and would probably worship us after witnessing our abilities."
"Living a hedonistic lifestyle of adulation, at least until they spring for a religious revolution, alongside the hottest thing in this space sector? Hmmm . . . Let's keep that on the backburner," he told her as he released Ravager's arm and then gave a nod, "It's not too bad. You're gonna need some stitches, but that's gonna be a slice of soy milk cake for a glass-chewing, bone-breaking, flesh-shredding psycho chick like you."
"Was that a compliment or an insult?" she snapped at him. He stared at her for a moment before rotating towards Kid Devil and smiling at him.
"You're all good, right? Hot stuff, you hurt? Any scars on that beauteous skin of yours?"
"As soon as we finish up our little conversation, I'll let you go over every inch to check," Blackfire teased and while officials bustled about them, time seemed to go into stasis between the four. The younger pair were wide-eyed at her return to his flirtation and he paused for a second as well. First there was surprise at the response. Then there was a flash of anxiety at the first half of her remark. Finally, he gave a carnivorous grin and his eyes lit up as he beamed at her.
"She who's hotness exceeds several supernova stars, just make sure you don't turn tail, aside from to let me see it's glorious structure, when I hold you to that deal."
Her face grew to mirror his own expression and she sauntered towards him, one hand on her hip. Leaning in, she breathed huskily, "Tat for tit, handsome."
Suspecting that he was the only truly growing self-conscious about the exchange, since Ravager was watching the scene with the same zeal as any of her questionable shows, Kid Devil tried to interject, "Um, the phrase actually goes 'tit for-'"
"Stop. Now think about it for a second," Ravager encouraged, her gaze unwavering. He paused and did as she commanded, his face going maroon as it dawned on him and his jaw dropping open. It flopped about for several seconds, only managing several squeaks eeping from his mouth and drawing Ravager's bemusement. She decided to save him from the ordeal and swung a companionable arm about his shoulders, pulling him towards some unoccupied paramedics. "Come on. Let's get this little nick of mine stitched up before these two get anymore risqué, and you end up having an aneurysm."
"Thank you," he managed with shaky breath, gratitude flooding his tone and she gave him a reassuring pat.
"Just hang in there," she reassured him.
Blackfire smirked self satisfactorily, inches away from Changeling's own grin, as she mused softly to him, "I think we've scared the children away."
"That's probably for the best. Don't want to give any ideas to young, impressionable minds," he whispered.
"Ahem."
Twin gazes of annoyance, teetering on the precipice of outright rage, swung towards the unfortunate police officer who backpedaled several steps. Violet energy glowed in Blackfire's eyes and her hands were clutched into fists, so the uniformed man swung to meet the shape shifter's calmer stare before he stuttered, "U-um, s-s-s-sorry t-to interrupt and all, b-but I, uh, we n-need your official statement."
"Oh." The frown left his face and he gave a simple smile. "Sure, I'll be right out. Stay away from the media."
He gave the final warning to Blackfire, which she returned with a less-than-reassuring smile, before disappearing to handle the less attractive aspects of heroics. In such circumstances, he found himself missing Nightwing's leadership. Partially because the leader was a scapegoat for any mistakes the team made, but also because the head of the team, unofficial as the position was, handled the majority of the paperwork and dealings with authorities. Several times since the formation of Titans Team 14, he had considered delegating some of the work to his comrades. However, he refrained from doing so because of what he imagined was the same reason that Nightwing, back when he had been Robin, hadn't. The team was a dangerous bundle of neuroses and conflicting personalities that, while functioning favorably as a unit, would probably end up incinerating or otherwise destroying the papers, as well as most of the vicinity as well, if they were directed to handle it. In the early days at least. If they managed to survive each other for several months, not merely weeks, without inflicting injury on each other, or their environment in lieu of each other, then he could consider passing off some of the work.
After completing the official documents and then feeding details about the escapade to the ravenous reporters, he strode towards his team, who had emerged from the bank before he spotted the stout figure being rolled across the street on a gurney, accompanied by a short girl who been held in the grip of a demon only moments before. He nodded towards the paramedic who was wheeling about Control Freak on the stretcher destined for the ambulance, "How's he doing?"
"Well enough to be facing you within the span of a week," the redhead jeered, lifting his head up. He had been cuffed to the bed and his jacket and shirt had been replaced with soft bandages. The young girl at his side, her fingers wrapped about the bar of the bed and her eyes peering over the edge, pulled herself up to converse with him.
"You're not really going to fight Mr. Changeling again, are you? He and his friends save people. Just like you saved me," she gave a smile that lacked any ounce of deeper intentions.
Control Freak froze at her remark and gave a shaky smile, "Well, um, actually, you see . . ."
"He's just joking around," Changeling assured her, patting the red head on the shoulder and giving it a squeeze that wasn't entirely gentle. "We're good buds. In fact, soon as he's done with the game that he's making, some people I work with are going to help produce it."
As the pudgy man's gaze swung towards him, mouth agape, the little girl beamed even brighter, "Cool!"
"Alexandra!"
Dropping back onto the soles of her feet, she whipped her head about to see the older woman waving her over before looking back to the odd pair with her farewell, "Momma says I need to go now. Thanks again for saving me."
Hopping up over the side of the bed, Changeling steadied it to prevent it from tipping, she awarded her guardian throughout the ordeal with a tight hug before she dropped to the ground and scampered towards her mother. As she was led away, she turned around and waved enthusiastically to Control Freak who gave a goofy grin and returned the gesture as he watched her walk away. He sighed, "Sweet kid. One of a kind, I bet."
"Actually, in my experience, which I assure you is no small measure, some people are actually thankful when you save their lives. Most don't actually express any gratitude, but I can usually make it on self-satisfaction alone," the shifter informed him, prompting the heavyset man to regard him.
"Hey, were you serious about producing my game?"
"It's not exactly our area of expertise, but I've been looking for an excuse for Dayton Industries to start branching out," he shrugged. Suddenly he leaned in, his teeth sharpening into fangs as he warned, "However, it's all contingent on your behavior. You serve your time without making trouble, and we'll talk. But I hear an inkling of any misdeeds – I don't care if you rob a candy store – I won't publish your game, and I'll make sure that nobody else ever does. We clear?"
He gulped, "Y-yeah. I think so."
Straightening back up as his teeth returned to normal, Changeling smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Good to hear. Talk to you later, dude."
A pale Control Freak was wheeled into the armored ambulance, a design intended for the villains who were, more often than not, left in a less than fully functional state after a confrontation with the city's most recent defenders. The doors slammed shut, sequestering him away from the flashing cameras and video cameras that attempted to press though the line of authorities. As the heavy vehicle trundled away, the media hounds turned their attention upon the young heroes, swarming towards them as they were joined by Changeling. Ravager was putting on quite a show for the eager cameramen, posing for them as Kid Devil looked on, shying away from the cameras. Blackfire did not portray herself as readily as the younger girl, but she did not shy away from the attention, focusing on Changeling at his approach. He jabbed a thumb skyward.
"Once shutterbug's gotten her fill of the limelight there, we're good to go."
"I'm ready to bounce," Kid Devil scowled, "They keep asking me what it was like to have to fight others of my kind. I keep telling them that those weren't demons and even if they were, I'm not actually a demon, so-"
"Welcome to the media carnival, KD. Didn't you have to deal with this when you were working with your aunt?" he asked.
His grimace softened and he gave a shrug, "I mean, a little bit, but I was just a gofer. You know, fetch the coffee, set up the craft table, make sure that everything is in order. The kind of jobs that make you invisible to people working the actual magic."
"Well," he gave the younger boy a pat on the back, "Welcome to front street. Even as we speak, reporters are picking through every single aspect of your life and history that they can, like a pig sniffing out truffles. Honestly, I think that's why most of us have secret identities. So that they have a face that doesn't have to deal with all that trouble."
"Wish I had that option," he grumbled. "Then maybe I could go to church without all the hassle."
Changeling regarded him for a second, gnawing on his lower lip before offering, "Remind me when we get back to the base; I might have something to help with that."
"Really?" His eyes lit up at the prospect.
"Yep," he nodded. "I need to call ol' metalhead anyway."
As a now grinning Kid Devil streaked over to Ravager in an attempt to encourage her to abandon her fans, the shifter turned to the stare that he had felt focused on him for the past several minutes. He met Blackfire's probing eyes evenly, not turning away even as she lifted into the air and zoomed off towards the base. Finally his eyes flickered down, his tongue slipping out to wet his dried lips.
Several hours later found the evening growing to a close and Blackfire in her room, having discarded her carapace armor for an oversized plum shirt, which descended to several inches below her hips, and dark boxer shorts. Her personal abode was Spartan, her funds devoted mostly to the acquiring of a luxurious bed complete with silk sheets and curtains suspended from an overhead canopy. Expensive shampoos, skin care solutions, and other beautification products populated her personal bathroom. At Gar's insistence, she had also begun to devote some money towards the purchase of clothes for casual wear. While her current collection was small and simplistic, shirts, shorts, and the occasional skirt that she had bought without much thought, she was slowly taking a greater interest in Earthling accoutrements. Striding towards her bed, she paused to stretch, running her fingers through her ebony hair as she made soft sounds in her throat with the loosening of her muscles.
"You know, I don't put on this 'mask' because I'm scared people will reject me."
Pausing in her relaxing efforts, Blackfire glanced to the verdant man who lounged in her doorway, his gaze fixed on her feet as he considered how to put words to his jumble of thoughts. She lowered her arms, letting her hair fall against her back and set a hand upon her broad hip, studying him and awaiting for him to continue. In the silence, she took the time to admire the way his sleeveless shirt clung to his muscular frame, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips as she studied the emerald flesh that bore the testament to a less than kind history, old scars and wounds demonstrating the warrior's path he had travelled.
"I've seen horrible, tragic things. Stuff I don't want to even know about. I've done things that I can barely look back on without wanting to throw up. And I've decided that the world's got enough misery and sadness going around. Enough shambling horrors. We need a little bit more laughter, joy to brighten this place up. So that's what I'm trying to do. Laugh with me, laugh at me," he shrugged without removing his hand from the pockets of his grey sweatpants, "I don't really care. Just laugh, smile, and push on to greet the next day. That's all I really want."
Once again, he fell silent and met Blackfire's amaranthine eyes, his features uncharacteristically serious, his lips set in a grim line. Neither of them said anything for a moment until Gar finally gave a nod and pushed himself off her door frame with his shoulder.
"Well. I think that about covers that. So, tomorrow's training is-"
Slender arms that belied the power they held suddenly looped over his shoulders, fingers splaying across his chest and preventing his escape. Heat flowed into his body as Blackfire's firm, luscious frame pressed against his broad back and as she kept him against her with one hand, her other fingers began to trace muscles built from years of training and rough survival. A part of him told him that he should slip away, retreat to the fortress of his own room, and its literal fortress of pillows, and the stale yearning love he had grown accustomed to. Another part, a considerably larger part, roared for him to do more than just stay; it demanded that he turn to face her and return the not so subtle ministrations with significant interest. His primal side screamed for the release it knew it could find in the arms of the fierce alien mistress. He settled for a compromise; staying in her clutch as her warm breath whispered across his neck towards his ear. When her teeth captured the tip of his pointed ear and gave it a slight tug, the growl that rumbled from his throat was not in anger. She released his ear with a velvety chuckle so that she could whisper into it.
"All right, Gar. I believe you. But there's another conversation that we started. One that I think we can finish without words, if we try. Want to give it a shot?"
Seconds later, the door to Blackfire's room was closed, a throaty chuckle emerging before a contented sigh escaped from her full lips.
Dragonkyng, we hope you enjoyed the appearance of Control Freak and that it satisfied your request.
We want to thank everybody for reading as well as their reviews, which encouraged us to finish this chapter ahead of schedule. It was a busy week, and we weren't planning to finish it up and post it until this weekend, but all the responses encouraged us to get it done sooner. So, please, we beseech all of you, to continue to review. It can only make us better. And happier.
Obviously, we did decide to resolve the situation from the previous chapter and we hope it is all to your liking. Though it has opened up some new possibilities. Also, we will leave it to you, dear readers, to decide whether or not Gar took Blackfire up on her invintation or not. Enjoy and please review!