We own the rights to nothing of this story.
'Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy' is performed by Tata Young
"Kitten," he massaged his temples with his free hand, his tone more resigned than enraged. "Couldn't you have gone the way of all other B-list villains and faded into obscurity?"
"Ahhh, aren't you happy to see me, Beasty Boo?" she cooed.
"You could've married Fang, settled down, and had a brood of freaky little spider headed babies. Seriously, I would've been fine with that," he said before pausing and then shaking his head. "Wait, wait. No. It's probably best that you don't procreate. Please tell me you don't have freaky little spider headed babies."
"Please. I've grown up and Fang still acts just like a kid. After daddy dearest sold his soul and became that monster, I sold all his mutant bugs and how he made them. And I used that money to get this hot new suit," she sneered as she cast one of her arms forward. A crimson line lashed out from the raised port and the heroes ducked as it sliced through the table, and then dissipated. The halves fell apart, smoke coiling from the clean cut and Kitten admired her handiwork with an arrogant smirk.
"See? Just like I said. Pretty hot, right?"
-Hmm. Vain, stupid, and annoying. She's got the trifecta nailed down.-
"How could you bring yourself to say that? That pun just flat out hurt," Gar winced.
"If we could get to the business at hand," the young girl interrupted. She scowled at Kitten and then swept her cold gaze across the crouched heroes, coiled and ready to spring into action, before she dipped into a curtsy.
"My name is Malice Vundabar. Our Lord Darkseid's most recent expression of discontent resulted in the loss of many of Granny's orphans. Those who would feed the future ranks of the Female Furies. So we have come to your mudball in hopes of recruiting, since it has given rise to momentarily worthy adversaries."
"Hey, pint size, cool it with the verbage. I only know what I've picked up from Rae. I still read on, like, a seventh grade level," the shape shifter griped.
"Oooh, he's funny. And cute," the fiery girl eyed him hungrily. Her voice was sultry, complementing the raw sensual beauty she possessed. Resting her chin upon her icy companion's slender shoulder, her gaze flickered to her as she asked, "Can we keep him? Please?"
"My last pet did just die on me. Apparently, dogs can't take having their blood crystallized. Who knew?" she snickered and then held out a splayed hand to catch the dark energy bolt thrown her way, causing it to dissipate. She smiled at the airborne alien who seethed at the mismatched pair, energy bolts burning around her hands.
"He's taken," she warned.
"We have no problem with sharing," suggested the redhead.
-Oh my.-
The shape shifter's eyes lit up, "Are the evil versions of Fire and Ice suggesting what I think they're suggesting? Cause if they are-"
"Gar," she broke in on the eager man's response and he offered a repentant grin that did not soften her glare. "You should know I'm not very good at sharing."
He sighed and gave an apologetic shrug to the villainous pair as he said, "Sorry, Icy Hot. My queen's spoken."
"You all have the attention span of gnats!" Malice shrieked and her shadow roared upward, revealing creature devoid of any identifiable characteristics beside purple eyes with slit pupils and a grisly, smiling maw. It snarled at them, burning eyes studying them as a purple tongue lolled out of the massive pair of shadowy jaws. As Malice regained her composure, she smoothed out her dress and gave a small cough before announcing, "These enlightened individuals, Volcana, Killer Frost, Kitten Walker, and Sweet 16, have decided to pledge their service to Lord Darkseid. We have come to offer you a chance at a destiny greater than could be achieved upon this vermin-infested dumping place of the universe."
"As sweet as it sounds to join a cadre of hot female warriors and badasses, why do you invaders always having to be hating on good ol' Earth? I mean, if it really sucks that much, just don't even bother with it. Seriously," Gar ranted with exasperation, huffing the last word and setting his hands on his hips.
Expecting the oncoming attack, he easily dodged the massive shadow that struck like a serpent, a rabbit narrowly avoiding the razor fangs that were instead filled with grass and dirt. Growing back into a human shape, he smirked at the expanded pathway and then yelled to Rose, "Of course, if you can get somebody else to do the work for you, you're good as gold."
"Oh, I know exactly what you mean," mused a feminine voice to his side and he suddenly stiffened as his pupils shrank. His hands opened, and Danny dropped to the ground, an exclamation flowing across his surface before he was kicked away by the young girl. Sweet 16 giggled as she stepped closer to Gar, her coy smile turning vicious as she growled, "You Titans rejected me when I tried to be a hero. Said I was treating this too much like a game. That I didn't have the makings of a hero. And I guess you were right. Because villainy just feels so right."
"Eddie," the shape shifter managed through clenched teeth, "Stay back. She emits pheromones and uses them to control men."
"Then allow me to offer some assistance," Blackfire zoomed forward only for a pillar of ice to abruptly emerge from beneath her, slamming into her. Before she could recover, Volcana constructed a number of magmatic orbs that she tossed into the air where they exploded, showering Blackfire with heated shards. Hissing as the stony shrapnel cut at her skin, she looked down at the elemental duo who gave twin smirks.
"If you can't share that handsome man of yours, why don't you play with us for a bit, honey?" Volcana suggested.
"After all, your boy looks a little bit preoccupied," her frosted counterpart sneered.
"Wait. As much as it pains me to say this, we came here to recruit; not to fight," Malice scowled at her comrades, "You should join us. Quit playing at hero and give in to your true self. We have so much to offer you. Riches. Power. You could even rule Tamaran in Lord Darkseid's stead."
Blackfire hesitated, her mouth opening slightly before she gave a harsh laugh, "Believe me, I'm tempted. But this backwater planet has an appropriate saying for a time like this. Don't con a conman. Especially one who can turn you into a pile of ash."
Her declaration was marked with a rain of energy bolts that the interim Female Furies scattered from aside from Killer Frost who held up a hand, draining all the heat of the barrage. Roaring her fury, Blackfire swooped down to engage her, smashing aside the ice wall that appeared to suddenly impede her path.
Kitten rolled away from the barrage and stopped in a crouch when a shadow fell over her and she looked up at the one-eyed girl, smirking as the sunlight gleamed off her swords. The blonde frowned and demanded, "I thought you said you were unarmed. Where'd you get those?"
"Some secrets can't even be shared amongst girls."
Rose did not so much move as flow, slashing towards Kitten who yelped and leapt back from the sudden attack, holding out her hands in a show of peace, "Wait, wait! Weren't you listening at all? We're here to recruit you. Look, they'll give you whatever you want. Let you do whatever you want. You just have to kill for them. That shouldn't be too hard for you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose's eyes suddenly darkened while her knuckles blanched as her grip tightened upon the hilt of her swords.
"Oh, come on. Us villains' daughters need to stick together. And your daddy . . . well, he's major league. So why are you hanging out with these losers?"
Kitten yelped as a sword whistled by her throat and she blinked at the younger girl who's face looked like the storm cloud before the Biblical flood.
"Don't ever mention my father to me unless you really want to lose a piece of your body. And given your personality, I'm not sure your dating life could take it."
"Does little Ravey Wavey have daddy issue? What's wrong? Did he pay too much attention to the cute boys?" she taunted.
With a roar, Rose charged forward, a flurry of blades and rage that Kitten flipped through the air away from, extending the energy whips as she landed. She flung out her arms, sending the lashes rippling towards her adversary as she lamented, "I tried. I really did. Now we're going to have to turn you over to Granny and that's not going to be fun. Well, not for you."
Weaving through the whips that carved into the ground, Rose raced towards her foe, blades at the ready and her more than so. Several yards away, Malice stood and dusted off her dress, scowling at the battlefield, Gar still frozen as he fought the chemicals running through his system, before turning her glare upon Eddie. His eyes widened as she glowered at him and raised a finger, hissing, "No boys allowed. Chessure, get rid of the eyesore."
"Why'd I have to get the creepy kid with the shadow thingy?" he grumbled as he dodged the strike of the obsidian creature, breathing out an inferno upon the thing only to have it jerk its head upward, ramming into him and sending him flying through the air. He plowed into the earth, skidding for several feet before stopping and grunting in pain as he sat up and gingerly touched his tender backside before Chessure loomed over him again, drool running between its rail stake fangs. It struck again, and he rolled out of its way, catching a glimpse of Gar who had dropped to all fours, Sweet 16 leaning over him with a pleased smile. A sheen of sweat caused his skin to glisten like jade and had soaked into this shirt, but the shape shifter managed to catch a glimpse of the sinuous beast and shouted to his junior.
"Hit the snout!"
Chessure struck again, giving Eddie no chance to respond but he leapt towards the attack, landing atop the beast's head and then turning to slam his clenched fists on the tip of its nose. It screamed its pain and anger to the sky, throwing its head back but its passenger instinctively secured himself, grabbing its upper lip and digging his claws in. Malice ranted at the boy, "Let go of my Chessure, you parademon reject!"
"You shouldn't go helping them like that, Changeling," Sweet 16 admonished the crumpled man who still struggled to resist the pheromones clouding his head. She pouted as she crouched next to him, caressing his cheek, "It hurts my feelings, you know. You don't want to hurt me, do you?"
"N-n-nev-neverrrr," he growled.
"That's a good boy. But you know," she leaned in to whisper, her eyes glancing back, "Those so-called 'friends' of yours – they want to hurt me. But you're not going to let them, right?"
There was the sound of shattering ice and Killer Frost suddenly flew over their heads, crashing into the remnants of the picnic table with thunderous force. Sweet 16 glanced towards her and then her gaze darted to Volcana and Blackfire who twisted through the air, each of them struggling to gain the upper hand. Groaning, Killer Frost pressed a hand to her head as she sat up, but shook away the pain before clenching her fist and narrowing her gaze at the orange beauty. Before she could pursue her vengeance, Malice stepped in front of her and pointed towards the flailing Chessure.
"Take care of the meanie."
She arched a brow at the girl, "Kid, I'm down for the killing and everything, but don't try to order me around. Trust me, I've got no problem getting rid of a pre-pubescent brat."
"Get. Rid. Of. The. Meanie."
Killer Frost involuntarily took a step back from the youth, astounded by the eponymous aura she radiated. Glancing between her and the writhing Chessure, the ice villainess finally groaned before gliding along an ice slide to the shadowy creature, aware of the glare fixed upon her back the entire way. Extending an arm, she caught Eddie by the waist and ripped him from Malice's pet, prompting it to roar anew as the claws that had secured the boy were torn out without any precaution. Gripping the red teenager by his shoulders, she demanded, "Pucker up."
"Wha-"
Her lips pressed to his and he stilled, too shocked to resist until he felt he actually felt cold for the first time since he had struck his bargain. He struggled against her grip as she leeched away his heat. Frost coated his skin, his hair turning stiff, but he refused to surrender to the chill and tried to conjure enough heat to unleash a breath of fire. Taking a step back, Killer Frost lifted a hand to encase him in a block of ice and then sighed contentedly, grabbing her shoulders and licking her lips as she moaned, "Ohhh, so warm. But that just whetted my appetite. I need more."
An ice pillar propelled her into the air as she headed for the aerial combatants, ramming into Blackfire's back with her shoulder. The alien grunted but recovered quickly to turn and charge at her, losing track of Volcana until the fiery haired woman drove a knee into her gut, driving the breath from her lungs. She clutched at her abdomen as she tried to put some space between her and her attackers, but they tailed after her, giving her no quarter as they resorted to physical combat, overwhelming her. Killer Frost sheathed her attacks in ice spikes as Volcana employed her powers to create a rocket like effect, boosting the force behind her strikes.
On the land, Gar's grunts and gasps were changing into snarls and hisses as his bones popped and snapped, stretching his shape into something new, something unnatural that the pheromones had dredged forth. He felt the rippling sensation his skin did when it was trying to form scales but also the itch of fur or feathers trying to sprout. His spinal column stretched and realigned itself as a tail budded and then fully sprouted, whipping about behind him as spines grew along it. Claws grew into full-fledged talons that scarred the earth as he was seized by pain. The pheromones shunted his consciousness to the deepest part of his psyche, letting the instincts claim dominion and his scream of agony turned into a bone rattling howl.
Too focused on the threat at hand, Rose did not notice his change as she backed away from the savage assault of the energy whips. She gritted her teeth as she sought for an opening when her body suddenly seemed to freeze, only for a nanosecond, but Kitten was quick to capitalize upon the situation. Rose yelled as a burning sensation wrapped about her ankle and her foot was pulled out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground. The other whip was cutting through the air towards her again and she brought up her swords to defend herself only to have them sliced in half, the ends glowing. Kitten advanced with a victorious sneer as she looked down at the cyclopean girl.
"You know, ever since I saw your dad, I just equated missing an eye with complete and utter badasses. I wonder if you're just the exception to the rule," she taunted.
"One eye, and I still see better than you. And just so you know, I am the rule," Rose growled before shooting forward to stab her broken swords into the whip projectors. The whips flickered before disappearing entirely as the devices shorted and then exploded, sending Kitten reeling backwards, stumbling about as she struggled to regain her footing. She managed to recover, and looked up in time to see the teenage girl pouncing towards her with arms outstretched. Shoving the blond to the ground, Rose snarled as she straddled her, grasping her head in her hands and meeting the terrified blue eyes. Gritting her teeth, she shifted her grasp and stabbed her thumb into Kitten's eye, drawing forth a shriek of pain and terror.
The blond girl's thrashing was futile and she blubbered helplessly, clawing weakly at Rose's steady forearm as she tried to tear it away. Her face grim, the silver-haired girl ground her thumb into the socket, hollowing out the cavity until she had gouged out every remnant of the sapphire orb. Leaning her head back, she suddenly pitched forward to bash against Kitten's forehead. Dazed by the first blow and addled by the trauma of the rough removal of her eye, the blond gave no further contest as the next two head butts ushered her into the unconscious realm. All tension and struggle fled her body and Rose simply sat there for a moment, panting before finally tearing her thumb out of the newly disfigured eye socket. Staggering to her feet, she wiped away the spit that had leaked from her mouth but ended up smearing blood and the jelly-like remnants of an eye across her chin.
Spitting on the woman, Rose growled, "And you're the exception. Bitch."
She staggered several steps when a sudden cascade of sand erupted beside her as a small tremor seized the ground and she leapt away from the spray. As her vision cleared, she saw the battered and scarred form of Blackfire, her minimalist clothing in tatters as blood flowed freely from the legion of cuts that marred her form. Her one arm was gruesomely twisted in a way that was distinctly wrong and Rose raced to her fallen comrade when Volcana and Killer Frost suddenly descended to impede her path. Bringing herself to a sudden halt, she jumped back from the pair and conducted a quick inventory of the situation.
Her heart dropped at the sight of the frozen Eddie and she forced herself to maintain control as she continued to take stock of everything else. Chessure seemed to purr as its mistress stroked its snout and was ready for another fight as they swung their heads towards the last standing member of Titans Team 14. Sweet 16 crouched by the aberration of fur and scales that slowly moved each limb, checking the functions of the bizarre body as his mistress cooed and stroked his broad back. The redhead's gaze turned sinister as she lifted it to Rose and gave her pet his directive.
"Sic her."
Perched upon her sturdy branch, Rose stared into the blank eyes of the creature formerly known as Garfield Logan. She glanced for the other trees, gauging the distance but then remembering her injuries before she looked back at the aberration as a purple-black tongue flickered out of its myth. Taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves, she urged with an edge of desperation, "Come on, green genes. I know you're in there. Now snap out of it. This isn't funny anymore. Have your laugh and then let's go carve out those bitches' livers and make them eat them."
He turned his head, regarding her, before giving a strange yip that morphed into a bark, but made no further move. They stared at each other for another minute before Rose, hesitantly, lifted the hand not caked in gore from clutching at the trunk and ever so slowly lowered it for him to sniff. She gave a slight jump when his wet snout pressed against her palm, and he recoiled, hissing menacingly as she tried to reassure him.
"Nonononono. That was my fault. C'mon. It's Rose. Bright eye. She-with-the-hair-of-the-silvery-moon. Psycho chick. Your friend, remember?"
Cautiously, he inched forward and pressed his snout to her hand once again, breathing in her scent and then running a ribbon like tongue against her skin that caused her to shudder. When it suddenly extended and wrapped about her entire forearm, she gave a yelp and was ready to abandon ship, but the black tongue quickly retracted into his mouth and he pressed his snout forward again to nuzzle her hand. She grinned and vigorously stroked the furred snout, "That's right. There you go. Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? Who's going to stab herself if you remember all this? That's right; me!"
Retracting her arm, her smile turned devious as she asked, "Now why don't we go kick some ass?"
All right. Looks like it's going to be a three-parter. Longer than we intended. Also, Rose's tussle with Kitten wasn't our exact intention and it got a bit out of hand, but Ira was enjoying writing it. We may have to up the rating. We hope you all enjoyed the chapter and review! REVIEW!
I Be Sporks: While we guess this could be considered an arc, it's not the one we've been talking about. And there's actually something we've been meaning to reveal about changes in Gar's diet. We'll probably do it soon. We're fairly certain that Rose is an adrenaline junkie. We're working towards a family dynamic of sorts between the members of Tartarus. And we don't intend to introduce any original characters in this particular story. Obviously, 'fire and ice girls' have been revealed. Were they who you thought you knew they were?
Because we cannot say this enough: Review, review, review! Also, please check out some of our other stories if you have the time: Child's Play (a future scenario of this story) and Origins (our original characters)