Teen Titans; Severing Old Bonds – Sibling Rivalries –
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Chapter 9: Hot Air Balloon Ride
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Dick's foot bounced as he sat with the communicator in hand. Jenny Sparks and Argent gave him each a glare, that made the boy wonder decide it was justifiable for them to do so.
"You LOST him??"
She was surely upset that only Jericho and Jenny of the UK's branch besides Argent were still in one piece.
"How in the blood reason to – you are NOT to intervene; Raven? Did you catch the flight with them on it?"
The other goth nodded a yes, while Dick just ducked his head and tried not to mope on their way out of the dojo setting.
"You two were doin' fine until you ticked the little guy off. What happened at the hotel??" Gar asked their teammate. For once he was not asking about it being a conspiracy, even when Eli's group the "Authority" was in fact just that.
The biggest!
And no one was allowed to blow that horn, not even Jenny as he just didn't mind keeping even more secrets from his teammates.
"We fought Slade and Eli…wouldn't take my word on Slade being able to dampen his powers. Possibly neural implants or just sheer willpower against being probed like Eli wanted to."
"He was just cocky, that's all." Jenny agreed with Robin that Eli was as hot headed sometimes as their leader.
"Don't be fooled." Argent shook her gothic – punk skull and refused to think that he'd just run off to catch the merc on his own. "He either got imself' in too deep, or he's working at getting us on that rid in they sky. Raven told us it's an airship that has been headed to the island of –
"Yokohama?" Dick blinked up at the young miss. "As in, the tropics?"
"Mikurajima, actually." Raven sighed. "I have to tell you; the area of that shore is not on the mainland, so it can't be the same location. The rocks were more a volcano by the vision I'd found out…" She described to her leader.
"So, remote, then…" Dick rubbed his chin. "Did you get to ask Bushido if he knew anything about the island?"
"It's far." She told her leader.
"We'd be wading in shark infested waters and Beast boy might make some new allies."
"Dolphins!" Gar looked up the place on his device via satellite, big bug eyes taking in the image of blue waves and an undisturbed habitat. "So cool! I wanna see-
"There is a base, and now we just have to find out what Rose's captor is planning."
"If it is Slade's oldest son tryin' to get our attention, then he'll be taking his revenge out on Slade, not just us."
Cy was right, they had to not get taken by surprise.
"Can we not call in any other Titans??" Starfire asked the team. "Ones that have not of course…been "the napped."
Gar raised a hand up as well. "What if we end up fighting a bunch of "mind – controlled" heroes and Rose…What if she went nuts –
~ She didn't! I…am sure. She's just as afraid, as we are. ~ Joey rebuked. ~ My father will be going. There is no way he wouldn't punish the person he ruined to get back at himself. ~
"Self loathing? Does your villain need the good doctor to come an' visit?" Jenny asked her allies, all with different looks of their faces. "We're not here to pity the big villain, Titans." Robin said, though rarely believed his own comments when it came to Slade's change of heart. "We are on one mission; save our fellow Titans from across the globe and free Rose before Deathstroke takes his contract too far and we lose another member of our group for good…" Rose was not super – enhanced like Grant or Slade. She had precognition, but she could still die.
And her death, was not going to make the decision in stopping Grant or his father any easier on the boy wonder's conscience.
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Being the one steering their arses to the volcanic island just past a few many others, Mikurajima wasn't just remote.
It was quite wild, and Rose could only sigh as Grant made her sit still until HE came along to break her short chains.
Before she strangled DS and Daddy dearest of the year with them, herself.
He deserved it; she'd been a Titan, and now? She had a rep as one of the very worst…
How? How had Grant found his marbles while Rose's were scattered all over the floor?
"Are we there yet?"
Rose growled under her breath.
He was such a whiner.
She was such a faker, however.
"Um, a few miles in…we have it on lock." She told her half brother with a forced grin.
Grant smiled softly and had his arm over the commander's seat. "Hey." He tried to get her attention with a wave.
"Wanna go chat it up with the cargo? I think one is a cave – man!"
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Grant. A wise guy. A damned animal when provoked. A jock and a sensitive idiot when held up by those of a greater intelligence.
Joey did not get how much that his family should mean; he was a good kid, a trusting individual.
Slade just tried to pinpoint where the next crusade would be off, as he and Eli didn't bother to mention anything of secret societies and hidden agendas in outer space.
"I'm keeping up my part, if you'd only just allow me to pilot the craft –
"Magically, brat?"
Slade turned up his snout to the idea and ignored the snow capped agent's request decisively, and on his own. "If I had a cell on this flight, I'd gladly stuff you in it so I can concentrate."
"What of their security measures." Pointed the frost ally, his eyes narrowed at their enemies on jet packs coming in hot.
"We'll lose them; I'm going to throw them off –
"Why not have all of the concentration you need?" Sniffed the boy, who was just cracking his knuckles in time to stop a fight in the air. Slade shouted out the window, but it was sound proofed, so he continued on the jet while Eli froze the goons to fall fast into the deep waters of another tide.
He phased levitated back and the door swung open for him. "Easy, was that all we had to face? No sharks or bombs from the sky?"
"Are you mocking me, kid?" Slade raised a brow as his patience was only so thin for another's sake. "Even if you have powers, they can spot you. We're close to the island where the Titans and my kids are. I don't want any mistakes." Chastised the mercenary, sternly. "You have to stop drawing attention to the craft. Or, for now you'll end up in the broom closet with a gag over those flippant insults."
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"I see land!"
Starfire called out to her team as the T – Ship and extra ship from Bushido's base was still an option. Argent and her few allies did not let the warrior tag along, in fear that he'd be captured; leaving Tokyo defenseless and all the other regions of Japan.
"Do we land, Cyborg?" Raven asked on Robin's behalf, as her leader was still brooding a bit before he'd cut the crap. Come back to them as a hero, not Mr. Pity – Party.
"I'd say, about now." Cy answered the goth as Jenny in the next ship helped Argent to bring them lower towards a sand bar on the beach.
"Dude!" Gar hopped out of the T – Ship a few seconds later.
"We should so have a vacation here after we save the Titans. Can we, Rob?? Please?"
Dick did not speak. He just kept walking through beach sands as if they were ones he'd need to scale to get to their oasis.
And to prove that Rose was maybe not as twisted as the team had been led to believe.
He only prayed that, yet logic dictated from before; Slade's work was fool proof.
~ I won't lose our allies to him, not again. ~
Jericho bounded on ahead to telepathically link with the boy. He had to worry; his father was a formidable and manipulative person.
~ It's ok. ~ He smiled a small smile to Robin, a hand on his arm.
The boy's masked eyes widened a bit.
~ Rose can't be far. We can do it, as a team. So, thank you. ~
Dick paused a minute. He did reflect on the "before." When Joey had been a target of Brother Blood to get back at Slade.
~ Your father will be brought to justice. ~ Dick said with his head held high. ~ You won't have to worry about him once we get Rose and your brother to see reason. I promise. This is the last time, if any I hope it will be, that he'll get the better of me and my team. That, includes you. Jericho. ~
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Aww, Rob is such a good guy! Here, Jericho thought he was on the sidelines, but good old Robin comes through. Sigh. Next is Grant's big scene. See ya next time; chapter 10! Read on and stay curious!