Teen Titans © DC Comics

85. Falling

What was happening? Where was he?

A strange delirium crossed The Herald as he feebly sat up. He was bound, arms twisted behind his back with some sort of metal alloy, making it impossible for him to break free. His legs were fine, and, slowly, he got up by pushing down on one knee, wobbling as he stood. Trying to speak, Herald gasped as he realized a cloth was covering his mouth. Behind his mask, his eyes widened as he quickly searched around, trying to collect his surroundings. However, Herald's eyes stung like a mace spurted directly into them, nearly blinding him. It was like a thick mist coated his deep brown eyes, obscuring his vision almost completely. Herald hesitantly stepped forward, muffling for help.

Snickering tormented his ears. Cruel, devious, taunting laughter rose above the smog his eyes were under. Herald tried pinpointing the malicious sneers, but his mind felt like he was induced under a heavy, hazy sedative. Herald snarled, shaking his head, biting the cloth and ripped it down. His lips peeked over the cloth, managing to gasp for breath and shouted wearily for the mockers to show themselves.

"Hell-o, young one."

The mechanical voice startled Herald, whirling his head around to face the figure. He blinked, unsure if what he was seeing was true. A brain in a jar on a pedestal with a skull design was seemingly glowering at him. An air of superiority surrounded…him, well, he assumed the brain was a guy. Behind him stood a crusty, old man in a ragged military suit, a giant gorilla with a permanent snarl, and a seductive woman in a scarlet jumpsuit with the fiercest eyes he ever saw. All sneered at him, and Herald frowned, unsure of who they were.

As if reading his mind, the woman spoke in a thick, French accent, "Zmall child, do you know vhy you are here?"

Herald shook his head.

"Because you are a leetle superhero, allied to the piteous thoughts of justice," she replied. "I am Madame Rouge-"

"Let me speak," the disembodied brain ordered, and Rouge backed down. "I am The Brain, and you are a tar-get to us because of you ac-tions as a he-ro."

Herald scoffed, leaning forward. "Oh, shove it up your nonexistent-!"

The ape growled savagely, cracking his knuckles. Herald meekly trailed off.

"We are the Brotherhood of Ev-il, and you, The Herald, are in our way of glo-bal domination," The Brain stated. "This is General Immortus and Monsieur Mal-lah. Now, Professor Chang, take him and show him what happens when you are in our way."

"I've never done anything to you!" Herald barked, beginning to overcome his delirious state of mind and come to grips with his surroundings. He was trapped in a cylindrical prison, sealed with limited air. Looking around, he found himself trapped with no way out. Smashing his foot against the case only resulted in a convulsion of electrical currents streaming through his body. The second his foot connected with the glass, the waves of lightning slashed from his toes and right up to his mind. Wailing in agony, Herald fell backwards and dropped to his knees, panting heavily.

Rouge chortled, covering her ruby lips. "Vhat a fool, trying to escape…"

Herald glared up at her, gritting his teeth in utter hatred. He would have ripped her massive lips straight off it he was not trapped. Noticing the room was enormous and empty for the most part, he glanced down to find his prison on a conveyor belt, and it suddenly moved, jerking him around. Yelping, Herald watched in astonishment as he came closer to an apparent laser with an elderly, Chinese man sporting a white, baggy jumpsuit at the laser's controls.

"Now, boy, look to your right," The Brain ordered, and Herald reluctantly obeyed.

A loud gasp ruptured from his throat. The molded figures of revered Honorary Titans Hot Spot and Wildebeest faced him. Their expressions were filled with the dourness of terror, eyes wide with uncontained, immense fear like they were facing their greatest nightmares. Herald could tell they were screaming, mouths like gaping black holes with an apparent shine to them. Squinting, his jaw slacked like a fish and realized both were a horrid shade of blue. Hot Spot and Wildebeest were frozen solid.

"No way. You people are sick," Herald blurted, glaring back to The Brain.

Mallah sneered, crossing his arms. "Well, eet does not matter what you t'ink, leetle man."

Talking gorilla. Of course, they have talking gorilla, he thought, meeting Mallah's cold, arrogant vision with his sputtering one. "Why'd you freeze them?"

"We are eliminating a whole le-gion of her-oes. You are simply a pawn among knights. Chang," Brain stated.

"No one calls The Herald a pawn and gets away with it!" he shrieked, struggling in his bond.

"Looking for somet'ing?" Rouge asked coyly, revealing his precious Gabriel's Horn.

"No," he whispered in paralyzing shock as his case propped underneath the laser.

"Oh, yes, child. Goodbye, The Herald," Rouge chuckled.

Herald's head shot up like lightning to the top of his case before locating Chang pressing a few buttons on the machine that controlled the laser. His life surged before his eyes, gaping as the realization of death prospered in his mind. It was over, all over. Who could save him and how? There were no Titans to protect him or the Doom Patrol that were the Brotherhood's supposed "arch-nemesis", so wouldn't they come to rescue him if they knew? Herald was a loner in some cases, traveling through dimensions, but he had friends, just not empowered ones like himself. His mother and father, both famous jazz musicians, flashed through his frantic mind, and he recalled his father giving him the Gabriel's Horn, a masterpiece invented from science and music. Herald grit his teeth, knowing the end was coming.

"Uh, sir?" Chang meekly asked, raising his bony finger.

"What?" General Immortus hissed gravelly. "Is there a concern, Chang?"

"He was not referring to you, Immortus," Mallah growled, and the forever-military man snarled.

"Listen, you inferior ape! I have lived through the Trojan War! Bunker Hill! World War I! I-!"

"Enough, Immortus," Rouge groaned, "before you make all of us zenile."

"The-the machine seems to be, uh, um, sabotaged," Chang stated timidly.

"Well, fix it!" The Brain snapped irritably.

"I-I will n-need time," he requested, flinching at his master's booming tone.

Suddenly, pink slashes ripped through Herald's prison, shattering the seemingly unbreakable material. Relieved, Herald wasted no time leaping out and darting down the unmoving conveyor belt. Lunging up, he smacked a baffled Rouge across her jaw, accomplishing her goal of silencing her and managed to snatch the end of his trumpet with his teeth. Suddenly blowing, he opened a portal back into his own dimension and fled, hearing the disemboweled organ's furious, monotonous curses fill the air. Once the portal shut, he sighed and stood on a dark purple sphere in his homeland of Dimension X, happily gazing to the scarlet and snow white sky splotched sky. Taking a few steps forward, he blew another rift and found himself staring out to a shocked, gray-skinned girl on a high balcony far above The Brain and his motley crew.

"Thanks for the save, girl," he whispered. "You a Titan?"

The girl, Jinx, snorted, shaking her head. "No way. I just felt bad for you."

"But if you're with them, why'd you free me? Feeling bad for someone isn't really a reason in my book."

Jinx adamantly crossed her arms, becoming seriously aggravated by him. "I told you, I felt bad, and that's a reason in my book. Besides, Kid Flash would chew me out for it. I'd never hear the end of it."

Herald smiled. "Guessing you're an anti-hero?"

She shrugged. "You could call me that." Gesturing away, Jinx quickly gazed down to Chang frantically fixing his machine as Rouge stepped away to locate the attacks, coming towards the stairs that led up to her. "Hurry up, and get out of here. You don't wanna be captured again, do you?"

"'Course not. So, I'll see you around…?" Herald asked.

Jinx shrugged again, an uncertain expression crossing her. "Perhaps if I decide on what to do."

"Well, whatever you do, you'll always be cool with me." He winked. "So, what's your name, stranger? I'm called The Herald."

"The name's Jinx, but get going. They might be onto me. Oh, and this…" She threw out her hand, and another hex emitted, breaking his bonds.

Herald thanked her, stepping back into his portal. Gingerly, he waved to her, and he was griming broadly when she nervously shifted her hand from side to side meekly. The portal closed on him, shunning him from Jinx. He was worried about him, wondering if she would be all right. Yet, she seemed like a strong, independent girl, so he smirked at the thought of her kicking Rouge's butt. He sighed and sat back down onto a small, brown landmass that floated around aimlessly. Fingering his trumpet, Herald sucked down a breath and gently blew. Instead of a rippling portal towards hostile lands, enthusiastic jazz music filled the sleepy, lethargic dimension, breaking up the quiet nature and sprung the land to life. The music bounced and vibrated across the plane, and he grinned to himself, having a feeling that he would be facing The Brain and his gang very soon.

…

Originally, I was going to have the savior be Wonder Girl, but I have something else planned for The Herald and her, so please review!