A/N: Well, my friends, another chapter is finished, and the chapter after this one is in the works. My goal is to try updating this story three times a month, though it may less or it may be more. All I know is that I love writing this story, and I will do my best to update it frequently. Of course, in order to get my Associates Degree, I have another internship coming up this summer. After that I have to go to college in the fall, and then I need to start job searching so I can earn up some money to help me get my Bachelors Degree. Because of this I am going to be very busy, so I don't know how much time I'm going to have for writing. Nonetheless, I will still do my best to get chapters posted. Out of everything I've written, "Firelight" has to be one of my favorite stories!
Anyhow, enough of my rambling. Onward with the next chapter! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
Part I: Inception: Chapter Eight
Even if he only figured out about her fire-wielding powers a few hours ago, Speedy has never been more thankful for Leila's abilities. Without Leila helping him take down Black Shadow's endless robots, there isn't any doubt that he would have run out of arrows ages ago. Not only that, but he wouldn't have been able to come up with a plan to temporarily escape these things on his own, either; not with another robot popping up in the place of each one they destroy.
Speedy doesn't say any of this to the girl as he runs alongside her through the dusty corridors of the abandoned building late at night, but all of the thoughts are real nonetheless. He might not be too fond of Leila, but he has to admit that he likes having her as an ally during a fight. To put short, her fire-wielding abilities are incredible! Not to mention that even if she doesn't like him, she still takes careful measures to avoid burning him. That alone lets him know that she doesn't hate him too much.
As they sprint down the hallways, shooting arrows and streams of fire at the robots as they rapidly pursue them, Speedy notices as Leila eyes the corridors curiously. The expression on her face is an intense mixture of anxiety and desperation, making it known that she is nervous about this plan of hers. Until now, he'd never paid it any attention how bluntly her emotions show on her face. The girl, despite her otherwise cold exterior, is an open book in some ways.
At last Leila speaks, bringing Speedy out of his thoughts. Once the girl shares her plan, the archer immediately understands her nervousness. Admittedly, what she says makes him nervous too…
Sprinting down the hallway with brown hair askew from fighting, she speaks rapidly. "Okay, we're almost there. It has been a while since I've done this, but I still think I can pull this off with help." Giving an aggravated sigh, she continues. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to need you to cover me for a minute while I'm trying to separate the energies. I won't be able to use my fire while I'm forcing them apart, so I'll be completely open to attack. It's because of this that I'm going to need you to fend off the robots."
Eyes widening beneath his mask, Speedy makes a frightened exclamation. "Hold on… You're not going to be able to use your fire at all?! And what do you mean by 'a while'?! If you haven't used this move in ages, then is this plan of yours even going to work?!"
The irritation in her voice is very apparent. "It doesn't matter how long has passed, okay?! If I did it before, then I can do it again! This is a move that is going to take out every single robot on this building's upper level without burning you!" Irritation never leaving, she asks, "Are you willing to cover me while I separate the energies, or not? If not, then I'm not even going to try using this technique, because I won't be able to pull it off otherwise."
Giving her a glance, the archer nods firmly in spite of his uncertainty. "Don't worry about the robots. Just do what you need to do. I've got your back." Hesitating momentarily, he adds, "You should probably try to work fast, though. It's like I said; I only have so many arrows."
Leila, too, gives a nod. "Don't worry. Working fast is part of the plan. I won't make you fight them off by yourself for too long, and once the energies are forced apart, you won't need to."
Interest growing, the archer quirks his brow in curiosity. He has already tried ignoring her odd statements and refraining from asking this question, but he can ignore it no longer.
"Leila, just out of curiosity, what do you mean by 'separating the energies'? What kind of move are you trying to do?"
Turning the final corner of the long corridor, the two emerge into a large room crafted out of stone and metal. It isn't as large as Black Shadow's secret room under the west corridor, but it is definitely still a sizable one. Speedy doesn't know for sure, but he would say that this room used to be a large storage room or some sort of cafeteria. Meanwhile, as they back up to the room's farthest corner, Leila responds to his inquiry.
"Explaining the science of it doesn't matter. All that matters is the result." Getting behind Speedy, the girl lowers herself into a crouching position so that he completely blocks her as she continues. "Now cover me. Black Shadow's robots are coming in here, and I need to do this fast."
This isn't the first time since coming to Earth that Damiana has questioned why her life turns out the way it does. At first the question was simply "Why did Dabnod get destroyed?" Then, after a few months of being on Earth up until a few days ago, the question was "Why do I always have to struggle to survive? Will there ever be a day when I don't have to worry?" And now, Damiana's most recent question, "How did I get pulled into coming here with the Titans?"
The fates definitely enjoy messing with her, the girl is certain of that. Even so, the girl doesn't care too much about the events of her life at the moment. Instead all of her focus is on holding her arms approximately three inches apart with the forearms facing upward. Using the most intense kind of concentration she can manage, Damiana feels as she forces the energies that combine to make her fire apart. As a direct result, the girl watches as small spurts of blue electricity pulse back and forth between her two forearms.
Damiana can remember the very first thing she was taught as a child when first learning to properly wield her element. It is the same thing that every child on Dabnod had to learn. They were always taught about how Dabnodians have two hearts, and how each heart has an individual purpose.
One heart, her father told her, is the equivalent to the hearts of humans and the wizards from Azarath. Their first heart pumps blood through their first set of veins and gives life to the body. The second heart, on the other hand, is very different. A Dabnodian's second heart pumps a mixture of energies through their body using a separate set of veins. Her father explained very thoroughly that the energies the second heart produces is what causes their hair and eyes to change color, and gives them the ability to connect with their elements in order to wield them.
Then, after learning the basics, she was taught how to harness her second heart's energies in order to get the results she wants. Producing fire using her hands, for example, forces Damiana to keep the mixture of energies completely even. Breathing fire using her mouth forces her to make sure that one of the energies is higher than all the rest. With master level techniques, each of the energies her second heart produces soar high above their normal levels, flooding her veins and causing her hair to turn to fire. Then, with lightning, there isn't a mixture at all; rather, the energies are forced apart.
Forcing the energies the second heart produces apart isn't something that's easy to do. It goes against a Dabnodian body's every natural impulse, and in some cases, the body fights and forces the energies back together. Some Dabnodians never learned how to keep them apart long enough to produce anything of significance. Thus, why there weren't too many fire-users besides Damiana who could actually produce lightning. If the girl hadn't been so determined to prove herself, then she most likely never wouldn't have learned how to do it either.
Remembering how her mother and Saeran always tried to get her to stop attempting lightning almost causes the girl to chuckle. It's a good thing that she was a stubborn little girl. She and Speedy would never be able to escape these robots otherwise.
Forcing the energies apart more so than before, Damiana watches as the scant amount of blue static transforms into large electrically-charged bolts that buzz with power. It has taken her seven tries to separate the energies so far, and thirty seconds for each try, but this time it finally looks like she has it. Based on the stinging she feels flowing through her second set of veins as the energies fight to come back together, the girl is absolutely certain that the energies have been separated accurately.
Meanwhile, as the girl struggles to get to her feet due to the harsh pain, the redheaded archer addresses her nervously.
"Leila, please tell me that you've almost got it! I'm running low on arrows over here! If you don't get it soon, both of us are done!"
Wincing in agony, she replies without hesitation. "Don't worry, Speedy. I've got it. Get over here, and hold onto me."
It's obvious that her words catch him off guard, because he glances at her in a mixture of shock and amusement. The whole time he continues shooting down robots, which are now rapidly pouring into the room. Upon looking around, Damiana can't help but be surprised. Somehow, in the space of three minutes, there is nearly four times the amount of robots coming after them than before. Besides the four feet of space surrounding her and the archer in this room's back corner, there are robots standing shoulder-to-shoulder with more entering the room every second.
The only thing that breaks Damiana's eyes away from the sight is Speedy. Despite the severe situation they're in, the archer decides to take a moment to use her words against her.
"Hold onto you? This is a bit sudden coming from you, Leila, but we can cuddle if you really want to," he remarks teasingly.
Damiana manages to roll her eyes through the intensifying of the pain. "I don't mean it like that! Get your mind out of the gutter! I need you to hold onto me so my attack doesn't harm you!"
Shooting down several of the robots, Speedy turns so that he's taking in her full image. By now Damiana's lightning has increased tenfold, the blue electricity completely surrounding both of her forearms and looking as though it is ready to break away from her. The girl tries to keep it under control for a moment longer in spite of the enormous amount of pain that runs through her veins. In the meantime, the expression of utter shock on Speedy's face is one that is far too priceless.
"Is that…lightning?! How can you use lightning?! I thought that you could only use fire!"
"Nope, I can use lightning too. It's a lot harder to use than fire, but I can still use it." Pausing, she asks, "Now will you please grab hold of me so I can let go of it already? It's getting really hard to keep under control! Keeping the energies separated isn't feeling too pleasant right now, either."
Giving a firm nod, Speedy complies and rushes over to her. Even so, he doesn't grab hold of her right away. Appearing very uncertain at the sight of her, he makes another inquiry.
"So…you're telling me that if I hold onto you…that your lightning won't hurt me?" Hesitating slightly, he continues. "It's not that I don't trust you. I'm just not sure about this… If holding onto you won't stop your fire from killing me, then what's stopping your lightning from killing me?!"
The girl gives a sigh as the pain becomes practically unbearable. "Touching me won't stop my fire from burning you because fire harms the outside of the body. No matter what type of fire it is, it is never going to burn me; my body is impervious to fire. The same can't be said for you, so touching me won't help when it comes to fire.
"As for lighting, rather than acting as the creator, I act as a conductor. If you're making contact with stone or metal then my lightning will hurt you, but by using me as an anchor, your physical contact with me overrides your contact with the other parts of the room. Because of that, rather than getting electrocuted, your body will act as a conductor the same as mine." Pausing, she asks with thick sarcasm, "Is that enough of an explanation, or do you need me to draw out a diagram?"
To put bluntly, Speedy still doesn't appear convinced. With the powerful buzzing of the lightning that Damiana is holding and how it leaps about as if ready to kill, the alien girl honestly doesn't blame him for being skeptical. However, as the robots close in on them leaving them less than a foot of space, it is plain that all forms of skepticism immediately fly out the window for the archer. Before the robots can make a final strike, Damiana feels as muscular arms gloved in red wrap tightly around her waist. His bow can be easily seen in her peripheral vision, telling her that he didn't bother taking time to tuck it away.
"You know what? I have absolutely no reason not to trust you. Take these things out!"
Damiana doesn't respond verbally. Instead the girl gives a small smile prior to spreading her arms outward. That seemingly insignificant action of spreading her arms is all it takes for the girl's lighting to fill the room to capacity. Once her power is released, the room is filled with an iridescent electric blue glow along with the vicious zapping of super-charged electrical pulses. To put simply, it feels like the two of them are in the middle of a violent lightning storm.
The girl can feel as the electrical energy courses through her body in incredible pulses and as her second heart's natural energies collide back together. Luckily there isn't any pain. Rather, the feel of the lightning racing through her veins and turning her hair to static make the girl feel an unbelievable sense of power that her fire has not yet matched. As a child, this is part of the reason she liked to use her lightning; the feel of it is painful while you're still holding it, but invigorating once you let it go.
In the meantime, Damiana can feel as Speedy tightens his grip around her waist. She can't tell if he's frightened by the feel of lightning coursing through his body without harming him, caught off guard by it, or both. Either way, all that matters to her is that he isn't screaming in pain or being electrocuted. Not only that, but the sight of each and every one of the robots collapsing to the ground matters to her as well.
Through the curtain of electric blue, she sees as the robots eyes blink from black to nothingness several times as if they're attempting to repair themselves. Meanwhile the lightning completely fries their circuits from the inside out, damaging them beyond repair and causing them to collapse to the ground lifelessly. Not only that, but it isn't just the robots that are being irreversibly damaged. Looking around, Damiana sees as large holes form in several of the walls and as one massive hole is created in the floor approximately ten feet in front of them.
For an entire sixty seconds this continues, the sounds of ferocious electrical zapping, the booming of bricks, and the crashing of metal filling the room. To Damiana's relief, Speedy doesn't once let go. Under normal circumstances she would be repulsed by the fact that he is tightly embracing her, but right now she is just glad that he isn't one of the things in the room being zapped to death.
At last, after what feels like ages, the lightning finally comes to a halt. With the electric blue mist completely vanished, the wreckage of collapsed robots, crumbled bricks, and gaping holes are all that is left for them to look at. Surprised at the unbelievable amount of damage that a single bout of her lightning was able to do, the two don't move. Instead the stay where they're at and gape at the damage. Unsurprisingly, the first to break the silence is Speedy.
"Wow. That's some effective lightning."
Shoving a strand of false brown hair behind her ear with an index finger, Damiana gives a nod. "It's more effective than I imagined it would be. I knew that it would destroy the robots, but I didn't think it would do anything to the walls and the floor." The girl doesn't know why, but for some reason she gives a small chuckle. "Then again, it has been almost five years since I've used it. I suppose I forgot how much damage my lightning can do."
Though she isn't facing him, the girl can tell just by his tone that he's smirking. "That's a nice laugh you have there. I like it. Now all we need is for you to smile."
It is only after he says this that the girl realizes that the archer is still holding her around the waist. His arms are wrapped tightly around her midsection, the archer holding her so close that her back is pressed up against his chest. Damiana has no idea how she didn't notice the close amount of contact earlier. Neither did she realize how strong his arms and chest feel. Without the robots and the lightning to distract her, it comes to her realization that Speedy is a pretty muscular guy. Coming from a Dabnodian girl who grew up around knights who were built like body-builders, this is a truth of the most genuine sort…
Blushing profusely at the nature of her thoughts, Damiana scolds herself. "What the heck are you doing? Don't think of him like that! He's an arrogant playboy! Make him let go of you, idiot!"
Clearing her throat, Damiana addresses him sounding very uncomfortable. "Uh…Speedy? The lightning is gone. You can let go now."
Much to Damiana's discomfort, her protests don't work. Instead Speedy snuggles up against her and rests his chin on her shoulder in a teasing manner. By this point she doesn't only feel his muscles, but also his body heat. When he chuckles she feels the warmth of his breath as well, causing the scarlet color of her cheeks to intensify. Damiana is praising the fates right now for the fact that it's dark. Maybe he won't notice her blushing.
Unfortunately for Damiana, once he replies, she learns that this isn't so.
"Are you sure you want me to let go, Leila? You're pretty snuggly. You're warm, too. Though I'm not sure if the rest of you is as warm as your face is right now."
Chuckling once more, he pats one of her cheeks playfully with his much larger hand. Having never been this close to a boy her age before, Damiana can't help but feel uncomfortable at the amount of physical contact. Now that the lightning is gone, much like was stated earlier, the archer's embrace completely repulses her. Or at least that's what she tells herself, anyway…
An agitated scowl crossing her face, the alien girl stomps on his foot and kicks him hard in the shin before shoving him away from her roughly. It is heard as Speedy gives a loud "ouch!" following the kick she gave him to the shin. Upon turning around to face him, Damiana sees as he jumps around the room holding onto one of his boot-covered legs in pain. The girl does her best to maintain her scowl, but instead replaces it with her own brand of smug smile.
"I told you to let go of me, didn't I? Next time let go of me, and this won't happen."
The archer returns the smirk in spite of his agony. "It was worth it just to see you blush."
It is only after this that her smirk fades. "Don't get any ideas. There is a such thing as blushing in irritation, you know. I'm not exactly a Speedy fangirl."
"I know. I can tell," he replies while rubbing the front of his leg and wincing slightly. "If there's one thing I can say for you, it's that you're definitely not the fangirl type."
Damiana has no idea why, but that last statement of Speedy's causes her smile to return. For some reason, what he said feels like the nicest thing that anyone on Earth has ever said to her.
"Thanks. I'm glad to hear it," she says kindly. Then she adds, "We should go find the rest of your team. They're probably wondering where we're at."
Meanwhile…
Bumblebee can't remember ever having been surrounded by this many robots at once before. She has taken many of them out by flying above them and zapping them with her stingers. Others she has destroyed by kicking them with her heeled shoes or punching them with her fists. At times when there have been far too many surrounding the woman for her to handle on her own, Aqualad has swooped in with a wave of water and caused them all to short out. Occasionally Mas y Menos will run by and cause them to go flying as well. Yet, despite all of their efforts, Black Shadow's metal concoctions still go undefeated.
The winged leader of the Titans East stands back-to-back with Aqualad, such a dense amount of robots surrounding them that they don't even bother counting. All they know is that the amount is massive, almost like a sea of metal, leaving them no room for escape. Knowing that they aren't going to escape this situation easily, the duo works together to take down the robots like the team they are.
Using her stingers, Bee zaps ten of the robots as quickly as she can manage and causes each of them to collapse to the ground about a second apart. Once they're down, she flaps her wings rapidly and takes to the air. As soon as she's above them she gives each of them swift kicks along with zapping them with her stingers, forcing the machines to go flying across the room. The whole time Aqualad brings pipes out of the ground with his Atlantian powers and floods out the remaining robots, not leaving a single machine left standing.
Meanwhile Mas y Menos are close by, running rapidly and setting robots awhirl before they have a chance to reach their two teammates. It is only too sad that, despite the twins' best efforts, a multitude of machines slips past them and make their way toward Aqualad and Bumblebee. The moment they reach the winged woman and the Atlantian the cycle of zapping them down and flooding them out starts all over again.
While busting pipes and flooding out robots, Aqualad shouts to Bumblebee who is dashing through the air with her wings. The desperation in his voice is evident.
"It would be great if Speedy was here right about now. His arrows would really be useful!"
Shooting down two robots with her stingers and giving four of them swift kicks to the chest, Bee replies sounding equally desperate. "I know. I'm feeling the same way, but there's nothing we can do about it. The robots got in between us and separated him and Leila from the rest of the group. If they're attacking them as heavily as they're attacking us, I doubt that they're going to get here to back us up anytime soon." Pausing, she adds in concern, "I hope they're doing okay."
"Yeah," adds Aqualad as he punches a robot that survived his water attack. "I hope so, too."
After the words are spoken, another mass of robots makes their way past the twins and surrounds the duo. This group being a bit larger than the previous, they are once again preparing to fight giving it their all. It's too bad for Black Shadow that he chose this team of young heroes rather than a different one. The man has to be learning quickly that these teens do not give up easily.
Then, right as Bee is preparing to zap several of the machines with her stingers and as Aqualad is getting ready to bust open more pipes, something very unexpected happens. One moment the room is completely stable, no breaks in the walls or in the floor besides the places where the aquatic Titan brought forth the pipes. Then, a second later, sections of the ceiling begin collapsing all over the massive, factory-sized, room.
To the Titans' complete and utter shock, bricks come crashing down out of nowhere as well as cement and enormous pieces of drywall. Brown eyes widening, the female Titan flies out of the way of several pieces before they crash into her. Aqualad is directly below her on the ground, jumping out of the path of the debris like they're bullets. Mas y Menos dodge the falling wreckage as well, running at the speed of light while screaming in panicked confusion.
"¡Ah!" screams Menos. "¡El apocalipsis se acerca!"
Meanwhile Bumblebee shouts as well, a wild torrent of blue electricity clearly visible through one of the gaps in the ceiling above her head. "What's going on?! Is this one of Black Shadow's tricks?!"
Aqualad replies to her from the floor below, his eyes widening in shock. "I don't think so, Bumblebee. Look!"
Shifting her gaze to where the aquatic Titan is standing, the woman watches the scene he speaks of with her mouth hanging agape. To her amazement, the robots have stopped moving completely as if they're frozen in place by some type of unseen force. A moment later their eyes, which were previously as black as the night, flicker between color and being completely blank.
A full minute passes, the electric blue lightning continuing above Bumblebee, the debris still falling, and the robots continuing to glitch. It is only after what feels like ages that all of this comes to an abrupt halt, the lightning and falling bricks ceasing and the machines clattering to the ground unresponsively. The whole time neither Aqualad, nor Bee, nor the twins has any idea what to make of the sudden turn of events. Instead, once the danger is past, they make their way toward each other and stare at the wreckage in a state of shock.
"Well…I guess we won," states Aqualad bluntly. Nonetheless, he is still confused. "Go team?"
Looking around at the fallen robots, and then up at the holes in the ceiling, Bumblebee considers Aqualad's statement. Honestly, she is every bit as confused as her teammates. Where the heck did the lightning come from, anyway? And why did Black Shadow's robots suddenly collapse? All in all, this situation makes little to no sense. Not only that, but before they have time to try and piece things together on their own, an all too familiar voice comes from behind them.
"This is such a disappointment. Test number one was an absolute failure! My henchmen said that these robots were unaffected by lightning! It's too bad they forgot to mention that they're only immune to lightning in small doses, and that large amounts of it will cause all of the robots to shut down even if only a few of them are affected." Giving a sigh of aggravation, he adds, "My henchmen are such idiots. I should have made the robots myself and left the replicas of the cities to them."
His voice catching them off guard, the four Titans whip around in the direction of where they think his voice is coming from. Much to their surprise, Black Shadow isn't hiding in the walls with the shadows like usual. Instead he is squatted down next to one of his robots, his narrowed hazel eyes looking it over in disappointment. Pulling it closer to him, he opens up the chest cavity and peers inside. After shaking his head in displeasure he slams the chest cavity shut, stands up, and kicks the broken down piece of tin aside.
"It really is such a shame. I was so proud of them, too. They were supposed to be my first legendary feat of how my shadows and technology can come together. What a laugh." Turning his gaze away from his ruined creations, the villain lifts his head up and faces the Titans with an impish smirk. "I don't know where you picked your fiery little friend up at, but that girl is definitely a force to be reckoned with. She was able to destroy all of my robots in one shot with the help of Green Arrow's plucky redhead. Congratulations."
Bumblebee feels as her eyes widen at Black Shadow's claim. She doesn't look at Aqualad or at Mas y Menos, though their facial expressions match her's exactly. Not knowing how to respond other than with surprise, the Titan leader speaks to the villain in spite of the fact that she should truly be attacking. Nonetheless, there is still a good dose of aggression in her response to him.
Marching over to the brown-haired criminal with her heeled boots clicking against the cement, Bee grabs him forcefully by the collar of his black jumpsuit. Once she has him, she pulls him down so that they're at eye level. The whole time the woman glares at him with fury in her gaze. When Black Shadow continues to remain calm and smirking, this only causes her to grow all the more angry.
"Don't play games with us, Black Shadow! Did Leila and Speedy really pull off destroying all of these robots, or is this another one of your tricks? You'd better start spilling now, or I plan on putting you in a world of hurt!"
A long moment of silence passes as the Titans wait for him to respond. Much to their aggravation, he never does. Instead he remains calmly in Bumblebee's grasp, smirk never fading and a sickening brand of amusement flickering darkly in his gaze. He and Bumblebee have a staring contest that could have very well lasted all night if the girl hadn't continued shouting.
"What did I say about playing games with us?! What's with your obsession over the Teen Titans and the Justice League?! Why did you rob all of those banks and jewelry stores?! What are you planning?! If there's one thing that I know for certain, it's that those robots of yours are the tip of the iceberg of a much bigger plan! The Titans East aren't stupid, Black Shadow, so start talking!"
It takes a moment, but at last Black Shadow replies. At first it is with devilish chuckles, and then with actual words.
"If you aren't stupid, then why do you have more questions than answers? I've been planning my revenge against the hero world for a long time, Bumblebee, and I don't plan on ruining it by giving everything away. It's true that Speedy and your fiery death goddess surprised me by destroying all of my robots, but the losses are nothing compared to the reward that's coming."
Again Bumblebee glares at him. "Reward? What reward are you talking about?"
Before Black Shadow can respond, Aqualad asks the man a question from a few feet away. It isn't a secret that the aquatic man sounds increasingly disturbed.
"'Fiery death goddess'? You do realize that Leila is still a teenager, right?"
Shrugging, the villain responds nonchalantly. "Yes, but I don't see why it matters. She has to be about sixteen or seventeen, and I'm not exactly elderly. I'm twenty-two! Evil mastermind or not, I'm a man with needs." After a slight pause, he responds to Bumblebee's question. "And when it comes to my reward, don't stress yourself out thinking about it. You'll see what it is in time. All of you will see."
With that being said, the villain turns from a three-dimensional person into a two-dimensional shadow in less than an instant. Because of this, he slips away from the girl's grasp easily. A second later he reappears approximately five feet away from them, being a three-dimensional human once again. Appearing incredibly smug, he continues speaking.
"Well, Titans, the night has been interesting. I look forward to seeing you again after I up my game a bit. This might take a while, though. Plans take time, and I see no reason to rush things. It's not like the Titans and the Justice League are going anywhere."
Hesitating in his speech once more, Black Shadow raises one of his hands into the air slowly and intentionally. Having no idea what he plans on doing, Aqualad, Bumblebee, and the twins immediately shift into their defensive stances. When an odd black orb forms in the palm of his hand, the four are already moving toward him in preparation to attack. As they do this, Black Shadow chuckles.
"Don't be so quick to jump the gun, Titans. There's no need for that."
Less than a second afterward, the black orb transforms from a shadowy sphere into a medium-sized, metallic, object. Admittedly, the object doesn't look like much. It is a silver and blue semi-circle with the top of if colored black. There are silver buttons running along one of the two vertical blue stripes that the object contains, and the other blue stripe contains a strange keypad of some sort. To put simply, the metallic object that Black Shadow holds looks like an odd type of machine.
Staring the man down threateningly, Aqualad demands, "What is that machine your holding?! Something you're going to use against the Teen Titans and the Justice League?!"
Looking from the metallic semi-circle, to the group of four, and back again, Black Shadow gives a shrug of false innocence. A second after this the man takes the object and rolls it across the floor in the heroes' direction. At first they think that he plans on doing something with it, but to their surprise and their concern the machine doesn't do anything. It doesn't beep, it doesn't flash, and nothing pops out of it. Instead, it remains perfectly stable. As it rolls across the floor, Black Shadow responds.
"That, Aqualad, is for you Titans to figure out on your own. Consider it a prize to the fiery death goddess for bringing down all of my robots in one shot. I have ten more of these machines at my main hideout where my headquarters is located, so giving up this one won't be too much of a loss. If anything, it's more of a gain. Giving my enemy more knowledge and more to use against me should be fun. I do enjoy a good challenge."
Transforming one of the nearby shadows into a long, creeping, tentacle, the man pushes the metallic semi-circle closer to them in an insistent fashion.
"Go on and take it. Don't be shy. Examine it all you want. I highly doubt that you're going to figure out what this device is for, anyway. This technology is far too advanced; even for someone from the Titans West team like Cyborg."
It is only after the machine is directly at their feet that Black Shadow causes the tentacle he was using to vanish. Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanishes as well. All that's left in his absence is the flickering of the lights and his disembodied voice.
"I wish the Teen Titans a lot of luck, as well as the heroes in the Justice League. From here on out, I declare war against the hero world. But don't think of it as a full scale war with guns blazing and weapon's fire. This is a war of strategy and intelligence, and in the end, only one of you will be left standing. When the time comes, I can't wait to see who that person is."
Once that is said the flickering of the lights stops, as does the menacing baritone of the villain's voice. Where he is at and how he vanished, they don't know. All they know for sure is that he's gone. They don't know this due to the lack of his voice, but because the entire feeling of his presence has completely disappeared. Even so, his disappearance brings no comfort. Instead the feeling left is a hollow one filled with dread and anxiety.
Brown eyes filled with complete and utter terror, Bumblebee slowly bends over and picks up the machine that Black Shadow left behind. It isn't very big now that the woman looks at it closely. In all, it's only about the size of a flower pot. The metallic object is also cold as though it is made out of ice, exactly like its creator.
Gulping, Bumblebee straightens her posture and turns to face Aqualad and Mas y Menos with the machine in hand. To the aquatic man, she commands softly, "Aqualad, go find Speedy and Leila. Tell them what happened, and bring them back to the Tower; both of them."
Mouth hanging agape, Aqualad stares at her in shock. "Bring Speedy and Leila back to the Tower? Why?! Leila isn't even a Titan!"
Her terror mixing with anxiety, she replies simply. "She is now. Whether she likes it or not, she is involved with us past the point of escape. With what's coming, we need every hero we can get."
Understanding what she's saying, Aqualad gives a firm nod. "What you're saying is true. I don't think that Leila is going to accept being a Titan easily, though." Pausing, he adds, "I'll go find them and tell them what happened."
With that being said, the Aquatic man runs in the direction of the stairs to the upper level where he knows that Speedy and Leila must be. As he runs, Bumblebee turns to face Mas y Menos. Like Bee, terror is seen very clearly in their eyes.
"Mas, Menos, let's get this thing back to the Tower," says the Titan leader as she readjusts the machine in her grasp. "We need to make contact with the Titans West as soon as possible. Black Shadow just declared war on us. Telling the Titans West about it isn't something that can be put off."
Speedy would never admit this to Leila for fear of sounding like some sort of freak, but he is very glad that she chose to use her lightning. This isn't just because it took down all of the robots in one shot, but because nothing he has felt could ever compare to the feel of lightning wildly coursing through his body. To put simply, the feeling was incredible! Never has he had that much uncontained energy pulsing through him before. It made him feel so…powerful! Does Leila feel that way every time she uses her fire? If so, Speedy envies her for getting to feel that kind of a rush all the time.
Then again, Speedy doesn't resent her too much. For one thing, he actually got the opportunity to feel what her lightning is like; it isn't every day that someone gets to have electrical blue energy harmlessly pass through their body. Along with that, he got the opportunity to see the strong-willed fire user blush. She said it was out of annoyance that she was blushing, but the archer doesn't buy it for a second. In the end he was able to genuinely make her lose her composure, and for one reason or another, this pleases him immensely. Who knew that he was able to make Leila blush?!
Satisfied with tonight's events despite their trouble, Speedy steps over robots and piles of bricks like a pro as he keeps a few steps ahead of the girl beside him. At this point the fact that she, too, can weave over bricks and downed robots without difficulty doesn't surprise him in the least. There's no denying it that this girl definitely has skill. It sure is a good thing that he took a pie break when searching for that robber a few nights ago. He and the rest of the Titans never would have met her otherwise.
Speaking of the other Titans, he really should contact them in case they're still fighting Black Shadow's robots. Not that he would be much help to them now that he has been almost completely depleted of arrows, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't still have enough arrows to get a few good shots in. Leila's fire whips and the blade made out of fire that she uses would be helpful, too. Hopefully the others aren't having it too rough right now.
Removing his yellow Titan communicator from one of his pockets, Speedy turns to face the brown-haired girl. She is moving a bit more slowly than she was previously, and has gone from a little bit behind him to the point where she's lagging behind by several feet. Even so, he doesn't let the observation bother him too much. After everything she has done tonight, it is blatantly obvious that she doesn't need someone to look after her.
Pausing in his steps, he holds up the communicator as he speaks to her. "You don't mind if I contact my team, do you? We split up a while ago, and I haven't heard a thing from them."
Meeting his masked gaze, the brunette shakes her head. "No, go ahead and contact them. Don't let me stop you."
Giving a nod of comprehension, Speedy turns away from her and continues weaving around the wreckage. Opening up his communicator, he is about ready to try contacting Bumblebee or Aqualad. There's no doubt that they're together, so it honestly doesn't matter which one of them he contacts. However, before he can press the button that enables him to reach one of them, a small thud comes from behind him as well as a loud "oomph!".
Surprised by this, the archer turns around to see Leila hanging on desperately to the wall with one of her hands, the other being pressed to her forehead as though she is having a migraine. The girl's skin is a ghastly shade of white as well, making her look as though she is about ready to pass out. When she has to move her other hand away from her forehead and use that one to cling to the wall as well, it becomes very apparent that Leila isn't in as good of shape as he thought. Growing concerned, Speedy tucks away his communicator and rushes toward her. Contacting his teammates can wait.
Moving closer to the girl, Speedy watches as she trembles slightly. At one point she almost falls away from the wall and collapses to the ground, forcing Speedy to reach out with his gloved arms to help steady her. With one hand on her back and the other gripping her lightly by the upper arm, the redheaded archer speaks to her with apparent concern.
"Leila, are you okay? No offense, but you're not looking so good."
Much to his amazement, she doesn't shrug off his grasp. More than anything, she seems to welcome it. Based on how she stumbles upon releasing the wall, she is no doubt dizzy. It takes a few seconds, but at last she responds.
"Don't worry, Speedy. I'll be fine in a minute. I'm starting to feel the after effects of the lightning is all. They'll be gone soon." Pausing, she adds in what sounds like humiliation, "I hate to admit it, but…lightning kind of takes it out of me…"
Eyes widening beneath his mask, Speedy replies sounding more concerned than before. "This happens every single time you use your lightning?! Why didn't you tell me that your powers hurt you like this?!"
"Because they don't. I can use my fire all day and all night, and it doesn't hurt me in the slightest. Fire is basically a part of me. Lightning, on the other hand, is not. It goes against my body's basic nature to use lightning, and a lot of the time my body fights it, so some negative side effects are bound to kick in at some point."
"I wish you would have mentioned that earlier," says Speedy while keeping his grip on the girl. "If I would've known that this would happen, we could have found another way to beat those things."
The girl stumbles once more as she attempts walking, forcing him to wrap the arm that was on her back completely around her shoulders. Taking the hand that was previously grasping her upper arm, Speedy places one of her arms so that it is wrapped around his upper back. Knowing that Leila is completely supported and that she isn't going to fall down now, he takes her and continues on down the hallway. As they walk, Leila responds to his previous statement.
"Don't you get it? There wasn't another way to beat those things! If there was, then I wouldn't have resorted to using my lightning! Know that I never pull out my lightning without considering every other option I have open to me first. I only use it when it's the only option I have, and this was one of those times." Pausing slightly, she adds, "Also, if it will help you sleep tonight, these side effects aren't anything permanent. They'll go away in twenty minutes or an hour or two."
Leila's words don't cause Speedy's worry to subside; not even a little bit. If anything, his concern for the brown-haired fire user only grows. Carefully stepping over robots and around piles of bricks, he speaks to her once more.
"An hour or two?! Will you even be okay to make it home like this?! You can barely walk at all right now, and this is while I'm helping you!"
Opening her mouth partway, Leila appears ready to respond. However, before she has the chance, echoing footsteps come from up the hallway. Taken off guard by the footsteps, the archer and the fire user jump slightly prior to turning in the direction of the sound. At first Speedy is afraid that it might be Black Shadow, one of his henchmen, or some kind of super robot. It is because of this that when he sees the familiar figure of Aqualad, the archer is incredibly relieved.
He sees as the blue-clad male weaves around downed robots and piles of debris as he continues in their direction. With Leila in the state she's in, Speedy doesn't rush up to meet him. Instead he lets Aqualad come to them. Meanwhile, as he continues coming toward them, Aqualad speaks.
"Speedy, Leila, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! Bumblebee wants all of us to meet her back at the Tower. Now. We don't have any time to lose. This is important."
His focus momentarily distracted from the girl he's supporting, Speedy replies to his aquatic teammate sounding taken off guard.
"Bee is back at the Tower already? Does this mean that you were able to beat the robots?"
Eyes glazing over with seriousness, he sees as Aqualad's gaze turns in Leila's direction. "Actually, no. We were fighting the robots, and all of them shut down out of nowhere. Black Shadow showed up and said that you and Leila took them down by using some kind of large-scale lightning attack." Pausing, he adds, "Pieces of the ceiling started to fall on us, and we could see lightning on the floor above, so I assume that what Black Shadow told us is true."
Giving his own glance to Leila, he nods in confirmation. "Yeah, it's true. Leila took all of them out in one go." After a moment of hesitation, he adds in contempt, "Of course, while she was using her lightning, she forgot to mention that it has side effects that pretty much drain her of her energy and kill her! I guess bringing down a few lousy pieces of tin is worth risking her life over!"
Sighing in irritation, she gazes up at him while scowling. "I already told you, I'm going to be fine! Lightning just drains me a bit!"
"Oh, really? You're going to be fine? You can barely walk!"
Based on the way the two glare at each other, it is very apparent that the two could have a complete blow-out argument at this moment. The only reason that this didn't happen is because of Aqualad. Even if the aquatic hero wants to address Leila's condition and the specifics of what occurred during the battle, he doesn't. Instead he brings up something else entirely; something very important that Speedy is glad he decided not to skip over.
"Speedy, I'm sure that Leila knows what her body is capable of more than any of us. If she says she's going to be fine, then unless she takes a turn for the worst, we have to assume that she's going to be fine. Right now the Titans East has bigger things to worry about." Pausing, Aqualad turns around in a stiff manner and motions for them to follow. "If Leila can't walk, then pick her up bridal style and bring her back to the Tower. She's in this situation too, so she needs to come with us."
Emerald eyes widening, it is seen as Leila gapes back and forth between both men. Forcefully pulling free from Speedy's grasp, she takes several steps away from them and stares them down angrily. Her whole persona screaming with rage, the girl shouts at the two heroes.
"Oh, so that's it, huh?! You think that you can kidnap me and force me to go to Titans Tower with you?! I'm sorry, but I am not one of you guys! There's no way that you're making me go with you! I'm going back to my motel room and going to sleep! I'm sorry about your creepy villain Black Shadow, but he's your problem. There is no way that I'm getting involved in any of this!"
Speedy has no idea how he does it, but Aqualad manages to stay calm despite her outburst. When he responds to the girl, he still sounds as calm as ever.
"We aren't kidnapping you, Leila, and we aren't forcing you into this. The fact of the matter is that you're already involved way past the point of escape. Even if you don't want to 'officially' join the Titans, then you at least need to come back to the Tower with us to learn what's going on with Black Shadow. Bumblebee said that herself." Pausing, he adds with a frown, "Not only that, but I have to side with Speedy about the side effects of the lightning. You're pale, you're shaking, and you can barely stand up. Maybe you should come back to the Tower with us just so we can make sure that you're okay."
Certainly enough, the aquatic man wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. Leila is as pale as a sheet of paper, and is trembling like a flower on a windy day. Any moment now, it's obvious that she is going to collapse. Concerned for her well being, Speedy takes a step toward her in attempt to help steady her once more. Sadly, the moment he reaches for her, she slaps his hand away and takes a wobbly step backwards.
"No! Don't touch me! I am not involved in this, I am not a Titan, and I'm not coming with you!"
"I'm not trying to bind and gag you, if that's what you're thinking!" snaps Speedy. "I'm trying to catch you before you crack your skull open on the cement!"
Reaching outward, she catches herself on the wall as she stumbles to the side. "Y-you don't need to catch me!" she stutters as she struggles to keep her balance. "I-I'm f-fine…"
It becomes wildly apparent that she isn't fine, because before she can say another word her eyes roll to the back of her head and she passes out. Like a rock plummeting to the earth, Leila loses her grip on the wall and her unconscious form goes crashing toward the ground. It's only lucky for her that Speedy manages to jump forward and catch her in time.
Kneeling on the dusty cement covered in small bits of metal, Speedy holds the girl in is arms bridal style. Her long golden-brown curls are tangled like a rat's nest, her body trembles slightly, and her small form feels undeniably cold. Shoving a strand of hair out of her face using the pad of his thumb, the redheaded archer pulls the girl closer and gets to his feet. As he's holding her, he can't get over how light she is. It feels almost like he's holding an eleven-year-old girl rather than a sixteen-year-old.
Sighing in a stress-filled manner, Speedy turns to face his teammate. "You know that she isn't going to be happy when she wakes up in Titans Tower, right?"
Looking from Speedy, to Leila, and back again, Aqualad gives a stiff nod. "Yeah, I know, but we don't have too many options. She's gotten in deep, and even if she hasn't, we can't just leave her here."
"I know. I would never leave her here. I'm just giving you some forewarning."
Aqualad turns away from his teammate and begins walking up the hallway at his words. Though he doesn't face the archer, still he responds. "I know you wouldn't leave her. I can tell."
After the words are spoken, Speedy doesn't utter a single syllable. He follows close behind Aqualad in silence, the small-framed fire user safely in his grasp. As he gazes down at her with intensity in his masked eyes, only one thought occurs to him. For such a feisty girl who contains so much power, she looks tiny, helpless, and afraid while she's passed out.
A/N: That is it for now, my friends! From here on out, things are going to get a lot more interesting for the Titans; both the Titans East and the Titans West. Also, we'll get to see a little bit of Saeran in the next chapter. It has been a while since I've included him, so I thought that I would. Right now it is my plan to flash back and forth between the Titans East and the Titans West in the next chapter. Of course, plans change, so I'm not sure how much the Titans West are going to be involved. Neither do I know when my next update is going to be. Nonetheless, I will try to finish the next chapter and do another update for you guys soon. Until next time! :)
Forever and Always,
OCQ