Disclaimer: By this means, I rightfully claim ownership to this fanfiction story and my original character within it, by my trademark signature T.M.O at the conclusion of every update. Any other characters that may appear in this work and are new, these are the rightful properties by their creators as well and cannot be reproduced, or duplicated without their individual consent. I do not own anything within the DC Universe, from Warner Brothers, or on Cartoon Network. The only original character and the name that I created for him; that I accept half ownership on is Falcon from this telling. Scififanfreak222 owns the second half of him as well, for drawing him upon a collaboration of various new designs and sketches within the year of 2010; and cannot be knowingly placed into another literary document, writing community, comic book series, and or televised broadcast without either of our written or verbal consent in front of legal consultants. TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne, Scififanfreak222, xSaffire55x, Novus Ordo Seclorum, and RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose; each of these fellow writers have helped me to press onwards with this story, every-time I have come across writers block. Without their outstanding guidance, the updates would have taken me even longer to complete.
Chapter 17 is ready! A hero sorts through the terrible destruction; Raven & Starfire prepare the festivities, while a dark turn approaches. "Sometimes, it's too little, too late." -Unknown-
Chapter 17 - Regrets
The driver's side window was partially cracked open, where the local hero allowed the stench of city air to circulate around him. The stereo was on a low setting, as the muscular teenager listened to a variety of pop artists.
His focus was on the vehicles around him, while the radio was used to calm his troubled anxieties. The Teen Titan understood where he was going, and the potential gathering of busybodies that would inevitably be there, also digging for clues like he was about to do.
This ordeal was not going to be a pleasant experience, and as the street signs and buildings he passed gave him a strong indication of where exactly he was, the conflict of his own actions steadily dawned on him. It was the truth of everything, and the problems he was up against which only became that much more serious.
He did not feel all too sanguine or enthusiastic about anything, not the sports teams winning their games last night, or the A-List movie actors in town doing a film shoot. None of this mattered, everything else was all just a blur.
Pressing his foot onto the gas peddle, he continued traversing around the slower residents, and avoiding potential accidents. It was like he was having an out-of-body experience, where the young man was going through the motions of driving, mentally however, he was on some far away ether.
Since the moment he had departed from the secluded work-bay within Titans Tower, a newfound energy to uncover some concealed truth, of discovering any scattered remnants of Robin's story, was all he could focus on. It scorched over his thinking, as the team's mechanic drove closer towards The Jump City Rail Lines.
Starfire was unsuccessful in her attempts to make things feel comfortable, to bring an olive branch to the dissatisfied parties. The burden of Falcon's death, it had left his friends in painful disarray.
The truth about the current state of affairs was well known, and this petrified Cyborg. There was no way of ridding himself of the staggering depression. His tenacious and bold ability to cooperate, and to remain a supportive co-captain was now left into question, there would be no turning back.
The impregnable loyalty, that was so tightly woven between these two young men, of Cyborg and Robin, had fissures and cracks that had splintered. It was forcing their bond of comradeship into an entirely low state of affairs. Tensions were running high, and nobody wanted to talk.
Hoping that the drive would calm him down, the one pleasure he felt that could bring back some normalcy, was not felt. As this revelation hit him like a ton of bricks, he became even more grumpy and frustrated with his commander.
Why did Robin want me to head back home? Cyborg thought to himself. He did not want me to see things, he . . . he missed something. I know he did.
The stoplight quickly changed from yellow to red in a matter of split seconds. Cyborg noticed this, and the hero slowed the T-Car down before he approached the intersection.
The Titan's Mechanic became transfixed by the crosswalk's white lines in the middle of the street. Pedestrians began to stroll past, and some looked at him where the countless faces began to merge and disorient him.
It was a sensation that a patron at the art gallery can get, when staring into the oil painting for too long, or the glazed over look in the person's eye, as one watches television for hours on end.
So many lives had been saved, and none of these people had any idea as to the total bedlam that could have befallen their peaceful world, had he or his friends not stepped in. To fight for them, to stand for justice, law, and order was like the bell in a boxing match, ringing within his very soul.
Can one person really change the outcome? Cyborg asked in his mind. What am I supposed to be looking for anyway?
The honking of a red Ford Ranger pickup truck from behind him, caused Cyborg to glance up to view that the light had changed back to green. As if he were being tugged along by invisible strings, the local celebrity pressed his right foot onto the gas pedal, and he continued on his journey.
It was a surreal moment that Cyborg was in, as he desperately sought to find a way to fix this problem. He was very good at fixing things, he made it his business every single day to make things work again, to solve problems that nobody could, and to show off his impressive craftsmanship using computers or mechanical feats.
This however, was a challenge that he was seldom used to dealing with. Just another leadership trait that he could notch into his belt, like a Boy-Scout acquiring badges.
It was not long after this topic came to him, that the Teen Titan was truly aware, that he had arrived a few blocks out from the Train Station. The plume of gray sooty smoke, rising and curving upwards to the heavens was what he noticed first. The next thing that strained his neck, were the countless police cruisers and firetrucks, lined all across the street.
The flashing lights, the construction workers gathering debris, as the local authorities cordoned off the main road and sidewalks.
This was it, the moment of truth he had been plotting for so long to partake in. As he took a deep and refreshing breath, he turned the key in the ignition off. His body crumpled forwards against the wheel, as the brawling of an army of Sladebots last night, had finally begun to crash against his impenetrable stamina.
"Okay big guy, you made it this far . . . you can go all the way." Cyborg gave himself a pep-talk, to boost his demoralized confidence. "No regrets."
The destruction was unimaginable, as Cyborg walked beyond the security checkpoints, past a number of residents, some reporters and any curious onlookers, while the fire department was still hard at work, and so too were the police at making it known, that the area was an active crime-scene.
A ruthless and vindictive future that Slade was unleashing on them, was appearing to become more of a pending reality. The ominous aura that carried itself upon Cyborg's shoulders, was very similar to a person who had just been at a funeral. He was in no mood to talk to the reporters, that were packing up their things, and he refused to give any autographs to a few adoring fans.
Something felt very out-of-place for the hero. A terrible cost had been paid, but the deeper fear that gave his appearance a more hunched-over look, was that he knew entirely well, that many more attacks were bound to hit him and his teammates, and he wanted to prepare so they would be ready.
He needed to gather every bit of data, anything that science could generate a solid conclusion, and not just a hypothesis.
A Crime Scene Investigator from the J.C.P.D. quickly stomped out his cigarette, and as he observed the famous superhero making his way up the long granite stairs, where he made his move. He approached the Teen Titan with caution, yet he followed things by the book.
The young investigator was very new at this, he had put in a transfer to work on terrorism and radical movements that sprung up from time to time, where Big Brother was always seeking out people with a drive on this level, to acquire hard physical evidence, to counter any future threats. Slade was a terrorist, an enemy of the people, and he had to be brought to heel.
The yellow crime-scene tape was strung all around the inner perimeter, and the plastic material bobbed in the breeze.
The Jump City Train Station was in ruins, most of the pillars of the famous building were still standing, but some had collapsed and had broken into various pieces across the long steps, while wreckage was littered everywhere.
Once the detective had caught up with Cyborg, he did not have to tap him on the shoulder as he thought he might have to, as the very muscular eighteen-year-old African American, unexpectedly froze in his place.
"I am here on official Teen Titan business." The gear-head waved his hand, and he kept his back turned.
"Right sir." The twenty-seven year old investigator replied. "I take it you want to go through our records, as we would very much like the cooperation of your-"
"Yeah, yeah sure." Cyborg cut him off. "Give me your tablet."
"Sir?"
Cyborg turned and faced the career driven forensic scientist. The Teen Titan was the same height as the C.S.I. (Crime Scene Investigator) hotshot, and unlike The Boy Wonder, the Titan's Mechanic got close and personal in people's faces, to instill shock and awe into friend and foe.
"All Jump City C.S.I.'s are required by law, to take down official business on a handheld tablet. Statements from witnesses, data-feed from local security cameras, the layout of what happened. Everything."
"Right sir. But of course."
The forensic scientist handed over his device without a single rejection. Cyborg held the computer with one hand, and he opened a compartment on his left wrist and plugged into it. He used his right hand to type onto the small keyboard that had now emerged, sorting through the footage and interrogation statements of hundreds of people.
In a matter of thirty seconds, Cyborg breathed in quietly and he unplugged himself. Then he handed back the tablet, with a forceful shoving gesture into the investigator's sternum. He would look over everything back at the Tower. Everything was too discombobulated here.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Not yet." Cyborg continued typing away, scrolling through and rewinding countless hours of raw unedited footage. "But I will."
The black teenager interlocked his arms across his chest, and he stood at the base of the stairway, where the mighty lions were sitting. He approached one of them, placed his hand onto the impressive sculpture and slowly shifted his focus, back onto the building.
"There is something here, something you and Robin overlooked. I aim to find out exactly what happened to my friend."
The Crime Scene Investigator scratched the back of his neck. "I thought your leader told you everything?"
Cyborg flashed a death-glare at the man. "Clearly, me being here means he left out a few things then, didn't he?"
"I-I guess so, perhaps."
The Teen Titan poked him in the chest. "Listen up, and listen good. I take it that you are a rookie, fresh out of your class and eager to solve all these big problems."
"Well now, I did ask for a transfer from what I was doing before."
"Which was?"
"Homicide."
There it was, that awkward pause, as Cyborg gradually backed away from his prodding and brute interrogation upon the member of the law enforcement community. Everybody filled a vital part, and Cyborg was working overtime and clearly drained, as his temper was short, and his patience was wearing very thin.
"I wanted to actually do something where I could prevent future crimes from happening. Learn as much as I can about a current one, so that way, I could to give the higher-ups a warning before things go from bad . . . to worse." The soft spoken investigator looked at his tablet. "I don't think my stomach could handle the bodies anymore. At least this way, I can still help."
"I see." Cyborg nodded. "My apology, I've just had a very . . . very long week."
"Ive had those." The young C.S.I. chuckled for a moment.
The Teen Titan smiled back, where he almost could not believe that he was able to manage this much even. His lack of sleep must have been affecting him more than he wanted to admit.
Here at the ruins of an important part of the city's infrastructure, two men who served justice stood, gazing up at the rubble and blown-out windows, as the shattered glass was sprinkled across many of the steps. The tiny fragments sparkled, like frost against a wet grassy field. The black teenager's Adam's Apple trembled, where the increasing nausea worsened in his stomach.
"This was one heck of a massive explosion." The C.S.I. turned his head to review things from his tablet. "To have caused all this damage, and for the pillars that support the roof to have given way, I can only assume that multiple devices were strapped all over this facility."
"You may have the luxury to assume that theory detective." Cyborg was fast to respond, as his only eye revealed a fire of burning hatred. "But I do my work based on actual evidence and science."
"We all do."
"But that hypothesis is in fact correct." Cyborg knelt down and rubbed a bit of orange colored powder between his metallic fingers. "From the scanner of my left eye, I am picking up faint traces of magnesium, carbon . . . and ammonia nitrate."
"Added together . . . that makes up the basic components for dynamite." The Crime Scene Investigator answered, with his arms interlocked across his chest.
"Which also rules out any theory of earthquakes or rupturing of the gasoline, as the reporters told the general public."
"Hmmm . . . you're good." The young man began to stroke his tie. "We do not wish for the public to fear that a local terrorist, was going to keep striking."
"Very observant." Cyborg gradually stood up as he finished scanning the light powdery substance in between his metal fingers. "Enough of this child's game, what other facts do you have?"
"Our forensic team has analyzed much of the area, and while the blast would carry the elements far and wide, from the wind, it has been largely concentrated to have come from within the Train Station." The detective frowned and let out a heavy sigh. "There are some things, but we still can not piece together how in the world the suspect, was able to rig something like this so quickly."
"Slade is a man with certain capabilities. His resources are near endless, and he is driven to fulfill his own agenda."
"Which is . . .?"
Cyborg squinted his eye at the ground, he felt his hands clench and tighten, as his spine became incredibly stiff. "That detective, is what I aim to uncover."
Raven was giving a perplexed and somewhat frustrated look of disapproval at the mess upon the kitchen counter. Green, yellow, and blue colored frosting was splashed across the surface, spilled flour and milk had dripped here and there, and a leaning tower of bowls, a whisk, measuring cups and spoons were clearly visible from the sink.
Taking on the criminal underworld in fisticuffs, standing for truth and justice was one matter, baking a birthday cake for a very close friend, and from scratch with very little practice was another. The mess only got more sloppy and dirty, as the clock ticked away.
Raven just remained standing by the back end of the kitchen, looking in with a look of total exhaustion, at the busy baker in her wheelchair trying to create something edible and palpable to human tastebuds. With a very recent third failed attempt at getting this cake done right, the red haired warrior princess had pulled herself away from the battleground, to catch her breath.
This fourth attempt was a monstrous process of maddening determination, and the new cake was baking in the oven, going through a rather delicate process. The last and final step would be to coat the delicious treat in frosting, and to then decorate it.
Similar to the counter-top with all sorts of ingredients sprinkled about, the very same products were clinging all over Starfire's apron. Flour, sugar, gooey egg, dabs of milk were smeared across the gown.
Trying to talk to her allies had failed, trying to bring an olive branch to all parties was unsuccessful, but if she could pull off this feat and feed her close friends, then perhaps things could be healed. If nothing else, it was a drive that even the Empath did not expect to observe, and it was bringing out a much more affectionate sisterly-bond between them.
It was humbling to be experimenting with a fascinating and truly artistic trade, but when her own alien experiences of food was in all context, from an entirely different planet, things did not blend too easily. Mixing mustard or hot sauce onto just about everything that she could get her hands on, it did not culminate too well for anybody who dared to taste.
Cook books lay opened, as well as a laptop on the nearby table. Various methods for decorating a marvelous birthday cake had many tasks involved, and the measuring and step-by-step process took a great deal of focus and concentration.
Raven admired her comrade, and as her injured superhero ally pressed onwards with this plot, even in a wheelchair that constricted her movements in the kitchen, it gave the impression that there was no way she could back-down from this either.
She had helped with the other three, and they had all failed. This was testing her patience, and the Empath was ready to go to the grocery store, and buy a freshly made birthday cake.
"Well, I think that should take care of it then." Starfire tilted her head and smiled.
Raven was jolted upright when she heard this. "Fourth time's the charm." She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
The Tamaranean Princess chuckled. "Yes, it has been a very tiresome procedure. I am not very accustomed to this particular craft as a baker, but I am very pleased with myself."
"I have to admit Starfire, after the second attempt having failed, if it were just me, I would probably have thrown in the towel." Raven shook her head. "But not you."
"It is a very special occasion." Starfire replied. "Beast Boy is turning another year older, sixteen is a very big milestone."
"It seems like only yesterday when we were just kids." Raven sighed, as she propped her chin up with her left hand. "Now, we are all at that middle point in our teenage years."
Starfire reached out to grasp her sister-teammate's right hand. "There is much heartache that has happened, but there is still bound to be good things in our future."
"How can you be so positive, after everything?"
The Tamaranean Warrior let go of her friend's hand, and she wheeled herself over to the opposite counter. She began to gather the assortment of baking tools. "We must not forget what has brought us here. While we must also not spend too much time, dwelling about of all the pains." Starfire answered.
"I know." The Empath rasped, "I just see a great deal of conflict rising, all around us and I cannot help but feel . . . lost."
"The footprints of our actions do leave deep impressions, and our failures can only do worse harm, if we allow them to." Starfire turned and beamed another affectionate smile.
"So Cyborg went to the Train Station?" Raven asked, switching the topic as her attractive eyes looked up, and she became transfixed onto the shoulders of her ally.
"He said . . . that he needed to find closure."
"Right." The Gray Demoness responded in her gravelly voice. "But what could he possibly hope to find, in nothing but that rubble?"
Starfire slowly turned. "He only wanted to see if Robin missed something. He is just being thorough."
The demoness turned to glance at the main doorway, as her attention and thoughts dwelled about their fearless leader, locked within his bedroom. "I should be out there with him."
"But Raven, what good would it generate?" Starfire asked as she began washing the mixing bowl. "What assistance could be brought, when both Robin and Cyborg wish not for either of our presence?"
"You've got a point there." Raven resumed her attention back onto her comrade. "I probably would just get in Cyborg's way. If only he was not so stubborn about this!"
"From what I have learned about the boys of Earth, I am finding that I still have much to learn. Is it always this difficult to make progress, in these delicate matters?"
The gray enchantress bit her lower lip. "You don't even know the half of it."
"Boys." Starfire responded with a sigh.
The Titan's girls began to laugh, and for a brief time at least, they had found an unexpectedly candid moment. They understood what was at stake, they could never ignore their losses, and they had to somehow rekindle the flames of hope, while the rest of their teammates became mired in the bleak and vast pit of shame.
"Besides the cake, what else are we missing?" Starfire asked after sanitizing a portion of the counter.
"I've never been one for parties Starfire, you know that." Raven deadpanned.
"Balloons, streamers, festive hats!" The Warrior Princess cut back in. "We need to decorate his room!"
"At the hospital?"
"Of course!" Starfire began to tap her chin, feverish with a bright glow of enjoyment having been rediscovered in her spirit. "Beast Boy will be too weak and unable to leave his quarters for some time."
"Why didn't I think of that?" Raven stroked her chin, "Nice idea."
"Oh. We must also get presents!"
"This is turning into something big. Hopefully not too big."
"But we must only give the best to Beast Boy, he is our dear friend!"
"Yeah." Raven replied. "You're right, only the best will do. In fact, I think I'll go and pick up some decorations at the store. Think you can handle the rest of this . . . er . . . project on your own? Baking was never really my specialty."
"Oh yes." Starfire spun around with her index finger pointing high. "There is still more desserts that I must prepare, and setting up the piñata will also require my attention."
"Alright." The Empath got up and started walking towards the main doors, but she stopped and partially glanced over her left shoulder. "You know, Beast Boy does not yet realize what happened with Falcon."
The gorgeous red head breathed in softly, where she was still heard from the long distance. "It has crossed my thoughts." She turned in the wheelchair to face the entrance of the Common Room. "That is why, everything must be set up before he awakens."
"Right." Raven partially smirked, only to force it away. "There still won't be any easy way around this. He will blame himself, like the rest of us and worse, there is still that debacle that we have to explain to him, about Robin's plan of using him against Falcon."
"We must tread forwards carefully." Starfire nodded. "We must embrace this but with great care."
"You make it sound so easy." The Empath took one step forwards before stopping. "But we both know that it won't be."
"Raven, is something of the trouble?" Starfire asked politely. Their eyes locked onto one another, where Starfire's emerald pair appeared to glisten in the light, and Raven's amethyst eyes did the same.
The very pale gothic girl blinked. "I'm not entirely sure. I just feel that . . . maybe . . . eh. Never mind."
There was another awkward lull, and the silence between these two superheroes made them dwell deeply over their own doubts, and struggling comprehension with things set to transpire.
"Friend, is there something you wish to talk about? That perhaps I can give council on?" Starfire asked again, where anytime there was a discussion, she was considerate and full of compassion.
Raven was perplexed, as she looked back out the window to the very front of the room. The massive city across the bay was captivating to observe. She did not respond.
"Raven?" asked Starfire.
The sound of her name being spoken, had awoken the attractive blue cloaked girl. Raven expressed a slight grin, she shook her head and replied; "That's quite alright. I won't be gone long."
The wide doors she was standing in front of suddenly slid apart, and Raven disappeared into the hallway.
Robin was searching for Slade's hidden lair, Cyborg was trying to make sense of last night, Starfire was committed to making sure that their friend's birthday was going to be remembered for more than the tragedy of Falcon, which Raven realized that instead of feeling useless, she now had a new purpose.
Going into the city would do her some good, and it would give her a chance to formulate the best way to tell Beast Boy, just how important he was to them, and to her.
Within a darkened room, large cogs and gears were turning and clicking into place, the steel pistons were pumping as steam was released from the constant motion, of the impressive device. Every intricate component served a purpose, while some of these massive mechanisms powered the electrical generator.
Behind the thick and heavy iron pillars, a vast and intricate glass window revealed the shadows of a 19th century clock, similar to Big Ben that was attached to The House Of Parliament in London. The slow spinning pieces on the outside, cast an ever changing silhouette, deep within the hidden chamber.
Everything served a vital purpose, where the rustic clocktower was built into the very middle of Jump City during its inception, yet none of the inhabitants truly cared to explore its very foundation. The city historians had this facility sealed off, allowing small tour groups to explore the grounds outside of the perimeter, but never going in.
This opportunity had allowed for one person to slip inside, undetected and in complete anonymity. The ceiling lights were partially obstructed, by the fumes and smoke that expanded, and eventually consumed the inner workings of the well fortified citadel.
The rhythmic notches clanging and clicking over and over, the sharp crunching generated by the gears, spinning into place, this muffled any noises that the occupant made.
At least a dozen flat screen televisions and computers were placed along a balcony, sitting against a wall and every image was switching from the various traffic cameras, to satellite imagery across Jump City. Even the cellphone towers that were scattered about the high rises, and in the outskirts of the metropolis, these devices were transmitting sonar type of pictures.
From any number of the countless thousands of inhabitants, making phone calls, the public was completely unaware that the government was keeping tabs on them. This very network designed to protect them, had been hacked into, and mostly all of the city was view-able.
Everything except for Titan's Tower, standing upon its little island in the middle of the water, could be observed. Upon the far right monitor, it was showing buildings behind and around it, everything from the red suspension bridges that linked one half of the city to the other, but the famed island was designed like Fort Knox. The team's gear-head must have installed a jamming satellite dish, to block any prying eyes.
Sitting in his impressive revolving chair, the grand architect was cloaked within the blackness, where the bouncing light from the screens revealed only a partial outline of his armored body, and his left eye. It was altering across the many monitors, as a single white cup of soothing tea resided upon the armrest.
The Achilles Heel to the Teen Titans was to split them up one by one, and by forcing his enemies to bicker and squabble amongst themselves. With the traffic camera outside of The Jump City Rail-Lines revealing Cyborg's T-Car, the criminal mastermind brought his hands below his chin.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen." Slade's gravelly voice carried a slight echo. "Blinded by grief, fueled by hate, and now I have them on the ropes. This is turning out even better than my calculations had predicted."
"You seem pretty confident with things. My question is, why wait?" A young female voice chimed in, forcing Slade to move his forbidding eye, towards the bottom of the stairs.
"Patience." Slade deadpanned. "Things of this nature take time, they are exactly where I want them. There is no need to spoil the entertainment so soon."
"To me, this is rather . . . lethargic if you don't mind my saying so." The powerful villainess cooed with a deceitful smile.
The masked villain's burning eye narrowed again, and the tense agreement was become slightly more malicious. "While I appreciate your overzealous motives, to inflict as much of your long awaited torment upon your sister's head, as I do upon Robin. However, you forget that there are five of them, that still pose a significant threat."
The teenage girl crossed her arms across her bust. The cold emptiness was just as concealing around her trim and attractive figure, as it was to her ally. He did not budge an inch, yet, his frightful glare appeared to carry its own palpable weight.
"When I came back to this stinking city, I sought out a way to obliterate them all!" Backfire squeezed her fist as she shook it. "Not to play games!"
The criminal mastermind caused his mighty throne to finish its revolution, so that now he was facing her. "You of all people should understand this very fundamental idea, that in order to obtain the ultimate victory, retribution is just an ends upon itself." He leaned forwards a little, and he pressed his left hand against his mask. "There is more to this plot, than that motive alone."
Blackfire squinted her amethyst eyes, a few droplets of sweat began to trickle down her forehead in the cramped quarters. It was uncomfortably hot, as the great clock tower was operating the motors that powered the base. It was a very claustrophobic atmosphere, high in the city and overlooking everything, yet right beneath the Teen Titan's very noses.
Doubts in this uneasy alliance had been essentially swiped clean, the very moment she had finished off the skull-masked bandit, with a dark crimson 'X' across his helmet. However, there was something still eating away at her confidence, little by little.
She could still see herself reaching over the ledge of the cliff, and the unknown stranger letting go. The Tamaranean Exile had bested the illusive Master Thief, but it did not feel like victory.
"I should have blasted him with a star-bolt when I had the chance." Blackfire whispered to herself, while sneering at the floor.
"What was that?" Slade asked.
I should have checked the sea-bed. Just to be sure he was truly . . . dead. The black haired Tamaranean Warrior spoke in her mind, and she glanced back up to speak out loud; "Nothing, I'm just getting used to the constant noise, of the great big clock is all."
"Hmm." The Master Strategist slouched a little further back. "Their willpower stands upon the edge of a knife, nudged but for little, and they will fall to ruin."
"And what do you propose, we do about that?"
"Phase one has been an absolute success. Albeit it was a test, a way to measure Robin and his friend's counter measures, but from what I have gathered today, they are still lost in the dark."
Blackfire felt a bubbling hatred rise up from deep within her spirit, while her hair partially swayed from the fan. The large spinning blades directly behind her, chopped up the shadows into fragments of light across her face.
Slade listened intently to the teenager swallow the discomfort, with a twisted sense of pleasure. His eye appeared to coil itself into a wicked grin, as the device behind her that cooled down the electrical motors, distorted the impressive aura about him.
"Why are we still here, we should finish them off! One of them is in the hospital, isn't he? And another one is DEAD!" Blackfire stepped forwards with an arm swinging back. "What are we still doing-"
"NO!" Slade brought his right fist down, like a sledgehammer had been dropped. The tea splashed from his cup, as everything became eerily quiet. "You are underestimating their chances. We are not yet ready to strike."
"What are you talking about?" She was now standing upon the lower step that led to the mighty chair. "We should hit them hard, and with everything we've got. No mercy!"
"Stupid girl." Slade hissed, catching her off guard but still he kept his composure. "They are beaten and bloodied, yet they are still too formidable to breach a head-long assault on their fortress. They will soften their defenses soon, as they are continuously being worn down."
"Waiting them out, I don't see why?"
"Because young lady, the mind may be strong and reinforced, but the body can only stagger on for so long. Fatigue will subdue them from within, and then they will become sloppy in their haste to catch me."
"Intriguing strategy you've got Slade." Blackfire tapped her chin.
"You see." Slade continued his statement. "One by one, they will make an enormous final effort to fight me, and with every failed attempt that adds up, with every obstacle I put in their way, they will only deplete their energy faster."
"Until there is nothing left." The Tamaranean Exile put her hands over her hips. "I must say, while it's not my style, I do give credit where it is due. However, I still think this is all just a big waste of time."
"Time is not wasted by me, I make every perilous second count." The Criminal Mastermind retorted. "Where as you have had fisticuffs with them, it has never ended with victory for you, has it?"
"You fought them too." Blackfire sputtered. "What is so different between us anyway?"
Slade pointed behind her, directing her to gaze at the shadow of the great clock. "Time. It Is the single most greatest achievement of mankind, and a weapon that I have always had at my disposal. All foes may choose where and how to fight, but it is the when, THAT is what knocks out every single adversary I have ever been confronted with."
"I see." She allowed her stern posture to loosen. The brawl at the Jump City Amusement Park, unleashing star-bolts within the House Of Mirrors was rather fresh."Still, I think it might be easier to take them on right now. It seems like a good a time as any."
"They are at a tipping point." He bowed his head, and his low rasping pitch dropped to a more sinister tone. "The moment of victory is near, but there is work that needs to be done."
This startled her, and her eyes became wider for a moment before she continued. "They don't know anything, other than more strikes are bound to hit them."
"Your eagerness to make a move, it has caught my eye, but great haste only blinds ones ambitions." Slade's fiercely intimidating glare curled again. "I am four moves ahead of The Titans, where you my dear . . ." his head tilted to the side. "You only think of the here and now."
The attractive teenager bit her lower lip. The seething envy to generate excruciating pain and to wipe out all existence of her loathed younger sister, it was mustering a new conflict that she was not able or willing to understand.
"There is more to me than you will ever know!" Blackfire hissed.
"Yet here you are. I did a little investigating in you. So full of everything that you realize yourself to be the true and rightful ruler of your home world, and yet . . . usurped by Starfire, your younger sister." His voice became even raspier. "You came crawling out of that pit of a cell, fueled for blood. You are by my side now, because you understand that without me, you will NEVER fulfill your vendetta."
The intellectual mastermind lifted his right hand, where a remote was in his clutches.
"What is that supposed to be? I'm not intimidated by your toys!"
"Bold words coming from a frightened child." Slade chuckled.
"My anger outweighs my fear." Blackfire snapped back.
"Good. But, the things Starfire and her team did to you, it is not everything that drives you, that holds a pain to your heart. Is it?"
Following a swift click of the remote, every single monitor revealed a lone image darting through the vast expanse of space. The stars sparkled behind the paused recording, and in a matter of seconds, absolute confusion had formed across the young girl's face.
"Wha . .. that cannot be who I . . . NO!"
"Yes." The Master Villain answered.
"Impossible!" Blackfire gasped. "It must be a trick!"
"Is it?" he clicked the remote a second time, and the image instantly became much brighter and more focused. "At first, when the S.T.A.R. Labs Satellite picked up this image, nobody thought much of it, other than a possible shooting star, or a burning red comet."
The devious architect of chaos, allowed a few lingering seconds of silence to hold out, as his newest pawn remained baffled in stupefaction. This was the scarce taste of pleasure, he so desperately craved.
"Fascinating to see your reaction." Slade spoke up, effectively ending the lull.
"He . . . he was gone!" Blackfire stammered out, nearly out of breath. "Lost after the Gordanians attacked our home!" She could not believe it, and before she even realized what she could do, her feet had carried her up the final steps, and she was now touching one of the main televisions. "How is this possible? You actually know his current location then?"
"It never really took my list of priorities, to hack into the satellite images of our solar system, but then something happened. When your sister went onto a talk show a few months back, and she publicly expressed her agony over the situation she was in, of loosing her brother prior to her unexpected arrival here on Earth. Naturally, I felt while it may prove fruitless, if I were to somehow come across the location of her . . . your brother, that an extra bargaining chip on the table could always come in handy. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I . . . I'm at a loss of words." Blackfire stroked the screen, trying to feel close to her forgotten family member.
Slade glanced from the frozen images, across his dozens of computers, to explore and absorb every little detail that became expressed, all over the attractive Exile's face. The expanding of her pupils in her beautiful eyes, the gentle release of her breath, or the twitch of her lips. Without a doubt, Blackfire was entirely mesmerized about this recent disclosure of information.
"With relatively little work, I uncovered that Wayne Technologies has spent millions in the past decade, trying to assist NASA, through its funding of private donors to continue exploration in the deepest regions of space." Slade noticed the silent majordomo Wintergreen, emerge from a secluded corner. The expression across Blackfire's face, was filled with much conflict.
The faithful butler approached the throne, where Slade held out his right hand. Blackfire turned and watched as the old gentleman in a slick white suit, passed along a shiny compact disk, with total grace in his form as if he were in the presence of royalty.
"What is that?" Blackfire asked, where her focus was now glued to the tiny silver saucer.
Slade nodded his head, motioning for his most devoted servant to depart. "Naturally, I took it upon myself to crack into every single satellite feed across the Milky Way. It took months, endless hours of sifting through pointless jargon and statistics of inhabited planets and so forth. But I was driven to see what I would discover."
"Intriguing story." Blackfire interrupted. "But you still haven't answered my question."
"This." Slade said, as he held up the disk. "This . . . is the last and only bit of information pertaining to your brother, and what quadrant of the galaxy he was headed towards."
"How can I be sure that everything you told me, is true?"
"You won't."
"Somehow I knew you were going to say that!"
"Ask yourself this." Slade studied the circular object. "Are you so willing and eager to abandon the search for you brother, when now, there is even a slight chance that you can meet him again?"
Blackfire turned her back as she thought for a moment. "How did you acquire that information, perhaps I can just as easily get it on my own terms?"
A deeply sinister chuckle was released from the masked criminal. This forced the Exile to spin around with contempt.
"My dear, you truly listened to nothing I just explained to you." Slade pointed to the ceiling. "The methods of how I acquired the information is of no concern, and this is the last copy in existence. What is the bigger obstacle you must overcome now, is what are you willing to do for me, to get this?"
"Well now." The eldest of the royal Tamaranean siblings retracted her depression into a sly grin. "You sure continue to surprise me."
The fearsome brownish red eyeball never wavered a single meter, as he watched with ample delight. With almost a dark sense of vile pleasure, he arrogantly boasted of his newest device, to use at his leisure. Her pulsing jugular vein along her neck throbbed quickly, as Blackfire's heart-rate pounded much quicker.
"This deal that I promise you, it has both leniency and truth to it." Slade made his ultimatum known. "Not only are you going to get your revenge, but you will be able to put the pieces together, to find out where your beloved younger brother is."
"I never thought that he survived." The Tamaranean Exile said softly. "Now you tell me, that my return to this boring rock, this pointless planet has the potential to not only give me my heart's desire, but to be reunited with my brother."
Slade stood out of the throne, and he approached her. Blackfire's size and slender frame was entirely dwarfed by his physical appearance and towering height.
"What's the catch?" Blackfire asked, as she recoiled a little.
Slade's eye studied her, it was very apparent that he was the much more dominant person in their partnership. "If you are willing to endure the tasks that I ask of you. Without question, without mercy. By honoring your undying pledge of loyalty to me here and now, then I may bestow upon you, what you have been after these many years."
The memory of Red X bleeding out from his countless injuries, the staggering and slumped over posture, the young mercenary gasping for air while reaching for something to grab hold of, all of these things came rushing into her mind. A shiver worked up her backside, and she knew from this point on-wards, that Deathstroke was unlike any villain she had met before.
"Are you with me?" Slade asked, hoisting the ultimate prize before her. "Do not take my generosity for granted. You will find, that I can prove to be just as vicious and cruel, as your worst nightmares."
"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice in this, do I?" Blackfire deadpanned.
The glossy and reflecting sparkle in her gaze had suddenly changed, appearing to simmer with fire. At first, she signed on with this illusive deceiver, as a way to tip the balance of things in her favor, and to outmaneuver The Teen Titans. She never for a second believed, that she was going to be manipulated like this.
She was trapped.
"Think carefully now." Slade began to pace back and forth, goading her. "The last known coordinates that you have scoured across the universe searching for, to locate your beloved brother. After all this time . . . the long arduous wait is almost over."
"I thought I could take advantage of the resources you had." The slim and stunning black haired villainess, took three trembling steps backwards. "I thought . . . just getting back at my sister would be enough."
"And now?"
"And now . . ." Blackfire looked away for a few seconds, before returning her attention onto him. "Where instead of my one and only goal, I find myself in a truly unexpected place."
Slade stroked her on the shoulder. "You are an asset in doing what must be done." He then turned, grabbing a folder from the counter, and he sat down onto his throne. "It would appear, that I have something else that you want. The choice is yours."
Blackfire squinted her purple eyes at the man. It was finally exposed to her, that strings were being pulled from the very beginning, and the uncomfortable aura of conflict, was now festering outwards like her shadow.
"Where the only way I can get it, is if I do exactly what you say." Blackfire pursed her lips as she thought over everything. "Well played, very well played. I don't see anything else I can do here."
"Do you accept these terms?" Slade asked.
Bowing her head, the burden of what could happen if she failed, would not only bring her a complete humiliation against her sister, but the knowledge that their brother's whereabouts was also at risk.
"Yes." Blackfire said bitterly, while staring at the screens and being transfixed by the images of Wildfire.
"Good." Slade replied.
"What would you have me do?" The Exile spoke with harsh rasp now.
"This came to my thinking the day we first crossed paths." The Criminal Mastermind clasped his hands in front of him, as he leaned forwards.
"What is it?" Blackfire questioned.
-Flashback-
The memory of her sitting on top of the clocktower, that they were now talking within came rushing back. The feeling of a complete hatred while she looked over the city, a place that only left a horrid taste to her, was upsetting her stomach.
Just beyond the Courthouse and Train Station, past the waterfront and the Dockyards, the Tamaranean Warrior scowled at the famous structure where her sister lived. The tall building was an unmistakable reminder to everyone, that a band of brave superheroes lived amongst them.
As a fierce gust of wind picked up on that cold bitter night, she never suspected that she was being watched from the shadows.
"Strange to find someone squatting on my roof at this hour." A menacing and gravely voice called to her.
Blackfire quickly became wide awake after hearing this. She turned and was baffled to notice a man, standing behind her.
"I did not see anybody laying claim to this place." Blackfire fired back. "Who are you anyway, and what do you want?"
"Hmmmm." The man with only one eye responded. "You seem to be in search of retaliation."
Blackfire squeezed her fists. "Is it that obvious?"
"You have been staring out at Titans Tower, that building in the distance for the past hour."
"Who . . . who are you?" The Tamaranean Exile stood up slowly, as she prepared herself for a fight with a very stern and imposing stranger, clad in black and gray armor, wearing a faceless mask.
"My name is of little importance." He partially turned away, allowing the moon to cascade its captivating white glow across the darkness, before he finished speaking. "But, what is important, apparently to you, is this small matter of usurpers resting in their cradle of power."
The young teenager felt her left eyebrow raise slightly higher than her right. Her guard had been dropped, as the cool winds that swept around the two figures standing upon the clocktower, was making the eerie mood become tangible.
"Can I help you?" Blackfire inquired, she was totally confounded with who this strange person was, and what their face looked like behind that frightful mask.
"I think the question you should be asking my dear . . . is can I help you?"
-End Of Flashback-
Slade switched the screens to the images around Jump City again, before talking. "I constructed a proposition. Though a bit outlandish and crude, however it is bold."
"I am listening."
He reached down next to him, and he slid over the red dossier. After it had slid into her boots, she picked it up.
"What's this?" She stammered, while opening the covers and noticing the image of a fat man, with gray hair. He was holding a burning cigar in one hand, in the photograph.
"Rupert Thorne." Slade answered the very next question on her mind, as she studied the picture. "One of Gotham City's prime underground kingpins."
"What about the guy?"
"I did a few political assassinations for him in the past." His left eye appeared to curl again. "A payment is due, and I aim to collect what is owed."
Blackfire revealed a smirk, that quickly became a twisted smile of contempt. As she looked over the picture in total fascination, the target's plump figure, the wrinkles in his face, the dark slick suit revealed that he was a man of esteemed nobility.
For anybody to generate a debt of some type to Slade, this was nothing less than a death-mark. In quickly understanding her own dilemma, and how she was being forced into working for this evil monster, the weight of everything began to compound itself deeper.
"Just why exactly, is this guy so important?"
"The details are in that dossier. Along with a number of other possible assets, that I require."
She started flipping through other unglamorous mugshots within the thick red container. There was a strange laughing clown with a ghostly white skin complexion, wearing an orange jump suit with green spiky hair. Another photo revealed a muscular reptile bound in chains, snarling with his razor sharp teeth flashing.
Another page revealed a beautiful woman, wearing a green leaf dress that covered her midsection, like Eve from the bible. Then there was a man with a horribly disfigured left sided profile, with the name: Two-Face over the top.
"This is good and all, but where exactly . . . am I supposed to find these people?" Blackfire asked.
The silent majordomo approached up the steps once more, and upon his silver tray a communication device was being presented to her. The instrument was tinted a dark orange, while the letter 'S' was engraved in a sharp black color, over the front flap.
"What is this for?" she asked, while picking up the stylish communicator.
"That my dear;" Slade deadpanned from his comfortable seat. "is the device I am giving you, so you can keep me posted on your progress."
"Oh, of course." The Exile responded. "Now where am I going to find these people exactly, and what am I supposed to offer them. It's not like I have anything they would want. So the question I should be asking, is what are YOU going to offer them?"
"You will be heading to Gotham. It should be under a day's journey to arrive." The grand architect answered her first question. "Once you get settled, you are to then go to the Iceberg Lounge."
"Sounds . . . cozy." Blackfire clipped the communicator onto her belt, and exhaled a heavy breath. "Look, this is all well and everything, but I am still confused with what any of this has to do with getting back at my sister, or her friends?"
"Patience." His baritone voice caused her to tremble. "All things will become much clearer, in their respective times."
"But I still don't know what I am supposed to do?"
"You are merely the messenger." He made the universal gesture for her to depart, nodding his head towards the exit, where she turned and was escorted by Wintergreen. "I will be making the deal."
"The Iceberg Lounge, it's some type of pub, right?" Blackfire stopped moving.
"Owned as a front for the lucrative business, by Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot." answered Slade. "You have exactly 48 hours, to meet your contact, and to gather up as many people that you can."
"What happens if I am unable to?" Blackfire put the dossier into a backpack, and she slung it across her right shoulder. "What happens to our agreement, if I don't deliver?"
There was a long and awkward silence that hung in the air between them. Only the sounds of the mechanisms churning echoed.
"Failure is not an option." Slade deadpanned, where his words sliced through her firm and boastful attitude like a knife.
{{ End Of Scene }}
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Reviews From The Previous Chapter:
Wolvmbm: "It's been a while. Nice update to your tale I must say it was interesting to see Starfire play the mediator between her friends and figuring out why they're acting so venomous towards each other. As grief tends to do that to a person. Nice to see Raven making her decision on telling Beast Boy how she feels for him when he wakes up, what a birthday present that will be. :D Interesting to see Falcon, either in limbo or seeing the life he had flash before his eyes? :( Please do keep up the good work upon such a great tale as this one. ;P"
~~It is my esteemed pleasure, to have brought this much joy to your day Wolvmbm. How much trouble, can the Teen Titans handle after this? Falcon is stable, but badly wounded. Now, Slade seems to have something truly devious in the works. Gotham's most finest of the Rogues Gallery, are bound to cause a ruckus, as an even more deeply sinister plot is unfolding, and none of the Teen Titans have a clue about Blackfire being back.;-)~~
bk00: "Elizabeth/Saffire IS BB's sister! T.M.O you didn't! Oh my, I didn't see that coming at all. Every time I read a chapter, I see how you've grown and evolved! The more you write, the better you become. Brilliant chapter!"
~~Well now this is interesting, you are thinking in a certain direction and I ponder why? And the unknown girl who saved Falcon's life, hmmm, it may be that she has an entirely different backstory. I am not going to say anything, keep on guessing if you must. Thanks for the support my friend, the reviews do help to boost my confidence a great deal.~~
Shac89: "Wow, just wow. I really enjoyed the Cy and Star moment. Very intense, keep it up."
~~Again, I like to go into each character as much that I can; even the smaller ones whom we vaguely remember but do find a curious fascination about. Wintergreen I thought was a nice touch to this part. It is a balancing act, to have as much darkness that I am putting in, as a writer that I need camp and humor.~~
muddie: "Wow, finally everything is coming together. I think we, as the readers, are beginning to finally see the link between Saffire and the Teen Titans. About time, really! Despite it being long, it was relatively simple to read and got your points across. I love that this time around, your grammar is much better than it was in the last chapter. Overall, I couldn't pick out any major flaws and despite it being long, it was relatively simple to read and it got your points across. Well done! Looking forward to the next chapter."
~~Here, take a handful of my prized Oreo cookies that I love so much. I am not saying anything. People can speculate all they want, but there is nothing to be said about "that topic". I hope that this chapter was just as good, perhaps even better than the last one. They all hold a special place in my heart, as every update is a stepping stone along this massive journey. So long as I still find ways to shock and awe people, then I am doing my job.~~
xSaffire55x: "STILL LOVE THIS STORY! Its so intense and outstanding. I never want to stop reading but I gotta when I get to the end of the chapter sadly. Anyway, outstanding chapter! :) I hope the Titans will get through it … I think they will … And Elizabeth's history sounds terrible and sad."
~~I'm just pleased to bring enjoyment to so many people. Yes, it is quiet a tragedy when a chapter comes to a close, but at least it gets things churning in the mind, with what is bound to come next. ;-)~~
A/N Take care my esteemed loyal fans and readers, I do this because it is an unfathomable passion in my spirit, and I also have a powerful thrill with The Teen Titans, and The DC Universe as a whole. I wanted to give another big shout-out to muddie! Thank you for helping me to get through some of Slade's scene this chapter. It just would not have been the same, had you not shown me what I was overlooking. Fist-bump fireworks! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you! To all for staying on to see, just what can happen here, words escape me as I am truly humbled. Even I don't know what the future of this story will bring, but I aim high, as far that I can take it.
~~T.M.O~~