Slade's New Apprentice continued here [Archive]

Magick

10-10-2004, 04:55 PM

Hey guys. I'm afraid I have to contradict starburn, because the original thread has been closed. (?) Would someone please post what Selena Kyle said when she closed it? I'd like to thank everybody for their loyalty, and say that I have a new chapter out. Well, here goes:

The Leader regarded the statue in front of her. She couldn’t bring the real girl back. The real girl would have thoughts and feelings and might even understand if the boy preferred the weather witch to the earth shaker. The Leader turned to the Machine, which her people had worked hard to build, which would give them all eternal life. The only problem was that she needed souls, young, pure souls, to fuel the Machine. Her civilization underground was the most advanced in the world, but what it lacked was continuity. By all logic, one day she would die, and Silver City would fall into disrepair. Well, with the help of the Machine, she could tell logic to go stuff it somewhere. Immortality was the only reason that she was bothering with most of the Titan buffoons. The green boy, the alien princess, and the half-robot, could go stuff it along with logic, but the two birds and the new girl, this Windrider…

They showed promise. Maybe she wouldn’t drain them, but the others had to go. The Leader simply refused to go back to the days when she had been ordinary Jane Smith. Cripes, how she hated that name. Now she was Jaynne Smithe, the Leader of Silver City, and she would not have it any other way. She had spent her life looking for this power, and she wasn’t about to give it up. Well, maybe she could bring the girl back, or someone who was the girl and yet not the girl. She snapped her fingers, and an image of the green buffoon came up in front of her.

“Three words:” he said, “Disgruntled radioactive clone.”

Jaynne smiled. Maybe a disgruntled radioactive clone was exactly what she needed for this situation. But, she would have to question the real girl about how this clone, this astral drop, should act.

“From the darkness comes light unadorned, and false and real are one,” Jaynne chanted, “The world is turning, burning, yet healing, and death is only an illusion.”

Cracks appeared on the statue, and yellow light poured from them. Shards of rock flew everywhere, and in a final burst of light, Terra, alive and unharmed, collapsed on the floor.

Four days later, it seemed to be another ordinary day at Titans Tower. Beast Boy was singing ‘Stop Playing games with My Head’ at the top of his lungs, while Raven ground her teeth so loudly that it almost drowned out the sounds of Robin and Cyborg’s video game match. Zarana was patiently trying to explain the concept of school to a bewildered Starfire. Somebody rang the doorbell. BB partied over to the door and opened it. He found himself staring into the eyes of someone he had never expected to see again.

“So,” Terra said, “Did ya miss me?”

“You- you’re back,” BB stammered, “But how? Who?”

“I’m not sure,” Terra said, sounding confused, “But I’m back.”

BB nodded. That was all that mattered. He slipped a hand around her waist and led her to the living room. Gesturing at Zara, he explained what had happened, and then led Terra over to be introduced.

“Isn’t this great?” Zara said through a wide, put-on grin in a voice that made it clear that she did not think it was great at all.

“Yep, it’s great,” Terra gritted. She didn’t seem to like Zara much more than Zara liked her. After she and BB retreated to a corner, Terra voiced her opinion, “I don’t like that Zara girl. She seems shifty. Why do you trust her?”

“We kinda have to,” Beast Boy replied, “She’s Robin’s sister, and he believes she can change. I believe she can change. Just like you.”

“Yeah, but if she was brought up to be Slade’s perfect little girl, don’t you have the slightest suspicion?”

“Yeah, sort of, but…” BB’s voice trailed away. He preferred not to mention the fact that he had kissed Zara the previous night. He suspected that that, along with the fact that he had gone on a date with Robin’s twin, would not go down well with Terra. Oh, well, he thought, the girl I love is back, and that’s all that matters

Note to everybody: After the previous chapter, I think I need to say that the veiws of these characters do not reflect my own. Raven is my favorite character in TT, it just seems that she doesn't get on well with BB and has trust issues. I'm not trying to portray her as the baduy or anything like that.

Crowgirl

10-10-2004, 08:35 PM

Okay...

First off, IF YOU DO NOT CONTINUE TO WRITE MORE OF THIS STORY I WILL FIND YOU, YOU HEAR?!?!?!?!
Second, Beast Boy seems like, actually, scratch that. Beast Boy is a jerk. He goes on a date with this one girl, then the girl he likes comes back...
HE NEEDS TO MAKE UP HIS MIND!

Overall,
Write more or die!:evil: (Your choice...)

raven54

10-10-2004, 08:48 PM

yeah that is sorta jerkish of BB. then again i think that's kinda the Leader's objective- making them hate eachother

rrarbecy

10-10-2004, 09:28 PM

I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!! THEY DID BRING TERRA BACK!!!!!!!!!!! sort of.
Anyway, this is awesome. need...more....

Sproxie

10-11-2004, 02:54 PM

Magick

10-16-2004, 11:00 AM

Beast Boy is a jerk. He goes on a date with this one girl, then the girl he likes comes back...
HE NEEDS TO MAKE UP HIS MIND!:harley: It always seemed to me that BB acted like a bit of a moron when Terra was around.:sweat: Anyway, time for another chapter:

Terra, or Kerra, as the Leader called her, sat on the couch. She stared at the television, not really seeing it. The Leader had said that it could be difficult to make the Windrider angry. Kerra nearly laughed out loud. Hard? That was a joke. She had barely needed to glance in Beast Boy’s direction to make Zarana livid. This would be too easy.
Beast Boy was walking down the hall, toward Zara’s room, hoping that she wouldn’t throw anything at him this time. Beast Boy supposed that he had been a total idiot with Terra. It had probably not been a good idea to go all mushy with her in front of Zara. Definitely not a good idea, he decided, fingering the large red bump on his forehead, where one of Zara’s high heeled boots had hit it. I am such a moron, he thought, A total and complete idiot.

The Leader tapped her foot impatiently. This was taking too long. Sure, Kerra had done her job, so far, but the Titans were not going to disband anytime soon, as far as she could tell. This would require some first-hand intervention. The Leader drew another glowing sign in the air. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, Jaynne was standing in the Tower. Quickly, she recited the incantation for an invisibility spell. Before she did her job, she was going to check on each Titan. The Leader drifted into the weather witch’s room. The girl was lying on her bed, watching Anastasia. She was mouthing the words to Once Upon a December, tears slowly streaming down her face. The Leader rolled her eyes and drifted into the demoness’ space. She was hovering in midair, repeating her magic words over and over again. The Leader then decided to abandon the other Titans for now. This girl would be easy. Jaynne worked the visibility spell and appeared.

“Raven,” she said. Raven was startled out of her meditation and suddenly fell on the ground.

“What on Earth?” she began, “Who are you and what do you want?”

“I am the Leader of Silver City, a paradise the likes of which you could never imagine. I’ve come to help you, Raven.”

“How can you?” Raven said, her voice cracking slightly, “You and who else? You don’t know anything about me.”

“Don’t I?” The Leader couldn’t help smirking, “I know you, Raven. I know how your mind is a battlefield of emotions that you cannot let yourself feel. Your bones, they ache, but not as much as your heart. You want to feel, to be able to really live, but you cannot. All you want is to be able to rid yourself of your past, which is one of hate, anger, loss, strife, pointless battles against innumerable odds. You want to love, to live. You already do love. A particular boy by the name of Victor Stone, perhaps? Or maybe it is that other object of your affections, Garfield Logan?”

“H-how do you know all that?” Raven asked, looking surprised and scared at the same time.

“I know everything about you. I can help, if you let me. Come with me, Raven, and you can live and love as you like.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

The Leader silently applauded. This girl wasn’t stupid. “Read my mind if you don’t believe me.” She smiled. This one worked every time. Sure enough, Raven nodded. She hadn’t even bothered to read the Leader’s mind. Jaynne drew a glowing sign in the air. There was a flash of gold light, and the next second they were standing in the Leader’s Seeing chamber. The Machine slowly whirred and clicked in the back of the room.

“W-what’s that?” Raven asked, curious.

“It’s what I’m using to free your emotions. Just put your hand right there. It won’t hurt.”

Raven placed her hand on the Machine. It began to whir faster, and a bright white energy began to swirl around Raven’s body. Raven screamed in agony, the scream of a girl having her soul burned from her body. She collapsed on the floor, breathing hard. The Leader’s smile dropped off her face and crashed onto the floor. Why hadn’t the Machine worked? If it had, the girl would be worse than dead. What had gone wrong?

Zara crept into Raven’s room. She had heard low voices coming from behind the door. Carefully, she opened it, expecting to see some demon or other. Instead, she saw… nothing. The room was completely devoid of people.

“Uh, Raven? Are you in here?” Zarana asked. Nobody answered. “Weird,” she said aloud, backing out of the room. She ran into the living room, where Robin and Starfire were sitting on the couch. Beast Boy had gotten the Pokemon theme song stuck in his head and was singing it as loud as he could while Terra was bent double with silent laughter. Cyborg had his fingers in his human ear and was humming loudly.

“You guys,” Zara said, “Raven’s gone.”

Beast Boy merely shrugged, and, not for the first time that day, Zara was tempted to hit him. “She’s probably using her mirror.”

“What?” Terra said, “Raven actually owns a mirror?”

Beast Boy giggled feebly, and Cyborg began humming even louder. “Do you guys know something I don’t?” Robin inquired.

“No,” BB replied, “We don’t.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Zarana interjected, “Because I didn’t see a mirror anywhere. If it’s some kind of portal, Raven wouldn’t be stupid enough to lock it in a trunk while she used it, would she?”

“We’re not saying we don’t believe you,” Robin said quickly, “I think we should investigate right now.”

“Wait a second,” Terra said sharply, and Robin stopped, halfway off the couch, “Assuming that she has been kidnapped, which I doubt, it won’t help her if we all run off and get ourselves killed.”

Zara balled her hands into fists. Who did this Terra think she was, anyway?

“Ugh,” she said in frustration, “You people,” and without another word stomped out of the room. Sitting on her bed, Zara seethed, and in doing so completely demolished her writing desk. Then it struck her. This was her big chance to prove she was one of the good guys. Zarana now regretted tossing all of her gadgets into the bay. She fumbled through her pockets, to see whether or not she had anything left. She pulled out a ring that she had found on the floor a few days ago. Zara slipped it on, but nothing happened. Then she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Or rather, someone not herself. Jinx was staring back at her.

“Cripes!” she yelled, sliding off the bed so fast she didn’t even remember doing it. And then it dawned on her. It’s a hologram, Zara thought, It generates a false image. Cool. Well, I hope Jinx is accepted wherever Raven is, cause that’s where I’m going.

She snuck back into Raven’s room, praying that no Titan would see and wonder what Jinx was doing in the Tower. In the room, Zara saw something she hadn’t noticed before. A strange gold design on the floor. Nervously, she stepped onto it, and in a flash of golden light, she disappeared. The next thing Zara knew, she was standing in a stone chamber the size of Manhattan. Weird crystal balls of varying sizes and colors sat on tables around the room, all positioned around a sizable pool of water with images flitting across the surface. Zara stepped toward a strange contraption in a corner that was buzzing and clicking. She was walking toward it when an eerily perfect woman stepped through the door, flipping long black hair over her shoulder. The woman suddenly turned to Zara, drawing a glowing symbol in the air. The ring crackled as it short-circuited.

“Cripes,” Zarana whispered.

“You there,” the Leader said in a commanding voice, “What are you doing here?”

rrarbecy

10-16-2004, 11:08 AM

*huge, Joker-like smile spreads across face*
This is amazing. hehehehe.
I think I'm going insane again.
Raven having feelings for Cyborg AND Beast Boy? Wow.
Must Have More!!!!!

Kylewayne

10-16-2004, 02:16 PM

More! More! Write more!...pretty please *makes big eyes at you* :D

raven54

10-16-2004, 02:54 PM

HAH! two hits is one! cyborg or bb- who (if any) does Raven pick? terra is evil- kill her off! zara is sooo much better- and she threw things at BB! good- the player. in any case, post more soon!:D

Rae

10-17-2004, 10:18 AM

Sweet but i find it hard to believe that Raven would do that, but it's your fic!

:Definitely not a good idea, he decided, fingering the large red bump on his forehead, where one of Zara’s high heeled boots had hit it.

This had me rolling on the floor laughing!

Please write more!

Crowgirl

10-17-2004, 10:30 AM

HAH! two hits is one! cyborg or bb- who (if any) does Raven pick? terra is evil- kill her off! zara is sooo much better- and she threw things at BB! good- the player. in any case, post more soon!:D
Write More or Die!!! (Your choice...)

Magick

10-17-2004, 10:50 AM

Well guys, here's the coclusion:
“Listen, I’m sure we can talk about this,” Zara said as the Leader dragged her down a stone corridor that echoed with the screams of those who were learning the price of failure. “What did I ever do to you?”

“Shut your face,” the Leader hissed, “You’ll soon find out what’s going on. And, no we can’t talk about it. Do you think I’m going to spill all my secrets, like some third-rate villain in a second-rate action movie?”

“Well,” Zara said, pondering, “That was the general plan.”

The Leader made a noise that in a less attractive person would have been labeled a snort. “Tough luck, girl. You’re in the real world.” She tossed Zarana into an empty stone cell. Zara hit the wall with a dull thud. She groaned, and her head throbbed It seemed odd that less than twenty-four hours ago, she had been worried over a boy.

The Leader stood by the Machine, making last-minute repairs. She was furious that her brilliant plan had gone wrong. She had not expected one of the Titans to find her, not in Silver City. Sticklebats, Jaynne thought, Still, no matter. Soon the Machine will be complete, and I’ll have immortality. Small price, in my opinion.

Raven sat in her cell. She had given up hope and was sobbing softly. The closest she had ever come to being able to feel had been a trick. Everything good turned out to be a trick. Malchior, for instance. Life was simply not worth living anymore. Raven closed her eyes and thought of the Titans. Robin, the one-man SWAT team, Starfire the naïve alien. Beast Boy, with his happy, go-lucky attitude and careless fun. And then there was Cyborg, who had always been there for her, who had been her friend forever, and even though she would never admit it to him, she missed him more than any of her other friends. If she didn’t know better, she would have said that she loved him completely. Raven shook her head. She was being sappy and sentimental. This was the real world, no time for romances that could never happen. Another tear slid down her cheek, hitting the ground with a small clink! Raven sighed. Even diamond tears wouldn’t help now. Raven heard footsteps. Probably another woman who claims she can help me, Rae thought. A figure all in black got out some strange laser contraption and blasted down the door. The stranger walked into her cell.

“Who,” Raven asked, “Are you?” The figure stepped into the light. It was obviously a girl, wearing a black jumpsuit and mask that looked strangely familiar.

“Huh?” Rae said, “Red X?”

“Red? Not Red X. I’m Lady X.” the girl said, pushing long red hair over her shoulder.

“And…” Raven said making a circular gesture in midair.

“And I’ve come to get you out of here, no strings attached. I’ve met this Leader woman before.”

“Okay, I’m in.” Raven stood up and walked out of the prison. Lady X led her back to the Seeing room. The Leader was hooking Zarana up to the Machine.

“Since you are so inquisitive as to what this machine does, you should be eager to be the first to see it fully operational.” Zarana was tied to the Machine so tightly that her eyes bulged. She could barely breathe any more.

“Cripes,” she gasped, “Me and my big mouth.”

Without hesitating, Lady X lept at the Leader, knocking the other woman off her feet. She grabbed the Leader by the front of her long red robe, and hissed, “Where is Bane?” The Leader smirked. “You will never know, Rahne Flacia. You will never know.”

An explosion shook the building, and chunks of the wall went flying everywhere.

“What the-” Lady X was cut off in the middle of her sentence by the arrival of the rest of the Teen Titans. Beast Boy turned into a ram and charged at the Leader as Lady X lept out of the way. The Leader dodged and kicked, sending BB flying into a shelf of Seeing crystals. Raven closed her eyes, folding both hands over her chest.

“Azareth, Metrion, Zinthos!” she cried. The Seeing crystals flew off the shelves and flew at the Leader as Zarana’s bonds severed themselves. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at the Leader. She threw up her hands and recited an incantation. A shield of gold power flew up in front of her, causing the crystals to shatter and the sonic blast to bounce back at Cyborg. As soon as the shield went down, however, needle-sharp bits of glass went careening toward her. The Leader collapsed on the ground near her Machine.

“Well, that’s that,” Beast Boy said, and then, “What the-” as a huge rock came flying toward him. He ducked, and it hit Raven’s left leg. He heard something crack, and Raven fell on the tiled floor.

“Terra!” Starfire exclaimed, “Why do you do the attacking to us? Aaargh!” A rock hit her from behind. Robin and Lady X lunged at the same time, and Terra pulled up a wall of rock in front of them. Lady X hit the wall with a dull thump and slid down the side. Robin was luckier. He planted his baton (sorry, I have no idea what his silver stick-thing is called) on the wall and pushed off. However he pushed himself right into the Seeing pool and did not come back up. Terra grinned, holding a rock over Cyborg’s head.

“Some people just return their computers, but I prefer this way,” she said malevolently. Suddenly, a Seeing crystal the size of a meteor hurtled toward her, enclosed in black energy. It knocked Terra on her back, and she got up massaging her hands. Beast Boy lunged, knocking her down again.

“Come on, Terra, snap out of it. I don’t want to hurt you.” He said.

“You mean,” Terra’s voice cracked, “You would actually hurt the girl you love?”

“The girl I love, no. You, yeah.”

“Well then, I’m afraid I’ll have to dispose of you.” Terra threw Beast Boy across the room. “Too easy.” She said. Terra stretched lazily and went to examine the Leader’s magical objects. She was messing around with a black orb when someone struck her from behind. Terra dropped the orb, which began to glow. A grey something started to creep up her legs.

“What?” she gasped, and then, “No, this can’t be happening. Noooooooo!” Her scream was cut off when she turned to stone completely. For a split second, all was still, and then the statue shattered. Zarana stared in horror at what she had done. She hadn’t meant to actually kill the other girl, only to stun her.

The Leader dragged herself across the floor. She had fought for immortality all her life, and was not going to let a bunch of children cheat her out of eternal life. Jaynne grabbed onto the Machine and hoisted herself up. She carelessly rested a hand on it, not noticing that white light until she felt it. She screamed a scream a thousand times worse than Raven’s. She slowly disappeared, still screaming in agony.
Beast Boy walked over to Zara and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “You can relax. It’s over, it’s all over.”

Epilogue

“So it wasn’t really Terra, just some sort of clone,” Beast Boy said. They were all back at Titans Tower, with the exception of Lady X, who had disappeared while they were fishing Robin out of the Seeing pool. Raven had healed her broken leg as well as she could, but she wouldn’t be able to walk on it for about four weeks. In the meantime, Cyborg was helping her around. Zarana walked through the living room, a knapsack slung over her shoulder.

“Wait a second,” Robin said, getting up, “Where are you going?”

Zara turned around. She stood as she normally did, hands clasped behind her back, amethyst eyes slightly narrowed. “I’m going to Gotham City.”

“Ummm,” Cyborg searched for the right word, “Why?”

Zara smiled faintly. “Because if I stay here as a Teen Titan, at least for the time being, I’ll spend the rest of my life as one hero’s sister and another one’s girlfriend. I’ve got to b more than that, guys. I’m going to have adventures, make myself something. And maybe, someday, I’ll be ready, and I’ll join the team.” She walked over to BB, “If you ever get the real Terra back, I truly wish you the best of luck. But if you don’t, please consider me as an alternative.” She pressed something into his hand. Starfire ran over and hugged Zarana.

“We will all miss you so,” she said, “Please tell of your adventurous exploits when you return.”

“You got it,” Zara gasped. When Starfire let go, Zara walked out the door. A gentle gust of wind carried her out of their sight.

“Do you think we’ll ever see her again?” Cyborg asked.

“Oh,” Beast Boy said, glancing down at his hand. Zara had given him her locket, the one she wore no matter what. On the back, she had recently carved the words: Remember Me. “She’ll be back.”
Well, that was my fic. What did you guys think? I'm planning to write more about Zara and maybe Lady X. I'd like to thank everyone for their patience and loyalty. :D

Crowgirl

10-17-2004, 10:56 AM

Yeah, definitely write more. Or else. Trust me, I will find you.

rrarbecy

10-17-2004, 01:58 PM

YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD! AWESOME!
I hope there's a sequel.

Magick

10-17-2004, 03:51 PM

Thanx! I'm currently working on the first chapeter of a sequel called "Brewing Storm", which details Zara's exploits in Gotham and wherever else she's going. Pm me if you want me to skip straight to her return to the tower.

Sproxie

10-18-2004, 07:02 PM

3 words, that was AWESOME!!!

raven54

10-18-2004, 07:48 PM

Magick

10-19-2004, 05:48 PM

Well, you asked for it. Here's the first chapter of Brewing Storm:

The night was unusually still. Even the mice who usually scurried busily across the streets of Gotham City were silent. Heavy fog rolled across the streets, and later, the few people who were outside that night swore the heard a chilling scream come from one of the older buildings. Zarana Grayson, a.k.a Windrider, shivered. She had expected going to Gotham City would be like paradise. Zara had left the Teen Titans about a week ago, and, although she would never admit it, she was running. Running from her past, and the people who reminded her of it. Running from everything she had once stood for. Zara looked at the towering skyscrapers. They were impressive, even on an unnatural night like this. Zarana could not believe that she had once lived here. It was just too upper-class, unlike the various locales and hotels that she had spent most of her life hiding out in. Every high and mighty party or city she had been to, well, most of the time she had ended up helping to blow it up. For the rest of the time, everyone else there had been involved in an international crime syndicate known as the Black Tiger guild, which had been started years and years ago by Lex Luthor, Slade, and the Joker. The Black Tiger guild was only known to its members, and if you knew and weren’t a member, well, pretty soon you were dead.

Zara pulled something out of her pocket. It was the communicator that she had used while with the Titans. Zarana was tempted to call Beast Boy and just talk for a while. She resisted the urge, and stuffed it back in her pocket. Zara honestly thought that she might burst into tears if she saw his face. She had said that she would make something of herself, and she wouldn’t go back until she had. Zarana turned down an alleyway and made for a metal door that had once led to the Penguin’s headquarters. It should be safe for the night. She was opening the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing, girl?” a voice asked. As soon as she felt the pressure on her shoulder, years of training took over. Zara grabbed the hand and flipped its owner over her shoulder, smashing him on the ground. She looked down and saw who it was.

“Cripes!” she half shouted, “I’m so sorry, Mister Batman sir. I thought, well, I’m sorry.” She smiled hopefully at him. Batman got up and took a close look at her.

“Wait a minute,” he said, comprehension dawning on his features, “You’re that girl who blew up the Taj Mahal motel, aren’t you?”

Zara groaned inwardly. She had forgotten that she was wanted all over the world.

“Yep, that’s me. But listen, I’ve quit doing that kind of thing and-”

“Save it for the judge. But for now, just get inside.” He opened the door, and Zarana ran into the building. She wanted to ask this Batman what was going on, but before she could, he clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Don’t move,” he hissed in her ear.

“Batman,” someone said, “What is going on?” A girl, wearing a costume that looked exactly like Robin’s ran into the room. Batman made some sort of gesture in midair, and the girl fell silent. Zara was very strongly tempted to bite the hand that was over her mouth, but resisted. Instead, she examined the girl who had come running in. She couldn’t be more than sixteen, with flyaway blond hair and, Zara could have sworn, though it was hard to tell, blue eyes. A scratching at the door jerked her back to her senses. Something was out there. Looking closely, she saw the shape of a gigantic dog outside, its green eyes glowing eerily. Zara stopped breathing completely, and stared in horror at the shape outside the door. After a time, a human shape emerged from the shadows and beckoned to the hound. They both walked away, leaving the heroes fine, albeit a bit shaken up. As soon as they two figures were gone, Batman removed his hand and turned to the girl.

“Robin!” he said, “Why didn’t you keep your mouth shut?”

“Sorry,” the girl said, looking at her feet, “I just wasn’t expecting company. Who is that girl, and what did she do.”

“Do you want the full list or just the Reader’s Digest Highlights?” Batman asked. Zara glared at him.

“Who are you?” she inquired, glancing at the girl.

“Robin.”

“Huh?”

“I’m Robin.”

“But Robin lives in Jump City, with the Teen Titans. I mean, I know Dick Grayson isn’t the only one, but isn’t Tim Drake working with the big, bad, bat right now.”

Robin’s jaw dropped. “How do you know their names?”

Zara sighed. She had hoped that she wouldn’t have to explain this to anyone in Gotham. “I’m Dick Grayson’s sister.”

Batman frowned. “Dick never told me he had a sister.”

“That’s because he didn’t know.”

Both Batman and Robin looked at her with new intrigue. Zara tried to contain her exasperation. This would be a long night.

Ta Da! That's the first chapter. It was probably bad, though.

raven54

10-19-2004, 05:56 PM

Bad?! Are you sure your head is screwed on properly? 'tis a great beginning, and i can already tell that the whole thing's gonna rock... so post more soon:D

Sproxie

10-19-2004, 06:00 PM

Bad?! Are you sure your head is screwed on properly? 'tis a great beginning, and i can already tell that the whole thing's gonna rock... so post more soon:D
same here! :D

rrarbecy

10-19-2004, 06:25 PM

Damn...
This looks awesome

Magick

10-19-2004, 07:37 PM

Bad?! Are you sure your head is screwed on properly?No.:evil:
I'm working on the next chapter right now, so keep posted. (No pun intended.)

Crowgirl

10-19-2004, 08:54 PM

Don't worry, we'll be waiting.....

Magick

10-20-2004, 10:42 PM

Hi guys! Sorry about the lack of posting. I've been mourning the death of Code: Lyoko and working on my other fic, so I've been busy. Well, here's the next chapter. It's not exactly the longest thing in the universe, though.

Robin stared in amazement at Zara, this inconspicuous girl who told such an incredible story. Zarana had finished telling them in a local pub that her brother had told her about. The bartender was eyeing them, and, heck, Robin couldn’t blame him. They were quite the motley crew, what with a grown man in tights, a black girl who wore her hair covering one eye, and herself, a blond girl wearing a costume that was, she had to admit, a little dorky.

Easy on the little, a voice in the back of her head said. Robin smiled faintly. She had, in fact, once asked Bruce if it was absolutely necessary to walk around wearing half the colors of the rainbow. He had said he would try to have a new costume made, but their designer, Alfred, had been ill with McGregor’s syndrome at the time, it was possible he didn’t remember. Robin had only been half listening to the conversation when she heard a very familiar name come into the picture.

“Yeah, her name was Terra, but it turned out she wasn’t even the real thing,” Zara explained.

“Terra?” Robin asked, “Did Beast Boy mention her at all, before you left?”

“Sort of. I think he didn’t want to talk about her. When you lose someone, or they betray you, you don’t really want to think about it. I should know.”

Robin stared at her boots. My name is Robin now, she thought, forcing her brain to register that fact. Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin. Robin is the only person who exists right now. I am not anyone else. My past is behind me. As far as I’m concerned, it never happened.

When Robin looked up, Bruce and Zara were discussing the figure that had pursued them into the abandoned building.

“So what was that thing, anyway,” Zara was saying, “The hound of the Baskervilles?”

“Actually, we’re not really sure. It’s owner, a man called Panic, calls it Cerberus.”

“The three-headed guardian of the Greek underworld?”

“The same.”

Zara stood up. “Look, it’s been great chatting with you guys, but I’ve got to find a place to stay that isn’t haunted be men in tights and demon dogs, okay?”

“Wait,” Batman said, standing up too, “Have you ever heard of Bruce Wayne?”

“Sort of,” Zara shrugged, “He’s the owner of Wayne Enterprises, millionaire playboy, enjoys running out of parties on short notice, coming back looking exhausted with some lame excuse.”

Robin whistled under her breath. This girl might be noticing more than she should.

“He’s a close friend of mine,” Batman explained, “Go to his manor and tell him I sent you. He’ll give you lodgings, everything you need.”

Zara nodded, picked up her knapsack, and walked out the door. Batman followed suit, as did Robin.

Zara walked down the street, singing “Sk8er Boi” under her breath. She was staring at the manor house at the end of town, completely oblivious to the large, dark, shape skulking in the shadows behind her.

Okay everybody, try to guess who Robin is while I struggle to get the next chapter up.:D
P.S I've finally made some pics of Zara/Windrider on my PC. They're just edited screenshots of Terra, but if you want them, PM me and I'll send them to you.

Sproxie

10-20-2004, 10:47 PM

ooooooooo
great chapter!!
is robin terra? :rolleyes: (highly doubt it but....) just a guess!
post soon!
robin IS a girl right?
Robin stared at her boots. My name is Robin now, she thought

Adrastea

10-20-2004, 11:11 PM

I LOVE IT!!!

wonderful!!!

raven54

10-21-2004, 12:11 AM

like we've said: "Kid, you've got some serious talent." post some more soon!

I've been mourning the death of Code: Lyoko and working on my other fic
my sister is also in mourning.

rrarbecy

10-21-2004, 07:19 PM

What do you mean "the death of Code:Lyoko"?

ITS NOT CANCELED!!!!!!!????????????
IT CAN'T BE!!!!!!
ITS TOO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

raven54

10-21-2004, 07:22 PM

well, it's not showing on C/N anymore, sooo... she fears the worst. as do i, but i'm not as obsessed.

Adrastea

10-21-2004, 08:15 PM

I know, i'm so mad about that. I really liked that show. It wasn't as good as TT, but, what show could do that?

Magick

10-22-2004, 03:41 PM

Hmmmm... *thinks, and long moments pass* hmmmm... *passes out from the stress*

Crowgirl

10-22-2004, 04:04 PM

well, it's not showing on C/N anymore, sooo... she fears the worst. as do i, but i'm not as obsessed.
THAT IS INSANE!!! How do you cancel a great show like that without materializing Alieta?!?!?! Are you sure?? (Bites nails nervously...)

Magick

10-22-2004, 06:40 PM

*sweats* I better get writing before this turns into a conversation thread.:sweat:

Sproxie

10-22-2004, 06:41 PM

code:lyoko?
im just going to shut my mouth now before i have a mob started against ME... :sweat:
(that DOESEN'T mean i was gonna say anything bad.... :D )
anyway...
*sweats* I better get writing before this turns into a conversation thread.:sweat:good idea! :D

Magick

10-23-2004, 10:59 AM

Phew! After much labor, I've got the next chapter ready.

Zara was halfway to the manor when it lunged at her. It was a man, wearing a black mask that covered his entire face. Or was it a man? The thing had the upper body of a human male, but below the waist he had a serpent’s tail, sinuous and black. Zara screamed. She couldn’t help it. This was one genuine freak that she hadn’t met before, and that scared her. A guy who thought he could work alone, without the aid of fellow freaks was something to worry about. The thing grabbed her shoulder and flung her on the ground. Zara lept up flipped and kicked. The thing was knocked back against a building. Zara stood over it.

“What are you? Who sent you?” she asked. The thing stared at her, and she noticed a change. Its scaly tail was morphing into what looked like a pair of human legs, still red and still scaly. A pair of monstrous gargoyle wings spread from its back, and its mask disappeared, revealing a reptilian face with blank white eyes that had no pupil at all and a mouth full of crooked yellow teeth that seemed to come from all different animals. While Zarana was staring in horror at the thing, a figure swung down behind it on some sort of rope or wire and kicked it from behind. The thing stepped to the side.

“Another day, Windrider, we’re watching you.” It growled, and sunk into the ground.

Zara turned to the figure that had gotten rid of the monster.

“Can’t leave you alone for one second, can I?” Robin said, placing her hands on her hips. Zara half-smiled.

“Thanks.”

“Any time,” Robin said, pointing one of her gadgets at the top of a building. When she pulled a trigger, a long cable flew out and hooked itself around a corner of the building. “Catch ya on the flip side.” She said, swinging away.

Zara smiled and continued toward the mansion. When she got there, an old man with a slightly pinched face and a British accent answered the door.

“Alfred Pennyworth, I presume?” Zara asked.

“Yes, Madam,” Alfred replied stiffly as a man walked down the stairs behind him.

“Who are you?” the man asked Zara, although he didn’t seem too interested in the question, as though he already knew the answer.

“Zarana Grayson. Um, Batman sent me, unless this is the wrong address. He said that if I needed a place to stay, this was it.”

“Oh,” the man said, “He told me you’d be here. I’m Bruce Wayne, by the way.”

A very familiar girl walked out of a door that must lead to the basement, looking exhausted. Zara was so surprised that she yelped and jumped back.

“You running some kind of hotel here, Mr. Wayne?” Zara asked him.

“Huh?” Terra said, looking around. “Did I miss something?”

Zara slapped her forehead. Just when she thought she’d gotten rid of her past, the girl who had betrayed her brother and almost stolen her boyfriend showed up.

Just my luck, she thought. And I don’t even have a reasonable excuse to hate the git. I’ve never even really met her before.

“Zara Grayson,” she said stiffly. “Pleasure.”

“Terra,” Terra said, still looking discombobulated. She yawned. “Well, I’m beat. Catch ya on the flip side.” Terra walked up the stairs.

Zara glared at the other girl’s retreating back. This was going to be harder than she thought.

The next few days passed uneventfully. It was late one night when Zara decided to do some investigating. She was totally sick of Bruce and Terra disappearing to the basement for hours upon end and coming back looking really exhausted. Zara decided that she had had enough.

“I’m going to find out what they’re doing if it’s the last thing I ever do,” she whispered, “Which it might be.”

She crept into the main hall, where all was still. Zara closed her eyes as she opened the door that led downstairs, expecting something awful to happen. Nothing did. Tentatively, she walked down the stairs, and was confronted with a locked door at the bottom. Rolling her eyes, Zara pulled out her lock picking tools. She stuck one of the longer picks in the lock and fumbled for a moment. The pick melted.

“Ugh,” she whispered. “Well, there’s always the low-tech way.” Closing her eyes and focusing, Zara willed it to happen. Sure enough, the door had frozen solid. She tapped the door lightly, and it shattered, making a noise that would have woken every person in the building if Zara hadn’t known for a fact that the bedrooms were soundproof. She stepped into a room that most people could only dream of. The Batcave.

“Now this is what I’m talking about,” she whispered. “This is awesome.”

She looked around. The Batmobile that she had heard so much about was gone, as was anything that might have given her a clue, except the computers and a costume, on display in something that looked like a stasis tube. Zara stepped up and put a hand against the glass.

“Cool.” All of a sudden, she heard a jumbled sound of speech mixed with static coming from something that had been left on a table.

“Robin,” a voice squawked, “Robin, come in. Two-Face is downtown, not in the warehouses. It’s a trap, look out-” the voice was cut off abruptly.

“Hmmm,” Zara said, thinking out loud, “Sounds like Batman and Birdbrain could use my help, from Two-Face, no less. An old friend I’ve been meaning to talk to.”

She closed her eyes again, and the stasis tube shattered just like the door. Zara grabbed the cape and mask.

“Look out, Gotham,” she said, “Batgirl’s back.”

Note: For those of you who are wondering where Barbara Gordon is, she retired from crime-fighting. At least for now.

rrarbecy

10-23-2004, 11:34 AM

I knew this would be awesome!
I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait until there's more

Magick

10-23-2004, 04:28 PM

No one's reading this. *sniffle* I feel unloved.:crying:

Go to the end of page two to see the next new chapter.

Sproxie

10-23-2004, 04:56 PM

I knew this would be awesome!
I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait until there's more

GREAT!!!! oh and i like yur avatar rrarbecy!

rrarbecy

10-23-2004, 06:00 PM

GREAT!!!! oh and i like yur avatar rrarbecy!
Thanx:o

Adrastea

10-23-2004, 08:12 PM

AH! this is so cool. You have no idea how totally cool this fic is. I enjoyit very much. at the risk of sounding redundant:

POST SOON!!!

raven54

10-24-2004, 05:43 PM

sorry dude, i was gone this weekend. AAAaanyways...

i now feel like a genius for tellin ya to post it all, so thanx;) that doesn't happen very often. i love your writing style, though i can't describe it. i'm not that adept at english, metinks. whatever.
important part:
POST SOON!!!

nuthin wrong with this time-honored (or worn out, depends on how ya see it) phrase.:D

Magick

10-26-2004, 09:38 PM

You know my motto. We deliver:

Zara lept gracefully across the rooftops, completely silent except for the soft swish of her cape. She knew exactly where Two-Face would be, of course. The warehouses just outside of town were ideal lairs for aspiring villains, and Two-Face was known for being Mr. Obvious all the time.

Jinx ran along the alleyway, with Two-Face in hot pursuit. She cursed under her breath. What did the Penguin want with the stupid coin anyway? Jinx looked down at the coin in her hand. It was quite unremarkable, but for the fact that it had heads on both sides. One side was normal, but the other was scarred and scratched so badly that it was almost impossible to tell what it was. Well, whatever the Penguin wanted, apparently Two-Face was going to make sure he didn’t get it. Jinx rounded a corner, where Gizmo and Mammoth were waiting for her.

“What’s the deal, Jinx?” Gizmo asked.

“Two-Face,” Jinx gasped, “He turned around right when I was taking his stupid coin and now he’s out for blood.”

Gizmo raised an eyebrow, not noticing the dark shape that dropped down from a rooftop behind him.

“Umm, Giz? I think there’s someone behind you.” Mammoth said, his eyebrows coming together in the middle of his forehead from confusion. Gizmo turned around.

“Holy farkin’ Margaret!” he yelled, “It’s Batgirl!”

Zara grabbed her former friend from behind, grabbing his electronic backpack and tossing it in a garbage can. Gizmo yelled and kicked. That was really rather pathetic until Mammoth came rushing out of nowhere and knocked Zara to the ground. She moaned as electric cables flew out of Gizmo’s backpack, (now out of the trash) and bound her tightly. Zarana watched them talk.

“She looks familiar,” Jinx said.

“Yeah,” Gizmo replied, “Do ya think we’ve met ‘er before?”

“Can’t be, the Batgirl we met had ginger hair and was white.”

“I know who she looks like,” Mammoth said, jumping up and down, a feat for him. Zara closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. He was going to blow her cover. “Robin.”

Zara’s eyes snapped open, offended. She did not look anything like Terra.

“Come on, you klutch head,” Gizmo scoffed, “She looks like Robin? As if.”

“No, no,” Mammoth insisted, “The one who’s with the Teen Titans.”

“You’re right, she does look like him.” Jinx said, “But are you suggesting that Robin has a twin or something? Puh-leez.”

Zara nearly laughed out loud, because that was exactly it.

“Whatever,” Gizmo said, “I’m gonna go do something. Gimme the coin, I’ll get the money, and we’ll split it later.” He and Mammoth left. Jinx stood, staring at Zara. The cables uncurled themselves, and Zara stood up.

“Who are you?” Jinx asked. Zara hesitated for a minute, and then shook her head.

“You already know me, Jinx. But I’ve got a job to do, so catch ya on the flip side. Just tell me where Batman and Robin are.”

“Batface and Birdbrain are tied up in there,” Jinx said, pointing at the warehouse on the left. “Just please don’t take me in.”

Zara nodded, “The police aren’t going to hear a word.”

Suddenly, a dark shape darted from the shadows and grabbed Zara from behind.

“Move and your friend dies,” Two-Face hissed. Jinx rolled her eyes and sent a burst of pink energy flying at Two-Face. He went flying back, leaving Zarana rubbing her neck. Jinx sent another wave of energy flying at him. The blast missed Two-Face, (who was now mumbling to himself, his tone of voice changing suddenly) and hit Zara full in the face, blowing off her mask. Jinx stared.

“Z-Zara?” she spluttered, “But how? Slade said that you died.”

Zara stared into the eyes of her former friend. Jinx had not done anything to prove that she could be trusted. Two-Face, who had stopped muttering, raised some kind of firearm and pointed it at Zara. As the maniac was pulling the trigger, Jinx sent a blast at him, knocking Two-Face into the wall again and knocking him unconscious.

“You were saying,” Jinx said, smirking.

Zara stared at Jinx, and for a moment it felt like nothing had changed. It was as if they were sitting in her room, planning a prank to pull on the Penguin or getting ready to go mall-crawling. Zara smiled and closed her eyes. It would never be the same, at least not with the others. But maybe, just maybe, Jinx could be her best friend again. Zara opened her mouth and stared at Jinx. And then she began to tell her everything.

Magick

10-27-2004, 05:24 PM

I just realized something. This thread has acheived what the other did not THREE PAGES!! YAY!

Sproxie

10-27-2004, 05:30 PM

You know my motto. We deliver isn't it our motto?
i think i know were u got that from
anyway great chapter! so terra WAS robin! i was right!!!

ooooooooo
great chapter!!
is robin terra? :rolleyes: (highly doubt it but....) just a guess!
post soon!
robin IS a girl right?
Robin stared at her boots. My name is Robin now, she thought

Magick

10-27-2004, 05:34 PM

Sproxie

10-27-2004, 05:40 PM

Yes it's our motto. That was a typho. And Sprox, are you sure you don't have the gift of foresight, or do you just pay attention to descriptions?

P.S. The 'we deliver' thing came from Halo, the very best Xbox game ever.
HALO ROCKS!!!!!! :D i knew it was from halo! ok umm :sweat:
i just pay attention to descriptions, well no not really, actually i guess it was a wild guess...:shrug:

Magick

10-27-2004, 09:23 PM

Yup, Halo rules.:anime: I'm working on the next chapter right now.

oneeyemonkeypie

10-27-2004, 10:24 PM

Halo is fun, but you gotta get GTA san andreas.

sooooo sweet!

Sproxie

10-27-2004, 10:42 PM

i like grand theft auto games too, though i havent tried san andreas
and hurry up on the next chapter!!! will the titans be heard from again in this story or is it permantly a batman and new robin story?

oneeyemonkeypie

10-27-2004, 11:08 PM

will the titans be heard from again in this story or is it permantly a batman and new robin story?
That would make an interesting story...

I just remembered how much I loved Halo. Man, I was so sick at that game! I could go through the entire game with only a plasma pistol and still crush everything, even on difficult. Ledgendary made me bust out some other weapons, but no joke, plasma pistol was easily the best weapon.

OK, enough of me rambling off topic.

Magick

10-29-2004, 08:43 PM

Well, since Zara is Robin's sister, the Titans are as much a part of this story as Zara is. However, you'll be seeing more of Batman, Terra, and Jinx than the Titans for a while. Rest assured, the Teen Titans do make an appearance, starting this chapter:

Had Larry been around, Jinx’s mouth would have dropped off her face and shattered on the ground. As it was, Jinx merely gaped.

“So you’re actually related to Birdbrain? A-and Greenie, he’s your,” Jinx whispered the next word, “Boyfriend?”

Zarana nodded. “Yeah, he is. But listen, I’m working with Batman and Robin right now, and they’ve been captured by some psycho or other.”

“And you want me to help?”

“Bingo.”

Ten seconds later, Zara had Two-Face slammed up against the stone wall. “Now talk,” she spat, grinding the mutilated half of his face into the stone, “Who put you up to this? What are they planning?”

“Panic.” Two-Face whispered.

“Why?” Jinx asked. “Oh, don’t tell me, there’s something huge with tentacles standing right behind me, isn’t there?”

Zara would have laughed, except for the fact that something huge cast a shadow over her friend. It was huge, green and slimy, with four glowing red eyes, long, matted greyish hair, and sixteen long tentacles. Jinx turned around.

“I hate being right,” she said in high-pitched voice. “Run!”

Zarana and Jinx took off at top speed. Zara flung open the door to one of the warehouses and ran inside, closely followed by Jinx. Zara closed her eyes, not breathing. She heard heavy footsteps outside.

“Mmmff.” Someone said, sounding muffled. Zara and Jinx looked up. Batman was hanging from the ceiling, tightly bound and gagged. The footsteps stopped, and Zarana saw a massive shape walk away.

“Is there any point in asking how he got up there?” Jinx asked, arching one eyebrow.

“I doubt it.” Zara said. Jinx sent a wave of energy flying at the ropes, which frayed and broke. Batman landed on the ground with a thump. He groaned and stood up.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, “You’re just kids, how did you get Panic following you?”

“What in the nine spells of Clorillison is Panic?” Jinx said, throwing her hands in the air. “Are we supposed to panic? Are you talking about that demon-thing in Hercules? Is it some new form of chemical.”

“Long story, no time,” Zara said quickly, “But from what I know, Panic is some kind of sorcerer or demon, judging by the kind of things that’ve been attacking me.”

“Can I have a few more details as to what you’ve been up to?” Batman said impatiently. Zara was opening her mouth when the back door fell in. Three men stepped in. One was clearly some kind of gangster, with yellowed teeth, a cigar in one side of his mouth, matted hair, and clothes that looked as though they hadn’t been washed in over a century. The second was a woman with neon pink hair, dressed all in black. The third… Zara’s heart froze. It was the man who had been so much in her life, both good and bad. Slade.

Outside, Two-Face was having his face ground into the pavement again, a green-gloved hand pressing on his windpipe. Two-Face gasped for air.

“You,” the person hissed, “Are dead.”

“Funny,” someone said, “You’d think he’d have stopped walking around.” Two-Face’s persecutor turned. Seeing who it was, she yelled, jumped back and threw several explosives at the people. While the smoke cleared, she lept onto a rooftop and made her escape.

Two-Face stood up, brushed himself off, and turned. His jaw dropped. Neither as Two-Face or Harvey Dent had he dreamed that the Teen Titans would ever save him.

Raven hovered above the ground, staring at the man that Robin had told her about. She had met Harvey Dent before his face was mutilated, and was interested to meet him again. She had her doubt about coming to Gotham, of course, especially about the fact that they had left Aqualad, Speedy, and Bumblebee at the Tower, but Robin had wanted to pay a visit to his mentor, so here they were. Raven closed her eyes and shook her head. This, like everything else, would end unhappily, she knew it.

That was, in fact, exactly what Zara was thinking when Slade lunged. Jinx and Batman also seemed to be frozen with fear. Zarana couldn’t guess who these people were, but she had enough sense to guess that they were nobody good. Zarana was knocked to the ground by her former master, a strange ringing in her ears. She didn’t quite believe this was real. Which was a shame, really, because she was being beaten into the concrete floor by someone she didn’t quite believe existed anymore. Concentrating, she closed her eyes, remembering everything Mr. Freeze had taught her about ice. A huge chunk of solid ice hit Slade’s face, denting his mask rather severely and sending him flying backward. The pink-haired woman was sending an array of hexes at Jinx, who was desperately fighting back with all the magic she could muster. Zara was struck dumb when she heard a the sound of a gunshot and a sharp intake of breath. Turning, horrified at what she would see, Zara stared as Batman gasped and keeled over on the floor.

rrarbecy

10-29-2004, 09:15 PM

Okay. I hope you aren't going down the same path as Batman's Biggest Fan in killing Batman. That would suck.
Now that we're past that, I have to say that was great. A great chapter and a great setup for things to come.

Magick

10-29-2004, 09:43 PM

I'm not going to kill Batman. Ever. Killing him would be like knocking off the entire JLU. It's simply not done in a story in which he's one of the stars.;)
If he is apparently dead (which may or may not happen) it'll be like the situation with Westley in The Princess Bride. He'll only be mostly dead, or something like that. Word of honor.

Sproxie

10-30-2004, 12:33 AM

mostly dead?
anyway,
GREAT CHAPTER!

raven54

10-30-2004, 12:47 AM

ack! not the Bat! though as long as you're not completely killing him off i'm ok.

“Panic.” Two-Face whispered.

“Why?” Jinx asked. “Oh, don’t tell me, there’s something huge with tentacles standing right behind me, isn’t there?”

Zara would have laughed, except for the fact that something huge cast a shadow over her friend. It was huge, green and slimy, with four glowing red eyes, long, matted greyish hair, and sixteen long tentacles. Jinx turned around.

“I hate being right,” she said in high-pitched voice. “Run!”
funny stuff, dude:p

Magick

10-30-2004, 01:17 PM

Yeah, mostly dead. Rent The Princess Bride from your local video store and you'll see what I mean. You might want to skip through the first part which is kinda boring. Anyhow, new chapter time:

The Titans were outside when they heard the gunshot. Starfire let out a small scream, and Beast Boy turned, trying to find where the shot had come from, and tripped over his own feet. The rest of the Titans readied themselves, and Robin walked over to one of the warehouse doors. As soon as he did, someone grabbed him and slammed him into the ground. Whoever it was ground Robin’s face into the dirt while punching every inch of him that her fists could reach.

“Azareth, Metrion, Zinthos!” Raven shouted. A garbage can flew at the stranger, knocking her off of Robin. Raven couldn’t quite discern physical features, only that it was a girl holding something that looked like a birdarang in one hand.

“Huh?” BB said, stepping forward, “Who are you?”

“Nobody.” the girl responded simply.

“Wha-” BB said, confused again, “Robin already has an evil twin, if that’s what you’re gonna say. Well, not strictly evil, but…”

“Whatever,” the girl said, “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve gotta go. Catch ya on the flip side.” The ground shook, and the girl lept onto a rooftop, throwing the birdarang at Starfire. It missed, but on the return trip it hit Star in the back of the head, knocking her out.

Jinx stared as the Batman struggled to rise, to fight back. Although she knew what could very well happen, Jinx was mildly annoyed. She had enough on her hands, what with her long-dead older sister showing up, couldn’t Batman die some other time? This was what Jinx was thinking, and in doing so was clobbered by her sister. Batman fought to get up. He failed, and fell onto the ground again. The man advanced on him, gun pointed at the Batman. Zarana paused for a moment in her attempt to lay so much as a scratch on Slade and sent a bolt of lightning flying at the thug. Turning away, she lunged at Slade. He caught Zarana in midair and flung her on the ground.

“Sloppy,” Slade said, staring down at her, “Extremely sloppy, Zara. I would have expected better from you. How-” he said, slamming his fist into Zara’s back, “Many-” he slammed her face into the wall, “Times-” Zara felt her arm being twisted, “Do I have to tell you-” Slade punched Zara in the stomach, knocking the breath from her body, “Never-” Zarana was smashed into the wall again, “Let-your-guard-down.” With each word, Slade pounded still harder. And this is why we never made him angry, Zara thought. This was the end. Zara closed her eyes and heard Saint Peter’s horn blow. Her eyes snapped open. Saint Peter’s horn wasn’t making a sound at all like a horn, more of a crash. Zarana turned her head toward the door. The Teen Titans were standing in the doorway, all in fighting stance. Before Zara could wonder how they had gotten here, she noticed something else. Slade was gone. Not hiding or running, just gone, as were the thug and the pink-haired woman. Zarana looked down at herself. She still had the various bruises and gashes on her person, Jinx was battered from a range of spells, and Batman was still lying on the floor, blood oozing from the wound. Batman. Zara rushed to his side.

“Jinx, little help here?” she said. “I need you to at least keep him alive.” Jinx ran over and began working various healing spells. None of them would heal the gunshot, but each would give Batman a little longer to live.

“What has happened here?” Starfire asked. “Why is this man injured? Did you perform this terrible deed?”

Zara gritted her teeth. She was getting sick of explaining things, “No. Do you really think I would shoot Batman?”

“Do you really want us to answer that?” Terra asked, striding into the room, in full costume. Zara glared, grinding her teeth. Beast Boy yelped and jumped back, right onto Raven’s foot.

“How many Robins are there?!” Beast Boy yelled. Zarana nearly laughed out loud, what with Beast Boy not recognizing Terra.

“About six, I think.” Raven responded, glaring.

Zara turned to Terra, “Point one: I didn’t shoot Batman. Point two: I don’t have a gun, and, point three: If I wanted to kill him, I would burn, freeze, or electrocute him.” Turning to Jinx, she asked, “Do you have the list of ingredients for the resurrection pill? He’s probably only half dead by now. If we get him the pill before rigor mortis really sets in, he should be okay.” Jinx nodded and pulled out a piece of paper, which Zara walked over to examine.

“Hemlock, wolfsbane, nightshade, belladonna, holocaust mud, essence of manticore,” she read aloud, “Well, there’s only one person we’re gonna get all of this from.”

“So let me get this straight,” Poison Ivy said, ten minutes later. They were standing in her apartment, in downtown Gotham. “You want me to empty my ingredients cupboards,” Zara and Jinx nodded, “To save him,” she pointed at Batman, “So he can go back to putting me in the slammer every week or so?”

“Well, sort of,” Zara said. She wished that Ivy would stop beating around the bush. She figured that Batman was roughly three-quarters dead by now, and it wouldn’t be long before he completely gave up the ghost.

“And what exactly is my motivation?” Ivy asked.

“The fact that you’ve got eight meta-teens that want you to do this and not much between you and Arkham Asylum.”

“It’s a deal,” Ivy said hurriedly, “Here are the ingredients.” She stuffed a bag of various herbs, flowers, and jars of essences into Robin’s hand, and handed Jinx a large silver cauldron. “Go with my best wishes, but just go!”

Back at Bruce Wayne’s mansion, Jinx ground the ingredients into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle, and then threw them into the bubbling cauldron. What she withdrew resembled not so much a pill as a clay lump the size of a golf ball. Jinx turned to Robin, “Open his mouth,” she ordered. Robin did as he was told.

“Can we trust her?” Terra (who was still wearing her mask and, Zara noticed, her hair was much shorter than it had once been.) whispered to Cyborg.

“Don’t dis the doctor,” Jinx said, “I’m an expert at this kind of thing, trust me.” Terra rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs. Jinx dropped the pill down Batman’s throat. He groaned and blinked.

“What happened?” he asked, “Dick, what are you doing here, and with the whole team…”

“You’ve been dead,” Zara said simply, “Well, mostly dead, anyway. I have no idea what my brother is doing here, and you remember those people who came right? They disappeared as soon as the Titans showed up.”

“Of course,” Comprehension dawned on Batman’s face, “Panic’s a demon. Fear from the past that he’s been using, that’s it! And I think I know exactly where he is. He’ll be looking for the Necromancer’s stone, at the museum. I’ve got to get there now!”

Batman attempted to stand, but his legs were still weak, and he fell on the ground. Jinx drew a symbol in the air, and the Bat found he was able to stand again.

“We’re coming too,” Jinx said immediately.

“No you’re not,” Batman interjected, “This is too big for you kids. I’m going alone.” And without another word, he swept out of the mansion.

“So, we’re going to be good little girls and stay out of trouble?” Jinx asked. It was later that night, and the two girls were sitting in the kitchen.

“Jinx, it’s me you’re talking to, remember?” Zarana asked, jokingly.

“Batface won’t be able to handle a demon on his own, believe me.”

“You’re right, he won’t.”

“He could use a little help, don’t ya think?”

“Definitely.”

Adrastea

10-30-2004, 05:57 PM

This is great. Just one question:
"Funny. You'd think he'd stop walking around" was that line inspired by Harry Potter? Cause, i know, i remember wierd things from what i read, and that is one of them. Anyway, keep writing.

Oh, and since Terra is now Robin, are we still calling her Terra, or will you let us be confused as to which Rbin you are taliking about?

Magick

10-30-2004, 05:59 PM

The line was inspired by Harry Potter.Sorry.:o And Terra will be Terra from now on.

Adrastea

10-30-2004, 06:19 PM

What are you sorry about?
Good lines/quotes should be used wherever possible.

Adrastea

10-30-2004, 08:25 PM

oh, i have another question...unless one of them is michael jackson in disquise, if Zarana is black, how can she and Robin be twins?

Sproxie

10-30-2004, 10:50 PM

micheal... jackson...?
this is an awesome story magick, great job.
POST SOON!!!!!

Adrastea

10-31-2004, 12:57 AM

well, michael jackson keeps changing colors, doesn't he? or have i gotton seriously mixed up??

Aw man!!! not again!!!

raven54

10-31-2004, 01:01 AM

maybe their parents were different races or something... or they're half-sibs... or maybe i'm overanalyzing...

say, does anyone like my new avatar?

Sproxie

10-31-2004, 01:08 AM

i do, it reminds me of something familiar though somehow, but i cant seem to remember what.
and the pictures in your signature, wow...
micheal changing colors? i havent heard of anything like that... :confused:

Magick

10-31-2004, 08:09 AM

maybe their parents were different races or something... or they're half-sibs... or maybe i'm overanalyzing...

say, does anyone like my new avatar?You're not over-analyzing. Their parents were different races. In all honesty, Michael Jackson and his latest fits of plastic surgery madness just make me feel sick. By the way, I love the avatar. (I wish Raven would wear her hair up once in a while)

moro loci

10-31-2004, 08:21 AM

I totally love your story so far, its real quality work. I want to hear/ read more. No pressure to write it though. :sweat:

(Plus it's good that i can learn more about this terra person) :ack:

raven54

10-31-2004, 12:02 PM

You're not over-analyzing. Their parents were different races. In all honesty, Michael Jackson and his latest fits of plastic surgery madness just make me feel sick. By the way, I love the avatar. (I wish Raven would wear her hair up once in a while)
yeah he just grosses me out. i'm willing to bet that he did mess with little boys... and i mean, come on, how many times do you need plastic surgery? He's worse than Pamela Anderson! (whom i also hate with a passion).http://e.deviantart.com/emoticons/s/stab.gif

yeah, Rae should wear her hair up. it makes you less testy (imo) and looks pretty awesome, too.

i think i've stopped bugging people to post cuz now i've realized how hard writing is... well, it's hard for me anyways, i dunno about anyone else. i want to see more too, though.

Adrastea

11-01-2004, 12:41 PM

Yeah the avatar/picture is so cool!!!! do you mind if i print it and put it up in my room? She kinda reminds me of the Olsen twins, maybe it's just the angle of her head and the way her eyes are in combination with the strands down around her face, i dunno.....

raven54

11-01-2004, 02:36 PM

yeah, sure. if you want the whole thing, clik on the link in my sig. i didn't make any of these, mind, but they have a whole load of pics here: http://teentitans.deviantart.com (http://teentitans.deviantart.com/)Check it out!

Crowgirl

11-01-2004, 03:12 PM

Um... can we NOT bring up Michael Jackson? I hate him sooooo much. He's a total freak (or at least, I think so...)

I really really really like this and if you do not post soon I will be forced to start a mob....
Oh yeah, I forget who, but I love the BumbleBee avatar. She is so cool! (or at least, I think so...)

Sproxie

11-01-2004, 05:26 PM

Um... can we NOT bring up Michael Jackson? I hate him sooooo much. He's a total freak (or at least, I think so...)
yea FREAKY

Magick

11-02-2004, 09:36 PM

New chapter time. I'm glad you're all enjoying this.

Zara and Jinx stood on the roof of the museum, staring down through a stained-glass skylight. Zara was once again wearing the Batgirl costume, and Jinx had opted for something that resembled Batman’s except for the fact that it covered the entire face, had a small cape that stretched between the arms, and a red bat instead of yellow on the front.

“This’ll be a cinch,” Jinx said. Zara wasn’t so sure.

The girl stood in the museum, waiting. There were too many complications in this case. She had committed crimes before now. She had tried to destroy the Teen Titans, but they had returned. She had been the good guy for so long, had earned Bruce Wayne’s trust, had trained hard, and had gotten used to not using her powers. But still, nobody trusted her. Tonight was the night when they would. She stood up and crept toward the Necromancer’s stone, a gigantic black opal that emitted a faint glow in the darkness. Terra was determined to keep this out of harms way, and the best way to do this was to make sure that she had it. Carefully stepping over the security beams, she stretched out a hand and seized it, quickly depositing a bag of sand on the platform. She looked down and suddenly realized something. This wasn’t the jewel.

“Looking for something, Terra?” A voice from the door said. Terra turned to see Zara and Jinx standing in the doorway. She knew it was those two, simply because she had been around when Jinx had blown the mask apart. Terra stared, not doing anything. But another girl stood in the shadows. The girl in the shadows flicked a hand. A large rock rose up from the ground, hitting Jinx in the back of the knees. She fell forward, right into the security beams. Alarms sounded, and Zara looked around, panicking.

“Cripes,” she whispered.

“What do we do now?” Jinx asked, standing up.

“What we always do,” Zara responded.

“Attack pattern Alpha?”

“Run!” Terra yelled. The three girls ran for their lives. When they got outside, Jinx looked around wildly. “Which way?”

Terra gestured at the Batmobile, and Zara jumped in the driver’s seat. The others followed suit. Zarana pressed down on the gas pedal and the car shot forward.

“Do you actually know how to drive?” Terra asked, turning her head toward Zara.

“Ummm, no. But relax; I’ve watched the Joker do it, with getaway cars.”

“Does the Joker know how to drive?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“Um, guys,” Jinx said, leaning over from a recently added back seat, “I know this isn’t the best time to ask, but if she’s the new Robin, where’s Batman?” Zara and Terra looked at each other, horrified looks on their faces. While Zara was looking behind them, the car slammed into a lamp post.

“Hello, girls. Did you decide to go for a little after-hours shopping?” Batman asked, stepping in front of the Batmobile. Commissioner Gordon stepped up as well.

“Batgirl,” he said, approaching Zara, “A mask can’t protect any of you three from justice.”

He reached out a hand and tore off Zara’s mask. “Hi,” she said, smiling, and praying that he wouldn’t recognize her. “What up?”

A few hours later, the girls were sitting within the cold stone walls of Arkham Asylum, with the exception of Zara, who was continuously ramming her shoulder against the wall.

“Stop that,” Jinx groaned, “You’re giving me a headache.”

“At least I’m trying to do something!” Zara shouted, losing her temper. “We wouldn’t be in here if it weren’t for you!”

“Oh,” Jinx stood up, her eyes blazing, “So now it’s my fault, is it? You were the one who crashed the car.”

“You were distracting me!”

“No, she was!” Jinx shouted, pointing at Terra.

“What?!?”

“You were trying to steal it!” Jinx yelled.

“I was trying to keep this Panic thing from stealing it, you moron.”

“How do you explain the rock?”

“How do you explain your face?”

“Klutch head.”

“Witch.”

“Birdbrain.”

“Would everybody please just shut up?” Zara screamed.

“Break it up, ladies,” Two-Face, who had been thrown in shortly before them, said, waving his arms between Jinx and Terra. “Listen, I have no idea what’s going on but could you please discuss it like reasonable people?”

Five hours later, they were still in the Asylum. Lady X had been thrown in and was trying to break free. X had absolutely refused to remove her mask, but she was still without the utility belt. Two-Face had retreated to a corner and was mumbling to himself, while Terra attempted to sweet-talk the guards and Jinx stared into space, fiddling with the rusty faucet in an uninterested manner. Zara stared miserably at the stone wall. This was totally hopeless.

Batman walked down the street with the Necromancer’s Stone in his hand, tossing and catching it lazily. If anyone had been out, they would have noticed that halfway down the street, a strange change came over Batman, and he turned into some sort of strange reptilian creature, with red skin, jagged teeth, and a flat face. Of course, nobody was watching, and nobody noticed, with the exception of a lone figure standing on a rooftop. Panic smiled. Humans were so naïve. His shape-shifting magic had worked perfectly. Nobody had suspected that the real Batman was tied up in the closet of a burning building. Easy, Panic thought, too easy.

Strife, the girl who had lurked in the shadows of the museum, smiled. She was a girl of average build, with long red hair that had been tied into a sort of elegant knot on the back of her head. Her skin was perfect, as were her eyebrows and lips. Strife had been raised by Panic, taught to hate and look down on others. The three girls were a complication. Panic had said something about a vision he had had, about those three overthrowing him with the help of another. Strife shook her head. Those girls couldn’t even keep from arguing for five minutes with Terra around. They had no chance, even if they received help from the Teen Titans. Even if they received help from all the forces of nature. They had no chance.

Zara looked from Terra to Two-Face to Jinx. This was not going well at all. Although the girls had apologized, there remained certain frostiness in the way that Jinx and Terra spoke. As Zara watched Jinx, it struck her. She stood up and ran over to the pipe that ran into the wall. Laying her hands on the pipe, she closed her eyes and remembered the countless lessons that she had received from Mr. Freeze. The pipe (and the wall) froze, and Zara slammed her shoulder against the wall, which gave way easily. She looked down and felt sick. She had not noticed how awfully high up the Asylum was. Jinx, Terra, and Lady X ran to her side.

“Can you swim?” Zara asked them. All three nodded. Without further ado, Zara lept off the edge of the building.

“We’re gonna die!” Jinx screamed. Zara smiled. Making a swooping motion with her hand, she created a gust of wind that swept the girls onto a ledge approximately outside the Criminal properties locker. Zara smashed the wall in the same manner and ran inside. She grabbed her things, the Batgirl costume, various gadgets, and a few things that belonged to Poison Ivy and Catwoman. The others followed suit.

“Here’s the part where you have to swim,” Zara told them. Once again, she jumped out of the building, toward the crashing waves below.

Magick

11-03-2004, 08:14 AM

Okay, I know that was awful. That chapter was more an introduction to Panic and Strife than anything else.

Crowgirl

11-03-2004, 02:46 PM

Okay, I know that was awful. That chapter was more an introduction to Panic and Strife than anything else.
YOU LIAR!!!!! THAT WAS ROCKIN'!!!!!

Yes... :shrug: .... I am hyper....:evil:

Sproxie

11-03-2004, 06:23 PM

THAT WAS ROCKIN'!!!!!

Defiitely!

raven54

11-03-2004, 08:04 PM

i admit i think that a few parts were a little bit jerky but i still loved it:anime:

Crowgirl

11-03-2004, 08:39 PM

Who didn't like it?

I don't think I mentioned this, but I like how you have jinx in your story. Can you guess why?

Magick

11-05-2004, 05:34 PM

Hey guys, wassup? Sorry about the lack of posting. I've been totally swamped with school work. I haven't been able to get much done, so here's the first half of the next chapter:

If Bruce Wayne had been the kind of man who wore his heart on his sleeve, he would be crying in resignation by now, as the flames spread toward him. As it was, Bruce was thinking faster than he ever had in his life. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he struggled to untie himself from the chair. This Panic thing used knots no Boy Scout ever knew. Bruce flipped a knife out from one of his gloves and cut through the rope as though it were spider webs. He sprang to his feet and jumped out the window, firing a grappling hook at the roof of a nearby building. Swinging up, Batman landed on his feet. His eyes narrowed. Time to catch a demon.

Jinx was the first to drag herself, sputtering, onto the rocky shores just outside of Gotham. Lady X was washed up a few minutes later. Groaning, she rubbed her head and gazed blearily around.

“I officially hate this city.” Jinx announced, “I’m seasick and I didn’t even get on a boat.”

Lady X ripped off her mask, revealing a pale, beautiful face with long red hair and mismatched eyes, one purple and one green. She looked at Jinx in disgust.

“What?” Jinx asked, wringing out her hair, which had come free of its stiff style. “What did I say?”

X rolled her eyes. “Gotham is different than your Jump City, get me? There, the people who run around in tights are the good guys. Boy Blunder and his crew go to the movies as superheroes; they go out as superheroes, etcetera, etcetera. Here, people have secret identities, the police after them, the whole shebang.”

“What?” A girl who was walking past looked up, “Somebody mention my,” She then saw Jinx and Lady X, “Nevermind.” Her companions, a black boy with wild dreadlocks and a boy with pale skin, blond hair, and wearing one earring, both worked hard to conceal their laughs. The girl rolled her eyes and the three continued walking.

“Anyway,” X continued, “Here, we’re not the good guys. Even Batman is wanted for one thing or another.”

“So what do we do?” Jinx asked, raising an eyebrow. “We have no idea where the others are, and we’re cold, wet, and wanted.”

“It’s simple, we blend in.”

raven54

11-05-2004, 10:39 PM

trust me,a few days is NOTHING. i post, like, once every two weeks. you're still in the clear.

i'm really enjoying all of your work... i like your style of writing. It's a lot like all of my fav books. anyways, very good in general and i have nothing to add or suggest. More please!

Is anyone else noticing a pileup of HW? i had none for like two months straight and suddenly i'm loaded with the crap... it's a freakin conspiracy, i tell you. A conspiracy!!

Sproxie

11-05-2004, 11:09 PM

I love how this story keeps gettin better...
Homework... ugh :rolleyes:
Is anyone else noticing a pileup of HW? i had none for like two months straight and suddenly i'm loaded with the crapMe too! no homework for such a long time and now, im drowning in school paper.

raven54

11-05-2004, 11:20 PM

BURN IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mwahahahaahahaaa!!....hah.

Adrastea

11-06-2004, 01:44 PM

no homework for tow months!!!! Can i join your school?!?!

Yeah, hw sucks, and now a lot of my teachers are saying it's going to pile up more toward the end of the semester. DAMNIT!!!

Magick

11-12-2004, 05:58 PM

Hey, wassup? I'm finally done with all my stupid homework. (Although I'd just like to go into the school with a flamethrower and burn the whole place down instead.)
If you’re not rrarbecy, you can skip through this little message and right to the new chapter. (Located below the little message for rrarbecy)
Before I get going, I'd like to ask rrarbecy to change his user title and/or signature. Something about it is making my computer go all wierd again, and I'm locked out of any page he's posted on. If he could please go through his title and sig and get rid of anything that might be mildly inappropriate. Sorry, it's just my stupid computer. (Grrr) Anyhow, enough blibbering, new chapter time.

Zara sat on top of one of Gotham’s many skyscrapers, shivering. Pulling her mask off, she stared across the bleak skyline. What else could possibly go wrong? Her question was answered when she felt the tip of something cold press against her throat. Zara sighed and grabbed the hand holding the knife. She dug her fingernails into the person’s arm, causing him to drop the knife. Zara lept up, pulling on a pair of Catwoman’s gloves as she did so. Drawing her hand back, she struck out at-

“Cyborg?”

“Titans, go!” Someone yelled. Zara felt something hit her from the side. She was thrown backwards. Turning in the air, she was hit full in the face with a burst of black magic. Zara landed hard on the ground. Cyborg advanced on her.

“What the heck are you doing!” she yelled at him.

“I think you know the answer to that.” Cyborg replied calmly, ignoring the steady trickle of blood sliding down his face. “You robbed the museum,”

“You broke out of Arkham Asylum,” Robin said.

“And you murdered six guards,” Raven drawled.

“Murdered six guards? What’s all this rubbish? I didn’t rob anything and I’ve never killed anyone.”

“Then how do you explain the guards who were found electrocuted to death?”

“I dunno, maybe it was Livewire, or that Lightning guy, or even Static. But it wasn’t me!” She picked up the knife from the ground and held it in a fighter’s stance, the way experts hold a dagger. “Don’t make me do this, guys,” she said, begging them, “But I’ve got a demon to hunt down and friends to find, so please stop making ridiculous accusations, okay?” When nobody said anything, she threw the knife down on the rooftop and jumped off the building. Zara flung open the door of a nearby building and stepped inside. What she saw made her scream.

On the rooftop, Panic’s soldier’s dropped their false shapes, revealing the motliest collection of beings that most could ever hope to lay eyes on.

“How much longer do we have to keep doing this?” Ysetti, a dwarf with a beard the color of gravel asked, rubbing his face. “That girl can fight.”

“We keep doing it until Strife tells us to stop, rocks-for-brains,” a tall, female vampire named Leifang said, brushing a strand of silvery-black hair out of her face. A goblin snorted, and Leifang hit him over the head with the hilt of her sword. Malia, a lesser demoness, wiggled pale blue fingers.

“I’m still getting used to this shape shifting magic,” she commented, “I can’t imagine how Panic remembers it all. And why are we still after that girl and her friends anyway? So that Raven girl’s father did Panic a wrong or two, big deal.”

“Yeah,” agreed Halyem, a werewolf, “He should just let it go and move on, man.”

“You know the saying, ‘It never forgives. It never forgets’?” Leifang asked, “I think Panic is ‘It’”

“So,” Ysetti said, tugging his beard, “Who wants to tell Panic that we didn’t get her?”

There was silence.

Terra stomped down the street. Turning around, she saw that he was still following her. She ground her teeth and glared at Two-Face.

“Will you please stop following me?” Terra yelled. When he said nothing, she fumbled in her bag for something. Finding a coin roughly the size of a half dollar, she threw it at Two-Face and continued walking. Terra heard footsteps behind her. This was gonna be a long night.

“You are crazy,” Jinx said, walking after Lady X. “Dye my hair? Not gonna happen.” X whipped around.

“Listen, it’s either that or,” she pulled a pair of scissors out of her bag, “This. Nobody’s gonna think that I, Rahne Flacia, supposedly ordinary girl, am in any way connected to a supposed robbery. But as for you, how many people walk around with bright pink hair and don’t get noticed?”

Jinx seemed to be counting on her fingers. “I give up. How many?”

“None!”

“Can’t I just wear a hat?”

“Ugh,” X said, smacking her forehead, “Sure. Just keep a low profile.”

P.S. Halo 2 rules!!
;)

Sproxie

11-12-2004, 10:52 PM

Wow, this is a GREAT Chapter!
Raven's father? cooool.... :D
I liked everything i guess :shrug:

(Although I'd just like to go into the school with a flamethrower and burn the whole place down instead.)

i'd like to try that some day.... :evil:
and yes, Halo 2 Does Rock!

Magick

11-15-2004, 06:23 PM

Hello? Is this thing on? Is anybody reading this?

raven54

11-15-2004, 06:27 PM

yeah, i am... i think it got pushed off the top though. it's like King of the Hill... either you're reigning queen or scrambling amongst everyone else and lost in the crowd.

Magick

11-27-2004, 07:15 PM

I live! Mwahahahaha! Sorry, I'm hyper. Anyhow, I have concocted a new chapter. Mwahahahaha!

Strife stood next to Panic as the agents were led into the stone chamber. Malia, Ysetti, Leifang, Halyem, and Argo (the goblin), walked on the cold stone floor, their footsteps echoing eerily. Panic stood over them, fuming.

“So,” he growled, “So, she got away, did she? You failed, didn’t you?”

Malia nodded. Panic smiled,

“I understand,” he said. Malia noticed him pulling something out of a corner.

“You do?” Argo asked, not quite believing it, “Whew! We thought that you were going to drop us off a cliff or something.”

“Don’t worry about cliffs,” Panic said, “What you should be worried about is,” He turned around, “THIS!” He whirled around, a sword in each hand, and swiftly impaled Argo, Halyem, and Ysetti. There were gasps and murmurs from the crowd of beings that had assembled.

“Let them be an example to all of you,” Panic roared. He pulled off one of Leifang’s gloves and thrust her hand into the air, palm facing outward, revealing a sign that had been tattooed onto her skin. It was a spiderwebby sort of shape, with two daggers in front of the web that formed one letter very clearly: T.

“So, Trigon has a servant here?” Panic asked, “And those three as well?” He gestured at the corpses of Argo, Halyem, and Ysetti. When Leifang looked away, Panic flicked each sword once. Blood ran down Leifang’s cheeks from two fresh cuts, one on each cheek.

“Answer me, vampire!” Panic commanded. Leifang looked up at him.

“Yes,” she spat, “Trigon’s reign will come, and your empire will go crashing down on top of you. The day will come.”

“Well,” Panic purred, “That may be, but you will not live to see it. Strife, take this,” He gestured at Leifang, “To the Devourer. But first, let Trigon know what we have done to his servants.” Strife bowed and left, using a magical link to drag Leifang along with her. Panic grabbed Malia by the shoulders and brought her face close to his.

“You are very lucky that I don’t suspect you, girl, very lucky indeed. I know that you recently crossed into this world, so let this be a lesson. Failure and disloyalty will not be tolerated.”

Zara stared at the army of creatures that was assembled in the stone chamber that she had stepped into, fighting back another scream. She had been lucky that they hadn’t heard her before. Closing her eyes, Zara prayed that nothing would see her. Her prayers were interrupted when she felt hot breath on the back of her neck. Dreading what she would see, Zara turned around, and stared into the serpentine face of a guard. Without hesitation, she threw out her hands and sent a lightning bolt crashing down upon the guard. Unfortunately, this created a very loud noise, which drew the attention of every being in the chamber. Zara created several razor-sharp icicles and hurled them at the army. She then proceeded to run for her life. Turning down a dark hallway, she slammed into Strife. Strife raised a hand, recited an incantation, and stared into Zara’s eyes. Zara felt darkness overwhelm her. She was falling, falling into the bottomless black pool of Strife’s gaze. She hit the ground with a dull thump.

All was still in Bruce Wayne’s manor. The Teen Titans were all asleep, completely oblivious to all that was going on outside. Several demons crawled into the house through the Worldgate, which was the only thing that separated Earth from Tartarus. They slithered through the hall, tasting the air with snake-like tongues. Opening the door to the room where Raven was staying, they crept in. Raven lept to her feet and threw on her cloak as soon as the first creature entered her room. They tackled her, attempting to suffocate the girl. She threw them off and dashed down the hallway, toward the thing she knew had to be in here somewhere. The demons lept at Raven, clawing at her cloak and hair. Raven rounded a corner and saw a ghastly reddish orange light spilling out of a nearby door. Or rather, a large stone contraption that vaguely resembled a door. Her heart froze.

“The Worldgate,” she whispered, awe and fear in her voice. Raven summoned all of her magic. Thrusting her hands in front of her, she prepared to close the portal. A demon pushed her from behind, sending Raven toppling headfirst into the gate. She attempted to fly out, but it was like being sucked down a gigantic drain. Raven looked down into Tartarus, the Greek underworld.

Jinx and Lady X sat dejectedly against a wall. Lady X glared.

“So, you just had to tell the innkeeper that his mohawk was outdated, didn’t you?”

Jinx rolled her eyes. “Well it was. Besides, you’re the one who just had to pick a fight with that big burly guy.”

“I told you, I didn’t pick a fight, he was asking for it.”

“Whatever.” There was silence. Jinx harrumphed and turned her back on the other girl. Jinx was too busy fuming to hear the small squeak, followed by a low grunt. Jinx also didn’t notice the dark shape sneaking up on her until she was staring into it’s red, catlike eyes, and eyeing it's long, extremely sharp-looking sword.

“Hullo,” Jinx intoned shrilly. Without hesitation, she kicked the thing’s shin and took off running at top speed. When she saw that the thing wasn’t pursuing her, Jinx collapsed, breathing hard.

“Woo-hoo!” She shouted. “Take that, you slimy thingamajiggy.” Someone clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Shut up.” Terra whispered. “Do you want to attract their attention?” Jinx shook her head no. “Then be quiet.”

Strife stood in her room, shivering. She was beginning to regret the fact that she had taken the girl prisoner. If that girl would suffer the same fate as all the other outsiders who entered Panic’s realm, she might as well be dead right now. Strife had never seen anything killed before that day, even by magical means. She closed her eyes.

Panic can’t possibly want to do that again, she thought, It was necessary. They failed. He won’t do it again. He promised he wouldn’t. It won’t end up like that. I’ll make sure of it.

Panic, in the meantime, was relishing the taste of blood. He was looking forward to the trial in the arena today. It was particularly satisfying to watch traitors get what they so richly deserved.

CaligoRae

11-27-2004, 11:32 PM

OH NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! U CAN'T END IT THERE!!!!!!!! U JUST CAN'T!!!!!! PLS PLS PLS WRITE MORE SOON!!!!:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: When do u think u will have the next chap? PLS SAy sunday. Its sooo good. I'm glad Raven had a part in it. YES!! Thats what make the story more interesting to me. I love RAVEN. Anyways pls say the next chap will be mostly about her and stuff. PLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLS!!!!!!:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:

Sproxie

11-27-2004, 11:52 PM

OOOO how i love this story!!!!! i have to add this to my signature.... :)
PLEASE post soon! this was an awesome chapter!!!!

raven54

11-30-2004, 12:46 AM

More Magick fiction... YES!!!! lovely addition dude... me likey. Have i mentioned that you write a lot like Tammy? Cuz you do...

Crowgirl

11-30-2004, 07:00 PM

Magick, this is one of the best fics on this forum, and I'm not saying that due to the circumstances. Here are the things I love the best:

Characterization- I love how they have to fit in, and Jinx is stubborn about it.
Storyline- Sure, it may be confusing at some parts, but who really cares if it's written well?
Everything else- WRITE MORE NOW!!!!!

rrarbecy

11-30-2004, 07:48 PM

CaligoRae

12-05-2004, 07:14 PM

PLease write more.:crying: :crying:

Magick

12-11-2004, 11:43 AM

Contraary to popular belief, I have rejoined the living today! Since it's so close to Christmas, I am presenting you with a new chapter. (I would like give you guys a partridge in a pear tree, too, but I haven't got any at the moment.)

Raven groaned and rubbed her head. Blinking as her eyes adjusted to the scene around her, Raven felt her heart sink. She had been hoping against hope that this was another of her crazy nightmares. Tartarus was not an unfamiliar place to Raven, but seeing it now, just when she thought it had left her life completely, was depressing beyond measure. Tartarus was a labyrinth of grey stone and mist, echoing with the screams of those in the roasting pits, which were, in actuality, the only part of the Underworld that were hot at all. She stood up and walked through the stone corridor, her footsteps echoing. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw something dart through the shadows. She whipped around, looking for the thing that she had seen.
“Come out,” she said, trying to keep her voice under control. No-one answered. Raven continued walking, keeping a wary eye out for anything. Voices echoed down the corridor.

“Don’t you ‘But Hades’ me, you little cretin. I have evidence that someone crossed the Worldgate recently.” The voice was loud, commanding, and male.

“But Hades, there’ve been demons crossing the Worldgate all the time these days. You know, the rebellion.” This voice was female, frustrated, and more than a little challenging.

“Yes, I know about the rebellion, you blue-skinned idiot. But there’s evidence that someone just crossed over. If Panic and his little club he calls a rebellion want to go wreak havoc on Earth, that’s fine by me. But if you look closely at the report, somebody just crossed over from another world to here, they didn’t leave here, Malia.”

“Hades, I hope you realize that I’m putting my life on the line for you every time that I go into Panic’s ‘little club’! I can’t monitor the Worldgate and spy for you. I’m risking getting killed all the time right now.

“You’re joking. Tell me you’re joking. That is the single stupidest thing you have ever said to me. I’m the god of the dead, in case you’ve forgotten. I can sort it out. Besides, it won’t happen.”

“Ugh. Why don’t you go up there and put your own immortality on the line?” Raven heard the sound of stomping feet and saw a blue-skinned demoness, the one who had to be called Malia, stalk out of a cavern, strands of white-blonde hair flying everywhere. Raven had to flatten herself against the damp stone wall to keep herself from being clobbered by the demoness’ long, gargoyle-like wings. Watching the demon’s retreating back, Raven considered her choices. She could either stay where she was and wait for some creature from the depths of hell itself to find her, or she could follow the demon and see what Panic was up to this time. It was common knowledge among dreamers and demons that Panic, a somewhat minor but extremely power hungry demon who pulled a stunt like a rebellion every decade or so. The problem was this: Each time, Panic got closer to his goal. This could turn serious.

Leifang stood in the center of the arena of the Devourer, armed with a double-ended sword. She looked around at the crowd of jeering creatures in the stands, many of whom she had believed to be her friends. The scoffs suddenly dropped in volume. Leifang turned around when she heard a heavy metallic clang. Several lizard-faced guards were hauling someone into the arena. Leifang looked closely at the figure they were carrying. The thing that shocked Leifang was the fact that it was a human girl. She had dark skin and black hair, with one red streak. The guards dropped the girl in the dust near Leifang.

Zara stood up shakily, touching her lip, which was bleeding sluggishly. She moaned softly and looked around at the crowd around her. This place reminded her of a football stadium, except minus the buff guys and cheerleaders. The cheers were suddenly magnified tenfold as a heavy metal gate at the end of the arena opened itself. Zara looked at the thing that had begun to enter the arena. It looked, to her, like a gigantic spider that had had it’s DNA spliced with a King Cobra. This was not good at all. The vampire standing beside her seemed to be thinking the same thing, but unlike Zara, the vamp was armed. The thing (it had to be the Devourer that Zara had heard so much about.) advanced on them, fangs bared. The Devourer of Souls was the stuff of mythology from the other side of the Worldgate. Zara had learned all about it from Ra’s Al Ghul.

The vampiress stood, transfixed by the Devourer’s horrible yellow eyes. She didn’t seem to be able to tear her gaze away. Zara, however, had no such qualms. She seized the vampire’s sword and recklessly charged forward, all the while thinking: This may be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.

Strife was in the stands, watching the fight. As the human girl charged forward and was thrown against the stadium walls, Strife stood up, her eyes the size of golf balls. She wanted to yell, to do something. The vampire stood, mesmerized, as the Devourer advanced, opening its gigantic maw of a mouth, lined with razor-sharp teeth. Strife looked at Panic, feeling nervous tension build inside of her. He would do something, surely. However, it was not Panic who stopped the Devourer. It was the human girl, (whom Strife had determined to be completely insane) viciously hacking at the Devourer’s long legs, using an arsenal of strange devices and acrobatics to avoid the monster. The thing shrieked as one of its legs began to spurt greenish blood. Strife distinctly heard a “Yuck!” from someone in the crowd, but was too busy to worry about who that might be. As the Devourer reared and slammed its pincers into the ground, barely two feet from the insane girl. Guards in the stands sent down a rain of arrows, as was the custom at such fights. At this, Strife couldn’t stand it anymore. She had been raised to believe that such things were necessary, but now, seeing them for the first time, she had to disagree. Strife threw a hand out in front of her and sent a bolt of pure white magic flying at the Devourer. It shrieked again and collapsed, sending up a cloud of dust as it did so. Strife muttered a single syllable and teletransported herself down to the arena. The human only had the time to mutter: “What the-” before Strife had worked the spell again.

Zara stumbled, trying to get her footing on the cold stone floor she was suddenly standing on. She turned and glared at the girl who had grabbed her. What was going on? Apparently, this girl wasn’t going to explain. Zara rolled her eyes and looked around.

“Hey, wait a second,” she said, “Where is this place? It doesn’t look like the way...” She smiled at one of the Tartarian patrol. “Cripes.”

Panic stood in the stands, snarling. He turned around, grabbed one of the guards and squeezed the thing’s skull until he heard the familiar crunching sound. He stalked out the stone door, looking for Strife. She was going to learn the consequences of treachery.

Note: I’m writing the chapters a little differently now. One chapter will be about Raven, Zara, and one of the demonesses, and the next will be about Lady X, Jinx, Terra, and the Titans. Then I’ll alternate, and so on and so forth.

CaligoRae

12-11-2004, 01:08 PM

COOL!! I'm glad that u returned!!!! Pls say the next chapter will be up soon!! PLS!!!

Sproxie

12-11-2004, 01:53 PM

Wow, i love this story! its so different... but thats what i love about it! please continue soon!

Crowgirl

12-11-2004, 02:16 PM

Wow, i love this story! its so different... but thats what i love about it! please continue soon!
What else is there to say?

rrarbecy

12-11-2004, 08:44 PM

What else is there to say?
...I can't think of anything...

T.T.Raven4

12-12-2004, 10:55 AM

Finally! Done reading! Woo!

This story is awesome. Character development was very nice. You've managed to wrok with like 16 characters, and keep it fresh, and that deserves much credit. Keep it up!

Magick

12-20-2004, 09:21 PM

Hi everybody! Sorry about my absence, but my teachers seem to be piling on all the homework they possibly can before Christmas break. FYI for everyone reading this chapter: Rahne Flacia is Lady X's real name. Anyhow, enjoy!

Lady X woke up, coughing, as the scent of something vile filled her nose. Bizarre and grotesque faces swam into view above her. Any other girl would have screamed, but Rahne Flacia had learned a long time ago that screaming usually meant serious injury. She quickly shut her eyes and pretended to be unconscious.

“D’you reckon sssshe’s alive?” A woman with a snake’s tongue and clawed hands inquired.

“If she is, she won’t be for long,” Something growled. “Why’d we have to waste the smelling salts on her?”

“Ssshut yer face, it’ssss not as if they’re going anywhere.”

“Quiet, I think she’s wakin’ up.”

Rahne rolled her closed eyes. If these demons were any stupider… Well, she wasn’t going to get started on that. Rahne felt herself being dragged down a stone hallway. She opened her eyes. What she saw was not encouraging. Water dripped from cracks in the stone ceiling, and rats scurried through the long shadows in corners. This was definitely not good. Rahne kicked the person behind her in the shin, jabbed her elbow into another’s stomach, and took off running.

“Strife’s escaping,” something yelled, “Quick, get the wench!” Rahne didn’t have time to wonder who in guacamole Strife was. She had problems of her own to worry about.

Trigon stood in the sorcerer’s tower, in the Obsidian Palace. In the tower, Trigon’s chief wizards toiled over cauldrons and fires, never ceasing for fear of arousing the anger of Trigon the Terrible. Trigon himself was eyeing the Necromancer’s Stone, which his agent, Leifang, had stolen from Panic. The Stone was a source of absolute power, but was only effective once, on one being, in one dimension. Now that Trigon was in the correct dimension, it would be a piece of bat’s-wing pie, as soon as the sorcerers figured out exactly how the stone worked. But, of course the stone wasn’t the only thing that was keeping Trigon busy at the moment. Oh, no, not at all. If Panic thought that he could challenge the eighth evil, he had another thing coming. A slow smile spread across Trigon’s face as he exited the tower. Oh, yes indeed, Panic had another thing coming.

Rahne dashed down the cold stone hallways, looking desperately for a way out. This was just plain old stupid. Rounding a corner, she slammed into something that was heading in the opposite direction.

“Yeesh,” Rahne said, rubbing her forehead, “Watch where you’re going, why don’t you?”

“I apologize, highness,” the person said sarcastically, “For not anticipating you’re every move.”

Rahne brushed herself off and looked at the person she had bumped into. To her great surprise, it was a human boy, about 18. He had short brown hair, worn over one green eye, razor-sharp features, and a very handsome smile. He grabbed Rahne, clamping a hand over her mouth, and pulled her into the shadows. Several misshapen beings ran past, oblivious to their presence. When they were gone, Rahne bit the boy’s hand, forcing him to let go.

“Who are you?” She half-shouted, half-asked.

“That’s a nice way to thank somebody who just saved your life, Strife.” The boy replied coolly. “If it means anything to you, I’m Kyle.”

“Rayner?”

“Nope, sorry.”

“Pity. Why do you keep calling me Strife?”

“Because it’s your name, elf.”

“I am not Strife, and I am not an elf. Check the ears.” Rahne brushed her hair behind one perfectly normal ear.

“But the hair. Only Strife has bright red hair like yours.” Kyle said, putting a hand on either side of her face and lifting it toward his. Rahne felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Do you act like this in front of all the girls you meet?” She asked him, angrily pushing his hands away.

“Only the pretty ones.” Kyle responded. Rahne glared at him.

“Look,” she said testily, trying her hardest to keep from beating the crud out of this boy, “I am way, way, out of your league. If your league exploded, I wouldn’t hear it for another three days.”

“Ouch,” Kyle said, “I think you hurt my man-feelings there.”

“Whatever. Look, I’m just trying get out of here.”

“I’m not stopping you.”

“You are standing in my way.” Rahne gritted. “Thanks for your help, but I’ve really got to get back to Gotham City.”

“They kidnapped you because they thought you were Strife.” Kyle said, staring at Rahne as though she was some kind of circus animal..

“Yeah, so?”

“So you’re going to need someone to look out for you.”

“Gee, thanks, but I work alone.”

Kyle shrugged. “It’s your funeral, I suppose. I mean, Strife is the apprentice of one of Trigon’s greatest enemies. But, if you want to go on alone, then go.”

Rahne sighed and turned around, “Fine, you can come with. Just don’t say or do anything stupid, and please don’t get in my way.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kyle muttered.

Robin woke up when he heard Starfire’s shriek ring down the halls of Bruce’s mansion. He didn’t know what she was screaming about, but Star very rarely screamed for no reason. Throwing his cape on, Robin raced down the halls. It had been so long since he had been in Bruce’s mansion, but the place had hardly changed. I guess Batman doesn’t have time for redecorating, Robin thought.

Starfire stood on her bed, beating off the things that were swarming all over the floor. What in Zall’s name were they? They resembled the earthling rats, only they were larger, their teeth were sharper, and they were much angrier than the average rat could get. Starfire hurled starbolts at them, but that didn’t help for long. They simply swarmed onto the bed with more persistence.

Robin flung open the door to Star’s room, praying that she was still there. He gasped. Hordes of rats- were they rats?-swarmed all over the floor, onto the bed, and all over Starfire. She screamed again, shooting eye beams at them, but to no avail. Robin tried to move, to do something, but he was rooted to the spot, unable to move. He couldn’t attack without risking hitting Starfire.

Star closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling the fury well up inside her. These creatures had no right to do the attacking to her. Starfire released her anger, gave it form, and sent the rat-things flying in a burst of green energy. She collapsed, drained of energy.

Robin raced to her side, closely followed by Cyborg and Beast Boy.

“What were those things?” Star asked, rubbing her head, “And from where did they come?”

A deep, sinister laugh echoed around the room. The Titans braced themselves, ready for anything. The laughter continued, and Starfire shivered. The room around them dissolved, replacing itself with a gaping abyss, radiating intense heat. The Titans stood on a single slab of stone, floating above the chasm.

“I think we have an answer, Star.” Robin remarked. He listened for a moment, and was surprised to hear another pair of voices echoing across the empty space.

“Smart idea, Jinx,” A very familiar voice said sarcastically, “Really great idea. Let’s go and talk to the old creepy man in the corner. He won’t hurt us because you’re a witch, wearing a stupid hat.”

“Will you stop griping at me?” Another voice said, “I admit I made a mistake, end of story, amen, halleluiah.”

Robin squinted across the chasm. He made out two figures, and it wasn’t hard to tell who they were. Jinx’s pink hair was unmistakable, and he would have recognized Terra’s voice anywhere. As leader of the Titans, it was Robin’s job to remember that kind of thing.

Jinx stood up and waved at the people across the abyss.

“Hi Birdbrain, hi Greenie!” She shouted. “Wassup, Mister Roboto?” Terra slapped her forehead.

Terra looked down at her feet, trying to make herself invisible. The rock holding them up evaporated. She looked, and saw that the Titans had lost their support as well.

Oh, gosh, she thought, not now. Why does my life have to be Murphy’s Law from the get-go?

Terra fell fast, flailing her arms and hoping for a miracle. She thrust a palm upward, willing something to happen. Unfortunately, the stone in this chasm wasn’t stone at all. Jinx screamed as the mass of snakes plastered all over the metal walls began to writhe, dropping off the walls and all over the falling humans.

“Starfire, fly!” Cyborg shouted.

“I…I cannot.” Star responded, dejectedly. She was trying, of course, but who could conjure a thought of joy when scaly reptiles were falling from the metal walls and tangling in her hair? Beast Boy’s luck was scarcely better. He was too paralyzed with fear and shock to much more than scream and flail his arms. The six of them hit the ground at different times, each with a low thump. Terra moaned softly as she sank into the darkness gathering at the edges of her brain.

When Terra regained consciousness, Jinx was batting her eyelashes at Cyborg, talking to him.

“You, know Roboto, there’s something I’ve been meaning to do ever since you left the Hive,” Jinx was saying. She approached Cyborg, still acting like a flirtatious moron. When her face was barely inches from Cyborg’s, Jinx drew her hand back and slapped him with all the force she could muster.

Terra rolled her eyes and rubbed her head, ignoring the sputters of indignation coming from Cyborg. She looked around at their surroundings. It was a fairly large cave, as dark as night itself, lit only by the faint green glow emanating from Starfire’s palm. Terra squinted into the darkness at something emerging from the shadows.

“Uh, guys,” She said, scooting away slowly while trying to stand up, “Umm, not to alarm you or anything, but there is something really, really big, coming our way.” Nobody responded, each being busy with some other complaint. They didn’t notice the thing until it roared.

“Guys,” Terra said, “Now would be a very good time to run.”